CHAPTER 61: STAR FATE RITUAL

Soren watched as Mistress Sienna walked slowly toward the arched gate. Following behind her, he couldn’t help but glance up at its sheer scale. It was made completely from metal, armored with plating that had seen better days—the rust was slowly eating away at the iron. At the bottom right of the grand chamber door, a small altar was mounted with a hand print etched in stone.

Sienna smiled and glanced back at Soren, who was too distracted to even notice her. “This is the entrance to the dungeon—at least, it used to be. This entire underground section had been abandoned after all.”

Not waiting for a response, she walked toward the altar and rested her palm against the hand print. Runic symbols flared to life, and the colossal gate’s pistons and gears began to crank. Soren watched in awe as the entire hall shook. Dust fell from the ceiling as the gate slowly grinded its ancient hinges. A crack in between the two imposing doors slowly widened before his eyes. Moments later, the doorway stopped—opening itself only partially.

“Come on,” said Sienna. She walked through the now widened gap onto the other side. Swallowing down his hesitation, he followed her through the gate.

What he saw on the other side was an even more mesmerizing night sky compared to the one in Sienna’s underground eden. A dazzling array of stars and celestial objects glowed faintly, all of them dwarfed in scale and wonder to the pure-white Silver-Eyed Moon. Their gleam felt so close, yet so far.

“Beautiful,” he heard himself murmur. He glanced down from the heavens to the earth below. He was standing on some sort of cliffside that extended out into a wide terrace, the edges of which were lined with dilapidated marble railings. The terrace floor was decorated with finally colored stone tiles that had lost their luster over the years—a sculpted fountain was placed at the center with a statue on top of a finely robed woman holding a scale. Unfortunately, the head of the statue was missing—Soren didn’t know if it was due to erosion or if it was purposefully destroyed.

He glanced at Sienna, as if to ask for permission to explore. She gently nodded with a smile.

Soren walked past the enormous marble statue to the edge of the terrace. He was instantly shocked at what he was seeing. Far below the cliffside he was standing from, a large field extended outward, illuminated faintly by the glow of the Silver-Eyed Moon. The field was covered in buildings and other structures, all of them worn and torn from countless ages. Ruins of an ancient city.

Beyond the stretches of the remnants of an old metropolis, Soren saw what looked to be a vast ocean, extending toward the horizon, covered in a dense fog. The fog was murky and shifted slowly, as if it was alive. He couldn’t exactly see much of its details, but he could tell it was different somehow. The Endless Sea he had seen from the skyship during his departure from Yadria didn’t give him the same feeling.

“The Ruins of Avalon,” an enchantingly warm voice entered his ears. Sienna walked gracefully and stood next to him, leaning against the railing and overlooking the remains of what had used to be a bastion of society.

“To this day, countless Mysteries remain shrouded in secrecy. Their civilization was around during the First Age of Fantasia and extended to the very beginning of the Second Age. Our records still do not extend that far back.”

“What happened to them,” Soren asked. For whatever reason, staring at what used to be was making him feel pangs of sadness. But also, a pool of excitement was building within his stomach—he wanted to explore.

Sienna shook her head. “We don’t know… But even now, none of our nations even compare to their glory. Most of our knowledge on Magitech comes from these ruins. I’d say, ninety percent of all ancient relics originate from there as well as the dungeons that extend above and below the old metropolis.”

Soren lifted his brow. “You mean the things I saw being used by Myrin and the others weren’t inventions?”

She laughed. “Inventions? I’d rather call them discoveries.”

Soren frowned. “What exactly makes Magitech so difficult to make? How is the process different from regular magecraft?”

”As you know,” she spoke while admiring the view. “Magecraft needs a Soul Realm to work. You cannot utilize Scripted Ruinc to enact your will through your anima without one. Magitech devices on the other hand, do not need one. They can function independently from a Soul Realm. The mechanism behind this is still unknown. Though…” She glanced at him and smiled. “Maybe your abilities could help shed some light on that.” He could tell she wasn’t very serious about that.

He nodded. “I guess I’ll give it a try later. Though, this still somewhat surprises me. I’ve seen countless contraptions that utilize runes to function… How are these any different?” He was remembering the skyship as well as the elevator platforms that functioned magically on their own. Same with the countless other objects, such as the doors that needed Myrin or Sienna to open through magecraft.

“Ah, you must be speaking about wardstone magecraft.”

“Wardstone magecraft?” He glanced at her perplexed.

She nodded, “Wardstones are a type of mineral found in Yarian. They have a certainly interesting property—you can imbue them with certain affinities. In a way, they are a Mystery in their own right. The stones have a special connection to the Beyond, and this lets them obtain meaning and symbolism when a magi draws certain spellforms across their surface.

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“But this is a topic I'll leave for you to explore yourself. Your journey as a magus will only begin after we do the accord.”

Soren remembered their original purpose and nodded. “Let’s begin.” The view of the Avalon Ruins had certainly distracted him.

“Sit with your feet crossed and stare up at the stars above.” She said with a gentle smile. Soren did as he was bid.

