Embers ◂ Poe Dameron

01. 𝐁efore the beginning

𝐎𝐍𝐄

❝It takes great courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.❞ - Oscar Wilde

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ARKANIS, 13 ABY

❖━━━━━━⋇ ten years earlier

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"DID YOU KNOW THAT all matter is really 99.9 percent empty space? Did you Amy, did you?" The redheaded boy grinned at Amelia, eyebrows raised in question as she raced to catch up with him, her feet springing comfortingly off of the soft, bouncy grass. The entire world was bathed in light, brighter than she had ever seen it, yet it was warm rather than harsh as it brushed against her skin.

"Are you sure?" She teased, knowing it would only draw a series of adamant objections but loving every second of it. The sky above was a puzzling pure azure, so deep in jewel-like color that it appeared unnatural, yet layered in such a way that it held a certain sheen of sapphire which could only be described as organic sentience.

"As surely as Yavin Prime has twenty-six moons, yes Amy, I'm surer of it than anything in my life." The boy's exaggerated eye roll was not lost on his sister, and she vigorously returned it.

"Is 'surer' even a word?" Amelia pestered, finally catching up to the small hill on which he stood. Gravity seemed to loosen its steady grip upon her shoulders for a moment, as weightless happiness filled her for no reason in particular except for the sudden perfection of the air upon her skin. "Anyways," she continued, eyes sparkling with curiosity, "how do you know we even exist if the world is just empty?" At this the boy finally seemed to doubt his assurance, a strange look passing over his face, but it left just as quickly as it had come.

"Because we're here, aren't we?" Shooting Amelia another smile, he dashed ahead once again, leaving her to trail in his footsteps. She began to follow, eagerly awaiting another chance to prove him wrong though he was always right, yet she hadn't taken a single step before the light began to darken and the figure in front of her disappeared into a sluggish daze. All too quickly, the once pristine world became tinted with the aged orange of eyelids, spongy grass fading into rough cloth sheets.

The weight of reality began to slowly return as Amelia blinked her weary eyes open, slipping out of the dream as the sun might fade from an evening sky. Though she knew it was all an illusion, the scene remained imprinted in her mind with such clear security and bliss that it was achingly difficult to leave, like trying to emerge from hot water into freezing air. The golden aroma of sleep was warm as she left it behind, though not altogether pleasant, the mark of a soulless planet where there is no true sunshine but it never quite snows.

Her brother's voice dissolved, echoing away from her along with the shadows that formed his smiling face and the field of whispering reeds so gentle that it felt as if she could run through them forever. His state in her dreams truly was a mirror of that in reality: a boy glowing with happiness and an inquisitive edge, always trying to share the treasure trove of information that came across his path. With each new fact, his eyes lit up in such a way that she could see the universe of his predispositions joyfully expanding, along with the pressing desire for him to spread his wealth of knowledge, which shone like gold under his eager gaze. It was only yesterday when he had first told her about the phenomena of everything she could touch being almost completely empty space, and the remarkability that she could feel anything at all against her skin. Perhaps Amelia was less surprised than she should have been though, as it seemed to her that at some point in everything had been granted just enough solidity to feel pain and inflict it, nothing more nothing less. And the word 'emptiness' wasn't truly what she felt within the apparent gaps and intangible make-up of existence, though it was always hard to explain. Even at a young age the red-headed girl felt the energy connecting everything, humming and writhing within all that she saw with immeasurably subtle vitality.