The air seemed to vibrate with an ancient energy, humming with a power beyond comprehension.
My surroundings dissolved into a swirling vortex of colors and lights, and I was transported to a place that defied all logic and reason.
I found myself suspended in the cosmos, weightless and free. The stars, once mere pinpricks of light in the night sky, now burned with an intensity that was both beautiful and terrifying.
All around me, the celestial bodies had taken on a life of their own.
And then, I saw them—the Constellations—in all their majestic glory.
The one who said my name was Aries, so they were the first I observed. They had the form of a Ram, having golden and white fleece that shimmered in the starlight. Their horns gleamed like polished bronze, and their eyes seemed like priceless amber gems.
'T-that is… Edward's Constellation!'
The feeling of awe did not vanish as the other Constellations began to greet my sight one after the other, drowning me a seemingly endless pool of magnificence.
'A-ahh…' My eyes widened as I witnessed an imposing being whose name I knew almost as soon as I saw them.
Taurus, appearing in the form of a Bull, felt so immense and powerful that I felt my being tremble. Their eyes were blazing with an inner fire that could light up the darkest of nights, and they pawed at the cosmic ground with massive hooves, sending sparks of stardust flying.
I didn't have time to dwell on them when another Constellation's glory filled me up.
Gemini—looking like conjoined Twins—was essentially two ethereal figures locked in an eternal embrace, their forms constantly shifting and merging.
Their laughter echoed through the cosmos like a celestial melody, and I felt a tinge of embarassment for some reason.
Cancer looked like a Crab, but nothing like anything I had ever seen before. Their shell was adorned with iridescent pearls that gleamed with an otherworldly luster. Even though their body was mostly black in color, the glimmers of gems that decorated their exoskeleton made them irresistably glorious.
"Haha… to think you'd come this far. I wonder what look Kuzon must have on his face right now."
I recognized the voice instantly!
It was the first sound I heard when I first arrived in this realm. The one with so much authority that made my entire body unable to stop shaking.
Leo, appearing like a Lion, had a majestic and regal form. Their long mane was composed of burning stars that radiated warmth and strength. They gazed down upon me with glowing crimson eyes filled with what I could only chalk up as amusement.
'He's Kuzon's Constellation. That's so… overwhelming…'
"Stop teasing him. He's my Host's lover, you know?" I heard a sweet-sounding tone course through my ears, causing me to instantly look in the direction of the voice.
Partly because I was curious, and partly because I was confused, I raised my brow while staring at the entity before me.
'Eh?'
Did she just say her Host was my lover? How?
This was the Constellation Virgo, dressed as a pure and beautiful Maiden. She stood with an aura of purity and grace, her presence imbued with an innate sense of order and perfection. She held a magnifiscent shot staff in one hand, and she was smiling warmly at me.
"Maria still doesn't know, but I'm her benefactor."
My eyes widened and my jaws nearly loosened as I heard the news. It was unbelievable, but why would a Constellation lie to me.
I had to simply swallow it as the truth.
Viro's smile felt so warm, and she was so beautiful that I had to look away from her moments after staring due to how embarassed I was.
My gaze turned to the next Constellation, who was right beside her.
It was Libra, who had the weirdest form out of everyone I had seen thus far.
They looked like some an amalgamation of a glorious Fairy, thanks to their wings and shimmering form, and a six-arm creature. They had a pair of Scales, hanging on their shoulders in perfect balance. The scales seemed to be a part of their body, and they also had six hands—two folded, two on their waist, and two balancing the scales.
The scales swung gently as they looked at me curiously, but I swiftly removed my eyes from them before things got too awkward.
The next one my eyes met wad Scorpio. They had the form of a Scorpion, and they weren't really paying much mind to me, but rather, the one beside them. With a graceful, deadly beauty, their tail poised to strike, they had eyes glowed with a fierce intensity, a reminder of the power they possessed.
Unlike Cancer, who was pure black, Scorpio was gleaming white… like milk.
The one whom Scorpio was speaking to was staring directly at me as they were having their conversation.
They were Sagittarius, and they had the form of an Archer. Theor bow was right behind them, and they seemed to have eyes all over their body. Each eye shone like diamonds, and its face… surprisingly had no eye at all.
It was just a blank mask that was well-docarated with a helmet.
"Hey, kid, don't mind those two. One is a talkative, and the other is a prude."
The voice that spoke to me was as gentle as it was soothing. I looked in the direction and found the one known as Capricorn.
They had the form of a Sea-Goat, an odd mix, in my opinion.
Their body was adorned with glistening scales and they had majestic horns rose so high, like tall twin trees.
They smiled at me, and I smiled back. For some reason, those simple words from Capricorn calmed me.
"There's a lot we're curious about. So why don't we start with that?" A voice behind me caused me to look, and what I saw was… a fish?
Well, not just an ordinary fish.
Pisces looked like a giant fish made of a glass-like substance. And the odd thing about their nearly transparent form was that within them were numerous fishes who swam gracefully through the astral waters, their scales shimmering with the colors of the universe.
The way the fishes swam within the much larger fish felt reminiscent to the flow of life itself..
'But they're right. I shouldn't get too distracted by all of these…' My thoughts slowly retune to the matter at hand.
I realized that thus far I had only seen 11 of the 12. There was still one more that I was yet to see.
My eyes scoured the Constellations that surrounded me in a circle, and I found the one whom I hadn't yet feasted my eyes on.
'Aquarius…?'
They were made of a liquid substance that resembled water, and within them were shells, pearls, and other shimmering items without end.
It felt like I was looking at the universe itself from outside it.
Somehow, merely looking at this body of water in a humanoid form, ever-flowing and changing, I felt a boundless energy from within.
I could see no end to Aquarius. Just a seemingly infinite layer of depth.
As I gazed upon these celestial beings, I felt a profound sense of wonder and awe. These were living embodiments of the forces that shaped our world and the mysteries of the entire tree.
I had to choose my first words to them wisely.
"Where have you all been? Worlds are getting destroyed because of Legris Damien, yet you all do nothing!"
I was surprised by the words I uttered, almost to the point of apologizing, but I continued anyway.
"Why are you not doing anything?!"
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[A/N]
An entire chapter just introducing the Constellations… wow
I didn't think it would be this long.
Thanks for reading!
