“That I can't tell you,” Chase answered.
“Then what the hellcanyou tell me?” Star growled, then calmed. “I'm sorry, I didn't call you here to vent my anger. It's just I feel like I'm going crazy.”
“It's okay. I kind of get it. It would be the same if I was sent to another world and couldn't use my magic.”
“So you really have magical powers?”
Chase smiled. “Of course, I was born this way.”
Star looked at Chase. “Can...can I see your magic?”
Chase gave him a warm, inviting smile. “Of course,” he said, taking Star's arm. Before Star could say anything, he felt his stomach lurch, and the room spun. His skin tingled as if it were being peeled away, but it wasn’t painful. As quickly as it started, the room snapped back into focus, and Star realized he was no longer in his apartment but in the room where he and Anubis had made love. Star quickly stood but stumbled back down, still feeling a bit dizzy.
“What the fuck! How the hell did we get here?”
“I teleported us here, and it's like how most magical beings like us travel. We can get to where we're going faster.”
“Shit, this is all too much.”
“But isn't that why you called me over to your place? So you can get some answers?”
Star nodded, his tone engaging. “Yeah,” he sighed. “You told me to embrace the magic, and it just so happens that today on the set, I was almost injured by a stage light. But luckily, someone shouted at me to move out of the way in time, and I raised my hand instinctively.” Star made the move without thinking and continued his story, not realizing he had stopped time until he was done talking, and Chase still hadn't said a word and was staring at him, motionless. “Dammit, I did it again,” Star exclaimed, waving his hand and releasing the magic.
“Why are you waving your hand in my face?” Chase seemed confused.
“I just…” Star started but stopped and shook his head. He didn’t know the effects when he stopped time, but it seemed as if Chase, like everyone on set, wasn't aware of what he did. Star thought it would have been different with someone who was more knowledgeable and powerful than him. “I was just saying I believe in magic.”
“That's good.” Chase took his hand. “It will take some time to get used to things, but once you do, you will realize that a world filled with magic is where you belong. Not only that, but your body needs time to adjust to being constantly surrounded by magic. So don’t stress if you’re experiencing aches and pains it will even out soon.”
That explains the headaches. Star nodded, and even though he liked what Chase said, he still had questions. “But why me? And why bring me back to the past in a completely new world? And if there was a Star of this world, what happened to him?” He looked down. “Why couldn't my parents be alive?”
Chase stared at him for a few minutes before he spoke. “You're asking so many questions, and I could get in trouble for this, but it may help you move on. The universe is big, Star. As you can already guess, you're no longer in the previous world you came from. Some worlds mirror another but with slight changes, some are parallel, perpendicular, and others are strikingly different. You might have noticed that the timeline seems off. A few events happened exactly as they did in your past life, and a few things changed because of your decisions.”
Star sat back, thinking about Chase’s words. When it all happened initially, he was so confused he thought he was losing his mind. Not only that, but everything from when he moved to Valleywood was completely different. That meant if he had signed with Equi-Noxx and stayed with Thornton, he might have repeated the same mistakes over.
“You know, whoever did this to me could have given me a fucking manual on navigating in a magical realm.”
Chase smiled but didn’t comment; instead, he asked a weird question. “You’ve heard the word doppelganger, right?”
Star nodded his head.
“Well, most humans have one. And just as the worlds are the same or different, so are the doppelgangers.”
“Do I have one?”
“You did,” Chase answered. “And that's all I’m going to say about that, but I will answer the last question I’ve been trying not to answer, and I hope it settles you down so that you can live your life to the fullest.” He held Star's hand tighter, taking a deep breath. “Your new life was their final request.”
Star's brows furrowed. “Whose last request?”
“Your parents.”
Star gasped, hearing Chase's answer. “What?”
“The gods would have allowed your parents to return, but there was a caveat: you wouldn't return unless they forfeited their reincarnation and gave it to you. And after they saw the tragedies that happened in your life, they didn’t hesitate to give you a second chance. It might seem like everything is different, but your past has changed, and no one else is affected. As for the Star of this world, he died, and that's all I will tell you about them.”
Star didn't understand or know how to feel. He missed his parents so much and wished they were by his side daily. He missed so much growing up without them, and not a day went by that he didn’t miss them. “How...” His voice was strained as he tried to stop himself from crying. “How do you know all of this?”
“You're asking for answers I really cannot give you. I'm sorry, Star, I've already said too much. But know this; your parents did not regret what they did. In fact, it was their idea to send you to this world and for you to have magic. What kind of magic that is, I don't know. But they want you to be happy.”
