Title: Starboy
Rating: PG
Prompt selected: this poem, taken literally.
Warnings: Slash?
Word count: 7569
Summary: “Too many wishes have been placed on it, the meteor will fall so heavily!” Jadis makes an offhand wish during a meteor shower and gets more than he expected.

Author's note: Hello! I really really loved this prompt (stars ;; star people ;;;;;). This is actually not the original work - I rewrote this from a fic.

I was inspired by Final Fantasy XIV (which I’ve been playing avidly for a month now) and the Hayao Miyazaki animated film, Howl’s Moving Castle. The title is based off a book I read as a kid - Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli.

(I also made a poor reference to Spongebob somewhere along the line. I really hope no one gets it tbh.)

— ※ —


“Your exam is still a fortnight away, Jadis! Why are you working yourself into the ground?”

Jadis looked up to see Chenault’s face, brows knit, mouth hanging open in exasperation. The taller boy had been trying to convince him to go to some event or other for a week - he was always trying to drag him somewhere to do something. Three weeks ago, it had been to see the dragon egg newly brought to the city's menagerie.

"Actually it's a month away. I haven't even gone through these glyphs and patterns yet. Sarai will have my head if I fail." Jadis replied, turning back to the page his grimoire was open to. Chenault snorted.

"You're the Guildmaster's favourite. You're probably her best student."

Jadis rolled his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Chenault."

The Elezen boy looked affronted. "I was being nice! Why must you always think I have some ulterior motive?"

Jadis shrugged, pulling out a sheet of parchment to scrawl down notes. "Because you're friends with me. Aran does the same thing whenever he wants me to whip up a potion to impress whatever girl he's pining after at the moment."

"I am not Aran, excuse you. I can get girls just fine." Chenault whined. He paused after that, watching as Jadis shuffled through more papers. His tone was different when he spoke again, calmer.

“You should get out more often. Seras is worried about you, says he misses you.”

Jadis snorted. “He misses me paying for his meals, you mean.” Despite his words though, the boy’s expression softened for a moment. Chenault chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder, being careful not to jostle his arm as he continued to write notes.

“I’m letting this slide for now but I will be back, mark my words.”

With that, Chenault ruffled Jadis’s hair, laughing in time with the shorter boy’s resulting whine after he left. Jadis grumbled to himself, fingers tidying his hair. As the door shut after him and quiet settled back in the study, like the dust that covered the tops of the bookshelves, he leaned onto the back legs of his chair to stare at the stack of texts and endless sheets of parchment littering his desk.

He truly loved being a student of the arcane arts but it wasn’t like he didn’t want to be out there with Chenault and Seras and Aranran doing who knows what. He was getting a little sick of falling asleep at his desk and waking up to the stale taste of dust in the corners of his mouth, truth to be told.

Just a little more. Then maybe I’ll go find the others.

Heaving a great sigh, he closed his grimoire and took down a different text from his stack, pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment. He dipped his pen into the inkwell, reading to himself slowly as he began another hour of studies.

“In the beginning of time, there was nothing but a vast darkness, and deep within that inky night, there was but more darkness. From that darkness was the lofty Cosmos came into existence, the great primordial cloud of dust. Her first breath birthed the Sky, resplendent and filling the darkness with light. Dancing in the darkness, Cosmos and Sky brought the great ocean, but in doing so, the Sky exhausted himself and lay down to die…”

Minutes slid slowly and surely into hours, two hours turning into ten. Succor from studies came in the form of slumber. It seemed that Jadis would wake up again to the taste of dust on his mouth.

In his dreams, the arcanist often heard his brother’s voice. Warm and patient, Janus would recount stories of old to him. The memory was both a fond one and a sorrowful one - Janus was long gone, killed in the war between the city states and one neighboring kingdom. As a child, Jadis had gone stargazing with him scores of times and could name each and every one of the constellations by heart.

“The Cosmos mourned the death of her son and in order that he be remembered forever, split his body in countless fragments and set them in her body, creating the stars and the night sky. She kept his heart and eyes however and with them, created the Earth, and the Sun and Moon.”

The words would echo, drift and blanket his dreams, a sea of stars soft as down.

— ※ —

Jadis woke at an hour he knew not. The cool breeze from the sea made the hairs on the back of the young boy’s neck and he sat up in his chair, groaning as he worked out the kinks in his body.

Peering out the open window, Jadis could see that the sun had long set. The sky was dark and clear, myriad points of shining light shimmering against the void. He could point out the cloud of dust and stars that made up Shiva’s Cloak, the spread out cross that made up Phoenix and in the midst of many stars, the large and proud Lupa.

