"Celestial Healer, huh?" Audrey says, absently twirling a lock of her pristine hair as we sit slumped in the small concrete room at the top of the GDF Headquarters.

Outside, I can still vaguely feel Celeste conversing with Astra — less able to hear their conversation than sense Celeste's emotional state. An emotional state that is extremely complex at the moment. She feels shame at what she did, yes, but it's all tied up in a complex web of anger, guilt, and mixed loyalties.

It does hurt that Celeste more or less proved that her loyalty to her mother outweighs her loyalty to me, but I suppose that it makes sense. We've only known each other for a few weeks now, and that kind of thing takes time. We can't, however, continue acting like we're perfect partners after what happened, though. Something needs to change, something big.

"So," Audrey continues, "what do you think it wants?"

I tilt my head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Every type of power from every path wants something, Serena," Audrey explains. "Your old path wanted you to heal in a specific way, and my Astral Path wanted me to fight without emotions as if I were a weapon to be wielded rather than a person. What makes Astral Paths so powerful is that they attune your power toward something greater, while turning away from them grants pure, unattuned power."

I bite my lip, thinking on it as I run my hands along the smooth concrete floor. Honestly, it would be nice to try and find a better place to do this, but Celeste and Astra are still outside, and despite what happened, I'm not willing to leave Celeste behind. We had a fight, yes, but I'm hardly going to abandon her — we just have a lot to talk about now.

"The Celestial Truths felt like they were rules, trying to be imposed on the heavens," I muse out loud. "They were like laws that needed to be followed, no matter what. Those laws had loopholes and wanted to turn me into some kind of authoritarian figure, but the basic premise was to impose law on the heavens."

At this, Audrey nods, "And your old Astral Path was all about trying to seek out and heal people's hidden wounds. Merging the two, we get the 'Celestial' part of your other path and the 'Healing' part of your old Astral Path."

"So… the power wants to heal the heavens?" I ask, the statement feeling… right, somehow. As if I've just said something profound. But… what does that even mean? How can one heal the heavens?

"Your guess is as good as mine," Audrey says. "Healing the heavens makes sense, though. Any thoughts on what that means?"

I pause, thinking as I continue running my hands along the cool concrete and the smooth softness of the dress's skirts.

What does it mean to try and heal the heavens? First off, what does the heavens mean in this context? In religion, the heavens are often referred to as the celestial realm where the stars live and shine their guiding light down upon us. Our star in particular, Sol, is meant to guide our souls to the afterlife when we die. How much of that I believe, I'm not sure, but that doesn't really feel right.

In the Celestial Truths, the 'celestial' part felt more like it was referring to the greatest of the Centurions or perhaps to some religion that the Centurions follow, if any. But what would it mean to try and heal that? Am I meant to be some kind of priest for the Centurions, or… no.

What is the biggest wound in the Centurion's world? What grand division has created a war that has lasted eons?

Suddenly, this idea clicks, and I know what the power wants. It's absolutely horrifying… but I know what the power wants.

"To heal the heavens… I have to mend the greatest wound in reality. To be a Celestial Healer is to attempt to end the war between Volcora and Centurions… forever," I speak the words softly, but they resonate within me.

My mind flashes back to a lecture I received from Professor Rhinebeck before I even became a sentinel. A lesson on mana types and how Stygian Mana, no matter how it might seem, is not evil, just different. My power seems as if it wants to view the world the same way; Tributary Mana and Stygian Mana are just two sides of the same coin, two balances mana can achieve. While they seem inherently at odds with one another, they can coexist.

At my words, Audrey simply stares at me for a long few minutes. Then, she bursts out laughing, hard enough to make her wheeze and clutch at her sides. "Kid!" she exclaims, "Stars! You…. you never dream small, do you! Stars and heavens above! Sure, why the fuck not! Shall we make them hold hands until they make nice!?"

After this continues for a few minutes, Audrey finally manages to pull herself together. "Stars…" she mutters, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Okay, well, it's a good thing that a path wanting to accomplish a goal like that will still work even if the goal isn't accomplished. We will have to work toward the goal, though. Can't just ignore it."

"We?" I ask hesitantly, a spark of hope burning within me.

Audrey nods, "Hell yeah! What's the point of having superpowers if you don't save the world a few times. Now, a path like that definitely came with some upgrades; what did ya' get?"

I frown, looking over the messages from my soul gem.

Your abilities have evolved!

Hands of the Healer has evolved to Celestial Restoration.

Mist Step has evolved to Astral Veil.

Lightning Always Strikes Twice has evolved to Divine Retribution.

Wind's Guidance has evolved to Zepher's Edict.

Dominion Art, Living Mists, is unchanged by this ascension.

You have gained the ability Celestial Equilibrium.

Description: Celestial Restoration

Your hands are now those of a divine healer, and only by your touch can salvation be achieved. With this ability, you can heal the majority of wounds as long as you maintain physical contact with the living entity being healed.

In addition, Celestial Restoration has a purifying effect on those it heals, able to cleanse most diseases, poisons, and other afflictions the target may be suffering.

