Category: writing

Malady

_{<– Chapter 6 – Sanctuary}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

Rook slowly wandered the great halls of the new Ledan university.

As much as he’d prefer to be with Stella, she was busy giving one of her lectures. Today’s talk isn’t about kindling (much to the dismay of the students) but, rather, life studies. An intriguing topic to Rook, but the attention he gets from other people make him nervous. Sitting in on the class was not an option. Whether they’re in awe of him or disgusted, Rook would rather not interact with any of them. Birds, fish, trees, simpler creatures tend to make him feel more relaxed. The poking and prodding of the intelligent ones make him want to hide in Stella’s coat.

He turned a corner into the accolade hall.

Not that he can actually fit in her coat, anymore. Early on, Rook grew irritated by his lack of reach and general ability to travel on his own. He didn’t want to be a burden to Stella and have her carry him everywhere, but he also didn’t like the idea of not being carried…

He looked up at the portraits of the nobles on the wall and studied the wrinkles on their faces.

Rook quickly figured out he could simply add more clay to his body to increase its size. He periodically added more clay and sculpted his shape until he felt he was big enough. He tried his best to keep the original face Stella gave him as best he could.

The magic by which he is conscious and animated is yet to become science, but Stella said she’s close to figuring it out. The same as she’s said for the past year. She also told him she’d like to celebrate his “birthday,” but she doesn’t really know how. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, Rook stared at her blankly. The same as he’s done when she asks him most things.

She had offered to try kindling him, but it was a strange and uncertain process. Nothing inorganic had been kindled before. Stella gasped and stopped just before the kindling completed. Rook recalls being disappointed, thinking he could be more useful to her if he could be more like her. But she explained to him that, without a soul, it would burn him up slowly until there was nothing left. She couldn’t lose him. He was satisfied with that.

He thought about her face. Her soft features and warm skin. Her cheeks would make happy shapes, but her eyes would betray the facade. Rook was never deceived.

He thought about the games she taught him. How she’d laugh when he’d won. He thought about the things they’d make together. How she’d get lost in the moment. He thought about all the nights she’d spend awake, rambling about her past, her lonliness. How she’d cry until she fell asleep. He thought about how little he understood. He wished he could do something, anything, to help her. She said just talking to him helped, but it never stopped her from crying.

Rook, satisfied he’s absorbed as much as he could from the hallway paintings, opened the library door and made slow deliberate steps inside. He made sure to close the door behind him. The room was filled with rows and rows of shelves, each heavy with as much knowledge as could possibly be gathered. It grows every day as the people of the world materialize their thoughts, feelings, struggles, and hopes into words.

Many of the books here were donated or written by Stella, herself. These were the ones Rook sought out, hoping to feel closer to her as they were apart. He made a straight line to a shelf in the middle of the bright, echoey room. A neat pile of books he set aside for himself last time he was here sat safely, waiting for him. He struggled to lug the pile of books to the nearest table. Rook begins to think it’s time he added more clay again.

What’ll he learn about Stella today?

Hours pass. The sun has long since set. The pile of books he started with is looking a bit smaller. If anyone asked him, and if he’d respond, he’d say, “Yes, I did read all of these books, cover to cover.” But no one would ask. And Rook couldn’t respond. And he mostly skimmed them, anyway.

A resounding clunk interrupts Rooks flow. Mildly annoyed, he gets up and walks toward the sound. He hears footsteps and muffled speech, “..lla will cause..” Around the corner of a bookshelf he sees a couple well dressed people with fancy hats conversing all hush hush. Rook, curious little thing, decides to sneak closer and listen. He’s gotten pretty good at staying silent and out of sight.

“You’re certain no one is here, Sirius?” said the older looking one of the two. Rook recognizes him as the “archbishop.” He always seemed nice but spoke as if every word was carefully chosen. Rook tries to remember his name. He recalls it to be… Betel?

“There’s no need to be so paranoid. This library is off limits at this time, except to a select few. Miss Stella is being occupied by Sir Matar as we speak, so we are safe.” This Sirius is an unimportant man of status. Unimportant because Rook doesn’t believe that the circumstances of one’s birth determines who you are.

“That witch needs to be dealt with,” Sirius spat. “What is taking so long? God is furious.” Rook felt his chest tighten. He knew what “witch” meant.

Sirius hushes the old man, “Sh sh sh. No one’s here but the walls aren’t made of iron, Your Grace.” Betel grumbles. “Miss Stella-“

“She’s a witch,” Betel interrupted.

“Fine, Your Grace.” Sirius clears his throat. “We can’t do anything about her yet. There’s still so much we need to learn from her.” Rook strains to listen closer. “We still don’t know how that repulsive creature was made. That duckling that follows her everywhere.”

“Well, hurry. We can’t very well use that knowledge while she’s around. She would never allow it,” Betel growls.

Rook begins to feel something he’s never felt before. He’s read all about emotions but it’s completely different than actually feel them. He is overwhelmed. He is angry.

He is afraid.

What are they going to do to his Stella?

Grounds

_{<– Chapter 5 – Sanctuary}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

pooooff…. SLICE. “AHHHHHHHHHHH fuuuuuccc-“

Ow my FUCKING arm. Definitely broken. Some of it missing. I roll, dodging another attack from this stupid golem. It hurts to do so, but Rigel’s toy has been relentless today. To be quick frank, I am sick of training. I’m tired, I’m beaten, I’m battered. I want to sleep for a week.

CRASH

Barely got out of the way. Rigel’s doing this on purpose. Two days ago, the golem was pulling its punches. He thinks this is going to teach me to focus and keep my mind clear. He clearly doesn’t know me that well. My mind is racing and I want to punch him. I should have healed my arm already but I’m wasting time being spiteful. With that realization, perhaps he’s right. Perhaps this will get me to focus-

AHGgdgdfjk. A rock to the chest. Nothing broken AHGhjrrggkk. Another cough rock to the chest. Definitely something broken. Gotta keep moving.

BOOM bang. pik pik pik pik

Fuck this thing. It didn’t used to throw rocks. I’d like to say it has a sense of humor, but Rigel said the golems are like puppets and– wait, back on track. My arm. I need to fix it. I hate healing I hate healing I hate healing. It would be easier if Rigel could just EXPLAIN to me, properly, what it is I’m actually doing. He does everything by feeling, naturally. Lux just like feel the muscle and think about how its supposed to be and put some energy into it. Lux just remember what it feels like for blood to be flowing. Lux just imagine a twig breaking, but in reverse. ??????????

I dodge the next attack, throw a large sweeping rope of fire across the ground, tripping the golem. Deep deep breath, long exhale. I keep my eyes on my opponent and place my hand on my crunchy, squashed arm. A few seconds go by and I can start to feel the relief. The bones start to reattach (painful) and the muscles sew themselves back together. It’s not perfect, but I’ll fix it up better when I’m not in immediate danger.

