He flew among the stars, not an uncommon dream for him. Playing among the stars, he flitted faster than light, faster than thought from one planet exploring with his eyes every cranny, every crater, every mountain, every sea, expanses of dust.

Dancing around all the massive fusion-powered giants, skipping along the massive rings encircling chosen frozen giants, gargantuan floating orbs of blended and separate gasses, some of these clearly failed stars, but no matter, they were the progenitors of their own massive, but still miniaturized systems of orbiting elements, reigning as kings and queens in their own domains.

All he could feel was admiration for the stately nature of the celestial bodies. There was wonder and joy in everything he was beholding. He drew close to a red dot in the distance, mournfully burning her last fuel. Studying her state, he understood from her passing that everything was meant to end.

Even near her end, the proud star burned with determination to show the universe what it truly meant to live, and he understood her message.

A coruscation of multicolored light arced out from her, briefly touching his essence. At that moment, the star exploded. He felt a strange change inside his own essence, an immolation by the star’s energy and in a blink she was sent flying, catapulting her backward as the shockwave pressed her away. She was curious about how the light changed her, but the meaning escaped her mind like sand between her fingers. More importantly, why was the star pushing her away?

What are you doing, my friend? Are you protecting me?

As she was flung away on the shockwave, she watched futility as a new spectral form rose from the interior of the dying star. She stood out plainly in front of it, outlined by the light shed by the star. From her head rippled two tentacle-like structures, waving in a non-existent wind. Turning, the shadowy figure gracefully placed her hand out toward the light that the star shed, grasping it. It coalesced in her palm as her very existence was tearing the star apart, seeming an inexorable force of nature.

Steadily she consumed the star, greedily drinking the star’s essence, welcoming it all into her dark body. She looked over her shoulder at the cosmic voyager that was now far behold her and yet she beheld the last winkling of plasma as she consumed it. For but a moment, a tear fell from her eyes as she spread her arms. That one single tear shone on her cheek with a brilliant light that put the old dead star to shame.

Everything faded from the traveler’s vision as she lost sight of that strange girl and everything turned white. Now the dancer among the stars was blinded by the beauty of that girl’s single tear.

All around her was now made of pure light. She was now surrounded by its wondrous splendor. Knowing that she floated in the cold, black void of space, everything was composed of pure light. Even what had once been an impenetrable abyss was now a glorious sea of light, a vast field of energy. The universe was now filled with energy, waxing and waning, limitless potential. She rushed away, amazed anew.

A mass of light now was chasing her, dwarfing her slight form as a star did a planet. Was this the strange girl with waving tentacles on her head chasing after her? No. This was a mass of pure light, unlike that girl. Multiple, many-colored rays of lights broke away from the mass of pure light to orbit around her.

She laughed softly, her voice tinkling like a bell as these strange lights sparkled and danced around her, each a unique color. The mass of light energy blazed past them as they escorted her forward, ushered onwards. As their celestial formation propelled them forward on their journey, resembling planets corkscrewing around its star in its lonely own journey through its galaxy, the lights playing, all moving in perfect symmetry. Their movements were synchronized, graceful, incapable of colliding, as they all knew where they were going.

No matter how the girl changed her direction, the large ball of light flew ahead of her, anticipating her every movement proceeding. The little lights played onwards in their peculiar dances, her new companions whether she wished it. They intended to take her the entire way back to where she belonged.

A curtain of pure light now loomed before them. She plunged ahead, diving in and through, breaking its surface as though she dove into a swimming pool. Her largest companion that gave birth to the small lights cannon balled through, implacable, unstoppable, unknowable.

Now close to her home, she passed through a ring of spare light adrift in the sea of light towards a white-to-blue giant and leaving it behind; she found another familiar friend, yellow, gold with many spinning layers, appearing to be the gods’ bauble with perfect rings, shining. She waved as she sped past, saying goodbye to a white giant covered in complex red and brown patterns, a fine tapestry of sublime artistry.

A blue speck came into sight as she passed a forlorn red orb bereft of life on the surface, but its light shone, teasing the mysteries locked within. The largest of her companions raced ahead, and she raised a hand with a gasp as it struck the blue planet, as though it meant to ram directly through her home. As she reached out, the little lights that were orbiting around her had tightened their orbiting to the point where they were sinking into her being in the same way.

Her delightful friends feasted cheerfully. Everything went dark and she shed a single tear as she reentered the atmosphere of her home, free-falling, spinning, suddenly hot. Her body burned beyond what she could bear.

“Ken…”

“Ken…” 

“Hey, Hoshino, for fuck’s sake, wake up! You can’t sleep through class again. You’ll end up pissing off Sensei Koizumi if you don’t get up!”

Rellawing

Please check out Assurbanipal II's work. I also want to mention MajorKerina, who has been writing much longer than myself. I was reading one of her stories before I really established myself. It's thanks to her reading my story and liking it that has made me decide to continue writing it and now publishing it! Assu's editing brings clarity to this series! Thanks, nya!