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Prologue - Evening State

'Boring shift.' Kilo thought. 'It's finally.'

An animan tiger with stone stripes walked between the shelves of the grocer's backroom. The glow of light across his stripes resonated with the ground he walked on, the stoned soles between his boots connected it. It was this manner which gave him sight too. This would be called corelight.

He found his way further back in, where the small employee shack was. Often smelled of coffee, and the sound of their radio playing whatever hit was nowadays. He's not one for this type of music, preferring the classic bone-howlers. That was a dying fad.

Entering, he took off his apron and undid his tie underneath. The former in particular was very large for him and underneath revealed a smaller but healthy figure. He could still lug his weight around but he's gotten a few apprehensions from first-time customers and children.

Their office breakroom, office, lounge combo serviced two wooden desks, six working chairs, two more that didn't, the aforementioned radio and coffee pot, and five pairs of shared lockers. Stailey's was always open, and their shifts were divided between two heartbeats of their planet, or corebeats as it was colloquially known. And it just so happened that he, like everyone else, felt the corelight surge from the ground underneath, and through the stone accents of their bodies.

Still in his early 20s, Kilo had trimmed white fur, matched with the faded yellow glow under his stripes. His tail was thicker, longer- a gene that his family did not possess. He undid the mesh-net strapped around it, fluffing itself out, its stripes emitting a shinier light for it was free to move about.

Zark was the stone-accented raccoon slouched over on the table. He'd been exhausted arranging the boxes on those shelves. Kilo didn't envy him. He'd do it too but he'd rather be out between the aisles gawking at products and arranging jars and cans compared to boxes. The raccoon's own jacket had been draped over him- must've been Sharla but that lemur had already gone. Always half an hour ahead of everyone else.

Kilo opened his shared locker, showing a mirror on its door, his hoodie on a hanger, a bottle of stale water, and a small whiteboard with a black marker on the side. Sinx, his follow-up shift, left a message on it stating 'S: Dude, you should try that banana milk.' It was one part of the shift he always looked forward to.

'K: I did. Mix it with choccy syrup, you'll thank me later.' He wrote underneath it. He'd hung out with Sinx already, a leopard. Last was several corebeats ago, jumping from one restaurant to another. They'd do it again in a few planet corebeats, and this time Rod would be free to come along. His heart felt lighter at the thought of it, tail wagging behind.

Swapping out his uniform for his dark green hoodie, he closed the door, awakening Zark who dragged his chin on the table to look at him with half-closed eyes.

"Ah, howdy Zark, sorry for waking you." Kilo waved at him.

Having known that he sported a hoodie, "Have a safe trip home, I'mma be here a bit." And lulled back to sleep.

Kilo would've said that he wouldn't be going home, not yet. But he patted him on the back and shifted his jacket to cover him more. Nonetheless he whispered, "I'm gonna hang out with Rod."

Before heading out, he patted his pants pockets and ensured that his phone and wallet were there. One more look back at the sleeping gray raccoon, and his locked locker, he went back out into the storage area with its rear exit on the side.

Upon his way out he heard his co-workers making their way to their quarters where one of the newer employees, whose name he recalled as 'Oxon', shouted and waved at him farewell. Kilo waved back and gestured a finger in front of his lips, and the group spoke quieter as they went in.

Kilo stepped out into the rear parking lot. The sidewalk he stepped on pulsed that same light at intervals similar to one's walk. While the roads and parking spots, except the dividers, were permanently lit up. The work of Illum's evolving and efficient stonemasons was thankless. Beyond the roads and sidewalks, they too made the buildings. The grocery, the apartments across, and even the billboard signs were all composed of regular and corestones that gave light and warmth to an otherwise cold world. His good friend Rod was one of them but he only joined a few dozen corebeats ago, which meant that all his handiwork was to the far East of 'Eve State'. It was relatively easy given this place had a lot of construction material.

Most of these were corestones. Once regular stones that their world had touched, becoming a beacon of life. Plants grew around them, and the animals would sleep near them. The forest behind the grocery hid them, under thick shrubs of old fir-like trees capable of producing bright-nuts, or bruts.

