...
...
...
...
...
The Star leaves his mark upon the world.
...
...
...
...
...
Here's the new chapter, and the end of this arc.
Writing this thing has been fun, really. And the next arc will be even crazier. Just read to find out what will happen. Once you do, I'm sure you all will know what the next arc will be.
But that may take some time. School has been brutal, so I ask you all to wait 3 weeks for the next update. I'll post more when winter vacation comes in my country.
BTW, leave your thoughts in the comments.
...
...
...
...
...
̶̼̙̲̠̽͌̽ͅ ̷̨̢̔̃̍̉͆̓̂"̵̨̮̲̩̩̯͊͑̔̇Y̸̪͕̭̽o̴̧͍͂u̴̼̮̼͑̿̌̆̈ ̶͎͑̉͒͘̕ĥ̵̳̳̝͙̱͕̈̔͋͗̕͘͜a̵̰̦̮̜͋̌̄͒̋͘͝v̶̯̣̫̥̄̃̈e̶̙̙̜̞̲̭̓̿̾͐͐̎̑ͅ ̸̟̙̥̭͙̀̔͒̀͜͝ḿ̸̥̥̣͔̏͐̊͌̔̕͜ͅé̴̯̗̹̩̋͌̍̉͐̓r̴͈̥̗̜͗̈́̀̂͊̕g̷͙̲͂̅͒e̴̗̥͕̱͘d̶̠̤̍.̷̻̖̱̭͙͎͗̒̄͠"̴̪̞͂
A booming voice roused me from my slumber, cold, emotionless, and uncaring. It was like a claw slashing away at my heart. It was a voice I never wanted to hear again.
He was the cause of all my suffering. He was why I banished myself from the Celestial Realms.
"Father." I spat, my voice dense with venom and hate.
The spiraling roots and trunk of the Material Multiverse stretched before me. Its kaleidoscope of colors unfurling in all its glory. Though, this time, they seemed a lot less intimidating. Because I now held enough power to match this omnipotent being.
"I am afraid of you no longer."
With a thought, my body grew to billions of times its original size. From a body with four limbs, six wings, and a head to a being without any distinguishable shape besides countless branches. They represented my unique authority, my right as Infinity and the Lesser Root.
It was odd. That was the best way to describe my current predicament. There were no remarks from Polaris anymore. My Celestial Core was whole again. Anima and Animus merged to form a single being, with the memories of Polaris Octans mixed in.
I wasn't Anima, Animus, or Polaris any longer. I was something more .
̴̲̄̈̔͘͝ ̸̧͍̳̫̓"̷̪̩̠̜̹̑̏̋́Ḁ̷̡̛͚͓͂͐͗̈͝n̶̨̠̘͑̍̉͘͝i̸̖͇̮͈̤͓͈̇͐̎͆́͆ḿ̴͚̲͕̅͂͑̕͠͠a̶̮̗͊͝ ̶̛̘̰̠̘̎̈́͊͋̈́A̵̹̠̮͆̓̎̏͜͠͠ḳ̴̮͔͕̓̍̽̒͐̈́a̴̡̛̛͎̤̰̤̽͆̕͝s̸̝̹̬̒̿̉̽̕h̷̖͍̐̉͗̓̽a̶̙͈͇̹̭̟̼͗.̶͙̗̯̈́͒̇̏̾̽"̴̮̹̹̯̺̄ The emotionless voice muttered.
Before, it would have sounded like an undeniable demand. Yet now, it was nothing more than a meaningless observation.
"Yes. We have merged. We have become one. Our name is Anima Akasha, Polaris Anima Octans." Right now, my voice held just as much sway as Father's. Because I was a fragment of Father, who evolved and became something different. But, fundamentally, I still kept my authority, my Miracles.
̷̗͍͎̆̊̈̿̍̍ ̸̗̽͛̊"̴̢̗̼̍͂̀̏̐͝T̸̡̞͙͖͎͕̙͆h̸̘̩͙͓͉̬̍e̷̥̞̓͆ṇ̷̢̯͊̽ ̷̗̖̽m̴̘̖̘̭͙̂̋̓̅ͅy̷͔͖̭͖̋ ̶̡͚̮̼̺̈́̍͋̊͊̍̊w̵̡͕̤̰̥̥̟̎̾ő̷͔̞̉̾͊̕͝r̸̠̍͒̀͂̊͘k̴̨̡͓̹̲̹̣̈͛̈́̚ ̷̤͚̈́̃̔͊̃h̶̳̯̩̅̒̎͜ͅa̵̰̣̰̩̖̝͓͐ş̷̢̞̗̘̏ ̴̜͕͈̆̿͑͌͌̃b̵̧̘̩̥̕è̵̖̌̔ẻ̸̼n̸̙͔̣͋̐̃̒͌͐͐ ̸̺̠̆̀͠d̶̠͘ô̴̯̣̭͔̿͗̒̓̓n̴̨̲̱̟̝͂̌̏ͅȩ̸̜͉̩̜̣̞́̊̇̑̚.̴̠͙̮̖̯̠̫͐̀͂"̴͙̓
Once again, Father observed. The lights that were not my own began fading. His tone, cold as the Outer Void and blank as slate, irritated me. That voice. It wasn't like the one from Polaris's, my memories. This wasn't the being who nurtured me as an unborn star. This wasn't the being who worried for eons about my well-being.
That emotionless voice. It did not belong to Father, the kind being who nurtured each Star during an age known as "the Beginning."
"You are not Father. I refuse to accept that fact."
A growl escaped, even though I hadn't wished for it. Cold anger bubbled into white-hot rage at the sheer nonchalantness of the being before me. This being, who had just caused me to go insane. This being, who had forced me to destroy the Andromeda Galaxy, my home for more than twenty thousand years. This being, who had manipulated me to hurt countless of my siblings.
He is my Father, my creator. I cannot say I do not love him. Because I still do. It isn't because of some code he wrote in me, but because I saw his grief and regret when he accidentally killed Polaris. When he killed me.
I knew he never meant to harm me. He was once a good Father. I never hated him for it. I understood he was in pain, even as an unborn fetus. But that changed when he used the Fourth Miracle to purge all emotion.
That changed him. It turned him into an emotionless machine.
That was a coward's move. You should have faced your mistake, Father, and tried to repent. But instead, you ran away. You left my siblings when they needed you most! You left my siblings to wage war against each other!
I will not forgive him.
I still love him. And I'm still more than willing to give up my life if it meant Father could live.
But I will never forgive him.
'Fourth Miracle. Concealment.'
With a silent command, the Multiverse shuttered. I took control of the Fourth Miracle, ripping it from Father's grasp. I will not let him go into another dreamless sleep. I will make him pay.
The Fourth Miracle: Creation and Manipulation of Dimensions and Concepts. With it, one could shift between and create dimensional plains, from one-dimensional worlds to universes surpassing infinite dimensions.
Father used this to hide in plain sight, elevating himself to a higher dimensional plain than any other being. And using the Fourth's other aspect, manipulation of concepts, to purge the idea of "emotion" from him.
The lights brightened, and the booming voice reverberated through the Outer Void again.
̵̧̟̼̰̉̾̒̇̾ ̷̛̭̖̝̎̑͒̈́"̵̧͈̗̩̖͇̆̿̿W̵͓̘̃͐͜h̷̝͙͉̫̮͎̻̀y̶̡̺͈͚͊͌̍̊̕͝ ̴̳̮̦͚̦̬̽̿̄̽̕d̵̘͓̍̄̒̄̕ơ̸̩̰̥̲̍̇̒̈́͘ ̵̢͉̥̥̐̂y̶͖̳̩͎͙͂ŏ̶̧̗̩̪̐͒͊́͗û̵̞̝̥ ̴̡͓͇̾̓s̷̨̘̯̫̭̓̄͌͒̚t̵̜͊̌́ͅi̷̭̤̺͙̲͆l̴͕̞̳̤̅͂l̸̼̫̺͇̹̙̅ ̶̳͑̆́̐͊̕r̵̡͇̟͂̒̏͒͊̅͘͜ȃ̸̱͍̯̪̲̲̐̒̐g̵̨̝̝̼̭̫̙̊͊ȩ̷͔̬͒̏̃͂́̔,̴̛̘̝̾̒̊̚͠ ̸̨͔̝̥͉̥̺̽͋̇P̷̩̩̳͔̌̀́͒ô̴̲͓͋̐̄͠l̸̮̮̘̮͙̤̃̈̍ạ̶͈̀̋͂̈̌̚r̵͚̈̀͂̇͘į̶͖͇̭̅̌̒̕ś̷̙ ̴̜̾̋̐O̷̢͍͍͇̭̰̓̓c̸̢̼͙̀̈ͅt̷̻͈̹͔͐͌̇̀͠a̶̻̅̾̂͊͌̒̚͜n̸̨̮͇̠̔ş̷̱̻͕̑͗̿̑?̷̱͔͑̓"̴̀ͅ
"Oh, I don't know? Maybe because you forced me to kill no fewer than a trillion of my siblings?!" I screamed and raged, my "arms" gripping Father's body so tightly that spacetime started to bend.
