SWNOVELXO Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Faith
The last embers of sunset sank behind the mountain ridge, draping the village in a quiet shroud of violet-gray twilight. The bonfire's orange-red glow danced in the deepening dusk, illuminating the peaceful faces gathered around it.
Luna sat on a smooth, flat stone slightly apart from the fire, the Luminwood instrument gifted by Ester resting on her lap. The warm wood grain seemed to flow with soft light in the fire's glow, as if it truly drank moonlight. Her slender fingers gently brushed the strings with a reverence bordering on the sacred, feeling the subtle vibrations and the instrument's resonant warmth beneath her touch.
She didn't play immediately. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, her gaze settling on the swell of her abdomen, a serene yet powerful smile touching her lips. After a moment, she looked up, her eyes meeting the leaping flames, yet seeming to gaze beyond them into the deeper night sky and the currents of fate. Then, her fingers descended, plucking the first string.
Clear, pure notes flowed out like cool spring water, instantly smoothing the quiet murmurs around the fire. It wasn't a rousing anthem, but a soft, lilting ballad. The melody was soothing and graceful, carrying the lullaby's comforting power, yet imbued with the earth's depth and the starry sky's vastness.
Luna's voice rose, clear and gentle as a night breeze through a Stellanyss field:
> "Stellanyss petals fall,
> Drift into the fire's heart,
> Not an ending, no,
> But star-borne letters take flight...
> Twin moons sink low,
> Tides rise above the shore,
> Not goodbye, no,
> But fish with moonlight held tight,
> Swim to harbors new..."
Her fingers moved deftly over the strings – plucking, sliding, pressing – each note perfectly entwined with the lyrics. The melody carried a gentle resilience, like moonlight shimmering on rippling water. The words were simple, unadorned, yet held deep understanding of life's cycles, change, and hope. She sang for the Saelum within her, for this village that endured through storms, and for the pure prayer in her own heart.
Around the fire, the villagers listened in quiet contentment. Anvil paused in smoothing a small piece of wood, his rough fingers unconsciously tapping the rhythm on his knee, the firelight illuminating his focused, slightly simple profile.
Old Chief closed his eyes, deep serenity etched in the wrinkles of his face, perhaps seeing next year's bountiful harvest in the song.
Granny Moon, her herb basket half-empty, sat on a stone stool a little further away, a kind smile on her lips. Her gentle gaze rested on Luna and the instrument, then occasionally drifted to the leaping flames, as if listening to the earth's whisper.
Dr. Kava leaned against a post in the corner of a house, his usually cool eyes softened, nodding slightly as if appreciating the solace woven into the song.
**The Schoolhouse Glow and the Village's Breath**
Warm yellow light spilled from the schoolhouse windows. Inside, the children, instead of going to bed early, were immersed in the gifts Ester had brought, enjoying a peaceful time before the day ended.
Toby was practically sprawled over the massive star atlas, his small finger tracing complex stellar orbits, muttering to himself, eyes wide with pure curiosity and excitement. He'd suddenly jerk his head up, pointing at some strange nebula or constellation on the page, trying to share his discovery with Li Na, who sat quietly nearby building with her blocks. His voice was low but brimming with fervor: "Li Na, Li Na! Look at this! The book says it looks like a giant glowing bird! And here, there's a star that 'breathes'!"
Li Na would look up, offer him a shy smile and a nod, then return to her focus on the increasingly tall spaceport tower taking shape under her careful hands. Her movements were meticulous and patient, her gaze intense, as if the whole world condensed into those small, smooth blocks. The spaceport building set was becoming reality in her hands, carrying her longing for distant stars.
Kalon wasn't in the schoolhouse. Using the last of the daylight in a small clearing behind the houses, he repeated the most basic stances Ester had taught him, over and over. Sweat soaked his rough shirt, his hair plastered to his forehead. He pressed his lips together, his expression unusually serious. Every arm movement, every pivot, was executed with meticulous care. The replica training sword in his hand was no longer just a gift, but a weighty promise and a key to his dream. His awkward movements radiated a stubborn tenacity.
