《Deathstars》 Prologue: Return of The Fallen Stars In a faraway place, a place whose existence is hidden from the eyes of humans, a place so twisted by its own laws that reality itself is an unknown concept, beings known as stars roamed freely through the wasted lands beneath a dead Sun. The stars held neither kinship nor understanding amongst each other and barely communicated between themselves, simply walking by the cold dust in search of something ¨C what was that something? You¡¯d have to ask them, but they wouldn¡¯t answer anyway. They were there at the beginning, but vanished just like that. Of course, not all of them disappeared. Otherwise, who would even know of such a tale? The ones who remained, however, were those who refused to follow their inner instincts ¨C the instinct of seeking something that couldn¡¯t possibly exist. New stars came to be, old ones died down, they began to understand each other through an unseen link. The hunger that once possessed the stars, the hunger for that missing piece, faded with the old generation. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Given time, stars noticed they weren¡¯t alone in that barren, pitiful place they were acquainted with since they came to exist. Meteors, comets, black holes, asteroids, strangers from different planets and from unseen galaxies, sharing their past experiences and prospects for the future. The world was there for them to discover. What about the first stars? No one seemed to care about them. Their epoch was regarded as the Dark Times, a past of uncertainty ruled by the unknown, a past that should be forgotten and erased, and the originals, labeled Fallen Stars. Now they are just the stuff of legends, spoken secretly between coughs and whispers by the elders and looked down upon by the brightly shining youngsters. But they will come back, for they have yet to find an answer - at that time, everything will change. First chapter: Hide and Seek (I) Author''s note: I won''t personify planets, so might as well rob their names. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sky was pitch black, as always. The great desert that once swallowed everything was now but a piece of land with no value. It was society¡¯s garbage dump, a place for those who didn¡¯t fit in, those who wouldn¡¯t submit to the rules, the weak and the strong alike. A powerful wind was blowing in gusts, no one to be seen. A large thud sound echoed from below and knocked dust up in the air. The destructive power was such that the rocky ground crumbled to nothingness, leaving a huge circular hole. From the sea of sand that filled the hole emerged a figure clothed in a tattered and heavily patched robe that covered a tall body, leaving the head exposed. The face of a star showed nothing that resembled eyes, ears, nose or mouth. Instead, it was covered by a special mask that was extremely difficult to take off ¨C were that mask to be ripped apart, the star would cease to exist. The figure¡¯s mask was platinum-like and its upper part was encrusted with sharp black gems arranged in a flower pattern, inside them gleamed multiple white dots. The golden hair had a spectral feel to it, as if it were made by lightning, and was flickering like the snakes of a medusa''s head. ¡°¡­ Why am I back here?¡± ¡°You should forget about this, it won¡¯t do you any good, Saturn!¡± said a little girl. ¡°Forget¡­ I forgot something, i just want to find out what is it¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to find anything, at all! Why don¡¯t you get it? I¡¯m sick of telling you¡­¡± the girl didn¡¯t fight it, it was always like this. He wouldn¡¯t listen, not once. ¡°No¡­ I didn¡¯t forget anything... I had nothing to forget. I missed something¡­ Somehow¡­ It changed, but what did?¡± ¡°Of course something has changed, we¡¯ve been gone for a very, very long time¡±. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­ I feel it closer¡­ Like never before. I will find it here, the answer¡±. ¡°¡­ No matter what I say, you¡¯re just gonna do whatever the fuck you want, right?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. I will find out what¡¯s different compared to last time¡±. Saturn stared indifferently at the moping girl by his side and then faced upwards, rising above the skies with the power of will. It was a natural thing of stars with an intense shine. From there, he saw a colony to the east. ¡°This time we have a clear starting point. Things will progress much faster than before¡± saying this, Saturn went back to the ground and made his way by foot. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°What about the others? What will you do when you find them?¡± she asked. Saturn didn¡¯t care for any of them so he completely ignored the girl. If such a thing were to happen, he would act based on circumstances. