Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 215 | The Sun's Cold Radiance | Novela.app

“...‘The Bastion’?” A strange sensation drew Evenheiler’s gaze toward a nearby public PA system. Pedestrians bustled past; he stood apart from the crowd, watching the ebb and flow of people as he silently turned the name over in his mind. The broadcast was introducing a "Super-powered Entity" belonging to a faction called the "Galactic Empire." It sounded like vital information, but he didn't know what the Galactic Empire was, nor what a Super-powered Entity might be. Listening to it now left him feeling profoundly lost. Yet, he instinctively committed these details to memory... just as he had recorded other fragments of knowledge in previous illusions. ...Even if he tended to forget them rather quickly. Evenheiler rubbed his brow. He knew he was an outsider, a super-powered individual named Evenheiler Kang, currently trapped within a series of nested illusions. It seemed he had met the master of this dreamscape once before; neither side harbored any particular enmity, but the master had not released him, nor had they reappeared since. He had initially been desperate to leave. It felt as though some unfinished business was driving him forward... There must have been a reason he chose to delve deep into this realm, but now, he had forgotten it. *What was that reason?* Evenheiler wondered. Listening to the broadcast, he stepped onto the main road, following the faceless crowd according to a strange, ethereal guidance. He knew that by following the path these people took, he would eventually find the gate to the next dream. Night fell, and a dim golden light draped across the horizon. *Is that the sun?* Evenheiler asked himself, only to dismiss the thought: *Oh, no. How could there be a sun in an illusion?* The broadcast continued to echo with a low, cold, and hard voice: 【...Every heir of the Galactic Empire satisfies the expectations of certain people within the Empire...】 That cold voice asked, “...Without exception. Why is that?” The Aberrant Eibon remained silent. Its canine features flickered in and out of existence, and black mist surged around its body. It seemed desperate to flee—or rather, that was its only desire. The man who posed the question received no answer. With a casual flick of his hand, he sent ‘Yan Miao’ out of this space, which had been thoroughly sealed by ‘Star Alloy,’ and turned to look at the half-man, half-dog figure. “You don’t seem surprised by my arrival,” Raytin said softly. “...” Eibon clicked its tongue. Of course it wasn’t surprised; it had prepared for this before coming. Anyone well-informed knew that Angye had been on the Ring World all these years, and that... ‘Anti-Fungus’ was one of his associates. Although the current state of the Human Union was strictly confidential, it was obvious to any keen observer whom Angye served. It was just that no one expected even ‘The Bastion’ would fail to withstand the power of the ‘Sun Star’... “Just kill me,” Eibon said, spreading its hands and closing its eyes. “Emptying your mind to evade the question, giving up even the will to resist...” Raytin drifted slowly toward it, looking down at the increasingly tense and distorted face. He whispered, “...This only makes me more curious, ‘Eibon.’ Are you doing this on purpose?” An aura of terrifying, blazing intensity surged. Yet, when heat exceeding the threshold of perception brushed against one’s skin, it only brought a sudden, piercing chill. Though it wasn't exactly ‘human,’ the Aberrant Eibon shuddered violently. It clearly felt its soul melting—if it even possessed such a thing. *How is this man completely different from before?!* Eibon was shocked to its core. At some point, the ‘Sun Star’ seemed to have crossed a boundary. For the man himself, it might have been a form of release, but for others, it was a natural disaster. That sun had broken its shackles, erupting with near-total abandon. It was incomparably more powerful than it had been over a decade ago, ruthlessly obliterating anything that dared approach without permission... “...” Eibon swallowed hard—or would have, if it could. A strange terror made it tremble involuntarily. Then, it slowly tilted its head back to look into Raytin’s eyes. It saw a hollow furnace. Driven by burning destruction. “Agh...!!!!!!!!!” Eibon let out a shrill, agonizing scream. It felt itself being ignited, subjected to a horrific heat that threatened to evaporate its very being— “Every heir of the Empire satisfies the expectations of a certain group of people,” Raytin repeated his question. “Why?” Eibon’s eyes glowed, and cracks spread rapidly from their corners. Golden flames flickered within the fissures; it was as if its interior was being incinerated beneath its skin. In that moment, its spirit was reduced to ash, and a single thought churning within it due to that inquiry was precisely captured. A light flashed in Raytin’s eyes. The dark ruins collapsed, and a landscape ball containing the power of ‘The Bastion’ flew into his hand. He gave a slight nod, turned, and departed. Behind him, the lanky form vanished into dust. *** Meanwhile, in the distant darkness, between the silent, starless ‘Bottom of Spirit’ and the physical world, atop a tower in a city of disordered growth—where structures were linked and anchored by biological tentacles. “(A Galactic Empire curse too foul for translation software to output)—!!!” A head rooted atop a mountain of flesh snapped its eyes open, letting out a massive shriek. A pale figure busy at a nearby experimental bench spun around and delivered a sharp slap: *Smack!