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Few Humans have ever borne witness to the inner workings of the sentient mind. Fewer still have tread within even the outskirts of the Nomad soul's infinite corridors and connections. Sirian Humans looked to that immaterial realm with eyes that choose to only regard the mundane and physical as paramount. Only a few dreaming minds remained open to the possibility of the existence of more beyond the crude matter at the forefront of their reality.

Psyche had always known this implicitly through her perception of those realms and ways of being beyond Mankind's ken, but only in crossing over into the land of metaphor-made-matter did she truly appreciate the divide between the species. And only in this new existence did she fully begin to stretch out and feel the extent of the infinite possibilities before her.

Within the Abyssal Light's collective mind, communication and understanding were so instantaneous and implicit that there was little room for error or tension between selves. The myriad archetypes and avatars of the Mindshare's will, shifting in and out of active existence as needed, found their way seamlessly through the sea of consciousness. And yet, inside any mind, there has always existed the universal constant of conflict. Contradictory stimuli and thought, repressed memory and instinct, intrusive thought and impulse... the Nomad mind was no exception to these obstacles.

Within such an expansive entity, it was the task of higher minds to sort and mend these tears and knots. Given her newfound status and self, Psyche qualified for the role. And so it was that she set upon the very discrepancies that tore at her own seams: The surviving memories of one Kimiko Hawkins.

The sea waves rippled and shifted, iridescent scales cascading along in place of water. Together, they began to orbit a single point, forming a maelstrom upon the scalesea. The vortex circled into a portal, contained within tendrils of conscious observation. In Psyche's grasp was a well of pooled memories and sentiments, one that extended into the fractured and earliest memories of the Human enmeshed with her expansive soul.

Little wisps, newborn and curious of their Elders' designs and sorcerous ways, fluttered about alongside this new dreaming. Though the perspectives of Mankind were known to the Abyss by light of their Fae children, Psyche's exploration of Kimiko remained unique. The hybrids were legendary entities shrouded in mysticism and mystery among both Man and Nomad alike, and the chance to learn of one tantalized the knowledge-hungry children.


How could she not feel this for the little ones? For herself? The microcosm of universal love echoed its song as practiced digits traced over the well, inducing the scales to rise and fall with touch. Iridescent rainbows shifted into visuals as each scale began to reflect a moment in time, seeping with all six senses. Recollection rose like so many foggy mists on forgotten shores. The little ones circled and soon suffused with the dreaming self, perspectives melding for what was to come.

That voice... That was Matthew Hoskins. He was the host of Over the Horizon, an old Orbital Spa and Cruise program on the Neural Net about all the upcoming destinations most travelers could hope to visit as humankind started to expand its reach. Of course, it aired on the other side of the planet from us, so I had to sneak up at night to even catch a peek of the latest episode. I didn't know how to record the streams at the time. Silly me.

Mr. Hoskins wasn't like the other talking heads hired by the company. He was an astronomer who had taken up the job after failing to reach a big audience in Bretonia over his work in the Edge Worlds. I found out later that he had seen something out there that convinced him to spread his message of discovering the stars to the masses. Never learned out what exactly that was.


Creeeeeeaaaaak. Another familiar sound. A door with hinges last oiled when the house was first built. Shuffling, muffled footsteps, the kind one would hear from slippers on hardwood. And then, a voice, low, sweet, and sleepy. It filled the messy room alongside the scent of lavender and sea spray.

Mom.


Crap. Was it too loud? I knew I should have put my headphones in... She didn't sound mad, but she rarely ever did. Anger was Dad's territory, and he always seemed to want to make it bigger. Mom usually came home around this time, but she'd usually be so exhausted from working in the resort kitchens to even bother doing much besides falling asleep. Though both of them spent most of their time working, Dad was often away for days at a time. Mom always came home like clockwork.

I turned around. There she was, already changed into her nightgown, her salt-and-pepper hair tied back into a bun. She would look like any other mother from Kusari, if it weren't for the burns that covered her left side. Everyone else seemed scared of them. At the resort, guests would be intimidated by her scars if they ever caught a glimpse of her, so the management put her to work out of sight. It wasn't fair, really. She was nicer than any of the ultra-rich vacationers we had to serve.


I didn't know what I expected in that moment, but when she came over, it certainly wasn't a slow little chuckle. Mom sat on the bed by my chair, looking at the screen with her baggy eyes. She was quiet for a few seconds, taking in the muted broadcast.

"Oh, I think I know this one. The one they play at the spaceport, ne? What are they talking about this time?"