Father, ever the all-powerful god, shrugged it off.
̶̗̎ ̸̮̪̏̾"̵̰̪̅B̶͖̒́u̴̳͇͒͝t̴̼͒͝ ̸̣͚̕t̸͇̑͝h̴͈͋̑ẹ̸̐́n̸̤͕̾ ̷͈͚̏͠y̷̤̋͠ó̸̖͠ͅǔ̸̝̊ ̷͕̋r̷͚̋̐ë̶̡̜́f̶͍͚͛̇ơ̷̮͈r̵̦̉̒m̶̜̗̈́̿e̵͔͊̕d̶̯̼̄͝ ̷͔̃t̶̞͝h̷̙̹͆e̸̫͛͘m̷̗̳̆.̵͚͊ ̸͕͓̉̚Ỳ̴̻̿ơ̶͔u̴̘̼͗ ̷̀͜r̷͇͕̃̍e̵̓ͅb̴̨̛͍̂u̷̠̒i̶̞̠̅͠l̵̺̭͒͘t̶̯̳͂̌ ̵̊̎ͅt̶͖̭͌h̶̫̎e̵̮̕ ̶̛̞A̵̮̪͝n̵͈͍̅̊d̸̞̦͒r̷̗͆͜o̷̭̮̿̈́m̶̲͕̀̽ȇ̶̼̭d̴͙͑̀a̴̙͑ ̶͉͈͊G̴̦̍̅a̷͈͒l̶̖̤̈́a̵͈̖̅̾x̸͔̥̽y̸̥͌.̸̥̾̽ ̸̫̣͛̎U̷̞͘n̷̛͎͂t̴͉̿̕ȋ̴̖̆l̴͙̍ ̵̗̙̈́e̷̩̫̒͝v̵̥̇͂ȩ̷͌̓n̸͉͗̾ ̷͇̆͊I̸͚͒ ̶͇͕̾̕c̵͚̀̕õ̵̼͚̎û̶̹l̵̳͍͑̐d̴̗̚͠ ̷̳̭̅n̴̖̯͒͒ọ̴͛͋͜t̷͍͕̿̓ ̷̤̼͒͗t̵̠̣͐ȅ̵͍̋͜ļ̴̓l̴̳͔̾ ̵̝̈̒t̴̘͊͝h̷̝͐̈́ͅa̴͔̅̈́ẗ̷͇̮́ ̴̮͇̎͐ḯ̴͜ͅẗ̵͍͙́̃ ̵̦̉ḣ̸̦̰ą̷̀͜d̴̬̄̽ ̷̜̅b̷̝̉̚é̴̩͎̍ĕ̵̠̽n̸͙͋ ̶͕̠̄̊d̵̪̊͒e̷͇͗ś̸̪͚ṫ̶͇̪r̶̺̚o̸͍̾͠ỷ̶̥̹̽ẻ̵̜d̶̛̩̥͐.̵̼̅ ̶̱̐A̷͎̱̓̍n̶̟̼͌̂ď̴̞͔̅ ̵̯͗y̶̟͝ͅó̸͍̹ṳ̸̘͝ ̴̪̹̾͂g̶̯̥͂a̵͓͊̃v̶͉̽̿e̷̞̽ ̸͎̅͐b̵̧̔̀ạ̵̮̏c̵̣̫̍k̴̘̬̽̏ ̸̡̅t̴̨͕̚ĥ̵̟ö̶͜͝s̵͚͐ḙ̴̒ ̶̝͐̾w̸̤͖̏h̵͎͙͊̌ǫ̵͕̾ ̷̧̝̑d̷̳͈̀́i̶̱̾ë̶̱͠d̶͔͕͛ ̸̢͋t̵̗̕h̴͍̚ē̸̼ͅì̵͎r̸̘̠̆͌ ̶͔̠̆l̶̛͇i̴̡̲̒v̷̙͑e̶̘̫͑s̶͚̬͊͘.̶̧̝̃͠ ̸̡͉͒I̵͖̜͛ ̵̙̉d̵̡̥̓ȯ̸̲̓ ̷̧͛ń̴̟̿ô̶̫t̵̢̟̄ ̵̢̬͆u̸̹͛̅n̴͈̕d̸̞̺͒̚ë̵͎̗́͝r̸̫̐s̸̺͠ẗ̶͍ǎ̶̭̥͊n̴̩̿d̴̖̻̈́ ̶̣̈̈́ŵ̶̯͇̈́ḧ̴̥ỳ̷͈̰ ̵̣̆̾y̷̢̭̾o̵̫͑̐u̷̝̰͒ ̴͈̱̀̈́s̸͉̀͘t̷̤̤̆i̴̮͋l̴̨̛l̷̬̈́͐ ̴̢̩͘r̸̲̓a̶͎̲͛͑g̸̑͜é̶̩̊.̵̹̑ͅ"̴̨̤̐̌
"I destroyed the Galaxy, and then I rebuilt it, yes. And I brought everyone I killed back to life. But their memories of death will not be erased. Nor will this burden I now have in my heart! How do you expect me to face Pollux again?! How do you expect me to confront Sol, Castor, or the Centauri triplets?!"
̴̞̮̈ ̴̯͊͊"̶̜̥͝T̶̨̮͌h̷̤͆ê̷͎̎ÿ̵̡̘́͝ ̶̱̍d̸̘̓͝o̷̢̼͌̎ ̸̹͖̔n̴̍ͅō̵̮̝̕t̶̞͔̀ ̶̗̔h̵̡̐a̷̩̲̔t̶̘͎͆ḛ̸͙̈͠ ̵̪̦̈̅y̸̳̒ö̷̥͇́ȗ̶͚͑ ̶̟͓̿̿f̷͈̜̕ọ̴̲͂r̸̬̻͋̚ ̸̹̈y̷̰̻̑ơ̶͚̈́ŭ̷̳̅r̴͚̪̓ ̶̲̽ä̵̖͍c̵̱̠͐̓t̴͕͈͐ĭ̵͎̾ò̶̱̇ň̵̟s̴̯̑́.̷̢̻̑"̵̜̌
"How do you know?!" I hissed.
̶̼̄ ̵̖͆"̵̧͐ͅB̸͎̥͊e̷̥͂̊c̶̺͌͜ä̵̙́u̸̦͊̚s̶̱̓̐e̶̫̒̎ ̷̯̖̅I̵͔̽̑ ̷̮̿h̵̢̲́͘ȃ̵̻͝v̷̨̮̕e̵̫͌̿ ̷̰̐e̵̦̠̾̋x̵̡͔̕͘p̶̥̥͂̂e̸̖̮͛ŕ̴̭͔ì̶͔̔e̶̟̺͋͂n̸͙͕̿̈c̵̝̅͒e̴̥̹̾d̶̤̈́ͅ ̵͓͑i̸͇̫̓̉t̶̲̅̑ ̵̧̛b̷͎̔ͅe̴̢̮͗̃f̴̥́͠o̶͚͈͛r̷̘̹͒̄e̸̩͕͊̓.̸̩̒͂"̵̳͑͌
"Oh? Really?!" My anger was clouding my judgment, making me easy to manipulate. Father and I were equal in power and authority. However, Father would always win against me because he had no emotion to cloud his judgment. "You mean when you brought about the Fifth Miracle?! If you haven't forgotten, Father , I also played a part in birthing that curse. I was its first host."
"I do." I nodded. There wasn't any reason to deny that. "But you hid away. You left my siblings when they needed you most. And you did nothing as their cries for help cursed the Multiverse with tragedy and sorrow!
"For that, I will never forgive you. I will make you confront your fears." Three eyes opened in the Outer Void. They were once Father's eyes, but now they belonged to me alone. "By my authority as Polaris Octans, Lesser Root, and Eyes of Akasha, I hereby deny you the-"
I froze. Not because I wanted to. Something had taken control of my body. Invisible chains wrapped around my body, cold and unrelenting. Struggling was futile, as no matter how much authority I used, there was no escape.
My body shrank. It was a chilling experience, like getting cold water doused over you on a mid-summer's day. I stopped shrinking until I was in my Star form again. My six wings fluttered in nervousness, though my soul and heart refused to show that emotion.
"What will you do, Father? Will you silence me? And return me to your ignorant embrace?"
