A BOY NAMED STARY

Asteria moved swiftly through the forest, her pulse quickening with every step. The boy beside her struggled to keep up, his legs weak and unsteady, but she tightened her grip on his hand, guiding him through the thick underbrush. Behind them, the distant glow of the fallen star’s impact was beginning to fade, swallowed by the darkness of the Silverpine Forest.

The village would wake soon. If anyone ventured into the woods and found the crater, they would start asking questions. Questions Asteria wasn’t ready to answer.

They needed to move faster.

"You’re going to have to trust me," she whispered, glancing at the boy. His silver-blue hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight, and his glowing eyes darted around, filled with curiosity and confusion.

"I… I don’t know where I am," he murmured. His voice was soft, almost distant, as if it carried echoes of a forgotten world. "Or who I am."

Asteria’s chest tightened. He truly didn’t remember anything. No name, no past—only that he had fallen.

"We’ll figure it out," she assured him. "But first, I need to get you somewhere safe."

They weaved through the forest, avoiding the main paths and sticking to the shadows. Eventually, they reached the outskirts of the village, where Asteria’s small family home sat on the edge of the fields. The house was dark and quiet—her parents were still asleep.

She led the boy to the barn behind her house, carefully opening the wooden door and guiding him inside. The air smelled of hay and warm earth, and the soft glow of lantern light illuminated the wooden beams.

"Stay here," she said, guiding him to sit on a pile of soft hay. "I’ll get you something to wear. You, uh…" She gestured at his glowing skin. "Kinda stand out."

The boy looked down at himself, running a hand over his arms. The faint celestial glow pulsated with each heartbeat, fading slightly but never disappearing completely.

Asteria hurried inside her house, careful not to wake her parents as she grabbed an old tunic and a cloak from her father’s storage chest. When she returned, she found the boy staring at his hands, his fingers moving as if he was trying to grasp something unseen.

"Here," she said, offering him the clothes. "They might not fit perfectly, but they’ll help."

He accepted them hesitantly, slipping the tunic over his head. It covered most of the glowing lines on his skin, though the faint luminescence still pulsed through the fabric. He pulled the cloak tightly around himself, his hands disappearing beneath the folds.

Asteria sat down across from him, studying him closely. He was unlike anything she had ever seen—beautiful in a strange, ethereal way. Like a piece of the night sky given form.

"I need to call you something," she said after a moment. "Since you don’t remember your name."

The boy tilted his head slightly, waiting.

Asteria thought for a moment, then smiled. "Stary."

He blinked, the light in his eyes flickering. "Stary…" He tested the word on his tongue, then nodded. "I like it."

Asteria grinned. "Then Stary it is."

A comfortable silence settled between them. The events of the night still whirled in Asteria’s mind, but for now, she focused on the present.

"Do you remember anything at all?" she asked. "Even just a feeling?"

Stary frowned, as if struggling to grasp something just out of reach. "I remember… light," he said slowly. "Warmth. And then…" His brows furrowed. "Falling. Like I was being pulled down by something I couldn’t fight."

Asteria listened intently. "Do you think someone made you fall?"

"I don’t know." His glowing fingers clenched into fists. "But I feel like… something is missing. Something important."

Asteria didn’t know what to say to that. Instead, she offered a small smile. "Well, until we figure it out, you can stay here. Just lay low. If my parents find you, they’ll panic."

"Why?"

Asteria hesitated. "Because you’re… different. People fear things they don’t understand."

Stary considered her words before nodding. "I understand."

Asteria stood, brushing hay from her tunic. "I’ll bring food in the morning. Try to rest, okay?"

Stary nodded, but as she turned to leave, he spoke again.

"Asteria?"

She paused, looking back.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Something in his voice made her chest tighten. He sounded… lost.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Get some rest, Stary."

As she slipped out of the barn and back toward her house, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just set something into motion—something far greater than she could yet understand.

And deep in the shadows of the forest, unseen eyes continued to watch.

The Eclipsed Ones knew.

And they were waiting.

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