Astrology

3 a.m.

The moon hung dim in the sky,making the stars burn brighter against the velvet dark.

Below, the Imperial Capital—Servia—lay silent,wrapped in the hush of deep night.

To the city’s east,a magnificent complex of architecture rose from the shadows.

Its grandeur was instantly unmistakable:

Two distinct districts shaped its soul.

One side bristled with arcane spires—towers of glowing runes,crystal-domed summits,some spiraling into the sky with floating staircases.

The other stood in solemn majesty:sanctuary halls with pointed arches,frescoed ceilings depicting holy icons,a massive metal relief above the main gate,flanked by white marble steps and stone statues of Holy Knights—one brandishing a Sacred Lance, the other a Sacred Sword.

This was no ordinary campus.

It was Dragonheart Academy—the Empire’s highest seat of learning,renowned across the continent.

A dream for every ambitious youth.

Graduates became pillars of society—

Dragon-Slaying Guards, Imperial Knights,ministers, scholars, generals.

For nobles, admission meant rising influence.

For commoners?

It was a leap across class itself—a path straight to nobility.

The Academy housed two great colleges:

Spirit College and Arcane College.

Beneath them sprawled twelve disciplines:

— Spirit College: Warrior, Knight, Swordsman, Assassin, Archer, Pirate…
— Arcane College: Sorcerer, Summoner, Alchemist, Healer, Sage, Cleric…

At the heart of Arcane College stood the Starwatch Spire—the tallest structure on campus,its dome so high it seemed within arm’s reach of the stars.

Perfect for celestial divination.

Tonight, Saintess Kristine sat cross-legged on the observatory platform.

Her silver-white uniform shimmered faintly;her fingers traced the moonstone cross at her chest.

As a star pulsed in the sky,she closed her eyes,and whispered an ancient prayer.

Before her, blue rings of light swirled—twisting, aligning—into a luminous star-chart.

For a moment, the heavens bent to her will.

She opened her eyes,reaching out to adjust the celestial threads.

Three minutes passed—then, as she shifted the final strand—

SHHHK!

The star-chart shattered,its light winking out like dying embers.

“Still… a failure?”

She sighed, disappointment shadowing her gentle face.

Astrology wasn’t a high-tier art—any Mid-Tier mage could cast it.

But predicting fate?

Fool’s hope.

An “omen” could mean stepping in dog filth…or dying from a fall after stepping in dog filth.

Same result. Vastly different outcomes.

“Black…”

The name left her lips like a prayer.

For three months, she’d tried to chart his fate.

After the Dragon King’s fall,

Princess Alice lay comatose,but Black… vanished.

Not even the Empress could sense him.

Who truly killed Jörmungandr?

Alice… or Black?

No one knew.

And Kristine refused to believe he was gone.

So mysterious… so vital…

He couldn’t just—die.

Yet every divination failed—not even a glimpse of omen, good or ill.

Only collapse mid-casting.

Two reasons for that:

The target is dead.
The target is “unfathomable”—beyond the caster’s power.
The second? Impossible.

Black’s level was far below hers.

So only one truth remained.

He’s gone.

Her heart clenched like a fist.

To lose a true friend…was unbearable.

“No. One more time!”

She tried again—and again—until dawn bled into the sky,her mana utterly spent.

Finally, she rose,defeated,and walked away.

As sunlight gilded Servia,the girls’ dormitory kitchen filled with sweetness.

Kristine rolled up her sleeves,stirring a silver pot of lily-petal congee—silver lilies, lotus seeds, snow fungus simmering gently.

She dropped in red jujubes, smiling.

“Morning, Saintess Kristine!”

A group of early-rising students lingered in the doorway,eyes wide, noses twitching at the aroma.

“Making your famous lily congee again?”

“For the orphans,” she said warmly.

“It’s cold—they need something to soothe their throats.”

The girls exchanged mischievous glances,then swarmed her,clinging to her arms with exaggerated pouts.

“Awwww! Saintess~!”

“We’re babies too! Just 200 months young!”

“Pleeease? For the most beautiful, kindest sister in the world?”

Kristine blushed, utterly disarmed.

“Ah—um—well…”

She laughed, shaking her head—

already reaching for extra bowls.