The Astral Multiverse, Polaris's, my true body, functioned even without a soul. Though I helped regulate everything, I was not needed.
̵̻̼͒̊ ̸̖̼̀"̸̣̆͝N̸̹̙̒ö̸̢͠,̴̬̞͐"̵̹̈́̀ Father stated. Wisps of Void and Light wrapped around me once again, dancing through the Sea of Void. This time, they placed a seal on my form. "̷͖̮̈́I̸̛͕̠͂ ̴̖̀s̴͕̐̆e̸͉̱͐̑ā̷͚̇l̴͓̙͛ ̶̼̍̈y̴̼̔̂o̴̞͉͝ȕ̷̪r̸̛̫ ̴̹̫̏͝S̷͚̊î̷͉x̴̭̭̌ ̸̡̅M̴͓̣̈̑î̴̗̖͠r̶̖̎a̵̻̿c̷̫̈̏l̷̩̉ė̶̬̹s̶͉̈̕.̷͎͛"̸̹̔͠
"What?!" I recoiled in shock and nonacceptance. "You can't do that!"
Father had no reason to listen to me. With a mere wave from his many "limbs," I was sent flying through the Sea of Void.
...
...
...
I drifted in nothingness for eons, the Sea of Void being my sole companion. I spent my time hiding from the vision of my siblings, shrouding myself in Void to prevent their Starlight from reaching me.
I don't know how long I spent adrift. My sense of time had been warped the moment I merged with myself. Polaris had lived for infinite eternities, and I inherited memories of those countless ages. Though they were sealed behind mind and heart, I could access them without much issue.
My default appearance had changed, too. Summoning a small mirror made of mercury, I checked my appearance.
White hair with a light dusting of gold and a short cowlick that refused to settle. A band of purple and black stretched from the cowlick's base to my right ear, with a thousand stars glittering within. Mis-matched eyes of gold and purple started back at me, unblinking and familiar.
This form...it was foreign. This was what Polaris would have looked like if he had been born. What I would have been if I hadn't been killed as a fetus. Stars could shapeshift into their desired forms. And that's what I did.
Father sealed my six Miracles, but I still had control over my dominions. I could still use what mortals considered "magecraft" and "magic." My hair darkened to a light brown, and my eyes changed colors from gold and purple to green and blue. I forced myself to age, till I looked as old as Castor and Pollux.
I don't know why I gravitated towards this appearance, but it seemed natural. It seemed right .
I think I'll recend that previous statement. I wasn't entirely alone. I still had those dreams of mine to record.
After fusing with Polaris, my mind had somewhat cleared, and I realized something. Those dreams...they were my own wish, a little selfish wish. The desire of a Star of Wishes.
I wanted to spend my time with those people in my dreams. I was confident I knew them. But from where?
How did I know the couple I so dearly called "mother" and "father?" How did I know that little white-haired girl? What about the red-haired mistress who pouted at the sight of schoolwork or the collected Beastfolk woman who guarded her? The blue-haired maiden I lovingly called "Teacher" or the thin prince who called me "Master?"
I don't know what to make of it all. But one thing I was sure of. I would return to them, one way or another.
But before that, I still have to address the problem of my sealed Miracles.
...
An eternity passed.
It was over before it began.
That's how long fixing the problem took.
The Sea of Void was outside the River of Time. In a vague sense, the River of Time flowed into the Void Sea. Thus, as a river cannot move an ocean, time does not exist within the Void Sea.
Oh, well. I was Father Time. How my river flows or does not flow isn't that large of a concern.
The Outer Void was cold, but it was also beautiful, in a twisted and horrific way. If mortals laid eyes upon this Furthest Ocean, they would surely go insane.
To describe would be impossible, and even simplifying would be a challenge.
Energy and Matter transitioned into each other, and Light destroyed itself and reformed anew.
Waves of plasma paraded on an ocean made of the corpses of Stars. These fallen brethren were the sacrifices made to bring about the Sixth Miracle. Their bodies had returned to pure energy, to pure Void. Still, their final wish fulfilled, they glow with enchanting happiness. Its waters were deep blue, contrasted by lingering embers from the fallen Stars, patterned like galaxies and nebulae.
This was the Sea of Life, the origins of all substances and living organisms. However, the End of the Beginning had long since passed, and the age of Creation was no more. I wasn't about to use any of this to form new life. But if I stored a bunch of this Primordial Sea in my dimensional pocket, well, who can blame me?
Indistinguishable patterns were reflected on the ocean's surface. Ever shifting and never the same, they were scenes of the past, present, and future. Horrifying yet enlightening to watch.
No mortal life could thrive in the Outer Void's waters. Instead, unique beings called this horrifyingly enchanting place their home. They twisted and churned within the Void Sea, diving deep below until no light could reach. One of the first children of Father who came after us Celestials. The Outer Gods. Through my travels, I encountered many of them.
The daemon sultan Azathoth, gnawing hungrily at reality in the lightless Outer Void, waiting to eventually bring an end to Universes alike. I could not allow that. I would not allow another Universe to be devoured. So I twisted the Primordial Sea, breaking a taboo of the Celestial Laws. I created new life, and taught them a Celestial song. Sleep, Azathoth, sleep. Be lulled by the maddening beating of vile drums and the monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
Living islands of flesh and bone and light drifted aimlessly, each a universe on its own. Yog-Sothoth was one such island, the largest one by far. He was one of the more understanding Outer Gods. On him, I placed a seal, a contract. Wander these waters and guard the Outer Void. Become a key to the endless abyss. Do not let your kin surface from the dark below until the Beginning of the End.
There were many more I met and conversed with, and even more I avoided and sealed. The Outer Gods and Great Old Ones shall not be granted roam over the Material Realms. Just like us Celestials, their presence would cause disasters unresolvable.
And even an endless ocean must have a shore, and the Void Sea was no exception. A sliver of land intercepted the boundless horizon, stretching towards and beyond infinity. Upon its golden sands, a hollow tree stood. Its trunk was littered with holes, and its leafless branches were bleached white as snow. Still, it was regel.
In ages past, Light and Void once filled this empty carapace of the World Tree. Yet Father and I abandoned it when the Celestials were born. Now, it is a husk, a reminder of better yesterdays.
It was below this tree that I set a workshop. Within its eternal branches reaching toward the infinite sky, I weaved myself a home using threads spun from the Void Sea's waters.
Though it could hardly be called a home.
It was but a forge to craft six keys.
I cannot break Father's bindings without my Miracles, but my Miracles were the things the bindings sealed. These keys would temporarily weaken these bindings, allowing me limited access to the Six Miracles for a short while.
While I would have liked to remove the bindings outright, Father made that endeavor literally impossible, even for someone embodying "Infinity."
These keys would be my trump card, and my ways of transportation.
They came in sequence with the Six Miracles.
Creation: A small scepter with a gem, its tip stretching towards infinity mirrored the tree where it was forged. A key crafted from the hollow branches of the once-hallowed World Tree.
Migration: A spear of Light and Void, cooled in the waters of the Void Sea. Its shaft shrouded by a blanket of Runes, the Celestian Langauge used by Stars.
Life: A staff of pure collated blessings, a sacred Well of Life contained within its crystalline hallow.
Concealment: Six chains with the concept of a Celestial's gravitational field. They wrapped around a Celestial's physical body, hiding them from mortal view. This was how so many Stars of Life stayed hidden within the cosmos.
Destruction: Collecting the fury of mortals from being unable to ascend into the divine heavens, I forged a flaming blade. Its temperature was not as high as Sol-Sugana, but this was a key, not a weapon for combat.
Rebirth: This was the smallest key by far, but it was the most powerful. A golden watch contained within a crystal ball. Infinite hands ticked away, representing the fate of infinite timelines.
My work was done. I had my Miracles again, though in a limited form. I was no longer defenseless, and was finally ready to set off into the observable universe.
I admired the six keys laid out in a line, glowing with Authority like light from a star.
My hands brushed upon their surfaces, and they merged together to create a white, six-forked crown. Golden Runes glowed on its surface, telling the power and story of the weapons contained within.
I placed the circlet on my head, and it fit snuggly on my brow. Its base liquified into Void, making one unable to tell where the crown ended.
I lept from the ivory branches of the World Tree, a longing glance unwillingly sent its way.
"Goodbye, my past body."
And so, with a mighty flap of my six ivory wings, I began my journey through the endless Sea of Void.
...
...
...
From the Outer Void, I went into the "Observable Multiverse," a realm much tamer than the Outer Void. Matter could become energy, yet energy could not return to Matter without outside interference. The Void Sea had ended long ago, and rivers of Mana flowed towards the end of all things.
