The name Polaris Evermoore is still mentioned whenever there's talk about astrean ruins related research. Between her first papers and her current work, the sudden disappearance for years is still a mystery to some. Those close to her know she spent it studying her dream aspect. But only a few knew she was dead.
Polaris grew up in a loving family. Thanks to her parents - her historian father and scientist mother - her love for studying and learning new things developed quite early on. A bookworm and a top student in her class, she easily got into Aldebast. Her eyes were first set on learning more about her aspect, then about runes and other usages of magic... then somehow ending up at ruins. Astrean ones at that. She never enjoyed the deep waters but the mystery of lost kingdoms called to her. And who was she to not answer that call?
She ended up on multiple shorter trips of collecting information and possibly preserved relics from these ruins. So of course, the next logical step was to make a way more dangerous route into some untouched areas in even deeper and darker waters! Right? The planning phase went smoothly but the execution, well... she doesn't remember much as once she got close to the ruins, a swift shadow cornered her. Her last memory was the taste of blood in her mouth.
To her surprise, she woke up, in one piece. And the first thing she was was an astrean prince.
Despite Prince Zenith struggling at times, he was a fun companion during her days of recovering. While she did not lose any limbs, she still got badly injured in the attack. In the meantime, Zenith shared a lot about the kingdom she was staying at. And she shared many things about her research in exchange. Polaris soon learned she was in Velos Yonn; an astrean kingdom closed off from others in hopes of holding back beasts from the abyss alone.
Once she was finally healed, they said their goodbyes. Thankfully, the way to the surface was a lot more peaceful than her first trip. She got everything she needed and even more, right? But then why was she wanting to go back so soon to see him again?
So she went back. And again. And when she couldn't visit, they met in dreams. It was impossible to send letters to each other or for Zenith to leave his kingdom behind, even for a day. But their love for each other grew, and so did the distance. So Polaris decided; it would be best if she moved to Velos Yonn. The two soon got engaged and everything finally felt like it fell into place.
Until the kingdom got attacked by a void tainted beast. And she did not wake up after it.
She didn't think death would feel like this.
Soon she realized, she wasn't truly dead.
Her body might've been injured and in a physical sense, she was gone. But her soul seemed to be stuck in the realm of dreams. She wandered for many hours. Days. Years. She lost track of time for a while. But slowly she felt that her body was growing stronger. And so was her soul. She wandered into the dreams of others, trying to see what was going on in the outside world. And soon she found herself captivated by the downfall of Velos Yonn. Zenith's crumbling reality, the nightmares bleeding into his mind, even when awake, she was there to witness it all. The countless deaths, the curse, the blame. The once Polaris was horrified by what became of the browbird she once loved.
The once Polaris followed Zenith to his banishment on land. She was there to watch him deny what happened and hate his new existence. She saw as he slowly broke free of his own nightmares and realized what he truly had done. And from then, the once Polaris decided, maybe it was worth staying to see what happened, but most importantly. Will he change?
Every day, her body grew stronger. She spent her days improving on her dream aspect and taking a look into the dreams of those around Zenith. And once she felt it was time, she took a step outside of her mind.
And Polaris was herself once again.
Polaris spends her days with quite mundane things. Finding joy even in the smallest moves, she's just grateful to exist again. For now, she put a pause on her life that was only about academic papers and research, it's time for a well deserved break. She still helps out here and there (she just can't help herself) when it comes to writing.
Polaris is unsure about what she'll do next. Maybe she should pay a visit to a certain someone finally... He doesn't know she's been here the whole time.
