FALLEN STAR | OLD VERSION | BL ✔

CHAPTER 21 | elysium

MIREN'S POV

My heart aches as I watch Castyr stay curled up in his seat. The light in his eyes is gone. His once smiling face is now cold and distant. The small star hugs his knees and stares out the window aimlessly.

I sit silently as the angel guiding the transport steers us towards the sun. We have exited Earth's atmosphere and are currently in space. The angel's concentration grows as we near the sun. I begin to doubt his steering abilities as I watch the glowing orb grow steadily larger.

I side glance at the angel. He remains calm, but his focus has increased. Castyr does not even flinch as we fly past several rings of fire. I close my eyes as we near the sun; however, a bright light engulfs us as we reach its blazing surface.

I open my eyes to see a tunnel made of colorful nebulae. "Woah." I stare out the window as I hear a sigh from our guide.

I turn to see him open his eyes. He lowers his head as he mourns for the officer. The quiet, stifled mourning cries from the angel spark fresh tears for the star. I sit silently and peer out the window as the angel and star mourn.

TIME SKIP: TWO HOURS

Castyr has fallen asleep and is recovering silently. The angel continues to peer out the window. The somber silence is suffocating, so I pluck up the courage to speak to the angel.

"So...erm...what is this?" I gesture to the tunnel.

The angel blinks and looks at me as he slowly comes out of his sorrowful trance. "Ah...this is one of the bridges to Heaven."

A bridge? His answer is unexpected, but I do not argue.

"Aaannnd...you don't have to steer?"

He shakes his head. "I just had to get us to the sun."

"Ah." I nod my head. Even though I cannot make any sense of what he just said, I go ahead and agree as the answer is most likely scientific and lengthy, and I never was the best at math or science.

The angel looks over at Castyr. He sighs softly and moves to the seat next to the star before checking Castyr's pulse and giving him energy.

"Will he be alright?"

The angel nods. "I wanted to wait until he was asleep to transfer energy."

I tilt my head in curiosity. "Why?"

"It's usually something a star does with its angel. Stars tend to use a lot of energy."

"Ah...Yes. I've seen Kilo do that before."

The angel nods before removing his hand and ending the transfer.

"Do you not have a star?"

"No. I'm not a guardian. Only guardian angels look after stars and humans."

"Oh. I didn't know there were different kinds."

He nods.

"R-" He takes a breath before continuing. "Rae and I joined the military together. We're officers in the Division of Defense." He looks down as he thinks of his partner.

"Thank you...for saving us."

He looks back up. "It's my duty. Castyr is a vital star in Heaven's defense system."

The angel looks over at the sleeping star. "He doesn't know it, but he's one of the most powerful stars. Because of this, Hades has always been wanting to get their hands on him. Not only is he a huge energy source, but his light is also very powerful." He swallows before adding, "That's why Rae told me to go."