🌌 Zodiac Odyssey – Part I: LEO

Chapter Three: The Path of Questions

Leo stood at a crossroads, his mind heavy with uncertainty. Two paths stretched before him. His eyes first fell on the jungle trail. Shadows hung thick within, hiding whatever dangers lay in its darkness. If I choose this path, he thought, I won’t know what’s waiting for me out there.

Lily’s warning echoed in his memory: There are enemies out there.

He turned toward the palace gates. If I go that way, maybe I’ll find answers—maybe some of my questions will finally be resolved.

The weight of choice pressed on him. Then, the voice returned.

“I can understand your dilemma,” it said.

Leo’s eyes narrowed. “I will come inside on one condition. If you fail to answer my questions—or if I find you’re deceiving me—I won’t just leave. I’ll make sure you never cross my path again.” His tone carried the sharpness of a death threat.

The voice answered calmly, “Very well. But if I answer them all, you must promise to stand with me in this battle.”

“Battle? What battle?” Leo demanded.

“You will know soon enough. I am here to guide you, not to control you.”

Something in those words eased Leo’s mistrust. He exhaled, made his decision, and stepped toward the palace.

---

Meanwhile, silence hung heavy over the monastery. What had unfolded there was beyond imagination. In the courtyard, elders tended to injured students. Some lay broken, others bloodied beyond recognition. An old physician, his hair white and his robes worn from years of service, bent over a young boy bleeding profusely.

Beside him stood a tall young man dressed in the regal formal wear of the late 19th century—fitted coat, polished boots, and a slim silver chain glinting from his waistcoat. His posture was firm, his features noble.

“Your Majesty,” the physician urged, “we must rush this boy to the city. His wounds are deep.”

The young man, Prince Arthur, lifted his voice with commanding grace. “Guards!”

At once, armored men appeared.

“Take this boy to the city at once. And search the grounds—if anyone else needs care beyond what can be given here, bring them too. Use my royal carriage—you’ll reach faster.”

The guards bowed and obeyed.

The physician lowered his head to thank Arthur, but before he could bow fully, the prince stopped him, catching his shoulders.

“No. You are older than me. Do not bow. And as for my actions—it is my duty. I am prince of this kingdom. Every life here matters.”

The physician’s eyes welled. “You are like your father. He, too, carried such kindness. Why did the stars take him so soon? A man like him should have lived a long life.”

Arthur’s gaze dropped. “Only the stars know their ways.”

“My lord—” the physician began, but Arthur cut him off with a gentle smile.

“Call me Arthur. Please. I’ve grown tired of titles. This is 1980. Astreya is changing, developing. Shouldn’t we change too?”

A heavy voice rumbled from behind them. “Because we are protectors of Astreya.”

They turned. A towering man entered, dressed in black with the bearing of a warlord. Two guards flanked him. His presence alone pressed against the air.

Arthur’s smile faded. “Uncle Valen.”

Valen ignored him, scolding the physician instead. “Are you here to chatter, or to heal? See to your people.”

The physician bowed silently and left.

Arthur’s jaw tightened, but his discipline held. He never disrespected elders.

“You must not blur the lines between us and them,” Valen declared.

Arthur’s voice rose in defiance. “Are we not the same? We breathe the same air. They live under our protection.”

“You are a child, Arthur,” Valen said sharply. “You will not understand. We are of the royal blood. Our duty is to protect Astreya—but never to mingle with them.”

Arthur knew further argument was useless. He forced a smile. “Then let’s inspect the other side where the blast struck. Perhaps we can help there.”

Valen corrected him coldly. “Majesty. For the commoners, I am Majesty. For you, I am Uncle Valen.”

Arthur nodded reluctantly.

Before they could move, thunderous hoofbeats echoed through the air. All eyes turned toward the monastery gate. Tension rippled through the courtyard.

Moments later, relief swept across the crowd. A royal carriage bearing the crest of the North arrived.

“The King of the North has come!” a guard cried.

From the carriage descended King Jayden, a man of Valen’s age, regal yet warm, followed by his queen.

Arthur rushed forward, embracing them with joy. Valen, watching silently, understood—Arthur had been waiting for them.

Jayden’s face was grave. “Arthur, what happened here?”

Before he could reply, another carriage rolled in—its insignia marked Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, the symbols of the West.

From it stepped Warren, Lord of the West. He bowed and greeted the gathering. “Arthur… is Monk Chang safe?”

Arthur nodded. “He lives, but remains unconscious.”

At this, King Jayden, standing nearby, turned to Warren. His tone was firm, heavy with unspoken meaning.

