"Sir Orpheus, so they're not in temporary custody?" The officer that was closest to the bruised Astra and the shocked Anna had asked. His voice was soft and quiet; he felt that if he raised it any louder it would signal disrespect.
"Orpheus? Isn't that one of the three great royal bloodlines? Well, that's expected of someone who made that bastard disappear instantly." Astra thought to herself.
"The more important question is: what's such a big shot doing here? I very much doubt he'd be here just to deal with some gang member. Could this have something to do with Kayla? Perhaps this could be him knowing my true origins somehow? No, that's impossible. Or maybe he knows about the strangeness of Kayla and came here to me personally…I doubt I'd trick him with my acting…" Astra hid her shock as her mind raced.
"No. In fact, we're not even supposed to be looking for a non-Celestial or a low-level one." With a gentle expression that resembled the cold winter night, Lucian proceeded to slowly walk towards the two ladies. As he walked, there were lines of police officers beside him on his left and right side, bowing slightly.
"Celestials…are they the people who can use and manipulate Ethereon? It seems like it. It also seems like Anna didn't know about this name either…" Astra composed her outward expression as she noted the usage of the name.
"I've already received the information from Loken. The secret organization, called the Dimensional Thieves, is currently scheming about in Luna and could potentially cause an Eclipse-class Anomaly. The person who I captured, Omar, was a part of this gang, and was wanted for quite some time. He had almost mutated due to his fight against these two women. Just to confirm, all of that is right?" Lucian asked softly but sternly. He moved and walked as if he had full control over the situation.
"Eclipse-class Anomaly? Dimensional Thieves? For the latter, I'll assume that's the gang that the bastard belongs to. As for the former, I have no clue what that means. Although, it sounds terrifying. Kayla most likely is caught up with that…" Astra clarified in her head.
"They were planning on doing an Anomaly here? I never knew they had the capacity to do that…this isn't even where their main base of operations is. Why are they doing that here of all places?" Anna felt her heart beat even faster when she heard this information.
"Yes, Sir Orpheus." The officer affirmed Lucian's account. "We had assumed you would've want the two of them to be in temporary custody for questioning, given that they might have some connection to the gang." He continued to speak in a voice not much louder than a whisper.
"No. Temporary custody is unnecessary for now." Lucian replied frankly.
Lucian continued to walk until he got within a meter of Astra and Anna. Then, he stopped. Naturally, both Astra and Anna tensed up as they tried to keep their composure. Of course, Astra was much better at this.
Lucian's eyes narrowed, giving off a strange sense of coldness as he looked at Astra. In a contrastingly warm voice, he muttered the words:
"You're quite tall, aren't you?"
Confused, Astra creased her eyebrows and made her mouth curve downwards. Her head tilted slightly, as if she was trying to comprehend the meaning of these words.
"You're saying that, yet you're an inch taller than me…isn't that funny?" Astra sulked inwardly.
With no discernible emotion, Anna casted her gaze upwards to stare at the man. She had a strange sense of admiration observing his face.
"He's surprisingly a lot more handsome up close. Anyway, I just hope they carry me with Miss Astra…"
"Officer, provide me with a status report of both of these women." Lucian didn't hesitate to order as he put his fingers to his chin in thought.
"Yes, Sir Orpheus." The officer closest to Astra and Anna immediately complied.
Inside of his helmet, neon purple words flashed across the helmet; and it looked as if someone was typing on it. Images of Astra Sera had appeared inside the helmet, giving a full breakdown of Astra's status.
It showed her immigration status, her height, her balance, the person she lives with, her job, her background, etc.
"Sir, Miss Sera is a temporary immigrant who came from Vytheris more than a week ago. Her height is 6 feet 4 inches, and she currently has no other form of identification except for an immigrant band. She has recently been converted to the Dominion of Dreams. She lives with…" In a mechanical, robotic manner of speaking, the officer efficiently laid out Astra's information.
"What about her companion?" Lucian asked as he looked at the officer.
"Sir, no information is given on her. She has no identification. She might not even be from Luna, or from Morpheus." The officer replied in a flat tone, almost as if he pretended that 'Astra's companion' wasn't there.
"Okay." With a soft smile, Lucian turned his head towards Anna. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"Uh, no. I don't mind, sir." Anna shivered for a short second as she obediently replied.
"What's your name, and your background?" Still wearing a gentle smile, Lucian's curious-sounding voice filled the ears of everyone present.
"My name is Anna. Uh, well, I don't have a last name. I was formerly from the gang you mentioned, the Dimensional Thieves. Though I didn't have any powers of Ethereon while I was in it." Anna struggled to look Lucian in the eye as sweat began to form on her face.
"So, you used that artifact to become a Celestial, and that's how you escaped?"
"…" Anna didn't understand what he meant at first, so she hesitated.
