The birthing chamber. That’s what it was called, huh? Well, that made a bit more sense than nursery. They probably don’t really nurse their young people do. Unless they do. But what would Nomad milk even tas-
She shook her head, dispelling the distractions from her mind. The bird, or rather, the presence behind the bird was a bit confused-sounding, if a little condescending. Like a parent chiding their child for falling down from a tree they said not to climb. Then again, if the arm was any indication, maybe she should listened to her mom.
I... I’ve heard this, felt this song my whole life. It felt strongest when I was out in the Edge Worlds, closer to the places your kind dwell. I made up my mind a long time ago to find out the source of I ever could. So breaking my arm still feels worth it.
And for the way I acted? I saw infants. Creatures slowly beginning to breathe and move in this grand universe. It was... kind of cute. Unusual, maybe weird, but still cute. I feel the same about all living creatures, even if they don’t feel the same way. All life is beautiful, though I wish that could be appreciated by all. If humans experienced your Starsong, then maybe they’d feel like me. They’d want to dance among the cosmos with you, and join in the celestial choir of your design.
Time ticked by slowly. The bird above shuffled slightly on the branch it perched on. I know why you've heard us all your life, the creature conveyed slowly, as if languishing in every notion the message conveyed. You are an interesting specimen. So selfless, so compassionate. Have you ever felt anger or hate before? It would seem almost ludicrous.
Spreading out one of its four wings, the bird avatar scrutinized its plumage for a moment, absorbed by itself. You still did not say what you wanted. You said what your goal is, but not how you will get there. Slowly, the giant bird lowered the wing again, turning its head to face the woman below again.
Kimi was silent for some time before communicating again.
I've felt hate before. Everyone has. But I've come to the realization that it's a pointless thing to hold on to. Violence begets violence, and I'd only ever harm something else if it truly meant harm. Otherwise, it's almost like I can feel its pain...
She shivered for a moment at the thought, before continuing.
I want to understand what the song I've heard is. Who sings it, how I can join in... I want the tools to spread this light and song everywhere. And I'm probably just speck of sand compared to entities like you, but... maybe you'll humor me and understand. I want to be more than darkness.
With a stroke of one of its wings, three of the bird's pristine white feathers came loose. They slowly descended descended until they were floating in the air in front of the girl, suspended by an unknown hand. You want something from me, the entity declared matter-of-factly. You have intrigued me and so I will give you this. Three feathers, three wishes. The little parts of the feather still moved as if by a slight wind that was not there. Three things you may entreat.
The feathers looked utterly mystical to Kimi, floating effortlessly in front of her face. There was an undeniable air of magic that anyone present could perceive. It was probably intentional. She thought for some time on what to do, and then grasped one feather.
I want my body to be fully healed.
It was a predictable wish, but a necessary one if she was to leave this place.
As soon as the thought had been formed, the feather she had tried to grasp started to kindle and slowly loose its luster, turning into dark ash. At the same time, the entity grasp for the female's body, the entirety of it like an open book to it. Humans were as transparent as water to it here, and with little more than a thought, molecules started to shift, break down, and reassemble. A heat washed over the girl's body as her insides shifted ever so slightly, the broken arm suddenly snapping back into place with a snap as sickening as it had been when it had been initially broken. Just as quickly as the feeling has come, it was gone, and the charred remains of the feather descended towards the ground where they turned to dust.
The next wish was already going to be saved for later, she knew that much. But there was one burning desire within her that she desired to be filled. One that she couldn't quite express with words.
For many years, Kimiko was an outcast. A cardamine addict, born into the wrong body, and thought of as an unusual child for always claiming there to be a song playing in the background. But she knew she was right. That there was more to the world than her disgusting body, the limited views of others. There was a realm of existence and perception beyond what humans knew. And she always had her ear propped up to the door of that realm, listening in on the whispers of otherworldly power and senses. Never truly understanding, but always somewhat aware.
She could not help but want the door to open. For the unknown potential within her to unlock and flourish. To be more than a mere human, but a true child of the cosmos.
She did not have the words, but the entity would understand the intent: Her psionic potential was to be awakened.
