Creation Of All Things-Chapter 178: Ostarius 1

The golden plains shimmered under the strange triple light of the sky.

Joshua stepped forward cautiously. The roads of silver stone glowed faintly beneath his boots with each step—like they were reacting to him. No one else. Just him.

He stopped and glanced down. "Uh… guys?"

The rest of the group was still busy gawking at the towering spires and the unreal skyline, but Veyrion turned sharply, narrowing his eyes.

"What happened?"

Joshua lifted his foot, then set it down again.

The road pulsed. Softly. A gentle blue ripple spread outward like someone had dropped a pebble into a pond.

Kael'Thar moved to his side, muttering, "The stones are responding… but only to you?"

Alice tilted her head, her silver-ringed eyes narrowing. "Huh."

Then suddenly—

CHNK.

A loud mechanical sound echoed from the ground. Everyone turned fast—Draken had already drawn his blade halfway, just in case.

The stone road beneath Joshua split with perfect precision, revealing a set of stairs leading down.

"Okay. That's new," Alfred said, blinking.

"Joshua," Veyrion said slowly, "I think it's calling you."

"Me?" Joshua pointed at himself. "I didn't even do anything."

"You walked," Aria muttered. "Apparently that's enough."

Adam, who had remained silent beside Alice the whole time, just smiled faintly. "It always starts simple."

Joshua looked at the stairwell. It pulsed with a faint blue glow, inviting—no, waiting. Like it had been sealed for eons and finally found the right fingerprint.

He took a breath, then began to descend.

The others followed behind him in silence.

The air grew cooler the further they went.

The steps spiraled down, deeper and deeper, walls lined with runes none of them recognized. They shifted and morphed—like living ink crawling across ancient stone.

Alice stared at the walls, watching the runes avoid her touch. "They're… aware."

Veyrion nodded grimly. "Runic cognition. The Star Council developed that tech during the Twilight Cycle. These aren't just walls. They're sensors. Maybe even alive."

At the base of the staircase, the space opened into a massive underground chamber—like a hidden cathedral.

Pillars of crystal arched toward the ceiling, glowing with soft internal light. At the center, a giant circular door stood embedded into the floor, surrounded by floating metallic rings. They rotated slowly, covered in the same glowing runes.

Draken stepped forward cautiously. "This is ancient tech. Not arcane. Definitely not divine. This is… pure science."

"No," Adam corrected, "this is starcode."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Joshua, step closer."

He did.

The moment he crossed a certain invisible threshold, everything lit up.

WHHRRRM.

The rings around the circular platform began to spin faster. Runes glowed brighter. The floor beneath Joshua responded like it was syncing with something inside him.

"Uhh," Joshua mumbled, "should I be worried?"

"Probably," Alfred said honestly.

Suddenly—

SHHHHHHRK!

A beam of light shot up from the circle, surrounding Joshua. The others took a step back.

Joshua froze in place. Not because he couldn't move—he just felt like moving would mess something up. A humming vibration filled the room.

Then the runes changed.

They twisted into symbols that slowly rearranged to form… a question?

Alice blinked. "It's a puzzle."

"A question?" Aria said, eyes scanning the runes. "What does it say?"

Kael'Thar translated quickly. "Name the First Axis that split the Void."

Silence.

"Wait, what does that even mean?" Joshua said, half-panicking. "I'm not some ancient historian!"

Veyrion stepped up, thinking fast. "It's a test. A lock-question. The Void existed before anything—so the first axis is likely the first dimension that gave orientation."

"Time?" Alfred guessed.

"Too obvious," Kael'Thar muttered. "Try 'Direction' or 'Space.'"

Alice frowned. "No… no, it's Consciousness."

Everyone stared at her.

"The moment something became aware of itself," she continued, "the Void split. That awareness created duality. Before that, it was just… nothing."

Joshua looked unsure but raised his voice. "Consciousness?"

The runes paused. Froze mid-glow.

Then—

TING.

A soft chime. The circle of rings stopped spinning. The beam vanished.

The seal broke with a hiss of ancient air.

PSSSHHHK.

The giant door in the floor cracked open, stone splitting like petals. A lift platform rose up from beneath, glowing with runes and dusted with age.

Everyone exhaled.

"Okay," Joshua said, stepping back, "that was mildly terrifying."

"And it's only the first lock," Adam murmured. freёnovelkiss.com

They stepped onto the platform. It descended smoothly—no gears, no movement. Just floating down in a gravity-defying hum.

