???

Two days before the attack on Iolite

Lucia woke up hours before the first light of dawn, beside her was Ian, fast asleep. As she raised her hand, little shadows materialized beside her.

Out of nowhere, Ian’s heart raced continually, its pounding rhythm reverberating through his entire body. His two eyes sprung open, surprised by the sudden attack. Something was grabbing him by his heart, crushing it. His breaths came in brief gasps, struggling to keep up with the relentless pace of his heart. He could feel the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, heightening his senses and sharpening his focus. But as the surrounding bindings tightened, it felt like they were squeezing the very life out of him. His chest constricted painfully, threatening to crush his ribs.

As Ian gasped for air, the pain continued to ravage his body. Breathing in deeper only made it worse. The will to survive was slipping away as his vision blurred and his eyelids grew heavy. His consciousness was slipping into the void, the darkness calling out to him. Something was pulling him away from reality.

“Ian! What’s this spell? …memory modification?” Lucia’s voice was muffled in the air.

Memory? No, he doesn’t want to forget anything.

A muffled voice went on beside him, “By the Light of Horus, divine and pure, grant me the power to remove this curse. Severe the shackles that bind him. Let the darkness depart from his flesh and his soul be free. Dispel!”

As the darkness lifted from Ian’s body, he felt his spirit ascend, returning to reality. He sat up with haste, observing the glistening tears in Lucia’s eyes, and offered a weak smile. Fairies were such emotional beings.

“Do you remember who I am?” Lucia asked, quickly rubbing her tears away.

“I suppose,” Ian chuckled. But a sudden weariness overtook him.

Lucia looked away. “How about a thank you for saving your memories?”

Ian just smiled from ear to ear, expressing his heartfelt gratitude. “Thank you!”

“How weird, you were targeted for your memories. That means you don’t have amnesia. Someone, or something, cast a very powerful memory modification spell on you."

Ian examined his body, he couldn't see anything.

"The link of magic is still there. It's faintly attached to you."

“But, why me? I’m sure it’s easier to kill me than to erase my memories.” Ian asked.

Lucia shook her head lightly and said, “I’m not sure."

Lucia took a look at Ian, his cold sweat was gone, and seemed to be full of energy. He should be fine now. She gently placed her hand on his forehead, peering closer into his eyes.

"Your temperature is slightly high. Rest, I will keep watch,” Lucia said, looking out of the window.

He then fell into a long slumber and woke up to the warmth around him, with his muscles aching in fatigue. Slowly getting up from the floor, he gave a slight cough, as the air was thick with dust and cobwebs. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet. The walls were made of old wood, and old furniture was scattered around the room, covered in a thick layer of grime. A musty smell hung in the air, and the sound of rodents scurrying could be heard in the distance.

“You’re finally awake,” Lucia said, entering the room. Lucia sighed, placing an apple and a loaf of bread on the table. “Here, I ate my portion. This is yours.”

“The chaos dungeon… Where are we?” Ian said, feeling fuzzy from sleep. He looked around his hands and legs, the blue bindings were gone.

“We’re just outside the Qudrotish empire, in the town of Cajun,” Lucia explained, looking out to the window.

“So, we’re still in the continent of Golodh?”

Lucia nodded, “We are further south beyond the borders of the Qudrotish Empire. And look over there.”

Lucia pointed out of the window towards the towering mountains. “There are the bordering mountains there, the Arid Peaks. You would reach the desert after crossing those mountains in about a few days’ journeys. There is a clan war on going there now. So, now is a good time more than ever to hide low there.”

Ian sat obediently and nodded. "Why do you need to hide?"

"I just want to take an unannounced leave. It will be for a while, maybe a century or two."

"A century? Don't you need to go back to your country?" Ian asked.

"It’s alright. My brother is there, he loves to handle affairs like these. With this curse, I can't go back to Iolite."

“Even with the artifact?”

“If I am found out, things won’t be pretty for me. Unless Iolite is in the brink of destruction, maybe I’ll go back. What are you going to do now? You can’t go back to Luna Monolith.” Lucia asked.

