Excelsior. The name hung in the air.
Keiko made a sound halfway between a sob and a hysterical laugh. Her legs gave way and she sat down heavily on the earth.
Raid remained standing beside Constant, still looking at the sky, silent. His hands interlaced nervously, a small sign of life in a body that seemed to have stopped in time. Or just... overloaded.
Constant just stood there, trying not to think about the empty cabin waiting for him in a world he could no longer reach.
No one moved for a long moment. The old man waited patiently, as if he understood they needed time to process.
It was Constant who finally broke the silence. "You said you had answers." His voice came out firmer than he expected. "So... let's go. Please."
The old man nodded. "Follow me."
He began to walk through the village, and after a hesitation, Constant followed him. Keiko got up on trembling legs and came behind, and Raid accompanied them, staying very close to Constant, his eyes still wandering over the unfamiliar environment, but without panicking.
The walk was short, but strange. People stopped to watch them pass. Some children ran closer, curious, but adults pulled them back. Constant heard fragments of conversations in that unknown language his brain half-translated automatically. "where are they from," "poor things," "so young."
The old man's house was the largest in the village two stories of wood and stone, with thick glass windows and a door carved with strange symbols.
Aldric opened the door and gestured for them to enter.
Inside, the house was full of things. Shelves covered the walls, stacked with books, scrolls, ceramic pots, strange objects. There was a large table covered with more books and papers. The smell was of old paper, dried herbs, and something slightly sweet.
But what caught Constant's attention immediately was an object on the nearest shelf a crystal globe the size of a soccer ball, perfectly transparent except for the purple mist swirling inside it. It wasn't normal smoke it moved with purpose, forming patterns that almost seemed to have meaning before dissolving and reforming. There was no fire beneath it, no heat source, but the mist kept moving eternally.
"Sit," Aldric said, gesturing to wooden benches near an unlit fireplace.
No one wanted to sit. But after a moment, Constant yielded and sat on a bench with his back to the wall, facing the door. Keiko sat beside him, arms still crossed defensively. Raid sat on the bench on the other side, hunched but present, his eyes wandering nervously around the room before fixing on the floor.
Aldric took his own stool, the weight of the years evident in his movements. He observed them for a long moment.
"My name is Aldric," he said. "I am the elder of this village. Leader, wise man, judge, depending on the day." A small smile. "And you, children, are something very rare."
"Rare how?" Constant asked.
"Mystics from another world," Aldric said simply. "Travelers. Not impossible, but very rare. In my life, which is already long, I have never seen it personally. Heard stories, ancient legends. But never..."
"Wait," Keiko interrupted, her voice louder. "Another world? You're saying we're not on Earth? That what's out there is REAL?"
Aldric looked at her with compassion. "Yes, child. This is Excelsior. It is not your world. And I'm afraid yes, it is very real."
The silence was absolute. Hearing it confirmed so directly made everything undeniable.
Keiko made a strangled sound. Raid had started that gentle rocking again, back and forth, but silent.
Constant forced the words out: "How do we get back?"
Aldric's expression darkened. "That is a complicated question, young man. And the honest answer is, I don't know."
Constant's heart sank. He had imagined that, but hearing it out loud...
"You don't know?" Keiko repeated, her voice rising an octave. "What do you mean you don't know? There has to be a way! There has to be!"
Aldric raised a hand, asking for calm. "Let me explain. Travel between worlds is not common. It is ancient knowledge, rare, lost in many aspects. I do not know how to do it. But that doesn't mean it's impossible."
"But..." Keiko began.
"There are places in Excelsior," Aldric continued, "ancient and reclusive, where knowledge has accumulated for ages. Aethérion, for example." He used a strange word that didn't translate completely, but Constant understood the essence; it wasn't exactly a school, but a place where only those who were chosen or had abilities had the right to gather to study and learn the mysteries of the worlds. "There are the greatest sages of our world there, libraries that hold knowledge from past eras. If anyone knows about travel between worlds, they would be there."
