The bright sunset slowly faded, and stars began to appear in the sky. The universe was getting lively.

  One of the stars twinkled strangely. Its light changed from white to flashes of blue and purple, and it seemed to wink playfully. Suddenly, it shivered, spun around, and slowly transformed into a man.

  He had golden curly hair, one eye a dreamy deep blue, the other a twilight purple. He raised his hands, closed his eyes, and yawned. When he opened them, a strange little girl appeared in front of him.

  The girl had two braided pigtails, deep purple hair, and two small horns on her head. A tiny tail trailed behind her. In her hand, she held a small fork. Her big eyes glimmered with an unfathomable purple light.

  The man shouted in fright, “Whoa! You… who are you? No, wait! What are you?”

  The little girl showed an evil grin, snorted, and spun once in front of him. Suddenly, a green flame flared on her tail. “Guess what I am?” she asked.

  The man looked puzzled. “You look like a demon… a little purple demon!”

  The girl jumped up and shouted, “Correct! I’m a little demon!” She leaned closer, staring into his eyes. “Scared now?”

  She waved the small fork toward him, and he dodged lightly. Then she suddenly stretched out her hand. “Here! Since you guessed right, you get a reward.”

  The man curiously looked at what she held. It was a round gem-like object, glowing with flowing red light. He held it up to the sky. “Oh, a gem! How precious!”

  The girl snorted. “Gems in hell? Hah! It’s candy! I even put lots of mandrake flowers inside!”

  The man laughed. “Ah, so you really are a little demon from hell. Even your candy is dangerous.”

  He asked, “But why aren’t you in hell? Why are you in the sky? And… are there girl demons in hell too?”

  The girl pouted. “Hmph! Who says demons can only stay in hell? I’m a little demon girl. I go wherever I want! So, who are you? Are you a Starry Brother?”

  The man smiled gently. “Haha, Starry Brother? Yes, little demon girl. I am a Starry Brother. You can call me Starhaven.”

  The little girl blushed slightly, and a hint of red glimmered in her purple eyes. But thinking to herself that she was a little demon and should act fierce, she twirled her small fork through the clouds in the night sky. “Look! I can scare the clouds away and make the stars too afraid to twinkle. So what can you do?” she challenged.

  The man chuckled and floated up gracefully, surrounded by a soft blue glow. Light blue mist swirled around the little demon, who puffed it away with a whoosh. In his hands, he held a violin. As he played, the universe suddenly shimmered with flowing colors, and the stars shone brighter than ever, dazzling and enchanting.

  For a moment, the little demon was mesmerized too. Her big eyes changed colors with the melody. Her hair floated like seaweed in the air, her little horns slowly retracted, and the flames on her tail flickered out.

  The man slowed his rhythm, the intense music softened into gentle, sweet notes tinged with a little melancholy.

  The little demon’s eyes grew dreamy, a veil of sleepiness settling over her like mist. The fork in her hand vanished, and her body transformed into a tiny lemon-yellow starfish.

  The man suddenly stopped playing, laughed, and said, “Little demon girl, you changed! What are you now?”

  The little demon snapped awake, darting around him a few times, both shy and angry. “Hmph! Starhaven, you’re so annoying! You found out! I’m a little starfish now, not that thing in the sea. I’m a little starfish of the universe!”

  At this moment, little starfish had two fluffy light-blue pigtails. Her dress had turned a moonlit lemon color, and the hem rippled like blue waves. Her big eyes were now starkly black and white, like day and night.

  Starhaven’s eyes lit up. His left eye, blue, matched the light-blue of her dress hem, while his right eye, purple, was clear and transparent like lavender. He drew his bow gently across the violin strings, and a series of cheerful notes bounced through the nebula like bubbles.

  He bent down to look at little starfish, a smile he couldn’t hide in his eyes. “Ah, so you’re the little starfish of the universe! So, little starfish, where are you planning to play tonight?”

