"Finally, I am here," a young man said as he looked at the scenery before him in great awe. His short white hair was being carefully blown by the breeze as his azure eyes, which seemingly contained the endless universe, marveled at the great river in his sight.
The trees around were filled with life, and the soil was rich and fertile. All of them surrounded the grand river that was glistening with joy. The river that was so wide, it looked like a sea to those unfamiliar with it.
"Eridanus, The Mythical River. This should be the river that will carry me to the Celestial Agents."
The young man had been travelling for months for the first time in his life, all for the quest of finding this river to bring him to the Celestial Agents.
It was the final word of his master before he died, the request of every kin he had before they all ceased to exist due to an unknown disease that plagued their entire bloodline.
Ever since he was young, he was trained to the bone by all of his relatives for a reason they refused to tell him. The only thing he knew was that he had to become a part of the Celestial Agents and maybe find out the cause of the utter elimination of his kin.
Just then, an old man wearing a straw hat entered his field of vision as the former sailed across the grandness of the river to get to him.
When he alighted from the boat, he gave the young man a mysterious look before letting out a shocked smile.
"My, my, my, isn't this a surprise. To think that I would see another Astrum walk this world. I thought you had all been eradicated," the old man said with a chuckle.
"Come to think of it, I heard about you from one of your ancestors. You were the one they called the fated child. Honestly, I didn't think they could do it, but here you are, alive. The Last Astrum, Zael."
Zael's guard immediately went up, but after remembering what he had learned, he forced himself to calm down.
"You must be a sailor of this river. I am indeed the last Astrum. I am the entire Astrum! Now, pay what you owe and carry me to the Celestial Agents," he said while menacingly looking at the old sailor.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"An Astrum, indeed. But I don't like your tone, boy. I am not inclined to help you,'' he said, causing the previously calm river behind him to rush down in its stream.
{Eridanus: Waves of Suppression}
Each turn of the tide released a massive pressure that beat against Zael, creating a suffocating pressure that wanted to force him away. However, as this happened, a Blue Star appeared behind Zael.
From it, an image of a mythical river coursing through the universe itself appeared, with its source being the Blue Star.
As it did, the force suddenly shifted to the old man, becoming more devastating than before, causing his straw hat to fly away and reveal a forced smile.
"Hehe, this is why the world hates your blood," he remarked.
"Carry me to the Celestial Agents and speak none of what happened here. Let the river carry your thoughts, and let it be crushed by the waves beating against the rocks of the world."
/Come, Eridanus, observe the Rule of the River/
As Zael invoked the power of the Mythical River, the sailor was forced to forget everything that happened and carry Zael to the Celestial Agents.
'It was true! The Mythical River enforces rules and contracts. It breathes life, it guides, and it destroys all according to the Rule of the River. The Astrum's were owed, now, we are repaid. If not for this, I could not have possibly overridden the control of the sailor over the river,' Zael thought as he relived his first time using his powers outside of his home.
In this world, Stars or Stelle are the foundation of power. Each Stella draws power from its respective Constellation and grants it to the user. This is why, in order to become powerful, one must forge one's own stars as close to the original as possible - to know most about one's Constellation.
As they traversed down the streams of the Mythical River, the scenery began to change, the trees turned to mountains, then to oceans, then to skies. It was clear that they were no longer coursing through the physical realm.
It was as though the river itself was part of the fabric of the world, and now, they were sailing it, seeing all of the wonders that lay between the location of the river and the place where the Celestial Agents lay.
Even though Zael already knew about Eridanus and how it worked, to experience it fully was a whole new world for him. His eyes glowed brightly as he witnessed the mystical spectacle before him.
For his entire life, he learned everything there is to know about the Constellations. The countless years of history of his family were concentrated in his brain at a young age. This was his family's legacy, one that was sought by countless forces, but alas, they could not lay their hands on it.
When he felt that the journey was about to end, he pulled a mask out of his robe. It did not have any features in it, but it exuded a mystical glow similar to that of the river they were traversing.
Seeing this, the eyes of the sailor could not help but widen in lust and greed. If he were able to, he would have devoted all of his power to getting his hands on the mask Zael was holding, but alas, the Rules of the River prevented him from doing so.
When he wore it, nothing changed in his physical appearance, but everything that linked him to Astrum was gone. Even the sailor could no longer trace his bloodline. This was his final farewell, a mask of a new beginning.
Finally, as they reached their destination, the sailor spoke one last time.
"The covenant had been fulfilled," he said as all memory of this encounter with Zael was erased from his mind.
"Go."