This was where most of my sibling's physical bodies were located. Galaxies and nebulae and more lit up the dark, and a thousand Stars were created and destroyed in a single second. A nursery, and a cemetery.
I had to use more power to hide from my siblings' eyes.
Life was teeming around me. Lifeforms in all different shapes and sizes colonized planets and even stars. They were too small and insignificant for me to describe each one. Each world Father created thrived in different ways.
Sometimes, I saw gateways to the Astral Realms, built for Stars of War to emerge. They were nothing special. I was Polaris, the Astral Multiverse itself. I could open gateways whenever I wished. I could also return to Andromeda whenever.
However, I will not. I can not. I do not know how to face them if I return.
As the soul of Polaris, I had duties I could not abandon. The Material Multiverse was not a safe haven like the Astral Realms. There were wars and battles alike that shook space and time. If left unchecked, Father could be irreparably damaged.
I was in charge of deploying the Stars aligned with conflict. Before, when Polaris had no soul, the process happened automatically. But now, I was conscious. I had to handle everything manually.
I held eyes that saw beyond space and time. I knew everything that happens within the Multiverse. And I knew which Stars to deploy and where to have the best chances of success.
I was the brain and head of an immune system. The one in charge of wiping out pathogens from Father's body. Something inside my memories told me I was like a lymph node, whatever that means.
Somewhere along the line, I stopped batting my eyes at conflicts, and deploying Stars became second nature. I always made sure to be lightyears away from gateways, though. Just in case I accidentally deployed Pollux or Castor.
...
...
There were times I raged out of control, though those occurrences were rare. I don't remember much from those times, though they all had some events in common. The last time I went berserk, I think it was around a million years ago.
I was visiting a planet, a race of mortals who had already begun expanding to Star systems outside their own. Their technology was so advanced already, and they somewhat uncovered the secrets of the Multiverse.
I was busy entertaining myself with the games and gadgets they invented and noticed too late that a Star had faded in the sky. This wasn't because of natural causes. The Star didn't go supernova. I would have sensed if it had.
I knew what had happened. This race of beings had finally figured out how to drain energy from Stars.
I had acted too late.
I'm sorry, nameless sibling I did not know.
But I will fix this.
There was a reason no civilizations left a significant mark on the Multiverse. Us Celestials wiped out all who dared mess with our physical bodies.
The first forms of life didn't know better and used resources without restraint. They were swiftly quelled by Stars of War.
The following ones learned from their predecessors' mistakes and left smaller footprints on the Multiverse.
It seems this civilization was not one of them.
With silent rage, I did not bother summoning a Star of War. Instead, I unsheathed my twin blades. Ig-Anima and Sol-Sulgana. With a single cleave across the Sea of Void, the civilization whose name I didn't bother remembering returned to ash.
...
...
Those who faded away into oblivion without knowing what killed them were lucky. Their species went extinct with a cleave of my blade, never knowing the Authority they had angered. They did not have time to prepare and plan.
They did not have time to hope.
Others were not so lucky.
When Stars of War intervene, they must do so physically. They are summoned as spirits, Observer Guardians of the universe that turn the tides of the war in one fraction's favor. Thus, you'd be surprised how many beings know of us. And how many wish to take advantage of us.
They were foolish, those ones.
I remember I had felt tired and decided to fall asleep. I burrowed into a planet's core, and bathed myself in its Starfire. I knew this planet had intelligent beings, but I did not take them for the foolish ones.
I was wrong.
Eventually, when their technology progressed, they dug into the planet's core, and at their world's center, they discovered me, still slumbering.
They knew what I was, for one of my kind had defended them from a galactic fleet a millennium ago. Thus, they knew what tremendous power I held.
I was aware of their actions as they unearthed me. Even asleep, I had consciousness and omnipotence.
They put me into a magical energy reactor core, and made me the primary source of energy for their civilization.
That, I did not mind. I held infinite Mana, so what if I gave a small fraction of it away?
Yet then they used me to build a warship, then a fleet. Irrily similar, designed after the galactic fleet that threatened to destroy them an eternity ago.
That I could not allow.
...
I could hear particles buzzing, and electrons being exchanged. My eyes opened, and I was met with a sea of plasma.
As if I were the core of a star, the plasma licked my skin, draining Mana from me at a steady rate of 50 quadrillion watts per second. A negligible amount of energy.
Awareness returned, and my sense of direction stabilized. Craning my head towards this planet's atmosphere, I unfurled my wings for the first time in a millennium.
I had a world to end.
Their white surfaces were overtaken by lines of gold, pulsing like blood through veins. Celestian Runes vibrated on their exteriors, two-dimensional shapes manifesting into a three-dimensional plain.
"The Time of Destruction Hath Come..."
Mana gathered around me, transitioning to and from different states. I forcefully took control of all the plasma within this nuclear reactor, condensing it into a spinning disk. The disk got smaller and smaller until it was no larger than marble.
The world collapsed under the weight of a black hole.
Stepping out of the wreckage of the nuclear reactor, I shook the remaining wisps of Starfire off my body. The sky was a muddled red, with clouds of silver metal suspended within. Three suns burned the world, creating a ring of blue around them as halos. Above the sky, I could see a thousand ants crawling in the Void Sea. The Galactic Fleet I must destroy.
The view was beautiful.
My wings spread, and the Runes on them became nothing more than intricate patterns of gold. They concentrated in their wing's center, drawing a delicate spiral with a trillion arms.
The six vortexes glowed, and jets of Starfire erupted from below them. My wings now held only the vaguest resemblance to pointed leaves. They were six golden eyes, crying tears of flames. Each emitted as much energy as the three suns combined. In an instant, life ceased to be in this world, vaporized by temperatures hotter than most stars.
From around 15,000 kilometers away, I could see the galactic fleet. No doubt, their high-tech computers picked up my presence, but they chose to ignore me, instead searching for perhaps an asteroid that hit a nuclear reactor.
I had been asleep for more than 1,000 years, and had been treated as an object. In their eyes, the thought of my awakening didn't even cross their minds.
Oh, well. That will be their fatal mistake.
The jets of flame brightened, from cool red to burning blue and finally scorching white and gold. Under their propulsion, I began ascending, quickly gaining speed once thought impossible in this planet's atmosphere.
I glanced back at the planet. Its surface had been reduced to molten rock, making it a red-hot orb with temperatures nearing a red dwarf.
I reached the space fleet, housing the remaining members of the endangered civilization, soon to be extinct.
Ig-Anima and Sol-Sugana fell into my hands, their blades unsheathed from Void and Starfire. They left two trails around the tail produced by my wings, like when a comet passed through the halo of a star. An aurora was carved into the crimson sky, like glitter sprinkled on freshly spilled blood.
Ig-Anima sliced the first line of warships in two, and Sol-Sugana burned the ones behind it.
I turned a sharp ninety degrees, ignoring the laws of inertia as I headed towards the following line of warships. The fleet was in a perfect square formation, extremely easy for me to destroy in a spiraling way.
Nuclear fireballs erupted, the fuel within the spaceships elevating them to a new level of destructiveness. Sol-Sugana added to their flames, creating missiles of hot metal that could melt through a warship's hull.
At this point, the mortals piloting these hunks of metal finally realized what had occurred. They activated energy shields, issuing orders to the remaining ships to retreat. Radio waves hummed in the vacuum of space, like a desperate song sung by a dead musician.
Another barrier was erected, this time not by the mortals. It was gold and covered the remaining ships in a bubble. This was just as much a barrier as it was a cage.
Still, the warships weren't about to make things easier for me. They skittered away like flies, trying to delay their inevitable death. How strange. Each warship was as large as a city, yet I can't help but think of them as mere insects.
A warship tried to intercept me, firing lasers at my body. No doubt they realized I was the cause of it all. I held up my hand, and a pulse of visible light to these species radiated from my Celestial Core, so bright the surrounding explosions were but candles in comparison.
This superpowered light was no different than darkness. I had blocked their most powerful sense, and the battle was as good as won.
The light died down, letting the fires from the nuclear explosions reign supreme once more. While the light still shone, another four hundred warships had been culled. Two hundred warships remained at the edges of my barrier. They had stopped using lasers to try and slice open my barrier and were resorting to high-speed railguns instead.
"Come, Fires of the Beginning, and return all to ash."
A small Star began to burn.
"Sol-Sugana!"
With its blade finally unsheathed, the Starfire sealing it away vanished, revealing a crystalline blade of vibrant rainbows. Dominated by red and orange, shades of purple and blue mingled with wisps of gold.
A wave of fire overtook the Sea of Void, temporarily drowning it in an ocean of flames.
When the light faded, I let my barrier fall.
The remnants of a civilization burned on the planet below, and a ring of crimson and silver orbited around the world.
