Shattered Stars

Restored

"Wakie wakie, big guy."

I stirred, wanting to return to my slumber.

"Yoohoo!"

I mustered the strength to lift an eyelid. As my white muzzle came into focus, an eerily familiar brown-furred face beamed back at me. Her head rested on her hands on the floor, and a fluffy tail swayed lazily behind her head. Her lightning-blue eyes flicked back and forth between my open eye and closed eye.

"Does the other one work too?" she quipped.

I opened the other eye. What is going on?

"I did it!" she cheered, looking off to her left.

"Hardly. The other three are still in critical condition, contrary to what you promised," Kyrom grunted.

Suddenly, memories flashed before my eyes. Kyrom yelled at Nylis beside a hologram of the sun. A fighter jet with one wing slammed into the ground and exploded. Someone dragged an unconscious body away from a roaring fire. Kyrom roared in frustration as he turned away from the hologram.

Anger surged through my body. I tried to get up, but managed only a twitch in my leg. My limbs were incredibly heavy. Fear mixed with the rage in my belly, giving me more determination. My hand twitched and closed into a weak fist. I pushed more, and my leg bent a little. I clenched my jaw and found even those muscles barely worked.

"I did exactly what I promised," Neila said with a smirk, "which was to do my best!"

I got onto all fours with extraordinary effort, my wings sagging over my shoulders. I swung my head toward Kyrom and we held each other's gaze for several seconds. His expression was unreadable.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"H-How..." I muttered, my lips fumbling over the words. "dare... y-you."

"What I have done is in the past," he said. "We—"

"H-How dare you mess with my mind!" I yelled, taking a step forward. My fingers grabbed the edge of the walkway. It wasn't so hard to stand anymore. "How dare you mess with my family!"

I leaped forward with all my might, with my hands outstretched. Just as my feet left the floor, something took hold of my wrists and ankles, as well as my neck and tail. It pulled my wrists and ankles together with a clang.

What the...? I struggled against the force on my neck to look down.

I floated a few feet above the lower level. Metallic cuffs held my wrists and ankles. They had magnetic capabilities according to my implant. I pulled apart as hard as I could, but my wrists didn't budge. Nor did my ankles. Where had my strength gone? I attempted to bring my wrists up to my mouth to pry the cuffs off, but they repelled the one on my neck.

"See? I told you they would work," Neila bragged from behind me as the cuffs set me back on the walkway.

I glared at Kyrom again. "You will never control me ever again. Never. You hear me, Master!?"

Kyrom was about to say something but closed his mouth with a surprised expression.

I gasped in horror. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!? IS THIS WHAT YOU DID TO MY FAMILY!?"

I leapt at Kyrom again, making him step backward. Once again, the cuffs suspended me in midair. I writhed against them for a few seconds then gave up as they returned me to the walkway again. "I am going to kill you."

"That would not be wise."

My head snapped toward the origin of the voice. Neval sat on the walkway with his feet resting on the lower level.