-Change is no loss. Not always-

0o0

Darkness.

That's the first thing she remembers.

Her first memory is of the deep, suffocating, impenetrable darkness.

It was dark, and it was cold.

And she was scared.

But then...then she saw the stars.

Tiny, insignificant things at first. But then they grew in brightest, in warmth. They filled her vision, and every twinkle, every wink they gave, seemed to speak reassurances to her.

They were so warm, and they were so bright. They seemed to chase the very icy darkness away.

And when they did...she was no longer afraid.

She rose to meet them, and their very light held her, wrapped around her.

From that moment, they became her guide, her compass. They held her above the surface of the black ocean, kept her afloat, and stopped her from drowning in fear.

Why and how she got there, and what she was meant to do, that was an answer she wasn't able to neither give nor find. And a small part started to wonder if she ever would.

Once again, she gazed at the stars, and once again, they filled her sight, and chased away her doubts.

Then, the light completely engulfed her...

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