Chapter Text
Lumine yawned.
Aether elbowed her. "At least pretend you're paying attention," he whispered teasingly.
"You know they're going to beam it to our ship anyway," she returned, rolling her eyes. Her brother knew she took her job seriously, even if she was more laidback than him about it. But he never let an opportunity to tease her slip by.
Well, Lumine supposed she liked the banter. Otherwise she wouldn't keep setting herself up for it.
"You two. Got all that?"
They both startled. Lumine scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Ah, I. Yes, Master Cinpa."
The older man shook his head fondly. "I know you think you know it all, but even four thousand years isn't enough for you to see it. Live it. Know the universe like the back of your hand."
Lumine was mouthing along. They'd—or she, at least—had heard this lecture many, many times before. Aether just chuckled.
"I'll keep an eye on her, Master."
The old man's face crinkled into a smile. "I know you will."
Lumine scowled, although it held no heat. "I swear, Aether, we were formed at the same time. Just because you took a little less time to coalesce—"
"—should have been faster—"
"Stop interupting me!"
"Alright, travelers. You can argue another time. This mission takes priority. It's been so long since we had any sign of formative stardust."
Yes, Lumine knew. And she knew how much trust Master Cinpa was placing in them, the youngest of their kind. She smiled.
"We'll return safely, Master. And we'll bring them back home."
…
"Do you ever wonder what causes stardust to become formative?"
"It does seem odd," Lumine agreed, looking out the window of their starship. "So many stars out there, and so many that go supernova. You'd think the chances would be a little higher."
Aether hesitated. "I heard… that the stars are reforming faster nowadays. That there's not enough time anymore for them to release it after they explode."
"What a load of ash," scoffed Lumine. "Who'd you get that nonsense from?"
"Master Fugium."
"See, you can't believe a thing he says. Spends his whole life on the scopes and the astrolabes."
"I heard it from him, but even Master Aeterna is worried. She says if it keeps up then we might be some of the last ones."
"Oh," Lumine said, frowning. If Master Aeterna was seriously considering this theory, then that made it much more credible in her eyes. And much more worrying. "What do you think is causing that, then?"
"I have no idea," her brother admitted.
"Well why'd you bring it up then?" Lumine scowled, whacking her brother on the shoulder. But Aether knew her well enough to see through her façade, her lip trembling despite her attempts to keep it stiff.
It was a scary topic, after all. Despite how often stars died to bring them into being, no one wanted to think about a "star" dying. It had been millions of years before the twins were even born that one of the Elders had passed on, and it would likely be many millions more before it happened again. Bad enough to think of even one of them dying, let alone their whole race.
She was very glad when he wrapped her in a hug. She wouldn't choose anything else in the universe over her (by minutes!) older brother.
…
It was a few years before they reached the nebula outlined in their mission logs. It was charted territory, fortunately; but still quite far from the Elder Sun. It had been some time since anyone had visited this area of space as well. The nebula was still classified as a star on their maps. There was a good chance they'd have to do some reclassifying on their way back, to make sure their systems were up to date on this area.
Probably a good thing. Lumine didn't think you were supposed to put babies in stasis as soon as they were born.
She was shaken out of her thoughts by the ship's alert system. It was likely the stardust showing up on its sensors. A good sign, but they needed to get in position.
They flew out together, side by side. This was one of her favorite parts of traveling—getting to spread her wings. The cold of a vacuum had never bothered her; nor did the lack of breathing. It was freeing in a way that she couldn't get anywhere on the space station they called home.
They stopped their flight as they reached the formative stardust, which was already beginning to fuse together. It was breathtaking. There, in the scenery of scattered dust and gases, stardust combined into larger matter, taking the form of dark blue-gray arms and legs curled up, wisps of ebony hair, eyes that opened to reveal a dark green. It was an unusual color for a star, but perhaps this one's predecessor had burned hotter than most. And it was unusual enough to see a star born at all, so Lumine simply wished that this star would grow to see their kind flourish again, rather than be cursed to be the last of them.
She smiled. Aether met her eyes. He was too. Neither of them had ever seen a star born, but it was every bit as beautiful as the Elders said it was. There was something indescribeable about seeing a living being come into existence.
