Chapter Text
From the void he was born, and to the void he will return.
“You should keep a diary,” Ein once told Welt. “It’s good for self-reflection. It’s also a good way to remember the happy times of the present before it becomes the past.”
He never got the chance to start that diary. Though, he wouldn’t have had much to write about. In comparison to a common lifetime, one month was insignificant. But one month was all Welt had.
Time works differently within the feathered core. It could be a thousand years into the future, or a thousand years in the past, and Welt wouldn’t know any difference. So, with all the time in the world… he began to ponder over the things he never had the time to do in a month.
In a better world, perhaps all of the dreams poured into that little diary may have come true. But all the lonely hero could do was smile, and think about what could have been, think about the life of another him.
Entry 1
Dear Diary,
Today, Ein gave me a present. It was a diary, which I could use to record my experiences and personal thoughts. She told me that she promised she wouldn’t look, but I was still somewhat skeptical. Then again, the diary has a lock… so I guess I’m safe.
I’ve been thinking recently about becoming a scientist, like Ein and Tesla. Physics, though I’d trust Ein’s teaching, seems intimidating. Chemistry is also quite scary, plus I wouldn’t trust a single person in this laboratory with dangerous chemicals, myself included. Biology, at face value, seems easy… but I can never forget those horrible experiments. For my own sake, I wish to distance myself from those cruel researchers.
I could become an engineer, creating inventions with the potential to change the world. With my authority, it shouldn’t be too difficult, but it doesn’t feel right for me. Psychology… Ein thinks it would suit me, but I’m not too sure about it. After all, I can barely understand myself.
Then, I remembered the stars we saw on that day. The lonely stars shining in the sky, the constellations, with all the stories they told. Majestic celestial bodies, millions of years old, nebulas, the remains of dying stars. Black holes, so powerful that not even light can escape them. Comets, crossing the Earth’s atmosphere every century or so, a once in a lifetime experience. It’s quite ironic how I, the one named after the world itself, is so interested in what lies beyond it.
“Astronomy?” said Ein with a surprised expression. “Hm, and I thought you’d become a writer, with all the books you read.”
“Well, not all readers become writers,” I argued. “Besides, I can still pursue writing and reading as a hobby, right?”
Ein nodded. “True. I’m honestly quite surprised that you’d wish to pursue STEM, like Tesla and I. But, if this is really what you’re passionate about, then it would be quite unfair for me to discourage you, don’t you agree?”
I scratched my head, chuckling awkwardly. Ein gave me a small smile.
“In that case, shall I ask Emma to begin tutoring you? She’s also quite familiar with astronomy.”
I froze in place. While her offer was sincere, the idea of being tutored by the professor was scary, to put it lightly. Perhaps I may die before I get my degree.
Seemingly noticing my worry, Ein laughed. “Don’t worry about the professor’s behavior. She’s a genuinely sincere and gentle teacher, one of the best I’ve ever had. She opened up a new world for me, and I believe she can do the same for you.”
I’m quite content with the world I’m in currently, I was tempted to say, but decided that might be too mean. I don’t want to be the next victim of what Tesla would call “that stupid Mophead’s puppy-dog eyes.” I hear it’s a rare occurrence only the unluckiest of souls would experience.
“...I’ll think about it.” This was the pathetic, defeated reply I gave her. She seemed amused by my pitiful words.
“Would you like to go back to the beach tonight to see the stars with me and Tesla? Perhaps we could bring a telescope, and maybe borrow some books from the library. I do genuinely mean it when I say I wish for you to find your passion, so maybe this little ‘field trip’ can help you decide.”
“O-okay, if you insist.” It definitely sounds fun, I thought to myself. A trip to the sea, just the three of us, reading astronomy books with flashlights and seeing the planets with our telescopes. Perhaps I could even prepare some snacks for us to munch on.
“In that case, I’ll book a visit with Rita. May you go fetch Tesla?”
“Ahaha… wouldn’t booking vacations be my job?” I said cautiously, suddenly unwilling to have to bother Tesla while she was working.
“Mm, true. But I can take care of it just this time.” She flashed me a devilish grin. “Besides, I’m sure Tesla won’t mind you disturbing her, I feel as though she’s in a good mood today.
It turned out that Dr. Lieserl Einstein was not always correct.
“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT DISTURBING ME WHILE I’M WORKING?!” Tesla yelled as I walked into the lab. She was holding her “blazing blade,” which managed to make me even more uncomfortable. She began screaming a number of curse words that, for the sake of my future self, I will not record here.
“I-I’m sorry, but-!” I tried to reason with her, but unfortunately, the authority of the Herrscher of Reason does not include reasoning with scary redheads.
“IF YOU’RE SO SORRY, THEN GET THE HELL OUT!” she growled. I took a step back, not wanting to aggravate her further.
I decided to wait out her anger, not really having any other choice. After about 5 minutes of angry glaring, she finally calmed down.
“Geez, you’re persistent,” she muttered. “Fine, whatever, what do you want?”
I sighed. “Ein told me to let you know we’re going out later.”
“Oh really?” She put down her Blazing Blade. It seemed like I had gotten her attention.
“Yeah, we’re going back to West Cliff Rita to go stargazing. You see…” I hung my head, slightly embarrassed. “I’ve been interested in astronomy lately. Ein said she wanted to help me find my passion. Maybe I could even get a degree, and become a scientist like you, or something.”
I expected laughter and teasing. But when I looked up, I saw Tesla smiling. And it wasn’t a mocking smile… it was a proud one.
“I thought you’d be a librarian or something!” Tesla exclaimed. “An astronomer! Imagine that!” I could hear the genuine excitement in her voice. “Hmph, fine! I’m pretty interested in the idea of you becoming a scientist, like us. Tell Mophead I’m bringing my telescope. Oh, and let’s pack some snacks too!”
