Astra was grounded for three whole months following the Constellar Rain’s aftermath. The look on his parents’ face when he eventually returned was of such blistering rage that the boy began to fear that they’d bundle him up and bury his body before even those monsters from outer space could. Fortunately, there were more pressing matters to deal with at the time, so they saved Astra’s (social) execution for a later date and instead brought him back to where the rest of their group was hiding.

  It was there that Astra reunited with a snot-faced Emily, who jumped up and rammed into his chest the moment she saw him, crying. “You dumb, stupid idiot!” she blubbered. “But still you’re… a really heroic idiot.”

  After he had lured the abnormal Constellar away, the other kids and adults found shelter in a hidden cave farther into the ditch. There they waited for the Rain to finish falling. They clung to the shadows and held their breaths, nervously anticipating the return of their meteoric pursuers, but no matter the hours that passed not one of the Constellars came. With time, a few of the surviving knights even managed to regroup, and they staggered into the cave while speaking of strange things.

  Of how they were saved by a boy streaked in starlight.

  He came without announcement and swept away the Constellars in a bright glimmering wave. Not one of the knights had a chance to thank him before he disappeared, vanishing with a flash. His motives, where he came from, or even his name… none of it was revealed, and before they knew it the surrounding area had been entirely cleansed.

  At the time, Astra had asked Emily if she knew the curious starcloaked boy, for why else would he specifically have mentioned her? But the mystery only deepened when Emily shook her head, confused, and replied, “I sure think I would’ve remembered someone like that. Like, woah, he had a crown with all twelve Constellations!? You sure you saw it right? Cuz that’s kinda impossible, Astra. He’d have to be the biggest, most famous, most legendary hero in all of recorded history for that to be true.”

  Impossible, indeed, yet Astra prided himself in his keen eyesight. And what he saw then was definitely no illusion.

  Without a name however there was unfortunately no way to find more about his savior. All traces of him had disappeared, as if he were merely an echo in the wind.

  After that, the war against the Constellar Rain had finally concluded, ending with mankind’s victory. The people breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe; they had survived. However, not everyone was so fortunate. It was only thanks to the sacrifices of the Knights of Greyhorn that the convoy had time to escape, and so out of gratitude a few of the adults scoured the area to collect their bodies. Rather than returning to the dirt here, hopefully their souls would find rest when brought back to the tear-eyed embraces of their family. That way an empty coffin wouldn't need to be buried.

  Along the way, the adults encountered a stray chocobull wandering around, who upon laying eyes on Papa Henry immediately rushed to tackle him in a playful manner. Ol’ Betsy had somehow escaped during all the chaos and hid from the Constellars, before trotting out once the danger had passed. Her raw beefy strength made transporting the fallen bodies much easier.

  Once gathered the most they could, Astra’s group found a few beat-up, but still intact, carriages and brought everyone to the nearest city, where the knights met up with a larger regiment and reported all that had happened. The superior officers there were just as perplexed about the mysterious boy’s appearances, but in the end he hadn’t caused any trouble so they waved the matter off for now and instead focused on ensuring each of the convoy’s passengers were safely taken back to their homes.

  Thus came the inevitable parting between Astra and Emily. The two of them weren’t too sad, though, for they had made a promise to meet again and stay in touch. “I’ll send letters, so don’t be a stranger!” she said, giving him a bright smile. The attack had left her quite rattled, but it was because of how helpless she felt then that the girl swore a vow to become stronger. In order to do so, she planned to make the trip to Boulderbrigg and join the knights’ training school once she was of age. One day it would be her turn to protect others.

  Astra waved goodbye one last time, and then he departed with his family to return to the farm. The time they spent away had felt like an eternity, but now they were finally back, and the familiar fields and flowing rivers were a much welcomed sight. So came an end to Astra’s first adventure.

  However, he wasn’t out of danger just yet. The moment he stepped foot into their homely red cottage, Mama Edith exploded in anger and berated Astra all through the night. She didn’t want to shout at him. In a way, she understood why he did what he did, his innocent desire to save them, but that was precisely the problem. He shouldn’t have been burdened with such a responsibility, not when he was still so young. That job lay with the adults. A kid’s only obligation should be to grow up healthy and strong, and if there was ever a time that he were truly in danger, then the first person to step up should’ve been his parents. For what mother or father could possibly live with themself, if their child were to pass before them?

  Mama Edith and Papa Henry were furious. They were furious, because they had been too stricken with fear to stop their darling boy from rushing headfirst into danger. Even as they saw his little feet sprint off into the distance, their bodies refused to move, and that cowardice was what shamed them the most.

