Little Pink Starfish

Nyne’s sanctuary—with its majestic granite columns and massive beams, and its dignified doors wide enough to let two oxen pass side by side—was nothing like this. The unfamiliar wooden door in front of him was dark brown, with a bronze handle. The knocking sound came again from the other side.

It hadn’t been there earlier. Nyne hesitated and stepped closer. As if sensing his presence, another knock knock followed, along with a soft chuckle. His heart raced as he grabbed the handle and turned it. He gathered his courage and opened the door—and beyond it stretched a glowing, beautiful garden. Gwen, draped in a white robe, smiled gently.

“Sha Nyne, welcome.”

“This place is…”

Nyne couldn’t believe his eyes. He glanced back and forth between the door he had just passed through and the unfamiliar garden. Gwen gently took him by the elbow and guided him through. Behind them, the door closed. As he slowly looked around, Nyne realized from the familiar structure that this was the Lotus Pavilion.

“The garden’s changed quite a bit, hasn’t it? I made some adjustments. Priest Paira Sero has been managing the pavilion’s flora—her refined eye was a great help.”

When he turned around, the door on Gwen’s chamber wall had already vanished. Nyne wandered the garden, feeling almost spellbound. The once unimpressive garden in front of Gwen’s quarters had been transformed into something stunning. No—beyond stunning.

Though it was nighttime, small shimmering lanterns glowed softly among the flower beds and trees. He had seen magical lights before in the sanctum, but never ones this tiny—no bigger than fingernails. These artifacts would be expensive, yet they had been lavishly used to illuminate the entire garden. For a moment, Nyne forgot his sorrows, worries, and gloom.

For the first time, Nyne offered Gwen a compliment.

“Truly wondrous… and beautiful.”

“What do you mean, Sha? I haven’t even shown you anything wondrous yet.”

Gwen watched Nyne’s reaction with pleased amusement, then shook his head with mock disapproval. Now that Nyne looked closely, Gwen wasn’t wearing a kalasiris or loincloth.

His shirt and pants resembled the simple clothing worn by those from the North. But the robe draped over them was striking—almost a work of art. The patterns glowing gold on the robe weren’t dyed or embroidered; they looked as if they had been woven directly into the fabric from the start.

“This way, please.”

Perhaps because he was a foreigner, the outfit suited Gwen far better than traditional robes. A breeze stirred his robe and tousled his pink hair. Nyne stared, then suddenly realized his hand was resting on Gwen’s. He flinched—but didn’t pull away. Gwen, eyes wide for a moment, gave a warm smile.

They walked down a dim corridor together, robes glowing softly in the lantern light.

“I suppose he’s decorated his quarters as beautifully as the garden…”

At the end of the short corridor was a door—again, in a foreign style like the one that led to the garden. As Nyne approached, Gwen politely gestured for him to open it himself.

Having seen endless luxury, Nyne rarely felt awe anymore—but this stirred his heart. As he turned the handle and opened the door, his eyes widened. His lips parted in astonishment.

“What in the world…”

The rooms allocated to the Lesha were already large, but this space surpassed even them.

Above, the ceiling stretched high—depicting a vivid night sky, stars and moon shimmering as though real. Yet this was clearly an indoor space. In the center of the room floated multiple enormous spheres—suspended in midair without any strings or supports. They weren’t stone or wood. Strange and beautiful patterns shimmered slowly across their surfaces. Each sphere varied in size and shape; some were encircled by bands. On closer inspection, Nyne realized they were rotating slowly.

“What are those strange things?”

“Models of something called ‘planets.’”

Gwen introduced the unfamiliar term and explained gently.

“You’ve seen the stars twinkle in the night sky, haven’t you? This is what they look like up close. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“These… are stars?”

Various orbs—crimson, yellow, pale blue—orbited around a particularly blue one in elliptical paths. The colors reflected in Nyne’s eyes like gems.

“Well, since the geocentric theory is still dominant here, I had to adjust the orbits slightly.”

Geocentric theory? Planets? Nyne didn’t really understand, but he listened and let the words pass by. He remained transfixed by the model planets. Gwen, watching Nyne with pride at first, began to look a little sheepish.

“Perhaps I overdid it a bit. But I like to keep my lab visually appealing.”

“Indeed… it’s beautiful.”

Nyne, stunned, unknowingly smiled—and Gwen fell silent. Nyne didn’t even notice the lingering gaze Gwen cast over his face and body. If the afterlife were real, would it be this beautiful? He was completely enraptured. Then something soft brushed against his calf. He jumped back in surprise, nearly stumbling—only for Gwen to catch him from behind.

“…A fox.”

Still half-held in Gwen’s arms, Nyne looked down and murmured. A pink fox rubbed against his leg, swaying its fluffy tail. Only then did Nyne take in the scene beneath the planetary model.

It was… a kind of chaos.

The carpet was richly colored and varied. Along one wall stretched rows of massive bookshelves, crammed with books of all sizes—stuffed in at odd angles, with no apparent order. Books were also piled atop a vast desk, alongside sprawling diagrams, strange tools, and pink animals scurrying across the floor.

Nyne had never seen a place so cluttered. Priests always kept every corner immaculate. Realizing he was still leaning against Gwen, Nyne quickly stepped back and said:

“It could use cleaning, but… just as you said, it’s beautiful.”

“…Cleaning, huh.”

Gwen’s smile dimmed slightly. As he glanced aside, a cat emerged from outside Nyne’s field of view, carrying a pen nib in its mouth, then scampered off. A lizard nudged a blueprint with its head and began rolling it up.

Nyne didn’t know this was the cleanest the lab had ever been since it became Gwen’s workshop. He returned to watching the planetary model, mesmerized. After a while, he asked:

“You’re a mage from the Labyrinth of the Maze, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Sha.”

“And the real reason you came here… it’s not out of awe for Sha Amon, is it?”

Still staring at the model, Nyne asked. Gwen motioned for the fox to bring over a chair, then answered:

“My research goals lie here.”

“Research?”

Nyne’s brow furrowed as he continued to gaze at the glowing planets. Gwen didn’t even glance at the model—his eyes stayed fixed on Nyne, which now felt oddly intense.

“You’re researching the divine? Then the scriptures and doctrines should be enough.”

At that, Gwen gave a vague, bitter smile. He noisily dragged the chair into place behind Nyne. When Nyne sat, the lizard quickly scampered up onto his knee.

“I have no interest in Sha Amon whatsoever.”

His voice felt strangely cold. Nyne recalled something Gwen had once said to him:

‘What I’m interested in is not Sha Amon—but the one bound to him.’

Had that really been true?