TCAJTWTPOTA 03

 

Episode 3

The Starfall Ritual and the Awakening of the Relic

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“Nooo! Let me gooo!”

“Careful, Mile! You’ll fall off the cliff!”

Crying uncontrollably, Mile leaned over the edge as Rin desperately held her back.

“Mari, how’s it look? Can you see anything?”

“No, the trees are in the way…”

Just then, Guy came running from the sanctuary, drawn by the commotion.

“Hey! What’s going on over here?”

Ryuk quickly explained everything that had happened—the encounter with the Nightbear, Sky’s diversion, and his fall from the cliff.

“What!? Sky did what…?”

Guy’s face twisted with a mix of shock and frustration.

Nearby, Mile sobbed, her shoulders trembling.
No one could say a word—only the sound of her quiet crying filled the air.

—Until suddenly.

“Heeey…! Heyyy…!”

“Sky!?” Mile’s head shot up.

Everyone looked toward the valley floor at once.

“Is that you, Sky!? Are you okay!?”

“Yeah! The Nightbear’s dead!”

“Sky… thank goodness…!”

“What about the others!? Are you all right!?”

“Yeah! Thanks to you, everyone’s safe!”

“Hey, Sky! How the hell did you survive that fall!?” Guy yelled down.

“Got lucky—got caught in some branches on the way down!”

He didn’t mention the strange power of the Starstone.
No one had ever heard of such a thing, and he didn’t want to cause a fuss.

“Think you can climb back up!?”

“No, not here. I’ll look for a spot I can climb from. You guys go on ahead to the sanctuary and wait for me!”

“Got it! Be careful!”

“Sky, be safe!”

—Alright, I have to regroup before sunset.
I’ll follow the cliffside toward the sanctuary and find a way up.

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After about an hour of walking, Sky noticed rubble scattered across the ground—strangely artificial-looking.
It didn’t quite match the ancient ruins he’d seen in old records.

(Could this be… an undiscovered ruin?)

If his parents were here, they’d be ecstatic.

“For now… guess I’ll take a short break.”

He sat on a nearby rock, scanning the area.
Maybe people once lived here, he thought vaguely.
Then something on the cliff wall shimmered.

(Huh…? Was that… an illusion?)

Curious, he stepped closer—when suddenly:

“Welcome—please proceed. This is—Record Sector 0-3-0-4—”

“Planetary■■■License—confirmed—”

“What!?”

A garbled mechanical voice echoed from nowhere.
Then, the Starstone hanging around his neck began to glow.

The shimmering wall vanished—revealing a tilted metal door.

“Deep-space■■■■■ID confirmed. Please—enter.”

The voice was faint and distorted, but that’s what it said.

(Does this have something to do with my parents’ Starstones…?)

“There might be some clue here… Let’s take a look.”

Summoning his courage, he stepped through the door.

Inside, the structure was slanted, dimly lit with a flickering orange glow.
A massive cylindrical machine stood at the center, surrounded by monitors and rows of seats.

(A cockpit…? No, more like… an observation room?)

He touched one of the monitors—no response.
At the back of the room was another door, but it wouldn’t open from inside.

As he continued searching, he found several metal relics lying in a corner—
half-cube shapes, about five centimeters across, with a one-centimeter circular recess in the middle.

When he leaned in to inspect them, he noticed a faint light pulsing from his chest.

(…Wait, my Starstone’s glowing again?)

He held it up—it was flickering gently.

(Is it reacting to something nearby…?)

Among the scattered relics, one stood out—a complete cube, pulsing in sync with his Starstone.

(That one’s different—and it’s reacting to me…)

As he crouched to pick it up—

“…Beep. Lock released.”

A woman’s synthetic voice spoke from the back of the room.

(The door!)

He rushed back just as the door beeped twice—
and slid open automatically.

Beyond it was a pure white room—its walls softly glowing, leaving no shadows.

As he stepped in, the voice returned.

“Please proceed to the center.”

“Who’s there…?”

“Please proceed to the center.”

The mechanical voice repeated.
He hesitated, then obeyed.

“Now transferring to the Receiving Point.”

Light rings formed at his feet, rising around him in a blinding glow.
The world turned white.

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After a floating sensation, his vision slowly returned.

“…Where am I!?”

He had been indoors—but now stood outside in an unfamiliar place.

(The ‘Receiving Point’… is this it?)

He looked around—nothing familiar. No path back.

“Now what… Which way…?”

“Sky!”

He turned—Mile was running toward him.

“Sky!”

She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight.

“I’m so glad… You’re really okay…!”

