"“You know what supernovas are?” “Yeah,” said JC. “Like, super-duper huge mega-stars. That explode.” “That’s right, young brother. Where’d you learn that?” “Star Trek,” he said. “Good,” chuckled Mr. Ani. “Me too, probably. In the olden days. So let’s transform all this. “People are born lead, and most people stay that way their whole lives. They’re the Leadites. “And they’re easily led astray by those who’re turned into—or who turn themselves into—the Pyrites. The Pyrites are like pirates because they hijack people, keep em hostage, steal their treasure, and prevent them from ever getting where they’re supposed to go, even dumping them on islands in the middle of nowhere or drowning them at sea. “And any gold they find, they steal it and hoard it, and even bury it in chests under the sand.” The boys nodded, grasping fragments, knowing that others were just beyond their fingertips. “So who’s left? Gold. From supernovas, light-sources so powerful they can outshine entire galaxies. Gold is knowledge: the most precious thing in the universe. “If you have everything and don’t have knowledge, you can’t use what you do have or appreciate how much it’s worth, so to you, it’s actually worthless. If you don’t have true gold, you spend your whole life chasing after and stockpiling pyrite thinking it’s worth something, when actually, it’s worth nothing.”"