The kidnapping arc. With a few twists, of course. Rudeus will also get a refresher on his memories.

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Okay. This is not fun. Have you idiots ever tried doing homework while sitting on the toilet WHILE having diarrhea? This is the fifth time this year, damn it!
 Okay, enough with my complaining. Sorry, for being absent, our class went to a military camp to stand in the summer sun for hours at a time and all that crap. And of course, I just had to eat some crap that disagreed with my stomach.
 Here's a warning:
 This is where my fanfics start going all psycho and all that. So if you don't wanna be triggered, feel free to delete this from your bookmarks.

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O̸͙̹͍̓̆̈́̽̌̃̀n̸͉̹̋̌͑̓́̈͑̓͐̕͝c̶̨̭̖̱̬͓̗̱̞̭̻̼͎̋̑͗̀̈͂̉ͅė̷̠͈̰̬͓̗̀͛͗ͅͅ ̸̲̞̤̹͙̱͐̀̋̆̈́̕a̴̪̬̬͖̰̽̆̾̈́̀g̴̡̧͓͙̼̩͇̩̠̝̬̽̂̐͝͝ǎ̸̡̹͖͎̞̯͙͍̯̍̉̂̃̚i̴̜͆́͐͑̓̆ń̸̡̢̛̺͍̟̪̠͍͕̈̍ For the first time, I awoke in a black void of nothingness.

What happened? I remember falling asleep in my bed while holding Master-ahem-Goddess Roxy's pendant. Did the plan work? Am I kidnapped like I was supposed to be?

That possibility was quickly thrown out the window-not like there was a window in this sea of void-because I was floating. And, more importantly, where the heck did my clothes go?!

Okay. Calm down. You've been through enough crap to know how to deal with this. First, calmy access the situation. I'm in a place I know nothing about-been there, done that. There's nothing, and I mean nothing, around me. My body looks see-through, sorta like moments before I got reincarnated.

Wait. What?

I hurriedly looked down at my body. Except, it wasn't my body anymore. No, it's still my body, but it's not the body of "Rudeus Greyrat." My eyes widened in shock as silver strands of hair obscured a part of my vision. They were a color I hadn't seen for seven years.

My body was see-through, like that of a ghost. And it was my old body, the one I left behind on a world known as Earth.

I tried to take a deep breath, yet realized with horror that I couldn't. This didn't make any sense. How was I alive if I couldn't breathe-my soul. It took me longer than I wanted to admit to realize it, but this wasn't my body, but my soul.

A thought that chilled my non-existent bones entered my mind. If this was my soul, then I died, right? Maybe the kidnappers were a tab bit too rough, and that was enough to kill my fragile human body and send my soul into the afterlife?

I swiftly shook my head at the possibility. My body may be a child's, but it wasn't so weak that it'll die from a single beating. If that were the case, I'd have died tens-nay, thousands of times now!

But how else am I supposed to explain...THIS?!

"ᚺᛖᛚᛚᛟ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ." (Hello, brother.)

I screamed. How could my body produce sound if I couldn't take in any air?! I franticly looked around, yet saw no one. Only a glimmer of light that...originated from...below me...

I looked down and was met with the flaming face of an odd-looking Phantasmal Beast. Its shape was similar to a human toddler, but it was made of flame, akin to a Pheonix. It was small. The Phantasmal Beast didn't even reach my knees. Its stubby little arms and legs only made it cuter in my eyes. I made sure to be wary, nonetheless. A Pheonix was among the most dangerous Phantasmals there were. And even if this...sprite didn't look like one, it could still be a Pheonix.

A small, yellow gem floated above its head, though what really caught my attention was the symbol engraved on it. A circle with a dot in the center.

I was familiar with it. Every Astromancer is familiar with it. Unless they were failures-disappointments to their parents and legacy. It was the sigil that represented the sun. So it was a being associated with the sun? Could it be a child of Apollo, the Greek god of the sun? Or was it the spawn of Quetzalcoatl, the winged snake of Mesoamerica?

"What are you?" I asked.

"ᛁ ᛏᛟᛚᛞ ᛁᛟᚢ ᛒᛖᚠᛟᚱᛖ, ᚦᛟᚢᚷᚺ ᛁ ᛞᛟᚢᛒᛏ ᛁᛟᚢ×ᛚᛚ ᚱᛖᛗᛖᛗᛒᛖᚱ." (I told you before, though I doubt you'll remember.) The sprite's voice was unsettling when matched with its cute appearance. It sounded like the voice of some all-knowing god. "ᛁ×ᛚᛚ ᛏᛖᛚᛚ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚨᚷᚨᛁᚾ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ. ᛁ ᚨᛗ ᚨ ᛊᛏᚨᚱᛒᛟᚱᚾ." (I'll tell you again, brother. I am a Starborn.)