* “...” The head spun several times on the spot, its neck emitting a crisp cracking sound. “Ah, sorry, sorry, I was startled...” ‘Hisa’ hurriedly straightened the head, even manually winding it back the other way. Her tone was weak and sorrowful. “Lord Eibon, you’re really scary when you do that... Please don’t do it again, okay?” “...” The head stared at her, its gaze dull and vacant. “Oh dear, did I slap him into idiocy?” Hisa’s lip twitched. She lifted the head to inspect the underside. “Tsk, fractured neck bone, nerve damage... but it shouldn't be a major problem, right?” As she muttered to herself, a tall figure stepped slowly into the room. Hearing her, he paused slightly. “...?” “Ah!!” Hisa rose weakly and turned around. “Fath—” “...Change the address,” the man said. Hisa quickly corrected herself. “Your Majesty...” “Change it again.” The man rubbed his brow, his vibrant, fiery red hair swaying slightly. “First of all, I am not your father, nor am I the father ‘Heather’ perceives me to be, nor am I...” He gestured toward the Aberrant Eibon, “...his father. Secondly, I am not some ‘Majesty’—that pathetic Empire has nothing to do with me. It is merely that my birth was built upon the death of its monarch, and sometimes, that makes it seem as though we share a close bond.” “But you don’t say this much when facing others... ‘Commander,’” Hisa said in a thin, delicate voice, as if she wasn't the one who had nearly slapped Eibon into the next life a moment ago. “...Suit yourself.” The ‘Commander’ shook his head slightly. He did not step forward. Instead, he looked down from his height of nearly five meters at Eibon atop the mountain of flesh. “You encountered the ‘Sun Star,’” the Commander said tonelessly. “His power still lingers in your spirit... He might find this place.” “...Oh,” Eibon responded sluggishly. “He really has gone stupid,” Hisa grumbled. The Commander nodded slightly. “What is the status of ‘Gahe’?” “The dispersal of ‘Gahe’ has progressed across the entire galaxy, except for... the Human Union and the Aggregate,” Hisa said, returning to her experimental bench. “However, Lord Commander, we contaminated ‘Gahe’ to compete for resources with the Comists, to make them think the bowl was already empty... “But since they’ve already arrived, what use does this still have?” “It has its uses,” the Commander said. He stopped looking at Eibon and added, “The Sun Star... one day, he will become the symbol of oppression and destruction in the eyes of the galaxy. “Let the war continue. Eibon has no memory of the last day; the Sun Star destroyed it—we are moving immediately. He has indeed discovered...” *Thump—* A spatial tunnel radiating golden light expanded. A fist-sized golden metal cube flew out, shimmering brilliantly. “...us,” he finished. *BOOM————————!!!!!!!!!!!* In the darkness, a bolt of golden light shot forth, followed immediately by a raging inferno like a blazing sun, swallowing the entire city. In the distant location of the *Treasure*, the ‘Fire Wine’ currently burning to provide power suddenly flickered for a moment. Within its translucent body, a Galactic Empire crown loomed indistinctly, proclaiming its name to all directions: ‘The Shackles.’ “...Ah,” Fire Wine murmured softly. “The time is drawing near, isn't it? How much longer... until I saw him back then? “I have always known that his current self is too extreme, far from the reliable comrade-in-arms he once was...” ‘The Shackles’ shifted slightly, emitting a clear, subtle, and beautiful rainbow light. Fire Wine did not leave its post. It remained silent for a long while, appearing to ‘watch’ something, yet perhaps seeing nothing at all. Finally, it let out a long, melancholy, and heavy sigh. The flames on its body dimmed, and it spoke no more. *** Evenheiler was sinking within his mental space—before stepping into the next illusion, he had found a door. Behind the door lay a writhing darkness, seemingly a dangerous power rooted deep within the mental depths of the illusion’s master. Reason told him he should ignore it. That darkness coexisted with the master of the illusion, and the master was simply too strong; even with only a tenth of their power, he could never hope to defeat them. In his sharp and clear perception, that vast darkness was utterly terrifying. ...But could he really just ignore it? Evenheiler sank through the dark sea, watching the deep waters illuminated by golden radiance. Yes, in the end, he stepped into that darkness... ...Regardless, the master of the illusion couldn't be unaware of its existence. If he encountered danger, the other party likely wouldn't stand idly by. Besides, this sensation of darkness... felt truly familiar. Evenheiler narrowed his eyes slightly as the golden light gradually faded. At the same time, as if the signal were unstable, flickering images and faces—both strange and familiar—quietly surfaced within his mind. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 坚城 | The Bastion | One of the five Super-powered Entities of the Galactic Empire. | | 冠冕 | The Crown | One of the five Super-powered Entities of the Galactic Empire. | | 枷锁 | The Shackles | One of the five Super-powered Entities of the Galactic Empire. | | 警钟 | The Alarm | One of the five Super-powered Entities of the Galactic Empire. | | 利刃 | The Blade | One of the five Super-powered Entities of the Galactic Empire. | | 希萨 | Hisa | A character working under the Commander. | | 加赫 | Gahe | A substance or entity being spread across the galaxy. | | 指挥官 | The Commander | A mysterious leader with red hair, linked to the Empire's fall. | | 火酒 | Fire Wine | An entity or character on the ship *Treasure*. | | 珍宝号 | Treasure | The name of a ship. | | 希瑟 | Heather | A name mentioned by the Commander. |