To Heed The Stars

Alone in the dark with nothing but a dimming Glow Box in his small study, Forstan's mood was anticipation and nervousness for the days of befuddlement and mystery these past few days. It was like any other day being that attendant to his patron, Master Yushen, one of the elderly Stargazers at the Astrelium. For the few years that he worked under him, it took him a while to get used to the much older man, considering that he never gave him a straight answer nor did he aid him in his studies of the stars, making it all the more vexing when dealing with him. He mostly believed that it was because he was from Senju, known for their wisdom and surrounding themselves cypticism for who knows what reasons. When he first came to Asterlium, he had expected to learn everything about the ways of the stars in only a few years; it was something he had wanted to do since childhood when he realized that he was a Star Bound, using all of his savings over the years to make it here, only to spend day after day going through lectures and studies rather than learning to unlock their mysteries. He paused for a moment from his writing and placed his quill on the ancient wooden desk that had been his place of learning for years, taking a deep breath to let go of his frustrations; lingering on them only brought about darker things should they persist.
Rubbing his eyes from long hours of reviewing records and charts of readings past, he leaned back to return to his thoughts with a cool head. This allowed him to understand why his master did what he did to him, as giving him a straight answer about the stars and their ways was meaningless, as there was no straight answer to them. He then turned his head to look out the window past the tops of the snowy mountains to look out at the night sky as the Starry Veil's endless expanse was seen with no end in sight. It never ceased to amaze him whenever he looked at it; the lights of the stars that dotted the darkness it kept at bay never ceased to amaze him, often looking at them whenever he had the time to do so between his studies. It was up to the stars when and where they would show their signs to those who could understand them; all it took was a bit of patience and knowing what to look for, as just trying to read them blindly did not solve anything. Once he learned to do that, Master Yushen began to teach him how to read and understand them. He did not stray from his duties, which were mainly clerical, taking notes, organizing, research, meetings, and most importantly, helping his master decipher star signs they could find in the veil every night.
This was considered the best part to him as they would go out onto his private outlook, gaze upwards at the night sky, and learn from an expert in the field, rubbing off his experience to help him know all that he could from him, the amount of time that they did this each night differed significantly, as it all depended on Yushen and his keen eyes like that of an eagle that never left him in his old age. It only took him a few moments to find a sign and relay his wisdom to me; if he did see anything, he would go back in and call it the night. Luckily, they never had to worry about the weather as the Astrelium was built on top of one of the peaks in the Snow Peaks, with the clouds right below them. Apart from the occasional blizzard that came through like the fury of an unending flood, nothing stopped their nightly retinue. He just had to get used to the cold, something he thought he was already accustomed to being born in Kor, which the peaks were part of, but the type of cold brought high up in the mountains brought a whole new meaning to him. At this moment, though, the cold was the least that concerned him, as his current dilemma required all his attention.
The day was like any other typical one as he did his duties with all of its annoyances as any dutiful assistant would. He through the ancient stony hallways as he did countless times, returning texts and records to the archive and retrieving new ones from the vast sea of shelves that went on for miles, holding accounts of the stars from who knows how long. Then he went to deliver some messages to the heads of Asterlium on Master Yushen, weekly findings that he had him do at the end of the week on the dot. Then, he went over to the dining hall to bring breakfast for himself and Yushen to return to their shared room, as he rarely left it to socialize with his fellow Stargazers, preferring to get right to work than mindless chat like a bunch of canaries, which he still had no clue to what one looked like, being native to his master's homeland. It was also an excellent time to avoid the hall being crowed by the rest of the Astrelium; despite less than a hundred people making their home here, the narrow halls in the living quarters made it hard to move around if more than three people took up too much space to move around, making feel like being in mine shafts he and his father worked in his youth, something he did not want to experience ever again.
