The Stargazer

by Nikostar A

She briefly fidgeted with her X-Driver, asking the waiter to bring the food she chose before turning her attention back to Alexander.

  He tried to avoid the question as it was hard to answer. In the end, Alexander tried to be as vague as possible, "My friend taught me the spell."

  "Your friend? So you know the people of the Five Oceans Palace?"

  'Here we go,' thought Alexander. He knew it was an inevitable question. The [Wrath of the Northern Sea] was indeed an Extreme Spell used by the Five Oceans Palace. Although the Five Oceans Palace was not as strong as the four major forces of Loha, it was still a powerful entity and ruled over the sea.

  In normal circumstances, none of these forces would be willing to reveal their extreme spells but in Alexander's past life. Loha was being overrun by the Xals. Left with no chance, the major forces were forced to allow the public to gain access to some extreme spells to repel the Xals. It was how Alexander got his hand on a few extreme spells but naturally, those were weak in comparison to the ones the forces kept secret.

  "I know some people but we are not that close," dully answered Alexander. He did not want to linger on this topic and Aila was very tactful. She immediately shifted the conversation toward a more random topic.

  After a while, Aila and Alexander left the restaurant and went back to Alexander's room. It was his first time inviting Aila to his room and to be honest, Alexander a little bit nervous. He was scared that he would be judged by Aila.

  The latter was pretty excited. She had been looking forward to learning Alexander's secret. It would be of great help to her if she was able to hide her use of magic. The happily hopped next to Alexander while carrying a cute pink backpack with her.

  "Did you need to bring a backpack with you? I never saw you use one before," asked Alexander while inviting Aila inside his room.

  "Yes. There are a few stuff inside that I cannot leave at the restaurant. Nice room by the way. It reminds me of the room I had during my first year."

  Aila placed her backpack on the desk and lightly sat on the bed. She leaned against her left arm while crossing her legs.

  Alexander looked at her getting comfortable. She moved slowly and sensually. For a fraction of a second, Alexander even saw a flash of black under Aila's white skirt. Without a doubt, she deliberately did so.

  "Do you have something to show me?" seductively asked Aila.

  Alexander sat next to her. "Would you like me to teach you how to do it?"

  "Yes!" Aila's eyes shone. It was the very reason she came here today.

  Alexander smiled, "Have you heard of stargazers?"

  "Stargazers?" Aila pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

  "On Loha, mages are the most powerful individuals. They can control the force of nature by using mana, giving them an edge over normal people. However, Loha is not the only world that exists. As you have seen, Earth is completely different, we did not have any magic but we were not defenseless. Similarly, there are other worlds and each has their own way of obtaining power. In normal circumstances, these different methods would have never been mixed with each other but the rifts opened a way for exchange between worlds. In one of those worlds, there is a class known as the stargazers."

  "They use the power of the stars rather than using their own mana to control the forces of nature. This is why the X-Drivers are unable to detect my use of magic; because I am not even using mana in the first place. Becoming a stargazer is easy. Just like what you did to become a mage, you also need to go through an awakening ceremony to become a stargazer."

  Aila quietly listened and digested the information. "Then, is it also possible for me to become a stargazer?" asked Aila. Excitement could clearly be seen in her eyes.

  "Of course." As he spoke, Alexander looked at Aila. He was still having some doubts about his decision and wanted to see her reaction.

  Aila noticed his gaze and said, "Did I say too much? I am sorry. It is fine if you don't want to. I am already happy that you shared your secret with me." She wore a disappointed expression. She looked like a cat curling on itself because it was wronged.

  Alexander bit his lips. "Fine. I can make the ceremony for you but you will have to keep it a secret. I am the only stargazer at the academy. If the news gets out, you know the organizations will get crazy about it."

  Aila's smile blossomed. "Really? Thank you! Don't worry. I won't say a word to anybody. I don't even want to look at the ceremony. I brought the perfect equipment for that." She excitedly jumped on the bed and started to rummage through her backpack.

  Alexander's curious eyes followed Aila. He did not understand what she was doing. A few moments later, she came back and sat back on the bed with a piece of cloth in her hands. Upon a closer look, Alexander quickly noticed that it was not just a random piece of cloth but in fact a lacy black blindfold.

  She laughed and said, "This was supposed to match with my outfit. There are also stockings and a garter belt in the back. I heard that Earthlings like this kind of things."

  "Cough Cough," Alexander blushed. He felt like he had just been sneak attacked, 'Gosh. Can you be serious for a moment?'

  ***

  Alexander guided Aila and asked her to sit on the floor. She was already blindfolded and could not see anything. "We are lucky that tonight is a full moon," said Alexander to himself. He looked through his drawers and took out the brush and ink he purchased three months ago.

  Aila was sitting quietly in front of the door of the balcony. She crossed her long slender legs and placed her hands on her thigh.

