The silence after the Crown Prince's departure was deafening.
I sat there, clutching the sheets, my heart refusing to calm.
Erian Thalos.
That was the name of the body I now inhabited. And if the memories forced into me were correct, the boy had nearly died just yesterday, poisoned at a banquet, mocked by his family, left to rot without a single hand reaching out to save him.
Except… one.
The Crown Prince.
Why him?
Why would a man as powerful and aloof as Aster Caelum bother saving the weakest young master in the empire?
My head ached as I sorted through Erian's memories.
He was despised by his father, Duke Thalos, ignored by his servants, and ridiculed by the nobles.
Useless.
That word followed him like a curse.
A soft creak startled me.
The door opened again, but this time it wasn't the Crown Prince.
A young maid slipped in, her eyes wide when she saw me sitting up. "Young Master… you, you're awake?"
Her voice trembled as if she feared even being here.
"Yes," I said slowly, testing the voice that wasn't mine. Softer, higher, almost fragile. "What happened to me?"
The maid fidgeted, her gaze darting nervously toward the corridor. "You were… poisoned, Young Master. At the family banquet. Everyone thought you would not survive. They, they said it would be better that way."
So they wanted him dead.
And now I wore his skin.
I clenched my fists beneath the blanket, forcing calm.
If they thought I was still the useless Erian, they would be gravely mistaken.
"Bring me water," I said firmly.
The maid blinked, startled at my tone. The old Erian would never give an order like that. Still, she nodded quickly and hurried out.
Left alone again, I dragged myself out of bed and staggered to the mirror.
The reflection stared back: pale, thin, with dark circles under the eyes. A boy who had been crushed by humiliation, broken long before his death.
But I wasn't him.
Not anymore.
"I'll change this," I whispered to the boy in the mirror.
"You've been abandoned, discarded, called useless. But I… I'll live. And I'll make them regret underestimating me."
The words steadied me, filling me with a strange determination.
Suddenly, pain lanced through my chest. I gasped, falling to my knees as heat surged inside me. It wasn't normal heat, it was power. Raw, unrefined, wild.
Memories flickered. The Azure Empire was a land of magic, where the ability to awaken one's Star Core determined worth. Nobles who awakened shone bright like constellations. Those who didn't… were cast aside.
Erian Thalos had never awakened his Star Core.
That was why he was called useless.
But now… something inside me was stirring.
I bit my lip, forcing myself to endure as the heat expanded.
It was as if the stars themselves were burning beneath my skin, threading through my veins.
And then, light burst from my chest.
A faint glow, silver-white, like a star flickering to life.
My eyes widened.
This… this was a Star Core awakening!
But before I could rejoice, the glow flickered violently, unstable, as if about to collapse.
I clutched my chest, sweat dripping down my face.
No, if it collapsed now, it would kill me.
The door slammed open again.
"Fool!"
A cold voice cut through the haze, and I looked up with blurred vision.
Aster Caelum stood there once more, his cloak billowing as if the room itself bowed to him. His gaze locked on the unstable light within me, his expression darkening.
"You dare awaken without guidance?"
His voice was harsh, but his hand shot out, pressing firmly against my chest.
The world spun.
The wild power within me steadied, pulled under his control. His aura crashed over me like a tide, cold, overwhelming, yet steady, guiding the star within me into a fragile orbit.
My breath came in ragged gasps as the light settled into my chest, pulsing faintly like a newborn star.
Aster's eyes narrowed as he withdrew his hand, his tone sharp.
"Pathetic. You would have died if not for me."
He turned to leave again, but something in me rebelled.
I pushed myself up, voice hoarse but firm.
"Then why?"
He froze.
"Why save me… twice?" I asked. My gaze locked onto his. "Why bother with someone so useless?"
For the first time, the cold mask in his eyes faltered, just for a breath.
But then it was gone, replaced by icy disdain.
"You owe me your life. That is all."
And with that, he was gone again, leaving me shaking, chest burning with new power.
I pressed a trembling hand over my heart, where the faint star pulsed softly.
The useless young master had awakened.
And nothing would ever be the same again.