He was used to this routine, knowing when and where to be to ensure an uneventful accident as he balanced himself with his satchel filled with books and the tray with two bowls of mushroom soup for him and Yushen. He effortlessly dodged one of his fellow assistants, Seras, as she appeared without warning from her room and went right past her, saying a quick good morning. He speedily went towards his room, not even waiting for her to respond. He would most likely get an earful from her later for his behavior, but he did not think about it as much as he finally made it to his room as the morning bell began to echo throughout the halls. When he entered, he found Yushen out of bed doing his morning exercise to prepare him for the day. Forstan then placed the tray on his dresser and went past his master to get his robes out of his dresser. The blue robe covered with glimmering silver stars was his badge of office, which he always wore, and one day, he hoped to cover his blue with these robes, preferably not as an old man. He then passed it to his master to prepare to get dressed for the day,
"Here you go, Master Yushen. Everything is all set for you. When you are ready, breakfast is in the other room," Said Forstan. He then left the room to unload the paper he retrieved and to give the elderly master his privacy to change by closing the curtain between their rooms to avoid an unpleasant situation. "What gruel are they serving this time, Forstan." Replied Yushen, his voice groggy from the other room. " Wild Mushrooms from the cave farms again, master." Forstan didn't even look as he took out the texts and papers from his bag to organize for his master to look at. " Bah, you would think they would try to grow something other than fungus for us to begin the day." He let out a chuckle from his master's frustration; it was one of the few times he had seen him like this; he usually just had a tranquil look to him most of the time; it just showed him even his elder Stargazer was just like everyone else than a wise mystic. He then heard the curtain open and turned to him, his starry robe standing from the bleak stonework surrounding them. Finally, he looked like the part of the mystic star reader. His young assistant had already placed his reading material on his study desk and brought the soup tray for both to eat, with him sitting on the extra chair at the front of the desk to work on the signs from last night.
When he did this, Master Yushen was already sitting down, looking over the materials on the desk rather than eating, while Forstan was digging in since his morning errands always made him hungry when he returned to his room. His wise master faces deep into a star chart when he pushes the bowl of soup toward him. "Master, I understand your hunger for knowledge, but it won't help with actual hunger; at least eat some of it." He did not bother looking at it as he pondered the chart. " You should know better than that, my young student. The mind should remain sharp when dealing with matters of importance; to focus on filling your stomach with drivel will only dull it like a blade that is never sharpened." He ruled his eyes as the philosophical excuse, something he was already used to, but two could play that game. " Yes, that may be true, but the same can be said: not filling it will lead to distraction, like constantly trying to keep a fire alive when not putting enough wood to keep oneself warm."
The answer got his attention, and he lowered the chart to look at him. "Good point," placing it on the desk and finally taking the first few bites of his slightly cold soup. They ate in silence as the light of day finally arrived through the slant of their window. Forstan was halfway through his bowl when he was asked, "Were these all you could find in the archive?" asked Yushen, puzzled. Forstan did not even look up to his master, knowing the answer as he spoke between bites. " It was everything I could find on the formations, sir; I even went to the Archivist Hothor to help me review the records; I was lucky enough to see that stack alone. That response did not please him as he looked over an old book while eating. Last night's readings of the stars they looked at seemed to bother the old man, who appeared to have trouble reading them for some reason as if he was unfamiliar. This was something Forsten was not used to with his patron, seeing that he knew the language of the star better than most. Yet it was enough to have him stop eating, being concerned with his lack of a response, only for him to realize the bags under his eyes; it seemed that he barely got any sleep from this. "Is everything all right, Master Yushen?" As he looked at his master, he paid no attention to him. He looked closer at what he was reading, only to suddenly look at a star chart back and forth.
His speed over the texts became more frantic as he continued to analyze, looking over specific charts and passages from the books across the table, caring little for the mess he was making. "Master," Forstan was freaking out a bit from this behavior Master Yushen was doing as he had never seen him like this. "Master," he spoke a bit louder. Still, Yushen continued his search with concern covering his face as he accidentally knocked over his bowl of soup onto the floor, with brown liquid splashing across the stone-dry floor and the wooden bowl letting out a sizeable clunking sound. "Master Yushen! He cried to get the attention of the apparent old man. This seemed to get his attention as he looked up at him and sprang from his seat, with Forstan doing the same without spilling his soup bowl still in his hands. " I must see to a matter of utmost importance. Stay here and continue your studies. I will return as soon as I can." Before he could speak, the elderly master had rushed through the door, surprising speed for his age. Forstan rushed over to the doorway to watch as his master moved down the hall, pushing past those still in the hallway without little concern or apology. After that, he did what he told, after cleaning up the mess that his master made, yet the look in his eyes never left Forstan, as they were that of fear.
