Brackburg Village, South of Pristine

The damage caused by the rampaging star warriors was gradually recovered with the help of all the villagers working together. Three new houses were built and a funeral was held for the two people who died, Old Joey and Aunt Clara. Their respective grandchildren were there, holding a speech before the village chief let the most knowledgeable person in the village, Tutor Daniel, say a few words as help for the two departing souls on their travel to the next life after death.

Philip was taken in by Barney and his daughters who were a few years older than him and very enthusiastic to have a little brother to tease and pamper. Three days after he had moved into their house, leaving his old home vacant– three days after the terrible incident which would forever be remembered as a day of sorrow in the heart of all the villagers– Instructor Clave once knocked on the door to Philips new home, telling him that the training will start the next day, and that he should be prepared for not being able to move afterward each day.

The fourth day after the incident, Philip woke up from the sound of chattering birds outside his window. The sunlight shone through the window and caressed his face. He heard a knock on the door.

“Breakfast is ready,” said Barney from behind the door, a bit hesitantly. “Come as you like.”

Philip showed a slight smile, still tainted by sorrow. “Thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Barney’s and his daughters’ house wasn’t that much different from his. Other than having another entrance which faced a field where vegetables and different type of grains grew, it was quite the same, though for a bit livelier.

The table in the living room was lined with three bowls of white rice. It was a tradition in the village to eat white rice seven days straight every morning as a tribute to death, both to ward off death from further taking life, but also to honour those who had passed on.

“As expected, you came down before them, ” said Barney with a laugh from the kitchen as Philip descended the creaky stairs. The man didn’t seem to be a day over thirty in Philip’s eyes, dressed in plain clothes, wearing an amiable expression.

“What do you mean, Uncle Barney?” returned Philip.

"Well, my two daughters don’t have a reputation of being quick during mornings. So I guessed you would be faster. Hehe, you know how girls are in this age, puberty and all. I’d be damned if they got up before the sun even one time before they turn adults!” said Barney, flinging what he was making in the frying pan up in the air and letting it rotate once before catching it perfectly with the same pan. He then put down the frying pan over the fire, in the metal frame, and grabbed a bucket of water, putting out the fire.

“Would you mind go wake them up?” Barney asked “I’ve got to put these pancakes on plates and then go check the fields. I estimate it’s farming day any day now”

“Sure, Uncle barney.” said Philip and slid away up the stairs.

As Philip moved in, the two sisters had been forced to adapt from two rooms to one, and, knowing his circumstances, they didn’t complain.

“Elder Sisters, ” called the little boy once outside the two sisters’ room, lightly knocking on the door. “Barney wants me to relay that breakfast is ready.”

Barney’s daughters were older than him by five years, twin sisters of twelve winters, and had forced him to call them Elder sisters instead of Laura and Mary. They said it was only proper for a little boy like him to refer to them as elder sisters and, at the same time, for them to call him for little brother.

There was no answer. He tried again, this time a bit louder. “Elder sisters, breakfast is ready!”

Once again, only silence responded to Philip’s voice. He sighed, took a deep breath and opened the door, entering the room by stepping over the door end.

His two elder sisters were both sleeping in their beds. Although they were twins, they were quite different. Laura was more aggressive and impatient while Mary was more calm and cautious.

Laura lay in her bed, the pillow between her long legs, her long, brown hair spread across the white sheet like autumn leaves. Mary, on the other hand, slept peacefully on her back with the blanket covering her body. Also, her hair was not as messy.

Philip hesitated for a moment before raising his voice. “Elder Sisters?”

Mary woke up first, spotted Philip and, with a smile, said. “Ah, little brother, good morning.

Laura woke thereafter. She slowly opened her eyes, and without noticing philip, she pressed her legs harder against the pillow and turned over to the other side, revealing her butt and panties.

“Elder Sister Laura? Are you also awake?”

“Uhhh,” Laura groaned, or moaned–it was hard to tell the difference– and stretched her legs and arms all over the bed, flipping over again, to the side facing philip. Her gaze immediately landed on Philip who stood there with his big, innocent blue eyes, staring at her.

She blinked, clearly not completely able to comprehend what was happening.

“Elder sister Laura, are you alright?”

