Chapter 11
When Opal suddenly appeared at the entrance of Hollens Minerals’ headquarters wearing a cloak made from sandbat hide, his presence was quickly noticed.
“Can I help you with anything?” the voice of a security guard sounded from the communication device below the camera.
Opal raised his head and stared into the camera. “I need to see Hollens.”
“State your name and ID number, and provide the reason for your visit.”
Opal looked around. The headquarters of Hollens & Co. and Black Rock Mining faced one another. The other company’s door was still shut, so Opal went straight to the point, “I don’t have a name or any ID on me. I’m an illegal worker. Ask the person in charge for me whether they’ve seen the news about B-11 today. If so, tell them to please set up a meeting as soon as possible. I’ve got some important information on me.”
The other party remained silent after that. Opal waited for a long time in front of the main entrance and just when he was about to leave, a small side door opened and a voice sounded in the communication device again. “Head inside.”
Opal walked into the facility’s vestibule, where the employees’ private vehicles entered. Once inside the building, it was like he had stepped into the middle of an ocean that stretched on forever, surrounded on all sides by swimming fish behind a glass display. These sea creatures were strange-looking, many of which were breeds that were never previously known or seen.
A robot directed Opal into a central hall. It was around the time that people got off their evening shifts. Employees fixed him with strange stares as he crossed the hall, looking like a faraway wanderer with his black cloak draped across his shoulders. But Opal didn’t pay them any mind, marching on as he reflected on what he was going to say. The information he had was evidently something that they wanted, but should he cut to the chase or negotiate first?
The robot directed him inside the elevator by the central hall and pressed a button that led directly to the 900th floor. Opal was starting to feel his nerves as the elevator surged up the building. He followed the robot into an empty hallway and entered an office.
The office was spacious. A middle-aged man in a black suit sat behind the desk. Further behind him was a giant ring-shaped screen displaying the names of various minerals and their per-kilogram price, fluctuating with every passing second.
The robot that led him here left the room and the man opened his mouth. “You’re from planet B-11? What’s your name?”
Two other robots carried over trays and placed a drink in front of Opal.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Opal.”
The middle-aged man dipped his head politely and shook his hand. “Kadir Hollens.”
Opal started. So this was the man responsible for Hollens Minerals? There was something about him that didn’t seem quite right, but Opal couldn’t quite place his finger on it, and had no idea what the other party’s position was if the man wasn’t Hollens himself. He came here with nothing but naive courage and the lone microchip in his hand, the latter being his only bargaining piece.
“Did you see the news?” Opal eyed his drink, but didn’t take a sip.
Kadir nodded. “I have. The events took place this afternoon. Were you the one who brought the girl to this planet? Where’s your spaceship?”
Opal looked at him with narrowed eyes, uncertainty a constant drone in the back of his mind.
He had the urge to use telepathy. It would be his first time trying to use this ability, but knowing the other man’s thoughts might give him a crucial advantage…. Meister, I’m only going to use it this one time. Just this once, Opal repeated in his head.
“I’m not actually a resident of B-11. My mother was forced to land on the planet sixteen years ago—”
Opal suddenly noticed that the other man wasn’t looking directly at him. Kadir’s eyes were fixed on an object on his desk. It was a sculpture of a pegasus. Why would that be? Shouldn’t he be looking closely at me right now? To tell if I was lying or have some other motive…. Opal’s attention shifted to the small sculpture as well. Both of them stared at it, and a quick thought popped into his head—he must not be Hollens. Someone else was listening in on their conversation.
The man wasn’t reacting with the kinds of emotions one would have expected in this situation. Opal had no choice but to use that. Mister, let me use it this one time. Just this once, he repeated to himself.
Opal narrowed his eyes. He focused his Will and stared into the man’s eyes, speaking his next words firmly. “Let me see Hollens.”
“What?” Kadir leaned forward slightly, frowning. “I am Hollens.”
Opal repeated himself. “No, you’re not. Let me see your boss. I have something to tell him.”
Kadir looked at Opal. His gaze became unfocused for a split second and his confidence seemed to waver.
