The Celestial Nexus

Chosen Unawakened

Quade and his aunt got to Stonehaven.

Stonehaven was more crowded than Eldora and thus, a better target for demons to invade.

Quade held the straps of the backpack he was carrying closely to his shoulder. He sighed, being able to rest after walking a long distance to this village.

The village had towers unlike Eldora, houses with hybrid structures and different marketing sectors.

"The martial arts academy in this village is a threat on the dark forces' nerves. There hasn't been a day that the demons invade Stonehaven," said Niamh, to Quade.

The atmosphere around Quade turned fiery, as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Once you become an Awakened, I trust you would be helpful to the society like the other martial arts students in town. Can you make that promise?" She asked as she extended her index finger to him.

The Awakened were those that have gained superpowers by cultivating for years, at least, forty years. Eliminating thousand demons was as clear-cut as a procedural manual for those kind of humans.

Quade subtly smirked when his aunt was hinting at him to train as an Awakened. First was that he hated cultivation and most importantly, he would be fifty five by then!

Reluctantly, he intertwined his finger with her's.

***

Stars aligned themselves in the dark sky, and the moon cast light upon the surface of the land. Constant soft nocturnal murmurs played in the surroundings, devoid of noise.

Niamh showed Quade to a room which was messy, just like the entire house.

"It's not going to be your room for long, so....try to cope tonight," Niamh said. Quade got curious about what she meant, but she left without explaining anything.

Quade then locked the door and he stepped gently to the bed, avoiding stepping on the materials scattered on the floor.

He laid the backpack on the bedside table and fell in bed, facing the ceilings.

"Maybe I shouldn't have incinerated dad and mum," he said tenderly. His heart ached with the thought of being an orphan. But his blood boiled, his breath seized voluntarily with the thought that they died in the hands of demons.

He raised himself from the bed, picked the backpack and threw it against a mirror in the room.

"Everyone asks me to practice spells, but aunt Niamh didn't even encourage me to eliminate those monsters! Is this how it is, all humans are afraid of them?! Huh?!"

He picked up the table and smashed it in the ground, breaking the table into pieces.

A knock came on the door, and the person said, "Quade, is everything okay?"

He recognised the voice, and took a breath before replying, "Huh...I scraped my leg on the edge of the table so...um, I got hurt. But it's nothing."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight, aunt."

Quade fell in bed and he fumed hardly. Memories flashed of the day demons invaded Eldora but he couldn't remember what happened after he saw his father fighting against the masked demon.

The memory restarted upon remembering that part. He gasped, perplexed. The process repeated itself, eventually, he closed his eyes.

He snored, lost in the world of bewilderness and illusions.

"Where am I?"

That was the first thought that came to Quade's mind when he opened his eyes. Curiosity piqued in him as he observed stars, although it should have been the ceilings of his room.

Frosty air blew across him and he shivered. Lying on his back, he could feel icy warmth from the floor which sent shivers down his spine.

Rising from the icy landscape, he surveyed his surroundings.

"A peach tree?" Quade saw a peach tree, similar to the one he used to meditate under. He stood up, his mouth agape and eyes widened in astonishment.

The place was dark, just like nighttime. The only source of light were a huge ice arch which was situated about four metres before Quade and the peach tree, its flowers glowing with purple lights.

"Is this....a spiritual world like dad used to talk about or a dream?"Quade pondered, staring at the peach tree.

"You are right; this place is called an Otherworld which lies within you."

Quade heard a masculine voice say that, but he was the only one in the place. He hastily turned in one revolution but there wasn't anyone there.

"Who are you?!" His voice echoed in the vast expanse and he panted. Now, considering the situation, he wondered if it might be one of the demons who had locked him in this spiritual place.

Quade thought that with his current state of not being able to cast a spell, if a demon shows up, he would be cleared in no time!

"Otherworld is a divine realm situated in the body of successors in Astral Convenants." The voice was nearer behind Quade, and he glanced back.

A man gently balanced on the icy land; he had a thick gray eyebrow, a straight jawline and gray, long hair. His dress billowed with blue crimson light.

Looking closely, Quade assumed the man was in his 70s. In spite of his old appearance, the man had an athletic appearance that the fabric of his dress hinted at the subtle contours of his muscly arms.

"Astral Covenant is an organisation for upholding peace and tranquility in the world by choosing the strongest humans from different generations," said the gray-haired man.

"Who are you? Why am I here?" Quade asked.

"I am the Celestial Guide and the assigned trainer for all successors of the organisation."

"You mean, I have been chosen as the successor of this generation because I am the strongest? You have got to be kidding me!"Quade said as a curly smirk played on his lips. He spread his palms wide, and said bluntly, "You see? I have no powers so how can I be called the strongest?"

"You have a stream of power inside you, but it's yet to be unlocked. You are going to be tested in the Otherworld with your direct enemies, and once you pass, your stream of power will be unlocked."

The man continued,

"Your mission as the successor is to find the eight ancestral keys and seal the demons back. Decades ago, an Astral Convenant successor sealed the demons with the eight keys to the cloud seven but due to action of the humans, the demons were released and the keys are now lost."

Quade felt a hot temperature around him, despite the freezing temperature in the icy land. He clenched his fist, now knowing the inhabitants of Eldora were the main cause of his parents' deaths.

"After each successor's death, their powers are passed down to the next hero and then, they lose their lives," said the gray haired man and Quade flinched back.

He was agape and his eyes were opened widely in shock.

That he didn't believe he was the successor was one part of the problem, and now, he was informed he would die afterwards.

"Why must I be the one to carry the burden for every human? I wasn't the one who released the f*****g demons!"he exclaimed.

Quade continued, raising his voice,

"It's very heartbreaking that those filthy demons drained my parents' energies and I can't wait to put an end to all of them! Nonetheless, I can't turn my live to a chess piece! So stop trying to blackmail me with my own feelings; I will eradicate dark forces, but I don't want the Astral Convenant support!"

His voice echoed through the place. He breathed heavily and clenched his fist while glaring at the man.

Quade's body began to glow with blue light as well when the man stretched his hand towards him. Then a key erupted from his chest to the gray haired man's hand.

Quade's anger dissolved and astonishment settled within him as he looked at the key, his eyes widely opened.

"Why did the key emerge from my body? How is this possible?"he mumbled.

"You were able to wield the power of one of the ancestral keys, Inferno Lock, and slayed a demon envoy. So choose wisely; do you really want to give up or become a Celestial Nexus?

The Otherworld will always be open for you, so come back in case you change your mind."

After hearing that, Quade felt his body was falling through an ocean of florescent lights, although he couldn't see the lights.

Gradually, he turned into the melodic chirping of birds and the hushed whispers of the morning.

As Quade opened his eyes, the first embrace of the day was the gentle caress of morning light, its golden rays casting a warm glow on the world around him.

He rose from the bed, stretching his limbs as he surveyed the room.

He said, 'I am really back to life,' then rolled the blanket aside.

Walking toward the shattered mirror from the previous night to retrieve his backpack, he heard Aunt Niamh's voice urging him to come out.

He opened the door and walked into the almost empty living room. Rustic chairs and a flower vase adorned a wooden table in the room's center.

"Good morning, aunt-"he paused when he saw two men wearing loose fitting red robes and holding black-sheathed swords closely to their waists. With their appearance, Quade could tell right away that they were martial arts disciples.

"Go pack your belongings, Quade," said Aunt Niamh. "These gentlemen are going to escort you to the academy."

Quade glanced at her with a bewildered frown, clearly unaware of what was happening.

"Aunt, I haven't reached sixteen years yet."