The golem keeps at it, but I think I’ve calmed down. My thoughts are clearer. Time to take this thing down. I bring up a dirt pillar to block an incoming boulder, sprint around behind it, and slice at the joint where it’s leg connects. I use a thin blade of air to sever the connection. The golem falls over to one side, failing to catch itself. It crumbles down on one arm, effectively removing it. Before I can crush the thing into dust, I hear a whispy voice:

“…lux…”

I’m taken completely by surprise. Was that Castor?! It’s been like a month. I grab the ansible on my neck and yell back into it, “CAS? IS THAT YOU?”

A pebble shoots by my face, nicking my cheek, nearly taking out an eye. Rigel. The golem. Fuck. I look up and, covering my vision, is another rock. I attempt to dodge but take a slight blow to the head, still. Dazed, I yell out, “Cas!! Answer me! Can you hear me?”

I quickly heal away the pain on the side of my head and run. Rigel won’t let me die but he’ll let me fall unconscious. Can’t afford that right now. Finally, I hear it, “Lux. It’s Cas. I’m here…”

Without hesitation, I yell back, “CALL IT OFF. RIGEL.”

crash crash

The golem is still trying to kill me. “STOP THE GOLEM, STOP IT NOW,” I yell again. I’m running to him. The golem crumbles. He yells back.

“What’s up? Tired already?”

It’s finally time. Maybe we’ll get some answers. “I HEARD HER. I HEARD CAS.”

I call for her again, talking into the ansible as I regroup with the siblings. There’s no reply.

---

We’re all standing around the table upstairs. The ansible sitting in the middle of it. It’s so quiet, like none of us dare breathe in case we miss any noise.

Rigel, of course, breaks the silence, “Say something! Call her again!” Meissa and I stare at him. We’re all sweating just a little, it seems. I guess I’ll try again.

“Castor,” I say calmly. “Are you there? Can you hear me?” Everyone and everything is dead silent. So much so that I’m starting to wonder if I even just said the words out loud or if it was all in my head.

“Lux, you’re there.” Finally, some noise. And from Castor! The recognizable ethereal voice of the goddess who dumped me here.

“Holy shit, she’s real,” Rigel says under his breath. Meissa’s eyes are wide as she nods in agreement.

“Cas, where have you been?! You basically stranded me on an alien planet-“

Castor cuts me off, “Shhhhhush stop silence please.” She sighs. “I’m still very tired. Yes, you were sent far far away. Ha. That took a LOT out of me. And, need I remind you, I had to do it twice.” As if that was my fault. Rigel chuckles. Meissa hits his arm but is obviously stifling her own laughter. They’re a pair, aren’t they.

“Cas,” I say delicately. “I have a lot of questions. Are you actually a god? Why are you so tired? What do you want me to do? Why can’t I remember things?? What are these fucking headaches?! Who am I su-“

“Stop. Talking,” her voice is commanding. It’s almost as time itself stopped at her word, only resuming when it realized she was talking to me.

She sighs again, “I’ll answer anything I can. I’m not in a great mood. Not much of a morning person.” It’s dusk. She continues, “I used to be THE god…” There’s a short silence. “I’ve told you before, the effects of mortals kindling themselves has caused a less than favorable shift in the power dynamic of the universe… Things are…” Castor yawns, ending with a high pitched squeak. Cute. Aaaaahggggggg. Headache starting again. She sleepily finishes her sentence, “Things are not as they should be.”

Rigel clears his throat and speaks up, “I have no clue who you are, lady. I’ve never heard of a ‘god’ named Castor. Why should we believe what you’re saying?” Oh no.

I keep my mouth shut. There’s a long pause. Cas finally breaks the silence, “Pardon my Geminian, but who the fuck are you?“

Rigel begins to open his mouth to answer but, before a full word escapes his mouth, a shadowy tangle of pitch black strands pour from the ansible. They form a dark set of claws that sink deep into the skull and neck of my new friend. It all happened so quickly, I had no idea what was going on or what to think before he dropped like a brick to the ground. The claw evaporated as Rigel convulsed on the ground for a bit. Meissa moved quicker than me to see if he’s okay. I kind of… froze.

In what looks like an extreme state of fear, he scuffled himself over to the nearest corner of the room and hugged his knees. He’s shivering, eyes wide, muttering. Meissa sits with him, trying to comfort him.

I finally collect myself. “CAS WHAT THE HELL? What did you do to him??” She ignores the question and just giggles to herself. “Cas?!”

“He’ll be fiiiiineee. I didn’t do any damage, I just spooked him.” She laughs some more, like she just heard the funniest joke. This is upsetting.

“Castor, I don’t care who or what you are. That behavior is NOT okay.” This false bravery feels like all I can do to apologize to Rigel.

She sighs yet again, “Soo much disrespect, so early in the morning. I should just go back to sleep. You know, people used to LOVE me. RESPECT me. FEAR me, even. It’s been a long time since then…”

A muffled voice comes from the corner of the room, “…I’ve still never heard of you…”

Once more, the tendrils pour out of the tiny rock. This time, I put up a barrier between Rigel and the ansible. It shatters instantly, the claws moving as if they were never impeded in the first place and pierce themselves through Rigel’s head. Again, he drops to the ground and becomes a convulsing mess.

“CAS.”

“FINE. Fine. Fine fine fine. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again Mr Hero,” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Well, that’s better than her attacking me, too. Even though she’s on the verge of unconsciousness, I’m afriad we’re no more than ants to her. Why don’t I just bring the ansible around everywhere and let her do the work? “You had questions, Lux?”

I swallow and try to regain some composure. “Yeah, a lot.”

“You can’t remember your past because I don’t want you to.” What? “And your headaches act as a punishment for you trying too hard.” What. the. fuck?

“Cas what the hell? Why would you do this to me? What have you-” The headache. It’s unbearable now.

The goddess says almost monotonously, “I’ll give you everything you want and more if you just save Gemini.”

Meissa speaks up meekly, “Uhm, Miss Castor, your godliness.”

Castor happily responds, “How polite! Hello, cutie. How can I help you?” Urgh, my head.

“Uh, Miss Castor, how exactly is Lux supposed to do that? Respectfully,” Meissa says. I’m glad she can read a room better than Rigel. It’s been a day.

I can hear the smile in Cas’ voice. “Oh, that’s easy. He just has to kill King. And every other kindled.”

Chapter 7 – Malady –>

Sanctuary

_{<– Chapter 4 – Amity}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

It’s been quite an interesting time.

Blam.