“One last time,” she recalled. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? The moment your Soul Chain’s fate is sealed, it will be all over. You will not be able to take back this decision until a year later when it unbinds itself, in which case, you will be subjected to a year’s worth of torment and corruption all at once.”

Soren took a deep breath. He remembered his goal. One year. That is all the time I have to solve my issue… He glanced up at Sienna who had placed her witch hat back over her head.

“I am sure. I have no choice but to do this.”

She nodded softly—Soren couldn’t tell if she felt pity for him or not, but it didn’t matter. He was still thankful to her for this opportunity, no matter how slim it was. Ever since a week ago, a part of his mind continued to torment him with voices which he could only attribute to the corruption. The more time passed, the closer he felt his sanity had faded. It was a truly disgusting feeling, one that he couldn’t wait to get rid of, even if it was only for a year.

A year is enough time, he reminded himself. Though, it was still fairly grim. He would need to find another Abstract Rune somehow during that time frame. And it had to be one that was perfect for him… And then there was also the case of needing to find his Soul Chain itself, ironically. There was so much he needed to complete before the year was over.

“I will give you one piece of advice,” Sienna said solemnly. “Never ever allow yourself to fall to despair. Despair is useless. As you have learned from unlocking your Soul Realm, emotions only hinder your resolve and obfuscate the path you take as a Magi. The Heart’s Shroud is nothing but that—a shroud that hides our true potential.”

Soren nodded. “Understood, Mistress Sienna.”

“And one more thing,” she added. “Do not for a second think you are in this alone, Soren. You are now part of Star Fate Guild—you are now family to me and everyone else in the guild. Never hesitate to reach out for help.”

This startled him. He felt his lips twitch—he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Family? He questioned. I am a part of their family? He wanted to deny it, but it certainly felt good to hear—almost as if he had been yearning for such. Is this relief I am feeling? He couldn’t tell. But there was also a hint of uncertainty. He wanted to truly doubt Sienna’s comments—they felt too sweet for his ears.

Sienna smiled at his dumbstruck reaction. “Let us begin.”

Almost immediately, a foggy and icy cloud condensed in her palm. Her silver hair began to move on its own, as if being lifted by an outside force. Her eyes which had dimmed were once more flaring with countless stars swimming across them infinitely. Soren couldn’t help but stare blankly in awe at her, blanketed in a sheet of white light reminiscent of the moon.

Like yarn, the icy fog spun around her open palm, rotating into an orb that quickly brightened into a miniature star. Sienna turned her palm and aimed it at Soren who was still frozen in shock. Without any time to react, the miniature star fazed through his chest, entering within him. At first, he recoiled, assuming it would be painful, but the opposite was true. All he could describe it as was comfort. A sense of relaxation filled his mind. His eyes began to droop slightly—he wanted to lay down and rest.

“Stay awake, Soren.” She proclaimed gently. Soren shook his head to wake himself up. “I have applied a few magecraft spells that will stay dormant within you until the accord ends. They will give you some level of protection from the blowback you’ll face a year later. But do not rely on them heavily, they are nothing but extra defenses. The rest is still up to you to get through.”

All Soren could do was nod. So this is why Cassia fell asleep so easily… Sienna’s powers are…

He couldn’t finish the thought. His eyes trailed up toward the heavens, to the sea of stars above them. Out of the countless constellations and celestial objects the night sky was projecting, one of them was calling to him. A faint yet golden star. It was fairly hard to notice—quite a distance away from any of its neighbors. A lonely golden star.

“That is your Star Fate,” Sienna answered. “You see, the stars each shoulder a certain fate.

“But I shoulder the stars.”

Almost immediately, the brilliant and glamorous night sky turned dark. All the stars disappeared, except for the golden one Soren had noticed. It was now shining brightly, more brightly than any star he had ever seen. A strange strand of light seemed to be extending down from the heavens toward him, connecting him to the star.

“Let us begin the accord,” Sienna said. “Follow after me.

“I, Soren Andersen, vow,” she began.

“I, Soren Andersen, vow,” he repeated.

She continued, “To allow the Witch of Star Fate, Sienna Yvain, to cease the movements of my Soul Chain’s star fate for one year.”

He nodded, repeating her words solemnly, line by line, as the vow unfolded. He took a deep breath before speaking the last line she instructed him to say,

“Under the witness of Sienna Yvain, and the illustrious Orbits of Fate, I accept this accord.”

Soren’s eyes trailed back up at the shimmering golden star. Its twinkling had ceased, as if it was suspended in animation. The darkened skies cleared, and the remaining ocean of stars returned to the heavens above.

He didn’t know why, but he did feel different at that moment. He glanced down at his own body. His Soul Weapon which was next to him had not changed either. Nothing had changed, but his gut feeling told him otherwise.

He glanced up at Sienna for answers, but she simply held a frown across her face. A frown that hid layers of melancholy and sadness.

“Soren… Congratulations on completing the accord.” She reached out her hand and patted his head. “May the Orbits of Fate align for you…”