《Cruel Star》 Prologue Andreas sucked in a breath and rapped on the door. Knock. Knock. Knock. His agitation could be quite easily excused, in the last year he had become the royal oracle of Calypso and had been given the honour of meeting the king for the first time, but well... after meeting him one wasn''t sure if it was truely much of an honour after all. "Andreas! Don''t keep an old man waiting! Come in!" Reluctantly, he turned the handle, and advanced into the throne room. The throne room was decked with gold, luminescent as the mightiest star, and as beautiful as the last lilly in a flourescent field.The curtains danced under the rays of the sun, the plants relaxed on the window sills soaking up the natural atmosphere.The throne of the king himself was extravagant, to say the least. It immediately caught the attention of anyone who entered the room, with its royal blue center, framed by the gold surrounding it. No doubt paid for with the labour of the weak and hungry. As soon as he stepped into the room, he dropped to his knees, one would find that when dealing with the king, you could never be too careful. Despite his jovial tone and the cheery way he carried himself, it was certain that if you tried to return the same hospitality, you would no doubt meet a quick end. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Well? Out with it, you''ve requested an audience with me four times already this week, and it was all about the same stupid thing." For the first time that evening, Andreas laid his eyes on the king of Calypso, he had a fairly muscular frame, no doubt from all the sword practice required from a king, thick walnut brown hair, neatly combed and hidden away under his crown of gold, adorned with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds from across the globe. His eyes were Andreas''s favourite thing about him, they showed his true colours, his bigotry, his hatred, all his repulsing little features, wrapped up into one part of his body. Funny. Andreas thought to himself. Of course the worst things about him are hidden in his eyes, and not revealed in his appearance. It was harder to hate a handsome man after all. "Your Majesty, I come with news about the children of Aster," "What a suprise! Not like we''ve gone throughthisbefore. Speak your mind." He took a breath. "I was blessed with an oracle last night while I slumbered, but I must warn you, it''s a bit... different, from the others." "Oh do just get on with it." Another breath. He seemed to be taking a lot more recently. The oracle was quite blunt. Shouldn''t be so hard to pull out his throat. "Twelve heavenly offspring, a present sent down by the high Gods, Apart they are strong, together they are mighty, The world awaits their arrival, seemingly the right way to respond, Yet do they know of the corruption that can be achieved if nudged ever so slightly? Maybe it is right to be afraid. Maybe it is right to be scared. The only thing left to do: Is beware." Ara Bella "WAKE THE HELL UP, ARA!" Ugh, that''d be Lydia. Couldn''t she let me sleep for like... 5 more minutes? Not everyone can power through the night on some cheap coffee and a dream. Though... to be honest, if I didn''t get up now, there''d be hell to pay later. I managed to shrug off my blankets, really a cheap rag found in the rubbish, and got up to face this wretched world. Honestly, I wonder if Lydia knows how well she has it. Being blind and all, she didn''t have to be a slave for some rich snob with a bunch more magic (and money) than us. I''ve honestly considered poking my eyes out so I can avoid my fate in two months. I turned and looked at my Big Sis; she seemed to practically be bouncing off the walls. So she was in a good mood I guess. Her red-almost-purple hair flew around her face as she spun around, humming a tune. "What''s with you? There''s never really much to be happy about around here, so spit it out." "My dear, grumpy, but cute Ara, the king''s coming to town today!" Well, that''s a surprise, but why''s she so happy? The king''s come before. We do live in the capital of low-ranks. "And?" "Oh, Ara, he''s bringing the prince with him!" "Aaaaaandddd.....?????" "Ugh, Ara! He''s your age!" "AAAAAAAANNNNNNDDDDD???" "Ara, you''re insufferable. What if he spots you in the crowd and falls in love? You''ll be whisked away to the castle like in a story, and you''ll become a princess!" Like hell that''d happen, but I can''t deny, I''d love to be a princess. "How would he pick me out among the tens of thousands of other miserable mugs cramming to see him?" "With this!" I saw a dress floating towards me. Lydia''s magic. At least she could do that; I couldn''t even make a spoon turn over. That was kinda normal for a seventeen-year-old around here, though, but that could all change when I turned eighteen. I looked at the dress. I raised an eyebrow, it was pretty, for some low-rank nobodies. It was a pretty standard white dress, with some blue smooth fabric stitched on the side. "I don''t think this is gonna do much for me." "Oh, stop moping. There''s a bucket out back with some water in it. Wash yourself and go put on the dress." "Whatever you say, Big Sis." She stopped and studied me, then sighed. "What?" "You talk like anyone else around here, but when you go out you try and talk like you''re an educated noble or something." "Is that an insult?" "No... but... maybe it''s time to stop pretending." "Whatever, I''ve got a bath to take." After washing myself, I ran to our makeshift kitchen for some sort of breakfast. "Hiiiii, Ara!" My ten-year-old brother, Damian, attacked me from behind and gave me a hug that nearly toppled me over. "Morning, Damian." "What''s with the dress?" "Ah, well, you know Lydia, the king and prince will be here, and she thinks if I wear this, I might catch the prince''s eye somehow." "What? No way! As the man of the house, I''d never let some lousy prince come and steal you away!" I sighed and rolled my eyes. It was our dad who had drilled all this... "masculinity" into him. When Mom died eight years ago, he kind of became obsessed with sculpting him into a "manly man." Maybe it was some weird side effect of the alcohol? Nah, I doubt it, but anyway, he''s out there somewhere serving someone, but I don''t really care who. As long as he''s away from us. "How long have you been down here?" "Since you fell asleep!" He beamed up at me. Such an innocent and cute kid, this world didn''t deserve him. "Ok... doing what exactly?" "Look behind you!" Somehow I missed the big breakfast of eggs and bread on the table, as well as the pot of honey sitting next to it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Hold on... where''d you get the money for this?" "Oh well, I uh..." "Damian, I swear, show me your wrists!" I grabbed the little sucker and pulled up his sleeves. One. Two. Three. There were three marks on both of his wrists. I knew what this was from. "Damian, I told you not to get involved with those guys." "But..." "No buts! Those people are just sadists; they get off bullying others." Damian stopped and stared at me. "What?" "Wow, you know a lot of words, Ara." I just sighed and rolled my eyes. "I heard you guys talking." Lydia strolled over to us and the food. "You know you really shouldn''t have done that, right, Damian? But... on the bright side, we seem to have a feast on our hands!" "Lydia, don''t encourage this kind of behavior!" "Oh, loosen up, Ara, I swear!" She hit me on the back, much to my annoyance. "Tuck in, guys, we''re off to see the king!" We marched into the town square with everyone else, just a number among thousands. Damian was sitting in Lydia''s arms; it was way easier to keep an eye on him this way. I silently studied other people''s dresses while whispering to myself. Lydia frowned. "What is it with you?" "From the way you''re mumbling, there''s like a million other people here with nice dresses. How''s the prince gonna see you now?" "Lydia, he was never really going to see me in the first place." "Gods, shut up, Ara, I''m not in the mood for this right now." Hard to please a delusional woman. I started to observe the square. There were many men trying to sell chairs, which was typical as even us who lived in Aries could lift a chair. It was technically illegal to sell things in this specific area of the square, but the enforcers didn''t care. If people bought chairs and floated above others, it created more space for everyone else to stand, which made catching pickpockets and such a whole lot easier. They were ruthless when it came to everything else, though. "Ara!" someone called out to me. I turned to find that it was my best friend, Cyrus, who, I guess, had the title of best friend by default, seeing as he was the only friend I had. Everyone else found me too "stuck up" for them. Bumbling idiots. "You''re here to see the king, right?" "Well, what else would I be here for?" "Oh, I don''t know, I''m just trying to make conversation." "That was a bad attempt." He groaned. "No offense, Ara, but this is why I''m your only friend." His dirty blond hair got in his grass-green eyes when he spoke. He really should cut it. "Anywho, how about we rent a chair? I could make us do tricks in the air!" "That''s not allowed, and you know it. Don''t use your talent to land us all in jail." Cyrus was exceptional at magic for a low-rank. He could apply to become a mid-rank if he wanted. Well, the whole reason he was a low-rank in the first place was because he was a migrant from Cetus, and I still don''t really know why. It seems to be a better country than ours, to say the least. "Oh, hi, Cyrus. I knew I recognized that voice!" Lydia greeted Cyrus from behind me. "Oh, heya, Lydia, I was just talking with Ara." "Oh, you were..." A smirk I didn''t like spread across Lydia''s face. For some strange reason, she wanted me to marry Cyrus if the prince thing didn''t work out, which, sadly for her, was not happening. "Yeah, we were talking about renting a chair." "Oh, what good luck! I just rented a whole sofa with some money I saved!" I gaped at this girl in shock. "Lydia. Why on earth did you spend our money on a SOFA!" "Calm down, Ara, Gods..., remember our conversation this morning? I want the prince to get a good look at you!" I am exhausted, to say the least. We managed to all squeeze onto the sofa, but we had to stop Damian from dropping some random rocks he found on the ground onto people''s heads below us. "If they pass out, it''s their own fault for not being strong enough to stand it!" Damian declared. I sighed for the hundredth time today and noticed a gleam from underneath us; it was starting. "Shush, I think it''s going to begin." You know, I haven''t actually considered what it''s about. The thought made me curious. Trumpets blared and rang through the air as they announced the royal family. One tall figure emerged onto the stage, followed by two others, King Nikolas II, his son, Prince Lukas, and his wife, Queen Ariana. The king definitely had the air of a ruler; he seemed to make any who came across him compelled to bow. You could tell how important he was by his clothes, which were a rich blue, perfectly symmetrical, dressed with many badges and freely flowed around his body. Maybe the point was to make him seem like a God. His son, the prince, was dressed to match his dad, but without the badges. He had brown hair like his father and deep blue eyes that reminded me of the sea. The queen wore a blue lavish dress to match her family, and her hair was as black as the night. She also had blue eyes she had given to her son, but the queen herself was an anomaly; she was always kind of... there, and I''ve never heard her say a word. Together, they all wore crowns that were worth far more than us, a representation of how far my dreams truly were. I sat back on the sofa. I wanted to have what they had. Scratch that. I wanted to be who they were. It''s not fair. Before my thoughts could reach out and consume me, I heard a strong voice ring throughout the stadium. "Citizens of Calypso! I thank you all for coming here today. We, the royal family, are so glad to meet our citizens and be among the general public! Lies. "We have gathered here to discuss a very serious matter, many of you would not be unfamiliar with it." Oh? Wonder what it is. "The topic of today''s announcement is The Children of Aster." Now I''m completely hooked. The Children of Aster is a common fairytale. I''ve only read it about a hundred times. "Many of you will know the story from various children''s books, but for those unfamiliar, I will retell the tale. The Children of Aster are twelve children of the Gods, the stars themselves, who would be sent down to help our country. They could repair the sky, heal the mind, and take down nations." Something''s coming. "That is the general tale, and I am glad to announce... that The Children of Aster are very real and living among us, but they themselves do not know of their true identity." A murmur traveled through the crowd. "No way!" Lydia exclaimed next to me. "That''s so cool!" Damian added. Cyrus just looked... shocked, maybe? I get it, I''m shocked too. I''d kill to be a child of Aster. "The information that we received from The Royal Oracle shows that The Children of Aster would have been born about eighteen years ago. We do not know the exact date, but keep in mind that they would all have been born on the same day." About eighteen years ago? I''m going to be eighteen in two months... could I be... a child of Aster? "Upon finding a child of Aster, they will be escorted to the capital of Calypso, Altair, where they will stay in the royal palace and join my court as an extended member of the royal family." No way. My heart raced. That''s everything I''ve ever wanted. I have to be a child of Aster. If not I... if not. "A child of Aster could be anyone, even citizens like you, who are not so... blessed with magic ability. So as your king, I ask one thing of you: please, if you find yourself to be a child of Aster, turn yourself in, and serve your kingdom. That is all." After he dropped that bombshell, the king turned to leave, escorted by his personal guard. The square was unusually quiet. It was understandable; many were questioning if they could be a child of Aster, including me. I had to be a child of Aster. I am going to be a child of Aster. Child of Aster I woke to a shattered window. It was the same one I saw every day, but everything felt different to me now. "The Children of Aster," I could still hear the king''s voice in my ear. "Extended member of the royal family." I wanted that title. But