Jadis frowned. Chenault and the others were probably long gone, caught up doing who knows what. What was it Chenault wanted me to do with him anyway? He stretched again and turned towards his books.

Someone had arranged the texts neatly for him, taken the sheet of parchment and set it aside where he wouldn’t ruin his work by smudging the ink with his face (as he’d done many times before). A torn, rumpled little scrap of parchment sat on top of his grimoire, inscribed with what Jadis recognised as Chenault’s messy scrawl.

Don’t know when you’re going to wake up but there’s a star shower tonight at the 11th hour of the night. If you can’t see it with us, I hope you at least see it on your own!

Star shower?

The arcanist looked out the window, one hand digging deep into the pockets of his pants to fish out his pocket watch. He ended up forgetting about that quickly enough - to his surprise, he saw a single streak of white light cut through the sky, followed by two then three more. Grabbing his cloak, he ran out of the study, the heels of his boots sharp and loud. The plains just outside the city would be the best place to view the shower and it was to the west gates that Jadis ran.

He wondered briefly whether he would see Chenault and the others but likely they were watching from the airship docks - Seras’s father often let them linger about the place if the day was not busy. By the time he ran there though, Jadis knew he would miss most of the shower.

Stammering out a quick explanation to the sentry of why he was exiting the city so late, Jadis headed for a small cliff a little north, a ledge hanging over a patch of field and a scant lick of watery shore. The cliff was not high enough to hurt too much if he fell but high enough that he had a good view. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself as he sat down.

The stars were still falling above him, still only two and three at a time. After a few minutes, they began falling more heavily. Jadis wondered if he should make a wish or if he was too old for that kind of thing. It wasn’t like he expected anything to come out of it.

The snuffling of wharf rats in the tall grass and hum of ladybugs were the only sounds permeating the quiet as Jadis leaned back, staring up at the stars. Well for one, I wish I had somebody here with me.

Be careful what you wish for, Janus used to be fond of saying to him. Scarcely had Jadis finished that thought, that one star seemed to streak brighter than the rest, growing larger and larger. Too late the arcanist realised it wasn’t growing bigger but closer, his eyes growing wide. Before his mouth could fall in disbelief, the star hurtled into the water with a great splash, white clouds of steam rising up at the impact.

Jadis clambered to his feet, cloak around his shoulders as he ran and stumbled his way down the hill leading to the shore. His left hand reached for the ornate silver dagger at his waist, in case this was some new monster or foe. A glance over his shoulder told him that no one had noticed - or at the very least, had not gathered their wits enough to come investigating. (He would give the sentries that much credit at least).

He waved his other arm to disperse the steam, eyes widening when he finally saw what it had obscured from view.

It was a boy.

Or that was what Jadis thought. He didn’t think this boy was human. How could he be?

His entire body was translucent and radiant, as though made from sunlight. Hair whiter than the moon and glowing like the moon itself framed his face, rippling in the water. Every inch of his naked body was engulfed in flame even though his lower half was submerged in water. Jadis was sure it was fire even though he’d never seen the likes of it before - iridescent, dancing about with every color of the rainbow.

Taking careful steps closer to the water, he leaned down, keeping his eyes on the strange boy as his fingers picked up a small stone. Doing field studies with Sarai had taught him to first study a possible enemy before striking. Lobbing the stone at the boy, he saw it ricochet off his torso to no effect. With a frown, he took several steps closer, wading into the water. He leaned down and stuck out his hand carefully.

To his surprise, the flames were certainly hot but they didn’t burn him. Extending his hand fully into the fire, his brows knit. How peculiar.

It was in that instant that the boy shot an arm out, hand grabbing Jadis’s wrist. The arcanist shrieked, tugging at his arm to no avail. The boy sat up, grabbing Jadis’s arm with his other hand as well. His eyes were open and Jadis could see that his eyes were only a little less translucent than the rest of his body, pupils and irises a dull mirror of the flames that enveloped him.

“H...elp.. me..” he rasped out. Jadis felt panic rising in him, tightening his throat.

“W-What?” he stammered out, fingers still trying to loosen the boy’s grip on his arm. What in the sun and stars?!

“I’m.. dying…! Help me-- Please!” the boy choked out, his eyes stricken. It’s then that Jadis realised the dullness of his eyes was because the boy’s life was slipping away, cold terror gripping him.

“But how-- I don’t even know what you are!” he replied, voice going up an octave from fear.

