Maya winced from the pounding of her head when she opened her eyes. A dull sense of pain permeated all over her body, though her chest hurt the most. It was the stimulation of those aches that caused Maya to recount everything from her battle with the beast, and though the deep blue and orange sky was relaxing her, the horrible images in her mind still pursued.

Behind her, something shifted. Maya didn’t bother to move—it was painful enough to stay awake.

“Oh,” said Rei’s familiar voice, “You are awake. How are you feeling?”

Maya could feel her eyes setting heavily, though she tried to keep her consciousness. Her first movements comprised of her hand reaching into her pocket, making sure that her metal box was still there. Relief washed over her when she felt its cold touch.

“Not…” Maya’s voice came out in a rough whisper. “Not so good. My chest hurts…”

Rei made herself seen as she peeked above Maya’s face, her lovely face covering the sky. She wore a worried expression though they were subtle, her eyes barely changing from her usual look. “Keep resting,” she said. “We are setting up camp, but please endure the cold for a moment. The fire would not burn, though I am trying my best.”

Maya did not know what it meant, but she said, “Good luck,” anyway. Her mind was too clouded to think about anything else, and her heart was still racing from memories of the beast. The brown leathery skin, the giant paws, the cat eyes… Something was so off about all of them though she could not place what it was. It looked cat-like enough, but also something that should not belong in the human world.

She gave up trying, and instead closed her eyes instead. A shuffling sound came from where Rei was and a conversation started in front of her.

“Uh, you okay there?” Zachary’s voice echoed through the quiet hour. Along with his voice were the whittling of sticks.

“Yes,” replied Rei, though her voice was frustrated and louder than usual. Instead of sticks, the sound of striking stone came after.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“The fire just would not burn.”

“Want me to help?”

There was no response.

A snicker came from Zachary. “Give ‘em,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

In a few minutes or so—Maya wasn’t sure since she might have blacked out for a while—warmth started to spread out in the camp. Maya didn’t realize how cold she was until she felt the heat of the new bonfire seep into her clothes and comfort her to the bones. She forced herself to wake up.

Without thinking, she sat up and was met with a shattering pain in her ribs. She bit a scream in.

“You were awake?” Zachary asked, his scowl becoming sharper as Maya’s eyes cleared. “You should’ve told me.”

“Why should I?” she replied with a raspy voice. “You got something to hide?”

“Not really. Just had to make sure you were still alive after breaking your ribs, hitting your head, and almost suffocating under a pile of crumbled house.” He crossed his arms. “But no big deal, right?”

Rei was sitting by the fire, her expression solemn. “You almost died,” she said. “Zachary wrapped your chest after we made sure your heart was still beating.”

Maya barely felt the tight wraps binding her chest and stomach, as if they were not there at all, but the knowledge of its existence made her feel weak. Had she died then, she would not be able to do anything for Mister Castel. She would not even be able to enjoy the fire melting the shivers on her skin.

Though thankful for Zachary’s first-aiding, Maya could not find it in her to tell him. Her mind swarmed around unnecessary thoughts, like if Zachary had to take off her clothes for the bandages. For a second, she felt cold again, and her thoughts showed on her face.

Zachary seemed to notice it. “Don’t worry,” he said, sitting next to the fire. “Rei did the bandaging while I told her directions. She did a pretty good job, so just don’t think about it.”

“Oh,” she sighed, relieved. “Where’s Mister Folke, by the way?”

“Out hunting, though I doubt he’d be able to do it without a bow.”

“Speaking of bows,” Rei said. “How did you get so good at it, Maya? I saw your shot at the beast’s eye.”

“Oh…” Maya tried for a smile, but was too disturbed to do so. “I… I don’t know. Luck, I guess.” A sudden pain pinched Maya in the temple as she tried to recall what had happened then. She knew in herself that it really was sheer luck that she was able to shoot the beast in the eye, but something told her that its death and her survival was something more than just mere fortune.

She scratched her neck. “How did it die anyway? I passed out before I saw.”

An unsure pout replaced Zachary’s smile. “Ask Rei. It was already dead when I arrived.”

When they switched their glances towards Rei, she replied with a scrunch of the eyebrows. “I am not quite sure myself,” she said. “The weakened monster fell down from the earthquake. Something stabbed it faster than me as well. When I went to check, its head was pierced with something… uncanny.” She scratched her temple. “An earthen spire?”

Zachary confirmed with a nod. “A pillar made of rock. It was embedded into the thing’s head.”

“It was not there before the beast fell, I know,” said Rei. “The land was flat.”

“Did Mister Folke see it?” asked Maya.

“Yes, but he had nothing to say of it.”

She shrugged, finally uninterested. When Folke had nothing to say about it, then how could she? Zachary and Rei seemed awfully weighted by the absurdity of the death of the beast, but Maya could not really care. As long as the beast was dead, that was all that mattered. She never wanted to see it again.

“I know, though, that it was not normal,” Rei said. “That beast, I mean. I have never seen the likes of it in my life. My sword would not even cut through its skin.” Her hand uneasily reached to grip Amberstone’s hilt.

“Hm,” sighed Zachary. “That in itself is pretty scary. Let’s just consider that earth pillar as a gift. Thank the gods it killed it. What was it anyway?”

Something shuffled from behind Zachary near the bushes and entrance to the clearing, and Folke entered smiling as he held up two dead rabbits in the air. “I call it a Star-born, children. Wonderful freaks of nature, or maybe not quite, hm?”

