The Thirteenth Sign

The sky above Aetherion was a masterpiece of illusion. Artificial constellations shimmered against a vast expanse of simulated darkness, designed to look like the heavens of the old world. It was beautiful, but it was also a lie—just like everything else in the Celestial Order's carefully constructed world.

Celeste Orion knew this, though she never said it aloud.

She sat at her desk in her private chambers, the air crisp and sterile, carrying the faint scent of the purifying filters that kept the Aquarius Dominion clean and controlled. Her room, like everything in the district, was sleek and modern—smooth silver walls, soft blue lighting, and glass panels that shifted from transparent to opaque with a simple command.

At sixteen, she was expected to be deep in scholarly pursuits, preparing for her Astrological Aptitude Trials, where she would be assigned her lifelong role as dictated by the stars. That was the way of the Twelve Zodiac Factions—order, destiny, balance.

Aquarians like her were the visionaries, the architects of knowledge and progress.

So why did she feel so lost?

Celeste sighed and leaned back, staring at the holographic texts hovering in front of her. The words blurred together, uninteresting despite their supposed importance. Scientific advancements, future projections, energy studies—all things she should be passionate about.

But all she could think about was leaving.

Her family lived miles away, separated by the rigid division of the Zodiac Factions. Her father, a Leo, was part of the Fire Dominion—a high-ranking military strategist in charge of the Celestial Order's security forces. Her mother, a Taurus, belonged to the Earth Dominion, overseeing agricultural preservation and resource management.

Even her younger brother, Aiden Orion, had been assigned to the Water Dominion when he turned thirteen, identified as a Pisces, sent away to train as a Dreamwalker. Only Celeste remained in the Air Dominion, alone.

She hadn't seen her family in weeks. The only way to meet was at the Grand Conflux, a sprawling city center where the twelve factions could interact under strict regulations.

She stared at her communicator, her fingers hovering over the holographic interface. A message from her mother flickered on the screen: "We will be at the Conflux this evening. Your father can only stay for a short time. Will you come?"

Celeste hesitated before typing: "Yes."

She stood and moved toward the closet, selecting a formal Aquarian cloak, the fabric shimmering in cool blue and silver tones. It marked her as one of the Skyborn—intellectual, rational, distant. She hated how it made her feel like she was playing a role rather than living her own life.

A soft chime echoed through the room as an automated voice spoke.

"Aether Tram arriving in ten minutes. Destination: Grand Conflux."

Celeste exhaled and made her way outside.

The Grand Conflux

The Aether Tram was a marvel of technology, gliding soundlessly through the sky on unseen energy currents. Each Zodiac Dominion had its own designated transport system, designed to keep the factions separate unless absolutely necessary.

As Celeste stepped onto the Aquarius sector's tram, she glimpsed the others at a distance—Leo's blazing golden chariots, Taurus' earthbound transit tunnels, Pisces' sleek, water-powered gliders—each a perfect reflection of their assigned elements.

The tram doors sealed behind her, and moments later, she was soaring above Aetherion, the city stretching below in a structured grid of twelve perfect districts, each glowing with its own unique energy.

The Fire Dominion blazed with flickering embers and molten towers. The Water Dominion shimmered with bioluminescent canals. The Earth Dominion stood strong with towering green spires, its foundation rooted in deep stone.

And the Air Dominion?

It floated.

Sleek glass bridges connected the hovering platforms, held aloft by gravitational technology, the structures airy and almost weightless. Everything about it was designed for visionaries and thinkers, those meant to exist above the earthly struggles of the lower signs.

Celeste hated it.

******

The Grand Conflux was alive with movement—the only place in Aetherion where the twelve signs were allowed to mix.

Celeste stepped off the tram and spotted her mother, Marianne Solberg, first, standing near a holographic garden of shifting flowers, their colors changing with the rotation of the artificial sky. Dressed in earth-toned robes, her mother had a presence that felt solid, unshakable—like she was carved from the same stone as the Taurus Dominion itself.

Her father, Cassian Orion, stood beside her, dressed in the golden armor of a Leo strategist, speaking with another Fireborn officer. He barely glanced in Celeste's direction, his focus always on the next battle, the next mission.

And Aiden—her fifteen-year-old brother—was already lost in conversation with a group of Waterborn scholars, his uniform marked with the crest of Pisces.

Celeste approached, feeling the distance between them before they even spoke.

"You look tired," her mother said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Celeste forced a smile. "Long hours of study."

"Good. You must excel in your Astrological Trials." Her father's voice was brisk, approving but distant. "The Celestial Order is watching. Aquarians are meant to lead in knowledge."

Celeste clenched her jaw. "Of course."

Aiden glanced at her. "You still don't like it, do you?"

She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You never wanted to be an Aquarius." His tone was quiet but knowing. "You always felt... different."

Celeste's breath caught in her throat.

Her family saw it, too.

Before she could respond, her father's communicator buzzed. He read the message and sighed. "I have to return to the Fire Dominion. This was a brief meeting."

Of course it was.

He clasped her shoulder briefly before striding away, his golden armor catching the artificial light.

Her mother pressed something into Celeste's palm. A small, carved stone—Taurus earthbound energy. "Keep this close, my star," she whispered.

Celeste nodded, swallowing down the ache in her throat.

And just like that, the reunion was over.

As she turned to leave, something in the distance caught her eye—a dark figure watching her from the shadows, clad in black.

A Scorpio.

Celeste stiffened. Why was an enforcer watching her?

A chill crawled down her spine as she stepped back toward the tram.

Something was wrong.

She just didn't know what—not yet.