“A star, I’m a star. And please, you don’t even have to do a lot, I need a bit of aether, or else I’m going to go out..!” the boy answered hurriedly, his voice losing volume as he continued. Jadis noticed with horror that the flames that surrounded his body were beginning to recede and fade.

He didn’t know whether it would be a good or bad thing to help this boy, this star, but he did it anyway. Gathering a bit of his magic into his hand (it was a little hard without something like his grimoire to focus the energy too), he held out the glowing blue energy for the boy to take.

If he had the capacity to be any more surprised, he didn’t after what happened next - taking the hand that offered him aether so freely, the boy pulled Jadis down to him. The sand scraped at the arcanist’s knees through his trousers and with both hands caught, he could not reach for his dagger.

Before he could register what happened, Jadis felt hot lips press firmly to his own, a tingling burning sensation sending tremors through his body. A buoyant feeling filled his head and for a second he felt as though he might float away.

Then all the weight returned to his body and he fell sideways onto the sand, the boy’s arms no longer holding him up. Black shadows crept up on his vision and before they consumed his sight completely, he looked up dizzily.

The stars were still streaking across the sky, almost mournful, calling for their lost brother.

— ※ —

When Jadis next woke up, he was in a warm feathered bed, the sheets pulled up to his nose. Heat throbbed in his chest, but the rest of his body shivered as though chilled to the bone. He curled up, tugging the thick quilt tighter around him.

Had that been all a dream? It had to be - how in creation was it real?

The door knob rattled and then the door creaked open. Jadis peered out of his blankets. Chenault charged his way in, hands slipping quickly underneath the folds of the blanket to touch the arcanist’s face and forehead. “What were you thinking? Falling asleep in the field like that? I know you didn’t want to miss the star shower probably but if you were tired, you should have just rested,” the boy rambled without missing a beat.

“...Was there a boy?” Jadis asked groggily. Chenault blinked.

“Yeah. He’s a friend of yours, right?”

Jadis said nothing for several minutes, his fingers curling and uncurling. It wasn’t a dream.

“Jadis? What’s wrong?” Chenault asked, tilting his head in worry. “He’s okay, you know. We thought he might be sick like you because he was so warm. But he’s fine, just sleeping in the spare room next door.”

Jadis groaned as he pushed himself up, fingers tugging the quilt close. “Can I see him?”

“You should be resting….” Chenault trailed off as Jadis made the most pitiful face at him. He winced. “Okay, okay. You’re footing the blame if we get into trouble.”

The arcanist swung his feet off the bed, slipping into fleece lined slippers. A corner of the blanket dragged on the wooden floors of the small house as they left his room and headed to the next one. Chenault stopped outside the door. “I’ll stay here. I don’t really know him and I have to keep an eye out for my mom besides.” He grinned sheepishly.

Jadis smiled despite his words. It isn’t like I know him either… but it’s easier than explaining everything when I hardly know what’s going on.

He took a breath, feeling dizzy as he did. Opening the door, he poked his head into the room. Soft snores came from the lump covered in a pale blue blanket on the bed. Shuffling his way in, Jadis closed the door and approached the bed carefully. It took him another five seconds to decide whether or not to pull back the quilt.

He’s obviously not on fire anymore, what are you afraid of? he tried reassuring himself and bolstered, he reached for the edge of the blanket and carefully pulled it away, enough to see the boy’s face.

He looked… normal. Translucent, fire enveloped skin had become lightly tanned, white hair now black and much less ripply. Tugging the blanket down a little more, Jadis could see why Chenault had thought the boy was a friend from his guild - he was wearing clothes nearly identical to his own robes.

Perhaps he copied them somehow. At least they didn’t find him naked…

He put a hand to the boy’s shoulder - he was warm, like Chenault had said, but decidedly normal. Shaking him gently, Jadis bit his lip. When the boy stirred but didn’t wake, he shook him a little harder.

“Hey… wake up,” he tried and was finally successful. A quiet groan answered him and then the boy shifted, eyes blinking open blearily.

“..hrmm?”

His eyes were brown, Jadis noticed. Like coffee.

But he wasn’t here to admire him. Jadis frowned. “You. What did you do? What are you? Who are you?”

The boy groaned, rustling under the blanket. “Slow dooown…” He wriggled some before he sat up, rubbing at the corner of his eyes. Jadis remained standing, tightening the cocoon he had wrapped around him.

“Okay. Who are you?”

“My name is,” he yawned halfway through, but picked up where he left off right after. “Kainat. You can call me Kai. Who are you?”

Kai. The name was foreign. When Jadis mouthed the singular syllable he felt heat throbbing in his chest again, like a flickering flame. “Jadis. My name is Jadis.”

