CHAPTER 35

When Stars fade, the world continues to turn

When the first Star met her demise against a Shade, not a single trace of her remained. Every part of her that had been engulfed in her luminescent aura was snuffed out. Because of this, no one back then knew how to hold her funeral.

And so, she received none.

As the legend goes, her fellow Stars who survived her found poetry in her passing. Stars of the night sky shine as brightly as they can, for as long as they can. When they fade, no one notices, and the world continues to turn.

She was later commemorated with Halo Ridge’s local holiday Celestial End. But by then, the practice of not holding any last rites for fallen Stars had become standard. Even now, the Luminescence Department continued to adhere to this tradition. When a Star met their demise, and their absence was felt by those who don’t understand the field of luminescence, the Department simply acknowledged the fact and moved on. The kin of the fallen were left to mourn and remember however they personally saw fit.

In Pike’s case, this took the form of a short pilgrimage up High Tower—up to top floor where his aunt met her end. He was alone in his mourning. His dad, Sheila’s brother, didn’t bother making the trip to Halo Ridge to reminisce. Why should he, he reasoned, when she hadn’t made any effort to see him for over a decade? As far as he was concerned, his sister had been dead for far longer than a few days.

Pike disregarded the elevator as he ascended the spire. By the time he reached the penultimate floor, his legs were screaming at him for taking such an arduous journey they weren’t used to. They practically turned to lead, causing Pike to stumble through the door of the stairwell and collapse on the floor.

“They locked the door leading to the top of the tower.”

If Pike had it in him, he was sure he would have been startled by the familiar voice addressing him. But even as the source approached, crouched down, and began gently ruffling his hair, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head and meet her eye to eye. That was also partly because his body was temporarily boycotting any physical movement.

“How did you know I would come up here?”

“I saw you kind of being a zombie when you went into the building,” Mindie quipped, a halfhearted smile on her face. “And then you went into the stairwell. So, I figured I’d meet you here.” Of course, she had taken the elevator.

Seeing as her partner wouldn’t be getting back up any time in the next few minutes, she adjusted her position and laid herself down beside him. Pike found enough strength to roll onto his back and then shift his head to face her. There on the floor, unselfconscious that they might turn the rare head that ventured this high up the tower, the two simply gazed at each other for a moment in silence.

Pike was the first to break away, turning his focus toward the ceiling. “Part of me has been wondering why I haven’t been overwhelmed by chaos yet. Am I really just… not as affected by this as I thought I’d be?” He snorted in facetious amusement. “Maybe deep down I’m some kind of awful person who can’t cry for his loved ones—or something like that.”

Then his face relaxed, once again bereft of expression. “This wouldn’t be the first time…”

Mindie continued to stare at him, concern plain on her face as she listened to him wordlessly. When it was clear he wouldn’t say anything more, she scooted closer to him. She touched her brow to his, reaching a hand to guide his head towards her. He barely reacted to her gesture, but she thought she felt him drift towards her the slightest bit.

“Minz,” he said at length.

“Hm?”

“You’re going to be the brightest Star in the world, right?” He nuzzled his hair slightly against hers. “When you are, maybe you can find a way to save people like Tita She—save them instead of destroying them. Think you can do that?”

“You got it, partner.”

Mindie doubted it was possible. What they had helped Sheila attempt a few days ago was a testament to that. But that wasn’t what Pike needed to hear right now. He needed to hear that there was a chance.

And for all she knew, that chance existed. She might even stumble upon it one day just as he believed she would, right? This didn’t have to be empty lip service. She even found herself smiling about it.

“C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go to Lucky’s. My treat.”

“Okay.”

“Anime binge at your dorm tonight too.”

“Heh. Sounds good.”

With plans made, the two partners felt a small degree of contentment beginning to lift them out of the gloom. They were in no hurry to part ways with the floor, however—particularly since Pike’s legs didn’t work for the next half hour.

Thanks for reading Luminescent! It’s been a loooong time since I first started drawing and writing about Pike and Mindie. Those past works were, as you might expect, created on personal whims and nothing more—certainly not with the amount of thought and care I’m pouring into Luminescent today. This time, I’m aiming to create something that intentionally showcases my love for these two to a much wider audience.

This is my first attempt to publish a novel series, so I understand it’s far from perfect... There are plenty of great novels here on RR, so I'm extremely grateful that you gave this one a shot. If reading Luminescent entertained you even a little bit, I'll count that as a big win. And if you really liked it, I hope you'll consider buying it on Amazon or supporting me on Ko-fi too!

Meanwhile, Luminescent, Volume 2 is in the works! Pike and Mindie will return!