During Kilo's spare time, he, Zark, and an old co-worker who used to work with them, Gail, would skirt along the edge, picking fruit and sharing it with the other workers, and leave baskets of them for the next shift. The latter, in turn, would give them fresh home-baked bread. It was a nice exchange system which only happened at the right corebeats.

Kilo walked around to the front, passing by a next-shift employee who did not recognize him. And he went further towards the gated entrance where cars passed by. Metal-masons, a field of science that succeeded stonemasons, were able to give cars a color of light distinct from the roads. Kilo had no ambitions for such complexities because it was a lot of chemistry and physics he could not be meticulous about. One glance back at Staileys, he wondered if this was his life.

He sighed and crossed the street once there were three lights indicating 'stop', walking further away until Stailey's sign could no longer be seen.

*BEEP BOOP* His phone rang and vibrated in his pocket on the way to Perro's. Rod was calling him. He answered with a swaying tail.

"Hey Rod," his tone was chipper as the corestones seemed to glow brighter. It would never be a dull moment talking with him.

"Ki, just letting you know that I'll be a quarter of a corebeat." Rod spoke with a deep voice, mixed in with the static of poor reception.

"How come?" He slowed his pace, slouching.

"Pont's got something to finally show. He's gotten a breakthrough for corestones." The background sounded like he was moving into a crowded room. Seemed like a big event.

"Is it a new construction method?" Ki recalled the last time they talked about Rod's job. His coworker, Pont, was working on a quick-acting cement that allowed corelight to resonate through, hastening construction and making it more efficient. Neither of them learned of its outcome, which was fair to assume it flopped.

"No, it-" a cheer erupted around Rod's side. "I'll tell you later, it's starting." *BOOP*

That was unusual. Hopefully it would be worth the explanation later. It was discouraging for a moment, Kilo wishing he had spoken more with Rod. There was restlessness that loomed over him, waiting outside Perro's while sitting on one of its benches. People would pass by, and even if Rod said he'd be away for several dozen heartbeats, he'd always glance at passers by seeing if he was him.

Rod was this good-looking stog; a stone-antlered canine who he met in the local job fair, bumping into him both of them spilling their drinks on each other. After buying each other's drinks again, they chatted while going from stall to stall. The day flew by and he had gotten through the anxiety of job hunting because of him. It was how he got a job at Stailey's. His voice was soothing, and he always had this smell of the pines around him. Extremely strong, but sometimes didn't know his limits.

Kilo blushed realizing how much he had thought about him again, and that his tail wagged plenty enough that it polished the stone wall behind him of dust. He hugged his tail to him and patted it clean.

Time passed, glancing at cars and wondering to himself when Rod would show up. He glanced back at his phone and it turned out to only have been a few heartbeats. This time he waited longer, glancing through anything new online. Pont's breakthrough was there, and he read into it.

The quick announcement was slated for today, highlighting a breakthrough that could 'change their world forever'. Which, given all the adverts he had seen, was flavor text to hype up the public. But he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Pont, though having never met the guy, frequently experimented based on what Rod told him. Though oftentimes these 'breakthroughs' were one-time experiments, or something he had done amateurly that other companies have perfected.

Nothing major on the news, just cold winds on the weather, and another sale in Stailey's, which meant an interesting shift at least. And after that, he goes over his phone's gallery. He had been noticing something peculiar on their thumbnails. There were more self portraits of himself and Rod together. Last time was about 28 corebeats ago, singing along with a crowd in Perro's during 'Boy's Night Out' special. And contrasted it to an image he took while they were at the park 100 corebeats ago. Their cheeks were much closer in the former set, and that made him happier.

It couldn't be anything more than a deep friendship, Kilo insisted. But thinking otherwise made his heart flutter, his breathing more relaxed as he leaned back and felt warmer inside. He hugged his tail closer to him, even nuzzling the tip at the thoug-

"What're you doing Ki?" Rod approached him from the left side of the pulsing street. He scoffed at how silly the tiger was being, whose stripes started to strobe while keeping his tail right behind him.