This leads him to his current situation; rather than returning later that day, Master Yushen did not come back, not even to study the stars like they always did, which was not like him at all. This led him to look around for him, asking anyone who could know of his whereabouts, his fellow students, the masters that he often conserved with the most, even trying to speak with the heads of the Astrelium to find out where he went; however, they had gone missing as well with a rumor spreading that they have all convened to the upper observatory. Several days passed since Master Yushen had run off, vanishing as if he went up in a puff of smoke, and it was driving Forstan crazy at what would cause him to act like this. He had stopped his studies, being more concerned about his master, so he just went around looking for him, even believing that he had left their mountain refuge and going into the unknown, never to be seen again. He was not the only one who had this trouble, as a group of student's masters had also left for an important task that they did not bother explaining to them, including Seras. She was the only other student his age that he had talked to since he arrived here.
So he decided to share his concerns with her, seeing that she was on equal footing regarding intellect. It did not take long to find her, seeing that very few people from Ondelenia studied here. Her medium bronze skin and long black hair made her stand out amongst the sea of pale white with brown, blonde, and red hair. He found her outside in the outer halls, sitting on the ledge overlooking the mountain range and the sea of clouds below it, " Mind if I join you for a bit, " he asked as he sat with his back turned towards the ledge with his feet placed firmly on the ground, unlike his counterpart who had placed both of her legs out and crossed on the ledge. She was looking through an old book that didn't seem to be about the veil; he could not read the cover as it had long since faded along with some wear and tear seen across it. "What do I owe to receive this visit from the great Strawberry?" She asked, engrossed in her book, not even looking at him as she called him by his nickname that referred to his strawberry blonde hair.
This annoyed him a bit as he hated being called that; it was usually to get back at him for when they first met when he first arrived at the sanctum when he first saw her, he had thought that she had burned her face in the sun; he didn't mean to offend her as he had never met anyone from the other Radiarchies, but she did just that and to get back at him, began to call him Strawberry, which she never explained what it was, only to find out later after meeting his master being a sort of small red fruit. To get back at this insult, he often referred to her as sandstone for her skin color, and for a while, they would have a bitter rivalry for a time. They learned to tolerate each other once their masters made them make amends, saw it get in the way of their studies, and once the misunderstanding of their first meeting was apparent. Now she just used it to tease him and was going retort with sandstone, only to stop himself as he needed her help.
"Seras, I need to ask for your help with something," he said in a severe tone. That seemed to get her attention after it sank in after a few moments as she began to lower her book. "Well, well, it seems that you came to the right place if y-" she stopped mid-sentence when she finally looked at him, her smugness replaced with shock and concern. She got out of her spot, placing her feet on the stone floor, and moved a bit closer to him on the stone ledge, putting her book right between them as if not to invade each other personal space. "What is Spark happened to you!" He was concerned about her reaction as he did not understand why she acted this way. "What? with confusion in his voice. Seras lifted her hand towards his face, pointing to the source of her concern. You look like you haven't slept in days!" It finally dawned on him that she was right; he hadn't slept that much since Master Yushen's disappearance, and he was more concerned about finding out what had happened to him. "Oh, that's not important right now I-," only to be cut off by Seras, "Not important, you should no better than skipping out on sleep, it not safe for your health or your emotional state, the last you need to be trapped in the The Dreaming or worse start showing signs of Corruption!" she was speaking in a hushed voice and looking around the hallway to make sure they were alone.
He was about to explain his problem, but she was not done speaking yet. "I know you want to reach Starseer, but this isn't how. He let out a sigh from the remark, the same old Seras always; despite her witty and sarcastic nature, she generally cared about others; he would have left out a chuckle at the misunderstanding if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation. He had to get his word in before she continued. " That's not it; it's about Master Yenshen." This seemed to puzzle her momentarily, "Is he doing it too?" That would be the last thing his mentor would do; he was always about getting proper sleep to ensure proper focus in his work, pretty much living on his sleep schedule apart from his morning routine. "No, he's missing," he whispered as a pair of stargazers passed them. The news seemed to cause Seras to be concerned, "Yours too!" in a whisper. That caught him off guard, wondering if the same thing happened to her master. "Master Horten is missing?" While he was not as familiar with Master Horten as Seras, he knew enough about him that he wouldn't leave without good reason.
Seras looked around again to ensure no one was eavesdropping, seeing it as serious. She leaned closer to him to be sure as he turned his ear to her. We were in the middle of our morning study period when a message was given to him; after he read it, he told me to continue my session without him, and he left three days ago." This was too much of a coincidence to his liking as he leaned back to take in the news. "Same here, only that he paused for a moment to realize the cause of his master's sudden departure, not even thinking about it as he desperately searched for him. he smacked himself in the face at his stupidity, leaving Seras wanting to know more. "You know something, don't you? with a determined look in her eye. There was no point hiding from her; they both wanted answers and took deep breaths.
