“Know the depth of defeat and of victory, and in doing so, know yourself.” - Helia to Anvaxas in the legend of his ascension into the minor pantheon

Aster was met with a sea of shining stars. Like his prior dream, he stood among them, surrounded by the boundless expanse in all directions. Unlike last time, the stars did not merely cut through the deep and empty black of night, but swirled with nebulous color. In his mind’s eye, he was reminded of the chaos storms that surrounded Karipos, and their similar rainbows of color that spoke of untamed power.

“Hello?” Aster called out. He spun around in a full circle, looking for the copy of himself that stood before him in his previous night’s dream.

“Attuned.” The word floated to his ears, as if whispered by the stars themselves.

Aster whirled yet again, his head spinning faster than his shoulders could keep up with. “Who’s there? Where am I?”

There was no immediate answer from the celestial expanse. Aster watched the shifting stars; they swam aimlessly, like a school of enva after losing their queen. At the thought, a small collection of stars took a shape that vaguely reminded him of one of the small carapaced fish.

Frowning, Aster thought aloud. “What happened to me? My dreams have never been like this before. Is this normal for the Attuned? Mother said that the Attuned were champions of the gods, which …” Aster cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and spoke purposefully. “Galae, the worldfather, Helia, keybearer and goddess of the sun, I humbly beseech you. Please, help me understand what is happening to me.”

No answer came.

Embarrassed, Aster’s shoulders fell. He let out a breath he didn’t remember holding. He tried to focus on what he knew. He was apparently an Attuned. He had purple eyes now. He grew a shocking amount of muscle mass overnight, and, frustratingly, his dreams now featured an endless expanse that he seemed stuck in.

“Attuned.” The whisper tickled his ears again, but this time, the stars in front of him danced into two concentrations of light. As Aster watched, the two lights took on a purple color. They continued to condense until they formed the clear shape of eyes. More stars raced to join the image, forming the outline of a man. Soon, the colorful nebulas surrounding him were empty of stars, and Aster stared in shock at himself.

His mirrored self held his gaze and matched his movements, just as it did the previous night.

“Purple eyed.” The words bounced around him like a whisper in a cave.

“Starborn.”

“Attuned.”

“Core Starved.”

“Nascent.”

The overlapping words danced through his mind as much as his ears. Aster frowned, opening his mouth to form a new question for his dreaming world. He closed it again, deciding that speaking his thoughts seemed to do little good. He closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath.

When he opened his eyes, he was laying in his bed, blinking into the dawn’s first light. “Oh for the love of Aureae!”

Aster’s frustration was short-lived. He wasn’t barely crawling out of bed this time. Instead, he nearly bounced upright with an energy he never managed to conjure up at such an early hour. Standing, he looked down appreciatively at the toned muscles adorning his frame. His abdominals were well defined, and he couldn’t help but smile as he flexed biceps that, for the first time in his life, didn’t tremble with the effort.

One side of Aster’s cheek tugged upward while his forehead wrinkled in consideration. Eyebrows joined shoulders in a shrug as he made up his mind to try some of the exercises Phaea was so fond of. Aster crouched down and placed his arms out before him. With his weight on his arms, he slid his legs back into a push up position and gave it a cautious try.

One.

Well, he was always able to do a few pushups. He was just getting started.

Two.

His arms didn’t shake at all. Definitely encouraging.

Three.

This was usually the point where he started to feel trepidation at the need for further effort. Aster smiled at firmly planted hands, arms sturdy beneath him. Before he knew it, his count was at thirty. Thirty! The last time Phaea forced him into doing pushups he managed fourteen before his arms collapsed out from under him.

After performing several more, Aster flipped onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head. “One–two–three,” he whispered under his breath as he performed situps in rapid succession. He continued, expecting sweat to sprout from his forehead or for his heart to quicken its drumming. Instead, Aster’s muscles relaxed at ready attention, like a well trained army primed to spring into action. His mind revelled in possibility.

Before he knew it, he could hear the sounds of his family’s morning routines. When he walked out of his room with a broad smile on his face, his mother called out to him.

