Aris joined the three of us in the library later that day, as they practised wielding their magic.

I sat there quietly, reading through books consisting of any information about the sun. Fire. Light. Anything to explain what exactly my powers were and could do. The inter academy quarterfinals had been suspended for the week to let the students prepare for the incoming Guild Selections. It seemed like my little outburst had affected Everhart as she didn't summon to her chamber the entire next week. I guessed I should have expected that.

Elijah was back and seemed to be in full health, although, guilt bubbled in my stomach constantly. I was glad he had relapsed to pretending that I didn't exist. 

It was hard for me to concentrate as the three of them kept wielding their elements in little controlled instances. My mind kept drifting to Crystal, making it even harder to concentrate. I found myself thinking about her idly. Her laughter, her eyes, her lips.

"Do you think the Vartiyahs themselves train you?" Nia asked one evening as she neatly threaded a flame of fire between her fingers. 

Aahan shook his head. "I don't think so. They have people below them. And below them. And below-"

"We get it," Aris said, sighing. He leaned backwards and stifled a yawn. "It's so fucking boring. Just waiting on them. I wish they would recognize my abilities already and escort me to Sentinel Sognare with a huge parade."

He gazed off into the distance, his eyes sparkling. Aahan scoffed.

Aris ignored him and glanced at me. "What about you? How's your reading going?"

I snapped out of my reverie which consisted of Crystal and spoke stupidly, "What?"

He stared at me. "Your reading, Sunshine."

I stifled a yawn as I opened the book on the table and gazed despondently at it. "I couldn't find anything about light or fire. Or anything that connects them. I don't think I will be Selected anytime soon."

"Fire and Light?" Aahan. "Couldn't that just be fire?"

I shook my head. "When I-''

I started telling them about the time I had gone to retrieve the anchor, before releasing that they didn't know about it. The ring had enabled me to summon powers with more surety, however, it remained indefinite.

"No I...there have been instances when I have just lit up a place. No fire. Just light."

Aahan stared at me for a while, and seemed to chew on his tongue as if thinking hard. "I...but that's..." he whispered. He shook his head lightly as he got up, his eyes glassy. "I'll...wow."

He disappeared around one of the larger bookshelves as Aris raised an eyebrow at me.

"It would've been really annoying if he hadn't explained himself," Nia said, sighing. She got up and went after him. "I'll help him. Whatever he's doing."

She walked away and Aris leaned forward, lowering his voice as he spoke in a low voice, his eyes searching mine. "So, are you ever going to tell me or what?"

I stared at him, trying to think of the million things that I hadn't told him and about which one he meant. "Er...what?"

He shook his head. "Why were you in juvie?"

I was surprised that I didn't feel the twinge of annoyance I usually would. I shrugged awkwardly. "It was a minor thing that kind of...er...blew up."

"Drugs?" he asked.

I shook my head, smirking slightly. "You sound obscenely excited, Greenwood."

Aris sighed and leaned backwards. "Don't get me wrong. I don't think it's something worth gossiping or whatever. It's just...it's kind of hard to imagine you in juvie with junkies."

I scoffed. "My dad got me out in less than a month," I looked at him. "I'm pretty sure he could've got me out earlier but he wanted to make sure that er...I learnt my lesson."

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," he said as he went back to his book, tapping his finger impatiently on the hardback.

I considered him for a while before sighing. "I hit someone. He was hurt really badly," I shook my head as he looked up from his book, listening.

He raised an eyebrow. "It looks like you have a penchant for violence."

"No," I protested, feeling the familiar twinge of annoyance. "It's just..." I raked a hand through my hair. "I was paranoid when I was new at Stonewall. In seventh grade, there was this senior who was...getting friskier than I expected. I didn't mean to but I pushed him and he sort of...er...fell down...a floor." 

Aris gaped at me. I rushed on quickly, the memory of the mountainous Christopher Baker still burning raw in my brain. His sleazy smile, beady eyes and coppery hair. "He was okay. Got a few fractures and hurt his head. Honestly, I had been luckier-" I smirked despite myself. "Fuck that. He had been luckier."

Even though I had acted on some violent instinct, that single incidence had meant that everyone there usually left me alone, which had made it seem worthwhile. The fact remained that my dad's status and money had kept me protected from anything that I wasn't comfortable with. I had spent my time mostly being on my own even at the centre. Strip searching, delousing and shitty food weren't part of my schedule and I was thankful for that. The only downside, if any, were the constant envious glares of boys who had possibly committed worse crimes than I had.

