Months passed as Jalen hurtled towards the star. His mental state was plummeting—halfway between being aware and in a trance. In the beginning, thoughts of abandoning his sister to fend for herself with their mounting problems burdened him with guilt. The prospect of missing his mother’s funeral had compounded his deteriorated psyche. Presently, coherent thoughts were hard to form.

At some point, his body stretched with no feedback like pain. Now he vaguely resembled humans, his body elongated beyond comprehension. The star, so massive and mighty, surpassed the limits of his mortal perception, both visually and audibly.

A superheated streak of plasma erupted hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the surface of the star and engulfed Jalen in pure cosmic energy, jolting him awake. The searing white hot pain that burned through him caused cries and screams he never knew he could muster to escape his lips. The sheer mass of the cosmic life force that bathed him was akin to all the water on earth, multiplied by a million, converging into a single point that was Jalen. And all of this was just a sliver of the star’s power.

He was overwhelmed beyond comprehension and passed out. Multiple tendrils erupted from the star’s corona and engulfed him, pulling him into its core. This process was slow and steady, taking him many years to reach the star’s core. All the while he was bathed in superheated cosmic life force.

“Host assimilation with core completed,” confirmed the Seed of the Universe. “Beginning rebirth process. Estimated completion time: 1 million years.”

And so began the creation of the universe’s youngest Cosmonar. A million years was a lot of time for a mortal like Jalen Nkanga to fathom. In the grand scheme of the universe, a million years equated to a second.

❊ ❊ ❊

Jalen found himself alone in a vast space of emptiness. As far as his eyes could see, everything was white. Then memories came flooding into his mind. His mom. His sister. And that bitch, Sarah.

“...”

What is going on? He wondered. He tried to curse out his ex-girlfriend, but no words escaped his mouth. To his astonishment, when he looked down, he found no legs…or hands…or anything.

‘Welcome Host,’ a deep guttural voice sounded in his head. Or mind, since he didn’t have a head. ‘We shall begin the Cosmonar Trials.’

Jalen recognized that abomination of a voice. It belonged to the star. He tried talking to it. Upon remembering that he couldn’t speak, he projected his thoughts.

What the fuck is going on? I agreed to some powers, yes. But not to waste a year of my life like this. That monkey should’ve told me how long this process is!

‘Correction. The Host’s total time elapsed is 100,504.’

What! 100,000? Are you fucking with me? If Jalen could shout, he would scream his lungs off. But my sister. Everyone I know would be gone. No! Please, take your powers. I want my life back.

The star was quiet for a moment before its grotesque voice sounded in his head once more. ‘The Host is incorrect. 100,504 years have elapsed in this dimension. Because of the lengthy rebirth process, and the Host’s attachment to mortals, protocol 368 was initiated. That means we exist in a time bubble separated from the Host’s universe.’

Jalen slowly calmed down, his nonexistent breath steadying. He recalled the star’s initial words, now that everything was good.

The Cosmonar Trials. What is it?

‘The Cosmonar Trials are a series of tests to determine if the Host is suitable enough to become a Cosmonar. Is the Host ready to begin?’

Jalen, understanding the gravity of the situation, steeled himself.

One last question before we begin. What is a Cosmonar?

‘Cosmonars are primordial celestial beings tasked with the creation and destruction of the cosmos. They also serve as the ultimate judge of their domain. To create, nurture, judge, and destroy life.’

Wow… I mean… I thought I would get powers like superstrength or to shoot lasers from my eyes. This is fucking insane.

‘Once the rebirth process is complete, if the Host so chooses to breathe fire from their mouth, that can be arranged.’

Jalen was taken aback by the spicy remark that came out from the star.

Ha! I didn’t know you were capable of that. Good one. You can begin.

After a few moments, as if readying itself, the star spoke into his head. ‘I am born in the cosmic whispers, dance in the radiant gas, and fade away in the echoes of time. What am I?’

Riddles, huh? Jalen closed his nonexistent eyes to think. He then requested for the riddle to be repeated. The first part of the riddle confused him. Cosmic whispers. What was that? But with the rest of the riddle, he was confident.

You are a star.

It felt too on the nose. He could do this all day.

‘Correct,’ the star acknowledged him. ‘I travel endlessly, yet have no mass. I reveal the universe, yet cast shadows in the void. What am I?’

Light. Jalen replied immediately. This was too easy.

‘Correct. I am everywhere, yet nowhere to be grasped. I define existence but remain elusive. What am I?’

Jalen paused. This one would require more thought. I am everywhere, yet nowhere to be grasped. So atoms? Hmm, I don’t think so. But nothing else comes to mind… After a few moments of deliberation, Jalen was ready.

Dark matter.

‘Incorrect. Consciousness. We shall move on to the next section.’

The white emptiness that surrounded Jalen faded into a vast gray room. An exact copy of his mother appeared before him. She looked healthy, like the days before cancer sank its fangs into her. She wore a blue blouse and black jeans. Her hair was plaited into long, thick braids. He could even see her distinctive unibrow. Sudden urges to hug and console her washed through him.

She smiled at him. “My chief. Look how tall you’ve grown. We’ve been feeding you too much.”

He nearly wept. He could hear her voice. Her raspy, sweet voice. She used to call him a chief because of his domineering tendencies as a child. His emotions turned sour. The star was playing tricks on him.

Why are you doing this?

The star remained quiet.

Behind his mother, in a random flurry, other human beings appeared. Their numbers filled the expansive room; a sea of diverse faces flooding his vision. Looking right at him were the faces of old people, young mothers, and fathers with their children, and individuals of every ethnicity found on earth.

‘A Dilemma,’ the deep, inhuman voice of the star sounded. ‘One million human beings have chosen to give up their lives to facilitate the resurrection of your mother. Who shall you choose, Host? Your mother? Or a million people?’

Jalen stayed quiet and apprehensive; careful not to voice any of his thoughts. The countless faces staring at him made him want to hide in a corner. The expressions he read from them were that of contentment and resignation. He wondered how real these people were. It pained him, but there was only one right answer to this test. He had to be right.

I choose the people. He projected his thoughts. He was suddenly unsure about himself.

‘Deceit detected,’ the star replied. ‘The Host’s answer does not reflect his inner thoughts. His deeper desires.’

What do you mean? It does not matter what my desires are. I made the right choice!

‘Incorrect. The Host’s consciousness was 97 percent in favor of resurrecting his mother. Therefore, it is concluded that the Host chose the people because this was a hypothetical scenario. If the scenario was real, the Host would choose his mother.’

Once the star finished, all one million humans started screaming in agony. They dropped to the floor one after the other, holding on to their necks, trying desperately to take in breaths. No one was spared this horror. Not the men, women, mothers, or children. He heard the haunting cries of a million souls. Jalen watched them all die, too shocked to even muster a thought. Soon after, the silence of the void returned. His mother was the last one left, with an uneasy, cryptic look on her face, before she too, vanished.

The star gave him minutes in silence to soak in all that had transpired. Soon after, a different group of humans appeared, this group much larger than the previous. Jalen vaguely acknowledged them, too deep in his thoughts.

The star continued, its tone unchanged. ‘A dilemma. Five million humans have been forced to give up their lives to save the Host. Which shall you choose, Host? The forceful sacrifice of five million people? Or the sacrifice of the Host?’

Unlike the previous group, this one exhibited a greater diversity in their emotions. Anger. Sorrow. Utter disbelief, it seems, at the choice he made earlier. The million people he condemned. This time, Jalen didn’t even bother lying. He sifted through to his ultimate decision.

I choose their deaths.