The Outer Frontier sprawled for thousands upon thousands of miles. Old, barren roads that hadn’t been kept or cleaned in almost a century disappeared behind rolling hills, wildflowers growing agrestal through the cracks. Occasionally, creeping vines covered the path entirely, forcing Dr. Alde, Delphina, and Frankie to jump over them.

Under the heat, Frankie had removed Dr. Alde’s coat, folding it and placing it in his bag, leaving the doctor in a blue sleeveless vest—a golden clasp just under his throat—revealing the scarred and burned flesh where Dr. Alde’s left arm was missing.

Delphina sported a wetsuit, a tulle skirt and scarf hanging off the metal belt on her hips and wrapping around her arms. Metal gloves and greaves armored her limbs, clanking with each step.

Frankie wore a long-sleeved crop top and shorts, complete with black-and-white striped socks that stopped just under the knee. He fiddled with the bolts protruding from his neck, forming the rear of their lineup as he kept an eye out for anything dangerous.

After a long walk, Dr. Alde stopped, raising his arm. “Look, over there. See that?”

Delphina shifted her gaze to meet where he was pointing, squinting at a tall, dark gray castle that stood proudly in the far distance, squinting at the tall, dark gray castle that stood proudly. Large holes gaped in the roofs in many of the spires, the castle seemingly on the edge of collapse.

“What is that?” Delphina asked, breathlessly.

“The Stars Kingdom,” Dr. Alde replied. “It was infamous for its innovative technology, but now it’s abandoned. Perfect for us.”

“I see. And… that dark cloud over there?” Delphina pointed a little to the right. “What is that?”

Dr. Alde turned to see where she was pointing, catching sight of a dark, twisting mass. He raised his gloved hand to his chin, musing. “Hmm… no idea…”

“Miasma.” Frankie piped up, voice barely above a whisper. He shuddered, running a finger along the stitches in his neck. “Dr. Stein tried to experiment with it…”

“So that’s the miasma…” Delphina breathed. “I’ve heard of this before… Bitte told me she tried treating a patient who’d had a run in with it but… there was nothing she could do in the end.”

“The magic leylines flow in such a way that it protects the Inner Frontier from the miasma that has been growing in the Outer Frontier,” Dr. Alde stated, before moving again “Not to worry, though. It’s a bit far off, so we should be fine.”

They continued pressing onward, keeping an eye on the miasma in the distance as they grew closer to the decaying castle, the former shell of the once industrious Stars Kingdom. The large gates were opened slightly, revealing the barren, battered village. Decrepit houses, surrounded by crumbling walls, lined the path towards the main entrance. The entrance doors had begun to rot away, leaving holes that the three of them easily squeezed through.

Inside, the castle’s main hall was vast and empty, save for the mold-covered carpets, cobwebs, and a thick layer of dust. Underneath the carpets were black tiles, speckled with white and golden flecks, similar in appearance to the stars in the night sky.

The trio proceeded through the castle, past the ransacked kitchen and dining hall, through corridor upon corridor until they reached a tall, spiraling staircase.

“Are you sure no one’s come up here?” Delphina asked, her voice echoing in the stairwell.

“I’m sure someone’s been here,” Dr. Alde answered. “But I doubt this kingdom’s been stripped entirely of its metal and technology yet. After all, all of the kingdoms believe strongly in the taboo surrounding the Stars Kingdom.”

Delphina nodded, deciding not to say anymore as they continued their ascent up the spire, pausing every now and then to let Dr. Alde catch his breath. When they finally reached the top of the spire and stepped into the room, Dr. Alde strode forward and sat down at a vanity shoved into the corner.

“Such an advanced kingdom, you’d think they’d have less stairs,” Dr. Alde muttered. The floor was made of the same black tile in the main hall, with tiny fluorescent lights embedded into the grout, spiraling from the edge of the room towards the center. Pushed against the far left wall was an unkempt bed, riddled with moth-eaten pillows, the sheets tossed carelessly to the floor in a pile. The bed sat beneath a wide, cracked window, shattered glass sprinkling the floor. Tiles were scattered on the bed and floor, fallen from the giant, gaping hole in the roof.