  "Alright. I am going to start. Just don't move. You will feel it when it succeeds," said Alexander.

  To that, Aila simply smiled and added, "It feels kinky."

  Alexander chose to ignore her and focused on the task to come. He started drawing the concentric circles around Aila. Although Alexander practiced the different symbols of the constellations, the task was still challenging as he needed to draw a few symbols upside down.

  After a few minutes, Alexander put the brush and ink aside before opening the glass door. The chilly breeze of the night quickly flooded into the room. Aila shivered, looking like a weak kitten but she did not complain.

  'It's about to begin. Will the protection array be destroyed tonight too? I feel sorry for the academy...'

  Alexander took a step back and started to mentally recite the invocations. It was how the awakening of the stargazers was supposed to be. Normally, all prospective stargazers would go through a ceremony under the supervision of a group of elders. The elders would take care of everything, from drawing the circles to reciting the incantations.

  As Alexander was the first stargazer of Earth, it was obviously impossible to get someone to do it for him. In the end, he still managed to succeed.

  A few minutes went by and still, nothing happened. Aila was starting to worry. "Is it possible that I don't have what it takes to get this power? No, Alexander did not say anything. I have to wait."

  Alexander was not anxious about the lack of response. When he did his own awakening, it took far longer than that to get any response. He understood that the protection array of the academy was probably standing in the way of the constellations.

  Another five minutes went by and finally, Alexander saw it. A beam of moonlight suddenly flashed on Aila. Her entire body was basked in the dazzling white light.

  "It's a success," said Alexander to himself. He watched at Aila's figure who seemed to be about to start floating.

  A few moments later, the moonlight disappeared and Aila suddenly started to tremble. Alexander moved quickly and as Aila was about to fall, she was caught by a pair of steady hands.

  Alexander gently held the tired girl in his arms and smiled. People had different reactions to awakening. He himself felt energetic and had trouble to sleep for the rest of the night but Aila was the exact opposite. She felt weak and tired and lost consciousness as soon as the awakening was over.

  Alexander gently placed Aila on his bed and
covered her shivering body. "Looks like we won't be having fun tonight."

  He smiled and let Aila rest on the bed. He closed the door of the balcony and started cleaning the floor, getting rid of the ink.

  After he finished his task, the room was back to its original state; there was no trace of the awakening ceremony. Alexander was tired; he quietly sat on the bed and looked at Aila's peaceful face.

  "It has been so long since I've seen her sleep peacefully like that. I am usually always the one who sleeps first."

  Chapter 39: Re-entering the cultivation box

  The next morning, Alexander felt something moving next to him. He quickly opened his eyes and found Aila snuggling in his arms.

  He knew she was not asleep. He knew her habits; Aila would always wake up really early but would do her best to not disturb his sleep.

  "Morning."

  Aila opened her eyes and looked at Alexander with a pitiful expression. "I am sorry, I did not expect to fall asleep immediately..."

  "It's fine. Do you feel any different?"

  "I don't know. I don't feel any power right now but I saw a bright light enter my body last night."

  Alexander smiled, "Then, you are officially a stargazer. Stargazers are different from mages. They do not generate their own mana. Instead, we use energy from the stars. For that, you'll need to adopt specific body postures or make a series of hand seals. I will teach you the moves later."

  When she heard Alexander, the corner of her lips curled up as she leaned forward. She gently pecked Alexander, "I am sorry about yesterday. But if you are not in a hurry, we can do it right now."

  Before he could even answer, Aila aggressively jumped on top of Alexander while removing his pants.

  ***

  After the couple's passionate act, the two fell silent. Aila felt troubled. She wanted to ask Alexander to teach her how to use her newfound powers but she did not know how to do it without sounding like she was only interested in this. She could usually easily seduce her other partners but Alexander was different. It took her a full two months for him to share his secrets and he was still rather distant; he was not completely infatuated with her.

  As for Alexander, his mind was also filled with troublesome thoughts. He checked his X-Driver and found an email from the Director of Studies, asking him to come to his office to receive his reward.

  "I don't have a lot of time right now but let me teach you the first constellation. The first one is called Arado, the Laborer. Look I my hands, I will show you how to do it," said Alexander.

  "Where do you need to go?" asked Aila. At the same time, her eyes focused on Alexander's hands. She quickly started to imitate Alexander. Arado was the simplest constellation to use but still required some skills.

  Seeing her struggling, Alexander grabbed her smooth boneless hands and guided her. "I have to go to the director of studies' office for something. It is no big deal. Focus on the hand seals or else, you will never succeed."

  Aila lowered her head and did not answer. She allowed Alexander to guide her. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Aila suddenly felt a strange chilly force erupt from her body.

