The entrance had a few steps leading up to it. Several cylindrical columns supported the overhanging eaves. The dome-shaped structure was about the height of a two-story building, and its inorganic design made it resemble a factory more than a place of worship. Behind the dome rose the tall tower, like a smokestack, its surface glittering with purple stones.

  In front of the building, Tabby stood beside a tall man. Tabby pointed toward Ivy, and the man turned to look at him. When their eyes met, Ivy’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

  “Nice to meet you. You must be Mr. Piccard.”

  It was the first time an adult had spoken to him in such a polite manner, and it made him nervous. The man looked to be about the same age as Ivy’s father, he guessed. Deep wrinkles framed his eyes, and a thick silver mustache and beard gave him a dignified air. He wore a long purple robe, with a matching sash draped from his shoulders.

  Turning fully to face Ivy, he bowed politely.

  “I’m the priest of Lecti—Salo Lansberge. You can just call me Lansberge.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lansberge. Please call me Ivy,”

  Ivy replied, bowing back a little awkwardly.

  “You’re the friend of Tabby—the one who’s interested in the shrine?”

  “That’s me. Thank you for the chrono leaf.”

  Lansberge smiled.

  “You must’ve had quite an ordeal. Come inside.”

  “Um, the eagle brought us here. We went to the snow festival, then there was an earthquake, and then we ended up in a cave… well, that part was kind of my fault…”

  Ivy rushed through his words, wanting to tell the priest everything. About the dream. About the eagle. He had so many questions, he couldn’t organize them in his mind. Lansberge gently patted him on the back, as if to calm him.

  “I’ll listen to everything later. No need to rush. First, change into something clean and rest while I prepare some food.”

  They were given clean clothes in a small room near the entrance—old clothes Tabby had worn when he used to live there. Under the bright light, they could see their current clothes were caked with mud, torn in places, and looked utterly miserable. They both burst out laughing at the sight of each other.

  After changing and washing his face, Ivy finally began to feel refreshed. They were then led into a large room. Lansberge gestured for him to sit.

  The chair’s cushion was soft and springy beneath him. The backrest was high, and the armrests were beautifully decorated.

  “This is the banquet hall where we receive guests. It’s kind of like our public office. When it’s just us, we eat in the small room next to the kitchen.”

  Tabby didn’t sit. He wandered the room restlessly, touching a vase near the window and running his fingers along the tablecloth.

  After a while, the door creaked open and an elderly woman, bent with age, entered the room.

  “Dione!”

  Called by name, she smiled at Tabby. Though her expression was softened by age and wrinkles, her delight was clear. She was trying to place a tray on the table, but her bent back made it difficult. Tabby moved to help, but winced from his injured wrist. Ivy quickly stepped in, took the tray, and set it down for her.

  On the tray sat a silver jug and matching cups. Dione poured tea from the jug into the cups and offered them to Tabby and Ivy. Ivy thanked her and drank his tea quickly—he hadn’t realized just how thirsty he was. The tea had a sweet and slightly sour aroma.

  “Since I left, you must have been keeping busy,” Tabby said.

  “It’s my pleasure to work here,” Dione replied with a smile.

  “This is Dione,” Tabby said to Ivy. “The one I told you about.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Ivy.”

  “Lovely to meet you too. And I’m so happy to see you again, Tabby.”

  Ivy immediately felt her warmth. Dione left the room and soon returned carrying a small wooden box. Inside were a few bottles of ointment and a roll of bandage.

  “If you leave it untreated, it might swell or even develop a fever,” she said.

  She made Tabby sit on a chair and gently took his wrist. He flinched at her touch.

  “It doesn’t need treatment—it’s just a sprain,” Tabby insisted, but he didn’t pull away.

  Despite her frail appearance, Dione’s hands moved quickly and skillfully as she wrapped his wrist.

  “You should still see a doctor when you get home,” she said.

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Tabby responded quietly. Dione tended to Ivy’s minor scratches as well.

  “I’m afraid we can only offer a simple meal here at the shrine,”

  Lansberge said as he entered through the door, which had been left open. He carried a tray with bowls of soup, a basket of fruit, and some bread. Dione helped him arrange everything on the table, then left the room.

