Vega had lost his star to Antares, damning him to live as a regular mortal. But Spica had seen the future, she had seen that one day, Vega would rise again.

Barnard sometimes finds him in the corners of existence, hiding away from light, hiding away from pain. They say nothing, but there is an understanding between them—an unspoken vow of return. Procyon once whispered to Luyten that he had seen Vega’s light flicker in the dark, a single flare among shadows, a hint of what was to come.