AN: Heyo! It's been a while since I've written for this particular story; over a year, as a matter of fact. Sorry about that; I hope to get the ball rolling when it comes to this particular story. After all, I've been working on it for a long time, and it seems to have generated a lot of interest.

Anyway, let's not waste anymore time. Let's hop right in, shall we? :)

Chapter 24 Destroyed

Solar's heart pounded as he followed Aries through the void of space. He couldn't take his eyes off of him, and couldn't help but feel excited about all the possibilities that Aries had said were available to him. Oh man, there were probably more possibilities than there were stars in the universe, and Solar wanted to experience all of them. He wanted to explore new planets and improve his powers, as he knew that if he did these things, the new life that had started as of right now would be that much more amazing.

The two Prankster Children flew in silence for a decent chunk of time, mostly because Solar kept looking at the sights of space. He noticed a stream of purple clouds, stretching for what were possibly many lightyears. When asked, Aries told Solar that that was a nebula; a place where stars were born. Solar couldn't help but giggle at that, on some level not believing it. The mere thought of a star having a beginning was kind of ridiculous to him, as stars seemed to be one of the many things that were constant in this universe. But then again, everything had to begin at some time. Even stars weren't exempted from having humble origins.

That thought triggered something in Solar, something that made him stop. Blinking, he put his hand to his forehead. That… something was stirring in his mind. A… memory, perhaps? Information about stars he had long since discarded because there were no stars in the void? That had to be it, but… oh man, what was this piece of info? He tried his best to think about it, to form a clear picture in his mind about it, but it must've been buried really deep. All that trying to pinpoint the memory did was make Solar's head hurt. He grunted as it did, sucking air through his teeth as he tried to think through the pain.

"Solar, what's going on?"

Solar shook his head, looking forward to seeing that Aries had turned around. He gave him a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms as he waited for his little brother to gather his bearings. Slowly but surely, Solar removed his hand from his forehead and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Aries. I guess I just worried myself into a corner."

Aries snorted. "Well, all these sights are new to you. It makes sense why you would need some time to wrap your head around them again."

Solar cringed. He considered telling Aries that statement wasn't entirely accurate, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to delve too deeply into what his past consisted of. Even though he had forgotten almost all of it, he did at the very least know that the experiences hidden in that hazy time were pretty painful. And Solar didn't want to feel pain; he was following Aries because he wanted to start over and forget his pain, after all.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly it."

Aries nodded and turned back around, and Solar glided after him. He once again looked at the other parts of space; the nebulas and stars, the black holes and galaxies. It was beautiful in so many different ways. Like he had when he first met his newly discovered brother, he smiled when he saw them. His heart did things it never did before in the void, making him feel emotions like awe and wonder. A desire also sprouted up in his soul, that being that he wanted to explore the universe. He wanted to get to know each and every planet. Maybe that was part of the reason why Aries had decided to take him under his wing; maybe he wanted to show his little brother all the wonders this starry expanse offered.

"Hey," Solar said, deciding to indulge in his curiosity, "where are you taking me, exactly?"

Solar didn't know if it was his imagination, but he thought he noticed Aries clenching up. "I'm taking you to a very special place. One where everyone there knows me, and where everyone will welcome you in by extension."

"Ooh, that sounds exciting!" Solar giggled. "Are you also going to teach me about our powers? I mean, you had said you want me to know about the satisfaction that they bring us."

Aries chuckled. "We'll get there, we'll get there. We just need to exhibit some patience, is all."

Solar blinked. "Patience…" he thought about that word before snickering. "I can't remember the last time I had to have patience. I mean…" he shrugged. "In the void, there was no use for patience. Nothing ever happened, so there was nothing I needed to wait for."

"I know." Aries laughed. "Well, while you may be rusty, I'm sure you'll be able to practice patience if you work at it."

"That's the hope," Solar said with a particularly deep frown.

The two continued flying. After what felt like half an hour passed, Solar had to admit that he was getting a little bored. Sure, the interest and joy that Aries taking him to a special place was still there; there was nothing that would dampen them at this point. But the two of them were doing absolutely nothing but flying. It drained Solar's soul and made him sick and tired of the monotony of it all. Even looking at the wonders of the universe wasn't doing anything for him at this point. He wasn't about to complain, but… well, he was looking forward to him and Aries reaching their destination more than he ever had before.

"We are nearing a galaxy I am very familiar with," Aries said, much to Solar's relief. He turned toward him, his icy blue eyes sparkling. "And there is something I wish to show you while we're there."

