In the universe, there existed unseen nations, invisible places, and people hidden from the human eye. They resided in another dimension yet shared the same sun. This world was called Constellnation. It consisted of 12 unique planets, known to Earthlings as the 12 zodiac signs.
Each planet had its own climate, environment, culture, and features, as well as something Earth did not possess—magic.
Constellarians were not born with magic. It was infused into them each month by the royal family during a sacred ritual with the divine stone, Solphire. Solphire radiated magic power like the sun giving energy to all, like fire bringing life to the world.
With this power, Constellarians were able to control natural elements aligned with their signs, transform their appearances accordingly, and wield distinctive powers unique to each sign. However, not everyone who received this power could perform magic. To master these abilities, they attended magic schools where they trained to harness and grew their powers.
An old song about Constellnations’ powers had been sung for centuries:
Aries breaks the chains of old,
Taurus forms with hands of gold.
Gemini clones in whispered tone,
Cancer shields what hearts call home.
With love and faith, the heart reveals,
The magic flows, the soul it heals.
Leo roars through hills and trees,
Virgo sees the world with ease.
Libra shifts where justice leans,
Scorpion taints with sharp routines.
If water mends, fire bold.
Earth reflects with steadfast grace,
Air unlocks both time and space.
Sagittarius shoots to distant skies,
Capricorn moves as mountains rise.
Aquarius pours the endless streams,
Pisces tricks with silver dreams.
When the world aligns,
Believe in love, your spirit's flight,
Together we wield the stars with guiding light.
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Today was Scorpion’s turn for its yearly sacred ritual ceremony. The Scorpio Planet was a humid, peculiar tropical rainforest with towering trees that blocked sunlight. Even during the day, the atmosphere remained dark and shadowy.
In the middle of this forest, a city was built to blend perfectly with nature. The buildings were made of smooth, dark stone, with tree roots and vines growing around and through them. They were tall and thin, shaped a little like twisting branches, with glowing windows that lit up the darkness.
At the highest point of the city, on top of a rocky hill, stood the palace. It looked like it had grown straight out of the stone, with tall towers reaching up like the claws of a scorpion.
Royal guards patrolled on the curved, river-like streets. Their boots clicked on the softly shimmering stones as if sprinkled with starlight.
The stage was set in front of the Scorpio palace's main gate, surrounded by dense trees. Yet the courtyard remained empty, only a few royal guards stood still and orderly around the stage, which was a meter above the ground and covered with a red carpet. It extended into a T-shape, allowing the Royals to approach the very tip and interact with the crowd.
At the sound of a horn, a few representatives of the interplanetary government entered the stage.
Thousands of individuals started to emerge from the hidden woods and gathered below the stage. From the waist up, they looked just like a human, with strong arms, sharp eyes, but from the waist down, their body was that of a giant, sleek scorpion, with eight legs that clicked softly against the ground as they moved. Some transformed into human forms, while others retained their half-human, half-scorpion appearances.
Among them, a particularly tall and muscular Scorpio young man gazed at Princess Starla, who was wearing a yellow dress that matched her sandy beige, short, curly hair falling to her neck, as she walked slowly onto the stage behind King Ari, Queen Anahita, and Prince Yernar.
The young man started applauding and everyone followed. One of his friends beside him asked, “Eryx, didn’t you help train the princess? Do you think she’ll control the Solphire stone today?”
Another friend joined the conversation. “I don’t think so. Traditionally, the Solphire is passed to the eldest heir at the age of 13 to strengthen the bond. But look, she’s already 16 and still looks like a child. She doesn’t seem ready, yay?”
Other Scorpio citizens overheard and turned their attention to Eryx, eagerly awaiting his response. Eryx didn’t want to reveal too much, as this was confidential. “The King and Queen will handle the Solphire this year,” he said lightly.
The crowd sighed.
“Isn’t the princess a Libra? Can she even do basic air magic? What has she been learning?” one person murmured.
“Maybe the prince is better, even though he’s only 10!” another scoffed.
“If the Queen didn’t break the Solphire, who cares who inherits it!” The comment drew some gasps, but no one dared to say anything.
“Why not just give the Solphire to me?” a young man joked. “I’m much better than her!”
The Scorpions began to clamor in discontent.
