Chapter 5

(Cyrus's POV)

Waking up in the middle of the woods is something I've grown used to over the years. My routine typically involves checking my surroundings and foraging for food, water, and anything else that might be useful at our campsite. But this morning was different. My dad had already taken care of most of those tasks. By the time I got up, he was cooking some animal he'd found in the forest over a makeshift fire he created using his powers.

"Hurry up and eat—there's a lot to do today," my dad said, his tone hurried.

I quickly put on my clothes and walked over to the firepit, grabbing the venison he had prepared.

"Today, we're going to try and figure out what your new power is," he added.

"Let me guess," I interjected. "Through sparring?"

"You know me so well," my father replied with a grin.

My dad thrived on consistency and hard work, so training and lectures were a daily occurrence. Truthfully, I didn't mind—I relished this time with him. Growing up, he wasn't around much due to his role as the leader of Clan Solaris. His responsibilities often took him away for long periods, managing relations between nations or quelling disputes, which weren't always peaceful.

After finishing my meal, I noticed a large circle—eight to ten meters in diameter—drawn in the dirt at the center of our campsite.

"Come on, step into the arena," my dad called out. "Don't be scared."

"This hardly qualifies as an arena," I quipped.

"It'll be whatever I say it is, you pompous brat," he retorted with mock irritation.

As I stepped into the circle, his playful demeanor faded into a serious expression.

"Now, before we begin, I want you to focus on infusing cosmic energy into your muscles and saturating them," he instructed.

I followed his guidance, feeling the flow of energy leak explosively from my core. It didn't feel the same as before.

"It feels different, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yes," I admitted. "The flow feels more aggressive than before I connected to my celestial formation."

"That's because your celestial core used to act as a cap," he explained. "It was primarily a containment unit, with only a small trickle of energy—just enough to project you into the Astral Realm. But now that you've connected to your Fate Constellation, the core has become an energy source, awakening its full potential."

His words made sense. When I connected to the Solaris Constellation, I'd felt a profound transformation in my body.

"So, this is what allows you to display superhuman abilities?" I asked.

"Correct. This is called cosmic augmentation. Over time, as your core evolves, it will become second nature—almost automatic."

Acknowledging his words, I took a few steps back and assumed a fighting stance. My father mirrored my movements.

"I hope you're ready," he said, his tone sharp. "This will be much different from our earlier sessions."

"Bring it on, old man," I taunted.

He took one step and vanished, reappearing behind me. His palm struck my back, sending me tumbling forward.

"I thought you said you were ready," he teased.

I scrambled to my feet, but before I could fully react, he was already in front of me, aiming a kick at my head. I instinctively raised my arms, imbuing them with cosmic energy to soften the blow. But the kick was a feint—he transitioned seamlessly into a sweep, knocking me off my feet again.

"Come on, Cyrus," he chided. "Are you going to fight back, or just play punching bag?"

I'd seen my father fight astral behemoths before and knew what his power was capable of, but experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. This was the first time he'd sparred with me while using cosmic energy, and I could tell he wasn't even close to using his full strength.

Steeling my resolve, I forced cosmic energy into my legs and launched myself toward him.

"Oh, so the little prince has some fight left in him? Good," he said, smirking.

Unaccustomed to my newfound speed, I could only stop myself by throwing a roundhouse kick aimed at his abdomen. He blocked it with ease, but I wasn't done. Channeling energy into my core and hips, I rotated midair and aimed another kick at his knee. This time, I landed the blow, causing his leg to buckle just enough for his guard to drop.

Seeing my opportunity, I swung a left hook at his chin. My fist connected, but it felt like hitting solid steel. He didn't flinch. Instead, he turned his head and gave me a wry smile.

"Finally got a hit in, huh?" he remarked before delivering a swift uppercut to my stomach, leaving me doubled over and gasping for air.

"I think that's enough for this session," he said, patting my back. "Rest up. You did well."

It didn't take long for me to recover from the strike to my gut, but I was still amazed by how much power my father could generate so effortlessly. Our sparring sessions had never been this intense before.

"He really wasn't kidding," I muttered to myself while drinking water from the spring near our camp.