"Tag along with you,” Ian said.

"Who, me? You're weak! I can't be there to protect you all the time."

"Then I will learn how to fight," Ian said with a small determination on his face.

"Don't make it sound so easy!"

"Then, Princess, you should just teach me."

"You're so hopeless! Urgh! So infuriating! Just stay in some human village."

"I don’t want to. I saved your life with the amulet. You need a human to remove the curse from your amulet. I know about your curse."

"It's dangerous for you and you can't fly!"

"I can carry all your luggage," Ian offered, hoping to convince the princess to let him tag along. Lucia hesitated, realizing that she had been so used to traveling with Hilda that she had forgotten about her luggage. The princess fell silent, considering Ian's offer.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"All of it." Lucia said firmly.

"Yup." Ian said, his lips curled to a smile.

Ian noticed a glow from her pocket. “Is your skirt supposed to light up?” Ian asked.

Lucia fished the Eminus from her pocket, “It’s Hilda, my attendant.”.

Seeing that the Princess went to attend to her own matters, Ian wanted to try to call out for the power of stars. Walking around the building, Ian found a dark space, shaded by the towering cupboards. Settling into a comfortable seated position with crossed legs, he closed his eyes and focused on picturing the constellations in his mind.

The next time he opened his eyes, he found himself in the vast ocean of the cosmos, suspended in the air. Glad that worked. He noticed above him, there was a constellation for Taurus and Orion, and below him, there were the constellations of Caelum, Dorado, Lepus, and Mensa.

For a brief period, he expected to hear the same chorus of voices speaking to him. Giving him instructions. But there was nothing but silence.

“Hello? I’m here because I have no idea what else to do.” Ian’s voice trailed off to the vast unknown, not sure if anyone was there.

“Should I go? Because I do have a lot of questions.” Ian softly muttered this time. He felt like he had rotated about a circle by now, looking up to the constellation of Caelum.

“Feel free to ask, young one. The constellation observes everything as a whole. Our appearance and disappearance follow the monthly cycle.” An older child's voice rang out across the sky.

Ian questioned again, “By the month? So if I ask you something that happened in the last few months, you wouldn’t know what happened?”

“No,” The voices answered in unison.

“Then, why did you say that I wished to forget my memories?”

The different voices spoke in one consecutive breath without pauses. “I don’t know.” “No.” “I didn’t say that.” “No, don’t look at me, I’m just a mountain.” “I’m just a brush.”

“Then, do you know which constellation said that?” Ian asked again, very confused.

“Pyxis or Virgo?” “Phoenix knows too.” “But we can’t talk to the other constellations.” “Shut up Lepus, he doesn’t know that.” “Now he knows.”

Ian shrugged, “So you don’t know anything about my memories?”

“No,” The voices replied adorably.

“Does that mean it didn’t happen in this month?” Ian asked.

“Aw, he wasn’t as smart as the previous one.” “He has amnesia.” “Yeah, don’t you have sympathy?” “I do.” “No one cares, Lepus.”

Ian then heard the voice he heard before, booming through the cosmos. “Silence! It’s been ages since our last contact with Axtral. I won’t have you make a fool of yourselves.”

The other voices hushed each other. After a brief moment of silence, the voice continued to explain.

“Yes, child. Every month, the constellations shift and change. The strength and energy you can harness from the cosmos depend on your location in Axtral and which stars are in the skies that month. The further north you go, the stronger your link to the northern constellations. Same for the south.”

“What if I was at the equator?” Ian asked.

“Both the northern and southern constellations could be accessed, but the connection would be weaker compared to before.”

“In ancient times, it was the duty of your ancestors to devote their lives to studying the intricacies of each constellation, honing their skills for years to harness the power of the stars. You’re small and feeble in comparison. Those bindings you possess are powerful artifacts designed to assist you.”

“My ancestors? Does this mean that anyone can harness this power?” Ian asked.