The twelve-year-old girl blinked again. She looked down at her legs, her face turning pink. Taking a deep breath, she tried to contain her embarrassment by telling herself that Philip was only a little kid and that this didn’t count as another man you without clothes on.

She removed the pillow from her legs and hid under the blanket.

“Why don’t you go down, Little brother,” she said, her voice muffled from being under the blanket. “We’ll come in a moment, we just need to get some clothes on.

“Uh, okay,” Philip thought she acted a bit strange for hiding under the blanket. Only kids did that. But then again, he just rolled his shoulders and headed down to the breakfast table.

The sisters came down ten minutes later, fully dressed and all. Why it took so long for them to take their clothes on was a mystery to the little boy, but his thoughts were quickly cast aside once he started devouring the food in rapid speed– the white rice, and then the pancake.

“You must eat a lot today, little brother,” Mary said to Philip, elegantly eating the white rice with her spoon. “The more you eat, the more energy you have for training! Come here, I’ll give you my pancake. Oh, sister, you really need your whole pancake? It’s a big day for little brother.”

“Humpf!” Laura turned her head the opposite direction, ignoring her sister.

“Hehe, I don’t need more,” said Philip, “Your pancake is more than enough, thanks.”

“Haha, it’s no biggie. Just want my little brother to do his best today!”

After eating, Philip went down to the training field. The training for the other village kids wouldn’t start until noon, and so the whole field was empty. He saw Instructor Clave and walked over.

“Good morning, Sir Clave”

“Indeed, a good morning it is!” Instructor Clave said amiably with a smile, furrowing his beard. “Clear weather, no signs of rain, no clouds to block the sun. A good day for some sweat to be running!"

“So, have you truly made up your mind?”

“About what?”

“Training, of course,” said Instructor Clave. “It’s is no joke, you know. The training I’ll have you do won’t allow your breakfast to stay very long, let alone allow you to stand properly after. I might even have to carry you home myself.”

“Don’t jest around with me, Sir Clave,” returned the little boy quickly.

“Fine, fine,” Instructor Clave laughed. “So what do you say, shall we start?”

Philip nodded.

“Okay, then let’s start with the basics. Do you know what a star warrior is?”

He shook his head.

“Of course you don’t. I’ve explained it countless of times yet I guess it just went right through you every single one of those times, ” said Instructor Clave, feeling this would be a headache. “Listen carefully. A star warrior is a title for everyone who receives the recognition of the stars. It is said that every star warrior is guided by one star each. In ancient texts, these stars have been called companions, brother’s in arms, and even guardians.”

“So a star can speak?” asked Philip.

“That’s beyond my comprehension,” said Instructor Clave. “I heard it from Tutor Daniel once, when he was drunk and spilt out his musings like candy. I gotta say, though, that man’s a mystery. He knows a lot more than everyone thinks. Anyway, back to the subject.”

He cleared his throat. “From what I’ve heard from the village chief, there are two paths to becoming recognised by a star. One, to be born with it innately, and two, to make one of them recognise you by your own strength. And clearly, the first option isn’t possible for you."

“How do I do make them recognise me?”

“Well, first answer this,” said Instructor Clave, “why do you think people call them, the eternal watchers?

“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe since they are in the sky and look down at us from above?”

“Great line of thought,” Instructor Clave chuckled, “but there’s a bit more to it than that.”

“The stars are what you can call our parents,” he said. “Since mankind’s birth, we’ve always been guided by them. Just like they illuminate the darkest night, they also illuminate out hearts– telling us what’s right and wrong, helping when we need help. The ancients thought otherwise but were blinded by their arrogance. As they began to fight with themselves, it turned out that the stars condemned them for their actions, and restrained their powers.”

“So, If you want to gain recognition,” instructor Clave said finally. “You must train your body so that it can contain the power of the stars, and then meditate, connect with the starry sea above, hope for a star to recognise your potential and worth.”

“I understand...” said Philip. “...I think.”

“Hehe, that’s not a problem.” Instructor Clave told Philip. “The first part is easy to understand, so let’s leave the difficult to understand part to later when you are older. I mean, even the stupidest person in the world can do weight training, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

"No, I don't think so either."

Instructor Clave laughed. "Good. Shall we get started then?"