Gather around, children. Today, I shall recount a tale of our lost past. It is a tale you must all commit to memory, for if you fail to pass it down to your children, our descendants shall mourn for a pain they do not understand.

Children, have you ever gazed upon the sky, mesmerized by the stars and moon above us? Have you listened to your history class, wondering why so many of our people aimed to reach the sky and beyond? Some of you may believe it is merely our curiosity driving us to explore what is previously unknown to us, but that is only the tip of the whole truth.

You can see the signs in our most ancient recorded civilization. There’s always at least one, but often more, characteristic in their culture that depicts the sky and the stars. You can see it in the gods, rituals, turn of phrases, and many more. We look up and yearn to ride the silver comets that soar through the sky, hoping they’ll carry us across the sea of stars above us. We wish to reach for the stars.

But why, you may ask. Why do we desire so much to go beyond, to touch the aether where our world resides? After all, we’re the children of the earth. We’re born on this land, live on this land, and die on this land. Why do we seek to touch the moon when all we are and all we have are bound to the soil?

That is what many of our ancestors wondered as well. How can we long for something that is beyond our grasp so strongly? So much so that we dream of it, that we create stories of us sailing through the cosmos and exploring the unknown?

Well, my children. The answer has always been right in front of us, but we have convinced ourselves that it’s nothing but delusions. We are unwilling to face the truth, so we bury ourselves in the facts that prove we’re of the earth. What’s more painful than realizing what we desire can no longer be within our reach?

We are born of the empyrean. We are the children of the aether, destined to sail across a thousand stars in the dark cosmic ocean. Our fate lies not on the ground we sit on but in the sky above us, like a mother tearfully watching over her children who can never be cradled in her arms.

I see your doubts, children. How can we possibly be of the heavens when it has been proven we will not survive there? It is dark, cold, and nothing like the comfort of our home on the ground. Well, the answer’s simple. What does any organism that finds itself in a new environment do to survive? They adapt. They transform, shedding away all that no longer helps them survive and only keeping the characteristics that can.

However, some of our ancestors’ characteristics remained. They lay dormant within our bodies, preparing us for the day we may need to return to the Beyond. For some, these characteristics are actively present, but those who bore our ancestors’ marks are often labeled as “freaks” or “weirdoes.” Yes, that is what many have called you, children, but you mustn’t fault them. They have forgotten their origins, their true home. They are pitiful in their own ways.

No one knows for certain why our ancestors settled on this planet, but there is a tale that may shed light on our past, and it is a tale of betrayal and tragedy.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Long, long ago, there were two starborn siblings. Since their moment of birth, they were mighty, capable of navigating through even the most powerful solar storms. During their childhood, they visited more planets than any of their people; when they were teenagers, they could survive trips into the absolute void; and when they were adults, they could speed through the universe faster than the speed of light. They were unstoppable.

One day, the elder sibling discovered a pale, red dot tucked in a corner of a galaxy not yet known to any of their people. When they landed, they saw nothing but death and fire. However, on the peak of the highest mountain, they saw the most magnificent flower in all of creation blooming there. Even though the planet was inhospitable to nearly all life, the flower blossomed in defiance of what was possible.

Moved by the perseverance of the little plant, the elder sibling vowed to transform the planet into a paradise befitting of the flower. They toiled for weeks and months, slowly sourcing water from the nearest planet to douse the flames and calm the earth. It was grueling, and at times, the elder sibling doubted their success. However, whenever they laid their eyes on the stubborn flower, they pushed on. After all, they were the same, eager to defy what others believed they were capable of.

When the younger sibling discovered what their older sibling was up to, they were devastated. After all, they’re sailors meant to discover new worlds, not to reside within them. The younger sibling approached the elder, begging the latter to return to their people. The elder sibling refused, stating they would do so only after paradise had been granted to their unspeaking companion.

Heartbroken, the younger sibling returned to their people but vowed to protect their sibling’s secret. Unfortunately, their people still discovered the elder sibling’s transgression. Starborns were forbidden to disturb the natural progression of the worlds they visited. Yet, knowing that, the elder sibling committed the cardinal sin.

Thus, their people force the younger sibling to choose: punish their older sibling, or they both shall meet the same fate. Though the younger sibling was torn about their decision, they eventually chose themself over their sibling.

When paradise was nearing its completion, the younger sibling returned. Overjoyed by the sight of their younger sibling, the elder one didn’t notice their sibling’s suspicious silence. Then, just as the elder sibling turned around, eager to show the home they had built for the flower, the younger one severed the former’s wings with a celestial blade.

Before the elder sibling realized what happened, the younger one fled in tears, unwilling to look back. Though the elder sibling loved the world they had built for their silent companion, they were still starborn. Devastated, they wept endlessly, and through their tears, paradise was completed.

Their spouse, upon learning the news, rushed toward them. Though it was an excruciatingly difficult choice, their spouse remained with them in the new world. Together, they had children there, but the environment the children were born in weakened their bodies. Though they had the wings to fly, they could not reach the stars. And so, they and their descendants were trapped in the world their parent created. Though the once-death world has become heaven to the flower, it was hell to its dearest companion.

What happened to the younger sibling later, you may ask. Well, ridden with guilt, the younger sibling was unable to move on. Thus, once every year, on the day they betrayed their sibling, they would intentionally pass by the new world, hoping to catch a glance of the latter. That is why we hold this festival every year today, to mourn. Surprising, isn’t it? Over time, the true purpose of this festival was forgotten and twisted into something else.

We’ll never truly know why we’re stranded in this world, but we don’t need to. As long as we remember that our destiny lies in the cosmos and understand our longing to reach it, we’ll return there once more, no matter how long it’ll take.

Now, it's time to sleep, children. May you dream of the stars tonight.