Opal gestured by pushing his hand forward in the air and repeated himself for the third time. “If you’re lying to me then I’m leaving now. Let me see Hollens. This is the last time I’m asking.”
“Alright. Please wait here,” Kadir muttered.
The moment the man got up, two hidden doors appeared, one each on two of the office walls, from which six robot guards exited. A voice sounded from behind Opal. “You couldn’t possibly have come from B-11.”
Opal straightened himself in his seat. The six robots formed a circle around him and Kadir’s desk. His method had worked. A red-headed youth stepped out from the hidden door on his left. He wasn’t the most handsome of men, but wore his clothes tastefully. He had on a light green shirt, paired with a set of blue metallic slippers shaped like fish. The middle-aged man stepped aside and the real Kadir Hollens sat in his chair. He scrutinized Opal warily, as though looking into the face of his mortal enemy.
“Please, Star Knight,” Kadir’s voice was unsteady when he spoke. “What is your intention for coming here?”
Opal was taken by surprise for a moment before realizing what was going on.
“You know my identity?” Opal asked.
“I don’t enjoy being hypnotized, but I promise to listen to what you have to say carefully. Everything is being recorded in the office, by the way. Besides, our company has subsidiaries across many galaxies. I’m not afraid of you.”
“Take a look at this first.”
Opal turned his palm over and uncurled his fingers, letting the microchip hover over towards Kadir, whose expression has become even more solemn. His attention was locked on Opal, unblinking as he snatched the microchip from the air. A holographic projector popped out from a partition that opened up on top of his work desk.
“It’s an older style microchip,” Kadir commented. “They’ve become obsolete on Coccina. Where did you get this from? Secretary, bring a signal converter.”
The middle-aged man was sent out. Kadir followed up, “Let A3 bring it in. You don’t need to come back inside.”
Opal stayed silent the whole time, quietly waiting in his seat. “Please have some crystal fruit juice and relax. We don’t want to go up against you. At least there has yet to be conflict between us, no?”
Opal thought it was quite strange. Kadir knows about Star Knights? Does he not trust Lektor?
Opal didn’t inquire further though. “Alright,” he offered blandly.
He was struck by a sudden realization: whenever he had to leave Lektor’s side to take care of things on his own, he would unconsciously try to imitate the other man’s tone, his actions and expressions.
Lektor’s confident voice had taken root deep in his heart. He had become a role model that Opal constantly tried to mimic.
“You know my meister?” Opal asked suddenly.
Kadir became alert. “No. I mean…I’ve heard of him. I’m not sure how I would be of service to him. Why come to us?”
Opal was even more curious now. Was Kadir afraid of Lektor?
“How did you recognize who I was?” Opal asked.
“I’m guessing you’re not exactly a full-fledged Star Knight.”
Opal nodded. “I’m still learning.”
Kadir seemed to latch on to what Opal just said. “I get it now. Did that gentleman set this up as some sort of test? Perhaps we could take this chance to get to know each other better. It’s not an opportunity that comes by everyday.”
Opal had no idea what Kadir was thinking, but he didn’t have plans to use telepathy again. Just then, the signal converter was sent in. The office robot connected it to Kadir’s holographic projector and a 3D display appeared.
A look of utter astonishment sprung from Kadir’s expression as the information rolled up line by line on the screen. He only quickly skimmed the bits about the mining disaster and price gouging, and didn’t revisit them again, only finally stopping when he reached the record of a certain spaceship docking.
“Harley Falkt,” Kadir stated.
Opal remembered that Lektor had also mentioned this person so he quickly added, “A space pirate in the Magellanic Cloud.”
The holographic projection turned off and Kadir retracted his gaze from the records to set them on Opal again.
Opal tried to copy Lektor’s tone when he continued in a serious voice, “I thought this might be useful information for you so I brought it along. Now I must seek your help, Kadir Hollens.”
Kadir fell back hard against his chair, as though he had just heard the joke of his lifetime. “What are the conditions?”
“No, no. This isn’t a negotiation. Just listen to me. Are we okay to have a conversation?”
Kadir looked unexpectedly flattered, but also utterly rattled. “Just trying to make a friend,” Opal added.
