Novaria

Novaria woke up in the silence of the night. She found herself in the vast, empty darkness once again, floating among the remains of the Star Atlas. But unlike the countless times before, an exceptionally bright star could be seen this night. As Novaria gazed upon it, her hands reached out as if by instinct, until it was stopped by an invisible cage. Of course they wouldn't allow it. Novaria knew that all too well. This night, and every night, the stars held her prisoner. She could only watch the tiny glimmers overhead and ruminate the story of her life over and over again. A story that they had written. ''Novaria, the last remaining Astral Artificer, belonged to us. She was born in the Valley of Stars and that is all she will ever know. Her people had been blessed with a fragment of our power, yet they foolishly sought to build the Star Atlas, under the delusion that it would allow them to unlock our secrets.'' ''Such naive creatures! We the stars are infinite, whereas they, mere mortals, waste their lives seeking to comprehend us. But this girl, Novaria, was unique. She somehow discovered within the Star Atlas the destiny we designed for her: When the stars align, her power as the First Observer will awaken and she will become a half-astral being. By our will, she will inadvertently destroy the Star Atlas and doom her entire people.'' ''We are the stars. She will abide by our will. She must abide by our will.'' After seeing her destiny, Novaria hid her power out of fear. But one fateful day, she foresaw in the stars that a tragedy would befall her mother, and was left with no choice but to alter the Star Atlas. ''When her mother returned home safely, Novaria finally understood the connection between the Star Atlas and the stars. It was at that moment that she made up her mind to betray us. Bit by bit, she made tiny, seemingly insignificant changes to the Atlas. Patterns of stars began to appear on her body, which distressed her but did not stop her work.'' She looked up and found that star again, this time even brighter than before, as if it was burning all of its energy. This was not within the stars' design. Novaria felt something stirring in her heart, something she hadn't felt since that night. ''On the night of her sixteenth birthday, she aligned the last star into place according to her design. At last, her people would be saved. The next morning, as Novaria enjoyed the cake her mother made her, she felt at peace. The naive girl believed she was blessed by the stars.'' ''We do not know mercy.'' ''The Star Atlas suddenly began shifting radically as a rift grew from its center, tearing the Atlas apart. Star fragments wrapped around Novaria and began pulling her towards the rift. Her mother and the other Artificers exhausted the last of their power desperately trying to pull her back. She was the only one capable of completing the Star Atlas.'' ''The cosmic forces within the rift began changing Novaria, turning her skin. She struggled and cried, trying to hold on to what little hope she had left, but it was to no avail.'' ''We are the stars. She will abide by our will. She must abide by our will.'' ''Novaria fainted. When she came to, she found herself shackled by astral rings. She could not escape destiny. She tried to resist; in darkness, she chased and chased the fleeting stars, but she could not break away from our design. We chose her. She will not be allowed to defy us again. No creature could...'' Or could they...? The last hope was kindled in Novaria's heart. A great explosion lit up the sky in a magnificent spectacle. It was that star! For her to shatter a star... it was unthinkable! She had challenged destiny by her own will. The stars were no longer arrogant; they began to tremble at the sight of such power. The astral rings that shackled Novaria trembled as well. This was her chance. Novaria broke free using her newfound power. The rings cracked and shattered into countless little pieces. Novaria raised her hand and held a burning star fragment on her fingertip. She contemplated for a long time, trying to understand it all. Finally, she realized... She was free. As daylight finally broke, Novaria felt a greater calling - to leave the Valley of Stars and search for the location of the shattered star. She lifted her head and looked into the fading night. ''"I know I'll never have power as infinite as yours," Novaria said to us, "But I will complete the Star Atlas, and with it, unlock the secrets of the stars. The destinies accessible to you will also be accessible to me. Then we'll have an even playing field. You won't shackle me down, or anyone else for that matter. Our destiny will be in our own hands."'' As the night faded, the stars could only reply with silence. Novaria shook off the star fragments and walked towards the dawn.