Jasmin felt a strange sensation pushing her to go out, calling: "Erold? Where are you?"
She began running through the village, her heart trembling with fear. She asked some people, and their answers pointed toward Amalia, the last person seen with Erold, and they guided her to her house.
Jasmin felt a sense of loss, just as she remembered her father, and she whispered: "On that day, I felt the same thing… I hope this isn't a sign."
She stood before a small wooden house with a high window behind which an elderly woman with calm features sat, watching the outside in silence.
Jasmin shouted: "Erold! Eroooold! Are you here?!"
The old woman cried out: "Who is Erold? There is no one by that name here!"
Amalia came out of the house and said in wonder: "Oh, why are you here alone?"
Jasmin shouted in fear: "Where is Erold?!"
Amalia replied in surprise: "Who do you mean?"
Jasmin shouted with anger and concern: "Arthur! Where is he?!"
Moving to Erold…
He was placing his hand before the glowing portal and said hesitantly: "Is this… safe?"
Arthur (the soul) replied mockingly: "Do you think they would perform all this spectacle just to kill you?"
Erold laughed: "You know how the spectacle goes, Arthur."
Arthur replied angrily: "As if you've ever let me finish my performances before."
Erold said: "Are we going to waste our time fighting? Why don't we enter?"
Arthur: "You're right… let's go."
Erold entered the portal, and it was like a corridor of light, moving beside him and dancing, while the stars revolved around him as if they were celebrating his arrival.
Back to Jasmin…
Amalia said: "I saw him last on the beach… beside the cave."
Jasmin sped off, running with all her might, her small body exhausted and sweat drenching her face, but she did not care. She stood on a high hill to see a brilliant light… no, a portal of light!
She shouted: "Erold! Are you there?!"
She descended as fast as possible to the beach and saw the portal about to close. She jumped inside, closed her eyes, and fell.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself inside a corridor rippling with colors of violet, blue, green, and yellow. She gasped in amazement and said: "My God… how beautiful this place is."
The colors began to take shape in the air as glowing dots, dancing before her as if they were guiding her the way.
Erold was walking slowly amidst the starry mist, while Arthur's voice echoed within him, angry as usual: "Are we going to keep walking for long? What's with these stars? Who do they think they are? Just lights in the sky!"
Arthur's heart suddenly shook when he heard a laughing voice, soft and deep at the same time: "Lights in the sky? What an insulting comparison… but it's somewhat funny, you."
Erold stopped suddenly and stared around him with concern: "Arthur… she can hear you. Let's stop joking."
Arthur replied tensely: "You're right… she scares me, man."
Erold raised his voice and called out: "O Stars… I want to ask you something!"
The response came, calm as a breeze: "Continue your way."
Erold wondered in amazement: "Continue my way?"
Arthur shouted inside him: "We've been walking for two hours! Are you that far away?"
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
He found himself in a room without walls, as if it were deep within a nebula of infinite colors. Before him, three giant thrones floated amidst the glowing space. Arthur said, stunned: "What happened?"
Erold replied, looking around: "I don't know… just like you."
In a moment, the air before them began to ripple. A mirage forming… bit by bit. At the moment the voices faded and the air stopped swirling, light emerged from the folds of darkness, and a feminine figure formed as if she had emerged from the light itself.
A woman with a presence unlike humans; her pale golden hair fell over her shoulders, rippling like still waves on a moonlit night. Her hair was not mere strands… but an extension of living light, shimmering whenever she moved. On her forehead, a crown that was not a crown… but fine golden threads, wrapping around her head as if embracing its essence… fearing it might be stolen.
But more beautiful than the chain… was her. She was the one who gave the gold its meaning, and who made the metal glow with modesty upon her forehead. Her skin was pure white as if it had never been touched by the sun, but rather woven from the moonlight itself. Her body was slender, toned, not suggesting weakness but a hidden calm strength, as if she carried a storm within her.
When Erold looked at her, he did not see a woman… but a specter of light granted human features. Her face was closer to a miracle; there was a strange harmony between innocence and majesty, as if all her details were designed to put the eye at ease upon seeing her.
Her eyes… her greatest secrets. Golden like the end of the sun at the horizon, and around each pupil a black halo, increasing their brightness in a way that defied explanation. Her gaze showed neither cruelty nor tenderness… but an indescribable steadiness, as if she knew what would be said before anyone thought of it.
