Star Trail

CHAPTER 4 Wings and Stars

The first few weeks at the Moonlight Academy flew by. Rai learned things he never would have imagined in his old life. There was Basic Spellwork, Healing Potions, Flying on Broomsticks, and the most fascinating of all, Star Mapping — the art of reading the stars to find your way.

But among all these classes, Rai had one problem: Dante.

Dante was a second-year student who always ranked first in every subject. His black hair was slicked back, his smile was arrogant, and he walked through the halls as if the entire Academy belonged to him. His father was a famous sorcerer who appeared regularly in wizarding news.

"Well, well, the new village kid?" Dante said one day in the cafeteria, passing Rai and Nara's table. "I heard you didn't even know what a broomstick was until a week ago."

Dante's friends laughed. Rai stared at his food, which suddenly tasted like cardboard in his mouth.

"Don't listen to him," Nara whispered. "He talks like that because he's scared someone might be better than him."

Rai knew she was right. But the words still stung. He hadn't come to the Academy to be mocked. He had come to find his father.

Things got worse in Flying class. The instructor, Ms. Lestari, was teaching them how to mount and control a broomstick. Each student had to fly around the Academy tower and land safely. Rai had tried several times, but his broom kept spinning wildly in the air.

"You're releasing your foot from the wrong angle!" Dante shouted from below, laughing. "Village kids have no talent for flying."

Rai clenched his fists. He refused to lose in front of Dante. He tried again. This time, he didn't force it. He remembered Master Anom's lessons about the source. He took a deep breath, felt the warmth in his chest, and directed it toward the broom.

The spinning stopped. The air beneath him calmed. Rai glided smoothly through the sky, past the tower, past the golden trees, and touched down lightly in the courtyard. For a moment, the entire courtyard was silent. Then applause erupted.

Dante stood with his mouth hanging open. His eyes burned with something Rai couldn't quite name — it wasn't anger, and it wasn't admiration. Something caught in between.

"Whatever," Dante muttered, turning on his heel and walking away.

Nara ran to Rai. "That was incredible! Do you realize that in only two weeks you can already fly like that?"

Rai smiled. "I just stopped forcing it. Sorcery doesn't like being pushed."

Ms. Lestari, their flying instructor, gave him a knowing look. "You remind me of someone," she said. "Your father used to fly just like that. No one was better than Arwan in the air."

Rai's eyes lit up. Everyone at the Academy had known his father. Everyone had a story about him. And every story made Rai want to find him even more.

That evening, Rai and Nara sat on the steps of the main tower. The sky was clear, the stars brilliant. Nara talked about her family — her mother was a potions witch who lived in a village near the Academy, and her father had died when Nara was very young.

"So we're the same," Rai said quietly. "We both lost our fathers."

Nara nodded. "But at least you know yours is still alive. That's more than I have."

Rai looked at Nara. Her dark eyes reflected the moonlight. "When I find my father, I'll ask him about yours too. Maybe they knew each other."

Nara smiled. It was her first real smile of the evening. "Deal."

They sat together in comfortable silence, watching the countless stars above. Somewhere among those stars, Rai knew his father was watching the same sky.