Once upon a time, there was a little boy. His name was Zetah, and he was a prince, and he had studied the stars for the entirety of his short life, all six years of it.

Everything came from the stars. The stars held the patterns of seasons, of time and destiny.

It was from the stars that his kingdom's gods had sent their messengers, in the time of his great-grandmother.

Years later, the messengers came for his great-aunt, and again for his uncle.

And someday they were going to come for him.

A short story.

Content Warnings: Intended child sacrifice, internalized ableism