Stars. They swarm around Abel and Ysabelle. The child covers her eyes from the blinding bodies of light. Red, orange, yellow, green, white, and blue. So warm, so irradiant. Then, they sharpen their light, creating an outline faintly resembling a human's, not dissimilar to Ysabelle. But they are far more brilliant and blazing in their light. They grow closer to the pair, studying them, their eyes ablaze with curiosity. Save for one.
"State your business here."
Its voice was sonorous and oozed with authority. Frightened, Ysabelle clung onto Abel's right leg. Abel's jacket morphed into a long, silk cloak. He carefully draped it to shield the child from the star's harsh rays and words.
"I am here to see a star that has gone mad."
The star glared at Abel, unimpressed.
"There is no such star here. Leave."
Abel smiled, his lips oozing with guile and confidence.
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Hmph."
The star crossed its arms. It was beginning to feel something it hadn't felt in eons. Agitation—vexation.
"If such a star did indeed exist, it would be none of your business, Mythic."
Abel quietly giggled at the star's words, further fueling the fire of temper.
"Oh, I beg to disagree, Luminous."
The star furrowed its brow.
"How do you know of my name?"
The star's anger subsided slightly as its curiosity was piqued.
"Please," Abel shrugged. "I was there when the universe formed. I was there when the laws of said universe were made. I was even there when you were formed from the remnants of stardust."
Luminous tilted its head to the side, the weight of Abel's words sinking into its psyche.
"I am Madness, I am a Mythic. My business is the universe, and business requires that I see this star."
"As I have stated, there is no star here that has gone mad. You speak blasphemy."
Blasphemy? Against what he was; what his very being defined? Not even Cain would have such self-hatred.
"Do you know what madness is, Luminous?" Abel asked.
Luminous didn't like such a question. It was teeming with rhetorics and sarcastic oratory. But regarding the context of the question itself, yes, it did know what madness was. By definition, it was a sickness of the mind—a state of utter depravity of the mind.
"A mental illness. Or, extremely foolish behavior."
The latter seemed to be pointed towards Abel. But he simply shrugged it off.
"You're not wrong. Both of those definitions are technically correct."
Luminous raised a flaring brow at Abel. He is speaking nonsense. And yet, Luminous could not help but listen to the prattlings of a supposed madman.
"Madness is simply audacity," Abel stated matter-of-factly. "And the act of being audacious is a byproduct of defiance—to defy one's preordained purpose."
He flashed a smile at the visibly curious star.
"The star I seek is no longer a star. It defied its existence in the height of spite. It is now a cancer. A cancer that is killing the universe."
Luminous gave no reaction to Abel. It did not know if it was due to its stern nature, or that it simply didn't want to give the Mythic the satisfaction of a reaction.
"While it is my nature to foster this madness, it is also my duty to handle it should madness descend into utter chaos."
Luminous felt Abel's eye pierce through it as if peering into its soul. Soul? Did stars have souls? Were they not only composed of only hydrogen and helium and light? Luminous wasn't sure. But that didn't change the Mythic's cold yet fierce gaze. A gaze that utterly exposed the star.
"Very well."
At first, the words didn't register to Luminous. It had heard them but presumed that another had spoken. Then, it realized that it was its voice. When did it—why did it speak? Why did it answer and agree to the Mythic's demands?
"But, do not forget," Luminous seemingly interrupting itself, having too much pride to admit that it had misspoken earlier. "You are a guest here, and as such, you are to be respectful. You would be careful to remember your place among the stars, Mythic."
"Of course," Abel agreed graciously. "I never forget."
Just then, Ysabelle tugged slightly at the cloak draped over her. Abel looked down and smiled. Luminous noticed the rustling and looked to see a child. Another star. It hadn't noticed her before. It scoffed as it pointed at her.
"And what of that thing you have hidden there?"
Flustered and affrighted, Ysabelle clung to Abel's leg instead of his cloak. Abel brought his hand around her to comfort her.
"She is my contractor, to whom I have offered my services in protecting her. This contract has yet to be fulfilled. Until then, I will remain by her side, and she mine."
Luminous scoffed again, unsatisfied with the answer. Surely, a simple contract would be far too trifle a thing to a Mythic.
It crossed its arms and waited for a more appropriate response. Abel held back a sigh, not wanting to offend the bolshie star incidentally.
"Hmmm…" Abel pondered a bit longer on the question. Why was it that he had taken her with him? Especially for so long and so far.
"It is protection on her part and curiosity on mine."
Both Luminous and Ysabelle gave him a look. Abel's answer seemed to be more truthful with his intentions, and yet, remained vague enough to pique their curiosities.
"Curiosity of what, exactly?"
Abel smiled.
"Her potential. Or in other words, her madness."
Mad? Ysabelle looked at herself for a moment. Was she mad? She thought about it inwardly, not noticing her grip on Abel's leg loosening.
"Hmph. You may take the child with you, then."