“Yeah. Sorry I made you worry.”

It had only been hours—but it felt like days since he’d seen her.

Soon, the rest of the group spotted them and ran over.

“Sky! Welcome back!”

“I’m home!”

Finally—Sky had made it to the sanctuary.

Later, Simon apologized over and over.

“Don’t worry about it. Everyone’s safe, that’s what matters.”

“Still… I’m really sorry, and… thank you.”

Once everyone had settled down, Sky recounted what had happened in the valley.

“So there was a ruin down there, huh.”

“And this is the relic you found?” Ryuk asked, picking it up curiously.

“Looks like iron, but it’s super light.”

“Really? Let me try!” Simon said, taking it.

“Whoa… you’re right. It’s not iron… what is this?”

“We could sell it for a fortune!”

“I said we’re not selling it!”

“Anyway,” Ryuk said, “we all made it safely to the sanctuary—that’s what counts.”

Everyone nodded.

“Wait, where’s Guy?”

From the woods, Guy emerged, carrying a large bird.

“Right here! Caught us some dinner. Let’s eat while we talk.”

“Yay! I’m starving!” Mile cheered.

“I’ll do the cooking,” she said brightly.

Those who couldn’t cook gathered firewood and started a fire.

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By the time dinner was ready, night had fallen completely.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! I made stew—nothing fancy, but it’ll fill you up!”

“Yaaay!”

“Smells amazing!”

“All right, dig in!”

Everyone grabbed a bowl and began eating at once.

“Mmm, this is great!”

“Yeah, seriously good!”

As expected, Mile’s cooking was delicious—everyone loved it.
After they’d eaten their fill, Ryuk brought up the next topic.

“Okay, let’s talk about tomorrow. First—the Starfall Ritual. Everyone’s got their Starstone, right?”

Everyone nodded.

“The village elder said that when the time comes, the Spirit of the Stars will appear and guide us.”

“Do you really think that spirit’s real?”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”

“When the ritual begins, the power of the stars descends from the sky, and our Starstones awaken into class abilities.”

“Sky, you’re definitely going to be a Pilot, right?”

“Of course!”

“What about you, Mile? What class do you want?”

“I think… Scout.”

“Huh, really? I figured you’d pick something like Chef.”

“Cooking’s just my hobby,” she said with a smile.

Everyone shared their dreams of what class they wanted, their voices blending with the quiet night.

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Soon, the time for the ritual arrived.

“All right… it’s about to start.”

Everyone gazed at the starry sky—
when suddenly, a single beam of light streaked across it.

The light descended, touching the ground and expanding into a wide, glowing circle.

At its center, a Spirit appeared.

It wasn’t human-shaped—just a small glowing orb with wings, unlike the fairy-like spirits from old stories.

“Wait… that’s the spirit?”

“It’s real! Spirits actually exist!”

“It’s… kind of cute…”

Then, in a clear, feminine voice, the spirit spoke:

<< Thank you for waiting. Please step into the Receiving Circle. >>

Guided by the voice, they stepped into the light.

<< Now, please hold your Star Crystal before your face. >>

“Star Crystal… must mean the Starstone.” “Yeah, sounds right.”

<< Next, please state your desired class to your Star Crystal. >>

Each of them whispered their wishes with determination.

“I want to become a Pilot… please!”

<< Request confirmed. Loading class data now… >>

Seven beams of light descended from the heavens, each absorbed by a Starstone.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

<< Class data successfully loaded. >>

With that, the spirit turned back into light and returned to the sky.

Silence filled the sanctuary—
then, everyone’s Starstones began to glow softly.

Suddenly, Sky’s mind filled with knowledge—how to pilot flying vessels.
So this was what it meant to receive a class.

No physical change—but he could feel it. The certainty of power within.

That night, everyone stayed up, talking excitedly about their new classes.

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The Next Morning

“Morning, Sky.”

“…Morning, Mile.”

“Breakfast will be ready soon—hang tight, okay?”

“Thanks.”

Soon everyone was awake, and breakfast was served. As always, Mile’s cooking was perfect.

On the way home, they were cautious—but didn’t see a single white flower.
Since they left early, they made it back to the village by midday.

Together, they went to the village elder’s house to report their success—and the Nightbear encounter.

The elder was astonished, but overjoyed that everyone was safe.

After that, they each returned home—still buzzing from excitement.

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When Sky returned to his own house, he sat down and sighed.

“Right… I forgot to ask about that relic from the ruins.”

He pulled it out from his pouch and set it on the desk.

“So… I’m a Pilot now, huh?”

He couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey… what’re you grinning about?”

“Huh!? Who’s there!?”

He looked around frantically—no one.

“Over here. I’m talking through your Star Crystal.”

W–Wait… a voice from the Starstone!?

“All right, first, take out the Star Ring from that relic.”

“…”

“Come on, hurry it up!”

“It won’t open!”

“It should open now that you’ve got your class. Try it.”

He carefully pried it open—

Click.

It opened easily. Inside was a ring, perfectly fit into the central recess.

“So that’s what the recess was for—a ring slot.”

“Good. Now, bring it close to your Star Crystal.”

He did as instructed, holding the ring up to the glowing stone.

“Phew—finally! I’m free!”

“…What!?”

Before him floated a small, mysterious, glowing creature.

Sky could only stare in speechless amazement.

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Memory of the Stars

 The Abyss

— Star Year 2025 —

“Captain, the evacuation of all residents from Planet Aster: Ω018754 is complete.”

“…Good work.”

“Attention, all ships. Upon completion of warp preparations for the interstellar migration fleet, we will commence Operation Amaterasu.”

Below them, the planet Aster no longer resembled the world it once was.
Ninety percent of its surface had been swallowed by a black, spreading darkness.
The few traces of green that remained were slowly being consumed as well.

“…So this is what a dying star looks like…”

“Any planet they target ends up the same. The surface turns pitch-black, and all forms of life—save for them—are wiped out completely.”

The darkness spread silently, as though the very body of the planet were rotting from within.
Even the remnants of civilization, where people once lived, had lost all recognizable shape.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still horrific…”

The fleet of migration ships passed one after another through the warp gate, vanishing into the light.
And then—

“Captain! Detecting a high-energy reaction from the planet’s surface!”

“What!? All ships—maximum shields, now!”

“They’re firing!”

BAGYYYYN!!

The ship shook violently. A deep, metallic groan echoed through the hull.

“Direct hit to starboard shields! Remaining strength—92%!”

“Multiple energy signatures across the surface! More are rising!”

On the sensor display, countless red dots began to light up.

BOOM! BOOOM!

“Transport A01304—destroyed!”

“E01135 and C00233—both ships sunk!”

The damage reports piled up one after another.

“…They hit us right in the middle of warp preparations…”

“Change of plan. Execute Operation Amaterasu—immediately!”

“Transitioning to Gravity Nova firing sequence!”

“System online… switching to Planetary Destruction Mode.”

Warning alarms blared through the ship, crimson letters flashing across the main monitor.

“Shields down to 78%!”

“Target lock complete! All ships synchronized!”

“Shields down to 51%!”

“Firing systems ready!”

“Good. Focus all shields forward!”

『All ships—fire Gravity Nova!』

With a blinding flash, the fleet unleashed its counterattack.
A rain of gravitational compression cannons fell like shooting stars, piercing the planet’s surface.

“All rounds have hit! They’ve reached the planetary core!”

“…The core—it’s collapsing!”

Light engulfed the void of space.
Even through the protective filter, the glare was searing to the eyes.

When the radiance finally faded, nothing remained where the planet once hung—
only rubble and drifting dust.

“…Planetary core destruction confirmed. Operation successful.”

“Well done. Dispatch rescue to damaged vessels. Maintain alert level!”

“This time… that was too close, Captain.”

“I never imagined they’d still have that kind of firepower from the ground. Send an urgent report to Fleet Command—”

At that instant—

“Captain! Multiple ultra-high energy readings ahead!”

“What!?”

DOBA-GYYYYN!!

“Direct hit! Shields down to 36%!”

“All ships, combat formation! Return fire—timing by each commander’s discretion!”

“It’s no use, Captain! Our attacks aren’t affecting them at all!”

“Damn it… what are these things…!?”

DOBA-GYYYYN!!

“Shields at 19%! They won’t hold much longer!”

Red alarms screamed. The main lights dimmed, replaced by the emergency glow of crimson lamps.

“…This is it, then.”

“To all crew: abandon ship. Proceed to escape pods immediately!”

“Captain… I’ll stay with you.”

“Thank you, XO. Let’s buy them a little more time.”

◇◆◇

— Star Year 2035 —

“Notice from Deep Space Fleet Command:
Travel to Planet Aster: Ω018754 is hereby prohibited until further notice.”

Once, it had been called Aster.

Now, it was nothing more than a graveyard—
a field of shattered planetary debris and broken ships.

Nothing stirred there anymore—
nothing, except it.

In a darkness deeper than space itself,
where even light could not reach,
the silent Abyss breathed quietly.

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