Forgotten Stars

Elijah slowly opened his eyes, as if his eyelids were made of lead. The white neon glow from the hospital light pierced his retinas, drawing a pained groan from him. His head felt as though it were being hammered from the inside—a wild, throbbing pain crawling from his temple to the nape of his neck, as if his skull were about to shatter. His breaths came in ragged gasps while his trembling hands fumbled over a sweat-chilled face.

"Elijah? Elijah, can you hear my voice?"
The sound came from far away, faint and muffled like it was underwater. Summoning every bit of strength, Elijah turned his head toward the source. Through his blurry vision, several figures in white coats moved quickly—needles, a monitor beeping erratically, and cold hands brushing against his skin.

"Blood pressure 160/100! Prepare the sedatives!" someone shouted.

Elijah wanted to scream, but his voice was trapped in his throat. A metallic taste flooded his mouth—he had bitten his tongue without meaning to. Slowly, his vision cleared. A young nurse, panic written all over her face, gripped his arm as she tried to set up a new IV. Next to her, a middle-aged doctor with thick glasses stared at the monitor, muttering medical terms that Elijah couldn’t make sense of.

Suddenly, the ICU room door burst open with a loud bang. Everyone turned their heads.

Click. Click. Click.

The sound of high heels striking the marble floor echoed. A woman with snow-white hair flowing freely strode into the room. A few rough strands fell across her face, partially obscuring her thin, coolly arched eyebrows. Her eyes were a pale blue—icy like the polar caps—sharp yet empty, as if this world held nothing worth reacting to. Her porcelain skin contrasted with the tight black corset that defined her strong frame. Her long grey coat billowed behind her, revealing blue crystal earrings that glinted with a cynical sparkle.

"Clear them out."

Her voice was flat yet cut through the air like a scalpel. Instantly, the nurses and doctors bowed their heads and hurried out of the room without protest. Only the thick-glassed doctor dared linger.

"Mrs. Voss, Elijah’s condition is still—"
"You have three seconds to leave before I call security."

The doctor bit his lip and quickly nodded before disappearing behind the door.

Standing by the bedside, the woman—Evelyn Voss—gently touched Elijah’s forehead with her elegant black-gloved hand. Her usually straight, thin lips trembled for a moment.
"Elijah... my child..."
Elijah tried to smile despite the pounding headache. "M-Mom... it hurts..."
Without delay, Evelyn pressed a call button on the wall. "Bring painkillers, level seven. Now."
The sound of machinery filled the air as a robotic arm descended from the ceiling and injected a blue liquid into Elijah’s IV. Gradually, his pain receded into a dull throb.

"Why... am I here?" Elijah murmured, scanning the room. His memories were a jumbled mess—fragmented images of explosions, screams, and the acrid smell of burning metal, but nothing clear.

"You had a hoverbike accident two weeks ago." Evelyn smoothed out his blanket carefully. "You fell into a coma. But now..." Her eyes narrowed as she studied the changes on his face. Something was different—his once warm brown eyes now shone with an electric blue intensity, like a frozen sea.

At that moment, the phone in Evelyn’s coat pocket vibrated. With a graceful motion, she picked it up. "Benedict. Elijah’s awake."
A gruff voice erupted from the speaker. "He’s awake? Good. Tell that bastard I’m not paying a single credit for his twelfth hoverbike wreck!"
Evelyn’s expression remained cold. "He’s your son."
"Your son? A son wouldn’t wreck a lab worth 20 million just because he didn’t get a spaceship!" A cynical laugh followed. "Let him die on the street like trash if he wants. I’m busy."
Then the line went dead.