How long has it been now…. 3 weeks? A month? I was never good at telling time.

Crunch. Crash. The sound of rocks smashing together.

It’s nice to just sit here and watch him, though. Kinda crazy seeing all the progress Lux has made since he got here. Feels like just yesterday he was struggling to control his energy output. I’ve had to close up too many holes around here.

Wooosshh BLAM. More rocks exploding.

But now look at him. He’s got a pretty iron will. I’ve been supervising his training; watching him practice day in and day out making sure he doesn’t do anything too reckless. Even though he’s basically a prodigy, he’s still inexperienced.

BANG bang.

There’s no doubt about it, he’s going to surpass me eventually. Perhaps sooner than I think. I like being the coolest guy in the village but he’s grabbed a lot of attention. Despite my warnings…

CrruNCH.

Yeah, he’s still learning. But more than just about his kindling. He’s almost completely ignorant of the goings on here. The socio-political climate, the natural environment, history. I believed him from the start, but it’s still weird to believe that he isn’t from Gemini.

Crack BAM.

What makes it harder is the fact that he isn’t completely ignorant. Just almost. Sometimes, Meissa or I will say something about the world and he gives us a face of almost… nostalgia. When pressed, he doesn’t really answer. Or he complains that his head hurts. Always with the headaches. The thing is, I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I don’t think he’s trying to hide anything from us.

kaaaaaBOOM.

I just worry he’s a pawn in something bigger. I mean, he is based on his story. A goddess resurrected him and told him to basically become a hero… That’s super sketchy to me, man. I worry about the guy and the more I’ve come to know him the more I worry. He’s a gentle soul. Perhaps a little too wound up, but gentle. I don’t know why he’s working so hard to improve for this… deity. I don’t really trust her. Why does he?

ping ping ping ping SRRRKKKK.

He doesn’t seem to know. Or at least he won’t tell us. Or he’s being forced into silence. Those damn headaches. What did she do to him?

pooooff…. SLICE. “AHHHHHHHHHHH fuuuuuccc-“

Oop. There goes his arm. I mark another notch on the board for the golem. Lux had the hardest time figuring out healing, but he’s shown some improvement. He glances at me almost as if trying to tell me to pause the exercise. I shrug.

CRASH.

Oh, good. He dodged. Better hurry up and heal, man. I take a sip of my tea. I see the familiar green aura around his arm. Good as new. He took a few rocks to the chest in the meantime, though. Honestly, it scares me how good he is. This is only a couple levels lower than I train. Perhaps I’m just that good a teacher, hahaha. What was I thinking about…?

Oh yeah, his headaches. I’ve told him before that I’d like to try to poke around in his head and see what’s causing it. He was enthusiastic about that. But then I told him I’ve only ever tried it on small animals and they all died in the process. Hmm. I sip more tea. He wasn’t happy about that.

BOOM bang. pik pik pik pik

Meissa tries her best with him too. They get along really well. Almost too well. Hm. Not like I’m being protective of my sister. I think maybe I’m just jealous, haha. He IS cute, too.

“Rigel, what’s going on? Is Lux okay?” I hear Meissa frantically asking as she pitter patters down the stairs into our warded little training room. “I heard a scream.”

I scratch my head and turn around to look at her. “Mei, you’ve heard Lux scream a thousand times by now. Are you not desensitized yet?”

She scowls at me, “Are YOU? I will continue to worry anytime anyone screams.” She takes the chair next to me, takes my tea cup, and downs the whole thing in one go.

“There’s no alcohol in that, sis,” I say.

“I know,” she replies. She sighs and relaxes. She’s not really mad at me. I know she just likes to mess around. “I’m not actually mad at you, Rigel.”

I laugh. “I know, Mei.” We watch as Lux continues to fight the golem. He should be tired by now. Maybe I should call it a day.

“How’s he doing?” she says quietly while leaning in, like she doesn’t want to interrupt the show.

I take a sip from my empty tea cup, “Good. Still not where he wants to be, but this is the first time he’s been completely on his own. He fixed his arm mid-combat.”

She sits back and mmm’s in understanding. “Hey Mei-“

“CALL IT OFF. RIGEL,” Lux yells.

crash crash.

“STOP THE GOLEM, STOP IT NOW”

I sit upright and wave. The golem falls into a pile of rocks. I yell back, “What’s up? Tired already?”

“I HEARD HER. I HEARD CAS.”

Chapter 6 – Grounds ->

Amity

_{<– Chapter 3 – Village}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

“Professor?”

Why can’t I figure it out?

“Excuse me uhm, Professor?”

What’s missing? There’s got to be something I’m missing.

“Excuse me, Professor?” A loud voice.

I’m shocked by the sudden voice behind me. My heart is racing and my train of thought is starting to get away from me. I lament that it will take me forever to get back to where I was, but that’s thrust aside by the sudden wave of anxiety rushing over me. Attempting to collect myself, I turn around in my chair and greet them.

I take a breath and stutter, “Y-yes, hello! I’m so so sorry I didn’t respond earlier!” I notice it’s that noble, Matar. It’s strange to be called “professor” by someone of status. Ahem. “Please, Sir Matar, I’ve said before: just call me Stella.” I’m still a bit frazzled but I force a smile. He’s holding one of the statues I handed out during my lecture earlier today. It’s broken. I’m not surprised; it’s a difficult topic.

He speaks up, “Pro- uhm, I mean Stella.” He clears his throat now, his face is a little red. Maybe I’m making things harder for people and should just let them call me what they want. Matar shuffles a bit before replying to me, “I’m also just your student here. Call me Mat. What is it you’re working on?” He nods toward the clay figure on my desk. I turn around and look at it. Ah, that’s right, I was busy. I pick up the figure and fiddle with the square protrusions I molded on the head. I kind of made it look like a chess piece with arms, legs, and eyes, haha.

I remember he asked me a question and start to answer, “For a long long time, I’ve been trying to give life to something. I’ve tried many different materials, shapes, objects, anim- uhm.” I think maybe I shouldn’t say that. I continue, “Nothing has worked. Well, nothing has stayed working…” I play with the arms on the clay figure. “They either stop moving after a short time or have no will of their own. So they just turn back into the lifeless matter they were before.” My face starts to hurt a little bit. Moving on, I point at his broken statue, “But, what is it I can help you with, Matar?”

He clumsily shows me the broken pieces of the statue and say, “I can’t seem to do what you showed us in the lecture. I just end up breaking it.” I take the pieces from him.

