The death of a star.

You’d end up a black dwarf or you’d supernova.

Either one was somewhat quick (depending on how much time you had), and a fate many stars had accepted already.

But if you were terribly unlucky, if you were just a smidge different from regular supergiant. You’d end up like Auriel.

A black hole.

A terrible fate that forced a star to keep living. Black holes couldn’t be destroyed, they simply existed forever.

Stars whispered about them, most calling them omens of death, nearly all having never actually seen on before. Black holes were ostracized, forced to live forever in solidarity.

Auriel had long accepted his fate, after all he had literally all of eternity to come to terms with it.

His anima, or soul, the physical form all stars could take on unto death, resided on a large planet named Mors requies among other Stars. Nobody visited it, something Auriel had come to enjoy.

That was until one moon when he was walking around the planet when he discovered a small, young protostar; it’s anima curled up against one of the large rocks littered across the planet.

It seemed to be unconscious and injured, and as much as Auriel wanted to just keep waking, he wasn’t completely heartless. The thought of such a young, innocent star to die to soon, it made him silently curse to himself as he hauled the small star over his shoulder, bringing them back to the large lair he resided in.

Auriel wasn’t the best with children, especially not when the young star woke up, with wide eyes and a scared demeanor.

Though Auriel couldn’t blame them.

It had been a few days, he’d learned the star’s name to be Solen, and he had gotten lost from his parent star while traveling, being targeted by a group of Sarlintos, an unknown creature that feasted on younger stars for their energy.

Solen had managed to escape, retreating to Auriel’s planet out of desperation. Auriel took care of the kid the best he could, keeping him entertained by letting him play with the large, three dimensional, hologram of every galaxy he kept.

Which was really just for show but it was pretty to look at, and Solen seemed to enjoy the way he could bend the strings stars with his hands.

Auriel had begrudgingly become somewhat paternal towards the boy, though he was still wondering where the young star’s parent was.

It was today, on his planet’s 3rd moon revolution (which acted as a sun for the planet - telling night from day because yes this planet has an atmosphere where life can exist and where the skies change from hues of blues and green like an auroral wave to navy blues and indigos at night showing distant stars), when he found the answer.

Solen was fast asleep, and Auriel had come out to get some air.

That was when he saw you.

He almost thought he was dreaming, you were beautiful, unmistakably a stellar nebula even in your anima, a parent for all stars. He felt awkward, he already had to deal with the young star, but now he’s having to speak with a nebula.

Auriel dipped his head in greeting, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, though polite as he spoke. “Good evening.”