ALPHA OF THE GALAXY NINEA Novel by T.K. DHARAPrologue — The Night the Stars Went DarkAt exactly 12:07 a.m., every star in the sky disappeared.Not one by one.All at once.For thousands of years, people had looked toward the heavens and believed the stars were permanent. They had named them, studied them, written poems about them, and used them to guide ships across oceans.But on that night, the universe became black.Across Earth, millions of people rushed outside.Phones were lifted toward the sky.Scientists stared at their instruments.Children cried.And in the small coastal city of Asteria, seventeen-year-old Kael Arin stood on the roof of his grandmother's house, staring into the darkness.He knew something was wrong.Not because the stars had vanished.Because one star remained.It was enormous.Silver.And it was moving.Kael watched as the strange light crossed the sky and stopped directly above him.Then a voice whispered inside his mind.Kael Arin.He froze."Who's there?"The voice came again.The Ninth Galaxy is awakening.Kael looked around.There was nobody.Then the silver light exploded.A wave of energy struck the rooftop.Kael fell backward.And the last thing he saw before everything went black was a symbol burning itself into the sky:NINE CIRCLES.Chapter One — The Boy With the MarkKael woke up three days later.He opened his eyes to find a white ceiling above him.Machines beeped beside the bed.A woman in a blue uniform stood near the window.When she noticed his eyes were open, she immediately reached for a communication device."He's awake."Kael tried to sit up.Pain rushed through his head."Where am I?"The woman didn't answer.Instead, the door opened.Three people entered.The first was an old man with silver hair and a black coat.The second was a tall woman carrying a tablet.The third was a boy about Kael's age.The old man stared at Kael.For several seconds, he said nothing.Then he whispered:"It's him."Kael frowned."Who?"The old man stepped closer."The Alpha."The room became silent.Kael looked at them as if they were crazy."I don't know what you're talking about."The boy standing behind them suddenly laughed."That's what they all say."The old man turned sharply."Riven."The boy stopped laughing.Kael looked between them."Who are you people?"The old man finally introduced himself."My name is Professor Orion Vale. I am the director of the Astral Research Institute."Kael stared at him."And why am I here?"Orion looked toward the window.Outside, the sky was still black."There are no stars anymore."Kael's heart dropped."What?""They disappeared three days ago."Kael remembered the roof.The silver light.The voice.The symbol.He slowly looked at his left hand.There, just beneath his palm, was a strange mark.Nine circles surrounded a small silver flame.Kael pulled his hand back."What is this?"The professor's expression changed."That," he said quietly, "is why you are here."Chapter Two — The Ninth GalaxyKael spent the next hour refusing to believe anything.He was told that the stars had disappeared simultaneously across the entire planet.Scientists had discovered that Earth was not simply surrounded by darkness.Something had covered the universe.A massive energy field had appeared beyond the solar system.It was called The Veil.Nobody knew who created it.Nobody knew why.But there was something even stranger.Seven days before the stars disappeared, astronomers had detected a signal coming from a region of space that should not have existed.The signal repeated the same message:THE NINTH HAS RETURNED.Kael stared at the screen."What does that have to do with me?"Professor Orion tapped the symbol on Kael's hand."Everything."Kael stood."I want to go home.""You can't.""I said I want to go home."The professor's voice softened."Kael, your grandmother was taken last night."Kael froze."What?""We believe whoever created the Veil has discovered that you exist."Kael's stomach tightened."Where is she?""We don't know."The boy called Riven stepped forward."We found something at your house."He placed a small metal object on the table.Kael recognized it immediately.It belonged to his grandmother.She had worn it around her neck for as long as he could remember.A silver pendant shaped like nine connected circles.Kael picked it up.The moment his fingers touched it, the room shook.The lights went out.A voice came from the darkness.ALPHA IDENTIFIED.Riven stepped backward."Everyone down!"The walls exploded with blue light.Kael's hand began glowing.The mark beneath his palm opened like an eye.And suddenly Kael saw something nobody else could see.A big structure floating in space.It looked like a city made of silver towers.At its center stood a throne with a gigantic figure looking directly at kael and spoke "come home alpha". The vision disappeared and kael collapsed and didn't wake up for twenty days almost a month. When he woke up,kael was angry. "You are hiding something from me". Professor Orion didn't deny it. "Yes". "what?". The professor sighed.Wolf