“What are you?” he asked next. Kai reached out for him, frowning as Jadis stepped back, apprehension lining his features.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want you to sit.”

The line of the arcanist’s lips tightened but in the end he relented to Kai’s stare, sitting down gingerly on the edge of the bed.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Kai snorted. “I did. I told you yesterday. I am a star.”

Jadis wrinkled his nose, giving the boy a look. “You can’t be serious.”

Kai blinked at him, as though surprised the boy wouldn’t believe him. “Why would I not be? What reason would I have to lie to you?”

“For one, you could be pranking me. Two, stars falling and turning out to be living, breathing people every day.” Jadis listed off, using his blanket covered hands to count. Upon his second statement, he suddenly remembered that the boy had said he was dying the other night. “You are… living, right?”

An eyebrow rose on the star’s face, “Well… I thought that was obvious.”

“What did you even do?” Jadis started off quickly, babbling out the words, “You asked me for aether and then I gave some to you and you took it but then…” He trailed off, heat rising to his cheeks. Feeling embarrassed, he shrunk back into his blankets, covering the lower half of his face.

To be fair, Kai looked sheepish as well. “I took your aether, that was all… It’s just easier… how I did it…” He scratched his cheek.

Jadis nodded, willing the flush in his cheeks away. Quiet settled between them and when the arcanist finally spoke, he was glad he managed it without a stutter.

“How long will you be… You’re not dead, but you’re recovering, right? How long does that take?”

Kai bit his lip, looking lost and nervous. “A month? I think? This hasn’t happened to me in centuries so…”

Centuries?! He looks the same age as me…. younger even. Jadis thought. He fished around for words to say, stringing together a sentence before he spoke again. “Oh. I guess a month isn’t too bad. You can stay with me.”

“Okay.” Kai smiled warmly and for a second, Jadis thought he felt the heat in his chest resonating with that soft expression. He shook his head, huffing. This wasn’t the time for weird thoughts.

“Don’t tell anyone what you are though. My friends might understand but other people here might think you’re crazy…. so just don’t say anything.”

Kai frowned. “What am I supposed to say then?”

“If anyone asks, you’re a learning arcanist, from a small town eastward and I’m helping you with your studies.” It wasn’t the sturdiest of stories but if it’s only a month, Jadis supposed it would do well enough. Kai didn’t seem to think it’s a great story either, from the dull look on his face, but the star nodded nonetheless.

“Okay. I can do that.”

“Good.” Jadis stood up - his head was beginning to ache again and he probably needed a good long nap. “You can go back to sleep now. I’ll come get you in the evening so we can go back to my place.”

Only too happy to oblige, Kai rolled himself up into the quilt and wriggled back down to the pillows. Soon soft snores were heard again and with that, Jadis took his leave.

Pushing the door open gently, he found Chenault dozing off in a chair not too far away and nudged him awake. Flashing him a grateful smile, the arcanist shuffled back into his own designated room and plopped back into bed, falling asleep quickly.

— ※ —

The evening went smoother than Jadis anticipated, but that was all for the best. For all his strange origin, Kai adapted well and had no trouble getting friendly with the rest of Jadis’s ragtag band of friends. He was a little awkward at times, sometimes not understanding things but more often than not, it was chalked up to him being from a small town.

“Your friends are nice,” he commented once the other boys had left Jadis’s abode. Jadis shrugged, though the gesture wasn’t meant to be aloof. He’d known Chenault and the others for as long as he could remember. But Kai continued, “They told me that they haven’t seen you for a long while.”

Jadis raised an eyebrow. “I have to study. And it’s none of your business.”

Kai snorted. “Your books will not go anywhere. You’re a whelp, why are you caging yourself in instead of flying out?”

Jadis made a face. “Did you just call me a whelp? You don’t even look older than me.”

Kai laughed. “You see with only your eyes. Age is not measured by appearances.” The words sounded old, even with his youthful voice, and the sparkle of his coffee colored eyes were a pale imitation of the night sky, but dancing nonetheless. “You should cherish your friends more. Your life is fleeting as the mother’s dust, you should spend it well.”

Jadis rolled his eyes. “You sound like an oracle.”

Kai chuckled. “I am probably more accurate than an oracle. But if you insist.”

“You haven’t even been in my house for a day and I already find you deplorable.” Jadis huffed, marching off. He looked back at Kai, whose attention had been taken by something hanging on the wall. “Well, are you coming? I’m showing you which room you’re staying in.”

