Beneath the Shattered Stars
In my memory, Hestia stood motionless with one hand resting over her heart, as if something about the moment would forever feel slightly off. Her head was turned away, so I couldn’t see what expression she wore.
“Hestia? Are you okay?”
“······.”
“Hello?”
“Yes… I am… all right……”
“That’s a relief.”
I asked out of genuine worry, but she answered in her usual blunt, clipped way. Since she still refused to look at me, I couldn’t tell whether she truly meant it.
I shifted my attention away from her, pretending to examine the cosmic expanse while muttering to myself.
“Hmm. This is the first time I’ve seen a space this fascinating……”
“…I feel the same.”
At some point Hestia had composed herself and now stepped carefully to my side. I turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.
“Is this your first time in a place like this too, Hestia?”
“Yes. It resembles the concept of the universe I once studied, yet it differs somewhat from the knowledge I possess.”
“Differs…?”
“The fact that we can breathe here is already strange. I was taught that a mortal body cannot survive in space. Furthermore, I understood the universe to be an extremely cold void……”
She continued with a brief, surprisingly accurate lecture on outer space. On the surface I simply nodded, but inside I was quietly impressed. Her knowledge wasn’t flawless, yet the fact that she had retained even the common theories was remarkable. Most people dismissed such information as useless and never bothered to remember it.
Even Arie believed that becoming a Transcendent rendered such trivia obsolete, so I knew she had never studied it. That logic wasn’t wrong, but seeing Hestia—who operated under nearly identical conditions—display this level of learning made comparison inevitable.
As for Elisha… I simply hoped she would grow up kind.
Once Hestia finished, I clapped my hands and spoke with sincere admiration.
“Wow, Hestia, you’re truly incredible! They haven’t even covered this at the Academy yet.”
“…Thank you.”
“So what’s your conclusion?”
“It does not appear to be the real universe. I believe it is an illusion or phantasm of some kind.”
Close enough. The only real difference was that it resembled a mirror far more than a mere illusion.
This place was the interior of the Planetarium, projecting the cosmos around us. It was like stepping inside a room lined with mirrors that reflected a single chosen location. The key distinction lay in the fact that the universe mirrored here was no simple image.
Right now Hestia and I existed simultaneously within the Planetarium and at the center of space itself. In other words, the stars we saw were indistinguishable from the genuine article—celestial bodies carrying the traces of gods. The same applied to the Outer Gods lurking in the distant dark.
I hadn’t called it a monitoring facility for nothing. Within this Planetarium, true observation was possible.
Of course, to Hestia who knew none of this, it would seem nothing more than a beautiful tourist attraction……
“……More importantly, there is something I wish to say……”
“An illusion, huh… No wonder I felt something was off when a space this vast suddenly appeared.”
“……Indeed.”
“Then we should start thinking about how to get out of here… Ah, what did you just say?”
She looked like she had something on her mind, so I asked first. Hestia hesitated, mumbling.
“That is… It is nothing……”
“……?”
Conversations with Hestia often fizzled out like this, so I was ready to let it pass without comment. Then an unexpected remark slipped from her lips.
“I am uncertain whether I should speak of this.”
“Of what?”
“I cannot distinguish whether it was a dream or reality… but I most certainly witnessed something that made my skin crawl.”
Hestia opened her mouth as though she meant to describe it, then lowered her head and continued in a tiny voice.
“I cannot share the details, but there is undoubtedly something dangerous within the universe.”
“Hmm. Is that so? I didn’t see anything in particular, so I wouldn’t know.”
“I consider that a blessing. I would prefer that you… never have to experience anything so horrifying.”
Hestia took a small, steadying breath and offered a faint smile.
“The reason I brought this up is… because I wish to be honest with you.”
“Huh?”
“Are we not friends? I am satisfied with that.”
“…….”
When our eyes met, I found myself unable to speak.
“Then, shall we search together for a way to leave this place?”
Hestia gently extended her hand toward me… She was smiling more brightly than I had ever seen.
