Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You walked straight to the elevator, buzzing Slate off as you’re… less enthusiastic about exploring this time. You enjoyed every part of it so far, but there’s one thing you don’t enjoy.

Throughout your years of training, there's one thing you just can never get used to: quantum shenanigans. That is how Gossan describes those weird purple alien blocks that teleport around when you're not seeing them, despite Hornfel's scientific-naming rants, and Gabbro's philosophical rants. Still, these quantum rocks have given you a fair share of scares, especially when you glance back only to have the rock directly on your face. It is unclear how they choose which locations to teleport, or how Hal and Hornfels even managed to make it stay at the museum, but whatever force moves it sure likes to embarrass you in front of your colleagues. One time during a training session where everyone in the village can watch ‘your favorite future astronauts,’ Hal once saw you get your teeth knocked out by one, and you swore to launch yourself off a geyser out of embarrassment…

“Stars forbid… I swear I’m going to kill Porphy one loop for how long they laughed…” you grumbled to yourself as you put on your suit, buckled up and launched, immediately locking on to Ember Twin and letting autopilot do its job while you continued thinking.

The reason that these quantum trainings exist is so that “if anything awry happens, you’ll be most prepared.” It’s mostly staying in the zero-g cave with no lights and trying not to be decked in the face with the rock, but you figured it was easy enough once you concentrate. Put on the flashlight, pray you don’t give in to the instincts of blinking with both pairs of eyes, and pray there's no second rock haunting you. Gossan did that once, and it resulted in more casualties, mostly from you and Riebeck. So, imagine how pissed off you were when not only was your first spacefaring journey trapped in a time loop, but quantum training is almost entirely useless. Almost. When you visited the Tower of Quantum Trials at Giant’s Deep, you were pleasantly terrified that the rocks aren’t the only thing capable of moving around, but entire structures. (Somehow you forgot Timber Hearth has more than just your village.) The tower itself does have a calming aesthetic however, barring the constant howling of the raging weather, but Ember Twin is an entirely different story.

You hated Ember Twin. It’s dark, desolate, claustrophobic, and the sand has a desire to crush you. It has crushed you before. That was the worst death you’ve ever experienced, tied with the anglerfish’s slow digestion. You also hated quantum shenanigans. Naturally, the indifferent universe, uncaring of what you think, decided to combine these together. You pout with clear annoyance before manually landing near Chert’s camp, as they slowly wave at the new visitor. You wave back to them through the cockpit's window. Originally, you were gonna make it snappy, but seeing the fall to the lakebed made your stomach lurch. So… well, it’s only 22 minutes, right? There’s time to kill, you said. Getting out into the dusty empty place, the heated orange rocks and atmosphere greets you rather unwelcomingly as you sit down on the opposite side of Chert by the campfire, pulling out a marshmallow. The seat's hard and sandy, making quite the uncomfortable experience as the overbearing heat is probably enough that you don't even need the fire, but pointing it at the air like an idiot won't look good on you.

“Goodness, it’s you! Hello! I take it your first launch went well, then? Welcome to the Hourglass Twins. Mind the sand, now.” Chert asked with a croaky tone while playing their drums, and you only nod. You minded the sand long enough, and now you’re just stalling for time. Hopefully the sand does claim you again just so you can put it off longer.

“Yeah, launch went pretty well. Hope I didn’t interrupt you with anything important.” you replied, slowly rotating the stick.

“Oh no, I’ve simply been updating the star charts lately. Weirdly enough, there’s been a couple of supernovae I noticed, and usually we’re lucky to even see one!” Chert continued, your eyes widened while still being a little dead.

You’ve grown numb to the whole supernova ordeal, but hearing Chert talk about it, this close to our sun no less? It brings back the sorrow when you first witnessed the supernova and died. Chert noticed your point blank stare however, stopping their playing and asked.

“Hey friend, have you been feeling well? You could go back to Timber Hearth, no one except Gossan is going to judge you for having a short first trip–” You raised your hand up, cutting the traveler off.

“I’m doing fine. It’s… funny when you think about it, how these supernovae happen instantly to our eyes, yet they are light years away in reality. They have probably exploded eons ago and only now do we see it, right here… maybe we’re at the center of the universe.”

“...did Gabbro brainwash you or something? I don’t recall you being the pondering type.” Chert quipped back, but their posture changed more to intrigue.

“Nah, just a thought I’ve been having.” you eyed on the marshmallow, smirking to yourself. Saying all that kind of feels… freeing. Cathartic. Maybe you should do this more. Engaging in actual genuine conversations between the travelers, your friends, even though they won’t remember it… at least they’ll know your current thoughts, and they’ll be happy. Chert, though… maybe you should try distracting them one loop.

“Well, there’s only been a few supernovae so far, but… that does make sense. Huh, to think we would be special enough to witness the end of early life at the center of it all.” Chert pondered on their end too, as you suddenly feel very better to do your mission.

“Crazy, thinking about it.” you pulled your mallow out, a perfect golden brown as you took off your visor and chewed it heartily, savoring it this time round.

“Wait, how did you get so good at that? You always burn the mallow off from what I’ve seen, worse than Slate even.” Chert inquired, genuinely struck by your sudden mastery as they continued banging on their drums.

“Eh, I learned it through time, and the stomachache is not worth it. Not as good as Feldspar though, they’re a master chef at it.”

“Yeah, you’re right…” Chert sighed, still aching dully at Feldspar’s disappearance. “So, where are you headed for today?”

“A lakebed cave just underneath here. I’m figuring out the disappearance of a Nomai called Coleus, might learn something from it.” you answered rather excitedly.

“Really? How’d you learn so much from your first launch?” Ah stars, you forgot about that. “I know Hornfels knows a thing or two about the Nomai, but we don’t even know when they originally existed!”

“Well… maybe you underestimated the old Hearthian.” you bluffed, as Chert gave a small chuckle.

“Maybe you’re right, it has been a while since I returned. Even though I've been nice and snug here for the while, my feet are aching to explore somewhere and the heat is killing me. I stuffed so many cotton inside my suit and it still feels like a boiling pot." They sighed, stretching themselves as you get up on your feet.

"You could follow me to where I'm headed, it'd be nice to have a friend on the dark- I mean, a friend to explore with." you suggested with uncommitted effort, shrugging to Chert as they snickered to themselves.

"Thanks for the offer, but I meant it more as a hyperbole. Perhaps someday else though!" They said with hopeful enthusiasm, one that fills you with dreaded joy.

"Ah, guess I'll be going solo then. See you soon!"

"Well, safe travels! Look out for the sand.” Chert waved.

“You too.” You bid farewell before putting your visor back on and taking a deep breath and jumping off the cliffside, as Chert yelped and yelled out your name. Oh right, you forgot. Other people still worry about death.

“D-Do I need to call someone?!” yelled Chert, their voice raised a good octave as they dropped their drums and immediately began pointing their Signalscope to Timber Hearth.

“I’m totally fine, don’t worry!” you yelled back, giving the worried egg a thumbs up as you reassured them. Well, so much for calming Chert…

“Here goes nothing… remind me to meditate if I’ll be crushed by sand.” Jumping down the lakebed, the chilling cold and darkness brings back the fear and reluctance instilled in you, but you keep on marching. You travel through incredibly tight caverns and briefly go nauseated, trying your best not to throw up your burnt marshmallow moments ago.. From what you’ve learned, Coleus seemed to have disappeared along with the quantum shard, and that much is known. Climbing up the sand avalanche, you pondered where he might’ve been. You believed that magic doesn’t exist, unlike poor Chert who kept praying to the stars to have at least one growth spurt. Supposed they learnt it the hard way, which may explain their personality. Going deep into another narrow cavern, your flashlight flickered a little and the rock formations around you disappeared, instead giving you a path to traverse.

“Oh great, awesome, Coleus’ disappearance just has to be related to something quantum. Stars above…” Your mind races on what happened to Coleus, and your heart sinks. Was he abducted by the wandering rock? Was quantum something malevolent, intent in causing discord to the best of its ability? Still, you remembered your training, kept your cool and controlled your labored breathing, fighting the feeling of fainting even though your oxygen tank still has plenty. Turning your flashlight on and off, making sure the path is clear until the end of the tunnel is revealed through the sand… It’s just a lit room?

This certainly isn’t what you expected, but you’ve learned to not expect anything. You let out a big sigh of relief still, at least with there being no immediate danger. There’s a big quantum shard to your left, and a few messages as well as a light switch to your right. You felt that weird feeling again whenever you see a pile of Nomai bones, the sort of remorse that you felt even though they don’t know anything about you. It’s a one way conversation you’re having about the Nomai, and they have no way of asking back (You hadn’t found out about Solanum then.)

You pull out your translator and read the scroll of texts:

[MELORAE: If you've come to look for Coleus, this is where we were when he vanished. He's been missing for two days now!]

[ANNONA: Your strange, wandering rock friend is here, though Coleus isn't.]
[MELORAE: Coleus and I observed this unusual-looking rock shard (and several smaller rocks) in at least two other caverns. I'm unsure if this is relevant.]

[BUR: What happened before Coleus disappeared?]
[MELORAE: We were examining the different rocks. I recall Coleus standing on the latest one (the wandering rock). I was taking notes, and then my lantern died.]
[MELORAE: When I lit it again, Coleus and the rock were gone.]

“Huh, strange… what happened anyway?” You ponder about where Coleus may have been, considering there’s no secret entrance anywhere… then your brain suddenly had a flash of a thought, a few events from the back of your head strung together in an instant, a lightning in a bottle. Gossan always turns the lights out while quantum training. Hornfels once reported about their stuff disappearing when they put it on top of the rock during the museum’s construction. This cave has a light switch… a-ha! You get teleported when in total darkness while in direct contact with a quantum shard! That’s how Coleus disappeared! You gave yourself a prideful smirk as you solved yet another mystery.

“Take that, Feldspar!” you thought as your pride blinds your fear, which is a good thing at the least. So, the plan is simple: turn the lights out, walk to the shard, get held back by a skeleton- get held by what?!

You jumped and fell back with a yelp that echoed round the cave, dropping your flashlight before picking them back up and pointing at the pile of bones, somehow reanimated as if they never died. One of them is reaching out to you as if to lift you up, while the other two are watching with their skulls tilted. What is this…? Is this also quantum related? Your curiosity is drowned by your fear however, as you’re frozen solid, stuttering a question.

“W-w-what are you…?” You barely choked through your gritting teeth, looking dead into the skeleton’s eyes as it’s not moving… why isn’t it moving? Oh right, forgot about the flashlight! You hastily grabbed the flashlight back, shaking from your hands as you turn them off and on, and they change position; pointing at an excerpt of text you read moments ago. It took you a while to reverse engineer which word they’re pointing at, but it appears that the word is ‘MELORAE’. Your eyes widen after the realization. You met a Nomai! The remains of a Nomai, but one that can communicate! Your fear quickly morphs into excitement as your lips can't help but to creak a huge grin, your body shaking slightly with newfound adrenaline as you flicker your flashlight between off and on, eager to see if she has anything more to say. What you didn't expect was for them to collapse back down.

"No, no no no, come back!" You shook the bones and desperately tried to rearrange them, disrespecting the dead. As you're deep inside your frenzy to put them back together, the other skeletons become unnoticed. You try over and over again to connect the bones, resorting to duct taping the end parts such that they connect. Unfortunately, Nomai bones are brittle, and the average strength of a Hearthian makes you snap one of Melorae's femur bones by accident.

"Oh hearth, I'm so sorry! I... I..." You were ready to give up by then, but looking around you see the skeletons pointing at you. You felt surprised and eually guilty, stepping away and blinking. They three are now pointing at each other again. You blink again, and the other two Nomai pointed at their names: 'ANNONA’ and ‘BUR’. Phew! Your knowledge of them are quite sparse, only that Annona made a warp core based on a conversation in Brittle Hollow. Oh, how you wish you could share this to Riebeck. They’d have a heart attack knowing there’s a Nomai right under their nose! Though, communication seems to be limited. More! You want more!

“How can I talk to you…?” You spoke aloud, but not directly asking the question to the three. It’s second nature to talk to yourself at this point, partly to set your plans straight, partly because no one cares in space, but mostly you being lonely. They heard your question however, though they may not understand it. Bur seems to be miming something, holding a tall stick of some kind. You think about what it could be… ah, a staff! You never knew they were used for writing, but they do have an interface of sorts. Maybe they could teach you how to use it? You weren’t the best at Nomaian language, but working with the translator with Hal does give you a headstart.

Only, the Sunless City is far away, and your time with Chert as well as the perilous journey here had taken up a fair bit of time. It’ll have to be on the next loop. A little disappointing, but still, you’re excited to finally have a new lead to follow, and you get to talk to not one, but three Nomais! It’s a wonder how quantum shenanigans can somehow entangle living beings as well. Are they even still alive? How do they feel? Do they even feel? Your mind preys on these hundreds of questions overflowing through you, as you struggle to keep ahead.

You wave farewell to the skeletons, flying on top of the shard and turning off the flashlight as the rock takes you somewhere else. Your back was turned, but they were waving back. You couldn’t focus on other matters after this however, and eventually decided to just meditate. Gabbro teaches a fine lesson in ignoring death.

You believed that magic doesn’t exist. The universe agrees, but gives you something else.

A mystery.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You walked straight into the elevator, buzzing Slate off as you’re very enthusiastic about exploring this time. It’s funny how the universe can turn one of your fears into a curiosity, though Dark Bramble had made the complete opposite of that.

Going through the usual rhythm; putting on your suit, buckling up and setting your marker to the lakebed cave, you let your mind fantasize on the potential this could have on your discoveries. Learning deeply into the Nomai culture and technology, a peek into the daily lives of one, and the thought of Outer Wilds Ventures reaching first contact with extraterrestrial life. Perhaps you’ll learn how to save your solar system from dying, and this nightmare will be over. Heck of a story to tell at the campfire, perhaps even rivaling Feldspar's.

During training, there were always daydreams and fantasies in your mind; that one day you'll finally have your name etched on the village's telltales, without it being a naming convention over a nasty accident or becoming the first astronaut to be retired from the space programme (You'd rather have that title go to the younger ones.) Perhaps you'd pull off a maneuver that would impress Feldspar themselves, or discover a whole new theory that changes their understanding of the universe. It always felt rich, and as you get older, it feels so close yet there seems to be more steps to glory that poofs into existence, reality leaking in a fortress of imagination, a bubble that is hard to escape once consumed inside. Of course, every accident that involves you decking yourself in the face by flying dead straight to a rock would help you get out of that mindset, but this tantalizing moment finally feels within reach for you. It only took a flight with a Nomai translator tool, a time loop that changes your view on the values of your self-preservation, and an existential nightmare about the death of everything.

The plague of death had subsumed you by this point, but to think that your sorrows will finally melt away… you remember telling Gabbro how the time loop had given you an unexplainable thought, something that constantly unravels in your mind while giving you no answers. Gabbro gave a surprisingly profound answer, one that you try to cling on everytime your mind breaks into confusion and frustration from the lack of reason. You're not one for meandering philosophy with complex metaphors and long, fluffy paragraphs of character deconstruction. You personally like to take things speedy like, clear and concise even if monotonous or lacking emotions. But, a particular memory struck you:

“If it isn’t my time buddy! How’s space treating you this loop?” Gabbro greeted you with a wave.

"I wanted to try landing on the Quantum Moon which orbited at this planet, but it just disappeared! Bummed me out, but I figured to pay you a visit since I'm here anyway." you explained, punching the air in an 'aw, shucks' manner.

"Always nice to hear that. No one has landed on the phantom moon yet, but I do find it delightfully poetic. Sometimes, your goals appear in random places, and when you try to seek it out, it vanishes right by your fingertips." they waved both their hands as you only nodded to appear nice.

"Yup, just what I expected from you. I just- there must be something there, because all the clues are pointing everywhere and there's this High Energy Lab and Ash Twin Project stuff and all these different cities and there's a black hole forge called Black Hole Forge and-" Gabbro stops you there, one hand facing you.

"Whoa whoa there buddy, slow down. I already had enough trouble trying to comprehend one thing you told me every now and then, so all this info just passes right through me." They clutched their head with one hand, trying not to fall off from being overloaded.

You sighed. "I don't know, my mind is just... occupied. There's a bunch of stuff."

"That thought may be entropy." Gabbro said, which plucked your interest. You never were much of a philosophic person, but you're interested in it every now and then, and that piqued your interest.

"Huh?"

“Think about it for a second, hatchling. It is unexplainable because it is nothing. Or is it everything? Maybe your mind is caught up on the concept of all, instead of you.” Gabbro lectured in their usual low, calming tone.

“You said entropy can be nothing too, so if I think of everything, then what does it mean?” You asked Gabbro back, as they laid on their side facing you.

“We can think of absolutely nothing too, you know? Confusion doesn’t always mean we can’t keep up with our thoughts, it can also mean not knowing what to even think. We drown in our own silence. At least I got Ol' Cycly with me though, but their sisters are enraged.” they replied as they continued playing their flute amidst the cacophony of Giant’s Deep.

You thought about asking them again, but since they’re already playing… you may as well do the thinking yourself.

You smile faintly at the thought as your ship lands next to Chert’s camp, muttering ‘thank you’ as you sit down and greet the astronomer. You've surprisingly getting used to the heat and shuffling on the uneven seat, even though it's going to be cold in the cave. No marshmallows this time, the nauseating experience of the previous loop still leaves your stomach churning.

“Goodness, it’s you! Hello! I take it your first launch went well, then? Welcome to the Hourglass Twins. Mind the sand, now.” Chert greeted them, while playing their drums. You immediately began spouting a total information dump on them, their head swirling as they’re unable to keep up.

“Hey, I found something! I discovered that there is a Nomai skeleton in the lakebed cave, but they’re somehow alive because of quantum shenanigans or whatever, but it’s really really cool and–” The astronomer cuts you off before trying to digest all you said, the logic not really adding up in Chert’s mind.

“Hold on, didn’t you launch just a few minutes ago? How did you already know about that?” they inquired, as you rapidly realized that the time loop only applies to you, and tried to come up with an explanation.

“Uhm… I arrived here several minutes ago, and decided to visit you after figuring it out. The joy of spreading discoveries, right?” you improvised, goofy smile visible through your visor. You couldn’t see Chert’s face, but it was either disbelief or pure fed up.

“I didn’t hear anyone reporting your launch though.” they retaliated, as you cocked your eyebrow in genuine intrigue.

“...they still do that?” you asked, and Chert plants their hand on the visor for a good second, before staring dumbfoundedly into space.

“For Hearth’s sake… Hornfels always blabber about protocols and guidelines and stuff, then forgets it as soon as they finish. Slate sure as timber doesn’t care, and Gossan only wants new astronauts to be in. Sometimes I wonder if me and Esker are the only ones who even took the space programme seriously. No offense to you of course, and Riebeck. It’s just… sigh.” Their usually curious and calm demeanor shifted into slight annoyance, as they banged on their drums particularly hard.

You can’t help but snicker at Chert’s rambles, briefly pulled back to the times where they would have lengthy debates between the veterans and the newer astronauts. It is true: Hornfels often has a talk with the trainees about the core principles and philosophy (how strange to use that word when not addressing Gabbro) of Outer Wilds Ventures, treating it with utmost passion almost like a deity with a very annoyed Gossan on the back waiting for the old Hearthian to zip it. It's their job to ramble, after all. The generational divide does amuse you as much as it kinda worries you. Time sure has tricky cards on its windy sleeves.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your study then. Those star charts won’t update themselves!” you cheered with perhaps a little more fake enthusiasm than you liked, as you take a safer detour to the Sunless City this time. Chert bid farewell, but as they watched you walking down the chasm, they couldn’t shake off the revelation you just mentioned. A living Nomai… they are deeply curious about them despite having more fascination about science. They’d love to meet one. As Chert mulled over for a fair bit of time, they decided to put off research and follow after you, who had long gone by then. The slowly sweltering sun was giving the egg a worry, but they shrugged it off. They can update it another day. They put off their drums and started following…

Meanwhile on your end, you finally found three staves laid abandoned at the city, after a long, perilous search. One was easy to find, but three weren’t. You quickly hop between caves, not noticing Chert gone as you descend down to the lakebed, doing the same charades again. Arriving at the lit room, you place down the staff next to one of the bones, and promptly turn the lights off, before shining your flashlight to a random direction. The skeletons pick up the staff, one of them starting the conversation as the other two watches. You prepare your translator in hand, shaking slightly from enthusiasm as a scroll of text slowly branches out to the ground, the writing more akin to children's writings.

[ANNONA: How strange is it, to have a new visitor that knows our method of non-verbal communication! Indeed, it is thoughtful when our vocal cords are unavailable.]

Developing a rhythm of turning the flashlight off and on periodically, the other skeletons continue the thread, each flash corresponded to them typing on their staff, and printing them on the rock one by one.

[ANNONA: How did you allow us to perceive yourself and our new accommodation in the first place? I distinctly remember all three of us being here to relieve a moment of discovery together for the final moment, with our quantum friend before our age claims us peacefully.]

You point at said rock, though you wouldn't necessarily call it a friend. Though, they might deserve such title now for bringing you this in the first place.

[BUR: How interesting! This sediment friend of ours has another property, one exclusive after our passing. Observation: we are somehow tied to the quantum rock, passively or directly.]
[BUR: It appears I have a new task at my appendage. I must attain a hypothesis at the earliest possible moment.]

Bur then walked back to the room's corner, thinking to themselves. That is a very good question however: how are they even alive? Somehow, not a single shred of realism goes to your mind before this moment.

[MELORAE: In any branching path of a timeline, we are grateful for your presence. While our rock friend has been with us for a while, the active lights seem to immobilize us for quite some time. It feels like seconds, hours, or even years, depending on one's outlook.]

You wanted to ask a question about how they are alive, but their eagerness interrupts you as they continue asking questions.

[MELORAE: Your anatomical shape and suit does not match that of a regular Nomai. Assuming you understand our messages correctly, are you of origin here or elsewhere, as we are?]

Right, there’s no way to translate your language to theirs. You think of a way to communicate, and grab a random plate before drawing on the ground, next to the thread. You draw your spacesuit on top of a crude representation of Timber Hearth, and several other Hearthians by your side. Melorae seemed to tilt her head and removed the thread, starting a new one.

[MELORAE: Hypothesis: You are an evolved descendant of the lifeforms Coleus informed me about! It is an immense pleasure to be able to communicate with you! I particularly admire your four eyes, do they perhaps hold a greater meaning than our third eye?]
[ANNONA: As curious as you are, my friend; there are greater questions to attend to. For example, how many years has it been for such a lifeform to evolve?]

You… don’t know. It definitely has been a long while, but the exact specifics are unknown to you. Instead, you came up with an arbitrary number: 220,000 years. Twenty two seems to be a common number amongst the Nomai, so it’d be fitting. Add a couple zeros, and it’s believable.

[ANNONA: It would seem we have reached far past our generation’s lifespan now. Please send my regards to the future Nomai, and my personal admiration for achieving extraterrestrial collaboration, and for continuing our pursuit of curiosity.]
[MELORAE: Speaking of, have our plenty-great descendants found the Eye of the universe? It’d be a relief to know that our efforts weren’t futile in the very end, even if we cannot see it for ourselves.]

You feel your heart drop, and your body becomes heavier. Being the bearer of bad news is… not how you want it to go. But they have asked, and you must return. You draw a Nomai on top of another planet, this time the Hourglass Twins, and a comet with a volatile substance inside it, pictured by aggressively scratching the rock, channeling your own feelings. Then, you spread the substance to Ember Twin, and draw a large cross on the Nomai. Finally, you draw the Eye, and a question mark next to it. It still hasn’t been discovered. You kept your head down. There are a lot of plot holes to your explanation, but it conveys the main message. They are dead.

The silence is deafening. The cold is chilling. It was already silent, but focusing on your breaths as the bones stared at your visualization, computing all that… it nearly gave you a panic attack. A thousand thoughts run over your mind, thinking it's somehow your doing when you can't do anything, and you can’t compute it. However, someone else could.

[BUR: Hypothesis: We cannot compute this level of loss not because of the astronomical values of grief, but because we lack the comprehension to. Our death had claimed us, leaving a reflection of ourselves, projected through our quantum rock friend.]

You raised and tilted your head to Bur, drawing the quantum shard with a question mark on it. Bur catches on, and creates a new thread just on the side of the original one.

[BUR: We know that the areas surrounding quantum shards eventually became quantum. However, a more interesting property arises when a living being, or rather a being who has lived, is in the area.]
[BUR: When taking into account that anything quantum is the result of multiple possibilities being collapsed into one, we can concur that the area surrounding it is quantum because they are collapsing the possibilities not three-dimensionally, but four-dimensionally.]
[BUR: Therefore, a quantum descendant if you may call it, is a collapsed possibility somewhen in time, and we are a version who is technically alive, 220,000 years ago.]
[BUR: However, the quantum shard only stores a reflection of us, not ourselves. This is why we aren’t surprised at our condition; because we are merely a memory. We are not real, and not alive. I declare this as the rule of quantum consciousness.]

The information dump left you floored. Surprisingly, the first thought in your head was nothing. As Gabbro said, entropy takes the form of silence too. You don’t know what to make of this. You don’t know if you should feel empathy, for they cannot feel it. You don’t know what else to do for once, even though there are still so many other mysteries to solve.

If only time can be forgiving. You feel it, your internal clock warning you, the strange humming in the air. The loop’s almost over.

Before you can take time to process things however, Chert turns the lights on, as the bones collapse back to the floor. You yelp, startled by their sudden presence as your thought and emotional process pretty much grinded to a halt. Why can’t this universe just give you a break with these rapid events…!

“Hearth to yourself, what have you been doing here in the dark?! I’ve been exploring that darn city trying to find you and have traced your footsteps here! These cacti, they- they appear in front of my face and poked me! Why did you come here?!” Chert yelled, noticeably fussy with their exaggerated body language.

“Chert, I– it’s hard to explain, but I promise I’ll tell you everything next loop! I promise!” you stammer, using your both hands to calm Chert down as the translator drops, breaking in the process.

“Next loop? What do you mean next loop? What are you talking about–” You interrupt Chert with a low growly screech, threatening to grip the air as you breathe deeply.

“You don't understand! You'll never understand, none of you will! Even if I went through the trouble of spending all my time with an explanation, you'd think I'm a crazy hag!" Your voice is harsh and taut, loud as a foghorn before quieting down to a dead and defeated tone. "Oh, it’s… it’s useless. None of it is.” Before you could sulk any further though, Chert gave you a shoulder pat and reassured you.

"What is useless? What do you mean?" You simply shook your head, not wanting to tell the truth. It'd hurt poor Chert, knowing just how stressed they are everytime they urged you about the sun when they connect the dots themselves. It's rather fortunate that they're here of all places, where the explosion will take them by surprise instead. At least that's better. Chert wastes no time in comforting you however, going close to you and giving a pat.

“...hey, bud. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but we can make it work together, okay? First flight’s a doozy for everyone, and I understand the stress but being on your own is not okay, got it? We’re here for you.” You went teary eyed, hearing that. Something clicked. Maybe they were right, maybe you should… be together more.

“...thank you.” You hugged Chert, choking one last sentence, even though you know it’ll be in vain. “Please remember this. Please.”

Chert hugged back. “...I will.”

The sun explodes, and its roaring supernova approaches, as Chert tries to break free of your hug trying to know what it is. But you don’t let go. The astronomer calls out for your name, but you don’t let go. The universe calls out for your name, as you and your friends were burnt to a crisp.

Next loop, you figured to be with someone this time.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You feel… unsure. A lot is running through your mind as if you had a bunch of responsibilities, even though when it comes to time loops, you aren’t responsible for anything anymore. You simply are. Still, the skeletons, Chert, your purpose… it feels like you need to do them justice.

But, the thing is, while Chert has a curiosity towards the Nomai, wouldn’t it benefit you more if you brought in Riebeck? Sure, they’re an anxious and nervous bean that would flinch at the slightest thought of having air time, but their curiosity is simply that insatiable, that against all odds, they managed to become Timber Hearth’s leading archeologist. Bringing them would take time, but it’d be far worth it.

When it comes to decisions, you're bad at them. Whenever Porphy asks if you prefer a certain type of wine, you'd always blank out and ask for anyone else's favorite. Sometimes you chose Hal's favorite (most likely, your mind likes to idle on them), sometimes Esker's (poor old sap is lonely and almost forgotten), sometimes Gossan's (before Porphy goes on intricate detail about the recipe, then about Gossan themselves which would leave them a blistering purple flustered mess) and sometimes just anyone who happened to walk by you at the time. Of course, you tried the wine and it ended up being a disaster that absolutely no one wants to remember, even you. You always prefer orders and linear routines, and fortunately the space programme seems to be exactly just that! They don't intend to mess around, even if said intentions could be bypassed a million different times. All of this to say, you were always a bad chooser, and would either let someone else choose it or flip a coin. Letting other factors choose for you seems more validating than choosing it yourself, so you opted in for the next best option.

“Slate,” you asked, walking up to the warm campfire mixing with the cold breeze of the wind, greeting the engineer, “Heads or tails?”

“Erm, tails. Why’d you ask?” Slate shrugged the answer off, wondering the sudden question. In their mind, you’d just woken up from a nap. They aren’t doing something risky, aren’t they? As spectacular as it is to see a dangerous stunt, the cleanup on the other hand is awful.

“Thank you, Slate.” you nodded, before waltzing to the elevator and punching in the launch codes. Slate however wasn't satisfied with the lack of answers, and shouted as you went up to the launch pad.

“Hey wait, wait, wait! Why did you ask–!” Their concerns were muffled by the elevator’s whir as you went through the usual rhythm of putting on your suit, buckling up and setting a marker to Ember Twin. Turns out, heads is Riebeck, and tails is Chert. The universe has chosen for you, which is exactly what you wanted… right?

Even with luck choosing your fate, you still don’t feel the satisfaction that you yearned for. You were rooting for Riebeck deep down even though Chert is the closest and you owed them an explanation (that they won’t remember or will remember.) Both options feel unsatisfying, which leaves you with only one plan. A crazy plan, one that probably won’t work out, but it’ll give you the most yield that you want.

You’re bringing both of them to the lakebed.

You remove the marker on your ship, steering aggressively to Brittle Hollow’s direction while pulling the forward thruster as hard as you can, despite numerous talks on how the thrusters’ controls are immensely delicate. Pulling hard on them is like pressing the elevator button numerous times when it’s already called. But, not only is all that nullified by the lack of consequences in your circumstances, your momentum is fast enough that any wrong move will throw you straight to the Sun, which is where you’re headed right now. You could die, but that’s no fun.

“Come on…!” The thruster you’re pulling breaks from the ship controls, making it impossible to decelerate now. 5 kilometers. You cuss aloud, throwing the stick to your back with fury as your instincts replans, and your eyes widen. 4 kilometers. There's definitely a better plan for this, but the ship is accelerating fast enough to create a crater bigger than your village. 3 kilometers. You aim for an opening on the planet’s surface, your right hand preparing to press the eject button. 2 kilometers. If everything goes well, you can launch off the death trap and fling yourself into the planet, slingshot off the black hole and stick the landing to one of the gravity elevators. 1 kilometer. Adrenaline shoots through your veins, almost as powerful as the retro rockets themselves. You hold your breath before pressing on the button as the cockpit disengages from the rest of the ship, a gush of force washing you over as the air dissipates through space. You swim across to enter through Brittle Hollow's cracks. The gravity's gone. Your heart leaps, a tear floats from your eye, you almost pass out instantly with bile coming up your throat, but you swallow it down and remain focused.

The gravitational pull throws you off a lot as gravity drags you down to Brittle Hollow and its hungry abyss, the atmosphere a pleasant blue with a sense of chilly cold as your body can’t resist flailing at the balance being thrown off, but you have to keep your focus. You’re at Mach 1 speed, and the gravity beam is at the horizon of the black hole. You reorient yourself; on your back with feet visible, at a slanted angle, arms wide open so you can just skirt about over the humming black hole with your feet like an ice skater. The gravity tugs at you, changing your position on your stomach as you swim towards the beam, the sudden cease of momentum making you dry heave and almost puke whilst you're being pulled out. Not now, not now. You just made it...!

From Riebeck’s perspective, other than the occasional meteor strike startling the poor archeologist, everything was relatively calm. They’re playing their banjo, until they see an astronaut come out of the blue, pull off a maneuver Feldspar would be envious of, before landing with a loud thud nearby their little settlement. "What on Hearth... wait, that's a traveler!" Their voice went from a smooth-cutting baritone tone, raised a good octave to a squeaky tone at the dawn of realization. Their banjo falters to an offkey version of the melody as their autopilot short circuits. Riebeck’s jaw gapes, immediately dropping everything and coming after the little meteorite.

You land stomach first on the cracked rock cool to the touch, unmoving for a while before you bring your head up. The landing would've definitely resulted in your tissues being positively ripped, but your suit - despite how crooked it looks - is sturdy enough to soften the blow. Your whole stunt was only greeted with a meteor blast from afar and the soft ambience of wind blowing through narrow bits and quiet crystal chimes.

“I just did that.” you barely choked out that sentence, adrenaline still pumping through your veins, your entire body shaking and nauseous from the whole experience. You slowly get up; kneeling with shaky legs before standing with hands spread like claws.

"I JUST DID THAT!” you roared, giggling maniacally as you kicked the air with newfound energy. “YEAH!!”

Riebeck walks in and sees you like that - it's understandable how one would be deathly concerned. "Wh-what happened?! W-why are you on the floor and I heard a different sounding explosion and- Are you okay??" Riebeck sprints after you bringing in good old bandages, helping to lift you up as you lean into them for a while, before being lightly pushed by them as you stand right up.

You try to reassure them. "I'm fine, I'm fine, there's--"

"I-I got some bandages if you're hurt, are you hurt?" They emphasized it by showing rolls and rolls of it to you.

"No- I, what?" You're briefly at a loss for words. "I'm really fine, there's just--"

"Do I need to contact someone? Um, I can radio Esker and they can send help-"

“Riebeck! I'm okay, there’s just something I need to show you, quick!” You waste no time, grabbing their wrist firmly as you try and lead them up the crystals as they reluctantly take every step. You began leading them out to the surface of Brittle Hollow through the abandoned settlement's secret pathway, with Riebeck flinching and freezing every meteor strike and you reassuring them that everything is fine.

"A-are you absolutely, definitely, irrefutably sure that this path is safe?" Riebeck pressured you as you leap between platforms and crystals, waiting for them to do the same. They'd flail and heave for every leap, threatening to take off their helmet and barf from the nausea, but you gave them pats on the back to soothe it all out.

"I am absolutely, definitely, irrefutably times two sure. Come on, we don't have time." It's true. Riebeck alone is eating up all the precious time in the world, but at least they've made it to the staircase. There's one more leap to make which requires your jetpack boost. You handled the leap gracefully, as Riebeck watches nervously. Their leap however... uses an extended version of the term gracefully. They launched themselves forward, flailing around like a kid in a swimming pool before landing face first on the floor.

"Riebeck!" You rushed over and helped them out, stumbling on the floor. "Riebeck, are you okay?"

"Okay is a relative term for this place... but yes, I'm okay. As okay as I can be here. Thank you." You only nod with haste, walking them to the ship. Riebeck makes the best attempts to not step on the surface's cracks, not wanting even the slightest of superstitions to screw them over. You thought it was cute.

“Hatchling, with all due respect, what’s t-the hurry for? Um, not to be rude, but I do have my own matters here, to study the Nomai! It’s why I am here for, right? It’s just, uh… a little longer than an average expedition…” There’s the slightest hint that they are relieved to finally get off this planet, but they still tug at your arm, not letting up.

“Don’t worry, you’re going to do more than just studying the Nomai, trust me… I just uh, lost my ship so I need yours if that’s okay.” you scratched your head- well, helmet. Riebeck's ship is visible from the horizon, as they cooed lightly at their save haven.

“I mean- sure! It’s just um, I thought you launched today, and I didn’t expect you to be here immediately, and uh, tell me all this… but great job! Yeah, good, good work…” Riebeck muttered off, returning to their usual tone trying to cross the rather unfriendly surface level of the planet. You try to look at them through whatever their helmet is and encourage them.

“Hey, you still paved the way for people to actually give a damn about the Nomai, okay? I don’t think half of us would be interested in actually getting to know them if it weren’t for you. They'd be interested in the architecture and technology and how to blow them up or whatever. You are our archeologist."

“Thanks, uhm, for that. Yeah, I think- we should approach them like a team!” You nod while giving a warm smile, as both of you finally reach the ship. Riebeck gets around to unlocking the ship, entering first before you. Entering the ship is familiar as Riebeck buckles up, waiting for your instructions. They caught on to you eyeing around their ship in curiosity, and can’t help but shuffle around uneasily.

The ship’s structure itself doesn’t look very different; three forks from the entrance, one with a ship log, one with the space essentials and the cockpit. However, the decorations are starkly different; cleaner, less cluttered and more metallic look that gives the shine, a few pottery and posters, and a lot more papers pinned or hung by with strings wired across the ship. These papers are artistic renditions of Nomai art, ranging from drawings of pots and buildings, to sketches of interpretations of everyday life; a group writing on a scroll wall with their staff, a couple having a nice talk, and a Nomai staring out to a lone tornado on Giant’s Deep. Surprisingly, the last one has a poem written by Gabbro:

Eye
Whether it is the eye of the storm
Or the eye which brought us form
Does it serve a purpose, this eye
Or does it merely bring you and I

Even though knowledge of the Nomai was rather primitive before your launch, seeing all these, even the poem that speaks a bitter truth in your context, it tugs at your heart. One particular drawing perfectly encapsulates Riebeck's passion for the Nomai: a Hearthian wearing a Nomai suit and holding a staff, while watching a Nomai wearing a Hearthian suit, holding a Signalscope to the other planets. This drawing is dubbed "Explorers Together". Your sightseeing trip is halted as Riebeck clears their throat, apprehensive by you peeking at stuff that should be private in hindsight, as they asked you a question. “Where are we going, exactly?”

You jump back slightly by the surprise question, before responding in an almost hushed voice, embarrassed by yourself. “Chert’s camp on Ember Twin. I need them for something as well.”

“Got it. Ember Twin… quite close to the sun.” replied Riebeck, as they began typing something on a control panel of sorts, getting the ship ready. Sitting down, you wait for launch.

Waiting for launch... any moment now. You lean your head slightly, wondering what exactly is taking all the time, but Riebeck made your answer clear enough.

"This is Riebeck from Ventures-3 to Lunar Outpost, requesting launch from Brittle Hollow to Ember Twin for a meeting with Chert." They spoke to the radio, awaiting a response.

Your mouth gapes open slightly. "What are you doing...?" You gave a stare of disbelief at them.

"What, it's protocol, right? That's what training is for?" There's a tinge of genuine confusion in their voice, reiterating you forgetting almost all the protocols by now. In fairness, Gossan glosses over them to get straight to the practical action parts, and no one complained. Or maybe they were complaints but they didn't listen.

A voice crackles from the radio, an elated sounding Esker approving the launch. That part's taken care of now, but Riebeck's still not launching. "What now?"

"Gotta wait for the climate to uh, settle down." Riebeck pointed at the sprawling Hollow's Lantern, endlessly spewing raging balls of molten meteorites that plummets to the planet like dropping marbles.

"Well uh, you do you but I don't think that's settling down anytime soon." You eyed the sun slowly sweltering, every wasted seconds ticking down like grains of sand, making your heart feel heavier. Finally, Riebeck launches, without autopilot funny enough. Suppose being in control is better for the mind, especially near the big ball of plasma that has consumed you before. It’s only now that Riebeck asks you questions, as you sit on a random spot.

“So uh, how did you… how did you come here? I saw you doing a rather, uh, dangerous stunt over the b-black hole and uh, you dropped on the floor. I’d never seen anyone do that, even Feldspar, and that’s impressive. But also highly dangerous.” Riebeck tried to sound assertive, with an intense emphasis on ‘tried’.

“Long story short… my ship had a uh, reactor failure, to put it that way. It was gonna explode mid flight so I ejected out and used the black hole’s gravity to slow myself down and slingshot me to the gravity elevator.” you told the story, with a few adjustments to spare yourself from unnecessary suspicions.

“W-wow, and all that on your first flight? Gossan would either scold you or try to replicate it themselves! Of course, before they lost their eye. Yeah.” Riebeck nodded.

“It’s not actually my first flight.” you try to bluff, “I actually launched uh, two days ago, and you didn’t notice it. I just parked my ship somewhere else and went to the Hanging City through other entrances.”

“Really? Oh man, you got to see the Hanging City… I suppose right after this, you can show me one of those alternate entrances, if that’s okay?” they titter off almost to near silence.

“Don’t worry about it. I think you’re going to see something that changes our whole understanding of the Nomai.”

You could envision Riebeck’s ear perking up at your statement, as they landed rather abrasively to their standards (it’s barely even a flinch for yours) as you exit the spaceship out to Chert’s camp, followed by them. Chert’s banging on their drums as usual, though their mannerisms are a little more nervous and uneasy, as it would be obvious by the sun growing bigger and redder in your face. You sit down, taking your visor off to roast a mallow as Riebeck sits closer to Chert, uncomfortable and curling themselves a little as they're unused to the blistering heat.

“Hm? Oh, it’s you! You brought Riebeck along with you, eh? Can’t travel alone without your best buds, I assume.” Both of you went flustered and denied it in each other’s ways.

“What, no! I just… brought them here because of something important.” you can’t help but to feel Chert has a truth however, you were getting lonely after all.

“Yeah, it’s… yeah, that. Something of Nomai business, and you know me. Translator’s gonna help plenty but I still know how to read it, kinda. Actually got in touch with Hal to learn about it, yeah…”

“Well, whatever floats your boat. Say, have you noticed anything unusual about the stars lately? Something seems... how to put this... off. I’ve seen, what, ten supernovae already? Twelve? They’re in the double digits now, and that’s, you know, not normal. Not normal at all...” you felt your sweat dripping on you as one side of your mallow is slightly burnt, as you grunted to yourself, swiftly turning it around.

“That’s not good. Um…” you look around as the awkward silence (sans the aggressive sand falling) prompts you to crash Chert's train of thoughts, trying to find a way to diffuse the situation. “...well, maybe I can take your mind off that for the time being, since Rie and I need you to come along.” You gesture at Riebeck to tell them more, despite their rather oblivious nature. They raised their hands up in confusion before eventually getting it, and bumping Chert with their elbow.

“Yeah, apparently there’s some groundbreaking discovery that the hatchling has found over here, so you’ll get to see it for the first time!” they added with great enthusiasm, seemingly more acquainted with this place. Random sprawling meteors and a hungry black hole are safer than a predictable falling column of sand, unsurprisingly. It’s a little wholesome, seeing Riebeck more animated here than at Brittle Hollow, even idly clapping their thighs at Chert’s drumming.

“But these star charts are beginning to worry me…” Chert reasoned with them, as you raised your marshmallow up next to your face. You thought of a way to tease the astronomer.

“Maybe they’re just really old supernovae that reached us, and we’re lucky enough to be at the center of the universe. You can update them later, Hornfels always forget about their own protocols.” you said with a toothy grin, feasting on the mallow. Chert tilted their visor a little, wondering how you knew how they felt. You admit you felt a little nervous if they'd reject the offer, even if there's the next loop. This setup would take effort. It took a while for them to consider and reconsider, before caving in to their own intrigue, and sighed.

“Alright, I’ll join in.” Chert said, unstrapping their drums and equipment away, sans their Signalscope and scout launcher. The archeologist gets up on their feet ready to go, followed by you and Chert.

“Perfect! Hold on Riebeck, I need you to do a favor for me real quick.” Riebeck leans their head with intent, as you explain the scheme. “I need you to go to one of the escape pods, and go through it. That will eventually lead you to a Nomai city. I need you to grab three staff, and go through this lakebed.” you pointed at a hole just nearby where you’re standing. “If we don’t see you in ten minutes, something bad has happened. Understood?”

Riebeck squeaked at the intimidating set of instructions, but nodded rather strongly anyway. You give them a pat on the shoulders, before going next to Chert.

“We’re counting on you.” you say, bringing the egg down the hatch, as Riebeck returns back to their ship.

You’re halfway through the loop. You know what to do. Let’s hope the universe won’t impede your plan.