how could I earn it? I contemplated this as I got dressed and headed to the kitchen. "Oh, Ara, is that you?" my big sister''s voice carried over from the other side of the room. "Yes, Lydia, it''s me," I said, though I couldn''t understand why she was asking; she should know my footsteps by now. "Oh good, I''ve got an errand for you." Gods, I didn''t have time for this. Lydia was always asking me to do things, and I swear she just bounced around without doing anything herself. But credit where it''s due, she kept Damian and me in check after Mom died. I was still angry, though, and I could practically feel myself lighting on fire. "So, what do you want?" It turned out Lydia just wanted me to do some general shopping (with what money, I didn''t know) and come straight home to help with cooking. On the way out, I spotted Damian sitting in his room downstairs. "What are you doing Damian?" "Oh, hi Ara! I''m drawing a picture!" "Can I see?" "Sure!" I waltzed into his room and peeked at the drawing. It depicted our family: Lydia with her hands on her hips, and me with a bow in my hair for some reason. Then there was Mom. I was surprised Damian remembered her so well, considering he was only two when she died. He captured her blonde hair and brown eyes perfectly, giving her an air of elegance, even in a drawing. I took a deep breath and looked at the next figure: Dad. His hair was the same color as Lydia''s-red-to-almost-purple- and he had stubble on his chin. Damian drew him as a tall, buff man, which made me wonder how he saw our father. "Do you like it?" I ruffled his hair and gave him a smile. "I love it." On my way to the shops, I thought about the Children of Aster. "Special powers. Born on the same day." Born... Born... For some reason, reality had arrived late and slapped me in the face. If I wasn''t a Child of Aster, I wasn''t a Child of Aster. Simple. I couldn''t change that. I could only hope, but I''d come to learn that hope was unreliable. I was in a foul mood now. "Oh hey... it''s the stuck-up princess!" I heard a voice from behind me, a voice I didn''t like. "Oh yeah, it is!" A group of boys my age advanced toward me, all wearing cheeky grins under their filthy eyes. "Is there something you want with me?" I queried, raising an eyebrow. "Ooh, such fancy talk. Think you''re some big, rich noble, right?" "I''ve heard her say she''s better than all of us." Well, that wasn''t true. I never said it out loud. "If you don''t mind, I would like to be on my way now." I tightened my fists. My patience was wearing thin. "Ooh, I think we may have made the little princess here mad, boys!" "Um, boss?" "What is it?" "We made plans to meet with one of those smaller boys in a minute... you know, to help with the work." "Can''t it wait? I''m having fun here!" Oh yes. Oh yes. It was these boys. These boys who were known for paying little boys to do work their fathers expected them to do, just so they could beat them and laugh at them while they did it. They did it to innocent boys like Damian, who were just trying to make their family proud. "Do you boys happen to know a little boy named Damian?" "Hmm, maybe. Was he blond, with brown eyes, and yay tall?" He held his hand to about Damian''s height. "Yes, that sounds right." "Hmm, can''t say I remember him. What are you, his mother or something?" Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Don''t play with me, you overgrown fetuses! I know what you barbarians do to sweet little boys like him!" "I can''t say I remember, but you know, I heard princesses are supposed to be super rich or something like that." "Oh, shut it! I''m not rich, nor am I a princess!" "Oh really?" He cocked his head. "Run her pockets, boys." Suddenly, two big boys walked up and grabbed my arms, hauling me into a nearby alleyway. "What are you doing? Unhand me, you stupid vermin!" "Oi, quiet down, little princess! We''re gonna have some fun here!" I wailed and screamed, kicked and thrashed as hard as I could, but ultimately, it was useless. No one could save me. No one could hear me. I was utterly alone. Terror and despair started to reign over me. I couldn''t even feel anything; I was completely numb. Tears blinded my eyes, and I went into a shutdown. I felt multiple hands reach into my pockets, taking the little money Lydia had given me and my dignity in the process. "Semstherincjesitrooriixxafterell" I couldn''t hear anything. It just sloshed together. Soon, they started pulling my hair, ripping my clothes, punching my face. How could this happen to me? Reduced to some poor girl getting beaten in an alleyway somewhere. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. It''s not fair. I''m more than this. I''m more than this. I''m more than this. I''m more than this. You are more than this. You''re a lot more than this, Ara. You know you''re more than this. So show them you''re more than this. Suddenly, it felt like my rage exploded, giving me static energy. It was refreshing, rejuvenating, liberating. It felt as if the stars had connected along my back. They were in my hands, my eyes, my nose; they ran through my entire body. Then everything started burning. I felt a warmth that felt strangely comforting. I also smelled burnt flesh wafting up into the air and space beyond. I opened my eyes, and instead of everything being inaudible as before, I seemed to see everything in perfect quality. And the boys were dead on the ground. They looked like they''d been burnt to a crisp, their faces frozen in shock and fear. Was this me? How the hell did I do it? Did my powers awaken? But this... this... I''d never heard of specific powers like this. I didn''t even touch them. What did this mean? Could I...? Suddenly, I heard voices coming from the main street, and I turned to see multiple enforcers. "What... what the hell?" "My gods, it looks like her eyes are on fire!" "Why on earth is her hair floating!?" "And... what the hell is floating behind her?!" I knew what this was. The sloshing feeling returned, and I dropped. I woke up in a confinement cell. I knew it was a confinement cell because of the stench, but I''d never been inside before. I had to get out; I was sure of it. I... Am a Child of Aster. I still couldn''t believe it, but it was the only explanation. I''d never heard of anyone else having powers like this... and I read a lot. Now, the real question was... I knew what I was, but did they? I sat, twiddling my thumbs for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. I noticed multiple enforcers outside the door, seemingly just guarding my cell. Weird. Did prisoners usually need so many guards outside the door? As I questioned it, two enforcers entered through the door. At least, I thought they were enforcers? They looked practically the same, but their armor just looked more... refined. Not to mention, it was red. And in the middle of their chest plate... oh gods, it was the royal crest. This meant they weren''t just from the capital of high-ranking magic users, Altair. They were guards of the royal family. Big stuff. I noticed that the other guard seemed to be holding paper and a quill, but my attention was taken away when the other guard started speaking. "Good evening, ma''am. Your name is Ara Bella, age seventeen, correct?" So it was evening now? "Yes, my name is Ara Bella," I replied as politely as I could; first impressions matter, after all. "Good. Miss Bella, we would just like to ask you a few questions." "I''d be obliged. Please, go ahead." The other guard smiled and wrote something down. I''m sure that''s good. "So, Miss Bella, we''ve taken a look at your files, and it seems that you live with your older sister, Lydia Bella, age nineteen, who is not in service due to disability, and your younger brother, Damian Bella, age ten." "That is correct," I nodded. "Your father, Cole Bella, age forty-four, is in service to the royal palace, working as a gardener. He hasn''t returned to your home in two years." I blinked in surprise. I didn''t know that. "Th-that''s correct," despite not wanting to, my voice wavered. The other guard scribbled something down. Not good. "And your mother, Sophie Bella, was thirty-two at the time, died eight years ago from disease." I really didn''t want to talk about my mother, but I couldn''t afford to appear any more weak-minded. I nodded again. "That''s right." "Alright, Miss Bella, you''re going into service when you turn eighteen in two months, correct?" I hoped not. "Correct." The guard wrote it down. "You seem to have a completely clean record, and that is mostly the same for the rest of your family, except your father, who was arrested and beaten by local enforcers for accounts of aggravated assault," he stared at me as he stated this. I swallowed hard. "Correct." "You were eight at the time; do you remember anything at all?" I remembered a lot. I remembered how the enforcers showed up at our door and started asking questions, only for our mother to repeat that she didn''t know anything. I remembered how they shook Lydia and made Damian cry, and I especially remembered how our dad was when he came home. Instead, I simply said, "I don''t remember much, but I think some enforcers questioned us that day." Enforcers usually did that, since here in Aries, we didn''t have court sessions like mid and high-ranking people. Here, they just questioned our friends and family. Which didn''t really matter, because they''d beat you anyway. Hell, they''d beat you for looking at them funny. But I couldn''t say my dad didn''t deserve it. "That''s fine. Now moving on, Miss Bella, do you know why you''re in here?" His tone lightened up. "I''m sorry to say I''m not quite sure; it''s really a blur." A quill touched paper. "That''s fine, but what do you remember?" "Oh well, Lydia had sent me on an errand to buy groceries... and on my way home, I was attacked by some boys." Thinking about it, I could get in trouble for killing those boys; I might need to act a bit. I threw my hands in the air and painted a concerned expression on my face. "Oh my goodness! Those boys! Did I hurt them? Please tell me!" "Don''t worry, miss; those boys are dead, but you won''t be charged for their deaths." I settled, but made sure not to look too settled. He wrote it down. "Well, Miss Bella, we have some rather... big news to tell you. I''m sure you heard the king''s announcement?" How could I not have? "Yes, I was in attendance yesterday." "Well..." He looked to the guard next to him and back to me. "We believe you may be a Child of Aster," he announced at last. I tried to look shocked, which wasn''t too hard, considering I partially was. I honestly couldn''t believe I had confirmation now. Child of Aster. I mouthed the words in awe. "I know it must be a shock for you, but it would be best if we could leave immediately. My companion and I will escort you directly to Altair, where you''ll meet other children and the royal family." He got up to leave, and the other guard stopped writing. "We''ll be waiting outside." Then they left, and I was alone again. I started to twiddle my thumbs again but decided to stop. When I exited through that door, I''d leave my old life behind. I''d leave behind Cyrus, my only friend. And... I''d leave behind Lydia and Damian. No. That''s stupid; I''m sure I''ll see them again. Not to mention, my dad''s in that palace. But one thing''s for certain: I''ve never wanted anything more in my life. So I shook my head, stood up straight, and straightened my skirt. And walked right toward my future. New Life and Journey I walked out to face multiple enforcers, who all nodded at me as I walked down the hallway. I could already see the effects of my new status. When I opened the door leading outside, I found a beautiful blue carriage that looked like it was out of a fairy tale waiting for me, complete with two horses, with manes as white as feathers. One of the guards from earlier offered me a hand with a smile, and I stepped in. But once I was in, I frowned. I didn''t have my stuff on me. Was I not going to take any of it to Altair? "Excuse me, is there any way I could take my belongings with me to Altair?" "Don''t worry, Miss, you''ll be given everything you need there." Oh, I should''ve figured. But as much as I don''t want to admit it, I want to see Lydia and Damian before I go. "I know, but I have some very personal belongings that you can''t find anywhere else." The guard looked me in the eyes, like he was contemplating it, sighed in defeat, and said, "I understand." We turned back around to the center of Aries, where my home was located. I quickly scrambled off the carriage and into my house. "Lydia! Damian! Where are you?" That''s when I noticed a note on the door.
