Interstellar: Exploring The Cosmos With My Anomaly System
Chapter 69: Void in the sky

Chapter 69: Void in the sky

"Should be near here!" Astra called out to Belk, who ran close behind her inside the building. They sprinted past rows of doors lining the walls. Suddenly, the HUD embedded in her vision vanished without warning.

Astra stopped in her tracks, confusion flashing across her face.

"What the..." she muttered.

Belk skidded to a stop as well, eyes darting to Astra with unease.

"What? What happened?" he asked, breathless.

Celi? Hello?? she thought, trying to reconnect—nothing. Silence. She gritted her teeth.

"This wasn’t supposed to happen..."

"What wasn’t supposed to happen?!" Belk flailed his arms in frustration, watching as Astra suddenly bolted forward again, undeterred by the sudden breakdown.

He stood frozen, more confused than ever, the echo of footsteps rapidly closing in behind them.

"We found them! Over here!" voices shouted down the hall, the young scientist turning his head to see the Aelvarian Guards approaching him.

"Man seriously...?" he grunted, torn between just retreating or staying behind.

No use running now... he thought, turning to the handful of men, their weapons drawn, their grasps tight on their weapons.

It’s just a handful of guys after all, he grinned, his hand on his hips, closing his eyes in a proud yet arrogant grin. What kind of king would I even be if I couldn’t—

"He’s over here!" he heard one of them shout, his eyes opening to tons more making their way down the hall. It was easily twenty—no, thirty armed Aelvarian soldiers barrelling towards the scientist.

"N-No way!" he shouted, stepping back in shock as they rapidly approached. Quickly his hand whipped into his pouch, pulling out a piece of paper with a sigil written on it. Vines shot out of the paper at rapid speed, filling up the hallway as though it were alive.

Its long appendages acted like whips, tripping up most of the guards that stood in his way, even as others trampled above them to get ahead. It couldn’t keep up.

Belk clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning on his heels to run, something catching his eye.

"What..." he muttered to himself, stopping mid-stride to see a portal pulsing against the wall, both Favio and Hamel tumbling out of it. Quickly Hamel drew his staff, standing firm as Favio struggled to stand.

"We got this, your highness!" Hamel shouted, not taking his eye off the enemy for even a moment.

"I swore I was in the forest a minute ago..." Favio muttered to himself, standing on his own two feet to meet the crowd before him.

Belk grinned and nodded, making his way down the hall.

"Now to find Astra," he said to himself, running as fast as he could.

"Come on, come on!" Astra hissed, checking each and every door, hoping to find something—anything—but each one led to nothing but disappointment.

"Seriously—where are you, Tanaka!?" she hissed to herself, the technician coming to a full stop as the sight caught her eye out the window. The sky was swallowed by a dark void that looked to be one of Celi’s portals, the area littered with smaller ones where Aelvarian warriors from her village poured out.

She shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze before running ahead, Another door—locked. Another—just storage.

Her hands were shaking now. Not from fear. From frustration. From time slipping through her fingers.

She slammed a door shut with her fist. "Damn it!"

"Were you happy? Huh?!" She heard a shriek from further down the hall, her mouth slightly agape at the sudden sound, before she quickly charged ahead. Her hands reached for the doorknob, trying to open it desperately but it was locked from the other side.

"Great..." She hissed, Slamming herself into the door in hopes of bringing some results, anything would be better than just leaving. She tried and tried, but she could never do it in. Astra slid down the door, her shoulder sore from slamming it against the barrier before her constantly.

’Of all the times for Celi to disconnect–’ She thought to herself, her eyes widening as an idea crossed her mind. The Technician looked down to her hands before clenching them into fists. ’Not sure I went through the evolution whatever yet— but I have to try,’

She pressed her hands against the door, her eyes narrowing with effort as she focused everything to the palm of her fingers. Her digits twitched with the excess force.

"Come on," she muttered to herself, continuing to focus everything into her palms.

The air around her hands began to hum—quiet at first, then louder, vibrating with a low, rising pitch. Sparks of light licked at her fingertips, dancing between her knuckles like static. The door didn’t budge, but the space in front of it began to ripple.

It shimmered like heat on pavement, the wall bending, then warping—until it folded inward with a sound like glass flexing under pressure. A faint circular outline carved itself into the air, lines etching with precision and light, forming a frame.

Astra stepped back just slightly, catching her breath. The center of the frame deepened into shadow—then tore itself open.

It was frail and unstable, pulsing wildingly against the door but she didnt care, with heavy breathes she stepped through as soon as it showed. Running through the dark void to the otherside.

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"How pitiful," she spat, raising her hand to strike again.

"What an utter waste of time!" she shrieked, her voice cracking—shattering the mask of calm she had worn like armor.

But as her arm came down, something stopped her.

A hand—firm, unyielding—clamped around her wrist.

"That’s enough, Veira," Astra said coldly, her voice steady as steel.

Veira turned, breath ragged, only to meet Astra’s glare—eyes like burning ice, cutting through the storm of her rage. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape as she dropped the blade within her hand.

"You’re..." She whispered, almost just to herself, her star-covered eyes widened at the sight of her, heart racing with sheer curiosity. Even as Astra stared daggers at her.

"Human—"