Chương 2: Responsible Celestial

With a flash and pop Cyrendale appears right on top of the damn table like he always does.

"Where the hell have you been brother, it's been like 4 years!" Cyra snaps. Trying to wring the wine from her robe after her brother jump scared her, yet again. Donning his most innocent smile, Cyrendale leans forward and hands his darling younger sister a table cloth from beneath his foot.

"Here, clean yourself up. You'd think after over 100 years you'd figure out how to drink your wine without spilling." Cyra blinks up at her smug brother and cracks a smile as she tosses her half empty glass his way. Impressive as his speed may be he didn't expect his well behaved younger sibling to chuck a damn goblet at him.

"I'm glad you have loosened up over the years kiddo. You're always too uptight. Always worrying. Do try and have more fun." He begins wiping his face with a cloth before asking, "Where is dear old dad? I've found so many new planets I must tell him about!"

"He is at the council as usual, but you remember last time you told him of your travels? He still blames you for that hive mind race invading their paired world and eliminating all other sentient races." Cyrendale scrunches his pearl white nose in disgust.

"I know and I've learned from that. Since that incident I have updated the runes on all the gates I can remember and every new one after. I even added a fear rune to the cluster to keep wild beasts away from them and placed them as far from civilizations as possible to slow down potential conflicts." The two walk comfortably through their ancestral home while Cyra listens with rapt attention to the most talented and curious celestial level cultivator her world has ever seen.

With his privileged position as heir to the planet he never needed to invest his mana into physical strength. He thus devoted all his attention and effort to exploring the undiscovered cosmos. In his fanatical curiosity he created the first gate, and while it only transported people from one continent to another on their rather large planet, it was the first of many.

Over the 120 years since his first gate her darling brother has traveled the cosmos connecting worlds to each other in an attempt to help other curious beings discover the wonders outside of their reach. Reaching the counsel chambers doors the guards salute with a fist to their gold trimmed porcelain chest plates recognizing both the children of their lord.

"We shall inform the lord of your arrival, please wait here as the council has nearly finished." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Cyra casually creates a mana formed seat for both her and her brother to relax as they wait. Her brother rolls his eyes seeing the misuse of the most sacred force known to the worlds.

It takes years of dedicated practice to shape a mana construct outside the body, and each shape must be perfect in the users mind to form properly in the real world. How long did his perfect, rule following, little sister stare at a damned chair to be able to produce one as a mana construct. Whatever, it's her time to waste I suppose. After a while the siblings heard the door crack open from the inside and a herd of robed pompous figures pass them by leaving space for them to enter the council chambers.

Finding their father at the head of the massive table sorting files spread out in front of him. As he looked up his eyes flew open wide and a smile broke apart his huge white beard.

"Cyrendale!!! Thank the heavens your back safe! Come here boy and tell me about your mischievous adventures. Been following my rules?" The lord raises one thick eyebrow in question.

"Yes father, I placed every gate away from civilization and warded it from local fauna. Except that one world that was nothing but one massive city. I had to break the rule there and I placed it on a random wall in a back alley. But other than that every world got linked to only two others and those gates must share an ecosystem on either side." Cyrendale responded with pride.

"Thank you son. I cannot express how much those unknown civilizations would view us as gods and if we did not take precautions we would just be irresponsible with that power. Now, tell me what's the strangest planet you came across in this last few years? And it seems you're taking longer and longer to return? Are you running out of places to search for new life?"

"Father please one question at a time! Yes it's taking longer to find more as I spread further from home. I don't know if there is a limit but it seems the further they are from the center of our galaxy the more spread out the planets hosting life are. It makes me wonder if there is a way to cross space even faster." The three have food and drink brought in by servants as they catch up on lost time and new stories of discovery until the night grows thick with laughter and smiles.

Another father stands over the mangled corpses of three brown furred monsters. Looking down in anger and sorrow he takes note of the blood on their snouts and their full bellies. Closing is big round eyes and tossing his staff and one mutt over his shoulder he begins his solemn journey back to home hole to inform his mate. It seems the most promising pup has been lost to the forest. Every litter loses one or two. And it never gets easier on his mate.

Acknowledging the harsh reality of this world he continues his grim task in silence. Because silence in this world keeps the home hole safe and hidden. Too many people would make too much noise and attract some of the larger predators. He spends most days clearing out threats from near home hole to keep the pups safe, but nothing is certain in life and sometimes a small pack slips through. Maybe the other 3 will stay closer to the home hole now that the dangers have already taken their brother.