Chapter Text
bedtime contemplation
The sea of stars twinkling in the vast sky was always a sight to behold. These collective freckle of lights that shines through the dark night may look the same but each of them can carry a distinctive feature. There is one that shines the brightest, there is one that sparkles only one color, and there is one that lost its gleam as time passed by.
But there is nothing wrong looking the same as the other. After all, among the sea of stars, you belong in the same sky.
“What if there’s a star that doesn’t belong in the sky?” asked the young girl with blonde hair and golden eyes as she looked at the night sky above her.
“Where did that question came from, Lumine?” the young boy with the same appearance as the girl asked in return. They were in a balcony of their home, gazing the stars despite the cold breeze that caressed their hair as it gently brushed their faces. “Besides, that question doesn’t make sense,” the boy, Aether, retorted, leaning at the railing of the balcony. “A star that doesn’t belong in the sky? A star is supposed to be in the sky — it wouldn’t exist to begin with.”
“That’s true,” Lumine admitted, sighing. “Sorry, Aether, the story mother told us earlier while we were still in bed is getting me.”
“Mother likes telling sad stories like that.”
“Mother’s stories doesn’t always have a happy ending,” Lumine pouted. “The story she told us earlier about the witch leaving her unfaithful husband behind—it wouldn’t hurt, at least, add a happy ending like the witch like starting a new life in a new place.”
“But the witch killed her children before she left, you know?” Aether reminded.
There was an uncomfortable silence before Lumine said glumly, “Mother should have left that part out. I don’t want nightmares…”
“But it taught us to be never unfaithful, right?” Aether said, trying to cheer her up.
“Hmm… yeah. I guess you’re right. Before that happened, they were in a crew that went through a lot of adventures in the sea.” Lumine’s eyes sparkled. “I really like that female huntress among them. What was her name again? A… Ata…”
“Atalanta,” Aether provided. “Yeah, I remember when Father told her story. The fastest huntress and a favorite of Goddess of Hunter. As I remember from that story, she was the one who hit the boar first, right?”
“But I don’t like it when she was forced to get married.” Lumine crossed her arms indignantly. “She should have refused her father and become the coolest hunter in the world.”
Aether smiled. “You always have the same reaction,” he said. “Whenever you hear a heroine getting married, you always didn’t like it.”
“That’s because every time they get married, they suddenly become insignificant,” his twin sister complained. “The stories I always hear about girls, they’re either a lover and had a passive role in the story. I want a story of a strong woman who held herself high and doesn’t want a man to prove her… um…fe…femin…”
“In other words, a strong, independent woman, right?”
“That’s right!” Lumine said, nodding at her twin brother. Then she sighed, “But… all I hear is men and how strong they are. Does Mother and Father knows any different story other than that?”
“Speaking of different story,” Aether recalled. “Do you remember the story of Hephaestus?”
“Oh! That lame blacksmith,” she said. “Yeah, I remember. He was thrown from the Heavens by his mother, right?”
Aether paused. “Now that you mention it, Mother and Father’s stories are a bit… disturbing.”
“Mother’s stories are the worst actually,” Lumine told him, paling slightly. “Don’t tell me, you just realized that?”
“Hmm… I probably overlooked it and I only focused to the intention of the story, I think?” Aether guessed than reasoned.
Lumine looked at him pensively. “As I remember, Father said you’re an idealist. Maybe you’re being like that?”
“And you’re the realist. Father also said that about you,” Aether added. “He said we’re complete opposites. It really makes me wonder — how can opposites get along? We’re twins, you know?”
“Uhh… Aether, Aether,” Lumine waved at him. “We’re getting off-topic — what was it about Hephaestus?”
“Ah, that’s right,” he realized. “Hmm, well… among the stories of heroes Mother and Father told us, his story was quite different. He may be a god, but he wasn’t particularly blessed with things that a god should have. Other than that, he was hated by his mother who threw him from the Heavens.”
“But he was acknowledged in the end, right?”
“Yeah, he was acknowledged. What I meant is he didn’t become a hero but instead he supports the Gods and Heroes as the Divine Blacksmith.”
“Yeah. Hephaestus is a bit… hidden than others,” Lumine agreed. “He was mentioned here and there in the stories Mother and Father told us, and then you demanded a story of him.”
“I was simply curious.” Aether laughed awkwardly. “I kept hearing the name ‘Hephaestus’ throughout the stories—of course, I wanted to know about him.” Aether smiled. “Besides, I liked him more than those heroes.”
Lumine perked up. “Why?”
“What worth is a hero without a sword? How would you protect someone without a shield? The weapons are sometimes overlooked in the stories, but I think it’s a fascinating that a sword or shield can become a part of hero’s identity.”
“They have hands to form into fist.”
“That’s true,” he admitted. “But a hero’s body is irreplaceable. You can’t be reckless with it.”
“But aren’t heroes stronger than ordinary people? Some of them are demigods though.”
