1.
There are so many tales of Heroism.
No matter where you stand, if you look up at that vast night sky, you will see constellations. And those constellations are the traces of the heroes who once raced across this land, Their Lives.
That was half true and hald false.
In reality, heroes who have accomplished great feats become transcendent beings who carve their own stars in the night sky and are constellation. In that sense, the statement "the constellation are the life of a hero" is correct.
Then, where is the mistake?
It's the part that says, "Wherever you are, if you look up at the sky, you will see constellation." I looked up and looked at the sky. To be more precise, I was looking at the ceiling of the city that i've lived my whole life thingking of as the sky.
What reflected in my eyes was not the vast night sky, and certainly not the brilliantly shining constellations.
It was thick smoke. Numerous ores precariously stuck to the ceiling. Only the artificial light created by the ores reflected in my eyes. There was no sky or constellations in this city.
'Well, I guess so.'
A mocking laugh escaped from the corner of his mouth.
Underground City, Artman.
A place where even the sun, which equally illuminates all things in the world, refuses to shine. So, it is a place that is immersed in darkness day and night all year round. A city that relies on artificial light from ore because the sun does not rise.
The people from the upper town called it this.
A landfill.
A place where discarded trash is buried.
2.
Underground City, Artman.
The people who live in this city are generally divided into two groups, based on the following criteria:
Either they were banished here from the upper town.
Or they were children born to those who were banished.
Among them, I belonged to the latter.
It meant that I was born with the fate of having to live in this city for the rest of my life, even though I hadn't committed any particular crime. Of course, this is just my opinion, and the people upstairs seemed to think a little differently.
Naturally, the child of trash would be trash. By being born, they've made the world dirtier, so the very act of being born is a sin.
That was the average mindset of the upper towns, and the general attitude toward this city. According to their logic, I was born a sinner, so I should rot in this city for the rest of my life.
"···How pitiful."
"Such a poor thing."
There were many people who sympathized with me. However, I didn't really like their sympathy. I didn't know what the outside world was like in the first place.
The warm sun they talk about too.
And the vast green fields.
The blue sea that stretches beyond the horizon.
I had never seen them, nor could I imagine how they looked. It's hard to long for things you've never seen or can't even picture in your mind. So, to be honest, I wasn't very interested in the outside world.
There was only one thing.
If there was anything I was interested in...
"Stars."
I murmured absentmindedly.
"Stars, constellations, heroes."
I reached out and grabbed a storybook.
It was a fairy tale book I had accidentally acquired when I was very young. A book titled "Arthur Chronicles." I opened the old fairy tale book that I had read over and over again.
"Arthur Chronicles" is a story of a hero.
It tells the life of a hero who lived more than a hundred years ago. In the story, Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, a feat no one else could accomplish, and with that single sword, he travels across the continent.
As a knight. And as a hero.
Arthur, who saved countless people and defeated countless demons, became a constellation at the end of his journey. The thirteen feats Arthur accomplished became stars and were engraved in the night sky.
"constellation."
I turned to the last page of the storybook.
It was the page I had opened most often. It was the page that showed the illustration of Arthur constellation. The constellation filled the whole page, and I silently gazed at it.
Thirteen stars.
A constellation in the shape of a sword, formed by stars connected together.
As I looked at the constellation, a short passage next to the illustration caught my eye.
"Wherever you stand on this earth."
"If you look up at the sky, you will see stars."
I raised my head and looked at the sky.
Of course, there was no way to see anything like stars.
"Of course, I can't see any, you piece of trash."
A sigh escaped my lips, pinching the corners of my mouth. Yes, I wasn't interested in anything else in the outside world... but there was one thing I wanted to see with my own eyes.
A constellation.
I don't know why.
I just wanted to see the stars.
It was just simple curiosity and a delusion. It was a dream that could never come true anyway, so it was just a delusion.
"life."
Looking up at the sky, I suddenly thought.
Now that I think about it, there was also a saying. Don't insult the stars when you look up at the sky. The stars can hear you as long as you are looking at them, no matter where you are.
'But if I can't even see the stars, will they hear me?'
In my mind, I imagined Arthur's constellation and raised my middle finger to the sky. Along with the gesture, I muttered a little curse. It was a provocative insult that Arthur, being a hero, wouldn't be able to ignore, saying he was just a fortunate figure who rode the winds of his time.
One second, two seconds, three seconds... and then one minute.
Of course, there was no punishment from heaven. Well, that's what it is. I sighed and stood up from my seat. I had a lot to do today.
"Ugh."
I wished that I was punished by heaven. I thought that would be better than living this boring life.
3.
After the boy left his seat.
Above the underground city of Artman, beyond the enormous city, in the vast night sky, a constellation twinkled.
It wasn't the constellation of Arthur, the one the boy had seen in the fairy tale book.
Not the Sword Constellation, which consists of thirteen stars.
But rather, a constellation of calm, like a tranquil lake.
A calm lake filled with stars, so that the king, who was in deep sleep, could close his eyes in comfort. The constellation, which had always been calm, suddenly began to shed brilliant light. In a way, it was like the wrath of the stars.
Constellations, the staff of selection.
The constellation that had accompanied Arthur journey from its beginning to its end.
Merlin, the wizard of the lake.
Merlin constellation, shaped like a lake, began to tremble violently. Deep within the constellation, her true form opened her eyes wide and looked down upon the earth. Merlin could hear the voice of the arrogant boy who had insulted Arthur.
Arthur was nothing but a lucky figure who was born at the right time.
If he had been born in this era, he would have been nothing.
Is that so? Do you want to argue?
Then come and give me some divine punishment.
It was such an incredibly insulting remark that she had no idea where to begin and where to end. Merlin felt the back of her neck get hot for the first time in a long time.
"and."
Merlin smirked and ran her hands through her hair. Her blue-white hair rippled through her slender fingers.
"What kind of crazy guy is that?"
Merlin eyes became bloodshot.