Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They let out a breath, exhaling softly as they awoke to the stars.
As they stood up from where they were lying on the ground, they turned to see a grinning Slate looking over at them.

"There's our pilot! Back from your pre-launch campout under the stars, I see.”

Obsidian smiled and went over to where they were leaning over by the fire.
“So it's Launch Day, eh? Seems like only yesterday you joined the space program, and suddenly here you are, leaving on your first solo voyage.
What do you say - ready to get this beauty off the ground? It's all fueled up and ready to go!"

The hatchling smiled, “All systems go!”

Slate’s grin grew wider. "Glad you're excited, but remember, if you wreck the ship I'm not building you a new one. I'm not made of lightweight reentry grade aluminum alloys, you know.”
There was a hint of seriousness in their tone.
“Anyway, you'll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you've said your goodbyes or whatever."

With that, the hatchling immediately ran off to get their launch codes. They didn’t see Slate watching them leave with an amused smile.

Along the way, they saw Mica standing there, in their goggles and with their hand on their hips. They perked up as they saw Obsidian approaching.

“Hey, it's you! Slate said you're blasting off in your ship today. I'm really excited to see the launch! Aren't you gonna go into space? Aren't you? You better not have changed your mind!” Mica’s speech grew increasingly excited.

“Hey, I’m still going!” Obsidian reassured.

“You better be! It's been forever since anyone launched into space. I really, really want to see it.
Really bad.
Hey, you want to try out my model ship? Slate says it's just like the real thing, only less likely to start a fire."

Obsidian attempted to fly the model rocket, only for it to immediately spin out of control as they attempted to tilt it slightly forwards. “Whoa.” They spoke, feeling a bit flustered.
“Wow, that was just like the time the external fuel tanks exploded on reentry! You'll... you'll be okay flying the big one, right?” They said, nervously.

Obsidian sheepishly chuckled and said, “I guess I’m not used to calibration of the controls for this. I’ll be fine flying the big one.”
Obsidian headed off, trying to shake off their embarrassment to say the rest of their goodbyes.

To Tephra and Gelena.

"Hullo, astronaut!"
“If it isn't my favorite troublemaker.”
“We wanted to play hide and seek, but Moraine won't let us borrow their Signalscope because it's 'really delicate' and 'not supposed to be thrown around like that.'
Hey, hey, can we use your Signalscope? Can we? Can we, please? We'll even let you be 'it'!"
“Sure, let's play!”
"Woohoo! Okay, here are the rules. Galena and me will hide with these radios, and you'll use your Signalscope to find us.
Last one to be found wins! Okay, close your eyes and start counting!"

Their eyes closed as they counted to 20. As soon as they finished, they opened their eyes and took their signoscope, setting the frequency to ‘Hide and Seek.’
After a little bit of direction, they heard the sound of the radio and walked towards it. Finding it was behind the waterfall. They spotted Tephra crouching there and smiled.
"Awww, you found me? But my hiding spot was super good! Don't forget, you have to find both of us okay?"
Giving a quick nod, they turned around to find the second signal of the radio, identifying it on top of one of the roof of the houses. After a quick climb up, they spotted Gelena crouching down similar to Tephra.
“...I won? I’m happy… Thanks... for playing with us.” They whispered.

To Porphy.

“Heyo, hatchling! I hear you're leaving us to seek adventure amongst the stars. When you return, let's you, me, and Gossan open up a bottle of the Good Stuff.”
“The Good Stuff is less 'delicious sap wine' and more "daunting digestive challenge'.”
“An iron stomach is the mark of a true Hearthian, my friend. Our hardy hunter-gatherer lifestyle stems from trial and error. By which I mean our ancestors survived eating a lot of bad things.”

To Rutile.

“You're actually blasting off in that thing, huh?”
“They really don't explode as often anymore.”
“All I know is between the space program and Mica's model rockets, things seem to burn to the ground around here more than they used to.”

To Marl.

“So it's launch day, huh? Hal's going to miss you. Speaking of launch day... I was thinking about it, and the platform those ships launch from is getting old. Isn't about time you built a new, less flammable one? That big tree in the village would be the perfect choice. I wouldn't mind helping out the space program. Just say the word!"

“The launch pad is FLAMMABLE?!”
Several members of the village felt themselves snort at that. Although they never made a sound in the real world.
"Ha! You didn't realize that? Don't worry, it's held up for all the launches so far. It'll definitely be fine for yours. Probably."

Obsidian made a quick return to Rutile.

“Hey, what can I do for you?
“Marl is plotting to cut down that big tree. Again.”
“Sigh... I suppose it's my duty as mayor to stop them. Again. When Marl fell out of that tree and broke their arm, I suspect they might have also hit their head on the way down.”

They approached Gniess.

“Hello there, space cadet! I hear you're leaving the crater today. If you meet any of the other travelers up there, remind them to take proper care of their instruments, won't you?”
“Just saying hi before I leave.”

“Take care of yourself up in space!”

Spinel was next.

“Fishing rhyme, fishing rhyme... Singing helps me pass the time. You're leaving the crater? Guess we'll all be a little busier without you around to lend a hand. That big water planet, Giant's Deep - that's where I'd go."
“Why's that?”
"One time, after the rest of the village had left to sleep and it was just the two of us sitting around the campfire, Gabbro told me about their first trip to Giant's Deep.
They landed their ship easily enough in the waves, but couldn't see too far down, on account of how murky the water was, I guess. Too dark. Gabbro wanted to see what lay beneath the surface, so they decided to travel deeper. They travelled down, and down… But suddenly, Gabbro couldn't go any further."
“Tell me more.”
"I will, I was just pausing dramatically."
"As though exercising a will of its own, the water was refusing to let Gabbro go any deeper. It held Gabbro back. ...Almost as if it were trying to protect them from something.
And then, in the terrible darkness, Gabbro saw it...!
The tentacle of some hideous beast!"
“Is that all true?”
"Heard it from Gabbro themself! Gabbro can be a little fanciful, sure, but they aren't a liar. I mean, probably, anyway. I guess if you want to know if the story's entirely true, you can go see Giant's Deep for yourself!"

