The Fallen Star

I caressed my cheek to wipe the fall. The glistening drops of tears fall like a cascade in an enchanted forest. It looks painfully beautiful. 

I looked up preferably, dreaming to witness the alluring beauty of the atmosphere.

The sky is so tragically glamorous. The somber lacquer of the sky with its gleaming light would fascinate everyone’s mind aesthetically, but no matter how bewitching it is, it still is the gravestone of the stars. The pastel shades coated in the sky with glistening diamonds would enchant humans but it brought throb in my heart. 

The wind was whisking as it whispered a mournful sound. It touches my delicate, ivory skin that sent me shivers and coldness, yet, it made my night perfect. The wind blows my perfect bun hair. I blinked twice before my eyes got fixated on the astrological sign Ophiuchus. 

My sloppy hair pranced with the rhythm of the winds. I deliberately closed my eyes, yearning that it will whip my worries and distress.

I glanced at the brightest star of the constellation. Rasalhague reminds me of Alpha Arietis. It made me marvel how Aries receded and died after. My friend’s grandmother will constantly tell us how fascinated she is by the bewitching beauty of Aries. That, Aries, is her most preferred constellation and she’ll always wait for it until her last breath.

But it never transpired in the night sky for scarcely decades as if it never existed.

It was on the fifth day of June, in the year 2021 when it happened. The Aries faded as the sun and moon made their eclipse. It was also the day when my mother departed. 

I incline to ask myself every day, is it just a coincidence?

My mom once confessed, ‘When a person perishes, they will turn into one of the most beautiful stars to guide their loved ones. To bring light and comfort. They will always be beside you.’

Is she anyhow beside me?

Mom, are you one of them now?

“Alpha, TTrM-201189 is now ready. We have to leave before the clock strikes fifth. That’s 30 minutes from now,” I gently shook my head before stretching my hands as I slowly strut up from crouching on my car’s hood. My breasts move up and bounced when I punch the wind with force while jumping, exercising my nimbs and arms as a real boxer does. 

TTrM-201189 is a Time Traveling Machine mold by our Team. We are working for Ophiuchus, the CEO of UniStar, an advanced science company.

I can say the Ophiuchus is like an infinite universe. His eyes will take you in the deepest and unending galaxy. His beauty is bewitching. But his eyes are the coldest like it never met a sun before that’ll melt the ice in his eyes.

Alpha, Gamma, and Beta are the three leaders of our Team. The highest is the Alpha. Ophiuchus named our Team Arietis. We are the three biggest stars of the constellation Aries. And the thought of it made my heartaches. Aries is my mom’s name and once been part of this group. My mom is Ophiuchus's, first love.

I lifted my chin as Ophiuchus approached me. His enormous beauty never failed to give me butterflies. Every time I’ll witness him walk, nature in my stomach would be crumbled. The more I see him, the more I realized that we aren’t possible.

“Fifteen minutes before you time travel, Alpha Arietis. Make sure you’ll stop your mother from going to the subway,” he told me.

I just nodded at him. 

“Uchus, I never thought that you’ll be this head over heels at Aries. It’s been like hundreds of years since that day, you should start moving on,” Leo said as he approached us with his signature smile. “By the way, Alpha, if you ever met Tsuki, please punch him for me. I wanted to kill that motherfucker,” he added.

“Like you can do it, Leo,” Ophiuchus hurled back.

“Blackhole, Moon, and the Sun. The three of them are getting in my nerves.” 

I wanted to ask them if Aries is my real mom, but I just couldn’t utter the right words to mumble. I never met her. My memories are all obscured, I never get to see her face. I don’t even know her name until Virgo said that I am the fallen star from Aries. I am her daughter.

“I wonder what happened to Aries. She should be shining right after her body faded,” I tilted my head, thinking about it. 

My mom loved Tsuki, the moon who was deeply in love with the sun. It is tragically impossible, but Aries faded after the eclipse happened. It was like a misconception. A fictional story that left untold. 

“Gamma, Beta, and Alpha, it’s time for you to go.” I fixed my hair and sported a body shield made of tungsten. I am the only one who’ll travel back in time while Gamma and Beta will assist and control the machine.