  Little starfish hopped from one cloud to another, finally sitting on a cloud edged with golden starlight. Her tiny feet swung back and forth as she looked up curiously. “Starhaven, are you the Starry Brother of Lyra? No wonder you’re so good at music. Can you leave Lyra for a while and come play with me in other constellations?”

  Starhaven put down his bow and extended a hand. A white glow flashed, and suddenly a flute appeared in his hand. Clouds twisted and smoke curled around it as he lifted the flute and played a graceful long note.

  The sound cut across the sky, traveling far into the distance, and slowly faded away.

  “Look, little starfish,” Starhaven said, “I am like that long note. I can move freely across the universe. So… where do you want to take me?”

  Little starfish made a mischievous face. She jumped down from the clouds and tugged at Starhaven’s coat. “So… do you dare to come with me to a dangerous place?” she asked.

  “Oh? A dangerous place? There are plenty in the universe,” Starhaven said. “There are black holes that swallow everything, endless voids with no edges, unpredictable dark matter, mysterious gravitational forces, and all sorts of hidden dimensional spaces. You can’t just run off! Be careful not to be taken by aliens to another universe where you can’t come back!”

  As he spoke, Starhaven held little starfish’s hand tightly.

  Little starfish laughed and wriggled free. “Starhaven, you’re so scared! The universe isn’t as dangerous as you say. Are you afraid of aliens? Don’t you remember? I’m a little demon! Maybe the aliens are even afraid of me!”

  Starhaven sighed fondly. “As a Star Brother, I’ve seen how formidable aliens can be, especially when their dimensions are higher than ours. Their movements can almost ignore our time and space. Even if you’re a little demon, you’re only a little demon in our universe. How could I not worry?”

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  Little starfish huffed in protest, but before she could speak, a loud voice suddenly rang out: “Logically… logically! You’re both right!”

  Startled by the unexpected voice, little starfish shivered. Her little horns popped up, her eyes turned purple again, and her little demon form appeared. She held her fork horizontally. “Who? Who’s there?” she demanded.

  Starhaven laughed and turned toward a bright white star. “Second brother, come out! Stop hiding in the clouds talking about logic. Look at you—you’ve already scared little starfish into becoming a little demon!”

  The bright white star twinkled calmly a few times and transformed into a black-haired man. He wore glasses that seemed to shift and change, held a pen in his right hand, and cradled a book in his left. His face was serious as he moved next to Starhaven. The book in his hands spun, emitting red and green light, and the glasses reflected the same colors. The pen leapt quickly among the lights.

  Without looking up, the man continued, “Logically, you’re both right. Big brother’s concern is valid—after all, our dimension is still low. For high-dimensional aliens, they may already understand us while we know nothing about them. Caution is necessary. But this little starfish… uh, no, now she’s a little demon… she’s right too. Aliens’ universe may not have hell, and if they see this little purple… uh…”

  He stopped speaking. The little demon was baring her teeth at him, her eyes purple like a deep abyss, the fork in her hand interfering with the pen, and the green flame on her tail nearly set his book on fire.

  Starhaven flicked a string of musical notes, breaking the tense atmosphere. He laughed heartily. “Alright, alright, everyone stop. Little demon girl, don’t worry about my second brother, Heartstead Star. Don’t let his logic bother you. Although he talks about logic all the time, like a serious, studious bookworm, he’s actually very knowledgeable and talented! And here’s a little secret—Heartstead Star’s kindness is like his knowledge. The more you get to know it, the more you can’t live without it!”

  Heartstead Star smiled shyly. With a wave of his hands, the book and pen disappeared. He took off his glasses, revealing deep, gentle eyes and a warm smile as he looked at the little demon.

  The little demon froze, then shyly hid behind Starhaven. She turned back into little starfish, but pretended to speak with the little demon’s tone: “Hmph! He’s not gentle at all! He’s not as handsome as Starhaven. He’s like an old scholar!”

  Starhaven laughed heartily. “Maybe Heartstead Star isn’t as handsome as me, but his vast knowledge and precise logic surpass mine. Little starfish, are you teasing him? Did he scare you just now, so you had to bully him a little and call him an old scholar?”

