Kaito balanced an uneven stack of crates on his shoulders. A group of draconian villagers gathered around him watching in awe.
"How does he not trip with those weird, flat feet?" One villager asked.
"And his skin—so soft, not even a single scale!" Another stated.
"Do humans eat dublas? I bet they eat dublas." A kid asked.
"Uh—well, not usually. And, yeah, my skin's like this because I'm… human? Also, what in stars is a dublas?" Kaito replied.
Suddenly, a small hand tugged on his jacket. He looked down and saw Nix, who barely stood waist high.
"W–We need to go." He instructed shyly.
Without waiting for a response, he pulled him through the crowd, weaving between them until they reached the outskirts of the village, not too far from the building everyone was in.
Kaito let out a sigh of relief, setting down the crates as he looked at Nix.
"Thanks for the save, little guy. I was starting to think I'd get questioned to death." He said, breathing a sigh of relief while wiping sweat from his forehead.
Nix didn't respond immediately. Instead, he nodded then walked toward the treeline where the bushes below began to glow in the light of the evening. The red, orange, yellow, and green lights were dazzling and Kaito couldn't take his eyes off the surreal sight.
"Whoa…" He muttered under his breath, mesmerized.
"Hehe…this is nothing. Come on." Nix said with a small smirk on his face.
He climbed onto a low-hanging branch of a tree with long orange leaves before swinging to another. Kaito hesitated for only a moment before following. They moved through the forest, swinging from tree to tree.
"This time of the passing of our sun… everything comes alive. It's supposed to be for the Festival of Lights." Nix said, while reaching for another branch.
"Festival of Lights? What's that?" Kaito asked.
"It's held every cycle of the sun. It's when the plants bloom and glow all over the world. The festival is our way of honoring our connection to our world and the energy that flows through it."
"That's… incredible. When's the next one?"
Nix stopped moving, hanging on a branch. After a brief moment, he let go, landing on a rock. His voice became quieter.
"It was supposed to be two nights from now..." He said, his mood clearly becoming somber.
"Was supposed… to be?"
Nix nodded.
"With the starborne troupe here, there won't be a festival."
Before Kaito could respond, Nix gestured for him to follow again.
"There's something else I'd like to show you."
He moved some bushes and stepped through. Kaito followed suit, stepping through the bush and into a clearing where a waterfall cascaded into a crystalline pool roughly fifty meters from the village. The water was so clear it seemed to mirror the world around it.
"This… this is crazy." Kaito muttered out.
"My big sister used to bring me here." Nix said while walking over to the water.
"Your dad mentioned she was taken before… Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
Nix sat down on the edge of the pool looking at his reflection in the water.
"We were out gathering supplies when we ran into one of the starborne troupe's members. She called herself Aqua."
"W-What happened?"
Nix's voice trembled slightly.
"Aqua… she was powerful. My sister, Nara, was one of the strongest warriors in the southern continent. She could breathe fire like no one else. But Aqua… she defeated her easily with her water. It was like nothing we did worked. Everything we threw at her just… came back."
"Water? So she has a water affinity? And it sounds like she's no pushover with it either." Kaito thought to himself as Nix continued.
"After the fight… Aqua took my sister. She's been gone ever since."
Before Nix could speak any further, Kaito reached out and plucked him lightly on the forehead.
"Ow!" Nix yelped, rubbing the spot he plucked.
"What was that for?" He asked, his eyes becoming slightly watery.
Kaito grinned at him as figures of the thalorian kids from the orphanage appeared beside him. He remembered how he would pluck their foreheads when they didn't listen to Farro or simply being annoying.
"Because you're amazing, that's why. Don't let anyone or anything make you forget that. Not Aqua, not anyone. And you know what else? I'm going to take Aqua down." He said confidently with a smile on his face.
"B-But why?... Why did you help us? Especially after my dad was going to… you know, give you to the starborne troupe?" Nix said hesitantly.
"You and your dad… remind me of some people I care about." He said with a chuckle before continuing.
"I know what it feels like to have no one come to help when you need it most. That's why I decided a long time ago that I'd be the one to help when no one else will."
"Is that… your dream?" Nix asked.
Kaito chuckled, looking up at the stars above.
"That's part of it. But my real dream is bigger than that. I want to be the King of the Stars."
"King of the Stars?" Nix's eyes lit up with fascination as he scooted closer.
"What's that?"
"The King of the Stars is someone who stands above all star travelers. Someone who protects the weak, explores the unknown, and brings all of the people who call space home together. It's a legend, but it's more than that to me. And one day… I'm going to make it real."
Nix's eyes gleamed as he stared at Kaito.
"That's… so cool!!! You're really going to do it, aren't you!?" He said excitedly, as if his previous sour mood disappeared immediately.
"You bet I am. And maybe you'll be my first ally." He said, poking him on his head.
The two laughed and joked, the night air slowly filled with the sound of newfound bond.
The next morning, they were slumped under a tree next to the waterfall. They were shaken from their sleep by Talon's voice.
"Wake up sleeping beauty! We've got trouble." She said while shaking him violently with her telekinesis powers.
Kaito groaned and stretched as he rubbed his eyes.
"Talon?... What's going on?" He asked after yawning.
"No time. Just move idiot."
Kaito and Nix followed her back to the village then into a room where Kaeline, Enaros, Navru, and several other villagers were gathered around Viro's holographic projection.
"Viro, what are we looking at?" Kaeline asked.
The hologram flickered, and it slowly came into focus. Sera stood in the center of a stage in front of a mic.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's feature presentation: The End of the Starlight Crew!" She gestured grandly toward her prisoners, who were bound and surrounded by contraptions.
Random crowd applause.
Kaito's blood boiled as he took in the sight of his crew. Finn, Rorik, and Elysia appeared barely conscious. Jinx.. however, was alive and well.
"HEY YOU STUPID FLYING BLUE BITCH!! LET US GO OR I'M GOING TO BLOW YOU TO INTO A BAZILLION PIECES WHEN I PUT MY CYBERNETIC ARM UP YOUR LITTLE BLUE—*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP!"
"Hey…uhhh, can someone put a muzzle on that thing? Like seriously she's drooling all over the damn place." Sera said as she looked around nervously for some help with the orange devil herself.
"Uhhh… captain, you're back on." Said a random lackey.
"Don't they all just look fabulous!? Here's the deal, my dear viewers. You've got until sundown to save them before these delightful devices… well, let's just say they'll have an explosive finale."
Random crowd applause.
Before Kaito or anyone else could respond, the projection shifted. Sera clapped her hands dramatically.
"Oh, but wait! There's more! How about we spice things up a little, shall we?"
The image changed to reveal another captive…
It was Nara
She was bound by strings in a separate unknown location.
Random crowd applause.
"Nara!" Enaros shouted at the screen.
Sera smiled as she leaned closer to the camera.
"That's right folks! You've got a BIG choice to make. Save your precious crew… or the little dragon princess. But don't worry, we'll make it fun. After all, this is the show of a lifetime!"