Chapter 27 My Place On High

Aries's throne room glowed with a soft silver light, similar to the glow of the rest of the city and the planet. Jewels were situated along the walls of the room, in a line that went from the reddest rubies to the most purple of amethysts. Yes, Aries had a rainbow display in his throne room; that was such an interesting choice in Solar's eyes. On some level, it made Solar realize that his brother had a bit of a fun streak. His throne emphasized this too, as it was also covered in rainbow jewels. The headset itself was constructed from a purple rock that dwarfed all other jewels in size. Solar couldn't help but drop his jaw at the sight of this.

"This place…" Solar struggled over what to say before turning to his brother. "You made all this. You went out of your way to make such deliberate and grand choices. It… it really pays off."

"I know it does," Aries said. With a smile, he slowly made his way over to the throne. The way he carried itself oozed power and poised grace. He took a seat on the throne, gesturing for Solar to approach him. When he got close enough, Aries snapped his fingers, and a purple throne that was slightly smaller than Aries appeared on his right-hand side. Solar halted, his heart pounding.

"My gift to you, dear Solar. You and I are one and the same, therefore you deserve a place here with me."

Solar struggled over the words to speak. "I don't know what to say." He slowly made his way over and sat down on the throne. It was surprisingly comfy, and he was able to settle into place without any real kind of trouble. He blinked before turning to Aries, still smiling at him. "Thank you."
"You are quite welcome." Aries settled into his throne. "Together, we can rule this world. Together, we can create a world for you too. Or even better…" a twinkle appeared in his eyes. "We can rule the universe side by side."

"The… the entire universe?"

"The entire universe." Aries paused. "We are the ultimate beings, Solar. We have powers beyond what many mortals are able to comprehend."

"Because we're gods," Solar whispered.

"Because we are gods," Aries responded with a nod. "And like all gods, we don't deserve to make ourselves so low." He gave Solar a frown. "You made yourself low by entering into the void. Even before that, you were low."

"You think so?" Solar squirmed in his seat. "To be honest, I don't even remember the reason why I entered the void."

"And what a good thing that is," Aries said. "This gives you ample opportunity to shed the sins and restrictions of the past." Aries leaned closer. "Do you really think you were born with such great power to not put it to use? Do you really think the reasons you don't even remember are the best reasons for you to shut your power away and bury it under a rock?"

Solar gulped. "I mean… when you put it like that, I can see your point." He looked down at the ground, thinking about everything. "I don't remember places or people that I encountered before I entered the void, but I do remember feelings. Sadness. Fear. Distress." He sighed. "Every once in a while, while I was floating through the void, I remembered those feelings and used them as a reason to stay. After all, what would going through something like that again do for me in the end?"

"Nothing good, dear Solar." Aries's frown got deeper and deeper. "It's such a waste. It really is."

"I… yeah." Solar sunk into his seat. "You're absolutely right. My whole life has just been a waste." He gripped the sides of his head. "I'm nothing, aren't I? I'm a letdown and a disappointment. I mean, look at you! You rule a whole planet that loves and worships you. I have nothing. The only kingdom that I built while I was in the void was an imaginary one. A worthless one."

"Which is why I called you when I did." Aries stood up, pushing his gold and purple robes back. "No one who is of my kind deserves such a fate. You might've once believed that your powers were something to avoid, to detach yourself from, to shut out. No. You need to embrace them. Power is the most important thing in the universe." Aries went up and put his hand on Solar's shoulder. "Nothing else even comes close."

Solar nodded. "Yeah. The more power you have, the more options you have." He looked up into his brother's glowing blue eyes. "You can do whatever you want if you have the powers of a god."

"Exactly." Aries smiled again. "It is power that all beings in this pitiful universe seek out. Everyone is pushing each other down in order to ensure that power is obtained and not taken away. It's a universal desire. A universal lust."

"It is." Solar smiled. "And since I was born the way I was, with powers beyond moral comprehension…"
"That means that you were born at the top of the food chain. You have a position that no one in the universe can even dream of." He adjusted his position so that he stood in front of Solar. The way his blue eyes twinkled was so… otherworldly. "I am the same way, and I realized something a long time ago. I shouldn't let anyone else dictate what I do. No one who is beneath me on the food chain has any right to tell me what's right or wrong. It is entirely up to me to decide my fate." His smile really was beautiful, it really was. "And you are the same way. In fact, you are the only one in this universe who I can consider an equal. I want you to reach your full potential."