She rushed out of the lab in a hurry, leaving me behind. I couldn’t help but smile, in anticipation for the exciting night.
As I am writing this, I’m currently in my room, packing the stuff for the night. I’ll update this tomorrow morning, once we get back from the resort. Until then… I can’t stop thinking about tonight!
- Welt Joyce 🙂
Entry 2
Dear Diary,
Without a doubt, tonight was absolutely amazing. We arrived there in the afternoon, after being subjected to Tesla’s questionable driving.
“Tesla…” groaned Ein as she stumbled out of the car, dizzy. “Maybe we should teach Welt how to drive…”
“Ack! Lieserl, are you okay?!” yelped Tesla. I couldn’t help but sigh, as I watched these familiar events play out yet again. History, without a doubt, will always repeat itself.
“Let’s just go inside,” I said, carrying our luggage out of the car. Thankfully, we all decided to pack light, though those books in the library and the telescope were still pretty heavy.
Ein decided to play the piano for us yet again. Her talent will never cease to amaze me, as her fingers gracefully danced across the notes, playing beautiful melodies. Tesla began to dance, and her joyful laughter was quite contagious, as even Ein began to laugh. Soon enough, even I had the urge to join in on the dancing, and I stood up from my seat and joined Tesla.
“Heh, your dancing is so clumsy,” teased Tesla. “Would you like some lessons?”
“I’ll pass,” I replied. She did a graceful twirl, showing off her dancing skills. I just rolled my eyes. “I don’t think dancing is an important life skill.”
“Well, she can’t really teach something useful, like anger management,” joked Einstein, her gaze still focused on the piano. Tesla huffed.
“How rude, Mophead. I was just making sure this idiot doesn’t embarass himself in the future.” She gracefully pranced around the room, and even I had to admit she was quite good. “He’s hopeless without us.”
“H-hey!” I stuttered, almost tripping on my shoe. Ein laughed.
“She’s not completely wrong, Welt. The fact that you managed to survive so long with us is proof of how desperate you are.”
“Not you too, Ein!”
All of a sudden, Tesla grabbed my arm. “Think fast!” she told me, as she spun me around the room. Relying on instinct alone, my arms and legs moved to keep myself balanced. It took me a few seconds to realize I was dancing… err, trying to.
“Wow!” marvelled Tesla. “You suck at this!”
“T-thanks?! Wait, no!”
I don’t really know how many hours we spent there, dancing, and even singing at some point. We were having so much fun that we almost forgot what we were here for. But, as the sun
went down, Ein remembered the goal of this little field trip.
“The sun’s down,” remarked Ein as she looked out the window. “After dinner, let’s go set everything up.” She looked over at Tesla. “And Tesla, don’t eat yourself to death again.”
The stars seemed even clearer tonight. Tesla was the one who set up the telescope, while me and Ein set up our picnic blanket. Though we already had dinner, Tesla insisted on bringing snacks, especially desserts. “Just think about it! Sharing pastries underneath the stars! Lieserl, don’t you think that would be a dream?” While I was less than amused about Tesla forgetting about me yet again, I did agree with her there.
The three of us laid down on the picnic blanket, staring at the stars. Only the sound of the waves brushing up against the shore could be heard. For a few minutes, we laid in complete silence, in awe of the beautiful sky overhead. Until… I started feeling a little chilly.
“It’s… kind of cold,” I sighed. Tesla rolled her eyes.
“Stop whining,” Tesla groaned. “You’re not gonna freeze to death.”
“Be nice,” Ein scolded her teasingly. “After all, he’s our student for tonight.”
“You’re my what? ” I said.
“Mhm. Now listen to us carefully, Welt, and don’t fall asleep in class.”
Ein got up, and Tesla and I followed. She took out one of the astronomy books from the bag, and a flashlight, and began to read everything to me.
She reviewed me on the constellations we saw last time. Of course, I couldn’t remember everything, but I at least remembered enough to satisfy her. Tesla was also quite knowledgable about the night sky, and she began to tell us everything she knew.
We looked through the telescope, and pointed out all the planets we could see. I wondered if, one day, humanity would be able to reach the furthest corners of the galaxy. I wondered if I would be there to see it, and if I would be able to help humanity reach that point. I may not be one of them… but I still wished to help them up. To give back what I was given.
We munched on pastries. truffle sandwiches, and the like. We all prepared them together, back at the lab, and while they weren’t perfect, they were still very delicious. Tesla ate quite a lot, despite eating a lot at dinner. And, as always, Ein joked about it, and Tesla got mad, and we all laughed it off.
It was already midnight when we packed up our things, and went back to our rooms. Tesla had fallen asleep by then, and even Ein was starting to get tired. But I was still quite engrossed in reading, even if it was just by myself. Still, whenever I looked up at her, I saw her smiling as I read. She seemed genuinely happy, seeing me so interested in something. I couldn’t help but smile too. She carried Tesla back to their room, as I brought the stuff back to my own room.
I wrote this morning that I wouldn’t update until tomorrow morning, but I’m still so happy. I couldn’t wait to write this, so I’m writing it now, in my room, before I go to bed. I think I’ve decided now… astronomy might really be my passion. And it makes me even more happy to know this. To know that I can find my place in humanity after all.
- Welt Joyce, Future Astronomer (?) 🙂
He closed the notebook, and let out a deep sigh. When he closed his eyes, he still remembered the stars on that day. And he missed them, he missed them greatly. And he missed the girl with the messy blue hair, and the red pigtails.
He wished he could have discovered his future with them. But… there was never any future in sight for someone like him, was there?