TWs: Brief confrontation, rude behavior, tension/worry. Stay safe :)

→ _ →← _ ← Billions of years ago... → _ →← _ ←

"Sol... Helios!"

Sun blinked out from his daze, glaring at the Star who interrupted his daydream, "Ah, what, what!?"

"Aren't you excited?" Proxima grinned, bouncing in their orbit, "Methuselah is going to tell us a story!"

"Ugh..." Sun scowled, "No! His stories are so boring and he just goes on and on and on about nonsense-"

"Nice to hear you think so highly of me, Helios..." A grand voice spoke behind the two Stars.

Sun's eyes widened as he whipped around, "M-Methuselah, what a surprise to see you!"

The older merely raised his eyebrow, giving him a deadpan stare, "This is the Etheralink, Helios, any Star can enter at any given moment."

"Hehah, yeah... s-sorry." Sun backed away.

Methuselah hummed, turning to the other Stars, "Rigil Kentaurus, mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

The yellow Giant perked up, "Oh, yeah, sure."

Proxima huffed as they watched the duo separate themselves from the others, "Awe, why doesn't he ever talk to me?"

Sun rolled his eyes, "Oh, please... he's not that big of a deal. Why is everyone sucking up to him like he's a being of higher standing?"

Proxima glared, their bright red surface flaring with annoyance, "Methuselah has practically witnessed the beginning of the universe! He's probably seen millions of Stars die around him. Imagine being in his shoes and having to see everything!"

"Proxima."

"What?"

"We don't have shoes." Sun pointed out, "Or limbs, for that matter."

"Oh, yeah..."

"What is a shoe?" Sun squinted his eyes.

"What's a limb?" Proxima shot back.

"I... dunno."

"Well, I don't know either."

Methuselah cleared his throat, and all of the Stars in the area turned and gave him their undivided attention, "Gather around, fellow Stars, for I will tell a story of indescribable and improbable legends."

Proxima jumped in their orbit, "Oh, oh! Is this a real story?"

Methuselah hummed, "That's for you to decide... no one has ever seen these beings with their very eyes, but they've had... strange experiences, needless to say."

Helios wasn't amused, rolling his eyes at the dramatics with a frown on his surface.

"Ooh, is this the one about NovaStars?" Spica asked with stars in her eyes.

"Indeed..." Methuselah nodded.

"What's a NovaStar?" Proxima questioned, peering at the eldest with curiosity in their gaze.

"After a Star dies, sometimes they'll end up as a NovaStar. NovaStars are beings made from pure light and positive energy. Holding one close can help ease your worries- every bad thought suddenly disappears." Methuselah explained, "It can protect you from any negative energy, acting as a shield."

Proxima's eyes shimmered as they looked at the Star in awe.

"However," Methuselah frowned, a dark look crossing his eyes, "When a NovaStar spends too much time hanging around negative forces, it too can become negative, turning into a being made of pure dark matter and energy... an AetherStar."

"A what...?" Toliman uttered.

"AetherStars are more powerful than any being in the universe. They feed on negative emotions and dark energy." Methuselah furrowed his eyebrows, "And they can make you see what they want you to see, sort of like an illusion... only much worse. They can control whoever is attached to them, breaking them down until there's nothing left to control- they even have the power to destroy whoever crosses them."

Nobody said anything for a while, surfaces conveying various emotions- from fear to shock.

There was a scoff, "Oh, come on, that can't possibly be true."

Everyone turned to look at the yellow Star. Methuselah narrowed his eyes.

"Helios... why am I not surprised by your rude interruption?" He sighed, "Anything else you want to speak your mind about?"

Sun chuckled, "Too many to count. I mean, positive energy, negative energy- illusions? You can't be serious."

"In all my nine billion years of experience, never have I ever met a Star as abrasive and egotistical as you."

Sun scowled, glaring at the eldest with flashing red eyes, "I am not-!"

"Quiet!" Methuselah snapped, prompting Sun to close his mouth.

Sun could feel the stares from the other Stars on his back as he peered at Methuselah, never breaking the pressuring eye contact.

"Perhaps you can enlighten us, Helios." Methuselah spoke, "Since you claim there are no such entities as Novae or Aether, how does one hypothetically put a stop to an AetherStar's wrongdoing?"

Sun furrowed his brows in confusion, not knowing the answer as his gaze started to shift away from the older, "Uh... uhm..."

Methuselah shook his body in silent disapproval before looking around at the other Stars, "Perhaps someone else can answer- how does one defeat an AetherStar?"

Spica stayed quiet, deciding to let one of the younger Stars answer.

The Proxima Centauri system looked at each other before Rigil Kentaurus spoke, "Well, a positive energy and a negative energy make a negative energy, so it can't be a NovaStar."

Toliman floated forward, deciding to finish, "But two negatives make a positive, so... would it be another AetherStar?"

Methuselah blinked, smiling in approval, "Correct. Great job, you two."

Proxima cheered for their siblings, bouncing in their orbit.

Sun huffed, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Helios," Methuselah lowered his voice to speak with the other, "Maybe take this as a lesson not to interrupt."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Sun muttered.

"How do you know all this, Methuselah?" Proxima asked, their grin never wavering as they floated close.

Methuselah looked at Sun when he answered, "Years of experience..."

Sun looked down, shame and embarrassment shooting through his core as he drifted away from the scene.

Methuselah frowned, watching the yellow Star leave, 'I pray that he doesn't end up like me...'

→ _ →← _ ← Present... → _ →← _ ←

"And that's what happened." Sun finished explaining, a wary smile on his face as he skipped the part where he had confronted Methuselah, 'Mostly...'

Jupiter had a hand on his chin, "By that logic, it would mean we're all experiencing an illusion. This 'world' is meant to appear like the Earth, when in reality..."

"It's not." Nine crossed his arms, "We're merely seeing what the AetherStar wants us to see."

"B-But what this is telling us is that... an AetherStar attached itself to Earth," Saturn spoke, knitting his brows in concern as he looked at the others a few feet away.

Jupiter sighed, "Yep..."

Luna whimpered, looking at Sun, "Did he ever say how to get out of an illusion?"

Sun shook his head, "I don't recall. I'm pretty sure I left soon after that... I'm sorry, Luna."

Luna's lips quivered, the light in his eyes fading, "I-It's... alright."

He glanced at Earth, who met his curious gaze. Quickly averting his eyes, he blinked away the fleeting tears, 'Dad...'

"I wonder what happened..." Earth uttered from his spot between Mars and Uranus, "They look like they've received the worst news possible."

Uranus and Mars shared a look. Neptune fiddled with his hands, sensing a strong wave of uneasiness from the others.

'I wish Messier were here...' He puffed his cheeks out, 'He always seems to put a smile on my face...'

Just from the thought alone, Neptune felt a tug on his lips, slightly perking up at the memories.

'You can do this, Neptune. You got this... just stay positive and reassure the others that there's nothing to worry about!' Neptune grinned, giving himself a self-assured and determined nod, 'Yes, I can do this!'

« NOTE »

My math skills are coming in handy 😌💅

Also, I may or may not have spelled Methuselah wrong in the last chapter- JUST IGNORE IT WAAAAAA

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