After Captain Roth summoned the image of Arbor Vitae, the sick bay around them continued to change. Where the motes of starlight filled the area nearby, the background faded further into darkness.

Adrian turned his head in awe as the still lit candles stopped providing their warm glow, the light retreating into the flame like a giant stone tortoise into its shell.

Then, when the roof above him was completely replaced with darkness, more sparks popped into existence. They were much smaller and more distant, as if he truly was looking far up into the night sky. One by one they showed up, filling out the images of countless Constellations. Some he knew, many he did not, so he looked back down to Roth, who was also enjoying the sight.

“It never gets old seeing this,” she said calmly, with a warm hint of nostalgia. “When I was a little girl and first formed my bond with Vitae, I used to call upon his idol dozens of times a day just to look at the Constellations.”

The tree behind her shook its luminous branches together, rustling against the Captain’s long black hair which caused her to chuckle. She lifted a green hand to rub the illusory wood.

“Don’t worry, Vitae, I remember. No more using you as a show, I promise. You know how much you mean to me.”

With that, she looked back to him. “So, Adrian, I’m sure you have dreamed of this moment for a long time. Do you have a Constellation in mind that you’d like to reach out to? I doubt there are many that would refuse a young half-elf like you.”

Adrian was still caught staring with glittering eyes at the performance before him. Dorsey sometimes liked to reminisce about the bond that he lost when he retired to land, and the many pirates he met around town always bragged about speaking with their Constellations, but to see an actual Captain call down their image almost never happened. To see a real, living one brought down like this was a humbling experience to him.

“Well, I have thought about it, sure. But how does it work? Do I just call to them and hope they answer?”

The Captain nodded her head in response. “Vitae is here to provide the channel for you to communicate. All you need is to speak a name and they will respond if they so choose. Old tongue, Common tongue, or even their living name if you happen to know who they were in life, any will do.”

Adrian mentally ran down the list of every Constellation he knew. Just to test it out, he started with the first that came to mind.

“Then how about my mate Dorsey’s old bond, Gladius Fracto.”

Upon saying the name of The Shattered Blade, a strand of light appeared, stretching from Adrian’s chest up into the sky above before angling off toward one specific star. The two waited silently for half a minute but no reaction came. Eventually, the light faded to nothing.

The Captain furrowed her eyebrows. “Again.”

Adrian nodded and went on, his heel tapping nervously on the deck. He really hadn’t expected to be turned away at the first step like that. “The Brass Spyglass…The Seventh Son… Draco Submersionis…”

Name after name came out along with more and more lights, but there was nothing. All of the lights faded without a response. Adrian’s heart sunk deeper with every passing second, but the Captain just looked baffled at this point.

“What in the bloody Depths is happening here?” She finally exclaimed after nearly twenty different Constellations had refused to answer his call.

“I don’t know either.” Adrian said weakly. “I don’t know any more Constellations to ask.”

Roth tapped the side of her head in careful thought. “Hmm… Well, I have never heard of a new sailor being rejected by so many Constellations, but we do at least have a backup plan. Say the name of old Vitae here, he would never…”

She paused for a moment as if listening to something before turning back to the Constellation looming behind her. “You refuse him outright?” She asked in confusion. “Why do that? You offered bonds to the rest of the crew, did you not?”

Watching the one-sided conversation go on, it felt like a massive wave was crashing onto Adrian’s head, washing away all of his previous excitement. Had he done something wrong?

She turned back to him with a strange look on her face. “Adrian, do me a favor and summon your contract. All you need do is picture it in your mind and it will appear.”

“Um, r-right…” Adrian thought for a moment and only a second later a rolled up piece of parchment appeared in the air in front of his face before quickly unfurling itself. He jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance, looking over the floating contract. Reading it, he realized its contents were much different than they had been before.

Captain System Contract of Bondage

Name - Adrian

Age - 11

Race - Human/Elf

Captain - Narazenna Roth

Ship - The Good Ship Galaya

Position - Boatswain

Bonded Constellation - N/A

Abilities

Wraith Steps

Boons

Blessing of Diadema Stellarum

Please note that until a bond is formed, any additional aspects of the Captain System will remain unavailable.

Below that was the handwritten text that the Captain had penned earlier with the terms of the contract.

