The Pale Blue Dot - 6. Chapter 6 Curtain Up - FIN

Tohru the muntjac

Through a slight haze, I opened my eyes, still a bit unaccustomed to the morning light. The spectrum of this white glow was different, not quite the same as the one on Ares.

The delicate touch of fur against my fingertips reminded me of the details from last night. The memory made my cheeks flush with heat. I rolled over and wrapped my arms around Jack's firm, muscular body, burying my face into the sleek, black fur.

His massive, sharp white fangs, warm and damp nose, and that agile, fiery pink tongue... God, the feeling of my wildest fantasies coming true was beyond incredible. I couldn't help but smile as I gently stroked the soft fur on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing.

His eyes, deep brown, looked oddly unfocused, yet there was a certain gentle glow in them. Just like the wolf himself--so... tender. Even though I personally prefer things a bit more... rough, I couldn't find anything to complain about right now.

I never expected Jack to be this forward. When I helped him onto the bed, he leaned in and kissed me. Turns out he really is the type to order a Long Island Iced Tea on the first meeting--maybe that's some kind of Lunar custom? But after we left the bar, the wildness that followed hinted that Jack was a completely different kind of wolf than when he first appeared.

As my thoughts began to drift towards the replica in the downstairs studio and that poem with questionable meter, I felt Jack stir beside me. He was waking up. I stifled a grin, already contemplating how to greet him.

The light filtering through the window cast a unique bright pattern on the woven carpet. I think... I could get used to mornings like this.

Wingless the dragon

"Good morning." Serene's quiet voice came from behind as she wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Good morning." I set down my tea and turned to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Any leads?" she asked, glancing over at the menu options on the food synthesizer.

"If we're talking about the most powerful psychics... there are two equally strong signals, both in the city." I expanded my consciousness again, following the pulse of everything around me as I'd been trained to do. "I'm not sure which one it is, or how friendly they might be--or what they think of our mission." At least one of them had already sensed my probing waves, but there hadn't been any response. Darkfang had never said that the judges had no bias or how fair they'd be.

I touched the transparent crystal in the pocket on my chest.

"Would we be faster if we split up?" Serene suggested. "The menu actually has an Ahuna omelet. I wonder what it tastes like." "

"It's an efficient plan, but we're in unfamiliar territory. There's some risk in going solo." I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction as I weighed the pros and cons of splitting up. From my psychic training, I knew all dragons were at least Epsilon-class psychics. If got close enough, we'd be able to sense the ripples of other psychic's consciousness circle. But how close depended a lot on our individual sensitivity and the strength of the other psychic.

"Maybe we could ask for help from our own kind," Serene suggested, cutting into the golden dish that had just been synthesized and placing a piece on a round white plate. "I'm pretty sure Lunar residents have no idea what an Ahuna omelet is." She gave a playful hum and stuck out her tongue, finally offering her review.

"The reputation of Outliers doesn't seem too good around here," I said. I'd heard they referred to rogue dragons as "pirates." "Things are only going to get more tense from here. Keeping a low profile might be the wiser choice." Darkfang's lessons echoed in my mind as I gestured toward the location of the spaceport. I could just make out the massive flagship of the Canid Empire, and though invisible to the naked eye, I was sure the escort fleet was standing guard nearby.

"We'll figure it out," Serene said, hugging me tighter, her wings folding around me like a protective shield.

"Of course." I replied softly, turning my gaze outside toward the city of Mare Nectaris. After all, the fate of every living being in the Sol was at stake. There was no option but to give it everything we had.

The dome's artificial sunlight, simulating morning, felt different from what I was used to. But that didn't stop Serene and me from taking a moment to appreciate the unfamiliar scene. I really should've brought my camera, though the built-in lens on the terminal would probably suffice.

Still, all these plans could wait. Preventing the entire star system from spiraling into the worst possible future had to take priority. I believed that, once this was over, we'd have plenty of time to admire this world. The thought brought an involuntary smile to my face--what could be more challenging than this?

Golden light flickered, and we basked in the warmth, feeling the gentle breeze generated by the heating system sweeping around us.

Dahl the cheetah

The light from the dome above was a little harsh, casting uneven shadows between the uniform buildings. There was a certain beauty in the variety within the standardization, the contrast of light and shadow within the same tones. I had to admit—it was... beautiful.

