Chapter Text
As you finally dissolved beneath Stardust’s arms, you feel weightless. Similar to the floaty, empty feeling you once felt during your own Loops. Is it over? Are you finally done with that tree? That town? Those people who once were yours but aren’t now?
You wish that’s the truth. Better yet, the universe better lend you an ear because you have many choice words for it. You wished. No, begged for help out of an inescapable hell it designed for you, only for it to force you to watch as an outsider as you finally succeed in getting everything you wanted. The things you wish you could say to that inky abyss.
The feeling of floating shifts. But it isn’t the violent pulling forward on your heart like you’d once grown accustomed to, or on your stomach as he described once. It’s gentle, like someone held you in their arms, and they laid you in your bed to sleep. Not that you could recall any such moment; not as Loop, not as Siffrin, and certainly not whoever you were before.
You feel the stone push against your back, and you thank the stars— no, they’re the ones who got you in this mess. Change? Definitely not, it registered as wrong before the thought could even start.
You’re grateful that it’s not grass beneath you, is what you’ve been trying to blinding say.
But the fact that you feel the jagged stone beneath you tells you enough. It’s not over. You clearly have another scene, so might as well get up and start the show once more. Breathe in. And out. The sight that greets you gives you pause. The rock you had been laid upon is a planet of sorts, but that isn’t what captures your attention. You find yourself staring at a… star? Its appearance is similar to your own; lightless body, speckled in glowing marks… adorned with a shining star for a head…
… it’s reading.
Ah…
…
I look over to you.
₊˚ ✧ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✧ ₊˚
“Hey.” It finally mutters.
Hey? Hey?! Loop got their chance to pass away— a chance to have an ending once and for all— taken away from them again for, seemingly, a meeting with the Universe itself. And all this blinding fool of a god can say is hey?!?!
“What’s. Going. On?” Loop manages to hiss out.
It concerned me how much anger Loop could show with only their eyes.
“This is — uh well, was supposed to be — the end of life.” I never liked speaking aloud, and my lack of use of spoken word meant the increased likelihood of me stumbling over words
Loop crossed their arms, their eyes losing some of their initial scorn as they looked away. “So I’m dead.”
“Yup…”
They clearly were lost in thought. I could have leaned what, I still held their script in my hands. But it felt, inappropriate in a sense, to read those pages of their brain while they were right in front of me.
Loop expected to have a list of grievances forming in their mind. But after seeing the universe, supposedly everything that is; stutter and seem even more confused than they were, they mind only supplied questions.
Loop decided that “Are you God?” was the most pressing matter on their mind.
“Am I the Universe??”
“Yes.”
“Well, no, not in the sense you’re implying. I represent the Universe just as much as you do. It’s… complicated.” Not-Universe seemingly didn’t know what to do with their hands.
“What happens now?” Loop asked, gesturing to both themselves and the expanse of inky lightlessness surrounding the two of them.
“Normally, your energy would scatter and it’ll, join the others. But we’re not— exactly— in normal territory currently. So, I don’t know.” It slumped its shoulders and leaned its head back.
“Do you know. Anything??” Loop was at their wits end now.
They were getting impatient, but I truly couldn’t explain much else because I was as poorly informed about our situation as they were. The best I could give them was a noncommittal wave of my hand.
“…what’s the meaning of life?”
…Pardon?
“I just told you I don’t know anything, and then you ask me what the meaning of life is??”
They copied the gesture I had made with tired eyes.
“Well, the meaning of life, is, whatever life means, to you…”
“So it’s mostly just, personal interpretation?”
“Yeah, like most things.”
This was. A lot of things, Loop decided. They’re both dead and alive. They’re talking to something that both is and isn’t the universe, and neither of them know what is going on.
“What’s the point of bringing me here if I can’t even learn why?”
“Loop…”
“I can’t play my role. I don’t get a curtain call. But the Universe still leaves me on the stage.”
“Siffrin…”
“And for what?! Is it so wrong to wish for some form of closure, explanation, anythi—“
Loop’s body freezes. That. Blinding. Word. ‘Wish.’ Wishes are what trapped them in that first hellish performance, stuck in a tower where death was inevitable. Wishes forced them to stay backstage and watch as their replacement made both the same and new mistakes they once did in that role, yet still get their happy ending. It wouldn’t suprise them if using that blinding word before they died is what brought them here. All that word did was make them suffer.
I was unsure what to do, Loop seemed to shut down. Not in despair, shock, or fear. It seemed as if the rage, the burning fury within them locked them in place. Despite their wide eyes, they appeared to not notice their surroundings. Sparks flew from their head, and I observed as one of those flicks of light grew into a small, folded paper. Now it was orbiting their head.
Of course, now that they’re in crisis mode, that’s when to send a sign. I would have found it funny if I wasn’t so concerned for Loop.
“I think you have mail.”
That seemed to bring them back. They blinked, confusion evident on their face.
Mail? What, is this place supposed to be a post office?? What could it possibly mean by—
Oh. A letter. Circling their head as if it were a planet to their star-head. Charming~
Loop plucked the paper in front of them, tore the envelope open, and pulled the contents out from within.
Considering the scale between the two of them, Loop decided to read it aloud:
Traveler,
You are correct in believing that wish craft is what placed you and your Star in the position you find yourselves in. We understand that you were harmed by the way we granted your wish for aid. People are rarely able to tell us how their wish was received from us. They few who have, much like yourself, primarily voiced displeasure.
You had convinced yourself and your Star that you were to pass on, but we knew that you were not ready, nor willing. We decided to intervene in the only way we know how.
This is not intended to be a punishment. Rather, we hope this to be an opportunity to start over again.
If this is another blinding time loop they swear on the stars—
We know the face you are likely making. There will be no involvement of Dormont, time craft, or repeated death. This we can assure you of.
Simply put, you have the chance to return to Vaugaurde, on the sand your oldest memories can recall, in the present day. You will possess all the memories you hold in this moment. You shall have a human body once again, and you may shape it to your liking here. We will not interfere with you further once you are ashore.
We are aware that you do not view yourself as desiring nor deserving of this opportunity. However we implore you to at least try.
You may do whatever you please with the new life and form you acquire. Walk into the sea and drown. Travel the world. Find your Stardust once more. We will not stop you. When you awaken on the sand, You shall be the one who leads, and it will be us who can only follow.
We look forward to seeing who you become.
Regards,
✧ The Universe ✧