The wind howled as it bashed itself on the frigid walls of the cave. The woman entered and collapsed, gripping her golden earrings in her hands. She let out a sigh of relief and laid her head on the stone wall. She squinted at the roof of smooth ice analyzing the two glowing embers of light that stared back at her. The fiery eyes grew larger. Violently they tried to tear through the ice. The woman leaped up in defense but as soon as her earrings hit the floor she shrunk back down.

“I’m seeing things again,” she muttered, to herself, as she tugged her cloak tighter. “The cold must be getting to me.”

She wanted to reassure herself it was just the cold, but she knew she hadn’t been able to trust her eyes in a long time. The woman curled up and turned away from the harsh gale blowing in from the entrance. She stared at the earrings, apprehensive to take her hand away from the little warmth her body offered. Instead, she gripped the pendant at her chest. The pendant's blue glow illuminated her hand. It was not as warm as the earrings, but it would have to do for now. At least until she worked up the strength to remove her hand from her warm embrace. The ring finger on her right hand was the coldest part of her body. The finger had nearly turned black from frostbite, yet that was exactly what she had expected when she had put the ring on. The black orb crowning the ring did not shimmer with the light given off by the pendant. Any light that neared it was absorbed into its void.

It's almost like I have a black hole right on my finger. She chuckled at the thought. My younger self would have never dreamed up such an absurd reality. She glanced down at her blacking finger and the earrings only a few feet away. With a quick motion, her left hand shot out from underneath her cloak and snatched the jewelry. She whimpered in pain that soon turned into quiet satisfaction, as the heat spread throughout her fingers.

She began to doze off as the warmth drew out the exhaustion she had feverishly pushed away. Only an hour, she promised herself. As her eyelids began to close a bright light streaked across the ice walls of the cave. Startled out of her slumber she whipped around to see the light's source. All she could see was the fog of the never-ending blizzard across the barren landscape. Then she felt the ground shake and heard several icicles shatter further back in the cave. Brushing snow off of her cloak, the woman exited her shelter.

She stared out into the snowstorm, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. “Poor child, to start here. The curses in this world have no limit to their creativity.” Her gaze grew increasingly concerned as time passed. Then she saw a faint flash in the distance. That must be it.

Her eyes locked on the origin of the light as she trudged through the snow. She lifted her knees higher with each stride, desperately trying to quicken her pace. Her hood blew back, but she did not care. Her eyes remained fixed on her destination. The fuzzy outline of rock began to appear in the white land and soon after the figure of a human.

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“I’m coming. Stay there,” she called, hoping her voice would reach through the shrieking winds. “I mean no harm. I'm here to help you!”

“Mommy, Daddy, where are you?” The shrill voice of a girl called.

Poor girl, she must be no older than six. The woman edged closer to the site of the impact. The impact had created a funnel that spiraled diagonally through the snow to the bottom where the meteorite lay. The snow had been compacted along the edges nearly becoming ice. Despite the frigid climate the stone still radiated heat and had begun to melt away the compacted snow. Near the glowing rock, a little girl kneeled in a puddle crying.

“Who's there,” the girl whimpered.

The woman put her hands out to balance herself and began to approach. “A kind stranger.”

As the woman exited the blizzard she saw that the girl's bare skin had begun to turn red from the chilling winds. Her knees and shins had even begun to take on a purple coloration. The woman removed her earrings and knelt beside the girl. She slipped the earrings into the girls trembling hands. The girl stared up with her puffy eyes and a polite curiosity.

“They’re warm,” the girl said.

“I know. Now keep them close.” The woman's voice was smooth with a calming warmth that matched the earrings. She glanced around at the crater briefly, then returned her gaze to the girl. “Are they helping?”

“Yes. They’re pretty.”

The woman smiled, “They definitely are.”

The girl held out her hands, “Here, take one you need to keep warm too.”

She hesitated, then took one of the shining jewels. The woman clasped it near to her chest and came closer to the girl. “What is your name?”

“Aerith,” the girl beamed, her eyes shining with new life.

“That sounds like a beautiful name.”

Aerith jumped up with excitement, “My mommy was the one who gave it to me. What’s your name?”

“It’s Laniakea.”

“I’ve never heard a name like that.”

Laniakea chuckled, “It’s not a common name from where I come from either. My mother gave it to me also.” The smile began to fade from her face. “Aerith, do you remember your mother?”

“Of course I do. She. . . she. . .” Aerith closed her eyes and tensed her face in concentration. She frowned, and tears began to well up in her eyes. “I can’t remember.”

Laniakea hugged Aerith and wrapped her cloak around her. Aerith’s tears wet the gray cloth as Laniakea embraced her tightly. She had seen this before but she never knew how to comfort them. It was a realization every child from the stars had. It was a realization no words of hers could soften. She stared up into the gray sky with deep sorrow. Is this your doing? Is this curse your idea of retribution? Surely this can’t be you. I have more faith in you. I know you're not so weak as to curse a child. Laniakea bit her lip, brushing the thought aside.

She gently swept her arms underneath Aerith’s legs and cradled her as she stood up. “I shall wake the stars for you,” Laniakea assured herself. “The stars shall shine for you, child, and not for the gods above.”