"Someone had a lot of fun last night," Ali said, turning to me, his red eyes reflecting the morning light. Ali leaned against the railing, his paws clasped together, his long tail swaying slowly, though I wasn't sure what he was looking at.

I shrugged, not offering a reply. Drawing attention hadn't been my intention, but the moment of feeling completely unrestrained... it made me let my guard down.

"As it turns out, we were wrong--the strongest one isn't with the black wolf," Ali turned back, scanning the early risers who had begun appearing on the street. The scattered yet orderly crowd moved along the moving sidewalks toward their destinations. "It looks like he's able to hide himself in ways we still don't understand."

I leaned against the railing too, gently resting beside him.

"If this plan moves forward, that guy is going to be a critical factor," Ali's tone turned cold, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Even if it was just for a brief moment, the power he showed... it's overwhelming."

I nodded but didn't respond directly. I'd noticed that powerful presence as well. I'd encountered it once before in a state of consciousness drifting, but I never thought I'd feel it again here on the Lunar. Still, that wasn't the source of the unease I felt right now.

These days on the Lunar, walking alongside these... betrayers, sitting at the same table as them--it stirred something different within me. I thought I could always tell the difference between the pulse of a carnivore and herbivore until I realized that every individual's pulse is unique.

"...But it's not just him," Ali continued, his whiskers twitching slightly. "There are at least two other presences in Mare Nectaris as strong as us. That's something we didn't account for." He tapped his nails on the railing to emphasize his point. When Ali was anxious, the frequency of his tail swishing would increase, and now it was moving so fast that I could barely keep up with it. "There's no way this is a coincidence. There has to be some reason they all decided to come to the Lunar at this particular time." His nails scraped against the railing, producing a sharp metallic sound. "We need to confirm their intentions before taking the next step. Are they friends..." His nails dragged along the metal again. "...or foes?"

I scratched at the fur beneath my collar, trying to suppress the growing unease. Even though I didn't like how things were developing, if I had to choose--no matter how many times--I would always choose Ali. But I felt that I needed to find the time to talk to him properly--if he'd be willing to listen--before we reached the point of no return.

"The point of no return, huh?" He flashed me with a broad smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing it, you know, that planetary ring around Gaia." His red eyes, at times, made me just a little uneasy. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or simply my own worry--that the Ali I knew was disappearing. "Do you think they'll name the ring after us?"

I still didn't give him a clear response, just stayed by his side.

I figured that was all I could do.

Not for some grand prophecy, not for some lofty ideal, and certainly not for debts or grudges I didn't even know how to count or whom to settle with--but for the one last thing I had left: the promise we made to never be apart.

Jack the wolf

Damn--

What the...

No way.

Was it an illusion?

This can't be happening...

"Good morning," a male voice said lazily, his nose nudging my ear, making it perk up instantly.

I recognized it was Tohru--the muntjac, a descendant of the Nara family, and a postdoctoral researcher in the history department at Valles Marineris University, Federation of Ares.

I could no longer deny reality.

I'd heard before that if you try hard enough, or are shameless enough, you can create your own alternate facts. Guess I wasn't trying hard enough.

"Good morning," I replied, attempting to sound as formal as possible.

My senses hadn't fully returned, and I couldn't gauge Tohru's mood from the atmosphere. The musky scent grew stronger as the muntjac rubbed against me, causing my fur to stand on end as a shiver of tingling spread across my skin.

"We were supposed to head to the Mare Tranquillitatis today, right? Won't this make us miss our schedule?" He traced lazy circles on my chest with his finger, the gentle touch sending heat rushing to my ears.

"Uh..." I forced my brain to function, suppressing the urge to bolt to the other side of the room. Trying to sound calm, I gave a response. "We can take the direct train from the underground station. It's about a thirty-minute ride. No problem."

"Oh, that's good," he said with a smile, then started tickling my stomach. The sudden sensation made my left leg twitch uncontrollably, and I had to force myself not to arch my back. Please stop! No more touching! "I was a bit worried you'd want me to 'experience' more of the Lunar's culture."

"I thought you liked experiencing local cultures firsthand," I blurted out, desperately trying to recall anything Tohru had mentioned in his messages while silently praying that my vague response would give me enough clues to understand what was happening.

What had I done after we left the bar? Surely, I didn't spray graffiti at the security office, right? What happened in between, and how did we end up waking up in the same bed? Logically, this must mean we... fell asleep together.

