Elian's fingers flew across the glass of his tablet. With Mara safe and on her way, the adrenaline of anxiety had transformed into a restless, hungry energy. He sat on his bed, the room lit only by the blue glow of the screen, and began to dig into the archives of the Great Awakening Registry.
He started with the one thing every student whispered about in the hallways but no teacher would officially discuss: The 10-Star Myth.
The official government sites were clinical and dismissive. They listed the Star Rankings as a closed loop, ending at 9. But in the deeper, unregulated forums used by Travelers and high-level Lords, the tone was different. There were mentions of the Aetheric Singularity—a hypothetical state where a Sigil doesn't just glow, but consumes the surrounding light. Some conspiracy theorists claimed the "Ten-Stars" weren't missing, but were recruited by the Global Hegemony into "Ghost Units" that operated outside the Realm of Enlightenment.
"Pure fiction," Elian whispered to himself, though his heart hammered.
He shifted his research to something more concrete: Dual-Trait Synergies. He pulled up the historical profiles of the four known Dual-Trait Lords.
Lord Valerius (The Iron Architect): Possessed Geokinesis and Molecular Density. He didn't just move earth; he turned it into unbreakable fortress walls in seconds.
Lady Seraphina (The Sun's Shadow): Held Light Manipulation and Dimensional Displacement. She was the ultimate Traveler, capable of being in two places at once while blinding her enemies with the glare of a thousand suns.
The Silent King: His traits were classified, but he was the only one to ever unify three territories in the Realm within a single year.
Matriarch Vane:Cryomancy and Thermal Absorption. She could freeze a city while simultaneously fueling her own strength from the heat she stripped away.
Elian looked at the common thread. Their traits didn't just exist side-by-side; they fed into each other. If he were to be a Dual-Trait—a one-in-a-billion chance—how would his powers interact?
Finally, he looked up the Spawning Algorithms of the Realm of Enlightenment. He wanted to know how the "Gateway" chose a location. The research confirmed what Mr. Kaelen had hinted at: it was determined by the "Weight of the Soul."
Individuals with high Star Ranks tended to spawn in "High-Density Ether Zones." These areas were rich in resources like Void Crystals and Star-Silk, but they were also home to the most aggressive Beasts. Those with lower ranks were often pushed toward the "Fringe," where the air was thinner and the land more barren, but the threat level was manageable for a beginner.
He fell down a rabbit hole of maps, looking at the "Secluded Territories." These were pockets of the Realm that hadn't been mapped by the Great Guilds. They were the graveyards of ambitious 3-Star Travelers who thought they could survive alone.
A notification popped up at the top of his screen, breaking his concentration: [Proximity Alert: Mara's Bio-Signature Detected.]
A moment later, the front door clicked open. The smell of spicy noodles and cold night air drifted into the house.
"Elian? If you're still awake, come get this food before I eat both portions," Mara's voice rang out, sounding exhausted but warm.
Elian shut down his tablet, the images of silver sigils and infinite star-maps still burning in his mind. He stood up, rubbing his eyes. In less than twelve hours, the research wouldn't matter anymore. The theory would end, and the reality would begin.