Chapter 8: 8. New God
Here is the translation, maintaining the established terminology and narrative flow without using bold formatting:
Dew still clung to flower petals as Estelle stood on the stone steps of the schoolhouse. Karun squatted in a corner of the playground, grinding the edge of his wooden sword. Wood shavings piled at his feet. The blade gleamed pale from constant sharpening, yet he never used it to strike.
The boy practiced alone at dawn, his movements bearing a steadiness beyond his years.
"Loosen your wrist more."
Estelle took the boy's hand, guiding the wooden sword through a smooth arc. "True swordsmanship should be like the halo of twin moons – strength guided by grace."
Toby's fingertips trembled, but he stubbornly followed the motion. Morning light filtered through the hair at his temples, casting a small sword shadow on the ground.
Toby held pebbles as teaching aids, explaining stellar rails to Lena, though slightly inaccurately.
"Accuracy in arithmetic is like aiming an arrow at the star's heart."
Estelle took the pebbles from Toby and drew a precise star chart on a slate tile.
When applying the Nurturing Light technique to Luna, Estelle's fingertips always hovered half an inch above her abdomen. Silvery streams of light flowed from his fingers, leaving faint, shimmering patches on her clothes where the Beauty's power resonated with the fetus.
"The little one is more active today," Luna murmured, counting the light patches.
Outside, Anvil's rhythmic work chants echoed as he reinforced Luna's doorframe. The dull thud of his axe mingled with the soft click of Granny Moon's knitting needles.
A swaddling cloth took shape on the old woman's lap. Silver thread wove star patterns around her fingers; with each turn, she wound another Stellaron Lily onto the spool. "When the little star arrives, they must know all the stars of Wangshu are waiting for them."
The communicator chimed as Estelle returned to his starship from the village.
A centaur figure materialized in the holographic projection.
Lykai, Knight of Beauty, Estelle's lieutenant.
Ice crystals clung to his silver-white mane. The Stellar Crystal tip of his composite bow reflected a bloody crimson. "Commander, traces of Commander Kay's energy signature were detected on Rotstar-7... entangled with Antimatter Legion signals.
Estelle's knuckles whitened on the communicator's edge. He remembered his last sight of Kay, the night before the Knights fractured. Kay always polished his knightly insignia to a shine, saying, "When we find Idrilla, we'lluse this emblem to induct new recruits." Now, the shadow of that insignia was etched into the altar murals on Wangshu.
Frost dusted the forest floor the next morning. Estelle's fingertips rested near Luna's abdomen. The light patterns of Nurturing Light seeped through her clothes, leaving fleeting stardust traces on her skin.
"Nurturing Light stabilizes the energy field, like a greenhouse for a seedling."
He unclipped the insignia from his belt and pressed it into her palm. "If danger comes, squeeze it tight. I will feel it."
Luna's fingers traced the rose engraving on the insignia. Suddenly, the prophecy from the Stellar Chronology surfaced: "When twin moons fall, starlight awakens; new dawn blooms from the fissure."
After setting the children's lessons, Estelle cast the Polaris Mirror Shield skyward.
The shield fragmented into silver threads, weaving a luminous net along Wangshu's gravitational field. The scent of Stellaron Lilies spread with the light, making even the farthest fields glow faintly.
"The Stellar Mirror Barrier will protect you. Wait for my return," Estelle instructed the Chief.
He then boarded his starship at a secluded spot on Wangshu, setting course for the rendezvous with Lykai.
Lykai was already waiting when Estelle arrived.
He was more imposing than his hologram. Dark red stains marred the armor plating his forelegs. Seeing Estelle, he knelt immediately. "Commander."
Estelle helped him rise, noticing a chip missing from the Stellar Crystal arrowhead. "Trouble en route?"
"Rotstar-7," Lykai's voice was icy. "The Antimatter Legion... all dead. The carnage... was brutal."
He projected a hologram. The surface of Rotstar-7 was littered with twisted, crystallized corpses. Dark gold blood painted grotesque sigils on the ground.
"I detected Commander Kay's residual energy, but..." He paused. "...it resonates more like the Omen Knight."
The alarm shrieked as the starship pierced Rotstar-7's crimson atmosphere.