“Oh! Right. Lead the way.” Kai took a few springing steps to catch up with him, smiling widely. It made him appear more the age his body looked, Jadis thought. How a person could go from child-like and old as the cosmos and back confounded him, but he supposed there were few and far quite like Kai.

He led the way down the short hall, passing his own pale blue door before stopping at the dark green door a little further down. He reached for the door knob, hesitating at the last minute.

Although he had decided before they returned to his house that Kai would take Janus’s room while he was here, a part of him didn’t want anyone near the space, as though it were a sacred, holy ground. But the house was small and there was no other room where Kai could stay.

“Are you okay?”

Jadis blinked, realising he’d been in a stupor. He shook his head. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He opened the door, moving to light the lamps by the window and the bed, filling the room with a pleasant yellow-white glow. The room was clean and tidy - Jadis had always taken care to keep the room in as liveable a condition as possible. It had started out as a vague hope that Janus would one day come home with narry a scratch on him, but now was mere habit.

“I like this room.” Kai commented.

Jadis smiled faintly. “It was my brother’s.”

Kai went silent. “Is he not home?”

Jadis shook his head. “No. Don’t worry. It’s just you and I here. Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to run down to Aran’s to get us dinner.”

He backed out of the room, walking briskly down the hall and out of the house, down the block to the Byun family’s tavern.

When he returned with a basket of piping hot dumplings, he found Kai sitting in the kitchen, smiling softly. If the star had noticed he was upset before, he didn’t say a word. For that, the arcanist was grateful and made sure that later this week, he would definitely take a day off to spend time with the others.

In his chest, a warm heat hummed and he felt strangely comforted.

— ※ —

“So…..”

Kai looked up as Chenault started speaking. It was one of those days where Jadis had gotten cross - he’d woken up late and so his studies had been pushed back hours later than he intended. From what Aran had told him, the arcanist had some sort of exam or other. Kai thought it was best to leave him be and found Chenault as he was walking along the docks.

“So..?” he prompted, waving his hand with lazy flourish. Chenault pursed his lips, scrutinizing Kai’s face, making the boy grow more and more nervous.

“What is it?”

Chenault shrugged. “Nothing. What town are you from?”

Kai blinked. “Why do you want to know?” Inwardly he panicked - what in Cosmos’ name was he supposed to say?

The taller boy chuckled, pinching and tweaking a short curl of his auburn hair as he dangled his legs off the edge of the docks, toes almost brushing the water. “No reason really. I’m just curious.”

“Just… a little place northeast of here. It’s so small, I’m sure you wouldn’t know it even if I told you.” Kai mumbled, running a hand back awkwardly through his hair.

“Is that why you came here?” Chenault asked, one eyebrow raised.

Kai looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Did you come to the city because your town was so small? You know, exploring bigger places, seeking your fortune, all that?”

“Ah…” Kai scratched his cheek with a finger. “I guess. I was…. lonely. The people keep to themselves where I’m from. It feels good to have friends.”

Chenault nodded, humming in agreement. “How did you meet Jadis then?”

“You could say I ran into him.” Kai responded, smiling a little. “Quite literally.”

The taller boy burst into raucous laughter, scaring off some gulls perched on the fishing boats nearby. Kai grinned.

— ※ —

When the star finally went back to Jadis’s place, it was dusk and quickly becoming evening. The second Kai opened the door, he was barreled to the floor, the arcanist pinning him to the floor. “Where in the seven hells were you?! I was looking everywhere for you!!”

Kai looked at Jadis, confused once again. It seemed that confusion would be his most used expression whilst in the city. “I was with Chenault. I told you before I left.”

Jadis scowled. “You did not. One minute you were hovering about and the next, poof! You were gone! You could have left a note or something, do you know how worried I was?!”

Kai blinked, watching as the boy let go of his shoulders, arms waving about as he rambled. “...couldn’t even focus once I realised you were gone, you inconsiderate jerk, I let you in my house and I feed you and--” He reached up and held onto Jadis’s face firmly with both hands, cupping his cheeks. The gesture was more intimate than the arcanist expected.

It wasn’t as though the star didn’t know that but it did what he wanted it to do - stop Jadis from flailing on top of him. “Hey. Calm down. I told you, but you were probably too grouchy to notice.”

“You should have left a note. What if you got lost? I saved you, you know, I don’t want you to go off and die again.” Jadis pursed his lips. Kai could see that he wasn’t going to admit to anything, chuckling.

“I’m no blazing star right now, but I can take care of myself still. You don’t need to protect me.”

Red crept onto Jadis’s cheeks. “You’re deplorable.”