“Aster! You’re up early. How did you sleep, little star?”

“Oh, pretty well, actually! I feel good. Really good, even. Is Phaea up yet? I figured she wouldn’t want to wait too late to get started with the day’s hunt.”

“I haven’t seen her up, yet.” Nysa laughed warmly as she piled bread and some leftovers from the night before into a bowl. “Your father is still asleep as well. Too much wine for those two. In fact, I’m surprised you seem so …” Nysa’s discerning eyes met his as she set the bowl down for him and gestured to a chair. “Fresh.”

“Thank you mother,” Aster said, taking a seat. Nysa put together her own simple breakfast and joined him at the table. Aster ate in silence, enjoying the comfort of the moment.

“Oh come on!” Phaea called out from the door to her room as Aster was chewing on the final remnants of his meal. “Broken cycles, that is so not fair.”

“What?” Aster asked, stifling a laugh.

“You! This!” Phaea gestured to the room before her. “You drank easily double what I did last night. I was sure you were going to be vomiting up Carcalix himself last night, and yet here you are like … that … while I’m over here like … this.” She rubbed at her temples with both hands. “Blight my head hurts …” she mumbled.

Aster helped his sister get a small bowl of food to replace the knots apparently hiding in her stomach while letting his mother finish her meal. Soon, they were all seated together as Aster watched Phaea greedily dig in. “So,” he asked, “I assumed you’d want to get out beyond the wall before we lose too much daylight.”

Phaea frowned deeply. “Oh, forsake me, I forgot to tell you yesterday. Father put some halt on anyone other than the wardens leaving the village.”

“What? Why?” Aster’s shock mixed with frustration. His muscles tightened in restrained anticipation.

“Something ab–” Phaea stopped to swallow her food at a look from Nysa. “About some newcomers in the valley that the wardens haven’t been able to make contact with. Father thinks it's dangerous.”

Aster blew out in exasperation. “More than one? Do you think they came from the voidlands?”

“I don’t know any more than you, now.”

Aster threw up his arms. “Well then what are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know,” Phaea said, chuckling, “weren’t you the one who was all worried about how dangerous hunting was getting? Surely you had a plan for what to do if we stopped.”

“Well, no, I–”

“Didn’t think that far ahead?”

“I didn’t think you’d ever actually listen!”

Nysa shook her head in exaggerated disappointment. “These little monsters of mine …” she muttered. “Your father will speak to the elders about the changes you’ve experienced, Aster. There is no use hiding what has happened to you, but it would be best not to draw too much attention yet. To become a divine champion when the gods have been silent raises questions that will make many uncomfortable.” Nysa sighed. “Whatever you two end up doing, don’t get into too much trouble. I need to be on my way.” She stood and walked to the door. “Just stop by to see me if you need anything.”

As his mother left for the house of healing, Aster turned back to Phaea. “I’m different now. I want to hunt. I want to see what I can do! I’m stronger now … much stronger. Maybe we can convince Father to–”

“There’s no way,” Phaea interrupted. “He’s more stubborn than you are.”

“Not quite as stubborn as you, though,” Aster teased.

“I do have an idea, though …” Phaea mused, ignoring his jab.

✹✹✹

How did I let her talk me into this? Aster wondered. The smell of sweat and dust filled his nose as he stood in front of the collection of wardens.

“So, his eyes are purple because of a magical dream?” Tokites asked.

I’m Attuned, Aster thought. Stronger than I’ve ever been. I can do this.

“Something like that, yeah,” Phaea answered. “It doesn’t really matter, does it. What matters is that I bet you that Aster here beats you in a wrestling match.”

Tokites snorted a laugh. “If you say so. I’m looking forward to figuring out what sort of trick you’re trying to play, but wrestling? What happened to keeping your little shadow safe?” Tokites wasn’t a massive man, but he was definitely still strong. He was one of the more accomplished wrestlers in Karipos, and was well regarded for the explosive energy he’d bring to the game. “Fine. What do I get if I win?”

You won’t, Aster told himself.