A couple of hours. If only I had a couple of hours. But I''ve got two royal guards outside the door, waiting for me, and I don''t have those hours. So I stared at the only home I''ve ever known and started making my way toward the door. But that''s when a hand pulled me back. I was shocked and started calling for help, but I heard a familiar voice. "Gods, Ara, it''s me!" Cyrus. "What are you doing here? Why are you in my house?" "The real question is, why are you leaving your house?" It''s hard to face the fact that I''m leaving my one and only friend. And it''s really hard to tell him this, but... "Cyrus, you really won''t believe it, but you know the king''s announcement yesterday? I''m a Child of Aster apparently..." He looked at the ground and mumbled something like "figured" then met my eyes. "So, this means you''re going away then." "Seems like it." We stood in silence for a while, but I heard a guard say, "Miss Bella, please hurry, we need to be on the road to Altair today." I twiddled my thumbs a bit and inhaled. "Tell Lydia and Damian I love them." And I proceeded to walk. But Cyrus caught my hand again. His eyes darted around the room, like he was contemplating it, but he told me, "Ara, you should know, give it your all there, ok?" I stared at my best friend and took what he said to heart. Despite his silly attitude, he honestly says smart things. So I''ll give it my all, I''ll completely throw myself into a new life. And that means leaving this one behind. So I didn''t spare him a second glance and returned to the carriage. I twiddled my thumbs and thought to myself on the way. I really wonder what''s waiting for me at Altair, and I''m especially curious about the other children. When I get there, I''ll need to assess them and their abilities as well as- "Miss Bella, you should know, the journey will take two days, and we''ll pass through Aetos on our way," the guard interrupted my chain of thoughts. Annoying. But I''ve never been to Aetos, the capital of mid-ranks before, and I''m kind of curious. And I actually have a question that''s been bugging me. "If you don''t mind me asking, have any other children been found?" The guard scratched his head in thought and replied, "You may not know this, but the king made his announcement in Altair first, then Aetos, and finally Aries, so for the other areas, the search for the Children commenced before Aries knew." Honestly, should''ve figured. "Many Children have already been found in Altair and Aetos, and the rest will most likely be found today, but considering where they were found, you could be the last to arrive." I turned this over in my head, then thought about it a bit, and realized that I haven''t really seen any other carriages around Aries. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. It''d be very bad if I was the only low-rank; I wouldn''t want to be picked on. "Thank you for telling me. I was very curious." "No problem, Miss Bella, if you have any other questions, I''d be happy to answer them." Any other questions. I don''t really have any other questions that desperately need answers, that was really the only thing I really cared about. I''m sure I''ll figure out everything soon. Soon the day transformed into night, and I fell asleep to the trot of the horses and the turns of the wheels. After a while, I woke up to a strange city I didn''t recognize, though to be honest, I haven''t been to many cities. Aries was our capital, but there were other cities and villages where low-ranks gathered, and I sometimes visited them for supplies. Basically, I''m not very well-traveled. We''re not really allowed in Aetos or Altair without a good reason anyway, like being there for service. I drew back the curtain and peeked out my window. Aetos seemed to be a far nicer city than Aries, though that was to be expected. The houses were actually complete, with nice neat gardens and a busy atmosphere. As well as that, many people could be spotted, with children practicing magic in groups on their way to school, and neighbors having conversations while they cleaned their windows. "Miss Bella, I''m glad to see you''re awake. As you can see, we''ve arrived in Aetos now." "Oh? We seem to be stopping here, how come?" "Ah, well, another child was found here yesterday, and we''ve been sent word to meet with the guards here to secure their transport." "How were you sent word? We''ve been on the road for the last day." "Ah, as you may know, middle and high-ranks have greater powers than low-ranks." No need to remind me. "In Aetos, a guard used their magic and sent word telepathically. It''s usually how we communicate back in Altair." Now I do have a question that desperately needs answering. "Will my fellow child be riding with us?" "Ah, no, Miss, it''d be impolite for you not to have your own carriages. You are children of the Gods, after all." I was quite disappointed at that. I wanted to know more about the other child. "Please wait here. I''ll be meeting with the other guards, and I''ll be returning in an hour." "That''s completely fine!" He finally left the carriage, and I sighed and rolled my eyes. What am I supposed to do for an hour? Nothing, apparently. I actually waited a full hour until I saw the guard return with a man with tired eyes and chocolate brown hair that drooped around his head. He honestly kind of looked like a loser. But he was handsome in a strange sort of way, I''ll admit. I assumed he was another Child of Aster, seeing as he climbed into the green carriage that was equally as beautiful as mine behind me, not to mention that he also had two guards waiting for him outside the carriage. I wonder why he needed my guard to come and escort him. It made me very curious. In fact, it sparked a few questions within me. Did all of us children have the same powers? How could our powers possibly change the world? I pondered over this, and my guard returned. Sweat was racing down his forehead, and he seemed to be panting a bit. "Sorry for the wait, Miss Bella. I ran into a bit of a problem collecting the other child." I could see that. But I wondered what the problem was. I smiled at him and replied, "That''s absolutely no problem at all! Please, in these things, take as long as you need!" Never do that again, you imbecile. He looked me in the eyes and smiled, "You''re very kind, Miss Bella. We''ll continue our journey to Altair now." I nodded and stared out the window. The rest of the journey went rather smoothly, and the neat houses of Aetos left us behind, turning into the green grass of the countryside and many villages. I got to eat on our journey, and even the "best they had at the moment" was better than anything I''d ever eaten in my life. Finally, after twenty-four hours of a surprisingly relaxing journey, we arrived in Altair. And-it absolutely took my breath away. It was miles ahead of Aetos, and obviously light-years ahead of Aries. Many manors came into view, all painted vibrantly in red, the color of Calypso, that seemed to all be outlined with gold. There wasn''t an average house in the place. People in refined robes walked the streets, who all seemed to have an air of importance. The roads were all perfectly straight, made with polished stone that I could actually see my reflection in. I could get used to this. Finally, we rolled up to the castle, which was-wow-to say the least. It was built with dazzling white stone, and many towers and turrets sprung up from it. It had a golden and dazzling roof that reminded me of the Gods themselves. It seemed to have many more windows than it needed, which all reflected the light perfectly. Yep, I could definitely get used to this. "Miss Bella, we''ve arrived at the royal palace now. From here you''ll be shown your new room, and you''ll get to meet the other children tomorrow." "Thank you for all that you''ve done for me," I said with a forced smile. "It''s been my pleasure. Please, take care now." Those were the final words that were said to me before I was dropped off at one of the entrances. I really can''t believe it. I''m here in Altair. I''ve always known I was meant for more than Aries. I watched the mysterious child from earlier also depart his carriage, escorted by what looks like ten guards. I''ll have to find out what''s up with him later. I turned to face the entrance. For now, I''ll focus on my room. Three girls in maid uniforms stood outside the entrance, all with their heads bowed. They looked at me and curtsied but didn''t say anything. I think I''ve read about this before. In the royal castle, servants can''t address masters and such until they''re addressed first. Weird to think that could''ve been me in two months. "Good evening, I''m Ara Bella. Are you to escort me?" The one in the middle with glasses and red hair startled and replied, "Y-yes, Lady Bella, we''re your personal maids, and we''ll be escorting you to your room." I thought about it, and if I made friends with these maids, I could learn some information. "Thank you, that''s great. What are all your names?" The maids looked at each other, as if not sure if they could answer that question, but the smallest one with brown hair spoke up. "I''m Mary, Lady Bella." She pointed at the one with red hair, "That''s Rebecca," then pointed at the blonde one, "And that''s Lilly." I put on a bright smile, "Well, it''s nice to meet you all. I hope we can be friends!" Mary looked at me and smiled in return, "I can tell that I''ll like you very much, Lady Bella." "Goodness, Mary, do not talk to the new lady like that!" I let out a light laugh in response. "No, it''s really okay. I''d genuinely love to get to know you girls!" After introducing ourselves, my maids started showing me the way to my room, as well as the multiple rooms we passed on my way. There were so many, I don''t think even I would ever remember them all. "You girls are low-ranks, right? I am as well!" Rebecca gave a nervous reply, "That''s correct, Lady Bella. Every servant in this castle is a low-rank, but it was unknown to us that you were previously a low-rank. I''d also like for you to know that Children of Aster are all high-ranks themselves, so please do not think of yourself in that manner starting today." A sneaky smile slid up my face. Hm, another perk to being a Child of Aster. After walking to my room, my maids bowed and exited. I took this as a chance to look at my room for the first time. It was the royal red of Calypso, with a king-sized bed sitting in the middle. I sat on the bed while feeling the blanket. It was also accessorized with curtains and flower pots surrounding it. There was a beautiful furry mat in front of the bed, and to the side, there was an extravagant white desk, fit with a mirror as well as pens and ink. Not to mention that there was an elegant white nightgown sitting on the chair. There were also two doors, one leading to my new bathroom, which was much more than the bucket full of water at home, and the other leading to a walk-in wardrobe, that had more clothes than I had ever worn in my life. Not to mention, there was also a balcony that hung above a colossal garden. There were a multitude of flowers of every colour. I felt very satisfied now. So with a smile on my face and an inflated ego, I put on my new nightgown and fell asleep to a whole new world. Hidden Introductions Today I woke up to a whole new world, which is one way to put me in the perfect mood.I sat up on my large new bed and smiled to myself; everything that happened yesterday was real. And I am here. Now I have to get my head in the game. I guess I woke up before the time my maids were supposed to arrive, seeing as I was the only one in the room. Honestly, if it were up to me, they''d be stationed in my room from dawn break. Anyway, I should take a bath and go pick an outfit. As I''ve said before, first impressions matter. I shrugged off my new crimson duvet and strolled into my new bathroom. I didn''t look at it much yesterday, but I wish I had looked at it sooner. The whole room was gold, like it was carved out of space itself, with a sparkling chandelier and a pristine white bath to match. I''ve actually never used a bath before, but I''m sure I can figure it out. I stripped down, hung my clothes on a rack, and climbed into the bath. There was something weird sticking out from inside; I think it was called a tap? I''m not sure how to use it though. I took an embarrassingly long time just staring at the tap, naked and cold, before I heard a knock on the door. I didn''t say anything in reply. I do not want anyone to see me like this. It was silent for a while until I heard some murmuring outside the door, and I heard someone speak to me. "Lady Bella? It''s your maids. We apologize for being late; we hope you can forgive us." So they were late. Good in one way; means they''re hard on the maids here. I still didn''t say anything; I really didn''t want anyone to see me like this. But I bet they''ll have to come in after a while, to make sure I''m not dead or something. I took a breath and said, "It''s completely fine, come in, I''m in the bathroom!" Rebecca rushed in first and bowed low. "Lady Bella, I''m terribly sorry. There was a bit of commotion with another child, and it hindered us. Please forgive us." Lilly rushed in next and bowed so hard I thought her head might come off. "L-lady Bella, p-please forgive us." I don''t think I''ve heard her speak before. Mary rushed in last; she looked like she was in a dizzy."Ye-yes L-lady- Ara- I mean Bella-, it''s like Rebecca said, there was a problem with another Child. Please forgive us." I wonder if the child was that mysterious one from Aetos that travelled behind me. I gave the girls a warm smile. "Really, don''t worry about it. I understand." "You''re too kind, Lady Bella," Rebecca replied. I really am. "Well, um... girls, could you help me work this bathtub? I''m not sure how it... functions." The girls looked at each other, and Mary even laughed. "Oh, Lady Bella, I understand that you used to be a low-rank like us, so I understand how you don''t know how this bath works," Mary lectured me. Don''t patronize me, you stupid maids. "It''s very easy to turn on really; you just have to hold it and turn it on with magic. I would demonstrate, but I don''t have the magic capability for it. It''s designed like this to make sure maids don''t sneak a bath in their masters'' quarters." Oh... magic... I have that now. "Oh well, thank you for informing me." I reached for the tap, with the maids still watching me, and tried to turn it on with magic. The results were great. It burst into flames and danced on Lilly''s face before water sprung out, filling the bath. I mean, it was great in the fact that it ended up filling the bath with hot water. I haven''t gained control of my powers yet, it seems. "Oh my goodness, Lilly! Are you ok?" I put on a fake air of concern. "It''s... it''s ok, L-lady Bella. I''ll just go to the infirmary after work hours." It wouldn''t look so good to Mary and Rebecca if I didn''t let her go now, and I don''t need an injured maid. "No no, please Lilly, go now. It was my fault, after all." She looked like she wanted to say no, but she winced in pain and decided otherwise. After Lilly left, Rebecca and Mary moved into the main room, leaving me to have my bath in peace. After finishing my bath, Mary and Rebecca helped me pick an outfit. They told me that on certain days, outfits would be picked for me, which would usually match the other children. "For example, when it''s publicly announced that all the Children of Aster have been found, you''ll be presented to Altair, but today is dedicated to making you feel welcome, Miss," Rebecca informed me. Now that actually made me wonder what I was doing today. I wasn''t given a schedule or anything. "Do you girls know what I''m doing today?" Rebecca spoke first, "Oh yes, sorry for not telling you earlier, Lady Bella, but we were sent word to bring you to the common room for the Children of Aster as soon as you were finished getting ready." "Oh, are you to escort me then? I don''t know the way, after all." "Oh yes, we may be able to show you other rooms along the way." Mary and Rebecca guided me to the common room, which helped me gain knowledge of where some things were, but not much, seeing as we only walked through the Children of Aster''s hallway of quarters for the girls, where multiple guards nodded at me, and down a set of stairs, to get to the common room. It seemed that on the other side, there were stairs leading to the boys'' rooms. "Lady Bella, we''ll be leaving you here now. Please take care." "Thank you very much, Rebecca and Mary. Please send my regards to Lilly." They turned to leave, and I got my first proper look at the common room. It was a soothing purple, which reminded me of space. Many constellations were painted on the ceiling, as well as the walls. There were also many paintings of people that seemed important, so at first, I assumed they were royalty. But none of them were wearing crowns, and royals love their crowns. So there''s no way they''d have a portrait without them. There were also many sofas in the common room, all the same soothing purple as the room, and looked a million times more comfortable than the ones at home. There was also a big shaped twelve-pointed star carpet in the middle of the room. There also seemed to be a table in one corner, decorated with pastries and tea that I''d only seen in my dreams. While I was observing the room, a girl with not-blonde but not-brown hair and hazel eyes came up to me and took my hands. "Hello, I''m Iris. I''m from Aetos, and I got here yesterday morning." I blinked in surprise. She was certainly bold. "Nice to meet you, Iris. I''m Ara; I arrived here around sometime last night." She also blinked in surprise. "Oh wow, Ara, are you from Altair? You talk very... I don''t know, sophisticated-like, and you''ve got that kind of aura." Wow. Very Bold. Though I guess it wouldn''t hurt to tell her that I''m from Aries. She seems to be... the nice type? I guess. Not to mention she''s only from Aetos. "Haha, no, I''m actually from Aries." She blinked in surprise AGAIN. "Wow! Really? You don''t look poor." Female dog.