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Gorgeous wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the night sky tonight.The stars glimmered like diamonds in the swirling hues of violet and indigo and blue, and the glow of distant planets could be seen in the distance. Comets soared through the air, here one moment and gone the next. It was more beautiful than SC could ever describe, as he ran across the clouds, kicking the fluff into the air as it floated to nowhere. He ran through the starscape as if it were a field of grass, laughing and dancing around out of pure bliss. He loved it here. It felt like home. He hoped he would never leave.He ran across the cloudy field until he saw something in the distance. The boy stopped in his tracks, trying to get a good look at who it might be. It appeared to be a human, or at least the shape of one. The woman seemed to be made of starlight, glowing blue and holding a vase closely to her chest with both arms. She looked out into the distance, almost longingly, her hair flowing like a steady stream. Her gown was long and majestic, and it too, flowed like water.SC was hesitant to approach her, but he felt inclined to. Something tugged at his heart, at his very soul, to approach the woman, as if he’d known her his whole life. SC slowly walked up to the woman, until he was a few paces behind her.“Um… excuse me?” SC inquired.The woman looked back at him with sad eyes. Her eyes were completely a bright, blue color, and she had glowing blue tears streaming down her face.“Ah, little Starborne,” she said. “You’ve finally made it this far. It seems your guardian was not able to keep you from us for too long.”SC was a bit confused. “Um… what? My guardian? You mean… you mean my brothers? Also who would they be keeping me from, and… who are you?”The woman looked at him with even sadder eyes. “In another reality perhaps, you would know my name just by my voice, by my face. But alas, those who are afraid of us took you from our embrace.” She sighed, and more tears fell from her eyes.SC was very confused. “Um… Excuse me? I’m not trying to be rude, I’m just… genuinely confused?”“And such a tragedy it is that you are,” she continued. She whimpered, and then adjusted the vase in her arms, standing up straight. She looked longingly at the stars again.“I understand that this is not your fault, little Starborne. You were taken from us, brought to a world that is not your own. While I do not always agree with my peer’s decisions, and I really did hope there was redemption for the Elven race, it was not so. Soon you shall carry out the purpose you were born for.” She took a deep breath. “Your powers are precious and wondrous. You may wake from your slumber and think this is all a strange dream, and I know you will. But… your time is coming. It is inevitable, although many pray to us wishing it were not. You will rain down our wrath upon your world, just as we see fit, and you shall pour out our judgment upon its ashes.”SC’s head hurt. What… What was this woman talking about…? SC didn’t want to destroy anything. He certainly didn’t want to rain anyone’s wrath on the world. He began to feel dizzy, as he looked the strange woman in the eyes as she said her final words…“The Stars are calling, young one. Are you willing to answer?”
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SC snapped awake, still feeling a bit dizzy. He was breathing heavily, shaking ever so slightly. He placed his head in his hand and tried to recompose himself. It took a minute, but soon the dizziness was gone. He sat up in his bed.Now THAT was a weird dream.It wasn’t the first time he’d had one like it either. He’d had many dreams where he was in space, playing in the sky without a care in the world. But he’d never found someone in the end. He’d usually just get woken up, either by himself or a loud noise. He shivered. The dream was scary, but it was just that: a dream. Nothing he had to worry about. He managed to clear his head enough to start the day. He stood up out of bed, stretching and yawning at the same time. He looked out the giant window that was in the attic - now his bedroom - as the morning sun poured in, illuminating the room. He smiled. He loved his room. It was the best.He got himself dressed, zipping up his iconic orange hoodie, and making his hair look semi-presentable. Today was his first day of high school. Granted, he wasn’t very excited for it, not in a bad way, but in a sense he didn't have very high expectations for the place. Yellow had said that, “the film industry makes that place seem like a paradise full of bliss and cute boys, but I know for a fact that the facade is absurd and ridiculous. High school is just like real life, full of horror and weird people who dip their fried chicken in mayonnaise. It really isn’t worth getting your hopes up.” His words, not SC’s. It definitely lowered SC’s standards, but he was still curious what public school was like.He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Blue was cooking up pancakes for breakfast, humming quietly to himself. Green and Yellow were sitting at the table having a conversation, Yellow eagerly yapping about something while Green sat and listened intently. Yellow, instead of his usual getup, was dressed in a yellow hoodie, his hair done to look mildly presentable. Green had said something about how Yellow was going to look nice for at least his first day of school, and Yellow didn't care enough to argue, so he made himself not look like a crazed scientist. He looked nice actually, and he looked very comfy in his hoodie.SC walked over to sit with his brothers.“Morning, SC!” Green said. “Did you sleep well last night?”“Eh, it wasn’t the best, but I’ll manage,” he responded. “I had this really weird dream.”“Aw, sorry to hear that,” Green said, “But I’m sure you’ll still do great today.”“I had a weird dream too,” Yellow added. “I was at Rutter’s in the parking lot eating a bag of chips when this guy comes up to me and says we had to find the Onion, and after a series of wacky shenanigans and heartfelt moments we ended up at a movie theater with Yoshi from Super Mario trying to turn us into plastic marketable Yoshi eggs, but after we beat him by making him eat one of the chairs, we discovered the Onion was actually a sentient onion with feelings and decided to leave it in its home where it belonged, and then there was a lesson of some sort about remembering onions had feelings and then I woke up.”There was a painful moment of silence where everybody was staring at Yellow with mildly concerned looks on their faces.“What?” Yellow asked. “You guys have never had weirdly specific dreams? Now THAT’S a shame.”Another deafening moment of silence.“Well…” SC began, “Um… So where’s Red?”“He’s still asleep,” Blue replied. “It’s still a bit early for him to be awake. He’ll come down before you guys have to go so he can say goodbye.”“In the meantime,” Green said, “Yellow? Don’t you have some exciting news you’d like to share with SC?”Yellow looked a bit confused for a moment, but then his face lit up with excitement. “OH!” He exclaimed, “SC, you’ll never guess what happened!”“What?” SC asked.“My motorcycle passed inspection! It really IS legal to sell it now!”SC’s face lit up with joy. “That’s amazing, Yellow! How’re you going to sell it?”