Everything is dark in the blink of an eye. It's funny I say that, as I don’t blink at all. I either have my eyes, or I don’t. The darkness came not because I shut my eyes but because the Swaler shut its mouth.

  In those moments, I had a dream or, better yet, a memory floated to me.

  I was standing on the haul of Melted Meta ship with Lien. We were docked on a planet with three moons. It was later in our relationship, and we just dropped off a massive cargo order. Looking back on it i wonder if it was a regular delivery or another moment where I was blinded by my love of Lien to the truth.

  Just being alone with her set my slime a buzz. We weren’t talking, simply enjoying the breeze and looking up to the night sky. The clouds were a dark green and complemented the deep navy blue sky. Stars occbanied the three full moons, basking their light on us. The wind carried a vanillia scent from the nearby flowers.

  Lien is the one who broke the quiet.

  “When did you first see a moon?” She asked

  “Oh, thats a hard one,” I reply. “My earliest memory is the first time I floated in space.

  "You were just floating."

  "Yup. My memory is a bit fuzzy at that time, like any other memory from one's childhood."

  "YOU WERE A KID?"

  "Yeah, I wasn't that old, but there I was, driving with the stars. I was a smaller slime at the time. Well, i didn't know that as I had never seen anyone like me. Which I figured is because I am a god, a true one of a kind."

  "Sure, you're a god."

  "I am."

  "And I'm a queen who is debt-free." She chuckles

  "Anyway, I saw a planet from far away. It was like this big yellow one with red swirls around it. Like someone bled onto some lemonade.”

  “Thats disgusting.”

  “But accurate. At the time, I didn’t know it was a moon. I didn’t know much, actually. It was before I really interacted with anyone. Not one taught me anything at that point. My thoughts weren't even words, just feelings.”

  “I’m sorry. You must have been scared.”

  “Funny enough, I wasn’t. At the time, I didn’t know anything else. It was my basic normal. I felt an emptiness inside, but at the time, I just thought I was in a natural state of being. I didn’t know it wasn’t normal until I met my first crew. Even then, they weren’t the best. Mistreated me and all that. One time, they threw me in the toilet to see if I would flush. Before You ask, I did. I had to crawl my way back up the septic tank. The captain didn't do anything. Didn't even notice I was gone for those three days."

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  She looked at me with compassion as she placed her hand on mine.

  "This captain would notice in ten minutes."

  "Thank you." I respond, believing every word. "Still, the feeling returned when they were gone, and I was left alone. Even though most of the time they throw me at the wall to see if I stuck-”

  “They threw you around also!”

  “I was a small slime then. They would chuck me at the wall and see how long I would stick. Unaware, I would just hold on so I could get a break. That is until they would peel me off and throw me again.”

  “Are they alive? What's the ship's name? When I find them, I will hang them by their toes on the ship's side. See how long they hang on.”

  “No, they’re all dead. We got attacked by a bigger ship. One with a far more capable crew. However, something weird happened. Even though they treated me the way they did. They all did their best to put me in a box and throw me overboard before they were all killed. I was so confused about why they would do that. I still am. Maybe it is because I was young? Still, It was then that I realized, looking back, that the emptiness I felt was loneliness, and I felt that way since I can remember.”

  She leaned in close to me, bumping her arm into mine, making sure they touched as she spoke.

  “Do you still feel that way now? Lonely, that is.” She asked, looking at me.

  “Not even a bit.” With a smile, she looked back at the moon. “What about you? When was the first time you saw the moon?"

  “My family, when we were younger, were refugees of a falling Kingdom. It fell during the Las Cruzadas De Plata. We were labeled heretics, so we were sent across the Conscious Sea, hoping from colony to colony as most planets in our system wouldn’t dare take anyone from a planet labeled heretics by that church.

  I was a baby at the time. So even though I bet I saw my planet's moon, I don’t remember it. The first moon I saw that I remember was when I was 16.

  We were sent to a prison camp underground. It is a known secret the Mármol Church has these kinds of places on planets. They are cheap forms of labor, aka free. They justify holding people there to work. My parents were dead by then, overworked. I was sold to work in the kitchen of a shipping Solar Sail. You know, like this one. We landed on a planet to dock for the night, and it was the first time I had been on a planet, heck, above ground, that didn’t kick me out. My old captain hid the fact I was from a heretic and covered up the tattoo I was branded with.”

  “I thought those had a spell that prevented that?” I interjected.

  “She got a way around it. So I was free. I looked up at the sky, and there it was. A moon the size of these three combined. It shined bright and was as pretty as a pearl. I felt grateful just to set foot on solid ground, like real ground. To see that, I was blessed.”

  She turned to me with a smile, ans she kept talking. “And that's how I feel right now: because of this crew, my son, and you, Cid. I am blessed. So let's promise something. No matter what happens in our future. No matter what troubles we face, we will always be by each other’s side. I will trust you with all my heart, as your word is as strong as mine. This goes both ways, too. I want you to trust me and know that I have you in my heart no matter what, and I will never hurt you.

  I take her hand in mine. I can feel the soft skin and the callousness of a hard life. I see in her eyes the beauty of the moons and the pain that haunts her.

  “I promise”, I started to say. “I will always be by your side. I will always protect you and have your best interest at heart. We will be each other's guardians and friends, each other's hearts and swords.

  “I promise.” She said back to me.

  The memory fades as I return to darkness.