✨
Cosmic huffed, flipping through the pages of holograms projected in the air by the book he was reading with tired, drowsy eyes. The side of his head slipped past his slightly curled up palm, causing his forehead to slam lightly against the open book on the table ‒ causing the hologram to glitch. He grunted softly, not moving to sit back upright immediately because of how exhausted he was. In the quiet, yet cramped library of the ship, he had been reading alone and investigating on the cause of the abrupt explosion of the planet he called home for what felt like forever.
Something just didn't make sense.
What pulverised their planet into smithereens couldn't have been the result of one of their own kind, he strongly concluded.
It couldn't even be possible from his calculations with how their whole planet worked under one calm, efficient kingdom. Everyone on this ship, including the prince in his own pod, were the only living survivors out of billions, but no one in this ship was fit to qualify in his trained eye to be the cruel mastermind behind this huge mystery. While technological advancements in their planet could have indicated otherwise since it was sufficient enough to end a planet, he surely knew for a fact that no sane person would plan to bring extinction to their own kind and also literally blow their home.
If so, who exactly were they up against?
Will they return if they learned that they were currently ten Xleons still alive in this universe?
Honestly, he was starting to question why did the fate of their species lead up to grouping the nine of them to find their lost prince ; especially why did they chose their imbecile of a captain so to speak.
Sighing, he decided to push those thoughts down his chest since it was pointless to stress over them for now. Closing the book gently, he piled it on top of the ones he was done. He groaned underneath his breath, stretching himself like a cat awoken from a nap after his back was hunched down uncomfortably for too long. Rubbing his eyes, he coughed slightly as the dust was eventually getting into his system. This really wasn't the ideal place to read despite it being called the "library" ‒ it was more of an abandoned storage room for the books.
Earlier, Soras helped him into the main lobby with his loads of books, where it was much more spacious and way less dark. She left shortly with a reluctant pout because apparently, someone's room door was malfunctioning. In spite so, he was eventually a bit distracted from his research from the whispers and gossips of the boys, who hung out there as well after their chores were done. Not to mention, the three remaining girls of the crew, who walked in on him reading peacefully, did not give him an easy time either. They shoved his books around just like Starling did and yanked tugs of his hair back when he was too focused on reading to care.
❝ Boys shouldn't be reading since all you have to do is be pretty but I guess Cosmic is just SO ugly that he reads, ❞ he recalled them taunt him with.
Another ridiculous one was, ❝ "Smart" boys are disgraceful weirdos. ❞
When his patience nearly worn thin, Cosmic picked up his belongings and headed back to the supposed library. As he left the room, all he could hear echoing behind him was just laughs.
❝ We scared the crybaby off! ❞ was what he heard them cheer upon his departure.
Although he had the ability to physically take down those three girls by himself with his eyes closed, he knew violence wasn't going to solve everything in the end. It was just going to provoke them and encourage them to toss him out off the ship into the space of cold nothingness, which wouldn't really be very wise at the moment. Nonetheless, he was surprised he wasn't thrown overboard by now, especially because of how much he obviously was getting vexed on by the crew. He supposed it seemed too much of a waste to them. Because if they did, the numbers in their kind would just decrease even more. After all, he was nothing more to those girls than just a plain childbearing object for them.
To be honest, even as the other boys badmouthed him behind his back, he could never really find it in himself to feel furious. He knew that they were just blindly following the females ‒ fearing that if they defied them, they were going to get the same belittling treatment Cosmic got. Unlike him though, they weren't skilled in fighting enough to knock them onto their knees and make them stay down nor educated high enough to build up much knowledge to make use of like he had been doing to further deepen his knowledge. They weren't born as lucky as him to be able to rebel against the biased system Xleons, where males were viewed as weak.
Cosmic was a living example that males could stand just as equal to females, and most of the time, he was probably better. He actually had been planning an uprising on that system for a while, gaining the support of both his own parents and the royal family themselves. He had publicised himself recently for not standing by the judgmental beliefs of sexism issues that had been buried and hidden for too long inside their vast kingdom. Of course, that got him most of the female Xleon race to spread hate his way instantly, but he didn't care ‒ because at the end of the day, even underneath that swarm of vulgar behaviour shown to him, the few males that came up to thank him for his efforts to better the system.
Though, when someone decided to disintegrate the planet in the middle of the "Gender Equality" progress in Xleon history, being in a ship with its crew being more than half of them as girls. It was like the effects of karma being shoved to the wrong person.
Just your average day as Cosmic, he mused almost pitifully to himself.
✨
❝ Chapter, "On The Ship". Bierk four. Quintes eight, ❞ Cosmic began as he stared at the holographic window floating that reflected the sight of himself ‒ with him sitting on the bed, legs folded and crossed. ❝ I've come to the solution that the death of our home is not the fault of a Xleon. Though, I sense that was no mere coincidence. Our planet's downfall was like a plan... ❞
It first happened right in the heart of the city ; Xleon Castle. He wasn't in the grand building at that time, but he immediately flew over on a warp pad when his ears picked up the boisterous sounds of the structure crumbling down into nothing but crystal debris. But it was already too late though, the chaos of screams and cries having already broken out at his arrival. Purple blood spill was almost everywhere, making his throat clench up. Only a few people amongst those inside managed to survive the first wave, including the whole royal family. Yet, there wasn't a single break given because the second wave instantly proceeded.
What followed was a terrifying ordeal, enough to traumatise even the strongest souls.