Chapter Text

Traversing through the lakebed itself wasn’t the most stressful thing, but with Chert, a Hearthian small enough to be a football, it becomes a whole different ordeal. You’re too ashamed to admit you worry that much about them to be glancing behind you every few seconds and debating if you should just carry them your entire journey, but Chert seems to be handling it well. Despite using their mobility more sparingly compared to other travelers, they're not the worst at it. Unfortunately, your worry ended up becoming a detriment to yourself. Once again you looked back at Chert while making a particularly long leap towards another rock but didn’t make the landing. The translator on your belt makes a fatal hit to the platform, breaking it as you clutch your hands on the rock, trying to get up from the sand avalanche. Getting up, you knelt catching a breath, as Chert leaps next, understandably worried for your safety. “Hey, are you alright?! It’s okay, we can make the trip back if it’s not—”

“I’m fine, the translators just busted. Riebeck can read it out instead.” you said, standing up and continuing forward. Things don't turn out to be exactly very fine however, as one last challenge stands. The quantum chasm. You swing your flashlight around trying to make the obstacles disappear, and Chert looks at you with a bemused but concerned glare.

"Uhm, what are you doing...?" Chert tentatively asked, as you march forward with the path being cleared.

"Clearing the way." you responded with a deadpan tone, continuing the cycle for each obstacle in the way.

"You're just swinging that light around- did those stalactites just disappear?!" They jumped back at the realization, hand ready on the scout launcher in case something warrants a scout launched on their face. You merely gave a low chuckle, reassuring them.

"Long story, best if you don't ask questions. They're quantum. We're reaching the end of the tunnel though."

They only gave a non-committal shrug, following you with a careful pair of eyes on the lookout. Arriving at the end of the cave with Chert, you propel yourself towards the switch, and pull out the scout launcher, shooting it alongside the switch. The astronomer watches with intrigue and slight confusion as you tape its lightbulb with duct tape, focusing the illumination to only one direction. You then hack the scout, unscrewing the frame and rewiring the rotating mechanism. Your engineering knowledge is bare minimum, but you've peeked enough on Slate and Esker fixing ships, and often bickering about the difference between 'invention' and 'unnecessary causes of combustion'. Basically, certain wires do different things, and reconnecting them elsewhere causes them to follow orders on different mechanisms. Soon enough, you finally got it to spin slowly in a clockwise manner independently, creating a rotating flashlight basically. The hard part on your end is over.

“With all due respect… why are you doing this? You’ve been keeping all this a secret, you asked Riebeck to fetch a few staff for no reason, and you just shrugged off an injury!” Chert complained while eyeing the seemingly pointless mechanism you just made, as you only sighed. The surprise plan may not be worth it now, but you already made the effort.

“Trust me, there’s a reason to all this. Keep an eye out on Riebeck for now, I’ll meditate.” You gestured to Chert, before closing your eyes and meditating. Gabbro made it extremely hard to pull oneself out of a meditation once you feel the shores claiming you, so you opted to not overindulge.

Two minutes.

It's calm… being in a state that halts your thinking, allowing you to relax, not having to worry about quite literally everything. From the grand question of why all this is happening, to those little cringey memories that kept surfacing on your mind, especially during training. Every mistake you’ve done on training that received a scolding by Gossan, you also did it in space, often leading to certain death. Sometimes letting go of the past becomes hard.

Four minutes.

Despite the respite you’re having, you can’t help but to think, were you being selfish? There’s something that just seems to rub you off, causing you to not act like yourself. Your eyes furrow slightly as you try to shift back to focus, but it’s true. From secluding yourself from others even seeing you, tampering with the ruins out of frustration, and now leading your fellow astronauts to do something they aren’t sure why, even if all you’re doing is making a surprise. Thought crime isn’t real, but it feels very real to you.

Six minutes.

You hear someone coming in, it’s got to be Riebeck.

Wake up.

They drop the staff in front of you before dropping on the ground, panting. "Whew, that was a workout...! The cacti gave me a scare, but I caught on pretty well! Yeah, uh... so what now?" You quickly place the staff next to the three skeletons, as Chert basically had enough.

“If you’re just bringing us here so that we’ll take a selfie with bones or whatever, I’m going to personally wash your face with a geyser.” Chert threatened, as Riebeck sits up.

“Sure. Everybody, say trees!” You smiled widely, turning the lights off as the scout launcher reveals the three Nomai standing up behind you, holding the staff and unintentionally posing.

Chert screamed out of shock, hiding behind Riebeck who is dumbfounded in awe.

“Wait… you’re not saying…” Riebeck approached one of the skeletons, asking them a question. “Who are you?”

They don’t appear to be answering to the question, and you added, “You can draw out your question.” You then point to the ground.

Riebeck nods and grabs a needle from their pocket, before writing a Nomai sentence. Oh yeah, you forgot they studied the language as well.

RIEBECK: Who are you?

The Nomai writes out a branch one cycle at a time, as Riebeck reads them out loud:

MELORAE: I am Melorae, a Nomai. I am joined by my friends Annona and Bur, and our clan arrived at the solar system in a search for the Eye of the universe.

Riebeck just about loses it, kicking the air with their feet cackling and making a triumphant noise unlike anything you've ever seen coming out of the anxious traveler of all time. They grab Chert and swing that poor little egg around in a circle, the former making screams of joy while the latter making screams of terror.

"RIEBECK, LET ME GO, LET ME GO-!" Chert pleaded, as Riebeck places them down and vibrates with clear excitement, awe oozing out of Riebeck's mouth as they asked you.

"Is it what I think it is?! Three Nomai - though uh, they kind of seem out of this world - but three Nomai with us, right now?" They are this close to clenching you and giving you the same spinning treatment, though with less air time and momentum.

"Yeah, I found them a few minutes ago." you responded non-commitingly, as Chert calls you out as always.

"Wait wait hold on, how did you ge-" You raised your finger and interrupt their question, already knowing it.

"I. Prefer to just get with it." You gritted your teeth, being more rude than usual. You immediately feel bad afterwards, but something simply doesn't put you in the right mood right now. Meanwhile, Riebeck's having the best day of their life.

“That’s amazing! Oh wow, wow! Chert, check this out! These are real Nomai! We can achieve first contact! This marks a day of Outer Wilds Ventures history!” Riebeck drags Chert next to them, too giddy at the discovery. Chert is more sensible though, eyeing at the skeletons whilst sputtering.

“How are they even standing though? They’re dead, they’re literally a pile of bones!” Chert asked, still flabbergasted. You try your best to explain it.

“To put it shortly, they’re quantum temporally and their consciousness is superimposed here or whatever. They’re basically echoes.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” Chert retorted, and you simply shrugged back. Meanwhile, Riebeck wastes no time in asking more questions, writing out:

RIEBECK: What is this Eye of the universe?

BUR: As far as we know, the Eye is a signal we found that is older than the universe itself. The signal itself bears resemblance of an eye, and we believe it is related to the Quantum Moon.

The astronomer pushes away the confusion and ponders about the answer, before talking to Riebeck. “Exactly how did they arrive here? Other stars are too far away.”

They wrote it out, as Annona writes out a response in a rather giddy mood, expressed by both her arms holding the staff in a passionate manner.

ANNONA: Our Vessel uses a warp core that was designed by me. In short, it creates a local distortion in space relative to any coordinate we input, allowing us to travel via a black hole engulfing the entire Vessel.

Riebeck continued etching out sentences in a fast, almost sloppy manner whilst Chert continues observing, the legitimacy of the situation slowly dawning on them.

RIEBECK: What are your specialties?

The Nomai... collapsed to the ground. You chortled as Chert and Riebeck simply exchanged an exasperated look. Chert spoke up, "Well, for dead beings, that's not a wrong answer."

Another cycle goes through before they wrote their responses from the question, sprawling into a three pronged fork that slowly blossoms like a flower. You admit you should've made the cycles faster, but seeing the three of them writing out with passion by their stature and seeing the whole thing unravel was a whole new magic.

ANNONA: I specialize in technology and computation, having designed the warp core technology. Many of my kind hauled me as someone who progressed our kind with a major leap, but I always credit those before me who laid the foundations for such breakthrough to be conceived.
ANNONA: I personally find it important to pass the torch to others instead of relying on one beholder, which is why I appointed Poke as my apprentice.

MELORAE: I specialize in macroscopic constructions and scientific research, having designed the Sunless City and the Quantum Moon locator on Ember Twin.
MELORAE: I’ve taken a fascination in biology as well, taking visits to Timber Hearth’s mining sites to research and take notes of its beautiful nature, as well as the incredibly adorable aquatic species inhabited there.

BUR: I mainly specialize in quantum research, observing the science and properties behind the Quantum Moon and its fellow rocks. This in result garnered me the role of a referee in any discussions surrounding my expertise.
BUR: While the discovery of the quantum rules and properties is a collaboration between our clan, the documentation of it falls mainly on me.

“Chert. We just hit a gold mine.” Riebeck stated with utter disbelief.

“Wait wait wait, hold up a second. Is the aquatic species… us?” Chert asked with pure intrigue on the same level as Riebeck, watching closely as they etched the question.

RIEBECK: We originated from Timber Hearth and evolved out of water, just as you described it. Is it possible we are the descendants?

MELORAE: If so, then it is a delight to see such species be advanced enough for spacefaring! You have my sincerest of hopes to explore the farthest reaches of the universe.
ANNONA: In that case, I hope our advancements have been of great help! Perhaps your kind will someday discover something revolutionary as well?

“Oh man, we need to be recording this somewhere! This is history we’re making! Imagine how excited Hornfels would be!” Riebeck gestures to high five the still thinking Chert, before bumping them lightly. “Come on, be excited for once!”

Chert looks at Riebeck, contemplating before realizing just how lucky they are to be here. Being so caught up in all their studies practically left them disconnected from the rest of the world, and now they're about to let this go too. This can not do. They punched their own palm, letting out a guttural hurrah and high fiving Riebeck with a ferocious speed, as they continue to brainstorm questions. That's the spirit! However, your side of the story only made it that much more bitter. You’ve been observing on the background, heart throbbing hard at the truth you’re concealing from them. They’re all excited for the future, unaware that there is none. This is the last discovery they’ll make, all because the universe tosses a coin and lets fate be that way. You’re angry. You want control badly. You want to decide what is next.

“Riebeck, do you remember that game we played back in training? We’d have a board of words, and we’ll try to have the village say those words with indirect questions.”

“Yeah? Why’d you ask?” Riebeck thinks, before realizing it and nodding slowly. “Ooooh, right. Sure, I’m down for that, what word and question do you want to ask?”

"Let's see. Hatchling, give me a word!" Chert implored, and that's the first time you heard them call you hatchling. It's what a lot of people call you, but something doesn't sit quite well with that name. You blurb out the word 'foggy' with uncommitted effort, as Chert gets right onto thinking.

"Foggy, hm... Riddle me this, how well is your memory? Surely it's gotta be a long while since you've done anything." Chert asked, and Riebeck etched the question.

ANNONA: The last event I particularly remember is spending my last day. I wished my colleagues and my apprentice a day to be had, and I came down here, with the rest being history.
ANNONA: It feels as though I closed my eyes, and I stayed in this form of stasis for an unknown period of time, before somehow being willed into existence again.

"Darn it! Alright, uhh... how do you perceive your senses?"

MELORAE: Our quantum friend senses observation, in a telepathic sense. Conscious observers collapses the possibilities into one, which is why we are present.
MELORAE: Therefore, as long as someone is continuously observing us, we are able to connect ourselves to you, hence our ability to comprehend senses.
BUR: Furthermore, anything quantum somewhat operates with dependency of the observer's mind. It is incredibly difficult to predict the random nature of anything quantum, but there exists an interesting observation.
BUR: One time, a colleague of mine slept nearby a quantum rock as it happened to be there. They weren't consciously observing it at all, but they had their first ever lucid dream. They remember being at a planet our Vessel used to explore, with all their friends present around them.
BUR: They've been gone for a long while, most of them should be dead. Despite this, they seem real to my colleague. Since then, we found a tradition to sleep next to a rock, usually before taking a pilgrimage to the Quantum Moon as a source of motivation and progress.

"That's... our tradition too, right? Camping out under the stars before launch?" Riebeck commented, awestruck at the astronomical coincidence.

"I suppose the universe is small after all." Chert flatly mumbled.

"Well, Hornfels did say that the universe is getting bigger as time goes on and it is already infinitely massive-" Riebeck's trove of literal knowledge made Chert cringe at the lovable buffoon.

"I already know that, it's called a metaphor. Still, not any mention of the word..." Chert finds themselves irritated, but another question plagues their mind. A darker one, bit it might work. “…how does it feel, being dead?” The sudden shift in tone is jarring, but Chert’s curiosity is burning at this point, and they had to address the elephant in the room at some point. Riebeck writes it out, slower this time.

ANNONA: Since we are merely echoes of what once were, we do know how it feels to die, nor being alive.
ANNONA: Despite this however, I sincerely wish Poke the best. While her role is my apprentice, I consider her a family. A part of me regrets placing her in such big foot covering due to relations with me.

MELORAE: If the circumstances are in our favor, I would be eternally indebted if you were to bring Thatch to me. Knowing that they are still well after my passing, I am sure they would be immensely grateful for a family reunion.

BUR: While I do not share that of a familial relationship unlike the others, I do wish all of you the best. I truly despise being the one to bring reality in, but there is an astronomically large chance we have been dead and forgotten for millenias, perhaps even more.
BUR: Assuming you are an evolved species Melorae had mentioned earlier, that alone would take hundreds of thousands of years to reach such levels.
BUR: However, I don't see this as a missed opportunity, instead I am relieved that we attained relevance and were able to teach a new generation after all this time.
BUR: Maybe your kind will learn from us and continue to thrive, and we’re glad to have been a step along the way, albeit minor.

The room went silent.

Your face felt numb. You can feel the humming of the sun in the air, the internal clock telling you it’s almost time. You can’t fathom it all.

Why?

“Erm, hatchling? You’ve been quiet for some time.” Riebeck wanted to give you a pat on the shoulder, but you recoiled.

“…I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry." The air around you feel toxic, as your head feels light. Was your visor always this foggy?

“What do you mean? You- you gave us an amazing discovery! You’d be up there with Feldspar, and on your early days as well! That doesn’t seem like something to apologize for, I think.” Riebeck rebutted, as Chert looks at them with an increasingly worried expression beneath their visor.

Tears began to well on your eyes, as you choke out your response with a brittle voice. “No, it’s just… I must go.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Chert asked, but you already made a leap towards the quantum rock and recalled your scout, enveloping all three in total darkness. You turn the flashlight back on, the area around you changed. There is a staircase awaiting you as you ponder about your final minute.

That was a coward move, and you know it. If there’s any chances for you to look away from your current problems, you’d do it. Your Signalscope picks up what sounds like worried muttering, but the harsh static renders it to white noise. However, that nasally voice is unmistakable. That's definitely Chert, followed out by an increasingly nervous and worried Riebeck, almost worse than their voice at Brittle Hollow. They're calling your name out, as you almost fall into a panic attack. You turn it off, hoping that they won't try to leave. Judging by the rock still being near you however, it’s probably not going to be the case.

You exit the caves of Ember Twin, and stared with bitter anger, sadness and awe at the swollen sun, on the verge of collapsing into itself. A red, angry star covering your entire vision, as if able to swallow you whole… you finally allow yourself to silently break into tears. You stomp on the floor as hard as you can, screaming with raw anger and grief, and for what exactly? Your legs ache, your heart throbs, your nose is slowly clogged and tears wash down your face as you waste your whole energy grabbing rocks and throwing it to the sun, cursing it as loudly as you wish. It's all unfair! Why has life did this to all of you?! They did nothing wrong, none of them, why has it got to be this way?!

Then, you remember something.

“Hal, I… I didn’t pass.” You said with a morose tone, a frown apparent to your face you’re your ears drooping. The both of you are sitting right next to them off a ledge on the observatory’s cliff, legs swaying from side to side occasionally hitting each other. Hal looked much younger, and cuter too while at it. It’s a no brainer how you hung around with them for a long time, perhaps a little too unabashedly to others. Their adorable expression does little to cheer you up however, as Hal takes notice.

“Didn’t pass what?” Hal asked, looking at you as you stared down.

“I didn’t pass the space program. They had a lot of applicants, and… I don’t blame them.” You sighed, closing your eyes and covering your mouth with your hand whilst Hal’s ears droop with you, sharing sympathy.

“Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe you can reapply some time soon?” Hal responded, arm hooking on your neck as you were pulled closer to them, making you just a little flustered.

“I- maybe, it’s just… I don’t know, I don’t think… it made me rethink, and I’m not so sure if I wanna go to space anymore. It just seemed… terrifying.” Your voice cracked, as your eyes glance at Hal. There is a look of sadness.

“But it has been your dream this whole life! You can’t just give up now!” Hal protested, wanting you to at least reconsider. They’ve been rooting for you this whole time, supporting your every move. To see you give up, it’s soul crushing.

“I know, it’s just… maybe I’m fit for something else. Maybe the world has something else in store for me.” you continued, as Hal bit their lips and nods slightly.

“Well, whatever it is, I’ll always be there for you, okay?” Hal said, hugging you tightly. You almost sputter, not expecting it at all. Your body tenses, before giving in to the warm embrace and relaxes, hugging Hal back.

“…thank you."

Everything was brutally calm. You can’t wipe your tears off your cheeks, rid of this dull, longing ache in your head and heart, or try to clear your vision, but you can do one thing. You pull out your marshmallow on a stick, and you point it straight to the sun as it becomes smaller, whiter, before exploding in a violent blue supernova. The gust of wind almost pushes you over as your bear witness to your blessing and curse.

The mallow is roasted perfectly, then burnt, then obliterated to a crisp, followed by you.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You don’t feel like launching at all. Your throat’s no longer choking, and your eyes are dry, but grief still wells up from before. Timber Hearth is well known for many things, but not many appreciate the calm air and beautiful scenery filled with rich nature. You still felt the sneering coldness of Ember Twin’s caves, however. Fortunately, Slate doesn’t seem to be paying much mind, otherwise they’d quickly notice the empty gaze you’re giving the world. For once, you feel lost. Not in the sense that you don’t have anything to do, but rather that you don’t know your purpose. Certainly, they wouldn’t call you an astronomer, an engineer, an archeologist, a poet, or a daredevil. You’re still a hatchling in their eyes, even though your young body juxtapose heavily with your burdened mind. To them, you don’t matter as much. You do matter, but not as much as the rest of the supposed great travelers, which is upsetting to you.

Slate looks up from the campfire and looks at you stare emptily at… somewhere and clears their throat. “Hatchling? Did you have a bad dream or something?”

Your mind hitches, being forced to switch modes altogether before you shake your head, before looking at them. “Oh yeah, doing fine. Waking up takes a while, y’know?” The tone of your voice is subtly defeated, but Slate pays no mind.

“Alright, take your time then. Don’t want another Mica incident, where someone wakes them up rudely and ends up having an entire spruce tree fall and wrecked Rutile’s home. Still haven’t heard the end of that yet, hurgh.” Slate rubbed their forehead with cold sweat.

“Wasn’t that you who did it?” You distinctly remember Slate being awfully early in the scene when it happened as a child, and as much as they kept denying it, it was them that Mica kept eyeing on.

“Wha-a-at, no! Besides, it happened years ago, the village’s been fixed, and I still do the rocket science around here, so why dwell on the past?”

“…Slate, where do you think I should go out in space?” you said with an apprehensive tone. Going into space almost seems like a bad thing now, but you know to keep going. There was a saying that a motivation or a passion must be taken care of like a campfire. Any amount of fuel will keep the fire running, and more effort means more fire. However, the moment the fire dies, it’s over. Perhaps Slate can give off that nudge but judging by their confused face it might not be so smooth sailing.

“Why are you asking me? You’re the one that’s all giddy about going up there, I don’t know anything about what’s up there other than the planets and crash sites. I’m perfectly content just staying here, you’re the one doing the exploring.” They gestured to the ship with their stick, as if poking it.

“I know, it’s just… there’s a lot to choose from, and it overwhelms me. Like, where do I even begin? The travelers, the Nomai, everything!” Riebeck and Chert are at their usual positions now, as if nothing had ever happened. It’s best to take a break with those two for a while, maybe a couple of loops.

“Well, go meet up with them or something. Esker’s been hogging the Attlerock to themselves for Hearth knows how long, and the others are minding their own business. Gabbro launched recently, so you can bug em off or whatever. Just fly that ship and make sure it doesn’t cause any more fires, and I’m more than happy for you.”

Gabbro might be interested in what you’ve been doing, spare the long-winded tangents about how they were the level-headed one about the museum quantum rock after you explored the Tower of Quantum Trials. Perhaps you can give them a shocker with your latest discoveries and talk about your problems.

You nod slowly, looking at Slate with dead, but hopeful eyes. “Thank you, Slate.”

“Sorry? That sounded so good, can you repeat that for me?” Their ears perked up, looking at you back.

You can’t help but to smile, a temporary bliss by a lighthearted moment. “I mean it, thank you. Do me a favor and spend some time with Hornfels.” you waved goodbye, getting up the elevator. Slate sort of just awkwardly waved back, eyes furrowed as they’re beyond confused at your sudden sappiness. You went through the usual rhythm: suit up, buckle up, and launch up, marking Giant’s Deep which is closer and in front of you. The launch cannon orbiting the giant does intrigue you, but that’s another time. Actually, you might do it after you talk with Gabbro, but these conversations usually take a lo-o-o-ong time. Might as well savor the talk this loop.

All this somewhat reminds you of when Chert originally got the space gig, and was excited to explore the solar system and their mysteries. One of their fascinations was how there were Nomai telescopes scattered throughout the planets, and each of them would point to a constellation or an interesting phenomenon, such as a gamma ray burst or a supernova. Chert were always mesmerized by their looks and wanted to know the science behind these stars, and lo and behold it became their current profession. They admit they were rather irritated that it became their entire life, the one part of them that still had the urge to throw it all away and explore.

You checked up on Chert while they're staying for the night on Timber Hearth. You still were in training at the time, and rumors say their ship suffered a fuel leak. So, they're staying here, exhausted from bringing the ship to the Lunar Outpost and being brought here. It's the dead of night and they're rather cranky when tired, but you still wanted to greet them.

"Hey Chert, just wanted to say hi."

"I'm glad you want to meet me hatchling, but I really need to get some shut eye." they deadpanned with a grumpy manner.

"I'm not a hatchling." you said, resulting in a shrug from the egg. "So, how're those star charts?" Not like you were fascinated by it, you just figured to be polite. Usually people would ask about 'what's space travel like' and 'is it easy' and Chert definitely seems like the type of Hearthian to quickly get sick of it.

"Already gave them off to Hornfels, you can relay whatever they said tomorrow morning if you wanna bug them." responded Chert.

"Doesn't it get tiring? You still had other things to do on your bucket list." you inquired to Chert.

"Yeah, but no one else's doing it. I'll be more than happy if people actually derive works from my studies, because at least I can rest then. There'll be no more urges that say I have to cover everything about the stars, because other people can do that and I'll be content with my part of the bargain." Chert supplied, with a rather tired and raspy undertone. Their eyes can barely keep themselves open, so you figured to leave them alone after that.

The ship penetrates through the gas layer of Giant’s Deep, quickly submerging into the howling atmosphere of the raging oceans and blizzards of tornadoes. You hadn't bothered to slow down at all, so your ship dips into the oceans, before pulling itself off as you search for Gabbro. You cock your head around swinging like a lunatic trying to find Gabbro’s island, putting the Signalscope on. The planet is not as dense as the other planet in terms of landmass, so it’s embarrassing that it’s taking you this long. Sounds of low droning flute comes from your right, as you discover the peninsula Gabbro’s resting in. They noticed your ship and looked at you, before returning to their playing. You drive your ship towards a vacant spot for landing, before opening the hatch and stomping quite hard on the sand, due to increased gravity. The intense gravity however causes your leg to be sprained, making you hiss in pain and cursing to yourself as you fell to the ground on your bottom. It's not a major injury - you've had far worse during training and everyone doesn't flinch at it - but it does mean making walking more of a chore than it already. You slowly get up, every unsteady step of yours take more effort as you make your way to the resting traveler on the hammock.

“Hey, time pal! Nice weather we're having, huh?” Gabbro greeted with arms wide open.

“Eh, could’ve been better. I got off from quite the adventure, pretty much drained myself out of the game. Got a sprained ankle too.” you shrugged, kicking the sand with your better leg.

"Jeez, first time with the gravity? I'm not blaming you though, this planet's core is definitely denser than some of the Hearthians here." You chortle at their comment, before replying.

"Yeah yeah, anyway I'm just tired and I wanted to load off. This journey honestly doesn't seem worth it." Even though this time loop business isn't something in your control, you still wish you can be cut a break.

“Hatchling, a journey’s always worth the effort. I’d like to hear what you got going on these past few loops, though. Rain’s nice and all, but it makes you a little cuckoo hearing it all the time.” Their relaxed, almost accented tone works in tandem with the blowing wind, surely giving Riebeck a run for their money.

“So, remember those purple quantum rock things? Apparently, they make stuff around it teleport as well after some time. Some kind of exposure thing, and they move objects through time instead of locations.”

“Whoaa, that’s freaky. Maybe the museum shard would move one of the exhibits over and shock newcomers. Hornfels would be furious. Doubt I’ll be able to see it, but a cool tidbit nonetheless. Is that all you found though?”

“Nope. I found one of those rocks at a lakebed cave in Ember Twin, with three Nomai remains. I turned off the lights, and they were alive.” Despite the revelatory topic, your voice is flat. Gabbro certainly is interested however, their flute playing interrupted. They climb up from the hammock and sits themselves with legs crossed.

“So there are actual alive Nomai? Well, as alive as you allow that term to be extended, but definitely not within the realms of totally dead. Perhaps we can get to know more about our statue pal that’s been causing these time loops. Or connected to it.”

“I also found out they have a tradition. You know about the Quantum Moon, right? They’re able to land there, and the night before the launch, they would sleep next to a quantum rock since it apparently makes weird dreams. I thought it sounded like something you would do.”

“It does. They have a similar tradition like ours? Now that’s astronomical. I wonder what other things are similar to us.”

“Yeah, but that’s as far as I got. I dunno, I feel a little apprehensive trying to push further, I just wanna take a break, y’know?” Your tone is suggestive, as if they got any say in what you’re doing.

“Time pal, I don’t recognize you as a quitter. It may take you a lot more tries to get what you want, but you always see it through the end. Remember when you came up with elaborate schemes just to take Feldspar’s pants off, remember?” You still remember it as if it was just a week ago. That moment where you finally got to put a dent of shame on Feldspar is amusing with them trying to act all cool, and no one pointed a finger at you.

“…so? What does that have to do with this?”

“That means there’s another reason you don’t want to continue. Lay it on me, hatchling. We got all the time in the world.” Gabbro laid themselves facing you, resting their head on their hand which is supported by the elbow on the hammock. You sighed, laying down on one of the trees supporting the hammock, taking a while before explaining your story.

“Alright. One loop, I brought Riebeck and Chert along with me, since I thought they’d be interested in the whole ordeal. They were, and they were asking a bunch of questions while I sat in the background, watching the whole thing unravel. I realized that… I dunno, I was useless? It feels like I’m doing this whole thing for no reason, and that I’m not the best at anything. Riebeck can write fluent Nomai, Chert helped Hornfels with the theories about our universe, even you made a contribution to the museum. I don’t know why I’m here, wielding this translator and not even knowing why the loop happens now. I’m worthless. I'm just a hatchling.” You’re left a brittle mess, the surge of emotions trying to flow through you again as you attempt to suppress it.

“…whew, that was a handful. You might rival me in making long tangents. Of course, you’ll never surpass me.” You pout, helmet lowering down as Gabbro quickly catches themselves. “Oh right, my bad. My guess is that you’re trying to be like one of us. And as you figured it out yourself, that’s not a thing you should be doing.”

“Well, what point is there when I can’t do anything?” Gabbro notices you not talking kindly to yourself, flicking their teeth with their tongue for a while as they thought of something.

"...time pal, can you get up for me? If you don't mind, I'd like to tell a little musing of mine."

You wanted to ask why, but only got up and huffed. Gabbro stands up as well, stretching their back as they looked down at the wet sand, muddying the dilution with their feet. "Buddy, before I went and become a traveler, I wanted to be a storyteller. No surprises there, considering I still do that along the space stuff, but I had a rival. Spinel."

"I thought you and Spinal were good friends! They told me one of your stories when I went for my launch codes." That moment felt like a distant memory now, but so close and vivid at the same time.

"We are, but I always had a sense of envy to them. They know just the right words, their stories are more flavored, they have that one detail or dynamic that I don't think of. Of course, we had the common problem of everyone glossing over us, but I still care." said Gabbro, drawing something in the sand with their toe, as you slowly watch.

"So, what then? You two can't work together on something?" you crossed your arms.

"We could, but my pride wanted to write something on my own, to prove myself. I kept my four eyes all over little details and stuff, perfecting everything I could. Every time however, buddy Spinel always comes ahead of me, and I tried to see where I went wrong." They kept writing, with you looking down at what it is. Seems to be shaping up to a poem.

"What happens next? You seemed good enough at that sorta stuff." you shrugged.

"Exactly, I always told myself I was only good enough. I didn't see that what I write in the end doesn't really matter, and in the grand scheme of things, it's no different than a plant or the breezing wind." You wanted to scoff at them being pretentious until they said something which caught your attention.

"I failed to see that what I was making still mattered, it matters to me. It may not be as good but I accepted that it's my calling card. Then, inspiration struck me." Gabbro finished their little poem as you read them out loud.

Words etched in bark
Across the woods
No one will hear it hark

"...what's the point then?"

“Point is, you can do something. Are there other people exploring this solar system, figuring out about its secrets? Are there other people who are even trying to figure out about why we’re in a time loop? I know for sure all I’m doing here is chillaxing in my little beach, occasionally getting a nice zero-G meditation.”

“I know I’m the only one doing this, but I could be better at it—” Gabbro cuts you off.

“You got it, buddy. You’re trying to be better at your peers rather than getting the job done. Imitation is a form of flattery, but what matters is that they already did their part. It's your turn to hold the torch, before passing it on to others. You may not be the archeologist or the best pilot ever, but you’re an explorer. You’re able to do this in the first place, to explore the wilds to your heart’s content. You simply forgot to take in the nice views, to enjoy it, to savor it. Fumble around and find out, buddy.”

“…I suppose so. (Sigh…) Competitive mind, I guess. I do feel better though, thank you.” A soft smile paints your face, finding relief.

“Don’t mention it, the least I can do here. Actually… there is a quantum rock in this planet, right. I believe you told me about our friendly teacher at Tower of Quantum Knowledge.”

“It's Tower of Quantum Trials but yeah, what about it?” you cocked your head, curious at the sudden mention.

“Let’s try sleeping there, see what happens. I’m itching to do something new, and napping for science seems right up my alley. Of course, my ship is long gone so you’ll have to do the flying.”

“I’m a little afraid though, since it messes with the concept of time and whatnot…” Just thinking about disconnecting from the time loop makes you antsy, stimming with your thumbs.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, if the Nomai is able to wake up from the dream. I don’t know them, but they seem advanced enough to know better. Worst case scenario, our dream gets rudely interrupted. I had my fair share of those; Rutile likes to alert the entire village over a fire.”

“I suppose so… alright, we’ll go.” You and Gabbro stretch and stand, preparing for liftoff as the both of you walk to the ship. Gabbro takes a nice look around, before sitting against the ship log.

“Yours are way more barren than mine. My ship had a bunch of debris thanks to the statue. You owe me thanks, by the way.” Gabbro commented as you buckle up and launch, travelling north to the gigantic cyclone.

“Ah, right. You’re the one that caused all this.” you respond with blatant sarcasm, “Thank you, however. I definitely prefer this over dying and not knowing it.”

You fly over the gas clouds, temporary silence filling the two as the landing gear just scraping over the layer before being submerged back into the cyclone, with the tower in sight. Gabbro eyes the tower whilst you touch down on the landing pad, before unbuckling.

“You arrived at your destination, good Hearthian. Enjoy the express holiday trip, this time with no cyclones.” You mockingly bowed before them and open the hatch, waiting for Gabbro.

“Aw, the silence and no gravity is my favorite part though. This place seems nice though, beautiful architecture.” they joked back, going out before you as they take a long walk towards the gravity beam, pulling themselves upwards to the top. Gabbro does a nice barrel roll during the ascent, with you doing the same. It quickly turned into a ‘who can do cool zero gravity moves’ competition, before Gabbro gets out of the beam at the top and landing on their stomach, letting out an ‘oof’. You pull them up, as a stone tablet greets you.

[Enter this place without friends, however; these are lessons to learn for yourself.]

“Shucks, guess we gotta take turns, huh?” Gabbro snarked.

“Well, I see no regulators around here, I say we just go. Time’s chasing us.” you said before jumping right into the hole.

“The universe might be one, though!” they yelled back before jumping second, landing on the first floor.

[Seek the wandering arch.]

You found it, looking at it with both pairs of eyes as Gabbro makes their way to the arch and going further down, followed by you. The intermission floor would usually be of little interest for you, but something is of great interest this time, right there. The shard.

“Alright, here’s how it goes. We’ll touch the shard and go to sleep together. Under no circumstances should we open our eyes.” you schemed, and Gabbro nods as both of you approaches the rock, laying down next to it and holding a bump on it. The reflection of your visor reveals your face, slightly green as you take your helmet off and take a long breath of fresh air. You admit you’re not ready to face come what may, but at least Gabbro is there to be with you. You got a friend. You steady your heart, and close your eyes.

Doze off.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You expected to be back at the tower, with the rock-hard floor and cold air not making a good place to sleep in, or back at the village campfire with Slate. Instead, you’re at a strange landmass of dirt, with saplings surrounding the entire area except a circle which you’re lying on. You scratched your head in confusion, before startling at the fact that you can scratch your head, then startling again because you realize you're suitless. The sky is devoid of stars, and your only source of light is the campfire, lit in the centre of the circle. Strangely, you don’t feel much; the air is neither hot or cold, the fire doesn’t add any warmth, nor the wind provide any coldness. Being in an unknown place alone with no spacesuit would freak you out, but you feel subdued. Your sprained knee surprisingly healed, or was it? You no longer feel any pain or discomfort though, so that's a plus. There seems to be another flicker of light from afar, as you walk near the edge of the light to inspect it further, but the total darkness consuming the middle intimidates you from even entertaining it further.

Turning around, the saplings you looked away have grown a little, leaving you curious. You went right next to the fire and slowly spin yourself around, seeing the saplings slowly grow higher and higher to the gigantic spruce trees you’re more familiar with. After a final revolution, a Nomai skeleton stands opposite of the fire. A brief confusion jolted on your mind, before assuming that it may be one of the three Nomais in the cave. They aren’t bounded by quantum limitations, since they tilted their skull on its own and leaned themselves towards you. It was like seeing a friend in an unexpected place. You wonder why they’re here of all things, what purpose they are here for if it’s anything. What you wouldn’t expect however…

“This place seems unusual. Perhaps a living mind takes bigger priority in accommodations rather than a fleeting memory?” The figure spoke, but their voice echoes in your head as if your inside voice took conscience. The voice is bleating, feminine and fuzzy, yet it sounds somewhat like you.

You however took a step back, shaking your head as you bring both hands up and waving them. “Whoa whoa whoa, how can you talk?!”

The skeleton flings her head backwards as laughter erupts from the Nomai, before pulling her head back. “This is our home, friend. If you recall the rule of quantum consciousness, you’d know that our memories are refracted through time. However, there must be a location to store these memories in the first place, hence why we are here. Think of it as a pocket dimension, if you will.”

“You’ve been here the entire time? Doesn’t it get lonely, even with the three of you?” you asked with sympathy sewn in your words; a fluttering feeling residing in your heart and a strange knot developing in your stomach.

“Between my final breath and the first time we made contact, I feel as though it had been forever, but I also feel as though it had been seconds. This pocket dimension exhibits similar properties to the Quantum Moon, but the changeability of this location is macroscopic enough to be akin to a lucid dream, allowing us to mold this world to our liking. Bur has a hypothesis: we are entangled to the Eye of the universe.” The explanation is hard to understand, as you try to dumb down the sentences to create a slither of a coherent thought. However, this ends up arising a new question into your mind.

“Wait… how do you remember me?”

“Since you are also residing in this dimension now, your own memories are stored here, as well as ours. Things become very complicated to explain even for me however, as Bur is the expert here. I would greatly appreciate if you removed visionary contact from me.” The Nomai inquired, as you raised a brow before turning around and back. Two other skeletons are present, as the three stood adjacent to each other, making you confused.

“I’d like to know who’s who before we continue...” Then, you remembered. Perhaps you can label them yourself. You try hard to think of something, shutting your eyes tight before opening them back… and there exists three sculptures made of wood: a sprout, a warp core, and a quantum shard. They all inspect the three items, tilting their skulls. You marvel at how the sculptures matches your imagination, and they look realistic. With a toothy grin, you pull out a celebratory marshmallow and roasted it over the fire.

“Interesting method of memory, I am pleased with my denomination. I am Melorae.” She said, picking up the sprout statue with both hands.

“I suppose my scientific progress is the only evidence who survived the tides of time. I am Annona.” He said, grabbing the warp core statue, gripping the middle.

“That would leave me as Bur. You handled the concept of lucid dreaming well for a newcomer.” They said, leaving the shard as is.

"Right, the quantum dreaming. Do explain it in further detail.” Melorae and Annona sat down on a log that definitely wasn’t there before as Bur began their lecture.

“In short, our memories are treated as a singular metaphysical entity, and we all share it. We more or less don’t truly exist, and since you and another traveler are also entangled, your own consciousness is fused to said entity. What, where, how and why this entity is remains dubious. Melorae shared my hypothesis already but said assumption doesn’t have a strong merit. There is only one agreement: the universe is," Bur said, their hand waving in front of the shard, making it gradually disappear to your vision, "and we are.” Bur finished and sat down, their voice echoing inside your head as your brain is, for lack of a better term, fried. So is your marshmallow, as you blow the fire out desperately, much to the interest of your fellow friends.

"If I may ask, what is it you're consuming?" Melorae asked with intrigue in her voice.

"Uh, a marshmallow? It tastes rather sweet and chewy, unless you've burnt it to a crisp like I just did." you shrugged.

"It's fortunate that my taste sensors are deprived or I will ask for an abundance of these." Annona commented as you snickered, covering your mouth.

"Heh, well it's fairly easy to roast one yourself. You should've seen Feldspar, they put on one hell of a show just roasting these to absolute perfection. Gossan was envious."

“As much as I'd love to hear more about your kind, your true, tangible friend is arriving on their way.” Annona pointed, as you're briefly confused. You put another mallow in the stick, before dropping it to the fire as you're pulled behind by someone.

“Excuse me—AAH!” Gabbro tackled you from behind, their arm hooking around your neck. You make a startled yelp and try to squirm your way out like flopping fish, to little fruition. They hold you still for a while before letting you go with a chuckle, as you catch a few massive breaths. Turning around, you see that Gabbro is suitless as well, surprisingly only wearing a single robe adorning the whole body as if one just got out of the shower. Gabbro really does take the space gig casually after all these years.

“Surprise! Gotcha real good. I once did that with Riebeck, and I think they’re still holding a grudge at me. So, what’cha doing in your little camp?” Gabbro leaned against a tree. You punched them on their shoulder, while the other Nomai giggled to themselves at your antiques.

"Why are you wearing just a robe?" you inquired, positively confused.

"Giant's Deep has atmosphere, so the suit is a little redundant. Plus, it's comfortable and once in a while I get bored of setting up my hammock so I take a ni-i-ice skinny dip." Gabbro responded, the latter half making a vivid picture in your head, causing you to cringe and blush. Not in front of the Nomai...

“I- never say that again. Anyway, remember when I said that I met living Nomais?” Annona waved at the new guest, while the rest watches with intrigue.

“Sick, so these are the ones, eh? Seems they already know a bunch about me, since they can get into all our minds. I did the courtesy of not looking too close into your mind, but you’ve been thinking a lot about Hal recently.” Your eyes widen, as you reflexively punched lightly on Gabbro’s shoulder.

“Hey, quiet! I’m sure your mind is filled with Chert too, so it’s fair game.” You quipped back, though a faint purple blush burns its way to your cheeks. Gabbro snickered, though their sleazy attire doesn’t match their longing gaze and the few seconds of silence. You know they missed the feeling of home too. Gabbro shuts their eyes and focuses back on the situation however, not wanting things to get sappier.

“Yeahhhh, can’t say you’re wrong on that part, hatchling. So, who are these peeps?” Gabbro is taking this discovering an entire new race long thought to be dead thing as if it’s just a normal day. Something still rubbed you wrong with the term hatchling, but you shake it off for now.

You pointed at each of them while saying their respective names. “They are Melorae, Annona, and Bur.”

“Nice. The name’s Gabbro. I never really studied the Nomai in training, I was mainly there for the sightseeing aspect. I’d be content with hanging out, but I gotta ask: do you know anything at all about a time loop?” Oh right, you forgot to ask the immediate question. The time loop has been so integrated in your adventure that it became background noise, like the sounds of your breathing or the weight of your suit.

“My knowledge is muddy on that subject.” Melorae explained, “I remember talks about the Ash Twin Project’s creation - a project which I assume is related to your inquiry - being discussed among my peers, but I never got to see if it came to fruition.” Now that intrigued you. You know about the existence of the ATP and several projects related to it, but you don’t know all of it.

“What do you know about it?” you asked.

“The Ash Twin Project is the ultimate effort on finding the Eye. As you may know, the Orbital Probe Cannon fires off in a random direction, and we only have enough resources to fire it once. This project however sends our memories back in time as well as the previous launches. This allows us to brute force every possible trajectory to find the Eye. Unfortunately, any details beyond that is lost on me.” Melorae answered.

“I remember Poke inquiring me about the warp core design for the Ash Twin Project, that is my only indirect involvement with it. I was originally estatic and my cardiovascular system increased rapidly, but my old age prevented me from much else.” Annona added.

"Interesting, interesting. I do wonder: how are you three alive? Not the logistics of the quantum stuff, but how you... feel." Gabbro asked.

Melorae immediately perked her skull up. "Consciousness is a weird thing. Bur doesn't know much of it beyond what it means for the quantum properties, but in short... we have this concept of emergence."

Gabbro essentially took the stage to themselves, leaving you on the side as Gabbro sits in front of Melorae, their legs crossed and their hands pressed on their feet like a curious hatchling. "Emergence, from what?"

"The short answer is our memories. We can agree that our consciousness is a product of emergence from our higher functions, notably our brain, but emergence could theoretically from any sum of its parts. There may be no sentience nor sapience on this entity, but adhering to this definition of emergence, this hypothesis is either true or false. Assuming it is true, the memories that had been preserved and reflected by the quantum properties must also form an emergence, which is us."

"That's... interesting." Gabbro was still following along, while you and Annona had completely lost whatever the conversation was referring to. "How does emergence work?"

"It's very complicated, because it all relies on psuedoscience. That is to say, it cannot be systematically studied. There's an element of faith to it, and faith can lead to madness." Melorae says with a revered tone. Bur seemed to be listening intently while you and Annona shared a look of the knowledge whooshing right over their heads.

"Faith in science, huh?"

"Qualia is the philosophical term for it. The mere concept of color is not a real, tangible thing in the universe, it's simply what our brain registers these wavelengths. This simple observation causes a lot of trouble, because we are not certain on what is tangible for everyone, which includes our own consciousness. Science does not reveal the workings of the universe, in the end, it's merely an unanimous assumption that stayed consistent until now."

"What do you believe on it? What's your theory?" Gabbro insisted on an answer, even if it may be incorrect.

She tilts her skull, thinking about it a good moment before coming up with a response. "I prefer a spectator hypothesis. Your consciousness sits somewhere in your mind, and while it feels as though it is in control, it only has a vague sense of it. Emergence is not a system, it's more of a mask. You're watching a film, but you feel as though you are living it, so vividly that it feels indistinguishable from being alive. Many people will disagree with me, but that is the point of discussion. It may even be proof that one is truly alive, but... I still haven't heard of a convincing rebuttal yet. I don't think I will, given my state."

Silence. A soft roar from the deaf wind.

"...what does it feel, being in this weird alive state? Do you feel alive?"