The next chamber was darker. Wider. Endless.

It looked like space itself had been hollowed out beneath the city. The walls weren't even visible anymore. Just stars. Floating rocks. Lights.

A walkway extended out ahead of them. On either side—nothing. Pure, silent void.

The air was heavier here.

Alice's hair floated slightly around her, her eyes glowing as she focused. "Space is thinner. Fragile."

At the end of the walkway was a monolith—pitch black, but ringed with gold. A pedestal waited at its base.

Everyone looked at Joshua.

He sighed. "Alright, I get it. I'm the chosen space-key or whatever."

He stepped forward.

The monolith lit up.

VRRRRM.

Runes spiraled upward, forming a cube of light above the pedestal. The light began to shift, morphing into a 3D projection of the solar system—no, a solar system. Multiple suns, orbiting one another. Moons and planets suspended in perfect motion.

"What is this?" Aria whispered.

"A map," Draken said. "But not of our world."

Alice stepped forward, eyes wide. "It's… a replica of the Realm Spiral."

Joshua reached out.

The moment his fingers brushed the light—

FLASH!

The whole system collapsed in on itself, reforming into a different configuration.

Now it showed four planets aligned. A line connected them, glowing red.

And a phrase appeared:

"Align the Broken Path."

Everyone looked at each other.

Kael'Thar's eyes narrowed. "This is another lock."

"But it's not a question," Alfred said. "It's a puzzle."

Joshua stared at the orbs of light representing the planets. Slowly, he reached out and moved them—one by one.

When he tried the wrong order, the light flared red and reset. After the third failure, the platform beneath them started to crack.

"Uh… I don't think we're getting infinite tries," Alfred muttered.

"Think!" Aria snapped. "Broken path. Maybe… the ancient trade route between the Starborn cities?"

"No," Veyrion said suddenly. "It's emotional. The Star Council had an old proverb: When the mind falters, the path breaks. When hearts align, the path heals."

Joshua stared at the planets.

"…Then maybe…"

He shifted the last two into place—aligning them so the lines weren't perfectly straight, but curved. Like a heart.

The cube pulsed.

Then shattered.

TING.

The chamber responded. Far above, a spiral of starlight opened—like a lens turning.

And there, descending slowly through the air like a descending god…

…was a door.

Or maybe a vault. Shimmering metal, swirling glass. Thousands of locks ticking into place and unticking just for them.

Adam tilted his head.

"Welcome," he murmured, "to the Vault of the Star Council."

They stepped through the final threshold into a silent, massive room. Not cold. Not warm. Just vast.

In the center sat a throne—not for sitting, but for syncing.

Wires and lights curled around it. It looked ancient. Beautiful. Alien.

A chair built for one.

Everyone stared at it. But the floor beneath it lit up—again, only for Joshua.

"This one's definitely for you," Alice said, stepping back.

Joshua approached slowly. "If this thing kills me, someone better resurrect me just so I can punch Adam."

Adam smirked.

Joshua sat down.

The moment his back touched the seat—

CRACK.

Not a sound, but a flash.

Information flooded his brain like liquid lightning. Symbols, names, coordinates, whole star charts rushed into his head.

His eyes rolled back. He gasped.

Reality bent around him.

And then—

He understood.

When his eyes opened again, they were glowing softly.

"…There's a key," he whispered. "Somewhere beyond Karyon Sol. A hidden system locked with spatial coordinates that only this vault could reveal."

"What's it unlock?" Draken asked.

Joshua looked at them.

"A weapon. Or maybe a prison. Or both. The name… is Ostarius."

Everyone fell silent.

Then Alice said quietly, "We'll need to go there."

Joshua nodded. "And I think the vault already set the path for us."

Behind them, a rift opened—not a portal, but a corridor of starflight, winding through realms unseen.

Adam stepped forward, placing a hand on Joshua's shoulder.

"You did good," he said.

Joshua smiled faintly, still catching his breath. "I don't even know how."

"You didn't need to," Adam said. "This is your chapter after all."

And as they stepped toward the rift, one by one, the Vault of the Star Council dimmed behind them.

Their next journey had already begun.

A/N

Well, I want to use this opportunity to thank my readers, your support has been invaluable to me, and I am extremely grateful for that. We have made it this far due to your support and we will go forward with your support also, if there is anything you want to contribute or point out in my work, I am open to suggestions.

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