It's only matter of Time...

One step forward, two steps back

Karl gets the letter two weeks after his blessing from Whitrys.

He'd spent most hours he had alone–well, never alone, seeing as Tourniquet would never be able to truly leave him–trying to figure out what he's supposed to do next. Wilbur said they'd be doing tasks with more experienced Nejovik at first, then slowly given more independence as they gained actual experience. He's not been told what that 'experience' is, but he's certain it's not light. The others are busy with their own affairs, for example Tommy has convinced Ranboo to help track down their past selves, and Sam has gone off to join the guard that his people serve at the borders of Cinna. Sapnap and Bad have been out more than the rest of them otherwise, however Technoblade, Ranboo, and Tommy are often called aside by Philza or Dream for whatever reason.

He gets the letter while he's with Tourniquet, the copper-scaled Wyvern lying still as he leans against her side. She has a wing positioned to shield him from the sun, yet leaves her wholly exposed to it at the same time. A little purple Fire Lizard appears, landing on the arm Karl offers out to it. It chirps, eyes whirling jade and gold as it waits for him to take the scroll. Karl gently does so, then nods to tell the small creature it can fly off again. Anjax and Rykk have woken from their naps at the arrival, chirruping their welcomes and getting up to greet the other Fire Lizard. Leaving them to it, Karl reads the note. "Ranboo wants to talk to me...it seems urgent." He informs his Dragon, who immediately begins to stand. Where does he want to meet? She inquires, accompanied by an elaborate yawn. To anyone else, he's certain it'd seem terrifying. Her teeth are long and sharp, snout half as long as he is tall–but Karl thinks she's beautiful. Tourniquet growls, nudging him gently in appreciation and pride. "Over by the edge of the Greensea." He answers, already hoisting himself up to his spot upon her back. Nejovik are allowed to fly anywhere, even new ones, however so long as they don't leave the boundaries of Cinna. The enormous forest known as the Greensea counts as one of those borders. Luckily, a black and white feathery Dragon isn't hard to miss.

It doesn't end up being a black and white feathery Dragon. Instead, Karl finds the End Dragon, raised on her haunches and wings spread as she calls to them. She's requesting I land. This isn't your friend, though...? Tourniquet muses, however they do as asked anyway. The other Ranboo is hiding at his Dragon's side, watching him slide from Tourniquet's shoulder to the ground. Karl puts his hands in his pockets, trying not to make the boy any more anxious than he already is. "You wanted to speak with me?" He asks, and Ranboo nods, flicking his tail and stepping forward. His Dragon lowers herself back onto four legs again, staying close but letting him take the lead. "Um–yeah. I was, uh...at the ceremony, where we gain our blessings by the pool...I saw someone? He told me I was supposed to help you, and since then, I've been...seeing things. From your time." Tourniquet whickers, drawing her head back in surprise. "What sort of things?" Karl wonders, trying to stay calm. Whatever the boy wants to say sounds important; he's noticeably restless. "Men. Hunters. They're...attacking people–Dream, Philza, Wilbur, and someone who looks like my friend, Tubbo. But he's...more of a satyr than bee and goat?" The Enderian answers, closing his eyes as if to draw the memory to the forefront of his mind. Or can he see it as they speak? "Anything else?" Karl prompts. If something's going to happen, or is happening, he'd like to know. "Water. There's...lots and lots of water. A group is swimming in boats or pulling rafts, and they look tired. It's...got the same people from before, and a few more I recognize. They look different to how I know them, though. And..."

The boy sharpens, and his Dragon does the same, coiling her tail over her claws and humming with mild alarm. "There's a...he isn't an Elf, but he's...close, I think. He can hold stars in his hands, and there's a cavern that's always warm. Your Tubbo is mystified by it, I think. And it's...glossy? Made from some sort of crystal. It feels important, but I don't know why." When he opens his red and green eyes again, Ranboo finds Karl deep in thought, a small frown forming as he considers this. This must be happening in the same time frame as the events here, but trying to understand them is difficult. Clearly, Hunters attacked them, and they fled, but where did they go? They haven't left the SMP since Dream made it, and Karl has never heard of an elf that can hold stars. Yes, you have–the Starborne, remember? Before they left. They could manipulate light and heat, like miniature stars. Tourniquet reminds him. While that is helpful, it simply adds another layer of complexity—what's a Starborne doing in his time, why are they there, and who is it? "Thank you for telling me about this. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" Ranboo considers, then shakes his head. "Okay. If you see anything else, let me know." Karl requests, then gets back on Tourniquet's back. "Right. Um, sure. What are you going to do?" He pauses. "I don't know yet. I might start looking for any kind of star holding Elves, though. Any idea where to start?" The End Dragon rumbles softly, and the boy nods eagerly. "The Angel has a library! Ah–I'm not sure if you'd be allowed entry, but I was told no knowledge is forbidden, so I assume you'd be able to go. I could help you out, actually–I um, I like books." He offers brightly. Karl nods, going so far as to pat him on the shoulder. "Great! You ready to start now?"