Arkose.

“Hi, astronaut! You know the patch of ghost matter inside this fence? Gossan said it used to be bigger when they were a hatchling. 'Cause ghost matter evaporates. It just takes a su-u-u-per long time to go away. I hope there's still ghost matter in the village when I'm a grown-up. Ghost matter is awesome!”
“Ghost matter is super cool. It'll burn the heck out of you!”
“Yeah! I heard touching it hurts so bad it feels like your whole hand's on fire!
Try not to walk into any in space, okay? That sounds bad and painful.”

Gossan.

“Hey, I thought I might see you before the big launch. Nerves getting the better of you?”
“I’m a little nervous, yeah.”
“Good. Everyone should be a bit nervous going into space. I got cocky during my first flight and nearly put a new crater in the moon. Still, I was never as green as you.”
“Hey, I’ve gotten better!”

“Think so, do you? Feel like proving it to your old flight coach? There’s a “satellite” — which is definitely not just a piece of broken mining equipment — set up down in the zero-g cave and in need of repairs. If you’re looking for a little last-minute zero-g practice, head down the lift and into the cave. Or don’t, so long as you’re confident you can make ship repairs in space.”
“Nah, I’m ready for the real deal.”
“Heh. Darn right you are. Don’t get yourself killed out there, you hear? Not after I’ve put this much work into training you. ...Haha, go on, go make Outer Wilds Ventures proud.”

Moraine.

“Hm? Oh, hello, astronaut. This is good weather for your launch, right? That's lucky!”
“Any good sounds from space today?”
“There are! My signalscope is set to the Outer Wilds Ventures frequency, so I'm listening to the travelers' music. Last night I heard Riebeck's banjo coming from Brittle Hollow. I hope that means they're safe. I can hear different planets, too! it depends on what time of day or night it is, since different planets are in the sky at different times. Signalscopes are cool.”

And finally… to Hal and Hornfels.

“Hey, hey, it’s my favourite astronaut! Launch day at last, huh, buddy? It’s the translator tool’s inaugural flight, too! I’m so excited it’s making me nauseous.
Just think — you’ll be able to translate any Nomai text you want, anywhere you are. The two of us put a lot of hours into inventing that tool, so don’t break it, okay? Haha! ...Oh, geez. Do not break it.
...Ugh, ignore me, okay? I’m just nervous. And I’m not even the one going into space! How are you feeling?”
“I’m excited!”
“Good! You’ve only been waiting for this day since we were hatchlings. I can’t wait to see all your training pay off!
So what’s the dirt? You here to see the new Nomai statue?”
“New statue?”
“You haven’t heard? Gabbro brought it back with them from Giant’s Deep, and Hornfels just finished prepping it for display. This is it right here. Neat, huh?
Makes me wish we could see what a real live Nomai looks like, but I guess this is as close as we’ll ever get. Check it out — looks like they had fur! Fur is weird.
This is the first fully intact statue ever found, you know. And for how old it is, it’s in great shape!
...Ah geez, I got a little carried away there. Go on, you have a ship to launch! Take care of yourself out there, you hear?”

“There you are! I just finished pre-flight observations, and local conditions are good. Time to get our newest astronaut off the ground! And you’ll be our first astronaut ever equipped with a Nomai translator tool! I confess, I’ve been giddy all day just thinking about it. We’re better equipped than ever to unravel the mysteries of the Nomai. You and Hal should be very proud of your work! Tell me, what’s your plan once you’re in space?”
“I’m gonna wing it!”

“Planning to follow in the footsteps of Feldspar and the great Outer Wilds Ventures tradition, are you? I might have guessed. Well, see if you can’t put that translator tool of yours to good use while you’re out there!
Well then, looks like all that’s left is to send you off! All in all, it’s a fine day for a launch!”
“I’m ready to get off this rock!”

“Excellent! You’ll be needing the launch codes, then." They slipped them a piece of paper with some of the most important writing there would be.
"Here they are. Best get off the ground before Slate makes any more modifications to your ship, eh? Good luck out there! Let me know if I can help you with anything.”
With all that they needed, they rushed down the observatory, their mind racing as they thought of what they planned to do. The first thing they would do is probably visit Esker on the moon. It was tradition after all. And there were Nomai ruins there, and it would be a perfect place to warm up before they went along to other planets.
Oh, they were so giddy and happy as they felt themselves taking one step after another to their life-long dream.
And then… they heard the sound of stone grinding and startled. They looked up to see the statue moving towards them.
The statue suddenly opened its eyes, and they felt themselves gasping as the glowing, blue eyes locked onto them and pulled.
They felt their memories flashing back right before their eyes, playing back to them with glowing, blue lights shining around them. They were locked in place, unable to move or make a sound as they felt their mind being extracted. It wasn’t painful, just strange.
Once the memories reached to where they were now, the lights suddenly stopped, and the statue's eyes stopped glowing.
They didn’t know it. But that moment was the beginning of the end.

Obsidian blinked in confusion, looking around to see if anyone else noticed. But no one else was around. They frantically ran out to see Hal standing there with a stick they were whittling away.
“Hey, hey! So did you get a good look at that Nomai statue?”
“The statue looked at me and opened its eyes!”
“Whoa, whoa — the statue was doing what?”
Obsidian frantically explained everything that had occurred.
“So its eyes opened, and then you saw images from your own memories and glowing lights flying around? You mean like a hallucination?
Listen, no offence, but… are you sure you’re okay to launch? Like, medically speaking?”
“No, that statue is definitely weird.”
“I mean, if you’re saying it happened, then… I guess maybe it did. But why?
Hornfels tried everything to get the statue’s eyes to open, and nothing like this ever happened to them. I don’t think you’re going to get any answers from the museum statue, but Gabbro said they were going back to Giant’s Deep. Dunno which island they’re on, though. Maybe they’d be able to tell you more? On the other hand, Gabbro’s, y’know, Gabbro, so maybe you’d be better off searching for more info on your own.
...Geez, now I’m really jealous you’re going into space! Hey, see if you can use our translator tool to find out more about the statue, okay?
Good luck, and safe flying!”

