Night descended upon Rosenfeld Estate.
Not the ordinary darkness that visited every evening.
But a deeper one.
A sacred one.
The kind of night that seemed to carry ancient significance.
Above the estate—
The heavens stretched endlessly.
Cloudless.
Silent.
Filled with countless stars.
The moon itself seemed dim tonight, as if unwilling to compete with the brilliance of the celestial sea overhead.
And beneath that vast sky—
Preparations had finally reached completion.
The central garden of Rosenfeld Estate had been transformed.
The usually peaceful grounds now resembled an ancient ritual site from forgotten legends.
Silver lanterns illuminated the pathways.
Magic crystals floated above the grass, casting soft blue radiance across the surroundings.
The scent of winter flowers drifted through the cold air.
Snow no longer fell.
As though even nature itself had paused to observe.
At the center of the garden—
A massive ritual formation had been constructed.
Dozens of attendants moved carefully around it.
Their expressions serious.
Focused.
Respectful.
The formation itself was beautiful.
Ancient symbols covered the ground.
Intricate lines connected one circle to another.
Runes glowed faintly beneath the grass.
At the center rested a perfect circle.
The Awakening Circle.
The place where Kel would stand.
Surrounding it were twelve semi-circles arranged like petals around a flower.
Seven designated for priests.
Five for priestesses.
Each connected through countless ritual pathways.
The entire formation appeared like a celestial diagram brought to life.
Attendants completed final adjustments.
Candles were lit.
Crystals activated.
Incense burned.
Sacred chants quietly began.
Then—
The Twelve Priests and Priestesses entered.
One by one.
Taking their positions.
The Priest of Dawn.
The Priestess of the Moon.
The Priest of War.
The Priestess of Fate.
The Priest of Knowledge.
The Priestess of Stars.
And the others.
Each standing within their assigned semi-circle.
Each becoming part of something larger.
Behind them—
Their attendants formed outer support formations.
Dozens of individuals.
Ready to assist.
Ready to stabilize.
Ready to strengthen the ritual.
Not far away—
The Rosenfeld Family observed.
Duke Aktaris stood at the front.
Silent.
Immovable.
Like a mountain watching the heavens.
Beside him stood Helena.
Kel's mother.
Her hands clasped tightly together.
Unable to hide her nervousness.
Aria stood nearby.
So did Kel's cousins.
His younger siblings.
His uncles.
Everyone.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then—
Kel arrived.
The garden became silent.
Dressed in dark ceremonial robes embroidered with silver thread, he walked calmly toward the ritual formation.
The cold wind gently moved his silver hair.
The starlight reflected within his eyes.
For a moment—
Several attendants forgot to breathe.
Because under the night sky—
Kel appeared almost unreal.
Inside his mind—
Sairen chuckled.
"They're staring again."
"I noticed."
"You attract attention naturally."
"That sounds troublesome."
"It is."
Kel ignored her.
Eventually—
One of the elder priests stepped forward.
His voice echoed through the silent garden.
"Kel Rosenfeld."
The young heir stopped.
"Step into the center circle."
Without hesitation—
Kel obeyed.
His footsteps carried him forward.
Across glowing runes.
Across sacred symbols.
Until finally—
He stood at the exact center.
Silence descended.
The ritual began.
One by one—
The Twelve Priests activated their circles.
Golden light emerged beneath their feet.
Silver light followed.
Blue.
Crimson.
White.
Countless colors illuminated the formation.
The semi-circles awakened.
Lines connecting them began glowing.
Like rivers of light.
Like veins carrying divine energy.
One after another—
The twelve circles synchronized.
The garden trembled slightly.
Magic gathered.
Aura gathered.
Faith gathered.
Will gathered.
And behind them—
The attendants began chanting.
Ancient words.
Forgotten prayers.
Sacred invocations.
Their voices rose together.
Forming a chorus.
A tide.
A bridge reaching toward the heavens themselves.
The ritual's purpose was simple.
Increase probability.
Normally—
A person could awaken a constellation alone.
But success varied.
Some failed.
Some succeeded.
Some attracted weak constellations.
Others attracted strong ones.
With a priest's assistance—
The chances improved.
Greatly.
With twelve priests—
The improvement became extraordinary.
And with twelve priests plus their attendants—
The probability approached absurd levels.
Nearly eighty percent.
A ritual worthy of royalty.
Perhaps even greater.
Inside the formation—
Kel calmly stood.
Eyes closed.
Breathing slowly.
The energies around him intensified.
One priest spoke.
"Open your mind."
Another continued.
"Listen to the stars."
A priestess added.
"Accept the call."
The chanting grew louder.
The formation shone brighter.
And then—
The heavens responded.
Above the garden—
The stars began changing.
Everyone froze.
Tiny lines of light appeared across the night sky.
Connecting distant stars.
Forming patterns.
Ancient patterns.
Constellations.
One.
Two.
Three.
Five.
Ten.
The priests nodded.
Everything remained normal.
A talented noble might attract several.
An exceptional genius perhaps ten.
Twenty would already be extraordinary.
Thirty?
A once-in-centuries phenomenon.
Forty?
A once-in-millennia miracle.
The priests had discussed it beforehand.
Considering Kel's background.
His talent.
His bloodline.
His circumstances.
Perhaps five.
Maybe ten.
Thirty if destiny itself favored him.
But what happened next—
Destroyed every expectation.
Completely.
The sky erupted.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
All eighty-eight constellations illuminated simultaneously.
The heavens transformed.
Stars connected.
Patterns emerged.
Endless celestial symbols stretched across the night.
The entire sky became alive.
Gasps echoed throughout the garden.
One priest stumbled backward.
A priestess froze.
Several attendants stopped chanting entirely.
Because they couldn't process what they were seeing.
And then—
It became worse.
Much worse.
Around Kel—
Tiny manifestations appeared.
Miniature constellations.
One after another.
A celestial wolf.
A crown.
A sword.
A scholar's quill.
A dragon.
A phoenix.
A sea serpent.
A tower.
A star.
A comet.
More.
And more.
And more.
Until all eighty-eight constellation manifestations floated around him.
Orbiting him.
Like loyal stars around a sun.
The entire garden became silent.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Because history itself had just broken.
Never.
Not once.
Not throughout recorded history.
Not during the First Epoch.
Not during the Age of Gods.
Not ever.
Had all eighty-eight constellations answered a single person.
The Priestess of Fate stared blankly.
Impossible.
The Priest of Knowledge forgot to blink.
Impossible.
The Priest of War tightened his fists.
Impossible.
Even Duke Aktaris—
The Slaughter Dragon—
Momentarily widened his eyes.
For the first time that evening—
The mighty Duke looked genuinely shocked.
Helena covered her mouth.
Aria stared speechlessly.
The younger cousins simply looked terrified.
Because they understood one thing.
Something unprecedented was happening.
Something beyond their understanding.
Inside the formation—
Kel slowly opened his eyes.
And saw them.
Eighty-eight miniature constellations.
Eighty-eight celestial manifestations.
Eighty-eight paths.
All waiting.
All calling.
All acknowledging him.
Inside his mind—
Even Sairen had fallen silent.
A rare occurrence.
Finally—
The ancient Guardian spoke.
For perhaps the first time since Kel had met her—
Her voice carried genuine disbelief.
"Kel..."
A pause.
"What exactly are you?"
Kel looked toward the heavens.
Toward the impossible sight filling the night.
Toward the eighty-eight constellations surrounding him.
And for once—
Even he had no answer.
Because the stars had not merely answered his call.
They had all come.
And somewhere far beyond mortal sight—
The heavens themselves seemed to be watching what would happen next.