I look again at the only man I adore. His tantalizing eyes made me witness a beautiful meteor shower just by staring at it. He is, indeed, the gorgeous man I have ever met.

I fabricated a smile. I know that my feelings for Ophiuchus aren’t right. If I ever get to save my mom, he’ll be a father to me. I should stop this now before this gets deeper. 

The floating screen pops up, similar to the screen on a TV. They set the time on the fifth day of June, the exact day when my mom faded.

The machine is similar to a black hole. The effect on whoever uses it is just as painful as being operated on without anesthesia. The gravitational force inside was too strong. It is absorbing me and it felt like I’m shredding into pieces. I closed my eyes, forcibly bearing the pain until I lost consciousness.

“You can’t save anyone and that’s the destiny foretold. You can’t save yourself, Aries,” a voice said that prompts me to wake up.

And as I opened my eyes, I have witnessed an unearthly nature. The visual is analogous to Van Gogh’s painting. It’s beautiful and perfect. The scenery is way too alluring that’ll make your stay at your subconsciousness forever. 

I was disturbed by the buzz of an alarm clock. I apathetically get up and immediately investigate the area. This cabin appears to be familiar but I know I have never been here before. I get out of the room determined to stop my mom from meeting the man who would be the cause of her destruction.

“You can’t save her, Alpha,” the voice keeps on talking. I shrugged it off. Maybe it is just the side effect of time traveling.

My feet seem to know where to go.

Somehow, it felt like this is the parallel universe, the familiarity of nature brought back nostalgic feelings.

Have I ever been here? The setup seems familiar. 

I couldn’t recall if I know how to drive but my body seems to know it well. I just found myself at the subway after hours of driving. I sat at the vacant seat just near the shaft. There’s a mirror in front of it.

I intently looked at my reflection. My face is still the same but the freckles on it made it all different.

“An Aries,” I whispered when I realized that the freckles on my face conform to the structure of the astrological sign, Aries. It could be compared to a spiral galaxy. My nose is the bulge and the freckles as the stars and dust glimmering inside the celestial spheres.

I tilted my head. Why do I look exactly like my mom?

I gaze throughout the place, looking for my mother, but I couldn’t find her. I sighed as I look again at the reflection. I decided to wait for her.

It’s almost sixth in the evening but I still couldn't find Aries. Maybe the prophecy foretold isn’t right. That the one who wrote it have guessed it wrong for the first time.

I look at the sky.

I was about to get up and leave when someone grabbed my hand. 

“You shouldn't meet Tsuki, Aries. Please, just this once. I am tired of traveling back in time to save you.”

Confusion swallowed me when the man who was hugging me right now, called me Aries. He said he’s tired of traveling back in time just to save me. What the hell is he talking about?

“I’m the one who traveled back in time to save, Aries,” I said.

He stopped hugging me and stared at me after.

My heartthrob when I looked at Ophiuchus. As our eyes met, my heart almost sank. He looks miserable.

“You are Aries, Alpha Arietis. I made a big mistake back at your time. The year 2031, June fifth when you traveled back in time to save Aries, but you can’t because you are the lost constellation. You met Tsuki again for the second time and you faded again and forever been lost. You never come back again after that.”

“The Year 2041, when the machine got fixed. I’m not here to save Aries, but Alpha Arietis of 2031. I missed you.”

All words sank and faded within the depths of my brain, I can’t utter a word. I looked at his eyes and there’s an obvious void that couldn’t be easily fill up. The man appeared to be the universe itself. His beauty is infinite and I’ll gladly adore it forever.

I looked at him again.

The voice earlier seems to know what will happen. And Ophiuchus is here to stop what is supposed to happen.

I gently nodded my head, trying to understand everything.

I wasn’t the fallen star from Aries ‘cause I am Aries. I couldn’t recall my memories back at the time when I am deeply in love with the moon, still, I am so glad.

I’m glad that destiny gave me a chance to love Ophiuchus. And I’ll forever be grateful to love him.

“I’m glad I am not late again. I’m glad I was able to save you,” Ophiuchus said as our body faded together.

My favorite constellation, I hope we’ll meet again and could love each other if we are ever reborn as humans. I’ll find you in another life.