“This is one of the spires we saw from outside,” Delphina breathed. She turned towards Dr. Alde, who was already fiddling with a tablet rested atop the vanity. Frankie was still by the entrance, lingering around a large bookshelf littered with worn down books, leafing through yellowing pages.

The screen Dr. Alde was tampering with finally clicked on—an eerie, neon blue color—humming loudly as its interface powered on and finally flickered into view. Turning to Delphina, Dr. Alde ushered her over.

“Look here, Delphina.” Dr. Alde turned back towards the screen, scooting the seat over to allow Delphina better visage. She stepped up next to him, looking at the string of foreign letters. “This is the Primordial language, said to be the language of the gods. Very few mortals know how to read it, but many say it’s a language that’s been imbued with magic itself.”

“Can you read it?”

Dr. Alde chuckled. “No. Not at all. Give me a second, Delphina, I’ll figure out how to use this.”

Delphina stepped back, giving him space, and looking back at Frankie. He was, however, now engrossed in reading. Sighing, she walked towards the bed, studying its condition. As dirty as it was, she could use a rest from all their walking. 

Flopping down on the mattress, she tugged on the sheets bundled up on the ground, only to find them weighed down by something. Furrowing her brow, Delphina tugged even harder, causing the blanket to come loose and sending her and loads of dust and cobwebs flying.

As well as a body.

It tumbled to the floor, causing Delphina to shriek and jump onto the bed, pointing and stammering at the limp figure now sprawled across the tiles. Dr. Alde and Frankie turned to look as well, shocked by Delphina’s screams.

The creature was small in stature, and its skin a sickly pale blue. A long, smooth tail with a translucent dorsal crest curled around its body, the tip brushing lightly against its nose. Feathery gills sprouted between tufts of light pink hair, as well as on the side of its head. 

Dr. Alde glanced at Frankie, waving him forward. “Frankie… go see if the body is alive.”

Frankie nodded, swallowing nervously and scratching at his neck. “As you wish, master.” He strode forward, legs shaking with each step. Kneeling by the body, Frankie outstretched a trembling finger, but before he could poke it, the body rolled over, groaning heartily as it did so. Quickly rescinding his hand, Frankie glanced back at Dr. Alde, who shrugged.

“Who…” the creature sat up, shaking cobwebs from its head, before blinking open its many, beady eyes and sweeping its gaze around the room. Struggling to their feet, it stretched and yawned loudly. “Where… am I? This isn’t Cephoxa.”

“Um… you’re… this is the Outer Frontier,” Frankie finally replied. Delphina slowly lowered herself from the bed, and Dr. Alde rose to his feet and approached. “My name is Frankie. That is Delphina and Dr. Alde.”

“Who are you?” Dr. Alde asked, looking down at the creature with curious eyes. 

The creature smiled, their shoulders relaxing. “Call me Syzygy. Now, I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I have a date to–” Syzygy reached to their side, their expression suddenly falling, “–to… attend…”

Syzygy turned around, rifling through the sheets and pillows, peeking under the bed and trotting around the room.

Delphina couldn’t help but watch. This creature felt so foreign. So alien. And yet also so familiar. She spoke up, gently, “Do you need help finding anything?”

Stilling, Syzygy looked up at her and nodded frantically, “Yes. My interdimensional portal device is missing, it seems. I need it to get back home.”

“We’ll help you find it.” Delphina glanced around the room. “Um… what does it look like?”

Syzygy’s gills twitched as they replied, “It has a curved handle on a long pole. The portal maker itself is like… a canopy. When it’s closed, it’s all folded up and wrinkled, but when it’s open, it’s like a giant dome.”

“Oh. Like an umbrella?”

“Interdimensional portal device.”

“...got it.”

As they swept the room again, Dr. Alde stepped back to the tablet on the vanity, ancient script speeding across the screen as he scrolled through pages of text. He scanned the letters carefully, finally turning back to the others.

