He awoke in Darkness. For a long time, that was all he knew. Slowly, he realized that while everything around him was becoming less black, almost as though something was brightening it. The sight of the space around him lightening and becoming almost pure silver was awe-inspiring.

And then he realized that the silver was coming from him, and his consciousness swelled with pride.

He was changing what was around him, and doing so without really thinking about what he was doing! That really was something indeed.

That pride was his focus for quite some time, at least until he realized that off in the distance, in the darkness that still existed outside of the brightness of his silver light, there was another area of silver. And when he looked farther into the distance, he saw another, and another. They seemed to appear in random spots and at random times as he was searching, looking further and further through the darkness as he began to count just how many of the silver spots there were.

He was not alone!

As he was just beginning to wonder just how many things like him were out there, he noticed that far below him, there was something in the darkness. It was not something that could be seen, it was more of a feeling that it was there. And beyond even that, there was something larger, with color and things. They were small and many shades of green. As he concentrated, he found that he could see things more clearly. Not all the green things were small, some reached towering heights, and some looked so delicate that he was afraid he may break them just by looking too hard.

He stared and stared at that surface, admiring the rolling hills and the water that reflected his silvery lights, the undulations making that light almost seem to twinkle. The sense of awe that he had first felt when he noticed his light filling the darkness returned to fill him at the sight of the ground so far below.

It took a very long time for him to notice that he could actually see the plants growing. The delicate leaves unfurled before his very eyes, revealing their beauty as though it were a present meant just for him.

It was as though every place he looked, there was something new and amazing to see. The plants were growing more numerous and complicated, and much more difficult to take all of them in as they spread, almost as though there were someone down with them, helping them to grow and multiply.

When he started to see the most delicate of the plants begin to show colors other than green, his curiosity grew. Could he move closer? Was there someone like him down among the plants? Would he be able to get passed through the thing between him and the plants just as he was able to see through it? There were so many questions he had no answers for.

It took even more time for him to focus his strength to begin moving closer to the ground, though his progress was slow. It was frustrating to know that he had the Power to shine brightly enough to see himself in the dark waters of the streams and lakes, and yet he could not rush through the distance that separated him from that water.

Suddenly, his progress to the surface was arrested as he ran rather solidly into the thing that he had felt from afar. It turned out to be a solid surface that he could not move past. Having been moving so freely, being stuck in a single place felt odd.

And then a musical laughter filled the space around him, far in the distance he felt the addition of more specks of glowing silver. Was this sound what had caused him to come into existence? Who was it?

"Well, hello there, pretty thing," a warm voice filled the space around him, seeming to come from everywhere at once. A figure took form before him, only distinguishable from the darkness around them by small echoes of the silver light along her skin and hair. "I was almost beginning to think I was imagining the lot of you, but more kept popping up every time I have laughed. That means I have made you. I will call you all Stars. Do you have a name?"

The figure's words had come out in a tumble of syllables so quickly that he almost could not follow them. After all, they were the first words he had ever heard, and for a stretch of time, he did not know how to answer, nor whether he would be able to give himself a form like the person before him had.

"Ah, you are still so young!" she crooned, drawing nearer to him.

The expression on her face suggested that a great joy filled her at the thought, and she reached out a hand to run her fingers through the light. The touch of her fingers brought a coolness that he had never felt. It was odd.

"It seems that you have no tongue of your own yet, so I will name you. It seems to be a talent of mine," she said, a smile that spoke of secrets appearing on her face. It was amazing to see that even now she was so close to his light, her face was just as dark as the air surrounding them.

Her dark eyes were so intense, he felt as though she were looking all the way into the very heart of him. For that moment, they shared an intimate connection, and then it was gone as she leaned back, grinning to him.

"Polaris," she declared, the surety in her voice sending a wave of warmth through him, echoed by a brighter surge of his glow. "There. I see that I found you the right name. You will be the guiding light to your brothers in the sky and all those that are to come."

Polaris. There was something about the name that just felt right, and he wanted to thank the figure before him for what she had done for him. "Thank...You," he managed to say, his voice sounding much deeper than hers and the syllables sounded slow and awkward. For now, he would be happy he had managed to say anything, eloquence could come later.

"I am...Polaris," he declared carefully, feeling his glow increase with his belief in the words coming from him, no matter how clumsy. "Who...you?"

"Who am I?" she corrected gently, a look of triumphant joy appeared on her face.

Was she so pleased because he had found his voice? If that were the case, what would happen should he find a form other than the glowing light? That thought was enough to make Polaris determined to find his own form. Something told him that it would be something absolutely unique to himself, with very little resemblance to the lady before him.

"Yes. Who are you?" he asked again, gaining confidence in his speech with every word. Along with that confidence, came a feeling that, with a bit of intense concentration, he would stand on his own two feet soon enough. This was far more exciting than floating in the darkness watching the plants on the surface below grow.

"My name is Nyx. And I made you!" she declared, clapping her hands with delight. As another bright laugh left her mouth, he saw another smattering of sparkles spread across her skin.

It was that precise moment that Polaris decided to believe Nyx. Surely the appearance of the echoes of his own light appearing on her skin was a sign that she truly was his creator.

"And now that you are here, I shall teach you things, Polaris! We will begin by teaching you how to take a form like what I have," Nyx stated, reaching out both of her hands to touch his light once more. "I am sure you will be splendid. And you will never have to be alone if you do not wish it."

"Teach me," Polaris requested, excitement roiling through him. He wanted to learn all that Nyx could teach him as quickly as he could manage. He could only hope that knowledge would include how to make his way down to the surface, for that was what he wished most of all.

"Good. Now, Polaris, leader of the Stars, I will teach you, and then you shall take the knowledge to your brothers," Nyx declared with such authority that Polaris did not question it. Instead, he began to learn.

In what seemed like a much shorter time than it had taken him to travel from where he had awoken to the invisible surface Nyx stood, he had mastered shifting into a physical form. The two grinned with triumph to each other, an expression made possible by now having a face of his own.

Where her skin was as dark as their surroundings, Polaris's skin was very pale. His eyes were the same silver as the glow of his light, but his hair was as dark as Nyx's own. The feeling of being in a physical form was odd at first, but being able to feel his body was exciting.

Polaris ran his hands over the skin of his arms and torso before his fingers moved through the long dark tresses of his hair. Next he moved his attention onto the finely carved features of his face, tracing the slope of his forehead, his chiseled cheekbones, and square jaw. His eyes glowed with excitement as his fingers found more hair on his face. It traced a line above his mouth before sweeping down to his chin.

Excitement and pride were clear on Nyx's features as she wrapped her arms around Polaris in a strong embrace. "You have done it! This is wonderful Polaris. Now what would you like to learn?"

"I wish to visit the surface," he declared, no question in his voice. This was what he wanted, and this was what he would learn next, no matter what she said.