The final subsection was titled FOR DISPATCH, and both his and Topher’s androids were listed there.

“I have to protect Topher and rescue my brothers, sister, cousin, and Roanne from that spaceship,” Benjamin resolved, his determination hardening.

Just as he stood up, a cyan-tinted pentagon-shaped portal appeared above him, and from the side. A forcefield enveloped him, lifting him off the ground. He struggled, but the force was too strong. In seconds, he was pulled into the portal, which sealed shut behind him, disappearing into thin air.

The sky was clear and blue, and the afternoon sun bathed the wide, open field in warm light. The lush green Bermuda grass stretched out before them, with only a few people in the distance. A gentle breeze blew through the air, carrying the scent of the outdoors.

Topher spent the afternoon with his tan-and-black German Shepherd, Hunter. With a swift motion, he threw the orange frisbee—a Wham-O trademark, airfoil in shape—high into the air. It spun lightly as it soared through the sky. Hunter sprinted after it, leaping to catch the flying disc in his mouth, and returned it to Topher, eager for another round.

“Great job, buddy!” Topher praised, patting Hunter on the head.

“Woof, woof, woof!” Hunter barked happily, wagging his tail from side to side, ready for more.

Night had fallen as Topher and Hunter walked down a deserted road. The air was cool, and the streets were empty.

“The wind’s getting colder, bud. It’s still autumn, but winter’s coming fast,” Topher remarked, glancing down at Hunter.

The loyal German Shepherd stayed close to his owner, walking firmly by his side. The streetlights above flickered ominously, casting long shadows. A large, dark moth clung to one of the light posts, its wings spread wide in the dim glow.

As they passed through a green field dotted with trees, more moths began to gather. Their numbers grew quickly.

“Do you hear that, buddy? That sound—it’s like a swarm of insects,” Topher said, an unsettling realization dawning on him.

“Run, buddy!” Topher yelled as they broke into a sprint, the swarm of moths now trailing closely behind.

But before they could escape, they found themselves ambushed by another swarm, this time from the opposite direction. Cornered, the moths surrounded Topher and Hunter like a dark, swirling tempest, the sound of their wings almost deafening. Hunter pressed close to Topher, seeking protection.

Suddenly, Topher’s palms began to glow—warm, white light like ivory, with a faint tint of yellow. Four distinct shapes appeared, floating above his hands, gradually forming an intricate crucifix. It shimmered with ivory, cream, and pure white, all laced with delicate gold.

At the Peregrine’s Spaceship

On the large screen, Topher’s vertical profile glowed in an ivory light, and the label at the bottom shifted to read: AWAKENED.

Back to Topher & Hunter

Trusting his instincts, Topher raised the crucifix high. From it, radiant beams of holy light shot forth, sparkling like golden diamonds. The beams tore through the swarm of moths, incinerating them into glowing embers and ash that quickly dissipated into the night air.

“We’re safe now, buddy,” Topher said, breathing a sigh of relief as he wrapped an arm around Hunter, holding his faithful companion close.

Topher stood still, feeling an unshakable urge to close his eyes and remain rooted in place. Suddenly, a blue-white glow began radiating from his chest. As he watched in awe, a small, marquise-shaped shard emerged from within him, rippling with ethereal light. The shard summoned thick, gray metal rings—some broken—that began rotating around it in different directions, forming a deconstructed astrolabe hovering in the air. Topher marveled at the magical formation.

Did that just come out of my chest? Have I been carrying a magical artifact inside me for these past three years? Topher’s thoughts raced as the blue-white light bathed his face.

The Star of Vis—the astrolabe—sent beams of celestial light into his head, causing an overwhelming pain. Topher clutched his head, trying to ease the agony.

His eyes glowed blue-white as a flood of memories surged through his mind—the Star appearing in the plane, making a wish, the formation of the board, his conversation with Roanne, playing in the cave with his cousins, the rise of the Cosmic Cataclysm, and the impact of the Cyan and Ivory Luminaries on him and Benjamin—

“I remember it all now. The memories I lost for three years,” Topher whispered.

The Star of Vis drew closer to him, radiating its familiar glow.

“You appeared to me again when you crossed the constellation of Andromeda,” Topher recalled.

“You were always inside me, never leaving my side—my little friend,” he realized with a soft smile.