“Facebook marketplace,” he said, grinning with pride. “As any person would.”Green smiled and rolled his eyes. “Yellow’s very excited about it. He’s gonna clean it up a bit after school, and then we’ll put it up for sale.”“Speaking of which,” Blue chimed in, “You guys have to leave for the bus stop here in a little bit, so I’d start packing your things after breakfast.” He set a plate of pancakes in front of each of the boys.“Sounds good,” SC replied.“And thank you for making breakfast,” Yellow added.“You’re very welcome,” Blue said, smiling.After breakfast, SC got himself ready and put all his school supplies in his backpack. He walked downstairs, his light green backpack slug around his arm, a bit of confidence welling inside of him. Part of him was excited about today, so much so that he was bouncing up and down ever so slightly. Red was awake, and he and Ruben were at the door right as SC and Yellow were about to leave.“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Red told them.“We’ll only be gone for the day, Red,” Yellow said, ruffling Red’s hair. “There’s no need to miss us too badly.”“But what if you go and don’t come back?” Red asked.Sadness tugged at SC’s heart. He guessed that Red was afraid that they’d get killed, like their parents had all those years ago. Red still hadn’t completely processed the event, SC thought. He was afraid of it happening again.“We’re going to be ok, Red.” SC reassured his little brother, putting his hand on his shoulder. “When we get back, maybe we can play some video games together?”Red smiled. “Yeah! We can play Super Mario!”“Sounds good,” SC confirmed. “See you after school, Red.”“See you!” Red replied, his demeanor improved.SC and Yellow walked out the door and down the sidewalk, talking about what school was going to be like.“It isn’t ALL bad,” Yellow said, “There’s some fun things to do there I suppose. Like the fine arts classes you can choose to take. Didn’t you sign up for an art class?”“And an introduction to animation class,” SC added. “I’m kind of excited for those. I’ve always taught myself how to draw, but it would be nice to get tips from people who went to school for it.”“That’s exciting!” Yellow exclaimed. “I took an engineering class, as expected. Green says I should try new things, but I’d like to focus more on the whole engineering gig because, um… well, I’m going to college for it hopefully, and maybe it’ll be my career one day. Gotta start thinking about that stuff considering I’m going to be…” He shivered a bit, “An adult… in… less than two years.”“How do you feel about that information?” SC asked, both to be funny and because he was genuinely curious.“Terrified,” Yellow replied. “I’m not ready to pay taxes.”SC rolled his eyes.They walked up to the end of the sidewalk to find a group of older kids surrounding a yellow sign with a bus on it.“I’m assuming this is the bus stop?” SC asked.“You’d be correct!” Yellow said.One of the kids perked her head up from out of the crowd. “Yellow!?” She exclaimed, her face lighting up.“Kathy!” Yellow exclaimed. “How’ve you been?”The girl who SC assumed was Kathy wormed her way through the crowd until she got to Yellow. She was very tall, with long, fluffy brown hair that made her look like a warrior queen from a movie. She wore a dark magenta shirt with the sleeves cut to her elbows, and black jeans that were torn just a bit at the ends of the pant legs. She had a very friendly demeanor.“I’ve been doing alright! Typical summer vacation stuff, as one does.” She looked at SC. “And who’s this little guy?” She asked.“This is SC!” Yellow declared happily. “He’s my brother! We adopted him just this summer, after… quite a lot of shenanigans.”“Hello there.” SC greeted Kathy.“Hey there, SC! My name’s Katherine, but everybody calls me Kathy. Is SC an abbreviation? Does it stand for anything?”“Not that I’m aware of,” SC said. “I’ve always just been called SC.”“Well anybody who’s a friend of Yellow’s is a friend of mine!” She exclaimed. “You ever need anything, you come and get me, alright?” She bent down to SC’s height and whispered to him, “A lot of WEIRDOS go to this school.”“So I’ve heard,” SC replied.“Eh, you’ll be fine,” Kathy said, “You look like a strong kid.” She smiled down at him. SC smiled back.The kids in the crowd drew their attention to the sidewalk, and SC saw the bus coming down the road. It stopped at the curb, opened its doors, and everybody started pouring inside.“Welp, I’ll be seeing the two of you dorks later,” Kathy said. “See you tomorrow, same time, same place! And say hi to Red for me, I miss him!”“Will do!” Yellow replied, “See you tomorrow!” The three of them got on the bus, Kathy going all the way to the back of the bus while Yellow planted himself somewhere in the middle. He gestured for SC to sit next to him, and SC did.“Is it bad that I’m super nervous?” SC asked.“Not at all,” Yellow replied. “I completely understand. But I’ll be here to help you out when I can. You don’t have to worry about anything.” He pulled in SC for a hug. “I’ve got your back.”SC smiled, returning the hug. “Thank you,” he said.The bus ride was pretty cool. Yellow gave SC the window seat, so SC got to see parts of the suburban part of the city he’d never seen before. It was really fun seeing new places and wondering what went on in there.They arrived at the school not too long after, SC staring up at the building with a ball of nervousness sinking in his chest. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He’d been through crazier things. What was going to school compared to evading the cops every other night for a few years?Yellow walked up from behind SC, smiling down at his little brother. “Are you ready?” He asked him.SC smiled back. “I… I think so.”“Then let us proceed!” Yellow exclaimed, heading for the doors. SC followed not far behind.They walked through the doors of the school. SC’s eyes filled with wonder. There were so many different kinds of people there, and so much going on. It wasn’t a particularly fancy building, but it was new, and that was enough for SC’s curiosity.“Well, the bell rings in about ten minutes, so I should have enough time to walk you to your first class,” Yellow said.“Sounds good!” SC confirmed. “So, where do they have the art classes…?”“In the art room,” Yellow replied. “I shall escort you there!” He started walking down the hallway, SC following behind.“So… they have an entire room dedicated to art?” SC asked.“Something like that, yes,” Yellow replied. “There’s different classrooms for all kinds of subjects. You can’t really do english and agriculture in the same room. Not very practical.”SC nodded. “Makes sense.”“Yellow!” someone called.SC looked up to see a boy that looked to be around Yellow’s age, wearing a teal wool sweater with a sprout embroidered on it. He had longer hair that was dyed to match his sweater, but SC could see at the roots that his hair was naturally brown. He looked to Yellow, who looked extremely excited to see this new kid approach him.“B- Basil!” Yellow exclaimed.“Yellow!” Basil exclaimed again, looking very happy to see him. “How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you all summer!”“Oh, uh, yeah, s- sorry about that!” Yellow stuttered. “I was dealing with some stuff, so I wasn’t very intentional about getting together with anybody this summer… sorry about that.”Basil looked concerned. “Hm? You were dealing with stuff? Are you ok?” He asked, his voice full of care and concern.