Description: Astral Veil

Become one with the astral mists. Astral Veil allows you to become incorporeal mist and travel for a short duration. During this time, you are immune to all physical attacks. You can step through solid objects so long as there is an opening for the mist to travel.

Mana cost starts low and then grows exponentially the longer you remain in an incorporeal state. Mana expenditure is increased for each instance of an object passing through your incorporeal body.

By touching another living target, you can bring them with you into the astral mists briefly, allowing you to temporarily make that target incorporeal for the duration of the ability. This comes at a vastly increased mana cost.

All those within the astral mists gain an astral shimmer and are harder to track.

Description: Divine Retribution

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Passive Ability

When hitting an enemy with an electrical attack, a bolt of lightning will fall from the sky and also strike the target.

This ability does not function unless under the open sky with no major obstructions.

Lightning bolts now burn with a celestial intensity, doubling the damage of the original strike.

Description: Zephyr's Edict

The wind is under your command and now bears a celestial presence around you. Control the wind directly around you, guide projectiles with absolute precision, and shove enemy attacks aside.

The wind cannot exert massive force, but it will obey you absolutely. Battlefields are now under your command.

Description: Celestial Equilibrium

Actively control both Tributary and Stygian mana within yourself, creating a temporary balance that allows for coexistence. This combined harmonized mana can then be used to fuel your abilities, giving them increased power and occasionally new effects.

Take care when actively managing both mana types, as any lapse of control can cause volatile instability.

Only you can find the equilibrium that exists between apparent opposites.

Oh… wow. That is… well, a lot to take in. While my other abilities seem like they just got small upgrades to certain aspects of themselves, Celestial Equilibrium is something else entirely. I wasn't even aware that it was possible to use both mana types at the same time, and I'm already quite concerned about what "volatile instability" could mean. Still, with what Celeste and I did during our ascension, this is the road we now need to walk. There's no ignoring it. Celestial Equilibrium might be an extremely dangerous ability, but right now, if we're going to win this war, we need dangerous.

Except… winning the war shouldn't be the goal. Ending the war should be the goal. Already, humans have proven themselves to be able to coexist with the Centurions, and the Reavers have already proved that they can safely work with a Volcora. It makes me wonder… maybe coexistence is possible. Even if they don't like each other, an end to the killing would certainly be appealing to both sides, no? I mean, if I'm doing this, I should give it an honest go.

On second thought, maybe calling one of the Centurian leaders a psycho wasn't my best first move, but she absolutely deserved it. I do appreciate the help and planning she's provided, but Althia really has been acting like a total creep, just randomly intruding into my head without permission.

After explaining all of my ability changes to Audrey, who was waiting expectantly while I went through everything, she claps her hands together with excitement. "At the very least, this path you're on is a good one!" she exclaims. "Having abilities upgrade or change upon ascension is common, but getting one that's entirely new is rare."

"So other people have had it happen before?" I ask, oddly hoping that this strange new path I've ended up with isn't actually as unique as it seems.

"Yeah, I got a new ability on two of my ascensions," Audrey says with a wave of her hand. "I'd put it at a one in ten chance, though, so it's pretty good. Especially since you just got one. Although that new ability of yours definitely sounds like it will be a risk to practice with. Taking Stygian Mana into your system in any capacity is generally an awful idea."

I nod, thinking it over. "Yes… but I should be able to control it with this ability. What kind of benefits do you think it would offer?"

At this, Audrey just shrugs. "Not a clue, I'm afraid. Despite how much time I've spent around Volcora, they mostly don't want to chat about how their mana works. We only really know the basics about Stygian Mana. Honestly, you should take this new ability of yours to the Sanctum Collective; they'll be ecstatic to help you learn about it and will probably be of more help than I am when going over it."

"Alright," I say, pushing myself to my feet, feeling the need to be moving — doing something.

The new energy flowing through me from my ascension, even in my rest state, is enough that I feel like I should be using it — working out, accomplishing some goal, or just talking things out with Celeste more to see if we can find a middle ground. While I still feel drained and mentally worn from what happened at Shirakaze, I feel as if I just drank a massive dose of caffeine. It's kind of like that feeling where you know you should be tired and resting but instead find yourself full of energy.

"Hold up," Audrey grunts, pushing herself to her feet lethargically. Honestly, the fact that she can even still be lethargic at A Rank is impressive — I wonder if she practices.

"Ascending always gives a massive energy boost, mostly because your body has once more been newly perfected, and your magic is now a lot more potent. Just because you're wired right now doesn't mean it will last. Eventually, your mind will get used to your new mana density and realize how tired it is," Audrey explains.

"So, it's like I drank an energy drink in that way, but extra potent?" I ask, connecting the dots.

"Yep, and when you crash, you'll crash hard," Audrey says with a grin. "Before then, we need to make sure you're safely back home where you can sleep it out."

Right… Mentally, I go over the things I need to do. I still need to talk things out with Celeste, and honestly, that's my top priority. Hopefully, her talking to Astra will help, but we absolutely need to work on our communication and our partnership in general. I can't have her not trusting me or her making impulsive decisions during critical moments.