The ground around them cracked apart, sucking people into the abyss beneath. Families wailed whenever one of their beloved ones would unexpectedly fall into what seemed like to be endless pits ‒ never to be seen again. Cosmic himself managed to maneuver through with his parkour and gymnastic skills over the fragile surface he stepped on, trying to help as many people as he could. He would nudge a child out of harm's way, pushing an elderly person forward into a Knight's awaiting reach and even go as far as pulling a person out before their near disappearance into a deep hole, barely holding onto the edge as he swung them both up to safety with all his might.
Running. There was so much running, and he could still feel the sore aching sensation burning on his thighs. He couldn't register them at that time though, too invested in adrenaline drilling into his veins as he did his best to survive. It was like a gargantuan blur.
Enormous comets poured down from the skies like storming rain, slamming harshly onto the still few present flooring of their planet, cracking apart even more. This was a horrendous test of stamina, strength and quick thinking ‒ a matter of life or death for the whole Xleon species. He could barely register the shout of Soras over the deafening yells of pain and destruction of infrastructures around them, who was waving frantically over to him before going straight for her. Together, having each other's back, they headed over to where Soras got the Emergency Ship out.
At that time, it was just the two of them inside the ship as their world was collapsing before their eyes so Cosmic persisted into saving as many people as possible before time truly was gone. Two girls instantly jumped and entered the ship when the opportunity arose, leaving a boy behind that was following them. Cosmic himself had to risk getting off the ship back to what seemed like Hell to save the boy. That got him a screaming worried lecture from Soras afterward. He also did bring back a couple almost about to meet their demise when he returned.
What also felt like both the worst and best part about his crazy rescue mission, basically the highlight, was Starling.
The Knight herself was stranded on this small patch of ground left with a boy on her back. He literally hung himself on the edge of the ship, upside down, to offer his arms for her to hang on like some circus act. Starlight met his eye immediately when he did that and she grabbed onto him as the ship closed in. The boy Starling had on her back crawled up over the two to safety, and then the supposed soulmates tried to swing over Starling inside. However, just as Starling's feet landed on the ship, Cosmic's burning thighs gave out from being wrapped around the edge of the ship and he was going to fall right straight into a pool of darkness.
Starling held onto his hand with such a death grip before he could though, and if it weren't for the fact his life was at stake, his heart would have fluttered at how much fear pooled in her neon yellow eyes. He, later on, realised maybe that was just a fragment of his wild imagination.
With much precision though, he swung himself over using Starling's arm just in time, rolling into the ship. Despite so, he kind of was knocked straight into someone's chest but he didn't really recall the rest as Soras seemed to jam her foot onto the acceleration pedal, causing everyone inside to get jerked inwards more. The ship zoomed off, even faster than light speed, out of range before the Xlea planet they loved was utterly obliterated. Everyone cried once the idea sank in. Some had down to their knees, head against the ship's floor. Others clung onto each other.
Cosmic himself didn't even want to see the damage done and sprinted away deeper into the ship to find a secluded room, the room he was in now, to let all his feelings out.
❝ So that's where you were. ❞
On the hologram window, he pressed his lips into a thin line, stopping his talk of the events of the horrible day and noticed Starling getting comfortable against the doorframe with her usual half-nakedness, not the least bit shocked at her appearance. Now, Cosmic was very observant when it came to little details, so he would have spotted the moment Starling entered the screen. If he was jumped by a thing like this, like a cliché scene from a movie or book, he would have been disappointed in himself. Based on his observation, she had only joined to listen in on his story when he was talking about himself escaping into solitude.
❝ Like you'd care, ❞ Cosmic muttered back rather coldly, shutting off the recording.
❝ Nope, not at all, ❞ Starling laughed with a roll of her eyes, ❝ And stop bullshitting what happened. You were no hero. ❞
❝ I never said I was, ❞ Cosmic retorted monotonously as his soft voice laced strongly with fatigue, slipping off their bed.
A smirk curved onto her lips when Cosmic turned around, probably having something up her sleeve in attempts to rile him up. Guarded midnight eyes staring at ego-filled neon yellow ones. ❝ Maybe I should have never saved you that day. You weren't worth it. ❞
That hurt more than it should have, like a stab of a thousand daggers to his already wounded heart.
Even so, Cosmic didn't let it show, walking straight for her ‒ which caused Starling to get into a startled fighting stance. The blank look on his face and the dull shine in his eyes must have caused her instincts to scream out danger. Her hands were by her sides, more than ready to catch any punches or kicks. Starling thought there was going to be a showdown, but instead, Cosmic passed her like thin air. This straightened up her posture, as well as made her eyes pop wide, eyes not leaving his figure as Cosmic headed towards the door.
❝ Where are you going?! ❞ Starling demanded, but even she didn't expect the next sentence to slip past her lips, ❝ ...Are you not going to bed with me again? ❞
It did freeze Cosmic on his spot though, back still facing her but a sigh was released after a long pause between them. He just simply shook his head before he vanished from the room.
✨
Cosmic curled himself up at the viewing deck, shivering in the dark as his eyes were blessed with the calming sight of the galaxy space. It slightly calmed the intense stinging sensation in his heart, having recalled the guilt swelled in his heart from that day. He actually had so many close calls ; so many lives lost through his fingertips. If only he was more skillful that day, he could have rescued more Xleons. Doubt swirled in his mind, getting intense flashbacks from that moment as he swerved around the Hell-like land.
Hero?
Laughing dryly, he hugged his legs closer to his chest. ❝ I'm not a hero, ❞ he whispered to himself.
A hero wouldn't have let all those Xleons die.
A hero wouldn't have let their own Mamelia die.
A hero wouldn't have let their own Pafelin die.
His voice cracked a bit as he opened up a holographic photograph of him with his parents, refraining the tears in his eyes which he always, always held back from falling, ❝ I'm... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry. ❞
✨