"The same question can be asked to you, friend." Melorae points at Gabbro, causing them to slightly recoil back. "What do you think you are, right now, beyond a Hearthian? Just some sack of meat with chemicals? Where does your mind belong?"

"I prefer faith in the system. We don't know what's certain, but... the road is dark and we are blind."

"Not to interrupt your great conversation, but..." Annona looks at you, his empty eye sockets only making you even more unnerved. "...suppose it's time for a new topic."

"Oh no, I-" You were interrupted by Melorae.

"Correct, my apologies." You dropped your head with your lip strained to the side, and crossed your arms. It feels like they know more than you, about you.

"What kind of instruments do your kind play? Music is a big thing in our culture, our entire village is part of an orchestra. Hatchling still doesn’t have an instrument though.” You cringe at their statement, but it’s true. You still don’t have your calling card, and Gneiss insisted on not picking a random instrument. There's... not much appeal in any of the instruments at all, but you still wanted to be part of the club. Porphy jokingly suggested you be a conductor, though that wouldn't be half as bad.

“Our entire kind plays the piano, but the specifics vary from clan to clan, stemming all the way back to our very first ancestors. When Rosewood originally designed the musical instrument, it had a timbre matching a harp, and many clans made alterations to the sounds to call their own. Some are more electronic and harsh, while some are slow and mournful, while our timbre falls more on the classical cultures.” Annona explained, as a bunch of wooden miniature staff floats up the air, visualizing the sheer size of a Nomai groups, giving you a sense of jealousy. "During the Festival, one of the events would be a massive orchestra, where alongside a revolutionary invention such as the warp core, there would also be a piece to go along with it. This is to symbolize unity in music, no matter the origin. I had the pleasure of writing one, and the soundscape of multiple clans playing the same tune is life changing." He added, his feet tapping excitedly from the floor upon recalling the memory.

“Oh man, your entire kind stuck around to one particular instrument the whole time? Gneiss would’ve called all of you crazy. I'd love to hear your piece however, is there any chance you can perform for us?” Gabbro inquired, interested at the prospect of the Nomai being musical as well. One would assume a species so calculated wouldn't have such a massive and emotional tradition, and yet here we are.

“While I possess knowledge of composition, I myself am not an experienced player; that is to say I would rather spare your ears.” He joked, while the others share a similar circumstance.

“Bummer. I was hoping to have a little session, but fair’s fair.” Gabbro got up from the tree, glancing around the forest. “Say, is it just us five in whatever this place is? Must’ve been nice to have all this space to yourself. Relaxing, soothes your soul…” They yawned, putting a hand on their lips as you gave a thousand yards glare at them. Really, right now?

“Sometimes when things get lonely, I recall the memories I had with Thatch, having them sit beside me as we cherish our moments together. Nothing could ever match the real moments of touch and comfort, but I find solace in their memory.” She mourned. As sorry as you feel, something piqued your interest. She implies she’s able to interact with Thatch, and that implication could be huge. You don’t want to ask blankly however, but you needed confirmafion.

“I’m sorry to hear about that, but you get to at least spend some time with them still, right?” The delivery is smooth, but your heart beats fast as you’re nervous. You pray none of them try to pry in your mind.

“That would be correct. Even though I am nothing more than a reflection of your memory, and Thatch is nothing more than mine, I do still think I am alive, and so are they.” Your pass a glance to Gabbro who does the same, before both looks back to Melorae. That’s huge.

“Can anyone else do that?” Gabbro asked this time, and Annona nods.

“I once recalled my memory with Poke, telling her that I am proud. It felt strange, like I was simply talking to a reflective surface, but it felt real.” A strange wave of emotions washed on your body, the prospect of being with a loved memory who isn't fully there; the bitter and the mourning, the joy and the excitement.

You wanted to try it, but it seems the universe decides your time is up. The humming isn’t there, and your internal clock is just fine, but lightheadedness claims your head as you fall to the ground, nauseous and tired. Gabbro tried to reach after you but fell to the same effects, clenching their head. The three skeletons simply look down on you two. They wanted to ask questions, a lot of questions, but that time isn't now.

“Hatchling… hatchling, are you alright…?” Their voice is muffled yet echoing in your mind, and you can only say a response.

“I’m… I’m not a hatchling…” A blue tint appears at the edge of your vision, slowly closing in before you pass out. Your memories would be passed back in time.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

Your body feels weak from whatever just happened. You briefly took your time to just relax on your camp, closing your eyes and regaining your energy… before you fully process what you just did last loop. Your eyes open wide as you get up and buzzed Slate off, immediately rushing to your ship. You’re certain Gabbro is there, but you’re also certain they’ll have a lot of questions. It’s a fuss and these past few loops seems like you’ll never catch a break, but this is pressing matters. Entering the ship, you buckled up and launched to space, setting up a marker for Giant’s Deep whilst turning on the Signalscope. Having never used the device to actually communicate between travelers instead of listening to music, you’re anxious if this would actually work.

“Gabbro? Gabbro, are you there?” you said with a sharp tone, pointing the Signalscope dead center on the planet. At first, there was only static, but a voice does respond.

“Unrecognized code, can you repeat for me, over?” You can hear snickering through the static, and you’re not amused at all. “Oh come on, have a laugh every once in a while. Why aren’t you following radio codes though?”

“I figured this was more of a personal discussion than a professional conversation, since no one else is tuned in.” you supplied, getting closer to Giant’s Deep. 1000 meters.

“You say that, but Esker’s got a quantum ear for these kinds of stuff. Maybe they’re listening right now.” You really don’t want to deal with this kind of talks, you just wanted to get back to experimentation. A part of you wants to go get Riebeck and Chert again, but you already made your travel and you’re not risking another leap across the black hole. 800 meters.

“Yeah, what about it?” you said with a harsh tone, and Gabbro lets out a low whistle.

“Whoa man, a little uncalled for. Play nice or I’ll cease communication.” 600 meters.

“Come on, Gabbro. Gabbro?” They weren’t kidding. You sighed, blowing raspberries with your mouth. “Alright, alright, I’ll play nice. I’m approaching on your site at a steady 200 knots. Expect a rough landing from the sky, as always. Do you copy?” 400 meters.

“Copy that.” You can feel the smugness of their voice, your head picturing Gabbro with a grin up their face. 200 meters.

While the rough landing was mostly a joke on your behalf, the speed is quite alarmingly fast as you’re approaching the planet’s atmosphere. It’d be okay since the planet is mostly water, though it is strange that the Signalscope is pointing dead on in your trajectory. As you plough through the stratosphere though, you quickly realize that the island is right in front of you. Thrusting the ship backwards will do you no good, as the double gravity threatens to pull the ship towards a fatal demise.

“Oh no, oh hEARTH-“ You quickly try to mitigate the impact, facing the ship upright relative to the surface of the island and hoping the landing gears will absorb the fall. It did, but not enough. The ship crashes hard downwards, causing your face to be planted to the cockpit as the force and the double gravity made you bit your lips hard, your mouth bleeding. Only then do you realize and deeply regret not putting on your suit. Your face is badly bruised. Your teeth barely survived, as a push of a tongue is enough for the enamel to swing to the other side, the ache sending through your body like shivers. The increased gravity made it so much worse. It hurts so bad. You want to kick around and scream in anger of not putting on your suit. You’re outraged of yourself, but you’re too weak to do anything.

It feels like your face is swollen. Your mouth is deeply uncomfortable, and you can’t close your jaw without a shock of pain zaps through your tendons. You whine in pain sounding like a pitiful child, wanting to just die this loop and try again, but your heart still drops when you even think about death. It’s still a very real fear, especially considering you don’t know if it’s your consciousness or just your memories sent back in time. That thought enough makes you afraid to crash that train of thought entirely however, as you get out of the broken ship. Fortunately, the cockpit is disengaged from the rest of the ship but said rest of the ship is pretty much smoking. At least the reactor’s not damaged. The Signalscope dissolved to total static, before beeping loudly and sending strange frequency.

You grab a few of your crooked teeth and pulled them one by one out. Fortunately, it’s dislodged enough to not require much force and not be mildly painful. Gabbro stops playing their flute and waved, originally oblivious to your condition before rapidly realizing. They quickly get up from their hammock, making quick haste as they scramble to find any first aid kits, throwing stuff around their camp trying to find something, anything. The search results in nothing however, as Gabbro rushes to you, pulling your arm across their shoulders as you’re brought to their hammock.

“Hatchling, what happened?! Are you okay, do you need anything?? Come on hatchling, say something, stick with me here!” Their sleazy personality isn’t there anymore, instead just a really worried Gabbro. It’s the first time you’ve seen them like this actually. Usually, they’d crack a joke or two even when you’re injured but seeing them worried half to death gives a sense of uncanniness.

“It’s okay, I’m fine. It hurts a little- ow, okay it actually hurts a lot- but I just need your ship instead. We have to go back to the quantum shard.” you slurred your words heavily, as you’re not sure if Gabbro would pick up on even half the words you’re saying, but judging by their exasperated spittake and outraged tone, you’d figured the message got across.

“I— hatchling, you crashed your ship and your face looks like it’s been burnt on a fire, and you still want to go there?! No, you’re staying here until the end of the loop, then we do it again. I’m using my ship to find some ice packs from Timber Hearth instead, if you excuse me.”

You gave a wheezy laugh, probably because of the shock or you’re surprised Gabbro can emote. “No, bring me there. I had a sprained ankle first time going and it healed when I was there. Makes sense, it’s a dream.”

“Hatchling…” Gabbro really doesn’t want to make you do anything, but you gave them your best puppy eyes you can do. They’re one of the tougher ones to be persuaded out of the travelers; Riebeck would definitely cave in after a few begs, Chert and Esker would need a bit more proof, and Feldspar is unbreakable. Still, you tried your best, and you can see the way Gabbro’s eyes changed beneath their visor… “…alright alright, fine. If you flinch for even a moment though, I’ll introduce a new, forceful meditation technique.”

You stuff a few marshmallows to your mouth from your tin to absorb the blood and to keep your jaw open. The injury is much more bearable, but maybe it’s because your face is numb enough that you can’t even feel it much. “Your ship’s a few meters to the west. Just keep going to that direction, you can’t miss it.”

Gabbro begins their journey, propelling themselves to the raging ocean as you take a while to relax. You sway the hammock around, cradling yourself while reflecting on your actions. This loop started out horrendously, but at least the repercussions are temporary. Your entire journey has been a wild one, but nothing compares to the absolute cacophony of these past few loops. The memories are nigh unforgettable, filled with basically everything you like about space and everything you despise, sans the anglerfish. Meditating here however is soothing, when the cyclones aren’t a threat to your exploration. The howling winds and crashing waves of the shores are calming when you look at it right. The mallow melts into putty in your mouth as you close your eyes and simply rest.

The sounds of roaring jets get closer, as Gabbro flies and lands their ship adjacent to the camp, going out of the hatch and gently waking you up in their signature calm demeanor. “Come on, we got a quantum friend to greet. I wonder what name would fit an unknown material.”

“Really, that’s your main concern?” You replied with a muffled tone due to your stuffed mouth, before humoring it for a moment. “…honestly, I like the name Epidote. Has a sense of ring to it.” A subtle ring of pride oozes out of your grin when you see Gabbro’s eyebrows raised in interest.

“Epidote, I like it. Don’t want to waste more time then, hatchling?” Gabbro pulls you out of the hammock, bringing you inside their ship. The interiors are wildly different than both yours and Riebeck’s, with significantly more plants and wood sculptures scattered throughout the ship. It gives the vibes of a rustic garden with retro electronics, surprising you on how a ship can feel like home too. “My old ship got on a collision course and all the plants were burnt. In hindsight, that ship doesn’t have a fire sprinkler system, so Slate helped me make one for this ship. I don’t have to worry about burning anymore but knowing them I might have to worry about drowning.”

Gabbro sits down and cracks their knuckles, getting back to the groove of a pilot after so long. "It's showtime."

They began launch as you sit down and inspect the various wood carvings from a shelf. Most of them have abstract shapes and depicts the nature of the solar system, one being a vertical whirlpool with the shape of a gigantic wave, one being a mass of land being bent and twisted over a sphere, and an open hourglass with the planets and its sand connecting the two ends instead of glass. Poems are attached to each sculptures, but the surprising part is that these aren’t written by Gabbro; somehow they managed to persuade others on literature.

I await at bated breath as time looms over my head
Worlds change at the timekeepers’ pace and drown those who resists
With stars as witnesses, some cry, most remain still
- Chert

Riebeck's Poem
Things were okay when I got here until the black hole hums beneath me.
I close my eyes and realize that things were still okay.
To open my eyes and face the music.

The moon is lonely, but so are its inhabitants.

You're at a loss for words. You always thought of the travelers as connoisseurs of their own specialties, but this new perspective changed your outlook. It's a little embarrassing actually; they are your friends and you've hung around with them, but you're oblivious to this new dimension of themselves. "Gabbro, what are these sculptures?"

"Oh, those? While I was starting out, I wanted to do some art to officially declare myself as an astronaut. The launch day is exciting and all, but only three people really cared enough to tune in. The rest just said they were excited and moved on with their lives, so I made these sculptures." Gabbro explained, a sense of longing pride coming out of their words.

"I never knew you even did these, I thought you only wrote poems." you confessed, a faint blush painting you.

"Did you know that Feldspar did origami? They're one of the tougher Hearthians out there, yet they make arguably one of the fragile forms of art. You'd be surprised." They supplied, looking around the harsh rain as rolling thunder fills the otherwise silence.

"What about these poems then? How did you get them to write these?" you continued asking.

“It took me a while, especially since they’re not remotely close to being poetic, but I think it was worth it.” Gabbro notices you reading them over through the reflective windshield. “Chert did very well, even without the little help I gave.”

You’re stunned at the whole prospect. “Wow… I never really thought that…”

“That other people can write too? Color me impressed too time pal, all you gotta do is just make the effort to ask.” Something clicked inside you, it feels like a long-lost dilemma had been solved. “Let me tell you, I was shocked when Esker even bothered.” A beep is heard from Gabbro’s Signalscope, as they turn it on. “Speak of the Hearthian, how’s your station, over.”

The voice on the other end sounds… mildly distressed, to put it that way. “Gabbro, what the heck happened?! I just heard a loud crash from Giant’s Deep, is the new astronaut okay?”

“Re-lax, they’re fine. They’re with me in the ship right now, I’m taking them somewhere. You forgot to say over, by the way.” They’re taking it very lax, while Esker sounds like they’re frothing over the microphone.

“That doesn’t matter! You better do your best bringing them back to Timber Hearth, I already sent Chert because you didn’t respond.” You aggressively shake your head, giving yourself a minor headache. Gabbro sinks into their chair, debating something before answering.

“I wasn’t in the ship then, I was napping- I mean, setting up camp. I’ll take care of it myself, expect me to be there in 3 minutes.” They turned off their Signalscope before turning back to you. “I’m not doing it, Epidote would be jealous.” You coo in happiness, but another problem arises: Chert’s ship ploughs through the planet’s atmosphere and starts chasing you two.

Gabbro steers upwards and out of Giant’s Deep, hoping to lose Chert as they speed up to the north pole. Gabbro’s not as skilled or reckless as Feldspar in flying a ship, but they certainly have more skills than you. Every move is simple yet efficient, moreso than you tossing your tin can on a surface and calling it a day. You’re tossed around as the ship juts up, scraping on the gas layers before dipping to the center of the cyclone. With a light thump, Gabbro unbuckles and opens the hatch.

“Chert definitely knows where we are.” They said right as another ship enters from above and lands adjacent to you. The planet fortunately has breathable air, but the downside of not having a suit is Chert seeing your plump, bruised face.

“Goodness, you look awful! Your first launch and you already hurt yourself this badly?!” Chert commented, their face genuinely horrified at your current state. You had your fair share of awry accidents, but this is the first time someone besides Gabbro had seen it.

“Thanks for the compliment Chert, and I’m fine.” You try to walk towards the tower, but Chert grabs your hand and pulls you back to facing them.

“Oh no, we’re going back and get your face treated before Riebeck passes out. This is more than enough for Gossan to be worried about, and that’s a high bar!” Chert retorted.

“Sorry, but I have other things to do.” Chert tried to grab you again, but you pull your arm out before they could grab a hold of it.

“What could possibly be that important to shrug off you being in pain?!” They sputtered, dumbstruck by your persistence.

“Something very important. You either follow me or you don’t.” You gave a cursory glance to Gabbro, then to Chert. Chert looks at Gabbro, hoping for anything on their part, just something to say about all this confusion.

They only said one thing. “…trust them.”

Chapter Text

Chert has had their fair shares of… to put it bluntly, pure stupidity. This is up amongst the top five of those moments, due to its sheer absurdity. From the newest astronaut being badly injured yet leading the group up a Nomai monolith, Gabbro following along for some reason, to Chert having to follow both of them out of worrying for their collective sanity. Despite however many questions Chert asked to Gabbro about the details, none of the answers allayed their concerns.

“Where are we going, to be exact?”

“Hatchling says this is the Tower of Quantum Kn- Trials. I think this is one of those meditative places, like my yoga classes a few years back.”

“Oh Hearth, don’t remind me of that, that was a dark age for everyone involved.” Chert cringed reminiscing about the event, though they couldn’t hold a straight face from smiling. “What could be so important up there anyway?”

“You’ll have to ask hatchling for that, but I doubt they would give the answer.” Gabbro shrugged.

“I mean- I don’t know, I’m just concerned. They’re acting like they’re completely fine, even though they’re limping their way.”

"Eh, I've seen worse. Have you seen Gossan after a nasty crash? They'd crawl out and still say they're fine." Gabbro retorted with a baffled spittake from Chert.

"How are you acting so calm about all this?!"

"Re-lax, point is if the hatchling's in a scale from 1 to 10 of being shocked to the point of ignoring one's injuries, I'd give them a 3." They snarked. "Besides, I wouldn't do all this if you were unsafe, right?" They then pat Chert's shoulder.

"...right."

“You two do know I can hear you, right?” You glanced behind your shoulder, slurring your words out. “Chert, just- what I found is absolutely spectacular, believe me.” Despite your clear tiredness, a flicker of excitement accents your voice.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you - though you’re a little right on that part - it’s that you can do this some other time!” Chert retorted, making you lose said excitement and briefly lose your temper.

“We don’t have enough time!” you snapped, halting your movement to turn around and face them, index finger pointing at them. What is it that they don’t understand?! To you, it makes perfect sense, and your eyes say it all; tired eyes that have witnessed the one thing Chert fears most hundreds of time. “The sun, it will…”

“Will what?” They sounded annoyed, but a part of them worries that you know something.

You fell in silence, the gravity of the situation dawning on you. You hold your breath, debating to finish the sentence before sighing and turning back around, continuing the trek. The rest of the journey is filled with nothing else but Giant’s Deep ambience and the hypnotizing hum of the gravity elevator. Then, there’s the fall. Chert may be known for many things, but one of the things they’re not known for is heights. Riebeck is deathly afraid of heights yes, but Chert has it worse. They’re not afraid, but the thought of falling in the first place makes them nauseous. They’re the only astronauts that failed the zero-g examination and still passed the overall bar, which you somehow forgot.

Chert’s heart skips multiple beats as they fall through the hole, and they don’t feel very good. Their stomach lurches forward as the gravity beam catches their fall from becoming fatal, heaving to themselves and sitting down.

“Wait… how do you know-“ Chert swallowed a gag, avoiding from vomiting in their suit. Their voice is raspy as they cleared their throat, fighting the protesting stomach. “How do you know you’d make the fall?”

“It’d be safety hazard if I can’t make the fall, right?” You sign at Gabbro to help keep an eye on the arch whilst you lead Chert with the ongoing discussion. The Nomai is mostly known for making sure their settlements are safe and practical. Mostly known, anyway.

“These are thousands old ruins, no one regulates and maintains these things!” You took a while to rebut Chert’s argument, wanting to keep this time loop business under wraps.

“Fair argument, but the mines back at Timber Hearth is also functioning.” That is true! It’s unclear how exactly these things are powered after thousands of years, just that it still is. You jump down the arch and into the second floor, with the quantum rock greeting you. Chert falls in next, having to sit down on the floor to catch a breather. Their vision is blurry, and their ears numb, cold sweat making their eyes tear up. Boulders pit inside the bottom of their stomach, leaving them weak and brittle. It felt as if ghost matter presses on the sides of their neck, with how cold and vapory it was.

“Hearth…” Chert spoke in a tired voice. “I’m gonna pass out before getting something through your skull-“ They gagged again and arched forward, sealing their mouth and throat shut to prevent the floodgates being open. You panick, freezing in place while thinking of something to do before getting down on your knees besides Chert. Slowly unstrapping their suit, you try to calm them down while giving them as many space.

“Come on, we’re so close… just stick around with me, okay?” You slowly lift Chert out of their suit, and they’re surprisingly lighter than you thought. Chert usually doesn’t like being treated as a child, but they’re not even flinching on your comfort, only heaving and clinging to rays of life. They look at you with an expression of fear, holding your hand tightly and muttering something incomprehensible. With all these complications just to suit your own needs, just to experiment with a musing of yours, was it worth you and Chert suffering? From bringing Riebeck and Chert to the lakebed, what is it you’re trying to prove to the indifferent universe? Why must you drag others along a voyage meant for one?

“…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” These thoughts cloud your mind as you almost went teary eyed before Gabbro arrives next, seeing you cradling Chert and sputters at the absurdity.

“B- buddy, what are you-?!” They quickly run towards you, taking off their helmet and throwing it away, looking at Chert with worry. First, you were mortally injured, now Chert is on the verge of passing out. It seemed like their whole world was falling apart before their very eyes. "Chert? Chert, are you okay? Come on, stick with me!"

“They’re sick, we need to do this fast.” You powerwalk to the quantum shard whilst patting Chert on the back, before laying down on your back with them up top of you. Yes, it’s very embarrassing to do this in front of Gabbro no less but leaving them on the ground is worse. You place Chert’s hand next to the rock along your own, as Gabbro sighs and does the same.

“Come on Epidote, don’t let us down.”

Doze off.

Wake up.

Good news: Your injuries have been nulled, and Chert’s ailment has been cured judging by them screaming and getting away from your touch, and freaking out at where they are. It felt relieving to see them doing fine, even past all the yelling.

“Where are we?? Why don’t I have my spacesuit?! Where’s Gabbro?” They spoke with exasperation, turning their head frantically and trying to process all this information. It’d take you the whole loop to try and explain the whole thing, let alone answer Chert’s plentiful follow up questions and skepticism. If only you could simply transfer what you know to them… wait, you can! It’s a little ridiculous, but Bur mentioned about memories being a singular entity, which means…

“Chert, this won’t make much sense, but focus on me, okay?” You replied, looking with intent at Chert as they did the same. You try to think about it, giving information to Chert… and their eyes widen, their lips forming an “O”. Seems like it worked. Their eyes dart off to random places, as if a board of information is unraveling in front of them, their brain interpolating the avalanche of memories and information with their own, neurons firing rapidly to make sense of everything in a split second. Their eyes went from childish awe to a mystified wonder, then their pupils shrunk in horror. The sun. There was a reason why you want to be here despite all this. Your intentions were made clear, your journey and your tragedy at the cost of them forgetting it all after a blistering death. Chert is afraid.

At the end, only one question prevails through the chaos. “Why?”

You shrugged. “Beats me. At least we get to meet our new friends.”

Gabbro arrives to the scene, huffing as they sit down against a tree. “The trek between the campfires sure is giving me a workout.” They spoke more sharply than their usual smugness. They eventually got back up and walk besides Chert, hooking their arms around their body and whisper in a hushed tone. "Come on Chert, I'm here."

“At least you don’t have to deal with falling and almost fainting.” Chert quipped, relieved that the nightmare is relatively over. “So, we’re meeting the Nomai, then? Best do it when the universe is on its last breath.” They continued with a more somber tone, accepting their incoming fate. You hate to see them like this, aware of the awful truth. Your memories of them are all attached with this current one, making them aware of the time loop, painfully making them as if they were also in the loop. They know why you sometimes distract Chert from their star charts, why you rather bring them elsewhere instead of flying too close to the sun. Sometimes you brought them to Gabbro, mostly on request. Sometimes it’s Timber Hearth, spending the last few moments with the villagers and roasting the perfect final marshmallows together.

How stupid they are to subject themselves to this every loop, they thought. How tragic that you care more about the travelers than your own expedition, how you are willing to try anything to make them happy, knowing that the universe will never forgive you for only making the most of your life when it’s dying and subjecting you to all this, they thought. How afraid they are that death’s cruelty is to rip the soul and memories apart, only sending the latter while the former is sent to the unknown. What the unknown is sends an aching pain in their heart and yours. How cruel the stars are, they thought.

Gabbro whimpers quietly to themselves, upset at Chert being upset. “It’s okay buddy, as long as we’re still breathing, there’s nothing to worry about.”

You join them on Chert’s other side, as they look down and start sobbing to themselves. Gabbro only watches and pat their back, letting them have their moment. You jolt slightly at something touching behind you, suppressing your shock as a skeleton joins the line, resting their arm on you. Two more joins Gabbro’s side, before one of them breaks the silence.

“If it will provide further consolation, I could explain our documentations of the stars. Escall always had a fascination with them, and so did I. Being a traveler across many stars, I believe you’ll find our observations interesting.” Annona offered, as Chert wipes their tears and look at Gabbro’s side. What they heard was unreal.

“Continuing this drive, I can offer my own musings on sturdy constructions, much to the chagrin of your kind.” Melorae continued with perhaps a little too much snark, but Chert wheezes it off anyway. Turning their head to your side, the astronomer’s pupils dilated, their mouth opened slightly. Why would she…?

“While others would consider it mind rending, I could lecture my quantum studies to you should it suffice your desires. This matter of death is troubling, but your journey is almost over. It would be a waste to spend it with grief and sorrow.” Bur added. Chert cracks a soft smile, chuckling at their predicament. Why must the light at the end of the tunnel arrive now, brighter than ever?

“Ha ha… why now? Why must the good things happen so late?” Gabbro could feel their heart becoming heavier by the second, while you’re used to it. It doesn’t hurt any less, but that feeling has always been there.

“I like to think of it as a payoff in the end.” Annona said.

“It is not us you should be thanking, rather the one that brought you here. Your kind is impeccably kind, an overlooked trait that we cherish and respect.” Melorae added.

With a shaky breath, Chert wrings out one final tear of joy. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” They then turn to Gabbro, hugging them tightly. “I always love you; would you remember it?”

“I’ll always remember you.” Gabbro hugs back, the hardest they can muster in this limited time. The Nomai joins the hug, followed by you. The trees curl around all of you, as if the universe itself was trying to comfort Chert. It felt… good, to be able to help someone like this, even when the ending wouldn’t be a nice one.

Perhaps you can do the same towards others?

The migraine catches you and Gabbro, as your body becomes weaker and your vision blurry. It's hard to make out what happened, but you can see Chert laughing like a child to themselves, while crying and snorting. "Is it already time...? I can't, I'm... I'm too happy... have mercy on my soul, please..." they spoke in a daze.

Gabbro wanted to utter something back to Chert, but passes out before you're able to. You followed suit, as Chert is soon left alone with the three for eternity.

Chapter Text

“The way I see it, energy is like the currency of the universe. We exchange it to various forms, and they’re recycled until entropy evens out the energy.” Hornfels lectured with you watching silently. You were a young hatchling by then, curious about the world and how it works. In your head, the universe was an invisible metropolis with ghosts and the like causing all the phenomena to happen in Timber Hearth, such as the geysers and the sun. Of course, you’d be slowly disenchanted to reality, but there exists a phase where the facts co-existed with your little theories that you’d share to Marl or Porphy. Hornfels especially took note of this and started giving one-on-one tellings about the foundation of the universe on the observatory’s top floor, treating it with personifications. In hindsight, they were probably just looking for an excuse to ramble with someone who actually wants to listen, but it works. They were younger back then, so they still had an exuberant amount of enthusiasm about their profession compared to the present, where they’ve mellowed out a little. Emphasis on little.

“Mayor Rutile says that this village doesn’t need currencies though!” you asked, chirping to Hornfels with your ears perked up, like a child who’s been told a big secret.

“That’s because despite all odds, our village cooperates between each other like a big family! The universe however is a giant clockwork, so cooperation is hard without some sort of regulation. So, energy is there to make sure everything’s in order.” Hornfels supplied.

You enter your ship, proactively aware of putting on your suit that you took for granted, as you buckled up and launch to Brittle Hollow. Riebeck is next in line, but there would be no way to even tempt that anxious bean to entertain the thought of being in Giant’s Deep. Fortunately, there is another quantum shard on top of that darned Tower of Quantum Knowledge you still don’t know how to enter. Getting Riebeck to travel there would be a challenge, but it’s one you’ve already done. You land your ship on the tip of the hanging tower, venturing downwards as the soaring air greets you.

“(Sigh…) I thought that I would do it again, but I wouldn’t think that now’s the time.” you said, gulping your beating heart as you stand on the edge of a ledge, looking down on the looming black hole. There’s only one conceivable way to arrive at Riebeck’s at a fast time, and it’s a stunt that you fluked. Even when knowing you can defy death, your hands hesitate at clutching the jetpack controls. You took a deep breath and held it, closing your eyes as your hands alternate between just pinching it and opening your palms.

“Come on… I can believe it… there’s always next time if I fail.” You allow yourself to fall forward, before your body leans too much and pulls you down. Your feet instinctively tries to pull itself to ground, but ends up crossing each other making you trip. Only then do you grip the jetpack controls as hard as you could, trying to make your way to Riebeck while saving your life.

“Where did the energy come from?” you kept asking, as Hornfels cocked a grin at the chance handed out to them.

"I asked the same question when I figured out that the universe is actually expanding in size, to this day. This must mean that the universe has a beginning, but how so? How did it begin, and what happens before?” The mood certainly shifted as Hornfels looks around, slightly uneasy as your mind works on the thought. There is an implication that there is a creator, or at least something that created the universe, for a reason or none. What could it be, how was it created? Was it like how Outer Wilds Ventures was created; a simple decision of creating a program to pursue curiosity, was it something deeper or was there no reason?

“Is there a reason we’re here?” you continued asking.

Riebeck idly strums their banjo, playing improvisations of their tune. It’s boring to play the same melody all the time, even when it’s soothing. Sometimes they hop to random pieces from the orchestra, reminiscing the times when they would play a concerto for new or returning astronauts. There would be a celebration for launch day, and when astronauts returns to their home planet after a particularly long expedition. Sadly it was discontinued around Riebeck’s time, since there were more travelers applying, making the whole ordeal less special. Even though Riebeck was never in it for the fame, they had hoped to have a celebration based around them, even if just for once…

Everything was fine, up until they saw a figure arriving from the horizon of the black hole, launching directly to their camp. You prepare yourself before crashing on ground with a loud thud, breaking your ankles slightly in the process. Riebeck screams, strumming their banjo hard enough to break a string. But that’s okay! You sat opposite of Riebeck next to the campfire, pops in a marshmallow on the stick and take off your helmet as if you came here by normal means. Riebeck meanwhile has their jaw gaped in utter shock, shaking and holding their banjo like a shield and began stuttering a thousand different questions.

“I- wh- how did you- what are you doing here?! You- you actually leaped through t-the black hole and- how did you do that?” Riebeck stammers, their hands on the air threatening to squeeze you. Hearing that from Riebeck sorta makes you proud.

“Eh, just comes with being the new astronaut I suppose.” you teased. “I’m here because I want to show you something important.” you supplied, leaning close to Riebeck with widened eyes.

“A-and leap across a black h-hole?! Hearth no, I’d never do it even if my life depends on it!”

“Oh no, I just wanted to take a faster route. Come on, we need to quickly get to my ship.” Chowing on your mallow, you put your helmet back on and stand up, offering Riebeck a hand.

“Um, what’s the rush about? I know the planet is… oh no, did Hornfels said something about this planet? Is it going to collapse?”

“No! Nothing like that, gah-“ You don’t know how to explain this. “Just- I have a tight schedule, and I’d appreciate it if we get all this sorted quicklike.” Walking away, Riebeck follows you towards the trek to the tower.

“Honestly, I don’t think we’re here for any reason. I’m here to make sure Slate doesn’t revolutionize the safety equipment department, and Gossan has a job to train future astronauts. But, all of that isn’t really for anything grand, it’s more of just getting to know our solar system.” Hornfels grabbed an early draft of the Outer Wilds solar system map, with notes written all over it. They then quickly realize said notes have a bit too much crass for a hatchling to see so they immediately pull it away, chuckling lightly. “You’ll know why when you’re older, hatchling.”

“Why are we exploring then?” you asked with a tilt, the concept of adults doing things for fun too a novel thought in your head.

“Because we want to! Why do you think Feldspar explores the solar system?” The name Feldspar grabs your attention as you smiled widely.

“Because they’re the greatest astronaut in the whole world!” you said with sheer thrill. Feldspar hadn’t gotten to the core of Giant’s Deep by then which practically made them a legend, but between making laps on the black hole and racing the sand at Ember Twin’s canyon, they were paving their name on wood.

“And why are they the greatest astronaut in the whole world?” You place your fingers on your lips, thinking of a reason but coming up short. Hornfels simply grinned, anticipating your answer.

Arriving to Tower of Quantum Knowledge, Riebeck pants and asks you for the umpteenth time, their legs threatening to give up then and there. The rock is present as well, though they’re quite far away from you two.

“Is this the place? Uh, it looks good and all, but I don’t see an entrance…” Riebeck leans left and right to see any way to get in.

You shake your head and look around for the rock, seeing it on the sides somewhere. “We’re not going in here. Um, could you please close your eyes for a while?”

“Excuse me?” they asked, before doing so anyway. You tell them to open their eyes back and a quantum rock stands in front of them, towering over both of you as the sun eclipses on the shard. They yelped in surprise, before looking at it with intrigue.

“Okay, this will sound ridiculous but… I need you to hold the rock and doze off.” It does sound ridiculous when you say it, but Riebeck doesn’t ask the immediate ‘why’ question.

“What happens then?”

“We’ll have a nice dream, to put it that way. The Nomai has a tradition where they sleep with a quantum rock next to them before launching to the Quantum Moon. I tried that.” Bingo, you got their attention.

“They have traditions too? That’s incredible! What happens next?” Riebeck asks with excitement, as you teased by shrugging. Riebeck groans in dissatisfaction, but they quickly walk over to the shard and test the tradition themselves. You both lay down, perhaps a little uncomfortable due to the suit but you doze off regardless. There are moments where a meteor would strike near the tower and startle Riebeck, but they’re good at keeping themselves steady.

Doze off.

“I don’t know… because they want to look cool?” You make a puzzled expression.

“Exactly! Even though other people are trying to look cool and end up hurting themselves but yeah…”

“Do you think I could become Feldspar someday?” Hornfels hissed lightly to themselves, unsure of what to answer.

“You know, maybe it’s best to be your own person instead of becoming the next Feldspar or whatever. Maybe people will remember your name for another thing, hatchling.”

You ponder about it for a while, enthralled about the prospect of being known for your own thing. Becoming the next phenomena… the thought is quickly subdued however as Hal climbs up the observatory’s spiral, calling your name out.

“Hey, the concerto’s almost ready! Gneiss’ been asking everyone about where you’ve been, come on!” Hal asked, as you groaned.

“But I want to be here!” You leaned towards the museum’s side, as Hal points a finger at you.

“Gneiss says they want you to be there, so be there!” Hal insisted, as you pouted and joined Hal while waving at the curator.

“Fine, I’m coming. See you, Hornfels!” They waved back, watching you leave as a seed was implanted in your head, for the future to come.

Wake up.

The dark trees and starless skies has become your second home by this point, but Riebeck isn’t around you. Figured, they’re probably at the other campfire. You take the chance to set things up however, preparing five log stumps: three clumped side to side for the Nomai, and two clumped on the opposite side for you and Riebeck. You turn your head around and the three Nomai appears sitting on the three stumps.

“Is everything okay with Chert?” Annona asked, and you shook your head.

“They don’t remember what happens after the loop, unlike me and Gabbro. I did bring in someone else though, but I need to get them first.” You stated before making your way through the darkness. The trees blend with the dark, making for a few unfortunate moments where you’d plant your face on one. It happened quite a lot, actually. Even though pain more or less doesn’t exist here, it’s quite unpleasant to have a rough and sharp material hit you on the face. You’re halfway through the trek, when you feel something watching you. You’d figured it was your brain pulling tricks when you’re in the dark, but the feeling remains intense. Silence pierces. It felt like a pair of eyes is following you, a breath on your neck when it isn’t there, a ray beaming through your body when it isn’t there. Silence fades. You’re two thirds of your way there, and the creepy feeling becomes stronger. You hadn’t dared to turn around, but curiosity got the better of you as you turned your head behind.

There’s nothing.

Why is there nothing? It can’t be, it felt too real to be a trick inside your head! There must be something at play here, there’s no way it’s just nothing. This-

“Is everything okay-?”

“AAHHH GET AWAY FROM ME!!” You screamed as hard as you can, flailing your hands around.

“WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED??-“ You push Riebeck to the ground and defend yourself from whatever beast may be, before realizing that it’s just them.

“O-oh, it’s just you… sorry. Thought you were a monster.” You sighed in relief, bowing to them.

“There are monsters here?!” Riebeck shrieked.

“No, no no no! That’s not what I meant! Just… if there were monsters here.” You bring your two hands up and shake them, trying to diffuse their fear.

“There’s going to be monsters here?!”

“No-! Just- just follow me, please.” Placing a finger between your four eyes, you bring Riebeck back to your campfire.

Hal holds your hand, guiding you out of the museum as the middle of the village is lit warmly amidst the night sky, with string lights hung around poles and houses throughout the place. The cold colours of the dark environment mixes well with the warm lighting of the rustic wooden houses, making no other places feel like home. The clouds are overcast, with the first snow trickling down as snowflakes sprinkles throughout, one landing between their two hands. A row of musician in tandem between a campfire waiting for you and Hal, as Gneiss hugs you with open arms.

“Finally, where have you been? We’re almost late for winter season, snow already came out!” they scolded with greater energy than Gneiss could muster now, as Hal pouts and points their hand at you, shifting the blame.

“It’s their fault! They stayed with Hornfels the entire time!” You argued at Hal back, defending your case as the others watched with looks of awkwardness, bemusement, or ornery.

“I wasn’t doing anything daft, you hang out with Porphy to learn some dirt!” It devolves into bickering and mindless arguing, before Gneiss hushes you both down.

“You can settle it inside later, you’re just making it worse for others. Feldspar’s about to return from Brittle Hollow, and I want this to be perfect.” Gneiss said, as both of you waited in anticipation. The tradition goes: a traveler would return from an adventure and would be greeted by a celebratory fanfare, as they get to tell a campfite story to the village. Feldspar's always got that sting to their stories that other travelers simply lack, making them greatly hyped by everyone, including you. You have a dream that someday, you can get to tell a story. Perhaps the story will rival Feldspar's, a story so ridiculous and exhilarating that the village will remember for generations! But any other story is fine. Maybe you can tell a story of your plaything conquering a planet - that is, a globe of Timber Hearth in your house.

Shame you have to grow up.

Riebeck shook hands with the Nomai, rather awkwardly due to their different bone structures. They still find it flattering, giggling all the while.

“Wow, so it’s… it’s actually you! I… I’d never thought to meet one with my own four eyes, and talk with three of you! Aah, this is the greatest day of my life, I don’t know where to begin…!”

You place your hand around Riebeck’s shoulder, whispering to them with a sarcastic manner. “Take a breather, last thing we want is you being dead with them.” That joke… didn’t land well.

“Alright, alright, uhm… there’s so much to ask! How did you get to the Quantum Moon? We still haven’t reached it!” Riebeck asked, and you internally facepalmed. How did you not ask this question? The Quantum Moon is one of your main curiosities, it seems like a no brainer to ask about it! You paid attention to what was said…

“We typically capture a photograph of the Quantum Moon during flight, then make use of its shrine to traverse between different states of the moon.” Annona explained, followed by another question from Riebeck.

"What do you mean by states?" They asked again.

"The Quantum Moon projects the characteristics of the planet it's orbitting. While they don't reflect our civilization or certain functions (Timber Hearth's geysers doesn't launch you), they do reflect certain fauna such as fish or jellyfishes." Melorae answered.

“What kind of shrine? How many states are there?” They leaned forward, their peephole reflecting the Nomai.

“We had constructed a quantum shrine, designed for easier navigation through the terrain of the various states and particularly to access the sixth location, which can only be accessed on the north pole.” He continued, essentially giving out instructions for you.

“The solar system only has five planetary bodies the Quantum Moon orbits around, but sometimes the Quantum Moon isn’t present in this star system. Therefore, we can reasonably conclude that the sixth location is the Eye of the universe, considering the Quantum moon is the Eye’s moon and possesses many of its characteristics.” Bur commented.

“The sixth location is our closest representation to what the Eye looks like, and it is intimidating in nature. Sprawls of bramble rocks with sharp edges and alien shapes take form, and the texture is acrylic.” The surface of the ground whom Riebeck is sitting on slowly morphs to Bur’s description. “Their colors are a deep purple and possesses a pattern akin to disturbed water.”

“Woah…” Riebeck looks down, trying to comprehend what the Eye is. Strange is its property, mystery is its allure. “What do you know about the Eye?”

“We only know that the Eye is older than the universe, and that it possesses extreme quantum behavior. The element of uncertainty in quantum properties allows objects and entities to collapse into a single possibility, as evident by…” Bur waved their hands to literally everywhere. “The eye itself is a vortex, but no soul has entered it. Conscious observation forces a quantum object to collapse to a single possibility. But what would happen if a conscious observer somehow entered the Eye itself?”

You pondered about it, but another question lingers in your mind. Last loop still haunted you, particularly how Chert was still conscious even after your memory was pulled back. “Bur, I want to ask… is our consciousness really inside this quantum space? Are we separated from our body?”

“I would assume so, since my body is nothing more than ashes and bones.” answered Bur, which leaves you with a conflict. You can choose to have Riebeck perpetually live with their lifelong dream, at the cost of them being separated from their life until the end of the universe. You cannot keep them company due to your bound with the time loop. It’s either that or forcing Riebeck to be out of the dream, for them to be erased along their history. Which one is more painful?

“Hey there, you good? Uh, you haven’t said anything in a while.” Riebeck shook your shoulder, snapping you back to present times as you switch your mood.

“Oh yeah, it’s just… hard to keep track of this quantum stuff. You know me, I wasn’t the smartest in the written test.” You scratched your back, while Bur simply looked at you and shook their head.

“Forgive me for what I am about to impart on you.” Riebeck turned their head to Bur in confusion, as your eyes widened. They’re not about to, surely. “Your sun will collapse into a supernova in about one minute.”

Sixty seconds.

There was no mouth to seal, no way to silence the floodgates before it all dawns on Riebeck. “…what do you mean?” They then turned back at you, desperate for an explanation, something to quell their splashing distress. “What does Bur mean by that?”

You swallowed a lump in your throat, breaking the ice. “…the sun is about to die. You’ll be alive since you’re here, but…”

The prospect of still living brings great relief yet a chilling dread which creeps on Riebeck’s back, as their curiosity ultimately led them to this very moment. Death come may at any time, but they are here now. “…but what?”

“I can’t be here.”

They slowly went over to you, their eyes glistening by the light as their shaky breath is felt by you. “…why? I don’t want to be alone here, in the dark. I… I need you here.”

You had no choice but to shake your head. “I can’t, I’m sorry.”

Thirty seconds.

Riebeck went for a tight hug, a warm embrace that leaves your hand wrapping back around them. Their body trembles, as something wet drops on your shoulder. Their breath hitched, their voice warbly and cracked as they pleaded to you.

“Don’t go… please don’t go…”

Zero seconds.

“Don’t go…!” Your hug weakens, as your head flops backwards, followed by the rest of your body. Riebeck shakes you. They plead. They want you back. You can only smile so weakly before your vision fades to black.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You buzzed Slate off, immediately looking at the sky to find any unusual moon. You’re eagerly determined to see the sixth location for yourself, after delaying it for so long. Going through the usual clockwork of putting the suit on and buckling up, you launched and look around your solar system trying to find the Quantum Moon. It’s not at the Hourglass Twins, your planet doesn’t seem to have it either, Brittle Hollow too, and there’s definitely none at Giant’s Deep… only leaving one final destination. Dark Bramble, everybody’s least favorite planet. At least you’re not going inside the hellish seed itself, but the thought of the moon projecting its look and fauna is intimidating. The screen drops down as you aim the scout at the moon, shooting it out and taking a picture of Dark Bramble and its temporary neighbor.