  Heartstead Star cleared his throat and looked down at little starfish. “Little starfish… logically… uh, I may have scared you just now. That’s because I got caught up in your conversation and didn’t have time to introduce myself. I apologize. But… where exactly is this dangerous place you mentioned before? Can I come too?”

  Little starfish glanced at Heartstead Star, then turned her head in a tsundere pout. “Hmph! Since Heartstead Star has a nice voice, I’ll take you along! I want to take you all to Orion to watch Betelgeuse explode!”

  Heartstead Star was startled. The glasses in his hand flashed like lightning, illuminating a view of Orion.

  “What? Logically… Betelgeuse is still in its aging phase and hasn’t reached the explosion yet. You say you want to take us to watch it explode? Either you plan to cause a ‘man-made’ explosion using the power of hell, though that might not work; or you’re planning to manipulate time and space with alien energy?”

  Little starfish looked up at Heartstead Star. “Huh? You really are smart. You guessed half of it right! I do want to use alien power, but not with aliens… hehe.”

  She gave a mysterious smile, her tiny hands fidgeting at the hem of her dress, reaching left, then right, and then tugging at her pigtails.

  The two brothers watched curiously, until finally she pulled out a small white fluffy creature from behind her. It looked like a tiny furry ball at first, then like a soft little cloud, and a moment later transformed into a round glowing dot. It circled around the two brothers, as if inspecting them, then turned back into a fluffy ball floating next to little starfish. This time, it had pointy ears, eyes, a nose, and looked a bit like a dog, a cat, and even a little like a rabbit.

  Little starfish exchanged a glance with it and then looked up at the two brothers. “This is Dimi, a multi-dimensional little pet from Fifth Universe Brother!”

  Starhaven reached out instinctively toward the fluffy little creature. In an instant, Dimi turned into a streak of light and shot away. Starhaven simultaneously transformed into a blue streak of star-light and chased after it. Their speed was so fast that before little starfish could say anything, they had already returned, one after the other, to the original spot.

  Starhaven exhaled and flicked a few musical notes from his fingers, light and bouncy.

  He laughed, “Ah! This little guy is so fast! I can’t catch up at all!”

  Heartstead Star tapped his book with his pen. Stars danced wildly across its pages. He put on his glasses, which reflected a line of glowing data.

  “Logically,” Heartstead Star said, “big brother’s starlight moves at the speed of light, the fastest speed in our universe. But since Dimi is a multi-dimensional little creature, we can’t limit it by light speed.”

  Little starfish put her hands on her hips, beaming proudly. “Hmph! Now you see, right? Dimi can’t be touched! Of course it’s faster than light, and it can open doors to different dimensions and spaces!”

  Dimi proudly lifted its head, raising a big fluffy tail behind it. Little starfish hopped over to take a closer look, then jumped back to the two brothers. “Dimi wants to know—are you ready to go see Betelgeuse explode?”

  Starhaven looked surprised. “Little starfish, do you and Dimi communicate with your eyes?”

  Little starfish tossed her pigtails proudly. “Of course! To be exact, we communicate with our minds.”

  Heartstead Star suddenly dashed in front of Dimi, one hand on his glasses, studying it carefully. Dimi didn’t run; it sat steadily. Its eyes were deep and unfathomable, filled with shifting lights. Heartstead Star felt as if he was being pulled into an endless space. He wobbled, stepped back, and took off his glasses. “Logically… Dimi’s eyes are a mixture of time and space… but why can’t I read anything?”

  Little starfish laughed. “Hahaha, because Dimi blocked you! Now, let’s go!”

  Dimi’s body expanded, turning into a bigger, brighter halo. From its center, an arc of light shot out and lingered in the night sky. Dimi returned to its fluffy form and bounced through the arc. Little starfish followed right after.

  Starhaven hesitated for a moment but quickly flew through, too. Heartstead Star fumbled to put away his glasses and pen, shouting, “Wait for me! Logically… ah!” and also passed through the arc of light.