Obsidian was now even more excited to get to space. What had happened to them? What was with the statue? They now had a plan. After visiting the moon, they were going to go off the Giant’s Deep to investigate the statue.
But as they ran to the launch tower, they slowed as they spotted Tephra along the way. They paused, getting them again.
"Hullo, astronaut! Are you going into space today? Are you going into space and never coming back like Feldspar did?"

What?
“...What?”
"Yeah, um, Hornfels says Feldspar went away into space and didn’t come back. Hornfels says Feldspar was the best pilot ever, but no one knows what happened to them."
“Hornfels probably shouldn’t be telling you stuff like that.”

"Hornfels says that, too. But if Feldspar disappeared, you might disappear, too, right?
You’re not as good as Feldspar, so you should be really careful not to get lost."

Obsidian nodded and continued on their way. They really didn’t want to think about that right now. They passed by Slate and let out a smile to them before they went to input the launch codes. But before they could.
“Hey, hold up a sec!”

Obsidian paused, tilting their head towards them.
“I was going to tell you about using the ship log to set destination markers for locations you’ve visited before. It’s a brilliant feature, if I say so myself. Added it last night. Dead useful. And the risk it poses of shorting out the fuel regulator and causing the ship to explode is so minimal that only Gossan would worry about it."

“Use the ship log to mark a location I want to revisit. Got it."

“‘Wow, Slate! How do you come up with these incredible ideas?’ Oh, I do the best I can with what I’ve got. Really, you’re too kind."

“Slate, you are a technological marvel.”

"...Whoa, say that again! Please? That sounds so good when it’s not sarcastic."

They rolled their eyes and input the launch codes. The lift began to rise, and they stared in nervous excitement as their ship came into view.
They giddily ran into their ship, letting the Nomai gravity rings lift them up into their ship. The hatch sealed shut behind them.
Their space suit, patched from rough landings and emblazoned with the Outer Wilds Ventures logo, hung in a cubby to their right, with their trusty Little Scout beside it. To their left, their ship’s reactor and a gravity crystal glow. At their back sits the navigational computer and log that will store all of their discoveries over the course of their flight.
Only the members knew how important that computer would really be.
And, before them, the controls… The key to the start of their journey.
They sat down, fastened themselves in their harness and engaged the thrusters for liftoff.

Chapter Text

The vibrations of the engines reverberated through their hands and into their body. The feeling of gravity pushed them down heavily as they ascended to the stars. The feeling of joy and excitement as they rose to space for the very first time.

Those were things that they never realized how much they would miss from then on.

As planned, the first thing they did was angle their ship towards the Attlerock, seeing the smoke in the camp that was most likely where Esker was.

Their landing was a little rough. Most definitely due to the fact that they weren’t ready for the lack of atmosphere that would slow their descent. They jostled forward roughly as the ship landed with a loud thunk, but nothing was damaged. The hatchling exited the ship and walked closer to the smoke, where they could now see was coming from a campfire. They were immediately greeted by Esker.

“Oh, hey, it’s you! Ground control didn’t tell me you were launching. Long time no see!
Actually, I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone.”

The hatchling frowned. “Don’t the other travelers come by?”

Esker shrugged. “The Lunar Outpost saw more traffic back when our ships were less sophisticated and needed more frequent repairs. Nowadays, it’s mostly used to keep a set of eyes on things. Sometimes Chert comes by to say hi, but Gabbro is Gabbro, and you know how Riebeck feels about 'unnecessary spaceflight.'”

“Lunar Outpost? What is this place?” They asked.

“Ha ha, very funny.…”

Esker stared at the hatchling, seeing that their face hadn’t changed.

“Oh, stars above, you’re serious, aren’t you? That’s just depressing.
Sigh… Welcome to the Lunar Outpost, which apparently the space program doesn’t bother to teach anyone anymore. When we first started Outer Wilds, travellers used to bring their ships here all the time for repairs. Our spacefaring technology has improved loads since then, but the older ships tended to, uh, fall apart a lot. Like, more than they do now. Using the outpost cut down on the number of launches and landings taking place in the village, and also the number of fires. Nowadays, though, it’s mostly just me up here raising saplings from Timber Hearth and keeping an eye on things.”

“Hmmm… well… haven’t you gone to see the Nomai ruins on the moon?”

“Yes, I have. They are really remarkable…”

“Yeah! Well, I guess I’ll go and explore them myself!”

“You’re going?” Esker said, sounding a little panicked.

“I’ll come back. I’m the first Hearthian in space to go with a Nomai Translator tool! We’ll see what it reveals.” They reassured gently.

“Oh! You were able to translate the Nomai language? How exciting! Ever since Feldspar brought back that chunk of rock with Nomai writing, we’ve been dying to know about the Nomai. And now this is a huge step! The ruins are at the South Pole."

"South pole, got it! Thanks, Esker."

"No problem, come back and tell me what you find!”

“I will.”

And with that, the hatchling set off. But before they left, they turned around,

“Oh, before I go, Marl says hi.”

Esker smiled. “Heh, Marl is probably the only one who remembers I’m up here. I should go see the big lug soon. Don’t tell them about this, but sometimes I throw my Little Scout down to make sure Marl isn’t doing anything stupid. I worry that big tree in the village wouldn’t stand a chance otherwise.” 

The hatchling let out a chuckle before going off to explore the ruins. It was a short distance away, and they quickly reached the Nomai ruins.  

The discovery that they made was already incredible… The Nomai were searching for something called The Eye of the Universe. They built this signal locator to find it, but couldn’t? 

There were already a ton of answers and questions with that alone. They were thrilled their translator tool was working so well! The hatchling smiled and turned around to head back to Esker, excited to share what they discovered. But as they ascended the stairs and walked on the surface of the moon, they paused.

Their eye caught the sun, basking over them with its powerful red rays…

Red rays?

The hatchling stared in absolute confusion as they registered what they were looking at. The sun was… red? Not only that… but it was bigger? 