Escaping the Planetarium proved surprisingly simple. Just as one could enter by leaping in any direction of the rotating structure, one could exit by walking in any direction at all. The space itself was neither distorted nor twisted, so there was no risk of wandering lost for hours.
After a brief discussion with Hestia, we decided to simply walk forward. This was the moment my carefully laid trick finally bore fruit.
“What do you think of this place, Hestia?”
“Pardon…?”
Hestia tilted her head. I asked casually, hoping to sound her out.
“Oh, you know… your impressions, your feelings. I personally think it’s incredibly beautiful. The stars are gorgeous, aren’t they? After what you experienced, though… maybe you don’t like it very much?”
“…I do not understand why you are asking me this……”
Hestia thought for a moment, then began to look around. Countless stars shimmered within her golden eyes, casting a breathtaking glow. The transcendent vision I had assumed was only temporary had activated once more.
I could not know exactly what she saw or felt, but one thing was certain.
“I find this place rather pleasing.”
She truly seemed to like it. And that made me a little sad. As the Planetarium’s designer and creator, I knew I would never be able to set foot here again… which only deepened the feeling.
The sight we had shared would remain forever sealed inside our memories alone.
- Rumble rumble rumble…!!!
The closer we drew to the invisible exit, the louder the vibrations and roaring grew. They were sounds from a higher dimension—impossible for her, who had only just awakened transcendent sight, to perceive. To me, however, they rang crystal clear.
The ruins were collapsing. I had no idea how long the Planetarium’s false night sky and ceiling would hold, but we needed to run immediately if we didn’t want to be buried.
……Provided Hestia, whose every nerve seemed focused on our clasped hands, snapped out of her daze first.
This woman probably hadn’t even realized how urgent the situation had become…
Recognition. [One step becomes two steps. Two steps become four steps.]
Perception. [No abnormality detected in the alteration of distance.]
Without Hestia noticing, I folded the space twice. As we drew nearer to the Planetarium’s outer edge, the presence of the invisible wall became unmistakably clear.
“Mmm…?”
Now that the distance had closed, even Hestia seemed to sense it; she flinched.
“There is something in front of us.”
“Really? I don’t see anything……”
“…It was definitely not there before. It appears to have materialized suddenly……”
“…….”
“Hmm. It must have been my imagination.”
…Had I nearly been caught just now?
If I had twisted the perception even a little more unnaturally, Hestia might have noticed the strangeness. I let out a silent sigh of relief and inwardly marveled at the terrifying precision of her senses.
Perhaps the act of observing the stars inside the Planetarium had accelerated her growth. Her talent seemed to deepen with every passing day; it was almost frightening.
“I will approach first. It may be dangerous, so please remain behind and—”
“Let’s just go together.”
“…Understood.”
She seemed to have half given up on persuading me. Hestia simply nodded and stayed close to my side. Protecting me remained her top priority, but the danger she feared would never come.
- Flash!
An intense light swallowed both me and Hestia.
“Be careful…!”
The startled heroine instantly dropped into a defensive stance. At the same moment, we realized we had left the Planetarium behind. Instead of empty void, we were once again surrounded by the familiar shapes of structures.
Hestia’s eyes widened.
“This place is…?”
“Oh? Looks like we finally made it out of that weird space.”
“…Thank goodness. In that case, let us rest for a moment and……”
Hestia breathed a sigh of relief and began to sheathe her Holy Sword. Yet before she could even finish the motion, the anomaly began.
- Crash!!!
The night sky shattered. The vast artificial heavens that had covered the enormous chamber splintered like a broken mirror and rained down in countless fragments. It had been nothing but a clever deception after all.
“What in the…”
- Rumble rumble rumble…!!!
Before Hestia could finish speaking, a tremendous vibration struck. The structures lost their balance and began collapsing one after another.
I seized the wrist of the frozen heroine and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Run!!!”
We sprinted out of the collapsing ruins at breakneck speed.