“I’m ok now!” Yellow exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly. “I was just… still dealing with stuff from when, um… my parents…” He trailed off.Basil walked over and gave Yellow a hug. “Hey, it’s ok. That kind of stuff is hard.” He let go and looked Yellow in the eyes. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you, ok?”Yellow’s eyes glimmered in the ceiling lights. “Um… yeah… th- thank you, Basil,” he said smiling.Basil smiled back. He then looked down at SC. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “Who’s this?”Yellow looked down at SC. “OH!” He exclaimed, “This is, um, this is SC! He’s my little brother. We adopted him this summer.”Basil’s face lit up. “Aw, nice to meet you SC! My name is Basil! I like your hoodie!”“Thanks!” SC replied. “I like your sweater!”“Why thank you!” Basil replied. “And if you don’t mind me asking, does SC stand for anything?”“Um… I don’t think so?” SC said. People seemed to be asking that question a lot. It made him think about it. What… Did SC stand for?“Oh ok,” Basil replied. He looked at the clock on the wall. “Oh! Class starts soon! I should really be going…”“That’s ok!” Yellow exclaimed, once again a bit too loudly. “We can see each other again at lunch, right? We have the same lunch period, I thought?”Basil nodded. “Sounds good! See you around!” He waved as he walked off.“See you around!” Yellow replied. His face was completely red, and he had a giddy smile on his face. “He hugged me…” He stared wistfully into nothing.“Yellow?” SC asked.Yellow snapped out of his trance. “Huh?”SC rolled his eyes. “Do you like him?” he asked his brother.“Well yes I like him- oh wait, you mean like-like, don’t you?”SC nodded.Yellow’s face somehow got even redder, which SC didn’t think was possible. “Um… maybe. Possibly. It’s a small chance.”SC scoffed. “Are you going to tell him?” He asked.There was a long-ish pause.“Someday.” Yellow replied.SC smiled up at his big brother. “I believe in you.” SC said.“Thank you very much,” Yellow replied.After that exchange, Yellow walked SC down to his art class.“Here it is!” Yellow said.SC’s eyes went wide with awe. The room was full of tables with kids drawing at them, the counters had colored pencil cases and paint trays stacked up on top of each other, paintings and drawings hung on the wall with all sorts of colors. SC had only been here for a minute, but he already loved it.“Are you ready?” Yellow asked.SC nodded. “I think I am,” he replied.Yellow smiled. “Well then, I’ll be off to my own classes. See you at lunch!”“See you!” SC replied. Yellow then walked off down the hallway, and SC walked into the room. It was at this moment he realized he wasn’t sure what to do. Where did he sit? Was he allowed to sit yet? Did he need to do anything specific?“Hello!” He heard a voice from beside him.It was a woman of average height, with a long, colorful dress. She had two golden hoop earrings, along with long, dark hair. He looked to be an older woman, but she had a smile on her face that made her look just a bit younger.“Are you SC?” The woman asked.“Um… yeah?” SC replied.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, SC! I’m the art teacher! I’m Miss Reichenbach, but you can call me Ms. R!” She took SC’s hand and shook it.“Um… pleasure to meet you too!” SC replied. “You’re the teacher?”“Uh-huh!” Ms. R replied. “The principal told me about you. He told me about what happened this summer, and how you might need some help adjusting to the environment. Anything I can help you with?”A feeling of reassurance washed over SC. He’d never met the principal, but he knew that Green talked to him about his previous situation, and it was nice to know the principal was making an effort to make him feel welcome.“Um… do you know where I’m supposed to sit?” SC asked the teacher.“Oh, you can sit wherever,” she replied, “I don’t care much for seating charts.”SC nodded. “Thank you!” He said.“Of course,” Ms. R replied, “If you need anything else, don’t be afraid to approach me.” She smiled at him, and SC went to sit in the back of the classroom.Right as he sat down, the bell rang, and the room got quiet.“Alright class!” Ms. R declared, standing at the front of the room, “Welcome back to school! How was everybody’s summer?”Most of the class just half-heartedly said “good.” It was quite eventful, SC thought to himself.“That’s wonderful to hear,” Ms. R said. “Now, it’s been a while since you’ve been in school, so because I’m feeling very generous today, I give you all permission to free-draw for the period! We’ll start the serious stuff tomorrow.”SC’s eyes lit up. He’d been wanting to draw all morning, but hadn’t gotten the chance to. This would be a nice way to start off the day.“There’s a stack of blank paper on my desk,” Ms. R continued, “So feel free to take some from the pile. Have fun you guys! But don’t get too rowdy.”Half the class got up to go get paper, while the other kids got out sketchbooks of varying sizes. SC got out his own sketchbook and tried to think of something to doodle. He decided to do something basic, like a dragon. He started sketching out the guidelines when a kid walked up to see what he was drawing.SC looked over his shoulder. There was a kid that looked about his age staring at his drawing, seemingly invested. His hair was a bit long, and dyed purple. He wore a rather expensive-looking jacket that was purple as well, with a golden crown design on the sleeves. He had an amethyst ring on his finger, and had a long scar that went across his right eye.“Um… can I help you?” SC asked.The boy examined his drawing further, and smiled. “I like your dragon,” he said in a friendly tone.SC smiled. He didn’t get a lot of compliments on his art. “Thank you!” he said.“You’re welcome!” The mysterious kid replied. “May I ask what your name is?”“You can call me SC,” SC replied. “What’s yours?”“My name is Purple,” the mysterious kid announced. “I just happen to be an artist myself, and I really love your drawing there. May I have a dragon of my own? If it doesn’t bother you, of course.”SC tore the page with the dragon on it out of the sketchbook. “Here!” He said, “You can have this one.”Purple took the dragon drawing in his hands. “Thank you very much!” he said.“Of course!” SC said smiling. “You seem nice.”“Why, thank you!” Purple replied. “You as well.”The exchange ended there, and SC went back to drawing. He made a few more drawings, his favorite being one of a Phoenix. They were his favorite mythical creature, and birds were really fun to draw. He applied the finishing touches, and took a good look at it. He smiled. It was great. He thought to himself. Would Ms. R like it? Did this meet up to art class standards?He decided to walk over to her desk and ask her himself. He got up out of his seat, his sketchbook in hand, the drawing of the Phoenix up against his chest. He walked through the art room, when something caught his attention. He saw Purple, surrounded by a few other kids, holding up a piece of paper. The kids around Purple seemed to be joking about something. SC decided to get a closer look. He walked up to the group, listening closely with his annoying, super-sensitive hearing.“Geez Purple, I didn’t think you could improve so much in such a short amount of time!”“Yeah, it looks like a completely different person drew it!”