  “Never, ever, do something reckless like that again, Astra,” Henry said to him. “If one day ya ever have kids of your own, then you’ll understand. To us, your life is so much more important than ours. That’s why you have to stay safe. Ya have to live on, even if yer folks aren’t around anymore. So promise yer paw that you’ll never put yourself ahead of us.”

  Astra hung his head and mumbled a reply. “I promise.” It was the very first time he ever lied to his parents.

  And so, after a final round of scolding, Astra’s punishment was decided. For three months, he was not allowed to go anywhere outside the farm’s boundary. That meant no jaunts through the forest, no climbing mountains, no tramplin’ off to the prairie where the beasts lived. Astra was to strictly remain where his parents could see him, that they could have peace of mind. Thus the little boy spent the following days very, very bored. But there was one thing that helped distract him, and that was training for the fateful date he’d participate in Excelsior Academy’s entrance exam.

  It was admittedly a bit difficult to prepare for, considering what Aunt Caroline had told him before. Every year’s test was different. No one knew exactly how it’d be held, not even those fancy nobles, so instead of worrying about a specific thing he instead practiced and perfected all that he already knew.

  To help strengthen his body, Astra regularly wrestled with Meatball the death knell, which was more like playing rather than strict practice, but it nonetheless let him exercise a bit.

  Then, with some assistance from Papa Henry, he regularly studied math. It was important for a farmer’s boy to know his numbers. He had to keep track of how many seeds they planted, the farm’s estimated revenue and profit margin, as well as keep inventory of their harvested crops and other supplies needed to keep everything working like a well-massaged chocobull.

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  Unfortunately, his parents weren’t all too familiar with city talk and how to politely conduct oneself like a dignified noble, which the boy knew would be very important in order to avoid accidentally insulting his potential classmates. Excelsior was one of those fancy schmancy academies, after all. A country boy like Astra would be looked down the moment he showed any sign of ruralness.

  To his surprise, he’d soon find a most dependable teacher in his new pen pal, Emily. In the letters they exchanged Astra had mentioned his uneasiness about not fitting in, to which the girl then sent a meticulously written guide about how to speak, how to act, and even how to eat. That last part was a bit strange to Astra. Why would anyone ever need a ‘proper’ way of eating? Nonetheless, he followed her guide extensively and spent many an evening moon repeating words and syllables while snug in his blanket.

  The days flew by, and so did the weeks. Finally, after four long months, it was time for the boy to leave.

  Rather than taking a slow carriage to Boulderbrigg, Aunt Caroline came to pick Astra up in a self-moving carriage that she called a ‘car’. Apparently she was promoted after helping with the capital’s defense during the Constellar Rain, which meant an increased salary that finally allowed her to buy her own vehicle. Thus Astra packed up his belongings in a big suitcase and slowly wandered out the door.

  Papa Henry and Mama Edith wouldn’t be coming with him. They had to stay and tend to the farm, after all. One big road trip a year was plenty exhausting enough. And even if they did want to come, they’d have to say goodbye eventually. Rather than clinging to their child to the very last moment, it would be better to send him off with a smile.

  “Remember, you’ll always have a home right here,” Edith said, giving him one last hug. “If it gets too hard, or if one of those noble sons of pigwarts try to bully ya, it ain’t a shame to come back. All we want is fer you to be happy.”

  Astra laughed. “Thanks, momma—um, I mean… mom. But you should be more worried about them! Trust me. You know I’m one heck of a fighter.”

  “That I do, stardew. That I do.”

  Edith bit her lip and took a good look at her boy, before backing away. It was Henry’s turn to impart a few words of wisdom. He lowered down onto one knee and bumped fists with his son. “Knock ‘em dead, Astra. No matter what ya face, I know you’ll shine bright.”

  He stood back up and wrapped his arm around his wife as the two watched their dear child saunter off to start the next chapter of his story.

  Astra tossed his luggage into the car’s backseat, and then he turned around, gazing at the farm he had lived in all his life. He memorized it to heart, the barn and the cottage, the fields and the melon plots. But importantly, he memorized the warm smiles of his parents, for it would give him strength wherever he next ventured.

  “I’m off!” Astra said with a big wave. “Mom, dad, thank you for raising me.”

  With that, he hopped into the passenger seat, and the car roared to life before zooming off into the distance. Bovine Farms steadily faded from view, making room for the starry sky above to unfold before the young boy’s eyes.