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A pale ray of a navy blue color pierced through the clouds in a descending fashion, but it held no power ¨C there would be no trace of its occurrence, as if it never happened. The ray landed on the summit of a sharp mountain that guaranteed anyone who fell down would meet his end. At the very peak stood a slim figure with clothes deeply attached to the body¡¯s surface, accentuating the curves of what looked like a female. It was a blue-colored suit that reached to the neck and had a tiny antenna with an orbed end attached, near the ear location. This one didn¡¯t hold a mask, its upper face was like a globe filled with some kind of liquid that would change from a meek red to a deep blue that resembled black. This liquid didn¡¯t completely fill the globe, distorting, expanding and retracting itself continuously. On her back was a large metallic case. She first looked for more stable ground to operate on it, which wasn¡¯t so difficult and the case was opened asap. There was a trick to it, as the large size hided unlimited space - in short, it was like a portal to another dimension. She had an entire base of operations inside it, ranging from weapons to medicine, specimens ¨C dead and living ones - biological and mechanical parts, multiple books and archives organized cleanly, stored star energy and things she would classify as ¡®interesting¡¯. All she needed at the time was her tracker, an object that looked like a portable game, just with a lot more options. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you talk to me anymore?¡±, she asked while firmly pressing the object against the ground. ¡°What if we play a little bit? Take a guess, who¡¯s gonna appear on the radar?¡± ¡°Need help? I¡¯ll give you a hand. Option A: Pluto. Option B: Uranus¡± ¡°¡­ So you think no one is gonna appear then? Okay, we¡¯ll find out soon enough!¡±. Just like that, she pressed a few buttons and many gray dots appeared on the black screen. By pressing another button, all of them disappeared, leaving a big yellow star pointing to the east. ¡°Seems like we were both wrong. Oh well, shall we follow Saturn? He always take us to interesting places. Seems fun, right? ¡°Yeah, I knew you¡¯d agree with me!¡± After finishing the talk, Venus blissfully hopped into the darkness of an endless abyss. Someone was eventually going to find what everyone was looking for, so why not follow the lead? Second chapter - Hide and Seek (II) Saturn continued to walk mechanically as the colony¡¯s floating spheres radiated with different colors and guided his way. These spheres served as home for the lower stars, whose radiance wasn¡¯t bright enough to keep them up in the skies. The more a star approached the land, the faster her light would die down, but if one were to be confined for a long time, the light would instead flicker and leave like a candle¡¯s fire. The ground was mostly used by other species or to raise a special kind of energy that served as food. Suddenly, Saturn froze on his steps and instinctively turned sideways, facing a mountain. After a few seconds of immobile silence he finally spoke. ¡°We¡¯re being followed¡± ¡°Followed? Are you paranoid? There¡¯s no one near us¡±. He didn¡¯t mind her comment, he was deadly sure he was being followed and not by just anyone. ¡°It¡¯s her¡± he stated, in a matter of fact tone. They were tailed many times, but none were as skillful in hiding and localizing targets as Venus. No one could run from her, no one could chase after her, no one could do a single thing against her. She was a hungry hyena trying to steal meat from another¡¯s. Before, Saturn would run in circles till she got bored and left, he didn¡¯t have anything to lose by waiting it out. The same didn¡¯t apply to her, who depended on others to find leads and as such was always gambling and running against the clock. Now they are both against the clock, and in that aspect she is on the winning side. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose time with her, other stars could beat them to the chase. ¡°We¡¯ll have to walk inside the Shadow World¡±. The girl almost screamed in horror at his words. ¡°Do you even listen to yourself? That¡¯s fucking madness!¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if i reach the colony. They ought to have some energy¡± he replied, unfazed by her shocked expression. ¡°That¡¯s not the problem, you could die before reaching the colony. Plus, it¡¯s not guaranteed that she¡¯s gonna lose us!¡± He didn¡¯t argue back, simply gazing east and hoping it was worth the risk. When the stars disappeared thousands of years ago, their search for the unknown led them to develop strange powers. Although they became acquainted with each other¡¯s capabilities, there were some kept hidden for their own sake, to guarantee no one knew too much. Saturn gained the power to see a different dimension, a mirrored world in which he could dive in and out at will. This power made him develop a keen sense of prediction and his hunches were always spot on. He called that dimension the Shadow World, the world of the hidden things, secrets and answers, but mostly questions to be. Inside it, all his abilities were boosted to abnormal amounts, but his light wailed that much faster. Its inhabitants, the shadows, could kill him with a single touch. