Chapter Fourteen: Shadows Begin to Emerge

In the year 4200 of the Kala calendar, the High Council discovered that a group of Starborne had secretly severed their connection with Kala a century ago. Now, having finally confirmed their location, the High Council appointed Executor Aton to investigate the matter in secret.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Lord Aton, but there is a matter of grave importance that only you can handle. Someone has secretly cut off their connection to Kala. We do not know whether this was an accident or something more. As the disciple of Kas, you are the most suitable to take charge of this affair. It is of utmost importance—please do not disclose any information to the outside world. You must proceed with caution. May the gods watch over you." Madonis placed a hand on Aton’s shoulder. After much deliberation, he had decided to entrust this task to Aton, the foremost among mortals below the rank of demigod.

"Rest assured, Consul. I will be careful. Besides, I can feel fate calling to me. I sense that my opportunity to ascend to demigod lies here. May the gods bless you as well." Nodding, Aton departed from the High Council and set out for the planet Kalati.

Aton made his way to the teleportation gate, built near the center of the Koshaka Council. Though he possessed the power to rend space and travel directly to Kalati with his own psychic energy, since the year 3000, the High Council had forbidden anyone from tearing open space within the core regions of the Empire. Firstly, repeated spatial tears were difficult to distinguish from enemy attacks, and secondly, the warp network now met nearly all travel needs. Thus, even on the verge of becoming a demigod, Aton could only use the warp network.

Over the years, the agitation that had once come from watching the Lohana sisters ascend to demigod had gradually settled. As Kas had once said, the three sisters were different—they comprehended the Way of Kala far more deeply than others, which allowed their swift ascension. Aton himself had been stuck at the threshold for millennia, but had come to understand that his path was missing a piece of the puzzle. He had waited patiently for many years, and now, it seemed, the opportunity had arrived.

He approached the teleportation gate, communicated his destination, and the keidar crystal at the gate’s heart emitted a blue glow. A shimmering portal appeared before him. Stepping through, Aton left Aiur and arrived on Kalati.

After the Arbiter Incident, the surviving Kalati joined the Starborne Empire, leaving only a small group of Starborne on the planet clinging to their homeland. Its remote location meant few ever visited, but this very seclusion attracted both ascetic hermits and scholars eager to study Kalati culture.

Aton exited the teleportation gate and summoned his personal flyer, heading toward the site of the incident. This personal flyer, developed by the Imperial Academy of Engineering, was issued to every Starborne upon reaching adulthood. Flying them within city limits was forbidden, but outside the city, most still preferred to pilot their own craft.

Guiding his flyer, Aton quickly reached the affected village—a secluded settlement of four hundred, all confirmed by the High Council to have severed their connection with Kala simultaneously.

Aton activated his flyer’s shield. He had considered the possibility of a malicious severing before his arrival, so, to ensure his safety, he remained in his craft upon entering the village. Caution was paramount in the face of potential crisis.

"A guest from afar, please come to me. The answers you seek, allow me to reveal them to you." A clear female voice rang from the village center. Just crossing into the village’s bounds, Aton was forced to halt.

"Who are you? Are you responsible for all this? What is your purpose?" Aton ignited his psionic blade, eyeing the village center with vigilance. There, all the villagers sat in a circle, and at their midst was a woman seated cross-legged, suspended in midair—the voice belonged to her.

"There is no need for alarm. With your cultivation, surely you sense our strength." The woman smiled gently at Aton. "We mean no harm. If you are willing to trust me, please, come here."

Aton frowned at the scene before him. As a twelfth-level psychic, he could easily sense the strength of those present: the villagers were only at the sixth level, and the woman, at the seventh.

He considered carefully. The situation was unclear, but with his power, he could discern the woman’s intentions—she was neither lying nor harboring ill will.

He put away his flyer, but kept his psionic blade at the ready as he approached the woman. Around him, the villagers stood, saluted, and quietly departed to their homes.

"What is the meaning of all this? Who are you? Why did you sever your connection with Kala?" Aton asked the woman, who descended to the ground and stood before him.

"I am Rashagal, chieftain of the Dark Templar. This is not the place to speak—please, follow me. I will answer all your questions." Rashagal smiled, saluted Aton, and led him toward a nearby room. Aton shook his head, sheathed his blade, and followed her inside.