I smile a bit at the mess he gave me. The pieces begin to float between my hands. They slowly come together, the seams and edges smooth away as it becomes whole again. I have the statue do a little dance and softly tell him, “I wouldn’t worry that much. Remember, it took me decades before I was able to move matter around like this. You need to understand the fundamental elements of the world before you can start to manipulate it.” The statue is doing a small cheer. “At least, I had to understand all that. For you, the easiest way to think about it is to imagine that it’s not an unmoving statue.” Maybe that’s not right. I clarify, “Rather, realize that everything is made of the same things, so why couldn’t a statue flow like water?” The statue crumbles then splashes on my hands. Matar isn’t saying anything. He’s just kind of staring directly at my eyes. I avert my own eyes and quickly reform the statue. My heart can’t take the thought of whatever judgements are going through his head.

He finally speaks, saying, “But miss Stella, I know a stone statue can’t move like water specifically because I know its elements and properties.” He looks confused. I know this is a hard topic. Matar speaks again, “It’s just… difficult to imagine.”

That really is the roadblock. The benefits of experience are a burden on the imagination. I hand the statue back to him, “You’ll get it, I know it. You just need to let go a bit. I’ve noticed children have a much easier time with this lesson. Let your mind free, I know you can do it, Mat.” I try to reassure him with a smile. His face gets redder. What am I doing wrong? I turn back toward my desk.

Matar thanks me and walks out the door. I wave my hand above my head to say goodbye.

There are so many people in my life now. It’s really weird. I’m not used to people looking up to me. I’m honestly very uncomfortable, but it’s also really nice. People like Matar do make me feel welcome and important. They make me feel like I’m wanted here. Still, I have no idea what I’m doing or saying sometimes. People’s reactions are also hard to decipher, too.

I guess it’s not really my fault, though. I spent a long time completely alone. No one to greet me in the morning. No one to share my feelings with. No one was there when I fell or got hurt. That will mess a person up. If only I wasn’t alone.

Maybe it was my fault. People were scared of me. I was the girl without parents. That was weird. I had no manners. It was better if I just stayed away from people. I was alone.

It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been around. I shouldn’t be here.

It’s my fault. I should be alone. No one wants me here.

I should be alone.

I should-

A sudden tapping on my arm scares the life out of me. I shriek a little as I notice the clay figure I had been using for research was tapping me. Reflexively, I hit it away from me. When I noticed what I had done, my heart sank. I can’t believe I just did that. The little guy starts to pick himself up.

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.

I carefully lift it up to its feet. The figure seems to be okay and doesn’t look mad or hurt. I smooth out a few of it’s edges and brush it off. I ask it if it understands me. It just stares at me, its empty eyes unblinking. I try some more questions. No reactions.

I put up my right index finger and tap it with my left index finger. Then, I slowly move my right finger close to it and wait. A few moments go by, it stares at my hand, then puts its little arm against the tip of my finger.

Excitement. Elation. Confusion. My head is a maelstrom of emotions right now. I’ve done it. I don’t know how, but there’s a living creature in front of me that can make decisions and communicate. My entire being wants to scream. Decades of failure and now this.

Coming back down to Gemini, I realize the clay toy I made is staring at me again. I lean down, my face getting close to its face. “I guess I need to name you now, huh?” No response, of course. “How about Rook?”

Chapter 5 – Sanctuary ->

Village

_{<– Chapter 2 – Meadow}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

A nearby rustling makes the hair on my neck stand on end. Immediately, I am on my guard. Standing very still, I survey the area, looking for the rabbit. There are the bushes, an open clearing with sparse trees, and lots of grass. Nothing seems to be happening. The tear shaped stone is still in my hand. I slowly put the necklace on, hold the stone up to my face and whisper out a call for Cas.

Silence. I try again. I hear nothing but the ambient hum. One more time to be safe. Either this thing is broken, she lied to me, or she’s not awake. Does… whatever-it-is-she-is sleep? No way to find out until I hear back from her, I guess.

I noticed it earlier but now I have the presence of mind to process it: there’s a huge bloodstain on the ground a few paces away from me, near the bushes. That must be where I was slain last. If it wasn’t, I’d be even more worried. I’m not sure I want to inspect it, though.

Another rustle comes from the bush directly above the scarlet reminder of my death. For just a moment, I’d like to relax. I turn around, and just run toward the tree in the clearing I saw earlier. It doesn’t take me long to close the distance. I guess I can move pretty quickly now, too. I put my hand on the tree and lean against it for a moment, catching my breath. Seems like running still takes a lot of energy. I should have spent more time doing cardio in the past.

Suddenly, I remember I was supposed to be running from something. I turn around and check my path. Looks like I wasn’t followed. If the rabbit is anything like it used to be, then it probably doesn’t want confrontations. It makes me less nervous to imagine it was just acting in self defense. Preemptively. Finally, I catch my breath. The tree next to me is pretty tall. A view from the top should help me find some sort of shelter.

I inspect the tree to make sure nothing scary is on the branches. Deciding it’s safe, I climb to the top. It’s really dark. There isn’t much to see in the distance. I don’t see any obvious signs of caves or houses. I keep looking until I notice, very faintly, there’s a light between some hills. Perhaps fire? A sign of civilization? There isn’t much else for me to do, so that’s my destination.

Time to get out of the tree. As I drop down, my eye catches some movement. Focusing on it, sigh, it’s the damn rabbit. I was really hoping it wasn’t predatory. At least I know it’s coming this time.

I land and put up my guard again, waiting for it to strike. It didn’t take long. It’s so fast, I understand how it got me last time. But, now that I’m more present, I can see what’s happening. The rabbit’s leg swipes and it’s claws extend toward my neck. Decapitation, again? Let’s not make this a habit. I duck down below the swipe. At the same time, I go for an open palm strike toward the side of the creature. My hand ignites, leaving a bright trail behind its path. The side of my hand connects with the ribs of the rabbit. Its fur singes, it squeals, and is sent flying a few yards.

I take my previous defensive stance and ready myself, but the rabbit turned toward the bush it came from and scurried off. Good. It’s not like I wanted to kill it. I just didn’t want to die. Content, I let out a long sigh and put my hands on my knees. The adrenaline is still pumping.

Okay, now it’s time to go to the light I saw. I reorient myself and head in the direction I had decided on before. As I walk, I think about the events that just happened, my new strength, Cas, the future, and a lot of other things. I have a lot of questions and my head feels hazy. Who is Castor? Why must I become the strongest? What does that mean? Do I have a choice in any of this? What are the people on Gemini going to be like? At the very least, I’ve gotten a couple answers. The flame in my soul seems to enhance most of my basic abilities like eyesight, reflexes, durability, speed, and strength. Strangely, it seems like my stamina didn’t get the same increase. It kind of feels like I’m able to push my body’s limits instead of everything being just… improved. I don’t know. Conjuring the magical fire didn’t seem to make me any more tired, though. Further testing is required, I guess.