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His entire body flickered in a dark glow while he entered that hollow space, leaving only a strange afterimage while walking. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Venus was humming a joyful but creepy song while holding her tracker till the big yellow star stopped showing on the radar. She then stopped walking and a surge of anger possessed her, although her silly nature didn¡¯t let her show it. ¡°Saturn, dear! I liked you for knowing you just couldn¡¯t fight it, you think you can run away from me? Tsc, tsc, tsc. Well, that just makes me want to chase you even more!¡± she said, jokingly. The other stars thought they had secrets to hide from her, but they were so wrong. She was always the one behind the scenes, never doing the act. Endowed with the power of knowledge, none of her tools would help her find what she truly desired ¨C instead, they would provide means of taking it from others. She knew about Saturn¡¯s Shadow World and although it wasn¡¯t guaranteed, she had a way to find him. By pressing just a few buttons, her tracker found Saturn¡¯s possible locations. The big problem was that in the Shadow World he was on par with every creature and also in another form. As such, multiple dark dots showed on the screen and she needed to find out which one represented her real target. She didn¡¯t know when Saturn acknowledged her presence, so going East could be a plan for him to outplay her, but at the same time she knew the only way for him to recover energy would be at the colony. She needed to find him before that, as he would be able to walk between the shadows indefinitely when he reached that place. Opening the case, she once again went to the room, but this time she looked for a weapon. It closely resembled a shotgun with four barrels, but with an enormous scope. She kneeled down and pulled the trigger. Immediately after, four high speed missiles went to the exact location of a dark dot and it disappeared. She pulled the trigger again and again, the dots were being steadily erased. Each projectile would slow the movements in a certain area, which gave her more time to act. ¡°We¡¯ll trust you in surviving a shot~¡± Third chapter: Hide and Seek (III) [Now... Don¡¯t be like that... Look at him¡­ So fragile¡­ Like¡­ Glass¡­] ¡°¡­ Another vision¡±. The star woke up, which was strange, for stars never sleep. The only time they sleep is when they are fading, when their light is dying, but that¡¯s unconfirmed ¨C most of them just vanish into thin air. He always waked up in that white room, a pure white that almost covered everything but a black door. His mask seemed like broken pieces of ice put together, with a small blood colored bubble at the upper part that descended in a frozen stream, forming deep roots. His white colored hair had pointy ends that pulled themselves forward, spears that vibrated every second. It was so long that it almost completely covered his thin frame and its gentle bluish gleam was incomparably beautiful. The star got up, walked to the door and rotated the doorknob. The white room disappeared. ¡°¡­ Strange. I always went forth, now i¡¯m back at the starting point. What does it mean¡­?¡± He knew he was back home, but he didn¡¯t recognize it at all. There were multiple strange spheres up in the sky, various stars walking and flying by, strange individuals made by rock, lava, ice, and some even had a light so intense that a star could never match up to it. Large columns, strange buildings, glowing plants of unknown hues. It was all unfamiliar. He crouched, touched the bland soil and felt the world turn pale. His vision blurred and his motions slowed down, as if he was falling into a deep slumber. That moment of ecstasy got crushed by a sharp, intense pain, pulsating as if a tumor just grew inside his head and would continue to grow beyond control, devouring his mask and erasing his existence. He felt like dying. A red liquid oozed out of the tiny bubble in his mask, creating a new line when it streamed down. The pain was gone. ¡°¡­ I see. Things have changed that much¡± On a single moment, he absorbed multiple memories regarding the land he was in. He didn¡¯t go back to the starting point, quite the opposite, he was reaching the end of his journey. He took a moment to think about when it all started, then continued to talk to himself. ¡°The beginning¡­ Of the end¡±. He felt sadness for the first time, but didn¡¯t quite understand the feeling, dismissing it as a side effect of his power. He needed to recover the lost energy, his light was so low that he could disappear at any moment. He learned, before, about the glowing plants that could restore his energy and also their location. Still in touch with the terrain, he sucked up their energy from afar, being overrun by a nurturing feeling. ¡°Now¡­ It¡¯s time to look for it¡­ Guide me on this trial¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. His mind went into a blank state. His consciousness was lost. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Please, go back to reality, I¡¯m begging you!¡± ¡°If you really worry about my safety, then be quiet. I don¡¯t need anyone hoarding shadows¡± Saturn felt disturbed, to the point of doubting his own actions. That girl, she never concurred with him, always making a fuss about his decisions, always worried about his wellbeing, always telling him to stop. Why did she act like that? He didn¡¯t really care, but if he did care, he would feel unsettled by it and ask those same questions. He ignored his own doubts and kept pressing on. The Shadow World changed everything. When he walked, he warped through multiple frames, leaving behind nothing but afterimages. At the same time, his stance remained almost still, it was like gliding through the ground. Whenever Saturn encountered a group of shadows, he would silently distance himself as to not face them, but he sensed something out of place. ¡°¡­ Something feels wrong¡±. ¡°For the first time in a long while we agree!¡± replied the girl, gleefully. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­ There are too few shadows¡± ¡°Would you rather face more of them? Have you finally lost it?¡± ¡°You keep on screaming¡­ Yet it doesn¡¯t attract them¡­ She knows about it¡±. Saturn stopped on his tracks at the sight of a huge shadow. Before it could do anything, his twin serrated blades slid from his sleeves and in a sweeping motion he took the legs off. He then sent the creature flying and danced in the air like a lotus, making cuts and bruises that made it into minced meat in a matter of seconds. The blades slid back like a fan, drawing an uneven umbrella pattern into the gray background. Instead of finishing the shadow, he just left its disabled corpse on the ground where a huge explosion followed, blowing it to pieces. ¡°... You''ve done it now¡± Saturn fell into silence while looking at the disgusting piece of rotten, burnt flesh. Venus surprised him by discovering about the Shadow World, now she was forcing him to awaken. ¡°¡­ You leave me no choice... Guide me on this trial¡± Fourth Chapter: The Kalima Incident (I) ¡°Attention, radiation of the seventh degree has been detected in the central district and West to walls. Evacuation is to be carried immediately. Repeat¡­¡± blue alert was given, the numbers spoke for themselves ¨C there was no salvation, all should leave. News of the event was transmitted to all colonies around the planet and became a source of great concern. The measure of someone¡¯s power was done by raw radiation amount, separated by degrees or levels. Each new level brings about an exponentially high power curve, the seventh being the maximum value. With that being said, no known creature has ever surpassed the fifth degree. Reaching the sixth degree was the dream of every high star. The seventh, however, was only possible in theory. An emergency meeting was being held by the most influential individuals of the world to discuss their next move. It was a dark hall, like an underground coliseum with only a few chairs made of stone. Soon, every council member would teleport to their respective seats and the white light would fill the center of the room. ¡°As you have been informed, level seven radiation has been detected in the eastern colony of Kalima and its vicinities. The colony is under evacuation and the areas are unaccessible as of now.¡± The figure held a completely dark body in which swirled a few greyed out dots. All he would emit was darkness, yet he possessed a strange looking brilliance, most likely an aura. His hair was nebulous and lashed back and forth in slow motion, like tentacles trying to wrap themselves in anything that came near. He was a black hole, and one of the most dangerous ones. Black holes were one of the few exceptions to the radiation-based scale of power, and even the weakest of them could end a life as easily as snapping his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s bullshit, such a power doesn¡¯t exist between us¡±, claimed an old star whose light was already dying. The black hole turned at him immediately with menacing words. ¡°Do you mean to say the sensors your people developed failed to measure something as simple as an energy level? Or is it that stars are so idealistic that they created a degree that doesn¡¯t exist?