Without a view of the sky or a connection to the Nebula, we were forced to tell time by counting the seconds as they passed. When we had counted to 21,865, we decided that night had fallen, and it was time to rest. It would be important for us to conserve our energy until we made it out of the labyrinth, and had access to the sun again...
“...I can’t sleep in a place like this…”
“Because you’re scared...?”
“Partly...well, actually mostly...”
“You should try to relax! Anxiety will drain your solar cells...”
“I know, I know...Yingqing and I used to trade stories to help me go to sleep…”
“Well, maybe I could do that with you.”
“Do you know any stories...?”
“Uh, no, but...why don’t you tell me a story first, and then I’ll be inspired to make one up??”
“Okay…! Um...let’s see, a story...how about The Soulmates?”
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“A love story…”
“Yes! See, once upon a time, there were two Earth wizards…”
“Earth wizards…?”
“People on Earth are a little different. Anyway— these two wizards traveled together for a long time, and they were the best of friends. Until one day, a Worm suddenly emerged from the ground and swallowed them up...!”
“There’s a Worm on Earth??”
“I guess so, since it’s in the story. Anyway— the inside of a Worm is super dark and scary, with spinning blades everywhere, and tons of sand constantly rushing in so you can’t get back out. The first wizard managed to catch himself near the mouth of the Worm, but the second wizard fell in and got swept deep into its gut...for a moment, it looked like they might be gone forever...”
“Oh no…!”
“But then! The first wizard summoned up his magic power over the earth, to stop the sand flowing through the Worm’s body! And the Worm slowed down, and finally it completely stopped, so then the first wizard could dig through it to find his friend.”
“Did he??”
“Well, yeah. He found them, and they were a little broken but mostly okay. But after they went to the doctor, they found out that—”
“…”
“…”
“...So what happened next?? Doccia??”
“Wait…”
“…”
“...Do you hear something??”