Fantastic.

"Not that kind of experience," he said softly, playfully scratching my ear. The muntjac seemed to find my constantly twitching ear highly entertaining, having a blast with it.

I swallowed every growl that threatened to escape, and instead, they morphed into a strange sound halfway between a groan and a whimper. That probably made the situation even more misunderstood.

"As much as I'm enjoying our snuggly morning, my bladder's about to explode, so I'll have to excuse myself," Tohru said before giving my ear one last nudge with his nose and getting out of bed. His decisive footsteps clearly knew where the bathroom was, and I had no desire to know why.

Once I heard the sliding door close, I sat up in bed. In the few seconds of numbness where I couldn't move, I understood something about why people cover their faces to express emotions.

Grabbing a pillow, I pressed it tightly against my face, burying my snout into it, and let out a long, muffled scream. At least I was grateful I couldn't see how this situation had become a disaster worthy of being written into the history of the Lunar.

Luther the mutt

The long hallway stretched before me, the emperors of the past gazing down with mournful eyes, while the yellow-white lights flickered above.

I really didn't get it--why use electric lights to mimic the unsteady glow of torches?

"Your Grace." The captain of the Praetorian Guard bowed, his gaze dropping to the floor. His squad mimicked his gesture, all avoiding my eyes. "At this hour... May I ask what brings you here?" They were afraid, struggling to suppress the instinct to flee, relying on discipline to counter their fear.

"I'm here to do what I should have done long ago." I casually tossed the empty bottle in my paw to the floor, glass shards scattering everywhere. I raised my right index finger, issuing a clear ultimatum. "Get lost."

"I... my duty forbids me." His pupils dilated, his tail tucked between his legs, yet he remained rooted to the spot.

"I admire your loyalty. So, I'll assume it's either your legs giving out or your hearing that's failing, making you dare to continue blocking my way." My voice slowed as I unfurled my will, twisting the spear in his paw from the tip down, the long weapon shrinking under the sound of tortured metal until it was nothing but a ball the size of a thumb. "I won't repeat myself." A few shards of glass rose into the air, orbiting the captain's neck, their sharp points grazing his fur, cutting several white strands.

His squad behind him exchanged uncertain glances, but no one moved. I could see the captain was on the verge of tears--there's a world of difference between dying gloriously in battle and being crushed into a pulp by supernatural forces.

"For... the empire." His voice trembled, but his pale blue eyes held a fatal resolve.

I sighed and lowered my paw. The glass shards and metal ball fell to the floor with a crisp clink. I really hated stubborn, foolish wolves. And, to make things worse, all the wolves of the Snow faction looked the same--white fur and blue eyes. That only annoyed me more.

I slammed the pack of idiotic wolves into the walls, using just enough force to knock them out.

Stepping over the unconscious bodies, I tore open the doors of the throne room with my consciousness and flung them aside.

"Presenting to the emperor." I strode toward the throne, using up all my reserves of sarcasm.

The white wolf lounged lazily on the throne, one arm resting on the ornate armrest, his chin propped on his paw. He slowly raised an eyebrow, his piercing blue eyes scanning me.

"At ease," he said casually, as if we were discussing lunch plans.

"Do you really think I'd accept that order? What a joke." Fearing his limited intelligence might not grasp what I meant, I waved my terminal in front of his face for emphasis.

"Refusing a direct order from the emperor is treason, Archduke Luther." He switched paws, now resting his chin on the other. "Are you trying to lose your duchy? Plenty of others would kill for that title."

"I'm not exactly fond of sitting on that throne. My old injuries from service make sitting for too long painful--I need a chair with a higher backrest." His flat tone hit my sense of humor, and I bantered back. "Like, say, the one you're sitting on right now."

I unleashed my consciousness, ready to rip that arrogant wolf off his throne and grind his face into the ground, but I slammed into an immovable barrier.

"I was giving you a way out." Though it would involve faceplanting into the floor, it still counted as mercy by my standards.

I kept walking toward the throne without slowing down.

"You presumptuous fool." The white wolf stood up, snarling. "I mastered my power long before your mother even stopped nursing you."

With a mighty blast, the marble floor cracked, radiating out from the emperor, irregular fissures spreading toward me. I pushed back with my consciousness, halting the cracks a few meters before they reached me.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one throwing insults." I expanded my domain, crushing down on the emperor's domain in return. He stumbled but managed to remain standing.

