I don't need no light to see you SHINE

9

TWs: Earth Alone/Earth is heading to the Sun references, crying, getting overwhelmed, past death. Stay safe :)

"You shouldn't be here, Earth," Theia spoke, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Wh- is this another dream...?" Earth blinked as he felt tears forming in his eyes, "Another figment of my imagination...? Please go away... I can't do this... not now- not ever."

"Earth..." Theia softened her gaze, "I need you to take a deep breath for me."

"But-"

"Shh- don't speak, just look and listen." Theia shifted closer, "Take a deep breath in, hold for four seconds, and breathe out."

Earth whimpered, yet did as he was told. He couldn't look away from the figure before him, peering into those eyes of gold. She was right there. He could reach out and touch her, yet his hands were glued to his chest, trembling as he fidgeted. His breath nearly got caught in his throat. He gulped, blinking hard as he cleared it.

"Better...?" Theia whispered. Earth nodded, not finding the vocabulary to speak, "Good... Hello, Earth. You're in the Ethereal- a sort of... afterlife for every Celestial being."

Earth's eyes widened, feeling his throat close up as he choked on his saliva, "Y-You mean I'm dead!?"

Theia waved her arms, "No, no, no! Well, not exactly... you're very much alive- it's just that... it appears you managed to detach yourself from your body. If that makes sense."

"It doesn't..."

Theia smiled, "Our, uh, bodies are mixed. When we... collided, not only did I die, but a part of you also died."

Earth took in her words, trying to grasp it, "So how do I get out...?"

"The same way you came in, I'm assuming."

Earth frowned, "Where will I find a NovaStar?"

Theia chuckled, "Follow me."

Earth hesitated, unsure if he should trust the situation. Theia peered over her shoulder, giving him a concerned look.

"It's okay to not trust me, Earth. I know you've had it... rough this past year. We can take it slow, uhm- if you'd like, I can introduce you to some friends of mine." Theia smiled.

Earth looked at the other before slowly nodding.

"Great! They're, uh- right over there somewhere."

Earth cautiously followed Theia through the pink, purple, and blue-hued wasteland of the Ethereal. It was eerily quiet- too quiet for Earth's liking. He couldn't see the glowing Stars thousands of Astronomical Units away like he did in the plane of existence. No asteroids were separating the inner zones from the outer zones. He couldn't tell where they were or if they were going around in circles.

'How could someone navigate this place? There's nothing here...' Earth thought, looking at Theia. She hummed a melody while bouncing on her axis. She had a sense of direction, judging by how she paused in her steps, looked around, and turned a different way. This process repeated until Theia came to a complete stop.

"Ah, there they are!" Theia grinned.

Earth stopped beside her, eyes widening as he saw Celestial bodies laughing and hanging out together. They appeared smaller than average.

"They're moons...?" Earth realized.

"Yep! The past moons of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Nine!"

Earth took a moment, his mouth gaping at the sight, "P-Past moons...?"

"Mhm. This isn't everyone, but I figured we should start small." Theia moved forward, waving her arm in the atmosphere, "Hello, everyone!"