Reality

In Teyvat, the stars will always have a place for you.

It is a saying that was often repeated, mainly by those well-versed in astronomy, astrology, divination, and similar branches of knowledge. Back then, little was known about the numerous lights dotting the skies other than the fact that they shine, and they're most likely very far away from this world.

Thus astrologists were born, those seeking to understand the stars.

They would work tirelessly, all throughout the night when the stars shine the brightest, in an attempt to decode the mystery that is the celestial object. Numerous stars spread atop the canvas that is the skies, easily numbering into the millions, perhaps even going so far as reaching the billions.

What do these celestial bodies represent?

And then, an idea was proposed.

'What if they represent us, the people?'

It was outrageous. People would scoff at the idea. For what reason would the stars even do so? And if they do, what can we do about it?

While some were quick to dismiss the idea, there are others that would find such a notion interesting. And so they once again attempted to understand the stars. This time, though, they have a different angle they can tackle.

Though it took countless years to prove, the idea that was proposed by the once-called mad scholar, has now turned into an established fact.

It was discovered that one's constellation contains knowledge regarding a person's destiny, events that would take hold in their future, things that they would undoubtedly experience in their lives.

Their fate.

Though their reading would not always be one hundred percent accurate, they would, at the very least, glean a relatively accurate outline of someone's entire life.

And wasn't that quite the shock?

The matter of inaccuracies was debated for some time, but eventually, the astrologists came to an agreement that, rather than an inherent problem coming from the celestial object, it was more of the fact that since their understanding of astrology was insufficient, they have yet to found the perfect method to decode the language of the stars.

So they continued their study, their morale was at their peak, and motivation was something that they did not lack at the time. I mean, why would they? An individual's live in its entirety – their past, present, and future, written for those capable of reading them on the celestial bodies high up in the sky.

Each and every individual that lives in this world has their own set of stars, their own constellation, just waiting to be found. And should they find it, and have the ability to read it, then they can find out how their life would go, from their birth up until their death. The prospect of such a thing, which astrologist wouldn't get excited?

Then came divination, the practice of seeking knowledge of the future and the unknown that they would then inform those that wanted them. They call themselves fortune-tellers.

With the rise in popularity of astrology, so too does the number of fortune-tellers you can find on the side of the street increase. The people were ecstatic. Knowledge of their future, or any questions they might have regarding their life in general, all that in exchange for some money? It was no surprise that they would flock towards them.

Unfortunately, they learn very quickly that knowledge doesn't come without a cost.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nights in the City of Sumeru are not as quiet as one might expect from a place called the city of scholars.

Streets illuminated by the lights coming from all kinds of establishments gave the otherwise cold night a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The market located in Treasures Street is still filled with people from all walks of life, busy negotiating with a variety of vendors in order to get the best price they possibly could, all while the hawking in the background continues as others try to advertise their wares and goods.

For those who had had a particularly long and demanding day, Lambad's Tavern became their number one destination to destress and relax their tired body, with the majority of their customers being people working in the docks or those of the Corps of Thirty.

Puspa Cafe, meanwhile, attracts the majority of the students and researchers for their calm atmosphere, no doubt to ease their mind from all the texts and knowledge they've crammed into their heads that day. It helps that the coffee they serve is of particularly high quality. Combined that with the storyteller that would regale them with tales of olden times? It's safe to say that they'll be retaining their customers for a long time, both new and old.

Of course, not all parts of the city are as crowded and cheerful at this hour.

On the eastern edge of the City of Sumeru, on an incline close to the herb garden across from the Bimarstan, sat two figures, both of them staring at the night sky above.

"An astrolabe, in simple terms, is a handheld device used by us astrologists to determine the positions of the stars."

Sitting across from the black-haired boy is Irfaan Pahlavi, trainee Dashtur of the Sumeru Akademiya. Currently, he is explaining one of the most basic tools that every aspiring astrologist within the Rtawahist Darshan learns to use.

"Though it looked relatively unassuming, it is actually quite the intricate tool if you look closely at its parts."