Aether turned to her, unimpressed. “Now I understand why Father said you’re a realist. Are you out here to destroy my ideals, you villain?”
“Nope. I’m here with you in the balcony of our room, still up even though it’s already past our bedtime,” she replied. “And also, ‘you villain’—hey! I’m not a villain! I—“
“Shh!” Aether hastily hushed. “Keep your voice down! You’ll alert Mother and Father that we’re still awake.”
Lumine complied. They were silent for a while, waiting for any shuffling of footsteps near their room. When they heard nothing, they sighed in relief. “Well, speaking of being different,” Lumine started. “What about the story of Pandora?”
“Pandora?” he said. “Ah, the woman who is supposed to be a punishment for Prometheus given by the chief god to his brother, Epimetheus?”
“Uhh… yeah. That’s the one,” she replied halfheartedly. “It’s not like I forgot it was actually a story focused on Prometheus, not Pandora.”
“No, you definitely forgot about that, Lumine,” Aether suspected—no, he was sure of it. “But still… Pandora? What made you interested in her than Prometheus?”
“Actually, Prometheus’ story is interesting.” Lumine shrugged. “He’s a rebel and I appreciate his efforts despite being punished at the end of the story. Seriously, what’s up with Mother and Father’s stories being unsettling,” she muttered with a small frown before she continued, “But I’m curious in Pandora. I think she’s more of a puppet than a person—that’s why I’m wondering what happened to her after she opened that box.”
“I think she married Epimetheus.”
“Marry…” She sighed, disappointed. “Again, with that. Anyway, even though she was just a puppet, the story is weirdly against her as if she was a villain or something.”
“Well, in a way, she was the villain in that story,” Aether reasoned. “I mean, the story wouldn’t be exciting without a villain, right?”
“I guess, you’re right,” Lumine agreed with a pout. “I think it’s still strange though. It’s not that the story against her, it was because she was created as a woman. What’s wrong being a woman in a story?” she huffed.
“That’s true,” Aether replied. “I guess the person who created the story might have something against women and they let that influenced their work.” He sighed. “Now I know why you’re frustrated, Lumine. It’s quite unfair for them.”
“Right?” She crossed her arms. “Well, going back to the topic, I’m curious of Pandora because I wondered how she felt when she opened that jar. Did she feel guilty after that? Was she sad? Does she feel any anger to her Divine Creators?”
“Now that I thought about it, if she was newly created, she can be seen as a toddler,” Aether reflected. “Though, a toddler in a woman’s body blessed with many gifts by the gods.”
“Oh, she’s like a reverse Hephaestus if you put it like that. The ‘blessed with many gifts by the gods’ I mean,” she quickly added. “It’s really a shame that her feelings about it wasn’t mentioned other than being filled with despair.” Lumine suddenly went silent. “Does Pandora feel responsible for releasing all evils in the world from that jar?” she muttered solemnly.
It took him a while to respond. “It’s possible.”
Lumine looked up thoughtfully at the glittering swarm of dots in the sky. “I guess Pandora’s story was supposed to explain why there are evils in the world. I wonder what kind of world before Pandora opened the jar? A world filled with goodness?”
Aether also looked up in the sky. “Then the world would be simpler if that was the case,” he said. “Besides, these stories are not always true. It’s supposed to give us a lesson.”
“You idealist,” she said teasingly with a smirk.
“You realist,” he returned her smirk with his own.
They both giggled before they fell into a comfortable silence, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky.
“Even though they are just dots in the sky,” Lumine started. “Somehow, the cluster of stars looks beautiful.”
“That’s right,” Aether agreed, as a breeze slipped past them. “Speaking of stars, remember Castor and Pollux?”
Lumine broke her gaze from the stars. “Dioscuri?” she recalled. “Yeah. They’re the twins who became a constellation, Gemini, right? Oh! I remember they were in a crew who went in a lot of adventures with… uh… who was their leader again? The guy who married Medea, the witch we spoke earlier?”
“Jason,” Aether told her.
“Right. Oh! I also remembered that Pollux out-boxed that strong King, right? I liked that part!”
He stared at her. “You… I can’t believe that’s the first thing you remember.”
Lumine laughed nervously. “Sorry. The story about the Argonauts was super long so…”
“Well, I can’t really blame you for that.” Aether shrugged. “They were, I think, more than fifty people…? It’s a story about a band of heroes, after all.”
“And Atalanta was the only woman in it.”
“Again, with that.” Aether can’t help his laugh. “Don’t forgot Medea. Even though her life ended in a tragedy…”
“So… what’s the matter about Castor and Pollux?” Lumine reminded him.
Aether raised his gaze at the stars. “Remember how they became a constellation?”
Lumine hummed thoughtfully. “I think Castor was mortally wounded in a fight and Pollux offered his own immortality to save him. Even though they are twins, they have different fathers but the same mother. Pollux is the only complete divine compared to Castor who had a mortal father.” She paused. “Wait, different… fathers? How is that possible?”