Elijah attempted to sit up, but his body felt alien—his muscles reacted too quickly, his reflexes almost not his own. "Mom, I... I feel weird."
Evelyn’s icy gaze softened into concern as she gently placed her gloved hand on his shoulder. "You’ve just been through severe trauma. It’s a side effect of the sedatives. Don’t worry—Mom’s here."
Elijah nodded slowly, though his heart still pounded. He glanced at the crescent pendant hanging around his neck, which felt unnervingly cold. "Is this... my mom’s pendant?"
Evelyn shook her head, her white hair glinting under the light. "No. Perhaps it was a gift from one of the nurses. Keep it if you like."
The room’s door opened again, and a young nurse poked her head in. "Mrs. Voss, the car is ready in the basement. But... perhaps it’s best if Elijah rests a while—"

"We’re going home," Evelyn interrupted firmly, though with a small smile directed at Elijah. "Home is more comfortable for recovery."

The flying car glided slowly toward the hospital’s basement parking area. Elijah stared at his still trembling fingers while Evelyn sat upright beside him. The low hum of the anti-gravity engine filled the cabin.

"How... exactly did the accident happen?" Elijah suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Evelyn looked at him, her blue eyes blinking slowly. "Don’t you remember?"
Elijah shook his head. His memories were nothing but blurry flashes of city lights and a frantic sense of being chased.
"You stole a prototype hoverbike from your father’s garage," Evelyn began, tapping the armrest with her gloved fingers. "You fought with him that morning because you wanted him to buy you a spaceship."
Elijah frowned as the false memories woven by Irene began to coalesce—the roar of the hoverbike’s engine, Benedict’s shouts, and a fierce rebellious feeling stabbing at his chest.
"You were speeding at 300 km/h on Skyway 7," Evelyn continued in a flat tone, her fingers tightening on her bag. "The air police reported that you suddenly lost control—as if something were pulling the hoverbike from the outside."
Elijah swallowed hard. A strange pulsation formed at his temple when Evelyn said “pulling from the outside.” The pendant at his neck suddenly warmed up.
"We found you amid burning debris," Evelyn whispered, her voice cracking for just a fraction of a second. "The doctors said... 73% of your body suffered third-degree burns."
Elijah glanced at his smooth arm—there wasn’t a single scar in sight.
Evelyn exhaled. "Your father hired the best medical team in all of Novae. Nano-cell regeneration, synthetic skin transplants... He didn’t sleep for three days."
The flying car emerged from a glass tunnel, unveiling a panorama of Alyrie city drenched in purple twilight. Elijah’s eyes caught a giant holographic ad emblazoned with VOSS Industries in the distance—Benedict’s cold face promoting a new space cargo ship.
"Did Dad really do all that?"
Evelyn touched his hand; her black gloves felt smooth and cool. "He was furious at the thought of losing you. His way of showing love was a bit... different."
Below them, a crowd began to swell on the sidewalk, with some pointing skyward where small meteors occasionally streaked by.
"But why did Dad never—"
"Look! Over there!" a driver suddenly shouted.
A meteor the size of a car exploded in mid-air—300 meters ahead of them. Shockwaves rattled the flying car. The navigation system blared in alarm: "Gravitational disturbance detected! Switching to manual mode!"
Evelyn immediately called Benedict. "Did you see that?! We need to—"
"Silence!" Benedict barked over the speaker. "I know! The entire defense system has been activated. Bring Elijah home NOW."
The call ended abruptly. Elijah stared out at the still-glowing meteor in the distance as his pendant vibrated even more strongly, as if radiating its own energy.
"We keep going," Evelyn whispered, her face pale but resolute.

