Astral's Rise Part 97: Pitching a Tent

Astral and Jaimie were piloting the shuttle away as the Union chased after them. "Time to give them the slip." Astral flicked three switches as holographic decoys swarmed the shuttle. Astral activated their space drive as they slipped away before it stalled out in the dead of space. "What the fuck?" Astral looked at his systems as they were normal.

Jaimie tapped his shoulder as he looked up out of the glass as the old man and the eldest son entered. "Astral, check the planetary map and see if that planet is on there."

"It isn't."

"What planet?" The son asked as the old man nodded his head.

"What do you mean it's not there. You two can't see it?" Jaimie turned around as Astral double checked the map. This planet was different. Jaimie did a double take. "Can you two fly this thing to these coordinates? We have something to explore."

Astral plugged in the Red Merle as their destination using his code. "Auto pilot will take you there most of the way, when you get there, ask for Adam and ask to use the training room." Astral's suit fired to life as did Jaimie's.

"Wait, you guys are going to go out there to a planet that doesn't exist?" The son asked as Astral nodded.

"If its calling us we have to see it in its full." Astral walked into the air lock between the cockpit and the rest of the shuttle as Jaimie joined him. The doors slammed shut as Astral pressed a button, the two of them dropping into space as the shuttle races away.

"Well, I feel like this place will be the weirdest yet." Jaimie and Astral started to laugh as they started flying to the planet missed with blues and greens. As they glided softly to the ground they landed in a grassy meadow filled with iris and orchid flowers.

"This place feels so peaceful." Astral ran his hands through the grass as he heard a voice.

"It's lush with natural life!" Jaimie fell backwards onto the ground as the grass surrounded her as a natural blanket. Astral popped his helmet off as the rest of the suit stayed.

"Jaimie, take all of the suit off." Astral summoned two mannequins for them to put their armor on as he was stripping down.

"Something off?" Jaimie popped her helmet off as the emerald green armor shined in the everlasting sunlight.

"Very, but I feel like it's the missing piece." Astral had every part of his armor and undersuit off, being just in his underwear.

"If you say so, can you help me with the back piece?" Jaimie couldn't quite bend her arms to press the snap off buttons as Astral rested his fingertips on their joints. They fell off with a soft thud as the two of them put their armor on the mannequins. Jaimie put on leggings with a skirt and a puffy sweater. Astral had his black pants, shirt and cyan jacket. The only flashy thing between the two of them was Astral's cyan gemstone necklace.

"What's that voice, its calling to us, telling us to enter now that we have proven ourselves?" Jaimie asked as Astral shrugged his shoulders. "You think its safe with no weapons?" Astral looked back and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I forget sometimes we can kill hundreds with our bare hands if needed." Jaimie chuckled softly as her and Astral started their walk into the forest. It was quiet to start as the two trekked a few miles inward. The voice didn't get stronger, it just felt like it was more calling out to them.

"This place is giving me the creeps." Astral was about to use a spell to have a floating light as he saw a small red fairy approach the two. Its voice grew louder as it approached them.

"Follow me!" It said cheerfully as Astral shrugged. Following the fairy as it had just enough light to illuminate the path for the two of them. Jaimie grabbed Astral's shoulders to guide her as it became dark.

The two walked for another twenty miles from what it felt like. The voices grew louder, but they weren't from their head. It was all around them. They saw the dimly lit area in front of them, expecting the worst but prepared for anything.

The red fairy flew off into the masses as Astral and Jaimie made it past the brush and pushed the vines out of the way to be greeted by hundreds of tiny orbs. The two became in awe of the area around them.

"A fairy garden?" Astral extended his hand as a fairy landed on it. Jaimie was mesmerized by the colors all around them. In a silent move she tiptoed deeper into the area. Astral followed suit as the fairy flew off.

"What would the most beautiful piece of myth want with us?" Astral kept looking around.

"It's the duel between the gods and natural forces that draws you to us." The voices of the thousands of fairies spoke out in unison.

"Woah." Jaimie kept spinning around at all the blues, greens, reds and purples all sparkled around her with every color in between.

"The bond you share with her is powerful. It will be needed to beat the gods." The voices rang out.

"Why me?"

"You are the only one with the power to bring our hunters to their knees. The only one who can restore the natural order as a non-believer of the gods." The voices all in unison as a golden fairy landed on Astral's shoulder.

"By non-believer do you mean someone who doesn't believe in them? Because they exist." Astral was nervous. These are large concepts for what he felt like.

"You have the power to stop them, with no affiliation, you are boundless." The fairy spoke on his shoulder.

"Really? That's the issue you guys have?" Astral was confused by it all.

"We need protection and for you to stop the gods from hunting us." The golden fairy touched the bridge of his nose.

"If we do this and kill the gods, it's a very risky time for all of us." Jaimile looked among the fairies. "We don't have much of a choice do we?" Her eyes welled up as their reality was to become something else.

Astral rested a hand on her. His eyes lined with a golden brim. "We have one choice in forward. The gods will be after us no matter what, we should prepare to fight back." Jaimie enveloped him in her arms as he turned into a ragdoll. "Just promise me you will keep us safe." Astral nodded his head in her chest as everything around them became distorted.