Aris shut his mouth as he stared at me. "Damn, Hunt."

"Stonewall was really strict," I said, feeling strangely lighter now that I had told him. "Maybe it wouldn't have happened..." I sighed as he smirked.

"I assure you. It would've happened anywhere." He looked at me for a while before speaking up again, "I never got to thank you for accompanying me to the disaster of a lunch that day."

I shrugged. I merely thought of it as returning a favour. Silence fell before Nia and Aahan walked back. He seemed to be trembling with what I presumed was excitement as he placed a huge, thick book with a dusty cover in front of me.

"I think I figured out the mystery," he declared triumphantly. Nia looked even more confused than before as she sat across from us and Aahan continued. "The reason it's so difficult and unpredictable is that your powers, if I'm correct, are really rare. Really really rare. Seldom found. One in a billion-''

"Scoot over, Rana," Aris said.

Aahan looked at him reproachfully before continuing. "Right. So anyway..." He opened the book and handed it over to me. "If that's what you have been experiencing, then you're an Asterius. Wielder of stars. Starlight is your element."

I blinked at him. He was positively shaking with excitement. Aghast, I looked at the open page in front of me. It was an ancient illustration of stars and a very naked man lounging in between them. He was surrounded by a halo of light. The words were so old and faded that it was very difficult to read.

"Er...is someone else having difficulty in seeing these?" I asked, squinting my eyes.

Aris pulled the book towards himself and started reading as I let out a sigh of relief.

"The Asterius, born of the stars is a Nuvue having omnipresent powers. The Starlight Nuvue is able to wield fire, light and command the sky and night and even other forces of nature if he so wishes, although it is not his primary control.

It is often found that such a Nuvue is stronger at night due to the increased visibility of stars not marred by the medium star of our galaxy, Sun. However, due to the immense power and unpredictability of Starlight, history has only heard of such legendary powers residing in the Vartiyah Helios, the first of his kind. After sealing The Chasm following the Dark War, Helios is said to have disappeared completely in an attempt to keep the Chasm sealed and the underworld creatures at bay.

There have been other Asterius but none of them survived their own powers after childhood, often collapsing and burning under their own selves. Another Asterius with a life as long as the Great Helios II is yet awaited. This is the least studied element, barely even classified as one."

Cowed silence followed his words.

"Could there be an Asterius, maybe on earth?" I asked, breaking the silence as everyone stared at me. My heart fell as I realized I had perhaps asked a dumb question.

"For Nuvues to be born, at least one of the birth givers have to be a Nuvue. At least at some stage in their life, even if they had a Znicit later." Nia explained kindly.

"This book itself is around four hundred years old," Aahan spoke suddenly. "I don't know if I'm right. But with all the symptoms and things you have been experiencing," He looked at me, his brown eyes shining excitedly. "This is the only thing that makes sense."

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. "What...does it mean? If it is true?"

"It means that Rana has gone and completely lost it," Aris shook his head. "This is ridiculous Aahan-''

"You have to talk to one of the Vartiyahs," Nia said, ignoring him completely and shaking her head in awe. "And...I think it's best if we keep it between us."

Aris nodded. "Agreed."

I gulped as I stared at the book. Helios, who had sacrificed himself for the sealing of the Chasm. No one had survived past childhood, a landmark where I had scraped my ass but somehow still completed. Did that mean that I was to go down a similar path?

Or perhaps, Aahan was wrong.

The idea of me being an Asterius seemed far fetched to me. I had spent my life being nondescript at Stonewall. All I had ever experienced of my Nuvueship was unpredictable and powerful explosions. Was it possible now that there was more?

'There's....something else," Aahan said, biting his lower lip as he turned the page and pointed to what looked like a poem written on it. He squinted his eyes, his brows knitting together as he spoke, "There's...a prophecy. Translated from ancient Evimerian from the bark of the Eskinao tree where it was carved. I've heard the tree was destroyed in the war."

I gazed at him silently but he didn't elaborate further. Nia started reading, her voice trembling slightly.

"At the turn of the century
Two beasts shall be seen-
One within imploding itself,
Another blasting the universe to smithereens.