W̵̧͍̳͈͈̓͆̌͋̂̈́͝͝ȩ̶̡̘͕̥̘͙̬̎̔͛ ̵̝̖̑͒̆͛͘a̶͑̀ ̀ ̧͕͚r̸̛̗̮̹̝͇̎̓͐͑e̷ ̀ ̦̲̥̞̬͛͜ ̶̼̗̹̤̮̰̓͊̊S̵̛͇̙̑͗ṱ̸̯̺̊̿͑̚a̸̲̤̳̠͓̙̓̔͠͝r̵̭͔̼͕͚̝̐͋̔͑̓͜͝b̶̲͓̅̇͗͋͘͝o̵͒̈́̉͑ ̀ ̢̫̣͍̓r̶͛̂̈̅̽̂ ̀ ̣̒n̷̾͐ ́ ̡̜̜̪̪̝̺̋͛̎̅.̵̍̓͑ ̀ ̗͕

"Star...born?" That name sounded familiar. A memory was at the front of my mind, yet it always faded before I could recall it clearly. "Why do you keep calling me 'brother?'"

The sprite didn't answer. It was waiting for something.

Another two sprites appeared with trails of black Ether tailing their entrance. They looked similar to their flaming sibling-wait, how'd I know they were siblings?-but they were coated with black tendrils instead of warm flames. Their dull, grey eyes had an outline of white that was so thin it was barely visible. I don't know why. But I began to compare that white outline to the Event Horizons of Black Holes. They were all-encompassing, yet they held no malicious. Instead, they contained...joy?

These blackened sprites had jewels levitating above their head, as well. But theirs were as dark as a starless night. A symbol of dull grey glowed within. An arrow pointing to my upper right, with a line running through the bottom that made it look like an arrow. Another letter followed behind the symbol. α, and β respectivly.

'Sagittarius Alpha and Sagittarius Beta?' I wondered. 'What could they mean?'

"ᛁᛊ ᚺᛖ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ, ᛊᛟᛚ?" (Is he here, Sol?) The sprite with "Sagittarius Alpha" floating above his head asked.

"ᛁᛖᛊ. ᛏᚺᛁᛊ ᛁᛊ ᚺᛁᛗ." (Yes. This is him.) The sprite with "sun" floating above his head said.

"ᚱᛖᛚᛚᛁ?! ᛏᚺᛁᛊ ᛁᛊ ᛗᛁ ᚠᛁᚱᛊᛏ ᛏᛁᛗᛖ ᛊᛖᛖᛁᛜ ᚨ ᚺᚢᛗᚨᚾ! ᛏᚺᛖᛁ ᛚᛟᛟᚲ ᛊᛟ ᚠᚱᚨᚷᛁᛚᛖ!" (Really?! This is my first time seeing a human! They look so fragile!) The sprite with "Sagittarius Beta" floating above her head chirped happily.

I don't know what compelled me to address the sprites with genders, but hey. It sounded right.

"ᚲᚨᛚᛗ ᛁᛟᚢᚱᛊᛖᛚᚠ, ᛊᛁᛊᛏᛖᚱ." (Calm yourself, sister.) The sprite with "Sagittarius Alpha" floating above his head seemed annoyed. Like when a younger sibling messes around with their elder too much. "ᛁᛟᚢ ᚱᛖᛗᛁᚾᛞ ᛗᛖ ᛟᚠ ᚦᛖ ᛁᛟᚢᛜᛖᚱ ᛊᛁᛊᛏᛖᚱ ᛟᚠ ᚦᛖ ᚷᛖᛗᛁᚾᛁ ᛏᚹᛁᚾᛊ." (You remind me of the younger sister of the Gemini twins.)

The sprite with "sun" floating above his head giggled. "ᚾᛟᚹ, ᚾᛟᚹ. ᛞᛟᚾ×ᛏ ᚠᛁᚷᚺᛏ. ᚹᛖ ᚺᚨᚢᛖ ᛁᛖᛏ ᛏᛟ ᛖᚲᛊᛈᛚᚨᛁᚾ ᚦᛁᛜᛊ ᛏᛟ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ." (Now, now. Don't fight. We have yet to explain things to our brother.)

"ᛟᚺ! ᚱᛁᚷᚺᛏ! ᚠᛟᚱᚷᛟᛏ ᚨᛒᛟᚢᛏ ᚦᚨᛏ. ᚹᛖ ᛊᚺᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᚲᚨᛚᛚ ᛖᚢᛖᚱᛁᛟᚾᛖ, ᚺᚢᚺ?" (Oh! Right! Forgot about that. We should call everyone, huh?)

The sprites made of black tendrils vanished. The remaining Phantasmal giggled at my confusion. "ᛞᛟᚾ×ᛏ ᚹᛟᚱᚱᛁ. ᛏᚺᛖᛁ×ᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᛒᚨᚲᚲ ᛊᛟᛟᚾ. ᛏᚺᛖᛁ×ᚱᛖ ᛒᚱᛁᛜᛁᛜ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛊᛁᛒᛚᛁᛜᛊ." (Don't worry. They'll be back soon. They're bringing our siblings.)

I had enough of this. "What do you mean 'siblings?' I'm an only child. And who are you, anyway?"