Keiko stood up so fast she almost knocked over the bench. "Then take us there! Now! If the answers are there, why are we here?"
"Because it's not that simple, child," Aldric said gently. "Aethérion does not accept just anyone. Only Mystics."
"You said we are Mystics!" Keiko pointed at herself, then at the boys.
"Yes, you are. But Aethérion has standards. They don't accept all Mystics only those considered... suitable. With potential. With enough control not to be a danger."
Constant felt something freeze in his stomach. "How do they decide who is suitable?"
"Every five years, an inspector travels through all the regions," Aldric explained. "He traverses every corner of the kingdom evaluating young Mystics. Measuring their potential, testing their basic abilities, determining if they are worthy of becoming part of Aethérion."
"And when," Constant forced himself to ask, although he already knew he wouldn't like the answer, "does the next inspector come?"
Aldric sighed. "In three years."
The silence that fell was like a stone thrown into a glass lake, shattering everything.
"Three years?" Keiko's voice came out as a strangled whisper. Then louder: "THREE YEARS?"
She began to walk in circles in the small free space, her hands returning to her hair. "No! No, no, no! There has to be another way! My family will be looking for me! My parents will... they will..."
Her voice broke completely and she stopped, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs she tried to contain.
Raid had become completely still on his bench, only his fingers moving in that nervous interlacing. His eyes were fixed on the floor, but Constant could see silent tears beginning to fall, dripping onto the wooden floor.
Constant felt his own chest tighten painfully. Three years. Three years was... an eternity. It was too long. How were they going to survive three years in a world they knew nothing about? How were they going to...
"You need to understand more about your situation," Aldric said, his voice cutting through the growing despair. "Before you decide anything. There is more you need to know."
"More?" Keiko turned, her face red and wet with tears. "More what? What else could there be?"
Aldric stood up, his joints cracking softly with the movement. He walked with slow steps to one of the cluttered shelves, where his experienced hands searched among the objects until they found what he was looking for: a small hand mirror with an ornate bronze frame that seemed to tell stories in every carving. He returned to them and extended the object to Constant, the ancient metal glinting faintly in the room's light.
"Look at your necks," he instructed, his tone both gentle and urgent. "On the left side of your neck. And use this mirror the Mark of the Mystics does not reveal itself to any reflective surface, only to those prepared for that purpose."
Constant took the mirror with hands that managed to stay steady only through sheer force of will. He raised it, adjusting the angle until he could see his neck.
And stopped.
There was a mark there. It wasn't a tattoo, nor a scar it was as if someone had sewn a fragment of a star into his skin. A five-pointed star, small but perfectly sharp, the size of a coin, glowing with a soft white light that seemed to come from within. Delicate lines like threads of light radiated from it, capturing the essence of whatever had brought them here.
"What..." His voice failed. He touched the spot with his free fingers and felt... something. It wasn't exactly heat, it wasn't cold. It was like a subtle vibration, so light he almost thought he was imagining it. But it was there.
He passed the mirror to Keiko with trembling hands. She grabbed it and immediately turned it to her own neck. Her eyes widened when she saw the same mark white star, bright, impossible.
"I don't... when... how did this get on me?" Her voice was a horrified whisper. "Why didn't we see this before? Why didn't we see it on each other?" She dropped the mirror as if it burned, her hands flying to her neck, touching the mark repeatedly as if she could rub it and make it disappear.
Raid picked up the mirror that had fallen on the bench. For a long moment he just held it, without looking, as if afraid of what he would see. Finally, he raised it.
The same mark. White star. Left side of the neck.
Raid lowered the mirror slowly and just stared into nothingness, processing. A single tear rolled down his face, but he made no sound.
"The Mark of a Mystic," Aldric said, his voice heavy with meaning. "Proof that you have been touched by the divine. That you carry within you a spark of power beyond ordinary mortals."
"The stars," Constant said suddenly, the pieces fitting together. "The shooting stars did this. They marked us."
