Once, they reigned supreme over the Lunaris Kingdom: Nyara Goddess of Night,  Kail God of Night, and their daughter, Iyla, the Child of Night. But two centuries ago, the cruel hand of humanity struck them down, shattering their celestial reign. Betrayal led to their demise, their divine essence scattered across Earth. Now, reborn and unaware, they live mortal lives, their memories lost to the ages.

Nyara, a 24-year-old woman on Earth, bears a striking birthmark that mimics the night sky across her back and arms. This causes her to feel alienated from her family and the world, she always covers it up. A nagging sense of incompleteness haunts her, a void where a past life should be.

Kail, now 25, carries a strange birthmark from his chest down his arm, a faint echo of his godly past. He walks a lonely path, disconnected from those around him, feeling a profound sense of loss, as if something vital has been stolen from him.

In a secluded forest, a 5-year-old girl named Iyla was discovered as a baby in forest, abandoned and marked with radiant patterns from her shoulders to her arms. She resides in an orphanage, forever overlooked for adoption due to her unusual markings.

Mommy's friends, Halle and Sarai, were still here! It was like a sleepover! But they kept looking at my arm. Like, really looking. I didn't get it.


"Mommy has stars too!" I said, pointing to my arm. "But hers are biggar!"


Halle and Sarai looked shocked. Like they saw a ghost or something. "Oh my god," Halle whispered.


Sarai touched my arm, really gently. "It's like... like a constellation," she said.


I beamed. I liked my stars! They were pretty. Mommy said so too.


"See? Mommy has stars too!" I said again, feeling proud.


"They're beautiful," Halle said, her voice soft.


"But... how?" Sarai asked, looking at Mommy. "Is it... is it genetic?"


Mommy looked nervous. She said, "It's… just a coincidence. A rare one, but still just a coincidence."


Mommy rolled down her sleeves, and then she rolled down my sleeve too. She always does that. When people look at my stars too much, she covers them up. I don't know why.


Halle and Sarai looked at each other. They didn't say anyting. They just smiled, but it was a wittle bit of a fake smile.


"They're really amazing," Halle said, but her voice was quiet. "You two are very special."


I nodded. I knew I was special. Mommy told me.


Mommy said, "So, what do you guys want to do now? We could play a game, or watch another movie."


I wanted to play a game! But I was still a little sleepy. And I wanted more cookies.


Halle and Sarai looked at me. They smiled, but it wasn't a big, happy smile. It was a small smile.


"Maybe we could play a board game," Sarai said.


Mommy went to get a game. I sat on the couch with Teddy. Halle and Sarai looked at me again. I didn't know why they kept looking.


"Do you like board games?" Sarai asked.


"Yes," I said, but I didn't really want to play. I wanted to draw.


Mommy came back with a game. It had lots of little pieces. I didn't know how to play it.


We started playing, but I was still tired. And I kept thinking about my stars, and Mommy's stars. And why Halle and Sarai looked so surprised. And why Mommy always covers them up.


I wished they would stop looking at my arm. I wished they would just play the game.


Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: They Kept Looking