Star Beings

Starfall

       A boom echos through the halls of the base, a shock wave following quickly behind. It knocks all of us off our feet. "Damn... already?" I hear Elian groan from down the hall. "What's going on?!?!" Hade yells. "That was a shock bomb. It sends out a wave around a certain radius. How large that radius depends on how large the bomb is." Elian says, walking around the corner and staring at us with slight disappointment. "This is why we didn't want you going to the palace. Because Hera and I knew if things went south, Anai wouldn't hesitate to attack." I get up. "So how fucked are we on a scale of one to ten?" "Eleven." Shit. The rest of the Star Beings stand. Right now we're armorless. Anai picked the perfect time to attack. I hear Hera stumble out into the hallway. "We need to leave. Now." She says, walking over to Elian. "No. We're going to stay and fight." Natalie growls. Hera raises an eyebrow. "Natalie, the base is currently being infiltrated by L.O. forces. We don't have a choice here." "I'm not giving up without a fight. Even if I'm the only one fighting." Nat brushes past our mentors, glancing back at the rest of us with determination on her face. "Y'all coming?" She asks. I grin. "Wouldn't miss it."

         We burst into the conservatory. Bodies are strewn around. It's a grotesque sight. Only one person remains standing. "Anaideia." Nat breathes. The red haired warrior doesn't bother turning around. "I did my research, you know." She steps forward onto the summoning circle. Light seems to disappear from wherever she steps. "The tree powers this whole base. It's an energy source. At first, I wanted to destroy it. Until I realized it powered the summoning device." She finally turns to face us. Mascara runs in streaks down her face. "Then I realized, why not take the base? If I control the circle..." my blood runs cold. "Then there's nowhere you can hide. No matter how far you run. No matter who you think you're safe with. I. Will. Find. You." I know she's talking to all of us, yet she stares directly into my eyes. A shiver goes down my spine. "We have to destroy it." I hear Hade whisper. "WAIT-" they leap towards the tree before I can ever tell them to stop. Anai swats them away with a shadow tentacle.
           "I have to thank you though. By killing my father, you helped unlock so much potential." "Bitch don't act like you didn't just yeet be back!!!" Hade yells, throwing a rock at Anai, who catches it. The rock crumbles to ash. I scream in fear. "F u c k." I hear Hade whisper. "Destruction. One of the rarest abilities on our world." Anai says, staring at the little pile of ash. A gust of wind sweeps it away. Where did that come from? "All magic users are created, or at least stem from, creations' power. Most call them the deity though. But there's so many more beings that make our world tick. The seasons. Art. Music.intelligence. Death. Life. And, of course, destruction. The deity whose power I feed off of." What? W H A T????? "Oh, you didn't know? A Dark Star is born every thousand years for a reason. Unlike you, which creation makes directly with every new generation, destruction created me." "So you're a monster. A person made to be evil." Nat says. "Ah ah ah... remember dearest Natalie. Destruction can be a blessing sometimes. Just as creation can be a curse." Anai says with an unsettling grin. She shouldn't have a point there. But she does. We stand there in silence for a while, unsure whether to attack, panic, or run the hell away. "It's odd isn't it. Back when I betrayed all of you, our roles were flipped. I was the one closest to solid ground, while you all were backs up against the tree.... And the cliffs." She's calm. Too calm. Anai knows we could very easily throw her off of this cliff. But none of us make the move. "Well? What's your move?"
         Surprisingly, is Damien who leaps into action. He tackles Anaideia. She's caught off guard, tumbling to the ground. "GET HERA AND ELIAN!!!" Anai throws Damien off herself, hitting him over the head with a rock for good measure. "DAMIEN!!!" Caleb scrambles to his brother's side, blasting fire at Anai to keep her away. Then Hade decides to keep her occupied.
          They flash fireballs at Anai, who easily kart-wheels out of the way. "Careful. You'll hurt someone." Hade slips. Anai froze the ground beneath their feet. The rest of us attack all at once. Anai sends us flying with a single force wave. I smack into the mountain, sliding down and landing in a heap. Anai walks over to me. She grabs me roughly, lifting me up by my collar. "I'll give you one more chance, DJ. Join me." She whispers. I sigh. Do I even have a choice?
        "Ok. I'll help you." I croak. She allows me to stand up. "Glad you made the right choice, babe." "Don't call me that. Just because I'm on your side doesn't mean I forgive you." I growl. Lane stares at me with a look that nearly brings me to my knees. "DJ?" She asks, her voice small and broken. "I'm sorry..."  I turn away from her, following Anai. "For the confusion." "What?" Anai yelps. I freeze Anai where she stands. "HADE NOW!!!" I yell. They grin like a maniac and send a fireball at the tree. It catches, leaves and branches sparking with flame.
        I watch as the tree is swallowed by flames. I send a burst of fire to keep it from sizzling out. "You bastard." Anai growls. I turn and glare at her. "Anai, we've both made mistakes. Mine was trusting you. And yours was breaking that trust." I get up in her face. "Then assuming I'd do it again." I growl. She snarls at me. I flip her off and head back towards the other Star Beings. "Go. We need to get to the stables." I whisper. The other Star Beings scramble up, Caleb tossing his brother over his shoulder. We rush inside, passing by room after room, searching for the stables like our lives depend on it. Probably because they do. I round a corner and nearly run straight into Hera and Elian. "Shit kid!" Elian yelps. "Stables. Now." I pant. They look at each other and nod. We keep going.