Now’s the time.

Steering your ship and gently launching, you plummet through the moon’s thick atmosphere and land on an ice surface, with surprisingly not that many thorns, mist, or scary anglerfish present. The moon seems to reflect an muted ice planet instead, how strange. You unstrap yourself from the chair, careful to maintain full eye contact with the moon before dropping down. Three things immediately strike you: the floor is really slippery, there’s a Nomai ship, and also a Nomai corpse laying down just adjacent to your ship. Looking around for that shrine, you make a full revolution before facing the corpse again and- did they move? You turn around again, and the suited corpse shifts position, sitting down instead.

“How… what?” The mind races. Was there another quantum rock here? This whole place is quantum that’s for sure, but there doesn’t seem to be a shard nearby. You try to contact with the skeleton, to see if you found another Nomai to make contact. They are moving around everytime you look away, but it doesn’t seem to be affected by your presence.

“Strange… maybe this place isn’t as I expected.” You see a shrine at the corner of your eye, making your way while being mindful of your vision. Entering the shrine, you turn the lights on as three spirals of text appear, making use of your translator for the first time in a while:

[You have recalled the rule of quantum imaging.]

[Recall the rule of quantum entanglement.]

[Recall the rule of the sixth location.]

“Quantum entanglement… ah!” You closed the door and the lights, turning off your flashlight as well before turning it on. The floor changed to an orange, bumpy rubble of rock, and the marker moved: you’re in Ember Twin.

Opening the door reveals a whole new environment to traverse, but the north pole remains blocked this time by a large cliff that perturbs the misty sky. You enter the shrine again, hoping to draw a better roll. "This is going to be a piece of rye. Sixth location, here I come!"

"This is not a piece of rye." After an embarrassingly long while and a few trips to every planet, the quantum shrine finally presents itself at the north pole. Funny enough, your effort pays off at Timber Hearth of all places with the geysers erupting a celebration for you. Entering the shrine then, you flicker the flashlight as the marker hops between every planet several times, before landing on the sixth location. You open the door as the material similar to Epidote and the likes covers the entire place, the sky a muted purple webbed loom with angry lightning threatening to strike beneath its surface. The entire location screams danger: gigantic sharp shards with thorns blocking the way except a single path back to the south pole, the unwelcoming chorus of cold drones and mangled choirs of the previous universe, their symphony corroded by eons of neglect and is nothing more than a fleeting afterthought, and at the end of your journey is a vortex that leads to a void. The Eye of the universe, located appropriately at the center of it all, its beginning, the very place it all flared up into life. You look up, revered and awestruck at it all. Is this what the Nomai were looking for? It’s so close, so mockingly close, you can definitely make the leap…

"Oh my... It's-" A hand touches your shoulder as you jump, aiming the scout reflexively. The Nomai raised her two hands up and shakes her head, meaning no harm. You dropped your scout and took a step back, shocked to your core. It’s a living Nomai, an actual living breathing one! You’re speechless, even moreso than meeting the skeletons. There’s just something more tangible with an alive person, more of a connection. She backs away slightly from you looking at her like a specimen however; perhaps you’ve forgotten you’re still in reality. The Nomai presses the staff on a nearby wall, writing out:

[SOLANUM: I appreciate your enthusiasm in meeting me, and I am enthralled in meeting you as well, but I don’t believe we have met each other.]
[SOLANUM: I am aware that your kind is unlike us, and a language barrier is inevitable. Allow me a moment.]

Solanum rests her staff on another wall as multiple blue symbols inscribes itself, depicting planets, the Quantum Moon, the Nomai, herself and you. There are also two orange symbols of a Nomai, as she points at the two and elaborates.

[SOLANUM: These are the two tenets of Nomai philosophy; to seek out and to understand is our way of living.]
[SOLANUM: The rest should cover the general scope of this star system and our purpose here.]

She then builds two pedestals for you to insert the stones. You however weren’t exactly satisfied with this one-way system, definitely not. You’ve already established a two-way language with the others, surely there has to be a way. But how? Solanum rubs her thumbs together, her foot tapping anxiously on the floor before deleting the previous thread and writing a new one.

[SOLANUM: You seem troubled, is there something not of your understanding? You have my profuse apologies should my requests confuse or offend you.]

You grabbed your Signalscope, putting it down and slowly dismantling it to grab a rod, much to Solanum’s interest. She takes note of the rustic primitive technology as you use the rod to carve out a drawing between the You and Me symbols, one of two arrows pointing to each other and a crude mockup of the Nomai language. You hope to whatever deity that it doesn’t accidentally say something crass.

[SOLANUM: Oh my, that is quite rude! I have my own doubts of your understanding of our language, but such an insult would otherwise be harrowing.]

You just about almost lost it, clenching your helmet and screaming internally. Solanum chuckles lightly, before continuing.

[SOLANUM: Nonetheless, I understand your intentions. However, creating a language is just as complicated as understanding each other’s.]
[SOLANUM: Perhaps a more primitive method of communication shall do, such as a binary system. I’ll allow you to choose the two values of your liking.]

That doesn’t cut it. You keep thinking, wracking your head for a solution. You slant yourself on the wall, finger idly tapping the quantum shard… wait, the quantum shard! This moon is quantum, which mean the pocket universe must be accessible here. You make a fist and punch in air in excitement, with a bewildered and confused Solanum.

[SOLANUM: Excuse me…?]

You compose yourself, trying to think of a way to explain this to her without being discounted as insane. She’s too polite for that, but you still want to seem credible. You etch a drawing of a Nomai (presumably Solanum in this scenario) touching a quantum shard, circling her hand to express said point then closing her eyes. Then, you draw a land full of trees with you and her, inside a cloud which originates from her head. To prove it, you point at the prior drawing before sitting against a wall, dozing off as your head tilts to the side. Solanum is… hesitant, to say the least. To sleep is normal but emphasizing it and the supposed effects made her antsy.

Waking up, you return at the forest campfire with no immediate difference on your surroundings. On the distance however, what was a spec of light where Gabbro and Riebeck usually came doesn’t have the warm orange color of a fire, instead a white light. You make your trek there again, this time sprinting past and making haste. The feeling of being watched is still there, but it’s less intense. The air is thick as you push through, an invisible cloaking pulling you back. Silence pierces. Arriving closer to the light, the environment is completely different: the light comes off from a lantern from the Nomai settlements, and the ground is a mix of the permafrost found in Brittle Hollow and terra rossa in Ember Twin. The trees match more of the crooked, elongated nature of the former. The sky isn't black, bur rather a distorted projection of the very eye that had haunted Solanum all this time. The cumulonimbus cloud shaped as the Eye hums and wavers. Solanum is found looking around the place in wonder, not noticing your presence. She’s suitless, revealing her white scruffled fur, light orange skin and a shorter horn than the statue ones. Her attire seems to be a robe adorning her body alike to pyjamas, and she seems to be wearing no jewelry.

Solanum eventually realizes your arrival, taking a step back as her arctic blue eyes looks at you, tilting her head before asking. “You…” She covers her mouth in surprise, as you smile.

“That’s right.”

She sprints after you, hugging tightly as you’re taken aback at first, before hugging back and giving in. Fur feels weird on you, but after going so long without the touch nor warmth of someone, you can’t help but to lose yourself to the softness. “Thank you…” you said softly.

Solanum eventually lets go of you, feet tapping rapidly in excitement as she makes a high pitched squeal. “This is exciting! I have so many questions to ask! I never expected meeting a kind would cause me to discover something wholly new! We should report our findings to my clan; Bells would find this thrilling to hear!”

Oh. Oh no. No, you can’t be the bearer of bad news. Not anymore. “…well, I’d like it if we don’t rush ourselves. We have all the time in the world.” you said.

"Right, you have my apologies. It’s just- I don’t know where to start, I have so much to ask about this place, about its significance, about you." She smiled, an airy and fluffy tone to her voice as you're struck with a wholeness in your heart. You can't help but to smile.

You giggled a little, trying to wipe off the blush on your face to little success. "Well, I want to ask you some questions, if you'd like. You left quite a story behind. I liked your presentation on Brittle Hollow. It was about the formations of the universe, was it not?"

Solanum gasped and covers her mouth, not expecting her youth to be preserved long enough. "Did Filix showed you that? That must mean she stored and showed all of my works to you! This is so embarrassing-"

"No no no, I only saw that one! I uhh, didn't want to exactly pry on anyone's life despite their- I mean, her enthusiasm." The concept of more than one pronouns is a novel one.

"It was one of my first presentations, one I am not particularly fond of. You may share my distaste to Filix for showing you that instead of my later ones." She crossed her arms and jokingly sulked, a faint grin in her otherwise moody stare to the ground.

"Well, I'd like to hear more about that! You seemed interested about how the universe works."

"My own meandering ramblings are typically reserved for myself, but if you insist and keep this a secret between ourselves..." You nod, leaning closer. "Many of my clan are atheists, as we rely on science and logic. Law, cause and effect is how the universe is, however the universe doesn't understand what law, cause and effect is."

"What do you exactly mean by that?"

"When the universe began, there was no society, no language, no laws explaining a phenomenon, no word 'phenomenon'. It's only a stage which we participate in, and eventually be taken out of. My clan believed that the Eye is special and that it called out to them specifically, but I believed that it could have called out to anyone. Maybe another clan has found it first, or maybe we were the only fortunate ones."

"Wow, you sounded just like Gabbro - incredibly philosophical." you remarked with a tinge of sass, as Solanum bumps your shoulder, her strength noticeably weaker.

"I take full offense on that. Regardless, I'd love to meet your own peers in the future, if that is possible." Another request which plagues your mind. You still haven't brought Poke or Thatch, but the chances of anything fruitful from trying to bring them back are slim.

"I'll try." You hold Solanum's hand, as she froze a little before melting to your touch, rubbing your wrist for a while before you let go. "Sorry, I... uhh..."

"It's okay. Your skin feels particularly unique. Where did you come from?" asked Solanum.

“I came from Timber Hearth. A lot of time has passed since you landed on the Quantum Moon, so our species evolved from beyond the waters.”

Solanum clenches her wrist and taps with her finger idly, thinking. “Perhaps my perception of time is warped. You may think I’m strange, but I have a hypothesis that I may not be entirely alive. This may be a leading factor.”

Seems like no matter your response, it’ll always allude to her kind being long gone. Maybe she had already thought of it, and partially accepted it. You try to sugar coat it at your response. “Few of you have moved on beyond this life, but I don’t want you to despair. Actually, I have a surprise for you.”

You then instruct her to blink, as Melorae appeared besides you, giving a cursory glance at Solanum. “How interesting. Is there truly a living Nomai after all this time?” Melorae questioned, as Solanum looks.

“Who… who are you?” asked Solanum, her stare unbreakable.

“I am Melorae, a Nomai. I believe we have met before, though our generational and planetary borders prevent us from interacting much.” Annona and Bur followed suit, appearing behind Melorae as they watched with silence.

“What happened to you…?” she whispered with revere. It felt uncanny seeing the skeleton of her kind, talking as if they were alive.

“I am so sorry to impart this news on you: our clan is dead. We perished when the Interloper arrived and erupted a substance called ghost matter, immediately killing us without warning. You survived because you were at the Quantum Moon, far away enough from the explosion.” delivered Melorae, as Solanum’s eyes dilated. She remains still, before her knees give up and made her kneel on the floor unceremoniously. There is nothing but a single tear from her third eye. Melorae embraced Solanum with a hug, joined with Annona and Bur, then you.

“…why are we here then?” she asked with a hollow tone, staring off to the abyss. Never has she felt so elated yet devastated at her circumstances, and a part of her wants to lean back to when she was a child on Ember Twin, that the Eye was indeed malevolent. There’s a war between logic and feelings, her own heartbreak imposing when it is merely an unfortunate tragedy.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” you answered. “I thought you’d know, and that’s why I’ve been exploring but… I’ve kinda grown to accepting nothing as the answer.”

“Really? The matter of fact is that despite the devastating revelation, I can only muster up a single tear.”

You recall Bur’s reassurance, trying to diffuse the tension by cracking a soft smile. “Maybe you shouldn’t marinate in it, then. The universe is, and there’s more to explore here.”

“I have seen many children grow up to be wondrous and curious about the world, and you are no different. Though our time here is up, at least we are together.” Annona continued.

Solanum looks up at the ominous clouds, an eye staring back at her. She then looks at Annona, then Melorae, then you, returning the smile. “Thank you. It's tempting to linger here within the warmth and comfort of all of you.”

You take a deep breath, your stomach dropping as you hug her as hard as you could, savouring this moment. So much time has passed, and you know that any second now you’ll be pulled back right to the start. What’s worse though is that in this dream, time feels unmoving. You have no internal clock, no feeling of doomsday impending and the moment could happen at a snap, with you making no preparations. It’s an awkward ending, and you don’t want this to end. You don’t want this to end, you don’t want this to be over. All you want is spend more time with someone you just connected with, someone who- who understands all this like you do.

You’re crying. You’re so happy, and you don’t want this to end. Your thirst for importance still lingers, and you are at the center of attention currently. This feels top rich, too good to let go. You don't want to let go.

“I don’t want this to be over.”

“It’s not going to be over.” Solanum whispered, as you’re stuck in limbo. When the moment comes, you will come back, you have to. But for now, you’re living your life in uncertainty.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

You quickly buzzed Slate off as you race your way to the ship, with no time to lose. There’s a pang in your heart you desperately need to quench. Buckling up, you don’t bother to put on the suit. Any quantum shard would do, and there’s conveniently one at the museum. However, Hornfels would definitely pull you out if you dare to even do anything suspicious with the shard, leaving no choice for you. You launch directly overhead, making a quick landing to the cliffside of the observatory. Grabbing a spare rope, you tie a hook at one end and the other to the ship. The ground greets you as you jump down , quickly hooking up the shard to the hook and pull out your scout.

Hornfels and Hal did notice your arrival, as they heard a crash just behind them. “What was that?!” screamed Hal as Hornfels sprinted towards the quantum exhibit, seeing you fumbling about with your scout launcher.

“Hatchling, what are you doing??” Hornfels said, going after you and tackling while Hal watches in shock. You fight back, pulling your scout to your chest while setting it to photo mode.

“For reasons which I shall not disclose for the time being-“ you growled from the back of your throat, pulling Hornfels’ hands out of your scout, “I need to borrow your shard exhibit for a short period of time-!”

Hornfels swoons in and grabs you by the armpit, making you jolt and try to push them out of the way as they grunted back. “Unfortunately, your request has been denied, unanimously, by me…!”

You managed to grab a picture of the shard (and a furious Hornfels), but they’re still tackling you still and making sure you stay here. “Hal! Do something!” you cried.

“Don’t listen to them! Get Gossan here, pronto!” ordered Hornfels, as Hal turns their head back and forth between you and them. Who’s to side in this case? Who’s right or wrong? What is even happening?

“W-what is going on?! You- what are you trying to do?” said Hal, their brain short circuiting. Their rationale wasn’t working, there is no order in this chaotic conduct they’ve been thrusted in.

“Hal, please!” you pleaded, losing energy to fight back against Hornfels. You don’t want to be robbed of this, to spend any more seconds not being in the presence of someone who understands you. Hal finally takes action, pulling Hornfels back as you jump up towards the ship, keeping the hatch open to pull the rock in.

“Hal, what are you doing?!” Hornfels grunted as they try to squirm out of their grasp, to little avail. You pull the rock in, wasting no time to buckle up and launch out of the planet, aiming to the vastness of space. There’s no doubt that Hornfels will call for reinforcements, and the Quantum Moon would be a hassle to enter, leaving you no choice but to strand yourself. Tugging the thruster’ controls as hard as you can, you break the axis stick causing the thrusters to keep moving forward, as you get out of the chair and sit down next to the rock, panting.

“Stars above… I can’t believe I’m doing this.” you sighed, resting your head on the shard. As the ship steers off into space, you see a glimpse of the Quantum Moon orbiting Dark Bramble, the real Solanum wondering where you're going, not wanting to be lonely. Tiredness cripples your body as you ponder if all of this was worth it. Strange, a sense of clarity washes over you just after insisting on your needs. The bed is already made however, now you’ve got to sleep in it.

In the space between, the trees had become almost nostalgic, the blank sky comforting as you sit om the floor and roast a marshmallow, alone. There’s no distant light this time, no one is alongside you this loop, and you’re certain Solanum won’t be the same. It’s simply impossible. She currently lives on as a memory in your head, one that you can summon at your will but will reflect your memory and be biased to your liking, and the real Solanum is at the Quantum Moon. Besides, the memory of her is at the previous one, though there might be a good chance another you still live with her in that universe, forever telling stories between three generations. That wouldn’t be so bad. You blink, and she along with Annona stand behind the fire, the details around her a little fuzzy and her eyes a muted color. Jeez, your memory’s really that bad, huh?

“I’m glad you remembered me.” Solanum said, and you nod.

You expected Melorae and Bur to join along, but despite your countless blinks, they never arrived. “Where are the others?” you spoke to Annona.

“Melorae and Bur figured to tend to themselves at the current moment.” He responded, pulling out the wooden sculptures belonging to both of them before placing it on the ground. “They sent their welcomes however. Seems like your past memories gave them something to think about."

“Ah,” you feel a little bad for what happened previous loop, and a dreadful realization dawned that all your memories just hits them like a ship crashing on impact every time, but at least Annona’s fine with it. “My bad.”

Solanum eyed the marshmallow hanging over the fire, as you took notice. You offer her the marshmallow can and a stick, which she grabbed and inspected. “What is this curious thing about?”

“It’s a marshmallow stick. You stick one of those white balls atop a campfire and cook it until it’s a golden brown.” Solanum listened and grabbed a mallow before awkwardly sticking it in the tip. She holds the stick like how she would hold a staff, that is to say she’s bound to strain her hand. You help her hold it properly, grabbing her hand and prompting her to let go, fixing the manner of her hold. “There we go. Make sure to pull it out in around thirty seconds, or it’ll be too hot.”

"I consider your kind a strange yet pleasing surprise, and this is no exception. This is a simple yet complex delicacy, reflecting your kind." Annona commented, making you blush lightly at the sudden flattering remark. “Thank you.” Solanum responded to your instructions. Even if she wasn’t real, it sure felt like she was. Maybe this space somehow does connect her? Maybe there’s another entity at play here, something that’s higher than your understanding or whatever Gabbro could spout at you when they’re not snoozing. Either way, you’re definitely not talking to yourself.

“Don’t mention it.” you responded, eating the steaming mallow before asking. “If I may ask, can you tell me more about Bells?”

“Bells is a mentor of mine, along with Filix. She taught me about the Eye and the Quantum Moon and changed my outlook on it. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't garnered an appreciation for the universe.” Solanum responded, slowly rotating the mallow stick as she eyed how it turns steadily browner.

“I always wanted to greet Bells for her due diligence and dedication, but she seems very reserved with her presence. Consider yourself fortunate to have an irreplaceable mentor.” Annona complimented, earning a smile from Solanum.

“I always thought of the same for you, Annona. My generation had considered you a legend, particularly with Thatch crediting you every step of the way.” She chuckled, pulling herself back as she nearly set the mallow on fire.

“I suppose I made Thatch too humble.” He offered to hold the stick along with Solanum, steadying the stick. Annona sits beside her, leaning his head on Solanum’s neck. She tenses a little, the harsh bones cold to the touch and firm to the grip, but she quickly relaxes and enjoys the moment. “We always give credit to our ancestors, and while they are indeed due respects, it’s the current and future generations that should be nurtured.”

“I’m thankful for your efforts. I hope you can rest easy knowing that your part isn’t in vain.” Solanum looks over to you.

“I believe we were talking about Bells, correct?” Annona gave a sly smile as Solanum cracks up in bleating laughter, throwing her body back before regaining composure.

“Oh dear me, you’re right! I’ve almost forgotten.” Solanum clears her throat. “Back when I was a child at Ember Twin, I considered the Eye as malevolent, being the genesis of my clan’s suffering and eventual extinction.” Solanum stared at the white, wondering if the mallow had represented Escall’s clan, looming over death as smoke rolls along with the slow turn.

“However, she told me that it only appears that way because of my fixation on our unfortune, when it also has brought plenty of wonder and discoveries. The Ash Twin project wouldn’t exist, and we wouldn’t be the first to discover time travel.” She rolls the mallow quickly, puffing the smoke everywhere like a ripple effect, before diminishing to the air. “I learned that the Eye doesn’t wish us anything, that it simply is a being.”

You share your condolences, lowering your head as a moment of silence was given. However, the Ash Twin Project intrigues you seeing as it pertains to your situation. “How do I reach the Ash Twin Project?” You took the opportunity to know how to get to it. There’d be no doubt that she knows what it is, but there’s no fun nor challenges in knowing it right away. You seek thrill.

Solanum pulls out her marshmallow, touching it with the tip of her lips as she softly blows it periodically. “Do you know how the teleporters work at Ash Twin?”

“They’re warp platforms.” Annona corrected as Solanum groaned at her pedant, hiding a soft smile.

“Alright, warp platforms. Do you know how they work?” You barely shake your head.

“These platforms work when they’re aligned with their corresponding planets, for example Timber Hearth’s warp platform will only work when the tower is facing Timber Hearth. For Ash Twin, the tower actually works the same way as Ember Twin does, so you simply treat Ember Twin as the same planet.” Solanum answered, as you nod and keep it in mind.

“Thanks.” Giving a thumbs up, you keep a mental note to go to Ash Twin and check out the twin towers. Something crosses your mind however. “Though, if you’re a memory of me, how would you know?” you contemplated, raising your brows and curling your hand on your lips.

“I too know how it works.” Annona deadpanned.

You dropped your hand. “Right.”

Solanum chews on the marshmallow, initially weirded out by how sticky and chewy it is but savouring the sweet and sugary taste of it. “Huh, this is a strange delicacy. It is not something I expect to be a common food, this reminds me of the experimental dishes Ilex would make, much to the chagrin of everyone involved.”

You chortled, holding in your laughter as the absurdity of the situation hits you like a rock. A common delicacy being criticized by a quasi-dead extraterrestrial being. “I’m not sure to take that as a compliment or an insult.”

“Since we’re in a quantum location, it could be both.” Solanum joked, as you cackle out your heart.

“You’re right. I’ll take it as such, then.” you smiled, before diminishing back to an empty gaze to the campfire. There’s still time left, but you’re unsure how much. Worry begins to bite at your skin as you feel the soft, serene nature of the forest shift seasons, from winter to spring. Meanwhile, Solanum looks up to the sky whilst leaning to Annona, pondering about the past.

“…if I may, I wish to return to the topic of honoring our ancestors. More specifically, I want to know more about the ones that brought us here in the first place.” Solanum started.

“Escall’s contributions are limitless, and despite the dulling awareness of their absence, what Escall has done to our clan still ripples through our descendants. Energy can transform to many forms, but never created nor destroyed. Escall gives a plethora of energy to those around them, and it’s a wonder how such a joyous and brilliant leader is manifested.” mourned Annona with a low voice.

“What was Escall like?”

“We were friends ever since we were young, and they were always a near and dear mentor to me. I had always looked up to them as a friend who’s willing to go any length for the sake of our clan and our kind. When they found the Eye, I heard genuine joy in their voice, all their hard work finally paying off. If it weren't for them, it weren't for me.” Annona chokes in his own words, his voice cracking as a little bit of emotions slips through. “I truly hope that they are in peace of themselves, even after so long. My body is conflicted between aching in pain and joy every passing day.”

“I assume Escall was in the Escape Pod that never made it…?” Solanum asks, her arm swinging to rest on his shoulders whilst you watch with intent.

“Correct. It haunts me greatly that I didn’t insist them on joining with me. Our future could have been, and I feel as though I am to blame for their death. Onemof their greatest joys is to spread knowledge among other clans, which is why they are indebted to me. I can only imagine their childlike glee if they were to find the Eye of the universe.” Annona smiles, reminiscing the memories. He could see Escall as the shadows from the trees, giving a warm smile. It hurts more when he thought more about it.

“Don’t feel that way. While it is unfortunate, you play no part in their passing.” Solanum comforted him. “With that, I feel sympathy for the tragedy that I was spared from. I know I wouldn’t be able to breathe without taking in the sorrow should it happen to me. You have my sincerest condolences.”

“If I may…” Solanum swings her stick like a wand, as the smoke from the fire slowly balls into a single glowing star, before slowly floating to the starless sky, being the only star and hope. “Escall will not be forgotten.”

"You gave us a part of yourself, and you made me sure of how to be me."

That hit you. They were real people. Rage wells up within you as you clench up both your fists, controlling your labored breathing. They were real people. First, a clan ostracized and cast away when they did nothing wrong, an innocent leader was mercilessly left to dust, and then when that wasn’t enough, they were snuffed out of life instantaneously without reason. Now, the universe pulls you into its twisted game, all because of a search for something that could be the cause of the malevolence. It’s sick. They were real people, with feelings and their own stories, and it ended so completely and abruptly. There is no happy ending when the closure isn’t even written.

You remember Chert, how broken they were knowing what their effort had amounted to was nothing. Riebeck, how they were afraid when they realized their time is limited and froze entirely. You remember your own suffering, how your chances of living a fulfilled life was robbed. And now, you remember Solanum.

“Friend, are you okay…?” Solanum inquired, seeing your stare that could melt metal. You look up to Solanum as she jolts slightly to the back at your fury.

“They were real people.” Despite your quiet voice, there’s a clear sense of fury embedded into it, as you began melting down onto the two. “They had lives! I- I saw a bed with two skeletons- no, two people who were sleeping and hugging each other! They were a parent and a kid, then bam! Gone, didn’t even know that was the last night they spent together. This is unfair!”

“I understand your anger, and I myself am devastated by our fates, but-“ You cut Solanum off, asking a question.

“Where is it? Where’s the escape pod?” you said with a sharp and stern voice.

“I’m sorry…?”

“Where is it.” Your teeth grits, threatening to crack as your voice growls. You stand up, towering them as Solanum hugs just a little tighter, afraid. A part of you realizes her fear but you still persists, the thrist to be important too overpowering.

“Dark Bramble, if you have any devices that can detect our distress signals, you should be able to find it.” Annona supplied with a slight tinge of worry in his voice. “What are you planning to do?”

“I’m making things right.”

Chapter Text

“There it is! That’s Feldspar!” Someone pointed at the sky as a small ship is visible, landing off to the launch platform up at the sky. Everyone looks up and watches as the ship went by pretty fast, docking with a harsh and loud thud that shocked a few of the younger hatchlings, you included.

"Ow, that’s the landing pad done for.” Slate hissed and commented to Gossan, before taking a closer look and nearly losing it, clenching their head. “Wait, the ship- the dents look like a crushed mallow can! What in Hearth has that crooked astronaut been doing, I’m gonna-“

“Relax Slate, it’s okay. We’ll get our pay back when fixing the ship. I’m thinking the chair has sand rash embedded on them.” Gossan pats Slate on the back while smirking at their devilish suggestion, while Gneiss gave both of them the stink eye prompting them to shut up.

The ship’s hatch hisses open as everyone watches with bated breath, a silhouette appearing before making it out to the light… and coughing repeatedly, wheezing out their first words. “I’m telling you, this ‘dramatic entrance’ is not worth me getting lung problems.”

They all fell into silence before cheering for Feldspar, as they raise their arms up lazily to the sides, going down the elevator and being met with the entire village. “Okay, okay, everyone calm down.” The crowd falls into silence, some anticipating the gnarly tales to come as the traveler sits down. You were one of the more attentive ones, and you quickly realized something is up. Usually, Feldspar would impress them with roasting a few marshmallows and sugarcoating the whole thing, but they seemed disgruntled, only picking up an empty stick and faking an occasional smirk.

The orchestra is about to play their first piece when Feldspar raises their finger and tells them to wait. “Can you play whatever it is you play after the stories? I’m gonna have all this wrapped up fast because I need to have a word with Hornfels after this.” They cleared their throat and addresses the viewers, shifting from a stifled body movement to the more relaxed, eccentric one everyone’s used to. “Alright, sorry for the contingencies as the ol burnt fish-mallow would call it, but I got a good one for you all tonight to make it up.”

As the ship approaches Dark Bramble, you try to swallow your fear. Fear is like that constant nagging gag that builds up in your throat and begs you to throw up, and no matter how much you swallow it, it’s almost impossible. However, despite the trepidation there is a drive inside you, urging you to keep going like how Riebeck would face their fears in pursuit of knowledge. You’re here, facing your fears in pursuit of requiem.

“It’s nothing bad, you have all the time in the universe.” You whispered to yourself, taking a deep breath and gently tugging at the controls, thrusting the ship slowly as Dark Bramble’s fog overtakes you, leaving you with the posing thorns and misguiding lights. You pull out the Signalscope, ready to change the frequency to Distress Signal when another sound attracts you. Feldspar’s harmonica, long forgotten by you way early at the start of your adventure.

Hearing it again freezes your body as you steer the ship to face the source of the signal, going to one of the lights. You’re unsure, the mind ticking from the distress beacon to the harmonica like a metronome, flicking between the two urges in your head. It almost feels like Annona is at the back of your head, silently watching you, though not protesting any of your actions. Your eyes dart between the Signalscope and the light, as you’re approached with a choice.

Feldspar, or Escall?

“Making my way through Brittle Hollow’s crusty surface, I look to see if there’s any structures that particularly impressed me. The darned black hole gave me no breaks from sucking me down, so I had to find one snappy like before my rocket runs out of fuel.” Feldspar shoves their stick into the fire, drawing a little ball of fire on the tip. You imagined the story vividly, seeing them dipping down just barely from being swallowed by the ever-ravenous black hole. Feldspar held their thrusters tightly, frantically going around the place in search of something.

“That’s when I found this giant hanging city, as big as our village just held on the ceiling! That was a jackpot I found, so I knew I had to scrape some of the relics there for the museum.” They saw the hanging city at the distance, flying their way and landing the ship on the double bridge before going out and exploring. You look to the side and see Riebeck jumping up and down in glee, surely ecstatic about there being a whole new civilization on the solar system.

“Now I’m sure some of you are real itching to see this city, so I took a few pictures and sent them to Hornfels for printing. I also tore off one of the walls of Nomai writing for the nerds who are interested in them, though that’ll take a while to be installed. Blame Hornfels for that one.” Now that caught your interest, as well as Hal’s. While most are in it for the cool stunts and relics brought to them, you’re more interested in xenosociology, and the Nomai certainly is your biggest interest.

However, the exploration part, especially on certain planets you can’t seem to put a finger on, is less of an interest. Your body shivers with awe every time you bear witness to the Hanging City or the Sunless City, but your body also shivers with fear every time you bear witness to Giant’s Deep’s deepest of depths and Dark Bramble’s… dark bramble. In this case, you caved in and followed the sound of the harmonica, drifting aloft to the light with the reassurance that the signal isn’t coming from the anglerfish. That’d be freaky, and fortunately not the case as a seed reveals through the fog, sending relief.

Entering the node is a different story, the signal splitting to three different branches scattered throughout the nightmare. Even though this part of the bramble doesn’t actually have any anglerfish, the paranoia plays tricks in your head, feeling as if their breath washes down your neck, straightening your spine out of fear. Your eyes dart between the three lights, unsure where to go.

“I went and cut off the wall - not an easy thing to do – and put it safe and sound in my ship. I’m sure whoever built it doesn’t mind, but the planet’s little lunar friendly certainly does. When I drive out of the planet, bam!” Feldspar bashes their stick to the fire, startling some as the woods sizzle and threaten to pop in front of them. “A meteor shoots right on me and sent my ship spinning wildly in space! I knew I had to do something pronto before the conditions got worse so I had to try and keep the wild hog under control.”

The crowd leans to the edge of their seat anticipating Feldspar’s next move, wondering how they will pull off something deathly insane to save themselves. Judging by the absolute wreck that is their ship on the landing pad, at least it does have a happy ending.

Slate is still rubbing their forehead in disappointment, wanting to tune out of the mechanically horrific story. “I don’t think Feldspar avoided a single hazard… ever.”

“Doesn’t surprise me, Feldspar didn’t spend a single day in training. They had a knack for piloting and they’re a hard egg, but ask them to name a safety precaution and they’ll come up blank.” Gossan whispered to Slate with you eavesdropping. The great Feldspar, never once in training?

Again you swallowed your fear, distracting yourself by random tangents in your head. You push towards another node, with just a single light this time and something sparking in the air? It seemed like a blue spark of electricity as you thrusted forward, inspecting the curious anomaly. That’s when a giant anglerfish shows itself, startling you and instinctively turning the ship away before registering that it’s a skeleton. A brief thought flashes your mind that a quantum conscience of the anglerfish could be a thing, which made you cringe. The anomaly only gets stranger however, as there’s trees growing inside the angler’s maw.

“What is- wait, is that- is that Feldspar?” Your jaw drops as you see the daredevil in the flesh (or rather the suit), playing their harmonica as if it was just yesterday they took off for their last launch. Their suit is a little busted, a clear sign of age tolling on it as they look at your ship, tilting their head in confusion. A part of you is absolutely ecstatic to meet them, but also incredibly confused. “That’s Feldspar! I- how??”

You need to see if it’s true. Getting out of your ship, you sprint over to see Feldspar, and sure enough their crusty voice comes back to you like a lost memory. “Whoa! Where’d you come from? No one’s come here in… well, ever, actually. That makes you the second Hearthian to ever reach Dark Bramble — after me, of course. Well done!”

“You- you’re alive! You’re actually alive!” Your voice cracks as whatever’s happening here is incomprehensible. You might as well believe every myth you’ve been told to, after seeing a long gone figure supposedly still living.

“...You never were the brightest hatchling, were you. Yeah, that’s right, I’m alive. Been camping out here since my ship, uh, y’know. Crashed. Violently.”

You turn to see the spark of electricity and connected the two and two together, letting a low whistle. “I can see that. Why are you staying here though?”

“Honestly hatchling, it’s tiring to the best Timber Hearth’s got. I figured to give myself a little of a well-deserved break, right? Even that burnt mallow Hornfels takes a week off from the museum! They’ll definitely ask me a lot of questions if I said I’d take a break though, so. Yeah.” Feldspar supplied, as you stutter a hundred questions is bewilderment.

“You- so that’s why you’ve been gone this whole time? You just wanted to take a break?! The whole village misses you, worried sick of you, and you don’t even want to tell anyone?? You went ahead and deserted them!” You threw a fit to Feldspar as they raised both their hands up and down, trying to calm you down.

“Woah woah woah! Easy there, hatchling, otherwise you’d rival them in being the loudest Hearthian ever! Look, if I told even one person that I trust the most, eventually they’d break and spill the sap! I’ve only been gone for what, a week? Maybe two, give or take?” justified Feldspar.

“88 days. You’ve been gone for eighty-eight days. Do you not care for anyone over there?” you deadpanned, with Feldspar’s eyes widening and them nodding slowly. A part of you thirsts to tell Hornfels tgat they are alive, at least for just one loop. It won't matter, but at least it'll give a glimmer of magical hope and solace to the village knowing their hero is still there, even if they won't be for long. In another loop, it'll all be reset anyway, so Feldspar's wishes is still granted.

“…so I may have been gone for quite some time.”

“And that’s how I stick the landing, allowing myself to sit here and tell the tale. Alright, wrap it up fast everyone, those mallows won’t roast ‘emselves.” Feldspar stands up and rushes out of the area, bugging Hornfels to follow them to the observatory. Some of the hatchlings pleaded to see Feldspar privately but never got the chance, but you snuck around in the darkness and the cold, wanting to understand the sudden shift in their demeanor.

“What’s the rush for? Usually, you’d take half hours in these kinds of stories. Something wromg?” Hornfels inquired as Feldspar sighed tiredly, rubbing their forehead. You snuck closer to hear them better, but your gills almost betray you by sneezing. Winter had just begun, but your gills are itchy from the cold, and you felt the desire to sneeze, but stifling it instead to not give away your location. The sun is already threatening to rise, but the area is still darkly lit.

“Listen. I know that you worked really hard on organizing this and putting this whole ceremony together and I really appreciate your efforts. But, I don’t want this to be a thing anymore.” Hornfels looked shocked as Feldspar sighs, trying to explain the dilemma without being offensive. “It’s just, there’s no fun in all of Timber Hearth on my back, no fun in me being pressed like a pancake to tell these stories. I like to tell them, I like the thrill and excitement of it, but I don’t like it being the only thing I’m known for.”

There’s a clear sadness in Hornfels’ voice but they quickly accepted it. “So, no more of this?”

“No more. I’m not stomping the fire here, last thing I want is for Gossan to have no pupils to berate. If they wanted more, then they can come to me.”

“Alright.” They nodded, walking back to the gathering as you sneezed, your position given away as Feldspar looks at you.

"So hatchling, what'cha been up to? Surely there's gotta be some real exciting stuff during my extended getaway, right?" Feldspar pats the log they're sitting on, inviting you to join them. "Come, sit down with me, grab yourself some mallow! Actually hey, mind if you come by every once in a while and lend me some supplies? I'm running low on my tank and y'know, would like to not die of starvation. That'd be lame."

"Oh uh, yeah, totally. There's a lot that I know of about the Nomai, but I don't really think you're that interested in them." You sit down, looking around absentmindedly, eyes darting on a random bone belonging to the giantfish or a leave on a tree. The anger inside you does slowly burn off, though thwre's a sense of disbelief. almost betrayal to all of this.

"You're right, but that doesn't mean I won't appreciate them! I do like myself some tales, no matter where or what." They gave a light slap on your back, chuckling lightly. "Come on, tell me a story kid! Surely getting here isn't as easy as flying in a straight line, right?"

"Well, it's a really long story that got me here, but here goes... you know those quantum shards, right? Those purple rocks that move around when you don't look at them."

"Ah, I've dealt with those blasted things before. Let me tell you, they like to sneak up on ya and try to deck you in the face, like wham!" Feldspar spreads their hand in front of your face, startling you a little.

"Yeah, they like to do that. I'm starting to think it's intentional, but anyway they have an interesting property. With the rule of quantum consciousness, they entangle living beings in proximity of the shards throughout time. All of this to say they bring back three dead Nomai."

"What?! That's ridiculous!" Feldspar's reaction is of disbelief, while being awestruck at the same time. It felt good to bring something new to the table with the first pilot themselves.

"Yeah, but it gets wilder. I talked to them and all, then they taught me how to land at the Quantum Moon." You supplied with joy and pride to your name, being the first ever Hearthian to land on the phantom moon. "That's right, and all of this in my first ever launch."

"Whoa-a! First launch and you already making history? I almost don't believe you, but you did come here anyway. Guess you wanna see me in the flesh just to rub it in, huh?" Feldspar teased, as you profusely denied it. You can tell Feldspar was enjoying it even if it means dethroning them in a sense (Not really, since no one will remember it afterwards and Feldspar's one of the founders of the program.)

"Oh no no! I just... well, I just..." Everything went silent for a moment.

“…hatchling? You okay there? Come on, pull out a marshmallow and take in this victory of yours! Dark Bramble does make people sick to their stomach just by glancing at it, but you didn't come here for that, did you?” Feldspar asked you as you sat down next to them, ears drooping.

“When I was a hatchling, I always looked up to your story. You always fumble around and find out, and everybody wanted to be like you. I was hopeful, then…” you bit your lips, unsure on how to finish the sentence. “…guess I just lost it.”

“A lot of people do think that what’s on my mind is just ‘LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO PUT YER SEATBELTS ON’—” Feldspar coughs profusely as you chuckled lightly. “But honestly, it’s the opposite. It's hard to live up to expectations, especially when you're being compared to the one that started the space program in the first place. But as long as you try your hardest, and accept that it won't be perfect, everything's going to be okay.”

You looked at Feldspar, surprised by the connection. “Really?"

"Yeah! I am the Feldspar, but I'm not the Slate. I got my own kinks, and so do you."

"You… it seemed like you got what you wanted. You explored the solar system, conquered every danger, and without a single day of training.”

“I don’t see no training as a thing to be proud of. It just means I fluked things, hard. I have no idea what I’m doing, I only know one thing. We’re explorers.” Feldspar looks back, taking off their helmet and showing their face, their eyes baggy and skin wrinkled. “I have one purpose before getting to this forsaken hellhole, and that is to explore. What’s yours?”

You shrugged, thinking about it for a while. “Um… honestly, I’ve got none.”

“That’s why I’m still here, hatchling.”

You furrowed your eyes, wanting to point a finger at them. “I’m not a hatchling, Feldspar.” You put so many work in what you've done, and it still makes you belittled hearing you referred as a hatchling.

Feldspar sticks one last mallow to the fire, only saying one line: “Prove it, then.”

The sun's boom reverberates through your chest, sinking is your heart as Feldspar comments on it. "Woah kid, did you feel that? Felt like the place rumbled for a second there, did something on the Hearth explode?"

"Something did explode." you mumbled out, clenching your fists and preparing for it. The heat grows as the sounds of raging plasma gets closer.

"Wait, what's happening out there? Sounds like a big explosion, and it doesn't sound like a Slate kinda explosion." Feldspar is increasingly worried at the strange nature of the sound as well as your careless reaction.

You only mutter out Feldspar's death sentence with nonchalance. "It's the sun."

"What?!" Before they could even stand up, the explosion bursts through the ends as Feldspar tries to run away, while you sit still and close your eyes. You can hear one last scream over sounds of devastation.

“Hatchling, what are you doing here?” Feldspar scolded with one foot rapping on the ground, as you responded naively.

“I just wanted to see you! I think you’re cool.” you supplied with a toothy grin, eager to meet the legend themselves even if they're not at the most fitting mood currently.

"Uh... thank you. One step at a time, hatchling, and you'll be as cool as me someday." Feldspar responded flatly, slightly awkward at these kinds of scenarios. While they adore busking in all the collective praise by the village, getting a direct compliment face to face, with an actual hatchling too no less, doesn't really suit them much.

"Are the stories true?"

"Of course, tales from the stars themselves! What, you don't believe me? Maybe I can take you on a ride along, see it for yourself."

"Really? That would be so-o cool!" You jump up and down, thrilled at Feldspar's proposition.

"Uhm... sorry kid, I didn't actually mean it. Not only would everyone yell at me for such a dangerous thing, but I don't entirely trust you in Stargrazer." responded Feldspar, tugging the collar of their ragged shirt.

"Aww, but I really wanna hear more of you! Everyone's talking about you, but I want to know something they don't!"

"Hatchy, you're forgetting the fact that I'm right here." Feldspar is aware that their body is protesting every second not resting, but they managed to spin an unfavorable situation into fulfilling a little kid's dream. "Got not much time left however, so shoot me quick questions, and I'll shoot quick answers."

"Ooh... Did you really have no training at all?"

"Hey, who told you that?" They raised their voice, "Did Gossan say that? I'm gonna bend their spine like a matchstick." With a clenched fist and grinding teeth, Feldspar marches their way to the zero-g cave. In reality, they didn't really care that much, but they wanted an excuse to return home. You stop them however, your pupils dilating, silently pleading Feldspar to continue.

It took them a while to break, staring at you and trying to break away, but eventually caved in with a scowled groan. "Eugh, yeah, I had no training." They tried to save their face, and replaced their tired displeased demeanor into a terrifying bravado, intent to give you a little scare. "Makes me look way cooler, huh? All those gnarly tales of me, by my own natural talent. Nearly got my neck snapped in half by falling rigging, otherwise-!"

Feldspar reached to pretend snapping your neck, making you squeak in terror a little. They chuckled lowly, smug at themselves. Young Feldspar always love to terrorize.

"Augh... That's so cool!" you beamed despite the dark nature, "can I be like you?"

"Tons of hatchlings like you said that same question, and the answer is no. Sorry bud, this is a once in a generation kinds of stuff. Besides, wouldn't want a nice and innocent fish like you to be hurt. Timber Hearth needs more people like you." Feldspar pats your head.

“I do look up to you, you know?" You said with a bumble-y tone, "Someday I want to be an astronaut like you! I even got a flawless plan to be one!”

