Astra was given a very, very stern talking to when his parents next found him. After Lady Selene and the boy bid each other goodbye, a swirl of silver descended from the bright moon above and wrapped around him, whisking him along its shimmering trail until he found himself gently dropped off right next to Aunt Caroline’s house.

  The doors opened, and the frantic faces of Mama Edith and Papa Henry soon rushed out, their bodies trembling as they smothered their darling boy in a relieved, yet also furious, embrace.

  “Astra, son, please never do that again,” his father said with a pained grimace. “Do ya know long we searched out there? Ran ourselves ragged with worry, we did, when you suddenly took off like a mad chocobull. Your poor momma and I scoured the whole dang city tryin’ to find ya. Would’ve still been out there, too, if it weren’t for a knight assurin’ us you were safe. But still… we were terrified.”

  Mama Edith clung to her son tightly, her eyes blurry and red as she sputtered out a rough hiccup. “I thought I’d never see ya again, stardew. It was so sudden, so quick. At least back on the farm we knew every field and dirt hill ‘round, but this ain’t our home. We don't know where to go or what these strangers are capable of. Someone coulda kidnapped ya for Stars’ sake and we’d never realize it.”

  Astra’s parents had always allowed him a certain degree of freedom. Yet, that was because they trusted him, and also expected him to trust them as well. There weren’t many rules. So long as he let them know of his plans beforehand, where they could search if he ever ended up late, then they were more than happy to let him sate his curiosity. Even here in the capital they gave him permission to roam free, albeit whilst in the company of Aunt Caroline who they knew had the gumption to wrangle the boy back if ever caused trouble.

  This time was different. He abandoned the pair faster than they could blink, and while Astra could make up excuses, try to explain himself, it didn’t change the fact that he hurt them. He caused them pain, his parents who he loved and cherished so very dearly.

  Astra hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, paw. I’m sorry, momma. I acted like a right scoundrel, I did, and nothin’s gonna change that truth. Punish me however ya want. You raised me to know when to admit my wrongs, so I’ll face it head on like a true man would.”

  His parents stayed quiet for what seemed like a long while. Then, they sighed and merely caressed Astra’s cheek.

  “We’re just glad you’re okay,” Papa Henry said. “Let’s head inside first. Talk about just what compelled ya to leave like that. I know ya ain’t the type of scamp to do these things without a good reason, so your momma and I will decide what to do after we hear the full story, alright?”

  Astra nodded, and so with the family reunited they headed inside the living room, where Aunt Caroline waited with her arms crossed and her expression stern. Nevertheless, she smiled after seeing the boy return safe and sound.

  Then, after taking a deep breath, Astra recounted everything he experienced with the mysterious lady from up high. From the obsidian jewel she gave him—which after gasping in surprise Aunt Caroline estimated its worth to be enough to buy one of those fancy self-moving carriages—their time while on the outlook, and even his meeting with the king of all Tauramere. That last particular bit nearly made his parents faint out of shock.

  “I really hope ya ain’t lyin’ to yer momma now, stardew,” she said.

  Astra waved his arms around. “It’s true! He had this bushy beard, a huge axe bigger than even me, and wore a crown with the bull on it.”

  His parents leered at him, still in disbelief, but fortunately Aunt Caroline came to his rescue.“Oh gosh, I think he’s telling the truth. That sounds just like King Bovicus. I saw him every now and then during his visits to the Astral Tower. But… I just can’t believe it. You’re telling me he was being all respectful to a teacher? Heck, the fella doesn’t even treat his own family that way. The man’s famous for being a right eccentric, brash and a bit too easygoing. Still he does a good job of ruling so I’m not complaining.”

  Papa Henry agreed with her. “It’s ironic and all, considerin’ our nation has royals too, but us bulls don’t like bowin’ down to authority. We’re more free-spirited than the other Constellations’ folk, or more stubborn dependin’ on who ya ask. If a man like that at the very top had to lower his head… just what’s this teacher’s name? I can’t think of any gal with that much power around here.”

  To that, Astra excitedly lit up. “Her name’s Selene! I wish ya could have met her. She’s a very elegant and graceful lady.”

  The moment after Astra spoke, Aunt Caroline did a double take and stumbled, her expression utterly aghast. “Selene? No, it can’t be…”

  Henry and Edith bid her a curious look. “Ya recognize her, Caroline?” the boy’s mother said. “Doesn’t ring a bell fer us.”

  “Maybe, but… why would a woman of her status be here of all places?”

  Aunt Caroline rushed up and grabbed Astra by the shoulders, lightly shaking him as if interrogating a felon. “Did she ever say where she taught at? An academy?”

  Astra nodded. “Yep, Excelsior Academy. She said it’s way, way up in the sky.”

  “Excelsior Academy… oh Stars’ help me. She’s not just a teacher, Astra. She’s the goshdarn headmistress!”