* * *

Apparently, Philza is more than happy to let them into his library–he's intrigued and willing to help their search. "What're you looking for?" He asks, the crows perki no up and chattering in chorus as if egging them on. "Um, we wanted to see if we could get anything on the Starborne...?" Philza pauses, even his crows shut up for a moment before murmuring quietly. It's almost conspiratorial, but the Elytrian nods, flicking his wings agreeably. "Of course. Anything in particular? Cultures, history, abilities...?" Ranboo flicks his ear, moving carefully so as not to disturb the corvid perched on his shoulder. "Um...history, maybe even people, specifically?" He suggests. The Elytrian nods easily, then flaps off to retrieve a set of scrolls and asks a moth Hybrid to get some other volumes as well. Once they have all the literature, Philza starts with one of the smaller scrolls. It looks very old, however still in good condition and well-cared for.

"The Starborne are possibly the closest to aliens we've had. That, or they're from a far earlier time that we haven't yet discovered. As far as we're aware, they came down from the stars, a curious race of travellers that were fascinated by what they found. It's rumoured they brought us Dragons, as some Starborne were already of the like. They were beautiful people, filled with Elven grace and traditions as complex as the Enderian. They shared all their knowledge, taught people how to read the stars, and even extended their kindness and eager, scholarly attitude towards humans. For a time, it seemed to be a positive experience, and things were calm." He starts, lightly trailing his talons over the illustrations depicting his tale. Or maybe he was paraphrasing, it feels too personally explained to have been written down. The scroll depicts a figure bathed in light with a star in–or maybe on?–their chest, raised above various Hybrids. It also has white, serpentine shapes coiled in the background, reminiscent of the Stony Drakes, if they were more like Ice Dragons. There's images of them sharing what appears to be books or maps, as well as with people. Then, there's some sort of pouch depicted, a trail leading to what appears to be the burst of a firework above it, and then people in battle. In the background are cages. "They were rumoured to live as long as the stars themselves, and had many abilities. An innate understanding of the stars, illusionary powers, the ability to shift constellations, the ability to summon and manipulate light and heat, even float. But one of their most memorable may be their ability to naturally produce a highly combustible powder. It was far more powerful than TNT or Creeperfire, and was deadly if used as a weapon. They collected it in order to ensure the safety of others, though offered small quantities to use as display. It was beautiful as it was dangerous, but the humans had decided to rally and take advantage of it. Some other accounts say they killed a Starborne and discovered the powder's effect that way, others claim the humans always had intentions to start this war, but it's not truly known what happened. What did happen was that people tried to cage Starborne and farm the powder, and they tried to resolve the issue peacefully. It was unsuccessful, and they were hunted in excess. Eventually, they fled back to the stars, and nobody's seen them since. Rumours insist there's one still here, one that was left behind by his people and unable to flee, but if it's true, I know not." Philza sighs, pausing on the image of a Starborne looking up at the stars. "How long ago did the Starborne leave?" Ranboo asks, already reading one of the books provided. "About...300 years ago, if I remember correctly." Ranboo makes a small noise, like a growly 'hm' and continues reading as Karl relays the information to Tourniquet. That Starborne is surely alive, then? If they live as long as the stars themselves, then they would surpass this time to yours, right? She points out. "Is there anything else on that last Starborne? Like, what else do these rumours say?" Karl inquires, just as Wilbur appears from the shadows. It's still just as surprising as it was the first time, but at least he isn't the focus of the Hybrid's gaze. "Father, we're to fly with the–oh. Am I interrupting something?" He says, not exactly angry, but clearly displeased nonetheless. "Yes, I remember. I'll be right there. As for you two, I'd suggest you keep reading up through these. That'll at least send you in the right direction to whatever you're looking for." The Elytrian bids them goodbye, then leaves the library with the majority of his crows. A few stay behind, apparently more interested in whatever they're doing than Phil's matters. "Well, that'll help. I'm assuming that final Starborne is the one you saw, so all we have to do now is find them." Karl states, taking one of the leather volumes for himself. Ranboo nods, turning the page as he does. "He is mentioned pretty often, at least in this one–they call him the Lonely Star, or Last Light." Ranboo falls silent as he reads something, then looks up at Karl for a moment. "And then, there's this." He sighs. Putting down his book, Karl comes over. He can't read Enderian as quickly as the young Hybrid can, but he doesn't think he needs to. There's a map shown on one of the pages, marked with inscriptions he doesn't know. Ranboo indicates to it, tapping his finger over what looks like the Hybrid City.

"Wherever he is, he isn't in Cinna."