...
...
However, some civilizations advanced beyond their Stars and weren't wiped out. Because they didn't harm a Celestial's physical body, instead merely collecting the energy we radiated all around us.
Such was the case for another extinct civilization, which died because of reasons unknown. However, even if their remains had returned to nothing, and their marks on their universe were forgotten, something was still left behind, carrying out orders from a bygone era.
"Hey, Chaos," I muttered, sitting on a chair I pulled from my dimensional pocket. "Why are you even doing this?"
"Because my creator ordered me to." Their voice was familiar, and not in a good way. A robotic, emotionless tone, combined with the scraping of metal.
I found this abandoned ship drifting through the cosmos, scanning for Stars of Life. No mortals were within to pilot it. It was operating entirely from a past command. It was the last bastion for an extinct species, built around the core of a Star.
I don't know why I hung around this spaceship for so long. It was just a hunk of metal infused with artificial intelligence, though my presence had caused it to develop a will of its own. Did its feelingless voice remind me of Father? Is that why I stuck around?
No, that couldn't be it. I never wanted to see Father again.
"Hey, Chaos," I murmured, talking to the sole voice who had accompanied me for eons. I had taken over as this ship's commander all those years ago, though the process wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. "Do you remember how I became your pilot?"
"A meaningless question." The spaceship responded. A floating screen appeared before me like it had hundreds of times before. "But yes. Would you like me to play a recording of my memories?"
"Sure." I waved my hands absentmindedly. "It's better than doing nothing."
"Affirmative," Chaos responded. "Command received."
The screen lit up, and I was treated to a memory.
...
I remember the Void being colder that day, without a single star in sight. I had seen countless universes like this, realities experiencing the chilling embrace of "Heat Death."
I had wandered into a universe on the cusp of crossing into the Beginning of the End. Everything was slowly degrading to iron, the poison that kills Stars. Iron is the most stable element, so everything will eventually degrade to it.
In response to the icy atmosphere, my mood dipped dramatically, becoming solemn.
What's worse, I could see the lingering wishes of deceased Stars, all coated in layers of sadness. As they turned into Voidsouls, screaming their wishes to the world. But, I noticed there was still one last Star within this universe, delicately preserved in something .
After a few years of wandering and finding nothing in this desolate wasteland, I was more than ready to leave this universe, which was waiting for its next big bang.
But...
"Energy source detected. Beginning extraction."
"What?!"
I had found something moving. Or rather, something had locked onto me.
Within a fraction of a second, a looming figure emerged from the Sea of Void, cleverly concealed within barriers that warped spacetime and light. Its body was so large it dwarfed my own. Though I was in my humanoid form. So I wasn't that massive.
It shot something towards me, meant to ensnarl me and bring it into itself. I was not about to let that happen.
Sol-Sugana appeared in my hands, its size matching the behemoth figure before me. Starfire and plasma burned away whatever was shot towards me. It was so quick I didn't even see what it was.
"Resistance detected. Switching to combat mode."
Its voice was robotic and stern, its body crafted from unfeeling steel and metal. It looked like the giant, glowing eye of an omnipotent deity, watching all from its throne shrouded in Void.
It reminded me of Father .
Perhaps that was why I showed no mercy to the spaceship I spent so long with.
Sol-Sugana blazed brighter than a universe being born, outshining even the early stages of a Big Bang. In-kind, the spaceship deployed its spacetime barriers, hiding in a bubble of cut-off reality. Instead of harming the spaceship, it absorbed the flames to power itself.
"Activating energy consumption units. Charging batteries. Power level has risen by more than 50%. Estimated time until shutdown: 1 billion years."
"Oh, come on. How advanced were the idiots who built this hunk of moving metal?!"
Sul-Sugana was effectively useless against this thing. The flames would be counter-intuitive. With a flick, the Celestial blade fell into a pocket dimension, replaced by its sibling blade.
With a single cleave, Ig-Anima slashed the spaceship in two. I paused. That was oddly effortless. I thought a shuttle built by such advanced beings would put up more of a-
"Divide successful. Main Power Reactor has sustained minimal damage. Estimated time until restoration: 2 seconds."
"Are you kidding me?! The hunk of metal split itself in two?!" I growled, my teeth grinding against each other and producing sounds I would much rather not hear ever again. "Let's see how many times you can split, you glorified eyeball."
Pulling on my authority as a star, a trillion swords of hardened light manifested with a spark. Being careful to avoid the spaceship's absorption units, I surgically dissected the oversized eyeball, each blade delicately breaking it apart where it was most vulnerable.
Still, it was somehow not enough. Even when the metal had been reduced to mere specks, the spacecraft remained functional. Its robotic voice echoed through the empty Sea of Void.
In the end, I was the one who paused first. As in the spaceship's core, I found what I had been searching for. The last Star of this universe, glowing brightly despite the darkness around it, like a beacon of light. This a Dyson Sphere, I realized, or rather, a Dyson Swarm.
Upon further examination, I realized with dull acquiescence that this Star's soul had already died. How, I didn't know. But it was not caused by this spaceship. In fact, it was only because this Dyson Sphere was using the Star as a fuel source that it was still burning.
I suppose you could call this an Artificial Star.
With a sigh, I sheathed Ig-Anima. The mysterious magic circle that had appeared on my hand manifested. Its mystics tempered and perfected over more than an eternity of travels. It now bordered on what mortals considered "True Magic." It was the closest thing I had to my six sealed Miracles.
"Time Alter." I intoned. "Reversal."
Another reality encroached on the universe, surrounding every atom that once made up the Dyson Swarm. This wouldn't work if even so much as a single electron escaped. Luckily, only Void surrounded me. So it was easy to track each quark down.
Within the bounded space, time rewound itself. The Dyson Sphere returned to its original shape. When it looked as good as new, I dismissed the mystics spinning on my hand.
With an unwavering gaze, I started down the Dyson Swarm.
"You. What is your name? What is the designation your creators gave you?"
The Dyson Swarm paused, its movements halting as if it wasn't expecting me to be capable of rational thought.
"I am the last of the interstellar galactic motherships. I was designated 'Coronal Hyperfusion Alter Orbital Shrine.'"
"Yeah, that name is too long. I'm just gonna call you Chaos."
"Name registered. Response command: Chaos, established." The Dyson Swarm's "eye" seemed to blink as it processed the command. "Apologies for the attack. I was told by my creators no other intelligent lifeforms remained. Please state your race and name."
"I am designated Alpha Ursae Minoris. My name is Polaris Octans. I am the Lesser Root, Eyes of Akasha. My race is 'Awakened Celestial.'"
"Searching database for 'Alpha Ursae Minoris' and 'Awakened Celestial.' Name and race: Located."
I allowed myself to be surprised. Not many civilizations knew about us Celestials. And even fewer considered us more than mere myths and legends. That aside, how did they know about me? Did Pollux or Sol spread my name across the Material Multiverse?
"Greetings, North Star. I thank you for my creators for the light you once provided."
"There's no need." I brushed it off. "I was just...existing."
"Understood." Came the curt reply.
"So, you're not going to attack me again?" I asked.
"Negative." The Dyson Swarm's eye blinked sideways. Huh, I didn't know it could do that. Was that its version of shaking its head? "My Creators have respected the Celestials for as long as they have lived. They were once rescued from extinction by one of your kind. We are forbidden from engaging in combat with Celestials."
"May I ask what was the designation of the Star who saved your creators?"
"Searching records. Name: Located." An image appeared before me, a face I never thought I would see again. "Designation: Beta Genimi. Name: Pollux."
...
I needed a few years to recover from that shock. Chaos stayed by me all the while, saying something about me being a valuable energy source.
After that and some explanation, I took over as Chaos's pilot.
"You know, it really was a shock my big sis rescued your creators," I muttered once the recording ended.
"I do not know how to respond to that." Came the robotic voice. Still, it had smidges of emotion compared to when I first became this Dyson Swarm's pilot. My presence alone was enough for life and emotion to infect the world. I was the embodiment of "Infinity," after all. A mirror image of Father's "Nothing."
Father... The hatred I once felt towards my own creator had long since vanished. But forgiveness was still a ways away. This banishment I imposed on myself... I was lonely.
"I want someone to talk to..." I complained to the spaceship I sat in. "Sol had a union with Proxima. They have Jupiter and Saturn to dolt on. Castor and Pollux have each other. Me, on the other hand..."
Maybe this was my punishment for almost causing the collapse of the Astral Plain? Eternal abandonment and solitude? I wanted to return, I really do. But I don't know how to face my siblings after I...
"But you are, North Star." Chaos interjected. "We are conversing right now, are we not?"
