The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 425: The Past

"The Heavenly Scarf of Divine Phoenix." The woman repeated softly, her eyes glimmering before she smiled brightly.

"Yes, I like it, Your Majesty. Thank you." She kowtowed again. She had already done so multiple times since arriving, but she didn’t seem to care. Lifting her head, she gazed at her new scarf, stroking and playing with it, her face full of joy.

He nodded, maintaining his smile as he watched her. She was so delighted with his gift that she no longer paid attention to how she behaved in front of him. Like a child who had just found a new toy, despite being a refined and beautiful lady who could captivate any man under the heavens.

He then turned his head and gazed at the sky again. His serene eyes remained calm, without a ripple, as he looked at the stars and the vast expanse of the cosmos.

The woman, watching him, grew curious and asked,

"Your Majesty, do you like watching the stars?"

He did not answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Yes. To me, the stars are the jewels of the cosmos, a reminder of how vast the universe truly is. Without them, the sky would be bland, stripped of its beauty. Without stars, people would lack the drive to reach for the heavens, for there would be nothing to aspire to. Without the stars, living beings would have no foundation to stand upon. Their existence is essential to the universe."

The woman also looked up at the sky. Her eyes reflected countless stars and galaxies, shimmering with their beauty. She seemed entranced, and without realizing it, she voiced a question.

"Is there a limit to the cosmos? No matter how far I fly between universes, I have never seen its end. When I first realized that we were inside just one universe, I flew beyond it, only to discover that there were countless others, all forming an endless cosmic system."

He smiled and looked at her.

"They are endless. They are infinite. They will always expand. Even if you find what seems to be the edge of the cosmos, you will realize it is not the end. There will always be another horizon, an endless journey toward the true edge—toward nothingness."

"Then, can Your Majesty just make the cosmos stop expanding? I’ve seen how you enjoy creating many things in the sky and managing them like a chessboard. Wouldn’t it be easier if the cosmos weren’t so vast?" she asked.

Still smiling, he answered,

"Why would I stop it? Why would I halt the spread of creation’s magnificence? Let it continue expanding, filling the nothingness, allowing life to thrive. It is far more interesting that way than having a bland, empty void. No matter how vast the cosmos becomes, I will gladly watch over it or even manage it, simply because I enjoy it. I like beautiful things."

The woman nodded in understanding. They continued watching the sky together until he suddenly sat down and took out a guqin.

She was stunned for a moment before her face lit up with joy. He was going to play! This was one of her favorite things to experience when she was near him.

"This piece will convey the majesty and vastness of the universe—the beauty of the stars, the heavens, and the earth," he said before his fingers touched the strings. A mesmerizing melody resounded, filling the air with breathtaking music.

The Phoenix Ancestor closed her eyes, immersing herself in the soothing sound that seemed to reach her very soul. But she was not the only one entranced. Even the surrounding nature stilled as if pausing to listen. The effect extended beyond, for the stars that adorned the dark sky shimmered even more brilliantly, as though rejoicing in his music.

Aldrian, witnessing and hearing all of this, closed his eyes, wanting to fully immerse himself in the music. A strange sensation washed over him, he felt as if he already knew this melody. It was buried deep in his mind, forgotten over time, like a song once familiar but left unplayed for too long.

Yet as "he" played, the music resurfaced, awakening a long-dormant memory within him. That was when Aldrian knew, he could play this piece as well.

The performance continued for the next twenty minutes before coming to a gentle stop. As the final note faded, nature resumed its usual rhythm, and the sky returned to its normal state.

The Phoenix Ancestor slowly opened her beautiful eyes and smiled at "him". Without a word, she kowtowed once more.

"Thank you for the enlightenment, Your Majesty," she said before stepping back. Then, with graceful ease, she leaped from the cliff, disappearing into the clouds.

Aldrian’s gaze followed her descent, and at that moment, a massive shadow emerged beneath the clouds. It was the silhouette of a colossal bird with nine feathered tails—its sheer size so immense that it could easily crush an entire kingdom, as vast as Forgeheart.

For him, this was the largest living being he had ever seen—the first time he had truly glimpsed the sheer size of the Phoenix Ancestor. He felt a hint of regret that he couldn’t see her full phoenix form, as it remained hidden beneath the clouds.