Aldric nodded slowly. "Yes. Whatever brought you here and I can only speculate on what it was left its mark. Literally."
Keiko had started touching her neck compulsively again, her fingers tracing the shape of the star repeatedly. "But what does this mean? Why would it mark us? What does it want from us?"
"It's not about wanting something," Aldric said gently. "It's about what you have become. Mystics carry fragments of the divine within them. Sometimes it's inherited, passed down through generations. Sometimes it's granted by gods in exchange for service. Sometimes..." he looked at them significantly, "it happens in ways we don't fully understand."
Constant forced his brain to work through the shock. "You said this isn't just decorative. That it marks us in other ways too."
Aldric's eyes narrowed slightly, approval in his expression. "Well observed. Yes. The mark is both a blessing and a curse. While it proves your divine nature, it also paints a target on your backs makes you visible to ancient, hungry things that lurk beyond the veil of common reality."
A chill ran down Constant's spine. "What kind of things?"
Aldric walked to the window, looking out at the village. "Excelsior is not just the world you see with your eyes. There are layers. Places between places. Dimensions that exist alongside ours, but separated by thin veils." He paused. "And there are things that live in those layers. Creatures. Entities. Beings that want to enter our world, but cannot. Not easily. The barriers between worlds keep them away."
He turned to look at them, and his expression was serious. "But those barriers are weaker in some places. And certain things can cross through small cracks. Especially when attracted by something."
Constant's stomach churned. "Attracted by Mystics."
"Yes. Your marks shine like beacons to these creatures. You are... tempting. Sources of divine power that they want to devour, absorb, corrupt. Especially young, unknowing Mystics who don't know how to hide what they are, how to protect themselves."
Keiko had stopped touching her mark. She was pale. "So... so we're in danger? Because of these marks?"
"Probably, yes," Aldric said bluntly. "If you're not careful."
"But you said the village has protections," Constant recalled, clinging to that information.
"Yes. This village has ancient barriers, blessings woven into its boundaries, protection symbols carved into the foundations of every house. All the residents have been trained to recognize the signs of an incursion. Inside here, you are relatively safe. The creatures cannot enter easily. They would have to break through the defenses first, which would alert us all."
"Relatively safe," Raid murmured, his first verbal contribution in minutes. "Not... not completely."
"Nothing is completely safe," Aldric admitted. "But the barriers have held for generations. As long as you remain within the village limits, you will be as safe as you can be."
"And if we leave?" Constant asked, though he already knew the answer.
Aldric looked at him directly. "Three untrained children with marks shining like stars? Not knowing how to defend yourselves, with no knowledge of the creatures that hunt Mystics, with no ability to hide your presence?" He shook his head slowly. "You wouldn't last long outside the village."
Keiko had sat down again, heavily, as if her legs could no longer hold her. "So we're trapped. Not just in this world, but in this place. For three years."
"Until the inspector arrives," Aldric confirmed. "And even then, only if you are accepted into Aethérion. There you would learn not just knowledge about worlds and your powers, but control. How to hide your marks when necessary, how to defend yourselves, how to use the power you carry instead of being consumed by it. How to survive being what you are."
Constant felt as if the floor had been pulled out from under him. Three years waiting for a chance that might not even work. Three years trapped in a village where they knew no one, marked as targets for creatures he couldn't even imagine. And even if they were accepted, after that there was no guarantee they would find a way back home.
Constant looked at Keiko and Raid, thinking of the family waiting for them, of the desperation they carried to return. And then he thought of the empty cabin, the silence that awaited him. His next question came not from fear of staying, but from responsibility towards them.
"And if we're not accepted?" Constant forced himself to ask the logical question, even if he didn't want to hear the answer. "Into Aethérion. What if the inspector says we're not suitable?"