“I think I understand now,” he spoke, pressing a button on the tablet. In the center of the room, surrounded by the swirling lights, the tiles shifted and recessed into the floor splitting and disappearing to the sides. Left behind was a small circular pit, tiny lights spread across the rim.

Dr. Alde stepped away from the vanity to investigate, crouching down next to the side. It was only about two feet deep as he reached down, lifting object after object out, eyes lit up with each newfound discovery.

“Everyone, come here!” Dr. Alde ordered excitedly, standing up and dusting off his pants. “Delphina, look at all this metal.”

Before them lay several objects and machines of different sizes: clocks, screens, sheets of metal, abandoned inventions… even an odd looking umbrella with a metallic sheen. Dr. Alde stood to the side, looking rather pleased with himself.

Frankie clapped his hands together. “Good job, Master Alde. Nice find.”

Dr. Alde glowed with the praise, finding himself caught unawares when Delphina rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her small senior, lifting him up with ease and spinning him around.

“Dr. Alde! You found us some metal!” Delphina cheered. “I’m so happy! Do you think that’s enough?”

Dr. Alde patted Delphina’s shoulder, squeezing from her grasp and examining all the objects he’d laid out. “Not nearly… but I’m sure there are many more archives such as this hidden around the castle.”

Syzygy had also abandoned their search to examine the objects curiously, gills perking up as they spotted a particular item. They snatched the umbrella up, hugging it tight.

“My portal maker! How did you get in there?” Syzygy unfurled the umbrella, twirling around in excitement. “Now, I must go and return to the stars! Farewell, every-”

The umbrella hummed, before fizzling and crackling. Syzygy blinked at it, turning the umbrella over and over again in their hands, shocked.

“It… it’s broken?” Syzygy cried. “Two of the rods are broken… How am I gonna get home now? What am I gonna tell Peri…?”

“That umbrella,” Dr. Alde piped up. “You can go to the stars with it?”

Syzygy pouted. “If it was working.”

Dr. Alde nodded, looking at the umbrella and then back at the scraps piled up on the floor. “It appears to be made with the same material as this anemite… it’s a material the Stars Kingdom used in inventions and technology. Perhaps…”

He moved closer to Syzygy, leaning towards the umbrella to study it closer. He reached his hand out—Syzygy surprisingly relinquished the object of its affection to him—and turned it over in his hand. 

“If you give me some time,” Dr. Alde said, returning the umbrella to Syzygy’s eager hands, “I think I can figure out how to fix this. On one condition…”

Syzygy’s tail curled around their legs. “Wh… what is it?”

“If I manage to repair your umbrella…” Dr. Alde glanced over at Delphina. “Please take my assistant, Delphina, with you. It is her dream to reach the stars, and my current goal is to help her fulfill that dream.”

“Of course I can do that! You had me scared there, for a second, I thought I’d have to pay you with money… or my body.” Syzygy smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Absolutely not.” Dr. Alde wrinkled his nose.

“But I would be delighted to offer your assistant a tour of the cosmos! Even my home planet,” Syzygy added quickly, turning to Delphina as she squealed in delight.

“Frankie!” Delphina held her hands above her head. Frankie high fived her, hard, causing her to flinch and shake out her palms. Still, her smile never wavered as she turned back to Dr. Alde. “Dr. Alde! You really are the best!”

She pulled him into another hug, despite his souring expression. “Thank you so much! I… I can’t wait to tell Bitte! She’ll be so excited, too!”

Dr. Alde’s face softened as he murmured gently, “Nothing’s for certain. But I will do my best, as always.”

Delphina beamed at Dr. Alde, causing him to look away in embarrassment. He turned to Frankie, waving him over.

“Frankie, please gather the objects on the floor here and put them in the bag. We’ll start carrying them back.”

Nodding, Frankie gingerly scooped the various artifacts into his arms, Delphina and Syzygy joining in to help as well. When everything was cleared out, Dr. Alde picked up the tablet as well, sliding it in his coat’s pocket and guiding everyone down the stairwell, back to the foyer…

Blissfully unaware of the shadow shifting in the corner.