As before, the next feather started to kindle, slowly, the reddish tint slowly consuming the filigree fibers of the once pristine plumage. Simultaneously, the pressure which had been resting on the girl increased tenfold, a hundredfold, until the entire sensory range of the meager creature was consumed by the meddling hand of the entity masquerading as the paradise bird above. Staring down at the writhing form of the girl, her screams echoed through the cavernous bowls of Moros, with nobody there to heed them.
Seemingly lasting for an eternity, the convulsions would eventually lessen as the girl approached a state of unconsciousness. Compelled by the beings unspoken demand, the girl raised her head to see the bird plug one of the trees tiny, nameless fruit with its beak, letting it fall down to her, where it remained suspended in the air like the remaining feather still was. Eat, it commanded the girl sternly, who in turn raised her hand as though not rightly aware of her surroundings, feeling around in the air until her hand collided with the nameless fruit. There was a small conduit on the side of her helmet, meant to admit liquid and other small foods into the helmet for her to eat. With trembling hands, she made use of it. Seconds later, the dull thud of her body hitting the ground was heard throughout the cave.
The girl floated in a void. All sense of human experience was removed. Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. All oblivion. Just a sensation of weightless floating, falling. But somehow, she could still perceive. She was going to return to the ship, she 'felt' her steps echoing with each step towards the waiting ferry. But... now she was talking to the bird again? And the pain of a million worlds crying out in their collective anguish and ecstasy filled her soul like a balloon fit to burst. Then her mother came, embracing the girl as she bent down and wept in front of her. But... that was more than a decade ago. And yet she felt like it hadn't happened yet. Or was happening?
A blast of rainbow lights filled the air. Mysterious, impossible-to-perceive beings in colors that could not be imagined walked beside the girl, before fading into nothingness. Or did they disperse and add to everything? Small purple lights followed in their wake, crying without voice for their parents. The girl wept.
One caveman looked at another. Anger, rage, contemptuous bile spewing forth from the soul. A rock, a geyser of blood and brain matter.
A hand reaching to the stars and merging with them. It heard the taste of freedom. It touched the wispy smell of a dawn.
The purple light entered the dark human. The two merged, but not one. The purple spread and illuminated, but did not purge the dark. But then from the dark sprang a new light. One that a human could not always perceive, but now could.
Memories upon visions. Intuition turns to fact. An illuminated shadow. The tips of fingers bid the world halt and change.
Suddenly, it was gone. Kimi groggily woke up, looking around. The bird was gone, yet the tree remained. A sickening pain wreaked havoc through her body, starting from the back abdomen and extending all throughout. But something soothed her mind, kept the pain on the periphery of awareness. Like a small floater drifting away from the pupil's perception. Yes. This was okay. That much was felt. But one thing was off.
She could not see out of her left eye.
A quick check against the reflection of a crystal revealed the disappearance of that white sphere, replaced by an all-consuming void. No matter what light could be shined upon that hole, no bottom would reveal itself. It was as if a black hole had spawned in her socket.
A small item moved around within Kimi's right glove. Using her fingers to feel for it, the trinket revealed itself as a small ring. It felt like a crystal with a bone-chilling cold emanating from its faces. Somehow, she knew this was the reason for the eye's disappearance. And it was also the reason for the earlier... experience.
Groggily, she propped herself up on the tree and began to leave the cave system. Despite having no breadcrumbs, this duo of Hansel and Gretel could still find their way out of the forest. Even though there was only one person around, Kimi felt she wasn't alone. And it seemed like she knew this hive as well as her own childhood home. A quick spin around the birthing chamber from before led to the wire that saved and damned her life, and before she knew it, the warm embrace of the cave was gone. Moros remained desolate as always, but at least she could follow her footsteps back to the OS&C ferry. A quick check of systems and powering up led to the fateful departure from Moros. A small feather materialized in front of her, and she grabbed it with both hands, hugging it. This was going to be saved for later. For the day it was truly needed.
Wearily, the young woman checked her suit's clock. It had been... days? How long was she out? And more importantly, how did she live? There was nothing for light-years around to sustain her, yet...
Yet she knew. And the answer lay within. A small light growing and stretching out in her marrow and sinew. Binding itself to every neurons, every synapse and capillary. Like an old friend making itself comfortable in her home. Her destiny was now tied with the Light. She could never go back to being a regular human.
![[Image: maYSx8o.png]](https://i.imgur.com/maYSx8o.png)