Lineage

Icarus stood still for a bit, basking in the moonlight; still trying to get a sense of his current self. The grass beneath him was cool and slick with dew, the night air quiet save for the occasional rustle of distant leaves. He could feel the pull of the moon on his skin, a soft thrum beneath his ribs. He had decided to accept Astrael and her powers, yet he still had no way to use them. In a desperate attempt to find out he called out her name.

A little bit of timidness still remained but he looked to the stars and called. “Astrael?” After a few minutes of no word back he called out again, this time with clear purpose “How do I use the power of the star I saw? The power of time.”

One of the stars pulsed faintly, a slow rhythm like a heartbeat. Not an answer, not quite—but a sign. A reminder that the power was there. Then he heard a fragmented whisper come from the starry night “Search within yourself, not your old identity but the new one within you. Your name may have changed, but have you?” “Each star is a memory you’ve conquered. Anchor yourself in them—tether your will.” and with that the flickering star dimmed.

And it was true. Although he had accepted the new name bestowed upon him, the memories of his life as Rex stayed in the depths of his consciousness. It was like a parasite he couldnt get rid of; slowly corroding away his mind. But what if he didn't have to forget? After all the reminders of his past was what pushed him to spread his wings and fly higher; to be Icarus. 

Icarus searched within, not letting himself be overcome by the remnants of his past, but letting it empower him and propel him deeper into the echoes of his mind. Within his mind he saw a star, one so distant yet so close as if it were a part of him he couldn't reach. 

He immersed himself into his new identity, flying towards the star like an angel reaching out for the heavens. And then it happened, he dove into the powers of the stars; into liberation. 

Coming back into reality Icarus felt something new, but it wasn't something unfamiliar. It resonated with him as if it had been there all along, he felt power. The wind shifted. It wasn’t just the night air anymore—it carried weight, something ancient. His veins pulsed with a rhythm not entirely his own.

The pulse within him grew louder—no longer a whisper, but a thrum beneath his skin. The air around him felt thicker, like time itself was watching.

He took a deep breath and reached out—not with his hands, but with the part of himself that had always been reaching. The part that dreamed under moonlight, the part that cried out for more.

And something... responded.

The world slowed, not much, but just enough. A leaf hung frozen in the air mid-fall, a drop of water suspended before it hit the earth. His own heartbeat echoed louder in the silence. And with that Icarus took a step forward, his mind still not being able to comprehend what was happening around him. The rustling sounds of leaves turned into a small wave. Time had bent to his will, even if ever so slightly, he had felt accomplished. Then time had taken its course again.

Icarus had lost control of his powers. He needed something more, a way to call upon the powers of Astrael without losing himself within his mind each time. 

He fell to the ground, trying to reach deeper within his thoughts. As he stared into a pulsating star, the memory rose again—unshaken, uninvited. The night he had tried to run. The cold stone under his feet, the guards' footsteps behind him, the pain when he was caught. The tears, and the sky.

He remembered the star that streaked across the sky, and the whisper that left his lips, barely a breath.

"I just want to be free…"

And now, with the world silent around him and power thrumming under his skin, the weight of that wish settled over him.

He had wished to be free.

His heart craved for something he was never able to have.

Liberation.

The word echoed through him, not just as a thought, but as truth. A tether.

He whispered it aloud—

"Liberate."

And time bent.