The hatchling couldn’t even move, frozen in place out of shock and horror as the sun... for the very first time, shrank down and exploded in a violent supernova.

They were completely helpless as the remnants of the sun’s ionizing rays annihilated them.

...

Nothing… except for a cold black void. Until suddenly, a Nomai mask revealed itself before them. The same purple lines that had appeared with the statue appeared again right in their face. Their memories began playing back, just like the event with the statue… only in reverse. From their death on the moon to when they woke up under Giant’s Deep. And then-

They gasped, waking up to see the strange explosion above them again. They stood up, looking around frantically.

“There’s our pilot!” Slate crows. They sit on a nearby log, stoking the coals with their marshmallow branch. “Enjoying your pre-launch campout under the stars, I see.”

The hatchling stared at Slate, shaken and confused.

“So, it’s launch day, eh?” Slate continued. “Seems like only yesterday you joined the space program, and suddenly here you are, leaving on your first solo voyage. What do you say—ready to get this beauty off the ground? It’s all fueled up and ready to go!”

The hatchling blinked at their words before sputtering. “Did…did I just…die?”

Slate let out a boisterous laugh.

“Whoa, bad dream or something? You still look half asleep, but that’s a negative on being deceased.” Even with a joking tone, Slate looks mildly concerned. “I know it’s tradition to sleep out under the stars the night before a launch, but if you ask me it makes you all a bit jumpy.”

The hatchling didn’t know what to say. That dream felt so… real. What a terrible dream to have right before their launch day. Though it was extremely random. They didn’t dream of themselves crashing… or dying because of suffocating, or ghost matter… or any of the common dangers of space they had been drilled for hours and hours upon… they died because of the sun going supernova?

The sun wasn’t even supposed to go supernova for a long time! Why was that the thing they dreamt of, of all things?

But as they walked through the village… things only got stranger.

Every single goodbye they had with the rest of the village was the exact same in their dream. Some things they could probably understand, such as their interaction with Mica’s ship, playing hide and seek with Tephra and Galena, and Rutile’s apprehension towards the space program. But their words were the exact same… and there were some things they had NO idea how they dreamt of. Such as the hiding spots that Tephra and Galena would choose, Spinel’s story of Gabbro and Giant’s Deep, Marl saying the launch pad was flammable. Their confused expression seemed to draw a little concern from some of the villagers. But they probably chalked it up to nervousness over their first launch.
 
As they approached Gossan, however, and Gossan offered them some last-minute training with the satellite, they finally had to break the silence.

Gossan clocked the look on Obsidian’s face and asked. “What’s wrong?”

The hatchling let out a small, confused huff. “You don’t-?”

Gossan tilted their head, waiting for their student to continue.

“You don’t remember? Any of this?” They asked.

Gossan frowned, “Remember what?”

“This.” The hatchling stated, gesturing at them. “My launch day? Like this… happened before?”

Gossan only got more confused. “I'm sorry?”

Obsidian shook their head. “Like… I think I…" They let out a small laugh. "Stars, I had a weird dream.”

“Ah…" Gossan said. "This dream shook you up?”

“Well, yeah. It did… but now it’s… confusing me.” 

“What do you mean?” Gossan asked patiently, prepared to reassure them.

“I woke up, went to the Observatory to get the launch codes, and said my goodbyes to everyone. And… every interaction and event was exactly the same in my dream… I even dreamt that you would give me this last minute training with the satellite!”

Now, Gossan was just as confused as the hatchling. “I… don’t know what to make of that, hatchilng.”

Obsidian seemed to realize the absurdity of their own situation and shook their head. “Never mind. Uh… I’ll skip the extra training! I’m ready… I’ll just… go now. Thank you, Gossan…
Stars, what kind of dream was that?”

Gossan watched as they went, confused. They had thought they had some kind of a nightmare… not that they somehow predicted the fact that they were going to give them extra training… with the same satellite? And their goodbyes being the same?

The hatchling skipped up to the observatory, only to freeze in place.

The statue… the exact same statue in their dream was there, with Hal and Hornfels standing next to it and observing it intently. In the same place. But there was one key difference.
Their eyes were open like they had in their dream. The hatchling approached, feeling more and more disturbed and confused as time went on.

“Hey, I was just about to come find you! Look look look, you’ve gotta see this — the Nomai statue’s eyes are open! They, uh, used to be closed. Probably should’ve started with that. And now they’ve opened! We’re not sure why they opened, since no one actually saw it happen, but this is huge news! Should someone tell Gabbro? Or maybe Riebeck? Oh, stars, this is so exciting, it’s making my stomach hurt!"

Now they felt themselves starting to shake a little bit. They couldn’t believe they had somehow dreamt that up. 

“Huh… that’s cool! Uh… I’m here for the launch codes.”

“Hmm? Oh, right! Let me get them for you!” Hornfels went off into the Observatory to get the launch codes.

“Are you ok?” Hal asked, seeing Obsidian’s expression.

“Just a really weird dream, that's all.” Obsidian said.

“Oh... You ok?” Obsidian nodded slightly at that.

“Here you go!” Hornfels said, coming down with a small smile and handing over the slip of paper to them.

As the hatchling looked at the paper, it started trembling slightly as they stared at it while their hands gripped it tightly.

“Obsidian? What’s wrong?” Hal asked, noticing them.

The hatchling shook their head and frowned, “How is that possible?”

“How is what possible?” Hornfels asked.

The hatchling started stammering. “I… I had a dream, right before I woke up… I dreamt that I had already launched. I had said my goodbyes, I went up to get the launch codes… and the launch codes in my dream are the exact same as the ones you just gave me!”

Hornfels was confused, “What?”

The hatchling seemed to deflate, “Just… forget it. Uh… the statue was found on Giant’s Deep, right? Gabbro found it?”

Hal looked visibly surprised. “Yes! Yeah. And with our translator tool, maybe you can find more info on the statue and why its eyes just opened!”

“Be careful on Giant’s Deep hatchling. The vortexes are rather dangerous.” Hornfels warned.

The hatchling nodded and set off, confused.