"We were both going about our daily routine like any other morning; I had just got back with breakfast -" "When you almost crashed into me?" she interrupted; he did stop her interruption. "Yes, we usually eat together and go over the star signs we see every night before we sleep." " Only this time -" he stopped to remember every detail. "Only?" Seras urged, "Only when he went through the papers I gave him did he start to freak out, looking over them repeatedly to see if they were right. Then he rushed out of the room and told me to study." But when he didn't return for his afternoon lecture, I was worried and looked everywhere for him." She seemed astounded by what she was hearing, looking at each other, knowing something wasn't right. “You mean to tell me that Master Yushen, one of the world's calmest and most tranquil people, was terrified? That's hard to believe, but coming from you, I believe it.”
“Now that you think of it, there's something else I should tell you,” she said hesitantly. Forstan looked at her with determination to know everything he could about what was happening in the Astrelium. " I heard from some of the others that some of their masters and the heads have become secluded to the observatory. "If you're right, they have been there since you and my master left on the same day." Now, he knew that this all had to do with texts and charts he retreated for him. He looked at Seras and gave her a concerned look, not knowing what this could all mean, but he had to figure it out as soon as possible. "Thank you, Seras." That was all he said to her before jumping up from the ledge seat and heading off in the direction he came.
He would have done that if something hadn't grabbed his right hand, stopping him from getting farther, that being someone else's hand. When he turned around, Seras' hand gripped it without letting go. "Where do you think you're going? Said Seras sternly." This seemed to confuse Forstan, considering he had concluded his business with her. " I have to see those texts; they hold all the answers," this did not seem to be the correct answer to her as she did not even let go in the slightest. " That can wait; you are in no condition to read over documents, and I will not take no for an answer! Before he could even have a say in this, she sped right past him, only to be brought forward by the force of a mine cart as he was being dragged along behind her. This caught him off guard, considering he was a foot taller than her, with her being around five feet at least, but that was not what he paid attention to. It was the touch of her monstrous grip of a hand touching his; he expected her hand to be much softer as he thought all foreign women were like that. Instead, there was a bit of roughness to them, but not too rough like that of Korish woman, but enough to know that she was not inexperienced in getting her hands dirty.
All he did was focus on the feeling of her hand for who knows how long, trying to keep up with her. His exhaustion made it difficult to concentrate on his surroundings or whether Seras was still talking to him. He just had a funny feeling in his stomach. This was the first time a girl held his hand like this. He had never paid attention to girls, mainly focusing on his work, yet it felt nice. This focus was suddenly interrupted by Seras letting go of his hand, which made him stop in his tracks before he ran right into her. When she finally looked up, he found themselves at a doorway, which she opened and went behind him to push him through. After he caught himself from falling, he found himself in a living quarter he was unfamiliar with.
But what he found shocking was the clutter, mainly books, papers, and a few plates. A mess like this would land him in trouble with his master, who was always stern about organization and cleanliness. "Whose room is this?" he blurted out without thinking. "Mine, "Seras quickly replied as she walked past him, placing the book she had on a table, and approached a small cabinet on the other side of the room. Forstan was surprised by this as he looked past the clutter to find much more: a chart covered in elaborate designs of star charts, under it, a desk with an open book that seemed to be in a language he was unfamiliar with. In extravagant designs he never thought possible, much of the furniture was covered in foreign artwork, from pottery to cloth. To his left, he saw a large bookshelf. He walked towards the binding to see if they had the titles on them. He quickly glanced at Seras to know if she was looking, only to find her on all fours on the floor, digging through the cabinet and making a racket as she carelessly moved more things around. He heard her muttering to herself. He looked back at the books and began to inspect them; he thought they were all about stars and astral theories, only to realize that they mostly had story books on them, mainly for young children.
He then turned away from it to see the book she left on the table and went towards it; its cover was mainly beaten up as if it came from an ancient ruin, and he slid his hand across the cover to find its leather binding had lost its smoothness being left with a sandpaper texture. Curiosity got the better of him, wanting to know what type of book Seras would be well to hold onto for so long, and he began to open the cover to notice that pages were covered with stains and wrinkles as if they had been thrown into the mud. He could see the beginning of the title when it was abruptly shut shut shut by another hand that belonged to Seras. Before he could speak, a cup was put in front of his face. "Drink," she said, yet Forstan did not take the cup, wanting to know its contents. "What's in it?" he replied hesitantly. Seras let out an annoyed sigh as if he thought she was trying to poison him or not." It's Moon Tea; it will help you calm your nerves." He was not suspected of this, nor did he want to drink it; he had things to do, and sleeping was not as important. " I can sleep right now. I hav-" he was stopped when a finger was placed on his mouth, and was that she was giving him a stern look as if she was his mother whenever he got in trouble.