* I don''t think she has a filter. "Ah well... I try... my best... not to look that way?" "Sorry... that was probably rude." You think? "Ah, no... it''s really ok." "Anyway... come sit with me! Seeing as I''ve been here a day, I can tell you what to expect." Oh, that would be very helpful. It would also be good for me to have some sort of friend. Being an outcast does not look good. Iris dragged me to one of the sofas, where another girl with long black hair, purple eyes, and glasses was sitting. "This girl is Demi; she also got here around the same time as me." The girl looked up at me and nodded. "Hey, I''m Demi. I guess you got kidnapped by Iris too, huh?" I looked at her and smiled. "Hello, nice to meet you. I''m Ara, and yes, it seems like that''s the case." "You know I''m right here?" Iris said with a pout. Wow. This girl really annoys me. "Anyway... ignoring Iris, I''m from Altair, and like she said, I got here yesterday morning."Iris butted in. "Don''t make sounding like you''re from Altair an achievement or something; you''re like a rebel!" Oh, now I''m curious. I was thinking about how she sounds like someone from back home. "Oh, please tell me. I''m curious now." She looked at me and sighed in defeat. "Well... long story short, I was brought up in Altair, so I was a noble. I got tired of it and ran away." There is definitely more to it than that. But I don''t think she''ll tell me right now. "Anyway... what''s your story, Ara?" To be fair, I''m not telling her everything either. "Ah well... I grew up in Aries. My mom died when I was nine, my dad is in service, I have an older sister who isn''t in service due to her being blind, I have a younger brother, and that''s really it. My life isn''t really interesting, well, up until now." Iris spoke up. "Ah yeah... I totally get it... life in Aetos was so boring. I have six siblings, and it''s a living hell. I''m so glad to be away from them." I really, really, REALLY don''t like her. How ungrateful can you be? At least you have a warm house. "Anyway, Ara, let me fill you in on everything I know so far," Iris said. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. She pointed to the table in the corner from earlier with all the food. "Since the first day a Child arrived, we''ve been given breakfast from that table. I think that when every child arrives, we''ll move to eating in the dining hall." "We were told that when every child arrives, we''ll be given proper tours and classes, among other things." Iris looks at me like a light bulb has gone off in her head. "Oh Ara, are you the last to arrive?" "Ah well, I''m not sure. I did see another boy with me on my journey here, but I''m not sure where he could be now. He was really strange; he needed extra guards as well." Demi spoke in. "Well... maybe he''s a troublemaker or something. I know I wasn''t easy to drag here." As if on cue, the boy I saw walked in with two guards holding him, who threw him in the room and locked the door. He didn''t spare any of us a second glance and walked over to the table in the corner to grab breakfast. Demi blinked. "Woah. Definitely a troublemaker." I need to find out more about that weird boy. There''s definitely some secret about him. But he did remind me that I need to eat. After eating some food that practically took me to heaven, a tired man that seemed to be in his forties, with dark brown hair, black eyes, and a robe dressed in constellations, just like the room we were in, walked into the room. He was followed by a man with midnight black hair, crimson red robes, no doubt to signify Calypso, and cold orange assessing eyes that looked over all of us. They were also accompanied by many guards who stood behind them menacingly. I guess they were important then. The tired man cleared his throat, looked around like he was unsure, and finally spoke. "Good evening, wait um, I think it''s morning actually. Sorry. Good morning, everyone." Wow. Okay. "My name is Andreas Makris. I am the royal oracle of Calypso. It is nice to meet you." He looks around the room. "Children of Aster." Oh, he was an oracle. Interesting. The other man looked impatient the whole time he was talking. I don''t think they get along. "Rise, Children of Aster." We all stood up in response. This guy demands things. I need to be like that someday. "Good morning, Children of Aster. I am the High Chancellor, George Poulos, right hand of the king, his most trusted advisor." Oh yes, I need to be like that, and even more. The oracle spoke up again. "Now that all of you are in Altair and safely in the castle, we will inform you of what to expect here, seeing as this will be where you reside for the rest of your lives." A quiet murmur travelled around the room. I guess it hadn''t hit some people that they were never going home. "But first, we''ll start with introductions. You''ll need to know each other, seeing as you''re all Children of Aster. We''ll go around the room." He scratched his head and pointed at the strange boy. "You go first." He sighed and got up from where he was sitting. He might have made some friends, seeing as there was a girl and two boys sitting next to him, or maybe his situation was similar to mine, and he was "kidnapped," as Demi put it. "My name is Alec Delis. They took me from Aetos. I''m seventeen, but we all are anyway." That''s all he said as he sat back down. "Uh well okay... you next." He pointed at the blond boy sitting on the sofa next to Alec. He had sky-blue eyes and sat with a carefree air. He got up with a jump and said, "Hey, my name''s Chris Bakas. I''m from Altair. Nice to meet you guys." He winked at nobody in particular and sat back down. The next girl with black hair and blue eyes didn''t even wait for Andreas to call on her. "Good morning, my name is Thalia Demo, I come from the noble house of Demo, which has relations to the queen. I come from Altair. My hobbies are painting, singing, dancing, and playing the piano. I hope we can all find ourselves getting along." She reminds me of Iris, but maybe not as annoying in a way. Andreas nodded and pointed at a boy with neatly trimmed blonde hair next to Thalia. "Good morning, it is nice to meet you all. My name is Julian Asker. I am from the house of Asker and from the capital, Altair. I hope we will all find ourselves getting along." He seems proper, I guess. Andreas pointed at me next. Now''s my time to shine. I cleared my throat and straightened my skirt as I stood. "It''s nice to meet you all. I''m Ara Bella. I come from Aries-" I heard someone scoff somewhere. "-and I hope we will all be able to get along." I sat back down quickly. When I find who the hell scoffed, they''re gonna regret it. He pointed at Iris next. Oh boy, I can tell it''s long. "Hi everyone! My name is Iris Floros. I''m from Aetos. I have six siblings, I know, it''s a lot. My whole life has been really boring, so I''m really glad that I''m here now. I think it''s going to be really exciting; it''s got to be better than Aetos, you know? ''Cause this is Altair and all. I''m really curious about what everyone''s powers are! Oh, you know what! My power is-" Andreas thankfully cut in. "Thank you... Miss Floros. Your magic is classified until tomorrow when training begins. You can show off then." Iris basically deflated with an "aw" and slumped back on the sofa. "Alright, you next." He pointed at Demi. Demi kept it short and simple. "Hello, my name is Demi." She sat back down straight away. Now I''m sure there''s a lot more to her. Thalia looked very skeptical as she said that too. Andreas pointed at a red-haired boy next, with chocolate brown eyes and a very relaxing aura. "Hey, my name is Robin Nicoli. I''m from Aetos. I really like poetry. Hope we can be friends." Andreas smiled when he said he liked poetry. Maybe they have that in common. He continued to point at a nervous girl with brown hair in two braids that went along her back, and she looked at everyone like she was an outsider with her hazel eyes. Robin nudged her, and she stood up. "Hi, my name''s Kora Metro. I''m from, um... Aetos. Nice to meet you all." She sat back down very quickly. He pointed to the next and final friend group, first pointing at a red-haired girl with green eyes that kept darting around the room, along with dark skin. She was quite short, and she seemed... meek? She basically seems to be someone I could manipulate if I needed to. "H-hi, my name is Katherine, but you can call me Kat, if you want... I really don''t mind. I''m from A-aries. It''s nice to meet you all." Someone else from Aries. Was it just us? Andreas moved onto the last two, a girl who had blonde hair with blue streaks in it, who was sitting next to a boy with short black hair and brown eyes. By the way they were sitting, they seemed to be close. He pointed at the girl first, who I noticed had gone through the effort of styling her wardrobe. "My name is Kyra Makos. I''m from Altair and the house of Makos. Nice to meet you all." Kyra nodded at the boy to go next. "Hi, my name is Iason Athans. I''m from Aries. Nice to meet you all." I wonder how two people from Altair and Aries became so close. Andreas looked around and spoke again. "That seems to be everyone. Re-" The High Chancellor cut in. He looked like he couldn''t keep quiet for another minute. "Ahem, yes, it is as Andreas was about to say. Remember that for the rest of your life, your duty is to serve your kingdom. Your life is now for your kingdom, and your kingdom only. Think only of how you can benefit your kingdom and what you must do to achieve it." Everyone was silent. This news must shock them. But it''s not so weird to me. This has been the obvious reality ever since we got here, ever since I realized I was a Child, ever since the king announced it in the square. Ever since I saw it in those picture books for the first time all those years ago. The Children of Aster were obvious pawns. But that won''t be me. And I''m sure I''m not the only one thinking it. Though I''m sure most of us will just accept it eventually, I don''t think that Alec boy will be one of them though. I leaned forward a bit to look at him. His hair was barely hiding the scowl on his face. The High Chancellor spoke again. "Today will be dedicated to meeting the royal family for lunch. Tours will commence tomorrow." Really? That was unexpected. "You''re now given time to prepare yourselves, but you''ll meet back here in thirty minutes." And with that, we all left the common room. I walked with Demi and Iris, who talked, but I was only half-listening. If we''re meeting with the royal family, I''ll need to present myself perfectly. This could decide what the rest of my time here is like, which is, really, the rest of my life. If I want to make myself stand out, I might need to make others look worse. I glanced at Iris. She was bubbly describing something with her hands and nearly hit a maid in the face. She was definitely a target. And...I looked behind me. That girl Katherine, who seems so unconfident. She''ll be my next prey as well. ??? Back in my room, my maids helped me pick out a beautiful blue dress, my favourite colour, with rhinestones sewn on. My dress reached the floor, which was something I did on purpose.On the way here, with Iris and Demi, I mentioned to Iris how a short skirt dress would look great on her. She seemed to beam at my advice. I really said that to her because it might not make a great first impression to appear so... scandalous. I know that short skirts must be something people are against here, seeing as I only had one outfit with that kind of thing. I''ve also seen no one wearing short skirts today. In fact, I saw a maid with a ripped skirt, and everyone scowled at her as she passed. It''s honestly so different from home, you''d just wear whatever you could afford. I brushed my hair while I thought about what to do with Katerina. She was obviously very shy, and I''ll have to highlight that during our meeting with the royals. I set my brush down on the table and stared in the mirror. I smiled at myself. Look at me now, way better compared to a year ago. My blonde hair is light, and my blue eyes shine in the mirror. For once, there isn''t any dirt on my face, and there are jewels in my hair. This is what I''ll look like for the rest of my life. No. One day I''ll look even better. I tucked a pen in my sleeve and made my way to the common room. Andreas was standing at the front of the room, and everyone who had arrived was sitting on the sofas. I made my way to Demi and Iris, who was wearing a short skirt, like I had said. I smiled as I sat down. "That looks great on you, Iris." "Thanks, Ara! You were right; this looks amazing on me." "It''s no problem. I''m glad to be helping a friend." Iris was beaming now. A panicked girl rushed through the door suddenly, and I drop my pen on the table at the opportunity. Katherine. She seems to be overtaken with nerves; she''s shivering and shaking