“We are here to know the reason behind this, Lord Warren. How did such devastation fall upon this place?”

Warren’s lips curved into a strained smile. “The greater question is—who did this?” His voice trembled beneath the weight of the thought.

Valen’s eyes burned darkly. “And only one among us holds the answers to all.”

The company fell into uneasy silence. Arthur gestured toward the monastery.

“Come within. See for yourselves.”

As they walked, their eyes traced the broken stones, the wounded, the ruined gates. The sight carried its own grim testimony—something terrible had been unleashed here.

King Jayden broke the silence. “How many were they?”

Arthur’s reply came with tension. “According to the masters… only two.”

Warren halted, his face blanched. Horror flickered in his eyes. “It cannot be—”

“Enough!” Jayden cut him sharply, his voice rising with authority. “Speak not of such things in open air. Have you lost your senses, Warren?”

Arthur, disturbed, turned to Jayden. “Uncle Jayden… who can it be?”

Valen placed a heavy hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Soon you will know, son. But not yet. Do not trouble your heart.”

Arthur looked again to Jayden, searching his face. Jayden only met his gaze with a silence heavy with concern and gave a slow nod—agreeing with Valen’s restraint.

Just then, a servant approached Arthur. “My prince—the monk has awakened.”

Arthur exhaled in relief. Yet he hesitated, torn between allowing the monk to rest or granting the nobles their demand.

Jayden’s voice cut through. “Come. Let us meet Monk Chang.”

The others nodded. Arthur could not refuse. With one last glance at the wounded in the courtyard, he followed them below the monastery.

---

Leo ascended the same staircase from which he had once been thrown. Every step brought flashes of the chaos earlier. Entering the palace hall, he saw Demi and Lily standing in silence. Beside them stood a man in his fifties, clothed in white monk’s robes.

Leo walked slowly toward the monk, whose back was turned to him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

The monk turned with a faint smile. “I am Monk Zhang. And this place is the Forbidden Temple.”

“Forbidden?” Leo echoed. “Forbidden… but why?”

“This place has a history,” Zhang replied. “But it is not connected to us. For now, let me answer what burdens you most—who you are, and why this has happened to you.”

Leo’s eyes filled with expectation.

“But before I speak,” Zhang asked gently, “can you not recall anything at all?”

Leo frowned. “Only fragments. I feel as if I’ve seen you before. Your face… it feels familiar.”

Emotion glimmered in the monk’s eyes. “Thanks to the stars, the bond still lingers. The bond between us.”

Leo met his gaze with a questioning look. “Anything else you can remember?”

Flashes surged suddenly in Leo’s mind—images from his dreams.

“There is something,” he whispered. “An animal… and fire.”

“Fire?” Zhang pressed.

Leo nodded quickly. “Yes. A rain of fire.” The words escaped his lips before he realized: “Astreya needs me.”

The monk’s expression shifted instantly, fear flashing in his eyes.

“Where is Astreya?” Leo asked.

This time, not only the monk but also Lily and Demi, who stood quietly in the corner, exchanged stunned glances. Their faces showed clear shock at Leo’s words.

Zhang lifted his hands toward the sky. “O powerful spirit of the universe, bless this child.”

Leo followed his gaze. Lily and Demi joined their hands in reverence, looking upward at the ceiling of the temple—where a chameleon rested among the beams.

The creature’s skin rippled through colors as its eyes locked with Leo’s. In the next instant, it darted away in a blur, as if it had glimpsed death in Leo’s eyes.

Zhang lowered his hands. “Your memories are gone, Leo. You are like a blank canvas now.”

“That is why I need answers,” Leo said firmly. “What is all this? Why am I like this?”

The monk breathed deeply. “Then I must begin from the very start.”

He stepped a little farther from Leo and raised his hand toward a vast painting on the wall.

“This star,” he said, pointing, “is Astreya—our world, our home.”

Leo’s eyes followed him as Zhang placed his hand upon another painting, this one filled with countless stars scattered across a black sky.

“It is believed there are many stars out there in the heavens. Perhaps, like us, they hold life. But it has never been proven.”

Leo’s voice rose with urgency. “I don’t want to hear about your world’s myths. I want to know about myself—how I am tied to Astreya.”

The monk gave a gentle smile. “So eager to leap to the conclusion. Very well. It began in the eighteenth century—”

“Which century is this?” Leo interrupted.

Demi stepped forward. “The nineteenth. This is the year 1980. Now be silent, Leo. When Master speaks, you will have all your answers.”

to be continued---