"Oh, really now?" They laughed a little, but interesting in hearing what little you wants to accomplish to be a pilot. "What's the plan?"

"It's easy! First, I learn how to read the Nomai language, then I learn how to fly a ship, then I'll find something amazing! Gravel's name with have their name written in timber!" You beamed happily, taking pride in your flawless plan.

"Heh, sounds real easy when you put it that way." Feldspar smirked, snarking back at you. “You need to ask Gossan for the second step though, they ain’t letting small beans like you fly a hundred ton death machine that easily. Do me a favor, though.” They curled their finger, inviting you to get closer.

You tilted your head in question, walking closer to Feldspar as they whispered you an advice. “See yourself not as an astronaut, but as an explorer. Bug Gossan to see the planets with your own eyes until they have nightmares about your face. If you can do those eyes at me, you can do it at them too."

"We’ll meet again soon.”

Chapter Text

Wake up.

All along, Feldspar was alive. You wanted to tell Slate so badly, seeing as they’re next to you. You can say it within earshot, not even having to move a single muscle, and letting them do the rest of the word, but something prevents you. Your voice falters to make a noise, and the air simply feels wrong.

“Uh, buddy? You good there?” Slate notices you cock your head at random directions and mumbling to yourself. You’re embarrassed, being pulled back to reality and realizing how your daydreams look to an outsider.

“Uh, yeah, sorry.” Holding your breath, you look at the elevator as if fighting the urge to be sucked in to another journey. You did a lot for a long while, and a break just seemed right. You want to meet your friends again, your coach, Hal sweet Hal, getting yourself comfortable for just one loop. Maybe an off-hand comment about Feldspar would be enough. For once, the thought of being stuck in the past with your friends seemed tantalizing, and Timber Hearth is known for its beautiful scenery and nice, warm air.

“Well, if you say you’re well then, no reason not to doubt you. Just, don’t crash the ship within the first minute, okay? Worked hard on it!”

“Well, it’d be a lot easier if the ship doesn’t use those thruster sticks or whatever you call it.” You mimicked tugging those blasted sticks, fiddling with the air and emphasizing the jankiness of such controls.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Slate placed their hands on their hips, genuinely offended. “Throughout my 28 years of service since the beginning of Outer Wilds Ventures, I have learned many valuable experiences. Mainly, how to minimize crashes caused by technical failure.”

“…do you think that has been successful?”

“The recent crashes are typically by incompetence, so I’d say I did a good job!” Slate gave a thumbs up, smiling with pride. At least they’re not ignorant.

“…twenty-eight years, huh?” You ponder about it for a while, before a funny feeling presses on your chest. You quickly brush it off, listening to Slate.

“Yeah. I still got the spirit though, no one else’s going to be over enthused by air-pressurized over combustion! Well, depending on if the combustion is intentional or not.” They reasoned, beaming with delight found in a young adult.

You found an interest in Slate’s own trove of knowledge, despite not knowing much about engineering. “…wait, what do you mean by air-pressurized combustion?”

“Uh, it’s what makes your ship move in the first place? Your ship doesn't use pure methane. Otherwise, you’d need a whole lot of biofuels to even move the ship a meter. Don’t think we got that many, even with Porphy’s expired wine.”

“Really, how does wind turn to fire?” The look of puzzled confusion is amusing to Slate as they chuckled a little, pointing their stick to you.

“You know what, maybe you’re better off not knowing so that I can have a little laugh every time.” You pout, as they kept giggling before calming themselves down. “Okay okay, sorry. Actually, I once talked to Chert about it, since they also have an interest on engineering. You can chat with them if you wanna know more. They’re sharp with their intuition, maybe they can replace me when I croak.”

“Don’t you wonder about what it’s like spending your entire life on one thing?”

“Whoa, existential much? Honestly, I don’t really think much of it, I just wake up and do whatever it is I do.” The funny feeling shows up again, something about the inevitability of it that sends a spiral of panic, making you sweat as your throat clenches, unable to swallow the razor-sharp feeling.

“Hey, what’s wrong kid? Got the case of post-nap heebie jeebies? Usually a little trek ‘round the village solves that ailment.”

“Slate… I don’t feel so well…” Your eyes vapor as you gagged in fear. Your vision is blurry and you can’t recount the following events.

“Medically unfit for piloting.” Slate said flatly to Gossan, cuffing your hands with an article of clothing as you’re finally aware of your surroundings. You take deep, calm breaths. It’s still lingering off your mind, but it has subsided a little.

“Really? They haven’t had a panic attack during training, ever. Maybe it’s a nocebo effect sort of thing?” Gossan inquired, curious as to how you foiled yourself after getting so far.

“Well, they are concerning me, so maybe we should give them a little break. Clearly, they’re not ready for space yet.” Slate patted your shoulders before uncuffing you, as you stare idly before reconnecting back to your brain. Seeing as your moment locked you out of going to space, you may as well stay and do as much as you can.

“Um, if you’d excuse me, I would like to go too. I wanna meet Hal if that’s not much of a problem.” Gossan demands you to halt it however, throwing a wrench to your plan. You recount how much time has passes, having 15 minutes remaining.

“Hey pilot, mind if we talk for a moment real quick?” said Gossan. You nod and look at them intently. “I just want to know if there’s something on your mind. Thought you’d be excited and ready and all for space, I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Oh no, I am! It’s just… if I’m being honest, it kinda scares me a little. A lot, actually.” You wrung your hand, confessing to Gossan. They laughed, an unexpected response coming out of them.

“No shame in that! Everybody should be a little scared of space, even Gabbro was a little reclusive on their first launch.” explained Gossan. “You should take Riebeck as an inspiration, maybe get to meet them and talk about how they feel about space.”

“Really? You’re not mad or anything?”

“Why would I? I know you’re going up there eventually, so your training won’t be a waste. If you’d like a refresher though, I got a satellite - not a broken piece of equipment - down at the zero-g cave.” Gossan points at the elevator, sending a jolt of memory to the entire training you had to endure, the entire 22 months condensed to a funny feeling. It’s one you cherish and loathe, one that brings the bone cracking work followed by joy. You made friends with the other travelers there, getting to know each other as time passes by. You were always a late bloomer then, as the others gradually passes the test and leaves the cave, soon leaving just you and Gossan. You’d almost given up by then, wanting to just quit and let the others have their fun, but Gossan insisted that they still wanted to see you pass.

“No, thanks. I got it under control.” You gave a thumbs up, sticking your tongue out to tease them. Most aren’t this comfortable with having a casual relationship with their mentors, but you’re a different story. It doesn’t help you have feelings for them too, despite being more interested in Hal…

“Hah, think so? Think you can do as good as your coach here?” Gossan playfully punches your shoulder, cackling with pride.

“Maybe not, but I’ll at least have all four of my eyes!” you quipped. Little did they know you’ve lost your eyes plentiful of times, usually shortly before death. The rare times where you lost an eye is a time not worth recalling.

Gossan opens their mouth in exaggerated offense, pointing back at you. “Well, you better not come crawling to me when you create a new crater!”

“In your dreams, coach!” Before you could bid farewell however, Gossan held your arm almost by instinct, and they seized, almost like they didn't mean to hold you. The coach's expression reads blank, as you ask. "Uh, is everything all good?"

They shook their head and got themselves together, letting go of you. "Yeah, everything's good. I know you're chasing time and all, it's just..."

"...just what?"

With a deep breath, Gossan exhaled and confessed. No more hiding it. "You're my last student. I'll be retiring as a flight coach soon."

"Hey hey, what's the cause here? I thought you'd be psyched that Tephra wanted to apply for an astronaut!" You try to reassure them out of the sudden decision, but this was no choice made out of the blue. There was thought put into it.

"Yeah, maybe back then, but... I'm not sure if you noticed already, but I'm old." Gossan laughed. "It felt fitting. I found myself a new love, who shall remain nameless-"

"Porphy." You interrupted with a smirk.

"I said nameless. Though, is it really that obvious?" They asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah." You lied, though in this case, it is better than spending the rest of the loop with Gossan asking you tons of questions to cope with half the entire village knowing about the relationship.

"Anyway, and with you being the latest, and also longest pilot to be trained, a whole twenty eight months compared to your peers' usual twelve, it only made sense to end it there."

"Aw, but- you're a great teacher! And I'm no Feldspar." You sounded disappointed, with the slightest twinge of sadness. It did not have to end this way.

"To counter your argument, Feldspar had no training. You however... we got to know more about each other at the caves. I believe I said enough already."

"Maybe... I'm gonna miss you though."

"Hey, at least we got to have fun. If you can do me a favour, talk to the ones you have right now. They're the most valuable, you never know when you might lose them. You might lose them now." Gossan adviced, clearly reminiscing about Esker, and the glory days.

That hurt, but you can only put up a faint smile as you fight the urge to break into tears. "I will, I- thank you."

Gossan chuckled and gave you firm pats on the shoulder. "Now go on, chase the stars. I'll be here."

"...thank you. Farewell." Parting ways, you sprint to the observatory, counting up your remaining time. 10 minutes left on the clock. There are many things in your bucket list, and you do have all the time in the world, but it’d be preferable if they get to remember it. Such a shame they won’t.

Hornfels and Hal are observing the Nomai statue, curious about its eyes opened. The trip down memory lane only gnaws further at you, as Hal greets you with a short-lived hug. "Hey, I was just about to come find you! Look look look, you’ve gotta see this - the Nomai statue’s eyes are open!”

“Wha-a-a-at, that’s crazy!” Your eyes dart between Hal and the statue, giving a wide smile and extravagant body language before finishing it off with a strained chuckle. “Any reason why that happened?”

“Not sure, I’ve been trying to think of ways that this could happen but they’re unlikely! Why would the statue open its eyes? This is so exciting, we’re already on a lead!” Hornfels questioned the motif of the anomaly, scrounging around the three-eyed monument.

“Hey hey, tell you what, why don’t you visit Giant’s Deep and talk to Gabbro about the statue? Maybe they know something more about it, maybe we can figure something out! You can use the translation tool if there’s any Nomai text explaining it! Ahh, the possibilities, it’s making me-!” Hal flaps their hands trying to fan their head, on the verge of just tearing up and passing out.

“Whoa whoa hey, I don’t want you to collapse on my launch day! It’s okay, I’ll visit Gabbro and see if I can know more about it. Meanwhile, you sit here and earn yourself a nice break, okay?” You fix Hal’s bandana, loosening the tie a little. Hal always has a tendency to tie their bandana too tight, making them more prone to headaches.

“Thank you…” They blushed a little, a deep purple hue burning on their cheeks followed by yours. Hornfels crossed their arms and snickered at your moment.

“My, you two really are a match made in the stars.” You shake your head in surprise as Hornfels giggled. “No no, don’t mind me. I’m just being the old Hearthian I am. Though I’m surprised you didn’t apply for the program too.” They questioned Hal, still deep in embarrassment.

“Um…” Their voice was barely above a whisper as they cleared their throat. “I didn’t really have that much interest in the actual space exploration part, I’m in it for the philology!” Hal beamed, proudly puffing their chest.

“That’s a shame, you two could’ve been the first official space duo, barring Gabbro and Chert’s increasingly apparent connections.” The compliment almost sends your heart to a melted mess, trying to pull yourself back together and one-upping Hornfels.

“I think that’d comprise of me doing the exploring and Hal stuck inside reading the ship logs.” You snarked, followed by rippling laughter all across.

“Alright, I’m going to check the weather conditions for your launch, then give you the codes! Don’t sweat it, pilot.” Hornfels cheered, going up to the top floor of the observatory and leaving you two alone.

“See you, Horns!” Hal waved goodbye, before looking back to you as the sky is already dark. “Hey, it’s been a while since we hung out, right? We worked on the translator for ages but we never really had a moment with just ourselves.”

“Yeah…” It took both of you no thoughts as you held each other’s hand, going out the museum and seeing the stars and planets dancing around the cold brewing wind, the warm buzzing streetlights complimenting the cold glacier of sprinkled droplets, some exploding and some shining brightly. You two sit down at the cliffside, legs dangling on the air as the sky is framed just for you two.

“It’s so beautiful… just like how I remembered it last time we’re here.” Their eyes are lit, a soft smile etching their face as bliss overtakes Hal.

“…shame it’ll be the last time we get to see this together.” you responded remorsefully.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Hal hummed, as you cannot bear to tell them. There’s only 10 minutes left, and you’d rather not spend it by cornering your dearest friend to a hopeless, hapless promise of inevitable death.

“Hal…” you choked on their name, “I met Feldspar. It’s a long story, but you need to trust me on this. It involves the statues and the Nomai, and it’ll all make sense if you believe me.”

“…okay. Tell me.”

“I’m in a time loop. In my first timeline, the statue opened its eyes and looked at me, but you didn’t believe it.” The words became harder and harder to say. “The statues are part of a giant Nomai contraption where they… they had a sun station that will intentionally trigger a supernova.” You’re slowly breaking down. “They… they are activated to pull people back in- stars, just let me speak, back in time so that the supernova is stopped, but our sun- our sun is dying naturally.”

Hal didn’t get a chance to respond as you’re sobbing, covering your face. The funny feeling that the songs you’ve heard, the hugs you gave and been given, every breath, every pleasure of life someday wretched away from you as you’re left facing the unknown. What happens after you die? What happens to your consciousness? Surely it cannot simply disappear, it has to go somewhere! It has to, and that’s what terrifies you! All the memories of your previous deaths haunt you, death haunts you, you've tasted it so many times before to the point where it's an old friend, yet you're still new. This is not a game where you respawn, this is reality, as true as it can be, there is nothing else beyond this. You only have one shot at this, and any time wasted cannot be brought back. Those previous versions, their fates unknown, only their memories prevailed. Is this what the Nomai felt?

“I just… (Sniff…) I don’t… I don’t want to die…” Your voice breaks entirely, only wheezing and letting out mangled whines whilst Hal rubs your back. There’s only 7 minutes left, and the quantum stone is close to you. Maybe bringing Hal would be a nice last resort to find comfort. Would Solanum know about the statues?

“Hey, it’s all okay! I… if what you say is really true, at least you’re open with it to me, in this world. It might not mean a lot to you but it means a lot to me.” Hal plants a soft kiss on your cheek, sending a wave of bliss to you after being touch-starved for so long.

“Please… I need you to follow me somewhere. There’s something I need to show you…” You tried to get up, but your eyes are too watery for you to be able to see. One simple misstep, and you stepped off the cliff on accident and fell, rapidly approaching death as Hal tried to catch you but failed.

“GRAVEL!” Hal cried out, seeing you reach your hand for them to grab you.

But you’ve already fallen to your own untimely demise. It's nice hearing your name for the first time in a while though. Maybe it was all worth it.

Chapter Text

“I found modern Nomai transmissions saying the universe is dying.”

Eighteen loops. It has been eighteen loops since, and a lot has been discovered. You’ve found the Ash Twin Project with your own four eyes, after being teased for so long with the projection stone and its importance thrown around like hot coal throughout the planets. Going there spiraled off to seeing the Sun Station, reaffirming that the sun is dying naturally. Seeing such a life-changing statement coldly displayed on a Nomai computer, with your predicament leaving no chance for any sort of preparation, not like any would be enough. Now you’ve just finished exploring the Vessel, revising the death of your sun to something more horrible: the entire universe is. Chert doesn’t take it so kindly to themselves despite your countless efforts of reassuring them. Sometimes, mistakes simply come to you like clockwork: you’ll have a flawless couple of loops followed by a blunder, and it repeats.

“Hey hey look, if it means anything, we’re in a time loop.” You pat Chert on their shoulders as they held back from a shaky breath, restraining themselves in breaking down rather unprofessionally in front of a rookie.

“Ah, that’s a lovely thought. Is that how you’re coping with this? Does it help?” spoke Chert with a nasally raspy tone, thumb shaking on their drums making a rapid but faint roll, as their body trembles.

“I’d say it does. I’d say there’s no purpose staying here and just soaking it in. Gabbro misses you, right?” Your voice is low and hushed and sympathetic, your body language calm and opposing Chert’s.

“…yeah. I’ll go visit them, I just need a few more time. How many minutes do I have?” asked Chert, looking to you and comfortable with shedding a tear.

“20 minutes, make it count.” You gave Chert one last hug before going into your ship, sighing and biting your lips. “Should’ve known that’d go horribly.” Putting your head on the landing camera, you take a while to redo your conscience.

“Well, that’s Chert for this loop… I think Riebeck would react ten times worse if I told them that, and Gabbro probably doesn’t care… hrrgh, why am I doing this…? It didn’t work with Hal, and it certainly wouldn’t now…” You lightly bash your head on the screen, racking up another plan in your head. Even with Hal uttering your name, it still feels like a net loss on your part. Doesn’t help it was more of a cry too. “Maybe I should check out the Southern Observatory.”

Revving the ship, you begin travel on Brittle Hollow eager to make progress. There are still other big mysteries lying around, such as the Probe Tracking Module which you find has a relation with the observatory (You wanted to use your ship log but it’s basically a cluttered mess thanks to early you mucking about.) If anything, you’re horrible at everything long-term; always being in the moment and in result, being narrow minded. It’s a character flaw, not one you’re necessarily proud of. But, at least you got a plan in your head now, finding out one mystery at a time. You’re laser focused, surely nothing can distract you right? That is true until the area around you suddenly turns dark as your ship enters a cloak, revealing a large mothership with one giant metal wheel frame spinning slowly, supported with beams connected to the shuttle. The sun shows the creation in its oppressive glory, as you make a choked whine.

“W-what…” Your grip on the controls loosen as you dare not move anymore forward, freezing completely. You reached over to the Signalscope, trying to call out for anyone.

“Esker? Lunar Outpost? This is uhh…” You knock your head trying to remember your own ship’s name, much to the chagrin of yourself. “Ventures-6 to Lunar Outpost, do you copy?” But there was only static. You gulp, calling out again hoping for any response, even if just Riebeck’s banjo or any instruments. “Ventures-8, anyone? Riebeck? Chert?” But no one can hear you.

There’s no choice but to move forward.

“What?! So, there’s a whole other ship that’s cloaked this whole time??” Riebeck stammers, halting their playing as you hit them with a hard opener for a conversation, whilst pulling out a marshmallow. The thought of a whole new civilization right under their gills sends Riebeck to a frenzy, immediately spewing a million questions to their mind that they’re easily overwhelmed with.

“Yeah. They had a new language and all, but I think they came before the Nomai. I haven’t seen any mentions of them by the Nomai, and I know they’d be equally crazy over a whole new kind.” You responded, slowly turning the mallow while tending to the eager archeologist.

“Oh my, I…! This is amazing news, tell me more! What was it like? Was the spaceship more sophisticated than ours?” Riebeck leans, almost too close to the fire.

“You won’t believe it – it’s a whole ringworld! It’s a literal ringworld with its own terraform and fauna! Well, dead fauna, but still. It looked like an entire resort inside a spaceship, I forgot I was in one!” Your body frame expands, accentuating the sheer grandiose absurdity of what you discovered.

“Really? How could that even be possible, their technology is way ahead of us yet they’ve existed for hundreds of thousands of years before! It makes me wonder if there are species today who are capable of taking over the entire universe.” Riebeck shudders. “Wouldn’t be a time I’d want to be in now.”

“Well, we won’t be there when it comes, hopefully.” You swallow a lump on your throat. “Anyhoo, the entire world runs on a canal system, so I did the exploring with light-powered whitewater rafting.”

“Wait wait wait, light-powered whitewater rafting?” asked Riebeck with a curious tone.

“Light-powered whitewater rafting.”

"I wish I can be there and see it for myself, this sounds too good to be true!" That hurts, coming from a jolly voice like Riebeck. You find it extremely hard to say no (and others find it hard too, that's why they're the favorite.)

"Yeah... maybe I can get you on my ship, see it for yourself since your ship is a good mile away." You bluffed, knowing that is the only option.

"That's a good call, and we can do it now!" They stood up, putting their banjo on the back as you quickly pushed Riebeck down, taking the banjo only to give it back to them.

"Woah, easy there! This new recruit can get tired too, and I want to spend a few time with you, here." You sit back down, pulling back your half-roasted mallow stick.

"Oh, how could I have forgotten! How's your first launch? It must be bizarre, seeing a new location as your first place. Feldspar would've been proud."

"That they would." You said in a patronizing tone, after being told that almost every time. "Got any other questions?"

“I do! Do you know anything about the culture there? Are they still alive? It sounds ridiculous, but the spaceship has been running autonomously for a long time otherwise!”

“Nope, they didn’t discover immortality, unfortunately.” Oh how little you knew at the time. “The ship is running autonomously though; they used the sun’s light as an energy source.”

“That’s clever! I wonder why we haven’t used solar energy for our technology yet, it could’ve been so much more efficient, and Slate doesn’t have to worry me as much anymore!” There was joy in Riebeck’s voice that almost seemed more exuberant than the news of a new species in the solar system.

“pFFTT—" Your hand trembles almost burning the mallow then and there, as you take time to compose yourself. “As for the culture, they primarily use visual presentations, since they have these devices that can translate your imagination to pictures.”

“What?! That’s actually revolutionary! Why didn’t you bring one here, we could- we could reinvent everything about how information is stored!” The revelation is understandably huge, as Riebeck savors the thought by strumming their banjo excitedly. You on the other hand are less excited about it. Not wanting to break Riebeck’s heart though, you try to redirect their focus on something else.

“I have found something else though…”

Rummaging through the same slide reel at Hidden Gorge’s projector, you try to connect the two dots together. There must be something you’re missing, something! Some clue hidden in plain sight that will uncover the truth behind the strange sarcophagus. Trouble is, you’ve searched everywhere the Stranger has to offer, leaving you with the simultaneously revealing and secretive reels. They provide knowledge while some parts are burned off, leaving you to wonder if the truth really is unreachable, untraced. There must be something between the frames, between all the grief and sorrow bearing age and wear, between the lust to conceal everything in fear and hatred, the truth must unveil itself.

That’s when it clicks. The artifact.

You grab the one by the door, jetpacking out of the theatre and straight to the gathering building, grabbing the lantern and throwing it straight out of your way, breaking it. The painting couldn’t move slower, the staircase couldn’t be more annoying, nothing can match your thirst to know if this works. You arrive at the fire, the skeletons all circling around it as if expecting you to be here, to know this. They’re mocking you by holding the lit artifact, the result you’ve been pulling your antenna about. Some stares into the fire, some stares to the ominous bell, some staring right at you.

You have to see if this really is true. Getting closer to the fire, you sit down and close your eyes.

Doze off.

Wake up.

First thing that enters your mind: the skeletons are gone. That is more than enough to make you regret this. Second observation: you’re suitless, given by the fire being hotter and your skin feeling lighter. Third observation: the artifact is finally lit up! These three events seemed to be unrelated to each other at the moment, just that it happened when you dozed off. You went up the staircase, not quite used to you having less weight and actually feeling the cold wood and the breezing air on your face, making you feel vulnerable.

Stepping out of the building, you see a resort at the other side of the endless canyon, as everything is different.

“What the…” You look up to the night sky, gasping like a child at the abundance of stars and the giant ring planet. Your eyes glimmer, shining the stars that weren’t endangered by threats of time, peacefully dotting the skies until it is full, compact and true. You’re lost in it, floating in bliss like nothing can go wrong.

“Let me tell you time pal, you’re getting real good at telling these stories. Makes me feel like I’m floating and I already am.” Gabbro hummed, alternating between playing their flute and talking to you.

“Really? Well, that didn’t last very long. I ran away when I found out there are people living there, and they did not take visitors kindly.” You shuddered, remembering the first time an inhabitant picked you up. You thought they were going to bite your face off.

“What do they look like?” Gabbro asked.

“They look like owls…?” You try to think of an apt description for them. “They’re some kind of bipedal mash of elks and owls, with freakishly long antlers.”

“Huh, they look kinda cute in my head. I wonder if they have little ceremonies when they grow their antlers, like how we become adults by drinking Porphy’s sap wine.” Gabbro smiled at the thought, while you take it rather offensively.

“They’re not cute. I’m still hurt on them, and you can be an adult and not drink that stomach churning poison you call sap wine.” You crossed your arms, sulking.

“Chill out hatchling, I was only partially joking.” They played their flute, leaving both of you to each other’s thoughts for a while before Gabbro asks another question. “Say, what did Epidote think of your findings?”

“…who?” You forgot that Gabbro meant the quasi-dead Nomai, before shaking your head and realizing. “Oh! Solanum’s particularly excited about it, it’s a whole new kind after all, while Melorae’s a little baffled that they missed it all this time.”

“Quite nice. I do want to meet them again sometime soon, though I probably need you for that. Being here is nice and all but making a hammock every loop gets to you.”

You shrugged, agreeing to Gabbro’s request. “Sure, just let me know when.”

“Cool, thanks bud.” Gabbro wanted to play the flute again, but something lodges in their mind. They sat up om their hammock, lazily swinging it around. "But first, I think you need a break. Come, sit with me."

A little confused, you sit next to them. The thought of a break seemed alien, a concept that you find hard to fully indulge in. "A break?"

"Yeah, take a load off with your pal here. I've been thinking, maybe we can do a freeflying race on that big crevice at Ember Twin, that'd be fun." Gabbro hummed at the suggestion, getting prepped up for the workout.

You however snorted before wheezing. "Ahh, that's good. We can do that, but you're being silly with that break thing."

"Oh, you think I'm silly?" Gabbro smiled as they continued in a passive-aggressive tone. "You think I'm making another joke?"

"I mean, this is really exciting stuff here, I'm following a breakthrough! I can't just give it up now." you said.

"It is exciting, don't get me wrong, but everyone needs a little break every once in a while, or you're just straining yourself." Gabbro rubbed your back, giving you pats as you come up with a simple solution.

"Well, in that case I'll just hang out in Epidote as always. Problem fixed!" you beamed.

"What about the real world? Talking to skeletons for loops on end is going to drive anyone mad." They countered, pulling you closer.

You gave an offended look at them. "Yeah, why do you care?"

"I'm your senior." The silence is palpable, as you scoot back slightly away from them, looking back down and recuperate, before Gabbro decides to switch to a lighter topic. “You did say the spaceship was cloaked, right? They’re black and invisible and all that?”

“Yeah, they only appear when the sun eclipses on them or something. Makes you wonder how it even works, like how much sophisticated is their technology? They had a whole dream simulation thing!” Your enthusiasm was lost on Gabbro however, still hung up on the fact that the ship was cloaked, and they’d actually discovered it way early on.

“Hatchling, you know Ol’ Spacey, right? Our friend that helps us get our map systems, orbiting vertically around the sun.” You nod tentatively. “Yeah, turns out whatever Hornfels said wasn’t a bug, Ol’ Spacey found it first. Crazy, right?”

“Really? Why’d you not go and check it out then? Why did none of you?”

“Beats me, pal. I was particularly tired after the nice n’ slow orbit, and Hornfels’ probably stubborn enough to still think it was a bug with Ol’ Spacey. Little buddy did nothing wrong though, I’m proud of ‘em.” Gabbro continues playing their flute, prompting you to continue your story.

“I found something related to the sarcophagus, way deep inside the simulation…”

The third chain is blown away, unlocking the vault once and for all. It was a tiring culmination of a lot of work, with a little bit of help from Epidote, but alas! It’s done, and you let out a triumphant celebration before cranking the gear, opening the sarcophagus. Your expectations are unsure, but there must be something important that it would warrant this much protection in the first place. Walking inside, the darkness is overwhelming, suffocating before a light at the end of the tunnel. It seemed to be a watching room with a single telescope pointing to their one memory of home, a long forgotten ring for others beyond the inhabitants’ tragedy. The elevator opens on its own, surprising you as it leads you further down into rock bottom. There, not much is inside the room, only a lone artifact and several devices.

Realization strikes. You don’t even need to step closer, as you know the owner of the artifact is one of them. You’re cornered, having no choice but to accept your fate. Readying, you step closer to the prisoner, as they reached out to you in fury before realizing you’re unlike the others. Their anger subsided, their eyes glowing on your shine as a strange wave of terror and comfort splashes against each other.

“Who are you?” You asked, as the prisoner steps besides you to grab their vision stick, displaying their side of the story. They were the one that released the eye’s signal for a brief period of time, before the rest of the tribe ostracized them in blinding fury, forever locking them away in a prison worse than death for millennia.  You were stunned, unable to believe what terrible fate you had been showed, but the prisoner hands over the projection stick to you, prompting to tell your side of the coin. You had to halt your thinking and recollect your thoughts together, picking up the staff and shining it at the prisoner’s eyes, allowing them to peek inside your mind as you tell your story.

You finished, and you went for a deep hug. You wanted to ask many questions, but the language barrier only made room for this to be enough. Both of you had feel ostracized by time, both have felt the gnawing pain of their efforts amounting to nothing, that nothing has changed. Both of you were never remembered. It brings comfort to find another like you, and to give them the answer and proper closure. If only the same could be said to you.

And at the end of everything, all the prisoner could do was to cry in bliss, with a long and cathartic howl. You wish you can understand them, to talk to them, to tell them their efforts weren’t in vain, and their story is finally at a resolute.

But could you? Is it worth bringing them back, for your sake?

Chapter Text

In hindsight, it’s a terrible idea. For one thing, rocks are incredibly heavy, and it’s more grueling when it’s quantum and could teleport away the moment you mess up. Yet here you are with Gabbro, dragging the museum’s shard to the sarcophagus after a very long while of persuading them into agreeing. At first, they flatly refused, but you insisted and allured them with the whole ‘finding a new friend’ sort of thing. Eventually they agreed and you executed the plan. Step one, distract Hal and Hornfels away from the museum and then wretch the shard away. Step two, load the shard off at the Stranger’s sun-facing dock, taking a picture of it to make sure it stays in place. Step three, grabbing two artifacts and placing them at the sarcophagus’ fire, as well as blowing the second lock to set everything up. Step four, retrieve Gabbro from Giant’s Deep to be brought back to the Stranger. Step five, the hardest one by a mile, dragging it to the submerged structure, with a very heavy emphasis on submerged. The entrance is under water, and dragging a heavy object under water is borderline cruel.

You owe Gabbro a loop’s worth of whatever they want. Actually, two loops’ worth. Gabbro's gonna have a field day with you.

All of this just to bring the quantum shard near the Prisoner just barely before the halftime of the loop, with high hopes that the radius is enough to entangle them as well. The effort was well worth the result, you naively hope. It’s not the most terrible plan in the history of Hearthians, you’ve thrown your ship to Nomai structures and hope it breaks just to make a gap to enter, and there’s probably a scholarship levels of density in some of your peer’s intelligence, but this is definitely one of them.

“(Huff…) Hatchling, are we done? I'm pretty sure my spine just cracked.” Gabbro asked, fishing the shard out of the water and to the staircase as you help boost it upwards with your jetpack. Gabbro yanks the shard as well as you out of the water, chuckling proudly at their achievement. “Hey time pal, look! I caught a fish as well. Oh wait, that’s you.”

You laughed, partly because of exasperation from adrenaline. “Very funny. Yessss!!! We did it!” Letting out a huge sigh, you crack your back and pushed the rock next to the sarcophagus, resting your back against it. Right behind you is someone who has been stuck in eternal solitude for so long, that if they were somehow alive to this day they would be able to feel your presence.

"Uh, hatchling, I don't know if I feel very good with you resting on that thing. There's definitely something inside that, and that thing is heavy." Gabbro spoke with a concerned tone, almost ready to fish you out again should the structure fall on the both of them.

"Pff, don't worry about it! This thing is mounted to the floor, and it only houses someone we're about to see very shortly." You turned around and gave a pat on the sarcophagus, softly smiling. Don't worry, we're going to break you out of there, surely...

"Okay then, but I'm not gonna be happy if we have a rather uh, crushing opposition to our plan." replied Gabbro, awkwardly shuffling next to you and resting against the coffin, twiddling with their artifact. You ready yourself to have a nice nap after the tiresome endeavor.

“If all of this was for nothing, I’m going to flip.” you threatened to no one. You and Gabbro have done so much for the setup, it would've been truly unfortunate if the payoff is little to nothing, except a whole bunch of back pain and exhaustion.

“Hey bud, at least your hearts in the right place. And it’s better for me to get up and do something rather than staying at my hammock, as comfortable as that sounds.” It’s easy to overlook Gabbro, but they are strong, the strongest of the travelers. They did the majority of the work bringing the shard even with you helping them every step of the way. Behind that suit is a Hearthian with pure muscle, certainly leaving any Hearthian laying their eyes on it flustered. You remember just how purple Hal was when talking with Gabbro after bringing the statue, sweating and all.

But... there's another part of this that you remain uncomfortable with, especially now that Gabbro is around. It was a long and rather bleak conversation to have back then, and when planning it out, Gabbro winced when you had to mention it, the fact that it is mandatory to have them witness. "So, I guess... I should die now."

They nodded, grabbing an artifact and tinkering with it, distracting themselves from the emotions. "It's not like this is the first time, right?"

"Yeah, but it still hurts." You responded flatly, but your breath is shaky. "And... I don't know what happens next for me."

"What do you mean? Haven't you already gone through all this?" Gabbro pulls you closer to them, their arm resting on your shoulders. They really have that girth through their suit.

"Yes, according to my memories." You nod, gulping. "The pains my past selves have is dull since I haven't felt it, and... I'm scared."

"...what do you think consciousness is? Do you have one? Is it separate from your body, like an essence or a soul?" There goes Gabbro, giving you a tangent about whether or not living beings have a soul beyond scientific understanding. Most people would immediately tune out and leave them be to their own musings, but with death so close now, and willingly pulling the trigger... there is solace and comfort in the though, a wishful thinking emerging.

"Consciousness... it's like emergence, right? There being more than the sum of its parts? It feels like it for me, and it feels like I am the soul talking."

"Do you believe there is one?" Gabbro's question is upfront, and the answer reflects you. "I mean, the simulation thing kinda proves it, but at the same time, is it your consciousness or just your memories?"

"Oh yeah, the fact that the simulation even exists at all is just... eugh." You bit your tongue, thinking about it. "I hope there is a soul, and I hope that the Ash Twin Project takes the soul rather than just the memories. I really hope that is the case here."

Mist and vapor form and waft on your eyes; though no matter how many times you've done it, it is still morbidly terrifying to take one's life. The fact that you had already done it in the past is painfully revealing, as if you were stripped bare for divine judgement to see. Even with no more choices to make, the weight is heavy, too heavy to bare alone. You have to ask a very difficult proposition to your time friend.

...it's only a matter of time before you ask anyway.

You took a slow and hitched breath, before blurting out the heavy request. "Gabbro, Gabbro... can you... can you kill me?"

"...time buddy?" Gabbro gazed at you with distinct concern. Murder wasn't something they expected to do in their lives, for obvious reasons. Even though time proves to be merciful in rewinding every action, murder felt taboo. "Why me? Why not you?"

"At least... it won't be my choice." You smiled warmly, hoping to persuade the zen traveler. "Besides, we'll meet again."

Gabbro was hesitant, even though there really is no true consequence. Is there? What they had just talked earlier about consciousness, was it strictly true? By mantel, their heart was pounding and devoid of any lax whilst their mind raced to Timber Hearth and back. They were delaying the inevitable, and they knew it, and they wanted to, and they didn't like it. So stop the cycle.

"...no, I'm not doing it. Please, hatchling, I hate to-"

You went in for a deep and tight hug, soothing down the poor zen's soul as your hands pat their back, little squeaks coming out of them. Something felt like it lodged in Gabbro's throat, unidentifiable, unknown.

"There, there, everything's all fine." You whispered to their ear, it twitching slightly from the tingling of your voice. "If it helps, I can try not to scream?"

"That doesn't help." They responded flatly.

"Plea-a-ase?" You used your childish voice, the same voice you used to persuade Gossan into accepting you into training, the same voice you used to get Gabbro to bring you to Epidote while mortally injured, the same voice you used every time you wanted something.

"...alright, hatchling." Gabbro sighed into acceptance, trying to lift the mood up. A spacefaring traveler must have high spirits. "Are you ready to meet this owl-elk you've been talking about? Say, do you know their name?" They inspect the artifact, fidgeting and clicking random buttons and seeing what they do.

“I don’t know, probably.” You close your eyes, holding the shard and artifact. Both of these takes you to different places, so the possibilities of what could happen is a little bit terrifying. But that’s okay! Hopefully okay, anyway! “Let’s find out.”

Gabbro gulped. They were about to kill you. Gabbro puts their hand on your back, taking a deep and shaky breath before shoving your body into the fire. They immediately put their helmet back on to not smell the burning flesh, and closed their eyes to not see you. The sounds however still persist, tormenting Gabbro for as long as they tried to get into the meditating headspace. Drowning out the sounds of them groaning and holding back from the mantel-awful screams of torture, squelching meat rupturing with the most disgusting popping and gurgling noises and blood boiling, instead with loud and insistent cyclones, the meditative tones of their flute and the calm raging waters. All of that, to avoid the morbid curiosity of opening their eyes. Gabbro was on the verge of crying, their gills stuffy and their eyes tearing up. The pain is unbearingly real.

It was a long and difficult slumber.

Doze off.

Wake up.

You awake at a cold sweat, your pain receptors gone, swallowing your beating heart as everything felt woozy. It felt like your mind halted entirely, trying to process something that cannot be processed, before a sharp and painful headache strikes you for a split second. It felt like your mind was split in twain. You’re currently at the dream simulation, with Gabbro. Something’s off though, Gabbro’s just lying there with eyes open, completely unmoving. They’re still breathing frantically however, meaning they aren’t dead.

“…Gabbro?” you asked, apprehensive on the peculiar event. With time crawling on your back, you had to leave them behind, even if it sucked that Gabbro’s no longer with you. Surely, they won’t be that mad next loop. You went down the elevator and into the three locks’ world, doing the two remaining locks with quick pace. Just when you’re about to crank the gear again, you felt something grasp your arm, and your breath hitched and ceased. For a split second, you were dead, before you’re at the ever familiar quantum campfire at the space between.

“Hatchling? Buddy, are you okay?” Gabbro calls out to you, shaking your head as you look around the trees and darkness in confusion, your brain rebooting itself. "Oh thank the stars you're okay, you had no idea how miserable it was!"

"...really? It felt painful yeah, but fire fortunately kills your pain sensors."

They had one rare but genuine fit of rage, hitting your head hard as you only flinched. Right, there's no such thing as pain now. It felt... uncanny. The ground doesn't feel real, the air is stale and every sense simply feels bland, like staring at a white wall or chewing a mallow with no flavor.

"I just had the worse nap of my life after I killed you! If anything, I should despise you right now, but we're far too deep in for this." Gabbro silently gnashed their teeth, their heart unsure of which directions to go, which feeling to follow.

"...I'm sorry." You lowered your head, closing your eyes in shame. They were right; it was your fault, it was your doing. You deserve it.

They sighed, and spoke with a defeated tone. "...it's... okay. We're still here, and we'll be here next loop."

You rolled your eyes up to look at Gabbro, opening your arms for a hug. "...time buddies?"

They smiled back, going over for the hug. "...time buddies."

"So... what happened? I was at the dream world; then- how did I get here?" It had only occurred to you that this... is not normal. Words fail to form on what possible theories could result in this, it was definitely a product of Epidote, but what?

“What are you talking about? You were just lying here, I thought you fell asleep, but your eyes were wide open. Pretty freaky stuff.” They let go of the hug, inspecting the reminiscent woods.

“I’m sorry…?” You thought about it, before focusing on going back to the dream world. Closing your eyes, you imagine the vault in front of you. Your mind hitches and lodges on itself, tasting the cease of existence again whilst switching to the world as you’re back to the open vault. This is unusual.

Walking deep inside the prison’s chamber, everything stayed largely the same. The elevator was called upwards as you insert the artifact, when Gabbro snaps you back to the space between. “Buddy, what are you doing? I don’t like how you’re spacing out here.”

“Like that’s not what you usually do?” You cover your mouth, mentally kicking yourself over for saying that. “I mean, Gabbro, we’re in two places at once! Just try to focus on being at the fire earlier, you’ll see it.”

Gabbro scrunches their face, looking at the distance… with no response. It works. You switch back to the dream world, the elevator door long opened and the lone artifact sitting on a chair. You eye the vision stick, going over to take it and walking towards the dark, as the prisoner reveals themselves once more.

“I need to show you something, if you can wait.” You pointed the stick at them, but hesitated to turn it on. The look in their eyes, how dark and soulless it is. There are bags hidden behind the fur, their face exhausted and defeated. They were done, and they wanted out. If anything, this should be a motivator to at least try and convince them one last time, even if it’s for a short while. After all, you don’t have much time too. Turning on the projection stick, you try to steer the narrative…

The usual illustrations of time passing, and the Prisoner’s effect are shown. After showing the Nomai’s death by the Interloper however, Feldspar’s ship isn’t shown. Instead, an illustration of the Eye and its moon is shown. The moon’s clouds thinned and showed the sixth location, mimicking how the Eye looks. The scene cuts to an illustration of the solar system, with the Quantum Moon on Ember Twin, as a shard shreds itself and lands on the planet. The skeletons of the Nomai around the shard reanimates itself, curious to their predicament. The scene changes to the same skeletons inside the space between, with forests and a campfire around them. You and Gabbro are present there, along a silhouette of the Prisoner, inviting them to join in.

The vision ends, as the Prisoner looks at you with a flurry of emotions. One of confusion, one of sincerity, one of loathing. They held their breath, a soft coo coming out from them as they try to walk away from you.

“No.” you spoke quietly. This can’t be. You hold the Prisoner’s hand halting them, as your vision shatters. The Prisoner is taken aback, freezing entirely as you see them in the simulation and the quantum realm at the same time, entangling them as well. Gabbro watches in silence, letting you take the lead. “Please listen to me.”

The Prisoner looks around, frightened before staring at you, their dead black eyes not matching their thankful yet grieving. “You have already showed me what I wanted to know. My gratitude is immeasurable, but my journey ends here. You may follow me, if you wish.” Their voice is low with a smooth baritone, their tone is final.

“I just want to have a talk with you for a moment, though! You can do whatever you want after this, just… stay here, for one minute.” you pleaded, as both of you switch towards the forest. Both of you know the Prisoner’s fate, and you know it is inevitable. That doesn’t mean you can’t delay it though.

“I do not wish to further project any of my kind’s tragedy to you. We were a kind once in glory, respected by other kinds out there, but forever tarnished by an impulse. You’ve seen enough of our story already.”

You pushed further. “I don’t want to hear their story; I want to hear your story. There must be something good under all this-!“

They refused to listen, switching back to the dream world as they sprinted towards the elevator, putting their artifact in. You tried to catch the ride, but the door slams shut on your face, switching you back to the quantum space between. Not letting it up, you try to snap them back out of their death march, while Gabbro watches your act of desperation.

“Are you sure this is a good idea…?” Gabbro asked, making you second guess before focusing back. Any time wasted is another second doing nothing before death snatches your chance. It's now or never.

“It’s better than giving up!” You shake the Prisoner’s body, pulling them back as you plead a second time. “Listen, I’m well aware that-“

“Please!” The Prisoner lashed out, throwing your hand away as their laser stare burns through you. They’re on the brink of tears. “Please… don’t you understand? They all hate me. What good am I when all of my kind denies me, forever stuck in the past? What good am I to strangers such as you?” They wallowed out, before switching back to the dream world. Everything about the Prisoner's life has been nothing but fabrications, a fake dream like an old vinyl, forever playing for no one but the ghosts of the past. They no longer wanted to be a ghost in the simulation.

They slowly make their way out of the vault as your voice echoes round their head, begging them to give one more chance. The Prisoner denies it, trudging forward as their heart only becomes heavier, as if a heavy ball is chained to their leg. Another wave of echoes can be heard, as the Prisoner slowly breaks. One more chance, one more chance! They don't understand, why would anyone give a chance to this dying world?! The Prisoner makes their way out, their feet touching the damp mud. Hoove steps form behind them as the Prisoner makes their way to water, trying their hardest to ignore the voices. Their leg dips into the water, the coldness pulling them in. Their flame in the real world trembled alongside yours, ready to rest after an eternity of being burnt ablaze. It's been so long since they've felt anything like this...

"Please! Please! You still have a chance! You have a chance!" you cried, as they stopped, just barely above the water. The Prisoner finally broke, their dam of emotions surging through. All the suppressed knots of guilt, homesickness, grief hitting them all at once. They switched back, as their breaths hitched and their eyes watery as you implored to them.