“Huh?” Aether blinked. “You just realized that?”
“I-I mean, when I heard they were twins I thought Castor and Pollux was the same like us…”
“But you didn’t missed the fact that they had different fathers though…” Aether sighed. “Or maybe you just didn’t understand when Father told us about their story.”
“Yeah, probably…” Lumine muttered. “It just doesn’t make sense…”
Aether laughed. “I agree. It doesn’t.”
“So… is there a reason why you’re bringing them up why they became a constellation?” Lumine asked.
“Not really.”
“. . . huh?”
“If there was a reason,” Aether hurriedly added. “It would be the stars above us. You know, the constellations being stars.”
“I guess, you’re right.”
Once again, silence upon them until Aether broke it after a while.
“Lumine, regarding about your question earlier,” he started. “A star that doesn’t belong to the sky—did you mean that it was forced to belong there?”
“Hmm?” Lumine was startled. “Yeah, well, something like that. It was just a random thought. You don’t have to answer that.”
“Well, let’s change about how we see that star,” Aether ignored her words. “But instead, let’s turn it into a person. So the question now is: what if there’s a person that doesn’t belong in the sky… wait, no, that’s not it. I mean, what if there’s a person that doesn’t belong in the world?”
Lumine looked at her twin brother incredulously. “Aether, that. . . that kind of person doesn’t exist.”
“Hear me out at least,” Aether insisted. “Let’s treat this as some kind of story — a story where a person hops from world to world. A worldhopper traveler. But what if, in some kind of incident, this traveler can no longer go to another world? Of course, they’re now all by themselves now. Their intentions why they are hopping to different worlds aside—within the swarm of unfamiliar people they are forced to be with, it can’t be prevented that they are lonely.” He turned to twin sister. “Now, what if there’s a person that doesn’t belong in that world? The answer is, as long as that traveler mingles with the people in that world, they can still belong there.”
Lumine frowned. “But that traveler doesn’t came from there, why would they still feel that they belong there?” she asked curiously.
“The people, of course,” he replied matter-of-factly. “The people is what makes the world itself. The traveler might have been stuck in a single place, but as long as the people within that world accepts them, they can belong in there.” Aether looked up, pointing at the night sky. “Now let’s go back to the original question. What if there’s a star that doesn’t in the sky? That’s impossible. A star will always have a place for one. A star can die and lost its gleam, a star can be born and no one bats an eyes to it, and a star can shine even if it doesn’t belong there.”
Lumine stared at him before she chuckled. “You’re better than Father and Mother. This kind of story is what wanted to hear before we go to sleep.”
Aether huffed proudly. “I strive to be better than them. Their stories may be good but I don’t want tragic endings.”
“Oh, there you go with your idealism,” Lumine said teasingly. Then she bowed to him dramatically. “Oh, if I may suggest, dearest storyteller, could you provide a female protagonist that doesn’t need a man but rather her interesting adventures?”
“Your wish is my command, my lady,” Aether returned bowed before he laughed. “Seriously, if you want an independent woman in a story, why don’t you become one?”
“Huh?” Lumine was caught off guard at the suggestion. “I… guess, I’ll try my best.”
“If you did become one,” Aether continued. “Can I trust you to save me?”
“Save… you?” she said. “Aether, I’m not a hero. You know that?”
“No worries, this is just a hy…. hypo…”
“Hypothetical question?”
“Right, right! That’s the one! Umm… Anyway,” he cleared his throat. “That was just a hypothetical question. You don’t have to take that seriously.”
Lumine looked up thoughtfully. “I’ll be the Pollux to your Castor,” she replied.
“. . . why them?”
“That’s obvious. They’re twins and we’re twins,” she said matter-of-factly. “And besides, Pollux offered his own immortality so that he can be with Castor. I… don’t want to be separated with you, Aether. I want to be with you always.” She looked at her twin brother resolutely. “If you wanted me to save you, I will. Even at the cost of my life.”
“L-Lumine, you don’t have to go that far, you know,” Aether replied, surprised at her declaration. “Like I said, you don’t have to take that seriously…”
“No, I will take it seriously,” she refused, determined. “If I become a star, you’ll be at my side. If you became a fallen star, Aether, I’ll make sure to pick you up. I’ll pull you up even if you fell down to the depths of hell.”
“Wait a minute, Lumine. That’s way too far.”
“No, I refuse. Even if you stay in the Abyss, I’ll forcibly pull you away from there.”
“Lumine…”
“No.”
“Fine.” Aether sighed. “Then I’ll trust your word. I’ll trust that you’ll save me.” He smiled. “Besides, it wouldn’t be a Gemini if it’s only Pollux up there in the sky, right?”
Lumine returned his smile. “I’ll always arrive in time to save you, Aether,” she promised. “Just wait for me when that time comes, okay?”
“I will.”