The village settled into complete quiet. Only Luna's song and the sound of her strings, like invisible threads, softly wound around every dwelling, mingling with the occasional bark of a dog, the rustle of wind through leaves, and the crackle of the bonfire. It painted a picture of serene, peaceful, vibrant village life – simple, yet profoundly real and warm.
The Radiance rested silently in the darkness outside the village, a slumbering silver giant. Inside the bridge, lights blazed, yet the atmosphere was heavy.
Ester sat before the main console, his expression stern. Several holographic screens floated before him. On one screen, complex energy streams flowed like a neural network – the core of Tracker Alpha operating at high speed. Ester's fingers danced, carefully connecting a small, intricate AI chip shimmering with faint light into Tracker Alpha's expansion port.
Instantly, data cascaded across the chip's surface, resonating strongly with Tracker Alpha's deep blue core crystal. The device's processing power and sensory acuity seemed to leap forward. This was Herta's "toy" upgrade package.
On a larger screen, several communication windows lit up in sequence. Within them were weathered faces, eyes still sharp as eagles – the scattered remnants of the Knights of Beauty, Ester's most trusted brothers.
"Captain!" A knight with a massive scar across his face spoke first, his voice raspy but powerful. "Coordinates received! We rally immediately! Full speed to Lucerius! Those Star Hunter bastards and their damn 'New God' won't touch a blade of grass there!"
"Aye, Captain! The brothers are ready! No retreat this time!" Another knight clenched his fist, battle-fire burning in his eyes.
Ester looked at the familiar, eager faces. A surge of warmth rose in his chest, but it was outweighed by profound responsibility and worry. He slowly shook his head, his voice low and resolute. "No, brothers. Stand fast. Heighten alert."
"Why, Captain?!" the scarred knight pressed urgently. "We're not afraid to die! Guarding Beauty, guarding you and the place you protect – that is our oath!"
"Precisely because it is guarding." Ester's gaze swept across each window. "Lucerius... the situation is uniquely complex and delicate. Now is not the time for large-scale intervention. Rash action could shatter the fragile balance here, bring greater disaster... even expose this place, drawing worse enemies."
He paused, his tone brooking no argument. "I need your strength. At the most critical moment. When my signal comes – transmitted via the Aegis of Poralgis's unique frequency – you must respond immediately. Spare no cost. Warp here! That will be the moment that decides fate."
The knights in the comm windows, though confused and still reluctant, their trust in Ester absolute, ultimately chose obedience. They nodded solemnly, right fists thumping their chests in a silent, deeply respectful knight's salute. "For Beauty! For the Captain! Standing by!"
The communication ended. The bridge held only Ester and the rhythmic, breathing-like azure glow of Tracker Alpha's core crystal. Overwhelming weariness and a deeper, more profound conflict crashed over him like icy waves.
He slumped back in his chair, fingers digging into his hair. The name Luna had announced – "Saelum" – exploded like thunder in the already turbulent sea of his faith.
Sam's icy prophecy, Caelus's mad ravings... seemed to be step by step confirmed. Idrila... truly fallen? A new Aeon of Beauty, named Saelum, would be born on Lucerius? The thought itself brought suffocating pain and a sense of sacrilege. The Aeon of Beauty was singular! The ultimate embodiment of aesthetics and order! Idrila... how could she be replaced? This so-called "creation of a new god" – wasn't it the ultimate betrayal of the eternal, unchanging principles of Beauty they believed in?
He clenched his fists, knuckles white, fierce resistance surging within him.
Yet, another image pierced him more sharply: the vows of brotherhood spoken beside shared campfires, now brothers drawing swords against each other on the ruins of shattered faith, blood staining the crests that once symbolized glory. Caelus, become the "Omen Knight," unleashing destructive power upon innocent worlds... Wasn't that the ultimate betrayal and desecration of Beauty? The shattering of the Knights – wasn't *that* the cruelest testament to the collapse of the old order and the loss of faith?
A tempting, terrifying thought stealthily took root: What if... what if a new core, capable of reshaping the Path of Beauty, truly were born? What if Saelum... could truly bring change? End this endless infighting and corruption? Let the Knights reclaim their faith? Let Beauty's light truly illuminate, protect, rather than destroy?
