Prologue
...
Under the night sky, William Herschel's symphony echoes throughout the observatory.
In 1758, when the musician was at the concert hall, he probably never imagined that he would one day accomplish what many astronomers have struggled a lifetime to achieve...
Discovering Uranus, the seventh planet in the solar system.
It all started with a popular science book—which absurdly claimed that there were human-like creatures living on comets and the sun.
So he tried to look for these living things on the distant celestial bodies...through a refracting telescope.
The blurred images disappointed him greatly. He had no choice but to spend great efforts and a large sum of money building his own telescope.
Kaalaa Baunaa: But he didn't find any life on the celestial bodies. Instead, he discovered a planet overlooked and neglected by astronomers, and became famous overnight, attracting worldwide attention.
Kaalaa Baunaa: "You fear the loss of status so much, thinking its benefits irreplaceable; yet the benefits often find another way, befalling you."
Kaalaa Baunaa: "Fate loves this kind of reversal, casting the seeds of hope in one direction, only to grow a towering tree in a place you never expected."
Night falls, revealing the stars in the sky. You sigh as the boundless universe has not given you the answer you expected.
The god of fortune does not smile on you; an undiscovered star simply does not exist...
Constellation
On the dark pall of the night sky, specks of light appear one after another.
Orion, Canis Major... they are made up of irregular celestial bodies. People named them in imitation of nature.
Kaalaa Baunaa: I negated my own theory and rebuilt it again and again. Every time I found the spark of hope in the darkness, the truth just put it out against my will.
You lean against the railing of the observatory, a vast, dense forest lies below. You stop observing and look up at the night sky you've missed for so long.
How many people have been inspired by this celestial wonder and entered the realm of astronomy?
Luminosity, distance, lifespan—they measure these beautiful celestial bodies by human standards, describe them in words and numbers, and assign them coordinates.
Kaalaa Baunaa: If the arcanists of Mesopotamia saw what human astronomy is like now, they would go mad and try to tear it all down...
Kaalaa Baunaa: They observed tens of thousands of stars, called these star clusters living beings, and eventually built a magnificent celestial system.
Kaalaa Baunaa: They recorded all the astronomical phenomena and compiled them into records that guided mankind, only to be sentenced to death for their predictions and forecasts ...
Kumar stood in front of the podium. That was the only time you saw her emotionally moved.
Kumar: ...Three months ago, archaeologists discovered cuneiform tablets near the Tigris River.
Kumar: The Mesopotamian astronomers who were punished by death left these words on the tablets—
Kumar: "We once measured the infinite with our insignificant bodies, and recorded eternity in our fleeting existence."
Kumar: "No need to remember, no need to pander. We perish, but truth remains eternal..."
Kumar: No matter where you end up in the future, keep these words to heart ... They are the very essence of our existence.
Celestial Body
What is the price we must pay for a kernel of truth?
If our theory of lifelong devotion is proven wrong, how are we to not collapse and still carry on?
The pain is an inevitable cost that we must bear. Only by concluding this chapter can we move on to a new path, perhaps one that leads to the truth.
Kaalaa Baunaa: I think I'm ready ...
You reach out, stroking the celestial body above your head, as if you've reached an understanding with it.
It starts to ascend, first floating in the air, then the sky, and at last towards the end of sight ...
Having abandoned a theory doomed to failure, you can barely contain your sadness. Nevertheless, you breathe a long sigh of relief.
Why do you want to look at the universe?
Girl: It's the one thing that no one can take from me, um ... one of the two things, I still have this broken shirt!
Girl: Stars don't die, and they don't need to eat. No one can occupy them by spending money.
Intern Gaurav: Th-They are so beautiful ... Hmm? Not a good reason?
Intern Gaurav: Well ... My dadi is in Mawlynnong. The stars are the only one thing we can watch together when we're on the phone.
Researcher Himani: The sink full of greasy dishes, endless housework ... I want to run away from them.
Researcher Himani: Even though life was filled with unstoppable snores and cries, I knew I was living for myself as long as I still saw the stars.
Kumar: ...
Kumar: Because they are just, there.
Little Kaalaa: When I am hungry, I always lie on the roof and look at the stars.
Little Kaalaa: They twinkle just like diamonds ... I wish I could pick them off one day and put them all in my pocket.
Little Kaalaa: Then I'll exchange them for a neer dosa as large as a corral!
Their shadows overlap, then fade away one by one.
You reach out, framing an area with your index and thumb—the location of the White Dwarf FYDL 82A.
Kaalaa Baunaa: I will remember you, little star ...
It senses your existence and starts to flicker ...
But something is not right, it gets brighter and brighter until it becomes the size of a pebble.
Kaalaa Baunaa: A supernova?!
You stare in disbelief. The blinding light engulfs everything in sight.
It burns your skin, and stings your face...!
Epilogue
Kaalaa Baunaa: Ugh! pants
You wake up startled, shirt soaked in sweat.
Intern Gaurav: Are-Are you alright, Ms. Kaalaa Baunaa?
Gaurav stands by the window, holding the curtains.
You block the glaring sunlight with your hand and tell him to pull back the curtains.
Kaalaa Baunaa: ... A dream?
You support your head, still feeling dizzy.
The research report on the desk is as fresh as new. No arcanist's name is signed on it.
You are still safely hidden, disguised as a human.
Kaalaa Baunaa: I remember that book, it should be here somewhere...
New thoughts arise, urging you to take a different path from the one in the dream.
Kaalaa Baunaa: Found it.
On the page, what's left of the writing is still vaguely discernible.
This is an appointment long overdue.
Kaalaa Baunaa: Gaurav, I'd like to ask you a favor.
Kaalaa Baunaa: Please drive me to this address, the car keys are on the table.
You point to the faded writing, as if she were still stubbornly inviting you to come.
Intern Gaurav: O-okay...
Kaalaa Baunaa: Also—
You put a form on his desk.
Kaalaa Baunaa: Have you...considered becoming formal researcher?