“Oh, you all are too kind!” SC heard Purple’s voice say. “It’s all about practicing your skills, I always say.”SC looked at the piece of paper in Purple’s hands. It was the dragon drawing that SC had given him earlier. SC was shocked. Purple was trying to pass off SC’s drawing as his own. He stole his art.Anger started to stir in SC’s chest. He walked over to the group.“Hey!” He exclaimed. The four kids looked at SC, Purple looking slightly nervous.“That’s my art!” SC said. “I just gave that to you.” He pointed to the drawing.Purple looked nervous. “Wh- no it isn’t! I drew this myself!”“Then why does it have my signature on it?” SC asked.Purple looked at the drawing. Underneath the dragon sketch, there was ‘SC’ written in cursive. Purple yelped. The other kids started teasing him. “Gee Purple, I knew you were a bad artist, but I didn’t know you’d go as low as stealing to make yourself not look like a total failure!” They started laughing at him.Purple looked beyond mad, his eyes wide with anger. SC took the drawing out of his hands. “Please don’t steal people’s hard work, Purple.” He told him. “It’s really not fair to the artist.”Purple gritted his teeth. SC was about to walk away from the scene, but then Purple grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him towards him.“Listen here, you little nuisance,” he told SC, staring into his eyes, “Do you have any idea what you just cost me?” He raised his fist in the air. SC’s heart rate spiked. Adrenaline started pumping through his system.“You’re going to pay for this,” Purple said, his jaw still clenched. He went to punch SC, and SC braced himself for impact. He heard the woosh of the fist, and closed his eyes. But… he felt no impact. He opened his eyes.He’d caught the punch.Purple looked just as shocked as SC was. SC started at his hand, Purple’s fist in it. Purple was in shock, but soon snapped out of it and tried to punch SC again. SC dodged just in time, barely missing the punch.Purple was overflowing with rage. He started to punch at SC again, but SC moved out of the way just in time. SC started for the other side of the classroom.“Just hold still!” Purple exclaimed, running after him.SC thought frantically about what to do. He should probably tell the teacher, right? Well first he’d have to get away from Purple.“BOYS!” a voice called. SC sighed with relief. Ms. R was looming over Purple with a disappointed look on her face.Purple’s face screamed, “Oh no, I’m cooked.” He smiled nervously at the teacher. “Ms. R!” he greeted, as if he’d done nothing wrong. “How was your summer?”“Don’t act innocent, Purple,” She said, “You know exactly what’s coming.”A look of defeat washed across Purple’s face.“To the principal’s office, now.” Ms. R said. “Both of you two.”
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The Principal's office wasn’t actually that bad.The room was almost welcoming. It was a smaller room, With a couple windows on the left side of the room that had the blinds half-closed. The room was mostly full of boring things like filing cabinets, but they were decorated with art and colorful magnets that made them look a lot friendlier. The rest of the room was decorated with posters and even more artwork, along with little trinkets and figurines on the principal's desk. The desk had a lot of photos on it too, photos of who SC assumed were loved ones. The principal himself was a rather tall man with orangy-brown hair, and he wore an orange sweater-vest with a white, long-sleeved t-shirt underneath. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, as well as a topaz pendant that hung from a golden chain. He had warm brown eyes that matched the friendly smile on his face. On his desk, a plaque with his name glinted in the sunlight: Principal Orange.“Thank you boys for coming,” Principal Orange said. “Now, do either of you mind telling me what happened?”There was a brief moment of silence where Purple shifted nervously and SC wasn’t sure what to do.“Um,” SC began, “Well, I was drawing during art class because the teacher gave us some free time, and then Purple came up and said he liked my art. Then he asked me for a drawing, so I gave him one, but when I went to ask the teacher something, I saw him showing the drawing to some other kids and saying the drawing was his own. Then when I told those other kids that the drawing was mine, Purple tried to beat me up.”Principal Orange’s eyes went wide. “Is this true?” He asked Purple, a look of genuine concern on his face.Purple slumped in his seat. “Well… I didn't… land the punch…” he trailed off.“PURPLE!” The Principal exclaimed, “We talked about this.”“He didn’t have to expose me like that!” Purple argued.The Principal sighed. “My deepest apologies,” he told SC. “If you didn’t know, Purple here is my son, and he has a knack for getting in trouble. We’ve been trying to help him control his temper, but sometimes he slips up, like today.”Principal Orange turned to his son. “Purple, I’d like you to apologize to SC. For stealing his artwork, and for attempting to injure him.”Purple seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Sss… Sorry,” he squeaked.“Thank you,” the principal said. He then turned to SC. “Do you forgive him, SC?”SC thought for a moment. He was still really upset at Purple for stealing his art, but… He knew what it was like to be a troubled kid who couldn’t handle his emotions well. He remembered his days back at the orphanage, where he was rude and snappy at the people who were trying to help him, especially Natalie. He couldn’t shake off the guilt of giving her such a hard time all those years when she was just trying to help him. Purple had wronged him, yes. But what was the point of holding a grudge? Purple was just like SC had been. There was no reason he couldn’t give him some grace.“I forgive you, Purple.” SC said with a smile.Principal Orange smiled. “Thank you, SC.” he said. He turned to Purple. “Now Purple, I hope you understand what you did was wrong.”“Yes dad,” Purple said, his speech just a bit sluggish.“And I hope you know we’ll be having a more in-depth talk about this when we get home.”“Yes, dad.”King Orange looked at a clock that had been placed on the wall. “Well, you boys better get back to class. Second period starts soon.” He smiled at the boys. “Thank you for your cooperation, boys. And SC? I hope we can speak again sometime. Preferably in a casual situation and not in my office.”SC smiled. “Sounds good,” he said.“Alright you two,” The principal said, “You can head back to class now. Have a wonderful rest of your day!”The rest of the day wasn’t so bad.The rest of SC’s classes were pretty ok. The introduction to animation class was super fun, and the rest of the classes were passable as well (minus math class, where the teacher looked like she tortured kittens for fun, SC assumed). Lunch period was nice. SC got to sit with Yellow, Kathy, and Basil, as well as a few other friends from their little group. SC was convinced Kathy was the only extrovert there, because she carried most of the conversations. Basil and Yellow sat next to each other, and SC caught Yellow staring at Basil a couple times. He wondered if Green or Blue knew about Basil, and if they ever teased Yellow about it. It would be pretty funny to see Blue’s reaction, SC thought.The rest of the day went pretty swiftly after that. It rained on the bus ride home, but it was a peaceful, calming sort of rain, where the gray clouds made him feel a bit sleepy rather than sad. He looked out the window and watched the world go by, Madilyn Mei playing on the phone that Green had let him borrow, Yellow next to him attempting to do some math homework that was beyond anything SC could understand. It was nice. He felt safe.They got back about mid-afternoon.