After the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander's murmured words, a brief silence fell over the observatory.
Even Eli, slow as he could be, sensed that something was wrong. If the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander's judgment was correct, the implication was obvious.
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander stared at the dark star streaked with black and red in the sky. The rare trace of panic in his eyes slowly faded.
"Teacher." Eli stood at the edge of the platform with a book in his arms. Confusion filled his eyes, but he kept looking at the stars. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Will the things described in the book really happen?"
"Yes." The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander did not answer directly. "What does the dark star represent? Do you remember what the book says?"
"The dark star heralds the arrival of disaster." Eli opened the book in his arms. "When it appears, a terrible catastrophe will occur, whether a natural disaster or one caused by people."
"That's right," the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander said slowly. "The Astrology Society has existed for over a thousand years. Generation after generation has watched this sky, and in all our records, the dark star has never shone. At least, it hasn't in the past thousand years. Everyone believed it never would. I believed that too."
"But it lit up tonight," Eli murmured.
"Yes, it did." The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander's voice grew low. "And that means the events in the prophecy have begun to come true."
Eli fell silent for a while, then suddenly looked up.
"What were you waiting for before? What is this prophecy you keep mentioning? What exactly have you been waiting for up here?"
Eli had wanted to ask for a long time. Ever since the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had taken