“Even if your time is up, I don’t believe anyone should die alone. Truth is, I have already seen you, and every time you have taken your own life alone. That doesn’t rub me right, especially after you’ve been trapped here for so long.” You badly wanted to give them comfort.

“I don’t understand…” Tears begin to form and flow from their eyes, as they tried to compose themselves but failing. They're one push away from completely breaking down into an incomprehensible mess. “Why are you- why are you so insistent on w-wanting me? I had no place in this story, I was erased from everyone's memories, and I don't even remember my story.”

"But you, you started all this! You're the one that caused all of this to happen, you shoulder an entire clan's fate! You shouldered my fate." You pressed your hand to your chest, then pulling it out to show how desperate you are to share your love towards them.

"No one thinks that. To them, I am no one. To them, they are the ones who pioneered and celebrated each other, while I stay here. I mean nothing to them." The prisoner insisted, hissing their cold words in hopes of cracking through your thick skull.

“If it weren’t for you, it weren’t for me. You paved the way for me. I owe you more than your release.” Your hand hovers on theirs, seeing if they’d reject your offer. They didn’t do anything, as you take it as a yes and hold their hand again. They had forgotten what touch feels, what warmth feels. The fire had been so dull, that to feel somebody's hand is enriching. Something warm shoots through their body, as they lips shivered a smile for a moment. The mix of sadness and raw ecstasy feels cathartic, as they hold themselves back to ask.

“…w-what is it?”

“There’s another way for you to accept your fate. With me.” The situation is somewhat awkward, but you’re making it work. “I feel sorry for you and your people, and I know that back then, you were enthralled by the stars. The least I could do is try and bring that back one last time.”

“How are you… how are you going to do that?” Tears dropped on your face, as you look up to the sky.

“You just need to remember. Personally, I like the sight of warm lights on the first day of winter.” Soon enough, what looked like stars on the sky dropped as snow to the ground, as the prisoner looked in awe. They tried to remember, and the trees meshes into a mix of mangrove and pinewood, and an imprint of the ring planet slowly manifests at the sky. Warm lanterns are hung on the trees, as silhouettes of your village and the Stranger’s completes the scenery.

A lantern shined at the Prisoner’s eyes, making it sparkling yellow-lit as they cried and howled in bliss, taking a moment to let all of their unfreed stress out. You smile at them as they slur out various coos, hugging them tightly. They hugged back, the feeling of someone taller than you fully embracing around you making everything okay for a while. Gabbro watches, smiling at you. They're proud.

It took a while, but they eventually let go of each other as the Prisoner wipes their tears, confessing their gratitude. “This is more than I had envisioned as a farewell. I must thank you profusely.” They bowed. Their skeleton in the real world would fall down to your slumbering body.

You bowed back, a silly grin forming on your face. “Well, it is missing the river, but I have an alternative.” The ground slowly turns to ice, as you skid around them. Gabbro didn’t expect any of this, causing them to slip on the slippery surface, only now do you register their presence.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I uh, guess I got too carried away there…” You helped bring Gabbro back up as the Prisoner slides towards the two of you, curious for the other friend.

“Oh it’s fine, I’m glad you did what you had to do. Real inspirational stuff, kid.” They then looked at the Prisoner. “Name’s Gabbro, and yours are…?”

“I am Kaepora.”

"Kaepora, that's a nice name." Gabbro commented, before pointing at the top of their head. "Sorry if it seems rude, but what's with your antlers?"

They rubbed on where their broken antler would be, a little self-conscious about it now that Gabbro mentioned it. "We shed our antlers every year, however I have a defect which prevents mine from fully being shed. This proves to be embarrassing as my peers would overlook me."

"Sorry to hear that, buddy. Your story does seem to be a tragic one, but at least the ending's not so bad, right?" reassured Gabbro, as Kaepora still marvels at the serene, magical place surrounding them. The brief feeling of existential panic throbs at your heart, but slowly fading away.

"I do appreciate this farewell, even if it's unfortunately so close to our end. Should there ever be a beyond after this, we all can live prosper among the rivers, a bridge connecting us through currents of time. That wouldn't be so bad." Kaepora hooted, a wholesome though creepy smile etching their face. Their body may be fluffy, but their face is uncanny enough to steer predators away.

"It would. Ah, are you the philosophical type, too?"

"Our entire kind values poetry and the like, we see it as a sacred form of communication, one that is cleansed from negligence and a pure method of expressing our thoughts. We've moved on to visual forms ever since as it acts as a perfect connection from mind to mind, but poetry is still held up high the flag." explained Kaepora.

"Interesting, I've never really thought of it that way. That makes three of us, then." Gabbro proclaimed, with you giving a curious eye.

"Me, philosophical? I'm about as good at philosophy as Mica is at flying their own rocket model ship." You've seen them try to pilot the model before, and suffice to eay it males you feel a little better with your own piloting skills. Someone who makes a ship doesn't necessarily know how to use it.

"Sorry, but I meant me, Kaepora, and Bur." Ahh, now you understand it better, though the elk is interested in the third member. They chose not to speak about it however, though you know a first contact between them and the Nomai is inevitable, by force of curiosity. "With that being said, I appreciate you being here. I'm one for talkative types and this is right up my alley."

"If it wouldn't be for your friend, I wouldn't have learned to love the universe. Whether it is destiny or a mere coincidence, I'm more than happy it was pursued to the end. Thank you for remembering me." Kaepora said, with you nodding in response.

"It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume you believe in a higher being? Something like a deity from beyond our universe." Gabbro questioned the idea of theism, though not necessarily religion itself. You thought about it, and the idea seemed novel, almost too convenient. It seemed... right, even when it's not a logical belief.

"That would be a nice closure, to be part of our creator after so long of separation. Perhaps the Eye we sought after would answer the question, but if there was a higher being, clearly we weren't destined to fulfill our plans."

"Or it's just not time yet." you muttered to yourself, deep in thinking. Both of them look at you with intrigue, silently questioning you. It's not until Gabbro breaks the silence and asks you.

"What do you mean by that, buddy?" They said, whilst Kaepora senses something inside you. Something awe-ful.

"Maybe someone is destined to find the Eye. We just need to know who it will be." you asked the hypothetical. But deep down, you have an inkling on who it may be.

Chapter Text

Wake up.

Arriving back at the starless forest, the campfire greets you once more. There’s no denying the reason you’re here, and the thrill and anxiety that comes off from it is something else. Knowing the inhabitants’ story and how they played a part in the Nomai’s legacy, both good and bad, will result in quite the conflict. You are not a good mediator. There’d be frequent drunk fights between various Hearthians, sometimes including Gabbro, and you’d try to stop them from smashing their bottles on each other’s heads. Of course, they don’t truly mean ill will, the stuff really is just that potent. Along with Riebeck, Gneiss, and Hal, you never really took interest in Porphy’s wine. They all tried it once, and either spat it out or spent a dreadful night expunging it out. Point is, you are not a good mediator, and you can only hope Kaepora and the Nomai plays well.

You pull out a marshmallow as Solanum sits to your right, eyeing it. “Greetings. It’s been a while since you’ve summoned me, how is this moment any special?”

“I met someone very special last loop.” You ask her to blink as both of you does so, and Kaepora sits to your left. Solanum is taken aback by the alien nature of this new friend, looking forward with her mouth gaped. She gasps, then squeaks loudly and claps her hand rapidly, her feet tap tap tapping on the ground as Kaepora's presence left her awestruck and beyond gleeful.

Looking everywhere around, she gently cusps their hands on hers, feeling their feathers brush over her fur as Solanum geeks at the new texture, making Kaepora a little awkward. "...greetings?"

“How curious, you must be another new kind! Did you also originate from this star system?” Solanum asked to Kaepora, as they’re a little antsy and confused by their surroundings. They’re not exactly sure how they are alive, or that they wanted to be alive.

“We travelled from our home’s planet in a search for an Eye, thought to hold a great secret.” There’s a sense of lament to their voice, a longing for the time they were a child rafting by the rivers as the sun dwells on the horizon.

“We share the same circumstances then! I assume your kind came after our passing. Did you too stumble to the star system with the Eye’s signal?”

“In truth, our kind came before yours. We believe there was no known intelligent life when our searchers probed around the star system. We were alone in the wilds, lost in the sea of dark stars.” Kaepora recalled, much to the intrigue of Solanum.

“How interesting! I don’t remember seeing anything remotely alien other than our own. Perhaps you dwelled from the outskirts of the star system?”

“Our spacecraft has a cloaking system used to conceal ourselves from any hostile beings.” Kaepora held their breath, hesitant on whether to tell the truth to Solanum or not. There is a knot in their chest telling them to confess, yet they know it shall surely break her heart. “…there wasn’t, but it’s better to take as many precautions as we can.”

You raised your brow, almost believing what they had just said. “How did you get the technology to do it? It seemed way more futuristic than the Nomai was.” You said, as Solanum takes lighthearted offense.

“I prefer to think of ourselves of equals, unlike you.” She crossed her arms and pouted at you.

This serves as a good jumping off point to a subject far away from said truth, though it felt odd. Kaepora does seem more comfortable being around however, leaving you with a conflict.

“Back then, our kind was solely motivated by the desire to improve, a strive to find all the secrets the universe had to offer. With this, our honorific system favors the likes of scholars and scientists who could contribute greatly to our cause.” They explained with enthusiasm.

“Your culture sounds exceedingly promising; I wish that we were able to establish contact! Our kind runs on a democratic system, allowing us to have more freedom on advancing ourselves.” replied Solanum.

“I wish to see your kind’s culminations with my own eyes, but alas we are stuck with exchanging our knowledge at the current moment.” With a strained voice, they both wracked their head at other questions to ask. You naively had an idea.

“What instruments do you play?”

“…I don’t know. I do play an instrument, but I can’t recall the name of the instrument.” Solanum’s visibly confused and intrigued at the prospect of a nameless instrument. Kaepora brings out their instrument from their back, a cello-guitar mesh of sorts as they stick the spike at the ground.

Solanum brings out their staff next, brushing it off. “I do play a piano instrument as well, as Filix taught me when I was a child. It has been a long while, but I still remember playing it as a hobby.” She tinkered around with

“We treat our instruments like a companion: using it to soothe or elevate ourselves. Music is treated in high regards as it is frequently used in meetings, to speak in a universal language with the universe.”

“Really? Honestly, my kind would complain if someone played their instrument loud for anyone to hear.” There’s always a moment where Gneiss bestows her instrument to someone, only for them to let out the most obnoxious noise ever that often results in crass language. The joke goes: ‘the crassest people are those who play brass instruments; hence a crass brass.’

"There was a tradition that started as an innocent hobby, but its importance was stronger than ever." Kaepora recalled, you and Solanum picking up interest. "One would play a piece that isn't meant to be listened, but rather the music listening to you. Many were given blank sheets of paper and wrote down their confessions and feelings, submitting them anonymously for everyone to read and respond, and it was met with unanimous support."

"Ah, that sounded lovely. We never indulged much in music, but playing instrument is seen as a pastime to help alleviate our minds." Solanum responded, leaving you rather dumbfounded yourself. Your kind doesn't exactly play music for any reason at all, while both alien kinda typically uses music for a certain purpose, which you found interesting yet belittling.

“If anyone played their instruments, we are free to join in to complete the symphony.” Kaepora supplied.

“…can you two play a piece together?” you asked tentatively.

“Do you possess an instrument as well?” Solanum asked, with you shaking your head in response. You’re not particularly the type to hold an instrument, despite Gneiss insisting on keeping the tradition. Holding something alongside you and playing it simply felt finicky. Solanum and Kaepora doesn’t see a reason not to indulge in your request however and looked at each other.

“Who shall begin, then?” Kaepora asked, to which Solanum wanted them to go first. They played a slow and mournful elegy for their kind, warbling suspended notes on a sparse composition. Solanum joins in with a optimistic, but muted accompaniment as she plays a set of chords on a downbeat time, together creating an assemblage of lament. The symphony goes for a while before Kaepora finishes their last note, and Solanum her last chord. The ending however doesn’t end on a satisfying note, instead left hanging before any resolvent.

“…Kae, how did your story go?” Solanum asked the out of the blue question, throwing the elk off guard as they’re unsure to tell the story or not. They gulped and decided to tell the beginning part of it.

“As you may know, our kind has only one wish: to find the secrets of the universe. We quickly advanced the technological side of things, but there was something that nagged at us for long.” A ball of light stems from the fire, before slowly expanding into plasma, dissipating to the air. Many other balls of light appear after it, densely packed.

“The universe is widely believed to have a beginning, with evidence of it expanding to this day. My kind has been searching for why it has begun, though some believed there was no reason, that the universe simply existed.” Solanum widens her eyes, not expecting both of them to share the same belief. This form of connection seemed special.

“There was a great tension between the two, presenting various phenomenon to prove or disprove. When we found the Eye, all of us were ecstatic at the mystery it offers. We were credulous with our findings, thought it would have all the answers.” While Solanum found herself relating Kaepora’s story to her own clan finding the Eye, you well know what comes next. Though, will they tell it to her?

“…little did we know, the Eye proclaimed a terrifying vision. A vision of total destruction of the universe.” said the Prisoner with a hushed tone of revere. Speaking of it makes them fall back to the dark times, all the years spent chipping away at walls as they have nothing but a fire and a view to the home that is long gone.

Solanum was stunned, the supposed answer to the Eye’s purpose said without fanfare, and said purpose being one of malice. She wanted to deny it, wanting a second opinion. “Surely that vision is incomplete. We cannot come to conclusions that immediately when the hypothesis is unknown to us.”

“Perhaps, but that is the entire vision that was told to us by our ancestors. We…” Kaepora held their breath, now’s the moment to tell it or not. They looked at Solanum’s innocent face, then your face none the wiser. You see them still staring at you, a silent question asking what to do. You look down, also unsure what to do. Eventually, your eyes nod, giving Kaepora the signal to spill the truth. “…we sealed the Eye’s signal away.”

Her pupils shrunk. “…you didn’t…”

“I didn’t. I set it free for a brief moment, before the rest of my kind caught me and sealed it again. That’s why you’re here.”

Solanum stares at the fire, a haunting feeling slowly wringing her neck. When she believed the Eye was malicious, she was angry that their kind didn’t get to see beyond the system like Annona would. The Eye wasn’t malicious after all. “You… you did this! Everything that happened was because of you!”

Kaepora backs away slightly whilst you asked Solanum to calm down. “It’s not their fault, they didn’t know that any of this would happen.”

“So they get excused over that reason alone? We all suffered and were doomed because of your doing! I never got to see the stars because of you, Bells couldn’t, Filix couldn’t! No, we were stuck here until the universe snuffed us out.” She lashed out at Kaepora, nearing a breakdown as they couldn’t say anything, freezing completely still and holding the guilt. Something else glistens in the prisoner’s eyes however, suggesting anger at the concept of unfairness.

Everything was going wrong, horribly wrong. Solanum was in a fit, alternating between being on the verge of tears and angry at the silent ghost. You’ve never seen her like this. Meanwhile, Kaepora is completely silent, though silence speaks louder than words in this case. They’re clenching their fists and gritting their teeth with hitched breath, just sifting through the blame to keep calm.

“…how could you? How could you do this?” Solanum spoke softly, when Kaepora snapped and went up in front of her, towering the goat as their face scrunched in a frown, their black eyes staring at her.

“You think it is my doing? You think it is my direct responsibility for all of this?” Kaepora screeched, backing Solanum away as you try to drag them behind, only for them to push you away. “I was trapped inside a cold prison for hundreds of thousands of years, ostracized by everyone I knew and loved, while yours felt like mere seconds!”

“How did you know that?” She looked at you, knowing the answer almost immediately after.

“You got to live prosper, you still had a loving family, a loving mentor, your entire kind cares truly for you! Do not taint me just because of one unfortunate coincidence for I had it worse!” The trees curl around mirroring Kaepora’s rage, as their hands threaten to choke Solanum. You took notice and try to extinguish all this.

Enough!” You stand between them, pushing Kaepora away as they spread their claws, coming after Solanum. Grabbing them by the wrist, you briefly hold them back as Kae huffs, before slowly laxing their body and dropping their arms. “I didn’t bring both of us here to fight.”

“You aren’t a saint yourself!” Kaepora scowled at you, directing their misguided hatred. “My only wish in life is to finally meet a peaceful end, but you kept me here! You refused to let me go, and instead only gave me a new prison under the ruling of your mind.”

“Are you insane?! You’re nothing more than a fragment of my mind, right now, the reality is that you’re still rotting away in your old prison until the universe ultimately dies!”

“You dare…!” They growled, their claws coming after you. You grabbed their hand and fought back, kicking their leg and trying to unbalance them, making Kaepora howl in pain and kick you back. You fell over on Solanum, tripping her down as she cries in pain.

“I saved you!!” You cried out a roar, standing up and staring at Kaepora.

“YOU did it for YOURSELF!!!” Kaepora yelled, as their lost temper caused the world to shift and tilt. Solanum was first to fall as the land turns to a slippery slope, followed by you. You try to swim your way to save her. Grabbing her hand, you reach for a tree branch but missed, as Solanum is about to be consumed by the darkness watching.

It was over.

That is, until Kaepora picked your hand up, and held themselves from a branch. They looked down to you, a face of guilt as they keened for their rash decisions. You kept holding onto them. Solanum kept holding onto you. Kaepora winced, trying to hold their weight. Every second felt slow. You kept holding onto them. She kept holding onto you. Kaepora wanted to say sorry, Solanum wanted to say sorry, you wanted to say sorry. Every second felt like forever. You're running out of breath, out of energy. You kept holding onto them. She kept holding onto you. Kaepora wanted to let go. They cannot let go. The world tilts back to normal, as you all pant and lie on the ground. There were no words exchanged, only a slow march back to the fire.

Solanum kept quiet, owning up to her mistake while Kaepora looks back at the fire, soothing themselves. You didn’t even realize you dropped your burnt marshmallow to the ground. You sighed and tried to start over. “Listen, the best we can do with our limited time is to seek everything there is to seek. You live inside my memories, you’ll be here too, so while we’re here we can do one last thing.”

It took a while for Solanum to piece it together, but realizes what you meant and quickly detests it. “We cannot bring them here, are you insane? Annona will blame them for Escall’s death.”

Kaepora already sinks back into their seat as you reassure her. “While that is tragic, I was thinking we’d bring Bur in. They’re calm and collect, to the point I’m sort of worried if they don’t have any emotions.”

“What if things don’t work out?” asked Solanum.

“My friend, there’s always next loop.” It’s hard to lift the spirits up, but you’re trying your best. Bur stands just behind the two aliens, an unexpected greeting as Solanum jumps slightly. “Seems like they came here early.”

“I overheard the turmoil that was unfolding and told Annona and Melorae to tend for themselves.” commented Bur.

“You heard about everything though, didn’t you?” Bur nodded, but their body language suggested they paid little mind.

“I would care more if I was truly alive, but you three have yet to truly appreciate how you are alive, right here and right now. All three of you may have lived for eternities, but there’s always something to learn and cherish as long as there is time.”

“I have spent the better part of my years depraved of anything to learn, feel nor touch, and I have reached the end of the tunnel. What more is there to learn?” asked Kaepora.

“You have learned patience, though that does not mean you have learned tolerance. I share my condolences to you, and you deserve to rest by the fire.”

Kaepora stares to the fire, not realizing how cold their body has been throughout. Their hands hover over the flame, rubbing softly as they sighed, their eyes sparkling with the fire. “How did you handle the truth well, though? Wasn’t I the primordial of your losses?”

“I see no point in grieving or putting the blame on you, rather you deserve a rest after all this time. Escall and the ones I love are already dead, as am I.” Bur shrugged, while you and Solanum watch on the sidelines.

“I fear that I won’t ever truly rest, however. My actual body still lies on the prison, and I am just a memory destined to be played back for as long as the master of the mind exists.” You felt like shade was being thrown to you, seeing as you are stuck in the past.

Bur looks at you, echoing their words to your head. “It will take time, but I am sure the right decision will be made. There’s no harm in dwelling on the past, but the longer you stay, the harder it becomes to keep up with the future.”

“…what does it feel? What does it feel like to die?” You asked to everyone, hoping to find solace in your battle between the horrors of death and time passing.

“I feel like my past drifted away from me so easily, as if I had forgotten the time.” Solanum replied, though she is still truly alive, even if stuck in quantum purgatory.

“I couldn’t see not even the color black, hear even the deafening silence, feel and smell even the air, taste even my mouth and for the first time, I thought of nothing.” Bur answered, the thought of experiencing nothing terrifying.

“At first, I felt dull hunger claw at me, then my lung stopped breathing. Ever since, it felt like I was holding my breath, and I couldn’t blink or feel the walls or the fire. Only my mind prevailed.” Kaepora supplied, further appreciating them being able to truly feel again.

All of them had one commonality: they were stuck in purgatory. Is living forever truly worth it? You’re unsure of the answer, and unsure if it’s a mystery worth pursuing. You stare by the fire, before asking. “May I?”

Solanum is pleasantly surprised by your request, as Bur allows you. “You may cherish your friends.”

You dip your stick to the fire, setting it ablaze before throwing the ball of fire to the sky, spreading into six stars, spinning around the sky. You cherished your friends, but there’s the question of your own kind which you’ve left behind for quite a well. Perhaps another visit is to be arranged, and who better to start off with the moon’s lonely inhabitant?

Chapter Text

Wake up.

Despite however many times you’ve done it, it always takes a while for your brain to reboot after sleeping. Your internal autopilot ordered your legs to walk towards the elevator, but you stopped yourself as you look over to Slate.

“…Slate, could you do me a favor?” You mumbled groggily, as Slate cocks their head and looks at you.

“I’m sorry?” They perked their ears while leaning closer to you.

“Could you come over and follow me?” You asked louder and clearer.

Slate scrunched their face in confusion. “What for? I thought training was supposed to remove fear of being alone.”

“No, not that, it’s just… I figured I want to take you somewhere. You made the ship, why not ride along it?” Despite Slate and Esker being in charge of manufacturing and fixing all the ships, they have never really become a traveler themselves. Esker can pilot a ship well, but Slate couldn’t. Not that Slate complained about it, but they are a dynamic duo, next to Slate and Gossan back in the days. A proper reunion is in order.

“Huh, never really thought of it that way. If you insist, but don’t take me to Dark Bramble.” Slate pointed sternly, standing up and making their way to the elevator.

“Nah, I figured to reunite you with Esker. Chert’s busy, Riebeck would freak, and I don’t think you’re interested to meet Gabbro.” That got Slate’s interest while you enter the launch codes and make the way to your ship.

“Why the bright idea all of a sudden? I thought you’d buzz me off and get off this rock as soon as possible, seeing how excited you were to get done with the nap already.” Slate crossed their arms, giving the curious eye at you.

You opened the ship, making way for the engineer first. “Let’s just say I had a dream, and I owe you thanks.”

“You know that Gossan put more sweat in putting you to shape than I did building this ship, right? If anything, it’s them you should be thanking.” They slanted themselves with their ankle at the ship’s support beams.

“That’s true, but you’re the closest. I like to take one step at a time.” In truth, while Gossan is a heavy influence on you, it felt easier to give at the other travelers first. You doubt if Gossan even wants to know anything about the Nomai, except if one of them had a revolutionary teaching technique.

"Fine, I suppose. Alright, let’s see how you designed your little cabin, that’s always the fun part.” You invited Slate in, hoping to get a decent grading out of them.

As Slate enters the ship, they look around and admire their own craftsmanship along your furnishings. “Not bad for a rookie’s ship. Quite cluttered though, I can’t look away without seeing some junk or poster.”

You enter next, getting ready to put on your suit. Slate’s comment offended you as you take the cluttered mess with joy and pride. “So, what if I like it this way? I like to keep my mind thinking.”

“Even I take breaks every once in a while, hatchling. Speaking of, why are you putting on the suit? We’re going to Esker’s; they must’ve placed a dozen of trees there already.” Just as you’re about to put on the helmet, you grumbled and unsuited yourself. Just as you're in the quick march of pulling the space boots off however, you tripped as Slate barely catches you.

"whOAH-HEY!" You quickly lifted yourself back upright, a little awkward at the interaction. "Uhm, thanks. Guess I was in a rush."

"Didn't even launch yet and already you're a mess." Slate snarked. "We can have a last marshmallow by the fire if you want? Just take it easy."

“I’ll take a break when I feel like it. This is my first day! I have so many things to do, and I only have one life at this.” Buckling yourself, you almost went for the launch when Slate said something that perked your ears.

“Gee, really optimistic there. Gossan trained you so that you don’t die three minutes after the launch, and you need to accept that productivity isn’t the only part of life. I'm old enough to learn that lesson.” The engineer moves to the ship’s computer, turning it on as the Outer Wilds Ventures logo innocently chimes in. “Your first lesson however starts now, since I haven’t tested the ship log yet and I know how enthusiastic Hornfels is with your translator tool, so you better use it.” Oh no. You did use it, and you used it lots. The recent information isn’t logged but all the stuff about the supernova and the Nomai’s fate is. Slate cannot see it.

You quickly unbuckle, trying to steer Slate away from looking at the screen. “Hey hey hey, I got the lesson, okay? Uh, I can handle the ship log myself, I uh- I know a thing about troubleshooting myself.”

Slate barely held their laughter at your claim, cackling and brushing you off. “Oh, that’s a good one. Hey, it’s not like anything embarrassing is in here, the computer’s a clean slate!” You improvised, buckling yourself up whilst Slate is bestowed upon a cluttered mess of cards containing information about the Nomai, squinting their eyes at the anomaly. “Oh wow, there’s already stuff in here? That’s strange… wait…”

They couldn’t process anymore further as you throw the ship back in a particularly violent launch, planting Slate’s face directly on the computer screen. The good news is that they are severely distracted, bad news is that they accidentally selected the card regarding the Sun Station; one of the last cards you logged before giving up entirely.

“Ack, what gives?! No one flies like that, are you intentionally doing this?” They spat out whilst you went above orbit and find the Attlerock, wanting to make haste with the journey.

“Sorry, sorry! Uh, these controls are a little rusty, and the big one’s always put some nerves on you, right?” You responded, swaying the ship side by side and making the floor unstable. They got an unlucky roll and smacked their face on the wall again, making them cross-eyed and their crooked teeth exposed. You looked behind and held a shocked wheeze whilst zooming to the moon.

Slate caught on to your antics, holding themselves steady by the ceiling and going after you. They placed their hand on your shoulder, making you jolt slightly. “I never forget about the controls, Feldspar made sure of that. Tell me what’s happening, now.” Slate ordered with a harsh backdrop from their stern tone. Turning around, you see the entire picture. You’ve never seen their face like that.

The ship drifts to the Attlerock as you bite your lips, unsure where to start. “…I guess you can start reading and ask me any questions.”

Slate turns back to the computer, their irritation morphing to concern and skepticism, with a hint of curiosity. “…you’re doing all this fuss over this prank?”

“It’s not a prank.” You said flatly. “You won’t believe me, that’s why I don’t want you to see it.” Ironically, that made you more credible to them, as Slate widened their eyes and read the other cards. The various Nomai cities, the Interloper, the time loop, the Eye of the universe. There are so many questions in Slate’s head, almost impossible to comprehend let alone ask.

With a thud that launched Slate out of their moment, you unceremoniously announced the arrival. Esker watches the ship, waving to the cockpit’s window. “We’re here.” A great plan, quickly derailed to a whole other charade. That is the curse of being a Hearthian.

Both of them drop down, as Esker’s surprised to see Slate after so long. “It’s you! Finally decided that Timber Hearth was boring, is that so?”

“New rookie brought me here, actually. Decided to kill two birds with one stone, but I’m not complaining. How’s the uhh…” Slate wracked their head, trying to remember the name of the blasted place.

Esker clucked their tongue, staring coldly at Slate before reminding them. “…Lunar Outpost.”

“Yes exactly, how has your station been?” inquired Slate, with a wide innocent smile. Esker looks like a tired grumpy old Hearthian, partly because they actually are.

“Most people don’t visit here so all I do is grow the trees and check up with the others with my Signalscope. Thanks for caring, by the way.” Slate felt somewhat bad for not checking up on them, but you had a different opinion.

“Esker spies on people using their Little Scout.” You said flatly causing Esker to sputter and try to deny the accusation. How did they know…?

“No I don’t! That would be rude and disrespectful of people’s privacy, I would never do such a thing.” Esker fully expects Slate to back them up on the matter. They’ve known each over for decades at this point, surely!

“Actually, I believe the rookie more than you. No one can be alone for that long and not go insane.” You busted out laughing followed by Slate, as Esker looks defeated.

“Hmph, well if you came here just to hurt my feelings then you are succeeding, but I doubt that’s the case. What’s the dirt?” Esker looks especially at you, but the engineer quickly took the spotlight back to themselves.

“I’m quite satisfied with this actually; I say we go now.” Slate jokingly turned around before turning back, though karma bit them as the spin made them rather dizzy. “Okay, but in all seriousness, why are you staying here and wasting your life away?”

“If I’m not in charge of the station, then no one will. This is an important part of Outer Wilds Ventures, and I don’t want to see it go! It’ll only be a couple more years before the 30 year anniversary!” Esker gently reminded the passage of time as you and Slate sweat for very different reasons.

“Oh stars, I really am getting old. You’re just stuck here glued to your chair though, go back to Timber Hearth and enjoy the sunset or something! Most people completely forgot you existed!” Slate stammered, genuinely worried for the geezer's sanity, or lack thereof. Having been isolated in their own engrossing themselves, the engineer knows what it feels like to be depraved, alone.

“I can see the sunset just fine here, pal.” Esker said, pointing at the rather concerningly large sun obliviously. “Besides, Gneiss surely still remembers me… right?”

“That’s why I said most people, you hag. You want them to forget you too? You want everyone to forget?” Slate scolded Esker who only scoffed back. They noticed your uncomfortable expression and asked you a question.

“What’s wrong, hatchling? Thought you wanted to be here, something bugging your mind? The air here isn’t the same as Timber Hearth, but you’ll get used to it.” Slate looked at you with the same face they made when cuffing you back then.

You tried to think of an excuse. “Oh no, it’s just… I’m quite peckish actually.” mumbled out of you, pulling out your stick and marshmallow can. “We can roast a few as celebration for my first launch, right? Tell a few tales too, like Feldspar did back in the day!”

There’s an uncanny feeling that sits inside Slate, watching someone who had supposedly lived longer than possibly any of them acting as the childish rookie with that young smile. There’s a possibility in their head that they had heard Esker’s stories, as well as experienced all the beauties and horrors of the universe, maybe even be in this interaction already, a hundred of different times. That’s not what actually happened, but the possibility lingers in their mind.

“That’s the spirit!” Esker pulls out their own stick, reluctantly followed by Slate. “Have I told you the time when I had to fix Feldspar’s old ships? Let me tell you, I always learn something new with each and every crash.”

Slate remembered the story and followed it up, “I kept fixing parts that I thought couldn’t be broken in the first place.” They awkwardly placed a mallow on their stick and sway it above the fire, while watching you slowly roast one to near perfection.

“Gabbro’s ship was less fun to fix, and Riebeck still hasn’t put a single dent on their ship. When Chert got into the program, nobody came to this outpost anymore, maybe except Gabbro when they’re feeling generous. Slate, you remember the Feldsun incident?” Esker slammed their marshmallow directly to the fire, blowing the fire out before crunching it. You felt a wave of cringe tremble down your spine.

"Feldsun?" That caught your interest very quickly.

"Oh stars, that one." Slate capped their forehead with their hand, sighing before telling the story. "Long story short, your pal Feldspar wanted to land on the flying satellite on the Sun, much to everyone's strong protests except Hornfels. Stupid bastard decided that they'll allow simply the most dangerous stunt ever for the sake of knowing more about the Nomai, without your translator."

That alone captured the wild, imaginative child inside you, as you pleaded for Slate to continue. It's strange however, that Slate addresses you more casually, as if they've talked to you before. It's true, but still. "Ooh, please tell me more, please please...!"

"Well..."

The sounds of crickets and quiet chattering was the only thing that filled the sleeping village, and the two chatters were Slate and Feldspar, having a little late night hangout together. Holding a bottle of wine, Feldspar had a more loose tongue, though fortunately the more crass parts were omitted for this sake. "Aye, so I wanted to match velocity on that blasted station, but the gravity pull was too hard, to the point where I was crushed in my seat."

"Well, at least fusing it directly to the ship is a good idea. Welding that took forever." Slate groaned, taking another swig of the drink. "What happened next?"

"I figured to abandon ship at that point, thinking to myself that with the ship at least in orbit, I can touch down on the station by foot and call it a day. Grave mistake in hindsight, I know, but you try being hurled in rapid speed while your entire suit is an oven and you're panicking."

The engineer made a fake gasp, before laughing the comment off. "I can't believe it, the great Feldspar, panicking to do the most dumbest thing ever. Who would've thought?"

"Hey, have some respect that I'm here! I almost didn't make it out alive!" Feldspar scolded, but it only caused Slate to be further amused.

"Oh sure. What great, unimaginable move did you pull off this time to escape from the hungry jaws of death this time?" They mocked with a pretentious prose, complete with the bow and shaking their head.

"Nothing. When I strapped off, I immediately got pinned to a wall as a bowling ball almost crushed my head clean." Feldspar responded flatly, offended by the fact that they almost died to a prop. Slate however was laughing their socks off, howling through the night.

"I'm sorry, but that is the funniest thing I've heard in a while."

"IT'S NOT A JOKE, WHY IS THERE A BOWLING BALL IN MY SHIP?!" They yelled their lungs out, while Slate only laughed even harder.

You and Esker were also having a good laugh, as Slate finishes their story. "So, they tried to get back on their seat and promptly skurried off the sun. Phew."

"Between that and making flamethrower jetpacks, you sure are full of tricks up your sleeves." Esker remarked, giving a golf clap.

"Though I'm pretty sure the flamethrower part is still embedded on every spacesuit." You joked, earning a snicker from Slate.

"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with my works. Still wanted a flamethrower on the ship though, show those anglers who's the real danger."

Checking your internal clock, you realize a lot of time have slipped away, accentuated by Slate's increasing worry every time the sun comes into view. The topic was switched by you. "What have you been up to?"

“Porphy said they wanted to try making moon wine with the trees here, do you mind helping them out soon?” Slate gave an offended look at you, with the false promise of a future. You look back and gave a casual shrug as if light was your burden, while Esker’s eyes lit.

“That sounds interesting! Hey, maybe you’ll get to be the first taster, that is if you can stomach it." teased Esker.

Slate looked at your face, then back at Esker with a grin. “This person, drinking moonshine? I doubt they’d even be able to swallow it.” They quipped, and you certainly agreed with their opinion.

“Oh no, I definitely can’t. Don’t have enough experience yet, maybe a couple of years in the future.” You laughed it off while munching your golden brown mallow, with Esker following suit. Slate is the only one that looks bewildered but joined the sea of laughter anyway.

"Don’t worry about it pal, someday you’ll get there. Though, do crash your ship a couple of times and come back here for me, alright?” They asked with a sly grin.

“Sure thing, maybe I’ll get Gabbro to do it as well.” An idea lodged into your head, a way to give as much as you can to the other travelers. With Epidote being accessible at any time, you can simply garner as much information as you can, then share it with the others. It fills you with glee just thinking about it!

“At it, hatchling. Ahh, if only my last few years would be as exciting as my first few.” Heavy and dreadful is your heart upon hearing that.

All you can say is one dangerous question. “What do you mean by that?”

“Sorry for dropping the mood so suddenly, I’m just… reminiscing the old days. If there’s one thing you should learn is that you never feel like you wasted your life.”

You try to bring the mood back up, proclaiming your excitement. “Are you kidding me? This is my first launch! I have so much to do, so much to see, and I’ll be the first ever to decipher the Nomai culture with my translator tool! Maybe I’ll just be like Feldspar.” There’s still thrill and excitement in you that wants to be the best of the best.

“I understand your enthusiasm, it’s just some advice, okay? If there’s any mistake I did, it’s that I always thought my hay days are in the future, when it actually was right then and there. The little worthless things are valuable too, you hear?” Esker leaned to the fire, seeing the logs burn. You look at the sun and feel roughly the same searing heat.

“You’re older than I thought, Esk. This pilot knows more about time than you do.” Slate commented, partly in truth. They chewed on their marshmallow last, a little undercooked because they're not near the fire enough, but still savoury. They admit they're a little proud, chewing it heartily.

“Hey, never too early to learn, right? I’ll try my best.” You smiled. Slate eyed the sun and saw how burning red hot it is, as sweat precipitates on their skin. They wanted to tell Esker, but doing so shall surely break the old sap's heart.

"Hey rookie, mind if we have a moment for a while? Now that I'm here, I do have a couple of matters with Esker if you don't mind." asked Slate.

"Hey, why don't you put on your suit and explore the moon while you're at it? I saw a ruin right at the south pole, and if you wanna hear the travelers playing their instruments, you can head to the north pole. Great reception. The poles are marked in red on your mini map, but the Attlerock is a pretty small moon, really. Just go around. You can’t miss it." Esker explained, and you gave the OK hand and hopped back to your ship, putting the suit on. At least the whole thing had a pretty happy ending.

As you went out to the ship and started exploring, you overheard something from Slate. "Esker, I saw something from the rookie's ship logs that I've never seen before."

"What do you mean by that?" They looked at you, stopping their conversation as Esker waves naively. You wave back, going far away from them but the topic nags at you. They're talking about you. Curiosity got the better of the Hearthian, so you pull out the Signalscope and listen to them from afar, making you the spy now.

"Listen, they have logs about the history of the Nomai and their technology that we don't know about, and they're far too sophisticated to be some fantasy creation! There are logs about this Eye of the universe, and the Interloper's core has a bunch of ghost matter, the thing we studied-"

"Woah, slow down there! The rookie has just launched a few minutes ago, you were with them!" Esker raised their two hands and prompted Slate to back away.

“That’s the thing, they’ve flown before! They’re in this- complicated time loop thing, because of the Nomai. They were in a wild goose chase about the Eye, and they were the ones that detonated the Sun-” Slate couldn’t believe they’re saying these things, but they are now. Esker is the bewildered one now, trying to compute everything they’re saying.

"You're not making any sense!" Esker deflected, purely by instinct. "Time travel? Chert and Hornfels have told me about how that is impossible to make-"

"It is impossible, but the thing is the rookie has died! Several times! I- I feel bad, I feel like they're cheated of this moment, while we did most of what we want." There was a sense of defeat in Slate's voice.

“Are you sure they’re not just brainwashing you?” Esker sounded a little bit worried, when Slate urged them to follow to your ship. You furrowed your brow, listening closer while your imagination fills the images for you. Esker enters the ship, Slate turns on the computer as both of them sort through your ship logs. “Oh, my stars…”

Slate scrolled through, overwhelming Esker with all of this. “See? I… they must’ve taken a long time to compile all this… I can't even begin to imagine what they've gone through to get to this point.” Slate admitted your bravery under their breath. They accidentally shown the time loop aspect of it, including certain death for everyone. The engineer pulled their hands back, not realizing they had shown it until it was too late.

"The Nomai, responsible for our death. Hornfels' would've gone amok realizing that." Esker joked.

"You're not helping."

"Forgive me, but you're not a genius for pointing that out." Esker doesn’t know where to begin, let alone what to do after this. “So… what do we do then?”

“…I honestly don’t know. I guess nothing, if the rookie can’t do anything about it.” Slate said, in defeat.

“There's nothing we can do about it, right?” prompted Esker, as they walk back out of the ship and to the sun. They both overlooked the sun, swollen and to the point of bursting, sending a funny feeling to Slate.

“No. By now there's nothing anyone can do about it.” Slate shook their head, as Esker places their arm around their neck and on their shoulders. It really felt like old times.

“Okay. No need to fight it then. You know, leaving the world is not as scary as it sounds.” They whistled, wrenching their companion's heart. All that they worked on, all that it amounted to, was this.

Then, you returned. Your internal clock says you’re out of time now. Esker looks at you with the same fading smile as you announced your return. “…I’m back.”

“Welcome back, pilot. Come now, let’s watch the sun together.” said Esker, inviting you. You went and rested your arm on Esker’s shoulders, while watching the last of the sun’s life before it shrinks and expands into a blue ball of devastation, consuming everything.

“Esker… it’s been fun.” Your voice crackled like fire, yet so weakly spoken.

A sharp, amused exhale comes off the old geezer's snout. “Don’t mention it. I’m always having fun with my friends.”

Chapter Text

Solanum throws five pebbles to the ground, sitting down with you. “Does your kind have any playground games similar to this?”

“Not really, usually we play hide and seek or tag with our Signalscope. Tephra likes to rope me into sneaking at the zero-g cave late at night though, show them the place and have a little fun.” You supplied.

“If that’s so, the rules should be simple enough. You throw one piece to the air, pick another piece up, then grab the piece you’ve thrown earlier.” Solanum does so rather flawlessly to your amazement. You throw your own pebbles and throw one too high up in the air. Solanum bared through the amateur attempt, trying to help you out. “…it helps to be gentle.”

“Sorry, I’m just not used to gentle stuff, I guess. I think Riebeck might be good at this though.” Plans already devise itself in your head, but Solanum doesn’t share the same enthusiasm as you.

“I’m not one to judge, but are you positive you can take on this endeavor? You cannot condense our entire culture to one book. Even so, who will read it?” Her thumbs anxiously rub against each other, the prospect of her friend partaking in this daunting adventure almost depressing.

“Well, if the Ash Twin Project doesn’t fail suddenly, I should be good.” It took several attempts and Solanum telling you off like a steadily disappointed mother, but eventually you got it.

“I have reasons to doubt that. My friend, I ask of you to not be afraid. You are confusing your motives, confusing what is right with what you presume is right.” She throws the five pebbles again, this time throwing one and grabbing two pieces, taking her time more leisurely.

“I’m not afraid!” You whined like a child, rubbing your arm and looking away. “…listen, it won’t take that long. I just- I just want to give as much as I can to my friends before things come to an end. I want to have fun before I go.” You throw your pebbles and do the same, surprisingly getting the hang of things.

Solanum clenched her fist, hesitant to throw the pebbles again. “…I’m worried about you. You’ll be fine in this long endeavor; can you promise me?”

“I promise.” You went over to hug your goat friend, and she hugs back. She squirms lightly at your rather tight hug however, prompting you to let go. “Sorry.”

“…we found out that a large concentration of energy can actually tear the fabrics of spacetime, creating a wormhole. They are similar to black holes that you see, but the destination nodes are malleable with how much energy is concentrated.” explained Annona, illustrating a diagram of the warp core’s functionalities on the scroll board. You, Chert and Solanum are present, both learning and gaining appreciation from the teacher. Annona even went as far as to give research notes and blueprints deep from his memory, giving them to eager Chert as they studied the prints.

“Large ball of energy, is that so? Is it similar to how the sun fuses elements to create its power?” inquired Chert, knee deep into the thought. It's their first time going through this, one subject alone would take hours to fully engross oneself! While your past memories of Chert is present, the real Chert's memories are more prevalent despite being unknowing. But perhaps that's for the better. The thought of Chert learning the truth by having your memories infused to them is terrifying for everyone involved, making some things better left in the dark.

“If you’d like, Gelse has written her own notes on the papers that should explain the intricacies of our Vessel.” Annona pointed, to which Chert awkwardly scratched their head.

“I uhh… I can’t read Nomai text.” Chert scurried over to Solanum, asking if she could read it. She nodded and grabbed the papers, looking at where to start. The notes answers Chert’s burning questions about how nuclear fission with unknown elements found throughout the star systems is possible, stored inside a giant generator.

"It says here that the warp core has a regulator to ensure there being no spacetime contradictions, but I do not recall this regulator in Poke's design. Is this an oversight?" Solanum pointed out, earning a surprised gasp from Annona and Chert. How did they miss that important detail?

"Oh dear, perhaps time hasn't treated me kindly even before death. In fairness, I taught Poke the design purely from memory, so it would be understandable that mine and her designs are different, though I didn't expect a crucial part to be left out so easily." Annona supplied. You connected the two and two together, realizing something.

"Wait wait, so Poke's design is the one that has the turning back in time thing, right? And your design doesn't have that, and your design is the widespread one throughout the other Vessels?" you contemplated.

"That would be correct." answered Annona, curious as to where you're going.