As the royals sat on the stage, Starla started yawning repeatedly. Since birth, she and her brother Yernar had to accompany their parents to move planet to planet and host ritual ceremonies every month. Sometimes, Starla entertained herself by teasing her brother. She once tricked him into believing the Prime Minister’s beard hid his favorite toy, urging him to tug on it, much to the minister’s embarrassment. Of course, she never succeeded, and the queen always saw through her mischief, scolding her afterward. Queen Anahita was a distant and strict Aquarius mother to her, she always urged Starla to behave. King Ari, on the other hand, was a kind Leo father. He didn’t put too much pressure on her. But he still hoped she’d master basic magic for self-protection and mature over time before inheriting the Solphire stone.
Half-human, half-scorpion Lord of Scorpio Planet—Lord Pluto, stepped onto the stage. Began his speech: "Welcome to the Annual Scorpion Ritual Ceremony..."
Starla yawned again. The repetitive nature of the ceremonies bored her endlessly. Same ritual, same speeches, and same expectations.
She glanced at her parents and then at the crowd below her. Their stares felt as sharp as dagger pointing at her, each gaze a reminder of her failure.
She was good at morality, history, theory, and other knowledge-based classes, but when it came to actually performing magic? No matter how many lessons she attended or how many tutors taught her, she still couldn’t wield much magic. There were moments when her magic worked, but they were rare and unpredictable.
Am I not talented? Why is my magic so weak when my ancestors were so strong? Am I really the daughter of my parents? What’s wrong with me? What if I fail to use it after inheriting the Solphire?
She needed practice, but perhaps she had ADHD, or maybe it was her lack of confidence, practicing magic felt as difficult as climbing a mountain.
As she kept thinking, a knot formed in her belly, but she quickly shifted her mood to mask her insecurity with another yawn. She even synced her lips as the Lord was speaking. That made Yernar laugh. And that was also why he liked his sister so much. She had endless ideas to make boring things fun. As a Leo, Yernar loved to protect and provide what his sister wanted even though she made fun of him all the time.
The ritual began. Draped in a red cape with golden trims and holding a scepter, King Ari, with his gray-white beard, and Queen Anahita, with her elegant dark hair, stepped solemnly onto the stage.
The crowd quieted instantly. The queen closed her eyes and casted a spell. The Solphire pendant around her neck began to float and emit a radiant glow.
As the light grew brighter, the King extended his scepter toward the crystal. The glow intensified, expanding outward to cover the entire Scorpio Planet.
The Scorpions felt their strength surge. Some tested their power by generating electricity with their hands, others unleashed venom from their scorpion tails, and some shifted rapidly between human and half-scorpion forms.
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As the ritual completed, the King and Queen waved to the cheering people.
At that time, an old scorpion woman emerged from the crowd, her appearance so gloomy and grave that immediately captured their attention. She came close to the stage.
Her voice came out, sharp and prophetic, “The threshold left unclosed in the past shall bring the fall of all.”
Before they could react, she vanished as swiftly as she had appeared.
The King glanced at Anahita, who tried to appear calm, but her worried expression revealed that the prophecy had awakened a long-forgotten fear within her.
Meanwhile, Starla couldn’t wait for the ceremony to end. Before it concluded, she sneaked away through the dim forest to her favorite place—the library.
The library was filled with specimens of various creatures' dissections, many with their eyes open, as if they had been watching you walk back and forth. She wandered among the shelves, scanning genres: detective novels, thrillers, unsolved mysteries, biology, anatomy, psychology, divination, and magic. Scorpions loved all these subjects! She thought. But her favorite was the small travel section tucked at the back.
Starla loved traveling, exploring new things and experiences—it was her happiest pursuit. In contrast, inheriting the throne felt monotonous and burdensome. “Just let Yernar take it over! Why force me?” She often complained to her parents.
Standing before the travel section, she began counting the books she hadn’t read. Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn... Earth? Earth? Where is that? She flipped through the book in curiosity when Eryx suddenly grabbed her by the collar.
“Princess Starla! I knew you’d run off to the library again!” he scolded.
Starla grinned mischievously. “I was so bored! You know how dull my life is, and I never get to explore like you. Plus, Scorpio Planet is nothing like Aquarius’s high-tech wonders. What else can I do?”
“I understand, but you know I’m responsible for training you. Tell me, how am I supposed to explain your poor magic performance if you keep running off?” Eryx said sternly. Deep down, he knew she had potential. Raw, untamed, and creative traits always make a great person, and what’s more important, she carries the royal blood. She just needed more guidance and practice.