"Show me?" Once again, Solar's curiosity and excitement were piqued, and any semblance of boredom and impatience evaporated. "Well, you can count me as excited!"

Aries smirked and continued flying. Solar kept his eyes peeled, hoping he could see what it was that his new big brother wanted to show him. There had been a hint of excitement in his voice when he told Solar about it, so he was certain that it had to be something incredible. Something that nobody would be able to forget, something that would make Solar do a double-take. His heart pounded at an incredible rate; when would he see it?

Well, he would find that his questions were soon to be answered. After a few minutes passed, Solar noticed something. Specifically, asteroids; there were a ton of them floating about in the void. As he passed by them, Solar couldn't help but keep is eyes on them, mostly due to the fact that it had been so long since he had seen an asteroid. However, that wasn't the most interesting thing available to see.

That honor belonged to the chunks of objects. What looked to be parts of old buildings, as well as vehicles, littered the surrounding area. On top of that, there were also smaller objects around here. Little rag dolls. Scooters. Bouncy balls. All of these objects which were designed to be used by children appeared like they hadn't been touched by any children for an entire millenia. When he and Aries weren't preoccupied with avoiding them, Solar kept his eyes locked on them at all times. In all honesty, they made his jaw drop, they made him think. What was going on here? Why were these incredibly specific objects floating about in a void instead of being used by people on some sort of inhabited planet?

The answer to these questions was given to Solar sooner than he could've possibly anticipated, and it made his stomach squirm. When he and Aries came to a stop, they saw what looked like two big planet chunks resting in front of them. Divided in two in an almost perfect way save for some chunks of debris floating around it and away from it, it made chills run up and down Solar's spine. This was especially the case because of the sun behind them. Rays of light shone through the star, rushing in between the chunks in order to provide their light. However, they didn't cover every last area of the chunks. The back of the planet's remains, the parts that weren't facing the sun, were as dark as sin. It was like looking into the face of death itself as one stared at the shadow, and as such, Solar's stomach squirmed and churned. He looked at Aries, hoping that his brother would provide him with information (as well as any form of comfort).

"What is this place?"

Aries stared at the destroyed planet with absolutely no emotion on his face (or at the very least an emotion that was impossible to read). "This is my first home."

"Your first home?"

Aries nodded. "When I was born, I fell from the sky and onto this very planet. It's where I spent most of my youth, and for much of my two billion-year existence, it has always stuck out in my mind. I remember every single thing that happened to me on this hunk of rock."

Solar frowned, looking toward these deathly ruins. "What happened to it?"

Aries didn't even bother turning around in order to explain. "Ten years ago, an apocalyptic event happened. It tore the planet apart, killing every last person who lived on it. There were no survivors. Not one."

Another round of cold shivers ran down Solar's spine. He didn't say anything, mostly because he wanted to show some respect for Aries. He had said that this was his first home, so Solar imagined that he probably had some emotional attachment to the place.

But even though he didn't say anything, he still thought long and hard about what he saw. He imagined the people that might've lived here. He imagined the types of happy memories that Aries might have had on this planet, as well as those whom he had lost in the cataclysm. It honestly hurt to think about, to ponder over. How much more did it hurt Aries? How many times had he reminisced about the life he lived here only to be overwhelmed by such ugly, difficult-to-deal-with emotions?

"I'm really sorry, Aries."

Aries continued to stare at the remains of his planet. "It's alright." He turned toward Solar. "These things happen, and life goes on. The people who had lived on this planet lived long lives. And the apocalypse in question was very quick, almost instantaneous. None of them knew what was happening to them. They had the most peaceful, most painless death that any soul could have."

Solar didn't know whether to feel comforted or worried by those years. "That may be true, but still. Possibly billions of people had died in this event." He looked into Aries's eyes. "People who you care about."

Aries chuckled, much to Solar's surprise. "Any people who I might have been attached to died eons before the cataclysm. I didn't lose anyone important to me." He turned back to the planet. "I have no emotional weight connected to the planet. I promise you that from the bottom of my heart."

Solar put his hand to his chest and let out a breath. "Well… okay." He patted Aries on the back. "As long as you're fine with this, then I suppose I have nothing to worry about."

"Yes. Indeed." Aries patted Solar's hand before turning back toward him with twinkling eyes. "Anyway… why don't you and I continue on our journey? I still have yet to take you to the place I want to take you."

All sadness in Solar's heart disappeared. "You're right!" He laughed. "Lead the way, big brother!"

"Gladly." With that, the two continued on their flight.