The sprite giggled. "ᛁ ᛏᛟᛚᛞ ᛁᛟᚢ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ. ᛁ ᚨᛗ ᚨ ᛊᛏᚨᚱᛒᛟᚱᚾ. ᛗᛁ ᚾᚨᛗᛖ ᛁᛊ ᛊᛟᛚ. ᛏᚺᛖ ᛏᚹᛁᚾᛊ ᛁᛟᚢ ᛃᚢᛊᛏ ᛊᚨᚹ ᚨᚱᛖ ᛊᚨᚷᛁᛏᛏᚨᚱᛁᚢᛊ ᚨᛚᛈᚺᚨ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛊᚨᚷᛁᛏᛏᚨᚱᛁᚢᛊ ᛒᛖᛏᚨ. ᛁ×ᛗ ᛊᚢᚱᛖ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚲᚨᚾ ᛏᛖᛚᛚ ᚹᚺᛁᚲᚺ ᛁᛊ ᚹᚺᛁᚲᚺ." (I told you, brother. I am a Starborn. My name is Sol. The twins you just saw are Sagittarius Alpha and Sagittarius Beta. I'm sure you can tell which is which.) The wisps of flame that made up his body danced with delight. "ᚨᛊ ᚠᛟᚱ ᚹᚺᚨᛏ ᛁ ᛗᛖᚾ, ᛁᛟᚢ×ᛚᛚ ᛊᛖᛖ ᛊᛟᛟᚾ ᛖᚾᛟᚢᚷᚺ." (As for what I mean, you'll see soon enough.)

The two void-made sprites reappeared. "ᚹᛖ ᛏᛟᛚᛞ ᛖᚢᛖᚱᛁᛟᚾᛖ. ᛏᚺᛖᛁ×ᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᛊᚺᛟᚱᛏᛚᛁ." (We told everyone. They'll be here shortly.) Sagittarius Alpha informed Sol.

"ᛟᚺ, ᛁ ᚲᚨᚾ×ᛏ ᚹᚨᛁᛏ!" (Oh, I can't wait!) Sagittarius Beta jumped around me. "ᛁᛏ×ᛊ ᛒᛖᛖᚾ ᛊᛟ ᛚᛟᛜ ᛊᛁᚾᚲᛖ ᚦᛖ ᛚᚨᛊᛏ ᚷᚨᚦᛖᚱᛁᛜ!" (It's been so long since the last gathering!)

"What gathering are you talking...about..." My voice died in my throat.

Thousands upon thousands of sprites, no, there were at least one hundred billion, appeared one by one. Most were made of flame, but a few were like the blackened siblings. They all looked up at me with their white or grey eyes.

"ᚺᛖᛚᛚᛟ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ." (Hello, brother.)

I held my head. So many voices were speaking at once. My head was pounding beyond imagination.

"ᚾᛟᚹ, ᚾᛟᚹ." (Now, now.) Sol waved his stubby arms. "ᛟᚢᚱ ᚾᛖᚹ ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ ᛁᛊ ᚠᚱᚨᚷᛁᛚᛖ. ᛊᛟ ᛈᛚᛖᛊᛖ ᛊᛈᛖᚲ ᛟᚾᛖ ᛒᛁ ᛟᚾᛖ." (Our new brother is fragile. So please speak one by one.)

I shakily held up a hand. "Okay, first things first. What are all of you?"

A blue sprite made of flames looked downcast. "ᚱᛁᚷᚺᛏ. ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ ᛞᛟᛖᛊᚾ×ᛏ ᚱᛖᛗᛖᛗᛒᛖᚱ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛚᚨᛊᛏ ᛗᛖᛖᛏᛁᛜ." (Right. Brother doesn't remember our last meeting.)

Sol merely shrugged. "ᛞᛟᚾ×ᛏ ᚹᛟᚱᚱᛁ, ᛒᛖᛏᚨ ᛟᚱᛟᚾᛁᛊ. ᚹᛖ ᚨᛚᛚ ᚠᛖᛖᛚ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᛞᛁᛊᚨᛈᛈᛟᛁᚾᛏᛗᛖᚾᛏ. ᚹᛖ×ᛚᛚ ᚺᚨᚢᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛃᛟᚷ ᛟᚢᚱ ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ×ᛊ ᛗᛖᛗᛟᚱᛁ. ᛏᚺᚨᛏ×ᛊ ᚨᛚᛚ." (Don't worry, Beta Orionis. We all feel your disappointment. We'll have to jog our brother's memory. That's all.)

Hold on, what did he say? Beta Orionis? Wasn't that the name of the Blue Giant-Type star in the constellation of Orion?! The one that's more commonly known as-"Hey, could your name be-"

"ᚱᛁᚷᛚᛖ?" (Rigle?) The blue sprite asked. "ᛁᛖᚺ, ᚦᚨᛏ×ᛊ ᚹᚺᚨᛏ ᛗᛟᛊᛏ ᛈᛖᛟᛈᛚᛖ ᚲᚨᛚᛚ ᛗᛖ. ᛏᚺᛟᚢᚷᚺ ᚦᛖ ᚾᚨᛗᛖ ᚠᚨᚦᛖᚱ ᚷᚨᚢᛖ ᛗᛖ ᛁᛊ ᛒᛖᛏᚨ ᛟᚱᛟᚾᛁᛊ." (Yeah, that's what most people call me. Though the name Father gave me is Beta Orionis.)

