Light from Avira’s distant host star shown dimly upon its deep blue atmosphere. A frozen wasteland the planet was, but its beauty was undeniable. Its host star shown through the dense, cadmium clouds, while large stones dotted the charcoal deserts that encompassed the surface. The grains that made up these black deserts were highly reflective, and what little starlight passed through the veil of clouds shone brilliantly upon them; contrasting the faint environment. While the surface pressure was inviting for humans, the temperatures were not. A stark black world covered in dense clouds where little starlight reached the surface, nearly the antithesis of life.
As solemnly beautiful this world was, none of it proved worthy of further examination. Other worlds were calling the attention of the explorers aboard Divinity’s Guile, however something disturbed its captain. The ship remained in orbit of this world for a week, and everyday a thought, a feeling, came into form within Aiden’s mind. He would come to describe it as a subconscious desire that sprouted, and then grew into a need. I must go down to the surface, he thought, There is something. It became a daily temptation as they neared their departure, a temptation that drove him to abandon his self discipline.
He met with his crew, and proposed further examination of the surface be done. When a suitable location was found they would land a small team including himself. Samples from the surface would be taken, while he would seek out a souvenir for a friend. His crew respected him, and therefore little was said to dissuade his decision. Once the survey was complete, a team was assembled, and a landing craft descended through the dark blue clouds. Aiden took the first steps upon the granular surface. A gap in the clouds seized his gaze as the faint starlight shown upon the obsidian desert. Light winds carried small clouds of dust just above the surface, while a white sunset illuminated them as they moved through the thin air. Sparkling grains of sand hovered in the wake of these gusts, similar to a snowfall on Earth. Aiden reached out with his gloved hand to capture the falling particles. While his team began their scientific work, he climbed the peak of a moderate dune, and looked out into a vastness of nothing that was this world.
His subconscious desire to visit this world transformed into a feeling. His mind and body became filled with a sense of wonder. If he were able to see the skin on his arms, he would find them covered in goosebumps. Without consciously making the decision, he began to wander. Soon he was far from his team and landing craft, in complete solitude among the silent sands of Avira.