  “She’s old,” Lansberge said gently. “She rests in the room next door when she’s not working.”

  He encouraged them to eat. Ivy took a bite of bread and immediately remembered how hungry he was. They both began eating eagerly. Lansberge watched them for a moment before speaking again.

  “I saw an eagle in the sky this morning. I had a feeling something might happen… but I never imagined it would be you.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “I never thought I’d come back here either,” Tabby muttered, looking irritated as he tore his bread into pieces and scattered the crumbs on his plate.

  “When we were at the snow festival, there was an earthquake—the biggest one in a while. When we were getting ready to go home, I saw a huge bird in the sky, so I followed it. Alone.”

  Lansberge glanced at Ivy as he spoke.

  “I didn’t see the bird,” Ivy added. “But Tabby said it was bigger than a kite, so I thought it might’ve been an eagle. I got curious… and worried about him. So I followed him too.”

  Tabby continued the story. Ivy hesitated, wondering if he should mention the strange lights that only he had seen.

  “I followed the eagle to the entrance of a mine. There was a rope marked ‘off limits,’ but I crossed it and kept going. Then there was another earthquake… with Tabby involved. It was my fault. I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t make me say it again,” Tabby replied firmly. “That was my own decision.”

  Tabby waved away his apology. The priest smiled as he watched them. Ivy explained how they had wandered in a mine, found an exit, and managed to escape. After listening, Lansberge gazed silently out of the curtained window, unable to see the outside.

  “You saw a blue moon in the sky, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, when we got out of the mine, the moon was there in the sky. What is it?”

  “It’s both a dead star and a newborn one.”

  Lansberge smiled somewhat shyly, observing the boys’ confused silence.

  “That wasn’t a good explanation; I’m afraid I’m not very good at it.”

  Standing up, Lansberge opened the curtains. Ivy couldn’t see the moon from his seat, but he noticed the outside was dimly bright despite it being night.

  “Do you remember the red star just above the sea?”

  “Yes, the big star that always appears in the same direction.”

  Recalling that the blue moon had appeared in the same place, the priest nodded.

  “That was a very old star. Stars are white during their youth and become red as they near their end. That one has reached its end too. It swelled up and eventually exploded, scattering its fragments around.”

  “The end of a star? Aren’t stars always shining in the night sky?” Both Tabby and Ivy stared at the priest, confused.

  “The fragments drifted through space, slowly forming a new star over an enormous amount of time. That blue moon is like a cradle made of these fragments. Some of them reached here after a long, long time, showering down upon this planet.”

  “Fragments? Did that really happen?” Tabby asked in wonder.

  “The fragments are like lights. The red star was a ball of light. We can’t even tell how many there were. But their influence is significant. They came to this planet and caused many things, such as earthquakes.”

  Ivy was startled. Fragments of light. The rainbow light showering that only he had seen after the earthquake.

  “There was a big cave-in accident, as you know.”

  Lansberge said, and both nodded.

  “It was because of the fragments.”

  “But that was a little while ago.”

  “Right. The star is very distant from here, so far that we can’t even imagine. It takes an unbelievably long time for fragments to reach here. The star actually exploded a long time ago, and it has been scattering fragments little by little ever since.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”

  Tabby said in a discontented tone. Lansberge let out a jolly laugh.

  “It’s okay if you don’t understand everything. That’s why we priests observe the stars every day. If we notice something unusual, we inform the people to prepare, and we investigate to determine what might happen.”

  “Every day?”

  “After I saw you asleep, I observed the stars from the shrine.”

  “You stay up all night watching the stars?”

  “Yes, so I stay in the shrine and take a nap during the day.”

  “I thought you were praying or something there.”

  Tabby looked amazed, holding a piece of fruit in his hand, forgetting to eat.

  “Is the shrine dedicated to guardian spirits?”

  Ivy asked, confused, because Lansberge’s explanation differed from what he had been taught.

  “The primary purpose of the shrine isn’t that. The shrine is for observing stars. That’s why it’s located high up on the mountain, in a dark area at night, to see the stars clearly. Even the slightest movement of a star can have a huge influence. It’s considered one of the most important things in this country.”