Skimming through it, Adrian’s eyes were immediately drawn to the last two sections.

“Uh, Captain… Am I supposed to have an Ability and a Boon already?”

Captain Roth’s eyes widened, looking over Adrian top to bottom like a strange new creature. Then she started laughing uproariously.

“Well sail me into the rocks! That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I thought Vitae was messing with me when he said you’d already been chosen.” She clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Abilities, sure, every so often a new sailor will awaken one before bonding, but a Boon? What Constellation would give a Boon to an unbonded child? I must have the luckiest Boatswain on the Oversea.” She started laughing again, wiping tears from her eyes.

‘Already chosen?’

“T-tell me, boy,” she managed to get out between breaths. “What Boon have you received?”

Adrian looked back over his contract once more. “It says ‘Blessing of Diadema Stellarum,’ but I’ve never even heard of them before. Have you, Captain?” He asked.

Before she could respond, a familiar strand of light sprang out of his chest once again, launching up into the sea of stars. Unlike the earlier attempts, this one found its target instantly. When it reached the speck of light it was searching for, it took on a bright purple-blue hue.

The beautiful lilting notes of a girl’s humming filled the room. It was light and cheerful, pulling Adrian into the tune like he was floating in a calm wave on the beach. He closed his eyes without realizing, falling into the comfortable tones of her voice.

A warm pressure pushed against his back and Adrian lay into it, feeling two thin arms reaching over his shoulders to hold him in a tight embrace while a woman’s breathy whisper brushed past his ear.

“You’re going to be okay now, Adrian. I know what it feels like to lose your whole world, and I know you’re trying not to let it show in front of them, but it is safe here. You are allowed to be weak. You are allowed to weep. Nobody is here, save for me and you.”

Tears welled up unbidden in his still closed eyes. It wasn’t long before they were pouring down freely, soaking his clothes. Adrian shook and sobbed, holding tight to the invisible presence that held him closely, curling into her warmth while she rocked back and forth.

All the while, her song continued, carrying him through the experience like a lifeboat in a dark, stormy sea. Hair brushed against his cheek, filling his nose with a fruity scent that he couldn’t recognize, but lit his path forward; a lantern to guide his way through the ocean of sorrow.

He’d wept when he was trapped below deck in the Maiden’s Fangs, drowning in the grief of his loss, but this time was different. The pain still hurt, but it wasn’t pressing down or crushing him. Instead it came and went, marking its existence on Adrian’s heart before breezing away with the melody.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes. The Captain was still sitting in the same exact position she had been earlier, opening her mouth to answer his question. The candle lights weren’t flickering in the shadowy sick bay, nor did their smoke dissipate into the air. The only thing moving in the room was the branches of Arbor Vitae behind the half-orc woman, still rustling in a non-existent wind.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Looking down at his chest, Adrian was surprised to see himself in perfect condition. Not one of his many tears left so much as a stain on his completely dry shirt. Another kindness from the mysterious Constellation that had chosen him, no doubt.

He could still feel her presence there, hugging him from behind, even if he couldn’t see her arms. When he turned his head around to see her, he found a floating ball of purple-blue light where he imagined the woman’s head would be.

“Th- thank you, Lady Diadema Stellarum,” was all Adrian could think to say. He didn’t have much—or any—experience accepting such intimate kindness.

The light flickered in a way that his brain interpreted as a soft smile.

“Please, call me Dia. Though I have been a Constellation for many years, I still have the heart of a young girl. Calling me by that full title makes me feel like an old woman.” She laughed and it sounded like chimes blowing in the wind.

Adrian felt a bit strange at her response. She acted much more… mortal than he had expected her to. Constellations were beings of legend, above all men, beasts, or Abyssals alike. They held the infinite power of the stars above and could change the world to suit their needs at will. But the one in front of him—now bonded to him—felt more like old Despa than one of the stars he prayed to in the sky.

“I’m sorry, Dia, but I haven’t actually heard of you before. Could you tell me about your Legend?”

The light flickered again, this time dimming slightly.

“My tale is one of woe. When I lived, I had everything I could ever dream of. The world itself bent to suit me and fulfill the wishes I did not even know I held. The eternal peace and prosperity of my people was within my grasp,” She paused for a moment wistfully.

