Asteroid
The night before the goddess came to the Sanctuary, there was a meteor shower. At the time, Sanctuary stood at the verge of great change. All had been made ready for the arrival of the goddess, and Lord Shion had just declared Aioros to be the new Grand Pope. Everything seemed bright and well, yet only the children did not notice the undercurrent.
But despite everything, despite the silently raging passions, there was nothing on the surface. With Lord Shion's permission, the three older saints, Aioros, Saga and Kanon took all the children to see the meteor shower on Star Hill. The children were most delighted. They gasped and clapped and cheered at every streak of light crossing the sky.
"What is the meteor shower made of, brother Saga?" Milo, young and ever curious, asked.
Saga smiled gently and probed, "What do you think, little one?"
"It's… it's like my Scarlet Needle," The seven-years old Milo said, "Almost as if there two warriors in the sky, shooting Scarlet Needle at each other."
"Your Scarlet Needle is not nearly as pretty as this!" Mu, who was outspoken and passionate like a true Aries at the age of seven, objected loudly, "The only thing comparable is my Master Shion's Stardust Revolution. He showed me on my fifth birthday; it looked exactly like this."
Milo bared his teeth and playfully shoved Mu, and Mu, not to be outdone, was ready to push back. Aphrodite gave them each a knock on the head, and said, "Quiet, and no fighting! Have some respect for this beauty." Aphrodite raised his head and added quietly in a sweet voice, " 'Tis a heavenly celebration we witness now: a firework from the gods themselves, who watch with both joy and sorrow as their beloved daughter is born in this world…" Aye, even at the tender age of ten, Aphrodite could wax poetic and turn every detail about him into beauty and enchantment.
Beneath the falling stars, the children engaged themselves in a spirited discussion about the true nature of meteors. Even Kanon joined the conversation and said, "It is a shower of fire; see how the sky burns!"
Only Aioros remained quiet through out the entire debate, until Saga nudged him and said jokingly, "Come, impart your wisdom on your faithful vassals, beloved Lord!"
Aioros answered with a serene smile, "They are only asteroids."
"What are asteroids, brother?" The children asked.
"Asteroids are like the moon, except much smaller." Aioros explained, "They are basically rocks, as big as the hill we stand on right now, floating in space . The really small ones are called meteoroid, but they are essentially the same from asteroids."
"The meteor shower looks nothing like rocks," Shura said, looking up at the sky.
"Well, sometimes asteroids and meteoroids move too close to our Earth, and they crash into our planet. During that process, they become really hot and they glow, that is why you see the beautiful flash." Aioros explained, "Meteors may look very different, but they are still only rocks."
"They are not rocks!" Aphrodite protested, "They are too beautiful to be just rocks!"
The children clamored again. Aioros laughed, his clear voice like crystal fountains rising into the sunlight. Good-naturedly he tried to explain in more details the physics of asteroids, meteoroids and meteors. In the end the children remained divided: some were convinced but disappointed with the lack of beauty in truth; some were wavering; some were wholly unconvinced still. Aioros did not mind their childish hesitance: he never lost his patience and smiled always. Beside him Kanon rolled his blue eyes a million times, both at the children and at Aioros.
When everything ended Kanon took the children back so that only Saga and Aioros remained standing upon Star Hill, looking into the pitch black sky.
"You shouldn't have gone on and explained these difficult ideas," Saga said softly to Aioros, "They are children and they like to keep their fancies."
Aioros smiled broadly and said, "I suppose it is hard for them to understand, but it is always good to learn about the true natures of things."
Saga made a non-committal voice in the depth of his throat. Sometimes it almost seemed that Saga was critical of Aioros's enthusiasm for the physical sciences.
Aioros studied Saga's face a moment, before saying hesitantly, "I suppose, Saga, that I also said these things for you."
"For me?" Saga was surprised.
"You have been acting differently ever since Lord Shion announced that I should be the new Grand Pope," Aioros said quietly, "I still do not really understand Lord Shion's decision, but I will not shirk my duty. I just want you to know that nothing changed between us."
"Hn." Saga said.
"I am still your best friend, Saga, still your little brother; I still need your support and your guidance." Aioros continued, blushing slightly, yet still with nothing but sincerity in his green eyes, "Perhaps it sounds cheesy, but I guess I was trying to say that I am in a way like a meteor: it matters not what I look like, I am still just a piece of rock."
When Saga was finally alone he thought about Aioros's words again and he broke out laughing. "You are indeed a meteor, Aioros," He said out loud, "You burn out your life and leave nothing behind. No one shall see the truth in you." Saga did not notice that his hair was turning black.
It took Saga thirteen years to learn the error of his words.
As a meteor makes its fatalistic flight towards Earth, not a single particle is lost. Every fine grain of the original rock eventually finds its way to Earth, becoming the very bones of the world.
As Aioros flew from the Sanctuary and lighted a blazing trail with his own life, he had become as immortal as the world he died to protect.