We met as a class for the first time since the so-called “test.” Since the Phantom.

We were the current Ceres-level class, and that class was smaller now. Just the four of us, in fact: me, Poppy, Nilo, and, of course, Castor. 

It really struck me then how few Astrals there were. How comparatively there was just a handful of us to save the whole world.

As I sat at my desk, I looked out at the classroom. The room was our usual, but somehow, everything felt different. Heck, even the way we were going to be taught was different now. Poppy had told me how classes were set up for Astrals—and, after our evening ceremony, that’s what we were. Proper Astrals. 

Unlike our pre-Astral days, we would have one teacher to train us. Once we were good enough, we would be put on teams under one mentor. It became much more like an apprenticeship at that point and less like college. I wondered who our new teacher would be. How would they compare to Leander? 

The door swung open and I craned my head to see who had come in. It was Nike. 

Off my expression, she said, “What? Expecting someone else?”

“Well, yes,” Poppy said next to me—and I’m glad she said it so I didn’t have to. 

Nike just laughed. “You all are stuck with me,” she said, plopping down on her desk. Flowers spilled out of her pockets and onto the wooden surface.

“What about the other students? The ones who didn’t get promoted?” I asked.

“They’re in remedial classes. Hopefully, they’ll catch up,” Nike said.

Four out of 20 students passing. Geez. The Siderous Society was tough.

“So we’ve talked about Phantoms,” Nike said, getting serious. “I think it’s time we discuss the other major threat you’ll face.”

I could feel Castor’s gaze on the back of my neck. I knew what was coming. It was inescapable. And with the mysterious disappearance of the Finders, it felt heavier.

“Dark Stars,” Nike said. “Who can tell me what a Dark Star is?”

I certainly wasn’t answering. But Nilo didn’t seem to share my discomfort. He tentatively raised his hand. Nike nodded at him.

“They’re people born under Dark Constellations who’ve lost their soul,” Nilo said. “They eventually lose their humanity and go on a rampage.”

“Close,” Nike said. “Dark Stars start out as regular people. They’re unlucky enough to be born under a Dark Star. Some of them never manifest powers. But others do. We call them the Awakened.”

She took a deep breath.

“The Awakened are doomed. Doomed to lose all semblance of humanity. Doomed to lose rational thought. Doomed to lose their emotions—no matter how desperately they cling to their former life, it will slip through their fingers,” Nike said. “Some of them embrace it, this descent into their dark destiny. Embrace their nature and give in. The result remains the same. They enter a demon-like state known as Supernova.”

I purposely didn’t look at Castor. I didn’t look at anyone. My hand shook on the table until Poppy reached out and squeezed it. I squeezed back, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look at her. I pulled my hand free a beat later and tucked both hands under my thighs. 

“And if they’re left at Supernova, they’ll eventually turn into a Null Void,” Nike went on. “A massive sphere of matter will grow around them—and then destroy everything in their vicinity. Null Voids have destroyed countries. Above all else, you must never let a Dark Star become a Null Void.”

As unranked Astrals, we’d had to face a Phantom. But the thought of facing a Dark Star terrified me. Ceres-ranked Astrals weren’t sent after them, but eventually, all Astrals hunted a Dark Star.

“Hunting Dark Stars is grim and it’s ugly. But you have to remember that killing a Dark Star—it’s a mercy. A mercy for them. And a mercy for the people around them,” Nike said softly.

She stood up from the desk.

“All of you, come down here,” she said. 

I stood and followed Poppy down to the front of the classroom. We stopped in front of Nike, all of us shaken.

“It’s tough, but believe me. You’re saving the world,” Nike said. “You’re Astrals.”

My eyes met Castor’s for a moment. I couldn’t read his expression.

“Now, how do you identify a Dark Star?” Nike asked. “They thrive on chaos and destruction. They have shadow powers, also known as darkness manipulation. Each Dark Star has their own way of manipulating shadows. There’s no semblance of uniformity. Some can make creatures out of darkness to fight with.”

I swallowed, thinking of the shadow snake I’d called to attack Castor. A pit formed in the bottom of my stomach.

“Some create weapons. Some can manipulate shadows like telekinesis. Some travel between shadows. And extremely powerful Dark Stars—they can create miniature black holes, which swallow up and disintegrate matter. And it doesn’t matter if that matter is a car or an Astral. These are the powers of darkness. Of destruction. Of chaos. They corrupt absolutely.”

My stomach began to hurt and I hunched over a bit. I could feel Castor watching me.

“There’s a saying among Astral families,” Nike went on. “‘Beware the Constellation Ophiuchus.’”

My heart stopped.

“Known as the harbinger of evil, summoning Ophiuchus is said to summon Dark Stars. In other translations, it’s said he summons the Apocalypse. But wherever he goes, disaster follows.”

My hands grew sweaty. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“The evil Constellation. The traitorous Constellation. Every time Ophiuchus has been summoned, cities, countries, kingdoms—all are destroyed by Dark Stars. You keep your eyes open and your weapons ready.”

Nike paused, giving us time to write. I wanted to break my pen in half.

“Ophiuchus always precedes catastrophe.”

I slowly raised my head. For the first time in this lecture, I wasn’t upset or scared. I was angry.