I’d love to keep playing around with all of this, but safety comes first. This whole situation is crazy and I’d prefer not to be some hero, but I can’t do anything if I’m dead. I continue my walk. I start to think about my past. Everything is fuzzy. Some bits and pieces are easier to see. I remember being a soldier. I remember doing research. I remember hurting people. Loving someone. Betrayal. Atonement. Dying. My neck begins to sting and my head starts to ache. I tap my wrists on my temples to relieve some of the pain.

The hum of the sky machine begins to intensify. It’s agitating. My headache is not appreciating it. I look up at the machine and see a small light break off of it. The light slowly gets brighter. Now bigger. And now it’s getting even bigger. I think it’s coming straight at me, really fast, too. I take a big breath and start running as fast as I can.

Without warning, I’m tackled from behind. My aggressor and I hit the ground in unison as the light smashes down behind us, creating a small crater and kicking up a cloud of dust. I catch myself and turn towards the assailant. Before I could say anything, they already have a hand over my mouth and are signaling me to be quiet. They let go of my face and wave their other arm in a circle above their head.

A shimmering veil surrounds us like a dome. I can see through it, but the outside is slightly obscured. The stranger is still gesturing for me to be silent. They don’t seem harmful. I trust them and remain still. For a moment, everything is quiet. Then, a small humming machine flies by the dome and stops at the crater. From the machine, a few flashes of light illuminate the hole in the ground. It seems satisfied then floats straight up toward the humming machine. We wait in silence for quite a long time. I’m starting to get bored, honestly. I sit comfortably, lean back, and stare at the person who hit me. They appear to be male. Their face is obscured by some heavy eyewear and some light clothing.

Finally, the guy who assaulted me stands up, waves away the veil, and offers me a hand. I take it and lift myself up. He says, “What the hell are you?” I’m caught off guard and, to be honest, kind of pissed off by this question.

“I’m a person. What the hell are you? What the hell was that flying thing?” I reply.

He laughs and lets go of my hand. The man takes off his eyewear and smiles at me. He calmly replies, “I’m a person, too. We call those things ‘birds.’ They’re King’s sentries.” I scrunch my face and squint in confusion. I don’t think that explained anything. While exhaling slowly, he stretches his shoulders a bit, visually relieving some of his stiffness. “Sorry for earlier. I saw you fighting with the rabbit and followed you,” the man says softly.

Ah, perhaps he doesn’t know about these powers? Maybe I came across like one of the monsters. Hmm, that makes no sense. That veil earlier looked like magic. As I understood from Cas, everyone is powerful. Anyway, I speak up, “Oh, yeah, I’m pretty strong. I was just defending myself, though.”

The guy looks confused, “Strong? Haha, apparently not that strong. I saw you die. The rabbit killed you back there.” I am embarrassed hearing this. “Then a few minutes later, you were back. During your rematch, you didn’t even kill it.” He starts to laugh again then continues, “I have a lot of questions, buddy.” I don’t want to talk to him anymore.

I change the subject, “I need shelter. I’m heading toward the light source over that way.”

The guy relaxes his shoulders and put a hand on mine. I flinch a little bit. He says, “That’s my home village. I’ll take you there.” He reaches out a hand and says, “I’m Rigel. Nice to meet you.”

I reluctantly put my hand in his and shake it. “I’m Po-” My throat closes up. I can’t seem to say my name. I clear my throat and try again. “I’m Lux.” This came out easily. I am concerned. Did Cas actually change my name? Does she have some sort control over me? No catch my ass.

“Well, Lux, let’s get you back to my place. My sister can’t cook but you don’t look like you can, either, so what choice do either of us have? Haha.” He sounds like he’s joking but his face says he’s hoping I’m secretly a master chef.

I tell him I can eat almost anything, so I’ll be fine. Rigel gives me a pained smile. We walk in silence toward his village.

---

The gravel crunches beneath my boots. It’s a nice change from all the grass and dirt. The walk was quite long. Rigel kept trying to lighten the mood with some jokes, but I really wasn’t in the mood. I feel kind of bad letting him flail around trying to connect with me, but it was funnier that way. He seems like a nice person. I’m probably very lucky I met him first. Or maybe it wasn’t luck. I have no clue how much Castor has orchestrated things. If only she’d answer the stupid rock. I have so many questions for her.

The village is nice. Not very large, I think. There’s a couple rows of well-built homes, mostly made of brick and wood. A couple appear lit up, but there isn’t anyone outside their homes. There’s a larger building in the center and a couple nicely decorated ones around it. Perhaps public spaces. Some strange animals occupy wooden pens by the houses. Livestock, I guess? I’ve never spent any time near animals.

“Here we are!” Rigel suddenly exclaims. I wasn’t expecting him to be so loud, especially this late in a place so quiet. I reflexively covered my ears, to which he mouthed an “oops.”

Rigel fiddles with the lock on the door of the cottage we stopped beside. A couple thumps and an expletive later, the door opens. He waves his arm and tells me to come inside.

The smell of stew permeates the room. I assume his sister is cooking. Admittedly, his comments about her cooking had me worried, but I don’t think I have anything to worry about. I’m curious what she looks like.

“Meissa! I brought something weird home!” Rigel yells. I’m annoyed that he keeps referring to me as a thing. I choose to remain silent this time. “Meissa!” he yells, again.

A huskier voice than I expect shouts back, “I heard you the first time! Give me a damn second!” I’m more curious about her now. Rigel shrugs and sits down. He points at a chair and tells me to sit. I lean back against the wall instead, defiantly. He shrugs again. We wait patiently for his sister. I cross my arms and close my eyes, imagining her appearance. I realize I don’t really know what Rigel looks like either. His cloak and eyewear block most of his face. It’s kind of weird he didn’t take them off immediately after entering. I ask him why he’s wearing his gear still. He tells me it’s because “it looks cool.”

Meissa turns the corner of the kitchen as I’m lost in thought. I almost didn’t notice; I was distracted. She’s a lot smaller than I imagined. Probably half a foot shorter than Castor. She stares at me confused, “Rigel what the hell? You said you brought a weird thing home but it looks like a guest.” She puts the bowl of stew she’s holding down in front of him. He laments that they stew has cabbage in it. As Rigel attempts to grab the spoon from her she flips it onto the floor. After wiping her hands on her shirt, she extends a hand out to me, “I’m sorry about him. He’s kind of an ass.” Rigel makes noises of disagreement. “You get used to it and then start to tune it out. My name is Meissa.” I shake her hand. I like her more than Rigel already. She continues, “So what’s your name and what brings you here?”

Rigel starts to speak but I cut him off, “It’s kind of a story but, to keep it short, I have nowhere else to go. Rigel invited me here for shelter. Oh, and you can call me Lux.” Slurping noises attack my ears. Meissa begins thinking. She puts her hand to chin and hums.