"Yes." However, she quickly figured out what he meant by "Celestial."
"Why did you escape?"
"Well, sir, you should know that they are a gang that basically participates in underground and dark transactions. It can include money, dangerous artifacts, and even people." Anna's hand shook slightly before continuing.
"I happened to be one of the transactions. I was led and nurtured to do things for people in a way that was most appealing to them. To put it simply, my purpose in that place and for that person was to be as subservient as possible."
"When I wasn't subservient, I would get punished." As she continued, Anna's shaking had decreased and her heart's pace had decelerated. Her eyes looked as if they were losing their luster.
"'That person' was that mutation, correct?" Ignoring Anna's subtle change, Lucian probed.
"Yes."
"And, well, I escaped because I wanted to be free. I wanted to feel like a person."
Lucian's expression immediately darkened.
"In that case, why didn't you come straight to the Dominion or the police when you escaped? You do know that dealing with Ethereon can be extremely dangerous, right?"
"I didn't go to any of those places because I didn't trust them. I thought I would also lose my freedom because I wasn't supposed to have Ethereon, and they'd punish me…"
Lucian sighed. Afterwards, he allowed Anna to see his warm smile.
"You're a very young girl. I doubt they'd do anything to harm you, especially when you came from such a horrible place."
"Though, I can understand your distrust towards organizations. That gang really isn't the best example. Although, you seem to have a liking for…" Upon saying this, Lucian glanced at Astra with a smile that wasn't so warm, and more smug.
Naturally, Astra tensed up.
"What's that supposed to mean…"
Lucian looked back down towards Anna.
"Do you know anything about the recent actions of this organization?"
"Well…" Anna had considered telling him that the higher ups of the organization were looking for Astra.
"When I left, I knew that they were looking for someone. I don't know the exact description, but I know that the person is in Luna." Anna's throat felt unnaturally heavy as she struggled to lie to the imposing man.
"Great. That lines with what I know." The robed Lucian nodded at Anna and casted his deep black eyes towards Astra.
"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" He asked.
"I don't mind." Astra replied.
"Okay. You are not a Celestial, though you were able to defeat a relatively experienced one. Not even the most experienced fighters or the strongest men are able to achieve such a feat without any artifacts, weapons, or Ethereon."
"Well, I did defeat him with the help of weapons and Anna, which could count as "Ethereon"…" Astra corrected Lucian inside of her head.
"How were you able to do it? Is there something about your background that we don't know?" He continued.
"I was naturally born with a different body than others. I don't know why or how, but that's the source of my superhuman strength." Astra replied frankly.
"You don't know if you're a mutant or a hybrid?" He probed.
"With all due respect, I do not know what any of those terms mean," Astra felt as if it was most advantageous to tell the truth. She didn't plan on tricking the Royal with words.
"Okay, that should be expected. You are from Vytheris, after all."
Astra nodded slowly.
"Alright. What do you know about the person who you live with?" Lucian asked.
"As expected, he wants to know about Kayla." Astra thought.
"Her name is Kayla Hindsey, and she comes from Vytheris. She likes to bring food home, and she likes to watch movies, particularly action and romance. She speaks in a cute tone, and she has a certain level of innocence to her. I remember when we had an awkward moment because we weren't used to living together…" Astra intentionally rambled on.
"That's enough." Exasperated, Lucian sighed.
"Okay." Astra nodded with a smile. She wanted to laugh, but she restrained herself.
Of course, she didn't do this for jokes. She did this because she wanted to show that she knew nothing important about Kayla.
The robed Lucian then put his hand on his chin, as if he was in thought.
"Alright. Officers, take these two women to the closest Lunan hospital. Treat any injuries that they might have. I'll let Loken continue this investigation while I try to find the sources of this potential anomaly." He scanned his surroundings, showcasing his authority as he ordered the officers.
"Yes sir!" They all said in unison as they finally left their formations. Some officers continued inspecting the area, while other officers floated and hovered into the flying aerial vehicles, entering a halo of blue light that was under it.
Finally, the officer that was next to Astra and Anna went behind them to handcuff them with spherical balls of neon purple light.
Upon becoming handcuffed, Astra and Anna's movements became sluggish as their surroundings looked a little hazy. Their sense of balance was decreasing as their steps felt a little heavier.
Though, this was only temporary. Not long after, their states went back to normal.
As for Anna, she had figured out that she couldn't use her Dreamscape powers in this handcuffed state.
After looking at the two ladies for a few seconds, Lucian then began to order once more while walking in a certain direction:
"Don't think about wiping their memory."
"Those two have already entered the Celestial world."
"Yes sir!" All of the officers affirmed his judgment.
"Praise the God of Dreams!" Immediately, they placed both of their hands on their chest as they noticed Lucian's withdrawal.