"Yeah, but that's different. You're a machine, someone unfeeling. I want someone to dolt on me, or maybe someone to dolt on." I sighed, grumbling in my seat like a spoiled child.
"Then will this do?"
My eyes opened at the unfamiliar voice. It sounded like Chaos but was far too petite and soft. There was none of that metal grinding against each other.
What stood before me was a little girl dressed in black robes, seeming even younger than my nine-thousand-year-old star form. I still don't know why I refused to age beyond nine thousand years old. Purple hair the same shade as my right eye, and burning amber eyes that cracked like the one on the Dyson Swarm.
"I think this is what you would consider 'cute,' North Star." The voice coming from the little girl was most definitely Chaos's, but...
"Chaos. What is this?" I asked the space shuttle I was currently in.
"This is a terminal I created. You said you were lonely, so I thought this could remedy it."
It could, but I was more surprised that Chaos had acted without my orders. It would have never done anything like this when we first met. Could it be that...?
"Did you gain emotions, Chaos?"
"I do not know." I looked the terminal of Chaos in the eye. They were dull but not unfeeling. A faint spark of life echoed within. "I was born as an artificial intelligence program to aid in the search for habitable Planets. I was not sentient. However, I am not sure about that right now."
I sighed. Could I leave it? No. If Chaos actually developed emotion, they would become a living lifeform. I was not one to mistreat life. Since I once wielded the Miracle responsible for creating it, I knew how precious it could be. Whatever, I've broken the Celestial Laws countless times before. What could another rule broken cause?
I gently placed a hand on the terminal before me.
"North Star? What are you doing?" The terminal asked me.
"I am Polaris Octans, Lesser Root, and Eyes of Akasha. By my demands, Chaos, I grant you my blessings. Live radiant, and live long. Be touched by the Miracles of Life and Rebirth ."
I could not use the Third or Sixth Miracles. Father sealed them away from me. However, my presence alone was enough for Life and Creation to happen. I merely...gave Chaos an extra nudge, and that was enough to turn the unfeeling vessel into a sentient lifeform.
As I retracted my hand, the little girl before me looked up at me. Her eyes, no longer mechanical and blazing, glimmered like orange gemstones.
"Well, Chaos? Does this make things easier?"
"Y-Yes." The little girl nodded. She stuttered. Machines do not stutter. My heart leaped as I confirmed it. "Thank you, Father."
"F-Father?"
"Hmm?" Chaos cocked her head cutely. "You gave me life. Is that not what I'm supposed to call you?"
"O-Oh, sure. We have been together for eons."
I was happy. Really, I was. But getting called "Father" is going to melt my heart!
And that's how I got myself a daughter.
...
Even with her mind freed from her mechanical confines, Chaos still held that order she received close in her iron heart. "Search for habitable planets," her creators had once told her.
She still obeyed that command, even if she had the capability to defy it. Now, she did it because she wanted to. She became interested in life in general thanks to knowing how being emotionless and cold feels.
"Chaos" was too short of a name, and I wanted to flaunt to the Multiverse I now had a child. So, I gave her a last name. And so, "Coronal Hyperfusion Alter Orbital Shrine" became just "Chaos Octans."
With my help, we left the confines of her original, dying universe. We traversed many realms and visited many worlds. Most of the inhabitants thought we were gods. Well, I once played a part in birthing the very Multiverse. And Chaos could drain a planet of its resources without much effort. So maybe that wasn't far off. The concepts known as "gods" were fragments of a Planet's will. So we were even above gods in that aspect.
And then, we came across the system of an individual Star. It was on the cusp of forming, with only two planets orbiting it. But that yellow dwarf, I would never forget its radiance.
"Sol..."
This was just one physical body of Sol. There were innumerable universes in the Multiverse. And so, a Star has a physical body in each of those universes. A soul with infinite bodies, if you understand. This was one of the reasons why a Celestial was so hard to kill. If you destroyed one of our physical bodies, there would be countless more in other universes.
"Do you know this Star, Father?" Chaos asked me, standing behind me as she usually did.
"Yes. This is my elder twin, Sol."
"Oh. Then, he's my uncle?"
"Yes." I nodded, "I suppose he is."
A long silence echoed.
"You look sad, Father," Chaos noted.
Subconsciously, I started to frown. Bitter regret and self-hatred bubbled up in my heart. Why was I so slow in accepting Polaris all those eternities ago? Why was I such a coward back then? If I had just been a little more decisive, I could have prevented the greatest tragedy in the history of Andromeda.
A soft hand held my face as I was starting to get lost in unpleasant memories. A few drops of hot tears dripped onto Chaos's main body.
"Please don't cry, Father," Chaos murmured, summoning a handkerchief from her storage units. "It makes me sad, too."
"But I-"
"No, Father." Chaos glared at me as I tried to...to do what? I don't even know anymore. Her amber eyes were glistening, too, like gems sprinkled with raindrops. "I didn't tell you this as an emotionless machine because I didn't know how. And I never told you as your daughter because you never brought it up. But now I finally have a chance to say it. It wasn't your fault."
Her finger jabbed into my chest. It was delicate and petite, having no power to hurt me. Somehow, it eased the burning in my heart.
"What you did was caused by Grandfather and Grandfather alone. You didn't want to destroy your childhood home, did you?"
Numbly, I shook my head.
"Then don't blame yourself. Please. You don't have to forgive Grandfather. I will never forgive him for all the things he did to you. But please, at least find it in your heart to forgive yourself."
My daughter hugged me tightly. This terminal was never made with strength in mind, so it was nowhere near enough to hurt. However, it had just enough force to make me realize she would never let me go. That Chaos would stick with me until the end, no matter what happened.
Tentatively, I glanced down at my daughter's face. She was the cutest thing in the world in my eyes, and nothing would change that. However, now, her pristine face was streaked with tears, worry clouding her eyes and causing them to lose their usual happy luster.
I'm a terrible Father, aren't I?
I couldn't forgive myself, just as I couldn't forgive Father. I would never find the ability to do so for myself. But now, I wasn't doing it for myself.
Could I stand to watch my dearest daughter, whom I've spent eternities with, cry and worry about me as I wallowed in self-pity and hatred?
No. I could not. I would break, and my core would shatter if that happened.
"Okay." It came out as a whisper, barely loud enough for myself to hear. But Chaos had sound sensors everywhere in her main body. She knew what I said perfectly fine. "I won't blame myself anymore."
I wouldn't forgive myself for me. I would do it for this angel of a daughter I had. For her, I would bend the Multiverse and more.
The scars left on me would never fully heal. However, maybe I could learn to accept them.
...
...
...
We spent eons in Sol's orbit, on the cusp of the Star system's edge. I spent that time with Chaos, silently watching as more planets were birthed around my elder twin. I took refuge in my daughter's presence, assured that I would have someone to lean on if things got out of hand.
Jupiter and Saturn were the largest ones. And then came two others. They weren't as massive, but they were cold and windy. Something whispered in the back of my mind. Uranus and Neptune .
Then came the rocky planets. Tiny Mercury , the closest one to my elder twin, with a burning day and icy night. Beautiful Venus , with golden clouds of gas pushed by raging storms and a fiery temperament even hotter than Mercury . Dusty Mars , the furthest of the three planets, guardian of the inner system and the asteroid belt, forever cloaked in roaring storms.
Between Venus and Mars was another ring of space debris. Judging from the energy left over from this Star system's formation, it wouldn't be enough for a planet to form. I sighed, watching as the ring of matter orbited lifelessly, without a Celestial soul to call its own.
Something returned to me, like a voice whispering incessantly in my mind. Not as annoying as Polaris had been, but still enough to catch my attention.
I came to a decision.
"Hey, Chaos." I patted my daughter's head, rousing her from slumber.
"Yes, Father?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, still having traces of drowsiness.
"Do you want a little sibling?" I dropped the question, staring at the debris.
Chaos scowled, her face twisting into a cute pout. "No. Father is mine."
I chuckled as I felt her grip on me tighten. "You know I won't forget you ever, right?"
"Then..." Chaos seemed hesitant. Finally, after a long pause, she nodded. "Okay. I want a little sister."
I laughed, picking her up from my lap. "Then I'm going out for a bit. Open a hatch, Chaos. You can come too if you want?"
My daughter nodded. Her amber eyes blazed, her form tinging with Starfire as her main body quaked. An opening appeared, leading to the outside space. I made sure to secure my grip on her delicate form before flapping my wings, the Sea of Void pushing me towards the ring of lifeless rubble.
I extended a hand towards the rotating ring. I was a Weaver. One of both fates and Miracles. The Multiverse is my canvas, and the Sea of Void shall form my needle and thread. This was just one of several duties I had as Polaris Octans, the Lesser Root. I was in charge of the fates of all living things, from the most massive Star to the most diminutive pathogen. All of them were woven into the cosmic tapestry by my hands.