  The other side of the arc was unusually quiet, as if nothing had changed. Starhaven looked around thoughtfully and nodded. “If I’m not mistaken, we’re now in Orion.”

  Heartstead Star’s face was full of disbelief. He put his glasses back on and looked up in amazement. “Logically… we are indeed in Orion, but this is Orion thousands of years in the future. We’ve traveled through time and space to the future!”

  Little starfish grew excited. Her dress and hair turned red, her pigtails spread out, and her whole body glowed with a strange, magical light.

  She said to the brothers, “Focus, brothers! Dimi says Betelgeuse is about to explode! You can only watch, no running around, or Dimi won’t be able to bring you back!”

  At this moment, the sky around them was filled with red mist. All the stars were silent, too scared to twinkle. The universe seemed to have fallen into a deathly stillness.

  Dimi zipped around the two brothers, creating a transparent barrier that blocked them.

  Heartstead Star’s hand trembled slightly as he held his glasses. They glowed gold—excited, amazed, thrilled… with a touch of fear.

  Starhaven’s heterochromatic eyes reflected red light. He appeared calm, but his golden hair had turned reddish-purple, floating wildly like runaway musical notes.

  Little starfish and Dimi hovered side by side in the red mist. Far away, a silent explosion rippled outward. The shockwave made nearby stars quiver. Little starfish glanced back at the two brothers, smiled faintly, and transformed into a neutrino, racing toward the heart of the explosion.

  Dimi danced through the air, drawing energy from the thunderous, lightning-like explosion.

  The blast was immense, as if it could overturn the entire universe, with waves of red shock rippling one after another. Inside the barrier, the two brothers stared in awe, not daring to blink. Countless neutrinos surged from the explosion, yet they could still clearly see little starfish, now transformed into a neutrino.

  She twirled joyfully, leapt, darted through the waves, soared up and down, piercing the barrier, passing through the brothers’ forms, and dashing deeper into the heart of the explosion.

  After a long while, a bright new star system gradually formed in the distance. It was as if Betelgeuse, having completed its mission, had transformed into a neutron star. Its outward explosion shifted into inward absorption, beginning to operate with a new, immense energy.

  The red mist slowly dispersed. Nearby stars finally revealed their true colors and began to twinkle again.

  Dimi, filled with energy, glowed brilliantly from head to toe. It bounced back to the brothers’ side. The barrier disappeared. The two brothers looked anxiously into the distance, searching for little starfish.

  “Who are you looking for, brothers?!” Little starfish suddenly appeared behind them. The brothers jumped in surprise, patting their chests, then laughed fondly.

  Following the arc of Dimi’s light, everyone returned to their original space.

  The two brothers were still immersed in the awe of what had just happened. Heartstead Star reopened his book of logic. “Logically… that red giant is still perfectly intact. What we experienced was its fate thousands of years into the future, almost like a dream.”

  Starhaven now sat on a cloud, having somehow set up a large cello. Its deep, rich bass slowly imitated the red giant’s low, rhythmic breaths—majestic, yet gentle.

  Vega in Lyra twinkled, signaling that the night was nearly over.

  Dimi had disappeared, leaving no trace.

  Little starfish’s eyes grew heavy with sleep. Her body swayed slightly, she yawned, mumbled softly, and curled up on a cloud to rest.

  Starhaven stopped playing his cello and quietly shushed Heartstead Star.

  Clouds drifted over like waves, and at the crest appeared a man wrapped in flowing water. Water swirled above his head. He scooped up little starfish and said to the two brothers, “I am Heartsea Star， little starfish’s Heartsea Brother. Little starfish loves sleeping in my coral reef. She must be very tired today, so I’ll take her down to the ocean to rest well. Don’t worry, she will come back to find you.”

  With that, the waves receded, and Heartsea Brother and little starfish disappeared beyond the horizon.

  Starhaven and Heartstead Star exchanged a quiet smile, turning back into starlight, waiting for the dawn to arrive.