" I know this is important, but you won't be able to read the charts if you don't get some sleep," while it may not look like it, her tone was not at all demanding; it sounded like it was more of a plea to let her help him. But as he looked her in the eye, her stern look started to fade with worry, and he didn't like that look, which made him feel guilty for some reason. He sighed in defeat and took the cup from her, looking at it, then at her, as he took a long swig of it before stopping it. The soft and flower aroma filled his mind until he stopped to swallow. He was about to hand the cup back to her as it was gently pushed back to him, "Drink all of it," she said with a motherly tone. As he took another long sip, he could feel the tension in his muscles begin to ease, the fatigue slowly retreating like a receding tide. While he had taken Moon Tea in the past to help him sleep, this seemed different from others he had, as if it had a stronger power over him, possibly being a concoction. However, before he was able to ask how strong it was made, he started to feel lightheaded, as if he was ascending to the clouds above. He moved forward before losing his balance and would have fallen if Seras hadn't caught him.
"Whaa did you," stopping to try and think, but all he wanted now was sleep; Seras seemed to be startled by the effect of the tea as he took the cup, still clutched in his hand, and placed it on the table. " Light be praised. Are you that tired? You should have gotten to your room before it hit you!" Forstan had lost his ability to speak, only replying in mumbles as Seras did her best to move him across the room before falling asleep. It was a lot harder than it appeared, as he was a lot heavier than he looked as if he was a sack of potatoes, which did not help that she was smaller than him. Yet she continued all the same towards her bed, being the closest thing to lay him down on. The closer they got to it, the more sleepy Forstan became as everything started to go black, with sleep beginning to take him. Not a moment later, he felt something soft under him, like a bed of flowers, and he just wanted to close his eyes briefly after that. Seras was catching her breath as he placed Forstan on her bed and positioned him to sleep comfortably. He was much heavier than she realized, and she didn't know what to do now that he was stuck in her room.
She hoped he would reach his room in time to find the texts he needed so she could look at them and figure out what the trouble was. Yet she seemed to have to look for them herself. Looking at the sleepy boy made her feel bad that she would study them as he was asleep without his help. Yet the desire to know the truth outweighed any guilt; she had as much right as he did; she would have to apologize later when he was awake. She crouched down to look at Forstan to see if he was fully asleep and looked to be so, whether or not he would find he was into The Dreaming was up for debate considering that this was not a natural sleep, but he should wake in a few hours, feeling much better. As she stood up and began to walk away, she felt something grab her robe, only to see Forstan grabbing it in his sleep and gently trying to pull it away, only to be surprised by his firm grip on it.
As Seras struggled to free herself from Forstan's vice-like grip, she exerted all her strength, determined to break free from his unconscious grasp. With each attempt, she could feel the tension in his fingers relenting, inch by inch, until finally, his hand released its hold, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
But just as she began to move away, a faint murmur escaped Forstan's lips, catching Alara's attention. Her heart skipped a beat as she hesitated, uncertain if it was merely the ramblings of sleep or something more significant. A sense of curiosity tinged with concern urged her to listen closely to ensure that Forstan's words were not a plea for help or a sign of distress. Leaning in close, Seras pressed her ear against Forstan's lips, straining to hear amidst the gentle rhythm of his breaths. For a moment, there was silence, the only sound the soft whisper of the night breeze outside. Then, amidst the quiet, a faint utterance emerged, barely audible yet laden with emotion. "...forgive me..."
The words hung in the air, a poignant whisper that tugged at Alara's heartstrings. Her brow furrowed in concern as she pondered the meaning behind Forstan's sleep-induced confession. Was it a remorseful plea, a reflection of his inner turmoil, or simply a fragment of a dream woven from the depths of his subconscious? Alara's mind raced with questions, her thoughts swirling in a whirlwind of uncertainty. Should she wake Forstan and inquire about his cryptic words or let him slumber undisturbed, his secrets buried beneath the veil of sleep? With a heavy heart, she made her decision, opting to respect Forstan's privacy and allow him to find solace in his dreams, whatever they may hold.
