Mira stayed awake that night, strapped to her bed, staring at the ceiling of their 4-person dorm room. The skylight was closed over with a metal blind. The only light emanated from the ambient glow of their bodies. Stephen in the bunk below her snored obnoxiously loud, but it wasn’t the reason she couldn’t sleep. She was both excited and nervous about the following morning. She had always dreamed of a day like this happening, when she’d finally be asked to make use of her abilities. Yet she felt a guilt for having to abandon her friends, the people she had trained with at this academy for the last 7 solar years. It hadn’t felt so long ago when they celebrated their adolescent solstice. 

She looked over to Atlas sleeping on the bottom bunk of the bed, thinking about what he said. He’s just jealous, she thought to herself. What she was doing was good; it had to be. She rubbed her eyes and groaned; it had to be.

Mira entered the unfamiliar Starward Training Hall. Similar to Leftward Hall, Starward Hall was equipped with spherical pits; however, the six in the room circled around a larger centralized one about double their size. Gravity training mats and range corridors also spotted the outskirts of the room next to large windows covering the majority of the walls. In a way they made the room look small compared to their star. In another way, it was mesmerizing and gave the room a natural feel the other halls lacked. 

Castor stood at the edge of the nearest pit, his hands on the railing. He was wearing governmental athletic wear with light blue accents, much like the purple on her own. “Morning,” he said, turning to face her. The dark shirt he wore was marked with a light blue ‘U’ symbol on his right breast. The serpent of Ophiuchus was striking through its center. Its mouth was agape to show the glowing blue fangs. 

“Morning,” Mira repeated back to him, still admiring the facility around them. 

“Did you sleep well?” He asked.

“Yes, I did,” Mira lied.

Castor nodded, an apparent skepticism on his face. “Let’s start with a little duel. I want to get a better read of where you’re at.” 

“Sounds good,” Mira replied. She wanted to say more, but her words hung in her throat, the reality of her situation now fully hitting her. 

He bent himself over the railing and fell down into the pit. He curved up around its edge and flew back up to its center in an extravagant show of light blue plasma. 

She stepped up to the ledge and launched herself forward into the pit with him. She ignited her fists and legs, posing an offensive stance. 

“Show me what you’ve learned in all your solstices here,” he commanded. 

Mira didn’t give him a moment, swinging fist first at him.

He dodged her attack, rolling to the side. 

Mira spun her leg at him, and he pulled himself upward, avoiding it. She attempted a few more hits, but Castor was agile enough to dodge all of them, despite the disproportionate class difference between them. With one last fist, she pummeled down at him, and Castor parried. It flung him a few feet backwards, and he had to brake with plasma bursts from his legs.

“This isn’t the old man’s practice. Hit me with all you've got,” he said. 

Mira layered her flame, brightening it. She flung herself forward, and Castor shot upwards to avoid it. 

“Better, but actually hit me.” 

Flying up towards him, she tried to go for a hit on his legs. It was a miss as he used his blue flame to skirt to the other side of the arena. 

He held his hands out and motioned for her to attack him. 

She did, fueling up a punch as she dove for him. Letting her swing fly, she yelled.

He limboed under it, purple fire illuminating his face. He then kicked upwards, hitting her square in the stomach. 

With the unexpected hit, Mira reoriented herself. 

He made another jab at her, striking her in the chest. Now she was on the defensive, holding up her arms to avoid another hit with a violet plasma shield. Castor struck multiple times. 

Parrying his attacks could only get her so far. One managed to get through her shield and hit her in the jaw. 

She shook it off, stretching her jaw. 

He held up his fingers, denoting them to break, his face in a pout.

Mira turned down her flame, flustered.

“What did the old man teach you?” Castor asked. Her performance had not impressed him in the slightest. 

“Wel—” Mira tried to reply.

“Because clearly there’s some work to do,” Castor said. “Mira, you're stronger than any of us, faster too. Now we just need to put it to use.” 

She sighed, her cheeks a bright purple. “Show me.” She straightened up. 

Castor smirked, a wide smirk, his face creasing with it. “Oh, Mira,” Castor said. “Eager, aren’t we? We’ll get there in time.” He passed her an object he had tucked into his shorts. She caught it. It was a nebulant, an energy-reviving inhaler. 

“I don’t need it,” Mira said. Part of the strict code Mira had implemented for herself included refusal of inhalants during training sessions. She figured without them, it would make her stronger and more used to the battlefields that awaited her.

“Just take it,” Castor replied. “I need you at your fullest to get through today's exercises.” 

She hesitantly listened and took a short breath from it, tasting the sweet and savory flavor of compressed nebular dust. Of course, she still used inhalants at the necessary times, breakfast and dinner. Stellar bodies, especially at their strength, couldn’t survive solely off UV energy. From this device, though, came a tingly feeling unfamiliar to her. A wave of energy pulsed through her core. It made her just as energized as before the duel, maybe even more so. Whatever nebular dust was inside the container was the strongest stuff she’d ever tasted.

“With that being said, let's start with some flight maneuvers.”

**BREAK**

Atlas entered Leftward Hall, reinserting his earpiece to make out the conversation between Stephen and Yue in front of them. The noise crescendoed in his ears. He grimaced, adjusting the piece until he could make out the mumblings of Stephen as he spouted about the history book he had been reading.

“Very interesting,” Yue indulged him. 

“That’s sarcasm, right?” Stephen questioned. 

“No…,” Yue replied. 

Stephen huffed, flaunting his arm in a playful gesture. “Way to care about my interests, Yue.” 

“Oh, come on, I thought it was interesting up until it hit about the 20-minute mark,” Yue replied. 

The conversation fizzled out as they approached Rigel at one of the pits. He eyed the three of them, biting his lip. “We’re missing one,” he acknowledged. “Did Mira sleep in?”

“Oh,” Atlas started, taking a deep breath before sharing the information. “She's not training with us anymore. Thought she’d have told you.” Evidently she hadn’t. 

A shadow of disappointment took over his demeanor. “I didn’t hear of any of this. How’s that?” he asked.

“She’s training with Castor now,” Atlas said, scratching his head.

Rigel put a thumb to his mouth and thought for a moment. “Well, good for her, I suppose. I'm sure she’s happy.” His response was dry, lacking in enthusiasm, but he tried his best not to show his dismay. “My plans were for 4, but I think we can make 3 work. Wish I had a little advance,” he said with a broken chuckle. “Atlas and Yue, can I have you in the pit?”

“Sorry about her,” Atlas apologized, taking off towards the center of the pit with his pale yellow flame alongside the light blue trail of Yue.

He looked down at Rigel at the ledge of the pit. He saw him sigh, clearly distraught about the matter. Atlas wished he didn’t have to be the messenger for his sister. It had only gotten worse as she aged, as her drive manifested in recklessness.