Akshay_Tambe_2039

The vastness of space had always filled Dr. Orion Vance with wonder, but today, apprehension tainted that awe. Standing at the observation deck of the Astralis, he gazed at the swirling nebulae beyond. The ship, one of the most advanced research vessels of the United Earth Alliance, had been his home for five years, but nothing in its extensive database could explain the anomaly before them.

The Starborn Codex

The monstrous entity lunged at Orion, its molten blue eyes locking onto his soul. Before it could strike, Kael Veydris moved, his runed blade glowing with energy as he blocked the attack. The impact sent both Kael and Orion tumbling across the ground.

Orion groaned, clutching his head as visions overwhelmed him—images of celestial beings, an ancient civilization, and a forgotten prophecy. He saw himself, or someone like him, at the center of it all, bathed in luminous energy.

For a brief moment, he was no longer in the present. He saw a time long past—

A great celestial war had raged across the cosmos. Star-born warriors, wielders of cosmic energy, fought against an ancient darkness that sought to consume all creation. A guardian race, the Vaelorians, had stood at the forefront, protecting the balance of the universe. And then he saw himself—or rather, the one who had come before him—leading them.

The same power that now surged within him had once belonged to another, passed down through the ages, waiting for its next wielder. The Celestial Bond was not merely power; it was a responsibility, a destiny interwoven with the fabric of the stars themselves.

Kael pulled himself up. "Orion, what the hell is happening to you?"

Orion barely heard him. Energy surged through his veins, igniting something deep within. The beast roared again, but this time, it was not in anger—it was in recognition.

The runes on Kael's armor flared violently as Orion awakened.

Golden light coiled around Orion, lifting him from the ground. His eyes blazed with celestial brilliance, and the pain in his body vanished, replaced by an exhilarating surge of power. Memories that were not his own filled his mind—faint echoes of the Vaelorians, of battles fought in the expanse of time, of a promise made by his past self.

He was meant to find this place. This power had not been given—it had been returned to him.

Kael took a step back, his expression unreadable. "By the gods…"

Orion hovered in midair, his entire being humming with cosmic energy.

In that moment, he knew—he was no longer just an explorer.

Something the universe had been waiting for.

The Awakening of the Celestial Bond