Meissa says, “What’s the whole story? The short version told me almost nothing.”

Rigel then starts speaking with food in his mouth, “I shaid the shame thing but he wouldn’t chalk.”

She waves her hand at him dismissively, “Stop, just eat. Do you want any food?” I nod and thank her. She quickly sets up another bowl and hands it to me. She says, “I don’t blame you for staying quiet around him. Honestly it’s all you can do, sometimes.” Meissa chuckles. I think they get along better than they let on. She grabs my attention again saying, “Talk to me though. Why are you here?” I flinch. Her face is pretty serious. She nods at me, waiting for a response. I nod back reactively. She’s a little scary.

She walks me to the table and sits her face in her hands. It reminds me of Cas and it makes me uneasy. I tell her, “Um, well, I’m not from here. I’m from another planet.” The siblings look at each other, pause, and then back at me. They say nothing but wait for me to continue.

I tell them about my reincarnation, about Castor, how she lit my soul and sent me on a quest. I admit that a rabbit killed me the first time around, but I was sent here again. Rigel confirms excitedly to Meissa that he saw this happen. They ask me about my past, but I have a hard time telling them anything about myself. My head starts hurting and the memories are hazy. They’re surprisingly accepting of the story. I was expecting to be met with “you’re lying” or “what are you hiding”, etc. They listened like they were happy to have something new happen around town. They tell me that those with lit souls, as I call it, are referred to as “kindled.” Both Rigel and I are kindled. Rigel tells me he was born with it, but Meissa was not. As it turns out, most people are unkindled.

Meissa speaks up, “So, this Castor is like a deity or something?” Her eyes are bright with curiosity. “I’ve never heard of her before. You sure she’s real?” Ah, here comes the disbelief. I was ready for this. I guess they just held their questions until the end of the story.

I pull out the tearstone from my shirt and show it to them. I say, “Cas gave me this rock that’s supposed to allow me to communicate with her, but she hasn’t been answering.” Both of them stand up and gasp.

Rigel points at the rock and exclaims, “That’s an ansible!” Meissa nods her head and then stares at me wide-eyed and mouth agape. He then says, “Those are insanely rare and probably one of the most useful things in the world.” Meissa nods again.

She collects herself and then tells me, “An ansible is basically a means of instant communication. They come in pairs. One stone relays sounds it hears to it’s twin without delay and across any distance.” Rigel nods.

I hold it up and examine it. I’m not sure what to say, but I speak anyway, “Well, that would sound impossible if I didn’t already go through weirder events.”

The siblings sit back down and calm down. Rigel starts, “It’s worth a fortune. There used to be a lot of them, but King had them destroyed. They’re extremely useful for military coordination; destroying them made sure no one else could use them against him.” Meissa nods and sighs sadly.

I have tons of questions. Who is King? Is he the strongest? Do I have to surpass him? How the hell am I supposed to do that? My mind is racing, I’m tired, I just want to stop thinking. Before I can say anything, though, Meissa has a question of her own.

She moves the conversation along, “So, why did you accept Castor’s proposal? Did you just really want the power? Why not deny it and rest in peace? If what you said is true, you lived your life already. Did you have regrets?”

I remind her I don’t really remember too much about my past, but I do confirm that I feel some unfocused regret. It would be easier if I could understand my own feelings. I whisper, “I don’t know.” My chest tightens a bit. I lean forward and start to relax on my arms, too tired to keep up my guard any longer. “I think part of me wanted the power, part of me was afraid to say no, and part of me thought maybe I could fix whatever it is that’s bothering me.” They tilt their heads in unison. Rigel looks confused and Meissa looks empathetic. “When I was reincarnated, or resurrected, or whatever, my feelings were more clear. Cas told me a story about a girl who became the first kindled. She spoke about the girl like she was an idiotic child, but I just felt sad for her.”

Rigel gets excited and loudly says, “The Witch!” I raise my eyebrows and stare at him. I ask if they know anything about the girl in the story. He goes on, “They call the first kindled ‘The Witch.’ She was supposedly the most powerful kindled of all time. Far more powerful than even King.”

This is good. Any info is good. I ask Rigel, “Can you tell me more about her?”

Rigel clears his throat and says confidently, “Nope!” Meissa lets her head fall backwards. He says, “Well, I know a little.”

Meissa sits back up and puts her hand on her brother’s head. She says softly, “It’s okay, you don’t have to talk.” He pouts. She looks at me directly and says, “There isn’t a lot of information about her. She died a couple centuries ago. Everything I know about her is from stories I’ve heard.”

I sit up, posture straight. “I’ll take any information, honestly. All myths and stories have some truth to them, right?”

She agrees, asks Rigel to fetch water for everyone, and begins her story.

Chapter 4 – Amity –>

Meadow

_{<– Chapter 1 – Abyss}

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

Ahem. “What the fuck just happened?” I’m still breathing frantically; my heart hasn’t adjusted yet. Castor smiles, chuckles, smacks her face a couple times, and puts on a serious expression. Not a few moments later does she crack and start laughing again. I’m showing obvious irritation.

“I’m sorry,” she begins. Castor takes a deep breath and sighs. “There’s a lot-“

“I died in like ten seconds!” I interrupt, still angry.

Her eyes open and her crimson gaze pierces through me. There’s no sign of her previous playfulness. The look she’s giving me actually instilled a sort of primal fear within me. I shut my mouth and pay attention. What the hell is she?

She starts again, “There’s a lot I didn’t tell you. I thought it best to show you through example.” Show what through example? Whatever that fearsome creature was? I thought I was supernaturally gifted. That beast ended me effortlessly. She paused as if waiting for my thoughts to finish. Her intensity softens a bit. “The creature you met was a simple rabbit. One of the weakest animals on the planet. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon to accidentally scare one to death.” I couldn’t believe it. Before I could open my mouth, I feel a cold finger press up against my lips and a body pressed up against my back. Startled, I freeze. “Shh… I’m still talking,” her ghostly breath chills my ear. She lets go of my shoulder. I turn around to look at her but there is only the void.

Her voice once again emanates from the throne. I face her, bewildered. “You’re a good person, I know it. But you’re also arrogant. It’s true that I’ve gifted you with strength, but strength is nothing without wisdom. Bravery without fear is stupidity, not courage.”

Yes, ma’am.

“Gemini is dangerous for someone without fear. It’s a place so radiant with power, the only way to survive is to be scared.” She exhales deeply then stretches, letting out some strangely cute noises. Seemingly having shaken off her previous gravitas, Castor smiles. “Blah blah blah. None of that is any fun, I know. You used your power a bit, yeah?” She claps, startling me. “How was it?”