They greeted Tephra like before, but quickly rushed off. The statue must have done something. The dream was too detailed, too real, to have been just a dream.

***

As they blasted off into space, the first thing they did was set off to find Gabbro. They were the ones who knew about the statue. Hopefully, they had some answers. As they breached Giant’s Deep, they were a little unprepared for the vortices that would be around. But they carefully avoided them and took out their signoscope. They followed their flute with their signoscope and landed on the island that they were on. The conversation that followed would arguably be their most important one ever since the nightmare they hadn’t known that had just entered.

“Nice, it’s you. Good to see you made it here in one piece. The first solo launch is a doozy, isn’t it? So hey, don’t laugh, but I think I might have just, like, died? Somehow? Do you remember, y’know, dying a few minutes ago? Maybe?”

“Wh-What? You too?”

“Okay, cool, that’s what I thought. It was all way too vivid to be a dream. I radioed Hornfels again to ask if they had died, too, but I’m pretty sure they thought I was being metaphorical. Well, if you remember dying, then I guess I didn’t just fall asleep and have a weird dream or something. I dunno what’s going on, though. Today’s been weird. Like, I was on a different island earlier, right? I was on the beach looking at one of those big stone statues of a Nomai head, and the next thing I know, it’s looking back at me, glowing. The sculpture replays everything I’ve just done, like it’s been watching me through my own eyes, you know? And then suddenly it stops and everything’s normal again.”

“That happened to me at the observatory.”

“You too, huh? Come to think of it, when I died, I saw what I’m pretty sure were my memories going backward, just like that time with the statue. Do you think the Nomai statues are related to us dying somehow? And another thing — we died, but we aren’t dead? That’s pretty unusual for Hearthians.”

Obsidian resisted the urge to scoff at that. They knew Gabbro was… eccentric. But this? This was definitely the weirdest they had ever seen them.

“Where did you find this statue?” They asked, hoping that Gabbro would give a straight answer. Luckily, they did.
“There's an island. Hard to miss. There's some gravity crystals on the side. The statue I found was on it. Heh. We must be linked now. I guess my statue and I are always together now, in a manner of speaking. Just like you and your statue are.”

… Ok… they were just going to leave now.

“I'm… gonna go investigate.”

“Cool, cool. Take it easy out there.”

From then on. It was discovery after discovery.

They found out a lot. The Nomai made the statues for the Ash Twin Project. The statues were meant to link to someone in the event of a failure. Whatever that meant.

But soon enough, the sky darkened as the sun exploded again. 

They felt themselves panicking. Their dream had been real. It must have been. They didn't know what to do; would they wake up again? Or was it all just some kind of premonition that they failed to act upon?

They didn't have much time to think before the superova consumed them again.

And then they woke up.

***

From then on... the vision seemed to skip ahead. The hatchling realized they were in a time loop, and they used the chance to learn everything they could about the solar system.

The time loop continued for some time. They learned a lot. They learned more than they ever dreamed of learning. 

The Nomai’s arrival in this solar system, chasing after a signal older than the universe. Their fate in Dark Bramble. The escape pods. The hanging city. The sunless city. The search for the eye.
The Ash Twin Project…

The interloper…

But none of it mattered… it all didn't matter at the end.

The first clue came in with Chert.

“Goodness, it’s you! Hello! I take it your first launch went well, then? Welcome to the Hourglass Twins. Mind the sand, now.”

It didn’t seem like much at first… just a simple conversation.

“Hornfels asked me to update our star charts, so I’m out here observing. This is one of the best places in the solar system to spot astronomical events, you know.
What’s weird is I’ve actually seen a couple of supernovae today. Usually, I’d be fortunate to see just one. Keep an eye or two on the stars, and maybe you’ll spot one yourself!”

“How do I know if I've spotted a supernova?”

“Supernovae look like extra bright stars to the naked eye, but if you zoom in with your signalscope, you can tell that they’re actually enormous explosions.
Massive stars go supernova at the very end of their life spans, which is why it’s so unusual to see two in a single day.
I wonder if some of these stars are older than we realized?”

It wasn't just some of them…

“Hornfels noticed our star charts are out of date, so I came out here to update them. But something seems... how to put this... off. I’ve seen, what, ten supernovae by now? Twelve? They’re in the double digits now, and that’s, you know, not normal. Not normal at all...”

They didn't really understand the implications at first.

“The stars! They’re all dying! There’ve been too many supernovae for it to be anything else! We’re next, do you understand?! Our sun! By Hearth’s name, we’re next!”

They were taken aback. They hadn't processed the first thing they said. The only thing they focused on was the realization that Chert knew their sun was going to go supernova.
But still, as they heard what they said. They had to ask.

“Why are the stars dying?”

“I don’t know — they’re old! Far older than we realized and now all of them are dying!
What does it matter?! It doesn’t! It doesn’t matter at all! Nothing matters anymore! All my research, my life’s work, wasted!
WASTED, YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

I'm so sorry… Chert.

“Oh, hello… Come, sit with me, my fellow traveller. Let’s sit together and watch the stars die.”

Their naive self didn't understand the full scope of what Chert had discovered.

“If it helps, we’re in a time loop, so we won’t really die.”

“Ah, that’s a lovely thought. Is that how you’re coping with this? Does it help?”

The hatchling chose not to respond. Knowing there wasn’t any way they could comfort them at that point. So instead, they sat down next to them, leaning close to them… but not quite touching them.

“A time loop, you said? I like that idea…” They muttered.

The hatchling quietly sat together, watching with Chert as the sun compressed down into that ball of white before exploding out violently. The explosion ripped them apart.

***

The next clue came on the vessel.

CANNA: To any Nomai clans whose Vessels can hear this message:

CANNA: It’s clear the universe is dying. There are fewer and fewer resources and safe places within space now, so my clan and I believe the best option is for all of our clans to stay together.

The words rang like alarm bells in their head.

The universe is dying.

The hatchling continued to translate, their hands growing shaky with every sentence they read.

CANNA: If you can reach the Gloaming Galaxy, we’ve found that Blackrock’s suns are fairly stable, and life in this star system is (comparatively) thriving. We live in relative safety.

