Chapter Twenty-One: Star Talk[edit | edit source]

Eliles and Artus continue their search across Herald’s Watch for hidden inhabitants, finding supplies but no trace of others since discovering Joslin’s body. Reluctantly entering Skywatch—a domed shrine with a star-filled ceiling mimicking the Starry Road—Eliles is awed by its pristine, dust-free floor and cosmic illusion, which resists her fire’s light. Artus, dismissive of its holiness, urges her to see it as art, not divine. They uncover an invisible Latcu spiral stair, climbing to a transparent platform where Eliles feels she’s walking among stars, briefly glimpsing a massive golden eye in the sky, unseen by Artus, shaking her with its otherworldly presence. Searching for a rumored library, Eliles finds a trapdoor under the fifth stair, descending to a small chamber filled with books on stars, gemstones, and southern flora. A note with “Deelee” and “Meliu” scrawled repeatedly confirms Meliu’s past presence, tying her to the Watch’s mysteries. The trapdoor seals, trapping Eliles until Artus returns, guided by her fire to reopen it. Suspecting a timed mechanism, Eliles plans to study the library’s arcane texts, particularly on mystic lapidary, and teach others to read, teasing Artus with books on winemaking to rival Jinbin’s brewing. The stars’ secrets and the eye’s gaze hint at deeper truths, possibly linked to the island’s timeless state and unseen lurkers, as Eliles resolves to unravel Skywatch’s cosmic enigma.

ToP Chapter 20 — A Deal Touched
ToP Chapter 22 — New Fost
Trail of Pyres - Main Chapter Listing