He glared at me, his blue eyes turning crimson with rage, as if they were about to shoot flames.

I've seen much harsher glares. Compared to those, this was... nothing.

I took another step forward, continuing to press down on him. Suddenly, the ground beneath me exploded, fragments of stone and dust scattering, blocked by my defense circle.

"Creative, Your Majesty." I waved the debris away. "But you're going to need a lot more firepower to shake me." I initially thought it was just a distraction, that the white wolf was planning to escape, but then I noticed the dark red liquid spreading across the floor--it was blood, circling me, seeping into the cracks in the marble.

"It seems that mutt didn't train you well enough," came the emperor's voice, heavy pressure crashing in from all sides, compressing my consciousness, making it hard to breathe. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, forced down onto my knees. "Teaching mediocrity begets mediocrity, after all."

I mustered all my strength, pushing back with my consciousness, unable to stand but determined not to fall further. The blood closest to me began to boil, sizzling and bubbling.

"That useless mutt couldn't even fulfill the empire's most basic request." The emperor's furious eyes glowed red as he spat out his words. "The empire asked for just one heir to inherit his power, just one!" He emphasized each word with wild gestures, shards of stone floating into the air, spinning as our domains clashed.

With a flick of his paw, a sharp whistle cut through the air. Fortunately, I was ready. Several metal fragments slammed into my defense circle, flattening under the force.

"And instead, he produced a crippled little bastard?" The emperor's fur bristled, his form swelling to nearly double its size. "I've been lenient, ignoring his 'deformities,' yet he couldn't even meet that one basic demand?" His tone was as bitter as if he'd swallowed something foul.

"You better take back those words." I stood up, my voice icy cold, even though I thought I had controlled my anger. "I won't allow anyone to insult Richter, or his son." I clenched my fists, feeling the pulse of power flow through me, the stone beneath my feet cracking into powder.

"A mutt standing up for a mutt?" The emperor laughed. "I've never heard a funnier joke." He pretended to wipe tears from his eyes, his expression exaggerated.

"Ha. Ha." I let out a cold, humorless laugh and focused all my power on a single point of his defense circle. I shattered it, sending him stumbling back with a grunt of pain. My attack hit the white wolf's defense, flinging him across the throne room and into the marble wall.

A deep crack snaked from where I stood to the spot where the emperor lay pinned, splitting the throne room in two, the building trembling from the force of the impact. The emperor groaned in pain, barely able to move.

"This will be over soon." The stones beneath my feet crunched as I walked toward the defeated emperor. "Unless you want to make this messier than it already is." I pressed my consciousness against the emperor's defenses, feeling the cracks spread through his circle like a web.

He raised his head with great effort, glaring at me with blood-red eyes.

In his current state, it was impressive he could manage that much. He gritted his teeth, trying to speak but failing.

"If you insist." I shrugged, unbothered by the idea of tearing him into finer pieces.

"Luther, stop!" I turned to see a husky with dark gray fur, panting heavily as he leaped over the debris that had once been part of the building.

"Hunter." I nodded slightly at the Siberian Archduke but didn't release my hold on the emperor, maintaining steady pressure. The emperor finally screamed in pain.

"Stop it!" Hunter grabbed my right arm, pleading. "If you don't stop, I'll have to petition the Council for emergency arbitration."

Understanding the implications of his words hit me hard. I released my domain, and the emperor collapsed to the ground, groaning again. I turned to face Hunter, meeting his gaze.

"Are you serious?" I forced myself to stay calm, focusing on the husky's brown eyes, which helped me keep control. I realized I had missed the clues--the blood compressing my domain and the adamantine he was using as weapons. My anger had blinded me.

"Emperor Piqsirpoq is a member of the Council." Hunter wrung his paws, sweat dripping from his soaked fur onto the cracked marble floor. "He's protected by the rules." He glanced between me and the emperor before taking a deep breath, as if making a decision. "And you wouldn't want to kill Richter's brother, would you?"

"By the Rationalism Witness's ass hole, you've got to be kidding me!" I swore uncontrollably. I thought all wolves of the same faction just looked similar, but Richter was actually related to this bastard?

"Don't compare me to that mutt." The emperor spat on the floor. "He's a mongrel from the Gray faction, not a pureblood Snow. He just got lucky, inheriting my father's white fur and blue eyes."