Aldric didn't answer immediately. When he spoke, his voice was gentle but realistic. "Then you would have to find another path. Perhaps remain here, protected by the village's barriers. Perhaps find a mentor willing to teach you privately there are a few wise ones who live on the margins of the great institutions of learning. The other academies... well, they are in distant kingdoms, weeks of travel from here, and the path to them is too dangerous for untrained youths." He hesitated. "Or perhaps... learn to live as untrained Mystics do. Hidden. Quiet. Always moving before the creatures find you."
"That's not a life," Keiko whispered. "That's just... surviving."
"Sometimes surviving is all we have," Aldric said gently.
The silence that fell was crushing. Constant looked at Keiko, who had her face in her hands again, shoulders bowed in defeat. He looked at Raid, who was hunched on the bench, arms around his knees, staring at nothing with red, empty eyes.
Three children completely lost in a world that, until a few hours ago, they didn't even know existed.
Aldric let them process for a moment before continuing. "But there is something else you need to know. About how you got here. About how you were found."
"But how exactly were we found?" Constant raised his head, the question suddenly arising in his mind. "Were we conscious? Did we manage to get here on our own?"
"No," Aldric replied softly. "You were unconscious when you were found. You two," he gestured to Keiko and Raid, "were found at the edge of the forest not far away, just a few minutes' walk from the fields. Lying on the ground as if you had fallen from the sky. Which, I suppose, is exactly what happened."
He looked at Constant. "You were found deeper in the forest. Much deeper. If it weren't for one of our young ones, a girl of only six years who likes to explore where she shouldn't... you might never have been found in time."
"A six-year-old child?" Constant repeated.
"Yes. Luna was playing farther away than she should have. She saw you and ran back to get help, shouting about an injured boy in the forest. The adults went immediately, but she insisted on going back with them to show where you were. She even helped to..." he paused, choosing his words, "pull you closer, to an area where it was easier to carry you. A small child trying to drag someone almost twice her size. It was... brave of her."
Constant didn't know what to say. A six-year-old child he had never seen had literally saved his life. And he couldn't even thank her because he didn't know her.
"The forest is not kind to those who are unconscious and vulnerable," Aldric continued. "There are animals. There are worse things sometimes. If Luna hadn't found you when she did..." He left the sentence unfinished.
"I need to thank her," Constant said quietly.
"You will have time for that. Luna lives here in the village. You'll probably see her around it's hard not to, she's quite... energetic." A small smile appeared on Aldric's face. "But there's more. About Luna. She is... special."
"Special how?" Keiko asked, her voice tired.
"She is also a Mystic," Aldric said simply. "She has had her mark for two years. She is also waiting for the inspector."
Constant felt something move in his chest. So they weren't the only ones. There was another person, someone going through the same impossible wait.
"So there's another person like us here," Keiko said, and there was a touch of relief in her voice. "Someone who understands."
"Yes. Although Luna is... different from you in many ways. She was born here. She knows this world. Her mark came from different circumstances. But yes, she is like you."
Aldric stood up, moving towards the door. "You have a choice now. A real choice, although the options aren't many."
He opened the door, the sunlight entering again. "You can stay here, in the village. We will protect you within our barriers, give you shelter, food. You would be safe as safe as possible until the inspector arrives. And perhaps, just perhaps, the School will have answers about how to return to your world."
"But?" Constant felt there was a 'but' coming.
'But we don't give charity to people who are capable of working,' said Aldric firmly, without cruelty but without softening the truth. 'This is a community of farmers, hunters and artisans. Everyone contributes what they can. You are children, yes, but capable ones. You are twelve years old — old enough to work.'
He gestured to the village outside. "We live mainly from agriculture. Grain fields, vegetable gardens, small orchards. There is also hunting in the forest when necessary, gathering useful herbs and plants, fishing in the river that runs to the east. And all the work that comes with that planting, harvesting, storing, preparing food, maintaining houses and tools."
"You would contribute. Work in the fields when necessary, help with the harvests, perhaps learn hunting or gathering eventually. Some families need extra hands. In return, you would have food, a place to sleep, protection from the barriers. And time three years to learn about this world, to grow stronger, to prepare for when the inspector arrives."
