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"So, what did you learn?"
She asked, settling gracefully with her legs crossed.
"Aya told me about Dark Stars, Divinity, the generations, also called Class. And lastly, the Star Constellations."
I replied, sitting opposite her, my little legs swinging back and forth, excitement bubbling inside me.
"And, I believe you have questions?"
"Yes. If Dark Stars can use darkness, what do we use? I want to know more about the Star Realm, too."
I asked all at once.
"Easy there. With time, I'll be telling you all of this to the point you'll regret asking for so much."
First things first, Dark Stars use void and darkness, which we called the Dark Art. Stars, use Mega Arts. These Mega Arts vary and possess different abilities you can think of excluding the darkness and void.
"I want to learn Mega Arts. You'll teach me, right?"
Learning how to fight is part of my system, so I'm eager to learn this aspect.
"You're too young. There are different requirements needed for a Star to learn Mega Arts. These requirements are part of our Order. The worlds and its inhabitants must follow. Within my Domain, Elyvra, a Star must be at least a hundred years old before they can start training."
"More new information."
I faked it again. It wasn't as if I'm dumb or something. It's just that I don't like it when foreign notions get mixed up in a simple explanation.
"Stop pretending. You're old enough to know more than what I'm telling you."
"Ok."
"There'll be new words each time we try to explain something new. These small things are part of a bigger project, so as we explain the small ones, we tend to mention the bigger ones too, because the small ones doesn't make sense without the big ones. And that's because the difficulty level is increasing.
This is your first time taking in information about the world you live in, and for a learner, you've handled it quite well. I'll keep the pace slow and make sure to ask questions, alright?"
"Ok."
I nodded.
"So, Dark Stars can manipulate darkness and void. While we use Mega Arts, which encompass a lot of concepts aside from darkness and void."
"Yes. However, before learning Mega Arts, you'll be taught the most basic of Arts. It's called Nova Arts. These are little and easy to learn. Arts with a lot of uses. Since they're just the foundation, they can't be relied on in critical moments."
"If it's that easy, then that means I can learn it, right?"
"Order."
That one word destroyed my mood. I remained silent and listened.
"I have to wait for another thirty years before learning something good."
I replied with a saddened face.
"Don't worry. These thirty years will come in the blink of an eye.
I blinked and asked.
"Are we there yet?"
She chuckles at my way of thinking.
"How cute. That was a metaphor. It is a figurative way of saying time will pass faster than you think. Just don't think about how long it is. Focus on the present, and the future will inevitably come."
"...I will. What about the Star ranks? Aya made mention of such a thing. She said Hypergods were added to the Star ranks during the B Class."
"Alright, it's simple enough, so I'll just tell you.
There are five Ranks/Tiers in the Star Realm. The first and lowest is Dwarf Star. That's where all newborn Stars start out. Cuties things like you."
I shrugged.
"And no, age doesn't matter. If a Star never awakens, they stay a Dwarf forever. You can be hundreds if not thousand years old but without the awakening process, you never rank up."
The next rank is Giant Star. To get there, you need at least a hundred Nova Arts under your belt. Not ninety-nine, not ninety-nine point five. Rxactly one hundred Arts. Until then, you're still a Dwarf, no matter how talented you think you are.
"How does the awakening process work?"
I asked. If it's so vital for a Star, I need to know one or two things.
"As always, everything varies between our Orders. In Elyvra, you'll be placed into a dormant state within a flower for a full day. By the next sunrise, you'll bloom into your next tier, your Divinity Points surging, your body sharpened and strengthened beyond its former limits."
"A flower? How is that possible?"
It's weird. A Star in a Flower.
"It is."
She replied. And without moving, we're teleported to a garden of alien flower species. The movement was instantaneous and awe-inspiring.
"What was that?"
"Teleportation. It's a Mega Art."
"Coool. Can you teach me?"
"You'll get to learn it one day and end up relying on it too much. Look."
Still seated, she pointed into the distance, and I turned to follow her gesture.
Before us stretched an endless expanse of space, filled with nothing but flowers.
