The crowd within the theatre sounds out their applause and cheers, deafening most all else. Beside me are my companions, half of them keeping the suspicious gray uniformed individuals in sight, the other half keeping an eye on the rest of the crowd around us, watching for any sign of a surprise attack. But none of that is within the tumultuous currents of my mind.

What the hell? Ultima Star my ass, unless I'm grossly mistaken that would be a sun you're talking about. Ever since I've arrived in this world I've taken it as more or less of a given that this world has no solar bodies, no sun nor moon. But now you're telling me there in fact was one, far in the past? And it was magically split into more stars?

Either the rules that govern this universe are unfathomably different from those that I'm accustomed to or there's some sort of grand bullshittery going on here, because it is fundamentally ridiculous to think that a single star could simply be broken into hundreds of smaller stars and retain any semblance of its former energy.

It also fails to explain the persistent day and night cycle that remains even after the destruction of a sun. I haven't really given it much thought before, but the unusual circumstances of this world's diurnal cycle plus the insane implications of this story throw almost everything I'd taken as given about celestial bodies out the window.

Perhaps the most infuriating thing is that there's absolutely zero knowledge about such things from what I've seen in the library, meaning even if I wanted to pursue this infuriatingly huge mystery I'd have no starting point and nobody to fleece information from. As maddening as it is to leave such a fundamental question unsolved, there's simply nothing I can do to seek this truth.

I take a deep breath to try and steady myself. The question of celestial bodies aside, there was more in Isao's story that struck a chord in me.

The Heavens. Elsaria's journal also mentioned it, but I'd honestly taken it in stride as nothing more than the delusions of a madman. And yet here it's mentioned again. I find it difficult to simply dismiss the idea that such a concept would simply happen to coincide in two very different tales. If the kingdom in Isao's tale in fact existed several hundred years before the dawn of the dwarven empire then it seems unlikely that The Heavens spoken of in both were a simple fable in the old kingdom.

If I assume that The Heavens refers to something substantial, something more than a fable or the ravings of a madman, then I have to wonder what they truly are. While the potential revelations of this world's celestial bodies makes me loathe to apply my old world knowledge to this world, I don't have any other information to form conjecture on.

The word 'Heaven' primarily brings back memories of a few earth religions. First, in Catholic and several other cultures heaven is thought to be the land of their respective God. Second, ancient Norse and Greek mythology usually had heavenly spaces that were similarly the dominions of their respective pantheon of Gods. Third, while I'm not well versed on it, I believe Chinese mythology had some rather key concepts related to heaven. If I'm not mistaken I think they viewed the heavens as more of an omnipotent force that guided them, though I never looked much into the subject.

The first is easy to rule out. If it was believed that Bymos resides in some mystical realm beyond the clouds I don't think the church would make it possible for me, who spent a month around a devout priest, able to miss that little detail. The second can be ruled out equally easily, or perhaps even easier.

That just leaves the third. While I find the notion of an omniscient force presiding over all creation and karma to be absurdly ridiculous, I don't have any other reasonable idea of what 'The Heavens' are.

I rub my eyes, trying to clear both topics from my head. Both The Heavens and the matter of this world potentially having once had a sun are incredibly vexing enigmas. Unfortunately, both of them are so buried in history that there's almost no real way to investigate either in my current situation.

Almost none. The matter of the sun aside, there happens to be one person who conceivably might know more about The Heavens. It's a good thing I'll be able to talk to him immediately after this show wraps up.

Soon enough the metaphorical curtain does close, and the attendees begin filing out of the theatre. Luckily, the two we marked as suspicious also turn and leave without incident. No hidden threats pop out from the shadows either. If I look at the situation objectively in hindsight, it's almost unbelievable that Llieg didn't try to make a move during the performance. If he was able to locate me during an unplanned and unsupervised excursion there's no way he isn't tracking our movements from the shadows of the festival. Which makes it strange that he didn't make his move.

In truth, I had almost wished for it, sinful though that thought may have been. If he had tried to make a move during the performance I'm sure both we and Isao himself would have been able to handily suppress and defeat him. The crowd likely would have gotten caught in the crossfire, but still…

Maybe it says something about me that I'd prioritize personal revenge over the lives of the innocent. No, this is something I've known for a long time. Justice is something only the righteous have the right to pursue.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Once most of the regular attendees have vacated Albatos says to the group, "Alright, time to leave. Now that we've done what we set out to do it's time to return to the manor. There's no point lingering outside when it'll just expose us to further risk."

"Wait," I say. Albatos gives me a look as though I'm a week old fish left in the hot sun. I suppose he's still cross over me basically forcing us into attending when he wanted to back out, "I'd like to ask Isao a few quick questions. It shouldn't take long since he should still be around."