I blanched. Was I seriously talking to a star? What kind of weird fantasies did my brain conjure this time?

"ᛟᚺ, ᛞᛖᚱ. ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ ᚦᛁᚾᚲᛊ ᚦᛁᛊ ᛁᛊ ᛃᚢᛊᛏ ᚨ ᛞᚱᛖᛗ." (Oh, dear. Brother thinks this is just a dream.) Sol muttered sadly and turned his back to me. "ᛁ ᚦᛁᚾᚲ ᚹᛖ ᛊᚺᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᚷᛁᚢᛖ ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ ᚨ ᛈᚢᛊᚺ. ᚹᚺᚨᛏ ᚨᛒᛟᚢᛏ ᚨᛚᛚ ᛟᚠ ᛁᛟᚢ?" (I think we should give Brother a push. What about all of you?)

One hundred billion heads all nodded in unison.

"ᚹᛖ×ᚱᛖ ᚨᛚᛚ ᛁᚾ ᚨᚷᚱᛖᛖᛗᛖᚾᛏ!" (We're all in agreement!) Sol turned to me. Wisps of fire and void combined and waltzed in a mesmerizing dance. "ᛞᛟ ᚾᛟᛏ ᚠᛖᚱ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ. ᛏᚺᛁᛊ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚾᛟᛏ ᚺᚢᚱᛏ." (Do not fear, brother. This will not hurt.)

I couldn't do anything. The trails traveled at the speed of light itself. There was no chance of escaping, even if I wanted to. Though, for some reason, I didn't want to. The strands of fire and Ether weaved a cocoon around me, and it suddenly glowed with golden light.

Images suppressed to not break my fragile mind finally showed themselves to me. They were so clear I couldn't believe I'd forgotten them.

