On Earth, humanity believed there were only twelve constellations—
symbols of fate, personality, and belief.
But no one knew that beyond the twelve, there existed a thirteenth constellation.
An unseen one.
The Unconscious Constellation.
The campus plaza was crowded with laughter and lights.
"Come on! Come on! The Twelve Constellations Festival is starting!"
A vendor shouted excitedly.
A cheerful voice echoed through the speakers.
"Welcome! Welcome to the Twelve Constellations Booth!"
"I'm Aries—hey, you're Aries too!"
"Hahaha!"
MANG GA LIN stared at the fortune chart in his hands, frowning.
"Aries… Leo… Virgo…"
He sighed.
"Why do I only get seventy-five percent compatibility with Pisces and Gemini? Seriously…"
TEOH KUI scoffed beside him.
"Oi, relax lah. It's just belief. No need to take it so seriously."
"Yeah… you're right," MANG GA LIN replied.
TEOH KUI smirked.
"Anyway, not like the girl you like is Pisces, right? Hahaha—"
Suddenly, a girl walked past them.
MANG GA LIN froze.
His eyes followed her, completely losing focus.
"Oi!" TEOH KUI snapped.
"Bloody hell! I bring you here for constellation stuff, and you get hypnotized by a girl?!"
"Hey, at least I have someone I like!" MANG GA LIN shot back.
TEOH KUI turned away awkwardly.
"Me? Of course not…"
The festival soon came to an end.
"That Twelve Constellations fireworks show was amazing!"
"Yeah! It was beautiful!"
TEOH KUI nudged his friend.
"Oi, dim ah? You back to reality yet?"
MANG GA LIN shook his head.
"Not yet."
TEOH KUI sighed.
"Hopeless…"
Suddenly—
A star in the sky flared with unnatural brilliance.
A beam of light descended from the heavens, crashing onto the ground with a heavy thud.
Something… fell from the sky.
It was an egg—
covered in strange symbols and glowing constellation patterns.
"What's that?"
"No idea…"
Before anyone could react—
CRACK.
The egg shattered.
A creature burst out.
Its body was twisted, marked with glowing star-shaped sigils.
"AHHH—!! A monster!!"
MANG GA LIN's face went pale.
"What the— MONSTER! RUN!!"
The creature charged into the crowd.
Students screamed, fleeing toward the teaching building.
Some fell.
Some were struck down.
Blood stained the ground.
Then—
A girl tripped and collapsed.
"YI XIN!"
MANG GA LIN didn't hesitate.
The monster lunged toward her—
He threw himself over her body.
SLASH!
Claws tore into his back.
"Oi! ARE YOU OK?!" TEOH KUI shouted.
Before MANG GA LIN could answer—
A belt descended from the sky, snapping onto his waist by itself.
"APA INI?!"
"What the hell is this?!"
A card materialized in his hand.
"Huh…?"
Driven by instinct, MANG GA LIN inserted the card into the slot.
"STARTS RIDER!"
—Driver activation sound—
"Guess I pull this lever…?"
He did.
"STARS UP!"
"STARS RIDER!"
Light exploded around him.
Armor formed.
A helmet sealed shut.
He had transformed.
"Eh…?"
Before he could react—
The monster punched him across the plaza.
"Damn—it hurts!"
Anger surged.
Stars Rider charged back, landing a heavy punch.
The monster screeched and suddenly grabbed YI XIN, holding her hostage.
Stars Rider froze.
Damn it… How do I attack like this?!
Suddenly—
A card flew out from the belt's side slot.
He caught it midair.
"This is…!"
No time to think.
He slammed the card into the Driver.
"CHANGE CARD!"
"GEMINI!"
"TWIN SPLITTER!"
A twin-bladed weapon formed in his hands.
"Not bad!"
He pulled the lever again.
"GEMINI!"
In a flash of light—
Stars Rider split into two identical Riders.
"Huh?!"
"Let's go!" the Gemini Stars Rider shouted.
"OK!"
Steel clashed.
The twin Riders slashed the monster in perfect sync.
Stars Rider caught YI XIN as she fell.
"Are you alright?"
"I… I'm fine…"
He turned back, pulling the Driver once more.
"RIDER! READY!"
"LET'S— FINISH THE DANGER!"
A blinding explosion.
The monster vanished.
A blank card fluttered down.
The transformation faded.
MANG GA LIN picked up the card, breathing heavily.
"What is this…?"
A calm voice answered.
"That is a Constellation Card."
"Huh?"
A man stepped forward.
"Wow— you henshin'd!" TEOH KUI exclaimed.
MANG GA LIN laughed nervously.
"Heh… but who are you?"
"My name is Doctor Chin," the man replied.
"I research constellation powers."
"The power I just used…?"
"Yes. Exactly that."
Doctor Chin adjusted his glasses.
"Come with me. All three of you."
"Three?" MANG GA LIN blinked.
YI XIN stepped forward.
"I'm the third."
"Then why am I included?" TEOH KUI asked.
Doctor Chin looked serious.
"You witnessed the birth of Stars Rider… and the monster.
That means the constellations have chosen you."
"Chosen?" TEOH KUI muttered.
"This began seventeen years ago," Doctor Chin continued.
"In the United States."
"America? Something this big, and no one knows?"
"Because it was sealed as an international top-level secret," Doctor Chin said.
"They attempted to create constellation plants to counter the threat.
They failed."
"The sealing device broke," he went on.
"The monsters escaped… hiding themselves among the stars."
"Then why now?" TEOH KUI asked.
"They survive on starlight," Doctor Chin replied.
"But when they evolve… they must absorb human constellation energy."
"Which is why they descend—
to slaughter."
The four arrived at a junkyard.
Doctor Chin pressed his hand against a machine.
The trash split open—
revealing a hidden entrance.
"Woah… Teknologi sains!" TEOH KUI gasped.
Inside the base—
"What's all this?"
"Equipment designed specifically for Stars Rider," Doctor Chin explained.
"But without unlocking the power, you cannot use them."
"Then that twin blade earlier—"
"Yes. I launched it to you."
"You knew I transformed?"
"My system detects energy fluctuations," Doctor Chin replied.
"I can tell whether it's a monster… or a constellation guardian."
"Ohhh…"
MANG GA LIN stared at the card in his hand.
Above them, unseen—
The stars began to move.