Carefully disentangling herself from Forstan's grasp, Alara settled back, her mind still preoccupied with the enigmatic murmurs of the night. As she drifted into a restless sleep, she couldn't shake the feeling that Forstan's whispered confession held a significance that transcended the realm of dreams, leaving her to ponder the mysteries that lingered in the shadows of his mind. It didn't matter now. She had some texts to read and began to walk away, only to glance back at Forstan again before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Forstan mind was lost in a haze as his consciousness navigated the unconsciousness that surrounded him; he did not know where he was or what he was seeing as bits and pieces of fragments were imprinting into his very being as his mind tried to comprehend the information he was witnessing, the next thing he was doing was frantically running, in a dark place, a cave? Only to realize that it wasn't as fear began to grip him as he found himself in a mineshaft; only painful memories could be found here as shadows on the walls began to move and whisper to him, only to cause him to panic even more as the memories of pain and loss began to envelop him, with everything starting to shake as he covered his ears trying to stop listening to their wicked words. Finally, he heard a loud sound above him, only to look in horror as the cave ceiling came crashing down on his head. "Nooo!" he shouted as he sprang up from the bed he was sleeping on in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as if running for dear life.
When he eventually calmed down, he looked around to find himself in Seras' room still and in her bed, only to realize that it was much darker out now; he didn't know how long he had been asleep; it was time to get work done. He would have to thank Seras when he saw her again as he got up from her bed and began to make his way down to his room. The halls were covered in a streak of darkness, that made him think too much of his dream, no, nightmare, while he was used to it here, he just needed so much need comfort, so he borrowed a Glow Box from Seras’ room and ventured forth into the dark halls. It was not a pleasant journey for him, the light helped calm his nerves, and luckily it was not too far of a trip.
A short time later an eternity later, he was able to reach his room and leave behind the uneasiness that consumed his mind. When he entered he was shocked to find all of his books were out of place as pillars of paper were scattered about the room. “Seras,” He let out a tired sigh, he figured she must have wanted to figure out the source of their troubles while he slept, but he never mentioned what books and charts he had brought, so she must have given up to seek out he own answers. Yet she would never know where they would be as they were never with usual texts as he made his way towards his bed to look under it. After lifting the bed sheet he found the sources to all of his questions neatly stacked together. “Right where I left you,” bring it all of it all out and carrying all to his desk to examine and finally find the answers to why his master had vanished since he had these ancient writings and charts.
Yet he did not find it so easily as hours has passed, meticulously poring over the ancient writings and intricate charts sprawled across his desk. Each parchment held cryptic symbols and astral diagrams, a testament to the vast knowledge and wisdom of ages past. Forstan, determined to unravel the mystery of his master's disappearance, scrutinized every line and gylph with unwavering focus.
As the hours stretched into the depths of the night, Forstan's eyes grew heavy with fatigue, his mind weary from the relentless pursuit of answers. The flickering glow box cast eerie shadows across the room, illuminating the intricate patterns etched into the parchment before him. Yet despite his efforts, the elusive truth remained just beyond his grasp, teasing him with its tantalizing proximity.
Frustration gnawed at Forstan's resolve as he traced the intricate lines of the ancient texts, searching for any clue that might shed light on his master's fate. His fingers traced the weathered pages, lingering over faded ink and cryptic symbols, each stroke a testament to the enigmatic puzzle he sought to unravel.
Just as despair threatened to overtake him, Forstan's gaze fell upon a curious inscription tucked within the corner of one of the parchments. It was a passage of ancient verse, written in a language older than most, yet resonating with a familiarity that stirred something deep within his soul.
Forstan's heart quickened as he studied the verse, his mind racing with the implications of its knowlegde. The language of the Scions, spoken of in hushed tones by his master, was said to hold the key to unlocking the secrets of veil – a language as old as the world itself, the first people of the world who had witnessed the birth of the stars.
With trembling hands, Forstan turned his attention to the oldest parchment in his possession, its surface adorned with symbols that bore the unmistakable mark of the Scions. He opened the book

"Yushen always told me to be wary and heed the stars.” She turned her head to him, waiting, “Why be wary? The stars help us, don’t they? He only looked down, grimacing at what he was looking at. “It's because to know them is to understand both the wonders and the horrors that they will arrive upon the world before anyone else realizes them. He once looked outside his window to see the stars, only to know that their light was not as it used to be, only to peer beyond them and the darkness waiting for its dark designs would soon come to fruition.