At first glance, they looked ordinary, colourful petals, ovary, stamen, but unlike any bloom found on earth, their pedicels extended downward, sinking directly into the shimmering ocean below
Countless flowers swayed gently in the void, each ovary glowing faintly, pulsing with a soft, living hum. The space itself is giving an otherworldly presence. It was silent, colourful, and otherworldly indeed.
I stood up, my eyes trying to take in all the space around us. I stepped toward a glowing flower, reaching out, but Ela grabbed my wrist with two fingers.
"Not yet, little Star. Those are for awakening Giants, not curious Dwarfs."
"O...ok."
"Each ovary, also called an egg, houses a Star in the midst of its transformation. The pedicel draws in star & magical energy from the ocean, sustaining the plant, while the stamen channels that energy directly into the egg."
"So the plants require more energy than the Stars?"
"Yes, of course. In the case of Giants and White Dwarfs, the energy absorbed by the stamen is sufficient to trigger their awakening."
"White Dwarf is the next rank?"
I asked, instinctively predicting the next tier.
"Yes, and a Giant Star needs to master five Mega Arts to awaken. This place holds different kinds of Stars undergoing their awakening."
"So learning anything five random Mega Arts will make one eligible for awakening?"
"That's good of you to ask such questions. But the answer is no. They have to get their hands on an Art provided by their teachers."
"Which Art do you task them with?"
"I'm the Goddess of Elyvra. Training Young Stars isn't my thing. I have Angels & other Stars I rely on."
"Hmm, you just keep hinting at the next rank. I have a question before you proceed."
"I'm listening, Little Star."
"You made mention of star energy and magical energy. What are their differences?"
I have to ask questions as soon as possible or else I'll be left behind.
This is just the beginning, and each branch has its own branches. I have a feeling I'm at the bottom of the tree, getting ready to climb.
"Think of magical energy as the fuel that runs most supernatural systems be it rituals, spells, skills, and that. It isn't physical, but it can be shaped, stored, or controlled if you know what you're doing.
Humans, demons, spirits… they all use some version of it, even if they call it different names.
We Stars run on something similar, but far stronger: star energy. It only exists in the Star Realm, and it's woven into our bodies the same way magical energy sits inside other species.
But because star energy is so much denser and more potent, we can't live in worlds that rely solely on regular magical energy. Our presence would disrupt the system would."
('form of energy' is supposed to be Energy Fragments, but it'll be too complicated for Anta chan if I dive into that topic.)
"Why?"
"We'll end up destroying them without even trying. That's why we need a magical energy-based vessel when leaving the Star Realm."
"Need? So can we leave without creating one?"
"Yes. Next on the list is Supergods. These are Stars who've mastered fifty Mega Arts and are capable of creating finite or mostly infinite Superworlds. And..."
"This is a real rank for gods."
I braced myself, waiting for her to finish explaining.
"Fully master the Mega Art Chaos Shift, a probability manipulation art."
"This is impossible. How can someone create an infinite number of Superworlds? From the name itself, it's not an ordinary world."
She simply laughs at my panicked state.
"While it's true, Superworld isn't your regular world. But these Stars can easily create and govern them singlehandedly with ease.
It's not entirely rare for a Supergod to preside over thousands if not millions of Superworlds. Furthermore, the more Worlds they can create and control, the higher their standing among their peers."
"Oh star, this is really big to handle."
(Oh man = Oh star.)
"For a Dwarf it's a pipe dream. For a White Dwarf, it is a dream that could be a reality."
"Are we living inside a Superworld? Are you a Supergod?"
She laughs hard. This is amusing to her, but to a seventy-year-old like me, it's a nightmare.
"That's so demeaning, Anta-chan. No reality could ever envision me as a Hypergod, let alone a Supergod."
"Oh my star... there's actually people out there who can dwarf a Supergod?"
The words slipped out, tinged with disbelief and a shiver of awe. She nodded casually like it was nothing.
"Not 'can' but 'has'. For your information, we don't live in a Superworld. But I want you to keep the 'Superworld' at the lowest level of the hierarchy until I tell you otherwise. Got it?"
I nodded rapidly.
To be continued...