All Chapters of STAR-TRAIL BETWEEN US: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20
37 chapters
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THROES OF TORTURE
“……..ing through the northwest lane post. I believe we have been granted authorization for unchecked passa….”“…..straight for the North wing….”Drowned ears struggled to catch those conversations that seemed to hold over a time-lapse; one accompanied by what he could only identify with the sound of an engine and dim white light overhead, and the other through bustling movement.“Sun-blessed this late noon to you, Third Pillar.”“Where is she?”“Being attended to by the doctors. They’ve been on her for about five minutes now.”“Diagnosis?”“I checked seconds ago; she’s exhausted and requires recuperation.”“Do you have the reports?”“It will take a while.”There was a lengthy silence that left the atmosphere in brisk tension.“The finalist?”“Both the dead and injured are receiving due care.”Etanai's eyelids have never felt as heavy as they currently do. Though the muddled voices traveled back and forth with calmness, it didn't stop his racing heart from wondering what was going on.
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CHAPTER TWELVE: HER LIGHT TO MY DARKNESS
“Who are you?”“Good.” The voice replied. “You should be able to open your eyes now.”Etanai took a breath in as he slowly lifted the still-heavy eyelids to a dim-lit room. His eyes trailed from the white ceiling to the white walls and the bed he was lying on in a grey patient gown. He turned to find a middle-aged woman, along with a much younger male and female behind her, staring at him. "Who are you people? Why am I being kidnapped?""Okay, kidnap sounds kinda extreme for a place like the great temple of Wisdom, don't you think?" The ebony-skinned man spoke up first with a displeased crease between his brows.The woman beside him gave him a disapproving stare. "Shut up, Mathew. He's strapped to the bed."The man tilted his head of Afro hair. “What? Oh, come on, Bumia. It’s clearly the doctors responding with a cautionary step. Am I the only one offended by what he said?”“Though, he’s right. He was brought here against his will.” The older woman’s hoarse voice cut through the argum
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE SCRIPTURE REJECTERS
[Northwest of Stell City – The lower districts]“By the supreme watcher, they’ve got him! They’ve arrested the damn murderer!”“Finally! Three temples have burned to the ground because of this cursed arsonist. I’m glad the goddess of retribution is finally taking care of him.”"Hah! What goddess of Retribution? Save your thanks for the police officers who put in months of extra hours to finally catch him. I heard a lot of expenses were burnt up before they could locate his movements. I'm just glad it's finally over."“Me too. This criminal has gone too far. Burning down temples only when it’s filled with people? That’s just far too ruthless.”“It’s why my wife and I have avoided visiting any temple for now.”The street where these discussions were taking place is filled with the city locals on the pedestrian side of a street as they came to watch the city's police apprehend one of the most heinous criminals – a recent arsonist that had been targeting the Temple of Wisdom branches aro
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: GAMBIT TO THE RESCUE
“I’ll handle it from here.”Elder Niola and the two light-keepers, watched with increasing relief as the man remained calm before the life-threatening whips of black lightning; the sphere-shaped wind curved in on the screaming warrior at a steady pace until the destructive entity was trapped in an orb of wind, along with its maker. Though Etanai's power is quite destructive, it appeared this man's wind held a superior directional pull, enabling his ability to keep it trapped within its boundaries.“It’s contained.” The short man turned to reveal the wrinkled face of a light-skinned old man in military uniform, his face-full of grey beard is a testament to his age. “You can all come out now. The threat has been quarantined.”The medical staff and other workers on that floor slowly got up at this man's assurance. The flickering lights along the lengthy hallway that had not been busted apart by the lightning whips slowly became stable once again.“Oh! Thank the supreme watcher you’re her
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: BLAME TO THE DEFENSELESS
For every divinely gifted person of the Temple of Wisdom, there is an area in the gigantic Comet Tower afforded to them as their place of residence. The newborn Holy Warriors, in this case, are given one of the five wings on the highest floor as their private residence. The other four wings belong to the Holy Star Symbol, along with the first, second, and third pillars. The staff and security assigned there will follow their every instruction. The Holy Warrior group consisting of Cassandra, Bava, Garu, and Chad are currently being led there by two security women as they take the elevator up the tower. They had varying degrees of astonishment spreading across their faces when the elevator opened up to an exquisitely designed main hallway. The working staff and security officers gave them a formal greeting. Two security officers walked forward and introduced themselves as the co-leaders of the entire wing’s security unit. The other two security women then took their leave back down the
