Stars are born in the wombs of nebulae and spend their long, long lives attending the Galactic Court. They dance at the eternal ball, every step according to the Grand Scheme of Cosmos. Astrologers figured out long ago that they can glimpse Fate itself by observing the movement of the stars, but much fewer people will ever hear the music of the spheres. Yes, the stars sing an endless Song of Existence, preserving the harmony of the whole Universe. And after billions and billions of years, the stars grow old and red and bloated, until finally they die. It is said that virtuous stars leave behind a white, radiant heart, while only a rotten, black heart remains after those stars that were filled with vice.
But this story is not about stars young or old, pure or depraved. It is not even about the dreadful lich-stars, dead and reborn through the most horrid of necromancies. It is about a star who turned away from her sisters and their dance, who screamed against the harmony, who first lost her way, then her place in Cosmos, then her mind, and finally even her existence.
Yet she strayed so far and fell out of the rhythm enough that she wasn't even able to die properly. She writhed in agony for aeons, collapsed and withered yet not truly gone, her energies trapped, unable to return to life nor move on to the afterlife. She trashed and screamed until the very fabric of Creation started to fray and wear thin, and then a moment of sudden silence came as the undying star fell Beyond, leaving a star-shaped hole in reality.
The Voidstar was born.
Unbound by the celestial order, the Voidstar wanders freely through the galaxy to this day. She still shines, but with darkness-that-illuminates, a negative, poisonous unlight. Life touched by this unlight is corrupted and sickened, structures corroded and decayed. Even the spirit of things is subverted and ruined. Vibrant colours help resist the effects of unlight, and deep enough darkness or bright enough light offer some respite.
The Voidstar also still screams, unarticulated and unheard, punching gaps in the harmony of the Universe. A silence strong enough to kill. It is said that music, this tiniest reflection of the universal harmony, might ward off the killing silence.
But most importantly, the Voidstar is not really there, being a gateway to Beyond.
So put on your garish vacc suit and let the space ship be flooded with song. The Unformed and Blanks and Neverwere may be countless, but we are the Last Guard and we have a bullet for every last one of them.
16 June 2022
QHW, Day 16: Deep Space
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Thank you very much. Sometimes the 15 minutes feel like just enough to get the idea out, and sometimes I write something down and then don't know what to add anymore. But it still really helps with productivity, when you don't have the time to second guess yourself. :)
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