"So... the empire's orders and policies, the Council has known all along?" I ignored the idiotic wolf, forcing the words out through clenched teeth, trying not to shout.

"Please!" The white wolf propped himself up against the wall, sitting upright as he laughed loudly and coughed, as if struggling to catch his breath. "Do you even understand what a shadow government is?"

"Was the latest order issued by the Council?" I forced myself to ignore Piqsirpoq and asked Hunter, hoping he'd give me a negative answer. But the guilt and anxiety in his husky brown eyes said it all.

"What kind of nonsense did that mutt teach you to make you this clueless?" The white wolf continued his harsh laughter, and I really wished he'd laugh himself into choking and ascend on the spot.

"This is a critical moment, Luther..." Hunter murmured. "It's the beginning of the final reckoning, the prelude to all the events. The Lunar trigger has long been decided; the Council weighed all the pros and cons and arranged the final script." He pleaded, staring directly into my eyes. "Even if you disagree, please don't intervene in a way that violates the rules."

"All your conspiracies can go directly into your own asses." I turned and left the throne room. I knew that if I stayed a second longer, I'd finish what had just been interrupted--tearing down the palace and letting that disgusting white wolf rest peacefully under the rubble, sparing us all from the pollution of his presence.

I couldn't care less about how to clean up this mess. If Piqsirpoq was also a member of the Council, the shadow government would figure it out themselves.

The members of the Praetorian Guard still hadn't regained consciousness.

Once again, I stepped over them, aiming to leave the palace via the shortest route. I took another glance at the hallway, lined with paintings depicting just how foolish past emperors could be. For a few seconds, I seriously considered digging a hole in the wall and summoning my ship directly.

"What do you want?" I snapped irritably, sensing Hunter's presence behind me.

"Well..." The husky awkwardly scratched his head. "The Council notified me that, after you literally threatened to blow off the palace roof, I had the family engineers open a wormhole to send me over..." He tilted his head slightly and flashed a dangerously disarming smile. "Mind giving me a ride back?"

I sighed, rubbed my ear, and nodded, motioning to one of the corridors.

"Are you heading back to Moscow?" I asked after locating the ship at the landing pad, opening the cockpit door for Hunter and myself before starting to program the flight path.

"I thought I'd swing by to see Alexander," the husky said with a smile. "Let's head straight to Berlin."

"Speaking of which," the mention of his little husky irritated me further, "when are you going to pick up your son?" I activated the autopilot, confirmed the course, and the airship began its pre-flight preparations.

"Hey, you promised to train him," Hunter replied with an infuriatingly casual smile, which only made me more convinced that he was more interested in keeping the troublemaker as far from himself as possible than actually training the Marquis of Moscow's psychic abilities.

"That was Richter who made the promise," I pointed out, feeling a bit annoyed.

"And you inherited all of Richter's contracts," Hunter reminded me, delivering another inconvenient truth.

Crafty bastard.

If this husky would stop playing dumb so often, maybe I wouldn't constantly have to resist the urge to punch him.

The AI took control of the ship as it lifted off, accelerating and banking at a rate that would have been unbearable for most people. I expanded my consciousness to envelop Hunter, neutralizing the inertia caused by the gravitational forces.

"Oh... thanks," Hunter said, to which I waved my paw dismissively. I remembered he was an Epsilon-class psychic, so he should have been able to perceive the pulsations of my consciousness circle and understand what I was doing.

As the ship reached the stratosphere, I turned to look out the observation window, taking in the vast expanse of the endless, deep blue sky.

"Hunter..." After a long silence, I finally decided to voice the question that had been bothering me for so long. "Richter was the most powerful psychic of our time, wasn't he?"

"Before you came along, he absolutely was," Hunter said, turning to me. I could see his warm, encouraging smile reflected in the window.

"I'm pretty sure he's still stronger than me," I said quietly, recalling the times Richter had tossed me around like a ragdoll. "You saw his body too, didn't you?" Hunter's expression darkened slightly, but he nodded. "So... those wounds, they don't look like they were caused by Phantom. And besides me, who else could have actually hurt him?" I couldn't bring myself to voice the fear buried deep in the void of my soul. I didn't know whether I was seeking peace, redemption, or just a definitive answer. All I had were questions.