¡± Another star tried to argue back, but got cut off. ¡°I am no fool. This is real and it¡¯s happening right now as we argue about useless matters. If you can¡¯t even believe in yourself, then I¡¯ll show you proof¡±. None dared to oppose him. Lifting his dominant arm, the black hole pointed his finger towards the white light at the center. At his orders, a live feed on Kalima appeared on a holographic screen. However, no one there was prepared for the images being shown. The colony was painted white by snow and an enormous tree without leaves stood at its heart, roots expanding towards every building. No matter where they dared to look, citizens were being skewed by sharp smaller trees that rose up from the ground while roots were furiously hacking their limbs, cutting off their heads and destroying their masks. Some of them turned cold to the point of freezing and became ice statues that shattered to the violent wind. Stolen story; please report. It was a bloody massacre. ¡°¡­ What the hell is this?¡± ¡°Prepare the teleportation device. I¡¯ll go there as soon as possible¡± said the black hole. When he finished speaking, a wild explosion took over the screen and the connection ended abruptly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A large fire boulder came in contact with the ground, splitting open and causing a huge explosion from the impact. The nearby area only showed debris, burning corpses, carbonized remains and unrecognizable chunks of dark flesh. A desperate symphony was running, made by the crepitating sound of the fire, the strong blows of the wind, the slashing, puncturing and snapping noises and the cries and horrified screams of the living. The air reeked of death. One half of the boulder crumbled, revealing a strange bud kept inside it, like an open plum ¨C or maybe peach would be a better description. Its texture was vivid like magma and the upper side was covered by orange red threads that reverberated with an odd blue fire. ¡°Wake up¡­ Wake up sister¡­¡± The bud moved an inch, but otherwise didn¡¯t react so strongly. ¡°We¡¯re here. We are home again¡± With a cracking sound, the bud unfolded and a tall star that looked like a woman clad of molten rock surged out of the boulder. Her mask was cryptic, as black as charcoal and strange marks were deeply ingrained in it. She wore a skeptical look that was unfazed by all the devastation she had caused on landing. ¡°This place stinks. And it¡¯s utterly destroyed.¡± ¡°Sister, don¡¯t say it like that¡­ See the bright side, it¡¯s our home, full of our memories. It¡¯s here that our journey began, where we met the others for the first time¡±. ¡°What bright side¡­ No matter where i go, it will suck. But this is way worse than before¡± ¡°If it is worse than before, before was better than now, right?¡± he responded, gently. ¡°Nonsense. Let¡¯s just get it done and leave. I¡¯m sick of running around¡±. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you take a rest?¡± ¡°Running around is better than lazing around¡± she looked at the snow globe to the distance and sighed in annoyance. ¡°Hey, I know that technique! Is Uranus over there? Why don¡¯t you go say hello?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not such a bad idea. Then again, i was gonna do it even if you hadn¡¯t suggested¡± Fifth Chapter: The Kalima Incident (II) Author''s corner: there''s a fairly high possibility of me posting few chapters or none at all for the rest of the week as i''m pretty busy with school and with work. When i''m on free time i''m normally worn out and not in the mood to write anything worth reading. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for following the story. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturn¡¯s golden hair grew into a savage thunderstorm of a phantasmagoric radiance. Drawing out his twin serrated blades theatrically, dark energy sparking frenetically from one to another, he put all of his weight into the back leg and reunited the blades in a swift motion, like a samurai returning his katana to its scabbard. The two of them synchronized, merging into a titanic piece of metal with slight entrances in which furiously slid razor sharp dents, a chainsaw-like weapon that excelled in cutting through every particle of matter all the while inflicting excruciating amounts of pain. ¡°Stop it, Saturn¡­ Stop it¡­ Stop it¡­ You¡¯re hurting me, please make it stop¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Ugh!¡± the girl couldn¡¯t stop crying as her head cracked from an acute headache, but Saturn was long gone. All that remained was a deathstar, an empty shell without conscience or discerning, a crazed dog whose chains were unleashed. The awakened star could barely hold the weight of such a powerful weapon, dragging it on the ground and moving in short bursts. Saturn drew every drop of energy inside him into a rush attack, slaughtering all that crossed him. At that moment, the girl fainted and faded away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When she noticed most of the gray dots were gone, Venus took her time to savor what would be the last shot - Saturn¡¯s location was almost confirmed. Imagine her frustration when the tiny dot grew into a big dark star. She considered that he could awake and go berserk on her, but was extremely disappointed with the outcome nonetheless. It was her game and he spoiled it. Fun time was over. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t want it to go like this¡± she muttered in a low tone with her head bent down. ¡°¡­ You were supposed to tell me something like: you should have stopped when i asked, but nooo, treat everything as a game, the world is your playground, you can do as you please and nothing will ever change¡± ¡°Then i would say screw this, who are you to tell me what to do? And you would say: actions have consequences, you have to deal with it¡±. She lifted her head as the vibration of Saturn¡¯s energy felt dangerously close. Leaving her tracker on the ground and throwing away her gun, she assumed a relaxed stance and awaited his arrival. ¡°And you know what? I wouldn¡¯t give a shit anyway. Your silly rules don¡¯t apply to me, little bastard, wanna know why?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°¡­ Hmph, still not talking. Stand back and cry in your corner, useless trash¡± She sensed the power of Saturn¡¯s onslaught closing in, yet stood still with unwavering resolve. Venus didn¡¯t look the least bit worried about her enemy. In her eyes, Saturn was nothing but a bug asking to be crushed by her feet. When she felt his heavy blade coming to meet her from the shadows, she extended her hands and tried to block it, destroying both of her members, severing her wrists and being blown away by the shock. Saturn wasted no time to try and butcher her body, it was impossible for her to stop him with just that. However, she didn¡¯t lose her hands needlessly. ¡°Wall of Eyes¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mercury, the dark-masked woman, dauntlessly approached the location of Uranus¡¯s indiscriminate killing. The magnanimous star¡¯s scorching hot body burned the ground she marched on, leaving behind a trail of blazing volcanoes. These volcanoes spit red flakes of energy which melted the terrain. She was like a veteran of many wars, called to the front countless times and surviving each one of them ¨C a scarred, battle-forged soldier who held no fears and bore no weaknesses. Only once had she witnessed Uranus¡¯s awakening and it changed her forever. It was a very strange transformation he went by. Uranus was the only one not possessed by hideous wrath upon using his abilities, being instead controlled by a rather peaceful, gentle-natured mind. All of them suffered great pains to achieve power, while he sunk to a deep sleep. Whenever she was inside the small snowy globe, she felt at peace. Her eyes couldn¡¯t be deceived by him. There was no killing, no horrified screams, it was all an illusion made to keep away unwanted visitors wishing to destroy that little world of his. The citizens were safe and unconscious on the ground, having their sweet colored dreams, that personal haven no one could change. The sound of snowflakes dancing by the shy wind was the only thing to be heard. A place frozen in time. ¡°¡­ Sister, do you feel okay?¡± the boy¡¯s worried voice woke her from the mesmerizing view. ¡°Yeah, i¡¯m good. Let¡¯s go¡±. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Mercury came to a stop. She faltered at hearing his words, but quickly came with an answer as to hide her hesitation. ¡°Why¡­ We¡¯ll need to wake him up¡± There was an unknown feeling sprouting inside her, a warm, satisfying feeling that faded with the idea of waking Uranus. It was happiness, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it for a long time. Sixth chapter: The Kalima Incident (III) Author''s corner: I started a new fiction called Oraculus Twinmage. My point is, i don''t know if this will affect too much my activity on Deathstars, but i think not (i''ve been releasing one chapter a day at the start but that was because i was pumped). My creativity is limited in a way that i have to put reasonable time and effort just to write those ~800-900 words, and there are times when i feel stuck and don''t really know how should i proceed (don''t get me wrong, i take into account all that''s happening on the story, but the events are more work for the future than it is right now). I decided to publish another fiction to try and help with that - if i''m stuck with Deathstars i may have some work with Oraculus and writing one may help with the other. I''m also thinking on changing the font to arial and i''ll do so if i see there''s no opposition to the idea. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before Saturn could do anything, Venus morphed into an odd black body covered in a heavy robe. Her frame became taller, her motions stiffened and her globe changed into a mask, a faceless enigma whose surface looked like plasma. She grew a long ebony hair that swayed backwards as if pulling her back. Most notably, all of her members recovered instantly as she wielded a heavy blade identical to that of Saturn. She held no light, no brilliance. One could say she turned into a black hole. ¡°Why have you done this, Saturn? Why have you abandoned me?