Kadir backed up abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over. “Are you serious? I mean—it’s an honour. A great honour indeed.”
Opal found himself in a bit of a stupor as well. He rose and reached his hand over the desk to clasp Kadir’s palm in his. Kadir nodded, his heart still racing with lingering shock. His eyes were glazed over slightly as he muttered something under his breath.
“Please wait a moment,” Kadir said. “I think we’re now friends.”
Opal nodded. “Of course.”
“Do you mind if I invite a few executives from the company over to hear your conditions—no, how we would be best suited to help each other?”
Opal thought for a second before replying, “Sure, go ahead.”
Kadir pressed a button before speaking again. “Mr. Opal, what would you like to drink? I’ll get someone to prepare it right away.”
Opal waved his hand. “There’s no need. I just had a hotdog.”
Kadir looked a bit awkward at his response. The door to the office opened moments later and six old men walked in and Kadir introduced them one by one. Opal had trouble remembering their names, but he dipped his head to greet them nonetheless.
“This is Mr. Opal, from planet B-11,” Kadir introduced.
Opal glanced at the crowd before speaking, “This is information obtained by me from the central data room on B-11.”
Following that, Opal began explaining his intentions. First, he briefly outlined the situation on planet B-11, then broke down the current state of rhodovena crystal extraction on the planet. The audience didn’t interrupt him as he did so.
Opal began trailing off, noticing that the air all around them was rather serious. He offered a smile, and posed a question of his own, “What do you think?”
Kadir seemed to finally understand why he came here. “We would very much love to collaborate with you. It’s just that we’re not sure how far you would like for us to go.”
“I don’t have expertise in this area. It’s up to you,” Opal responded.
Kadir glanced at the elderly gentlemen in the audience and reflected for a moment before speaking, “With all that’s happened, Black Rock Mining will surely suffer a huge loss. They definitely won’t be able to perform extractions on B-11 anymore. Based on the evening news, the interstellar police forces have already deployed patrol ships out to B-11 for further investigations.”
Awesome! Opal thought to himself.
Kadir continued, “But Black Rock Mining had already sent out their own spaceships around this time yesterday. We had no idea why they left so suddenly at the time, but it all makes sense now.”
Opal narrowed his eyes. “Will they be looking to destroy the evidence?”
“Likely, yes,” Kadir responded.
Opal had made a copy of the microchip with his info-transcriber so he didn’t particularly fear them destroying the evidence. But he also had no idea how the relocation of the miners was going. He would need to return immediately once things were taken care of here. Kadir started again, “To tell you the truth, our company had also intended to bid for the extraction rights to B-11. The information here about smuggling rhodovena crystal ores to the pirates would no doubt be a powerful piece on the board when the right time comes. We are extremely grateful for the microchip you provided. Please, is there something that I could do for you in return?”
Opal acknowledged his words. “Well I was thinking…. When you mine for rhodovena crystal ore, do you use the same method as Black Rock Mining?”
“Of course not. Hollens & Co. employs robots to perform underground extraction projects,” Kadir stated.
Opal nodded. “The 100,000 miners. Where would they go?”
“They’re free agents in principle. Despite being illegal interstellar employees, they do still have the right to obtain citizenship within the Republic. But if Black Rock Mining was looking to eliminate the evidence entirely, they might just…you know, do what your meister did…. You get the picture.”[1]
Opal frowned. “What? I don’t quite understand.”
A bead of sweat licked its way down Kadir’s brows. He amended his words, “I mean, they might be transferred to another planet to work on a different mining extraction project…. Do you want these 100,000 people? But the government already knows about this, it won’t be an easy task…. Let me think.”
“Oh, no, you’ve got the wrong idea. What would I want these 100,000 people for? I was hoping they would be able to find new jobs and obtain citizenship in the Republic. To have the freedom to make their own choices, just like…most people on Coccina.”
Suddenly, an assortment of odd expressions coloured the crowd. The corner of Kadir’s lips might have even twitched when he spoke next. “Sir, you aren’t joking, are you?”
“Why would I be joking? My hope has always been to let everyone live happily and in comfort.”