“Unfortunately, my own failure led to their utter annihilation. A failure severe enough to place me here in the sky, so that my legend will pass on forever to the people of the Seven Seas. So that none will forget the consequences of unfounded pride and belief.”

By the end of her short story, the woman’s voice grew quiet and weak. It was hard to tell, but Adrian thought he might have heard her crying. Something he chose not to mention.

‘So, she is one of the tragic Legends then.’

To become a Constellation meant that something extreme enough had happened that your story should be known to all. When mortals prayed to the Constellations they knew the names of, those tales would run through their mind.

Some were hopeful tales of great heroes, thought to inspire new ones to be born. Others were tragic stories of warning to prevent great calamities from repeating themselves. Many were neither of the two, but they could and were still generally split into either of the sides by the people of the Oversea.

Who or what decided that a Legend was important enough and that you out of everyone involved were important enough to be the one chosen to represent the Legend was an unknowable question, as was the process itself of ascending to the stars.

Constellations didn’t even have to be living people, they could be inanimate objects like The Brass Spyglass or concepts like The Lost Dream. In those cases, any living being that was related to the story could be chosen, though their name would change to their new title.

If the Constellations themselves knew how they were chosen, they refused to tell their bonded mortals. It was the dream of everyone who could dream to become one, but a new Constellation appeared in the sky only once every fifty years at the fastest and it was impossible to know who it would be. At least, that’s what Dorsey had told him.

Dia being the representation of a tragic Legend didn’t affect Adrian much, but he was curious to know more.

“You mentioned that you lived and died as a young girl, but Diadema Stellarum doesn’t sound like it would have been your name. I could pray and listen to the Legend trying to guess who you were, but could I know your real name?”

She was silent for a moment before responding. “I… suppose it is only fair.” she answered with a shaky voice. “In life, I was known as Coraline Alcyon, Crown Princess of the Abyssal Empire that once ruled over all explored regions of Darksea, or what your people now know as the Depths.”

A chill ran down his spine at the name. “P-Princess Coraline! You’re the Abyssal Princess!” Adrian shouted in fear. “I was really blessed by the harbinger of misfortune…”

He remembered the last words Dorsey had ever said to him, sending Adrian off with Coraline’s blessing to ward off her bad luck. His face turned ugly.

“You… is it your Depths-damned fault that all of this happened to me?” His voice was low and cold. He stared down into his lap, unable to look up at the ball of light that was her eyes. No response came.

“Tell me! Did you bring the Golden Armada?! Did you destroy the Cove?! Did you kill Dorsey!?” Adrian raged wildly in the room frozen in time before gaining the courage to face the Constellation.

He saw a girl. Older than him but obviously still a teenager, with long black hair that glowed with an ethereal purple light. She wore a long white night dress that covered her from neck to ankles like she had just slipped out of bed to meet him. Her face was held in her hands, where she wept quietly, silencing Adrian’s own shouting in return.

“I- I- I do not know… I saw you running off alone in the dark and I could sense imminent danger…” she sobbed. “My blessing is one of luck, but even I do not truly understand its complexities. The Diadem of Stars is too powerful an Artifact for me to fully control. I- I just wanted to help…”

Adrian’s fury was quenched in the waterfall of her sadness. He couldn’t bring himself to keep screaming at the girl in front of him, even if he still couldn’t understand what he was feeling at the moment.

It may well be Dia’s fault that his world was brought to ruin. Could he even believe that she didn’t know what would happen? This was the blasted Abyssal Princess in front of him right now, after all. Why would an Abyssal try to help him of all people?

He could ask her, try to figure it all out and sort out his feelings, but Adrian didn’t want to think any more. It was too much for him.

“...I accept your bond, Dia,” he said tiredly.

Her sobbing came to a stop, though some sniffling continued.

“Whatever happened, nobody else was accepting me anyway thanks to your blessing, and I know it isn’t something you can take back. So let’s just do it. If… If you were the reason this all happened, then consider this the beginning of a long repayment. I’ll use your blessing and your magic to become the greatest pirate the Oversea has ever seen. I know Dorsey wouldn’t want me to give up this chance.”

It was quiet for a moment, then he felt her close in again, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank you for your forgiveness, Adrian. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to let you live your dream,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

The contact felt just as warm and comforting as before, and all he wanted was to sink into it once again. Instead, Adrian pushed her away, cutting off the embrace.

