Continued from here part 4

Shi'Ar Aerie

The Travler gave Steve a wary look as the star chart appeared. The rest weren't paying very close attention but Mary could have sworn she saw the location shift as the Traveler looked on Steve. She didn't think much about it as they vanished.

They appeared on a lush planet that the Traveler told them was called Raad-La, named for the man who turned it from a barren lifeless rock into the world they saw. It took a moment but Casey realized Steve wasn't with them. As she started to worry the Traveler put a hand on her shoulder, "There's a lot of cosmic radiation around this world, sometimes it interferes with transport. He's here just in a different spot."

***

Steve appeared among a large group of people who appeared to be on a pilgrimage. He stopped one, "I'm a little lost, can you tell me where I am."

The man had a bit of a smile, "All here are lost, that's why we came."

He then pointed back to a large temple, "You are now on the grounds of the Church of Cosmic Consciousness. Where the lost come to find their way."

***

The rest of the group walked with the Traveler. As Casey and Barry seemed to be looking for their goal, Mary was asking the Traveler questions, " So you were born on Earth?"

"No, I was conceived on Earth. I was technically born inside the temporal nexus."

"And that's your power source?"

He gave a nod as she continued, "Obviously, you're pretty powerful, why couldn't you do this on your own?"

He shrugged, "Hard to explain, but I knew you guys were up for it the second I met you."

"Do you read minds?"

"No, I can, but I don't. Even the nicest of people have a lot of thoughts that are best kept to themselves."

***

After an hour or so Steve made it inside the building, he couldn't even clearly decide why he came in. He just felt like he should. As he entered he noticed a man sitting in the center of the room, he had silver skin and at his back sat what looked like a surfboard to Steve that matched the man's skin.

The silver man once called the Silver Surfer looked straight to Steve, "There is one who has been touched directly by the power Cosmic among us today."

The room turned and suddenly all attention was on Steve as he looked on nervously. The Surfer stood and beckoned him to come forward. As Steve made it past the crowd he stepped down from his seat, "You are of Earth, correct?"

Steve nodded as the Surfer continued, "I myself frequented the world for a time, it is where I freed myself from the bondage of the Devourer of Worlds. I have not been back since the Iron curse over took the place though."

He looked to the others, "I shall return shortly."

He then directed Steve out a rear door, "I felt the arrival of the one known as the Traveler, he along with your friends are approaching now. I feel a great deal of worry in you."

Steve couldn't explain why but he instantly felt as if he could trust this man, "I'm just a bit weary from traveling."

The Surfer chuckled, "Ah, I had nearly forgotten the pride of the men of Earth. They would deny their pain while a sword still sticks in their backs."

Steve sighed and suddenly found himself pouring his heart out, "Last week I was a star quarterback, I had no worries beyond making it to the play offs, Then a god showed up and erased my whole life and left me with this."

He showed his hand engulfed in blue flame. The Surfer smiled, "Trust me, I know what that is like. And now you are uncertain, you fear your own flame and you fear what she would think if she knew how terrified you were."

Steve was stunned as the silver man spoke aloud what he'd been thinking for days, "How did you..."

"The power cosmic gives me sight well beyond what eyes can offer."

Steve suddenly had the nerve to ask, "Can we trust this Traveler guy?"

The Surfer chuckled again, "You can trust him to put you where you need to be, it may not be where you wish to be and he may not be completely honest getting you there but you can trust its where you belong."

The Surfer then walked a bit ahead of Steve who rushed a bit to catch up, "That wasn't a yes."

"Some questions are more complicated."

***

The group made it through the dense forest as they came upon the pilgrims. Casey looked around, "What's this all about?"

The Traveler looked over her shoulder, "Its a gathering of the Church of Cosmic Consciousness, the biggest religion in this particular galaxy. Five trillion members at least."

Mary chuckled, "Least we aren't the only world where people are a bit backward."

The Traveler gave her a wary look, "Bit weird coming from one of you considering absolute proof of this religion gave you super powers."

"Radiation gave us our powers."

"Yes, radiation that was a side effect of the Power Cosmic. Which is the primary driving force behind this religion, also there are about six million true believers here so I'd keep that disdain of religion to yourself."

She gave him a nervous look, "Are they violent?"

"No its just pretty damn rude to insult an entire culture while your in the center of it."

Casey turned back to her sister, "He's got a point."

They then went into the crowd and began asking around for Steve.

***

Steve sat cross legged on the ground as the Surfer gave some instruction, "You cannot control what you fear, understanding where the flame comes from will allow you to conquer that fear."

He sat across from Steve and opened a bit of his mind to him allowing Steve to see his understanding of the Power Cosmic and showing the effect it had on him. Steve felt heat building around him but the Surfer's thoughts kept him calm.

After nearly an hour in this state Steve awoke to find him self covered in flame as he calmly floated in the air. The Surfer's thoughts had left him but he felt more at peace than he had in days. The Surfer stood in front of him holding the small device they'd come here in search of. He handed it to Steve, "You must leave soon but take what you've learned here to heart and do whatever is in your power to build on it."

The Traveler came up with the rest. The Surfer gave him a polite nod as he passed. Steve placed the device in the Traveler's hand, "I assume we're moving on now?"

The Traveler gave a grin, "Just need to see where we're heading."

(To be continued)