“No, no, look! I’ve improved!” Starla closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and made a book levitate briefly before it fell back down.
“See? You’re coming back with me!” Eryx grabbed her collar again, but Starla resisted, flailing her limbs. A loud crash echoed, followed by a series of sharp, successive sounds. One after another, the other shelves toppled over, scattering books everywhere!
Guards rushed in to see what happened. Starla and Eryx reassured them and began cleaning up. While picking up a book, a photo slipped out.
“Wow, it’s Mother!” Starla exclaimed, examining the photo.
Eryx leaned in, surprised. “Is that the Queen when she was young? Who are these people?”
Starla shook her head. “I don’t recognize them. They’re not family.” She looked into the photo, curious. Beside the queen stood a young man, around 25, and an older man and woman, both about 50.
“I’ve never seen Mother look so happy.” Starla murmured, feeling a tinge of jealousy. Since childhood, she’d sensed her mother’s love but also noticed her frequent absentmindedness and heavy-hearted look. Seeing her mother so carefree in the photo created a stark contrast, leaving Starla questioning how well she knew her.
“Look at her belly. Was she pregnant with you?” Eryx asked.
“Maybe! And that necklace…is it Solphire? It’s the whole Solphire!” Starla replied. Their curiosity intrigued, they continued examining the photo like detectives.
Just then, Anahita entered. Seeing the toppled shelves, she was startled. “What happened here?”
“Your Majesty,” Eryx bowed. “We had a small accident…”
“Mother, who is this?” Starla handed her the photo.
Anahita’s eyes widened and she gasped, her mind rushing again at the old woman’s prophecy, thinking to herself that this couldn’t be a coincidence. “Where did you find this? No one can know about this…” she quickly snatched the photo from Starla’s hands.
The light dimmed for a second, and almost as if the tension was manifesting, the ground started to tremble slowly. Anahita looked up, her eyes showing a primal fear, as an animal whose instinct sensed an incoming danger.
“I’m sorry, Mother. It just came out of the books.” Starla was shocked that her mother was so upset just because of a photo.
But Anahita seemed to have forgotten about the photo as she put it away and glanced out of the window. “Something is happening…” she whispered, her voice trembling.
It was at that moment everything changed.
Books they had just organized began to shake and tumble off.
The sky darkened, plunging the library into deep shadow. Everyone craned their necks to look out.
A loud, crackling sound tore the air, as if the fabric of the sky had been ripped apart by a giant claw. The sound reverberated with a force that made the ground and the walls tremble like an earthquake.
It was thunder, but not one of the storm kind. It had a metallic and heavy timbre, like the one the hull of a giant ship falling from the sky would make.
And from dark clouds that engulfed the sky, ships started indeed to appear, materializing in bursts of lightning and explosions.
The sound of electric blasts, screams, and gunfire followed, and smokes filled the air.
Eryx shielded Starla as guards rushed forward to protect them. Starla screamed, but her mother silenced her, covering her mouth. Eryx placed his hands over her ears as chaos erupted around them.
Anahita repeatedly pressed the earring phone on her ear, trying to contact the King, but there was no response. With two guards by her side, she cautiously approached the door and peeked outside, only to see smoke and flashes of light. Through the haze, she saw some of the guards transformed into half-human, half-scorpion forms. They swiftly shot venom from their tails while using their hands to discharge electric shocks at an unknown enemy force that descended from the ships. However, these attacks seemed to bounce back, injuring the guards with their own venom and electricity. In response, flashes of gunfire emerged from the smoke, as rounds were fired relentlessly, causing the defenders to retreat.
When the smoke started to dissipate, dark silhouettes began to take shape, and the enemy troops emerged. They were wearing black armors and their faces were completely hidden behind sleek, reflective helmets. But on the front of their helmets was a circular snake emblem. Anahita’s eyes filled with terror as her fears turned into reality. She confirmed her suspicion, "It’s the Earthlings."
As if understanding something, Anahita thought for a moment before striding to Starla. She removed Starla’s earring phone and data bracelet, then took off the Solphire necklace from her own neck. With a dagger, she made a small cut on Starla’s palm, pressing the bleeding hand against the Solphire while chanting softly. When the ritual was complete, she hung the necklace around Starla’s neck.