To battle these two beasts, there will be a child
begotten from the naked intimacy of the light and the dark,
Who's enigmatic influence shall encompass all- far and wide.
The expanding canvas of blinding luminescence
will be annihilated by the son of the star

The second beast
Shall collapse on its own, leaving nothing but a scar
On the earth's face as she raises her arms to bury the two beasts
and then finally, will Obscura be at peac-"

She stopped and shook her head. "I don't understand. This prophecy seems incomplete. It says here-" she squinted at the tiny text at the bottom of the page. "This was all that could be salvaged after the Great Dark War."

"As I said," Aahan whispered, his eyes wide. "The tree was destroyed during the war."

"What the fuck does it mean anyway?" Aris asked, voicing what I had been thinking. "Two beasts shall be seen? The Universe blasted?"

"And the solitary hope would be the child begotten from the naked intimacy of light and darkness," Aahan repeated, glancing at me. "That is the only line that seems to make sense to me. Although the order of words-" he pointed at the first paragraphs, "seems strangely deliberate to me."

He shook his head and continued, "The naked intimacy of light and darkness is starlight itself. I think it defines how stars punctuate the never-ending darkness and how light and dark remain entwined in the night."

I didn't say anything, my heart beating fast as I looked at the words which were suddenly an irrational blur. "You think...the prophecy...is about me?"

Aris scoffed. "I think you're thinking what you want to think." He glared at Aahan, his lips a thin line.

"It does make sense, Aris," Aahan said, bristling indignantly. "However...the two beasts...the imploding..." He shook his head. "I don't understand the rest of it."

"What happened to the rest of the prophecy?" I asked, gaping at him. 

He shrugged. "The mythical Eskinao tree was planted before the Dark War. With what was said to be 'A great sacrifice,' although-" he shook his head, "nowhere is it stated what this sacrifice is. It is said that the tree foretells and warns about Obscura's and the Earth's future. Although it was supposed to have been burnt after the war."

"Right so..." Aris said after a long pause. I gazed, unseeing at the book, aware of Aris looking at me from the corner of his eyes. "You're telling me this dumb prophecy thing was for Sunshine over here?" 

Aahan shrugged. "No. I am saying it's a possibility."

Nia shook her head. "I have to agree with Aris. That does seem a little far fetched."

Aahan shut the book, his jaw set. "Alright. I'll see you guys then."

He tugged the book under his arm and walked away, not glancing back. I stared at his receding back, my mind reeling.

"I...think you should still talk to one of the Vartiyahs," Nia said. "You have to get help with your powers anyway-"

"No," Aris said suddenly, glaring at Nia. "I...think it's better if you don't, Zeke. The Vartiyahs..." He shook his head. "They can be unpredictable. I don't trust them. The Deus...they're literally Gods of their elements. I think to know there's an Asterius..." he sighed. "They have a superiority complex."

"Azure has been supportive. Maybe I should-'' I began as he cut across me impatiently.

"No. You are not telling them. Not yet at least," He shook his head again, face suddenly serious, "I...don't know if Rana is right but-'' he took a deep breath, "if he is, you are way too powerful than the Vartiyahs. Maybe even the Deus. Combined. The people worship the Deus and you might even be stronger than them. If you are the child in the prophecy..."

He trailed off, gazing into space, his forehead creased with worry. "I don't think you'd want that, Zeke. Things at Obscura..." he shut his eyes, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Can be brutal."

I gazed at him, my stomach knitting anxiously. I till felt like an outsider in my own being. I could never imagine my powers being a threat to the element gods. 

Nia nodded. "Yes. An ancient power like that..." She shook her head.

"The Deus, for everything that they are, remain power-hungry. Here's what you do-'' Aris took a deep breath, looking at Nia. "You go for the Selection next week. Nia will project her powers if need be, and you pretend to wield fire and get into the Incandesco Guild. We will think later about everything else."

Nia nodded fervently. "Yes. I can practice some simple tricks and project them. That shall easily be able to get you into the fire guild."

Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern. She bit her lip nervously before speaking, "Maybe you can talk to your dad, Ezekiel. Tell no one else about this. At least until you're stronger."

I nodded, looking back and forth between them as my mind reeled.

"It's settled then," Nia said standing up after a while. I glanced up at her and saw her balling her fists. "Tomorrow, we have some magic to practice."