You could only laugh hysterically however, leaving the others perplexed on what could possibly amuse you. "Oh Hearth, so there is no possible way the other Nomai could discover time freaking travel, and yet an oversight led to the creation of the Ash Twin Project!"

Chert looked at you with a concerned face, wondering if you've gone mad. "...are you okay?"

You realized that telling what happens would totally freak Chert out, and so kept quiet. "Yeah yeah I'm good, just ignore me."

They cleared their throat, resuming to the usual schedule. “The Vessel still has power after all this time, was it just a really big battery?” Chert asked.

“Our Vessels are equipped with a large powerbank which is protected with a layering of copper, not allowing the energy to disperse. The energy concentration there is enough to power a city for decades, but all that energy is spent with warp travel.”

“Ooh, really? How did your team come across to tearing holes in fabrics of reality, doesn’t that sound rather dangerous?” The thought of the Nomai taking the same risks as a Hearthian sends shivers down your spine, especially since they are more technologically powerful than your kind.

“I’ll admit that my recklessness matched that of Mallow in my early years, much to my colleague’s dismay. Escall was one of the few that saw the light-hearted nature, though they did suggest I steer away from breaking the fabrics of spacetime.”

Solanum howled in laughter, certainly not expecting one of the more sophisticated elders of her clan to have such a careless past. “I wouldn’t have expected you in my years to have such a backstory!”

Annona crossed his arms and scolded Solanum in a stern tone, reminding her that she’s the younger one. “Now where are your manners, young child?”

“With all due respect, Solanum has technically lived for 280,000 years or so.” You made a cocky grin at your pedantic comment as Annona rebutted.

“I am still older than her, therefore she must still respect me.” Solanum smirked and stuck her tongue out, making you and Chert break into laughter as Annona gave an exaggerated gasp. “Now that is just childish.”

“At this point, our origins are so mysterious that it is nothing more than rumours; interpretations of beginnings, each one equally valid.” said Bur.

“I see! What are the rumours?” Riebeck asked, indulging in the stories like a hatchling once more.

Bur grabs a couple of rocks from the fire, tossing them up to the air as they float and coalesce to one. “Throughout the proposals I’ve heard of, they all agreed that we originated at a planet, and that we lived prosper. From then on, multiple hypothesis emerged, creating branching timelines.”

The stones spread apart from each other, forming a trail of lines that grow to Nomai text. Riebeck looked into them deeply, unsure of what to choose before reading one on a whim and continuing from there.

PHYTE: Proposal: Our Nomai ancestors originally travelled as one hopeful group, however the issues of technological stagnation and reproduction rates strangled them so hopelessly.
PHYTE: Therefore, they had a final gathering at home, creating five Yachts that would soon to be a historic feat of our story.
PHYTE: The moment they split and spread throughout the stars, they gained the identity of Nomai by others, and soon what we called ourselves until now.

One of the stones’ progression shows the pebbles cracked apart, orbiting around each other and clashing onto one another. You found it the most interesting out of the bunch, and told Riebeck to read it next.

LAMPRO: Proposal: Their prosperity didn’t last long, as the leaders of our ancestors had different tenets of philosophy, several believed the universe possessed an ultimate goal while others believes in total nihilism.
LAMPRO: There existed great conflict before they agreed on building the five Yachts and parting ways for good.
LAMPRO: It is unclear whether they reunited or not, but somewhere along our journey, this self-destructive behaviour was mitigated and bear the name Nomai.

The last string of text is trailed by a coloured pebble, the odd one out from the bunch.

SPROUT: Proposal: While our ancestors were content with their achievements, a rogue group had a thirst for adventure and wanted to go beyond the world.
SPROUT: They called themselves the Nomai and created the first Yacht, venturing far from home.
SPROUT: Their thirst was quenched and their kind grew bigger, building the other four Yachts and continued their journey to this day.

“All of this are interesting! What do you believe it?” Riebeck asked, then Bur looked at the texts before looking back at the archaeologist.

“In all honesty, I don’t hold a belief to any of them, but rather accept them all as possible candidates. It would be nice if the truth unveils itself, but history corrodes itself over time.” Bur commented.

“Who are these Nomai? I don’t particularly remember them during my journey.” You asked, puzzled by these three figures.

“They are philosophers and distant friends of ours. We often communicate using the communication board on our Vessels about our wellbeing and sharing our theories, thoughts, and things we’ve done.” supplied Bur.

You remember the board on Escall’s Vessel, and how it could be powered… communicating would be a tacky subject however, but it could be worthwhile.

“I must say, I am deeply intrigued in your culture!” Melorae looked closer at Kaepora, while you and Gabbro try your best to ensure nothing goes wrong. It feels terrible to must be a mediator, you wished Kaepora would fit in well since they’re the innocent one here. Things are still going well in this case however, though Gabbro isn’t sure themselves how they were dragged here.

“I am flattered! I was a scholar and preacher during my time, any questions I can surely compliment.” Kaepora hooted with a soft smile, the prospect of being able to tell a story to someone, to talk to someone, briefly washing away their depression.

“Very well! What does your kind celebrate?”

“Our kind celebrates both solstices and equinoxes, and we often hold ceremonies for our youth’s coming of age, particularly their first antlers. Photos are captured, feasts are held, and we would skate by the ice when the rivers have frozen.” supplied Kaepora.

“That sounds nice, you don’t think we could do that at some point?” Gabbro leaned their shoulder to yours.

“I would love to, but it appears that the time is occupied for this moment.” the owelk said, and you only shrugged. Next time could work.

Melorae continued sating her questionnaire. “How does your kind show respect and treat each other?”

“We bow to our superiors, and for everything we take, we give back equal. My kind believed that care is the currency of the world, and music is the shape it takes to soothe our souls.” They sighed at the irony of the statement, as the only thing they could play is a broken piece that shows lament.

She scooted to Kaepora’s side, holding their cold hand as they melted to the warmth. “How are you feeling about all this?”

“…I feel as though I don’t deserve any of this. The others will deny it, but it’s something forever scarred into my soul.” You bit your lips, keening silently while Gabbro looks rather unfazed.

“I hope time will be forgiving, then.”

The glade looks more like a backpacker’s campsite, littered with papers scattered on the floor and hung on the branches like holiday lights and wind chimes. Plenty of models, devices, and overall stuff worth tinkering about for fun and for science are laid messily, unorganized. Chert and Annona have been indulging themselves as much as they like, perhaps a little too long. Has the sun already exploded? You’re unsure. All you remember is that you felt weak, and a nasty headache overtakes you, it feels as if a part of you was ripped away… then that’s it. Nothing more, though your heart grows more heavier, and your senses are dulled. So are Chert’s, as they’ve commented sometime before. When was that, exactly?

 “I must say, the sky has been nothing but sparse. Would you care to see the stars together?” Annona asked Chert, her yearning for something new beyond the smell of the trees, no matter how calming it may be. She seeks thrill, the joy of something new and exciting, something she had never seen.

“Sure thing! Though, I’m a little ashamed to present our technology to you…” Chert mumbles, when the best of Hearthian technology starts from a drunk epiphany and ends with a budget of a lunch meal and most likely a ticking time bomb or metal and wood taped or glued together.

“I don’t mind! I am in no position to judge a kind’s technological progression, especially when not all is made equal.” Annona giggles heartily.

Chert introduces their reliable telescope to Annona, most noticeable for being far bigger and clunkier than the Nomai’s. He takes a cursory inspection, curious about its shape. “Your technology is fascinating. It seems to possess a personality of its own, an impoverished one.”

Chert stammers with fluster, their brain trying to back themselves up while their body is anxious. “Well, if it’s a positive, I don’t mind…” You snickered, and Chert gave you a stink eye as you can’t suppress your silly grin.

“I don’t, I find it quite charming. Perhaps your telescope here aims to give a charm for star seeing.” He looks at the eyepiece, testing it out. “Despite its unique appearance however, the functionality is working properly and clearly.”

“Really? Thank you…” What are they doing?! Of course it works, they’ve used the telescope forever! They’re a contributor on the Hearthian’s knowledge of astronomy, yet they kept slipping up much to your amusement.

“Well, we may begin, then?” Annona chirped.

“Of course…” Chert responded, as the sky lights up with dots enveloping the canvas in a random chaotic manner, its majestic beauty visible.

Riebeck tunes their banjo, still anxious about being here but slowly getting more comfortable with it. They’ve decided to make things more comfortable, setting up more lights and little bits of wood and metal to make it feel more like home. Solanum’s particularly enjoying this, as she looks around and marvels in the weird and fascinating architecture the Hearthian is known for. You’re just chillaxing mostly, though slowly getting more worried Riebeck’s going to ask any moment now to leave, and you want to delay that as much as you can.

“This is deeply fascinating! I have never thought of using wood as a building material!” She gushed, tinkering around with the objects and furniture.

Riebeck quelled Solanum’s enthusiasm down a notch, seeing as there is a reason for why wood isn’t very good. “Uh, maybe because wood isn’t that strong…?”

“I still find it a very creative material, especially since its weaker form allows for more malleability. Perhaps Phlox would find great interest in this, if he was still alive.”

Riebeck cocked their head at a new name, curious about his role. “Ah, who is Phlox?”

“He is one of our artists, and his art is his whole pride and joy. There would be no moments where he would rest with his creations, his entire day revolves around creations and improvements.” supplied Solanum.

“Except when he’s with Daz.” You snarked, which Solanum used as a jumping off point.

“Phlox and Daz is a force to be reckoned with. They never really see eye to eye despite working together, but the rare moments where they do is astonishing.” She spoke with exuberance.

“Aye, just like Slate and Gossan.” You hummed along with Riebeck’s tuning, as the two of you subconsciously connected with each other. Solanum takes note of this event, and she hums alongside you, creating an interesting harmony which surprised her.

“How interesting, we played a part in a young symphony independently!” Solanum hummed again, this time on her own to Riebeck’s playing, as they began playing their usual riff.

“Sol, you play the piano, right? Why not play along with Riebeck?” you suggested, earning Riebeck holding their banjo close to themselves.

“I, uhh… I haven’t really played with others before, mind you…”

“Oh come on, it’d be great! Why fear for something new, right?”

“If you say so…” Riebeck stops their playing and think to themselves, getting rid of nerves and all that. It’s their first duet, and with an extra-terrestrial being in a weird quantum space no less! They played the morning riff, one that Gneiss always loved playing with every sunset on Timber Hearth. After the riff, they began improvising the next bars, as Solanum joins in with her piano, starting out as a simple accompaniment before flourishing into a separate voice in the composition.

"You've performed excellently, but I'm afraid I have simply been kind towards you." She teased as she picks up the pace, swelling up into a buildup as Riebeck follows suit.

"If there's a thing Hearthians are known for, we never fail at improvising." They break the tension, performing a solo on their banjo whilst you and Solanum geek over the newfound energy.

"Alright, that's why I'm talking about Rie!" you cheered from the sidelines, while Solanum prepares her turn. She sweeps the spotlight, rebutting with her own solo in this concerto. They both pass around each other like a game of hot potato, all the more amazing you.

"Think you can join too?" asked Riebeck to you, putting you on the pressure.

"Ah, I'm not sure! I don't really have an instrument." you panicked, to which Riebeck offers a substitute for you.

"You can just hum and we have to follow you!" Great thinking! Surely this will put Solanum at a disadvantage. Hearthians, despite some clearly built to be on other's nerves, have one thing in common: they can be on the exact wavelength. Most people jump to the more iconic duos such as Chert and Gabbro or Slate and Hornfels, but in truth everyone has a bone and flower to pick with each other. Spinel and Gneiss used to rival Feldspar in telling campfire stories, with Spinel's intonations and Gneiss' musical accompaniment, they and Feldspar had to agree not to step on each other's toes. You wished that they would work together to create the ultimate scary story, one that would ripple through space and time.

...where were you?

Chapter Text

You walk upstairs to the observatory, seeing Hornfels looking at their telescope while noting stuff down. “Hey, am I bothering you?”

They turned back and smiled, waving to you. “Oh no, not at all! Heard you were accepted to the space program, exciting stuff! Welcome to Outer Wilds Ventures, cadet, can’t wait to finally work with you.” Hornfels greeted with open arms, going for a warm hug between the two of you.

“Hey Fels, glad to have you be my mentor again. Though, you’re part of the founding members too, right? Why didn’t you accept me?” You crossed your arms with a coy grin, being playful but curious too.

“Ha, if things went my way, then Slate wouldn’t have built this whole observatory with plywood. Seriously, the chances of this whole thing catching fire is so great that Rutile has to do checks every day.” They gave a knock on the walls, reinstating how strong it is, or rather the uncertainty of its strength.

Hornfels cleared their throat, giving a more straightforward answer. “Basically, the majority of the members voted against you. Sorry kid, but Gossan said you're far too reckless, and they'd rather not have a second Feldspar. No matter though, you’re here now! I was always your mentor, but now I can make it official.”

“That’s okay, honestly I didn’t exactly trust myself either.” Hornfels leads you downstairs. “So, when does training start?”

“Gossan says they’ll be ready next week, so keep an eye out if anyone’s going to the zero-g cave.” They hummed, before making an abrupt noise. “Ah, almost forgot! How’s things between you and Hal?”

“Pretty great, I… pretty much squealed at them when I got told I was accepted.” You blushed a little, scratching the back of your head.

Aw, adorable! I’ll root for you, but don’t go telling anyone else.” They put a finger on their lips, taking you to the lobby.

“Aw, thanks. Well, I’m ready then!” You huffed your chest, excited about the training. Everything you’ve been doing from Feldspar telling you to shoot for the skies has been leading up to this moment. You’ve sinked a lot of your time building a rep for yourself and studying, all for the sake of being able to fulfill your ultimate wish. Chert and Riebeck will be there too, making training less lonely. Can’t wait to get started!

“Appreciate the enthusiasm there, bucko.” Hornfels looked at the portrait of Outer Wilds Ventures’ founding members, taking a while to themselves. “I can’t believe this program managed to stay for this long. I remember Rutile saying it was too dangerous of an idea and no one will be reckless enough, but who’s laughing now?”

“Heh, I suppose it has been a staple of ourselves now…” You noticed an odd detail however, squinting your eye as you look closer to the portrait. “…there’s four people here, but five signatures. What’s going on there?”
 
They inspected the portrait closer. “Oh? Ah right, Esker is behind the camera of course! One of us has to be the one taking the picture, you know that?"

You furrowed your brows and pouted. "Nuh uh! Can't you have Tektite or somebody else take the camera instead? It's a picture of the founders, it's gotta have all five!"

"Only we were present during the photo shoot! I don't know why you're being so upset about this, it's not like we forgot about Esker or anything." Hornfels kept a focused eye on you whilst explaining their reasoning.

"But that's exactly what it is! Esker's not in this photo, the photo that showcases the founders of this place. This is where most people will see a photo of them together, and Esker is just not there?" You raised your tone and rebutted Hornfels' reason firmly.

They looked more annoyed now, talking in a stern tone. "What's it to you? We're all fine by this, it's not-"

"It's not fine!!" You interrupted with a screeching voice. "Esker should be in this photo and yet they're not, do you seriously not understand-"

They both started talking over each other, getting progressively angrier as Hornfels threw their hands around while you froth your mouth over it.

"Esker is fine with this, we already talked it over-"

"-well then Esker shouldn't be fine with it! They deserve to be in this-"

"-we can't just take another photo, this is too historical to be changed-"

"-so you don't care for any of this? You don't care that Esker's legacy is going to be a signature of all things-"

Hornfels finally snapped, yelling out to you as they pounded on the photo with force, the wooden walls wobbling a little from it. "ENOUGH! I had it with you! Why are you being so nosey about this, it's not like it's any of your business! We already discussed it in the moment the picture was taken, and we agreed upon it! Nobody else had any problems with it and suddenly you're acting like you're one of us? What in hearth's name is your problem?! You think you have any right in this? Do you?"

"...no. I'm sorry."

You and Chert sits atop of your ship, in a relatively comfortable position as the stars in the sky slowly dissipates, leaving only a few. Chert keeps looking back and forth between you and the swollen sun, despite your best attempts at making sure they don’t look at the sky. It may be a futile effort, but someone’s last moments shouldn’t be of fear and hopelessness, you think. “…do you wanna talk about something else?”

“I don’t know.” Chert said, sighing while clenching their head with both hands. “Since it is the end of time, we could confess our hearts out. Share things that were never meant to be shared.”

“Sure thing. Say, why don’t we roast a marshmallow while we’re at it.” you said, putting one on your stick and pointing it to the sun. Chert barks out a laugh and does the same, playing on your humour.

“Very well. Aah, I’ve done so many things, yet so many things I haven’t done…” They stared at the sun, thinking about the things they could’ve done.

You thought about it, and tried to comfort Chert’s thoughts. “I like to see things that are done more valuable than things that aren’t done, since those are merely thoughts. Other people could carry that torch if they thought of it too, I think.”

They nodded, though agreeing would be boring. Chert tried to rebut your assessment, determined to try and win this final argument, one last victory. “What if somebody’s thoughts are exclusive to themselves, irreplicable from anyone else?”

“Then there should be no burden, for a thought is worth little. It’s the product that’s actually made of atoms.” Check. You grin, anticipating their next move.

“Don’t be silly now, your brain's still made of atoms.” Chert scowled lightly, looking at you with a jaded smile. It’s fun to have friendly banters again. They’re always known for being the attentive and pedantic one in the group, and every once in a while, they’re rather irritated for being known as that. The truth is, they found humorous arguments to be the most fun, those debates over the littlest and stupidest things that would require no more than a simple ‘I don’t care’ to be settled with. Those arguments are the most fun Chert has.

However, in this case, Chert’s at a loss. “The mind however can fit entire worlds in, how does that make sense?” Checkmate. Chert snickered, punching your shoulder lightly at the loss.

“Since when did you become Gabbro? That’s exactly what they would say…” Ah, Gabbro. To reunite with the one you love most at the end of the universe, it seemed so close yet distant now.

You shrugged. “I guess I spent a lot of time with them.”

“Ah, good for you…” Chert winced slightly, now thinking about them. You scurried to their side, hesitating for a moment before they lean themselves on you.

“…You know, Gabbro would’ve loved to see you.” You gently pushed Chert’s head to face you.

“They would, but… I think I’d rather stay here.” That surprised you. They turn back to the sun, tapping on their drums every second, time ticking slowly. You wanted to try convincing Chert again, but decided that everything was set in stone. Everything was brutally calm as you watch the sun again. And then, there was only one star visible left. And then, there was none.

Entering your ship, you lean yourself forward on the ship’s computer, gripping tightly on the handles and your arms supporting your body. You grit your teeth, huffing out large gusts of air before standing upright and kicking the computer as hard as you can. Unsurprisingly, the kick was mighty painful. You raise your feet up and hold it with your two hands whilst cursing aloud. The pain slowly numbs itself away as you reciprocate, but it isn't enough. You grab the Signalscope, crying out a roar as you bash the computer over and over, breaking the screen and putting dents on the metal. The Signalscope slowly breaks itself into pieces, first the tip, then the antenna, and now it’s just a blunt scrap of metal. Not enough. You grunt and growl to yourself, tearing the wirings from the remains of the device, then throwing it down and grabbing the Scout Launcher. You launch the Scout several times to the ship, the speed essentially creating little craters on the now broken piece of motherboards, wires, metal and glass. The only thing in your mind is rage. Rage.

Your body aches from exhaustion as you recalled the Scout for the last time, dropping it to the floor while your legs shuffles and walks to the pilot’s seat. There’s barely anything in your mind, a cacophony of white noise and fleeting thoughts as your body collapses and melts to the seat, as you only groaned out one question.

“What did I do wrong…”

Riebeck’s camp is the most stable, but it isn’t completely stable.

You exhausted everything you want to do to, and with Riebeck. Brought them everywhere, introduced them to everybody, and you’ve peer pressured them to almost everything you can think of. There are some moments they particularly enjoy more, and enjoy less, and in the end they’ve left with you with a weird feeling. This weird feeling of being disconnected. You’ve done all these things and collected them to what you feel like achievements, medals, goals. You’ve exhausted your cards, played around with almost everything the universe has to offer you (The ATP and HEL however still humbles you with the terrifying implications stemmed from your hypotheses.) In the end, there’s almost nothing.

Riebeck notices you staring right at them unintentionally and clears their throat. “…pal? You okay there?”

You shook your head and clear your mind. “Oh no, I am. Just… thinking about stuff.”

They slowly went back to their usual routine, looking to the archipelago of hanging islands sewn to make the planet as is, some falling to the hungry black hole. “Sometimes I forget how pretty this place is, barring the uh, thing below. How do you think this planet can even withstand this kind of shape?”

“I doubt it’s actually any different to how gravity works. The black hole pulls from all direction, so the planet stays steady. When a piece breaks-“ A perfectly timed explosion can be heard making both of you jump, followed by the crackling sounds of tectonic plates breaking apart and a nearby island falling down. “…like that, it’s separated from the rest of the planet.”

Riebeck eyes the falling chunk carefully as they asked another question, on edge with everything. “I see… how did Brittle Hollow became… brittle hollow?”

You slumped. “…now that, I don’t know. Annona theorized the black hole formed because the core was dense enough, and basically sucked the inner layers clean, though that’s a whole debate.”

They only nodded. “That’s interesting, our planets definitely have a lot of… unique characteristics. We must be quite lucky, but a solar system with less dangers would be uhm, preferable.”

“Yeah, but that wouldn’t be fun now, would it?” Riebeck whimpered, cracking a small giggle from you.

Riebeck’s camp is the most stable, but it isn’t completely stable. Each meteor strike sends a brief jolt of shock, but you were fairly confident it would stay intact.

One meteor strikes, and the ground shook and rumbled. Rubbles of pebbles rain from above as Riebeck reflexively stands up, looking around frantically. “What’s happening?!”

You thought it was impossible, but the island begins its fall as panic strikes. You stand and ran to Riebeck, grabbing their wrist and pulling them to the entrance, but it was already too late. This leaves only one choice. You make a dash to the edge of the island with Riebeck, yelling: “JUMP!”

Riebeck audibly squeaked and protested, but both of you made a large leap and boosted your rockets to make a full orbit back to the gravity elevator. Each large boost however only makes a small heap away from the black hole. Not ideal. Your rockets can only withhold the weight of one person, so you order Riebeck to thrust their boosters along with you.

"W-what?!"

"Just do it!" You almost slipped your grasp to Riebeck, holding them even tighter. Both of you are about to lose your chance. "When I say go, press your thrusters!"

"O-okay, please say it quickly though I don't want to die!!"

...

"GO!" They squeaked, pressing their thrusters as hard as they can while hugging mighty close to you, refusing to look down. You held your breath, getting closer to the beam while also steadily falling down to the abyss. You feel the gravity getting heavier. Your leg’s being pulled, as you realize only one can make it.

Riebeck is thrown towards the beam, slowly going up before they collapse on the floor, dry heaving and shaking so much. They let out exasperated cackles between harsh intakes, adrenaline coursing through them. “Oh my hearth, we just did that…! We just… we…”

They looked around, not finding you in sight.

You look up at the Ash Twin Project, near the gravity switcher. There’s this whisper in your heart ever since you’ve found this place, a whisper to put an end to all this. Even before you discovered the Probe Tracking Module, there’s always that whisper that wishes to snuff out the flame. To end your journey once and for all, to embrace the end. Your fear has steered you away for so long, but the whisper only becomes louder with each passing moment. A voice of nihilism.

The sparkling rocks spin around you, as the world revolves around you. Every inch of the electronics hum and groan, as the universe revolves around you. You wanted to take the core out and end all this. Put an end to the skeletons’ misery, to put Kaepora at rest, to put yourself at rest.

But how could you?

You look down, going back to the warp pad in clear frustration as you’re stuck between two ends of the rope. Ending things doesn’t seem to be a viable option, but what other options are there?

The rain is pleasant.

Gabbro swings themselves on the hammock, careful not to fall down as they’re playing the flute surprisingly well. “Hey, time pal! Nice weather we're having, huh? ...Wait. Have I used that one before?”

Your eyes swing back and forth, keeping eye contact with Gabbro. “Honestly, I can’t recall. Gettin’ bored of the hammock, huh?”

“I’m currently doing science, bud. Trying to see how much I can swing and play before falling or hitting a sour note. Mind you, I need someone to note these things down, so you came at a perfect time.” Gabbro said with nonchalant eagerness.

“…really bored. Uh, I don’t have papers, and my memory’s not reliable.”

“Well, you’re the one doing the actual exploring, how’s that going for you? I got papers on my bag right there, knock yourself out.” Gabbro pointed to their assortment of junk, almost slipping out of their hammock then and there and playing a louder note, coming in clutch.

You look at the bag, but didn’t move to grab it. “Honestly, I’m in the same pickle as you. It’s fun at first, but it just gets exhausting. I just can’t get some things to budge.”

“Ah yeah, time loops don’t exactly absolve all of our problems. I typically write a short poem when I’m in a rut, it helps relaxes and keeps the mind going.” They almost made a crescent moon with their swing.

“Honestly, anything’s better than what I’m doing right now.” You agreed with their proposal.

“What?” Gabbro’s taken aback as they fall on the back to the ground, croaking a short-lived groan through their flute. “…you really want to try it?”

“Yeah? You’re the expert.”

They stood up, thick footsteps printing the sand. “I’m not much of a teacher, otherwise I’d be up with Gossan. Whenever I get an idea, it flowed like a drop of water, and I follow it until I’m done."

"...that doesn’t make sense.” You said flatly.

Gabbro pencils their cheek. “Honestly, you really start by thinking about an idea. You’ve been busy with your adventures, right? Do you not have some thoughts about it?”

“I do, it’s just… it’s not crystal clear in my head.” There’s an undertone of frustration in your voice. The whole endeavour has been a mix of emotions, but you haven’t been able to put it into words. There’s elements of joy and wonder, but with an underlying dread and sorrow.

“It won’t be crystal clear until you let the idea flow, one word at a time.” Gabbro muddles the sand, prompting you to start now. You look down, closing your eyes before starting to write with your toes.

Gabbro watches, crossing their arms until you finished. They nodded slowly, looking at you. “Hey, not bad for a rookie! Keep it up and you’ll improve, time buddy. Never too late to learn, even at the end of the world, right?”

You sighed, grumbling to yourself in crabby frustration. “That’s the thing, I… I shouldn’t be a rookie. I’m given all the time and I’m still a rookie.”

“Come on hatchling, don’t burn yourself out over all this. You have all the time, correct?”

“I am not a hatchling.” You stared coldly at Gabbro, clenching your fist. “You know my name.”

“Woah there, no need for the aggression, bud! I was just giving you some friendly advice.” They raised both hands to their chest.

You wanted to speak more, but only huffed. Saying more would only hurt more, and Gabbro’s the only one aware of the loops.

The rain was pleasant.

Kaepora sits on a wooden gazebo, scrolling through their slide reels with you on the opposite side of the interface. You two have been watching each other’s memories, each other’s movies from their deepest fears and fantasies, to simply their daily lives with a little embellishment. It’s what they can do best to comfort you these past few loops, what was a sanctuary now a shelter, now a hiding place.

“Can you pass the controls to me?” you spoke.

“Control’s yours.” Kaepora takes a swig from their cup, with strange clasps on its support. “I had forgotten the joy of watching with someone… how bittersweet it is now.”

“Honestly, I’m with you on this one.” You take a look at their glass, bewildered by its shape but not paying much to it. "While I was snooping around the archives, there were a lot of slide reels that I couldn't even access. Like, a lot. What do they comprise of?"

They circle their nail on the rim of the glass, an acrylic hum ringing out of it. "Most of them are stored thoughts from everyone I know of, from mentors to students, from parents to children, from scholars to farmers. They are an archive of our world, an archive of our own."

You tilted your head in confusion. "An archive containing everything? How is that possible?"

"Due to the creation of our projector sticks, there is no longer a medium needed to master to tell our stories, such as this exact moment." They pointed at the projection.

You found the prospect of their kind complete in their works odd. "What's the purpose of creation then, when everything is already there?"

"Ideas aren't a concrete block, my friend. They change between context, between who's saying them, between what time. You can make a drink with the same formula, but feel something entirely different because of the time or place." Kaepora took another sip from their drink, an ordinary mug of wine now a lament tarnished by their kind's injustice to them. "Besides, there's no fun in chasing down every single idea and its combinations. You simply only do your part in the universe."

You looked at their glass again, and you can't help but to comment on its fascinating feature. “What’s with your cup, it looks weird.”

“Ah, this? We kept knocking the cups down, so we had to install these clasps to keep it steady. It was quite disappointing to not see the madness that used to ensue on our taverns as much, however.”

You barked a laugh, turning your head back to the projection. “Nice. Ah, it appears we don’t have much difference after all.”

“That is correct, but it does concern me greatly.” Kaepora keeps their eye at you, as you slowly remade eye contact.

“…I’m sorry?”

“You and I, we have a lot of things in common. Considering the actions of my kind, I worry for you. You have been denying the end, like how my kind has denied the Eye. Your efforts all culminate to finding the Eye, has it?”

...no. This doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense.

Your vision is foggy, as your heart beats faster. Your ears flap as they feel numb.

Kaepora grabs your shoulder with one friend, a concerned coo coming out of them. “…friend?”

“…no.” You can’t breathe. The air reeks of smoke, the air being more clouded all at once. You lean into your chair, slowly melting as everything around you slowly dissolves into cacophonic chaos. It can’t be. It cannot be.

A crack through the fabrics of space strikes your head as your vision shatters into pieces, with more large cracks assaulting you. The colors are inverted, and your eyes feel chockful of noise and your mind painfully bloated. Through your shattered screen, you see the dreading feeling from deep beneath the forest’s darkness.

Eyes.

A lot of eyes, staring into you, never blinking.

This phenomenon is unknown to you, sending panic. Whenever a Nomai discovers an unknown phenomenon, they identify and explain. Make observations, a hypothesis. Extrapolate. Try to prove yourself wrong on your hypothesis. If the hypothesis remains unbroken, the experiment is done.

You read through your memory. Observation: The Eye is neutral, neither benevolent nor malevolent. Hypothesis: The quantum shards, therefore, must be neutral as well.

Hypothesis: Conscious observation forces the Eye to collapse into a single possibility. Extrapolation: This also applies to this quantum space, because it is directly linked to the quantum shards, and by extension the Eye itself.

...no. This can't be it (Let yourself continue your experiment.) Observation: The trees curl whenever Kaepora was agitated to Solanum back then. Hypothesis: Your consciousness morphs the Eye to your will, but any strong emotions causes the Eye to mirror it without any thought.

Conclusion... no. You refuse to believe it (You know deep down what it is, and at this point... what is the point?) Observsation: Kaepora states that the differences between you and their kind is few and minute. Hypothesis: The commonality is curiosity.

...no, it can't be, for it's unrelated to the context of the statement (Why were you so stubborn on looking away from the truth, going out of your way to stall for time when the answer is right in front for you? Why are you the very thing you are denying?) Repeat. Hypothesis: The commanality is...

Enough.

Kaepora shakes your body, trying to knock you back into sense as you howled in discordant laughter, trying to feel tears in your eyes when there aren’t any. You have reached the point of no return, and why return when there is no point to it all? “Friend? Friend, is everything okay?”

“Oh, I’m doing fantastic.” You spoke in a surprisingly calm, unhinged tone. An ominous smile creeped from your lips as your heart pangs. “I know what to do next.”

Chapter Text

Wake up.

“Tch, tonight’s gonna be a fun one…” You walk towards the village, jumping above uneven grounds and skipping past Mica as you visit Porphy with a devious grin.

“Heyo, hatchling! I hear you're leaving us to seek adventure amongst the stars. When you return, let's you, me, and Gossan open up a bottle of the Good Stuff.” They greeted with enthusiasm, spilling a little out of their batch by accident.

“Aye, sure thing buddy! Mind lending me a bottle?”

“Ohoho, goin’ to space all drunk? Gossan says that’s dangerous, but personally I’d like to see someone else other than Feldspar do it.” Porphy went to the back and grabbed a spare bottle, tilting it a little before handing it to you. “Cheers!”

“Aye, if anything I’ll be the first trained pilot to be all drunk and dangerous, cheers!” You started downing the entire bottle with each hearty gulp, the initial thick and bitter taste making you gag but still swallowing. Porphy looked with amazement as you finished the bottle and lifted it up in the air for the whole world to see (Rutile doesn’t look very impressed, and Gneiss looks particularly concerned.)

“Woah, didn’t expect your first bottle to be such a monster! Guess you’re no longer a hatchling, huh?”

“Yuup-! Woh, I can already feel it on me…” Your body protested the sudden intake as a loud belch belts out of you, your cheeks burning purple in fluster while Porphy barks a laugh at you.

“Well, guess I gotta make a new bottle for after you returned, maybe you got any-“ wHAM! You whack the bottle at Porphy’s head, smashing it as they get knocked to the ground, bleeding from the glass ruptured to them. “Wh… what’s wrong with you?!”

You walked closer to them, the sunrise casting a heavy shadow to Porphy as they raised their shaky hands. “That’s what you get, pal.”

You progress through the village and see a few different faces, Gneiss giving you a weird look, Tephra being curious to the sound of the breaking glass and Spinel not caring that much. It’s not much until you reach Arkose and Gossan, and when Arkose isn’t playing with ghost matter or Tephra, they love to snitch.

“There they are! They’re the one that swung a bottle to Porphy!” Arkose nagged to Gossan, who in turn glared at you.

“How did you know this…?” You looked down from the ghost matter cliff, being able to take a good look at the crater. That explains the how. “Ah, no matter. If you’d like to be taken along the ride, feel free~” you said with drunken ablaze, hands cuffed on your back and your legs combined to one before you walk with an irregular pattern.

Gossan followed you, adamant on giving you a lecture as you venture forth to the observatory. It was clear that they are upset at you. Upset that the new pilot suddenly went beserk and attacked somebody. “What gives?!”

“Wha-a-at, it’ll be okay in like, mm… 20 minutes or so?” You placed a finger on your lips, unsure how much time exactly is left. The wine skewed your sense of time, but you should have enough time.

“20- 20 minutes?? What is going on inside your head? Stop and turn around this instance!” Gossan scowled, stomping on the ground.

“Shush now, you just wait and see.” You shoo them away carelessly, making Gossan more upset.

“You listen to me, hatchling. I am your coach. You are my pupil!” They growled at you, pulling your hand and forcing you to turn around. Despite their authoritative stance, you tower them in a cold look, growling a response.

“I know better than you. Now follow me.” Approaching the museum, Hal can see you with a warm smile, and a concerned upset Gossan on their tail with you. “He-e-ey Halsies, I missed ya!” you exclaimed, going for a soft hug.

Hal flusters with embarrassment, especially with Hornfels and apparently Gossan watching. They try to subtly push you away with a light giggle, pulling themselves away from your smell of wine. “O-oh, wow, okay- heh, already drunk? Thought it was Launch Day, couldn’t resist your first drink?”

“Nuh uh, in fact I want to launch with you. Hornfels can join too if they insist, since you two quite like to be together.” You steal a glance to an exasperated Hornfels, immediately debunking the accusation whilst Hal is beyond embarrassed of themselves and you.

“Hey, we’re colleagues! I’m far too busy to have a relationship, and you two fit in like safety gloves.” retorted Hornfels.

Gossan flips at the absurdity. “What is happening here?? You smashed a wine bottle to Porphy’s head and you’re flirting with Hal?”

“You did WHAT?” There’s the trigger, three down. You walk out of the observatory while Hal and Hornfels is trying to make sense out of all this, and Gossan is still irritated. They’re asking you a lot of questions, Hornfels’ out of frustration and Hal’s out of concern. They all still mean not much to you. They don’t mean much to you. Keep going.

Slate notices you are having a crowd of three distressed people behind you and sputtered in confusion. “What’s going on here? Did I miss a party?”

You shook your head. “No, you’re invited to the party matter of fact! We can all get in our ship, and discuss great things like-“

“Enough!” Gossan decks your face, making you trip over before getting up and punching back at the coach, rapidly turning to a fist fight.

“Woah, hey! What’s happening here?” Slate and Hornfels try to separate both of you, but the fight still lasts like wild hogs tearing each other to shreds.

Hal joins Hornfels in pulling you off, begging you to stop. “Gravel, that’s enough!” Your heart jumps, and you eventually stopped. Gossan huffs and rubs their lips, bleeding slightly.

“…let’s just go.” You began walking towards the elevator.

“No. Tell us what is happening, right now.” Gossan ordered, putting a wrench to your plan. With a sigh, you halt on your track and look at them.

“…I found Feldspar. We’re going to get them now, instead of waiting.” You lean yourself on the elevator, watching several bewildered reactions.

“Waiting…?” You point to the floor, prompting them to get in. One by one, they reluctantly join you in the not so spacious elevator, awkwardly packed together before being lifted to the ship.

“Alright, roll the questions in now.” With a declaration, you launch the ship and set the autopilot to Dark Bramble, before turning back to the crowd.

“Porphy.” Gossan said coldly.

“Ah, your date.” You snapped your finger, as Gossan gave an offended look before glancing awkwardly to Slate. “I tried many things to get your attention, but Porphy is the most reliable way to get you following me.”

Gossan looks at the others, positive they aren’t insane and hearing things that are not there. “…what?”

“Yeah, did this a couple of times, most of them failed and some just weren’t hitting right.”

“What are you dawdling about?! Are you actually going insane? Slate, cuff them already!” pressured Gossan, as Slate slowly closes in on you. Hornfels watches with a sense of intrigue, while Hal is worried to death.

“Slate, you didn’t test my ship logs, remember?” An odd thing to point out, as they did forget. Gossan kept running their mouth at you as Slate checks the log, surprised by how it’s filled with logs already. All this Nomai stuff… it’s too much, and too complex to be a fictional story. They didn’t signal anything, but the others caught on to how long Slate was taking.

Hal looks at the logs next, scrolling with Slate as they both share a glance. “Hornfels, you need to see this!”

They turn around and join Hal, leaving Gossan as they needed no nudge, succumbing to the truth as well. You can only hear their head turning around to each other, murmuring about your own discoveries. Their faces could almost be read: Hornfels is a skeptic yet is at awe, Hal sharing the same childlike glee, but the burden of their circumstances weighs on them, Slate simply reading through it coldly, and Gossan at total disbelief.

“…wow, that easy? I thought you’d start like, asking me a million questions. Riebeck would.”

The ship approaches Dark Bramble as you manually pilot without breaking eye contact, facing them while your right hand does all the movement. They all silently panic at you essentially travelling inside an unknown planet for the same time, blindfolded and drunk.

“Hey hey hey, watch it! What if there are dangers here??” Red flags fire everywhere on Gossan’s mind as they try to wretch control away from you, but you bark laughter while stopping them.

“Re-e-lax, there are only a few anglerfish here, and I know where we’re going!” Their reactions upon the word ‘anglerfish’ are priceless. The anglerfish from the museum…?

Hornfels sinks to the wall, definitely afraid for their lives. “Anglerfish?! This is where they are?”

“Where they live, where they breed!” A smug grin etches itself on you. Knowing there’s an angler nearby, you went full speed ahead as the angler snarls at the ship, startling everyone with screams as the maw of the angler hovers just at the end of your ship as you make your way. “Don’t be scared about it! If Feldspar can make it out alive, so can I!”

Hornfels and Hal is too busy holding each other crying for dear mercy, and Slate and Gossan the same. Eventually, Hal speaks up to you. “Why are you doing all this?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I did learn that nothing matters, in the end. The one choice I do have is when I choose to die.”

"Gravel, I want to talk to you... I want you to see straight! What happened to you?" There was a ferocity in Hal's voice.

Your answers continue to be difficult to retort. "See straight? How can I see straight when I have seen you die, when you have seen me die?"

"You've... seen me die?" You could only nod at Hal's follow up question, causing them to be more frustrated at you. “This is unlike you! What happened to the Gravel I knew?” demanded Hal.

“They’re long gone, the moment I decided that I was selfish enough to embark on this journey alone. I’m reaching the end, but I refuse to. It ate me alive.”

“What do you mean by that? I…” Their own mind already caught on before their tongue could, as you only smiled.

“I have already died a thousand deaths, a thousand times! I have felt it all, my lungs have been crushed or filled with sand, my stomach impaled or made me sick to death, my body cooked, froze, broken out of my senses and eaten alive, and so many more!” You declared loud and proud, relishing in the horror in their eyes. Being in power felt too good.

As the ship steers to Feldspar’s camp, they could see the small glimpse of a Hearthian wearing the ever-familiar suit, the suit Feldspar always insists on wearing despite its wear.

“Wait… is that…” Hornfels squinted, but the rest already caught on. They’re telling the truth.

“That’s Feldspar! Come on, we need to rescue them! You, stay here, we need to pilot them to Timber Hearth.” Gossan pointed at you, their anger briefly overtaken by relief as they all get out of the ship, quickly followed by you. You’re not there to bring them back. There’s not enough time for that.

“Feldspar, it’s you! You’re still alive!” Slate sprints and went for a tight hug.

“Woah- hey there! Didn’t expect a sudden reunion meetup, that’s for sure…” Feldspar looks around to see the culprit behind all this, though it is strange. No one has ever been inside Dark Bramble except themselves, how were they found…?

Slate grasps on Feldspar’s arm, noticing the significant lack of muscles. “Darn, you turned to a stick! How long have you been here?”

Feldspar breaks their arm free from Slate’s grasp, a little self-conscious about the comment as they try to hide it behind their pride. “Only a couple of months, no sweat! What, you all thought I died?”

“Yes! You’ve been gone for so long; we’ve been so worried!” This time it’s Hornfels doing the talking. Hal is simply taken aback the chain of events that they are left speechless.

Feldspar laughed it off, “Come on, have some faith in the ol’ astronaut. I’m the earliest astronaut, and I’m not letting go of that title anytime soon!”

“Come now, let’s take you home. Pilot, rev up the ship!” ordered Gossan. You were already out of the ship by then and counted the minutes in your head.

Three minutes left.

“Nah, I want to ask a few more questions, we got all the time.” They all looked at you weird, while Feldspar remains the way they are.

“Lay it on me, hatchling! Roast a marshmallow while you’re at it.”

“I’m not a hatchling, Feldspar.”

“Really?” They barked a chuckle, not believing your word. “Prove it, then.”

That just about made you snap. “Prove it? Oh yeah, like me bringing four people here all drunk no sweat isn’t enough. All the discoveries I made that they could testify isn’t enough. What more do you want from me?”

“Woah there, alright, fine! You got it, kid, now pull up your mallow and spin us a tale!” declared Feldspar, while the others are slowly getting unnerved by your aggravation.

“I have a NAME, Feldspar. You want me to spin a tale, let me tell you something. I have done everything you could possibly want in your lifetime, due to the Ash Twin Project. Everything! In fact, there’s a good chance that there are multiple timelines with infinite permutations! Literally anything has, have, and will happen!”

Two minutes left.

“I’m sorry? This tale has not much action going on here, I might need some context for this, pilot.”

“I HAVE A NAME!” You screamed right at them, hands threatening to crush their head as they flinched slightly. “My name is Gravel! Say it, say my name! Now!”

"G-Gravel, yes! Come on, you wouldn’t do this to a weak astronaut, would you?"

"Weak? You flew to the core of Giant's Deep and you haven't spent a single day breaking your bones with Gossan in the zero-g cave! Do you know what you've done to me?!" You yelled, spit coming out of your mouth as every word you growled is laced with bitterness.

"Gravel, just stop this already! You already made your point!" begged Slate.

"Oh yeah, what happened to Esker? Why are they not in the portrait at the museum? They are a founding member, yes?" You asked a very difficult question to answer, evident by Feldspar remaining silent and the others refusing to back them up, looking at each other with worry.

"I- Esker wasn't feeling well on photo day and didn't come in, everybody knows this!" Feldspar defended themselves, offended by your implications.

"Why didn't you just take another photo the next day or two?" Check.

"Oh yeah, like photos are a common privilege then. It takes effort!" Feldspar was seriously getting peeved, their bad temper showing through.

"Outer Wilds Ventures is rich and respected, there's no way it's that expensive!" You raised your hands to the air above your head, slowly getting closer to Feldspar as they back away farther from you.

"So what are you saying here?!"

"You forgot, didn't you?" Feldspar was left stunned. Checkmate.

