1 One

An old man and a young girl sat across each other on the plush rug in the middle of the otherwise bare room. The old man looked truly old, the white beard falling well past his chest, the thick moustache blanketing his lips, the heavy eyebrows veiling most of his dark blue eyes, and what remained of his face under deep wrinkles. The girl was young, not yet of fifteen, but with eyes rich with maturity. Despite the vast difference, the two painted a pretty picture.

She was Rin, the second daughter of the city lord. And she was known for more than that. It was she who had invited the old master home after an accidental encounter. It was she who made a presumptuous request of the old master. And it was she who had to decide now.

"Are you certain master?"

Her tone was neither servile nor overbearing. It was steady in a way that couldn't be expected of children not from such great families of prestige. These children had more to learn from a much earlier age, and even though they enjoyed greater benefits the expectations that burdened them were greater as well. Even among these, Rin seemed remarkable.

"Little miss truly doesn't depend on anything else but herself," the old master replied with a smile that lingered far too close to fondness. "Admirable." His tone was steadier and deeper, things that came from a rich life. In an age that believed in life being vaster than a single lifetime, such masters weren't rare. They weren't common either. Which was why these masters commanded respect wherever they went.

"I believe in what I can master," she answered without deceit but with a gleam in her eye that said much more.

The old master was unfazed. He didn't bear the smallest curiosity toward the meaning of the words unsaid. In fact, he liked the girl all the more because she didn't expect it of him. Her letting the gleam show in her eye was entirely an accident. He smiled and she continued.

"My last request of you master," she said, without hesitation, "is this. I have acted upon my intent. Could I impose upon you to read the stars once again to check if anything has changed?"

The old master stared at the girl in silence. He knew from the moment he saw her that she had the will to discern what lay in her heart. He saw that she had the strength. He only wanted to see if she could take action. He was a star reader. The stars showed him that she had the courage. She had recognized him much quicker than most. When she introduced herself she did so with humility. When she invited him to her home she did so with sincerity. And when he accepted she looked upon him with pure eyes and an honest smile. He was moved, for he could even without the stars that her fate was bright. When he read the stars for her, he felt sorry. Her future was truly bright. Her path though was filled with pain and grief and betrayal and death. Born into a powerful family and with great intelligence, she had been taught to expect darkness. She thought she was prepared. She came to realize she wasn't. She wasn't convinced though that there was nothing she could do. That she encountered the old master was the best evidence. She had the courage to see what was on her mind. She had the strength to voice the question. Could her fate be changed?

Fate couldn't be changed, he had answered. But staring into that young face that remained unfazed, he asked for a day's time. With the sun rising the next morning, she greeted him expectantly. And he gave her the answer she sought. "Fate can't be change," he repeated, "but it can be averted." She didn't understand, but she waited patiently, and he didn't betray her expectation. "Your fate can be exchanged for another's. For your younger sister's. You can exchange your dark fate for her anonymity. But that would also mean you trading your bright end for hers buried in the shadows. Are you willing?"

She didn't hesitate. Having agreed, she asked if it had worked? Was her fate changed?

The old man was pleased. He felt a strange connection with the girl from the moment they met, which was why he indulged her guesses, he waited patiently for her to arrive at the right answer, and he even went as far as helping her. With every second in her company, that feeling grew stronger. Many aspired to be star readers. Dreamed of the great fame that came with being one. Not many succeeded. The stars only revealed the lines of fate to those whose heart they could feel. Not everyone could open their hearts entirely to the stars. The feeling he got from the girl was very similar to the feeling he got from the stars. He couldn't act blind to it. He couldn't ignore the doubt that he there was something that connected him with the girl.

He closed his eyes and looked toward the stars. The familiar warmth rushed over from far. The embrace of the stars as they welcomed him. He opened his eyes and stepped onto an endless space. The darkness was a screen upon which words were written, words that came together as the voice of fate. Sight the stars gave. Understanding the reader had to find. The old man was someone who understood a lot. Right now though, he found nothing. The darkness was blank. It wasn't that there was no fate nor that the stars were shutting him out. The words were simply written too deep either because the fate was too much or too momentous. Such times were rare when fate couldn't be revealed. The old master was startled. He couldn't keep from wondering if this was a direct result of his actions. Were the stars punishing him? Was he overthinking? He could feel the stars just the same. And the stars gazed upon him with the same fondness. Something had happened, even if he wasn't entirely sure what. And that was a heavy burden, not knowing if it was for the better or worse?

Before he could feel regret he felt something else. He felt someone else. The stars were cheering for another who had been initiated. A star reader was born. And she was someone very near. He was shocked as he opened his eyes to the large room and stared into the eyes of the girl whose shock was even greater.

"What was that?" she murmured. She was confused. She had only closed her eyes imitating the actions of the old master. She thought, she hoped, just maybe she could feel the stars ever so faintly. It was a blind hope that wasn't meant to amount to anything. And yet she did feel something. A voice calling from a great distance. She wanted to answer. She tried. But it was a large gap between the wanting and the answering. A great gap during which the voice continued calling but also growing louder and into many voices strung into one. An eternity had passed when she answered. And immediately felt the stars' embrace. That moment buried in the pleasant warmth stretched into an even longer eternity. Then, the stars let go. When she opened her eyes, she was in the large room where nothing had changed and still everything had, and she was looking at the old master staring at her wide eyed.

"That was the stars welcoming you," he said reading the question on her mind. "That was your initiation. You have now stepped onto the path of a star reader."

He was delighted. He understood. This was the connection. This girl was to be his student, possibly his very best student. This was what brought him here. "Would you like to be my student," he asked gently.

She looked at him blankly. She needed a minute to wrap her head around the idea. She was a star reader. The old master was asking to be her teacher. She nodded happily. "Yes master, I would be honored. Please accept this bow," she said, and bowed so deep her forehead was resting on the ground. She smiled as teacher helped her up. "But I didn't see anything," she added slowly.

"You will," he said with certainty. "It takes time. Practice. You will see. You can't see your own fate though. One can't ever see their own fate. Also," he paused before continuing, "I couldn't see your fate either. I can't say for certain what that means. Whatever it is, I promise you, you won't have to face it alone. Teacher will be with you."

It was with hesitation that he revealed to her the truth. He believed that there should be complete honesty between teacher and student. But it was more than that. He felt compelled. He had to tell her. She had to know. He didn't dislike the idea though, of there being complete trust between them.

She was confused. She didn't understand everything teacher said. But she did understand one thing. Teacher trusted her. Completely. She would do the same. It was a promise she made in her heart. A promise that would never be broken.

She invited the old master to her home once again, only this time as Rin the student of the renowned star reader Graeme. This was news to be shared with all of her family and all of the city. This was something to be celebrated.