“You’re back!” Red exclaimed as they walked through the door. He ran up to SC and gave him a hug. “I missed you guys today,” he said.“We missed you too,” SC said.“How was your day, Red?” Yellow asked.Red started to pull on his sleeves. “It was pretty good,” he said. “Ruben ate one of my sweatshirts today, but it’s ok because we were gonna donate that one to Goodwill anyway. I also went to the grocery store with Blue today and we got stuff to make mac ‘n cheese.”“That sounds awesome!” Yellow said. “Oh! Miss Kathy wanted to say hi to you.”Red’s face lit up. “Miss Kathy was at school?!” He exclaimed.“She was!” Yellow exclaimed.Red smiled. “I like Miss Kathy! She’s really good at Mario Kart.”“Hey, guys!” Blue greeted them as he walked down the stairs, a basket of laundry in his hands. “How was school?”“It was ok,” SC replied. “Other than that one kid trying to beat me up.”There was a deafening moment of silence. Yellow and Blue looked at SC with shock, Red looking concerned.Green ran down the stairs behind Blue in a fit of rage. “Who are they and where can I talk to their parents?” He asked.“Is… something wrong?” SC asked.“Yes, something’s wrong!” Blue exclaimed, putting his laundry basket down and running to SC. He took his face in his hands and examined it. “Are you ok? Are you hurt?”“I’m fine, Blue, really, he didn’t even touch me,” SC replied. “The kid has some issues, that’s all. His dad said he’d talk to him about it.” Blue let go of his face, still looking worried.“He’d better,” Green said, “Nobody tries to hurt my brother and gets away with it.”“Why’d the mean kid try to beat you up?” Red asked.“Because he tried to tell people that the dragon I drew was actually his drawing.” SC said, “He got mad because I told him not to do it again.”Red crossed his arms. “That isn’t very nice,” he said.“It’s not,” SC said, “But sometimes people do bad things because they don’t feel good about themselves. Maybe this kid didn’t feel good about himself, so that’s why he wanted to steal the drawing.”Red seemed to ponder that statement for a moment. “You do a lot of deep thinking, SC.” He said.SC shrugged.“So are you gonna play Super Mario with me like you said you would?” Red asked.SC smiled and nodded. “After I do this math paper, yeah. We can play as long as you want.”Red smiled and bounced up and down. He seemed very excited.SC booted up the Nintendo Switch that the family kept in the basement. He selected Super Mario Odyssey, and turned on co-op mode. He handed Red the controller, and the two started playing together.“So how was your school day?” Red asked. “I don’t start school until next week.”“It was pretty good,” SC said. “I’m convinced my math teacher might be evil, though.”“Why’s that?” Red asked. “Does she have one of those really small dogs that look like they eat people? They’re always the bad guys in the movies.”“Not that I’m aware of,” SC said. “She was just really mean to everybody.”“Maybe she’s like Mrs. Dodds from Percy Jackson,” Red suggested, “And she’s secretly a monster in disguise.”“Maybe,” SC said, “But I don’t think any demigods go to my school.”“You never know!” Red exclaimed. “Maybe there is one, but you can’t tell because of the misty stuff that keeps normal people from seeing the magic stuff.”“That’s true,” SC said. “Guess we’ll never know.”“Guess we’ll never know,” Red repeated. There was a small moment of silence.SC was about to start up the conversation again when he heard something.“He’s here… I can sense him.”SC looked around. He’d never heard that voice before.“What is your plan of attack?” Another voice said.“Stay hidden for now. He’ll come to us soon enough~”SC looked around, but there was nobody there. Where was that voice coming from?“SC?” Red called.SC snapped out of his trance and looked at Red. “Are you ok?” his little brother asked, seemingly concerned.SC didn’t have time to think before the voices spoke again.“Come on out, little Starborne… We’re waiting for you. Don’t be so rude. We’re your guests! Come and give us a proper greeting, won’t you~?”SC’s heart started beating faster. “I… I have to go check something,” he said. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He paused the game and left to go upstairs.He went out into the backyard, where he heard the voices coming from. “Hello?” He called out, as he looked out into the woods behind the backyard.“We’re waiting…~” The voice beckoned.SC’s hands were shaking, but he decided to go anyway. Whatever was out there, he had to know what it was. He jumped over the gate, and walked into the woods, looking all around him to see maybe where the voice was coming from. The woods seemed to watch him as he went, the forest completely quiet as he crept through. He walked until he found a clearing, where a patch of sunlight shone through the trees. On the other side of the light, shrouded in shadows, was a humanoid figure. They were just standing there, staring at SC. His sharp, red eyes glowed like fire in the darkness.SC stood and stared back. “Who… Who are you?” He asked.The figure smiled, his razor-sharp teeth glinting in the light. He laughed a bit. “You’ll know someday soon…”He snapped his fingers, and suddenly something made of crimson-red light knocked SC off his feet.. . . . . . . . . . . . .Green was in the kitchen with Blue, helping him prepare dinner.“Do you think SC will be ok?” Green asked his little brother.“Hm?” Blue asked, “What do you mean?”“I mean the fight he got into today,” Green clarified. “Do you think it’ll happen again when he goes back tomorrow…?”Blue walked over to his older brother and put his hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be ok,” he said.“I know, I know,” Green said, “But there’s… there’s that protective part of me that’s scared he isn’t going to be ok, y’know?”Blue wrapped his arms around his brother, hugging him close. “He’s going to be ok, Green,” He told him. “I promise. And if it does happen again, we’ll be here for him. Right?”Green returned the hug. “Right,” he said. “Because that’s what family does.”Suddenly, the doorbell rang.“Oh, I’ll get it,” Green said. Blue let go of the hug, and Green went to answer the door. He opened it to find none other than Natalie waiting there, with a strange, tall man in heavy black armor beside her. Natalie wore a pleasant yet strained smile, while the strange man’s face remained cold and blank.“Natalie!” Green exclaimed, “How’ve you been?”“I’ve been doing pretty well!” Natalie replied. “Hey, I know this might be an inconvenience to you, but um… Is it ok if I talk to SC about something? It’s very important, and I need to do it, um… as soon as possible.”“Is everything alright?” Green asked.“The matters in which your adopted brother is involved are exceptionally dire,” the strange man said. “To put it simply, no. Everything is very bad.”“What’s going on?” Green asked.Natalie glared at the strange man angrily. He simply shrugged. “What?” he asked. “I told them the truth.”Natalie let out a huff, but quickly regained her composure. “It’s… It’s a lot to take in. Just get SC in here, and everything is going to be alright. We don't have much time.”