Saknarth

In the glittering dawn of a Martian capital, a seasoned astrologer named Saknarth prepares his daily horoscopes while the Morning Star rises over the horizon. Though the court and priests cling to the belief that the heavens dictate fate, he knows the art is a blend of observation and subtle invention. From his youth, haunted by a cryptic phrase whispered during a trial, he has risen to master the Imperial Observatory, using a modest telescope to chart the approaching crescent of Kurnal. His routine is interrupted when a lingering curiosity about a forbidden instrument begins to stir.

Seeking the legendary fifty‑inch reflector—once condemned as a devil’s device—Saknarth slips into the Imperial Museum’s shadowy Hall of Evil Things. Guarded by armored sentries, the hall houses cursed relics and banned books, and at its far end stands the massive, polished mirror of the outlawed telescope. He studies its gleam, feeling the thrill of a glimpse that could change everything, and then quietly retreats into the pre‑dawn silence of the city, his mind racing with possibilities.