  Lansberge chuckled.

  “I’m not allowed to tell this to anyone, even family, by regulation.”

  “That’s tough.”

  Tabby didn’t seem upset about not being told, but rather sympathized with the priest.

  “I heard that the government recommended closing the mine.”

  “Right. That’s what priests predicted and reported to the government. Unfortunately, the accident happened, and some people were killed.”

  “The true role of the priest is watching stars, and it’s been covered up by the evil spirit stories.”

  Lansberge smiled bitterly at Tabby’s words.

  “But not all of them are lies. The priest performs burials for those who aren’t buried in regular cemeteries for various reasons. It’s beneficial for people because it’s far from any town. And the priest prays for the deceased, so they become guardian spirits and protect the country. The priest is someone the people can believe in. They accept that an evil spirit becomes a guardian once purified, allowing them to feel safe and live peacefully. It also comforts them that the priest prays for the guardian spirits on their behalf. Other than that, people barely know about or are interested in the shrine. The shrine should be a place where people can pray when they face difficulties.”

  “And of course, I believe that a spirit becomes a guardian.”

  Ivy remembered what his father had said before: the important thing is tradition and courtesy.

  “It only vaguely reaches the people because they’re not interested.”

  “Because they’re at peace.”

  “I didn’t know what you were actually doing, even though I’ve been with you for as long as ten years.”

  Tabby didn’t look particularly surprised.

  “What about the eagle? What was it about that led us here?”

  “Unlike humans, wild creatures can sense the flow of the planet’s energy. So when the current changes, they get excited or build nests. Eagles are accessible to people. That’s one reason why some shrines are near the border. For eagles, they live deep in the forest and rarely appear in human lands. When the elders saw an eagle, they took it as an omen, turning the eagle’s figure into the shrine’s symbol. Such a wild animal appeared before you, helped you, and brought you here. That’s astounding. When I saw the eagle landing with both of you, I couldn’t believe my own eyes.”

  “You didn’t look surprised as always.”

  Tabby said with an amazed look. Ivy felt that their conversation resembled that of a father and son, and that they had indeed once lived together here as a family.

  Ivy couldn’t believe it, but it had really happened. The priest looked directly into Ivy’s eyes. “There must be a reason.”

  After supper, Ivy helped Lansberge clear the dishes on behalf of Tabby, who couldn’t use his hands. It seemed that Dione was already sleeping in her room. Lansberge led them upstairs to the bedroom.

  “It’s late. You two sleep in this room. I’ve arranged for a car tomorrow to take you to Shaw Station.”

  “When did you call?”

  Lansberge didn’t answer but gave a proud grin.

  “There are nightclothes on the bed. Sleep well.”

  “Thank you for everything.”

  The door closed, and footsteps descended silently. The room appeared to be a guest room, with two wide beds placed apart from each other, the sheets neatly pulled without a wrinkle. Soft, dim light filtered through the window.

  “So exhausted, aren’t we? It feels like ages since we went to the snow festival.”

  Tabby said, diving into one of the beds.

  “Indeed. I’ve never had such a long day.”

  Ivy picked up the nightwear from the bed and spread it out. The white clothes with purple designs, seemingly for an adult, were unfamiliar in shape and even too big for him.

  “Tabby, how do I wear this?”

  No reply from Tabby. Ivy realized Tabby was sound asleep, his posture unchanged since diving into the bed. He tried to pull the blanket from under Tabby, but it wouldn’t budge. He gave up, took the blanket from his own bed, and placed it over Tabby. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked out the window.

  The red star, distinct from the others and always in the same place since his childhood, had exploded into pieces, scattered in space, and been reborn as a blue moon. This thought filled him with awe. Were stars born in the same way people were? Due to the dim light, he couldn’t see the stars clearly now. He lay down on the bed, trying to sleep. Despite his exhaustion, he remained wide awake. Once he became aware of his restlessness, he couldn’t remember how to sleep. He struggled against his weariness. Finally, he stood up, left the room, and descended the stairs to the ground floor.