  Aunt Caroline staggered unbalanced before taking a seat at the table, her hands pushed against her cheeks in amazement. The family, sensing a long story about to come, gathered around and eagerly waited for her to speak. “Astra, remember how I asked you if you’d like to go to school?”

  “Yup, said that the ones in the capital are real nice.”

  “Right. Typically, most of the students here are royal folk, sons and daughters of Oxbane, our Constellation, and his direct family line. Their children and their children's children have been Starblessed since this city was just a few bricks and stones. They’re the cream of the crop, people who teachers would beg for the chance to teach.”

  Aunt Caroline gestured to the bull’s crest just below her ear. “Even Starblessed like me, who’re descended from normal folk, can’t hold a candle compared to those highborns. They’re that gifted. So now, imagine… what kinda school would a place have to be for even those nobles to find it difficult getting in?”

  Astra was beginning to understand now, the true weight, the majesty, the influence of the lady who so warmly stoked his desire to learn.

  “Excelsior Academy is where kings become kings,” she dramatically announced. “Where the brightest, the most talented, and the heirs of all twelve great powers in the cosmos attend to eventually inherit their positions as the realms’ highest authorities. King Bovicus is an alumni from there; it’s pretty much a requirement to be qualified for the throne, and it’s the same for the other nations.

  “Capricorn, Aries, Taurus—

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini—

  “Aquarius, Pisces, Cancer—

  “Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio.”

  “Every Constellation’s household, their successors and children from all parts of the nebula, goes to school at Excelsior Academy. It’s a place someone like me shouldn’t even dare to think about. And that lady you met… she’s the one who runs it. In this entire universe, besides the Constellations themselves, I don’t think there’s anyone more powerful than her.”

  The room fell silent as Aunt Caroline finished her grand speech. For ordinary people like them, those who rarely had the chance to leave the familiar comforts of their home, it was simply unfathomable, the scale and magnitude of everything just revealed. The affairs of those who were destined to travel beyond the stars made their humble lives seem so much smaller in comparison.

  And yet, perhaps the gap between them wasn’t so distant after all. For in Astra’s encounter with the lady of grace, she told him her dream, that which she wished to prove.

  That everyone in the whole wide universe had the potential to shine bright.

  “Then, why’d she visit my little boy?” Momma Edith murmured, breaking the silence. “Sounds mighty cruel o’ her to raise his hopes up, if only those noble fellers can go.”

  “Well, about that…” Aunt Caroline began. “Technically there aren’t any rules prohibiting commoners from attending. Anyone can apply and anyone can show up at their door, as long as they’re of age. The problem is you have to pass a test.”

  Papa Henry narrowed his eyes. “A test?”

  “Yep, though really I’d say it’s more like a competition. Every year they get around ten thousand applicants, so they lower that number down to a thousand accepted by pitting them against each other in a contest. What exactly it’ll be changes every year so there’s no way of studying or planning for it, unless you’re a highborn and trained from birth just to pass. That’s why a commoner getting in only happens once a blue moon. And even after that, there’s the tuition fees…”

  Astra’s parents flinched the moment money was mentioned. Even if one somehow had the talent to pass, even if by some stroke of luck a farmer’s boy managed to do what the nobility and the blessed couldn’t, it’d be all for nothing if they didn’t have the income to keep him there.

  However, there was one exception.

  “Is there any other way?” Papa Henry asked. “I’ve heard these prestigious type o’ schools sometimes give out scholarships.”

  Aunt Caroline held her breath, uncertain whether or not to let down paw’s hopes. “I mean, there is one. Only one they offer: it’s a full ride, too. Covers every expense and allows the student to attend for free. But… you have to score in the top ten. It’s hard enough just to pass, but to be considered the best of the best on top of that? It’s impossible, Henry. We don’t even know if Astra’s a Starblessed yet, and his confirmation won’t happen until the entrance exam’s already over. By then he’ll have lost his chance.”

  The boy’s father clasped his hands together, his gaze lowered deep in thought as Mama Edith brooded silent by his side. Of course they wanted the best for Astra. What kind of parents would they be if they didn’t support their child’s dream? But for honest folk like them with limited ability and limited wealth, they had to be realistic, if only for the sake of their son’s future—to spare him the pain from what was almost certainly doomed to fail.

  And yet, though in their hearts they knew it was better for Astra to take the easy path, the comfortable one, in the end it was up to his decision. His future was only his own to decide.

  “Astra, what do ya want to do?” Henry said. “Everythin’s just as your aunt said. You’ll be competin’ with people a lot more fortunate than you, a lot more capable. Is attending that academy still somethin’ you want to try?”

  The boy felt a little guilty inside, for his answer had already been decided even before their conversation. He made a promise, after all, one crossed in starlight and spoken under a gently glowing moon.

  Rather than regret about what could have been, the boy would chase those bright and shining stars above. It wouldn’t matter if he failed, so long that he did so while trying his very best.

  “I want to go,” Astra declared. “I wanna learn everythin' I can at school.”