I swallow and clear my throat. “U-uh it was… fun?” She giggles. I have no idea how to feel about her anymore.

“Good! Keep that enthusiasm.” Was that sarcasm? Castor takes a quick walk around her throne and then lays down across its arms. “So, Gemini. It’s awful.” Her bare feet kick. “It used to be a pretty weak planet but, a couple hundred years ago, some inhabitants figured out how to light the fire in their souls.” I can feel my nerves coming back to me. I’m interested now.

The spotlight on the throne suddenly turns off. A smaller square light appears mid air. Shadows cast by Castor’s hands appear and her voice fills the entirety of the void, seemingly from every direction. “Once upon a time, there was a girl in a meadow.” The shadows form a tree and a figure of a small girl. A puppet show, really? I’m only just noticing I’m in a chair of my own.

The girl begins to hold her face. “Boo hoo! Boo hoo!” Castor cries out. “If only I had but one friend! Boo hoo! It’s not fair!” The girl runs toward the tree and sits down, hugging her knees. “The whiny girl lived alone. The world had taken everything from her. No more parents, no more siblings, no more pets, no more toys.” Shadowy shapes of all kinds appear flying across the light into a shadowy trash bin, which then disappears. “This pathetic child could do nothing to help herself. She simply wished for someone to save her.” A knight on a horse dances across the meadow. The little girl excitedly watches as the knight approaches, but he does not stop for her. Her head bows and she begins to sob again, this time convincingly. My heart drops at the sound.

Castor suddenly makes some wooshing noises as she scrambles the scenery into a whirlpool. The shadows now shows rain, a cave, and the girl lying down inside. “‘If only I had a friend’, the girl says again. ‘Then I could at least share my suffering.’ But no one wanted to be her friend.” The rocky cave expands into geometric walls and windows. The girl walks across the hallway. “The little girl, in her misguided desperation for companionship, thought she might lure someone in if she had something to give. So she began reading.”

Books fly into organized shelves while the girl sits at a desk, flipping pages rapidly. One book replaces hers, and then the next, and the next, until all of then have been exhausted of their knowledge. “She absorbed never ending pages of information, hoping to create something new and interesting. In her studies, she came across the idea of the spirit, the soul, or whatever it was called in whatever book she had her nose in.” The library melts into a stormy sea and the girl is submerged, her body hollow. There is a small circle in the center of her chest.

“She spent countless hours, years, decades, peering into herself. Partly because she believed there was something more to this hollowness within her, and partly because she was only comfortable around herself anymore.” Castor pauses for an uncomfortable amount of time. When she started again, it scared me. Louder than necessary, she said, “After so long, the sad little girl found the spark. Her soul lit up.” The circle in the center of the girl glows brightly, then ignites into a flame.

The sound of multiple voices giggling fill the void. “I did it! I did it!” The girl dances. “I have something to show everyone! I’ll be so popular!” She continues dancing. “And I’ll finally be happy.”

The shadows converge back into the shape of Castors hands. They open and close while an unintelligible crowd of voices murmur. “The girl showed everyone what she learned. The new power she had achieved was astounding. Godlike. Celestial. For a while, she was revered. She was popular. She was happy.” The girl is now in the front of a classroom. “She taught student after student what took her a lifetime to learn in a matter of weeks.”

“It wasn’t long before nearly the whole world had caught up to her. But none of them, not even the discoverer of these new skills, had the wisdom to use it responsibly.” Horrible imagery appears before me. “Cities were built and destroyed in a day, creatures were imbued with abilities they should not have, wars were fought, people died, people were brought back. Some wished for death. Some wished for life.” I couldn’t speak if I wanted to. “The girl had once again lost everything. This time, she knew it was her fault.”

The lights all disappear and I am enveloped by the void once again. Castor’s throne lights up like before. She’s sitting gleefully, her hands are holding her pale cheeks. “What did you think? I’ve been working on it for a long time,” she said eagerly.

I try my best to speak, “It was intense.”

She pouts and sits back. “It’s supposed to be fun, Lux.”

“Lux?” I ask.

“Well, you didn’t wanna pick a new name so Lux it is. It’s better but still close enough for you to be comfy, I think,” she says with sweet eyes. She’s all over the place, man.

Whatever. That’s fine. “Okay, so, if that was… 200 years ago? What’s Gemini like now?”

Castor stands up and walks towards me. She kneels down and meets my gaze. “It’s broken. There’s a sort of equilibrium now, but things are not as they should be.” She makes me feel cold. Her aura is chilling. “I need you to fix it.”

I’m not sure why I have to do anything. “What’s wrong with the way things are now? I mean, if the new status quo is what it is now, what makes this any different from any sort of revolution?”

“Everything will die,” she says without hesitation. I remain silent. “The soul takes energy from Nowhere.” She looks around, then spreads her arms, gesturing for me to look around too. “This place used to be bright. Nowhere is the source of all life. Every soul is a link to this place. The soul is given a constant and steady supply of light for as long as it is alive.” She stands up and walks back to her throne. “A soul doesn’t need much to persist. Barely a trickle. Igniting a soul is like opening a floodgate. It’s many orders of magnitude greater than a single soul needs, leading to extraordinary strength.” Castor leans her cheek against her fist. “Now do you get it?”

I think I do. “So, this affects more than just Gemini?”

“Correct,” she says.

I continue, “That means.. when Nowhere has run out, no more souls?”

“You’ve got it. So smart!” She begins clapping for me. “Everyone dies eventually. When they do, their soul is reclaimed by Nowhere. But the people of Gemini burn more energy than they are naturally supposed to be afforded. I want you to stop them.”

Wow. Okay. No catch, she said. It’ll be fun, she said. Shuffling on the floor, I cross my legs and try to relax a bit. I give her an earnest look and say, “Why can’t you do it? You’re clearly stronger than me.”

Castor replies, “That’s why I can’t. I’m the only reason this place hasn’t collapsed yet. I need to stay here and keep it alive.” She’s starting to look bored. “Are you ready to go back yet?”

Fuck no. “I’m uh, not sure what I would even need to do.” She closes her free hand, then opens it again. On her palm is a blue teardrop shaped rock attached to a necklace. She throws it to me. I catch it. “What is this?”

With half-closed eyes, Castor smiles and says, “Wear it and you’ll be able to hear my lovely voice wherever you are. Normally it wouldn’t be necessary but cross plane communication takes a lot of effort nowadays.” Perhaps she’s tired, not bored. “Just try not to die. Spend your first few days finding shelter and a place to practice with your new powers. We can talk again later, ‘kay?”

Okay. I guess. My enthusiasm is waning but I’ll do as she says for now. “I’m ready, I guess.”

