Above the Stars
A group of blazing comets traced the sky's outer frame, brushing past stars and scattered bodies of light.
They weaved through the cosmos as if alive.
Riding among them sat a small gathering of beings, each distinct in form, sipping instant coffee with monotonous and deceitful eyes.
"The plan has come to a stalemate," said the man of stone, fragments shifting with every word.
"Indeed, the two of them both bear the blessings of forgotten stars, powerful ones at that." The next one spoke, his form shifting and translucent under the light of stars flying past.
"Though… even with the bearing of Apollox, his task seems near impossible. Are you sure there was no mishap from the star?" A fiery one spoke next, his hair twisting like flames along his head.
"Now, now." A playful voice cut him off, her tone sweet and almost irresistible. "Don't doubt the stars, Geofrey."
Geofrey glanced at the owner of the voice. She had velvet red hair and pearl-like eyes that were constantly sitting in a seductive pose.
"Enough," A voice cut through the hostile energy forming in the air. "That boy, he's fully resonated with his star."
The announcement shook the atmosphere on the small rock. Each person's face twisted in different ways, but all of them knew one thing. This was monumental, if he was allowed to grow…
The implications of everything sat in front of the group.
"Hah, old man, even if he is the greatest. How can one even compete with his odds?" A younger voice broke through the stillness on the rock. He was right, Jay's predicament was a 100% chance to lose.
"We will know when the time comes." The old man glanced back down at the world below. "For now, we only hope that the true heir to the creator is born."
One by one, they glanced down at the world below, each bound by unseen ties they could never act upon.
The comets they rode along soon began to wither, marking the sign that they had arrived at their destination.
"Get ready, they are coming."
Chairs scraped against the stone as each being rose from the table, their eyes fixed on the sight unfolding before them.
Jay POV
–One Month Later–
What does one do when stuck in a situation with insurmountable odds?
Sitting beneath three titans of the forest, I contemplated the insane thoughts echoing in my head.
Well, I guess winning is everyone's first choice.
But how do you win?
I dodged to the side, effortlessly maneuvering against the blinding speed of the Megatherium above me.
The answer might be simpler than you think.
On paper, you only have a 50% chance of success for everything.
Either you succeed, or you don't.
Another swipe came from the left, the other Megatherium completely missing my vanishing figure.
My stellarium spiked along the tip of my glaive, coating it in the blankness of space.
So, to win, you just need to control the odds.
Slip.
The first of the three Megatherium's head rolled along the ground ahead of me, with the others going in for the kill.
Not so fast.
Suddenly, the world stood still for a breathless moment, my form standing still, but my mind wandered behind the second victim of my attacks.
Star Form: Spatial Lag
The once grand Megatherium, standing over my form with rage, now sat in two pieces, blood separating them along the ground.
I wonder if they taste like a bear or a sloth?
The final charge from the last Megatherium came, its form running headfirst into my standing form.
Step.
The world spun around me, my mind able to keep up with near-instantaneous speed.
My stellarium was at its last reserves, barely enough for a few more swings.
I slashed downwards at the beast, but it seemed like it was finally catching onto my fighting style.
Its claws intercepted my blade, a red glow encasing its eyes.
Hm?
As if mocking me for playing with my prey, the beast slashed at me faster than I could react.
Boom.
The splinters from the tree behind me coated my back in blood.
What was that?
I glanced back over at the form of the once weak beast, now glowing with a strange energy.
Had it unconsciously learned to use its world energy?
It dashed, the ground quaking from its movement.
I had destroyed its home, and it was going to destroy me.
Intercepting the blow with my blade, I managed to hold on long enough not to go flying into the trees behind me.
This style won't work against something like this…
I need distance, some kind of-
Ah!
I suddenly changed my stance, pulling my glaive back like a baseball bat.
I focused on the distance between me and the target, about 20 meters.
I slowly condensed the space between us like folding a rug, slowly but surely, until it was at about 3 meters.