Kai grinned wider - he liked it when the boy was flustered. It made him look less aloof, less grumpy. He liked it when he smiled. “As you seem more and more fond of telling me with each passing day.”

Jadis grumbled, getting to his feet and dusting his robes off. He gave the star a nudge with the heel of his foot. "Well you are. The most deplorable."

A strange melancholy warmth reverberated in his heart as Kai chuckled.

— ※ —

One week became two faster than Jadis thought, and he could feel the third creeping up on him. He supposed his new routine had something to do with it - before he’d only made his daily schedules around his studies, whether text-related or more handsy fieldwork, and sometimes his friends’ free time.

Now he got up early as usual but not to study, but to run down to the market for eggs and warm bread, sometimes fresh cuts of pork belly, to make breakfast for Kai and himself. After that he’d study and Kai would hover or otherwise leave the house to hang out with Chenault or Seras - more often than not, they would come back a few hours later to drag him out of the study.

Jadis would play the grouch but truthfully, he was grateful once he got a whiff of sea salty breezes instead of paper scented air, to be in surroundings lit not with the glow of a lamp but with the warm light of the sun.

On rainy days, Kai would stay indoors with him, sitting nearby and looking through his shelves. This day was one of those rainy days and as Jadis sat at his desk, carefully tracing a glyph onto a sheet of parchment, Kai came over and prodded his arm.

“Teach me something.”

Jadis turned towards the star, who was looking at him expectantly. “Teach you? What do you want me to teach you?”

“Anything. Magic. History. Whatsoever you please.” Kai smiled widely. Jadis scratched his chin with a finger, tilting his head.

“You know, I’m still nowhere near a great mage. Never mind what Chenault or anybody else told you, I’m nothing special.”

Kai shook his head. “Nonsense. And I don’t care one bit. Teach me what you do know then.”

Jadis looked at the timepiece on the desk. It was half past two and he had been studying since the 10th morning hour. “Fine. I’ve heard teaching is the best way to study, so let’s test that theory, shall we?”

Kai grinned, looking more pleased than anything as Jadis tidied up his papers and books. Prodding the arcanist lightly, he got a hum in response. “Can we start with Starlore?” he asked tentatively.

Staying in Jadis’s brother’s old room, he had grown curious. The walls inside the room were painted the deepest of blues, the ceiling inlaid with crystals so that the faintest glimmer of light would reflect and create a perfect image of the night sky.

The shelves had children’s books, chronicles of fables from eons, the spines well-worn from much love, Kai knew.

Jadis hadn’t answered him yet, having gone quiet, a contemplative frown on his face. When he finally turned around, it was with curiosity on his face. “Why? You’re a star. Shouldn’t you know the lore better than anyone?”

Kai snorted. “Lore is a human invention.” Almost as soon as the words left his mouth did the star regret it - Jadis’s face fell. For all the calm the arcanist seemed so adamant on maintaining, he was truly still a child at heart.

“Look, that isn’t to say it’s not real. There are exaggerations, I’m sure but there is some truth to your tales.”

Jadis pouted. “If you already know that, then why are you asking me to teach you?”

“Because I don’t know. I want to learn.” About you. was what the star’s thoughts finished for him. Jadis felt that strange heat throb in his chest. He still didn’t know why that happened and his guildmaster could not give him an answer. Your aether has changed, that much is certain. Have you been dabbling in things you ought not have, Jadis?

He kept silent, of course and shook his head. Kai would be gone in a month-- no, in little more than two weeks. It mattered not.

“Jadis…. are you okay?” Kai’s voice drew him back to reality, soft and unsure, “If I upset you, we don’t have to. You can teach me something else. I’m sorry.”

His eyes were so earnest that Jadis knew he’d feel guilty if he refused. “No, it’s fine. I’ll teach you. Let’s start with the beginning, if that’s okay?”

Kai nodded, smiling in… relief. Did he truly place such value on his, a mere arcanist’s thoughts? Jadis couldn’t imagine why he would. He is a star, of infinite lives, and I am a person of but one. It matters little… He thought, but failed to be convince himself those words were true.

“Come on then. We should at least be comfortable.”

— ※ —

It became habit quickly. The season of summer rains had come and so rainy days were common, providing plenty a reason for one to stay inside instead of wandering out of doors.

When the rain began to fall, Kai would go to Jadis and pester him till he paid attention to him. Sometimes the star would look oddly sad and the ages through which he lived could be seen in his coffee brown eyes. Most of the time he was smiling, quietly delighted by the same stories that Jadis had heard from Janus's lips as a child.