Left alone atop the cliff, "he" stood in silence. But then, to Aldrian’s shock, he suddenly heard "him" speaking to himself. However, it felt as if "he" was also speaking to him.

"I hope that we finally see the end of it, find the answer we seek, and reach what we intend to achieve."

Aldrian’s vision blurred, and the scene before him shifted.

This time, he felt as though he were being held in someone’s grasp. As his sight cleared, he found himself gazing up at the Phoenix Ancestor’s beautiful face, her eyes filled with a faint sorrow. Confusion swelled within him—this perspective felt strange.

Then, realization struck.

The way he was positioned, the way her body was so close to him... it made no sense. Until it did.

He wasn’t truly a living being.

He was the scarf.

At this moment, he was seeing everything from the scarf’s point of view.

In this scene, the Phoenix Ancestor appeared as a mature beauty, yet something about her felt off. Aldrian could see the sadness in her eyes, and her usually radiant complexion was noticeably pale. From his perspective, she looked unwell—perhaps even gravely so.

She was inside a vast hall, seated on a cultivation mat. In front of her rested her guqin, the Spirit of Great Path.

A sudden pang of sorrow struck him as he watched her. The grace, joy, and cheerfulness she had shown earlier on the cliff or in any vision of her were gone. In this place, there was only a heavy, somber atmosphere, one he wished he had never experienced.

"Your Majesty, I really miss you."

Aldrian heard her soft voice, filled with longing, as her hand gently stroked the scarf. The sorrow in her voice made his heart ache. He wanted to tell her that he was right in front of her, but he knew this was merely a memory within the artifact.

Yes, an artifact could have a point of view, and in fact, all things even the smallest existence possessed memories that could only be accessed by him if he had sufficient comprehension of Thread of Origin.

Right now, his comprehension was still lacking, making his visions fragmented, skipping across timelines at random. He could do nothing but watch, though he knew that, according to that figure the Thread of Origin was capable of far more than this.

The Phoenix Ancestor kept stroking the scarf when, suddenly, Aldrian heard another voice. This time, it was a man’s voice—one he had heard before in his past visions.

"It’s time. We must begin distributing our belongings to the denizens of this place, just as prophesized by Lord Tianlian and the Heavenly Demon. After this, all we can do is hope for the best for His Majesty. I believe he will choose the right path," the man said.

From Aldrian’s point of view, he finally saw the man as he stepped into sight, approaching the Phoenix Ancestor. He had long golden hair and was strikingly handsome, tall and sturdy also exuding strong charisma. What stood out most were the two dragon-like horns on his forehead.

However, just like the Phoenix Ancestor, this man did not appear to be in good condition. His face was pale, his presence dimmed by whatever afflicted him. The sorrow Aldrian felt upon seeing the Phoenix Ancestor in such a state only deepened as he realized the man was suffering as well.

"We are among his earliest followers, and we must place our trust in His Majesty’s future and the path he seeks to achieve. We have to believe that he will succeed and that he will return one day! His Majesty was always destined for greatness—we must have faith in that!" the man declared.

The Phoenix Ancestor sighed upon hearing his words, her fingers gently stroking the scarf a few more times. Then, as if she had finally steeled her resolve, her expression turned firm. She looked at him with unwavering determination.

"Alright."

The scene shifted once again. This time, he found himself in the hands of a man he had never seen before.

The man had black hair and appeared to be middle-aged, dressed in noble attire. He held the scarf with the utmost care, as if it were the most precious treasure in existence, afraid that even touching it might stain its fabric.

Not far from him, the Phoenix Ancestor stood.

"I hope you will uphold our agreement. If not, you will face the consequences," she said.

There was no softness in her tone, no warmth, only a flat, emotionless voice. It was a stark contrast to any vision Aldrian had seen of her over the years.

Aldrian watched as the middle-aged man carefully placed the scarf inside a box, his movements slow and deliberate. Before the lid closed, Aldrian noticed something else—her guqin, The Spirit of Great Path, and a divine grade sword are resting beside him.

He then saw the middle-aged man kowtowed to the Phoenix Ancestor and solemnly declared,

"I, the patriarch of the Ragius family, swear to the heavens that we will uphold our binding agreement with the goddess. Should we ever break this oath, beyond the curse of the contract, may the heavens themselves send their heavenly tribulation upon us as punishment."

With that oath spoken, Aldrian’s vision faded into darkness.