CANNA: If you prefer to continue exploring alone, know you will be on your own.

BROMI: Canna, we’re making our way to you.

CANNA: It’s good to hear from you, Bromi! We’ll watch for your Vessel.

CANNA: Has anyone heard from Neem? His clan was on its way to our Vessel, but they never arrived, and he hasn’t sent any messages. I’m beginning to worry.

BROMI: That is unsettling. It reminds me of that old myth my grandfather used to tell, the Disappearance of Escall.

CLEM: I remember hearing that story as a child! One day, Escall’s Vessel simply stopped responding. The other clans searched and searched, but found no trace. It was as if their missing friends had warped out of existence.

HYSSOP: That’s no myth, friends; Escall’s clan existed, and their story was real.

BROMI: What a curious event to have passed into myth! Our ancestors’ ancestors were told that story when they were young. Are you sure it’s true, Hyssop?

HYSSOP: It was a very long time ago, but yes. My clan’s ancestors searched for Escall’s clan for a long time, but in the end, none of them were ever seen again. (It’s the only time in our history a Vessel has ever disappeared this way.)

NEEM: Hyssop, I hope you aren’t comparing Escall’s story to my clan’s Vessel!

CLEM: Neem, my friend! We feared you were gone!

NEEM: Not yet, we aren’t, but nearly. We found trouble during our warp: The triple suns of the Bright Spark star system exploded, and it was only a lucky coincidence we weren’t caught in the blast. We’ll meet you soon, Canna!

CANNA: I’m relieved your clan is safe, Neem! It’s good to hear your words. Any Vessels nearby, remember to be extremely cautious of potentially unstable stars (which is most of them, now).

The hatchling was hardly processing most of it. The two things that were foremost in their mind.

The universe is dying… and these messages were sent long enough for Escall’s clan to turn into a myth. How long ago were these messages… how long has the universe been dying? 

Their mind flashed back to Chert’s words, and they froze.

No… no.

They shook their head.

No! No, it's the sun station… it has to be! It was designed to cause a Supernova for Hearth's sake!

No… their sun wasn't going supernova just because it was old… it couldn't have been. It had to be because of the sun station.

They would go there next. They had to.

***

The sun station was the final nail in the coffin. 

It was a terrifying sight. But it was the discovery that they had been building themselves up to this whole time.

At least, that’s what they tricked themselves into believing at the time.

They would finally turn off the sun station, stop the sun from going supernova, and stop this time loop. They had quite literally made every discovery and unlocked the secrets of the entire Nomai history. They honestly were dazzled that their first launch led to this.

They winced as the scorching heat could be felt even through their suit. This was the most dangerous thing they had ever done. Well, the second most dangerous. The first was plunging into Dark Bramble without knowing the Anglerfish were blind. 

As they finally reached the entrance of the station, they exhaled and relaxed, looking around for any information they could find to turn off the station. They walked forward and took out their translator, noticing the scroll wall where there was already Nomai writing. They ran towards it and started translating.

PYE: “Mission: Science compels us to explode the sun!”

IDAEA: “Can’t we change this? I don’t enjoy working in view of such a morbid mission statement.”

PYE: “But it’s accurate. We’re going to create a supernova for the purpose of scientific progress. That’s our mission.”

IDAEA: “Our mission is to decide if such an irresponsible feat is even possible.”

IDAEA: “Here’s a better one. Mission: Determine if it’s possible to prompt the sun to explode.”

PYE: “You lack a sense of humor.”

IDAEA: “At least I don’t lack a sense of ethics!”

PYE: “Kindly refrain from going supernova on me before the sun does, Idaea.”

The hatchling lowered their translator. Well, even if there was no information on how to turn it off. This confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that this was the cause of the Supernova. At least they finally knew what was causing their sun to explode. But there was a question in their head that was nagging them.

Why was it working now?

The text they had translated just as they had warped onto the station came back to them.

“281,042 YEARS AGO: No user commands received for 10 minutes. All systems entering sleep.”

281,042 years ago… that’s how long ago the Nomai perished… when the interloper came and exploded with the ghost matter that wiped them out. But if that was the case, how was it possible that the sun station was working now? Perhaps something had just jostled after a couple of hundred thousand years that turned on a switch or something that caused the sun to fire. 

Yes, that had to be it.

Well, they would just have to look out for any kind of controls that could turn it off.

But just like that… their hopes were shattered with a few sentences.

YARROW: “What happened? Did the Sun Station not fire?”

PYE: “It fired, Yarrow. But it failed. The sun barely responded; there were infintestimally small surface-level changes, but they were barely visible, even to the third eye.”

“The Sun Station is useless. It will never, and could never, cause the sun to explode.”

The hatchling started trembling… “No.” They whispered, their voice breaking.

They read the rest. Just a confirmation of the failure of the sun station, each word as crushing as the rising sands on Ember Twin.

They turned to the rings… and translated.

"Star has reached end of natural life cycle. Now approaching red giant stage. WARNING: Evacuate Sun Station."

Their hands started trembling even more, the existential horror and realization taking over their mind.

They lowered the translator tool.

"Approximate time until Sun Station is destroyed by expanding star: 1 MINUTES, 2 SECONDS
Approximate time until star’s death: 12 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS"

The timer counted down, almost mockingly, at the time they would be consumed by the sun. 54 SECONDS… 53 SECONDS…

Their trembling grew even more… to the point where they couldn’t even translate the text properly anymore, the sentence flickering in and out on the screen.

Suddenly, the hatchling let out a mangled scream as they tightly gripped the translator and smashed it against the floating rings.

They collapsed onto the ground, not caring at all that they were going to die in 50 seconds. Not caring about the scorching heat that was starting to penetrate through the sun station.

What did it matter? They couldn't stop it. Their sun wasn't exploding because of the Sun Station, or some Nomai interference... it was simply old... It was at the end of its life.

And they were all going to die. 

They were all going to die, and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

The hatchling continued to cry, even as they were incinerated.