"My, how courteous of our esteemed host! Wouldn't you say so, Ysabelle?"
"Don't push your luck, Mythic."
With that, the space behind Luminous was torn and stretched, creating a rift in-between the oblivion of space. Peering into it, Abel could make out a set of great golden gates that shone even more brightly than the stars themselves. Luminous gestured for the two to come forward, not wanting to stay any longer outside of its domain. Abel obligated, gently ushering Ysabelle forward to not displease the star. As they walked onward, Abel noticed the ground beneath them had melted, most likely due to the sheer heat. The ground seemed to liquefy and coagulate into a strange rainbow shade. However, they remained untouched and unharmed.
Still thinking of Abel's words, Ysabelle gently tugged at his pant leg once more. Abel looked down to meet her anxious gaze.
"Did you mean it…? What you said about me?"
"Yes, yes I did."
His words were soft and honest. There was no hint of the earlier bravado he had.
Thinking on it further, Abel wasn't sure when he had become curious about her potential. Was it when he had first met her—when she was in her most exposed and vulnerable state? Or was it when she placed a hand on his cheek, giving him sweet comfort?
But it didn't matter. It shouldn't matter. Focus. Your mind shouldn't be on such tedious thoughts. They passed through the gates and entered the city.
Color. That was all that Ysabelle's mind could fully process as she stepped through the gates. There was just so much color. Bright, brilliant, and vibrant. All around her was a mesh of a fever dream of color that saturated her sight. She could only best describe it as if she was caught in a blizzard of pure light. Flickers of strobes flashed in front of her eyes, each a different hue, a different shade, before fizzling and wisping away.
Abel softly snickered at Ysabelle's utterly perplexed reaction. If she wasn't a star herself, she would have been blinded when they stepped through the gate. But as amusing as it was to see her reach out to try and touch the little blips of light, like a human child trying to catch fireflies in glass jars, he still gently pushed her forward. He had a duty to fulfill. Perhaps after the ordeal was done, he could take her to another kinder star system where she could chase those lights to her heart's desire. Maybe. Maybe.
The path was curved and winding and soon became reminiscent of a corkscrew, twisting and turning clockwise. Gravity lost any sense of meaning as they continued to walk. Surrounding them were spiraling skyscrapers that seemed far too tall to be practical in design. Connecting them was a series of interconnected powerlines. In an orderly, timely pattern, a spark of light would zip across the line to another building. Then, to another.
Zip, zap. Zip, zap. Red, orange. Green, blue.
It all felt so psychedelic. If this were a dream, a small part of Ysabelle didn't want to be woken up. But the gentle hand on her back reminded her that she was indeed awake.
They were staring. Fiercely so. It had been some time since Abel had felt so weary in having so many eyes on him. He kept his face forward, but his eye occasionally stole glances to the side to watch the watchers. From the windows of the skyscrapers to the few sparks that stilled themselves on the rails, they all stopped and stared. Some in curiosity, others in distaste.
No matter. The attention couldn't be helped. Ysabelle was still too caught up with the city's sights to notice. How wondrous it must be to be young and blissfully ignorant. Abel wouldn't have known what it would have felt like.
Reaching the end of the path was a doorway that led into one of the buildings. Luminous manifested itself in front of the pair once again.
"If there is a star in this place that has gone mad, you will find it here."
The door had an archaic seal placed on it—a bone plate with chains snaring and fastening it to the door. The symbols etched onto it were foreign to the stars but not to Abel. They belonged to the universe that had passed. Only he and the star knew this. Had it sealed itself away to try and protect the universe, or had it done so to shelter and foster its evergrowing insanity to spite the universe?
Abel placed a hand on the door and immediately felt his heart seize. It was as if a snake had coiled around his atrium and ventricles. He subconsciously clenched his teeth underneath his tightened lips. He felt short of breath as his vision became a dizzying swirl. The pressure. The sheer force behind the door nearly caused his knees to buckle.
A strange pitiful, gladden smile curled on his lips. It felt euphoric, exhilarating, yet terrifying all the same. How naive he felt to not presume the star would be like this—so angry, feral, and maddened.
Before he opened the door, he turned back to Ysabelle who too sensed the vile sickness that lay behind the door. She looked at him, anxious and unsure. Abel knelt down.
"Can you wait for me here? I won't be too long."
Despite not wanting her only source of comfort to leave her, she still nodded. She didn't have much of a choice in the matter. At least he promised he wouldn't be long.
Abel stood back up and gently ushered her away from the door, not wanting her to be any closer to the star. He wasn't sure how potent its madness truly was. Now standing ten feet apart from one another, Abel flashed one last smile before placing his hand on the seal. He closed his eye and focused his essence on the plate. The symbols slowly began to glow a luminous, eldritch hue of green as Abel continued to pool his magic into it. Piece by piece, link by link, the chains came undone until the plate fell onto the ground. With nothing left to impede his task, Abel slowly, gently pushed the door open.
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