What to paint

Chapter 12

Long ago, before the founding of Tavat's ancient cities and long before the archon war; a star lived atop Tavat. They longed for the chance to see the world like humans did even though they could not. The star soon decided to leave the sky and live amongst the people of the world. A young girl was crying out, her brother had left their small village leaving her behind. The star answered her cries.
"Tell me, dear, what is it you desire?" they asked, a glowing ball of light sinking from the heavens.
"I want to see my brother." she wept into her hands.
The glowing light grew harsh if only for a second. The young girl looked away not seeing the formation of a gift. When the light dimmed showing a person they watched as they explained how to use their new mirror.
"When you wish to see your brother or anyone else for that matter," they explained an ethereal glow radiating from them, "simply say their name into the glass."
With that, they handed the girl the hand mirror and vanished again. That was the first known instance of the wishing star. Records and myths vary across the world. Some say it was a morning queen wanting to see the dead once more. A witch who wanted to see her sister or daughter who had moved away. One thing was always left out of the story, however. The formation of the Lapsus Stella.
The stars had a very simple job. To record and write down everything they heard and saw. Storys, legends, facts, and myths. They knew every person across the world and they would always remember.
When the wishing star departed the heavens so did their notes of the world. It manifested in a glowing crystal not much bigger than a pomegranate. It was separated from the wishing star as it fell, yet it continued to record history even then. Over time a young god discovered the crystal after asking for a wish to be granted. To repay the star he gave back the crystal that had been sought out by cruel and vile men. They gave it back to the original owner watching as to preserve the memories of the world it sunk into their chest.
They continued watching the fall of gods in the archon war. Every death is recorded in clear crystal. The replacement of gods, the exchange in the thrones of Celestia. The wishes of humanity were all granted by the star's hand.
Not too long after the death of one archon a series of puppets were crafted. The first of which was tossed aside to be replaced, all without ever getting the chance to have a purpose. The puppet had his powers sealed away and hidden. Until he woke up and was left to wander. The fatui was not the first to find them, yet when they had received enough damage to cause concern the wishing star came to assist. They replaced the damaged and broken joints repaired the damage even if it didn't need to be done. They looked like the day they were first created, perfect and flawless. As the puppet awoke it silently spoke a wish. The glowing star granted the first wish of its kind. A subconscious wish that gave the puppet a purpose, to be cared about and to care for others. Neither party knew of the wish. Neither knew that their fates had intertwined. Neither knew that the glowing of the Lapsus Stella had burned the feeling of love into each of them. Even as they separated they were descended to meet again and again until the world was over.
The star and the puppet drew apart again both being lost to time. The puppet was found recruited into the fatui sitting amongst the 11 elite harbingers. The star hid again. They vanished into the world of humanity. They challenged an old dragon in a game of historical facts. To where they were left laughing and poking fun at an old long-forgotten friend. They both traveled the world missing each other ever so slightly at each step.
While the puppet was gone in another nation serving a new god the wishing star was found. A mirror in hand, a man asked for assistance in something. The star was surprised to not be asked for a wish and listened calmly to the doctor. He explained he wanted to learn from the star, to which they excepted. A single agreement became a chain around their very being. They were used and tortured in experiments. Organs were removed over and over. The pieces of their brain regrew in seconds. The hippocampus was fine and they could still respond to questions and facts perfectly as if their memories were not stores in their brain. So he removed the Lapsus Stella.
A sphere of crystal was removed as the doctor wiped away the blood he saw a pattern carved into the surface of the crystal it was nearly impossible to see without the blood sticking into the crevasses. The innermost part of the crystal held a flower inside a beautiful forget-me-not. After the removal, the wishing star soon started to forget. It was a gradual change as the Lapsus Stella slowly cracked due to mankind's interference. The more cracks the crystal got the more the star forgot until to save themselves it severed the connection entirely.
That same night they escaped. They ran through the castle and its halls. They were left unseen by any guard or person. They ran as far as they could until they could sense the same doctor nearby. A small boy filled them with a sense of hope and familiarity. They gave the Lapsus Stella to the boy with specific instructions to bury it if they did not return in 6 months.
And so a wishing star had forgotten their purpose and themselves. The only thing they remembered was the burned-in feelings from a long-forgotten wish.