Not even a second later, Lucian disappeared as if he was being erased by a pencil eraser.
In that instant, a soft and cold wind blew through the space once more. It was as if it was announcing the disappearance of Lucian.
"He didn't take my phone away…" Astra thought to herself as she watched Lucian's departure.
"My artifact is gone…that man probably took it away." Anna thought as she immediately noticed that something was off within her skirt.
"Okay, let's go." The officer who had handcuffed them authorized in a stern voice as he led them to the Dreamkeeper vehicle that was stationed on the ground.
Whoosh…
As the officer and the two women approached the side of the vehicle, a large "door" streaked with blue and purple light slid from open with a metallic hum.
As Astra and Anna went inside, they felt a soft, gentle and cold breeze wrap their bodies. As if it was being careful, the door had slowly and smoothly slid back down behind them. The officer didn't enter the vehicle.
Inside, the walls of the vehicle curved organically as the ambient illumination from the ceiling looked as if it was inside of a nebula. Faint crystalline strands streaked across the walls, resembling starlight. In the large room they were currently in, there were half a dozen floating beds each having their own medical apparatus. Each bed was separated by a translucent dark blue wall of light that appeared if it was flowing.
At the edges of the room were large holographic windows, not only showing the outside, but showcasing all sorts of general information on its surface.
On the other side of the room, a mechanical door had slid open smoothly. Coming out of the opening was a relatively short lady who was wearing a long nurse's robe.
She looked quite young and had a soft face. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and her skin was slightly tanned. Her eyes were black and they looked serene, as if looking at them would make you fall asleep.
"Hello Miss Astra and Miss Anna. How are both of you doing?" The nurse asked, her voice as calming as the night sky.
"We're both doing fine," Astra responded.
"Great. My name is Alia, and I'll be treating both of your injuries until we arrive at the hospital. This goes for both physical and mental injuries. Can both of you lie down please? You can choose any bed." Extending her hand out, Alia invited both of them to rest.
Astra moved first. She chose the bed closest to the window. Anna followed behind her and chose the bed that was right next to Astra's.
Immediately after Astra laid down on the mattress, she felt a strong sense of comfort. It was as if she was lying down next to a fireplace on a cozy, cold, winter night after a long day of work. As such, she instantly had the desire to go to sleep.
As her eyes had stared up at the simulated nebulae of light that rested above her, she had completely forgotten about the pain she had received less than an hour ago as her thoughts were drowned out by the ambient atmosphere.
She then slowly moved her eyes towards the large window, and saw a large structure in the distance. It was less of a building and more of a megastructure.
It was a neon purple structure that loomed above the skyline. It was a tiered interwoven helix that had many other crystalline and metallic towers surrounding it. Neon streaks of purple resembling roads, monorails and levitation corridors appeared to go inside of its many openings; some going through the towers themselves.
At the center, the building seemed to glow with a faint but warm ethereal aura, as if it was inviting all people to come inside of it. At the top of the building, there seemed to be a space elevator that extended out into outer space. Just below the space elevator, there were many floating spires—seemingly defying gravity—that were orbiting the central helix.
This was the main hospital of Luna, the Dreamer's Haven.
"It's…beautiful…" Astra struggled to say as her eyes became unusually heavy.
Not even a few seconds later, she, along with Anna, had fallen asleep.
…
In a dark room deep within the Department of Immigration.
The room was calm and serene. It was so peaceful that if anyone were to step foot in it, they would immediately fall asleep.
However, there was a man sitting on air at the center of the room. Surrounding him were dozens of large holographic monitors that illuminated his figure; each monitor having a variety of information on multiple people and situations.
He had a sharp face. He had intense but soft black eyes. His face was slightly yellow, and he had a black and white suit. His hair was relatively long, flowing down to his neck, though there were no bangs covering his forehead.
He was none other than Loken Izuru, one of the high Chiefs of the Dreamlanders—a Luminary.
He let out a sigh as he stared at the monitors with his hand resting on his cheek, appearing as if he was in thought.
"Astra Sera happened to get into a fight with a Dimensional Thieves member. He turned into a half mutation, causing Saint Lucian to save her…"
Loken turned to look at the next screen.
"Furthermore, I already knew Astra Sera isn't a normal person. What bothers me is that the Dimensional Thieves were clearly interested in her. I doubt that she would come across an experienced member and a former member out of coincidence."
"This means that there was something about her that drew them to her. It couldn't have been any qualities from her, as she didn't reveal them yet."
Again, he turned to the next monitor.
"That woman who Astra Sera is living with…she seems problematic. And somehow, she didn't register as a Celestial through here either…she clearly has a fake identity…"
Loken pinched his forehead as he rapidly registered every bit of information he received. He quickly came to one conclusion.
"I see…"
"She is the source of the Anomaly."