Chapter 1
The Girl Who Looked at the Stars
Crislia was a dreamer. She lived on Earth, but her heart belonged to the heavens. Once, while lying on her grandparents' terrace watching the stars, she felt the sky was more shimmering and vibrant than usual. Curious as ever, she wanted to understand what the sky was trying to say. For it was surely a sparkling message, forming patterns that connected the stars for which she felt an immense affection. The stars twinkled, signalling promises of wisdom beyond imagination—wisdom that only a curious girl like her could reach.
Determined and thirsty for knowledge, Crislia watched for hours as the stars spoke words and phrases she did not yet know. Eventually, a figure appeared in the sky that Crislia recognised as a beautiful, elegant, and glowing hand. Inviting and captivating, the heavenly hand seemed to reach out towards her. Overwhelmed by the belief that she could actually touch it, Crislia raised her own hand to grasp the hand of the heavens and greet it.
As she raised her hand, she felt a sudden warmth, followed by a voice that said:
"You will never reach the sky! Looking too long at the impossible only brings disappointment."
Crislia, turning towards the voice, encountered a beautiful woman with skin as smooth as a pearl, dressed in black robes, with a wide but sombre smile like the shadows around her. Crislia stood up and asked, "Who are you?"
The woman replied: "I am Teseya, and I come to help lost souls. Disoriented souls like yours, who need to be moulded so they do not fall into the arrogance of imagination."
Crislia was frightened, yet curious about Teseya’s words. In the enveloping silence, she questioned the strange figure that had materialised before her: "Why do you say, Teseya, that I will never reach the heavens?"
Teseya answered: "Logically, its vastness is too noble and immeasurable for a simple earthly being like you. Why do you worry about the heavens when the earth has so much to offer?"
Crislia felt confused and discouraged.
"Life in the heavens is full of emptiness and a lack of pleasure. We were created for the earth and what it has to provide," Teseya continued. "How can a beautiful and intelligent young woman like you succumb to the distant illusions of the skies? How can you spend so much time observing without seeing what surrounds you?"
Crislia felt the coldness of uncertainty seizing her soul. Seeing how Teseya spoke with such authority and confidence, she decided to lean on her words. Crislia looked around for something to sate the emptiness she felt inside, seeing that the earth had many options within reach—delicious foods and other things to occupy her mind. However, she felt her spirit shrouded in darkness. Nothing within her reach could fill the void until she looked up once more.
She saw the stars she loved so much and knew they loved her back; there, she found courage and faith. She felt an eternal life full of love and wisdom ahead of her. At every moment, despite Teseya’s attempts to pull her attention back to the ground, Crislia felt an energy so powerful and overwhelming growing within and around her—like a light that could not be extinguished. She felt her feet leave her grandparents' terrace, lifting her towards the stars.
Crislia ascended and ascended until she could no longer see the earth, and it was then she remembered she needed to be by the side of the grandparents she loved so dearly. Suddenly, Crislia felt heavy and realised she was surrounded by darkness. She closed her eyes as she fell, and when she opened them, there was Teseya, watching her with a haughty smile and a knowing expression.
"Did you perchance find your purpose where you just came from?" Teseya asked. Crislia, disappointed and confused, had no choice but to say no.
"Do you not have loved ones here who care for you?" Teseya attacked again. Crislia again found no alternative but to confirm.
"Then why do you seek unreachable purposes where you cannot even find solid ground?"
Crislia felt she was not ready to reflect on this. How bad would it be to abandon her grandparents in search of stars that are infinite kilometres away? What did the heavens have to offer? What did the earth have to offer when it had everything, yet at the same time, nothing of what she was searching for? It had everything she needed, but not what she wanted. Was this a greed that Crislia refused to acknowledge?
Teseya answered this thought by mentioning the sacrifices Crislia's grandparents had made to keep her healthy and educated, to give her a home and food, only for Crislia to repay them with abandonment and arrogance. Crislia felt horrible and decided her purpose was to honour her grandparents on Earth. She would have to stop looking at the heavens and distracting herself with stars. She had to find a purpose that would support her grandparents.
It was then that Uria, the entity of the heavens, grateful for Crislia’s fascination and love for the skies, breathed the essence of wisdom into her. Crislia felt as if she had woken up for the first time. Everything around her seemed sharper and crystal clear. Everything, that is, except Teseya. Looking around, she again felt the energy directing her attention upwards. With a welcoming and kind voice, Uria spoke to Crislia:
"Crislia. Daughter of Eve, born from the womb of Leoise; because I see goodness in your heart and recognise your spiritual strength, I bless you and your grandparents so that you may always be welcome in the kingdom of heaven. For that which is earthly serves earthly purposes, and that which is of the heavens is infinitely good and eternal. Blessed be you, and blessed be your rightful ancestors. Because I know your potential, I gift you with spiritual clarity and wisdom, so that you may always find the path of salvation and guide all those who believe in the sacred word written in the stars."
Crislia felt flooded by the fire of the Holy Spirit and saw the light that would lead her to Uria. From that moment on, Crislia and her grandparents lived happily ever after.