She snaps her fingers. A ring of light echoes from the source of the sound and hits me like a wave, again. “Don’t touch the rabbits,” she warns me sarcastically.

I am enveloped in a warm greyness. The grey became black, which then became a deep purple. I’m greeted by the stars as I lie in the grass in the meadow.

_{Chapter 3 – Village –>}

Abyss

_{This is a work in progress. Names, events, titles, etc. are subject to change}

The soundless abyss creates an imaginary hum in my ears. “Where am I?” I could hear my voice ring out in the empty dark void. Attempting to look around feels pointless. I can’t tell which way is which, anyway. A sudden vertical beam of light rips through the blanket of darkness. After the pain fades and my eyes adjust, I notice a large crimson throne decorated with gold. Upon the throne sits a beautiful but ghostly woman wearing strange, wispy, black clothes.

“You’re nowhere! Well, to be precise, you’re in Nowhere. But… it’s also nowhere? I’m not very good with mortal words.” She chuckles lightly; her face shows what seems to me a genuine smile. The woman uncrosses her legs and leans forward a bit, resting her head in her hands. She hums an ethereal tune while kicking her feet. Her red eyes look me up and down. I think she’s appraising me. “What’s your name?”

I pull myself together and try to remember. Oh yeah, my name is-

“Pollux,” I answer.

She sits back, her brow furrowed and eyes closed. Her arms cross while she seems to ponder my name. “No, I don’t like it. Pick something else.” I have no clue what to tell her.

“Uhm, what?” I said confused.

“Pick a new name; it can be anything! Just not Pollux,” she says with a smile.

I’m annoyed. I resist grumbling. “How about you tell me your name, first?”

She answers enthusiastically, “My name is Castor! Cas is fine, though.”

“Mmmm, no. I don’t like it. Pick something else.” I turn my head and cross my arms. She giggles, shifts around in her throne, and then clears her throat.

“I can’t change my name. Everyone knows me by this one.” Castor makes a face that lets me know she realizes the irony in her words. I think she’s teasing me. Before I can say anything, she begins to explain, “Ok. Let’s get the exposition out of the way, yeah? You died.” I wince a bit hearing that, but I’m not exactly surprised; my neck still feels the cold steel. She continues, “You died and now you’re here. And soon you’ll be going somewhere else! You don’t need your old yucky name.”

I’m more annoyed than I was before. Having regained a bit of composure, I speak up, “Is this how it always is? This sounds like something that should be taken more seriously.” She sighs, crosses her legs again, and puts on a less cheery expression. Something between melancholy and seriousness.

“Not always,” she says calmly. She looks down at her lap silently. Her head raises and our eyes meet, “You’ve been given another chance. A chance to achieve what you’ve always wanted. You will be a new person with a new life on a new planet. A planet in need of a hero, someone who can save them from a terrible fate. I will also grant you power beyond your imagination to aid your endeavors.” This thin pale lady’s bright red eyes feel like they’re burning holes through me. Cas, I suppose, I should be calling her.

“Why me, Cas?” I force myself to ask. She looks as if she was anticipating the question. I didn’t want to be rude. The idea of starting over does sound nice. I’d readily accept if I wasn’t so suspicious of the whole thing. Power? What kind of power?

Castor beams at the sound of her name being said. “Because you deserve it! I’ve seen the good you’ve tried to put out into your world. It’s sad how unappreciated it went. I think you deserve another chance, no?” Her smile is different this time. Not like the genuine one I saw earlier. My suspicion grows. I ask her what it is she’s hiding. Castor acts offended, “Nothing! There’s no catch. New life. Big power. New planet. Big story. I can make good on all of these promises, ok?”

All the good I put out into the world? I’m starting to think she hasn’t seen one second of my life. I mean, I don’t even know what she is. A god? A reaper? A con artist? Should I be hiding my wallet? Anyway, there may not be any harm in doing what she says. I did actually die. Extraordinary abilities sound great. Worst that happens is I can’t do what she expects of me and she gets someone else, right? Then I can just be some powerful hermit or something… After enough silence, I finally give her a response, “Ok.”

Castor hops off her velvety throne excitedly and claps her hands together. The sound is somehow smothered by the darkness. “Excellent! In exchange for these wonderful abilities, you just have to become the strongest in the world!” I recall there not being a catch. She puts her heels together, stands up straight with a hand behind her back, and gives a quick finger snap. A ring of light echoes from the source of the sound and hits me like a wave. Before I can even ask what the hell she means by “becoming the strongest,” I am enveloped in a warm greyness. I couldn’t speak, nor could I seem to move. Rather, I couldn’t tell if I was moving or not.

The grey became black, which then became a deep purple. Tiny white holes poked through the haze like stars in the sky. After a few seconds, I start to realize they were stars in the sky. I can feel my arms again. Turning my head to my left, I feel there is grass on my neck. I’m lying down, it seems. I get up, stretch, and wipe the void off my clothes. Giving my surroundings an actual look around, everything seems pretty close to what I’m used to. Trees, flowers, grass, hills, stars, two moons, giant humming machine in the sky. Ok, that last one was actually strange. But otherwise, I expected more from a different planet, assuming Castor wasn’t lying about anything.

I take a moment to breathe. My body feels the same, but somehow different. There’s a fire in my spirit that wasn’t there before. When I close my eyes, I can see it. This must be part of the power Castor granted me. She never gave me any sort of clue what it means, but I am eager to try things out. Magic was simply a story telling where I’m from. Perhaps, after what I’ve recently seen, I can believe something like that is real? I wouldn’t know how to perform any sort of spells but it’ll be fun to try, I guess.

I open my palm and imagine conjuring fire. Not a moment later does fire appear. And a split second after that I am engulfed. Scared beyond belief, I flail like an idiot. It feels like it took me too long to realize that I wasn’t in any actual danger. I’m not burning. There’s definitely a cloak of flame around me. It’s definitely really hot. The grass and ground around me has turned to glass. I take a deep, hot breath in the inferno and calm myself. The flame extinguishes.

I poke at the thick crystallized rainbow below me. Crack. The whole thing shatters into dust. Perhaps I should be careful with this new strength. Seems dangerous.

Rustling from a nearby bush startles me. I turn to face the sound, revealing to me a small rodent-like creature with long ears. It’s cute. I take a few steps closer and hold out my hand, beckoning it towards me. The critter hops carelessly toward me. I wave my hand a bit and, not a moment later, I see my forearm fall to the ground. Before I can understand what’s happening, I find myself in a dark void.

“Welcome back!” a familiar voice greets me.

My hands grasp at my neck, I choke out some sounds something akin to words. I look up to see Castor smiling her genuine smile at me.

_{Chapter 2 – Meadow –>}