Pandora wondered how she had never come across the entrance to the caverns below Mount Past. A vast black hole advertised itself as the entrance to the caves. The distant stars and moons lit up the land, but going inside the caverns would require Pandora to utilize different sources of light. Luckily, she had a Pak-a-Light packet in her pocket. All she had to do was rip open the packet, and a flurry of green-lit orbs would float up above Pandora. These lights would follow her around for a time, too. Normally, Pandora would use these packets when she was mining for Proxima during the darker times of the day.

What am I doing, Pandora asked herself. I already know the outcome. If I consume those stars, I'll die. In the back of her mind, however, Pandora couldn't fly away from the curiosity of how it would feel to grow older. Apollo deemed it the truest way to end one's life, and after centuries of untrue living, Pandora relaxed her resentment towards the idea of consuming the stars. After all, it was something new.

Well, here goes nothing, Pandora thought to herself as she took one last look at the moon above her. She powered up her De-Carbonizer Blaster in her right hand. A whistling sound came from the blaster as its lights turned from red to green. That meant that it was ready to use.

"Hey, Pandora!"

Startled, Pandora quickly turned around. It was Saros; Pandora could faintly make out his red hair under the dimming of the sky.

"Hey, cutie! I just finished up work at Ceres' place, and so I came to pick you up so that we could go watch The Waveshaper 2. I found you through the locator on my FTL. Cool, huh?" Saros noticed Pandora holding her blaster, "Hey, what are you doing with that? Are you gonna go mining? Now?"

"H-Hey Saros. I'm not mining. I'm just going into this cave here..." Pandora didn't know what to say. She totally forgot about Saros.

"Cave?" Saros looked behind Pandora at the immense opening. "Why are you going in there?" Saros' hoverbike disappeared into a rod which he quickly pocketed.

"I-You know about what we were talking about earlier today? About growing past nineteen?"

Saros raised his eyebrows. He crossed his arms and replied, "Yeah, I do. What does that have to do with the cave?"

Pandora didn't know how to break the news to Saros. "I just can't watch the movie tonight, Saros." She was drawn to the stars, and the thought of not exploring the caves made her shudder.

"What? How come?"

"I just need to go in here. I can't explain it."

Saros paused for a bit and approached Pandora. "I can come in with you if you want. It might be dangerous"

"No. Please don't. Saros, I need to do this alone."

Saros relaxed his expression. He placed his right hand onto her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. Lightbugs drifted aimlessly through the air. They mystified the small forest in front of the cave. "Okay. I understand. You want to go on an adventure. We can watch the movie tomorrow though. Right?"

Tears pricked at Pandora's eyes, and she tried hard to hold them back. "Saros. I don't think we can anymore."

Saros became visibly hurt, "What-What do you mean Pandora?"

"When I go into this cave, I don't think I'll be coming back," Pandora's voice broke as she spoke. The warm embrace of Saros' hug was something she could never get over. Were her wishes more paramount than the love between her and Saros? Pandora felt like she was in a dream. She watched as Saros' face scrunched up as his tears started to run down his red cheeks.

"Please, Pandora! Just tell me what's wrong. I'll come into the cave with you! You don't have to do this alone," Saros exclaimed.

"Saros, I will always love you. Always. I just need to do this," Pandora's face became swollen as her vision blurred due to her crying. "And I need to do it alone. Please."

The two embraced each other in front of the cavern entrance without saying anything. Lightbugs lit up the night sky while the distant stars twinkled like gems in space. There were streaks of neon lights that occasionally shot across the sky. These were spaceships full of people. Business trips, school trips, vacations, these spaceships carried wandering souls all across the vibrant universe that Pandora never saw. All of them, however, were unknowing of Pandora's desires.

It felt like only seconds when Saros finally spoke, "I just wish," Saros' voice broke again, "We could've watched The Waveshaper 2 tonight."

Pandora felt like she was in a free fall.