Her lips were rosy, shiny, as if they touched the twilight light every morning, and her cheeks were flushed with a natural color that submitted to no adornment. As for her nose, it was straight and calm, granting her face a celestial balance that could not be broken.
In that moment… time seemed to have abandoned its mission, just to stand and contemplate her beauty.
Arthur said inside Erold's body mockingly: "Man… she terrifies me. Who is this?"
The mysterious woman looked at him with eyes radiating light and said happily: "My dear… how I have longed to see you face to face for a long time."
Arthur guffawed within himself: "Ha… 'My dear'?! 'My dear'! Hahaha, what a play."
Erold asked her, trying to stay composed: "Who are you, lady?"
She answered with a calm smile: "Lady? Don't be so harsh, my dear. You're right… I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Astra, Lady of the Stars. I have been watching you since your birth…."
Erold retreated slightly and said with suspicion: "And what is your goal in all this?"
She stepped toward him lightly and placed her hands behind his back, embracing him gently, and whispered: "My goal is… to protect you."
He asked her in a low voice: "Protect me? From whom?"
She placed her head on his shoulder and said quietly: "From the unknown…"
He asked her with a voice tinged with doubt: "And where were you when that Jinn attacked me?"
She sighed and said: "I was there, and I saw everything. I know he did not intend to kill you… he had another goal, a goal that serves your interest. I was angry when he shattered your limbs… but I could not intervene."
He said insistently: "And why?"
She answered: "I have restrictions that prevent me from interfering; they are the laws of the universe. I am only allowed to observe and guide, not to act, except for a reason."
Arthur intervened mockingly: "And what is your real goal? You don't seem like just a fan."
She smiled and said without hesitation: "I have no goal except that I… care about this world and about my dear."
Arthur said in frustration: "You are lucky, Erold. The gold leaves you, and the diamond falls upon you… oh, fate."
Erold suddenly remembered what happened in the Shrine of Knowledge, so he asked her: "Were you the one who spoke to me when I was in the old man's body?"
She said in a dreamy tone: "Yes, but I could not stay in his body for long. He was too weak to bear me… I wanted to embrace you."
Erold imagined that scene and frowned, saying: "Thank God you didn't… I would have vomited or killed him from terror! Oh, right… you mentioned my fate. You said it was wretched. Why?"
Astra answered in a sad tone: "That is true… a great matter will happen to you, and you will be forced to choose between two paths, the best of which is… bad. And there will be no third option."
At that moment, Jasmin, who was watching the scene in amazement, intervened and asked boldly: "Is a human bound by their fate… or can they change it?"
Astra looked at her in surprise then smiled and said: "Smart… I didn't expect this question from a little girl. But the answer… is a bit awkward. I don't know. We—the stars—do not know everything as humans think; we only see the possibilities. We know a little… in this vast universe, nothing is certain."
Jasmin focused her gaze, finding Astra embracing Erold, so she shouted sharply: "Get away from him, you beautiful pervert! Don't you dare do this again!"
Astra laughed quietly, while Erold said with a hint of embarrassment: "She isn't human, Jasmin… she is one of the stars."
Jasmin was stunned, took a step back, and stared at them while shouting in amazement: "One of the staaars?!"
Erold said insistently: "Tell me… what should I do?"
Astra answered: "Head to the mountain peak. You will find a cave there… enter it, but do not kill anyone. Tell the bandits that you came to meet the leader regarding work… and the rest is up to you."
Erold asked in surprise: "Just like that? Whom will I find there?"
She tilted her head right and left as if saying: "I won't tell you… I don't want to spoil the surprise for you."
Then he asked her, pointing to the three thrones behind her: "What is the story of these thrones? Whom are they for?"
She answered in a deep voice: "They were ours… for me and my brothers, Arost and Antony. In the past, we all merged, and only my consciousness remained."
Erold shook his head and said: "Your words make sense, even if they are strange…"
Then he remembered the Jinn and said: "Tell me… what is that Jinn's goal?"
Astra answered, smiling lightly: "He wanted you to understand that you are not as strong as you think. He wanted you to train, to become stronger. And he granted you a time limit… but do not underestimate him; his threat is no joke. If you do not prepare… he will kill you. And I will not be able to do anything then."
