The light of the fire bloomed and combined with little fairy bulbs strung merrily to form an arch that joined the stars speckled in the sky. The night was brisk, but breathtaking. Min almost didn’t notice the rundown buildings that flanked the alley or the sand underfoot.

“It’s perfect,” he said softly, barely above a whisper. Leyda smiled, finally able to share this special place with another living, breathing human being for the first time in a long while.

She had grown up nearby, back before The Destruction of 3068. Her dads succumbed to the Spoliations early on. No one knew what it meant to be Spoliated, only that those who were disappeared.

“Thank you. I’ve been waiting for this moment a while. Ever since Eliz…” Leyda trailed off, lost in the thicket of memories linked to her name.

“Hey, it’s okay. She’ll return to you when she is ready if you choose to let her in,” Min assured her. Of course, he was right. He usually was. He knew things that way. “Did you bring the boxes? We need to start as soon as we can.” It was frustrating that he wouldn’t tell her what was inside the boxes, just that they would be terribly important.

“I picked them up yesterday from the south-bound jetsuit station. No one saw, but this better be good. You’re lucky I’m strong,” Leyda replied coolly. It truly was a ridiculous amount of boxes. “Okay, you know I’m dying to know. Quit the suspense!” Min rolled his eyes, chuckling. He flipped a blade out of his sweatshirt pocket and coated it in a strange powder. It looked jet black and yet shone purple upon catching the light, before bonding immediately into a liquid. “What’s that?” She pressed him eagerly, no longer bothering to hide her curiosity.

“Elspium,” Min said simply. “Derived from the essence of rare gnat souls. Nothing complicated.” Right. Nothing complicated. He was the techentist after all. She would research it later.

“Oh, of course, I should have known.” She countered sarcastically. “Want to see a magic trick?” Min tilted his head, confused, then nodded. Oh, poor innocent soul. She mimed tipping a hat in an exaggerated bow, smoothly revealing a middle finger within the motion. Min turned away dramatically, mock horror and shock etched across his face.

“Alright, we really do have to get this done,” she reasoned, watching him flip the knife between his knuckles expertly. The liquid seemed to flow only on the blade.

Gnats, really?

Leyda flicked her gaze to one of the packages, sending it skidding over to his feet.

“Hey, careful!” He protested. She had caught on to his stalling.

“Any day now…”

“Okay, fine. You’re sure you want to-“

“Yes I’m sure!” She cut in. “Just do it.”

Min gestured for her to sit. He gently grasped her head, laying it across his lap, her silky hair splayed out like lightning on the damp, sandy ground.

His hands worked fast, undoing the fastenings on the box beside him. He retrieved a pair of precision tongs and uncorked one of the many decanters within. White fog billowed out as he removed one of the marble-like objects. It glowed a radioactive actinium-blue. The stopper went back in quickly to keep the rest of the haze from escaping.

Now, one hand held the marble tongs and the other, the knife. He was ready.

He skillfully sunk the point into the center of her forehead, carving the likeness of an eye. The knife’s viscous fluid slowly flooded the cavity, leaving a small hollow in the middle. Then, in went the sphere, an eerie third pupil, mingling with blood and Elspium. The glow became more of an eerie purple.

Leyda seemed to drift in an out of consciousness for the next few minutes, eyelids fluttering feverishly. Beads of sweat came and went.

Of all people, she would be okay. She would have to be. Hadn’t she said herself how strong she was? Min willed his hands to stop shaking. If he had done it, so could she.

“Min.” It was so small he thought he imagined it. “Min…” This time it was audible. Her eyes were still twitching. It seemed she was sleep-talking to some dream version of him. At least she was alive.

“Leyda, it’s me. It’s Min.” Her eyes snapped open. She had done it.

“Once the stars extinguish, they will come.

Wash thy hands of the ethers.

Night and day fuse upon the time-numb.”

His mind spun. He hadn’t delivered a prophecy when he did it himself, after all. She had always had this alluring presence. What was it that was so special about Leyda?

The hyper look in her eyes softened, and she blinked away the grogginess of another state, of mind. Min pulled her into a tight hug, her soft scarlet coat brushing against his bloodied palms. This was how they would rebuild society, for they had become enlightened to a state beyond time, one with the stars.