F̷̧̟̦̱͓̘̺̖̌̌̑̈́͋̓͝i̵̻͇̩͎̦͔̞͒̒͆̃̈́̀r̴̝̐̒͑͐ş̸̛͈̟̩̋̑͒͆͝t̵̗̞̪͐̌͂̄,̸̢̘̹͊̍ ̶̯̜͉̔͒̎͑̆͌b̴̡͇̹͔̥̠͑̍̽̈́̽̇̈͝u̵̡̠̺͎͚̹̖̭̓͝į̶̧̭͍̪͙͇̇̍͜͝l̸̪̿̾̍̎̾͠d̷͚̫̭̍ ̵̡̖̱͇̦͈͈̻͑̉͋̇̍s̶̝͖͙̯̹͒̂͂ẻ̶̲͇̭̥̰̭͎͑́̓̆̇͜͝v̴̏̆͘ ́ ̫̳͓̈́͜͝ë̸̤̠̭̤̍͑͊̄̒̋͝n̶̢͈̪̟͛ ̴̖̅b̶̜̫͓̤̘̅ȯ̴̧̨̻͔̤̼͕̈́̏͋͌̆͜d̴ ̀ ̜̎̂̎͘i̴̭̠̖̬̼̾̒̽͂e̸̎͊͐ ́ ̦̣̪͙̯͖̥̒̀͛ś̴ ́ ̡͂̾̓.̷̨̢̻͈͚̋́͊͛͂͝ͅ ̵̬͖͘͜S̴͐̂̆̂ ́ ̞̮̩͘e̷ ́ ̩̥̟̣͙̬͉̓͒ç̶̢̟̳̟͈͚̈́̇̄̒̕͠ͅo̶̡̼̞̺̫͋͝n̴͖̤̝͚̼̘̜̖̏͌̓̅d̵̲̺͒̓̍̊̕͝,̸͈̦̣̣͎̯͚̱͗̈́̍͆͠ ̴̞̬̮̯̲̝͊̂͛͑͐͗͜͝r̶̅̽ ́ ̠̭̥̖̥̞̒̈́̆͌e̶͖̲̋̽̐̋͜͝ç̴̢̛̺̗̈́̍̆͝ơ̵̗͍͈n̵̬̭̳̮̣͖̐͜s̵̈̚͘̚ ́ ̭̙̬t̶ ́ ͖̱̅ȓ̶̳ũ̶͇̆̕c̸̮͖̝͆̎͂̽͗͑t̶̻̪̑ ̴̢̼̞̳̹͋͋̈̈́̈̉̓͠ț̵̠̗͇̞̟̂̎̓̈̌͗h̶̹̠͍͝ę̸̪͖͕̙̊̀̌͜͝ ̷̝̉̓͑͛̉̓͝s̵̒ ̀ ̡̧̞̦̬̰̼͜į̵̯̼̫̺͍͚̬͛̔̿̓͂̎̕x̶̡̧̥͖͉̞͍̾̈́̉ ̷̈́̄̈̐͠ ́ ̨̦̭̝̰͝r̸̍͂̌͑ ́ ̧͖̹̯̲͂̂ȋ̸̢̢̩̪͈̭̊͆͛͜n̶ ̀ ̒͑ͅg̸̀́͌̐ ́ ̗̭͉s̵͇̗̣̭̈̽́̓̌͠ ̵̛̤̗̳͙̅̃͋͋̉̀̚ô̸͉̦̻͓̙f̸̧̡̤͙̩̫̖̹̎̐̃̐͠ ̴̣̠̬̫̰̞̳̄͐̑̏̚̕͠l̷̦̓́̃͆̋̆͆i̵̢̮̺̲͈̐͋̌̓̂͆͠g̵̰̣͇̥̬̮̒̊̓͒̓͝h̶̡͙͙̠̗̎͗̍̊̄̿͘t̴͕̻̿̑̍̓̍̌̕͝.̷̢̼͙̼́̇̅͒ ̶̯̽̒̾F̶͖͓͚̲͑̔̄̚͘͝ỉ̷̛̉ ́ ͕̼͕̹n̸̝̈́͌̓̆͐̕ą̴̛̖̣̒̚l̴͉̖̯̩̙̞͉̀̎l̶̨͍͓̝͖̐͋̅̋͊̊͝͝y̵̡͇̬̗͑̎͒,̸̩̽̔͆̇̌̐ ̶̡̭̤̭͉̹̠͔̌̂̏w̷̲̟͌̚e̵̛̲̞͙͔̟̯͎̔̂̀̀̍͝ ̵̛̝̟͉͎̫̊̎̆̋̈́̈́͝g̷̢͍͎̪̼͎̭̲͒͋͂̉̍̍̂͗i̴̱̹̙̗̊͆̌̋f̵̫͋̌̊ẗ̸́͛ ́ ̡̢̬̬͕͙̯ ̴̢͖̲̍̽̔͌̈́̉̆͘ý̷̳̠̘̜̓́o̷ ́ ̠̞̥̲̯ų̵̛͚͈̙̘̙̯̬͒̃͂̃ ̶̤͓͙̲̤̙͇̰̿͛͐͌̅̅F̵̩̌̕a̷̘̱̮̒t̵̘̓h̴̘̣̲̪̖͖͆͛̊͠e̸̱̝̤̿͛̽̆̊̌͊̑r̷̨͓͂̊̅̄͋̈̌͝'̷̩̮̦͙͔̠̈̃̄͜͠s̵̗̋̀͆͛̕ ̶̡̗̫̫̘̖̗͈͊C̷͚̯̕ê̷̢̈̾l̵̮̞̒͆͐̂̕é̴͎̤̇̕ṣ̴̨͕͇̹̱͋̌̐́̾͜t̶̲͓̝̕͜i̵͇͌͛̒̕͠ȁ̸̈́̽̅͗ ́ ̭̩͔̲͍l̷̢̲̤̝̳͊̈́͋ ̶̫̭̠͕͌͜E̶ ́ ̔̓̍͘ ̀ ̰̟͇̑ŷ̸̫ë̴̳́̋̈́̚̕͠.̴̆̓̓ ́ ̧̞̟̤͙̗̼̅̈́̚

The chrysalis faded away. My mind-now clear as a summer's night-showed me what I must do. A song unburdened by lyrics hummed in the back of my consciousness. Words didn't exist at the time of its composition, and even if they did, they would only taint the purity of a song as ancient as this.

An elegy old as Akasha itself, consisting of five verses. The first, third, and fifth were the Will of the Primordial, while the second and fourth were the Prayers of the Stars.

To the Celestials, anyone who listened to that song and remained sane was considered their family, their sibling. In my case, their brother. It was similar to reaching the very Root. But, of course, I didn't gain anything too crazy. No True Magic or anything like that. I merely wanted a way to save my world, and that was the only thing the songs showed me. I guess that's what makes me different from most magi. They would burn worlds in an instant if it meant achieving True Magic.

"I'm stupid, aren't I?" My eyes were now a brilliant shade of gold. They were the clairvoyant eyes every Starborn and Voidsoul had. Eyes that saw the past, present, and, in some rare times, into the distant future. I didn't know how I knew that, but you can call it intuition. "Thank you, siblings. For helping this hapless infant ember."

"ᚨᚾ ᛖᛚᛞᛖᚱ ᛊᛁᛒᛚᛁᛜ ᚺᚨᛊ ᛏᛟ ᚲᚨᚱᛖ ᚠᛟᚱ ᚦᛖᛁᚱ ᛃᚢᚾᛟᚱᛊ." (An elder sibling has to care for their juniors.) Sol-no, the sun, the center of the Solar System-beamed at me.

"Nevertheless, this is a debt I must repay. Tell me, what must I do?"

Sol laughed. The twin Sagittarius Voidsouls giggled as if I just said something dumb. In fact, all my brothers and sisters didn't bother concealing their amusement.