Kai was an eager student, Jadis a patient and confident teacher when it came to those things he knew well. Now and then a whine would be heard from the sitting room, a result of the long-lived star pointing out some misinformation or error he saw in the stories and supplying his own truth.

On clear nights, they would climb onto the roof and Kai would point up to the sky and tell Jadis the names of the stars and who they were.

Despite his initial upsets, Jadis was admittedly fascinated to find that his childhood tales explained through the eyes of one who had seen them happen. The story of the stag with its golden antlers crowned with stars, was the same as the great comet Niuh's Tear that came into view once every fifteen years.

“You call him Niuh's Tear, but your story calls him the Deer at Dawn. They are one and the same - he fell to your world a millenia ago, much like me, and spent many moons here until he was drawn back to the sky.”

Jadis tilted his head. “I see…. It’s amazing. When I think about it. This story is centuries old and yet every decade and a half, Aria passes through our skies.”

Kai smiled softly. “He is kind. He misses it here, but he cannot come any more.”

“That’s sad…” Jadis murmured. The star’s words brought to mind more questions, however, one which rang clear like a bell in his mind. “But why? You fell here, didn’t you? Could he not do the same?”

Kai froze, smile falling slowly from his face. He shook his head slowly and did not meet the arcanist’s eyes. “No, he cannot. When we fall, it is not by accident….”

The star began worrying his lip between his teeth. Jadis stared at him, both alarmed and concerned. “What do you mean? You just said you cannot fall on your own, so clearly it isn’t on purpose. But here you are, saying it is no accident.”

“We fall… when we are summoned.” Kai spoke quietly, nervously. His fingers twisted in his lap and Jadis only felt his confusion grow.

Summoned? What in sun and stars was that supposed to mean? All this time he had thought Kai had crashlanded by some unfortunate accident - mayhaps some otherworldly thing had knocked him out of his nightly course. But here the star was, telling him that this had happened out of some grand design.

“Kai, you’re not making any sense. I don’t understand,” he began slowly, not sure what to ask now.

“Summoned? By who?”

Kai turned to him, expression serious. “You. I was summoned by you.”

The arcanist’s eyes widened, his expression both incredulous and bewildered. “Me? I… I summoned you? B-But I didn’t even do anything!”

Kai sighed. “You made a wish. It brought me here. By giving me your aether, you saved me and bound me to you.”

In that instance, everything made sense. Well for one, I wish I had somebody here with me.

"You were dying, what else was I supposed to do? That wish wasn't even serious!"

Oh. That realisation sent a pang through the star's heart. "You... didn't make that wish on purpose then."

Jadis shook his head. "I just... I fell asleep that day, while studying. When I woke up it was too late to find my friends so I ended up watching the star shower on my own."

"I see." For once, Kai's expression was unreadable, lost. "It's fine. At the end of the week, I'll be gone anyway. You'll never see me again."

But I don't want that... The heat in his chest seemed to turn to lead as Kai turned to leave. Jadis panicked, grabbing at his arm with both of his. The action was reminiscent of when they first met.

"You are the most stupid star I've ever met. You can't just say things like we're bound together and then expect me to just... I don't know," he said, trying to quell the tremors in his voice. Kai blinked at him, a light chuckle slipping past his lips despite the melancholy look in his eyes. "I am the only star you've met."

"I'm quite sure you're still a stupid one. Do you think I want you gone?" he asked, keeping his stubborn grip tight on Kai's arms.

The star's brows knit. "But... you said you didn't mean it. When you made that wish."

"I wasn't serious, no. But that doesn't mean I want you gone." He mumbled something else under his breath that Kai couldn't catch. The star tilted his head. "What?"

"I said I wish you didn't have to go." Jadis repeated, sounding cross and embarrassed. Kai's eyes widened.

"Do you mean that? Do you?"

Jadis nodded, cheeks dusted pink. "Of course I do. But what does that matter? You're going to leave, aren't you? I just want you to know that before you do.... "

The arcanist's face fell, lips pressed together in an upset expression. Kai shook his head. "No. I don't... you really mean that, right?"

"I do! You don't believe me?" Jadis whined. "Stop making me repeat it, you deplorable creature."

Kai smiled but kept his laughter to himself. "I believe you. But I need you to make that wish again. Please."

Jadis frowned but obliged readily enough. "I wish you didn't have to go."

As soon as he said those words, Kai raised his free hand to his face, fingers brushing gently under his jaw. Jadis stiffened, holding his breath.

"Wish granted."

Warm lips pressed against his and a dizzying whirl of heat swirled around him. His fingers let go of Kai's arm in surprise and his eyes fluttered closed.

