The stars outside the ship shimmered like living ink on a page that had yet to be written.
We'd been travelling through the void for what felt like days—though time under Arina's control never truly behaved.
For Yue Xiang, Lin Xueyin, and Lei Mira, this was their first journey between worlds. They watched quietly from the viewport, eyes full of astonishment as the string of galaxies bled into one another, forming rivers of light.
I stood beside them, voice calm but steady.
"The planet we're heading to," I said, "is my birthplace. Its name is Earth."
Yue Xiang, ever composed, tilted her head slightly. "And this is where you live… as one of them?"
"Yes," I said, smiling faintly. "As far as they know, I'm just a B.Tech Computer Science student. Nothing more."
Lin Xueyin blinked, the slightest flicker of confusion. "Student? That's… a discipline of learning?"
Lei Mira grinned, resting her chin on her hand. "So we'll live among mortals and pretend to be normal. How long before someone realises we could out‑power their entire world?"
"Hopefully never," I replied dryly.
Arina's hologram flickered above us, her soft voice echoing like a patient teacher.
"Reminder to host: discussion of system origin or function is classified. You are restricted from revealing information about my capabilities to any being, including companions."
"I know, Arina." I sounded tired even to myself.
Yue Xiang met my eyes, sensing the uncertainty behind the obedience. "You follow rules even when you don't understand?"
"Because I trust Arina," I said. "She keeps us alive."
Lin Xueyin folded her arms, voice soft but steady. "I accept your silences only because you carry them like burdens, not secrets."
Her words hit harder than she knew.
I turned back to them. "There's something else. When we reach Earth, you can't reveal anything about your divine identity to Professor Thronewood. He's the one who took me in after I lost my family. I still owe him my life. For now, he believes in reason, not magic."
Yue Xiang nodded slowly. "As you wish. We'll honour his world's truth until it's ready for ours."
Lei Mira's grin softened. "Still, we'll need to blend in. You'd better have a plan for that."
Arina glowed brighter then, projecting streams of golden data across the air. "Host, I anticipated this query. Their identities and citizenship data have been validated through Earth's official registries. Digital trail established. Government records and documentation are ready for retrieval upon arrival."
I stared at her, half‑relieved, half uneasy. "You mean they're human on paper already?"
"Confirmed. They each possess civilian identities with educational backgrounds suited to their skills."
Lei Mira laughed. "She falsified destinies for us. I like her."
Arina ignored her and continued. "Recalibrating your cultivation levels for Earth's spiritual atmosphere. Power compression at eighty per cent. Note: You remain strongest in the current realm."
Even Yue Xiang looked unnerved hearing that. "So we fall but still stand above them?"
"Exactly," I said. "We adapt but don't dominate. The purpose is to live with them — not over them."
I handed them each a small tablet Arina had made — crammed with guides about modern Earth: language idioms, polite customs, basic computing, and social rules.
"These are manuals for Earth life," I explained. "Read them. Humans respect modesty but love confidence. Don't fly. Don't call it alchemy when it's cooking. And never, ever glow in public."
Lin Xueyin looked at her tablet, scrolling through pages with attentive grace. "I will master their ways."
Yue Xiang, the Celestial Scholar—her old title among the stars, now given a human shadow. On Earth, Arina had registered her as Dr Yue Evans, a quantum researcher and astronomy lecturer. Her cultivation of light and constellation energy translated perfectly into the study of bright matter and radiation.
Lin Xueyin, once the Frost Saviour, took the identity of a marine biologist studying polar climates. Her ice‑based spiritual root found a new purpose in the world's frozen oceans — healing wounds of melting ice and warming seas.
Lei Mira, the Storm Forge Artist, became a mechanical engineer specialising in energy systems and sustainable tech. Her lightning realm cultivation turned into innovation; machines listened to her like living metal.
All three smiled faintly at their chosen roles — half truth, half rebirth.
"You'll fit in," I said. "You're strong in what Earth needs most: curiosity."
As the stellar path blinked closer to blue, Arina began the final sequence. Clouds of black void peeled away to reveal a tiny sphere floating in sunlight.
Earth.
It didn't look like the transcendent realms they knew — no gold palaces, no songs of power. Just oceans that moved slowly and continents covered in green. Simple. Alive.
Yue Xiang spoke softly. "So small, for something that feeds so many dreams."
Lin Xueyin leaned closer to the viewport. "Yet its aura... gentle, not dead. A sleeping dragon."
Lei Mira smiled. "Let's see what mortals build when they believe they're alone."
I turned to them and took a steady breath. "One more thing — when we arrive, I'm introducing you as my girlfriend."
All three blinked at once.
Yue Xiang's voice broke first. "Is that... a ceremonial title?"
"Sort of," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "It means we're close, but it's the only way to explain why we live together without raising questions."
Lei Mira grinned widely. "Then Earth finally taught you boldness."
Lin Xueyin looked away with faint colour in her cheeks, murmuring, "Your world uses peculiar words for care."
"Don't get me wrong," I added quickly. "It's just to keep you safe from attention."
They nodded eventually — still curious, but trusting.
The ship entered Earth's atmosphere as a falling star cradled in silence.
Blue sky replaced the void; the sound of wind replaced the hum of space.
As land appeared below — forests, cities, and mountains — Arina spoke again. "Host, local terrain recognised. All identities activated. Official citizenship for companions is retrievable upon arrival in the civil zone."
I smiled despite the weight in my chest. "Welcome to Earth."
Yue Xiang placed her hand on the glass, eyes soft and bright. "Then the mission begins — to unify your parallel worlds and ours."
"Except anything related to the system," I reminded firmly. "Arina made it clear — we speak nothing of her."
She blinked softly in the air, halo bright. "Acknowledged. Host directive accepted."
Lei Mira crossed her arms, grinning. "And you'll teach us how to live as students?"
"Starting with coffee and assignments," I said with a smile. "Prepare for the most difficult cultivation: college."
The three of them laughed —the sound bright and new against Earth's endless blue sky.
And as we broke through the clouds together, the mission to unite worlds began—not through battle or faith, but through learning how to belong.