At the Cave

It was a dark, cavernous chamber, the walls tangled with sprawling vines and the ground covered in moss. A shallow puddle of water had gathered in one corner. Echidna, a snake-like woman with long, dark forest-green hair, green scales, and a yellow underbelly, observed the unfolding events. They played out in the steam and embers rising from a crack in the center of the ground, beneath which lay a chasm of boiling rock.

“I was right all along,” Echidna hissed in a raspy voice. “That boy—the seventh and final Acolyte—is the true Keeper of the Star of Vis.” She watched the scene with sharp eyes. “He saw the Star’s arrival in a vision, long before its coming. He was the first to meet the Star. He made the wish.”

Echidna had kept the Oracle of Delphi imprisoned, her elderly form pinned to the wall by thick, thorny vines, their dark tendrils coiled tightly around her.

“The moths and monsters, born from the blood of Typhon and my own tears, have brought forth the awakening of the Seventh, just as I had hoped,” Echidna whispered, approaching a blood-stained tomb that streamed its lifeblood across the ground. She caressed it with a cold, calculating touch, her eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

Before Topher, silvery nano-molecules traced the outline of a titanium pentagon. Within its hollow space, a portal began to form, twisting and glowing with a cyan light.

I don’t know why, but I have a feeling my destiny is on the other side, Topher thought, his heart racing.

“Is it okay, buddy? If I leave you here?” Topher asked, glancing down at his faithful dog, Hunter.

“Woof, woof, woof,” Hunter barked, as if giving his approval.

“Thank you, buddy. Please look after Mom, Dad, and Carlisle while I’m gone,” Topher said, his voice soft with emotion as he bid Hunter farewell.

With determination, Topher walked toward the portal, disappearing into its cyan glow. The portal vanished, leaving the tan-and-black German Shepherd gazing solemnly into the empty space, the soft blue-white glow on his face slowly fading away.

From the pentagon-shaped portal, Topher emerged.

Are those robots? he thought, seeing ROBO3000 and CleanBot for the first time.

ROBO3000, the tall humanoid robot, spoke. “They’re all here—complete. You can release the others.” He directed CleanBot, the smaller screen-trunk-based robot, who pulled down a lever, releasing steam as six glass capsules mounted on the titanium walls opened.

On the left wall were the sleeping capsules of the three girls—Allison, Sophie, and Roanne. Across from them, on the right wall, were the capsules containing the three boys—James, Michael, and Benjamin. One by one, the six kids woke and stepped out onto the floor.

“What the heck happened to me?!” Michael exclaimed.

“The last thing I remember is running straight into a portal that I couldn’t stop,” Allison recalled.

“I got sucked into a portal in the ground. So, I’m not the only one, huh?” Sophie sighed in relief.

“Are we seriously on a spaceship?” James asked, amazed.

Michael, Allison, Sophie, James, Benjamin—and Topher, too—all took in their surroundings, noticing the others in the room.

“Wait, you’re the ones who got rid of those android imposters! And now you’ve put us into deep sleep in those capsules! You kidnapped us and brought us here through those pentagon portals!” Benjamin glared coldly at ROBO3000 and CleanBot.

“We’re very sorry. Please forgive us,” CleanBot said, bowing its head in apology.

“There’s no need for apologies, CleanBot. We did what had to be done,” ROBO3000 interjected. “Now, Keeper of the Star of Vis—you came through the portal on your own. Why?” He turned to Topher.

“Because I believe my destiny is on the other side of the portal,” Topher answered honestly.

“Very well, Keeper. Bring forth the Star and place it on the central platform. You’ll be one step closer to your destiny,” ROBO3000 instructed.

Topher walked toward the raised, rounded platform and brought out the Star, which floated above his right palm.

The other kids watched as the hovering astrolabe transformed into a large, blue-white sparkling star. Topher instinctively stepped back.

Michael, driven by curiosity, was the first to leap toward the enlarged Star of Vis. His eyes and body glowed a bright, fiery red-orange.

“Whoa! What just happened?! I’m glowing red!” Michael grinned, clearly excited.

Allison, intrigued, blurted out, “Will I glow too?”

Before stepping in, she flipped her hair sassily. “Let me try!”

As soon as Allison stepped in, her eyes and body glowed a vibrant pink.

“Pink is my favorite color! So me—pretty and girly,” she said dramatically, reaching for her chest and rolling her eyes.

“Okay, I’ll do it too,” Sophie said shyly, going with the flow.

As she stepped forward, Sophie’s eyes and body glowed a soft yellow.