The astrolabe is a circular-shaped tool with multiple inscriptions on its circumference and the edges of the circular plates inside. Faint lines depicting the celestial plane of this world were drawn, as an indication that serves to differentiate the horizons in which we observe the stars.

"The top part here is called the ring and it's connected to the astrolabe itself, which we call the 'throne'. It's mainly used to tie the astrolabe into a rope or something similar so that we can hang it in order to make it so that it stays at eye level and won't swing around, which might end up messing with the result.

Nodding his head in understanding, Kismet, dressed in his favorite neutral grey coat, jotted down the information into his notebook.

"This one," tracing his fingers around the outer frame of the astrolabe's circumference, Irfaan brought the tool closer so that his son can see clearly, "is called the Mater. It holds everything inside the astrolabe together, preventing the finer parts from collapsing. See these inscriptions?"

"Yes."

"They represent the star signs, alongside the time of day and all kinds of other information. They're integral in helping the user in determining a star's position. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes, father."

"Good. Now, inside the astrolabe itself are these plates, which you can change at any time, depending on your current position. That would mean that depending how much to the north or south you are, you have to use different plates.

"The pin in the center represents the user, while the line going through it is the horizon. The smaller circle above the horizon is called the Rete, the pins inside them point towards which star you're currently observing."

As if recalling something funny, the elder Pahlavi suddenly laughs, slightly startling Kismet.

"What?"

"Heh, we used to call the Rete spider, given how many 'legs' they have. Ahh, we used to joke around about it. 'There's a spider in your astrolabe!' or something like that. The faces on some of the students back then were priceless."

"That's… not funny. At all."

"No?" Scratching the back of his head, Irfaan couldn't help but think that perhaps he's gotten too old. It was all the rage back on his time. "Huh. Maybe the youngster's sense of humor has evolved past that."

"No, I think the joke, if you can even call it that, is just that bad."

"Anyway!" Seeing how embarrassed his father looks, Kismet opted to say nothing about his blatant change in the topic at hand. "How the astrolabe function exactly is going to take too long to explain, so I'll save that lesson for another time.

"For now, let's talk about divination."

Putting the astrolabe back into the bag he brings with him, Irfaan rummage through it before pulling out the notes he had prepared beforehand.

"Now then, what do you know about divination, Kismet?"

"It's when people managed to use astrology to acquire knowledge about someone's future and then sell it to them for a price?"

"Being direct, are we?" Laughing at his son's rather scathing words, Irfaan ruffles his son's messy hair in amusement. "Well, it's not the answer I was looking for, but you're not exactly wrong either so let's just go with that.

"Although divination using the stars as the medium will give you the most accurate reading, it is also the most difficult one to do, hence only scholars tend to use it.

"Another well known method would be interpretation through figures traced on sand. This method is popular for the desert dwellers, though nowadays not a lot of people are able to do it.

"Divination can even be done through a cup of coffee, can you believe that? Though the readings can be a bit iffy, it's nonetheless possible. It's amazing what the common people can discover when they're bored out of their minds."

Suddenly, a particularly strong wind blew towards them, nearly taking Irfaan's notes with them. Tightening his robe around him, Kismet moved closer and pressed his body against his father in search of warmth.

"Do you want to go back, Kismet?"

"No." Wrapping an arm around his father's waist, he leaned his head into his sides. "It's not everyday I get to go stargazing with you, what with you staying late into the night in the Akademiya most of the time."

Irfaan couldn't help but wince at the reminder. "Yeah… sorry."

Not hearing any response, Irfaan looked down only to see his son staring at the numerous stars in the sky. Seeing him like this brings back old memories of when he would do the same thing. It is what makes him so interested in astrology after all.

"Should I continue?"

"Hmm."

"Okay then." Turning the notes around, he briefly skimmed the contents before reading it out. "There are several guidelines which fortune-tellers and astrologists like me have to follow, but the most important of them is as follows.

"First, remain humble. Never assume that just because you have the ability to read the stars and tap into their boundless knowledge, that you are able to understand all fates under the universe.