"ᚹᛖ ᚨᚱᛖ ᚠᚨᛗᛁᛚᛁ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ. ᛁᛟᚢ ᛟᚹᛖ ᚢᛊ ᚾᛟᚦᛁᛜ. ᛊᚨᚢᛁᛜ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚹᛟᚱᛚᛞ ᛁᛊ ᛗᛟᚱᛖ ᚦᚨᚾ ᛖᚾᛟᚢᚷᚺ ᚨᛊ ᚱᛖᛈᚨᛁᛗᛖᚾᛏ." (We are family, brother. You owe us nothing. Saving your world is more than enough as repayment.) The flames around Sol's body flickered like candlelight. "ᛒᚢᛏ, ᛁᚠ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚲᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛁᚾᛞᚢᛚᚷᛖ ᚢᛊ, ᚦᛖ ᚲᛖᛚᛖᛊᛏᛟᚨᛚᛊ ᚹᚺᛟ ᛗᚨᚲᛖ ᚢᛈ ᚦᛖ ᚱᛖᛊᛏᛁᛜ ᚷᚱᛟᚢᚾᛞᛊ ᚲᚾᛟᚹᚾ ᚨᛊ ᚦᛖ ᛗᛁᛚᚲᛁ ᚹᚨᛁ ᚷᚨᛚᚨᚲᛊᛁ, ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛁᛟᚢ ᛊᛁᛜ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚢᛊ ᚨᚷᚨᛁᚾ?" (But, if you could indulge us, the Celestials who make up the Resting Grounds known as the Milky Way Galaxy, will you sing with us again?)

"But of course." How could I not grant such a simple request? I needed to refresh my memories anyway.

I took my place beside my much, much older brother-Sol. I wasn't even one hundred years old. Yet even the youngest among the Celestials who could interact with the material world despite being in eternal sleep was at least several million years of age.

"ᚱᛖᛞᛁ? ᛚᛖᛏ×ᛊ ᚨᛚᛚ ᛊᛏᚨᚱᛏ ᛏᛟᚷᛖᚦᛖᚱ." (Ready? Let's all start together.) Sagittarius Alpha and Sagittarius Beta raised their hands. They were the leaders of these Resting Grounds, the twin Voidsouls who held everyone together with their immense gravitational pulls at the galaxy's center. "ᛏᚺᚱᛖᛖ, ᛏᚹᛟ, ᛟᚾᛖ!" (Three, two, one!)

It was a wordless song, merely notes without lyrics. However, I was sure even Mozart would be on his knees when listening to this elegy of the gods. It faintly reminded me of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

There was no way my human body could sing this and remain functional. Instead, my soul itself sang with the stars.

It acted like a lullaby, a fairy tale that returned me to the world of the living. I would not call this place my permanent home for eternities.

As I felt myself return to my body, with all the knowledge I'd need to bring this world back from the brink of destruction, all the Celestials turned their heads toward me and waved. Even then, they did not stop their requiem.

I closed my eyes. A feeling in my gut told me to look up at the night sky once I tamed the Young Mistress. Something told me the stars would be extra stunning.

...

I found myself in some damp wooden crate when I opened my eyes. My nose scrunched up automatically-I definitely had...better naps.

The meeting I had-not a dream, it was one hundred percent not a delusion created by my mind-was still fresh in my mind. My brain was still spinning from the sheer amount of information it had to process. And I was hungry. And not "stomach growly" hungry. I was so desperate for food that I almost considered consuming the wood that made up my lackluster prison. I guess I did go through a ritual similar to reaching Akasha, so my brain depleted a decent amount of calories.

What I found interesting was that although the crate was perfectly sealed, without even a crack for light to shine through, I could still see just fine. It took me a moment to realize my eyes were glowing. That was why I could still see.

I was in a bit of pain, but nothing serious. A few healing Runes carved without direct contact-my hands were tied-and I was good as new.

"Alright," I muttered, sitting up and pushing at my holding cell made of organic materials. "Let's see where I am." I could have easily blown off the cover with wind magic, but that would cause too much commotion.

I looked around. "Hmm?"

What is all this? It's a bit more...realistic than I imagined. I was in a dingy storehouse covered in dust. Faint moonlight and starlight filtered through an iron-barred window. There was a rotting old chair and a discarded suit of armor with a hole in it in the corner. I wanted it to be as believable as possible, but isn't this taking things too far?

I walked to the only other crate in the storehouse and pried the lid off using the limited action these stupid restraints allowed me. I could burn them away without effort, but then the authenticity of the entire operation would go down.

"Mm...ungh...?" The Young Mistress woke a few moments later. She opened her eyes, didn't recognize her surroundings, and tried jumping to her feet. But both her arms and legs were tied, so she over and squirmed like a caterpillar instead.

She instantly lost her cool. "What the hell is this?! Stop messing around! Who the hell do you think I am?! Untie me immediately!"

Her voice was unbearably loud. I'd noted this back at the manor, too. The fact that this space was so small only made her louder. She was Sauros's granddaughter, after all. I suppose his loud voice got passed to her down the gene pool. Or perhaps she saw how loud voices could intimidate people and tried emulating her grandfather. Children loved to imitate what they saw.