"Hey Rod!" He waved, moving past what he was doing. It took a lot of internal thoughts to try, and fail, to convince his stripes from putting on a light show. Composing himself, seeing his face with those pretty yellow eyes and black fur. "Sorry, am just in a good mood now."

"You mean just now?" He patted his shoulder.

"I meant for a while. Had an awesome shift. Banana milk and chocolate syrup were a good combo." A nod, clearing his throat after. Kilo took a deep breath and opened the door to a slow live music and the sound of hazy revelry about to start. "A-after you."

"Maybe the syrup had too much caffeine in it." Rod stepped in and held it for Kilo who stepped in with his stripes pulsing much more along the beat of the music.

Perro's Light Music Bar was one of the more fancy works of the stonemasons. Constructed more than twenty thousand corebeats ago, by Rod's mentor even, the interior was built on a foundation of stone and corestone while the furniture was predominantly wood, and held together with corestones too. Statues of prominent music figures in their history stood by in every doorway, pulsing with light themselves, built into the walls.

The one that Kilo loved the most was of Kaerl Howler, who made a bone-howler with corestones and discovered the properties that combined sound with the pulsing light. His statue was beside the bar, and Kilo immediately sat on the closest padded stool. Rod sat next and ordered their usuals.

Perro was a quiet stone-dragon by choice, but there were the rare cases his patrons have heard him whistle. He gave a quick nod to his regulars, serving them a glass of lemonade and black rum. The bulky figure, whose wings pulsed with lights synced to the sound of the leathertar being played, showed them a thumbs up- their first round was on the house.

"You're the best Perro!" Kilo raised a cup to him.

"I'll get Vane to give you a discount on the next bar, Perro!" Rod toasted with Kilo and sipped. He savored its preliminary bitterness, and the sour taste of the lemon after. Strong but he had gotten used to it already, taking a swig this time.

The dragon gave a humored slam on the bar, smiling at them, then turned to accommodate the other customers.

Kilo on the other hand took a swig first to tame these feelings he'd been experiencing. A quick glance to Rod who had been giving him these emotions only complicated it further. That moment had prolonged, turning to a gaze where tiny lights danced around the stog. Had it been the drunken stupor or was Rod always able to do that?

"I bet you were wondering what Pont was about at his presentation," Rod gulped down the last of his drink, letting out a satisfied sigh. He slipped a rock chip under his glass and slid it to the bartender. Within moments Perro would replace it but it gave him enough time to turn to the star-eyed tiger who was excited to listen. Perhaps? "You alright there?"

The gentle flash died down, the question pulling Kilo back to his senses. He took another sip along with a nod, and rested his almost empty glass. "I'm fine. What was his presentation about?" The last sip down his throat.

Rod's wonder of his friend's emotions turned to that of a bright opportunity. His fingers ran across the bar's corestone that glowed to his touch. "See this?"

Kilo followed the finger, wondering what it alluded to. And suddenly it was off the corestone, just over his nose.

"Boop," he poked his nose and they both giggled. The tiger's tail swished and swashed in wider swings that he had never seen him do. Even the patrons walked around him, giggling after they both got side-eyed. But such mannerisms could not compare to today's findings. "Anywho," he gestured his stone-skinned fist. "He has found a way to maintain corelight without connecting itself to the world.

Kilo's focus went from his explanation, back to the boop, and finally back to quite the finding of their generation. At first he giggled in enthusiasm because it was quite the finding. The implications followed, and it occurred to him the possibilities. He thought of the stars, the constellations, and the lights that shifted between. And it went back to Rod, who said out loud these possibilities.

The stog went on to explain to him about different kinds of worlds, where some are made of ice. Others were close enough to kiss the stars. And it bounced from theory to theory- whether they were alone in the Great Chasm, or that life can exist with the heat of a star.

"This discovery can lead us to new worlds!" Rod shouted, catching the attention of other bar goers. A handful cheered alongside, remarking the breakthrough that had been cycling through the news.

