Chapter 5 Comet Dust
Rosalina raised an eyebrow. Polari did the same thing, staring at the luma like he had just said the most ludicrous thing anyone could possibly say. While Rosalina herself wasn't exactly on that level, she was still very surprised and very confused.
Solar would develop powers. Just that sentence sounded odd. Well, Rose couldn't deny that it was a possibility, considering his peculiar origins. But still, it sounded like a reach, something that had never even crossed her mind as a possible outcome before. She had been so focused on taking care of the baby that she didn't really have time to muse over odd scenarios such as that.
"I'm sorry," said Polari. "Did I hear that correctly, or do I have to clean out my nonexistent ears?"
The luma shook his head. "No, you heard me correctly." They displayed the book that they had brought in. Rosalina didn't even recognize it. Its cover was royal purple, or at least it would be if it wasn't so rotten and old. The pages were a disgusting brown, like the whole book had been dipped in a bucket of coffee. As the luma opened up the book, dust sprayed everywhere, dust that smelt of the inside of a toilet. Rosalina had to cough and hold her nose at the same time, an activity that was painful to say the least.
"Ever since you guys found Solar in the dust heap, I have been curious about him. I wanted to know as much as I could, for it seemed like too bizarre a scenario. I mean, when was the last time that you've heard of a human baby being formed from the dust of a cosmic collision?"
"Hmm," Polari said. "I will admit, it is an odd thing to happen."
"As well as a little too convenient, considering what I had been desiring before it happened," Rosalina chimed in.
The luma nodded. "Exactly. Well, over the past few days, I have been looking for books all over the universe that might explain why this happened at all. I found this book on a planet in the Bunicular Quadrant."
Rosalina nodded. So that would explain why she didn't recognize the book; it wasn't in her library. The luma flipped through the pages at rapid speed. Rosalina and Polari crowded closer to him, eagerness and curiosity overtaking them.
"Okay," said the luma once they had gotten to a spot in the middle of the book. "Here is the passage that I wanted to show you two." He cleared his throat. "'It is a very rare phenomenon, but not entirely unheard of. Our culture has long had a respect for the Prankster Children, children who had been formed from the dust of the Prankster comets upon collision. Many theories have been proposed to explain why this is possible, but one of the biggest is that, since the prankster comets were originally lumas, the comets themselves contain life, or at least the properties to produce life." The luma flipped the page, all while Rosalina's interest was growing a hundredfold. "In our very own mythology, a Prankster Child is present; the vengeful god of Aries. Aries used the powers he inherited from the comets he originated from to make the world bow to him. It is for this reason that a lot of scientists in our day say that, if another prankster child were to be born, they should be killed at any cost.'"
With that, the luma closed the book. Rosalina stared at him, blinking her eyes out as she processed what she had just heard. She and Polari looked down at Solar, who was cooing and gurgling in Rosalina's arms. In that instant, a very foul tasting lump formed in Rosalina's throat.
"That Prankster child in their mythology turned out to be evil?" she said weakly.
The luma nodded. "It would appear so." He looked down at Solar. "I'm afraid that there is a possibility that Solar will develop similar powers to that god, and thus, go down a similar path as he did."
Rosalina felt as if she was frozen. Cold sensations ran up and down her spine as she stared into the beautiful eyes of Solar. In that instant, she imagined a horrible scenario. A scenario where Solar, as a full grown adult, was ruling the universe with an iron fist. He was blasting any who would oppose him out of existence, and he was laughing maniacally as he did so.
This couldn't happen. Could it?
As Rosalina pondered that question, Polari cleared his throat. "That is very good to know. Thank you."
The luma nodded and floated out of the Fountain Dome with the book under their arm. Rosalina stared down at Solar. He hadn't displayed any powers yet, nor had he displayed any vengeful or evil tendencies. But then again, he was only a baby. He couldn't even walk yet, let alone take over the universe. What would happen if he grew up and decided that he wanted to use his power to do just that?
"Are you okay?" Polari asked.
Rosalina looked into Polari's ice blue eyes. He looked concerned, extremely concerned. Whether it was for her or for Solar's future, Rosalina had no idea. She swallowed the lump that had been accumulating in her throat, shuddering as she did so.
"I think I need some time to think."
Polari nodded. "Understandable. If you want, I can take Solar."
"Yes, I would like that. Thank you." With that, she handed over the newborn. Polari sank a little beneath his weight, but was still able to keep a good hold of him. Once she was sure that everything was good, Rosalina exited the Fountain Dome.