ALPHA OF THE GALAXY NINE A Novel by T.K. DHARA Prologue — The Night the Stars Went Dark At exactly 12:07 a.m., every star in the sky disappeared. Not one by one. All at once. For thousands of years, people had looked toward the heavens and believed the stars were permanent. They had named them, studied them, written poems about them, and used them to guide ships across oceans. But on that night, the universe became black. Across Earth, millions of people rushed outside. Phones were lifted toward the sky. Scientists stared at their instruments. Children cried. And in the small coastal city of Asteria, seventeen-year-old Kael Arin stood on the roof of his grandmother's house, staring into the darkness. He knew something was wrong. Not because the stars had vanished. Because one star remained. It was enormous. Silver. And it was moving. Kael watched as the strange light crossed the sky and stopped directly above him. Then a voice whispered inside his mind. Kael Arin. He froze. "Who's there?" The voice came again. The Ninth Galaxy is awakening. Kael looked around. There was nobody. Then the silver light exploded. A wave of energy struck the rooftop. Kael fell backward. And the last thing he saw before everything went black was a symbol burning itself into the sky: NINE CIRCLES. Chapter One — The Boy With the Mark Kael woke up three days later. He opened his eyes to find a white ceiling above him. Machines beeped beside the bed. A woman in a blue uniform stood near the window. When she noticed his eyes were open, she immediately reached for a communication device. "He's awake." Kael tried to sit up. Pain rushed through his head. "Where am I?" The woman didn't answer. Instead, the door opened. Three people entered. The first was an old man with silver hair and a black coat. The second was a tall woman carrying a tablet. The third was a boy about Kael's age. The old man stared at Kael. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he whispered: "It's him." Kael frowned. "Who?" The old man stepped closer. "The Alpha." The room became silent. Kael looked at them as if they were crazy. "I don't know what you're talking about." The boy standing behind them suddenly laughed. "That's what they all say." The old man turned sharply. "Riven." The boy stopped laughing. Kael looked between them. "Who are you people?" The old man finally introduced himself. "My name is Professor Orion Vale. I am the director of the Astral Research Institute." Kael stared at him. "And why am I here?" Orion looked toward the window. Outside, the sky was still black. "There are no stars anymore." Kael's heart dropped. "What?" "They disappeared three days ago." Kael remembered the roof. The silver light. The voice. The symbol. He slowly looked at his left hand. There, just beneath his palm, was a strange mark. Nine circles surrounded a small silver flame. Kael pulled his hand back. "What is this?" The professor's expression changed. "That," he said quietly, "is why you are here." Chapter Two — The Ninth Galaxy Kael spent the next hour refusing to believe anything. He was told that the stars had disappeared simultaneously across the entire planet. Scientists had discovered that Earth was not simply surrounded by darkness. Something had covered the universe. A massive energy field had appeared beyond the solar system. It was called The Veil. Nobody knew who created it. Nobody knew why. But there was something even stranger. Seven days before the stars disappeared, astronomers had detected a signal coming from a region of space that should not have existed. The signal repeated the same message: THE NINTH HAS RETURNED. Kael stared at the screen. "What does that have to do with me?" Professor Orion tapped the symbol on Kael's hand. "Everything." Kael stood. "I want to go home." "You can't." "I said I want to go home." The professor's voice softened. "Kael, your grandmother was taken last night." Kael froze. "What?" "We believe whoever created the Veil has discovered that you exist." Kael's stomach tightened. "Where is she?" "We don't know." The boy called Riven stepped forward. "We found something at your house." He placed a small metal object on the table. Kael recognized it immediately. It belonged to his grandmother. She had worn it around her neck for as long as he could remember. A silver pendant shaped like nine connected circles. Kael picked it up. The moment his fingers touched it, the room shook. The lights went out. A voice came from the darkness. ALPHA IDENTIFIED. Riven stepped backward. "Everyone down!" The walls exploded with blue light. Kael's hand began glowing. The mark beneath his palm opened like an eye. And suddenly Kael saw something nobody else could see. A big structure floating in space. It looked like a city made of silver towers. At its center stood a throne. And sitting on that throne was a figure wearing a crown made from stars. The figure look directly at Kael and it said "come home alpha".The vision disappeared.Kael collapse.