It was here that Perro whistled, catching everyone off guard at first. Even the leathertar player had stopped their piece. All eyes were on the stone dragon who had a toothy grin followed by a raised fist followed by a protruding thumb.

Everyone erupted in a massive cheer with a small crowd forming where Kilo and Rod sat. They too had their own refills, the latter getting his credit back as they stepped away and closer to the stage.

Kilo found the leathertar to be a very versatile instrument. Its hide-cover was sturdy enough to be smacked on by the musician to emit a percussive noise, with six strings of leather strummed, emitting a jazzy base. The kind that made his foot tap to the rhythm despite the crowd talking about free booze, the bar, or the fact that they were on the verge of uncovering the Great Chasm.

Rod had something in mind, "Do you think Pont would be the first Chasm Walker among us?"

The musician strummed eight slow notes in a melodic tune, a quick summary of it in three tones after, and two smacks on the leathertar to close it.

"I suspect he would be." Kilo agreed, and he saw in the stog's eyes the desire to further go in depth with this topic. "What's the Great Chasm like?"

Rod highlighted elements of their discussion from earlier. And they also had to move away from the stage to neither outshine the performers nor disrupt them with such a lecture. Apart from the different kinds of worlds, they hadn't found another that would support their kind of life. They relied on the world's warmth, and its corelight for their sight. He mentioned the murmurs between if they could terraform worlds with a sample of corestone being embedded to them. But that's besides the point. He went to great lengths to explain the lack of gravity, or an atmosphere for plants to live through.

Kilo followed every word as best he could. In this hazed state he could grasp every single thing he would say, only for his sober self to have forgotten about it the next day. But what he would not forget was the warm feeling that the second, or wait, third cocktail had going through him. And after a while the words had gone in and out of his ears because his eyes were gazing at beauty once again. Occasionally nodding and agreeing when appropriate, he took another sip to realize his third glass had already been empty.

He wanted to have a fourth but he stopped himself. But then maybe another wouldn't be so bad. He liked this newfound warmth, and this newfound emotion he had with Rod around. It was nice and he wanted it to feel nicer. But he had another work shift in how many corebeats from now.

Rod patted his friend's back, the tiger whose tail swung left and right kept doing so with less finesse. The alcohol started to take over his system and any attempts of pointing towards the bartender he had to pat down. "C'mon Ki, that's enough." He said.

"Fiiiiiine," Kilo patted the space in front of his friend, giggling at his own arm being patted earlier. His tail kept wagging, and he kept mumbling about how he felt warm. And much more, "Rod, you're such a good friend." He embraced him tightly.

Rod did so too. It was casual, a sort of helping his drunk friend find his bearings. A true heartbeat, after all, came from an uninhibited mind. Though he wished Kilo had shown more interest in astronomy in his sober state. He sighed, wishful for that possibility. And the hug went on. Moments passed, colors shifted around them as the patrons did. Some topics started and ended at an instant. A few looks went their way but Kilo's flattered and flustered face simply saw a sober friend helping a drunk lightweight.

By the thirtyfourth heartbeat Rod sat him down on one of the cushioned seats, while his friend's upper half sprawled over the table, drooling. He got his own handkerchief out and wiped it away whenever it pooled. The tiger definitely owed him for that. Now though, it would've been time for both of them to go home. Rod pulled out his phone to contact a cab, but it was bombarded with urgent messages from Pont; expressing not only great joy, but immense gratitude, for being a supportive friend and co-worker. Attached in the latest message was a photo of Rod himself, listening attentively amongst the crowd.

Kilo napped peacefully, though his saliva kept oozing. And the stog kept wiping.

Rod replied, which led to conversation. He told Pont about Perro's music bar who gave out a free round for everyone. Their mutual tiger friend had three drinks too many. And he followed it up with speculation of what's to come; becoming an astronaut to explore new worlds, experiment with corestones in empty space. It went back to the discussion on how asteroids that fell upon their world can become corestone, yet take corestone apart and they return to regular stone.