"Shut up already, you damn brat!" The door banged open, and in came a man. It was definitely because of the Young Mistress's howling.

His clothes were ragged, and a foul stench clung to him. He was bald, and his face unshaven. A perfect look for a pretend bandit. I wouldn't have been surprised if he pulled out a business card.

"Eww! You stink! Don't you dare come close to me! Who the hell do you think I am?! And minutes now, Ghislaine will come in here and split you in-Gah!"

The Young Mistress was sent flying with an audible whoosh. A loud cry left her mouth as she smacked into the wall.

"Damn, brat! Think you can mouth off to me, huh?! We already know you're the liege lord's grandchildren!" The man held nothing back as he began stomping on the Young Mistress.

'Th-that's going a little far, isn't it?'

I was beginning to think this wasn't an act.

"Th-that hurts... Stop-gh! Stop, agh... Stop it..."

"Puh!' He continued kicking her for a while. When he finished, he spat on her face and glared at me. I quickly turned my head and was met with a kick to my face.

"...Argh!"

What the hell? That hurt! Okay, this was definitely not an act.

"Tsk! That's for looking so damn happy!"

The bald man existed from the storehouse. I could hear voices beyond the door.

"Did they shut up?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't kill'em, did you? Bang up the march too bad, and it'll lose value."

Alright. This conversation only confirmed this wasn't an act. So we've actually been kidnapped. Did bandits intercept the hired actors? Or did Philip hire some...less than trustworthy people?

"Oh? Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine. At the very least, we should be fine as long as we still have the boy."

That's not good.

The muttering continued for a while.

My eyes' colors were overtaken by gold as my Celestial eyes activated. There were many functions to these eyes-they were the very first form of vision crafted by the God of Creation. In other words, they were the first eyes to ever exist. One of their abilities was Clairvoyance.

I looked through the wall. I made sure the bandits were far away before I burned my restraints.

I went over to where the Young Mistress was lying. Blood poured out of her nose. She stared blankly at the wall as she muttered something about telling her grandfather.

I didn't bother indulging in her utterances. For now, I must assess her injuries.

"Eek!" It must have hurt. Because her head snapped up as she looked at me with fear.

I put a finger to my lips and monitored her reaction as I used Structural Analysis. Two broken bones, some cuts, and a few bruises. Nothing I can't handle.

"̶̨̝̱͍̙̞̲̮͙̞͙̰͈̠͑̄̿̏̀̕L̸̟̜̱͔̝̤̄͑̾͌̉̀̈́̆͠à̵̭͔̈́g̵̢̪͓̟̫̫̩̫̟̻̺̯͒̿͜ũ̸͇̭͗̒͑̇́́̐̆̋̕z̵̠̭͙͔͔͕̣͌͝ͅ.̵̧̡̨̘̻̳̞͍̘̝̀͆̊̊͆̍̚͘̚͜͠ͅ"̴̱̝̩̩̦̲̣̂̉̈́̆̉̏̔̅͘ Water burst forth from the Primordial Rune like a spring. It coated the Young Mistress in a bubble before sinking into her skin. And, as if time was reversing itself, her wounds healed instantly.

"H-huh? The pain is...?" She looked down at her body, puzzled.

I whispered in her ear. "Shh, be quiet. Your bones were broken, so I used healing magic. Young Mistress, it appears we have been abducted by people that bear a grudge against...and you're not listening."

"Ghislaine! Ghislaine! Help! They're going to kill me! Save me, hurry!" Her bellowing voice echoed through the room.

Seeing the man approaching with my Clairvoyance, I immediately projected restraints that bound my hands. I had no wish to be tied with something like iron chains.

The door banged open viciously. "Shut the hell up!" This time he kicked her even more violently than before.

'She really doesn't learn, huh?' I mused.

"Little shit! Next time you fuss, I'll kill you!"

*Whack!*

Hey! Why'd I get kicked! I've been a good boy, haven't I?!

"Guhuh, guhuh..."

Her condition wasn't good. I don't know if it's a broken rib or a ruptured lung, but she was vomiting blood. One thing's for sure: one of her organs was ruptured. She'll die if I don't do something.

"Laguz." I didn't use a Primordial Rune this time. A normal Rune carved from Mana instead of Od was enough. I didn't want those men to actually kill her.

The blood coming from her mouth stopped. She'll survive...for now.

"Guhuh... I-it still hurts. H-heal...all of it."

"No." I politely refused. "If I heal you, you'll just get yourself kicked again. Use your own magic."

"I-I can't...do that."

"You could if you learned."

With that, my eyes shifted gold again. I pressed my head against the storehouse's entrance. I needed to learn our capturer's motives.

"So, we gonna sell to that one guy? Darius-something-something?"

"No, let's use'em for ransom."

"Won't they hunt us down?"

"I don't care. If that happens, we'll go to a neighboring country."

One name stuck out to me. "Darius?" So this was the man who intercepted my mission. "Okay, then." I climbed to the window and looked up at the stars. "Siblings, lend me your sight."

The eyes of Celestials were linked. If both parties allowed it, one could look through another's eyes. It was akin to the shared senses between a magus and a familiar.