  Aunt Caroline and Astra drove through the country for just about a week, much quicker than his last trip now that they could zip along the roads at full speed. It frightened Astra at first how fast and bumpy riding the car was. It didn’t even have any walls! No roof like a regular carriage, and so the only thing preventing him from flying up like a cuckoobird was a thin belt stretched across his stomach. Over time though he gradually got used to it. The boy even had fun at times, sticking his head out and letting the wind whip at his skin, though Aunt Caroline would quickly yell for him to get back lest he get a mouthful of bugs plunging into his face.

  The car’s wheels rolled on, and after joining the main byway, the pair soon saw the familiar giant walls of Boulderbrigg. The surrounding area was much less crowded than before so it took them no time at all to join the line, get inspected, and then pass the gate into the royal capital’s main avenue. A few parts of the city looked a bit different than his last visit, which Caroline explained were due to reconstruction after the Constellar Rain. A huge fight took place here and, while the casualties were reduced to a minimum, a big chunk of Boulderbrigg was destroyed in the process.

  But nonetheless, the people rebuild. They mourn, they move on, and they return to their normal lives.

  Astra and Aunt Caroline navigated the busy streets, before eventually parking right next to the Astral Tower.

  “Alrighty, let’s hop on out!” Caroline said. “You’ve got your ticket safe, right Astra?”

  “Yep!” he replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a thin strip with the words ‘Terra Aeronautics and Space Administration’ written on it in fancy lettering—or TASA for short. “But is this really the place, Aunt Caroline? I thought I’d be taking a ship.”

  “Not quite. The tower’s just an intermediary. The station we’re going to is normally shut off from the public, and it's shared between all the other nations on the planet, so the only way to get there is by taking a wrinkle first from a neutral organization like the tower.”

  The two approached the entrance, where some people dressed in funny hats like Astra’s aunt stood guard. Their eyes lit up in recognition as Caroline waved with a loud holler. A few quick pleasantries were exchanged between them, and then they moved aside, letting Astra take his first step onto the large open atrium inside. The tower looked like a massive library, with books scattered all over the place along shelves that reached higher up than the boy could see. Different levels were separated by large staircases and ladders. The workers within ran around in a mad dash, carrying huge piles of papers, documents, or really anything that needed to be rushed to their next appointment.

  Aunt Caroline brushed the busy atmosphere off as if she had long grown used to it, and soon the two headed toward the receptionist desk where a thin scholar with dark circles under his eyes struggled to stay awake.

  “What… Caroline? Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” he groaned, sipping on a mug of questionable liquid.

  “I still am, Gael! Just visiting for a bit so I can use the warp room. Mind opening it up for me?”

  “Sure. Where to?”

  “TASA.”

  The man suddenly coughed and nearly splashed his drink on his shirt. “Going on a seaside retreat to Aquapolis? That’s got to be expensive even for you.”

  “Nah, just taking my nephew to his ship. He’s got a big day ahead of him; the kid’s flying straight to Excelsior Academy!”

  “Excelsior. Right. Just a casual visit to the biggest academy in the cosmos… well, don’t let me tell you how to spend your money. Go right ahead. The door should be unlocked.”

  Aunt Caroline saluted the man with a cheeky smile. “Don’t work too hard.”

  “That’s the dream.”

  After that, Caroline and Astra walked to the center of the atrium, where a large platform suddenly rose up from beneath them and lifted the pair high up to the very top of the tower. There they jumped off and walked through a hallway decorated in paintings of who Astra assumed to be the previous bosses of the tower, before eventually passing through a door and into a large room that held… something. Astra didn’t quite know how to describe it. It was as if there was a crack in reality, greedily slurping up everything that existed—light, matter, sound—into its wrinkle in space.

  Some attendants inside checked Aunt Caroline’s credentials. Once she and Astra were fully examined, the two were led to the toward the wrinkle, where almost instantly the boy was picked off his feet and then whirled around in a dizzy spin until his vision was blinded in a flash of white. Astra closed his eyes, he felt his body shift from whence he was, and when he opened them again the room had entirely disappeared.

  Instead of the dusty tomes and scattered papers of the Astral Tower, the boy was instead plopped outside and onto a smooth runway where, a fair distance ahead, lay a tremendous glass facility with the acronym T.A.S.A engraved on its entrance. But while the building itself was grand, even bigger than King Bovicus’s castle, what drew Astra’s attention was instead what resided behind it.

  There, rising high into the bright blue sky, was a ship unlike any he had seen before.

  “That’s what you’ll be taking out of here, Astra,” Aunt Caroline said from beside him, admiring the view. “Hehe, impressive isn’t it? Right there is a genuine rocketship: the Voyager.”