Kadir was at a loss for words.[2]
So was anyone else.[3]
“If I may.” The elderly man with a calm demeanor spoke up in the end.
Opal turned to look at him. “Please.”
“Did Mr. Klorin send you to take care of the problem on B-11? I’m not sure I quite understand his intentions. We would greatly appreciate it if you could let us know.”
Opal’s brows wrinkled ever so slightly. Klorin? Who‘s Klorin? He had never heard of this name before. Did they have the wrong person in mind? It occurred to Opal that they thought he was the protege of some other Star Knight.
“No,” Opal responded. He decided not to bring up Lektor’s existence, nor ask who Klorin was. But he knew that Lektor must know who they were talking about and decided that he would ask him about it later.
Dead silence weighed down the office. Everyone exchanged strange looks and no one had any guesses as to what Opal was thinking. Opal, on the other hand, seemed to have recognized the crux of the matter. They really had mistaken him for someone else.
Another elderly gentleman looked as though he had an epiphany. “I saw on the news this afternoon, Mr. Opal, that there was a girl who brought an injured woman and appeared outside Yaeger Hospital—”
“She’s a good friend of mine. Her name’s Anya.”
And that’s when a spark of realization cascaded across the audience. Kadir relaxed a breath and smiled. “So that’s why.”
“She’s currently…probably already inside the police station,” Opal commented.
“Let me send someone to look into it. Is the only thing you need help from us the arrangement of these 100,000 individuals?” Kadir asked.
“Will you be able to handle that?”
“It wouldn’t be an easy task to take care of all of them at once. But Hollens & Co. has quite a few mines. I can assure you that under no circumstance would they be subject to slavery. The company is looking to hire a few people to check on ore counts. Most of them will work on Coccina and gain employment after training. Some will work on ground explorations on new planets and receive good compensation for this job. We just so happen to be in need of experienced miners.”
The first elderly gentleman who opened his mouth spoke again. “Think about it. The Coccina government already knows about this. It will be in the media spotlight for the next month. The rest of society will surely keep a watchful eye on us and ensure that we make appropriate arrangements if we decide to take this matter into our hands, wouldn’t you agree?”
Opal concurred. “That’s true. That should be enough. I’ll also need a personal identification card. I wasn’t sure if you would be able to help me with it. In the future, I’ll definitely—”
Before the words “repay” even left Opal’s mouth, Kadir had readily agreed. “Not a problem. Let us handle it. You just need to provide retinal, fingerprint, and DNA scans.”
Someone outside asked to enter the room and spoke politely once they entered the office. “Miss Anya is currently waiting at the rescue center as per the arrangements of the police station. Another lady by the name of Sil Ugo is already recovering from her illness. She’s currently staying at Yaeger Hospital for further observations and should be discharged in ten days.”
Opal knew that Kadir wasn’t lying to him and was content with that answer. “Wonderful. Though it would be a bad time for me to visit her right now.”
Kadir nodded in agreement. “It would indeed be a bit inconvenient. I understand.”
Opal stood up. “Then consider this matter settled. I need to get back to B-11 right away. My friends are still waiting for me there. I just hope that the interstellar policemen will be able to get there soon.”
“Miss Anya…. Do you need us to take care of her on your behalf?”
Opal considered the offer momentarily. “She has an older brother. If all goes well, Armann should be able to get here soon. He’s always wanted to look for a partner for her—um, I think I’ve said too much. I should get going.”
Everyone nodded their heads in sympathy.
“We’re very grateful for your help this time. If there’s anything we can do for you in the future, you can go to any branch of Hollens & Co. and have them notify me.”
“You’re too kind.” Opal bid them goodbye and Kadir personally escorted him down the elevator to the entrance on the main floor. Opal walked across the lobby, noticing again the fish he had come across earlier on his way in. “The setup of this floor is stunning.”
Kadir smiled at his comment. “I’ve liked all kinds of fish since I was little. That reminds me. How old are you this year?”
“Sixteen,” Opal answered.
Kadir was taken aback, then dipped his head and smiled. “That’s quite young.”
Opal extended his palm out to the other man. “This is far enough.”
