The stars had always been Eldrin's playground, their distant twinkling offering promises of discovery and adventure. As an astronaut, he had danced among them, his soul tethered to the cosmos. But on that fateful mission to the Moon, destiny had a different course plotted.
The lunar surface stretched out before Eldrin, an otherworldly tableau of gray dust and silence. His heart raced with the thrill of exploration, his breath a steady rhythm in the confines of his spacesuit. He maneuvered deftly, driven by a thirst for knowledge that eclipsed the dangers lurking in the vacuum.
Yet, fate, capricious and unforgiving, had other plans. A sudden jolt reverberated through the spacecraft, a harsh reminder of the fragility of human endeavor. Warning lights blinked urgently, their insistent glare punctuating the darkness.
"Eldrin, we're losing altitude!" crackled the voice of his co-pilot, a tremor of panic underlying the practiced calm.
In those fleeting moments, time slowed to a crawl. Eldrin's mind raced, thoughts scattering like stardust. He fought against the controls, desperate to defy the inexorable pull of gravity. But the void outside seemed to yawn wider, swallowing them whole.
Then, with a shuddering finality, reality fractured. Metal screamed in protest, and the cosmos held its breath as their craft plummeted, a tragic comet streaking across the Moon's serene face.
And in that cataclysmic instant, Eldrin knew. He had danced among the stars for the last time.
Even after his death, Eldrin's soul longed to touch, even once, the lunar surface. Driven by this intense desire, his soul resisted the attempt at the afterlife and finally achieved his goal: walking on the Moon and contemplating the vastness and beauty of space. During that precious time, Eldrin took in every detail, marveling at the celestial panorama he had always loved.
However, after some time, Eldrin again felt a supernatural force calling to him. This time, there was no more resistance. With the certainty that the time had come, his soul began to slowly fade away.
urprisingly for Eldrin, it didn't take long for him to feel conscious again, waking from a dream he once thought was infinite. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself facing a strangely comforting view, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful landscapes he had ever seen. In that moment, it was just him and the universe. A universe that, despite being infinite, seemed completely within reach, as he could look in any direction and see a hundred colors and shapes shining against a dark background.
But everything has an end. After a few seconds of contemplation, Eldrin felt himself come into contact with some kind of barrier. It wasn't a solid barrier, but something that seemed to pull him to the other side, very slowly.
When he finally passed through this wall, he encountered something strange. Although he was still observing space, it now seemed no longer infinite, but rather bordered, as if it were the room of some being.
Upon encountering such an anomaly, Eldrin decided to explore this peculiar "room." However, his adventure did not last long, as after a few steps, he felt he was being watched, which intrigued him. Who could be there with him?
Fortunately, that question was soon answered, as seconds after he wondered, he heard his name called from right behind him.
Eldrin slowly turned around as he heard his name called. Behind him was a female figure that could easily be on the cover of a magazine, with white skin, hair and clothes that were half white and half black, and yellow eyes that reflected the sunlight, emanating a soft luminosity.
"Who are you?" asked Eldrin, his voice mixing amazement and admiration at what he saw.
"I am Selena," said the figure, her melodious voice filling the space around them. "The moon goddess."
Eldrin blinked, trying to understand. "Selena... Why am I here? I'm dead, right?"
"Yes, Eldrin," replied Selena with a sad smile. "You died on your mission, but your desire to fulfill your dream was so strong that your soul resisted the afterlife. After witnessing this, I could not allow your soul to disappear. Therefore, I decided to offer you a choice."
He looked around, feeling the vastness of the space that now felt like a confined room. "A choice?"
"Yes," said Selena, stepping forward. "I can send you to another world. A world where magic and gods are real. You will be reborn there with certain abilities."
Eldrin frowned, absorbing his words. "Another world... So, if it's not too much to ask, could you send me to the world of an old novel I read, 'Son of the Sun'? I always imagined myself inside it."
Selena raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You wish to go to the world of a novel of your own world? Interesting. But why this desire?"
Eldrin took a deep breath. "For several reasons. First, I want to try to save that story, because the author turned the protagonist into a dumb character, only useful for fighting. Furthermore, despite the weak development of the characters, the author created a very interesting world and powers. It's one of the stories I still vaguely remember the events of, so I believe I can avoid the dangers and unnecessary deaths that occur."
Selena smiled, looking at him curiously. "Eldrin, I have no problem sending you there. But out of curiosity, how can you show so much love and at the same time criticism for this work?"
Eldrin smiled. "I thank you for accepting my request. As for your question, some things simply cannot be explained."
Selena, upon hearing this, looked at him with sad eyes for not having her curiosity satisfied and said, "Before you send it, do you want anything else?"
Eldrin began to smile almost like a psychopath upon hearing this, saying, "By any chance, could you come with me as my companion? I think that after seeing you, I will never be able to fall in love with another woman again."
Upon hearing this, Selena's snow-white skin turned shades of pink, and with a tone of surprise, she replied, "I apologize, but even if I wanted to be with you, that would be impossible, because the world you are going to would not bear my presence. However, I can divide my soul into a small fraction to accompany you on your journey. And in the future, if you become strong enough, you can come to this place whenever you wish."
Eldrin was sad but happy at the same time, and then said, "Then you know what I want."
Upon hearing this, Selena gave an enigmatic smile, making Eldrin almost faint from so much beauty. Worried, Selena approached him, and he soon recovered and said:
"Selena, since you agreed to be my companion, wouldn't you like to grant some more wishes?"
Upon seeing this, Selena turned red and began to blow smoke from her head, responding in an embarrassed voice: "Yes, I can."
Eldrin couldn't resist and hugged Selena. When she looked into his eyes, he told her he loved her and kissed her for a long time, making Selena even more embarrassed. You could hear whispers saying, "I'm the oldest, so why am I the one embarrassed?"
But Eldrin didn't hear that and began listing his wishes, "So, Selena, I'd like to start at 18 and appear in the world a few days before the academy starts. I hate the idea of socializing with a new family, so I'd rather be an orphan." . And as your partner, I would like to have your powers."
Upon hearing this, Selena returned to her serious tone and said, "That's easy to do, but my powers I can't transfer directly to you. You'll have to learn how to use them from the beginning."
" Eldrin smiled. "That won't be a problem, I've always enjoyed learning new things."
"So now that you have everything you want, it's time for us to go to the world you want," Selena said.
Eldrin replied, "It appears so." Right after saying that, Selena kissed him, and he gladly accepted it, feeling like it lasted forever.
At the end, Selena said with a smile: "I think I won this fight."
Eldrin replied, "I may have lost this battle, but I will certainly win the war."
Selena looked at him in disbelief but said, "Now it's time for us to go."
With a graceful movement, Selena raised her hand, and an intense light enveloped them. Eldrin felt his body fade away, being pulled through space and time. The last thing he saw was Selena's enigmatic smile, before everything disappeared in a flash of light.
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author:"hope you liked it, and I apologize if the text is poorly structured or has errors, as I used a translator due to not being fluent in English"-->