However, that kind of talk sounds… hard. On the other hand, the Sanctum Collective and the people there have been extremely welcoming of me. Certainly, I could just pop over for a little while to get more information on my new ability before heading home. Besides, I could even talk to Celeste during the tram ride. It will need to be a long, drawn-out conversation anyhow, so it will be good to break it up a little.

Other than those obvious things, I still have to help Yumi — the kind old woman from Shirakaze we stayed with — get settled in town, check on Nash to make sure he's still alright, read over the terms of Grandpa's sponsorship agreement again, and… stars, just try and deal with this whole lawsuit thing in general. Right… there's certainly a lot to do.

"Okay, I can just stop by the Sanctum Collective really fast and then head home," I say, offering Audrey a smile. "Or do you think I can fit something else in there, too, before I lose my energy?"

She just laughs and shakes her head, "Stars… I miss having that much ambition. Yeah, no. Kid, you're going to sit down with Karma and explain everything you told me. Then we can get Celeste to see if she can get her mother to drop any more useful tidbits of information. Before you crash, we need all of that info in the right hands. That debriefing is probably going to take the majority of your time."

I sigh, right… another meeting. The absolute bane of actually getting anything done.

Hours later, Celeste and I find ourselves in the elevator, descending back toward the skyway. Despite still feeling full of energy, I was told that I need to go home and rest — at least I'm not so physically injured enough to require a stay at the infirmary, just a touch banged up.

Ever since her chat with Astra, Celeste has remained silent from her usual spot on my shoulder. Her emotions still feel complex through our bond, and I get the feeling that she's still as annoyed with me as I am with her. However, it's time for us to start clearing that up. It would be all too easy to just ignore what happened and go back to our previous state of affairs, but doing so would make a repeat of this kind of incident a near certainty.

So, standing in the eternally long elevator ride, I decide to try and rip off the bandage. "I'm sorry, I yelled at you," I start cautiously, shifting on my feet.

This is going to be a difficult topic to broach, especially while our emotions are still hot, but I fear that this can only be settled while we are still in the heat of that fire. By letting it linger… we could just find ourselves back to how we were before.

[It's all right,] Celeste says, her mental voice soft as a whisper. [I deserved it. I should never have tried to force that on you. We should have agreed on something.]

Silently, Celeste hops down to the floor, growing to a slightly bigger size, but not the largest she can manage. She looks about the size of a large dog.

"I think we were both just scared," I say, running a hand through my hair and nervously adjusting the skirt of Jessie's old dress. "I was scared of losing myself, and you were scared of losing who you always thought you would be."

[That still doesn't make what I did right. I… I understand that now,] Celeste says, flicking her tail lethargically from side to side.

"And it doesn't make how I treated you, okay," I respond. "Stars, Celeste. It was never my intention to make you feel like an accessory. I just… I don't know how I can do better. When you spend so much time invisible and not talking with others… well, I just interact with them like I always have."

At this, Celeste nods sharply — her oddly vulpine head bobbing up and down. [It's hard, but I understand that you don't want to be outed as a sentinel at school. To maintain a portion of your old life.]

I bite my lip, considering that. My old life… that feels so far away from me now. If it would help Celeste, maybe it would be better if she could ride on my shoulder openly. Some sentinels do it — never hide their familiar. That way, Celeste could interact with the world in the same way I do, emerging whenever she wants and speaking with whomever she wants. She could join in conversations and get to feel like she's living her own life, not just mine.

It would out me at school… everyone would know what and who I am. But maybe it's time for that. Who am I kidding? With my hybrid schedule and long trips away anyway. My old life as it was is dead and gone; it's time to stop holding onto it so tightly.

"Maybe… maybe it's time we stop hiding," I say softly. "You need to have a say in your life, and you can't exactly add to any conversations or anything when you stay invisible all the time. So, what if you just… didn't."

At this, Celeste's eyes go wide. [But… that would make everyone know that you're a sentinel. People would stare at us; it would definitely make a scene everywhere we go. There's a reason I remain invisible most of the time. Humans just aren't used to seeing Centurions.]

"Would it be so bad, though?" I ask, moving to my knees in the elevator so I can be the same height as Celeste. I want us both to be on equal footing for this conversation.

[You would hate it,] Celeste responds instantly. [You don't like getting lots of attention.]

"Maybe," I say, the thought putting a smile on my face. "But at least we'll finally outshine Baylee. What do you think? I can get used to it, but this is the best way I've been able to think of for you to be able to live and join in. If you're just always visible, then who can ignore you!"

In response, Celeste leaps back up to my shoulder. [Okay… we can try it. Just say the word, and I'll go invisible again, though.]

Smiling, I reach my hand up to stroke Celeste's soft fur. "No, Celeste… never again. You will not be an accessory or an extra power or anything like that. You are your own person, and you deserve to be seen, spoken to, and respected all independently of me."

And so, it's with a smile on my face that I stride out of the elevator and into the GDF Headquarters lobby rather than the back exit. As expected, we make quite the stir.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.