Stars spread across the sky on most nights, but it wasn’t normal for them to disappear. At least, not in slow succession, and not returning afterward. The foreboding meant change, although barely anyone took the time to look up and notice. Only when Emerys started studying the stars for her own gain, did she document the changes. In comparing her results with the star charts, there was a sequence. What it was, or how it was, would be a challenge to distinguish.

She worked on her coursework under Verina—a well-known astrologer in Pelios. The studies were a means to familiarize herself with the skies. The peculiar area for studies had an open roof, with a large flat pillow which spread across the room. Both the stars, and the viewing area, distracted her from the rest of her life outside of the course.

Her ex-husband, Jakob, had kicked her out. Two weeks later, they would battle each other in court. While Jakob had one of the city’s top lawyers on his side, Emerys had her best friend, Lydia. Even with the defenses Lydia and Emerys gave, Jakob and his lawyer still found a way to rob Emerys of everything. But Emerys wasn’t without blame either.

Emerys walked out of the divorce proceedings unemployed, homeless, and with a criminal record. She should have gone to one of the taverns to find work in the kitchen, but she took an apprentice with Verina. Lady Verina had peculiar rules and a reputation which would stop most people from associating with her. But in studying the stars, Emerys could at least find somewhere to sleep at night. That was, before she had shifted into another realm the night afterward.

Looking at the stars before sleeping was less about studies and more about daydreams. In doing so, she would often wish she could find herself in a new world. When the catalyst occurred, it was as if a prayer to the universe had been answered.

The catalyst came, covering the entire area in darkness. In just a few moments, every star had disappeared, the ground beneath them quaking. A small opalescent stone shimmered, when it hadn’t the moment before.

Moments later, Emerys would find herself in a strange new world, as she had wished. Unfortunately, life in a new world has its own set of challenges, as she would soon discover.