"No, it wasn't you. It wasn't your fault," Hunter said softly, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"If it wasn't me, why did Richter block my memories?" The question clawed at my insides like the darkest hour of night, tearing apart what little remained of my rationality and the illusion of safety. "Why... are there so many gaps in my memories? So many empty spaces, especially in the time I spent with him?"

"I'm sure Richter had a good reason for doing that. And don't forget, he couldn't have blocked your memories without your consent," Hunter said with a firm smile once again.

But what if I was just a coward, eager to avoid facing the truth? Where was this confidence of yours coming from, Hunter? Or was the real question whether your words were based on faith in me or simply on your ignorance--or knowledge--of the truth?

"What creed did you choose at your deployment?" After a long stretch of silence, I tossed out another question.

"The ends justify the means," Hunter said distantly.

"I didn't peg you for a utilitarian," I raised an eyebrow at him in response, a bit surprised by his answer. "So would you... I mean, for the greater good, lie and... no, guide me toward the right direction?"

"No, I wouldn't," he said with a slight tilt of his head and a faint smile.

"Are you lying to me now?" I asked.

"No, I'm not," he repeated, still wearing that faint smile.

"You know I could, if I wanted to, find out if you were lying, right?" I turned back, checking the instruments on the dashboard.

In theory, I was strong enough to read the surface-level fluctuations of Hunter's consciousness circle. Richter had demonstrated it to me once, but he warned me that it was a last resort. Violating someone's mental privacy against their will was a deeply immoral act--Richter had emphasized that. Man is condemned to be free, but that condemnation is the core of what makes humanity human.

"I know you can," he said, leaning back in his seat. "But I know you won't."

I snorted at the husky's declaration, unwilling to delve into whatever deeper meaning lay behind his words.

"The creeds and corresponding codes only serve as weighting factors for the final vote, and as keys for submitting memory. They're not some strict rules you have to follow." Hunter spoke as if to himself. "Maybe they help establish alliances and define enemies during deployment, but that's about it." He touched his chest, and I could see the outline of a pendant under his shirt. "The point of the deployment is to set the ambitious young Council members on a journey, experiencing the world firsthand, putting their ideals and aspirations into practice, and ultimately arriving at their own answers." A faint smile appeared on Hunter's face. "If someone doesn't change, that would be more unusual."

I replied with a soft hum, imagining what Richter's thoughts and feelings had been when he embarked on his journey.

"So," Hunter continued, closing his eyes and relaxing into his seat, "don't feel like you have to follow the existentialist creed just because Richter passed his code onto you."

"Aren't I an existentialist?" I asked sincerely, sneaking a glance at the husky's reflection in the window.

Unexpectedly, Hunter let out a chuckle, though he kept his eyes closed, adjusting his position as if trying to find a comfortable spot.

"Looks like we've got plenty of time to discuss philosophy on the rest of this trip," he said, the corners of his mouth lifting as if recalling a fond memory.

"I'm all ears," I replied, which made Hunter laugh even more, to the point where he wiped the corner of his eye.

Before the husky could fully recover, I patted the dirt on my shoulder--dirt I hadn't noticed had gotten on me back at the palace. Glancing at the fine gray dust in my paw, I blew it into the light streaming through the window, watching as the countless particles danced in midair, clearly tracing their path through Brownian motion before our eyes.

Narration

Some call this place "Tel'aran'rhiod," or simply--"Dream."

I can sense the presence of the other six, each employing different methods to continue their lurking behind the curtain, pulling the strings.

Yet they remain arrogantly convinced that things are unfolding according to their imagined scripts.

But that hasn't mattered for centuries--the dice have long been cast, and high-level chaos manifests in the pure randomness of superstring waves, its unpredictability being its very essence.

My remaining mission is to be a witness to the story, observing and recording it all.

Though unnecessary, I still tilt my head back and sing the song of the dragon aloud, following the habits of the physical world.

"Seven sins combined, the prologue rises;

Five gather, the lights up.

Under the witness of the stars, the traveler shall embark on a quest.

Fabricated truths, misguided missions, imitative oaths, blind insights, and the pale blue dot.

Who will fall, who will rise?

Is it to be trapped in the past, or to forge the future?

Will regret consume all until nothing remains, or will hope guide everything towards transcendence?

The only ultimate answer to all great questions is--

'Me.'"

-- the Pale Blue Dot FIN