They carried the baby to the ship. Lumine already knew what it would be called. It had sung to her. Aether knew too. "Spesga," they said at the same time. Hope, it meant. Rejoice, for this is a blessing.
The baby laughed. It was a rich, yet watery sound. It would not remember this day, but already it resonated with the name the universe had chosen for it.
…
They spent another few years out in the emptiness and waste. There wasn't much that did need to be changed, only a few classifications of nearby stars based on where they were in their lifespans. Minor things, really; these stars would live for as many more years as the twins themselves, give or take.
It was time to go back when Lumine noticed a shimmering red mark on her right palm. It was in the shape of a star, a diamond just barely shaped to have curves rather than edges, sharp points rather than simple corners.
"It looks like a soul mark," said Aether, when he saw her looking at it. "Some world's overeager fate reaching out and trying to claim you as its own. Remember that one I got ages ago?"
She did remember. Three black stripes, curling around his bicep. Lumine hadn't liked it. It was unfamilar to her, and reminded her of the corrosive touch of poison.
It had still made her a little uncomfortable when Master Muta dispelled it, though. Somewhere, on some distant world, there was another being attached to him by fate. Did that being deserve to have their destiny torn from them, by something conpletely out of their hands?
Still, it had to be done. Their duties took them all over the universe. They could hardly be tied to any one world. It was very rare that a star settled on a different world at all, and it was their own choice to make. Not some world reaching out to form a fate bond. So Lumine's would be removed as well, and whatever ties she had to the mysterious world could be severed.
…
Master Muta went pale.
"What's wrong?" Lumine asked hesitantly.
"It's still there," xe said, clearly shaken. "I can't override this fate. I don't know why. I've dispelled marks of practically every kind on just about every living star. This isn't anything new. So why…"
Xe trailed off, xir pale red hands anxiously tapping the work station desk between them.
"What happens now?" asked Lumine. "I've never heard of this happening before…"
"Just… stay there for now," xe said, uncomfortably. "I need to deliberate with the Council."
Lumine looked away as the venerable Master broke into an almost run out of the room. It was worrying to see one of the Elders so worked up.
…First the stars reforming too quickly, now a world with a fate powerful enough to override all their severing attempts? Were they really losing their authority along with their kind dwindling toward nothingness?
She was worried, and she wished Aether was there with her. Telling her it would all be alright. But he had gone to visit Spesga in the nursery, assuming Lumine would be fine. So she waited, and waited. And waited.
That was how Aether found her. Waiting at that same work station, legs curled up with arms wrapped around.
"Lumine? I thought you'd be back in our room by now… Wait, are you alright?"
"They… can't fix it," she said quietly.
"The soul mark?" he asked, alarmed.
She just showed him her palm in response. It was still there, despite the redness of the skin around it where she'd scratched at it. She knew it wouldn't help, but… she couldn't stand the thought of being tied to someone she didn't know so completely. It was unnerving, to say the least.
"I don't know what kind of omen this is supposed to be, Aether. I don't want anyone having control over my fate. And no one should even be able to try to control me."
"I'm sure the Council will be able to figure it out. And if not them, I know you and I can do it ourselves. We'll figure it out. We always have."
"Lumine," called a voice behind them. Master Muta. "Ah, and Aether. Good timing. The Council would like to see both of you."
The twins shared a look. They knew everyone on the Council, of course, but being called before them always felt very strange. Especially now that this had gone wrong.
They followed Master Muta. It was a short walk. The Council often met spontaneously, wherever was convenient, and now was no exception—there had no doubt been a hurry to gather after Master Muta had called them all. Now they had all gathered in one of the few classrooms on the station, the six of them unceremoniously sat on tables and chairs.
"Lumine. Aether," Master Xena greeted. Despite his friendly words, there was an nervous glint in his blue eyes.
"Master," she said. "Do you know what's going on?"
"We don't," he said. "I'm sorry."
"This Council's decision has been made," Master Aeterna cut in. "We do not know why our authority is insufficient to remove the mark, so you two will find out. You will find the world that is the source of the problem, and take care of the source of the mark."
"Yes, Masters," the twins said. Aether smiled tentatively at her. She smiled back. He was right—if anyone could solve the problem it would be them.
…
After hundreds of years on search, it was starting to feel untrue. Honestly, it was like this world didn't want to be found. That didn't even make sense when it had marked her first. The least it could do was show itself.