Outside the viewport, dark gold stardust, shredded by turbulence, slapped against the hull like severed hands. Estelle tightened his grip on his knightly sword.
"Legion corpses piled like mountains. The energy field is chaotic, like a shredded star chart," Lykai reported, adjusting his bowstring. His silver mane bristled. "I'llscout ahead." His armored hooves sparked against the deck plating; the Stellar Crystal arrows hummed in their quiver.
The landing pod slammed onto the surface; the crunch of bones was audible.
The soil underfoot was hard as dried scabs, cracking knuckle-deep with every step. Crimson mist drifted, carrying crystallized limbs – some still frozen in sword grips. Dark gold ooze seeped from joints, forming rivulets that snaked into the distance.
"Commander, look!" Lykai nocked an arrow, pointing the tip at a half-buried corpse.
The Antimatter soldier was fully crystallized. A cross-shaped wound split its chest. Shards of crystal formed a glowing sigil – a corrupted, twisted version of the Knights of Beauty's purification rite.
Estelle crouched, touching the sigil. Fragmented images slammed into his mind: Kay's sword piercing an enemy's throat; Kay roaring at the void, the twin-sword insignia on his armor being devoured by dark gold energy; Kay plunging his blade into a mountain of corpses, dozens of crystallized bodies littering the ground.
The investigation led deeper, to the Antimatter Legion's main base.
The Rotstar-7 Legion stronghold was embedded in crimson rock strata. Metal wreckage, like gnawed bones, gleamed coldly in the dim light.
Estelle cleaved a path through crystallized limbs. The silver light of his knightly insignia pulsed in his palm. His sword reflected dark gold energy particles floating in the air – the unmistakable, suffocating signature of the Omen Knight.
Lykai's hooves crunched over shattered armor, his bow taut.
"Main system is three levels down. Access is Antimatter cipher-locked."
Lykai bent, picking up a bloodied pauldron. The Legion insignia on it was crushed inward by a fist. "The force... savage. Utterly devoid of Beauty."
Estelle pried open the buckled elevator doors with his scabbard. The screech of fraying cables echoed in the shaft.
The control room's central console spat sparks. A holographic projection looped the same scene: Kay's armor webbed with crimson fissures, half his face crystallized. Dark gold energy erupted from his blade, tearing an entire squad of Legion soldiers apart. He laughed, standing in the gore, his crystallized eye reflecting nothing.
"The new god approaches! Filth of Destruction, you shall become dust beneath Its tread!"
The image glitched. Kay's sword stabbed through the console's lens. Cracks spiderwebbed out, leaking his maddened roar.
"Clear the path... all remnants of the old era must die!"
Estelle pressed a hand against his burning insignia.
"He left at least seven days ago," Lykai stated grimly.
Estelle pulled up the system's last recorded star chart. Kay's energy trail was a crimson lightning bolt streaking towards uncharted space at the galaxy's edge.
Lykai's arrow feathers suddenly vibrated, pointing towards the shadows behind the console.
The rock wall behind the control room was scarred by a savage sword slash. Dark gold words, each stroke seeming to scream, were carved deep within. Estelle raised his sword, illuminating the jagged script, making it appear even more lurid.
"The old gods have turned away! Their Paths have no room for lingering insects like us!"
The blood-ink was still wet. Below, the writing grew even more frenzied, as if the carver trembled violently.
"To continue the Path, we must forge our own! Forge a new god – a god held in our grasp! It will tread upon the old gods' bones, pierce all darkness with Beauty's edge!"
"Estelle, find me. Together, we welcome the Knights' new future."
The final stroke had gashed half the rock face. Dark gold liquid oozed from the sword mark.
Estelle reached out, touching the bloody words. A searing pain shot through his fingertips.
"Traitor..." Lykai scraped the ground with a forehoof, his mane flaring with rage. "He forgot the Knight's oath! He betrayed Aeon Idrilla!"
Estelle withdrew his hand. The dark gold residue on his finger was crystallizing. The console's final log showed Kay's energy signal moving towards the galactic rim after carving the message.
"Track the energy trajectory," Estelle ordered, sheathing his sword. The reflection of Kay's bloody words slowly overlapped with the crimson threads of the Stellaron.