They could only muster a meek sentence, with a hushed, revered tone. "...why are you doing all this?"

For a moment, your anger was subsided, instead replaced with a washing feeling of stoicism. "...because I admired you. You, the first pilot, the word of mouth for the entire village. I chased after your legacy to create my own, but... it led me here."

"Led you here? Rookie, what have I done?" asked Feldspar, the word 'rookie' twitching your ears.

"I am not a rookie, I did a lot more than you've ever done and ever will! I found the Eye! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have to be stuck in this time loop and learn that the universe's going to go dark soon! I could've just stayed oblivious and had one death, just one, but I don't even know how many times I died now! I went into the space program thinking I'll explore the stars and pave my name until I'm old, but no. Nooo."
 
"If you don’t want to be a pilot, you could’ve just stayed home." Feldspar retorted.

“You were the one that pushed me to be an astronaut to begin with! You told me to bug Gossan about it until they let me in! I looked up to you, I admired you! You’re the one reason I had my dreams! I did all of this because of… because of…” you trailed off. Who were you doing all this for? Why did all of this come to be?

Feldspar raises their hands, diffusing the situation the best they can. They cannot do much for their hunger made them weak, only leaving the brains and a little bit of brawn. “H-hatchling, just… we’ll talk through this out, alright? Just me and you, buddy, we can-“

You choke them, pinning them on an angler’s tooth as Feldspar grunts and gargles. Your voice goes through both suits, rattling them down to their soul. “CALL ME HATCHLING ONE MORE TIME AND—” Feldspar is shaking. They’re shaking.

Looking back, you see the fear in everybody’s eyes. Hornfels only musters up a tear for Feldspar, Slate and Gossan are holding each other with their slack jaws in shock, and Hal silently mutters your name, wishing the one they knew and loved to return. Realization strikes.

One minute left.

You look at the fire, while your grasp on the daredevil relaxes as they immediately ran away, joining with the rest. This loop has been awkward, awful, and you wish to leave. Hal calls out your name one last time, wanting to approach you. “Gravel… please… we can talk this out.”

You look at the fire, while Hal keeps calling out to you. But that shouldn’t be a possibility, should it? There were many things wronged between you and everyone, surely, they all despise you, right? Your reputation is in shambles. There is no going back beyond this, and the only way out is by your own means.

You look at the fire, while your ears are ringing, and you felt the world disconnect around you. For a moment, death was okay. Before you know it, your knees fell weak and you drop, without warning nor ceremony, to the fire. There is a split second where you regret that choice, your instincts fighting to save you, but by then your head already collapsed into the fire, burning you alive.

Hal just had to see it. They sprinted out to you and tried to pull you out of the fire, but your head was already cooked fish. Hornfels went next, putting out the fire while yelling at Gossan to radio others. Feldspar and Slate could only watch the devastation, the former unaware of their fate while the latter succumbing to the fact that none of it matters.

Your mind was charred by the fire, information and answers forever scattered as fire, to smoke, then spread across along with the other unknown mysteries of the universe. You had forgotten who you were, and the pain skewered it away.

This game, you’ve finished playing.

Chapter Text

For a moment, everything was not okay.

You tossed another overcooked mallow to the pile, stuffing a new one to the stick and loom it above the fire, slowly watching it cooked to a perfect golden brown, then overcooked again. There are thirty mallows now in the pile, enough to make Mica cry. They always loved rum and marshmallow, you find. Your mind drifts to random thoughts without no resolution, rekindling memories on an endless scrapbook only to be forgotten with a gust of wind. There is only the sounds of crackling fire and air blowing.

“Hey there.” A voice came from behind you, revealing to be Gabbro as they sit beside you. “Didn’t know you needed some alone time.”

The first immediate reaction you have was suspicion. “Are you real or are you not?” Your voice cracks slightly.

“I don’t see why that matters.” They stretched, cracking their back and grunting quietly. “So, got any dirt?”

You sighed, watching the mallow burn and toss it to the ground, replacing it. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, it’s been a while since you talked to me. Surely you did something in the meantime.” Gabbro bumps your shoulder a bit while you give a tired, irritated look to them.

“I guess uhh… found the coordinates to the Eye, that’s exciting.” You said with tired ornery.

“That is exciting.” They chirped. “When are you going? Ahh, I’m not sure who I’m going to miss more.”

That caused a hiss to come from your tongue. “Yeah, about that… can I ask you a favor, since you’re here?”

Gabbro shrugged, leaning back to nothing. “Sure thing, time pal! Anything for my buddy.”

“Great, uhm… my ship’s just nearby this shard, if you’ve noticed. The ship log should have the coordinates at the Vessel’s location. I already told you how to grab the Ash Twin Project’s core, right…?” You rubbed your forehead, devising the masterplan.

“…and why do you want me to do that?” They squinted.

You shrugged, almost bewildered by them not knowing the implications. “So you can go to the Eye?”

Gabbro knows the implications of your request however, and they refused. “Buddy, I’ve done nothing anyone would even consider ‘work’. You’ve been doing all the adventuring, how am I involved in this?”

“That’s the thing, you don’t. That makes you perfect for the job, you’re not… me.” You forced a smile, surprisingly good at it. Gabbro sees past you however, the result of opening up to them… numerous times, frequently.

“Hey buddy, what’s causing you the upset?” They rub the upper part of your arm, gently brushing against your skin.

“Nothing, it’s just… if you go to the Eye, then it won’t project something bad or horrific or whatever. You’re a chill person, it checks out perfectly!” you beamed, less enthusiastically.

Gabbro keeps rubbing, getting themselves closer. That’s… strange? You and Gabbro never really had that much of an intimate relationship, even with being in the time loop together. Most of the time is spent talking about random stuff or giving updates, and Gabbro only shrugs, nods, or give some vague comment about how your discovery about the Sun Station pertains to this philosophical intimacy with the universe. That’s probably a good time to just give up on them.

“Spit it out, Gravel.” Your ears perked, hearing your name uttered making you silently gasp.

You sighed, and so you spilled it out. “I’ve been terribly selfish. I… basically terrorized my friends, people I admired and loved, over… nothing.”

“But they don’t remember it, right? The universe has moved on, and you should too.” Gabbro shrugged, trying to knock some sense into you.

“The universe doesn’t move on, I just went back in time. Besides, if I did it willingly, that means I’m bad, right?” Your arrogance on proving yourself wrong proves to be a challenge for Gabbro as they play their cards carefully.

“Well, if you weigh your situation here…” Gabbro penciled their cheeks, reminding you that this situation isn’t exactly common. In their words: “You’re in a time loop where you can escape death entirely. That to me doesn’t seem like your average weekend holiday vacation trip to space, no matter how much booze you’ve drank.”

“I- I don’t know, I just… I snapped, okay? I can’t stand when others get the treatment that I dreamed for, when I’m always considered the rookie. I always wanted my heroes to see me and my worth, to be friends with them, but… the universe doesn’t like that.” You poured your heart out with ennui.

"You made quite a lot of friends though. Sometimes I wonder what it feels like to be in your shoes, that is until a cyclone sweeps me away, sometimes literally." Gabbro sways their hand to show the motion of their hammock.

"It's just... I want their approval, I want all of it. It's selfish but... I just can't help it." You make a similar gesture to when you were choking Feldspar.

“You’re saying you and Gossan aren’t friends? You spent a lot of time with them during training, they’ve sank more hours with you than with Hornfels or Porphy.”

“Well yeah, Gossan is my coach, they have a responsibility to me, which makes me feel way more terrible…” Great going, Gabbro.

“But you still tried, correct? The Gravel I know doesn’t give up, even when they bashed their head to their ship and lost several teeth.” They tried to lighten the mood. You found their sudden motivation strange, perhaps a little concerning.

But it didn’t work. “I’ve tried my hardest, but it feels like the glory days are over.”

“Come on Gravel, no progress is going to be made if you sulk alone forever…”

“Please, just… just leave me be…!” You crossed your arms, holding from swallowing a large hump in your throat, blinking excessively. Gabbro doesn’t let up one moment. “I just want to be alone…”

Gabbro wraps their arms around you in a tight hug, their warmth a stark contrast to your brutally cold body. Oh how sweet and blissful touch is. Oh how you’ve forgotten touch, how you’ve forgotten to yearn for touch. You can’t resist to hug back, collapsing to Gabbro’s touch as your fingertips caress their back softly and slowly, despite Gabbro’s musculature crushing you slightly.

Your voice cracks and falters to a broken high-pitched wail. “…I don’t want this to end. I care so much about you, about the village, I can’t just let it all go… I can’t just die.”

“You don’t have to do it now but running away’s not gonna help either.”

“I just…” It all was too much. Snot dribbles down along with tears as you struggle to form coherent thoughts. “I just want this to be a normal adventure… It was all going so well even with the time loop; I don’t know where it went wrong…”

They hushed you down, rubbing soft circles on your back as Gabbro uses their knowledge on being a resident cruiser to soothe you down. You close your weeping eyes and rest your head on their shoulders, leaning towards their head as for a moment, all you could feel was touch.

“Gabbro, I’m scared. I’m scared of being forgotten like Esker. I’m scared that no one will remember me when I go to the Eye. I'm scared none of it would matter.” You confessed between sharp breaths and wails.

“Friend, if there was ever a joyful thing that has happened in these times, it is spending every second with you.” She speaks from nowhere as you feel another person hugging you, with a strange texture of fur.

You take a while to recompose yourself, the realization slow to dawn on you as you realize the new person. “S… Solanum?”

“Yes, Gravel?” Alright, something is up, though you’re too busy having an emotional moment to exactly prioritize that.

“…what is going on here?”

“It is about time for us to give back.” Solanum declared, while you open your eyes and see Annona, Melorae and Bur on the back, the three who had started all this.

Melorae explained the surprise arrival, clasping her hands together. “Throughout your adventure, we’ve been in the background noticing each other, and noticed your frequent efforts of bringing as many people as you can here.”

“…really?” Another hand creeps to your shoulder, like branches pressing on you. It doesn’t take an expert to realize it is definitely Kaepora.

“Have you forgotten? All our memories are stored as one entity who we all can access.” Bur gave a knowing nudge, the sudden impact hitting you.

You take a while to recollect your thoughts after an emotional spillage, but there’s a clear wave about to break another dam. They are all acting so kindly to you, why is that...? “Have you been… probing me?”

“That would be correct.” Annona spoke, passing a bar with a similar look to a Nomai staff in terms of materials down to Solanum, who then gave it to you. “We noticed your fear in result of your ambitions.”

“I… I don’t know what to say…” You twirled the stick around, inspecting it. There’s a sharp bit at one end of it. “Throughout all that, I thought I was just a ghost that only existed to bring others to meet one another.”

“I’m sorry if you have felt that way.” Kaepora rubbed their thumb on your neck, sending a brief jolt of tickles that pushed you. “We have wanted to commemorate your efforts for a while, but you were gone after we watched our archives together.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I just… I just felt so selfish that I held myself up as this deity just so that I could feel something again! I’m sorry, I don’t deserve any of this, anyone could’ve handled this better than me…!” you lashed out with a growly tone, berating yourself as your voice cracks. None of this was supposed to happen, it could've been easily avoided if you just held restrains to yourself, being a responsible adult, not a hatchling!

Gabbro halts that thought process, offering something else. “Anyone could handle it better than you, provided they have the hindsight of the mistake.”

“There exists countless timelines where I didn’t mess up, Gabbro. Nothing could pardon me from all this.” you blurted out.

They shrugged. “Why should you care about that timeline, instead of yours? By your logic, there exists countless timelines where you do succeed.”

You sniff, holding back from tears while your voice is whiney and crackling, barely holding itself together from making warbling incoherant noises. “…why now? W-Why do you care now…?”

Kaepora slowly nudges your head to face them. “No one should be alone at the end, when they have the entire universe on their shoulders. You possess an invisible yet heavy burden, one you cannot carry alone. I should’ve realized that much sooner than I admit.”

“The end of your story is yours to decide, but the end of your peril comes now or never. It is tempting to linger here, but every choice has its deadline. Which one will it be, Gravel?” inquired Solanum, as Kaepora inserted a kebab at the end of the stick, conveniently right by the fire.

The sudden and comedic nature of that causes you to break down in choked laughter, as it slowly deforms to sobbing while you bring Kaepora closer to hug the three tangible, though two quasi-dead friends. "...I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry..."

"While there is nothing we are entitled to your forgiveness... we do forgive you. Letting go and forgetting is hard, but as long as there is forgiveness, there can exist love, kindness, and redemption." said Kaepora, petting your head and rubbing circles with their thumb, soothing you.

A warbled cry was all you could barely wail out, trying your hardest not to just outright bawl your heart out to everyone. The others hug even tighter, you covering your face with your two hands. "...I don't deserve this."

"Not now. I have a hypothesis that one loop, you will do something that warrants everything from us." Solanum supplied, to which you questioned her. She whispers the answer close to your ear. "The eye."

That just about caused you to break. You hug them all, feeling their love. It was always there, you just had to seek it out. There, something changed. You let the last pf your outbreak seep out, all the stuffed and bottled stress, anger and sadness releasing in a single breakdown with your friends keeping you steady. White flickers of light came out of you, dribbling upwards to the black sky, slowly filling the canvas. These aren't stars, they're galaxies. More and more breaches out, a spectacle to behold. Kaepora looks up, seeing what all of their efforts and all the numbing times of deprivation has culminated up to. It was beautiful, oh so beautiful. Though they lamented their actual self, they're grateful to have witnessed this. “…thank you. Thank you so much.”

You roast the new slab of meat by the fire, watching your friends all surround you. It may be the swelling tears covering your eyes, but you could’ve sworn you saw Riebeck on the distance alongside Chert. It finally felt like a closure, as you pull the stick and chew heartily on the strange new food. It tastes like a different home, one you’re not from but one you’re familiar with. Everything in this place feels like home, and the winter’s breeze and the warm lightning of the dream world and the memories of the Nomai. It all felt like a second home.

“How did it taste?”

You rub your face, trying to get a better look at Kaepora as the aftertaste lingers. “…it tastes amazing. There’s still a huge part of me that doesn’t want to let go, but… that’s okay. Fear is okay, I think. It’s fear that sparks bravery, and I know you’ll be there with me when I am at the Eye.”

Your gaze then turns to the fire, reminding you of the one at Timber Hearth, with Slate. How you wish you can say thank you to them, to everyone, for putting up with you. You pull in for a last hug as you close your eyes, proclaiming: “I’m ready to die in space.”

When you open your eyes, everyone was gone except Gabbro, the only tangible one. “Glad you think so, buddy.”

For the first time, your heart didn’t stung at the term ‘buddy’. It felt genuine, all of it was genuine to begin with. "Time buddies?"

Gabbro smiles, patting you on the shoulder. "Time buddies."

Though, you can’t help but wonder where the others are. “Where are they?”

“Their memory lives in you, always with you. Though you can't see them, they'll always be behind you, ready to pick you up. Your memory lives on.” You now know who you are in this world, and being more kind towards your place. You're Gravel.

For a moment, everything was okay.

Chapter Text

“This is Gravel, reporting from the end of a universe.”

You stare at the Vessel’s window, seeing the purple storm and planet resembling the Quantum Moon’s projection well (Speaking of, the Quantum Moon greets you as well.) You wanted to ask Gabbro to join along, but they decided against it, saying they’d rather have the person who discover it be the one who finds it. They’d rather end things on a calm note on their own. Asking others would be non-productive, all would dismiss you and the reactions would most likely be unceremonious panic, which in the end is not worth the hassle. It’s fair, but you still don’t want to fend off to the unknown alone. At least, you want a companion to fend off the unknown.

Then, an idea strikes your mind. The communications board! You can send the coordinates to the remaining Vessels on the Gloaming Galaxy, send them off here to make a fitting ending. The Nomai started it first, it’s only fair they get to see it to themselves, even when the clan who found it became lost to time.

“You may have found this inside a satellite which contains this golden disk. If you had followed the instructions and if my luck is fortunate, you’ll understand this message.”

Grabbing a spare Nomai stave, you went up to the communications board and inspected around, trying to see for any control board. You clear the slate, a new board that will be sent to any nearby Vessels out there, which shall surely hit all those who reside at the Gloaming Galaxy. With a new thread, you attached the coordinates to the Eye as well as a message:

[GRAVEL: Escall was right. The Eye was real. The end of all things is nigh, and Escall's clan did not live to see the end of all things. I am their legacy.]
[GRAVEL: I am a Hearthian, a species born to die at the end of existence. My people are all gone, but I can provide solace to you all that we will not die alone, cold, and confused.]
[GRAVEL: Join me in the end of all things, at the Eye of the Universe.]

Now, all you have to do is wait. You look back out on the window, anticipating the message to get across. You see your own solar system from afar, the sun still swollen red as you held your breath. Your internal clock strikes the eleventh hour, your ears flaps its sweat off as a hum rings through your eardrums. Then, it strikes. The sun collapses one last time, exploding to a blue ball that looked so small from here. Something so devastating, so insignificant for those who don’t live there.

There goes Chert, who oversaw the sun’s demise and weeped out one last cry of unsatisfaction. There goes Riebeck, blissful to their blistering death until their very last breath, as they see the blue sky and couldn’t react in time. There goes Esker, who has the second greatest view of the supernova, too awestruck by its awfully majestic grace that they’ve forgotten their life. There goes Gabbro, holding a final breath of contentment as they’ve accepted that they will never wake up and make their hammock ever again. There goes Feldspar, overhearing the roaring sun and being sent into panic before obliteration.

This time, Solanum and Kaepora won’t be in limbo.

“If by any infinitesimal chance that you have found this and listening to me, I express my gratitude.”

The black hole sucks you to the north pole of the strange planet, an eerie hum filling the air as you take slow steps to the south pole. You see the Eye signal locator that the inhabitants have built, still active to this day. One by one, Vessels appear on the sky in a scattered formation, filling up the starless abyss. There was a few, then a lot, around a hundred Vessels as the Nomai begin to warp themselves to the Eye.

You felt as though the universe has rewarded you. It may not feel worth it in your heart, but your pride overtakes that feeling immensely as they approach you, their suit far more sophisticated than Escall’s and their staves more futuristic, hammering in the staggering distance of time. There’s a brief worry that though they still share the same unaltered language, that their intentions would be different in nature.

They wrote a message on the ground as you pull out your translator. You had made sure to learn the Nomai language to properly communicate with them in the first place, but the translator remains one of the last relics of home. You and Hal worked tremendously hard on it, it’s only fair that it gets to witness this conversation firsthand.

[FIL: Salutations! I would presume that you are Gravel, the one who sent the coordinates?]
[GRAVEL: Yes, and I presume you came with no intentions of malice.]
[FIL: As a representative of the remaining Nomai, I only offer questions and many thanks for giving a sudden but profound final curiosity.]

“Just like your luck in finding me, I have been extraordinarily lucky to find the Eye of my universe."

The following is a single sprawling thread of questions and musings, all by you and Fil while the others watched and read with keen interest.

[FIL: What is the tale of Escall’s clan?]
[GRAVEL: When Escall warped towards the Eye’s signal, they instead were trapped in Dark Bramble: a parasitic pocket space which mortally injured their Vessel.]

[GRAVEL: Two of the three escape pods were scattered on our solar system, and began constructing their own civilization, having unable to migrate elsewhere.]
[GRAVEL: They founded many efforts to find the Eye’s coordinates since the signal was obstructed, one of them being the Ash Twin Project.]

[GRAVEL: One of the three escape pods containing Escall themselves did not make it out of Dark Bramble and perished on their own.]
[FIL: That is an unfortunate ending for a great leader, I wish them and their friends forever solace.]

Fil could be seen pausing for a while after that question in particular, having to compress all of that at once.

[FIL: What is the Ash Twin Project?]
[GRAVEL: The Ash Twin Project utilizes an oversight found by Poke’s (Annona’s apprentice) design of his warp core, where one would arrive at a location before departure, relative to the energy spent on the warp.]
[GRAVEL: Though the difference in time is infinitesimally small, they found out the following:]

[GRAVEL: Observation: Memories could be warped back, provided a conscious being is connected to a memory bank which would be sent back in time.]
[GRAVEL: Observation: The energy of a sun’s supernova could be harvested to create a 22 minute offset between the arrival and departure time, therefore creating a time loop through alternate timelines.]
[GRAVEL: Hypothesis: Given these observations, would it be possible to brute force the search for the Eye’s coordinates?]

You pointed to the Eye you both are standing on, letting them connect the dots. Though the description is enough to explain the gist, you definitely butchered the actual science and workings of it to the ancient glade and back, making you a slight bit guilty.

[FIL: What is the Eye?]
[GRAVEL: The Eye of the universe is this vortex we are standing on.]
[GRAVEL: What’s beyond this point is speculation, but what we know is that the Eye contains macroscopic quantum behavior.]
[GRAVEL: The more macroscopic this behavior is, the more uncertain and malleable its contents are.]
[GRAVEL: Conscious observation forces it to collapse to a single possibility. What would happen if an observer entered the Eye? We are about to answer this question.]

The others looked at the looming Eye at the horizon, some afraid while others are intrigued by its mystery. Fil looked at it and wasn’t sure at first, before asking the final question.

[FIL: How did you complete Escall’s tale?]
[GRAVEL: When our sun died naturally, it activated the Ash Twin Project and I happened to be near a memory bank when it stored my memories.]
[GRAVEL: I slowly learned the history of Escall’s clan and their efforts and discoveries, and realized that their story was unfinished, and that I could finish it.]
[GRAVEL: At first I was afraid of ending things, but I learned that every story does not have to end alone. This is why we are here.]

And so, the both of you looked at the road onwards, being in the same wavelength.

"The Eye is my universe’s greatest mystery, for it holds a grandiose mystery, being older than the universe itself.”

You began a slow march towards the north pole, Fil just behind your back as the sounds of footsteps booms and echoes round. Lightning strikes as various imagery appears for a split second before being subsumed to the darkness and uncertainty: a tree, a rock formation normal, never before seen or quantum, bits of metal and scaffolding, ships, cloth and fabric. At the crux of the march, lies a large crater with a broken sphere that edges to the eye above. There it is, again. There’s the Eye, this time closer than ever as you’re able to make the jump. You look at the Quantum moon, just lurking around in orbit in the distant, trapped in your and other’s visiom. Solanum is in there, unaware of what’s happening beyond the layer of debris and smoke that covers the moon completely. She was so, so close, and as much as you want to bring her along the journey, she has already moved on. She may have cheated death, but she could never cheat the universe.

Just when you were about to step forward into the crater, Fil ushered you away and wrote on the floor.

[FIL: This may be a dangerous area, are you sure you want to blindly follow your eager luck without any prerequisites?]

That won’t be necessary, you think. You aim the scout launcher at the eye, shooting the probe and taking pictures of its entrance, before- the scout is gone. Taking a picture reveals nothing, and it appears the scout has lost its connection with the world. An awkward laugh trickles out of your mouth while you turn slowly, trying to regain your composure as you challenge the unconvinced Nomai.

[GRAVEL: It appears that the Eye leads us to somewhere entirely new. Your choice on whether to risk it or to wait until the end of the universe rests on you.]

They thought about it, but at the end of the day, they stayed. This ride provides something so immensely curious; it would be a waste to abandon it all for guaranteed safety, even so it being temporary.

The only thing separating you from the Eye is a single leap. You are in front of line, Fil and the other Nomai leaders second in line, followed by the rest of the Nomai. Your heart thumps as you feel as though you can cough your guts up, the anxiety welling up in cold sweat. But, there is a sense of comfort that you are not the only one afraid, and that your heart beats as one. You held your breath and closed your eyes, clenching your jetpack boosters as you let the wind blow you to the edge. Your fingers just barely graze on the button, before a harder push sends you down. Your heart jumps as your eyes are wide open, holding a scream from your throat while plummeting down. The rest follows suit behind you, leaving a beautiful view of an entire kind leaping down to the unknown.

“Bur has theorized that this is because the Eye originated from something else before the universe. If your universe exists, this theory is true.”

Being inside the museum is one of the last things you expected, but it certainly is a pleasant surprise. The darkness and the unlit outside however is less pleasing, but your flashlight certainly helps. You take a glance at the plaques and quickly realize they aren’t the same, often a recontextualized paragraph about the subject that weighs in the tense at the end of the universe. The Nomai’s statue has a paragraph which reads:

Escall’s clan never got to see it for themselves, but thanks to their efforts and technology, a Hearthian was able to bring the Nomai to the Eye of the universe, completing the story.

You walk further into the museum, seeing the various paintings and exhibits you grew up with, various memories between you and the ones you know and love flashing back. You and Hal were always excited when Hornfels and Feldspar introduced new exhibits and treats to the questions given and chasing each other around when Hornfels would scold you two, despite having a soft spot for children. When Chert and Gabbro would hang around, Chert being the massive oversharer and adding on to the explanations behind some of the science and Gabbro insisting children wouldn’t pay attention to it, but you did.

There’s a part of you who wishes to fall back into wanting to go back, but the outside is too dark. Walking out to the grotto, there wasn’t any shard, but instead the three skeletons you grew fond of standing on the stumpts, looking at you. There’s a paragraph on the stand which reads:

The Nomai had documented the three fundamental truths of the quantum property: rule of quantum entanglement, rule of quantum imaging, and rule of the sixth location. With the help of a Hearthian however, they had discovered a fourth fundamental truth: the rule of quantum consciousness.

You smiled, flattered to have such an impact that you never expected you have. You thanked the skeletons profusely, even when they don’t respond. Suppose you are entirely alone now, despite the company earlier. Perhaps they are in their own projections, reliving their memories. Going to the top floor of the observatory, your galaxy is visible, and unobserved. You eyed on it, then as all four of your eyes locked on, you were ejected out into the darkness.

“I dedicated your universe to my friends and peers for helping me discover the Eye of our universe. They all have placed steppingstones, whom without them I would have never found this.”

In the dead of night, white lights appear like an angler's lure on the far distance, or sprawling eyes looking at you. Jerking your thrusters forward, you approach the lights and see the dark trees appear with star fruits, whole galaxies lighting up the area like streetlights hung on the branches. But something was different; a final Festival was happening. The Nomai were chattering to themselves, sharing and showing their discoveries for the last time. As you got closer to the ground, you can see how... weird and wonderful it all is. A visual maelstrom of technology with splashes of color and wood and metal, big and small, loud and bright, all of them swirling and blending together to create quite the overwhelming place. There's so much to find and discover that words fail to encompass. Some booths are small with only a simple contraption that seemed deceptively trivial, all the way to giant supercomputers that could emulate an encyclopedic being. The Nomai all looked at you, some inviting you to check out what they have to share, and it filled you with awe. For a moment, you were saddened that you couldn't preserve all of this, to archive this all in a book or your mind to share. It was all too good. But, as one booth stands...

"Gravel! It is nice to see you again." Annona smiled and sprinted out of his stand to hug you. He actually has a form this time: short fur that has a more thin texture, navy blue eyes and an impala antler: long, thin and curved horns with bony beads embedded on the bottom.

"Annona!" You looked at his stand, it is notably more simplistic than the rest, but also more familiar. "...that was your stand during a Festival?"

"That is correct. It's a humble booth, but I remember the reactions of some individuals. Their eyes were alit and they quickly gathered more people. Eventually, everyone in the festival knew of it!"

"Wow... I'm surprised no one has used it maliciously. Not to smear on your kind, but-"

Annona hooted in laughter before extinguishing your thought. "We have strong regulations for the Festivals, friend. Only our kind can amass themselves, and the clans present are documented and audited for the next year."

"Really? I thought the Festival was to share knowledge with other kinds too!"

"Our first Festivals did welcome other species, when our technology were modest and humble, but we quickly realized that interfering with the technological advancements of other kinds would have severe consequences." Annona supplied.

"Alright. Where are the rest of your clan?" You look around, wondering if the surrounding Nomai are part of Escall's clan.

"I wouldn't know. I only hope they are in peace."

Your eyes widen. "They... can't be here? I thought we remembered them."

He makes a subtle frown, disappointed as well. "...perhaps some things had to be left behind."

"That's... fair. I suppose, until we meet again?" You try not to get your hopes down.

Annona smiled and raised his brow. "It may be sooner than we think."

You bid farewell to Annona, using your jetpack to fly further up where the sounds of chattering became much, much quieter, save for the crickets, the ethereal hum and the distant crackled transmissions of garbled memories, encrypted beyond its point of no return. You stand atop a large branch, brushing off one of the stars. Tiny quarks of white sand scatters and dribbles to the understory layer of the scarce yet compact forest, akin to falling fireflies in the dead of night. Suddenly, it became a little darker.

That's when you realize they're not stars. They're galaxies.

Other Nomai are watching too, some reaching out to the galaxies only for it to wither away like a fragile leaf blowing to the air. They are now one with the universe, existing on it while not being in it. Few people whispered questions with little answers, few people mourned their goodbyes and whispered their credits, most were silent and solemn.

“…so, this is it. We unite one last time before parting on our ways, are we not?” One spoke to you, not minding the sudden lack of language barriers.

“I don’t think so, no. I intend this journey to be with friends, and that is how I am ending it.” You shook your head.

“What happens beyond this point? Where are we?” Another one asked as you shrugged, taking in the scent of the pine trees, slowly walking along the garden of little foliage and folly.

“I don’t know.” You said calmly. “One way to find out.”

“To the Inhabitants, for finding the Eye and making the very first step, though short-lived.”

Lighting up a campfire, the area around you is a lot more familiar, with the starless sky and pine trees evenly spaced out at a distance. Ah, a homely feeling. It isn't the first time you have made yourself acquainted with this woods, but it is the final time. Taking it all in, basking all the memories, the good, the bad, the melancholy, a hint of absurdity. Quiet and lush, a break from all the noise. Let the entropy wash you away. Behind you makes a sound of a creaking chair, and you turn around to see…

“Esker! I didn’t expect you to be here!” you celebrated, opening your arms wide.

“Heh, I didn’t expect it either, pilot. So, grown tired of my tales?” Esker snarkily scolded, trying to hide their ever-childish grin from their face, still failing despite however many years of service. Esker was always charming, even if they’re the strict elderly.

“No, no no! It’s just… someday, we gotta make new tales to tell, you know?”

They smacked their dry tongue, humming to themselves. “I suppose you’re right. I’m a little thirsty, and I like to tell a last campfire story with a couple of wine with the roster before wrapping this up. Do you think you can do that, pilot?”

You shrugged, simply ecstatic to see the brunt mallow again. “Sure thing!”

“…do you hear music?” They picked out detritus with their toothpick, as you pull out your Signalscope and heard a banjo. Following the signal, you began collecting the instruments one by one, most from travelers you already knew and some bringing back another set of memories. In the end, they’re all here at your disposal, waiting by the campfire as Esker grins at the sight of such a warm reunion, and a warm welcoming as well.

“To Kaepora, for being a brave soul and releasing the Eye’s signal, starting the chain reaction. May their bravery and selflessness be found throughout."

But there was five not joining the group, one of them being the prisoner. Kaepora slants on a tree, lit up by the soft fire crackling afar, their misty eyes longing to be close to it, to be with company again. But there was a feeling that perhaps they don’t deserve to mold the shape of the next universe.

It wasn’t until you showed up in front of them that they spoke aloud their worries. “When my kind found the Eye and realized what it was capable of, they were terrified. It was too difficult a truth. Like a light too bright to look upon directly, it burned them.”

Kaepora could already picture the events in their head, the memories horrifyingly vivid and clear as day. They remember being with the crowd that witnessed the Eye’s vision, all but them were rabid and protesting. Like a strong current, they were shoved and ushered away in an angry sea of people as they stormed to the Eye’s shrine, scowling and cursing in an overwhelming cacophonic mess. When they bared witness to them burning the shrine down with torches and flamethrowers, howling in triumph and rage, Kaepora felt the kind of horror that strikes a chilling awe, their feathers puffed up and their pupils shrunk. It was like they were in a completely unknown world with unknown people, their home alien.

“What they could not unlearn was hidden away in darkness — obfuscated, then lost. They did not want to see their story end.” Kaepora continued, their voice hushed in an elegy for their kind who were surely snuffed out by then, alone and confused.

Then, the next memory surfaces. Kaepora rose awake from their eternal dream, while the others were all silent with their artifacts lit up. There wasn’t any sounds of snoring, none of them moved an inch and their breaths were near silent. Never has a room filled with many people feel so dead in their eyes. They snuck outside to disable the signal blocker, in hopes that no one would care to check. During their stay, their mind was restless throughout the whole time, even though all their friends and family were still who they were, never changed. Everything felt like it changed ever since, and everything felt wrong. They have mulled it so many times day and night, already isolating themselves from others as they weigh their options, planning their moves carefully, making sure they cast themselves in the shadows unnoticed.

Then, Kaepora reached the tipping point, and went to the path of no return. They were doing it.

Oh how they have never expected what would happen to them.

“My kind weren’t always like this. We weren’t always so afraid. I did what I could to set things right, yet I am still of my kind, and you know now what they did. I cannot promise our fear won’t stain your mind.” Kaepora supplied their mind already stained by their kind’s fear and keening hatred.

The Stranger was completely empty and desolate, already a ghost town when there is no ghost yet. Kaepora travelled as quickly as they could, using the raft to quickly lap around the river and make it to the reservoir, docking it. There was one piece of the puzzle they couldn’t do alone however: the codes. They had to ask one of their closest friends who knew the code, and they promised not to tell a single soul what they would do. Even if Kaepora was cryptic about their mission, it doesn’t take many reasonable doubts to assume why knowing the code to the signal blocker room was a necessity.

Kaepora went inside and disabled it. For a moment, everything was okay. Until someone reached behind their back, revealing a crowd of angry and disappointed people, all staring at you with clear intentions. Kaepora will not make it out of this. At first, they resisted the ambush, grabbing lanterns to smash them in the others' face, and make a grand escape for it. An entire mob was hunting them and they had no choice but to flee, to escape out to the star system they resided and live alone, creating another home for themselves. That doesn’t seem appealing, but it was that or trying to reason with them.

They didn’t want to flee, and they wanted peace. They hoped in blind faith and trust that they would be pardoned, but it quickly escalated into an argument. One of the superiors ordered to create a prison, to which Kaepora detested and plead for their lives, hoping they would see beyond their simple hatred at the Eye that was mismatched to them. But, upon seeing their family and friends all sharing a sad or angry look, they lost their voice, their energy gone.

They surrendered.

“And so, a choice: Are you certain you want to remember me?” Kaepora braced for the worst, this time their blind faith not present. They closed their eyes and gritted their teeth, holding their breath… before something wrapped around their chest tightly. They were surprised and blurbed out a surprised hoot, opening their eyes and seeing you give a hug. Their entire body trickles weak, their cold body slowly warm from the embrace as Kaepora hugs back, purring with content.

You pull back from the hug, accepting them as part of the roster. There is nothing to fear. “Join us. Let’s see what happens.”

“…very well.”

"To Escall and their clan, for putting in enormous amounts of efforts and technology to find the Eye, even though they never got to see it for themselves.”

One down, four more to go. Typically, the instruments you collect have one voice, one melody, but your Signalscope picked up something interesting: a canon of three synthesizer melodies intertwined together. The signal leads to a stumpt with three Nomai all pointing at the sky. They formed to a Nomai’s space shuttle which blasted off into the cold empty vacuum with a lone star at the end of the journey, slowly going closer as the shuttle reaches a great speed, one that the gravity floor almost couldn’t hold you from.

You are about to crash into the star.

Frantically, you try to warp away but the controls do nothing, and then there was a brief flash before you’re thrown with a floating mask. To collect it sends you back to the campfire, as the others are already surprised by the sudden appearance of three freaky standing Nomai skeletons and a ‘living’ Nomai, with the exception of Kaepora who looks mildly surprised and excited.

“Woahhh, looks like we got a new player in the band! You three look freaky.” said Feldspar.

“Good to see you again.” Riebeck waved at them as if they were old friends. “Uh, Feldspar, hasn’t Gravel already told you about them…?”

“Yeah but I never got to see them with my own four eyes.” Feldspar retorted.

“It is a pleasure to meet you then! I’ve heard great tales about you, though taking a skeleton of our kind for your display is questionable.” Melorae commented, eliciting a few ‘oohs’ from the crowd while Feldspar flusters.

“Well, some people want to see it for real and not all can fly a ticking time bomb of a spacecraft, so something has to be done.” They shrugged, earning a quiet laughter from the bunch.

“It is a true honor to be here, to shape what happens next with you.” Annona confessed, his humbleness apparent with their little thumb presses.

“Without you, I don’t think I would’ve learned to let go. All of you helped me, especially you Gabbro. Also, uh, sorry about what happened with Gossan and all that, Feldspar.” You said sheepishly, still rather ashamed of the whole fiasco.

“Eh, it already happened anyway. You wouldn’t believe me if I said I’ve seen Gossan way more upset than that.” Feldspar munched on their mallow.

“Besides pilot, not everything runs smoothly. Mistakes happen, and honestly, I wouldn’t want any less for this new thing we’re doing.” Gabbro followed, alternating between looking at you and Chert.

“To Solanum, Annona, Melorae and Bur, for helping me discover their past and forever cementing the name Nomai as a foundation for your universe.”

“Even though we are in a private place, I have an inkling there are more people here beyond us.” said Bur, looking around.

“It may be because I wasn’t the only one who jumped into the Eye.” You pondered, earning the interest of others.

“Who followed you along?”

“The Vessel showed a recent message thread where all the remaining Nomai are situated in one galaxy. I sent a reply containing the coordinates to every available Vessel, and they all followed me.” They all gasped at the revelation, with Annona being affected the most.

“That is an incredible achievement! I am flattered that you honored our kind that deeply, to learn our language and bring my kind along.” Annona bowed his head to you, while you went for an immediate hug. Unfortunately, the hug caused the bones to collapse, making you throw yourself back in shock and horror.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I- I thought that-” Annona slowly build himself back up, barking up a laugh at your horrified reaction.

“You shouldn’t have any worries, my friend. Still, I am immensely grateful for your kindness. I had for sure assumed Escall’s name would be forgotten as well as mine.” Annona supplied.

“Not under my watch.” You grinned, before stepping up and raise a glass with pride. “Let there be a toast, to Escall!”

“Aye!” The others joined with eager delight, chatting to themselves about tales at the end of the universe.

“To my friends, to Feldspar, to Gossan, for nurturing me to who I am and allowing me to embark on my first launch. May our curiosity be found throughout.”

“So, uh… what do you think of us?” asked Riebeck to the Nomai, as Solanum takes a sip of the sap wine and subtly spitting it out back to the cup, her face scrunched up.

“It’s a delight to hear of your antiques, after evolution has granted you this ultimate chance. I do believe Esker’s tales to be amusing.” Melorae chirped, causing Esker to let a low whistle from their lips.

“Not often I would hear that! Slate and I go way back, and I think Feldspar’s just a little jealous.” Esker giggled while Feldspar slams their marshmallow stick at the fire, irritated at the old brunt.

“Listen here, you’re no better than anyone else at camping stories! One tale from you would cause me to snore louder than a chainsaw.” lashed Feldspar, their finger pointed right at Esker’s chin.

They grinned, pushing Feldspar’s hand away. “Maybe, except Slate and Chert. Why are you defending yourself if you’re as good as you are, hm?”

Chert snickered while Feldspar grumbles to themselves and crosses their arms, sulking while waiting for the band to start playing. “Reminds me of the good old times. It’s a shame this is the last time we’ll meet together.”

“Hey buddy, don’t think about that.” Gabbro shuffled closer to Chert, holding them still. Even though they are buried between a layer of a spacesuit, they still felt the warmth of touch. “I’m right here, okay?”

“Thanks, I suppose…” Chert sighed, simply waiting it out.

“I hope there are beasties in the next one.” Feldspar cracked their knuckles and stretched their back, grunting. “This solar system sure gave me a challenge, but it could be more dangerous!”

“I wouldn’t really wish for that, on behalf of myself.” Riebeck pitched.

“Plus the future ships isn’t gonna be any less expensive to build and repair.” Esker pipes in.

“They are now everywhere; from the ground you step on to the ambitions in your head. My only wish is that someday, another great mystery from your universe will be discovered, even if it’s something small.”

“Gravel, if I may ask… now that you have reached your journey’s end, is there something you wish you could’ve done?” inquired Solanum.

“Yeah, a lot of things. Your clan has travelled between solar systems and had relationships with a bunch of other cool aliens, I got none of that.” You slowly roasted your mallow to the fire, joining in with the others roasting their own while being in Solanum’s conversation.

“You have my condolences, but don’t despair. What you have done will outlive everything.” She wrapped her arm around your neck, her fur brushing on your skin.

“I know I know, I don’t want to be sappy about it but, you know, it’s not exactly something I will witness.” You shrugged, rolling your eyes. Being a parent who shall die when their child is born, a petal that blooms as the flower dies, it stings.

Solanum nods. “I understand.”

“Yeah… but hey, someone else can do that for me, eventually. That’s more than good enough." Taking a bite of the mallow, you take in the chewy and sweet flavor one last time, before swallowing heartily. That was the best mallow you ever had.

You overlooked a peculiar shadow that of no melody attached to it, garnering your interest. Dying isn’t really a thing here and other than the thought of being eternally trapped somewhere, there really is nothing malicious here. But a flicker of fear still lingers. Venturing off to the unknown, the eyes began to stare down at you. The silhouette comes closer, and…

“…Gravel! Salutations, I didn’t expect us to meet!” Fil waved, earning a surprised gasp from you.

“How are you here?” You asked, as the other Nomai began to form around Fil, some looking off to your friends at the distance.

“Our clan started roaming around in hopes to find out, and it appears we’ve succeeded! Come now, we need to begin the orchestra.” Fil bounced, excited for such a monumental occasion.

“Sure thing, follow me!”

“You may not believe me, but we were born at the end of the universe, with primitive technology that is laughable, yet we managed. I managed.”

Gabbro looked around as a large Nomai crowd gets into formations, holding up various instrumentals. “Woah there, found something cool?”

You grinned, trying to hide your overenthusiasm. “Yeah, sure did. Suppose we’re ready for the big finale.”

“That’s cool, have you picked an instrument?” Gabbro continued in their simple aloof tone, getting their flute ready by spinning it around with one hand.

You sunk back to yourself, ears flapped. “…no.”

Gabbro crosses their arms, skeptical of your anxiety. “So, you’re just watching?”

“Even better, I’m conducting!” You spread your arms wide, holding the wooden branch as the conductor baton. The Nomai orchestra was startled at the sudden loft and readied themselves, only for you to realize your position and tell them to calm down. The show hasn't started yet. “Figured everyone else but me is playing their instruments, so someone must be in charge.”

“Aw, I do miss the simpler campfire song though.” Gabbro lamented.

“Well, you gotta try something different every once in a while, right?” There you stood on a podium, using your mallow as a stick as everyone lines up in position, followed by Gabbro.

“Fair.” You close your eyes, taking a deep breath and calming your nerves. Your hand waves to Solanum, prompting her to begin the piece with her piano. Now, time marches along with the music.

“We are not gods, but let it be known that there is only one currency in a universe with no language.”

The orchestra swells up to a climactic point, and white droplets begin to float out of the players and trickle to the sky, filling it up with new life. You fell in awe of it all. When all is said and all is done, the orchestra stops as a large ball of moondust forms at the middle, almost as big as the vortex itself. The sky is plentiful of stars, dense and packed as it glimmers. However, you can't deny it: even though all is going well, what you have done in the past is now a fact, a stepping stone that also exists. But, the best hopes you can have is that you have learned from it, and that mistakes are part of the journey. Fear is essential despite how easy fear is able to burn even the most of hardy scholars, for if there is no fear, there is no profound hope, there is no bravery, and there is no courage that is used for curiosity and ultimately kindness. You held your breath, your feet anxious to leave the ground as you look around to your friends. Your friends, they smile at you. The Nomai, they watch with bated breath. You look up to the smoke and lunged yourself forward with no second thoughts. Back then, you didn't truly consider yourself to have an extraordinary trait that separated you from the others, never really realizing your identity. Now you know your name, who you are, the imprints you have and shall leave behind, and the waters are awaiting for you to raft towards the beyond.

You never believed that magic existed, but the entire journey proved that magic doesn’t mean something extraordinary or beyond fiction. It simply meant having an extraordinary adventure that shifts something in your life. The universe can only give you one thing.

“A mystery.”