Chapter 49: Worth It

DANICA

The area was bathed in light, the sphere standing strong on its own. The other nymphs were gradually rising from the ground, taking in their surroundings.

I found myself in a room with four stone walls, devoid of doors or windows. I felt fragile, on the verge of shattering, but I had to get back. First, I had to liberate the Celestial rulers.

I moved along the walls, using them for support, searching for an exit. There was nothing, but then, out of the blue, I spotted a small window that hadn’t been there before. I approached it cautiously, peering out into the darkness.

It offered a perfect view of the celestial rulers… except… they were now departing on their own. They were free. I watched as they ascended into the sky.

Their tears had dried, replaced by expressions of joy. They fluttered around as if they had wings, gradually disappearing into the farthest reaches. I didn’t know where they were going, but I knew they were free.

“Thank you, Danica Atlas,” a distant voice called out.

But I had to return… I glanced back at the room and it had transformed. The nymphs had vanished.

The room was no longer a place of sorrow, but a throne room, a throne for me… and a creature of radiant brilliance stood beside it. She extended her hand towards me, a smile lighting up her peculiar face, reminiscent of a burning star.

“Do you wish to be one of us?” she inquired.

“One of you?” I echoed. “They all just left,” I pointed out.

“They didn’t leave, you just made it easier for them,” she explained.

“Easier how?” I asked.

“We exist to safeguard the celestial, we sprout from tiny seeds and then emerge in the sky like the stars, we protect the sky,” she elaborated. “It was a burden until you arrived, but now everything will be fine.”

I turned around to see a starry night surrounding me. No one was propping up the sky… just a normal starry sky.

“Is the sky fixed?” I asked.

“Indeed, my dear, we just needed you to mend it… I wonder why they never choose to stay,” she mused, her smile sweet and innocent.

“What?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Celestial rulers are stars,” she chuckled in her melodious voice. “Stars belong in the sky.”

“Was there someone else who didn’t want to stay?” I asked, needing to understand.

“Celestial rulers, of course. They all complete their transition and wish to return. I can’t force them to stay. All that remains are celestial nymphs who were summoned before their time.”

“Summoned? By whom?”

The creature looked at me. “They were needed to mend the sky. You didn’t arrive in time, that’s why darkness fell, but now we understand why.” She smiled broadly. “You were still growing. Growing so you could prevent the rulers from burning out prematurely.”

“Is that why none of the rulers survived?” I asked. “They were summoned?”

“By choice,” she clarified.

I narrowed my eyes. “They believed it was necessary.”

I shook my head. “No, they did it because it was too painful.”

The creature disagreed. “Then how did you endure?” she asked. “Wasn’t it painful? You were weaker, smaller, more naive. Why did you persevere?”

“… I don’t know.”

She moved closer. “Because you possessed something the others lacked. Resilience. Bravery. Love.”

I immediately shook my head. “They had been training since childhood. And I was afraid, a lot. And love… others had it.”

“Their bodies were exhausted. Their minds filled with uncertainties. With the fear of burning out. Your mind didn’t have time to be consumed by such fear. And others loved, deeply. But they never experienced love like you. Because celestial rulers were always afraid to love. Because their days were numbered, that’s why even their creators were cautious.”

I gasped for breath. “All it takes to survive the transition… is to not train?” I asked.

The creature moved softly to stand beside the sphere. “Training can only take you so far. Some are destined to ascend quicker. But faith, faith can accomplish more than any training. A child should be allowed to grow naturally, not forced into greatness like a machine. Some parents struggle to grasp this. Only when the mind is fully matured, can one be deemed worthy of celestial rule. Only then can we predict if the battle will be won. You all down there believe it’s about strength. It’s not. It’s luck. But that luck is nurtured by goodness and purity. Good begets good.”

I glanced at the sphere, now full, but the crack remained. “The crack needs to heal. If it stays like this, it will fall again,” she said.

I had done it… I had fixed it, but for how long?

“Will you stay?” she asked. My face must have betrayed my regret because she quickly added, “Oh… well, you don’t have to, you can go.”