“In your age, humans are incapable of using magic, because the trees of wisdom have been uprooted or destroyed. If you plant the tree in the place where it once belonged, then all beings of humans are capable of harnessing magic through practice. The first step to activate the power is to complete the circuit by joining your palms together. Then, the rest should be straightforward.”

Ian was at a loss for words, feeling a lump form in his throat. The unease he felt when Guru Adrastos said that humans were incapable of using magic resurfaced. They needed the Trees of Wisdom to wield magic. Why were the trees destroyed?

“Bring the Trees of Wisdom to their rightful place and protect it. Remember Ian, you have to move time forward.”

“Move time forward? Wait, I don't understand! Why did you pick me?” Ian asked, reaching his arm out.

Before he could finish his question, a sudden shift in the fabric of reality jolted Ian back to the abandoned building. Slowly, he opened his eyes and beheld the faint glow of the sun illuminating the dusty floorboards.

"They kicked me out."

As Ian focused on the constellations, the familiar light blue cuffs materialized on his wrists and ankles. With a sense of excitement, he brought his palms together, expecting a cosmic artifact to appear between them. But to his dismay, nothing happened. He waited patiently, hoping for a sign, but the silence of the abandoned building was deafening.

“Things are about to appear any moment now,” Ian said with a hint of anticipation. Suddenly, he felt a strange resistance as he tried to pull his hands apart. It was as if his palms were glued together, refusing to be separated. Ian furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering what was happening to him.

As he pulled his hands away from each other, a faint vibration in the air stirred up the molecules around him. Suddenly, a star-shaped artifact, the same colour as the cuffs, materialized between his palms. It hung suspended in mid-air, hollow inside, and resembling the vastness of the cosmos he had seen earlier.

“Whoa,” Ian gasped.

As he gazed into the cosmos, Ian noticed that the constellations he had observed before were dimly lit, except for Taurus and Lepus. Using the star-shaped artifact, he extended his focus towards Taurus. As he delved deeper into the constellation, a short sentence appeared before him: "Act of toughness: 2/50".

As he shifted his attention to Lepus, he found the instructions written: “Distance travelled: 283 km/10,000 km”. Interestingly, some constellations didn't have any prerequisites, such as Caelum or Pictor.

Ian raised his eyebrow, “What do you mean the rest is straightforward? What am I supposed to do here?”

While holding the star open, he muttered a few spell incantations. Or at least he thought he did.

“Lepus. Taurus. By the power of stars, I summon thee! Please come to my aide!” Ian said, getting frustrated that nothing was happening. Perhaps he was too close to the equator, the power wasn’t strong enough. He closed his palm back, making the artifact disappear.

He walked out, searching for the Princess. “Princess?” He called out. There, he found the Princess on her knees, holding an Eminus on her hand.

“What’s wrong?” Ian asked, running to her side.

“My sister was kidnapped by someone. I need to go back and find her.” Lucia replied.

“You just said that you can’t go back with the curse. Leave it to your parents.”

“Do I have to repeat myself? I said my sister been kidnapped!” Lucia said with full fury. Ian was startled by the sudden outburst, jolting backwards.

“Sorry, but I have to leave.”

“I’ll follow you—”

“No, stay here and stay away from this. Go to the Town of Cajun and settle down. I will be back.” Lucia said, flying above and beyond the clouds.

Ian watched as Lucia whizzed past the clouds. “Now what can I do to follow her?”

“Silly boy, just use the power of the stars,” a feminine voice replied, with a seductive tone.

Ian chuckled, “As if I know how to do that.”

“Now you can’t summon them, but eventually you will be able to. At your level, the constellations will help you if they feel like it.”

Ian nodded in agreement, “Yeah sure, that made sense.” Wait, who was he talking to?

Ian was startled by a soft rustling sound behind him. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with an elf. Her blood-red skin and sleek raven hair braided neatly to one side, caught his attention immediately. Two small black horns protruded from her forehead. She was standing motionless, gazing up at the sky with a serene expression on her face.

“Who are you?”