***

Obsidian was being consoled by Gabbro, sobbing into their chest. The two of them were both lying on the hammock. 

Gabbro’s expression was also sorrowful. Their eyes closed as tears also flowed down their eyes and cheeks, along with Obsidian.

“Gabbro… I don’t know what to do…” The hatchling whispered, their tears running dry. All that was left was a hollow emptiness.

Gabbro didn’t say anything.

“Even if I turn off the Ash Twin Project… the sun’s going to die… We’re all going to die…”

They whispered.

Gabbro let out a shaky sigh. “I… I have to be honest, Obsidian.” They whispered back. “I kind of suspected already.”

Obsidian didn’t reply, only looking up from their position of being held by Gabbro.

“When you told me… About the sun station. I already had the same question you did when you went there. Why was it working now? And… paired with what you told me about Chert. About the stars dying. I figured it out. But…” Gabbro opened their eyes and looked at Obsidian.

“It still hurts to hear the confirmation of it.”

Obsidian felt their tears returning as they clung to Gabbro.

Gabbro let out a shaky sigh. They had to be strong. For Obsidian.

“Obsidian… listen.”

Obsidian tightened their grip on their suit. As a quiet confirmation that they were listening.

“The simple truth is… There is nothing you or I… or anyone could do about this. None of this is your fault. It’s not the Nomai’s fault… it’s not anyone’s fault…”

Obsidian sobbed, “there has to be something I can do.”

Gabbro closed their eyes again. “There isn’t… you can’t stop the sun from exploding, Obsidian. It’s just… bad luck that it was us.”

Obsidian shook their head, “I can’t… I can’t accept that. I can’t… I CAN’T!” They suddenly screamed.

Gabbro looked down while they screamed into their chest.

“I can’t just let everyone die! There has to be SOMETHING! ANYTHING!” They cried.

Gabbro didn’t speak, letting Obsidian let it out.

“C-Chert’s going to spend the rest of eternity realizing we’re doomed. Riebeck’s never going to explore the hanging city. Hornfels, Slate and Gossan are never going to reunite with Feldspar. Hal… Hal is never going to see all the payoff for his translator… Tephra… Galena… Oh Stars. The hatchling’s… they’re... they're all going to-”

Obsidian sobbed into Gabbro’s suit again. 

Gabbro gently held them, “Obsidian… I know this isn’t… something to just accept. But it’s the truth. Sometimes… things like this? They just… happen. And it’s not our fault… what was it that Solanum said?”

Obsidian let out another cry, not answering. But knowing what Gabbro was going to say.

“The Universe is… and we are. I’m not… I know I sound like I don’t care, but that’s not it. I just… know what you’re thinking right now. You’re thinking that it’s your fault. That you’re worthless. That you can’t save us. But the truth is… you never could save us, and that is NOT on you.”

Obsidian slowly looked up. 

“It’s just like the Nomai… do… do you blame Poke and Pye? For not being able to save the Nomai from the Interloper?”

Obsidian slowly shook their head.

“There wasn’t… anything they could have done.” Obsidian muttered.

Gabbro nodded, “Just like you… there is nothing you can do. Nothing I can do… nothing anyone can do to save us. But maybe… there is something you can do.”

Obsidian perked at that.

“You told me that you potentially found a way to the Eye of the Universe… I think… you should go.” They whispered.

Obsidian swallowed. “Go to the eye?”

“You have the coordinates. You can get to the vessel and it’s only missing an advanced warp core, right? And you have one.”

Obsidian shook their head. “It’s… it’s in the Ash Twin Project. If I take it, it’ll-”

“Stop the time loop and kill us all. I know… but hatchling… who wants to spend eternity getting blown up by the sun?”

Gabbro placed a gentle hand on their cheek, letting their words sink into them.

“Our time already came over 9 million loops ago… the Nomai gave us a chance… and I think finishing their legacy with the Nomai translator tool that you and Hal built, along with all the information that Outer Wilds Ventures like Riebeck, Gossan, Hornfels, Slate, and Feldspar gave you… That’s the best way to honour their legacy and make them matter. Hmm?”

The words seemed to resonate with the hatchling. The sound of a cyclone approaching roared, and soon, they found themselves launched up into space again. 

The two stared at the sun, in its angry red and expanded size. The hatchling let out a shudder.

“I think you’re right… but… I don’t think I’m ready.”

Gabbro nodded. “Don't worry about that. We have all the time in the world.”

The two hugged each other as gravity took hold of them once more.

Once the island settled down, silence overtook them until the familiar boom.

As the shockwave approached them, Obsidian whispered, “Thank you, Gabbro.”

Gabbro could only nod in acknowledgement as the explosion consumed them both.   

Chapter Text

The stranger was a breath of fresh air. A welcome distraction and a new discovery after their existential crisis. They had continued visiting Gabbro regularly, and they brought up the strange glitch with the deep-space satellite. They investigated it simply due to not having anything else to do. They could not imagine the jaw-dropping discovery that it would lead to.

The visions blurred over in rapid succession once again after that. The slide reels, the dream world, the discovery of the forbidden archives…

They could never have imagined that the culmination of all their discoveries, other than the Eye, would be at this location.

Obsidian stared at the strange, wooden structure. The green fire cast an ominous glow to the room that only made it feel even more foreboding.
They stared at the green fire, terrified. They had died before… too many times to count now. They had been burned alive by the sun for most of them, dissolved by Ghost Matter, crushed by sand…

But they had never done this before. They had never made the conscious choice to kill themselves before.

They had to do it. They had already blown out the locks for the one on the raft and the one with the invisible bridge. It had been somehow an incredibly slow, yet incredibly fast journey to the submerged structure after they woke up from the Starlit Cove. They were running out of time, and if they delayed, they would just have to do it again.
Slowly, taking deep breaths, but not deep enough to enter a meditative state, they tightly gripped the artifact in their hands.

Objectively, this wasn’t the worst pain. Getting crushed slowly under Ember Twin’s rising sand or getting burned by ghost matter was more painful. But making the active effort to burn themselves alive made it feel more painful.
Finally, they felt their consciousness slip. And they woke up in the dream world once again.