all over the place. Andreas spoke up. "Alright, now that all of you are present, we''ll now depart to the dining room, where you will meet the royal family for the first time. We''ll line up in an orderly fashion." I think I hear him mutter "good luck" under his breath. Naturally, Iris dashes to the front, dragging me and Demi with her. Demi looks annoyed and says, "Iris, could you slow down!" "Hehe, sorry!" She says with no remorse at all. " Oh, I left my pen on the table. I''ll catch up with you guys," I say in a fake tone. I go to retrieve my pen and see that after Demi, Katherine is next in queue. I smile to myself. She might have been so shaken because I had found a spider earlier, and I might have happened to slip it into her room as I passed by. The stupid girl forgot to close the door. She seems like the kind of person to be scared by a spider, so I took a gamble and gave her a little present. I join the back of the queue, and we start to move. Perfect. Because Katerina was delayed due to the spider, she was in front of the door, meaning she''s close to the front, and I assume she''ll be sitting closer to the prince. We travel through the castle and arrive at the dining room. When I look at the oval table, I release a silent sigh. I was completely right. The dining room is magnificent, with an incredibly high ceiling, so high that I can''t see the end, but a magnificent chandelier decorated with many diamonds is hanging from it. Many star-shaped sculptures float in the air, the result of magic, no doubt. There are hundreds of paintings hanging from the walls, this time with crowns. They all stare at us with scrutinizing eyes. There are also many pillars, with designs forever twisting and turning upon them. Mesmerizing. At the front lies a colossal stage, with dazzling red curtains carrying the coat of Calypso. And on the stage lay the royal family. They looked even more majestic than when I had seen them in Aries. King Nikolas was wearing a colossal crown, adorned with many different jewels. He stood proud with his hands behind his back, showing off his sash, decorated with many badges he probably didn''t earn. He had a long velvet cape that fluttered behind him when a breeze flew through the room. He watched everyone with assessing eyes and raised an eyebrow for a moment when he saw Iris, but quickly went back to looking at us. Prince Lukas was also wearing a sash, but without the badges. His crown was smaller in comparison to his dad''s but grand nonetheless. He was also watching us, but with an innocent kind of curiosity, which made me wonder what kind of person he was. I turned my attention to Queen Ariana, my real target for tonight. She was wearing a long crimson dress that wrapped around her body and fell to the floor. She was wearing matching gloves, and her gold jewellery complemented her dress perfectly. Her hair was almost as long as her dress, and her crown dazzled in the light. Her eyes showed that she was far away from here, and I wonder if she ever comes back at all. The king suddenly started to address us, his voice booming throughout the hall. "Children of Aster, we are delighted to receive you into our care today. My family and I thoroughly hope that for the rest of your time here, you will find yourselves comfortable and find everything you need at your disposal." "But remember, even though you''re all Children of Aster, you''ll need to prove yourselves to your country, whether that''s through your powers or public interaction, but you are never to forget your country." Or maybe we''re not supposed to forget him. He put on a toothy grin. "Moving on, I don''t know about you, but I''m feeling rather peckish." And with that, he travelled down from the stage and came to stand at the head of the table. We all went to stand next to a chair at the oval table. Because I was at the end, and the table wrapped around, I found that I was going to sit to the side of Queen Ariana. Truly perfect. I''ve realised that from every time the king and queen have come to Aries, that Queen Ariana is always on the right of the king. I also know from books that when you are invited to dine in Altair, you have to wait for the most important person to sit first, and in this scenario, it would be the king. However, Iris and Alec sat down before him. Iris looked excited and was practically bouncing in her seat before she realized everyone was looking at her, and she got up sheepishly. Alec, on the other hand, looked at Iris get up and looked like he was questioning if he should stand, but after a roll of his eyes, he was on his feet. The king watched both of them with narrowed eyes the whole time. After they both got up, the king cleared his throat and sat down to eat, and everyone else followed. We were served what I think were lamb chops, but I don''t know, seeing as I''ve never seen this quality of food before. I do know which knife and fork I''m supposed to use and how to use them, though. I looked around at the table; everyone from Altair was holding the right forks and knives and was holding them correctly, but everyone else was holding them wrong. Except for Kora, who held everything correctly. Maybe it was luck. Katherine was a whole mess though, and I saw the king look at her with degrading eyes. I did see him admire my table manners at one point. Good. I turned my head to look at the queen. She was absently cutting her food and putting it in her mouth. Looks like I''ll have to make conversation. "Your Majesty." "Hmm?" She looked at me like she had just woken up. "I would like to ask if you are alright?" "Oh." She looked at her food for a second and looked back at me. "Yes, child, I am alright." This is going to be hard. "If I can be frank, Your Majesty, you''re quite the role model for me. You''ve married into the royal family and have been a proud figure of Calypso." And that is somewhat true. "Hm." She poked at her food. "But I also understand that it must be incredibly hard for you. The role of queen must be heavy upon your shoulders, and I''d just like to say that it would be my honour if I could help lessen the weight sometime." The queen blinked at me in surprise, and shockingly, she smiled at me. "Child, you are most kind. It would be my pleasure to speak again sometime." I smiled back at her. "The pleasure''s all mine." The rest of the lunch went by quickly, with Iris talking non-stop and Katherine constantly dropping various items, while the king eyed them both. Everyone in their respective friend groups chatted animatedly, and some even spoke with the king. Eventually, we were dismissed, and we returned to our rooms, while I watched Iris and Katerina both look defeated. I opened the doors to my room and sat on the balcony with a cup of tea while I eyed the gardens. There''s a lot waiting for me here. Top Point When I woke up the next morning, Rebecca, Lilly, and Mary were already stationed outside. Once they heard I was awake, they rushed in and helped me bathe. I noticed that Lilly had what seemed to be a third-degree burn on her face. It was deep crimson and had a glassy texture, which surprised me. I would have guessed that a healer could sort it out, and I didn''t think she''d have any permanent scars¡ªthis was Altair, after all. Magic was supposed to be what they were good at. Not to mention, the fire wasn''t even on her face for long, maybe half a second at most. "Lilly, what happened to your face? Did you not get to see a healer yesterday?" The quiet girl startled at being addressed suddenly. "Oh, no, Lady Bella, I managed to find a healer." "Then why do you still have a burn?" She looked at the ground dejectedly before raising her gaze back to mine. "Well, um, Lady Bella, the healer said it was... unlike anything he''d seen before." Really? "He said that it seemed to be caused by very powerful magic, and he wouldn''t be able to make it go away, but he''d be able to ease the pain and accelerate the healing process. He said that maybe... the, um, head healer would be able to fix it. So he called him..." She looked back at the ground. "But he couldn''t do anything either." This was interesting. I''d wondered how the Children of Aster were different from other magic users, but I''d never heard of burns that couldn''t be completely healed here. From all the books I''ve read, anything in Altair could be healed. "My apologies, Lilly, I really didn''t mean to leave a scar." "Ah no... It''s really okay, Lady Bella." She still looked at me with scared eyes, though, and I wondered if she''d look at me like that forever. ??? When I travelled to the common room, I was greeted by Iris, who was chatting animatedly about something, while Demi and I listened silently. Well, I was only really half-listening; my mind was focused on what would happen today. We were told that we''d have a tour, and then lessons. I wondered what we were going to do in the lessons. Would they be academic? If so, I wondered how that would play out, considering that we''d probably all be at different levels of education or wouldn''t have any education at all. My train of thought was interrupted when the Royal Oracle, Andreas, entered the room, and I wondered if he was supposed to be looking over us or something like that. I noticed that the royal chancellor wasn''t here either¡ªmaybe he just wanted to see us for himself. "Good morning, Children of Aster," Andreas announced. He looked as tired as he had yesterday, and I really wondered if he got any sleep. "Today we''ll start with an official tour of the castle. I''ll be your guide. Now, follow me." Iris was practically bubbling with excitement and dragged Demi and me out the door. It was a bit impressive how she still had such a strong spirit after yesterday. If I wanted to break her, it would take a while. We all exited the common room, following Andreas in a sort of line, as we passed through many hallways decorated with numerous paintings. "This is exciting, isn''t it?" Iris was practically jumping as we walked. "It really is. I''ve never been in a castle before." "I know, right? I bet every room is going to look as beautiful as the dining room! But Demi, you''re probably not impressed since you''re a noble and all." Demi sighed. "That''s true, but I barely visited castles when I was little. And I ran away, remember?" Iris pouted for what felt like the hundredth time in two days. ??? The tour took about thirty minutes, even though we skipped some rooms and places we weren''t allowed in¡ªlike the towers where the royal family slept. Though, if I speak to the queen again, I might be able to see them. There were many rooms in the castle, which isn''t surprising, but what was surprising was how stunning they were. Iris was right in saying that they were all as beautiful as the dining room. They also had unbelievably high ceilings; I noted. During our tour, we passed many courtiers who looked at us curiously. I wondered if they knew who we were. Eventually, we stopped at a room in a quieter part of the castle, and Andreas turned to address us. "We''ll be stopping our tour here, but if you find that you need to access a room that we haven''t covered on our tour, don''t be afraid to ask a guard for directions. Of course, that''s only if you''re allowed in said room." He turned to the door and started to open it. "We''ll most likely spend the next few minutes in here, so make sure you''re comfortable." I recall Iris telling me that we''d be having classes at some point. Maybe this was it? My guess was confirmed when we all walked into the room to see twelve tables and chairs all facing a chalkboard. "Take a seat anywhere you like." I sat down next to Iris, who was sitting next to Demi. Andreas walked up to the chalkboard and looked at all of us. "Alright¡ª" "Excuse me!" Andreas was interrupted by Thalia, who was sitting next to Alec, Chris, and Julian. "What is it, Miss Demo? And next time, please raise your hand if you have a question." "I apologise for my interruption, Sir Makis. Next time, I''ll make sure to raise my hand. But I was just wondering how we would be able to take lessons together if..." She looked around the room quickly. "If some of us aren''t as... educated as others, especially those from the lower city." That''s a weird way of saying she thinks people from Aries are dumb. She''s not half-wrong, though. We don''t have school in Aries, but that doesn''t mean we can''t teach ourselves. Andreas sighed and looked at Thalia. "That shouldn''t be of your concern, Miss Demo. And today isn''t dedicated to those kinds of lessons. Though I understand what you''re trying to say, we''ll deal with that when we get to that point." Thalia nodded in response. "Thanks for taking the time to answer my question." Thalia looked satisfied with his answer, unlike Julian and Chris. Alec, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Andreas continued. "Moving on, the reason we''re not doing anything today is because of a system we''re introducing." A few whispers went up in the air. "Quiet. Anyway, the system is specifically for you, the Children of Aster." He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board. "When I say ''point,'' I don''t mean tallies or rewards or something like that. Instead, think of it as a point on a star." He wrote this down as he talked. Points on a star... system... what does that mean? "This system is to rank your magical ability." I should''ve figured. "The first point would have the most magical ability, while the twelfth would have the least." Andreas scratched his head for a minute. "Actually, let me rephrase that. It''s not to measure who has the most, but who can use it best. Since, in theory, you should all have the exact same amount of magic." Chris scowled at that¡ªhe probably thought that everyone from Altair would do better than everyone else. "Anyway, you might remember me saying to Miss Floros that we''d be seeing your magic today, and that is in fact true." I''m guessing that they''ll assess our abilities by having us fight, but I have no idea how to fight. Hell, I don''t even really know how to control my magic. I''ve used it twice, and both times it came out in random bursts. "In a minute, we''ll be going outside so your individual points can be decided, but before we do, we''ll go over everything you need to know about magic." Iris surprisingly reached over to me with a concerned face. "What do you think we''ll have to do to earn our points? Whatever it is, I don''t think I''ll be able to do it," she whispered. I smiled and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. "I''m sure it won''t be too hard. They wouldn''t risk hurting us." She smiled back at me, looking a lot more settled. Obviously, I''m aiming for the top. It would definitely hurt my chances if someone else was better prepared. "Quiet." He sighed. "Continuing on... magic is something that, as a kingdom, we''ve always had. Far before any other kingdoms, actually." He wrote this on the board as he said it. "Magic determines who inhabits Aries, Aetos, and Altair, with people with the most magic living in Altair, and the least living in Aries. Families usually inherit the amount of their magic power, resulting in most families living in the same city. However, there are people who might have more magic than their families. In these situations, they can apply to move to higher cities, but if someone has less magic than what is required in their city, they can be dragged down a city." He stopped writing and looked back at us. "These are the basics, which I''m sure most, if not all of you, know. If you have any questions, speak up now." Kora raised a hand. