TWs: Intrusive thoughts, mention of past death/collisions, manipulation/gaslighting, self-blame/self-hatred, implied injuries/body modification. Stay safe :)

"When the North wind meets the sea, there's a river full of memory... sleep, my darling, safe and sound, for in this river, all is found."

There it was again.

The singing.

"In her waters, deep and true, lie the answers and a path for you, dive down deep into her sound, but not too far or you'll be drowned..."

The soft melody lulled Luna to sleep, yet despite his exhaustion, he forced his eyes open, blearily looking at the sepia figure.

"Mom...?" He mumbled, blinking the tiredness from his eyes. A hand brushed through his silver curls.

"I'm sorry it's taken me this long, my dear..." Theia spoke, her voice wavering, "I promise to make it up to you..."

Luna hummed, a small smile on his face as he snuggled closer to her, "You already have, momma..."

Theia pulled him into her arms, rocking back and forth, "I'll always love you, moonlight."

Luna was already halfway asleep again, the swaying helping to ease him back into a sense of calm and serenity.

Theia chuckled softly, beginning to sing again, "Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear and in her song, all magic flows~ but can you brave what you most fear?~ Can you face what the river knows?~"

Luna's eyes were closed, falling in and out of consciousness, wanting to listen to his mother's voice.

"Where the North wind meets the sea, there's a mother full of memory~ come, my darling, homeward bound... when all is lost, then all is found..."

As Luna fell asleep, he felt a warm sensation on his forehead.

He subconsciously smiled, knowing his mother would be there when he woke up.

« 47 HOURS, 20 MINUTES »

"Can I sit beside you?"

Earth glanced up, seeing Mars standing over him, "Oh- uh, sure, go ahead."

The rusty-haired Celestial sat with him, his eyes gazing at the Stars. Everyone else was either asleep or exploring the area, which left Mars to figure out what to do in his spare time when he happened to see Earth nearby.

He smiled, leaning back on his hands, basking in the silence that enveloped them before speaking in a low voice, "You know... whenever we couldn't sleep, we would count the Stars in the galaxy."

Earth perked up, looking at him intently, "And...?"

Mars chuckled, "You would always lose track after fifty."

Earth blinked before huffing, "Probably because there are way too many Stars that it's impossible to not lose count."

Mars smirked, looking back at Earth, "My record is 1,136."

Earth blinked, suddenly feeling warm despite the coolness of the night air. The other had a smug look on his face. The light from the streetlight hit him perfectly. Earth traced his features, noting the dark specks on his tanned skin. They looked similar to freckles. He remembered that Theia also had some, though they were scattered along her body.

Mars had averted his gaze back towards the night sky, closing his eyes as he basked in the soft breeze. Earth continued to stare at him, tilting his head to get a better angle. He silently wondered what he was thinking about and how he could appear so relaxed. Averting his gaze elsewhere, Earth thought about when the last time he relaxed was, finding nothing. Of course, he still didn't remember anything.

But... he could find out.

Looking at Mars again, he found the rusty-haired Celestial staring back at him. Earth jolted from how close their faces were, pulling his head away. Mars didn't seem bothered by their closeness, smiling slightly as he spoke softly, "Something wrong, Earth?"

Earth's head felt fuzzy, his heart leaping in his throat as he cleared it, "Uh- mmh, well... I was just wondering what kind of... relationship we have."

"R-Relationship?" Mars blinked, his heart pounding.

"Yeah! Like- are we friends? I think you mentioned it earlier, I just wasn't paying attention."

Mars took a breath, "Well, we're best friends. I know you better than anyone. Other than Luna, and maybe Theia..."

"Theia... I never got a clear answer on how she knew me." Earth uttered before looking at Mars, "Do you happen to know?"

Mars sputtered, biting his lip as he debated what to tell the other. Does he tell him the truth? Lying to Earth when he's most vulnerable seemed like a bad idea. Mars didn't want to hide anything from his best friend, not after what happened last time when he and Jupiter withheld information about Theia.

"Well," Mars sighed, looking away, "Theia was part of the solar system along with the rest of us, but due to you two orbiting so closely..."

Earth took a moment to process, his eyes widening, "Wait- you mean we-?"

He made a gesture with his hands. Mars nodded.

Earth's mouth opened in shock, "Wow... b-but then, how am I not dead?"

"I... don't know exactly." Mars shrugged, deciding not to mention what Theia said about him being half-dead, 'I need more information before telling him...'