Rod then typed out, "What made you think that combining broken derelict corestone could actually give it light and heat?"

"So I reviewed previous attempts at that. I always noticed that the corestones were cut in massive chunks. So I tried small bits and combined them together. First in my hands, which I woke up my wife with when it started to glow and emit heat. I insisted at first that it wasn't me glowing."

Rod chuckled.

"And I tied up more shards together and they glowed like their own world dangling from the ceiling. So I wondered how long it lasted- fifty beats per shard. And I submitted my findings. The presentation earlier was the first set of info I'm allowed to disclose."

"Still, how did it occur to you to use small chunks instead of big chunks?" Rod raised a brow, Kilo beside him snored once.

"A broken window."

"A broken window?"

"Yeah. A leather ball flew through my window while they were playing puntjack. Gave them a scolding, and while cleaning up the window I realized that these small shards of glass made up something whole. Made up the window."

"We should break more of your furniture then. Inspire you that way."

"No we are not!"

Rod felt the emphasis from the exclamation point alone, but they both knew it was a joke. But who knows, maybe if he broke enough stones he could be inspired to do so. Though it shouldn't be interpreted like that, the more he thought about it. Putting his phone down, he realized that by building things up together, they could find a much better outcome. He went back on his phone and typed out that message for Pont who instead messaged him first, stating that he would be too busy at the party now. He left the insight, congratulated him again, and wished him a fun party.

The stog leaned back, sighing in deep joy at being a significant part of their history. And he looked over Kilo who slowly came to, groggy as if he had slept for several corebeats even though it had only been halfway through one.

"I think I had one too many," Kilo sat up, but the weight of his thoughts had him lean against Rod's. That warm feeling returned, radiating from his chest while his glowing stripes pulsed on its own. Not even in sync to the melodic bone howler on the stage. It was something he deeply enjoyed, but tonight was not that night. He was still groggy but a drop of pessimism found him, and it was not a sickening feeling from being drunk.

"Three's your limit," Rod said, putting his arm over him to affirm his balance.

Being held there in such a manner, assuring and close. The warm feeling grew hotter as did its subtlety to sadness. Longing in a way because something lacked inside him. Kilo looked up to Rod who had been attuning himself to the song, smiling with that natural shine on his eyes. The smell of alcohol, normally repugnant like that of his current breath, simply was not there. Subtlety of citrus, the strength of rum, and something he could not put his tongue into. Something new off of his friend. It was not overpowering like the pine trees, nor the pungency of his workplace. The closer he was to finding it, the more intense this unknown sadness built up.

And then Rod looked at him, his friend on the verge of falling asleep again. A drow look on his face, he narrowed in worry, holding his shoulder.

Kilo had nearly cried there, an answer almost welled up and out of his heart. That caring gaze under a securing hold.

"We should get you home, Ki." Rod lifted his phone, already inputting his address.

"Wait," he reached out and held his wrist. Mere inches away from the stog's hand. "Can we just walk? Please? Don't want to pay for cleaning a car."

"You're right." He returned to having his arm over him, a single embrace of his friend to him. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"Sure," he leaned and closed his eyes again. Yawning, he shed a single tear but not because of that. Deep within his heart thumped fast that his stripes pulsed along it too.

"Are you feeling cold? You sure you don't want the car?" Rod insisted, lifting his phone again.

"I'm sure," Kilo shook his head against him and scooted away to sit himself up proper. He presented himself as relaxed, but underneath was a drunken haze that mimicked the motion of his head shake moments prior. "Really sure," he insisted.

"Well, okay," Rod felt like he couldn't convince him regardless. He waited for a couple to walk past them before scooting off, waiting then for Kilo to join. He offered a hand just in case.

Kilo graciously accepted, "Thank you, Rod." He touched their palms.

Rod made a quick wave to Perro who noticed them stepping out of the bar. Kilo waved without having to turn around, leaning forward to try and keep himself from falling backwards.