All eyes turned to Folke as he passed the rabbits over to Zachary. “Roast that,” he ordered, then he sat down with the rest of them, fawning his hands over the fire. “Ah, it’s beginning to get as cold as Evergreen. Summer is ending, perhaps.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. Folke did not seem like he was a fan of explaining thoughts. She knew that she would have to ask in the stead of the other two. “What’s a Star-born?”

“I just made up the term,” replied Folke, “But I can assure you that it is very accurate. They’re born from the Stars, after all.”

When all of them expressed that they had no idea what he was talking about, Folke grumbled. “Don’t they teach this in school anymore?”

“No,” Zachary said, arms crossed and head shaking. “No, never.”

Maya pouted. “You know I’m not Archanian, Mister Folke,” she said. “And I doubt anyone has ever heard of Stars anyway.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right! Let me enlighten you!” He straightened his legs. “Stars are sources of magic. They give us weak humans the power to control our surroundings, and to create whatever we can! Very fascinating products of mystique, though not much is known about it. They existed before this country was founded, and when it was many hundred years ago, humans came to learn how to use it. We called them wielders, and they no longer exist.”

Zachary’s frown slowly unravelled into realization. His mouth slowly stretched in a grin, his eyes sparkling in curiosity. “I know of this,” he said. “I read mythical books about it. Are you saying that those stories are real?”

Folke nodded vigorously. “Why, yes, they are! Those stories are the mere history of our country, now lost and forgotten by the mainstream. It is knowledge so old and hidden, that even universities fail to teach it to their students. However, I know that out there somewhere, there are Archanians that know of it.”

A pang of anger hit Maya. “Why Archanians?” she asked, resentful.

“Because Archanians were the wielders!”

Everyone froze in the moment of processing the thought.

“That’s so… vain,” said Maya. She looked around at each of her companions, only to find that all of them had no idea what she was talking about. She continued, “Why do Archanians feel the need to own everything? They literally want to own the past when they already have the present.”

Folke raised his hands in a gesture of calming her down. “But, Maya dear, that is history. It’s not something people can control right now. That’s how it was made to be, and no one can change it, not even Archanians.”

“History?” she asked. “Says who?”

Zachary lowered his chin at her at her. “Plenty of books in Folke’s and some library’s archives, apparently,” he said.”

“You’re on his side?” Maya almost threw her hands at him in a gesture of disbelief.

“Malaya, just because you hate Archanians does not mean that you have to be so close minded about things.”

She gaped. She would have stood up if not for her broken ribs. “Me? Close minded?” She didn’t think so. It was just that the topic was unbelievable. She turned to Rei. “Do you believe this?”

Rei shrunk back, although she still replied with, “Yes.”

When Maya glared at her, she continued, “It is the only way to explain that beast. It could not have been from nature. Might as well be from Stars.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” said Folke. He looked at Maya without any malice, but his face looked pained. Even his eyes were understanding. Somehow, it made Maya sink deeper in irritation. “Maya, all I’m asking is for you to compromise. There is nothing to lose by believing it. And maybe soon, your resentment for Archanians will disappear. It hurts for me to know that you hate me.”

That was then when Maya’s glare softened. “Oh no,” she said. “I… I don’t hate you, Mister Folke.”

She looked down. Perhaps she really lost her cool on this one, and perhaps she needed to change the way she looked at things. It was hard to believe something so preposterous in an instant, though she knew now that it was wrong of her to judge those who were able to do so.

Her heart started to sting. It hurt to know that she was not actually the most open minded person when it was what she believed. It was just that nothing added up for her, and her animosity for Archanians only fuelled the fire.

“Fine,” she finally spat. “I’ll acknowledge this tall tale.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” said Folke.

“Though,” Maya said once again. “How come you’re not a wielder? I thought Archanians were supposed to be, you know, superior?”

A sad look suddenly glazed Folke’s eyes. He drooped, his tall posture nowhere to be seen. “My… What a tragedy… You see, Maya dear, the Stars merely lost their shine one day. No one could use it anymore, and everyone forgot about it.”

“Yeah, but that only makes the matters of the beast worse,” said Zachary. He ran his hand through his hair, the dead rabbits untouched by his feet. “If it is a Star-born as you say… then it only means that the Stars are back.”

Folke nodded. “And someone knows how to wield it.”

“This is something we can’t ignore.” Zachary was getting terribly excited. “This may change the tides in the war. We have to find the wielder, whoever they are!”

A tired laugh escaped Folke’s mouth. “Calm down, young Zachary. Yes, yes, that in itself is important, but, those rabbits aren’t getting fresher by the second.”

Zachary looked down at his feet and yelped when he saw blood oozing out of the poor rabbits. “Just a second,” he said then he took them away to cook. The whole group fell silent then.

To breach the topic once again felt like a curse among everyone. It did not seem right to converse about it some more when no one knew what was to come, so instead of talking about it, the rest of them instead worked together to make dinner. Maya was the only one who didn’t, though. Her whole body felt too brittle and too fragile.

Though the group finished cooking in an hour, Maya felt too washed out to eat. She went to sleep without taking a single bite despite Rei’s efforts to feed her.

She woke up on the late hours the next day. The sun was already settled in the sky, and the clouds were swiftly roaming over her.

Maya’s ribs still felt like hundreds of glass shards inside of her, though she knew that she had to force herself to get up. Her three companions stood by with their horses, all ready to leave.

“It’s time to go,” Zachary said. Rei, in turn, helped Maya get up. It wasn’t easy, but the help was enough for her to get on her feet.

Maya eyed Zachary on the horse. It was obvious that she’d have to ride with him again, and it was safe to say that neither she nor he was happy with it. Both were admittedly getting tired of travelling, especially when it required being cramped on a horse with another person.

>>> cut to the next chapter