"So that's how it is." Kars stared intently at the woman in front of him. He still couldn't believe that this Singus user was so inexperienced, naive, a novice, and of course entirely unskilled. Yet he hid his disbelief behind a stoic expression.

  In the cramped room of this cheap inn, Mira huddled in the corner, hugging her knees. With the thick blanket provided by the inn and the robe borrowed from Kars, she still felt the biting cold.

  Mira had just recounted all the details Kars wanted to know: the attacks carried out by the House of Eliorr and Waguni, how she saw her older sister fight the lava maniac, and how she opened something like a portal that ended up bringing her here. However, she didn’t mention the mission her father had given her to deliver the scroll to her mother—that was a secret, for now.

  “So what’s your goal now?” Kars asked, now crossing his arms over his chest.

  “To find my sister, what else?”

  “With you still being unstable like this?”

  “What do you mean by unstable?” Mira’s voice faltered; she knew she had just experienced things that couldn’t be explained. Opening a portal? Teleporting? She had never encountered that kind of magic before. Kars, the person who had just saved—bought her, seemed to know everything.

  “Listen to me. The portal you opened is Singus, a part of Star Magic.”

  “Star magic? I thought that was gone,” Mira quickly interjected; she was still the same person as when she used to interrupt her teacher at the palace. At least, she hadn’t lost herself entirely. For a moment, she felt relieved.

  Kars frowned; he didn’t like being interrupted. “Listen carefully. Space and time are like a stretched cloth. To move from one place to another instantly—teleportation—you have to fold that cloth until two points meet. But folding space requires massive energy. Energy that no Intian being could possibly possess.”

  Kars turned toward the window, where the stars were still peeking out before dawn.

  "The ancient star magicians didn't create that energy; they borrowed it. The Singus is an anomaly, like a door that has no hinges, has no permanent house. The Singus is a parasite of the world, a cosmic parasite."

  Kars moved his hand, creating a simulation of lines of light connecting the stars in the sky to the earth.

  "When Singus is active in the world, it has to anchor itself to the strongest point in the universe, the gravity of a star. It draws in light and mass from certain stars to tear reality here, on the land we walk on. The pull is so brutal that the light of the parent star is completely sucked in for several seconds. That’s why the star twinkles."

  Mira swallowed. "So… every time a star twinkles…"

  "There’s a door that opens somewhere in this world," Kars continued, nodding in agreement. "But that’s where the danger lies. Singus isn’t loyal; it’s a prostitute."

  Kars drew lines in the air with light, sketching them like a rough map of the world.

  “Today, you opened Singus from your original position, and it brought you here. That’s because it aligns with the Deer Star. What’s next? It might align with the Eagle Star and take you to the middle of the Ocean. Singus moves around, searching for which star’s position is most suitable to use as fuel, and to spit out its contents.”

  Kars stared sharply at Mira; he wanted the woman to understand immediately. He disliked having to repeat explanations multiple times.

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  Mira opened her mouth, wanting to make sure she was processing things correctly. “So, you mean I was able to move here because the Deer Star is visible in the northern part of the world at night? That’s why Singus spat me out here?” Mira asked, receiving a nod from Kars. “Then where’s my sister? Why isn’t she here too?” Mira pressed, needing a clearer answer.

  “Because you can’t control it. Do you think the Deer Star only illuminates the Balvinne region?”

  "So my sister isn't far from the northern part of the world, right?"

  "She should be," Kars replied hesitantly. He wasn't sure if only the Deer Star was twinkling or if all the stars along the Milky Way were twinkling as well. But if they were all twinkling, it meant that the power of this woman in front of him was no joke; she was very strong.

  "Then we have to find him," Mira said hurriedly.

  “So?” Kars raised an eyebrow. The person in front of him was not someone he could just let go. Mira was a rare thing in the past hundred years, perhaps even thousands of years.

  “To reclaim my territory.”

  “Do you know why Star Magic is so rare, and is even considered to be a lost magic?”

  Mira couldn’t wait any longer. Her sister was out there, in an unfamiliar place. She tried to get up, but suddenly something pulled her. Her body seemed stuck to the bed, forcing her back into her previous position.

  “Sit down, I’m not finished.” Kars stared sharply at Mira. The woman reminded him of when he was first born, impatient and weak.

  “W-what are you doing?” Mira panicked, her heart pounding. She loosened the grip she had been using to pull herself toward him. She swallowed hard, now looking at Kars with even more respect.

  “This is one of the Star Magic techniques,” Kars answered flatly, though his voice rose slightly.

  “You're a user of Star Magic?”

  “The only Star Magic user in this era,” Kars repeated, emphasizing each word.

  Kars sighed, closed his eyes, then looked back at Mira. “Star Magic is the most difficult magic in this world. It requires many stable and mature Intian. You’re lucky to have survived this, because if not, I might have found your body burnt where you landed.”

  "W-what does that mean?" Mira struggled to speak; Kars had just said something that made her shiver and feel fear at the same time.

  "Using star magic, especially Singus, is like gambling with death. You have to be able to read the sky faster than your own breath. If you step in when the star has finished twinkling, when the connection breaks… your body will be cut apart at the very spot you summon Singus.

  "But if the star has finished twinkling and you are still in the process of transitioning, your body will turn into star dust in a void. Want to know what’s even worse? If your body refuses to disintegrate and chooses to remain solid by holding itself together, it will cause pain that even gods wouldn’t want to feel. And then, when you land, your body will be burnt and formless."

  Mira widened her eyes; she was indeed scared, but she was worried about her sister. “Is my sister okay?”

  “We never know.”

  “I have to find her,” Mira said in a pleading tone; Kars still hadn’t released this invisible bond from her. “Help me find her, help me reclaim my territory, then…”

  “Then?” Kars raised an eyebrow, waiting for the continuation from the princess.

  Mira swallowed deeply before saying.

  “I will be yours.”

  Kars chuckled. The princess in front of him was very brave to say something like that. “I’ve already bought you, so you are indeed mine, princess.”

  “I’m not an object–”

  “Deal. The agreement has been made,” Kars interrupted before the conversation went awry. He was already sleepy, and boredom had enveloped him. “We will leave tomorrow morning.”

  Mira felt her body had become light again; she could move freely. Kars had untied her.

  “Sleep. The Intian in your body needs to recover.” Kars looked at Mira, who was confused; the girl was still not ready to accept what had happened to her. “While we search for your sister, I will teach you the basics of star magic. Remember, star magic requires a stable Intian. If you use it carelessly, you will explode. And you should know how the Intian reacts, right? It needs rest, it needs to be recharged. So, sleep.”

  Mira nodded. Even though a fog of worry engulfed her, she could do nothing about her current situation. Forget about the fate of her brother, the fate of her family, or the fate of her territory. The fate of herself alone already felt like it was teetering on the edge of death.