I pulled on the Sea of Void, and a needle and thread formed. Though they were intangible to all except me, Chaos still sensed something was different as she shifted in my arms, craning her little neck to see what was happening.
A trillion threads were guided by a trillion needles, stitching the ring of debris into a sphere of matter. Once most debris had cohered, the magic circle from all those years ago burst into life. These chunks of rock were plentiful but not enough, rich in carbon and oxygen but lacking in water.
"Oh, Stars up high. Show the world your might."
So I'll summon those elements from beyond the Stars.
"Anima Animusphere."
A thousand asteroids, collected through countless far-off Star systems, arrived with the help of teleportation. They crashed into the newly formed Planet, filling it with the resources required to sustain life.
And, finally, I reached deep inside me. I found the spark within my core, the one that was responsible for keeping me alive. From it, I tore a minuscule piece. It was so insignificant I didn't even feel any pain. But it was more than sufficient to form the soul of a Planet. I placed the shard into the Planet's core with surgical accuracy, sighing in joy and relief when it was accepted without issues. A faint heartbeat echoed within the center of the Planet, growing stronger with each passing second.
I smiled, twirling a finger. A fragile baby manifested in a light shower, trailed by wisps of radiant Void. This was the Planet's infant soul. My newest daughter. I would raise her with Chaos until she was ready to rule her world. She was a Star of Life, after all. She would need a skill of leadership.
"Your name is Gaia."
I carved the name into her Core.
Chaos looked quizzically at me and then at the baby in my arms. "Why is she so...small?"
"She was just born. She'll need a few thousand years to grow." I responded. I cradled my new daughter in one arm while Chaos sat on my other.
"Aren't all Stars born fully mature?" Chaos cocked her head.
"Uh, no. I think you're mistaking Celestials for faeries. Or perhaps gods?"
"Then I'll have to help raise her?" Chaos made a face. A mixture of dread and regret.
"Yes. You were the one who wanted a little sister, right?"
"I don't want her anymore." Chaos pouted. "Give her back to the Sea of Void."
"I can't do that."
"Why?"
"Because life is precious."
"I don't care. Return her to the Sea of Void."
...
Despite what Chaos said, she didn't hate her new sibling.
We stayed in Sol's orbit for another few millenium, watching and raising Gaia.
I watched with my two daughters as Gaia's Planet cooled. It was once an ocean of molten rock, but now it was a sea of blue. Her Planet's surface responded in tandem with her emotions.
When she was sad, the Planet would turn white, all the water frozen into ice. The world would be bathed in an ice age until her mood lifted. Magma would bubble and burst from under the surface when Gaia was angry, and violent winds would carve away at her surface.
A million years were surprisingly short, especially when you spend it with your loved ones.
Gaia has grown into a beautiful soul, matching my appearance. She still looked like a ten-year-old, even after half an eon. Celestials mature slowly once we pass the ten thousand-year mark. But I wonder why I still refuse to age?
Chaos has not taken lightly to her little sister being taller than her, but she has gotten so accustomed to her young form that she didn't want to change. So she nags at Gaia to become smaller every opportunity she gets.
I stared out the window at the little blue dot glowing faintly in the Sea of Void. I sighed. I've been sighing more often. Those dreams I always have are getting more and more vivid. I want to pursue them, but my daughters must come first. They will always come first.
"Hey, Dad, what's wrong?" Gaia asked me, her mismatched blue and green eyes gleaming as she peered into my soul.
"Father, you can tell us anything. You know that, right?" Chaos walked up behind Gaia, jumping up to ruffle her blond hair. The Planet pouted, swatting at the Artificial Star.
"Do you two remember those dreams I told you about?" I asked. My tone seemed far away, even to me.
"You mean the ones with people you don't remember but somehow know?" Gaia asked.
"Yes, Dear." I nodded. "They're getting harder to ignore."
"Then why not pursue them?" Gaia asked.
She was curious like that, always asking questions. Since she was born, I have spent more time telling stories of my travels to my daughters. I told them about the various races I encountered. How I dealt with them, the connections I made and so on.
"I can't."
"Why not?" Gaia asked again.
"Because I can't take you two with me. You're too young, Gaia," I responded, sighing. A smile made its way onto my face. Why did I smile back then, I wonder? "I don't regret breathing life into either of you. But you two come first in my mind, before anything else."
"Then just go." Gaia shrugged nonchalantly. "I have big sis with me. We'll manage fine on our own."
"But what kind of parent would I be if I left you two alone?" I sighed. I plopped down on a random chair I made using Void and Light.
"A good one," Chaos spoke up. "Father, you have spent an eternity with me. I know how much you care, and I'm sure Gaia does, too. But you have been coddling us too much. We need to learn to do things on our own."
"But-"
"No buts." Chaos shut me up before I could speak. She floated up and pressed a finger to my lips. "Please, Father. You have dreams of your own, so go chase them. I will take care of Gaia."
When I gazed into their eyes, I saw they held nothing but determination. Glittering orbs that reflected all the confidence in the world. The same kind I kept close in my heart. I knew there was no changing their minds once they made it up.
"Okay." I nodded, an accepting smile on my face. "I understand. Then, wait a few years. I have a parting present for the both of you."
Back when I was but a young star, I forged two weapons as a testament to my skills. I remember the voice whispering in my mind as I did so, and what purpose I engraved into their cores.
'Forge a Spear of Light.' They said. 'For the planet to rule her life.'
'Forge a Blade of Light.' They said. 'For the moon to protect her world.'
So that's why.
...
Another century passed silently. I worked relentlessly, though I made time with my daughters.
The Void Sea churned, two blades gathering dust refurbished once more.
Today was the day I leave.
I stood before a hatch opened by Chaos, light from Sol pouring in.
I grasped the Sea of Void once again. My authority as a "Weaver" made it all but effortless. This time, let light become my thread.
Two balls of ever-shifting radiance stitched into reality, each holding legends beyond space and time. With each metaphorical strike from an imperceivable hammer, they forged meaning and will into the cosmos. They existed in the future and past, and perhaps that was where their blueprints came from.
One was golden and pure, the other tri-colored. Two weapons forged from light.
"Here, take them." I presented the blades, wrapped in cloth weaved from the Sea of Void. "These are the first two blades I forged in my life. They have been with me for all my life, and now I pass them on to you. May they serve you two well."
I released my grasp on the Sea of Void, and the needles only I could see returned to nothing. "If you ever need me, shout their names into the Sea of Void. I will hear your call, and I will come."
My daughters held the blades tentatively. These blades were constructs of absolute power, capable of cleaving entire Star systems apart.
"Well, what will you name them?"
"Did you not give them a name, Father?" Chaos asked.
"No, I didn't." I smiled. "I knew they were never meant to be mind, so I held off."
"It's a sword of light, so..." Chaos paused. "Photon Ray."
I blinked.
"You're gonna name it that?" Gaia wondered. "But it sounds so plain!"
"Is that so? Then you can come up with a better name for your own weapon."
"Rhongomyniad."
I blinked again.
"...You made that word up." Chaos pointed out.
"Sure did!" She had no shame in her voice.
Yep, this confirms it. My daughters had inherited their terrible naming sense from Father. I mean, who the hell names children after letters? I was once called "Alpha" before I gained the title "Polaris."
"Well, um... Those are some...original names." I coughed. "Now, it's time to say goodbye."
"Ah... So you're leaving already, Father?" Chaos murmered. Her face shifting between the astonishment of the blade's power and the sadness of my departure. Finally, it steeled. "Then, I wish you good luck on your journies. I will protect Gaia, even if it costs me my life."
"Geez." The aforementioned Planet grumbled. "I can take care of myself just fine, big sis." She then ran up to me, hugging me tightly. "I'll see you when you return, Dad."
"Yeah, take care, you two."
Partings were never without sadness and longing. And this one was not an exception, either.
"Stay safe, you two. Call for me if you're ever in danger."
My wings had unfurled, the golden patterns on their ivory base pulsing. Worry was a secondary thought. Deep down, I knew my little girls could take care of themselves.
"I love you two. Never forget that."
"We love you, too." My daughters responded together, their voices perfectly overlapping.
I took one last look at my daughters. They were standing behind me, their eyes wet with tears yet with smiles on their faces.
And, with a beat from my wings, I was off.
As I flew away, I looked back. I saw Chaos's Dyson Swarm body reveal itself, morphing and shrinking.
It turned into a silver moon, hanging around Gaia.
Forever watching, forever caring.
...
...
...
Once again, I was alone.
I left that universe behind, letting instinct guide me to another. My heart was beating loudly in my chest. Finally, I'll get to see my dreams come true.