  Papa Henry remained still for a moment, before breaking out into a smile and then bringing his boy in for a great big hug. “Then that’s all yer old man needed to hear. For now, let’s get some rest and shut-eye for the trip down back to the farm tomorrow. Leave all the plannin’ to your momma and I. Just worry about trainin’ your butt off for the next few months and then we’ll mosey back to the capital when yer finally ready.”

  With that, Astra’s busy evening came to a close. He apologized to his parents again for worrying them and then said goodnight before rushing to bed, his body practically fusing with the cushion with how exhausted he was.

  Right when he was about to close his eyes and sleep, however, he heard a faint argument between his parents in the other room. The boy was taught that eavesdropping wasn’t polite, but with his limbs reduced to pudding and the curiosity of what made his normally affectionate family sound so conflicted, he couldn’t help but listen in for a bit, his ears squished against the wall.

  “This ain’t right, Henry. How could ya approve this?” Edith said, her voice trembling. “It’s already bad enough we’re thinkin’ about sendin’ our boy to fend for himself out there, alone, but to have him smack dab in the middle of all those nobles and their power plays? He’s goin’ to be swallowed alive. It’s too dangerous, and the worst of it is that poor farmers like us ain’t gonna have the power to protect him if he gets on the wrong person’s bad side, not to mention all the discrimination he’ll face. Caroline’s living proof of it. The gal’s a tough one but I know she had a hard time bein’ looked down on and mistreated by those arrogant highborns, and that’s just within our own nation. The space out there’s just too vast and unsafe for people like us.”

  Henry uttered a pained sigh. “I know that, hun. How could I not? All our life we’ve lived here and never minded what happened outside our home, and that was just fine. That type of living is just right for us, but Astra’s different. You know full well he was gonna leave us eventually. Our son’s just too curious, and brave, and his dreams were always goin’ to be too big for our humble little farm. We could try and stop him, but that wouldn’t make him happy. We can’t force what we think is right if it’ll only make him bitter in the long run.”

  “So yer sayin’ we should just stand there and let him wander off to Stars’ know where?”

  “I’m sayin’ we should trust him.”

  The two remained silent for an uncomfortably long time. Eventually, Henry spoke again, this time with a softer tone.

  “Who else in the whole wide world will trust him, if not us? And really I’m just as scared as you. The thought that we won’t be able to be there when he gets hurt, or sad, or lonely makes my heart just wanna rip itself out of my chest. But I’ve watched our son all his life, and it’s because so that I know he’s one of the most capable and confident fellers around. That boy’s skull is thicker than stone. He’ll survive anythin’ if it comes to it, and while I pretend otherwise it ain’t take a genius to guess that Meatball’s no ordinary dog. Astra’s already sneakin’ off and playin’ with dangerous beasts like the death knells, so if we can’t keep him safe where we can see… I’d rather those fancy teachers help him develop the skills he needs to be sufficient all on his own.”

  Edith groaned and tried to come up with a rebuttal, but she no longer had the energy, and eventually her husband’s pleas finally won her over.

  “I guess yer right. Our stardew’s been a right terror even since he was little,” she said. “I guess I just… didn’t want to let him go. We’ve been through so much together, darling, and when I look into his eyes I still see that small, tiny little babe whose hand couldn’t even cover my finger. It’s hard realizin’ he’s all grown up now.”

  “Haha, this must’ve been how our own parents felt when we ran away from home, huh?”

  “Oh, definitely. My momma never liked the look of ya. She said marryin’ you instead of takin’ my chance at a wealthy merchant or businessman would only make me unhappy, with the both of us bein’ poor and all. But sucks to be her, I’ve never regretted becomin’ your wife for one moment.”

  Henry laughed. “One o’ the hardest parts of bein’ a parent is recognizin’ you aren’t always right. You can still make mistakes. For Astra… I want us to be the type of folk he can always come back to if he needs support, a home, or just a lotta love.”

  “Let’s hope there’s still a farm when he comes back. How’re we gonna pay his tuition? Just the ticket to take a rocket outta here already costs a darn arm and a leg.”

  “We’ll find a way. We always do. Besides, that headmistress lady gave him that big ol’ jewel, didn’t she? We can sell it and use the funds to pay for his ticket, and then use the rest for his first year. I’m sure that’ll give us enough time to scrounge up some extra money. If all else fails, I’ll take a loan out of the bank.”

  “Those interest rates will rob us blind, hun.”

  “Then we better work hard to pay it back quick!”

  The two of them giggled and joked with each other, before eventually settling down and falling asleep themselves. Even grown-ups grew tired eventually. And as for Astra, the boy laid flat on his back and made a solemn vow to himself. For the sake of his momma, his paw, and their poor wallets, he’d do what no other kid like him had done ever before.

  Astra couldn’t afford to doubt himself. No matter what, he’d get that scholarship and prove that his parents were right to trust him.