Within, they sat together at a conference table. Seeing the confusion on Aton’s face, Rashagal finally spoke: "We have been awaiting your arrival, Child of Light and Shadow." Aton was taken aback. "Child of Light and Shadow? Who? Me?"

Rashagal extended her right hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Aton offered his left. As their hands met, a bright light flared, forging a brief mental link, different from Kala’s connection.

Rashagal then shared all she knew with Aton, and he learned, at last, the truth of the so-called Dark Templar.

After the Kalati incident, for the first time, the Starborne Empire fully absorbed a culture and tradition unlike its own. A flood of new knowledge drew many scholars, and a minority, after studying Kalati culture, began to question Kala’s existence. Kala was the bond of the Starborne, but was it too conservative? They were born able to sense the emotions of others, to receive recognition, and their civilization was free of lies and deceit, flourishing in peace and harmony. But did this not risk stagnation? And what if they lost Kala? Would history repeat itself in endless war?

If so, then the unity brought by Kala was but an illusion. True unity meant remaining together, with or without Kala, bound by faith and ideals—not just by Kala.

Thus, those who shared this conviction gathered and voluntarily severed their connection with Kala. The process was agonizing and difficult, but they believed the pain and hardship were transient—they would overcome loneliness and suffering.

"When we were no longer linked to Kala’s radiance, we endured great pain, but we were not truly alone. Honor and heritage bound us together, and united in adversity, I believe the great Kas would approve of our path."

"I know the Way of Kala is the way of order, but the universe is not only order—it is also chaos. As far as I know, the Empire’s engineers have not developed new technology in a thousand years. We have begun to stagnate, while our enemies still lurk in darkness. If it is shadow that blinds us, then let me become the shadow." Rashagal withdrew her hand and saluted Aton.

"Chieftain, what you have done is truly risky." Now understanding everything, Aton sighed. "You could have reported your ideas to the High Council. I believe the High Preservers would have considered your views."

"But they might not have," Rashagal replied with a gentle smile. "And only in this way could I follow fate’s guidance and await your arrival."

"Why have you waited for me? Why call me the Child of Light and Shadow?" Aton voiced his doubts.

"Since we severed our connection with Kala a century ago," Rashagal explained, "we found our affinity with the laws of space decreased, but our affinity with the laws of time increased. This proved our actions were permitted by the gods. And in my study of the laws of time, I have seen you in countless futures. Only you can help the Dark Templar truly integrate into the Starborne Empire. You will open a new path—the path of Light and Shadow united."

Rashagal gazed at Aton, the crystal on her brow flashing deep green, concealing the rest of her words.

"Thank you for your praise, and for your trust. I will persuade the High Council. But can you teach me how to use your powers? Witnessing the strength of the Dark Templar might help convince the Council," Aton responded, saluting Rashagal and making his request.

With Rashagal’s agreement, Aton began to practice the Dark Templar’s way with the villagers. In the process, he discovered that those who severed their connection with Kala seemed to be more closely linked to the psionic realm.

He was not mistaken. If he could view the psionic realm from above the divine plane, he would see that the will of the Kala-bound Starborne formed a giant blue jellyfish, while scattered around it were green points of light—the spiritual manifestations of the Dark Templar. Because their connection to the psionic realm was so profound, their affinity with the laws of time had increased.

All this was because the psionic realm transcended space and time, and the six supreme laws were intertwined. Thus, the Kala-bound Starborne were naturally more attuned to the orderly laws of space, while the Dark Templar, having left Kala, resonated more with the chaotic laws of time.

For this reason, when Kas and Aiur first discovered the emergence of the Dark Templar, they issued no divine judgment. To them, the rise of the Dark Templar was a necessary complement to the Starborne Empire. Kas, in particular, was pleased, for the existence of the Dark Templar did not weaken his power but rather made his path more complete. As the saying goes: The Way begets One; One begets Two; Two begets Three; Three begets the myriad things. The six supreme laws endlessly intertwine and evolve, forming the world as it is. The birth of a new path from his own signaled that Kas was drawing ever closer to the rank of the true gods.