I couldn't contain myself. I beamed and swung out of my chair, going to sit on the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around me softly, looking down at me as I started rattling off.


On and on and on. She knew this would happen when she got me talking about literally anything I was interested in. Dad would've groaned by now, but Mom? She always kept listening to my little obsessive rants. With every little detail, her eyes got this shine to them. Even if it was something she knew well, to hear me tell of it was to know it in a new light. I didn't realize at the time what it meant for a child to follow and learn. To see them grow.

At the end of my excitement, she gently guided me down under the covers, turning off the screen. I gave a little groan of protest, but knew better than to press. Her hand went to the top of my head, tussling the same dark hair she had.

"Kimi-chan... you won't be satisfied staying here, will you?"


The town we lived in wasn't meant for permanent living. Otrobanda was an accommodation for seasonal workers hired to staff the Azure Pearl Casino and Resort. When families came, it was for a few months at a time, until work dried up or they were assigned elsewhere by the company. We only stayed on through connections and contracts. I always wondered when it would be our time to leave.

"No, I suppose you're right. I long to see you soar and spread your wings, stardust. I am just... afraid of the paths you might walk."

Mom always had the same look in her eyes when she thought about space. Wistful, just a little sad, with a distant happiness. She looked out the window in the same way she looked out to the sea, like her mind was travelling somewhere else while her body stayed with us. The distance in her expression made me want to go with her.


Shock. Surprise. Shame. I felt it before she did. Hot water streamed down from my scalp to the base of my spine, cold sweat breaking out with a shiver. She didn't look at me in that moment, instead sighing as she stood up to gaze out the window.

"Kimi-chan, do you remember the story about the princess in the bamboo?"

I nodded. An old Earth tale about a princess named Kaguya. She was found as a baby by a bamboo cutter in a stalk of a plant, and adopted by his family. The man became rich due to gold appearing in the same bamboo stalks, and Kaguya grew up to be a legendary beauty. Many suitors, including the Emperor himself, vied for her hand in marriage. However, she refused them all, for she was not of their world. In the end, her true home was the moon, and to the moon she was fated to return. It was a sad story, but I could never tire of hearing it.

"You were a very special child. One that many people wanted, but could not have. I had to keep you safe from those people, and it cost me much. The burns are... the least of the price. But if I had to pay the price again, I would, ten thousand times over."

There was a steel in her voice that rarely came out. The way she said it, I felt compelled to believe her with every ounce of my being.

"One day, my little stardust, I know you will go to the moon and beyond. These shores are too small for you."

With that, she turned back to me, giving that same tired smile from before. She leaned in, giving me a soft kiss on the forehead. Deftly, her hands tucked me in tight. She leaned over me for a few moments, taking in the little features of my face and chuckling. Silence reigned for a few moments before she spoke, with only the whirring of the computer and the falling rain outside filling the air.

"Now, promise me you'll sleep?"


She gave me a look of skepticism, but exhaustion appeared to win out as she rose up to go to the door. She gave me a parting glance, a pensive expression hanging on her features.

"Good night, Kimiko. I love you."


The door creaked closed shut. After a few minutes, when I was sure she was asleep, I returned to the broadcast just in time to catch the end. Mr. Hoskins was sitting at his desk aboard some spaceship, orbiting a distant green nebula and looking out the window.

"...know, in all my years of studying these cosmos, one thing has never ceased to humble me. With all our advances in astrogation, ship design, propulsion... we remain tiny little apes that came from a pebble on the other side of the Milky Way. Our stellar sojourn should never have been possible, let alone successful in reaching a wondrous promised land full of life and mystery. But we surpassed all obstacles in our way, didn't we? A vault of plenty yet awaits beyond the Edge, with even more challenges, transformations, and legendary vistas. Who knows what we'll encounter out there next?"

He turned to the camera, flashing a smirk.

"I'd like to see you all there soon. Be it roughing it out on a Freeport or cruising in style aboard one of OS&C's fabulous luxury liners, it's absolutely necessary for everyone to peer over the edge of human civilization at least once. It'll change your life. After all, destiny lies... Over the Horizon. This has been Matthew Hoskins, and thank you for joining me on this journey."

The outro music kicked up. It was an inspiring, soaring orchestral piece played over footage of pristine liners gliding across space, accompanied by stock footage of celestial bodies. Cheesy, but I couldn't get enough of it.

I looked up at the sky. Curacao had no moon for me to return to. But I'd find a way to return to the stars.