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Yes, Miss Metro?" She looked like she had second thoughts about raising her hand, but she went through with her question. "Um, what if someone hid their lack of magic power?" His answer was blunt. "They''d be killed." Well, he just killed the mood. "Any more questions?" No one raised their hand. "Great, moving on. When it comes to magic, there are two things to consider." He drew a table on the board with two headings: Basic and Manifestation. "Basic magic is something that everyone aged eighteen and up possesses. It''s essentially what allows us to lift things without touching them. However, it''s not to be underestimated; if used correctly, it can be a powerful weapon." He summarised this as a bullet point under Basic. "In Aries, it''s common for people under eighteen to lack magic; some of you may have been in that situation until recently. However, it''s unheard of for anyone over eighteen to have no magic whatsoever. In Aetos, it''s uncommon for children under eighteen to lack magic, but anyone who reaches ten without it is sent to Aries." He says that like Aries is a prison, but he''s not wrong. "In Altair, all children are born with magic. It''s common for babies to make things float around them when they cry." He moved his chalk to Manifestation. "Manifestation is basically the pinnacle of your power; it represents you and your magic. For example, if your magic is based on ice, that would be your manifestation. In Aries, no one has a manifestation. In Aetos, some people have manifestations, but none are as powerful as those in Altair. In Altair, everyone has a manifestation, and families usually have similar ones." I''m guessing mine is fire, or something like that. He set the chalk down and turned back to us. "You, Children of Aster, all have manifestations, and from the reports I''ve seen, you all know how to use them. We''ll be heading downstairs to the training grounds now to test your abilities. Any questions?" Julian raised his hand. "Yes?" He adjusted his glasses before responding. "If you don''t mind me asking, sir, what is your manifestation?" Andreas scratched his head. "Well, mine is receiving oracles in my sleep. It''s a fairly rare power." He started walking toward the door. "If no one else has any questions, I''d like to get going." That probably meant no more questions. We all stood up from our seats and followed Andreas to the training grounds. ??? We were lined up horizontally, facing Andreas, who stood next to a group of people dressed in white. He explained what we would be doing. "We''ve asked all the guards not to use this area today, so it''s completely free." He pointed at two identical doors behind the grounds. "You can get changed in there¡ªboys on the right, girls on the left." We all filed into our designated changing areas, with a thick silence as everyone wondered what we would have to do. I put on the clothes left on a rack¡ªcomfortable navy blue that felt light on my body. I borrowed a ribbon from Demi and prepared to leave for the training grounds. That''s when I noticed Katherine shivering in a corner. She seemed to be having a complete breakdown, her arms wrapped around her waist, eyes closed. I saw Kyra leaving the room and thought she might comfort Katherine, seeing as they were sitting together on the day we were introduced, and Katherine had been with Kyra and Iason since then. Though, Kyra and Iason seemed pretty close, so maybe Katherine is a third wheel or something like that. I walked over to her, seeing no one else was going to, with everyone else having already left or just not caring. "Kat, are you okay?" I said softly. She didn¡¯t respond, continuing to shiver in place. "I can see that you''re scared, but it''s okay. Just focus on your breathing." I told her while placing my hand on her shoulder. I''ve read that when people start panicking, this is one of the best things to do to help them. "It''s okay, just keep breathing with me." We did breathing exercises for a minute or two before she fully calmed down. "Thanks a lot, Ara. I''m just really nervous about what we might have to do today." Katherine looked back at me with a smile, though her voice was shaky. "Don''t worry, I''m sure it''s nothing too hard. They wouldn''t put us through that." I smiled back at her. It would be good for me to be someone Katherine could trust. I looked back at the door with a bit of worry; this had taken a while. "I think we should get going. We wouldn¡¯t want to delay anyone." I started making my way toward the door, where I heard worried voices. "Right." Katherine and I walked back outside, where we saw everyone lined up and facing Andreas. I noticed he wasn¡¯t wearing training clothes like the rest of us, which confirmed that we¡¯d be fighting each other. Once Andreas saw that we had all arrived, he started to address us. "Now that you''re all here, I''ll fill you in on what you are to do." He narrowed his eyes at Katherine and me. "But in the future, please ensure that you are more... punctual." He turned his gaze back to everyone else. "Some of you may have been questioning what we''re doing today. In fact, some of you may have already figured it out." Now I''m sure we''re fighting. "We''ll be determining your points by having a competition of sorts. You''ll fight everyone, and the person with the most wins will be the first point. The person with the fewest wins will be the twelfth point. So, in short, the more wins you have, the higher your point." I could feel Katherine starting to shiver again next to me. Andreas continued to pair us up, starting with me against Iris. "Ara, I really don''t want to fight you first, but I won''t go easy on you just because you''re my friend. Kay?" Iris said as we moved to our designated area. I''m definitely not thinking of going easy on her. "I don¡¯t want to fight you either, Iris, but here''s to a fair match." I reached out to shake her hand. "Yeah." She returned with a huge grin. I''m going to wipe that smile off her face. "Before we begin, I''d like to set some rules." Andreas addressed us from where he could watch us all. "You cannot do anything to interrupt other matches. You cannot leave your designated area. You cannot use any weapons. And I hope this last rule is obvious, but you cannot kill your opponent." If he hadn¡¯t told me that, I might have considered it. "You¡¯ll be considered a winner when your opponent can no longer fight or forfeits." He gave us all one last look before shouting, "And now... begin!" I turned my attention back to Iris, who was advancing toward me. I started to do the same, despite not really knowing how to fight. I''m hoping Iris is in the same boat. I can tell from her eyes that she''s scared, which could work to my advantage. Iris threw an unsure punch my way, and I used the opportunity to grab her arm and push her away. She stumbled a bit, but Iris started concentrating hard. And suddenly, I felt incredibly light, like I was floating. Because I was. Iris¡¯s power seemed to manipulate gravity, making things float. I focused back on Iris, whose hair was floating and eyes looked like they were on fire. I recalled the first time I used my power, back in the alleyway, and remembered them saying similar things about me. If Iris is in the same state I was, she must be seeing everything in perfect detail, and her senses must be heightened. If that¡¯s true, I don¡¯t stand a chance against her like this. Which means I should use my own powers. I''m still not sure how to use my powers, and I regret not testing them earlier. When I killed those boys, they were set on fire without me touching them. I should be able to ignite things from afar. If I can do that, I can probably win. The problem is I''m not sure what to set on fire. I could set Iris herself on fire, but that would kill her, and as much as I like the idea, it¡¯s against the rules and I would lose instantly. I''m also sure there would be other complications. Just as I was figuring out what to do, I was slammed to the floor with a thud. I tried to get up, but it felt like a dozen weights were pressing on my back. This confirms my theory that Iris can control gravity, but I''m still unsure what to do. If I continue like this, I¡¯ll get too tired, and even if she releases her magic, I won¡¯t be able to get up. I''ll have to take a gamble. I focused on Iris¡¯s trousers specifically and used all my might to set them on fire. The feeling returned as if all the stars had aligned, and Iris¡¯s trousers ignited. They roared to life, consuming her lower half like a hungry lion. Iris let out an ear-splitting scream and collapsed to the floor. Suddenly, it felt like the entire world had been lifted off my shoulders. I can probably say that I¡¯ve won. Andreas noticed this and announced, "Miss Bella has won. Miss Floros has lost. You may both leave the grounds now." A groan escaped Iris¡¯s lips. "I don¡¯t think I can walk; my legs..." Andreas sighed and nodded to the group of people in white, who came over and started to heal Iris. After a while, she could walk again and came over to congratulate me on my win, saying my magic was so cool¡ªblah blah blah. I wasn¡¯t listening, as I was wondering how Iris had been healed. When I burned Lilly¡¯s face, they weren¡¯t able to heal it, but Iris was completely fine after seeing a healer. My fire was a lot stronger than yesterday. Does this have to do with being Children of Aster? "...But yeah, good match!" Iris said as she extended her hand. I took her hand and shook it with a smile. "Likewise." After fighting Iris, I had to face Iason, who had the power to make mini meteorites fall on specific areas; Kyra, who could teleport; Robin, who could control ice; Demi, who could create illusions; and Kora, who could fly. I managed to win against all of them, with each fight getting progressively harder, but I struggled against Thalia, who could summon a haze like an aurora that made me dizzy; Julian, who could create mini black holes; and Chris, who could manipulate some sort of dark matter. I ended up losing to them. Each defeat was making me more and more frustrated, especially after losing to Chris, who snickered after our match. If I lose another fight, I wonder what rank I¡¯ll end up with. I wanted to be first, but right now it seems out of reach. However, that¡¯s only temporary. I¡¯ll figure something out, no matter what it takes. The last two people I was set to fight were Katherine and Alec. I hadn¡¯t been able to watch any of their matches, so I was at a disadvantage. While I waited for my turn, I decided to observe them. I turned my attention to Katherine, who had just started her match with Kyra. Surprisingly, it was already over, with Andreas declaring Kyra the victor. I assumed it would be easy to fight Katherine, given how nervous she seemed. Andreas noticed that Kyra and Katherine had finished and told Katherine and me to begin our duel. As we walked to our designated area, I saw that Katherine was shivering even more than before. "Are you alright, Kat?" I asked. She didn¡¯t respond, merely walking to the other side to face me. When Andreas signalled us to start, I sprinted towards her. But Katherine still didn¡¯t make a move. If she¡¯s going to be like this, I won¡¯t waste any time. I gave her a shove; she fell to the floor and didn¡¯t get up. Andreas saw her lying there and declared me the winner. That was surprisingly easy, but it made me wonder what her power was. I exited the arena and returned to waiting, just as Alec finished his match. Andreas noticed and called us up for our duel. As we stood opposite each other, Alec gave me a quick nod before Andreas signalled us to begin. I charged towards Alec... ...and then I fell. I couldn¡¯t move. Somehow, Alec was already behind me. "Good match," he said as he walked away, and Andreas announced his victory. What is his power? How can someone do that? If I want to be first, I need to find out. ??? After everyone had been healed, we were led back to the classroom, where a woman with long black hair waited. Andreas made us all sit down and began speaking. "Now that you¡¯ve all fought each other, I¡¯ll announce your ranks." He picked up chalk and wrote all our names alongside our points. I was... fifth. I narrowed my eyes in frustration but continued reading. Alec was first, Julian was second, Thalia was third, Chris was fourth, Demi was sixth, Kyra was seventh, Robin was eighth, Iris was ninth, Iason was tenth, Kora was eleventh, and Katherine was twelfth. No surprises there. I glanced at Thalia, Chris, Julian, and Alec. They seemed to be the dream team, but something about them bothered me. Thalia, Chris, and Julian were all from Altair, but Alec was from Aetos. I had wondered why they were friends with him, but perhaps it was because they knew he was powerful. I turned my attention back to the board. Andreas was observing our reactions, and I made sure to keep my expression neutral. It wasn¡¯t too difficult, especially since I wasn¡¯t feeling particularly angry, sad, or even happy. I was completely fine because I knew I¡¯d rise to the top. I looked at the woman standing patiently. I thought she was wearing some sort of uniform, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Andreas cleared his throat. "Mrs. Gabris will be marking your arms according to your rank. Go up to her and tell her your name. And it would be wise not to lie, as I¡¯m standing right here." We all got up and formed a queue. When I reached her, she made a peculiar symbol on my shoulder before asking my name. "I¡¯m