  Alexander also noticed the change in Aila's body. Her hands became tense for a moment and her face betrayed what happened. "What you are feeling is star energy. Now, your physical activities should be improved to some extent. Can you feel it?"

  "I don't know if I am stronger but I do feel very energetic. Do I just need to do these hand seals and my physical conditions will be temporarily upgraded?" asked Aila.

  "Yes. As long as you maintain the energy in your body, the physical boost will remain active. Practice this constellation first. I have to go soon. The next time we meet, I will teach you the rest of the constellations. I'll write down the hand seals and body postures for you later."

  "Thank you. I will go to the gym to test it out. I knew I was right to trust you. I'll wait for you to come out of the cultivation box," said Aila.

  Alexander nodded but deep inside, he was feeling that something was not exactly right.

  ***

  The two left Alexander's room. Aila went to the gym to test her new power while Alexander decided to go straight to the director of studies' office. He pushed his worries at the back of his mind to focus on the task to come.

  The cultivation box was a huge opportunity to expand his space. He should be prepared and make the most of it. He needed to be in the right state of mind.

  In his office, the director of studies let out a smile when he saw Alexander enter. "Looks like you are impatient to use it. Have you made some preparations?"

  "Yes. I am ready. As you said in the email, I won't use any items to see just how long I can last inside."

  The old man nodded, "The cultivation box is a powerful tool that can boost your power. However, safety always comes first. We did run some tests on a few rats. All of them died within one hour. If you cannot resist the pressure, you should immediately warn us. Your life is more precious than just a boost in power."

  "Yes. I won't force myself but I do hope that you will allow me to stay in the cultivation box for as long as possible," said Alexander.

  "We have prepared all the necessary materials. The test is bound to be expensive but as long as we get an idea of the limit of the human body, it will be worth it. However, I have to say, you are already powerful. The academy is here to help you grow even more but the power you have needs to be wielded for the greater good. I don't care about what background you have; just remember that before anything else, you are a human."

  "I know, I will use my strength accordingly. As long as the governments or organizations do not make a move against me, I have no reason to act against them," answered Alexander. In his mind, he continued, "What a joke, the governments ran away from their responsibilities. Why should I sacrifice myself for them?"

  "Good. Then, will you be willing to share your extreme spell with us? We will teach it at the academy and it will greatly contribute to the overall strength of humanity," tentatively asked the director of studies. He displayed an expectant face but deep inside, he did not have high expectations.

  Alexander immediately frowned. Extreme spells were not easy to come across; how could he just share it with anyone. "I don't see why I can't but if I do, will Nuevo Mundo share [Solar Flare]? Will the Watchers reveal the spirit circuits used for [Bloodless Massacre]? If the other organization share their extreme spells, I will naturally do the same."

  The director of studies silently bit his lips. Will the organizations agree to share their extreme spells? Of course no!

  "This is not the same... They are a complex structure organization..."

  Alexander looked at the old man, with a displeased expression. "Then, do you think I can just disclose whatever I have learned?"

  The atmosphere became awkward. The director of studies lightly sighed and dropped the matter. They wordlessly made their way to the project room C-192.

  This time, there was an entire group of five scientists waiting in the room. The test would run for much longer than before; they needed to be ready to intervene at any time while also monitoring Alexander's condition.

  "I will leave you in the hands of Dr. Meyer; he is the one in charge of this project," said the director of studies while presenting Alexander to a man in his thirties.

  Alexander was not surprised by the young age of the scientist. Mages were at their prime in their thirties and as the project involved combining magic and science, the age of the scientists varied significantly.

  Dr. Meyer warmly smiled at Alexander, "Welcome young man. You are the one who will help us test the cultivation box? Come with me, we will first stick a few patches on your body. It is to monitor your heart rate, breathing rate and so on. We need to acquire as much data as possible!"

  Alexander followed the instructions and soon, he took off his shirt and found himself covered with different patches linked to medical equipment.

  "We are going to begin. Enter the
cultivation box and when you are ready, just give us a thumbs up and we'll activate the box."

  Dr. Meyer was not a wordy man. He gave clear concise instructions. Nodding his head, Alexander sat cross-legged in the cultivation box and raised his thumb. He was excited. Who knows how large his space would become after absorbing all the mana from the cultivation box?

  However, Alexander was not hasty. He started by meditating, as usual, slowly widening his spirit circuits and mana reservoir. It was only after he would reach his limits that Alexander would then direct the mana to his Seed. Mages could only meditate for a certain amount of time before their spirit circuit would start feeling the strain. Fortunately, Alexander could remove the pressure from his spirit circuits simply by using his Seed.

  Outside the cultivation box, the director of studies and Dr. Meyer looked at each other. The latter dismissed the two youngest scientists, "You two should go and rest. We don't know how long it will take. It is better to have people monitoring him in shifts."