Constant processed this. Manual labor, hunting. On Earth, these were things he somewhat knew how to do the six months in the forest had taught him some basic survival skills. But here? Everything would be different the tools, the plants, the animals, even the way of doing things. His knowledge could be practically useless. But working formally, for an entire community...
"And the other choice?" Keiko asked, though everyone already knew.
"You try on your own," Aldric said, his voice growing more serious. "You leave here. Go wherever you want in Excelsior. Look for answers on your own, or a path home, or whatever you think you can find." He looked at them. "And probably die quickly. The creatures that hunt Mystics are not merciful. And this world has other dangers besides them bandits, wild animals, disease, hunger. Three displaced children, with no money, no knowledge of how things work here, no ability to defend yourselves..."
He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
It wasn't really a choice.
Aldric closed the door gently. "I will leave you alone for a few minutes. To talk among yourselves, decide together. Then I will return, and you will tell me what you choose to do."
He left, his heavy footsteps descending what seemed to be stairs to another room.
For a long moment, none of the three spoke. The silence in the room was heavy, filled only by the occasional sound from the village outside distant voices, the tap-tap of someone hammering something, the lowing of an animal.
It was Raid who broke the silence first, surprisingly. His voice was low but firm. "I don't want to die."
It was a simple, direct, and honest answer.
Keiko let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. "No one wants to die, Raid." She ran her hands over her face, wiping away tears. When she looked up, her eyes were red, but determined. "We... we stay, right? There's no real choice. We stay, we work, we wait."
"And if we can't get into the academy?" Constant had to ask. "What if we wait three years and the inspector says no?"
"Then..." Keiko hesitated, biting her lip. "Then at least we'll be alive to figure out the next step. Dead we won't help anyone. The dead don't go home."
She was right. Constant knew she was.
He looked at Raid. "Do you agree? With staying?"
Raid nodded slowly, his fingers still interlacing nervously. "Yes. I stay. I don't know... I don't know how to do many things. But..., but I can learn. I can try."
Constant looked at Keiko, who was watching him now with those intense eyes. "And you, Constant? Do you agree?"
He took a deep breath. Thought of the empty cabin. Thought of the six months surviving alone. Thought of being trapped in another world for three years with no guarantee of return.
Thought of being alive to have a chance to try.
"We stay," he said finally. "We work. We wait for the inspector. We try to get into the academy." He looked at both of them. "And we do it together. The three of us. Like Keiko said before, we don't leave anyone alone."
"Together," Keiko repeated, and there was something like determination in her voice now. Not hope yet, but at least a will to fight.
"Together," Raid echoed quietly.
It wasn't a perfect plan. It wasn't even a good plan. But it was the only plan they had.
And sometimes, Constant had learned, having any plan was better than having none.
When Aldric returned a few minutes later, he found the three sitting together, no longer separated by different benches. Constant in the middle, Keiko on one side, Raid on the other. Three lost children who had decided, at least, to be lost together.
"We've decided," Constant said, his voice coming out firmer than he expected. "We stay. We work. And we wait for the inspector."
Aldric nodded, something like approval in his old eyes. "A wise choice." He approached, standing in front of them. "Then let me say officially: welcome to the village of Thornhaven. May this place be your refuge until you can find your way home. May our barriers protect you, may our fields feed you, and may our people welcome you as part of our community."
The words had a formal, almost ritualistic weight. Like an oath.
"Tomorrow we will begin finding places for you to stay, families who can shelter you, work that suits your abilities or can teach you new ones. Today..." he looked out the window, seeing the sun that impossible sun with its blue ring beginning to descend, "today you rest. Regain your strength. Process everything you've learned."
"There are rooms upstairs where you can sleep tonight. I will bring food soon. And tomorrow..." a small smile, "tomorrow you begin your new lives in Excelsior."