For the next twenty minutes, Elijah watched chaos unfold outside the window. Police drones swarmed overhead, sirens wailed from every corner, and emergency holographic warnings blinked on every building.
"All this... because of a meteor?" he murmured.
Evelyn nodded, though doubt flickered in her eyes. "Authorities are still investigating. It might even be an act of terrorism—"
"Elijah? You look pale."
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Just tired, Mom."
After a long moment of silence, Evelyn opened a hidden compartment in front of the seat. A holographic photo appeared: little Elijah at age five, laughing on the shoulder of a young Benedict with thick, jet-black hair.
"Back then... your father always joined you for mini hoverbike tests," Evelyn whispered, her fingers lightly tapping the hologram. "Since—"
She hesitated, swallowing words that nearly escaped.
"Since what, Mom?" Elijah asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Evelyn sighed. "Since your grandfather died. That... changed him."
Elijah frowned as vague memories surfaced—a bearded old man teaching him how to assemble a hoverbike engine. "Grandfather... the founder of VOSS Industries?"
Evelyn nodded. "Your father had to take over the company at twenty-five. The pressure—"
"Made him as cold as he is now," Elijah interjected, glancing at a holographic photo of a young, beaming Benedict. "But why did he never—"
"For your father, loving means making you strong," Evelyn said, caressing Elijah’s cheek. Her black gloves felt warm now. "He was terrified of losing you, just like he lost your grandfather."
Elijah lowered his gaze, guilt gnawing at him. "I always thought he hated me."
"Hate?" Evelyn chuckled softly. "He tore up a trillion-credit contract just to rush to the hospital when you were born prematurely."
Suddenly, a thunderous impact shook the car—a meteor had struck the VOSS Industries billboard tower in the distance, leaving behind cracked, smoking letters that spelled out 'VOSS.'
"Look at that," Evelyn pointed at the debris. "Your father will rebuild it better, just as he always does. And you—"
"You have to learn from him," Elijah finished, his blue eyes blazing with determination.

The flying car landed on a retro-style helipad on the 350th floor. As the cabin door opened, Elijah was struck with awe—the entire lobby was made of smart-glass that mirrored the starry constellations. Yet the grandeur faded instantly when he saw a lone figure at the far end of the corridor.

Benedict Voss stood before a golden elevator, his hands clasped behind his back. His black suit was pristine, not a crease in sight, though his striped tie hung askew. His normally neat black hair was now tousled by the breeze.
"You're awfully slow," he murmured, his deep baritone echoing in the empty lobby.

Elijah bowed his head. "Dad, I—"
"Save your speeches," Benedict snapped, his gaze quickly sweeping over Elijah from head to toe. "Are you even walking properly now? Good. Tomorrow morning, there’s a press conference about the meteor incident. You’re sitting next to me and smiling. Understood?"
Evelyn stepped forward. "Benedict, he just—"
"Twenty-thousand employees are in a panic over rumors of an 'alien attack'!" Benedict interrupted, his finger pointing to the window where meteors still occasionally fell. "We need a solid family face!"
Elijah drew a deep breath, the pendant at his neck burning hot. "I... will try."
Benedict paused, his sharp eyes narrowing. For a split second, something softened in his expression—like a shadow of the man in that old hologram.
"You..." he cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. "Why are you wearing that hideous pendant?"
Elijah clutched the crescent pendant. "It’s a gift from a friend."
Benedict scowled, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight. "Discard it. It’s not fit for—"
Elijah gripped the pendant tighter, feeling its strange, warm pulse. "It’s just a pendant, Dad. Why are you always—"
"Because it looks cheap," Benedict cut in sharply, his tone harsh but not overtly angry. "You’re the child of a CEO. Your appearance reflects on the company."
Evelyn stepped forward, her grey coat billowing behind her. "Benedict, he just woke up from a coma. Let him be—"
Bzzzt!
Benedict’s phone vibrated forcefully. He picked it up, and his expression immediately turned grave as he saw the caller’s name. "What?!"
Elijah and Evelyn exchanged a worried glance. The sound from the phone was too faint to catch, but Benedict’s sudden tense tone changed the atmosphere in the room.
"When? Where?!" Benedict barked, clenching his fist until the veins in his neck stood out. "I understand. Get the team ready immediately."
He ended the call, his face turning ashen as if he had just seen a ghost.

 

"Dad, what’s happening?" Elijah asked, his voice unsteady.
Evelyn reached for Benedict’s arm. "Benedict?"
Benedict looked from one to the other, his breath heavy. "Meteors... aren’t just falling on Novae. The entire planet is under attack."
Elijah stared in disbelief. Outside the window, Novae’s purple sky was now dotted with red—new meteors hurtling closer.
"And that’s not even the worst part," Benedict continued, his voice trembling for the first time. "There’s something inside those meteors. Something... alive."