“What about the sky?” I asked. “What’s the point of going back if it’s just going to fall again?”

The creature took my hand and we ran, seemingly into nothingness… until we stumbled upon something eerily familiar.

It was my house. My house, and this creature was here with me. I walked through the house. It was an exact replica. I picked up a book from the shelf and opened it. It was real.

I rummaged through the cabinets, half expecting them to be empty, but everything was as I had left it.

“You can be anywhere you’ve been, you can do anything you’ve done in your life.”

I was bewildered, and she must have noticed.

“Only on your last day will you return.”

“How can I return?”

She smiled, a sad smile. “When you take your last breath, you will be brought here. To serve and lead the sky. Until you fade into dust.”

“I’ll be dead anyway, so what difference does it make?”

“You won’t know when you’ll fade, it could be eternity.”

“Eternity here?”

She nodded. “If you stay here, you’ll age gracefully and beautifully until you are grey.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to go back?”

“Eternity here is a long time.”

Eternity serving the sky? Eternity alone?

“Danica,” my name echoed from the side. I whipped my head around to see familiar women.

“Who are you?” I blurted out, but even as the words left my mouth, I recognized her. It was my mom, Meredith.

“How are you here?” I asked, shocked.

She shrugged but smiled at me. “Death allowed me to journey to where you are,” she said, tears welling in my eyes.

I looked into her eyes, knowing she could sense the turmoil in my mind, the questions I hadn’t had time to process.

“Do you know?” I asked.

She tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.

“If I go back, I’ll spend eternity here.”

She nodded gently.

“But… I have to go back… how else will they know what awaits them here?”

She moved closer and gently caressed my cheek.

“The sky is safe now. If you stay, the next Celestial ruler will continue the cycle of training and suffering. Even if you go back, the same will happen. That’s not why you want to go back, is it?” she asked.

Her eyes were soft, her smile warm.

“You didn’t choose this, Danica, you never wanted this, why would you do something that would condemn you to an eternity of burden?”

“I have a life down there, everything I know. Here, I will be alone.”

She cut me off.

“But you’ll be free.”

“No one has ever made it back.”

“Are you seeking fame?” she asked.

I shook my head and pressed my lips together.

“Duty.”

I glanced at my watch and saw that my time was running out… I had just enough time to make it back.

I looked back at the path I had come from, the path back home… back to everyone… just a few seconds.

I ran until my lungs screamed for air. Like I had never run before. I fell and watched as the light in front of me began to fade.

No!

Darkness enveloped me. I hadn’t made it. It was over.

I looked up at my mother. She knelt down beside me.

“I needed to go back. I needed to teach them. And Hugo…”

“Did your father grant your wish?” she asked.

“I’m dead down there. It’s of no use to me now.”

“You’re not there yet. You’ll know when you are.”

“Can I just wish for it to take me back?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“You’ll need a strong force from earth. But what are you willing to give up for it?”

HUGO

Her life force dimmed with her final heartbeat. We lost her. She didn’t make it back.

I looked around, my head shaking weakly, but my grip on her now cold body remained firm. I gently laid her on the ground. She was gone, far away.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her. “I’m sorry for everything.”

I didn’t shed a tear, but I knew my heart was shattered. I was sinking into a numb abyss. No amount of tears would suffice. And could emptiness weep?

Suddenly, my vision was flooded with light. What light? It was daytime… what? I heard voices all around me. The sky was above… it was right again… there was a sky. Everyone was talking, cheering.

I looked at Danica and felt tears welling up.

“You did it!” I exclaimed, grinning like a madman. “You did it, Danica,” I laughed and I cried.

I noticed Creed was here with his clan. They weren’t angry. They were celebrating. The day had returned.

Astra approached me.

“Her body needs to be encased in iron and submerged before decomposition sets in. We usually do it immediately.”

I shook my head.

“What if… what if she’s still…? What if she comes back?”

Astra knelt beside her. She checked her pulse at her wrist, then her neck, and finally placed her ear over her heart. She even tried to open her eyelids.

I wasn’t sad… it was all worth it. She was worth it! Every moment was worth it.