In that moment, Jadis felt then what he imagined colliding stars did. As though he were breathing the dust of the cosmos, he found the breath drawn out of his lungs and as Kai drew him close, the heat in his heart grew, fire burning in him like the sun.

When he opened his eyes, his cheeks were flushed and his breathing heavy, but somehow the arcanist still managed to gasp as his eyes fell on Kai.

Steadily, the star’s tanned skin began to glow and become translucent, radiating a cloudy phosphorescence that seemed to have a life both its own and that of Kai’s. His dark hair whirled about his face, rapidly becoming a brilliant white from the roots. As though by some ethereal wind, his hair floated, light as clouds.

From coffee brown, his irises grew pale, tinted lavender, his pupils glowing white, and in them, Jadis swore he could see the cosmos as she was in the beginning of time, scattering the countless pieces of the sky throughout space. And all about him licked brilliant flames, white and all the colors of the rainbow. Kai grinned back at him.

“Wow….” he breathed out.

The arcanist had little opportunity to be awestruck however. Or rather, starstruck.

In that moment, the heat inside his chest seemed to consume him completely and feeling dizzy and overwhelmed, he fell forward into the star's arms and blacked out.

The fire that held him was hot but gentle, safe. There was nothing to fear.

— ※ —


He dreamt of a deep dark abyss, and slowly lights like fireflies floated into that endless inky night and became his brother. Janus with his gentle smile and arms always ready for a hug.

"Jadis, I hear you have a new friend."

"I think I love him."

Janus chuckled. "Take care of him well, okay?"

He nodded, smiling back at his brother. The warmth in his chest skipped and sprang to life and as though he could feel it as well, Janus chuckled again. His brother gave him a light squeeze, pressed his nose to his forehead fondly before letting him go.

"I think it's time for you to wake up."

— ※ —

When Jadis came to, he found himself in bed. It was a strange sense of deja vu, so disconcerting that he felt restless. His head hurt. The doorknob rattled and as expected Chenault barged in.

"You know I was really worried when you were brought in, all feverish and asleep. You really need to stop studying yourself to death."

"How long.. how long was I out?" Jadis asked before Chenault could keep rambling. The taller boy blinked. "A week?"

A WEEK?!

"Where is Kai?" the arcanist asked urgently.

Chenault crossed his arms, humming contemplatively. "Well he was here. He brought you here but he left sometime after."

Oh... He tried to keep the disappointment from showing on his face but Chenault had known him since before they learned how to walk - hiding something like that was a hard thing to do indeed.

"Oh you are the dumbest thing. Cute, but dumb. He just went back to your place to get some things."

Jadis perked up. "So he isn't gone? He's still here?"

"Yeah, your star is still here." Chenault grinned, flashing him a wink. He laughed at the arcanist's startled face. "He told us everything when he brought you back here."

The door opened again, Seras coming in with Kai in tow. Jadis felt his heart skip as Kai grinned at him, Seras snickering on the side. "Come on Chenault, let's leave them alone."

Chenault chuckled and stood up, walking to the door. "I'll go grab you something to eat from Mrs. Byun." With that, both he and Seras left. Kai waited till their footsteps were faint and far down the hall before approaching the bed.

Jadis stared at him, fingers fiddling idly with his blanket. "You're still here."

"So I am." Kai smiled. "You wished for that, didn't you?"

"I did." Jadis replied, scratching his cheek.

The star laughed softly, "Don't tell me you're regretting it." Though his words were teasing, when the arcanist looked up at him, Kai's eyes were nervous.

"No, of course not."

"Good. I'm happy." The star smiled with relief. It was another feeling altogether, that a boy like him, of a brief and singular life, could bring such a smile to a star of infinite lives.

"Do all stars kiss wishes true or is it just you?" He blurt out the question before he could stop himself, Kai laughing in response.

The star leaned in, kissing him gently, a playful light twinkling in his eyes. "Just me."

Jadis rolled his eyes fondly. "You are deplorable."

"But you love me?"

"I guess."

Kai chuckled and in the arcanist's chest, it felt like a new star had been born.

— ※ —

"I never did tell you what my name means."

"Kai? What does it mean?"

"Kainat. In the language of the stars, it means ‘universe.’”

— ※ —

”Kainat” is actually a real word. In Urdu, Kai is short for "Kainat", meaning "universe". It is usually a nickname, though it can be a real name too.

Also Kai as a name has many meanings in other languages! In Hawaiian, Kai means "ocean" or "ocean water." In Japanese, Kai has a number of meanings, including "ocean" (海), "shell" (貝), "restoration" and "recovery."