They shuddered and shook off the phantom burning sensations and ran down into the sealed vault. They really didn’t want to do that again, so they went quickly.
With a quick crossing of the bridge, trying to ignore the feeling of unease at how the alarms no longer woke them up. 

They blew out the last lock.

Nothing happened after that, but the triumph of all the locks disappearing was not lost on them.
They ran across the bridge again and quickly rotated the lock, watching with nervous anticipation as the sealed vault finally opened again for the first time in what was possibly hundreds of thousands of years.

***

Obsidian felt themselves crying.

They couldn’t believe it… they thought that the existential crisis of having their solar system be destroyed, and learning that the Universe was dying, was the worst, most unlucky fate that anyone could possibly have.

Now, they felt blessed that even with this knowledge, they still were able to, in a way, live.  The Prisoner was not living. The idea of spending hundreds of thousands of years in this trapped confinement… completely and utterly alone. They wondered how they hadn’t lost their mind yet. 

They scrambled to grab the vision torch the Prisoner offered. Although they were still reeling from the complete tragedy of the Prisoner… they were still able to put the final piece together. The answer to the unsolved question they have had ever since they discovered everything outside the stranger.

Why did the eye stop calling out?

With that… Obsidian showed them everything. Everything they learned. Pieced together in a way that would truly frame just how much the Prisoner’s actions affected everything.
It was a beautiful moment between the two. Two strangers so far apart… yet so alike in so many ways. They made sure that the Prisoner could receive not only their knowledge… but their gratitude. The incredible connection between them. The fact that the Prisoner was responsible for their long-awaited meeting. For their connection. The fact that they are the reason Obsidian got this chance to complete both the Owlk’s and Nomai's legacy.

The fact that the Prisoner will be the reason why the Universe will not fade to nothing in the end.

When the vision faded, the Prisoner let out a mournful, yet cathartic wail. One that sent shivers down Obsidian’s spine. 

When it died down, the Prisoner slowly walked down to the elevator, turned around, and asked for the vision torch.

Obsidian handed the torch over. The prisoner gave a bow… most likely a sign of gratitude or respect.

They boarded the lift, and Obsidian watched them go.

Obsidian’s heart warmed at the vision the Prisoner left them. Their tracks told them everything they needed to know.

Now, they needed to follow the same call…

With that, Obsidian closed their eyes and walked into the water, joining their new friend, at least for now, in death.

***

A hundred loops sounded like a lot… but when they were only 22 minutes? That was less than 37 hours. And they had explored everything there was in their solar system.

Obsidian and Gabbro were in the hammock again. Obsidian just finished their story of the Prisoner. They chatted for a while, sharing theories, talking about their feelings… all of the things that made Obsidian realize just how glad they were that Gabbro was the one to get stuck in a loop with them.

Of course, maybe they would have preferred Hal… or Gossan… or maybe even Hornfels. They didn’t know. But for now, they were completely content that Gabbro was always there to listen. 

“Obsidian?”

“Yes?”

“I… I have a theory. I think you might have already realized it.” They said quietly.

Obsidian listened closely.

“The vision they saw… of the Eye of the Universe? They saw a vision of everything being destroyed… but then they also saw… plants growing from their dead bodies. I think… they were missing a very key bit of information that we only figured out in this time loop. Something even the Nomai back then didn’t know.”

Obsidian stayed quiet, already guessing what Gabbro was going to say.

“The Universe is dying… And the Eye only began calling out a few hundred thousand years ago. Well, I guess 'only' is still very long for us… but in terms of the age of the universe, a few hundred thousand years is rather short. But the timing of it all…” Gabbro trailed off, looking to Obsidian, who had a knowing look on their face.

“The Eye of the Universe creates a new universe when the old universe dies,” Obsidian spoke quietly.

Gabbro nodded. “Not only that… I’ve been thinking. The Eye is quantum, right? What was it Solanum said? As you approach the eye, the uncertainty increases enormously. And they asked what would happen if you were to enter the eye?” 

Obsidian tilted their head, not knowing where Gabbro was going with this. Gabbro looked up, unable to see the Quantum moon from where they were in Giant’s Deep, but looking up nonetheless.

“Quantum mechanics is based on the fact that the possibilities can only collapse when there is a conscious observer. And if the Eye of the Universe creates a new universe… It must create a new universe by having a conscious observer enter the eye. So what if the Eye of the Universe creates a new Universe based on the observations, or in other words… memories of the conscious observer?”

Obsidian stiffened at that, looking at Gabbro in awe.

It made sense… It made perfect sense. 

“Gabbro… how-?”

“I’ve had nothing to do but think…” Gabbro said, letting out a small smile.

Obsidian let out a small laugh. 

The two dropper back into silence once again, a cyclone picking them up like usual. 

“Gabbro?”

“Yes?”

“It’s… It’s strange, Gabbro. I’ve experienced the Prisoner’s story… I’ve never experienced something like that. And now… I understand more than ever that this? What we are going through right now? It’s not living.”

Gabbro stayed quiet, letting Obsidian speak.

“I know what I have to do now. I… I have to let go. But… Gabs I-”

Obsidian felt the tears starting to flow again. 

“I don’t want to let go, Gabbro. I don’t want to say goodbye…” Their voice cracked.

Gabbro looked at them, their pained expression reflecting the expression on Obsidian’s. 

“I know… I don’t want to say goodbye either.” They whispered.

“But kiddo… we all deserve rest… yeah? Letting go… is hard. But sooner or later, you have to or else it’ll just consume you in the end.” 

Obsidian nodded. They knew what Gabbro was alluding to. They couldn't let themselves end up like the Owlks. Letting their fear and grief consume them.

They gave them a tight hug. “At the very least, the next universe will be based on you… You’ll get to truly put something special together. You’ll make this… all of this… mean something. And that’s as good as you can get with a fate like ours.”

Obsidian cried as they clutched Gabbro, listening to every word.

They were right… They had to go to the Eye… They had to let go… but there were still some people left they needed to say goodbye to.