The Man Made Of Stars (A Running Tale)

Most mistake him for a shooting star, dashing across the sky of every world as a brilliant streak of light. So bright is he, that for a moment, he is seen as beautiful. Then he turns, his wonderful flight of chance transforming into a decent of purpose, a purpose that is not that of beauty. His purpose is to find worlds seeded with organic life. His purpose is that of the scythe to the fall harvest. Whatever lies in the bosom of lush worlds will gaze upon him as a falling star, set to burn.

Why can't I remember? Has is been that long? It was so dark before. No matter, my name is not important anymore. I am light. I am warmth. I am entropy.

For millennium, the man made of stars shot through the cosmos. Only knowing his one true purpose bestowed upon him by the Seeker. Each world he found was, to him, a stray with a broken leg. His purpose was empathy. He could feel the suffering like like an ice pick being driven through his eye. The pain guiding him to these worlds as an act of mercy... Mercy? His mercy?

I am formless to myself. Nothing but a collection of whims to be set upon these worlds. I am formless but, I can be perceived. I am the comet they see, I am light. If I wish to be Seen, I am a man. I am a man made of light so brilliant and pure that me features are that of chrome. The Seeker gave me this. To the Seeker, I give him life. To life, I give unto thee wafer and cross.

The first worlds to be culled went with a whimper. Begging and pleading turned to rioting rage and anguish. The will of many seeping out to the rest of the cosmos like pools of blood soaking into a fine carpet. The fabric of reality was changing with every bit of light that was extinguished. The Seeker watched this brilliant dance of mass evisceration with glee. His hands danced as if conducting an orchestra.

Oh, how exquisite you are, my stellar man. I am still hungry. Will you bring me my wine and grape?

The Seeker watched each wold being harvest through the eyes of his loyal servant. His hunger never waning. Even when the worlds of the many began to feel the losses. They would send ship and man. They would send weapons of insignificance to what could only be described as an act of God.

Is your God still listening?

Must I keep feeling this pain? Must I got on for eternity to see the final act of entropy? Will his hunger ever wane? Will my light go out once he is satisfied? Another millennia, another world, more life put out with the mashing of his heel? My heel.

This world was lush and green. Emerald seas draped across it like a fine gown on a queen. This was the emerald stone of the constellation Orion. He looked upon it, like all others before, and he could see the trees. He could smell the oceans salty embrace, he bore witness to the giving of life. He felt the pain in the sorrow of their losses as their loved ones succumbed to life itself. He gazed upon if for a time. Longer than he should have. He turned down to it now, taking on the speed of light itself. He could see its molten center humming the song of existence to all those above it. It spun like a ballerina, and hummed with the familiarity and hope of a heart.

He pressed on, through the upper atmosphere that now began to show itself as a crimson dawn to those on the coast. He entered the warm depths of its sea, sending a wave as high as any mountain. That only lasted a moment as the water instantly evaporated, eviscerating every atom of water in the worlds ocean at once. He could hear their screams. He continued on through the crust. Deeper still, until he could feel the warmth of the the core. He slowed for an imperceivable amount of time. To him, it was an eternity, gazing upon the beating heart of it all. He continued inside of it.

I deliver thee, to the Seeker of all things. May this end begin that of what we seek. Let this be the beginning of the end. May this feed... Entropy.

In a flash the world imploded on itself for a moment. Once it reached its limit the Emerald shattered violently, sending itself in every direction with a stunning ball of fire in its center. Then... silence. Heavy, unyielding, silence.

And yet... he is still hungry. How many more... How many MORE!

Until it is done, my star...

Part 1: Ash and Fire

Her name was Eden. A human woman from Azury, the third planet in the Alnitak system. Her planet is part of the Orion Galactic Republic (OGP). OGP is made of the three stars in Orion's Belt, Alnitak being the primary stronghold for the OGP. Eden never knew anything else other than the orange fields of Azury. She often looked up into the sky at night on her parents land and wondered what the other Orion star systems were like.

The Flash came not three days after Eden had finally saved enough currency to travel to Delta in the Mintaka system. Years she worked as a teacher, barely making enough to live, let alone travel the stars like her mother encouraged.

The ocean of stars is something the soul must witness. The last great ocean yet to be explored.

Her mother traveled the stars as part of the Orion Peace Corps after the Great Cataclysm. Now, she stayed on their land, too sick to travel any longer. Her heart begged for the stars again. Eden had taken that wonder for the stars and placed it deep into her heart. For that is where her mother told her she would always be. The Flash occurred on an Orion planet in the Shield sector and could be seen during the daytime on Azury. The feed erupted with warnings, headlines showed casualty numbers, the people with connections there could not fathom what had happened. An entire planet, gone. Billions of people, erased from this reality.

What was this reality?

My soul... where did he put it? My mind is mine? I have become an instrument only to him. I am growing tired of this song. The song of eternity, the song... of Death.

The Teacher had been waiting in the main terminal for interstellar departures. The terminal was large with vaulted steel and aluminum ceilings. Many humans and Uhrs trod or rushed to their specified gates that arched high enough for a shuttle to slip through. Large holographic displays showed inbound and outbound transports for those without implants. The cold gray and ivory colors of it all always gave the Teacher a chill. Eden looked inward the the same way one might when daydreaming. Her internal implant stunned her with the news of the Flash. The pit in her stomach only grew as satellite imagery was being shown of what took place just prior to the Flash.

Is... was... was that a star? A star... colliding with a planet?

It made no sense to Eden. Her heart pounded and she could feel a cool sweat start to take over her pale skin. A notification hit the center of her vision.

Transport to Delta, Mintaka system, will be departing in five minutes. Please have passes ready for the boarding agent.

Eden shook her head as the notification faded from her feed. All she had was a knapsack and a hard case piece of luggage. She hoisted the hard cased container and let out a sigh. Her heart was now just starting to ease to its calmer rhythm. Even if stars were beginning to fall from the sky, what could be done? Life is finite, only an act of God could stop Eden from embarking on her life's dream.

Your God is dead...

My eyes see all. I am simply the organizer of the things yet to come. See it now, the canary in the mine. Your eyes saw my agents work and God, is it grand! Soon you will know your end. Soon you will know him. I see you therefore, he sees you.

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Hey all,Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this idea I will be expanding this along side Void Heart. Been having a lot of fun writing again so if you have an comments or suggestions please let me know!!

-Mas