Ara Bella. It¡¯s nice to meet you." She smiled and continued to apply purple paint to my arm. "It¡¯s nice to meet you too, Ara. Congratulations on your rank." I returned her smile as the shape began to form. "Thank you very much." The mark took the shape of a five-pointed star, and I sat back down in my seat. Once everyone was done, Mrs. Gabris left, and Andreas spoke to us again. "Congratulations on your new ranks, everyone, but know that they are not permanent." Oh? "In the future, you can challenge those with ranks directly above you, and if you succeed, you can take their rank. If someone challenges you, you cannot decline. I hope this motivates you all to work harder." As his words sank in, I stared at the board. My name will be at the top. Tedious Ceremony After learning our points yesterday, we were told to go to the classroom first thing the next morning. It was annoying, but I made sure that I was one of the first people there, seeing as I still wanted to make a good impression. We started filing into the room, with Thalia and Julian arguing about something, while Alec and Chris watched. Iris was talking about her siblings to a not-very-interested Demi, Kyra was playing rock-paper-scissors with Katherine and Iason simultaneously, and Kora and Robin were quietly discussing something. When we were all eventually gathered in the room, Andreas arrived and stood at the front. "Good morning, Children of Aster. Today''s lesson will be short, as I just want to go over a few things." When are we going to have an actual proper lesson then? "Tomorrow will be the day when you are presented to the palace. There will be a ceremony in the throne room, and it will be the first time you are officially seen as Children of Aster. It will be an important day for you, as well as for our kingdom." Tomorrow? Why didn''t they tell us earlier? Why on such short notice? Things like this were quickly starting to become annoying. "You won''t have to do much at the actual event, as you''ll only have to go up when they call your name, utter a few words, and sit back down afterward." Suddenly, Thalia raised her hand again, I''m guessing with another question. Andreas sighed. "What is it, Miss Demo?" "Will our families be in attendance?" she asked, resting her hands on the desk. Andreas nodded in response. "Yes, those of you from Altair will have your families attend, but those from the other cities will not, as it''s on such short notice." Thalia nodded. "Thank you for answering my question." "Moving on, all your personal servants have been tasked with preparing your outfits for tomorrow, and you''ll all be dressed in similar attire," he went on, looking like he just wanted to leave. "The ceremony will only be approximately an hour, and as well as your families being in attendance, the king''s court will be as well. It''ll be the first time that most of them will see you." It looks like I''ll have to make a good impression again, and looking at everyone else, I could see that they were thinking the same. "Another event that will be taking place is a ball in two months, to celebrate all of your birthdays." I had almost forgotten that we all had the same birthday. Not to mention that it seemed like it was going to be a big deal. All my previous birthdays were celebrated with a bit of extra food on my plate, and before I knew I was a Child of Aster, the upcoming one was going to be celebrated with me becoming a slave. "As it''s your first birthday at the palace, it will be a big event, even bigger than the ceremony. Foreign lords and ladies will be in attendance, and the ball will be very important to the royal family. You are to be on your best behavior." He stared us all down as he said this. I wonder what would happen if we messed around. Andreas picked up some papers that he had found on the desk and sorted through them. "Now, moving on, I have papers for all of you. This is to help you understand your magic better. You cannot look at anyone else''s. If you''re caught looking, you will be punished." He then got up and proceeded to hand out the pieces of paper. When he dropped mine on my desk, I reached forward and studied it. My name was at the top, and the date was from four days ago. From when I first arrived. Underneath my name, there was a heading titled "Power." I sucked in a breath and looked at what was written. Starfire - Can create and control fire, with the potential to reach the temperature of a star. Possible for there to be more to the ability. That made sense. I read the last part again. Possible for there to be more to the power. If that''s true, then I''ll find out what it is. I''ll need to if I want to raise my point. I dared a glance behind me and saw that everyone was looking closely at their papers, taking in everything it said. When I looked at Katherine, though, I saw that she seemed like she might burst into tears. Finding out what her power is is definitely a priority. Andreas went back to the front of the class and cleared his throat, getting all of our attention. "I''m sure that you''ve all had the chance to read about your powers now. Hopefully, this encourages you to train harder and push your magic to its limits," he said, like he was reciting it from a script. "Now, we''re going to quickly go over your relation to the Gods." That''s so random, why now? These people keep throwing stuff at us last minute. "As I''m sure you all know, the Aster, the stars, are our heavenly Gods that care for and look after us. As a show of their love for us, they sent down you, the Children of Aster, to help our kingdom prosper," he said it like he barely believed it himself. "You are all Children of Gods, and so you have a strong connection to the Aster. This kingdom sees you all as holy figures, so it would be wise for you to visit the chapel regularly." Like hell I''m doing that. "You''re now dismissed. It would be best for you all to try and prepare for the ceremony in any way possible," he said with a barely stifled yawn. We all rose from our chairs and exited the room in a crowd. ??? As I walked through the hallways with Lyra and Demi, we passed by Thalia, Chris, Julian, and Alec. They were all snickering about something. Actually, more accurately, it was Thalia and Chris. Julian looked like he was thinking, while Alec seemed like he couldn''t care less. I glanced behind them to try and get an idea of what was so funny, but it was just Katherine, again. She seemed like she was on the edge of a breakdown, most likely because of the ceremony tomorrow. I can understand why she''s so scared a little; we were told on short notice. I rolled my shoulders and sighed silently. "I think I''ll stay behind for now, you should go on without me," I said to Iris and Demi, deciding that I should go and console Katherine again. Iris looked behind me curiously, but she understood when she saw Katherine, so she nodded and dragged Demi off somewhere. With them both out of the way, I stepped towards Katherine, who had completely stopped in her tracks. "Are you okay, Kat? Where are Kyra and Iason?" It seemed like they stuck around Katherine less and less lately. "T-they said th-there w-was something th-they needed to do, and they went into Kyra''s room." I raised an eyebrow at that. I was completely right about her being a third wheel. It looks like they''re in a romantic relationship or something. "Oh. Well, are you okay? If you''re not, you can do breathing exercises with me again." I put an arm on her shoulder. She smiled and seemed to calm down a little. "I-I think I''ll be okay now, thanks, Ara." And she walked away. I rolled my eyes. What a drama queen. ??? I was reading on my bed with a book from the library. It was well into the night now, and the whole day was boring, except for the ''class'' this morning. I sighed and rolled over. I''m sure we''re going to do a lot more than what we''re doing now, but when would that time come? I''m getting extremely bored. Just as I was complaining in my head, I noticed a tapestry on the wall starting to flutter in the wind. I sighed and got up from my bed towards it. It was annoying me, so I was going to take it down. But when I did, I was absolutely shocked. There was a door. A hidden door. It had a gold handle, and I tugged on it before it opened to show a passageway. This is one way to cure my boredom. I left my book on the desk before I took a candle and entered the passageway, shutting the door behind me. I wonder where this leads. I ended up climbing for a while through a dark hallway that I guess hadn''t had anyone in it for a while, seeing as there were so many cobwebs, before I reached a cross in the road. There were eight doors, and I heard snoring from five of them. I guess that means these are doors to everyone''s room. I decided to go down one of the three where I didn''t hear snoring, as I could learn valuable things from the other children when they thought they were alone. I couldn''t decide which one to go down first though, so I did eenie-meenie-miney-mo, and ended up with the one on the far left. Keeping my hand on the wall, I kept walking until I heard voices talking. I came up to another door, which I guess meant we all could access this passage, and pressed my ear up against the wall so I could hear better. "Come on, Iason, you''re not scared, are you?" a voice said teasingly. Katherine had said that Kyra and Iason had gone to Kyra''s room together. So I guess that this is her room. "I-I''m not. It''s just, should we really do this?" another more unsure voice asked. "It''ll be fine.And y''know, you look cute when you blush." A startled noise came from the room. I moved back at the speed of light. I had heard enough of that. Rubbing my head, I moved up the passage and back to the fork in the road. This time I went into the one on the right. Again, I pushed my ear up against the wall, and I heard... nothing. No talking, snoring, or a bath running. I don''t know whose room it is, but they''re not in it right now. I guess it''s not that suspicious since we don''t really have a curfew, but it''s still odd. I went back up the passage and into the final route. This one was by far the longest¡ªI felt like I was walking forever¡ªbut eventually, I came to a door and pressed my ear against it. This time, I heard... trees rustling? Why would... oh. It goes outside. As I realized this, I opened the door and stepped onto a balcony. From here, I could see a separate part of the gardens, a view that I couldn''t normally see from my room. Standing there on the balcony was surprisingly peaceful, and it was easy to forget about everything stressful, like the point system. But as I was staring up at the sky, I noticed another door. As I reached and opened it, I realized that it was another passageway, which I guess leads to the boys'' rooms. This passage was long too, and I marched forever until I came to another crossroad. Similar to the girls'', I could hear snoring coming from many paths. There was only one from which I could actually hear talking. Holding my candle even tighter, I went down the path and pressed my ear to the door. "And you''re actually him, right?" someone asked hesitantly. I know that voice; it''s Demi. Does that mean the room that was silent was hers? Who''s she talking to right now? "Mhm," a bored voice replied, which sounded like Alecs. I pressed my ear on the door even harder. This is the perfect opportunity to find out what he''s hiding! This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "I thought you matched the description that I was given." Silence, but then: "Will you try and escape, then?" I heard Alec sigh and put something down. "I have been trying, haven''t I?" "Oh. Yeah." "I''ve decided that it''d be better for me to get more information here right now. But I have been trying to get people inside the castle." What does he mean? "Really? Do you have information, then?" Demi asked excitedly. I widened my eyes in shock; this is the most emotion I''ve ever heard from Demi. "Why should I tell you?" he questioned skeptically. I agree with his question. How does Demi know about him? "Well, after I left... my family, I mean, I heard about you, and it inspired me to do what you have, and I''ve recreated exactly what you do, but in Altair," she whispered reluctantly. What is it that he does? Are they not gonna say? Alec sighed again, and I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "It sounds like you''re a copycat to me." Demi whimpered. "And I don''t like people from Altair." It was silent for a while, and I had to resist the urge to jump in there and tell someone to say something. "At the ball, there are going to be many people from Cetus, but more specifically, their queen is coming. I think she''s been invited to show her that we''re not a threat, but that just confirms for me that we are," he finally said. "How can I help?" Demi asked even more excitedly, and my eyes almost fell out of their sockets. Even more silence fell, but he eventually told her: "There''s not a lot we can do right now, but we can follow the king''s plan and try to show her that we''re not a threat. It would also help if we knew what exactly was threatening her." Threatening her? A queen? "Maybe we could try and sneak plans from the high chancellor or the general, but it''s risky. I''d like to wait until more people are in the castle." "I understand. I''ll also try and get some of my people in the castle," Demi stated. "That''d be helpful," Alec replied, and I heard them both drink something, most likely tea. "So, what do you think of our fellow children?" she asked, somewhat playfully. "What do you think?" Alec replied, and there was silence. "Think of it as me testing you." "Ah... well..." she started, flustered. "Okay, well, the ones I know best are Iris and Ara, so I''ll start with them." I listened even more closely; it''s kind of entertaining to hear what she thinks she knows about me. "Well, Iris is nice, but she talks a lot. She doesn''t seem to think too deeply about things, though." That''s exactly what I think about her. "Ara is polite, despite her coming from Aries. She also seems really smart too, so she''s a surprising person. Her life seems a bit tragic, though, since her mother is dead, and she lived in Aries alone with her little brother and blind older sister." I balled my free fist. I am not tragic. "I''m not sure about everyone else, though. Chris seems to hate everyone from the poorer cities, but now that I think about it, he''s friends with you. Why is that?" she asked with curiosity. "He''s not my friend. It''s just that their families