"Second, if someone is asking for a divination from you, only state the result and never offer advice. Otherwise you risk your fate becoming tangled with them, and more often than not, it's never a good thing."

"How so?"

"It's… complicated. You'll understand when you're older."

"Hmph, fine." Feeling yet another cold breeze blowing their way, Kismet decided that it's better off that he didn't argue in this cold of a night. "Then what about the first rule? What happens if you ignore that one?"

"You'll face banishment from the stars."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you'll no longer be able to read the stars no matter how much you try." Irfaan couldn't help but shiver at the thought. "And for an astrologist? That's the worst possible punishment they could ever face."

Finishing his lecture, Irfaan let Kismet digest this information for some time.

Honestly, it made him happy that his son has taken an interest in astrology. When the boy asked him about the things he learned at the Akademiya and seeing how his eyes lit up whenever he talked about the stars, there's no words that could explain how much joy he was feeling at the time.

The thought of being able to teach his son if he ever decided to enter the Akademiya is also something he couldn't wait to happen. Only if he wants to, of course.

The Rtawahist Darshan doesn't have as many students as the others, mainly because of its difficulty and the principle with which they practice astrology.

Though the idea of looking into the fates of people and discovering the truth of the universe along the way sounds appealing, a lot of students ended up transferring into other Darshans not long after.

One of the main problems would be the fact that astrology, at its core, reveals the truth unreservedly. And most people don't take it that well.

And the other…

"Kismet."

"Yes, father?"

Looking into the soft golden eyes of his son, filled to the brim with curiosity, he almost couldn't hold back a smile. "There's one more thing that you should always remember."

Seeing that he had his attention, Irfaan put on a serious face and made sure that his son understood perfectly what he's about to say.

"Never, ever, look into your own fate, okay?"

"But why?"

"Because your fate will turn in on itself, and that's not a good thing. More so than offering advice alongside your divination." He'd know. He had been unfortunate enough to see the consequence firsthand. "If you really want to, have others look into yours, but never, and I mean never, look into your own fate, okay?"

"Okay?"

"Promise me Kismet. Please."

Though he was confused at how serious his father was, Kismet nonetheless complied. "Okay, father, I promise."

Satisfied, Irfaan let out a sigh of relief. Now, he can only hope that his son will adhere to his warnings and keep his promise in mind.

No parents should ever have to bury their child, after all.

"Father, I have a question."

"What is it?"

He was silent for a bit, his mouth chewed in frustration. After mulling it over for some time, Kismet finally opened his mouth. "Can fate be changed?"

"...what brought this on?"

Though Irfaan asked that, he had an idea as to what it might be.

"Just… answer the question please."

Irfaan couldn't help but sigh. As much as he knows that the answer he has is not what his son is looking for, he's not willing to lie.

The truth hurts. And as an astrologist, he's painfully aware of that fact more than anyone else.

"No, Kismet. They can't."

This is the unfortunate truth for those that seek to pry into others' fate. No matter what you do, fate can never be changed. It doesn't matter how long or how hard you try.

Fate is part of the building blocks that make up this world. It is rigid, ever present, and eternally unchanging.

What little hope Kismet had left was gone the moment he heard the answer.

"Does that mean that Dunyarzad is destined to die the moment she was born?"

"...sigh. Kismet…."

Gently releasing his son's hand from his waist, he picked him up and placed him on top of his lap before hugging him close.

"Don't lose hope just yet, Kismet. The Amurta's have already managed to contain the recent Eleazar outbreak, I'm sure it won't be long before they find a cure."

"But what if they don't? What if something happened to her before they could find the cure?" Hearing the choked sobs coming from his son, Irfaan could only hold him tight. "I'm scared, father. I… I don't want to lose her."

Under the sea of stars within the skies of Sumeru, the two of them sat in relative silence. While the elder Pahlavi was trying his best to comfort his son, the black-haired boy, sitting on the edge of despair, could only hope.

Hope that tragedy would not befall his dear friend.

Unfortunately for him, fate can be quite the cruel mistress.