"My full potential…" Solar looked at the throne, sparkling and shining. He looked back at Aries. Gripping his hand into a fist, he rose from his own throne. "You're right." He extended his hand. "I will follow you anywhere you go, Aries. With your help, I can do whatever I set out to do. Like you, I can find my place on high."

"Yes you can." Aries shook Solar's hand, still smiling that charismatic and charming smile. "Yes you can."

Rosalina sat in the Engine Room. Honestly, this was a place she didn't go to very often. It was so… mechanical, which for a magical place like the Comet Observatory was such an odd feature. It didn't inspire the awe of the other domes, it just looked like the garage of a mechanic who lived in a a world like the Earth. On top of that, it was noisy, it smelt of oil… it was such an odd place to her, one that she often avoided.

Now, she didn't care about the noise or the smell. In fact, both brought her comfort right at this time, provided her with distractions. The noise admittedly did this better than the aroma; there was something so rhythmic about it. It was like a symphony, a beautiful orchestra. The stars themselves let off beautiful radio frequencies, which were sounds Rosalina absolutely adored. While different, the noise in the Engine Room brought her the same joy. And the smell… honestly, while it took some getting used to, it wasn't so bad.

Closing her eyes, Rosalina took a deep breath. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The sound of her breathing mixed with the clanking and the screeching, only adding onto the symphonic vibe. The beating of her heart also did a good job setting the mood.

"Didn't expect that you would come in here to rest."

Rosalina turned to see Polari in the doorway. "I know it's unorthodox, but this dome had grown on me considerably." She turned so that she fully faced her not husband. "The Comet Observatory is like the rest of the universe, now that I think about it. It has beauty, it has peace, yet it also has chaos and weirdness. Like this dome." She smiled. "And yet, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have beauty. It's an experience all on its own. It's something that can show you a new perspective, show you that even the unmagical parts of a magical place are amazing."

"Huh. Never thought about it like that." Polari snickered. "And, if I were to be frank, it almost sounds like you're looking too deeply into things."

Rosalina waved her hand to dismiss the accusation. "Eh, even if I am, that's alright." She stepped toward the luma. "Everything is going to be alright."

Polari laughed and shook his head. "Oh man, if I had a star bit for every time you said that in the past two decades, we could turn every luma in the universe into a galaxy."

"True." Rosalina considered things before sighing. "I just… I don't know; I guess me overthinking the significance of the Comet Observatory domes is me trying to distract myself from… well, the pain."

Polari's brow furrowed. "Yeah." He floated up to her. "It's… so weird. You are still in as much pain as you were when he first left. You would think that the wound would at least close up after so much time. Not disappear, but hurt a little less."

Rosalina paused. She could see Polari's point perfectly, but she would also say that considering she had spent the last two decades doing nothing but vainly searching, the wound hadn't even been given the opportunity to close up.

"I would give up all the power I have just to find him." Rosalina looked down at her wand. "My magic, my immortality. All this power I've had for so long, and yet I couldn't get the desire of my heart." She sniffled. "I… what good is power if you don't have the ones you love?"

Polari paused, a gloom appearing in his eyes. "You know… you have said that before, but in relation to your mother. Not Solar."

Rosalina felt a pang. "I… I know, I just…" She shook her head as she wiped the tears from her face. "This universe is filled with nothing but pain for me. It really is. I want to make it disappear, but not even my powers are strong enough."

"Well… maybe that's for the best." Polari floated up and placed his hand on her heart. "Pain stings, but it's also what encourages us to grow. If you never had your heart break, you wouldn't be so aware of the other people going through heartbreak. You wouldn't know exactly what to do to help them."

Rosalina wiped her eyes again and nodded. "That makes sense." She embraced Polari, holding him close to her chest. "I love you."

Polari sniffled. "I love you too." He squeezed her. "And I know that you want to tell him that." He let her go. "Which I know you will."

"Know?"

"Yes. Know."

Rosalina sniffled and smiled at Polari. "Thank you."