As if on cue, my father walked over and plopped down in front of me.

"Now that you've had a moment to recover, it's time to focus on the first ability you gained from the trial," he said. "Show me your Astral Tattoo."

I removed my shirt, exposing the intricate pattern on my chest.

"Interesting," he murmured, examining it closely. "I've never seen anything like this before. I've studied hundreds of Astral Tattoos, but this pattern is completely unique."

For the first time, I saw something unusual in my father's demeanor—uncertainty. It was unsettling to see him so stumped.

"What does the first rune on your tattoo translate to?" he asked.

"From what I can make out, it seems to translate to gravity. But I'm not sure what that means or how to use it," I replied.

"Interesting," he mused. "I think you unconsciously activated it when you returned from the Astral Realm. Do you remember what happened with the chimeras?"

"Not really. Did I slow them down so you could kill them?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You destroyed them. The attack I sent didn't even reach the chimeras—it was deflected. You created a field of orbit around you, and my attack was sling-shotted away. Then, you crushed the behemoths within that field before passing out."

I stared at him, stunned. For most of our time in hiding, I'd been the one watching as he defended us against astral behemoths. To think I now had the power to destroy them myself felt surreal.

"Generally, the first rune a Starbound gains represents the element or concept their constellation primarily manipulates," he explained. "For the Solaris Constellation, it's solar energy manipulation."

"So does that mean I can manipulate gravity?" I asked.

"It seems so. But to what degree, only you will discover. The first rune is the weakest you'll unlock, but it's also the most important."

"Why is that?" I asked, confused. "Wouldn't the runes you unlock later be stronger and more significant?"

"They are stronger, yes, but they build upon the foundation of your first rune. If you don't master your base rune, you won't fully understand how to channel the ones you unlock later. Now, let's test it. Channel your cosmic energy into your first rune," he instructed, stepping several meters away.

I took a deep breath, allowing the energy to flow from my core into my tattoo. I felt a surge of power as the rune activated. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then my father threw a solar dagger at me. The weapon flew toward me at incredible speed, only to slow dramatically about a meter from my face. It struggled to move closer, as though pushing through quicksand.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" I yelled as the dagger dissolved into nothing.

"That wasn't going to kill you," he said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "It might have stung… Well, I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I was testing a theory."

"And?"

"It seems I was right. Your manipulation of gravity acts as a sphere of influence. Anything entering that sphere experiences gravity at a level far greater than Earth's."

"But I don't feel the effects of high gravity," I pointed out. "I feel normal."

"That's because objects generating gravitational fields don't experience their own force—they only feel the effects of something with a stronger gravitational pull. You're essentially a celestial body walking around on Earth."

We spent the rest of the day sparring and experimenting with my new power. I quickly realized that the fighting techniques I had grown up learning didn't synergize well with my Fate Constellation. My usual aggressive approach worked perfectly with Solaris's offensive and versatile style, but gravity manipulation felt far more defensive and localized. This realization frustrated me more than it did my father.

It surprised me how quickly he adjusted to the fact that I wouldn't be inheriting our clan's power. In fact, he seemed almost too enthusiastic as he tested the limits of my ability and proposed new theories.

By the end of our final bout, I was utterly exhausted, while my father was still brimming with energy. Throughout our sparring, he'd only used the basics of his power—forming solar weapons and using simple cosmic augmentation. Even so, I struggled to keep up. My lack of finesse in controlling cosmic energy was glaring. I often overused energy for evasive maneuvers or attacks, which left me depleted early in our bouts.

My gravity ability wasn't efficient either. Activating it consumed about half of my reserves, and I could only maintain it for about five seconds before becoming too drained.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up," my father said, clapping me on the back. "For your first day using a new ability, you did exceptionally well. You've already mastered hand-to-hand combat, which is no small feat."

"I know," I sighed. "It's just… I don't have anyone to compare myself to except you."

"Cyrus, most seasoned warriors couldn't keep up with me, and your technique is already better than theirs. Give yourself some credit."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Just know it's only a matter of time before I catch up and give you a taste of your own medicine," I said with a smirk.

"I look forward to the day," he replied, smiling warmly.