"Starla, the Solphire has now been passed on to you…"
"No! Why?!" Starla shouted, shaking her head in disbelief.
Anahita embraced her daughter. "Don’t worry, Solphire will protect you! You have to trust it." She kissed Starla on the cheek before looking up at Eryx. "I need to find Yernar and Ari. Eryx, can you escort Starla to her uncles in Pisces? Can I trust you with this?"
Eryx nodded. "I’ll clear the path for her to escape," he said firmly. But as the ground shook and the ceiling began to crumble, his chest tightened. He had faced countless dangers before, but this was different. This was an actual war, against beings called Earthlings that he knew nothing about. Could he get her out safely? She was more than a princess—she was his responsibility, his best friend, and, though he’d never admit it, someone he deeply cared for. But there was no time to doubt himself. He had to succeed, no matter the cost.
Starla was overwhelmed, unable to process what was happening. Was this a dream? The deafening gunfire and explosions felt too real. Worry for her mother, Eryx, and herself swirled in her mind, and tears began to fall down her face.
Anahita gently wiped Starla’s tears. "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. We’ll meet at your uncles’." She took a deep breath and turned to the guards to strategize how to distract the enemy so Starla and Eryx could escape the Scorpio Planet.
"I know of a secret passageway out of the palace," Eryx said. "There’s a small spaceship parked nearby. We can take it to leave, but the passage is in the alley by the opposite building."
To buy time for Starla and Eryx to escape to the spaceship, Anahita stepped out of the library. Stretching out her hands, she materialised streams of water shaping into bubbles that inglobated into larger bubbles, engulfing several enemy soldiers at once. But within seconds, the bubbles trapping the soldiers popped. To Anahita’s shock, the soldiers started shooting bubbles back at her. Anahita and the guards almost got hit, but with great reflexes, she managed to par the attack, dissolving the bubbles into microscopic droplets.
Before they could recover from the surprise attack, the soldiers pointed their guns and started firing at them. Quick as lightning, she aimed the magic at the bullets instead, creating a huge bubble that trapped the flying ammunition mid-air, granting them an opportunity to flee.
"Go!" Anahita shouted at Starla and Eryx.
Starla, paralyzed by the scene unfolding before her, trembled uncontrollably. Her mind went blank. The chaos of gunfire and magic overwhelmed her. Although she had practiced spells for offense and defense, she had never imagined having to use them in real combat. The acrid smoke choked her, the cacophony of explosions, gunfire, and agonized screams made her ears ring.
Eryx glanced at Starla’s pale face. He knew there was strength in her, even if she didn’t see it yet. “You will make it, Princess. I’ll protect you!” He transformed his lower body into that of a scorpion.
"Move!" Anahita yelled as she unleashed another spell.
Eryx tugged at Starla’s hand, snapping her out of her daze. He lifted Starla onto his back. With a wave of his arm, he created a translucent shell that shielded them from enemy fire.
Amid the chaos, Starla noticed an Earthling standing in a distance, staring directly at her. The Solphire necklace around her neck began to emit a faint glow, but she had no time to dwell on it.
Together, they reached the narrow alley.
Eryx returned to his human form and led Starla to a vent, ripping off the iron bars so they could crawl into the small passageway.
As they crawled through the dark, dust-filled tunnel, Starla sobbed quietly. She was terrified of the darkness and the confining space.
She wanted to give up, to curl up in a corner and cry. But she knew that stopping would mean putting her and Eryx in danger. She couldn’t stop.
How much longer? she thought desperately. When would this nightmare end?
At last, they emerged from the passageway. The sky was dark, but the distant sounds of war still echoed.
They climbed into the small spaceship. The engine roared to life, and the ship began to ascend. As they left Scorpio's atmosphere, Starla looked back at the Planet, now shrouded in darkness.
Enemies’ battleships swarmed the skies, with only flashes of lightning, flames, and smoke piercing the gloom.
Suddenly, a loud boom rocked the spaceship. “They hit us!” Eryx exclaimed, and the ship began to shake violently, the course was veering off. An alarm blared through the cabin: “Warning! Evacuate to escape pods now.”
To Be Continued…
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Acknowledgments
A special thanks to my beloved Giulio D’Alessandro for his incredible editing and writing skills, support and guidance in refining this story.