Yellow, like a honeybee, Sophie quietly thought, making the comparison.

“I don’t want to be a killjoy. I’ll join the fun, my friends,” James chimed in, hopping into the glow. His eyes and body soon gleamed a vivid orange.

“Orange is nice—fun and zesty!” James quipped cheerfully.

Is this safe? Roanne wondered, hesitating. But I’m dying to know what happens next.

Ultimately, Roanne decided to join. She stepped forward quietly, and her eyes and body glowed a calming seafoam green.

This light bluish-green—it reminds me of the sea, she observed, looking at her glowing hands and arms.

“If you two are up to no good, you’ll have me to deal with this time,” Benjamin said with a scoff, eyeing the robots suspiciously.

Curiosity building, Benjamin cautiously stepped into the glow. His eyes shone cyan behind his glasses, his body following suit.

Finally, Topher took the last turn. Solemnly, he approached the Star on the platform. As he stepped forward, his eyes and body glowed a warm white, almost like ivory.

Now, all seven—Topher, Allison, Roanne, Benjamin, James, Michael, and Sophie—stood before the Star of Vis. Waves of blue-white light sparkled around them, enveloping and eventually engulfing the group entirely.

ROBO3000 and CleanBot quietly watched as the waves of blue-white light enveloped the seven children, obscuring them from view. After a few minutes, the sparkling waves gradually dissipated, revealing the transformation that had taken place.

Michael now sported a partial helmet that covered the back of his head, outlining the sides of his face down to his jawline. He crossed his forearms defensively against the waves, and those forearms were equipped with large bracelets that covered two-thirds of their length. The fourteen-year-old wore a sleeveless spandex suit, with a torso boasting rugged maroon acrylic pectoral and abdominal muscles. His back was similarly maroon, while the sides of his upper garment were a bold red.

A golden belt adorned his waist, fashioned with laurel leaves and centered by a lion medallion. The lower half of his spandex suit was uniformly red, paired with shiny red high boots. Michael looked unmistakably like a superhero, as if he had stepped right out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the pages of DC Comics.

Allison, on the other hand, had a delicate hairband that also appeared as a small tiara, perched atop her long, wavy, and shining blonde hair. A large pinkish-red bow adorned the back of her hair. The ten-year-old girl wore light, soft makeup with a lively touch, complemented by rose-shaped earrings. She was dressed in a magical girl outfit, complete with translucent baby-pink petal sleeves—three layers on each arm. A heart-shaped compact sat at the center of a pink-red ribbon on her chest.

Her upper garment was white, with two large, embossed pink-red buttons below the heart compact. The sides of her outfit were baby pink, and the white torso was separated from the sides by two vertical rows of ruffles. Allison’s miniskirt had two layers—a pink top layer and a baby pink layer underneath. At the back, a large pinkish-red ribbon even bigger than the bow in her hair added to the ensemble.

She wore two long baby-pink gloves that covered her forearms entirely, accented by ruffles and tiny ribbons at the top of each. In her right hand, she held a heart-shaped wand. Her legs were clad in long, pinkish-red boots that reached up to her knees, with four-inch high heels. Allison looked as though she had stepped straight out of the magical girl shows she loved, particularly from her favorite Pretty Cure franchise.

Sophie had two antennae perched atop her head, her hair styled in light brown twisty pigtails that only reached her shoulders. Resting above them were goggles that doubled as shades. The seven-year-old girl wore earrings shaped like jars of honey, and a choker with a bee charm sat snugly around her neck. Over her torso, she sported a customized, sleeveless yellow varsity jacket with a stylized capital “B” embroidered on the right chest. Her hands were covered by fingerless gloves.

Beneath the jacket, Sophie wore a tube top striped in black and yellow. A constant, low buzz surrounded her as the honeybee wings on her back flapped rapidly, blurring as they kept her hovering in mid-air. A thick belt cinched her waist, adorned with another capital “B” enclosed in a circle at the center. She paired the outfit with fitted yellow shorts and black-and-yellow running shoes with neatly tied shoelaces, making her look unexpectedly sporty.

Sophie’s entire look followed a yellow-and-black color scheme, with mostly black accessories. She was a humanoid hybrid—a mix between a girl and a honeybee. There was a somewhat campy vibe to her overall appearance, her “costume” mirroring that of Honey Pollen, the cartoon character she chose from the Star of Vis – Seven Acolytes & Seven Worlds board game. Her look was bright and playful, sure to be adored by children.