The Edge of the Universe

Two - Earth

        “What is that?” Magic asked Life, pointing to a small spherical object in the distance. Life and Magic sat on the Edge, a cliff-like overhang that looked over all the stars and galaxies imaginable. Above them were even more innumerable amounts of constellations, and Magic asked why they didn’t fall, to which Life answered that his existence was keeping them in the sky, and that before he existed, they flew back and forth across the universe.

        The Edge was a region of Lucis that eventually flowed into Forever, the continually-growing void that was space. Magic stared down at his feet and waited for Life to respond. They hung over Forever and only then did Magic realize how high up he was. He looked up at the Sky, the region that was the general direction of ‘up’, but was also just space, and realized how far below everything he was. He wondered what it would be like if he fell into Forever, but did not ask Life.

        “That’s Earth, a planet not too far from here,” Life said. “Death and I visit there often. Humans are the species that inhabit it. That's actually the namesake of Mother Earth, the guardian for that planet." Magic had met Mother Earth not too long ago. She was very nice to him and told him stories about humans, which only made him more curious.

        "Can I come with you sometime?" Magic asked. Life smiled, but shook her head. 

        "You do not yet have a reason to be on Earth; it's against the rules to visit a planet without a purpose." 

        "What rules?" Magic demanded, hurt. 

        "Mother Earth's rules, along with the rest of the Planetary Council." Life said as Magic's head drooped slightly.

        "Why are you and Death there, if you have a reason?" He asked.

        "I have to give existence to new humans, while Death..." Life paused, unsure of how to finish. Death came up behind her and sat next to Magic so he was sandwiched in the middle. He saw her struggling with trying to explain his job, so he helped out.

        "I take the humans in despair to a better place," he said. Magic smiled, but grew sad again realizing he couldn't do anything on Earth. 

        "Is there anything I can do to go?" 

        "It's not up to you," Life said. "It's up to the humans to believe in you. If they don't believe you exist, then you cannot. At least in their realm." She gave Magic a comforting hug from the side, seeing that he was more disappointed than before.

        "You're only as powerful as they want you to be." Death whispered, but Magic did not hear the sad truth.

        "But they'll never believe in me if I can't do things about it," Magic pointed out. This gave Life a good idea, and she stood up, grabbing Magic's hand so he would follow. Death came after them silently. 

        They approached a dark entryway. Inside was lightless, so they could not see anything without entering it. 

        "This is the Gate to Earth," Life explained. "You can see Earth from Lucis, but you are not violating any rules since you aren't actually there." 

        They walked through, and a cold but fuzzy feeling enveloped Magic. Life and Death were accustomed to the effects of the Gate, so Magic was the only one who shivered. He gazed at his surroundings, an empty room painted white. Turning back, he saw the Gate again, but instead of a black abyss, it was Lucis from where they had stood before; a gravelly road that led to a town of wood cabins appeared. There were beings during their daily routines with a constant starry Sky above them.