'I owe Theia an apology next time- if I ever see her again.' Earth thought, "So... back to our relationship- what am I like?"

"Oh, right- uh... well, for starters, you're charismatic and self-motivated, always trying to do what's best for your Earthlings..." Mars trailed off, his kind expression holding back a wince. His eyes wavered from Earth's gaze.

Earth frowned as he knew there was going to be a 'but.'

"But..."

There it was. Earth sucked in a breath, readying himself for what came next.

Mars sighed, noticing the other's tense posture, "I'm not going to lie to you and make it seem like you're an all-around good Celestial. You're my best friend, Earth, and I want to help you to the best of my ability, even though there's a strong possibility none of what I'm saying will help you remember..."

Earth raised an eyebrow, shoulders relaxing slightly as he tilted his head at Mars, 'How bad can I be to the point that he has to say that...?'

"You're charismatic and self-motivated, but you can be a bit... selfish, arrogant, stubborn, egotistical, intolerant... especially when it came to other celestial objects having life, which led to a whole moon revolution. Venus and I were injured, but it was nothing we couldn't manage."

With each word, Earth felt a blow to his chest, chipping away at his heart. He winced, biting his lip as he looked away.

You caused that.

You were the cause of an entire revolution.

Voices whispered in his ear and all around him.

The moons must hate you... especially Luna.

Earth felt his heart drop, his stomach churning as he started to feel nauseous, the guilt eating him away.

What type of 'best friend' makes such statements? It seems to me you have more weaknesses than strengths.

Earth shook his head, bringing a hand up to his temple, 'Th-That's not true...'

It is, and you know it. You're the lowest of the low... possibly worse than black holes.

Earth lowered his head, tears forming in his eyes at the revelation.

Was he truly just as bad- worse than how black holes treated their solar systems?

Was he... a monster?

...

"Huh..." Titan voiced.

"What is it, Titan?" Titania looked at him, noticing his sudden alertness as he sat up from where he was laying down.

"I could've sworn I saw something on that digital billboard over there." He gestured to a nearby LED display, which advertised a product made for facial use.

"You mean... other than the make-up?" Titania asked.

"Uh, yeah."

Neptune laughed slightly, "Oh, hey, I see something too!"

The small group of moons turned and, lo and behold, there was something else within the advertising.

"Uhm... what is that?" Rhea questioned, her face furrowing in concern and worry.

Titan squinted his eyes, trying to make out the glitching picture, "Uh- it looks like..."

"Theia..." Nine answered for him.

"You mean one of the early planets?" Titania raised an eyebrow, "Didn't she... pass away?"

"Then how are we seeing her?" Titan glanced up at Nine.

"I have a few theories..." He muttered.

« 46 HOURS, 45 MINUTES »

Kepler heard the faint sounds of panicking around them, feeling a faint trembling under their body. Their body ached, and there was agonizing pain all throughout. They couldn't move or open their eyes, as if they were still under Mage's control.

"Agh, quick, do something, Messier!" They heard a faint voice through ringing ears.

"What do you want me to do? I only have one working arm!"

They heard a gagging sound, "Ooh, I think I'm gonna throw up, is their arm supposed to be twisted that way...?"

"...No, most definitely not."

"Who in their right mind would do something so... cruel?"

"Mage."

Pinwheel whipped his head around, "You mean the other AetherStar? She did this?"

"I know she did." Messier crossed his arms, eyes focused on Kepler's limp and mangled body, "I've been a victim of her rage before, and this... this isn't the worst I've seen, unfortunately."

Pinwheel raised his eyebrows, "Wait, you know Mage? Why didn't you say so before?"

"My past is... complicated. The reason I've traveled this far is to get away from it all, especially her."

"Do you know why she's doing this, then?"

Messier nodded grimly, "It's all about power to her. She'll do whatever it takes to get her way, even if it means sacrificing others... I can't believe I was so foolish as to trust her like that."

"So... you guys were friends, I take it?"

"Worst," Messier scoffed, finally returning Pinwheel's gaze, "She's my ex."

« NOTE »

Dun, dun, DUNNN

Yeah... Mage's affiliations with Messier was another instance that our local theorizer theorized (they know who they are ;))

Anyway, oh no, I hope nothing bad happens :0

*Laughs silently in the corner*

The TWs are only going to grow longer from here on out, so buckle up ;)

Comments are appreciated 3