“I never said I forgave you,” he snapped. “ Or that you could touch me. Form the bond and start time again or whatever, I want to talk to the Captain.”

It was hard for Adrian to believe he was talking to a Constellation like this, but he couldn’t bring himself to act more respectful. Right now, he wanted to be angry, and deep down he could tell that she wouldn’t actually blame him for how he behaved.

“Yes, little sea witch. Do as the boy says and be on your way. Providing you a path to the mortal plane is a waste of my Energy.” A man’s callous voice rumbled from the Captain’s direction, where Adrian saw Arbor Vitae still standing tall in all his glory.

Dia’s eyes hardened and her gaze grew sharp toward the other Constellation. “This is not a conversation for a plant to intrude upon, Sellarus.”

The comment earned her a derisive snort from Vitae that she turned back to Adrian to ignore.

“I apologize for my actions, Adrian.” She bowed her head. “I will complete our bond now. Would you like me to bring the little one in as well?”

Adrian cocked his head to the side. “Little one?”

Dia looked at him curiously. “The egg you stole from the ship. I assumed you wished to take it as your own, did you not? It is unfortunate that the old ways are long dead and a true Soul Bond cannot be formed with the beast, but a System Bond will work in a similar way and allow it to hatch.”

Adrian blinked a few times before moving to where his jacket sat on the edge of the bed and reaching into the inner pocket. Inside was the same blue gemstone, though it was slightly different from earlier. Now, it radiated warmth into his hands, and if he paid close attention he could feel it shaking faintly. He took it out and set it in his lap carefully, doing his best to hide his surprise.

“O-Of course that was my plan,” he replied with as much confidence as he could muster. “Why else would I have taken this ston- egg from those stupid hunters? Obviously I wanted to save the, um… thing from their evil hands.”

He caught the edges of Dia’s lips curving into a smile. “Of course. Now, may I have permission to touch your shoulder and the egg, Adrian? It is necessary for the bond.”

After nodding his permission, Dia went to work. The process itself was simple, and after the three were touching she started pouring her magic into them. Adrian felt a cool relief like he just jumped into the sea on a hot day and his skin started glowing a faint purple-blue color that matched the ball of light she appeared as before. After a few seconds passed, she removed her hand and the feeling faded to normal, to his slight disappointment.

“It is done. Your body took to my Energy better than I expected. I suspect your level of accomplishment will grow quickly in turn.”

As she spoke, the image of the girl faded away, leaving a floating mote of light that itself started rising to the illusory night sky.

“It will be difficult for us to speak this easily without the tree’s assistance for quite a while, but know that I will always be there, Adrian. Please feel free to call on my power without reservation. You will never again be left alone in the dark.”

Dia’s sweet voice was swept away in the wind, and the stars above dimmed until blinking out completely while Adrian watched in silence.

“Diadema Stellarum? But that is the name of the Abyssal-” Captain Roth’s relatively gravelly voice caught Adrian’s attention.

“Ah, Vitae tells me you have formed your bond, lad,” she said while studying him. “The Abyssal Princess is a… unique choice, to say the least. You are actually the first sailor I’ve heard of to bond with her. Not that I blame you after your terrible luck with the others.”

Adrian cleared his throat and whatever stray thoughts of the conversation that lingered behind.

“It… wasn’t only because she was the first one to answer,” Adrian replied without further clarification. He wouldn’t be able to put his reasoning into words if he tried.

Surely someone else would have eventually formed a bond with him, even with her blessing already there, but she just seemed so sincere. He couldn’t help but want to know her better.

Just then, the egg in his lap started shaking wildly before exploding all at once, sending chips of sapphire flying around the room.

A small bird sat there. It had beautiful sky blue feathers running along its back from head to short serpentine tail, and the belly was covered in hard ivory scales like gleaming pearls. With a high pitched shriek like a yawn, it stretched out large white wings made of leathery skin like those of a dragon.

Adrian blinked repeatedly, struggling to accept what his eyes showed him. Why in the Depths had Dia not mentioned what exactly was in that blasted egg?

Slowly, he raised his eyes from the beast to Captain Roth’s equally stunned gaze.

“Uh, Captain… I don’t suppose you know how to take care of a straika, do you?”