Albatos opens his mouth, seeming intent on outright denying me before he stops himself and thinks for a moment. "Fine," He finally says, "We could see if he's willing to accompany us back as well. Our time spent sitting here has left room for all manner of ambushes to be set, so we could do with the extra set of hands should it come to it."

We make our way over to the stage and simply hop on up to it before making our way backstage. The manager tries to stop us but is quickly intimidated into submission by the look of the six armed people before him. With a meek smile, he tells us Isao stepped out for air and points to a door.

Stepping outside, I see Isao standing alone in the middle of the surprisingly spacious alley behind the theatre. He seems to simply be standing and taking the slightly musty air in while gazing toward the treetops.

"Hey Isao," I say as I walk over to him.

With a bit of a start, he notices me and gives a slightly sheepish smile as he greets me back, "Hello there, Stein. I wasn't expecting to see you again till later. Did you enjoy the performance?"

"I did. I was wondering if I could perhaps ask for more details about something that grabbed my attention."

"Hm. That may be difficult, as there's very little else I can tell you about the society that gave birth to that particular fable."

"I'm not curious about the people or places mentioned within the story, so much as something… grander, I suppose you could say. I ran across something similar in another piece of text and was wondering if perhaps you'd have run across it in more pieces of ancient literature."

"Very well. I'm expecting company briefly, but I could never turn away such earnest curiosity of the past."

Company?

"I was wondering whether you've run into more literature about what exactly 'The Heavens" are. I happened to stumble upon the term in a book that dated back to The Summoning."

"My, I hadn't taken you to be one to delve into such ancient writing. It's quite nice to find a kindred spirit. Although, it may be better if you save that question a minute or two, as the ones who I'm expecting should be much more versed in the subject than I." He turns his gaze towards the end of the alley.

As if on cue the two figures draped in gray uniforms from before turn into the alley and start striding towards us.

"You see," Isao says as they approach, "While I've run across the term several times myself, I haven't been able to discern the true nature of what the ancients called 'The Heavens' either. I have, however, found multiple mentions of those who are in communion with, or the servants of, The Heavens. The reports I've stumbled upon have always had different interpretations of their purpose, but the description of the envoy remained consistent across time periods and culture."

"Envoys?"

"Yes, though the most common name I've come across for those like them is Those Who Follow The Heavens."

"You're well learned indeed, apex." The uniformed man speaks out as he stops in front of us. I feel my comrades behind me tense up, readying themselves for a fight, should it come to it. Now that I get a better look at him I see his complexion is that of a man maybe in his late twenties, but with gray hair to match his uniform. A bodybuilder's muscles ripple beneath the cloth, the uniform seeming to strain to hold itself together against the man's bulk. His walk is cumbersome and uneven, like a man

The woman at his side couldn't be more different, her lithe form and blonde hair setting her apart from the man at her side. Her eyes are far sharper than those of her compatriot, but contain a hint of hesitation.

"Apex? The name is Isao. Mind if I ask what business you have with me? To be frank, the involvement of your ilk has rarely resulted in fortuitous tidings, from what literature I've found."

"You're well read indeed, to have even found much on us. From what I understand, we stopped involving ourselves in the dealings of this realm several centuries ago, when it was determined that you lot are nothing but troublemakers."

Isao frowns, "You make it sound like you don't have a very good grasp on your own policy."

The man makes a dismissive gesture, "My task today isn't usually one that would fall to me, and I am not as well versed in the protocols and procedures of this land."

"Whatever the case, you still haven't answered my question."

"Ah yes, my apologies. While knowledge seekers are generally accepted, it becomes an issue when one may have gotten too close to… certain truths."

"And I suppose my little tale today drew a bit too close to the fire, did it?"

"Mmm, not quite. Though those events certainly were momentous in shaping this world, they hold no true danger. Nay, what's concerning is your skill itself. That a member of such a short lived species should have the capabilities to delve that far into the past opens up rather annoying possibilities of what might also be found. So while you are not explicitly guilty of anything at this moment, I have decided that the inherent risk of you going to or having discovered something that should remain hidden is great enough to compel me to take action. I'm sorry, but I'll be taking your life today," He finishes without a hint of remorse in his eyes.

Ah. I forgot the most important and likely possibility of the true identity of The Heavens. If I dissociate the term with the divine I can reasonably assume it refers not to Gods, but a group of people. Individuals with enough influence and power to compel a sister to murder her brother rather than draw their ire.

More than that, is it possible? Could there be those with power great enough to shatter a star?