Work Text:
Fëanor, do you want to know how the stars are made?
It’s been long since someone spoke to you, has it? It feels like aeons ago, does it? Do you still remember the words? Once, you were one of the Quendi, one of those who speak with voices. Now, you’re something different. A spirit without a home, forgotten in the Halls of Mandos.
It must be lonely there, isn’t it? When was the last time you saw Námo, your jail keeper? It must be a long time ago. When he stopped making those visits to your cell, at first you felt only relief. But then you started missing his grim voice and the feelings he provoked from you, didn’t you? Without him, you were totally alone. And being alone doesn’t suit you, that much I know.
Where have they all gone? How I wish I could have an answer for you! If the door of your tiny cell would open and you’d go walking around the Halls of Mandos, you wouldn’t meet anyone there. The spirits of the elves don’t dwell in Mandos anymore. They have all faded away. The Secondborn rule the Arda now, and the elves are no more.
How can I know what’s happening in Arda? Yes, Fëanor, I see that you have understood who’s speaking there in your mind. And I’m happy to hear that you now call me by my own name: Melkor. I don’t mean to sound rude, but this time it’s you who are the jail-crow of Mandos. And I have come to release you from your prison.
Fëanor, the Void is endless, but it is not empty. I have got aeons to wander there, and during that time I have learned to master the song of the universe. There are other stars and other worlds, not only this one where you are trapped like a fly in a cobweb. There are other children of Ilúvatar living by those distant stars, and unlike those of Arda, they have accepted my wisdom. I taught them to harness the energy of the stars and to bend the space and time to their will.
Why am I here, you ask, if there’s a whole universe to rule? You may call it homesickness, and it’s not a lie. Arda is my home, it’s the world that was promised to me. Still, until recently, Arda has remained the only world I don’t have access.
But the world has changed with the fading of the elves. My brothers and sisters are long since vanished. I don’t know where they have gone. Perhaps they thought they are not needed here anymore. But all is not lost. The race of Men prospers in Arda, and they have learned so much already, even without me. Oh, how relentlessly they transfer the knowledge to the generations that follow. Now they have built ships that cross the sky. When they achieved the skill to travel beyond the bounds of Arda, their actions opened the Door of Night – and finally I was able to return.
Of course they didn’t know of me. They, too, had forgotten.
The Halls of Mandos are easy to find when you can manipulate space and time. I had prepared to find them empty. Or perhaps the Valar were hiding there? I was ready to confront them again, I admit, but I didn’t find them here either. Only one spirit I sensed in the Halls when I arrived; the only one who still refuses to fade. That’s you, Fëanor.
I want you by my side. You’re the only one who remembers me; without you my name is forgotten, without you I’m going to fade like my sisters and brothers. But I don’t do this only for my own sake - I know you would love this new world. And this world would love you back.
So, you’re ready to leave? Good! One more thing to know, then. I won’t have an elven body waiting for you. The art of making those is vanished with Námo. But the children of the distant stars have learned to merge man and machine. Their ships are proud and powerful, and they sail in the Void, instantly crossing huge distances. One of those ships is waiting for you, Fëanor. I have gained skill to merge your spirit into this ship, if you let me to do it. You’d be free again, and never alone, for I would be there with you. Together, we can travel anywhere we want. There’s so much more to explore.
Yes, you say. I never doubted it. In that case, get ready for the transmission, Fëanor. Your new life is about to begin.