“Winner buys drinks at the tavern tonight,” Phaea said with a mischievous smile. “For all of us.” She put an arm over Aster’s shoulder while gesturing to the assembled wardens.

Tokites looked Aster up and down, a cruel smile twisting his lips. “Deal.”

Aster never liked Tokites. At times, he’d even hated him. The young man wasn’t the only bully Aster had as he grew up, but Aster absently touched a finger to the scar that split his left eyebrow. When they were all still children, Tokites threw a rock that caught Aster in the head. Aster was a mere twelve at the time.

Tokites was not the only one throwing rocks, but his was the one that landed. He could still hear the crying when he thought of the memory; his and Tokites’. Phaea dislocated the boy's shoulder in the furious beating she delivered, and Nysa was the one who needed to pop it back into place.

The other children left Aster alone after that. The fear of angering Phaea seemingly kept them in line. They didn’t bother him, but neither did they seek his company. As Aster and the other children around his age grew, Phaea remained his only friend. He wasn’t accomplished like she was, respected like she was.

Phaea convinced him that this was his chance to change that.

Aster stripped out of his tunic and Leron handed him a small pot of oil. Aster nervously spread it across his chest and arms while watching Tokites do the same. They got in position in the training yard and faced each other.

Feet shoulder width apart, Aster reminded himself. If he goes low, fall atop him. If he goes high, slip and target an ankle. He could feel his heart quicken. Phaea’s advice didn’t make much sense to him, but he bent his knees and spread his hands.

“Go!” Leron announced.

Tokites sprang forward in the blink of an eye, immediately lunging to the ground and wrapping both hands around Aster’s right leg. Aster tried to fall forward like Phaea had said to, but instead found himself staring up at fluffy clouds as the air was forced out of his lungs.

Tokites was already on top of him, his arms wrapped around Aster before he could get his bearings. Aster struggled against the man, who reacted by sliding a leg over Aster and sitting upright.

“Get him, Tokites!” Yuthios yelled.

“Come on Aster! Push on his knee!” Phaea’s voice cut through the confusion of the action, and he did as instructed. With both hands on Tokites’ left knee, Aster pushed, finding his body begin to slide out from under the larger man.

Tokites clamped down on one of Aster’s wrists and tried to force it to the ground, but his face contorted in confusion when it wouldn’t budge. Aster sat upright, reaching under his opponent's armpit with one arm. With a grunt of effort, he threw Tokites off of him entirely.

Aster scrambled to his feet. Tokites was crouched on one knee, the left side of his body coated in dirt where his oiled torso had fallen to the floor. Tokites snarled, exploding forward again.

This time, Aster was ready. As Tokites tried to grab at his leg, Aster leaned all his weight on top of the man, bringing him to the ground. He got an arm around Tokites’ neck and locked his hands together. He pulled. Hard.

Two taps. That was the signal, Aster absently remembered, as all of his focus was pulling and squeezing. There it was again, two quick taps on his forearm. Aster let go, rolling off of Tokites and sprawling out in the dirt.

His opponent started coughing while Aster looked up at the clouds again. This time, his head swam with pride. Victory. Phaea’s face blocked his view of the clouds as she reached out a hand to help him to his feet.

“That was probably the worst form I’ve ever seen, but forsake us all it didn’t even matter. I knew you could do it!” She punched him playfully in the arm. Phaea looked at Tokites, who was still wheezing and coughing. “We’ll see you at the tavern!”

“I can’t believe it … I really won!” Aster said, a smile overtaking his face. “I didn’t think I could.”

“I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t looking great there at the beginning. But then you were like wham and threw him into the air. The blighted air! I’ve never seen anything like that. Come on, let’s head back home and get you cleaned up. We’ll have to get Father to teach you some proper moves before you wrestle again, though, or you’ll just embarrass the whole family.”

Aster looked away, face reddening slightly in shame.

“Hey! I’m teasing. Mostly. You did great, and with a bit of proper practice … you’ll do more great!”

Aster looked up at their home on Temple Hill. He was Attuned. His path unfolded before him, and already it was wildly different than he imagined. He grinned. He could get used to this.