Before Pandora could say anything, Saros kissed her. "It sounds like you've already made your decision. Alright, then. Go on, Pandora. Live your dream. Do what you were born to do," Saros said with a picturesque smile. Saros' smile always reminded Pandora of a waterfall that never existed.

"I-" Pandora's breath was stolen from her. Am I doing the right thing? she screamed to herself.

"You were always so special. Now you're finally seeing it for yourself. I'm going to go now, Pandora," Saros' face was wet with tears. "Just remember that I-I love you a lot. Okay?"

Pandora nodded.

"Goodbye," Saros reluctantly let go of Pandora.

A coldness swept through Pandora's body as she watched Saros disappear on his hoverbike. Now, she was truly alone.

Swollen faced, Pandora stepped into the darkness of the cavern. She ripped open a Pak-a-Light, and the green orbs rose above her head. The orbs helped illuminate the vast cave. Most of the cave was natural, but Pandora could see certain parts that were created by man. At the ceiling were dripping stalactites. There were dead computers, rolling chairs, and holograms of various planets and people scattered across the cave walls.

Pandora walked slowly across the hallways as the cave transitioned to a more man-made environment.

PSSS. PSSS. PSSS.

Pandora's eyes widened as she turned around to look at what made the sound. She held her blaster close to her head, pointing it at the ceiling. The sound came from a few boxes near a panel with numerous computers. Static blue light emanated from the computers, but there was no sign of hostility. Slowly, Pandora closed in on the boxes when suddenly a bipedal creature jumped out. The creature wore a stained yellow sweater with black pants. Its eyes were a verdant green, but they were unmoving. Its face was a pale grey. It was as if a statue of a man came to life.

The creature quickly snatched its weapon from its belt and took aim from its hips. Pandora instinctively shifted her weight towards her front foot and leaned forward. She shot the creature as fast as she could blink. The blaster's ion bullet burned into its body causing the creature to collapse unto itself. The collapse turned into a myriad of visible particles as the creature was removed from existence. The particles were a myriad of different colors, and they fell to the ground like leaves.

Suddenly, multiple creatures jumped out of their hiding spots to attack Pandora. Taking cover behind some boxes, Pandora managed to avoid their shots. There were too many for Pandora to take out, but she had an idea. Reaching into her pocket for Meliora, Pandora tapped the hoverbike into existence. Hopping onto the bike, Pandora shifted the gear to Manual and drove up and down the halls of the cavern. The booming sound of the thruster behind the bike echoed throughout the used-to-be empty cave. She shot her blaster behind her while she drove in search of the stars. Dozens of creatures turned into a rainbow of colors as Pandora shot them with her blaster. High pitched sounds of zooming ion blasts gave the cavern action it had probably never seen before.

Pandora's reign came to an abrupt end when one of the creatures shot at the battery of the hoverbike. Meliora immediately turned into its rod form, and Pandora tumbled down through open doors onto a pile of boxes. There were cuts and bruises all over Pandora's body. Feeling dizzy, Pandora sat upright on top of the boxes.

While getting a sense of her surroundings, she noticed a peculiar glow coming from beneath the boxes she fell on. "The stars!" Pandora exclaimed to herself, not realizing that she just gave away her positions for the creatures. Quickly moving the empty boxes from beneath her, Pandora found the source of the glow. Only, there was just one source. There was no stash of stars; only one box with one star managed to stand the test of time.

Pandora's joy worsened when she heard the sounds of the creatures rushing through the hallway. She had to think fast. Looking around the small room trying to find something, Pandora spotted the controls to the door she flew in from. She ran to the panel and found the Lock Door button. Before the creatures could get into the room, Pandora pressed the button, and she was left alone in the room. Pandora listened closely as silence filled the room. There was a slight humming coming from the static blue computers on the walls. Apollo had lied to Pandora, and now she was trapped deep down in a long-forgotten cave system.