The Curiosity Of Stars

Oracion's POV

"Well here we are" Requis opens the door to her home, not that I haven't been here before but rather, rarely find a need to visit other than to speak to her brother. "Indura!" She calls out to him, hoping to get his attention for me.

The pitter-pattering of feet alerting me of his approach as he slides in from the next room, "He's here isn't he!?-" He stumbles as he loses his footing on the rug in front of me, falling into my arms as I just barely catch him.

"And here I am, as I promised" I smile to him while pushing him back up to his own feet.

"Let's go!" He quickly runs back to his room, once again almost slipping.

I look towards Requis as if to ask for permission to follow, receiving her nod as a response. "Once you're done, I want to talk to him about what Xandier said back at Aeron's place, mind if you could stay for that?" She asks.

"Of course." I quickly respond, taking off my shoes and placing them to the side.

"ORACION!" I hear him scream in the distance.

"You aren't gonna fall apart from me being any faster, give me a sec!" I scream back, earning Requis' annoyed gaze as our voices take over the home.

I walk down the hall, turning to the left where a light still remains on. Pulling a chair from behind his door and placing it beside his bed as I lean forward. "So what do you want this time? A dream of mine? An experience? A distant memory?" I ask him.

"Memory!" He shouts.

Placing a finger on my lips, "Shh, other people around your home are trying to sleep." I try to hush him.

"Sorry." He apologises as I quickly smirk a little bit at his understanding.

"This isn't exactly my own memory, but rather a story I was told from Xandier himself." I begin.

"The Chief?" He asks.

"The one and only." I continue. "Back when his hair was coloured and his skin was filled with youth, he was running around the Veil."

"The thing that surrounds us?" He asks.

"If you ask every little detail then this is gonna take a bit" I laugh at his curiosity but nonetheless he stops asking questions. "Once upon a starry night, he glanced up as he usually did. Eyeing a star in particular, one that illuminated a small space around it. He could of sworn it was so close he could grab it, and with that thought, the sheet of darkness released it."

"Just as quick as it began falling, he began chasing it to its destination. Faster and faster he found his legs carrying him, and only once reaching it did he realise, it landed just barely outside of the Veil. What he described next was something that similar to the same aurora that made up the Veil itself, a mesmerising white glow swirling around a beast of dark."

"What went through his mind at the time? Was he doing it patiently? Curiously? Out of Fear? Whatever it was, he waited for it to emerge from the near never-ending pit that its impact created. Hearing its stomps thud the earth with each effort it took to meet him beside the Veil. It was only once this beast got close enough, did he realise its size. A mere claw being the same size as Xandier at the time. His eyes trail the beast upwards, tracing its body and forever remembering its design."

"He said its skin was made up from the sheet of darkness that covers the sky at night, wearing the stars that decorated it like veins. And it was here, where he first innocently believed to be the beast, quietly standing just in behind the Veil with its eyes closed. When this in fact, was his first mistake, for the beast was in actuality, very, very much staring at him. Its eyes replaced with a space of void, a dull orb of black that shows no signs of where its truthfully looking."

"He wasn't sure what exactly made him do this, but leaned even closer. Placing his hand along the Veil, as he was told by his parents he was safe so long as he stayed inside. Even so, this time was different. It was as if the Veil welcomed this thing in. Just as Xandier places his hand across it, the beast mimics him. Allowing their prints to touch before grabbing his wrist and pulling the small boy along."

"Panic ran through him as he tried grabbing his arm back, going as far as to even think of chewing his own arm off. For now that it's touching him, he became aware this beast felt like nothing less than an embodiment of death, misfortune and overwhelming authority over everything that this child has known so far." I watch as Indura eerily leans back a bit under the covers, possibly becoming scared and yet his eyes say continue as they swell with interest.

"This seething emotion of a child was hushed however, as when he stopped looking away from the focus of his arm. He noticed the beast's face peering through the Veil, leaning down and already meeting him eye to eye. After another pull, the beast let go, causing Xandier to fall on his back but quickly, he got back to his feet. Holding up his left arm and noticing his blood draining from him, what first started as a trickle, turning into a torrent from his own body"

"He thought to himself, 'I'm...dying.' And so he continued to stare at his arm, feeling more helpless and weak by the second. Amidst his loss in focus, he finds his skin darkening in black...but it wasn't him, for the beast now stands on the same side as him, towering over him. Xandier knows he needs to back away, but he doesn't. Instead allowing the beast to grab his head, encasing over half his body in his hand alone. But even then, Xandier didn't yet feel the need to escape, not that he could if he even wanted to."

"And just as the boy begins to pass out, he felt the very air vibrate with energy as the beast spoke to themselves, 'This is what 𝘩𝘦 wanted to become? Fragile? Here?' He finishes with a breath that bent and twisted the trees around the edge of the Veil, something that was no more than a sigh from the beast-"

A knock on Indura's room brings us back to reality, "Should you really be telling him that?" Requis asks with a concerned look on her face.

"I-"

Indura interrupts me, "Was that all true?" He asks me.

"Uh, Xandier himself told Aeron this, then Aeron told me it in return. But since then, Xandier can't seem to remember it, at least not all of it." I try to recall, "I'm pretty sure he wrote it down somewhere, I can ask him again if you want?"

"Oracion!" Requis scolds me as I hold my head in defence of whatever she might throw at me.

"Sorry the dude wanted to know!" I yell back, trying to justify myself as he sits up in his covers.

"Thanks for telling me!" He cheers to me as I smugly look back at Requis for approval.

She waves it off, getting closer to her brother. "Whatever, there's something more important that we need to tell you though Indura." The day after tomorrow, Xandier has decided to send you out with Oracion to the Veil, you'll be in our group from what I'm aware." She explains as I fold my arms with a smile to him.

"Really!?" He excitedly looks towards his sword that's been lying and collecting dust along some shelves.

"Of course, I'll keep you safe and you can't stray too far, alright?" I ensure he understands.

"Of course!" He repeats back with affirmation as he hugs Requis, almost tugging her darkened hair.

Beginning to head out of his bedroom door, I hold up an open hand to wave, "I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow, we'll figure out what to do during then alright?" I ask to confirm.

Requis pulls away from him, sitting back in the chair that I used. "Sure, get home safe." Requis advises as I wave away and past the corner.

"Leaving already?" Ira's voice calls from down the other hall.

"We'll hang out next time, I promised Freya I'd get back tonight." I keep to myself despite hearing his loud exaggerated sigh as I unlock the door to let myself out. "See ya"

"See ya" he repeats just as the cold air hits me.

I turn to the pathing that leads down to my house, still able to see the iridescent aurora of the Veil that lines the space we call home. Aeron told me similar stories growing up, the enjoyment he got from raising me, the struggles and the curiosities he got to satisfy by letting me explore on my own. 'Who even are our-' I begin to question myself, pausing after an interruption.

"Hurry up it's cold!" Freya calls from the door, still holding it open for me.

"Coming!" I call to her, picking up the pace so that I can finally give this body the rest it needs.