Kadir stopped in his steps and shook his hand. “You’ll actually follow through with what you said, right?” Opal asked.
“Most definitely. You can keep an eye on me,” Kadir responded.
“I’ll actually be leaving this place once everything’s settled.”
Kadir nodded in contemplation. “Is it because of the girl?”
Opal hurried to correct him. “No, not at all. I just wanna go visit the other galaxies on my own. I look forward to meeting you again in the future.”
Kadir put on a knowing grin. “I’ll be sure to bring your ID card along then.”
Opal had made a new friend, even though he knew that it was because they’d mistaken him for someone else. The man named Klorin seemed to be of great importance. Who was he? Was he someone who had even greater status than Lektor?
By the time he walked out of Hollens and Co., it was already dark out. Coccina’s night had no shortage of electric lights. But when Opal stood on the overpass and looked up towards the sky, he couldn’t spot even a faint glimmer of starlight.
He knew that Kadir didn’t truly want to befriend him. Their shaky friendship was largely built on a Star Knight by the name of Klorin. And Lektor…. That’s right, where was Lektor?
Opal looked all around but couldn’t seem to find a hint of Silver Dragonray.
He walked across the overpass, about to head towards a shop on the other side of the street when he saw Lektor leaning against a street lamp with his arms crossed in front of him. “How did it go?” Lektor asked.
There were no pedestrians around them at this time. It was just Opal and Lektor standing on the overpass, surrounded against a backdrop of muted red street lights. “Meister!” Opal called out to him.
“Can Energy Units from B-11 be used here?” Opal asked.
“No. You’ll have to exchange them into Credits at the IAU[4] Interstellar Banks first. You’ll get a chance to do that in the future. Is there something you wanted to purchase? You can take my card. Here.”
Opal posed a question as he reached for the card. “Where did you go just now?”
“Visiting an old friend.”
“Do you know someone named Klorin?”
There was a visible shift in Lektor’s countenance. “Where did you hear his name?” he asked sternly.
Opal held the card in his hand like a child who was caught doing something wrong. He didn’t seem like himself whenever he stood in front of Lektor. No matter what he did, whether it was successfully resolving a conflict or saving the lives of 100,000 people, his achievements all just seemed like a drop in the bucket.
“That’s what they said.” Opal explained to Lektor what had occurred earlier, stuttering and stopping here and there.
Lektor listened to it all quietly. Silence stretched between the two of them long after Opal was done.
“Go ahead and purchase what you need. We’ll be returning to B-11 after that,” was all that Lektor offered.
Opal went over and bought three hotdogs. When he was done, Lektor’s Silver Dragonray was already parked by the curb, waiting to take him away from Coccina and into outer space.
Lektor stood facing the window near the edge of Silver Dragonray’s inner cabin with his hands held behind his back. His gaze fell on the dark void of outer space and the giant fiery sphere in the distance—the star of Ignitis, Hestia.[5]
“Meister,” Opal’s said. “I didn’t listen to you…. I’m sorry.”
Lektor’s voice was serious when he spoke. “Your meister’s words aren’t necessarily always correct. Today, I’ll be teaching you one last lesson. You’ll need to learn to be critical, to question the most ingrained and deep-seated thoughts within your being. What is Will? Once you begin questioning even your own convictions, you’ll lose your Will and all that you believed to be true until that moment. But new convictions will arise from the ashes of the past, born anew. This is a process that the Star Knights call Nirvana.
“Light your soul ablaze, reduce it to nothing but ashes, and perhaps a new life with endless possibilities will await.” Lektor’s eyes flickered as bright as the morning star. He turned around and bore his gaze into Opal’s own, the latter looking lost and uncertain. “This is the path one must take in order to rise again from one’s own destruction.”
Opal listened with knitted brows as Lektor continued, “They thought you were Klorin’s protege because you tried to use hypnotism. I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d know how, but you proved to be much more clever than I’d thought, Opal.”
He placed a hand on Opal’s shoulder.
Opal finally felt a semblance of relief, knowing that Lektor didn’t blame him for his actions. Understanding dawned on him, though seemingly at the expense of having his mind being thrown further into disarray.