¡± she asked in an unusual voice, a rough, demoniacal one. Saturn couldn¡¯t hear anything she was saying, he was a savage beast who attacked anything his eyes were met with. As the two swords clashed violently, Saturn got slowly drained by his current awakened state, but it wasn¡¯t only that ¨C Venus was steadily sapping his energies at each bout. With every spark raised in the heat of battle her figure grew taller and mightier, oppressing Saturn¡¯s, who would instead diminish and weaken until it reached a critical state. ¡°I suffered so much... But you didn¡¯t do anything. No¡­ You never listen to me, you never listen¡­¡± she cunningly whispered as the last trade made cracks to his weapon, sending him flying. ¡°Look¡­ This is what i¡¯ve become. Don¡¯t stare at the other side¡­ Look! This is what you¡¯ve made me into!¡± the next attack widened the crack and stopped the blade¡¯s dents from moving. Saturn¡¯s furious spark started flashing as his movements slowed down. ¡°And this is how you¡¯ll end up¡­¡± Venus stood with her sword held high, prepared to execute him, but didn¡¯t need to swing it down a single inch. Completely out of energy, Saturn¡¯s body ported out of the Shadow World. His glow turned into a faint white light, his hair of a pale yellow. A tiny cut could be seen on his otherwise perfect mask and his twin swords lay shattered on the ground. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Seeing his feeble figure, Venus immediately retorted back to her usual state and a short moment of silence ruled the air. Afterwards she looked at her destroyed arms and tried to open her case. She needed to force it with her wrists cut. The pain was dreadful. ¡°Fuck¡­ Fuck! That motherfucker¡­ Argh! Goddamn it!¡± she breathed heavily as the case was finally open. Throwing a last begrudging look at the pitiful star, she crawled into the open space, disappearing completely. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mercury slowly lifted her head to measure the bleached tree¡¯s length. It grew compared to the last time, although it didn¡¯t mean anything for her, really. The top branch was so high up that it pierced the clouds. Sitting on it, Uranus was gazing at the sky without a care in the world, as if he was entranced by the wallowing darkness of the space. His form was changed, with a taller frame and short hair that exposed his milky white skin on a simple faint pink tunic that resembled a sick man¡¯s clothes. All in all, he seemed like a problematic youngster that didn¡¯t want to abandon childhood. The mask, on a closer look, was pretty unique and completely different from what she has seen by then. The design didn¡¯t appear foreign to her, but she made an effort to dismiss it as just a coincidence. She had no clues on Uranus. He never spoke a single sentence in front of the others, which was reasonable considering they weren¡¯t friends. That single thought sparked an interest on the subject. They were neither foes nor allies, just stars who came to acknowledge the existence of one another, whatever that meant for them. ¡°¡­ Are the answers to all of our questions really waiting for us at the end?¡± ¡°Sister, if i may tell you something¡­ There are infinite numbers between zero and one, but¡­ None of them will be two!¡± ¡°Heh, ain¡¯t that a sad silly thing you said just now¡±. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The black hole was furious. Not only was the teleportation device not ready, he didn¡¯t hold any clue as to what was happening there. No, he actually had a basic idea, but he didn¡¯t want to imagine that he was stuck on that stupid conference room while his citizens were being slaughtered for free. ¡°Are you done?¡± he angrily asked. ¡°Not yet. We¡¯ll need more time to prepare it, else there¡¯s the risk of the device breaking¡± answered one of the auxiliary. Hearing the reply, the black hole felt rage build up from deep inside him. For a mere device to be worth more than the lives of thousands of people, it was disgraceful to think like that. He couldn¡¯t control himself anymore. Lifting his arm, he rushed his hand to grab the meteor¡¯s face, lifting his body in the air and playing him like a puppet. The meteor got swallowed whole and none tried to stop it from happening. ¡°If we don¡¯t go there right now, it will be too late for anything to happen. You there, set this thing to Kalima right now. I¡¯m going¡±. Seventh Chapter: The Kalima Incident (IV) Author''s corner: Any mistake you come to notice, please warn me about it (i''m not a native english speaker and haven''t been in touch with it lately). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mercury raised her right hand and a shining spark sizzled, exploding in a scorching hellfire which turned into a blue effulgent flame that quivered like the strings of a guitar. A mysterious black body was being arranged inside it, like a broken glass ball retorting to its original state. In a moment, she was holding a highly condensed flaming sphere, so hot that the matter kept fusing and becoming a much harder mass. When the sphere acquired a metallic shine, Mercury looked upwards facing Uranus. ¡°Sister, what are you going to do?