All Kilo felt and could remember was holding Rod's hand and how it helped him remain upright as they walked down celebratory streets. The fuss of Great Chasm, the travel into it, and the possibilities of air travel- something that had slipped their minds until now. Rod would start talking about it but stopped as Kilo urged them to take a breather at the nearby park where there were patches of corestone scattered about where the trees sprouted. Even the paths lit up, pulsing with the walls that surround it, and even the buildings beyond.

They sat themselves on a bench near the middle, where the fountain made of stone and corestone flowed water that bounced lights around it. There was a statue of a tiger, whose stripes were made of corestone and shimmered and shone as the surrounding waters danced. It resembled Kilo in many ways; they were almost the same. Their light figure, the length of their stripes almost matching each other, where the only difference was the story behind it.

"The Lightheart Statue of Paun," Kilo said. "Confirmed that our world is bright inside."

"More than that Ki," Rod added, putting his arm over him again. His puffy tail wagged as he explained, "Made the Paun-Method cavern technique that prevented corestone roots from being cut." He demonstrated, holding his other hand out, reaching to hold Ki's, their palms let off heat as their own lights pulsed. "You work around the intense light, and chip away what's not needed. Helps with irrigation, water purity, and so on and so forth." Noting the tiger's exhaustion.

Kilo's tail spun around instead of awag, where Rod mistook it for him understanding his genius. Deep down it was carried by sadness, a deep worry about an impending change that he felt in himself earlier. The same that he felt twenty eight corebeats ago, a hundred corebeats ago. Like the corestones, he had discovered something new. It was more enticing than one's favorite cocktail, and much more passionate than a bone howler.

Kilo felt the tug on his heartstrings, played by the expert hands of this stonemason beside him. He was in love.

When he confronted himself with it, his cheeks felt the hottest they've ever been, but he had to keep himself composed. Maintaining that sensation between their hands, the Paun-Method was quite intimate than one would've realized. He hoped to have felt the genuine emotions of this stog before him, in a similar manner one would feel the world's corebeat. "Like this?" He didn't want to seem quiet.

"Yeah, like this," Rod smiled at his fascination, holding it up as long as Kilo did.

The tiger's arms had gotten tired, resting himself against the bench before sliding down to rest on Rod's shoulders. "You don't mind if I'm like this, right?"

"No dude, you're in an uneven state."

"Yeah," only the tip of his striped tail wagged, but he liked it. The concern, the gesture, the warmth, this corebeat. "We should take a photo of this moment."

"Sure," Rod took his phone out and took a selfie of themselves. At the park where a stog and a tiger hung out. Tails wagging as their lights pulsed, and warmed up to each other.

Kilo reviewed what he had seen and loved it, especially with how his cheek brushed against his arm, "Send that to me please."

"Sure," Rod did so with three presses.

And Kilo's phone vibrated to it, but he'd check it later. This was far more important.

Kilo declared, "This set of corebeats was amazing."

Rod agreed, "Definitely. I wouldn't trade it for anything else."

"I wouldn't," he felt giddy, clutching onto Rod's strongarm who didn't seem to mind.

"Ya feeling any better, Ki?"

"Definitely," he said, closing his eyes to rest. The sound of festivities died down for him as all he could hear was Rod giggling to himself the excitement. Muttering 'Great Chasm' here and there, and even a hope that more people could appreciate the stars more. He would.

It came quite soon though, where something white flashed even with closed eyes. He opened his, averted away from the brightness and saw something on Rod's fur. And as the light lingered on, even on himself. The stog who had been looking at the source of the light revealed to have a fur color that he was not familiar with. And on his own tiger fur, what was white had a metallic sheen to it, almost like silver.

"Holy shit," Rod said exasperated.

And Kilo turned towards the source of the immense brightness. A star from the Great Chasm that shone far brighter than their science had understood because Rod had none to say after.

And when the light was gone, there came a great silence. Not a car, not a scream. Just another corebeat. And they all felt it, and the silence continued.

But in the park, two arms shifted around each other in an embrace. One of great excitement, the other of desire.

Little had Illum known: it had been their first day.