“Well I feel like I should know what’s going on,” Green said, “Especially if SC’s getting involved.”“He’ll be ok!” Natalie reassured Green. “We promise!”“I don’t promise,” the strange man added. “He could very well die if not properly trained.”“CHOSEN!” Natalie shouted.“What do you mean he’s going to die!?” Green shouted, “Who are you people!?”Suddenly, the back door burst open, SC running in, covered in blood.“OH MY GOD!” Blue exclaimed, horrified. He ran to SC, who looked dizzy, almost tripping over the ground.“Dear Stars…” Natalie said, feeling weak at the sight of SC’s blood.“We got here just in time, it seems,” Chosen remarked.“What are you talking about?!” Green exclaimed. “Tell me what’s going on!”“There’s no time!” Natalie shouted. “We need to get SC to a safe place! He’s not ready to fight!”“FIGHT!?” Green exclaimed, “FIGHT WHAT?!”Suddenly, something burst through the wall in the back of the house. Green looked behind him to see a giant ram, which looked like it was completely made of crimson-red starlight. Its eyes were a bright, fiery red, and it had SC’s blood on its horns. It huffed as it looked around, presumably for SC. It and Green locked eyes for a brief moment.“That,” Chosen said.
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The beast looked around the room for SC, its eyes filled with fury and wrath.“WHAT IS THAT THING!?” Blue exclaimed, holding SC in his arms.“It’s a giant ram,” Chosen said.“REALLY!?” Green exclaimed, turning to Chosen, “I HAD NO CLUE!”“Oh,” Chosen said, “I thought it was pretty noticeable.”Natalie grabbed her sapphire necklace and tore it off, throwing it against the wall and shattering it. There was a flash of blue, and suddenly, her ears were long and pointed. She reached up into the air, and suddenly in another flash of blue, a sword appeared in her hand, the handle dark blue with strange patterns etched into it. She now had dark blue armor with the same strange patterns etched into them, along with a cloak to match. “STAY BACK!” she exclaimed, as she charged into battle against the beast. She swung her sword gracefully at the monster, as the two dashed around the house, fighting each other.“What’s going on-” Yellow said, walking down the stairs, then gasping at the current situation. “WHAT IN THE WORLD!?” He exclaimed.“Worry not, disgruntled teenager.” Chosen said, “We’ve got this taken care of.”His fist burst into a crimson red energy as he charged at the beast, thrusting light from his palms at the monster, being careful not to hit Natalie. Soon, he and Natalie started to coordinate, and they were both taking down the beast together.SC watched as all this happened, dizzy and nauseous. The ram had chased him back to the house, thrusting him around and making a pretty ugly gash in his chest. It wasn’t too deep, but it still hurt badly. What was he thinking, following random voices in his head!? People in horror movies were smarter than that. But he couldn’t shake off this feeling… The feeling that the dream he had last night and all of… THIS was all connected somehow. But what did a sad lady with a jar and a ram have in common???Chosen had hopped on the ram’s back, grabbing it by its horns and keeping it still while Natalie stabbed it in the sides. No blood came out, only bright light coming from the wounds. The ram was starting to get weaker, and wasn't nearly as fast as earlier. SC watched the fight closely. Was that… was that Natalie? What was she doing here? When did she start doing cosplay??? SC thought that she’d be at the orphanage, helping some other troubled kid out there. Also, who was this other guy in the black cloak? SC looked at him, and the two locked eyes for a moment. The strange man just smiled awkwardly, still on top of the giant crimson ram. For whatever reason, SC felt… connected to him, somehow. Like he’d seen him before. He’d had a similar feeling towards the strange man in the woods, the feeling they were maybe connected somehow. But how? What on earth did the three of them have in common?Little did he know, what they had in common wasn’t on earth at all.The ram was almost finished, red mist seeping from its wounds now, and Chosen held it down as Natalie gave the final blow: She stabbed it in the forehead, and the beast let out an ear-splitting roar before dissipating into mist. Chosen and Natalie were breathing heavily, watching as the beast melted into nothing. The two sighed, and recomposed. There was a very long, painful moment of silence.“What the heck was that?!” Blue exclaimed.“The blessing of Aries,” Chosen said. “Well, it was. Until we fought it off. It’s not really dead, by the way. But it’s probably not going to come back for a while. So I wouldn’t worry about it.”“Aries, like… the Greek God?” Green asked.Chosen tilted his head in confusion. “Um… no. Like… the zodiac Aries. Hence the giant ram that’s done extensive amounts of property damage to your house.” He pointed to the back door, which was now just a giant hole in the wall.“Oh.” Green replied. “That makes a lot more sense,” he added sarcastically.“Glad I could clear things up,” Chosen replied.“SC!” Natalie exclaimed, running towards him. She knelt down in front of him, panic and worry present on her face. Chosen seemed to notice, and his expression seemed to show just a small bit of genuine worry, as he rushed over to SC as well.“Is he injured?” He asked. He looked to SC. “Oh. Nevermind. I see he’s injured.”“Wh- What do we do!?” Blue asked, panicked, “Do we call an ambulance!?”“No need,” Natalie said. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of golden light, and a golden retriever stood in the middle of the room, its expression uncharacteristically sincere for a dog. It trotted over to Natalie, and sat waiting for her instruction.“Sunspot,” Natalie said, “Heal.” She pointed to SC.Sunspot nodded, and put her paws on SC’s chest. SC moaned in pain, but didn’t move. Sunspot started to glow with that golden light, and then all at once, SC didn’t hurt anymore. He opened his eyes, and dared to look down at his chest. The gash was completely gone, saved for his torn-up hoodie. He took a deep breath in. It didn’t hurt one bit. He smiled, happy, confused, and scared all at the same time.“How does it feel?” Natalie asked.“It… It feels good…!” SC exclaimed.Blue let out a sigh of relief, and hugged SC close to him. “Thank goodness,” He said.“Thank the dog,” Chosen said. “She healed him.” He reached and pet Sunspot behind the ears, smiling just a little. “Good girl. Thank you for your service.”Sunspot barked, as if to say, “You’re welcome!”“Okay, can somebody PLEASE tell me what’s going on?” Green asked.“I second that notion,” Yellow added.Natalie seemed to get anxious at that moment, taking a deep breath to prepare. She turned to SC.“SC…” She trailed off, seemingly distraught. Chosen put his hand on her shoulder, and Natalie turned to look at him.“He needs to know,” he said, his expression still cold and blank.Natalie sighed. “SC… you know how I was very discreet about your past, right? I never bothered telling you where you came from.”SC looked confused. “You told me that my past wasn’t important. That I should look forward to the future, instead.”Natalie looked pained. “Well… Truth is… I was trying to make sure you never learned about your past.” She sighed. “Let me tell you a story,” she said. Everyone in the room gathered around to listen.