¡± asked the boy, worried. ¡°I said it earlier, didn¡¯t i? We¡¯re waking him up¡±. She writhed the arm holding the sphere far back while throwing her body to the other side. Less than a second later, a noisy bang resounded like a cannonball, followed by a series of detonations. The horizon was painted by an immense energy spike that bolted flashes like a spider weaving its webs. ¡°We could¡¯ve tried talking to him. Why did you do this?¡± ¡°Pft, amateurs. Step aside and let the pros do their job¡±. Mercury crossed her arms as she waited for the bolt of energy to thin into a blank space, clearing the path. As it rapidly disappeared, the view of Uranus holding a fuming ball running rampant into his open palm was difficult to accept. He had only moved the necessary amount, as if mocking her for using all of her power into that shot, but she didn¡¯t get upset. The boy, while astonished by the feat, was quite relieved no one got hurt. ¡°Sister, we can still do it the right way. Try talking to him! Just once¡­!¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± she said, menacingly. ¡°Sister¡­¡± ¡°Shh, i hear something¡­¡± To be exact, it wasn¡¯t a sound she was hearing, but rather the complete lack of it. The darkness filling the sky, too, stretched like an infectious disease throughout the globe¡¯s inner walls, devouring the snow, erasing the white. The tree¡¯s bark was dying, haunted by a mysterious spiral which distorted its body, like a wet fabric being squeezed. Emptiness seeped through his sanctuary. ¡°Sister¡­?¡± She stared blankly into Uranus and a deep mix of horror crashed into her soul. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. ¡°Go away¡­¡± an indistinguishable voice spoke. ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± ¡°Go away!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t leave until you explain what is happening here!¡± shouted Mercury with her feet cramping the ground below. ¡°Leave us alone¡­ Please¡­ It is¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It is¡­ Un¡­bearable¡± cried tragically the tortured being. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Unbearable¡­ Un¡­bearable¡­ He is¡­ Go away¡­ Go away!¡± ¡°Sis¡­ Is it talking to me?¡± Mercury looked at the boy, who was standing still, and froze herself on a dubious glare. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Leave!¡± the voice screamed in a high pitched tone, and Uranus finally decided to act. He descended gracefully with his right arm held high and the left hand an open palm. ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking my language!¡± Mercury sprinted forwards while lowering her back at a constant speed, making a slight pause every second. At each stop, her arms would bulge and lava would leak from her fissures like blood wallowing on a cut wrist. At each stop, an impactful noise of her arms growing steadily and her hands hauling the terrain with its size. On a split reaction, when Uranus was nearly touching her with his open palm, Mercury threw all of her weight into that wrathful punch, speed only inferior to light, intending to smash him on the ground with brute force. Uranus blocked her in one swift, delicate motion. It was such a beautiful move that even the word used, block, can¡¯t describe the beacon of his touch, which utterly nullified Mercury¡¯s fury with his own serenity. He didn¡¯t spare her a moment to act surprised, it was like time had stopped but he was able to phase through it. He manipulated the fingers of his free hand and slowly laid it on Mercury¡¯s mask. The world had lost its colors, all she could hear was a kind laugh that resembled a musical instrument. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°It¡¯s blurred¡­¡± whispered Saturn, his voice barely perpetrating the air. He had lost sight of his primary objective, instead choosing a battle unlikely to be won. His insensibility towards the world didn¡¯t allow him to be disappointed with himself, nor to dive too deep on past actions and their consequences. All that mattered was now, the instant. And the instant presented itself on his visions. It was as if he had passed on to a new reality, a world completely different from any other he had ever seen. It was the creation of a galaxy, right from the beginning. How it surged, how it developed¡­ How it ended. Over and over, an endless cycle of origin and decay. Nor Joy nor sadness, he felt nothing. He had never experienced this before, and as such, didn¡¯t know how to react. However, when the vision closed itself like a curtain, his blighted mask robbed him the light. It was the price for being bestowed with such a sight. The girl was gone. His power, left with no traces. The world, black. But his instincts were sharper than ever, to the point where they couldn¡¯t be called instincts anymore. They were destiny, and he chose to follow it.