“Does he often use mind control?” Opal asked, having grasped the most critical piece of information in all this. “But you said that Star Knights shouldn’t try to use mind control on others, nor should they read people’s thoughts—”
Lektor nodded. “He’s a Dark Star Knight banished from the Sanctuary. His heart and being have become corrupt through the influence of dark energy. He let himself overindulge in his desire for power, dissolving edge galaxies from the Republic and segregating jurisdictions previously under the Empire’s control away from the influence of the Leo Cluster.
“Three hundred years ago, he led a massacre across an entire galaxy,” Lektor said. “He took advantage of a conflict between the Empire and the Republic and annihilated a star, six planets, and the 800 million intelligent lifeforms living on these planets. Many more planets crumbled and collapsed under the disequilibrium of gravitational fields. It was a catastrophe that perturbed tens of thousands of light year’s worth of time-space.
“You think life on B-11 is cruel? The many smaller planets under his rule would be deemed a living hell.
“Humans and other intelligent life forms on those planets slave under him every waking moment of their lives. There is no freedom. Not even the right to think. Sometimes, he would visit those smaller planets and seek to read the minds of their residents using his Will Craft. If individuals were unsatisfied with the status quo, then he would seek drastic measures, slaughtering thousands, even millions of lives to his heart’s content.”
Opal was left aghast and speechless. Having no thought of one’s own was the single most frightening thing. What would be the purpose of life if one would no longer dare to think?
“Opal, Hollens is not scared of you, but he does fear the cruel, powerful shadow looming behind you. Hypnotism and telepathy have become his signature. Not only should you not have used them, you absolutely must not use them. Otherwise, the Republic will treat you as his accomplice. The rest, I’m sure you can imagine.”
Opal gave a slow, confirming nod, having finally understood the severity of the situation. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“Because I cannot.”
It was the first time that Opal had heard Lektor speak those words and meant them.
“I was no match for him. Do you remember the day my space capsule was forced to land on B-11? I was battling him in a nebula and lost, completely and utterly. In the end, I used all of Dragonray’s energy and teleported, making my escape to the Ignitis system. I was so close to being destroyed by him. Completely annihilated.”
“That’s why your Will has been shaken,” Opal stated.
Lektor nodded in confirmation. Opal spoke again, “What if we tried together? Bring me along. You have a protege now.”
Lektor smiled, but shook his head in resignation. Opal tried again, “You said before. The essence of Will Craft was that if you believed in yourself, you could destroy an entire universe. Wasn’t that what you said? I have enough Will.”
They arrived just outside of B-11, but Silver Dragonray didn’t make its descent into the planet’s atmosphere. It simply hovered quietly in a spot not too far from the planet, as though not wanting to interrupt their conversation. The light from the star of Ignitis traversed far across the cosmic space and cast its rays against the mustard yellow surface of these poverty-stricken lands.
Central Rift Valley lay next to Crimson Sills, appearing like a giant, glaring scar from outer space.
“What is Will?” Lektor asked. “What is a Star Knight? I’ve spent the last little while asking myself those questions over and over again. You’ve also taught me a lot. Thank you, my protege.”
“Me?”
The Silver Dragonray began to descend, breaking into the atmosphere until it had eventually touched down inside Crimson Sills.
Opal was back on his home planet once more. Standing there, everything felt like a too-surreal dream. The desolate mining planet was shrouded forever in sandstorms. Soon, perhaps in three days, or maybe in five, he will be leaving this place behind.
He and Lektor stood near the edge of the valley. The snow had melted, receded with the passing of winter to reveal the crests and falls of rolling sand looking soft as silk.
“Remember to continue in your footsteps on the journey of self-discovery. Fight. Rebel. And perhaps one day, you will come face-to-face with the Dark Star Knight and defeat him with your Will. But not right now, not even for me. I wasn’t able to knock down his Will. Rather, I was the one who fell to my defeat by his hand.”
“He’s killed so many people. What is he after?” Opal asked
“You’ve saved lives. What were you after? Why do you seek to live? Why did you decide to do all these things? Why do you believe in yourself? Where does your Will come from?”