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: BLAME TO THE DEFENSELESS (2)
The air pulsated with tension and all present at the dining table turned their gaze to Chad. Cassandra couldn't help the alertness her body gave away. "We do?" Then she recalled what had happened with a dead comrade of theirs, Ricky. The arrogant man had gone after a Zeal-leacher much more powerful than he anticipated. He had also interfered with Etanai's trial, which, to be fair, none of them believed at the time; he was not a finalist after all. Gambit nodded at Chad. “Well, go on.” Chad kept quiet for a few seconds, contemplating while he had a complex expression on his face. “It’s the lunatic we met in Wraith Valley, Etanai. He’s responsible for the Zeal-leachers going berserk on us.” “What?!” Cassandra jerked up from her seat as she stared at Chad with incredulity. Why was he calling the wrong name? Gambit ignored Cassandra's overreaction, eyes trained on Chad while he was resting his chin on his intertwined hands. "Clear to elaborate more on this?" Chad nodded, avoiding Ca
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
Hello Star-Trail Readers, This break in chapter uploads is dedicated to making clear some of the prominent characters in this novel, particularly the ones residing in the primary setting of the plot – The Temple of Wisdom. ARRANGED IN DESCENDING ORDER OF HIERARCHY [THE HOLY STAR SYMBOL] [THE HOLY WARRIORS] [THE TWELVE PILLARS OF THE TEMPLE] [THE KEEPERS OF THE TEMPLE] [THE MILITARY SCHOOL OF STELL CITY] [THE HIGHER SERVANTS OF THE TEMPLE] [THE LOWER SERVANTS TO THE TEMPLE] THE HOLY STAR SYMBOL: There is ever only one to exist throughout a lifetime. A holy star symbol is considerably the most powerful entity to exist on the planet. They exist as proof that the god of scriptures remains thriving and superior in the realm of the gods. A female holy star symbol is known as the Temple of Wisdom’s Priestess, while a male one is known as the temple’s priest. A holy star symbol is gifted with the divine and physical a
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: MEETING THE PRIESTESS
Things were starting to drive Etanai towards a new level of insanity. He was struggling with so much that he wished it would all be over, and yet, he knew he couldn’t do that. He had been fighting against multiple agents of death for a reason; there was someone counting on him.Between his episodic shifts in personality, he had found himself in various environments: from Wraith Valley where he had met that group of men and women, to now being kept in the Temple of Wisdom. The last place he remembered losing himself was in a medical room where he had been restrained. Now, his surroundings had changed once again. Despite the similarities in the designs, Etanai could tell from the metal door that looked like he was locked away in solitary confinement.Though he was getting a hang of those white clouds in his mind, it still hurt in ways he could not describe.“I need the priestess! Please, get me your Priestess!”He had been yelling for a while now, and he couldn’t help the great sadness
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: FIRST REAL CONVERSATION
Gambit was furious. In a straight line, a group of security men and women stood with their heads down before him.“Who’s in charge of watch duty?”A security man came forward, slightly curled in on himself. “Head Instructor, I’m the head of this assigned unit, and I swear to the supreme watcher that none of us had left our post at all. I don’t know how the unstable warrior left the cell.”“Don’t call the god of scripture’s name in vain.”The security man stood at ease. “My apologies, Head Instructor, but once again, I assure you the cell occupant had not passed through that door. We were shocked as well when I returned from my lunch break to find him completely missing on the monitors.”“Have you inspected the surveillance footage?”The man shook his head. “I was in the middle of doing this when you ordered for my presence.”“Show it to me right now.” Gambit watched the man lead the way. “The rest of you return to your post.” He then followed him to the surveillance room.A few minut
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CHAPTER NINETEEN: CHALLENGED BY THE PILLARS
Eshya was nervous as she entered the large room to find the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eleventh pillars in their respective seats. The meeting room is a large round hall with thirteen seats – twelve primary seats in a semi-circle arrangement to a grander seat – at the center while the audience seats are spread through the rest of the hall behind these thirteen seats. Apart from the six pillars inside the hall, Eshya found the keepers of the temple were present. It's customary, after all, to have the future pillars obtain first-hand experience on occasions like this. “Welcome, Priestess Eshya.” The second pillar spoke first. “I apologize on behalf of my fellow pillars for calling you here on such short notice.” Eshya nodded. "Sun-blessed noon to the six pillars present." She walked over to settle in the grander seat, as it is reserved for the holy star symbol during a meeting. She noticed Gambit, who had followed her into the hall, had also taken a seat in the audience
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