Aetherwood Village

The sun was setting behind the distant hills, casting a soft amber glow over the small village of Aetherwood. The air was crisp with the scent of pine and the faintest whisper of the oncoming night. Elias stood by the edge of a moss-covered stone wall that bordered the village, his back against the rough stone, eyes turned upwards to the heavens.

Above him, the sky stretched out like a canvas painted with the fading colors of dusk purples, oranges, and soft pinks blending into one another. A thousand stars began to flicker into existence, tiny pinpricks of light in the vast darkness. He often felt an inexplicable pull toward the stars, a strange sensation that made his chest tighten in a way he could never explain.

The people of Aetherwood didn't understand his obsession. To them, the stars were just distant lights, part of the world they lived in, but nothing more than a backdrop to their daily lives. They had no deep connection to the cosmos. But Elias was different.

He felt the weight of the heavens as though they were calling to him. It was as if something out there in the stars was waiting for him, waiting for something he didn't yet know.

"Elias! Come inside!" The voice of Mrs. Tamsen, the village matron, broke through his thoughts.

Reluctantly, Elias tore his gaze from the heavens and turned to face the entrance to Mrs. Tamsen's cottage. Her round face peeked out from the doorframe, her expression both stern and caring. She had been looking after him for as long as he could remember, though Elias never truly considered himself her child. Mrs. Tamsen was a kind soul, but he had always felt that he didn't belong here.

The truth was, Elias wasn't like the other children in Aetherwood. They had their families, their places in the village, but Elias had no real family to speak of. He was an orphan, left on the steps of Mrs. Tamsen's cottage when he was just a baby. No one knew where he had come from, and no one had ever bothered to find out. The village had taken him in out of necessity, and he had lived with the villagers as a stray of sorts, just another face in the crowd.

He had never known his parents, and for the longest time, he had never questioned why. But the strange feeling he often got when looking at the stars, the sensation of a distant memory flickering just beyond his grasp had always haunted him.

"Coming!" Elias called back to her, though he lingered a moment longer, his eyes tracing the brightening constellations above. There was something so familiar about them, something he couldn't quite put into words. It was as if they held secrets—secrets meant for him alone.

He sighed and finally turned, heading toward the cottage. The village was small, only a handful of houses scattered around the central market square. The cobbled streets were quiet, the evening's activities slowing as night took hold. The hustle and bustle of daily life had given way to the peaceful calm that came with the closing of the day.

As Elias approached the door, Mrs. Tamsen stepped aside, ushering him inside. The warmth of the hearth greeted him as he entered the cottage. The faint crackle of burning wood and the aroma of stew filled the air. The small, dimly lit space was cozy, though it always felt a little too cramped for Elias's liking. The walls were adorned with simple wooden shelves holding jars of herbs, bowls of dried fruits, and other modest items that made up the life of the village.

"You're late for supper," Mrs. Tamsen remarked with a raised eyebrow as Elias took a seat at the wooden table.

"Sorry," Elias muttered, pulling the chair out for himself. "I was…"

"Staring at the stars again," she finished for him, her voice laced with both fondness and a hint of exasperation. "You know, Elias, there's more to life here than those lights in the sky."

He offered a small, unconvincing smile as he settled down, his mind already half-adrift in the stars again.

Dinner was a simple affair. Mrs. Tamsen served him a bowl of stew, the steam rising in a comforting swirl. Elias ate in silence, his thoughts still far away, tracing the paths of the stars he had been watching.

After they finished, Mrs. Tamsen cleared the table, and Elias helped her as he always did. The evening hours stretched on as they tidied the cottage, but his mind remained elsewhere. The strange feeling had returned, stronger than before. The pull toward the stars grew more insistent, as though something out there was waiting for him.

When the chores were done, Mrs. Tamsen finally sighed and said, "You should get some sleep, Elias. You'll need it for tomorrow's work."

Elias nodded, though sleep felt like the farthest thing from his mind. The feeling in his chest, the pull toward the sky, gnawed at him, and it had been growing stronger in the past few weeks. He couldn't ignore it any longer.

After a quiet farewell to Mrs. Tamsen, Elias left the cottage and made his way to the small hill just outside the village. The cool evening air greeted him, and he felt the soft breeze tugging at his clothes as he climbed the gentle slope. At the top, he stood still, taking in the sprawling view of the village below, the dark trees surrounding it, and the endless sky above.

The stars were more vivid tonight. There was a peculiar alignment, as though they were in perfect harmony. Something about the way they glimmered sent a shiver down his spine. They were beautiful, more beautiful than ever but also… something more.

He closed his eyes, feeling the wind rush through him as the stars seemed to pull him deeper into their orbit.

Suddenly, a flash of light streaked across the sky, brighter than any meteor he had ever seen before. It seemed to fall toward the forest, disappearing behind the trees in a blaze of brilliance. The flash left behind a trail of glowing embers in its wake, and Elias felt an inexplicable urge to follow it.

Before he could stop himself, his feet moved, carrying him toward the forest's edge, and the strange pull grew stronger. Something was calling him, something he had been waiting for his whole life.