I swung, my blade catching the glint of the sun and stretching it through the space between us.
Blood poured onto the ground, the corpse of the once formidable beast now a shell of blood and guts.
I'll have to record this on the stone at the base, a beast able to convene with the world.
I glanced over at the stump of flesh around the thigh of one of the Megatheriums I slaughtered.
Sneakily, I sliced a chunk off. Still curious about the taste.
With the coast clear, I made my way back to my home base, a small cave I created at the base of the mountain.
I prepped the fire, using some flint and a small iron rock I found. I coated the small basin of the firepit with pine sap, which caught super easily.
The smell of cooked Megatherium meat soaked the golden air.
Definitely closer to Bear than Sloth in terms of texture, I think.
Too bad I had never eaten either to know for sure…
I glanced at my tally on the wall.
Even after all of these battles, the star wouldn't acknowledge it as an achievement.
What was I missing?
Was I not trying enough?
I thought back to all of my achievements: The Stag, Surviving my first duel, The Raptors.
Each one was necessary to live.
Was I not struggling to live?
I glanced around at the makeshift furniture in my hand-carved cave.
Yeah, I definitely wasn't.
But that's the pocket's fault, nothing could endanger me.
Well… There was still that thing.
Up in the sky, I traced the clouds for an outline of the bird.
Gotcha
Up there, hidden behind the largest cloud, sat what most humans would mistake for a plane.
It was just that huge.
And to top it all off, I could see it now, the essence of the earth it carried within.
It was similar to the pact with stars we sapient beings could make, but they made it with the world.
Trading achievements for a chance to become stronger.
And once one achieved sentience, could they commune with the stars.
I moved my eyes away from the bird. I still wasn't atleast 50% sure I could win, I only fought with those odds.
I sprawled onto the moss bed below me, my mind riddled with holes from a month of solitude.
I wonder how my other half is doing with Janus and Ouroboros…
Other Jay POV
The original is fighting battles that I couldn't even comprehend fighting a while ago.
He has grown past the need for me, so why did he say those things back then?
Glancing at the small grassy world Janus had created, I started to once again contemplate my existence.
I asked to live, but now that I am, life seems boring.
But I couldn't aid my original in any way, as I was not him.
"Boy." Janus's voice was softer today than the other times I had spoken with him.
"You need to forget about the man whose body you were created from."
I didn't understand. Why? How does one forget their original?
"How?" I voiced solemnly, I felt more lost now than I did before.
"You need to live. I created this world based on the main realm outside of this pocket." Janus pulled me from my thoughts. "To forget one's purpose, one has to find a new one."
"Go. Explore. Do anything other than loiter on my property."
Once again, I glanced at the grassy world Janus had made.
But now, I saw a possibility.
What is out there? Is it what I need?
Jay has his own life, so in order to catch up to him, I also need one.
I departed for the world around me. There was so much I wanted to know now that I had no purpose.
"Thank you, Janus." I looked back, only to find him gone the moment those words left me.
Janus POV
Damn brat.
Dropping those words out of nowhere.
If I actually cared about them, I'd be too embarrassed to say anything.
These two boys seemed to be getting on my nerves again and again.
Ouroboros walked into the space I was in, eyeing my ears and lips for a moment.
"You're such a shy person, Janus." Her voice made my ears burn redder than they already were.
"Blasphemy. I couldn't care less about either of them," I quickly blurted out, not even believing my own words at this point.
Ouroboros just smiled in response, as if mocking my childlike appearance.
Stop laughing.
Suddenly, she glanced toward the left, where nothing was.
Jay.
That boy was a mystery, impossible to understand.
One day, he seems like an ordinary boy; the next, he's monstrous.
"He's acknowledged it," Ouroboros suddenly spoke, her words confirming my thoughts.
"Is he going to challenge it?" My voice couldn't hide my excitement.
We were so close to finally understanding where we were, how to escape.
"I think it'll be soon." Her voice cut my happy thoughts with her sad tone.
"We will finally know the truth."
"Soon."