“...Once upon a time, there were two worlds: Everworld, or as you call it, Earth, and Otherworld, a world inhabited completely by a race called Elves that worshiped the stars. They had a pantheon of twelve gods that ruled over them. You humans know these gods as zodiac signs. But the Zodiacs aren’t just constellations - they’re gods, and they watch over both worlds. They were just and righteous, and there was peace in the Elven kingdom for hundreds of years.”“But then… the Zodiacs decided that the Elven race was… too impure to keep alive. Their king was cruel and unjust, and was the worst one Otherworld had had in years. He made the Zodiacs so mad, they decided the only right choice was to wipe out Elven kind… and life itself. So they sent a prophecy to the Elves: The Prophecy of The Three Starborne.”“The prophecy said that there would be three, all-powerful beings that would be born from fallen stars. These beings, called Starborne, would destroy life as we knew it - by order of the Zodiacs. Not too long after, the first two Starborne fell. The king hunted them down and contained them, but after a while they escaped, and started carrying out their mission of being forces of destruction.”“I… I couldn’t bear to see it all happen. I thought that when the third Starborne fell, I would keep him from finding the other Starborne, so the prophecy wouldn’t be completed. So that he’d never become a monster, and that he’d be happy, somewhere safe, where he never knew he was a weapon. SC…”SC already knew what she was going to say. “I’m…” He looked at his hands, a thousand thoughts running through his head.“Yes,” Natalie said. “You are the third Starborne.”SC’s eyes went wide. “That… I…”“I KNEW THE POINTY EARS MEANT SOMETHING!!!” Yellow exclaimed. “I’ve played WAYYYY TOO MUCH DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS NOT TO PICK UP ON IT!!!”The rest of the group looked at him with concern.“Um, yes,” Natalie said, “SC’s pointy ears aren’t just a genetic coincidence. They’re because he’s an elf.”“I thought I was a Starborne,” SC said.“You’re both,” Chosen added.“Wait,” Green said, “If SC is… some sort of cosmic being… what the heck does that make this guy!?” He pointed at Chosen.“I have a name,” Chosen said. “It would be very polite of you if you used it.”“He’s…” Natalie hesitated. “He’s… the FIRST Starborne. He was the first one to be sent to destroy the world.”“Then… Why is he with you?” Blue asked, “Shouldn’t he be with the other Starborne guy destroying the world?”“I chose to abandon my intended purpose,” Chosen clarified. “At a point, yes, I did think destruction was the only solution to the Elves’ faults, but I see now that it’s a lot more complicated than that. The world is shades of gray, and wiping out life itself certainly won’t fix that.”“So, you’re a good guy now?” Green asked.“I’m on the side of life, human.” Chosen said, “Whatever side that is, I’m on it.”“Ok, so recap,” Green announced, “There’s another world full of Elves that worship the zodiac signs, but the zodiac signs hate the Elves because they think they’re evil. So they sent The Three Starborne to destroy the world and wipe out all life?”“That checks out,” Natalie said.“Ok, but… what’s the relationship between Starborne and the Zodiacs?” Green continued, “Shouldn’t the Zodiacs have you on a tracker or something?”“The Zodiacs sent us down to the world as small children,” Chosen said. “When I was born, I was physically four years old. That’s when the king came, and imprisoned me, and…” He paused for a moment. “My… former partner… in prison. He tried to train us to be HIS weapons, but we rebelled after we learned what we were born for. The Zodiacs would often try to reach us in dreams, but without any knowledge of who we were, we didn’t see them often. But after we escaped, they contacted us often through dreams and told us where to destroy next.” Chosen’s expression almost looked pained.“I realized after so long, that what we were doing was unjust… seeing all those villages destroyed, all those innocent lives lost… I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to tell my partner that what we were doing was wrong, but…” He seemed pained again. “He was too far gone.”SC leaned in. “What do you mean by ‘partner’?” He asked.Chosen was deadly silent. He didn’t say a word.“It isn’t important,” Natalie insisted. “But the point is… Chosen is a good guy now, and he wants to stop the other Starborne from destroying life as we know it. But… he realized he couldn’t do it himself. He needed someone more powerful than him to help. So… He came here.” Natalie looked into SC’s eyes.“I wanted to keep you far away from all this. My hope was, once you got adopted, you’d be safe. But…” She sighed in defeat. “It wasn’t so. Your destiny is inevitable, I suppose. Now… you must stop the second Starborne and the Zodiacs from destroying everything.” She pulled him into a hug. “I… I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep you safe.”SC was still trying to process everything that just happened. He didn’t want to believe it was real, but it made so much sense - the pointed ears, the dreams, everything. But he had so many questions. What did they mean he was more powerful than Chosen? Was he going to become a horrible, destructive monster? He couldn’t imagine himself becoming such. What did this mean for his family? What was he going to do now?“It’s… It’s ok, Natalie.” SC said, “You tried your best.”Natalie didn’t seem to agree.“So… what are we supposed to do now?” Yellow asked.Natalie pulled away from the hug. “Now, we have to start on our journey.” SC could see tears in the corners of her eyes.“Am… am I going to be ok?” He asked, the only one of his hundreds of questions he could manage to get out.Natalie looked at him with a mix of worry and love. “I really hope you will be.”The rest of the day felt pretty short.Natalie and Chosen said they’d let SC rest up before taking him with them, to which Green insisted that he stay home instead, and that he’d be safe. Chosen protested, saying that if they kept SC here, nobody would be safe. Green didn’t seem happy, but he stopped arguing.Chosen and Natalie stayed for dinner, saying they’d camp out in the backyard until morning. Dinner was pretty good, actually, and Red had come down and met the warrior and the Starborne, and he was asking them all sorts of questions about the Otherworld. SC had a lot of questions too, but he didn’t bother asking.Truth be told, he really wasn’t too opposed to the idea of going with Natalie and Chosen. If the only way to save the world from destruction was him going with Natalie and Chosen on a quest, then he’d go. He was especially curious about his powers. What were they, exactly? What could he do? He’d seen Chosen throw balls of light; could he do that too?That night, everybody went to bed in a frenzy. Natalie and Chosen (along with Sunspot) went out into the backyard to sleep in a little tent they’d set up, and SC kind of wanted to go with them. But Green really seemed to dislike them, and he didn’t want to upset his oldest brother, so he slept in his room. He had so much going on in his head, he wasn’t sure if he COULD fall asleep that night. What was Otherworld like? What were the Elves like? What would have happened if SC grew up with Chosen and whoever the second Starborne was? Would he be happy?