Beyond the seas

One night, as darkness consumed the horizon and no stars were visible, a young sailor approached the Head Astrologer.

“We are lost,” he said bluntly. “There is nothing here but endless water.”

The astrologer did not respond immediately.

He stood at the edge of the ship, staring into the void above.

“There is always something,” he said at last.

“I see nothing,” the sailor replied.

“That is because you are looking with your eyes,” the old man said gently.

He raised his hand toward the sky.

“Look again.”

Reluctantly, the sailor followed his gaze.

At first—nothing.

Then slowly…

A single star pierced through the darkness.

Faint.

But unwavering.

The astrologer smiled.

“The Eastern Star,” he whispered. “It has not abandoned us.”

The sailor’s breath caught.

“It’s… guiding us?”

“No,” the astrologer said.

“It is waiting for us to understand.”

But not all trials came from nature.

On the twentieth night, the sea turned violent in a way none had expected.

The winds did not howl—

They screamed.

Waves rose like towering walls, crashing down with devastating force. The ships were thrown apart, their formation broken in an instant. Men shouted over the chaos, struggling to hold onto anything that would keep them from being swallowed by the raging waters.

Lightning split the sky.

For a brief moment—

The world became light.

And in that light…

The astrologer saw something impossible.

A path.

Not on the sea—

But in the sky.

A glowing trail stretching forward, cutting through the storm itself.

“Hold the course!” he shouted with all the strength left in him.

“That is not a path!” a captain yelled back. “That is madness!”

“It is our only way!” the astrologer roared.

Another wave crashed, nearly tearing the ship apart.

Men fell.

Some did not rise again.

Hope began to shatter.

A servant, trembling and drenched, grabbed the astrologer’s arm.

“We are going to die!” he cried. “There is no land—no end—nothing waiting for us!”

For the first time—

The astrologer closed his eyes.

Not in surrender.

But in prayer.

“I did not tell them the truth…” he whispered to the storm.

“That the child we seek… is no ordinary human.”

Thunder roared in response.

“She is a force of nature… a being meant for the world… and we seek to take her for ourselves.”

His voice broke—but he continued.

“Yes… we are selfish.”

The wind grew colder.

“But our intentions are not evil,” he said, his voice steady once more. “We seek to save our people… to build a future where her gift can reach beyond borders… where no one suffers as we do now.”

The storm seemed to pause.

Just for a moment.

The astrologer lifted his face to the sky.

“If we are wrong… then let us fall.”

Silence.

Then—

A sudden gust of wind circled him.

Not violent.

Not cruel.

But… aware.

The air brushed against his skin, wrapping around him like a presence unseen.

And then—

A voice.

Not heard with ears.

But felt within.

“You walk a path between hope… and greed.”

The astrologer’s eyes widened.

“If your hearts waver… the sea will claim you.”

The ships steadied—just slightly.

“Follow the star… but remember—she does not belong to you.”

The wind surged forward.

Guiding.

Not forcing.

The storm began to break.

Slowly.

Gradually.

Until the waves calmed… and the sky cleared.

The travelers stood in stunned silence.

Alive.

Barely.

But alive.

The astrologer fell to his knees.

Not in exhaustion.

But in understanding.

“This journey…” he whispered,

“has already begun to change us.”

Far beyond the sea—

A star shone brighter.

And beneath it—

A child slept peacefully, unaware…

That the world was already searching for her.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***