Two days after reawakening, Vance prepared for his departure to a Warp gate, a magical construct that broke several laws of physics by allowing instantaneous interstellar travel between extremely vast distances.
It was during this time that he also gained a deeper understanding of these people:
Astre, the incessant chatterbox. Balgur, the stoic giant, and Cecilia, the sharp-tongued one.
Even now, a sardonic smile still huung on his lips as he recalled those initial interactions.
It was also through these small talks with Ares, to be specific that he gained information of where he was currently located- a small resource planet denoted Gharst-84 currently under the dominion of Genivan-A Interstellar Human Empire ruled by a Godlike being.
A reality just as teeming with supernatural giants and eldritch horrors, as the absurd science fiction his late comrade from Earth used to rave about wherever they went. This reality, so starkly different from his mundane existence back on Earth, the final moments of which he constantly replayed, served as a harsh reminder of the reality of his current state.
A melancholy smile crept over his face as he thought of his past. Exiting the flimsy tent, he eyed the "inhumans"-the term he'd begrudgingly adopted for the trio, after witnessing the extent of their abilities.
He still remembered vividly the first time he'd witnessed Astre, deceptively frail-looking, effortlessly manipulate a massive log with a flick of his wrist. It was after countless displays of such feats of strength, and magic, that he finally confronted them, his initial trepidation slowly yielding to a fascination.
After painstakingly examining their personalities, he decided to approach the most talkative of the group-Astre. Unlike the reserved Cecilia, who spent most of her waking hours in sword practice, and Balgur, who seemed permanently preoccupied with hunting. Astre was the most loquacious and, oddly, the most normal.
He approached the waiting cohort, leaving behind the crude tent he'd surprisingly grown fond of, and the silent remains of the forgotten city. Memories of their previous conversation played in his mind, as sharp and clear as the evening it occurred as one of such conversations flashed across his mental sphere.
**********
Approaching Astre, who was occupied with meticulously sharpening his shortsword outside his makeshift shelter, Vance cautiously took a seat beside the blond figure. He then delicately initiated his information gathering, steering the conversation to a subject of his choosing.
"Where are Cecilia and Balgur? I don't see them."
Astre's face immediately soured upon hearing Vance's question, a clear sign of recent friction between them. Vance inwardly chuckled; the answer he anticipated was not surprising.
"Balgur? Probably off hunting something. That's all he ever does. And Cecilia? Honestly, who cares? Probably off somewhere brooding. She could be dead for all I know, and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it," Astre muttered, his tone laced with disdain when speaking of Cecilia.
But he continued his rant.Something Vance was becoming accustomed to. "Vance, isn't it? Me and my companions have always been curious, though, the others not as much as me, but are you aware of how abnormal your recovery is? You haven't even gone through any ascensions, have you?"
Vance took a moment to consider the question, allowing the silence to hang in the air for a beat before responding, he knew Astre wasn't as disintersted as he made out to be, and knew he was merely trying to probe.
"Ascension?" Vance mused aloud.
Astre furrowed his brow, looking up from his blade. "You're kidding, right? You don't know about ascension?" It wasn't exactly classified information or a rare event.
To which Vance shrugged.
"You really don't know?" Astre glanced at him, brows furrowed. "Figures. Must be weird, coming from a place where conflict isn''t so common." He exhaled sharply through his nose. "It's not something we study, Vance. It's just... something that happens. One second you're normal, and then." He snapped his fingers. "Something inside you experiences a distinct change, or shift, and suddenly you're not."
Vance narrowed his eyes. "Change?".
"Yeah," Astre muttered, turning back to his blade. "A moment of clarity. Or a moment of madness. No one really knows what triggers it. Sometimes, it's a revelation. Sometimes, it's desperation. And sometimes" He chuckled dryly. "Sometimes it's just dumb luck."
"Hah!" Vance let out a short, dry exclamation of understanding.
"Let me let you in on a little secret about the captain." Astre lowered his voice, glancing around before continuing, "Actually, Balgur is, uh, different from me and Cecilia. Matter of fact, just sending him alone would have been enough to take out all the orcs. While me and Cecilia are still within the realm of the superhuman, Balgur... well, he's gone way beyond that."
From the strained breath that Astre took when discussing Balgur to the bright gleam that ignited in his eyes as he described Balgur's power,.
From the imperceptable twitch and slightly ragged breath as he talked about baldur Vance gained a slightly deeper understanding of Astre's nature. This chatterbox both admired and, possibly, desired such power.
"Is this Ascension common?" Vance inquired, his eyes fixed on Astre who, even at this point, was still meticulously polishing his blade.
"Very much so," Astre muttered, the words almost a dismissive afterthought. He turned slightly, eyeing the distant, ruined city. His body language gained a touch of violence mixed with regret. "It's a sign of power,prestige, and honour afterall."
"Anyways, if you're really interested in the process, you can ask Cecilia when she returns in a few hours. She's much more knowledgeable than I am about this stuff." Astre muttered after quietly turning to more deeply polish his blade
Marking this as his cue to leave, Vance lingered for a moment, allowing the silence to stretch before he replied, "Thanks". Heading towards the tent to sleep.
"This place couldn't be any stranger," Vance murmured, a slight smile playing on his lips. However, his eyes gained a tint of pain, as based on the brief experience and his understanding so far he knew this place was not sunshine and rainbows. It was reminiscent of a place he both hated and loved-places where wars were fought.
However, even as he tried to forcibly bury the memory that haunted him, the figure of a being soaked in blood, plagued his vision. As various scenes flashed across his mind.His breath gained an uneven quality as his chest contracted and retracted rapidly, inviting a concerned inquiry from Astre outside.
"Vance?" Astre's voice cut through the night. "You good?"
"Yes," answering barely audible, Vance quickly shuffled into the tent before laying down and closing his eyes. He never wanted to experience such feelings of powerlessness, and grievance again.
"Not here."
"Not ever. He would make sure of it!"
Amidst the glow of his pale brown eyes and messy black hair, he once more swore this oath, something extremely recurring for him, as he did it quite frequently.
For now, he would rest. They were leaving tomorrow, after all.
*******
"Are you ready Vance?" Curiously observing the teenager deep in thought, Balgur decided to interrupt his thought process as he was ready to begin their journey towards the warp gate 9 miles south where Him, Astre, and Cecilia had initially arrived from.
"Yes,i'm ready" Vance muttered as he Approached the three that had been patiently waiting for him a few steps ahead.
"Good,You should also take this time to say goodbye to your home planet, Unless of course you decide to return in the future" Balgur voiced after nodding."Now lets depart"
"Towards the gate"