We were suddenly standing on a different world. I could feel it instinctively. Viraa had once told me, while I sat on Earth's moon, that higher life forms capable of sensing energy can vaguely detect their position within the galaxy, sort of like an internal compass.
As far as I could tell, the planet we stood on was extremely far from Earth, and with enhanced vision, it seemed to be mostly greenery and Earth, with no visible water. Or, I suppose I would say neta. Oddly enough, it also had air we could breathe.
"Is this Cindar?" I asked Rabae as we gazed out at the planet devoid of life.
"I expected more pneumarians and klevonians..." Za'Fia commented.
Rabae laughed.
"No, this Gaia, one of Cindar's moons, Gaia the Neta Moon," he told us.
Other than Rabae, we each suddenly noticed the density of the air and fell to the ground.
"Do not worry. Your bodies will acclimate quickly," Rabae assured us as we grunted beneath the pressurized air. "This solar system is called the Astral System. The space within it is thick with astral energy which radiates from another of Cindar's moons."
As we waited for our bodies to adjust, I asked Rabae something that had been on my mind.
"If you could teleport, why'd it take you thirteen months to get to Earth?" I grunted.
"I can only teleport to places I can see or have left traces of my spirit energy. Since I had never been to Earth, I had to teleport to the closet warp spot, which was just over half a lightyear away from Earth."
Or in Earth's time, just over one light year, Viraa translated as we stood, having started getting used to the thick atmosphere.
"I'm surprised your teleportation worked on me," Tymon said as he helped Za'Fia to her feet. "I didn't think other cintracies besides elements worked on me."
"Did you?" Rabae asked him. "You are not the first to possess the Shield cintracy. In addition to our natural elements, spatial and temporal energy have also been proven to work against Shield. Though in the barest sense, my Warp cintracy taps into spatial energy and moves my intended targets through space to relocate them; therefore, its effects can also bypass your Shield."
"Now that he mentions it, back when we were training to face Avarice, my Stasis Field repelled you too, Tymon," I said, thinking back. "I hadn't thought about it then."
"Everyone," Avarice spoke, catching our attention. When we looked at him, he pointed at the sky where he and Michael were looking.
Looking up, we saw a colossal planet covering part of the sky.
"Welcome to Cindar," Rabae said, gesturing to the planet with a proud grin.
It was a beautiful planet, unlike anything I expected, but there were still some aspects about it that were off. Unlike Earth, Cindar appeared to be more land than water. There were four oceans: one in the north, east, south, and west, and they were separated by a giant X-shaped mass of land in the middle. Within the North and South Oceans – what was essentially its North and South Poles – I saw storms and red flashes of light as its clouds rotated to the left instead of the right. Beneath those clouds were pools of lava visible even from where we stood.
Across the equator was a region of ice stretching from west to east, like a belt separating the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern. There was also a vertical split that ran from the North Pole to the south, which helped cut the planet into four segments when viewed as a whole. It glowed hot, so I assumed it was filled with lava or something. Then, finally, were the four silhouettes that floated around the planet–its other moons.
The planet seemed strikingly familiar...I know I'd seen it before...
One of the perks of awakening as...whatever I was now, I also had the others' hyperthymesia trait as well. I was able to quickly recognize the planet from a series of flashes I'd seen in my mind the night I first spoke to Viraa.
"What happened to the planet? Why is it split?" I asked Rabae curiously.
"That...is a story for another time. For now, let us get closer," Rabae said before insisting we each placed a hand on one another and warping us again.
I didn't know where we were, but wherever we were, it was hot. I couldn't even focus on the surroundings. All I knew was that we were standing on top of a tall building overlooking part of a massive city.
"What's with this heat?" I complained, tugging at my collar to peel my damp shirt off my sweating body. The shirt then flash-dried right before my eyed
"It does feel warmer now," Za'Fia commented, fanning herself with her hand. "Which is weird; I thought we were immune to temperatures. I've never felt warm before."
"You are not immune," Rabae laughed heartily as he watched us endearingly. "Klevonians naturally have higher resistances to temperatures since most planets do not have unstable environments with temperatures that reach the extreme highs and lows of Cindar."
He looked at Za'Fia.
"You have an even higher resistance to heat due to your affinity for fire, but if you were to enter a sun, you would surely die."
"So, we're somewhere even hotter than anything we've felt from Earth," Tymon thought aloud.
Looking around, the buildings were all a shade of purple and pink but almost glowed with the rising sun. The area was kept professionally, clean, and lively; the atmosphere definitely felt high-class.
"Welcome to Plucis of the Phoenix District," Rabae announced, gesturing to the bustling city. "The second wealthiest district in Pneuma City."
"Phoenix District?" Michael inquired as he looked around. It reminded me that his hybrid form was of a phoenix. Maybe his brethren would be found there.
"Yes, Pneuma City is a vast region split into twenty-one districts," Rabae explained. "Within each district is a large city. This district's city is Plucis."
"Why is it called the Phoenix District?" Avarice asked. "Can I assume there's a phoenix involved?"
"Yes, a phoenix does reside within the district, but the name is also due to the Crest the district falls under," Rabae replied with a smile. "However, I should warn you all: do not get into trouble should you decide to explore later. Each district is governed and policed by that district's representing Crest and its members. For example, Plucis is under the Phoenix Crest's province."
"Noted," I responded as I took in the environment. I was utterly shocked by the sheer volume of energy that could be sensed coming from everyone around. Most of the populace were aliens of different sorts who were weak; some were moderately powerful, but the real source of high energy was from further inland, where I assumed most of the Crest members Rabae mentioned resided.
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