So it had been for so many years. More time than most species would ever live for spent in stasis. They'd explored countless worlds, yet none of them had the answer they were looking for.
At least until the ship beeped one day, strangled and shrill, releasing her from stasis to find an empty ship. Aether was gone. And worse, their ship had scored a deep trench in the ground. Even when she found Aether, it would likely be ages before they would be able to get the ship working.
The people could not understand her, of course, nor she them, but that was an ordinary trouble. More unordinary was being alone, with a broken ship and a people who seemed to think she was some type of envoy of the sky. Selestiae, they called her. She knew what the sounds meant in her language, but they would gesture to some structure in the sky whenever they referenced her. It was confusing.
And then Aether found her.
"I thought I was going to have to come find you," she said, relieved. "Do you know how it felt when I woke up and you weren't there? When I didn't know where you possibly could have gone?"
"Lumine…"
She looked up at him. He looked exhausted.
"We need to get out of here, Lumine. Things are strange here."
"Aether, what? We just—"
He took her by the arm, and flew. She activated her own wings, and broke free. It was hard to keep up. She didn't know why he was so adamant on leaving, or how he had gotten outside the ship at all. But those were questions that could be asked later. For now, she would follow him away.
It wasn't hard to notice that they were headed straight toward the sky structure. As they got closer, Lumine decided it looked more like a castle, or a bunch of towers all banded together somehow. It was completely made up of a white stone of some kind.
As they landed on the path connecting the towers, a red barrier sprung up in their way. It was shaped like three diamonds, and it made Lumine nervous. It reminded her of the soul mark half hidden behind her glove. Suddenly, a portal of some kind opened, with red cubes around its borders. It seemed discordant just by its very nature, the "sound" of it grating on her senses.
Then a woman stepped out. She was surrounding by the same red cubes. Lumine went from nervous to tense. She looked over at Aether. He already had his sword out. She unsheathed hers as well.
"Your journey ends here," the woman said coldly.
"Who are you?" Lumine shouted back. Why would she try and keep Lumine on a world she wasn't meant for? Why would she try and separate her and Aether from their people?
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles," the woman said imperiously. Maybe this was this world's "god." She certainly seemed to want control over everything.
"We don't belong to this world," shouted Aether. "We don't belong to you!"
"It makes no difference," said the unknown god, and attacked.
They were on the back foot almost immediately. Despite working together as a team practically aince they were born, it was hard to keep up with the endless stream of cubes. Not only was the god using them to attack, she had a near impervious defense. The cubes weren't being destroyed by their attacks and there was an overwhelming number of them that just kept growing. Her wings were quick but they could only do so much to dodge and duck and propel her towards the enemy.
She and Aether came in for an attack on either side, but were both stopped almost effortlessly. She could only watch in horror as the cubes swallowed his hand, and then enveloped the rest of him. The cubes condensed into a singular glowing cube that flew towards the unknown god's hand.
"Aether," she cried, panicked, making a desperate grab for the cube but missing. The god scowled and sent another stream of cubes at her.
Lumine snarled. She swung her sword in a clean arc that should have cleaved the god's head from her shoulders, but it was blocked. She leaped away from the god and doadged the endless attacks as she built up momentum. Finally feeling the surge of energy, she lead with her sword and followed with the raw power that all stars could harness.
The explosion shook her, but merely rippled away from their immediate vicinity, doing nothing at all to the towers around them. And when the cloud of smoke cleared, she found her left hand caught in the same cubes that had taken Aether. Her sword was gone, and she was unable to resist as the sensation of being swallowed crept up her arm, hot and cold and void.
"Give my brother back!" she shouted desperately as she was covered. The unknown god said nothing.
…
"I don't know how many years it's been since then," she admitted, looking at the strange fairy-creature across from her. She had barely known the world as it was befeore being separated, so she had nothing to compare it to. "I was only awake for a day or two before we met. I have no way of knowing how much time passed."
"Well, I'm glad we did meet!" Paimon chirped. "Otherwise Paimon likely would have drowned…"
She twirled through the air excitedly. "Paimon will help you find your brother, okay? It's the least Paimon can do!"
Lumine smiled, but she did not mention the soul mark that had pulsed ever since she had woken up.