"ᚨᛊ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚹᛁᛊᚺ." (As you wish.) Sol answered my call. All the other Celestials were too far away to see anything on this pale blue...dot? Cube? I don't know anymore.

Within a second, I searched the entire world. Nothing could hide from the sun's all-reaching light.

"Aha. There you are." My vision focused on a fat man-never mind, fat is too good of a word for him. "Obese" suits him better.

Ahem. Back to the living mound of fat.

He looked similar to the bald bandit who entered the storehouse a few moments ago, though much more obese. His head was so hairless that it could act as a satellite dish with light it could reflect. There was a cruel smirk on his face as he began taking off his overly lavish clothes-hold on, why was he taking off his clothes in what I presumed to be his office? In the bathroom, I could get. In his bedroom? A change of clothes never hurt anybody. So why...

There was another person in the room. A young girl around my age was tied to his desk. There was a gag in her mouth that prevented her from screaming. I directed Sol's eyes to the door. Sure enough, it was locked.

'Wait. That mound of jello isn't about to-'

I severed the connection with Sol immediately after he tore the girl's clothes off.

I breathed heavily, a hand clutched to my chest. I'd just witnessed a case of assault. 'So that's why.'

That vile man wanted the Young Misstress as a kind of sex toy! Who does that?! She's not even ten!

'ᛞᛟ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚾᛖᛖᛞ ᛗᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛒᚢᚱᚾ ᚺᛁᛗ, ᛒᚱᛟᚦᛖᚱ?' (Do you need me to burn him, brother?) Sol asked through our telepathic link.

I shuttered at the thought of a star awakening from its slumber. The calamities it would cause! It'll be like the sun went supernova.

"No. The Celestials must forever sleep. I'll personally...deal with that...thing."

"ᛁᚠ ᚦᚨᛏ ᛁᛊ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚹᛁᛊᚺ." (If that is your wish.) The telepathic link went quiet.

Whatever. I have more pressing matters to deal with. I'll send that blob of fat to hell with Celestial Laws later.

The bandits continued to talk while I was lost in thought. I knew that because of the constant muttering originating from behind the door.

"All right." What to do?

Smashing the door and beating them up with magic was always an option, but I wanted to teach the Young Mistress violence earned you nothing. After we get out of this, I don't want her to keep punching me at every opportunity.

I looked at the window I was currently standing on. 'Perfect.'

With a wave of my hand, iron pillars rose from the ground and sealed the door shut. I melted the doorknob as well. It was a precaution. You can never be too careful.

Next, the window. It was small, but we could squeeze through with no problem. I separated the iron bars from the bricks that held it in place and condensed it into a small ball. It'll act as a good weapon if those kidnappers chase after us. Which was very likely.

"Young Mistress. The people who kidnapped us have a grudge against the liege lord. Their friends are going to be here tonight. They were talking about how they will beat us to death."

"Th-that has to be a lie...right?"

Nope. Can't you see I'm deadly serious?

"I don't wanna die, so...goodbye."

I began squeezing my way out the empty window frame. At the same time, a voice came through the door.

"Hey! This won't open! What the hell is goin' on?!"

Their pounding on the door reminded me of how those Red Wyrms beat against my shields.

The Young Mistress eyed me and the door in despair. "D-don't leave me behind... Help!"

She caved quicker than I thought. Good. I dropped to the floor, got close to her, and whispered. "Can you promise to listen to everything I say until we return?"

"I'll listen, sure."

"Can you also promise you won't yell? Ghislaine isn't here, okay?"

She nodded vigorously. "I-I'll promise. So hurry up...or they'll come... They'll come!"

Her demeanor changed completely from when she punched me. It's good that she understood the danger we're in.

I tried sounding calm and collected. "If you break your promise, I will leave you behind."

I used fire magic to remove her bindings. And a little healing restored her to perfect health.

Finally, I slipped out the window and pulled the Young Mistress out with me.

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So, what'd yall think? There will be two parts to the kidnapping arc.

The first part will be kinda normal, besides the fact Rudeus met with all the stars in the Milky-fucking-Way. The second chapter will go completely off the rails, so don't bash me too hard...? Hehehe... ;-;

Now, to explain some things.

First: Sol is the Starborn living on the sun. Basically, he is the sun's consciousness. If you people have read my other fanfic, Saisho no Kami no Erejī: First Divine Elegy, you'll understand what I mean. If you haven't read it, go read it. Otherwise, this fanfic and all the others following will not make sense.

Second: I know Sagittarius Beta is a gas cloud in space, okay? You have to realize this is an AU. I made it so Sagittarius Alpha, the black hole in the center of the Milky Way, is actually two supermassive black holes orbiting each other. And those are what Sagittarius Alpha and Beta represent in what you just read. The same thing applies to Rigle. I know it's a star system, but I made it a single star because I can.

This is where my fanfics start going all psycho and all that. So if you don't wanna be triggered, feel free to delete this from your bookmarks.

Anyways, Please like, share, follow, and comment.

As always, good luck with your game of life͘.