were told when I was captured about who I was, then they told their children to get on my good side. It''s not going to do them any favors, though." "Oh. Do the other Altair children know anything else that we don''t?" "I''m not sure. But all of their families are on the good side of the king. That''s why I''m sticking around them. To get information." "Ah, that makes sense." Gods, even more silence. Just talk. It''s not that hard. "Your test isn''t over, you know. What else do you think about the other children?" Demi made a shocked noise. "Oh well, uh, I think Julian is someone who calculates a lot. He was the heir to his family, but now that he''s a Child of Aster, that isn''t true anymore. I met him as a child, and I''m sure he''s not taking it lightly." "Kyra''s also from Altair, but you wouldn''t know it. She seems to have a carefree spirit, but I also met her as a child, and I''m sure her carefreeness is another side to her. When I met her, she was extremely polite and composed. She also seems really close to Iason, but I don''t know how they met; he''s from Aries, after all." "Iason himself doesn''t talk much, so I don''t know a lot about him outside his relationship with Kyra." "Kora is generally surprising; she was really well composed at lunch, and I didn''t expect it." "Robin just seems to be a nice person, but he''s a bit whimsical sometimes. He''s probably the most normal among us." "Katherine''s definitely not a confident person; she always looks like she''s about to cry at the smallest inconvenience, and I''m pretty sure she has cried. I''m not sure what her power is, though; she didn''t use it once during the duels yesterday." "But overall, I think all of them are interesting characters." I realized that she didn''t say anything about Thalia. "That''s a good observation, and I mostly agree, but..." Alec responded. But what? She''s pretty much right. "I don''t feel the same way about Ara. I mean, I agree with everything you said, but I don''t trust her." Don''t trust me? Don''t trust me? Does he know how hard I try to make myself seem like a trustworthy person? Why does he think that anyway!? "Really? Ara? She seems kind to me," Demi argued. "It would be best for you to be careful around her," he ordered. Well, now I know to be careful around them, Alec especially. "Anyways, can I count on you if I need help in the future?" "Absolutely," Demi replied straight away. "Good, you can go now." I heard the sound of a chair scraping, and I knew it was my cue to leave. As I made my way back, I thought hard about all I had learned, and I had to fight the urge to twiddle my thumbs, even though I was holding a candle. ??? A knock came on my door. I closed my makeshift journal quickly and stored it in the gap behind my bed. After everything I learned yesterday, I realized I didn''t want to forget anything and ordered a maid I found to get me paper. Despite it being the middle of the night, it was brought to me straight away, and I wrote everything I heard. I wanted to double-check it before I had to leave for the ceremony this morning, but it seems like it''ll have to wait. I sighed and got up from my chair before heading to the door. I was wearing a beautiful long dress that my maids put on me earlier this morning, which looked like it was made of the sea. The sleeves flowed freely around my body, and constellations were dotted around the dress. I also had a long veil to match that covered my face completely. I felt like I was getting married. As I opened the door, I looked down on just Lilly, who was bowing low. "Lilly? Where are Mary and Rebecca?" I questioned. She looked up at me with scared eyes. "Oh, um, Lady Bella, only I was sent to escort you to the common room before the ceremony. The king doesn''t want too many... maids near the Children of Aster right now." The king''s so dramatic. Does it really matter that much? "Okay then. Let us depart, Lilly." She nodded slightly, and we were on our way. ??? I was seated with everyone else in the common room. There was an excited buzz in the air, but I couldn''t feel very excited after last night. Now, I''m just curious. I looked at Demi. She seemed the same as she always did, but there were things about her that I''d noticed. She''s cautious, for example; I noticed her checking her surroundings when she thought no one was looking. I didn''t bother looking at Alec, seeing as he was already suspicious of me. I did look at everyone else, though. All the girls were wearing the same dress as me, and the boys were wearing similar-looking robes. After waiting for a while, Andreas walked in. He, on the other hand, was wearing the same clothes he always did. "Good morning, Children of Aster. I hope you''re all excited," he said without a trace of excitement. "It''s time for the ceremony. Follow me." We all rose from the sofas and followed Andreas down to the throne room. On the way, I noticed many courtiers and maids running around frantically in a panic. I had to stifle a laugh. Eventually, we arrived at the doors to the throne room, and Andreas opened them to the decorated throne room. The chandelier was sparkling, reflecting light all around the room, and many statues were spread across the room. The sides of the room had marble seats facing the middle, and at the front of the room were three thrones. The one in the middle belongs to the king, I can tell¡ªit''s the most extravagant, after all. The one on the right must be Queen Ariana''s, so the one on the left must be Prince Lukas''s. They really paled in comparison to the king''s. In front of the stage for the thrones was a table that carried a gold box. On each side of Queen Ariana''s and Prince Lukas''s throne were six mini-thrones. I wonder if the smaller thrones were meant to signify the "extended member of the royal family" title, even though I don''t really feel like that right now. Andreas turned towards the crowd we had formed. "Go and sit in your point orders, the highest point on the far left." We all scrambled to our seats, and I scowled on the inside. I had to sit next to Chris for an hour. Bleh. Andreas looked up at us from the bottom of the stage. "When the king enters, you are to rise from your seats. You can only sit down when he does. Also, put down your veils; they''ll stay like that the entire ceremony. When you''re called up, make sure to kneel. When I''ve finished saying my part, you say, ''For the prosperity of Calypso.''" He huffed. "I''m being nice to you and letting you sit down; you''re most likely going to be waiting a while." He was right; we were waiting a while, and I was extremely bored. I talked aimlessly with Demi, but at some point, I didn''t even know what we were talking about anymore, and I had to listen to Chris and Thalia babble on about something stupid. After what felt like forever, I heard a trumpet sound outside the room, announcing the king, and we all rose from our seats and bowed our heads. Guards were near him, but the king entered wearing blood-red robes and mountains of gold. His crown was blinding, and he was smirking for some reason. The queen followed after him, wearing an equally red dress that trailed behind her. She wore a golden necklace with many charms, along with her crown. Their son, Prince Lukas, followed behind them wearing even more red, but he had a black cape that was a breath of fresh air. Like his parents, he was also wearing a crown. There was a gap, but after the prince, the high chancellor marched in, wearing green. More guards also filed in, taking their positions behind the seats. After them, many more people in sparkling dresses and suits walked in, and I noticed that none of them were wearing blue or red. They all looked at us with curiosity, and they all chatted amongst themselves. The king cleared his throat, and they all quieted down. "Lords and ladies of the court, I thank you all for joining me today. Today is an important day for our court and for our kingdom. Today we officially recognize the Children of Aster into our court and celebrate their achievements. The Children of Aster are vital to the flourishing of our kingdom and our greatest gift from the Gods. We are thankful for them." I''m glad I''m wearing a veil so they can''t see me rolling my eyes. "The Children of Aster have already undergone tests in our palace and will no doubt go through many more, but the most recent have tested their magical power as well as ranked them, and for that, we must reward them. That is why we are having this ceremony today. Let us pray to Aster to continue to give us gifts." He finally sat down, and there was applause. I finally sat down myself, and I had to fight the urge not to sigh. Andreas walked to the table with a box, carrying a scroll. "We will now go through the ranks of each Child, named the point system," he read from the scroll. "Twelfth point, Katherine Aster." When did they change our last names!? This was news to me, but maybe it was done to hide the fact that some of us are from Aetos and Aries. Katherine wobbled over to Andreas and kneeled way too quickly. Whispers went up in the crowd. He lifted her veil and made a symbol on her forehead. "Will you work hard for the good of our country?" he asked with no emotion. Katherine stuttered, and I had to stop myself from hitting my face. "F-for the prosperity of Calypso," she finally managed to say. Even more whispers went up in the air. At least I can''t look worse than that. He opened the gold box to reveal twelve badges, pinned a twelve-pointed one to her chest, put her veil back down, and she almost dashed back to her seat. I stole a glance at the king. He didn''t seem to be impressed. "Eleventh point, Kora Aster." Kora made her way over with a surprising amount of grace. She kneeled perfectly, and Andreas lifted her veil. He repeated what he had said earlier, and she replied perfectly. Has she practiced for this or something? Andreas pinned an eleven-pointed star to her chest and pulled her veil down. Kora returned to her seat, and Iason went down. He sounded nonchalant throughout the whole thing. The ceremony went on tediously, with Iris going down a bit too excitedly, Robin''s turn somehow feeling like a dream, Kyra showing that composed side Demi had mentioned, as well as some whispers of recognition going up in the air, and Demi herself doing it perfectly. When it finally came to my turn, I went down carefully, trying not to trip on my dress, and I walked up to Andreas and kneeled. He lifted my veil, and the light shone warmly on my face. I heard a few curious whispers go up, and I smiled. Andreas looked at me with the most bored face in the world. "Will you work hard for the good of our country?" he asked, though it wasn''t really a question. I nodded. "For the prosperity of Calypso." He then made a symbol on my head, which I realized was a twelve-pointed star. He proceeded to pin a five-pointed star to my chest, and I rose and returned to my seat, feeling like I had made a good impression. After that, the top four went up, and many not-so-quiet whispers rang around the room. It was most likely their families. When it was Alec''s turn, I noticed that he was given a bigger badge than the rest of us, most likely to show that he was the first point. I also noticed a man with a sly grin staring at him. For a second, I panicked, thinking he might want to attack us, but then I realized that he could be one of the people Alec had snuck into the palace. If that''s true, then when I get the chance, I should follow him. But if he snuck into the palace, he''s probably cautious. I''ll have to make a plan. When Andreas was finished with Alec, he returned to the sides, and the king rose. "That concludes the ceremony, and once again, I thank you all for gathering here." The king then exited, taking his family with him. After that, I expected his court to follow him out, but I was surprised when they all came closer to the stage, and Andreas told us to go down to them. It was overwhelming. Many people were trying to grab our attention, and I was introduced to many lords and ladies. Like Lady Marilyn, who runs the marble sales in the country, or Duke Tony, who looks after the whole west of Calypso, and Lord Weston, who controls... something. It was all a blur of names and greetings, and everyone from Altair seemed to be doing just fine. I tried to keep an eye on the sly grin guy, but I eventually lost him. I did see Katherine, though, who, instead of being introduced to members of the court, was being bullied by them. The girls who were harassing her seemed to be the same age, and I decided not to do anything. A bit of bullying was good for her, to break her a bit. After what felt like forever, we finally got to leave, and I dragged my feet all the way to my room. ??? I sighed as I looked over my notes. If everything I heard yesterday was true, then I need to keep an eye on Alec and Demi, as well as find out what they''re planning. What''s happening in Cetus? Why are we threatening? What are Alec and Demi up to? I sat back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. What I needed right now was peace. My mind wandered back to the balcony between the girls'' and boys'' rooms. If I went there, I could relax for a minute. My mind made up, I snapped the journal closed and made my way to the tapestry. ??? As I approached the door to the balcony, I thought about how I was alone. And I needed to get some things off my chest. Stopping and checking that no one was really there, I inhaled and started rambling. "It''s really annoying that the king keeps dropping things on us at the last minute. And you know what? The king himself is annoying. Is he actually going to do anything with us? The queen is weird, and their son seems stupid. If I''m being honest, everyone in this castle gets on my nerves." I came up to the door and pushed it open with one hand. "And... I don''t want to admit it, but I miss Lydia and Damian." I almost lost my breath as I looked onto the balcony. Robin was there, staring at me with a smile. "D-did you... hear me?" My voice was shaky. He smiled even wider. "I''ve been able to hear you since you started chirping down there." He looked back at the garden. "You don''t sound the same during the day." "N-no, I guess not." I put my hand on the door and prepared to make my way back, but he stopped me. "You can sit here too, if you want." He patted the space next to him. I stood staring at him for a minute, and I''m not sure why, but I relaxed and did what he said. As I sat down, I looked up at the starry night sky, and for some reason, my heart fluttered.