The Celestial Hunt

CH20 Celestial Game Hunt

Chapter 20: A Rift Between Stars

The night was heavy with silence as Yuuto stood at the edge of the celestial canyon, wind tugging at his jacket. Before him stretched a vast chasm that pulsed with faint blue light, as though the stars themselves bled into the world. Lyra stood a few paces behind him, her hand on her blade, watching his every move.

"So this is where the boundary between realms tears," Yuuto muttered. "The place where gods fell... and hunters rise."

"It’s also where many vanish," Lyra said quietly, stepping up beside him. "Even some of the High Orders never came back."

Yuuto’s gaze remained fixed on the swirling mists in the canyon. He didn’t flinch. He couldn’t afford to. Not now.

Behind them, Rei adjusted his glasses, scanning the celestial map. "The coordinates line up. The Rift of Seraphim opens here once every three centuries. And we’re... twenty minutes early."

Yuuto turned. "Then we wait."

But waiting proved anything but easy. The ground shivered intermittently, as though something beneath was restless. Creatures of smoke and light prowled just beyond the veil. And as the minutes dragged on, the tension grew unbearable.

Lyra noticed it first—the flicker. A seam of silver tearing through the air, right where the canyon began. It crackled, warped, and exploded into a spiraling vortex of starlight.

"It’s opening!" Rei cried.

From the center of the rift emerged a figure cloaked in radiant blue robes. Eyes glowing with celestial fire. He hovered above the chasm, a spear made of pure constellation-thread in his hand.

"Yuuto Kamizaki. Wanderer. Celestial-Affined. You were not meant to reach this point so soon."

Yuuto stepped forward. "Fate never asked me to wait."

The being raised its weapon. "Then face the Trial of Ascension. Prove that the stars were not mistaken."

The ground trembled. The canyon lit up in a cascade of light as pillars of old-world glyphs rose into the sky. Yuuto was pulled forward by a force beyond him, landing on a platform now hovering above the canyon.

"I’ll fight," he said. "Not because I want your approval, but because I need to know who I really am."

The celestial being said nothing—but lunged.

The duel was like nothing Yuuto had faced. Each strike shattered space, distorted gravity. His body screamed in pain, yet something deeper—his soul—responded. His blade of light formed anew with each blow. Every memory of his journey, every step with Lyra, every word from Rei—they pushed him forward.

Finally, after what felt like hours but passed in seconds, Yuuto’s blade pierced the sky-guardian’s core.

The being smiled.

"You carry the Will of the Forgotten Star. The Hunt is no longer a test for you, Yuuto. It is your path."

The light dimmed. The platform lowered. Lyra rushed forward, catching Yuuto as he staggered.

"You did it..."

Yuuto opened his eyes, half-conscious. "No... I’ve only started."

From above, the rift began to close—but a voice echoed through it:

"Now the true hunt begins."

And with that, the canyon went still again. But something in the air had changed. The world had acknowledged Yuuto.

And it would never be the same.