"What do I truly believe in?" Ester groaned, the sound unnaturally loud in the empty bridge. "Do I believe in the Aeon named 'Idrila' herself? Or do I believe in the *idea* that 'Beauty' represents – the principles of order, guardianship, and hope themselves?" If Idrila truly was gone, to protect that ideal, to prevent more fratricide and destruction... would accepting a nascent divinity... be the true path of Beauty? Or was that itself the ultimate betrayal of faith?
The contradictions warred like two vipers in his heart. On one side: the inability to accept the old Aeon's fall and fierce resistance to "creation." On the other: the heart-wrenching pain of the Knights' state and a secret yearning for the change a new beginning might bring. Loyalty and betrayal, guardianship and sacrilege, past and future... clashed violently within him, threatening to tear his will apart.
Simultaneously, in the frigid depths of space, countless light-years from Lucerius, a vast, intricately structured silver-gray space station hung suspended. Devoid of superfluous ornamentation, its lines were ruthlessly rational, resembling an immense geometric polyhedron. Every edge gleamed with cold, hard metallic luster. This was the core hub of the Equilibrium Tribunal.
Within the station's central command hall, the light was constant and soft, casting no shadows. The air held a peculiar, faint scent reminiscent of ozone mingled with the hum of precision machinery.
A massive ring-shaped holoscreen dominated the center, cascading with torrents of cosmic energy flow data, civilization fluctuation maps, and countless points of light representing various factions. Complex energy lines connected them, forming a "Dynamic Equilibrium Net" spanning known star sectors.
Before the holoscreen stood several figures clad in identical silver-gray robes – Arbitrators. Their robes were made of a strange material, like flowing mercury, utterly free of wrinkles.
Beneath the hoods' shadows, no discernible facial features existed, only two points of constant, soft white light serving as "visual organs" – not biological eyes, but rather lenses of highly concentrated energy. They stood utterly motionless, like statues, communicating amongst themselves via invisible, high-speed, precise data streams.
The "visual organs" of one Arbitrator (impossible to distinguish as an individual) brightened slightly. A cold, utterly emotionless wave of thought rippled between them, like the recitation of a perfect mathematical formula:
> "Anomalous energy fluctuation detected. Coordinates: Sector L-7, Designation: Lucerius Star.
>
> Analysis: High-probability detection (99.83% confidence) of loosening seals on high-intensity 'Beauty' Path origin fragments, compounded by inherent entropy amplification disturbance from 'Stellaron' presence.
>
> Assessment: The node's energy field exhibits extreme bipolar instability ('Beauty' and 'Destruction' origin forces in oppositional symbiosis). High probability (87.46%) of triggering uncontrolled 'Conceptual Collapse' or 'Divinity Emergence' event. This event would severely disrupt the 'Equilibrium Constant' (ΔE value exceeding threshold by +4.7σ) for the current star sector and associated quadrants.
>
> Conclusion: This node (Lucerius Star) has become one of the fastest 'Entropic Singularities' within the current cosmic dynamic equilibrium model. Its existence constitutes a persistent threat to 'Equilibrium'.
>
> Directive: Initiate 'Libra Calibration Protocol'. Objective: Eliminate the extreme bipolar instability of the Lucerius Star node energy field. Method: Nullify deviation, restore baseline energy state mean. Priority: Omega (Highest).
>
> Execution Unit: Arbiter Fleet Sequence VII. Authorization Code: Zero-Sum Absolute."
The instant the directive was issued, deep within the station, several massive, razor-sharp silver-gray bay doors slid open silently. Inside, a fleet composed of dozens of strangely shaped starships, their lines so sharp they seemed capable of slicing space itself, began to pulse with deep blue energy patterns across their hulls. Engines activated without a sound, producing no visible exhaust, only the visual distortion of space being intensely compressed and warped.
Like cold blades executing absolute mathematical law, they detached from the mother station and plunged instantly into the azure vortex of a warp conduit, their course unerringly set for that blue sphere – a world bearing life, song, conflict, and unknown destiny. Lucerius Star.
The shadow of Equilibrium had silently fallen.