Black Marble: A Star Knight AU

My friend, your voice drifts through my heart, like the sea's soft murmur, lingering among the pines that listen in silence. Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds What's the point of a blurb, anyway? Isn't it just a way to lure people in? A fanfic set in the world of Star Knight. I'm tentatively starting this story. I don't even know if I have the writing chops to finish it, but I'll do my best. orz This takes place in one of the parallel worlds in the universe: the one where Rektor takes Kolorin away at the end of the original story, or one of several worlds where the same thing happens. Note: The story is told primarily from Layjason's point of view. The timeline is set before the Intelligence Revolution breaks out. Expect wild plot twists, older men, dark themes, little Keke as a diaper-wearing toddler, the apocalypse, things falling apart, a parade of adorable young men from Lie Star, opera, swindling and deception, lunatics, and one man raising two kids... When old Xi goes to great lengths to travel back in time, determined to find the big black panther he once lost, he discovers he's arrived too early. Instead, he meets the golden hamster that was killed by the panther in the original story. And the golden hamster now seems kind of cute? But how on earth is he supposed to raise the big black panther and the hamster together?! Theme: I simply have a soft spot for characters the author doesn't favor, characters without a protagonist's halo, who live in conflict with no way out and have to fight tooth and nail for every tomorrow.