Everyone stared at me as silence hung in the air.
"Yes..." Rabae finally answered, recovering from his momentary surprise at my knowing about the Celestials.
Then his expression shifted to one of understanding.
"Ah, Viraa...I am surprised she has shared that much with you already," he said.
"She doesn't share everything she should," I responded matter-of-factly as we hovered in the air. "All I know is that they're supposed to be very powerful...are any of them on Cindar?"
"No. Our resident Celestial has not been here for over a million years. The others for much longer.
"Others? You did mention six," Za'Fia commented.
"Yes. Four of which are not even cindarian," Rabae answered.
"There are six beings out there with the power to destroy a planet full of powerful people like pneumarians..." Tymon pondered the thought.
"Incredible, is it not?" Rabae asked, marveling at the thought himself. "Compared to the rest of us, they are of a completely different league. Actually, it is believed that the only way to defeat a Celestial is with another Celestial or someone of the same caliber."
"Someone of the same caliber? So, someone on equal footing to a Celestial but not considered one," Tymon clarified. "I'm not a fan of unknown variables."
"Neither am I, frankly," Avarice concurred, visibly irking Tymon.
"Would you mind elaborating on who they are?" Michael asked. "Just in case we run into any of these individuals."
Rabae smiled endearingly at our youth.
"One thing you must learn over your long lives—at least by your world's standards—is patience. I am sure you will encounter and learn more about the Celestials in time. There are trades set up with their worlds, after all. As for the... 'unknown variable'...well, that is mostly just a rumor surrounding the Neutral Corp. Should you ever have an audience with them, maybe you will hear these rumors for yourselves."
Are all pneumarians as cryptic as him and Viraa? I sent out to the others.
He is wise to withhold that information, Viraa cut in. In my opinion, even mentioning the Celestials or Neutral Corp at this moment feels premature. You all have so much of Cindar you have yet to learn as is.
"I take it asking more about the Neutral Corp will be pointless," Tymon directed at Rabae.
"I am sure Viraa would agree," Rabae replied with an affirming nod. "The quadrant is vast and full of worlds. Become familiar with this one before trying to understand things outside. I admit I mentioned the Neutral Corp without thinking. However, you must be aware of the Celestials because there are rules upheld to respect them should any choose to visit."
"Can you at least tell us how someone becomes a Celestial?" I asked him.
"I suppose. Originally, the most powerful beings in the southwest quadrant of the galaxy were the Primeval Pneumarians. They were the ones to create the cintracy classification system we use now..."
"Oh yeah," I interjected before repeating the version Viraa had explained to me when we first started working together.
"That is only half the truth," Rabae bellowed in laughter. "Like most pneumarians, in fact, worse than most, the Primeval Pneumarians were an extremely paranoid species. Their concern for remaining the strongest led them to categorize cintracies based on lethality to them. Temp-class cintracies were for those that would have little to no effect on them. Eutierric was for those based on our natural elements, which, under the right circumstances, could be a hassle even for them. Then there were the mystic-class cintracies: those with unknown limits, could affect other cintracies, or could fall under multiple categories. Aside from the final category, these cintracies typically proved the most troublesome for them. And finally, the divine-class cintracies: those that tap into the four cosmic energies: time, destruction, creation, or space. These were the most dangerous to them and had the most effect on harming them."
"Wait a minute. Your Warp cintracy is classified as a temp cintracy, yet you're tapping into spatial energy to teleport," Tymon noticed.
"Yes, well, over time, many cintracies that could tap into spatial energy to some degree manifested, but most only served as a minor nuisance to a Primeval Pneumarian. So, only the most powerful among the category are classified as divine cintracies. For example, my Warp ability would only allow me to continuously evade but not inflict enough damage to a Primeval Pneumarian, and considering its effectiveness is directly proportionate to my power, anyone more powerful than me can resist me warping them elsewhere if they choose."
"And Viraa's Construct cintracy taps into creation energy, but I'm guessing due to its limitations, it's why it's a temp-class cintracy," I added.
"Precisely," Rabae affirmed.
"Hm," Tymon grunted, letting that info sink in.
"Cycling back to Celestials," Rabae continued, "Long after the Dark War, after a certain individual was born with two cosmic cintracies and then later partially growing into his substantial amount of spirit energy, he became the first Celestial. Those two qualities became the prerequisites of becoming a Celestial. Not long after, the last remaining Primeval Pneumarian ascended to the status as well. For a while, the title was only held by those two cindarians. However, over time, another species had given birth to a special individual who would grow into an abnormally powerful being. Eventually, it became known that that individual not only had considerable power but possessed their own abilities that made them a threat to Cindar, an Apex World. So he, too, was honored with the title of Celestial recognized by most. As more species grew in power, it was no longer a requirement to possess two divine cintracies to be dubbed a Celestial. The Neutral Corp and other worlds unanimously recognized anyone with the power and skill to destroy an Apex World as a Celestial. Over time, more beings were given the title of Celestial, bringing us to the six officially recognized Celestials to date."
"Let's hope our paths don't cross with any of them," Za'Fia grumbled, rubbing her head as the flames from her arm flared.
"It is unlikely that you would," Rabae remarked. "Celestials have taken a known vow to protect their solar territories. So, no one will attack any solar system under a Celestial's protection unless they wish to incur said Celestial's wrath. Even a Celestial is unlikely to visit another Celestial's system without forewarning. Otherwise, it would be considered an act of war. Our Celestials may not be here now but if something were to happen, I can think of one who, with his power, would be here quickly."
"You mentioned the Celestials being the most powerful in this quadrant–the southwest quadrant–of the galaxy. Are there beings even more powerful in other quadrants?" Avarice inquired as he interlocked his fingers and tapped his chin lightly while in thought.