Astra began to float above the throne, whispering in a faint voice: "One day you will possess your throne, my dear… or more accurately, you will fight for it."
But Erold did not hear her, for the strange whispers were filling his ears. Astra said in a slightly clearer voice: "Are you not curious to know how those on the throne see those beneath them?"
Erold replied coldly: "No, that didn't occur to me."
Astra snapped her fingers, and the sound was quiet… but its echo resonated in the surroundings. Suddenly, Erold found himself sitting on the throne. He looked around in amazement and whispered: "She is… truly powerful."
Then he looked down to see Jasmin as small as an ant. Astra whispered in his ear: "This is how weak kings see their people… small, unseen."
Then she snapped again, and he found himself under the throne, with Jasmin above him looking in fear. Astra continued: "As for great kings, they see their people above them… they prioritize them and dedicate their lives to protecting them."
A third snap, and Jasmin was standing beside Erold. Astra raised her hand, pointed toward them, and said: "I will grant both of you—you, Jasmin, and you, Arthur—one chance to ask a question. Think well."
Jasmin said with a faint sigh: "How will my future be? My life is like a long scream… without explanation."
Astra smiled with regret and said: "You are smart, Jasmin, but you haven't yet reached the point where you realize your true strength."
Then she continued, as if reciting wisdom from an ancient time:
"If your life is just a scream with no explanation, Remember that the true strength in this world Is not in your muscles, but in your polished mind. With a little patience and a lot of determination, Even the deepest secrets of the universe Are revealed to those who seek them with sincerity and resolve. You will understand; just think, Jasmin."
Erold said calmly, feeling Arthur within him stepping forward: "This is for you, only…"
Then Arthur asked: "What is the concept of Erold's relationship with Amalia? And how can he move away from her?"
Astra answered in a more realistic tone: "He has placed himself in a complicated situation. He was not honest with himself from the start. And despite knowing this is impossible, his imagination led him to it."
Then she added with a sigh:
"We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. Most of our pains are born in thought, not in truth. The mind creates fears more intense than life itself. We are terrified of a future that does not come, and we train for tragedies that will not happen. The wise person is one who disciplines their thought before it deceives them. For true suffering is short… But the imagined? It has no end. Either you control your thoughts, or you let them control you."
Then she continued in a calmer voice:
"And I am confident in your ability to do that… But unfortunately, controlling your mind has become difficult, Because it has merged with feelings born from the clash of your heart with your thought. Your mind could not bear the conflict, So it surrendered itself to your pride… It, and nothing else, is what prevented you from understanding yourself. The mind and the heart do not understand each other, For each has its own language. Therefore, link between them… Think with your heart, And love with your mind, Only then… will you rise in your thinking, and find the comfort that escapes you."
Erold was shocked by what he heard… as if her words had opened a door within him that had been closed, as if he had finally found the fine thread that links his heart and his mind—that thread he had always searched for amidst conflicts and isolation. He raised his head slowly, his eyes filled with grateful amazement, and said in a faint voice loaded with sincerity: "Thank you, Arthur… and thank you, Astra. You have both granted me what I didn't know I needed."
Astra said with a voice like a breeze:
"The moment of parting has come… But my heart refuses to leave you without concern, I fear that harm might befall you in this volatile place. So, I will see you later, friends, and I will be beside you… if you need me."
No sooner had she finished her words than the ground split beneath them. Jasmin screamed in terror, followed by Arthur's voice shouting: "Waaaaa!"
But Erold did not move; his eyes watched the scene calmly, for he had read Astra's features well… he knew that what awaited them was not harm, but a transition. They fell into a misty void, then their bodies hit the warm water—the water of the beach.
Jasmin raised her head from the water, gasping, then gasped saying in amazement, joy, and confusion: "Oh my God… I met the Lady of the Stars!"
Arthur (soul) in a faint voice: "I'm sorry, Erold, for that question. I didn't mean to hurt you by it, but I wanted your benefit."
Erold with total calmness: "It's alright, Arthur. No need for that."
Then Erold said aloud: "Let's go to the mountain now."
Jasmin with enthusiasm: "We will all go!"
Erold said: "Yes, but stay with me, little one."
Jasmin shouted enthusiastically: "Yesssssss, Boss!"