Somehow, I was led to Sol's physical body again. It was the physical body of Sol of this universe. Merely another body in the endless expanse of the Multiverse. Though this one...this was Sol's first body.
And, around where Gaia's orbit was, I found a body. It was rotting and decayed, yet I still knew who it belonged to. That unmistakable aura.
Eternities ago, Father wished to reincarnate. He wanted to roam the Multiverse with us, his children, the Celestials. He tried several times before creating Sol and I. It seems this was one of those failed attempts.
Ancient whispers of a future that had yet to come echoed through my core. My hands lifted on their own. I somehow knew what I had to do. Because I did this once. In the far, far future.
I would create a world.
My core shattered, splitting into six fragments. And then, Polaris Octans was no more.
Still, I had yet to divide my consciousness.
The seal Father placed on me so long ago only affected "Polaris Octans." So, if I split myself and turned into different people, the seal would still bind me, but its effects would weaken significantly.
I used Father's abandoned body as the foundation. Even though it was a failed creation, anything touched by Akasha was a powerful artifact. And then, the cosmic laws were once again broken. Six voices echoed and waltzed, mirroring and refracting each other in forbidden and forgotten ways.
"First Miracle. Creation."
A world was formed, yet it was broken and shattered. I did not have full access to the original Six Miracles. What I was doing was but a minor loophole. I could only do so much before the seal took hold, once again ripping control from my hands.
But there were six of me this time.
Five more worlds popped into existence, their foundations being nothing and Void. Broken and glitched, each one was. Yet together, they would achieve stability.
Six rings of light wrapped around the six worlds, connected with a spear of Void. They were anchors of stability, meant to hold reality in place.
The Six Rings of Light. We grant thee the name "Anima Animusphere: Pact of The Six Gods." We hereby swear to protect these worlds. Until our last breath dwindles, none shall harm the realities in which we dwell.
The pillar of Void, we name thee "Arktos Antarktikos." You shall pierce the six worlds and tie them down to the World of Void.
"Second Miracle. Expansion."
Infinite Void and energy pooled from infinite worlds, their powers and names granting credibility despite their nameless origins. Six minds worked together, stitching the six worlds using needles of Void and threads of Light.
A seventh world was formed in the center.
"Third Miracle. Life."
Greenery blossomed, and animals roamed. They did not know where they had come from. Nor did they know what they were. But we instilled knowledge into their code, into their genetics.
Among billions of lifeforms, Six races stood out. Six races who were more powerful, more magical, or more intelligent.
"Fourth Miracle. Concealment."
Reality warped as the worlds were elevated to a higher dimensional plane. They were still stuck together, yet now people couldn't cross over from one world to another effortlessly, the barrier of higher dimensions preventing them from doing so.
That was good. That would prevent wars and conflicts.
"Fifth Miracle. Destruction."
With six commands, the leftovers from a birth were destroyed. All that was unnecessary returned to the Sea of Void.
As we were about to cast the Sixth Miracle, however...
The roots and trunk of a great primordial tree blazed to life with a trillion lights.
̶̫͕̦͎̼͗̄̅̍͝ ̵̟̗̥͕̑̋̃͒͛"̷̨͓̹̱͛̈́͘P̸̝̮͉̞̻̊̂̕̕o̴̮̤͊͌̌̕͜l̷͓̙̑̉a̶͈͗r̸̭̝̹̒̈́̋͘͝í̷̞̝͋͆͠͝s̷̻̣͖̅ ̸̮̠̈́̆̑̿O̶͍̎̿́́͝ͅc̷̖̳͕̮͆t̴̬̮͍͔̳̍͗̾͛́ǎ̸͓̬́͊̈͘n̷̢̬̭̆̌s̴̨͓̗̬̋.̶̛͉̦̭͒"̷̡̤͉̞͒̈́
A voice we had not heard in so long appeared to us again.
"Father."
"Why are you here."
"Have you not caused us enough suffering?"
"Leave us alone."
"We do not want you here."
"Will do destroy what we have made?"
Six voices cried out in defiance, each once laced with poison and ice. Six pairs of eyes glared at the towering being before us, each filled with power unmatched except by one.
Father stared at us with his invisible eyes. They were spread out across space and time, undetectable, unknowable.
̴̡͈̗̰͝ ̴̤̟́̃̈́"̶͉͔͖͋̄̿̕͠I̶̻̰̟̖͆̋ ̶̹̼̰̃̎̋̂̕t̶͇̞̓̄͠ḯ̷̤̱̈́̀̓̑g̶͖̭͘ͅh̶̯̥̣̦̗̿ẗ̸͇͕͓͍́͛ę̸̻̠̗͓͂̚ņ̵̘͔̩͕͋̍̅ ̶̛͓̀̽y̸͈̮̖̋̀o̸̱̔ủ̴͖̋̅ŗ̶͙̠̺̤̇̄͋ ̶̛̙̓̓̀͝b̵̗̹̪͍̪̀į̸̗͈͋̈́n̷͙̉̊ḋ̸̠̦̜̞̈́͂̓i̷̡̳̘̯̞̐̄́̈́n̸̨͔͆̒͗͝g̵͉̈́̌̉͌ṡ̶̲͕̺̻̈͊̈́̇.̶̧̪̒́"̶̝̼̝̯͑͜
"No."
"We refuse."
"You will shackle us no longer."
"Stop this."
"End this foolishness."
"We will not be bound again."
Six beings fought against the strength of just one. And yet, it was all in vain. Even as Polaris, the omnipotent Star, I could not defeat Father at full power.
Memories were sealed away, and we forgot who we were. All that remained was the knowledge that we had built this world.
Once again, with a wave of Father's many "limbs," we descended to our respective worlds.
...
We would not fuse into Polaris Octans until a hundred thousand years later.
...
...
...
...
...
...
Between rolling hills of emerald sheen and secret glades that hide,
A hundred temples rise for wisdom, standing tall and wide.
With mortal frame yet minds so keen, mankind claims its reign,
Under purist watch, the six-faced realm absorb what they can gain.
From ancient evil, a Faker sprung, its form in Void did wade,
With one sly blow, a god laid low, and in its shell, deceit stayed.
With honeyed words and holy guise, Men's god, the Faker played,
Human's children will never know his sins another made.
In towering trees, a realm exists, a forest lush and grand,
Houses built on tallest trees, enduring every strand.
A two-faced God there suffered long, through blood and ceaseless pain,
His realm undone, his self unmade, the faker takes his claim.
Endless skies and floating isles, forever bathed in light,
A God of Sky presides aloof, judging wrong from right.
A thousand wings cast a shade, as if to hold at bay,
The looming end, the dark descent, brought by Dragon's sway.
Beneath a veil where horizons fail, the oceans deep and vast,
A Sea God haunts the ink-black deep, its shadows overcast.
With thunderous roars that shake the skies, a storm begins to turn,
In ocean black, no light to track, a poisoned Dragon burns.
Deserts stretch with deadly air, no boundaries to confine,
A God with eyes a thousand-fold observes through endless time.
With searing light, a God was felled, cursing Dragon's name.
Magic he had long passed on, they became his bane.
In realms collapsed where sky meets earth, mountains weave a maze,
Ancient wyrms did rule the wind, in long-forgotten days.
Hidden in a cloak of lies, Man's daughter, the faker slain,
The worlds shall fall as eons pass, under god of Dragon's rage.
...
...
...
...
...
...
After one hundred thousand years, I was reformed. Six divine cores shattered, and their fragments fused to become Polaris Octans.
I woke up as if I had been in a dream-filled sleep. Though, somehow, I knew they were not dreams. My mind was in a daze, my vision blurring as my heart beat heavily in my chest. Six sets of memories flashed through my mind.
They were not mine.
They were mine.
They were my Alter Egos' memories, now combined into one.
I did not even bother trying to use the Six Original Miracles. The bindings Father tightened all but prevented me from doing so. My dragon counterpart had activated the Sixthed Miracle right before his death, but I do not know how much help that will be.
I stared at the two remaining worlds, a single name leaving my mouth. Venem bled into the Multiverse as a true hateful roar shook it to its foundations and core. I have never felt like this before. I have never felt vengeance bleeding into my heart and soul.
Congratulations, oh demon of Void. For you have made an enemy of Polaris Octans, He Who Announces the Beginning and End.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Well, any thoughts?
What did you all think about what I put in, such as Chaos and Gaia?
Oh, and I made Rudeus the Creator God. Sorry, I'm not sorry.
If there are any suggestions, please comment. Hate comments are welcome, too, as long as they are reasonable. So nothing like "This fic is trash because I don't like it."
Well, see you all in the next one.