Leo's life was not his own. It was a thing to be used by others. He felt this truth in the cold stone beneath his knees and in the heavy weight of the iron collar around his neck. He was sixteen years old, an orphan, and a stable boy who cleaned up after the magical beasts of the rich and powerful. And tonight, he had the most important job of his life. He was the Anchor. His purpose was simple. He was a human shield. He is here to absorb all the dangerous and wild energy from the Awakening Ritual of Lord Kaelen, the son of the Duke. If the magic went wrong, Leo would be hurt so that Kaelen would be safe. His pain was a price the Duke was willing to pay. Leo's life meant that little.
He looked around the room and his eyes stopped at kaelen. The boy stood proudly in a circle of glowing blue light, wearing expensive robes. He was smiling. He was excited to get a powerful beast. He did not even look at Leo. To him, Leo was not a person. He was a tool, like a broom or a bucket. Leo felt a hot anger in his chest. Why was this his fate? Why did he have to be nothing? He dreamed of having a beast of his own, even a weak one. But he was too poor to get the Awakening Serum. The only way he could be part of a ritual was as a sacrifice.
The chanting began. Mages in long robes moved their hands, and the air began to crackle with power. The runes on Leo's collar started to glow, and he felt a sucking feeling. It was pulling his energy, his very life force, out of him. It made him feel dizzy and weak.
"The power from the stars is coming!" shouted the head mage. "Prepare yourself, Lord Kaelen!"
A beam of blinding white light shot down from the night sky through the glass ceiling. It hit Kaelen directly. The boy screamed, but it was a scream of joy. "I can feel it! I am going to be the strongest!" he yelled.
But then, the light changed. The white light turned a deep, violent purple. The room began to shake violently. The windows rattled, and the sound of breaking glass filled the air. The mages stopped chanting and started to panic.
"Something is wrong!" one cried out. "The celestial energy… it's not pure! There's something else there!"
Kaelen's scream of joy turned into a scream of pure fear. "It burns! Make it stop! Father, help me!"
High above them, within the purple light, a shape was forming. It was huge and moving fast. It was not a beam of light anymore. It was a creature. A beast made of dark purple skin and glittering stars was falling from the sky, crashing right toward the ritual circle. It was hurt. It was dying. And its fall was going to kill them all.
The Duke's face was white with fear. He pointed a shaking finger at Leo. "The Anchor! Now! Drain him dry if you have to! Save my son!"
The mages focused all their magic on Leo's collar. The pain was instant and terrible. It was like his blood turned to fire. He felt like he was being burned alive from the inside. The collar glowed red-hot, searing his skin. He screamed until his voice was raw. He was taking all the bad energy, all the pain, everything. He was being filled with a power that was meant to destroy him.
The dying beast from the stars crashed into the center of the room. The explosion of force threw everyone off their feet. But Leo, chained to the floor, could not move. He had to take it all.
The beast was magnificent. It was long like a serpent, and its body shone with a thousand tiny stars. It had large eyes that glowed with ancient sadness. It was dying, and it knew it.
In its final moment, the beast felt the powerful pull of Leo's collar. It felt the energy being sucked into Leo. The beast did not want to die. It made a choice. Instead of fighting the pull, it pushed. It poured its entire being, its ancient and cosmic soul, into the channel created by the magic. It poured itself into Leo.
For Leo, the world ended.
The pain was so immense that his mind could not handle it. It was not just fire anymore. It was like his soul was being ripped apart and stuffed back together with starlight. He felt a presence, vast and old and terribly lonely, flood into him. He heard a voice that was not a sound, but a feeling in his mind.
*Live…* it whispered. *Let us live…*
Then, there was only darkness.
***
Leo woke up in pain.
He was lying on the dirty straw in the dark stable where he slept. His whole body ached. His neck was throbbing where the collar had burned him. For a moment, he thought it had all been a terrible nightmare.
But then he felt it.
There was something inside him. It was a warmth in the center of his chest, a feeling of another presence nestled against his soul. It was faint, like a whisper, but it was there.
Confused and scared, he pulled open his ragged shirt.
And there it was.
On his chest, right over his heart, was a mark. It was not a simple tattoo. It swirled with color—deep blues, purples, and specks of brilliant white. It looked like a tiny, captured galaxy was glowing softly on his skin. It was the most beautiful and terrifying thing he had ever seen.
He heard it then. A thought that was not his own.
*Hungry.*
Leo gasped and scrambled backward in the straw, his heart pounding. He looked around the empty stable. He was alone.
*We are hungry,* the voice in his head came again, a little stronger this time. It did not sound like a person. It sounded old and powerful and simple. *Need energy.*
His eyes landed on the old draft horse in the next stall. The animal was sleeping peacefully.
Almost without thinking, driven by a new instinct, Leo reached a hand out and touched the horse's side.
A soft, golden light seeped from the horse's body into Leo's fingertips. It was warm and gentle. The horse sighed in its sleep, seeming to rest even more deeply.
The warmth traveled up Leo's arm and flowed into his chest. The galaxy mark on his skin glowed a little brighter. The horrible ache in his body faded away. He felt… strong.
In his head, he felt a sensation of pure satisfaction. Like the first drink of water after a long thirst.
*Good,* the voice purred. *More.*
Leo yanked his hand back, horrified. What had he just done? He had stolen the horse's energy. That was not what Beast Tamers did. They bonded with beasts; they did not feed on them. This power felt dark. Wrong.
Suddenly, he heard voices outside the stable. They were loud and angry.
"Find that stable boy! The Duke wants his head!" a man was yelling. "The ritual was a disaster! Lord Kaelen's mind is shattered! He has no beast! They say the Anchor failed! They say he broke the ritual!"
Leo's blood ran cold. They were coming for him. They blamed him. If they found him, they would kill him for what happened to Kaelen.
And if they saw this strange mark on his chest… what would they do? They would know he had a power he should not have. They would take it from him. They would cut it out of him.
He had to hide. He had to run away. But he had nowhere to go. The world was big and cold, and he was just a stable boy.
The voice in his mind spoke again, its presence a steady warmth in his panic.
*Do not fear,* it said, the thoughts coming clearer now. *We are together now. I am Astraeus. You are my host. We will survive.*
Leo looked down at the swirling stars on his chest. A strange calm washed over him. For his entire life, he had been nothing. He had been used and thrown aside.
But not anymore.
He was no longer just Leo, the forgotten stable boy.
He had a secret. He had a friend. He had a beast from the stars living inside him. And together, they would find a way to live.
He stood up, his body feeling new and strong. He knew what he had to do. He had to leave this place and never look back. His old life was over. A new one had just begun.