Opal had no answers. There were too many beliefs that were too fragile to be challenged and questioned. Only when the questions pointed to the fundamental core of the universe did he come to realize he didn’t even know where to begin to try and grasp its principles.
“Opal, forgive me, but I must go.”
Opal froze then.
“You’re heading back?” Opal was dismayed. He had been preparing for this day to come for a while. But even so, he was left with a sense of anguish and loneliness that he could not come to accept the moment Lektor spoke those words.
“Now, I must warn you for the last time, Opal,” Lektor said. “You must promise me that everything that I have taught you, including your Will Craft, will not be used in matters that will violate the principles of Star Knights.”
“Okay.”
“Promise. For when you have fallen into the depravity of darkness, there will come a day for me to end you myself to right the wrongs of my past.”
“I promise I’ll keep myself in check.”
Neither of them spoke until Opal opened his mouth much later. “Meister, are you really leaving?”
Lektor nodded. “Yes. There are still many things that need to be taken care of. I can’t keep hiding and must face them head on.”
“Can you wait for me? I want to come with you.”
Lektor didn’t respond. That’s when Opal realized that he was asking a stupid question.
He was but a stranger who happened to rescue Lektor from his life pod by chance. Lektor had taught him so much, had changed his fate even. The man had already paid off his debt to him.
Lektor was like an ocean, vast and expansive, and Opal was but a small, insignificant speck of sand. Lektor was a Star Knight. He couldn’t possibly waste too much time on Opal.
“Meister.” Opal had made up his mind. “I wish you….”
A pink rim was beginning to form around his eyes, but he was determined to hold back his tears. “I wish you…wish you….”
Lektor spent a moment thinking over his words before finally speaking. “Opal, you will meet lots of people in the life ahead of you. I am but a fleeting guest in your boyhood. If you wish to remember me forever, then heed my words and live up to your aspirations.”
Opal could no longer rein in his tears or sorrow. “My…aspiration…is—to be like you. Bec-become a Star Knight. But I can’t do it. My life is too short….”
Lektor held his left palm to his right shoulder, bowing slightly in a salute. “I am deeply grateful for the help you have extended to me in this period,” he said and meant every word.
Opal, with tear-filled eyes, mimicked Lektor’s salute—this was a formal courtesy that belonged only to the Star Knights.
Lektor reached out to touch his hair. His next words were spoken gently.
“Now then, remember to always uphold your humility, honor, sacrifice, bravery, compassion, honesty, justice, and conviction.
“And when you have passed the many trials thrown at you, the hundreds of billions of stars in the cosmos will show you the way and lead you to the Sanctuary of the Stars.
“I look forward to that day, so don’t ever give up.”
Lektor turned and walked up into Silver Dragonray. The silver mount radiated an ancient shean, transforming into a lightning that stretched across the sky, rolling and turning before it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Opal raised his head. He took one deep breath and roared. “Meister—! We will meet again! I’ll work hard!”
“Opal!” came Armann’s voice.
Opal spun around, walking across the field with swollen eyes. “You’ve come back!” Locke shouted.
Ugo ran out from inside the valley and they all rushed towards Opal, taking him into their arms.
Translator’s Notes:
Ivory Crescent 
What a bittersweet chapter. The miners Will be alright (I hope) but Lektor is going away. 😭
Thanks for the chapter!
Not gonna lie, I actually teared up every time I revisited Lektor’s parting during our edits. Opal will be okay though 🙂
Thanks for your consistent comments and thoughts for every chapter! They’re always greatly appreciated ❤
Who’s crying? I’m not 😭
Lektor was a great teacher >.< I hope they can meet again
I totally cried when I was translating this chapter!! Don’t worry, their paths will cross again in the future! 😊
😭 I really do hope they meet again
I am not ok😭
So sad to see Lektor go! 😭 Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
I was really sad to see Lektor go (definitely teared up when I was translating his final conversation with Opal), but he’ll be back, I promise!
Sabía que tenía que irse pero igual me dolió la despedida 😭💕
Pero cuando se reencuentren Opal será un gran caballero!