…Was he… happy here…?No, SC thought, of course I’m happy here. I have my family, and that’s all I’ll ever need. I don’t need… I don’t need the Otherworld. Even if it’s as cool as I imagine, my family is here. Nowhere else. I do not think Chosen is cool in the slightest.…Were those his own thoughts?He fell asleep after a while. He dreamt he was in a black void, with no light or anything that he could see.Ok, even for his standards, this was a weird dream.There was a humming noise, like the one that the lights at school made in the background. It was faint, but it was calming, almost. He looked around. In the distance, he could see somebody standing on the other side of the dark, empty room. They just stood there, barely visible, shrouded in shadows. The only thing SC could see was their sharp, red eyes.Wait… wasn’t this guy in the forest before the ram attack? SC thought, The one beckoning him?The person smiled, showing off their sharp teeth. “Smart,” they said. “You’re catching on quickly.”SC froze. Was this guy… reading his thoughts?“We’re in a dream, little Starborne. I can hear your thoughts because we’re in your head.”Oh, that makes sense, SC thought. Wait, if this guy could read his thoughts…“Your suspicions are correct,” the person said, “I am the man from the woods, not just a dream version. I really am here.”“Can you stop doing that!?” SC said. “You don’t have to respond to all my thoughts.”“I know,” the stranger said, “But it’s funny to watch you freak out.” He had a mischievous grin on his face, still shrouded in shadows.“Ok…” SC said. “So… you must’ve sent the ram to attack me, right?”“Indeed I did,” the stranger replied.“But… why?” SC asked, “Why do you want to hurt me?”“Oh I don’t want to hurt you,” the stranger said, although SC found it very hard to believe. “I just want you to join me!”SC was confused. “Join you…?” He said. “What… what do you mean?”“Isn’t it obvious?” the stranger said, “That warrior girl, and…” he hesitated, “That traitor,” he spat bitterly, “told you all about who you are! How you were sent to DESTROY the worlds and watch them burn~! I have the same purpose you know. I want you to help me!”SC’s eyes went wide. “Wait, you’re… You’re-”“The second Starborne,” the stranger said, taking a bow. “But you, SC…”He stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself. He wore a loose-fitting off-white tunic, and had a short cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He had ninja pants in the same likeness as his tunic. Unlike Chosen and SC, he had a whip-thin tail that ended with a tuft of red fur. His hair was messy, a bright red color, and his sharp, red eyes looked like that of a beast’s. He smiled maliciously, revealing all his razor-sharp teeth.“You can call me The Dark Lord.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Well that’s just great, SC thought to himself.“W- why are you here!?” SC asked, stepping backwards in a bit of a panic. “HOW are you here? How did you get into my head!?”The Dark Lord smiled. “It’s just another one of my unique abilities! The Chosen One is also capable of this power, as are you. Not that you know how to use ANY of your powers, but it wouldn’t hurt to inform you, now wouldn’t it?”“I… So this IS real?” SC asked.“Very!” Dark exclaimed cheerfully. “And don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you. I like to mess with everyone’s heads, don’t feel special about it~!”“Then I’ll ask you again,” SC declared, “Why are you here?”“Did I not say it the first time?” Dark asked, “I’m here to recruit you! You see, we were both created for a sole purpose: DESTROY EVERYTHING! And by everything, I do mean all of the things! These worlds need to be punished for all the wrong that they have done! You and I are lucky enough to have been born to carry out that mission. The Zodiacs themselves carved our being out of stardust and celestial power, carefully for this one purpose. We were created for a reason! Why deny it?”“Because it’s wrong!” SC shouted. “Just because that ONE evil king guy did something bad doesn’t mean every single other person in the universe deserves to die! My brothers for instance! They-”“Should mean nothing to you!” Dark spat. “Connections like that are a mere distraction from our greater purpose! They lead you astray, away from the purpose you were meant to carry out! I should know… That Chosen One is a traitor. You have no business even thinking about trusting him. Him, the Paladin, and all your brothers from EverWorld are just a distraction!” He walked up to SC and put his hand on his shoulder.“You were BORN to kill, Second Coming,” The Dark Lord hissed, “Can’t you feel it? The thirst for destruction lurking inside you, waiting to be satisfied? Don’t you want to see the blood of the guilty be shed, entire civilizations crumble before you, screaming and begging for mercy? Come now, don’t be shy~! Let it out. Let it CONSUME you! There’s nowhere to run, anyway… the Zodiacs are always watching… Embrace who you are! Embrace your DESTINY!”Panic started to settle into SC. “No… you’re wrong!” He exclaimed, trying to deny it. “That stuff isn’t a part of me. You’re lying!”“Am I?” Dark asked teasingly. “Look deep inside, little Starborne! You’ll see what I mean! In the meantime…”He took his hand off of SC’s shoulder and back away into the shadows.“Think about what I’ve said. I await your decision, little Starborne. Let us hope you make the right one…”Then he disappeared into the shadows, and SC was left all alone in his dream.SC opened his eyes to Red, shaking him awake.“SC, wake up!” Red exclaimed.SC groaned and sat up, stretching a bit before turning to Red, who looked at him with worried eyes.“Morning, Red.” SC said with a smile.“Are you ok?” Red exclaimed, concern present in his voice, “You were tossing and turning in your sleep! Did you have a bad dream?”SC remembered what had happened the night before, the nightmare that The Dark Lord gave him resurfacing in his brain. His words slithered into SC’s head, and the little Starborne started to tremble. What The Dark Lord said wasn’t true. SC didn’t want to hurt people. He was just lying to get SC on his side. He was wrong.“SC!?” Red called. SC snapped out of his panic, looking down at his little brother, who looked worried for him.“I’m ok Red,” SC said, “I did have a bad dream. But… It’s over now. I’m fine.”Red wrapped his arms around SC and hugged him tightly. “If you say so,” Red replied. “But if you need somebody to talk to about it, you can talk to me. I can listen good.”SC returned the embrace. “Thank you, Red. I love you.”“I love you too!” He exclaimed, looking up at his brother. “Now we gotta go eat breakfast. Blue made chocolate-chip pancakes for everybody!”“Alrighty then,” SC replied, “Let me get dressed and I’ll be right down.”When SC walked down the stairs he was greeted by a rather busy kitchen: Blue was busy flipping pancakes, Yellow was sitting at the table, fidgeting with his silverware, Red was chasing Ruben and Sunspot around, Natalie was making smalltalk with Green, and Chosen was sitting at his seat, his brow furrowed, seemingly deep in thought.It was raining heavily outside, no thunder or lightning followed the downpour so it created a somewhat calm atmosphere, or as calm as it could be after the giant ram attack yesterday afternoon. The hole in the wall was being covered by one of their blankets, pinned to the wall above with some claw-clips, and parts of it were damp from the rain pouring down on it. The smell of pancakes wafted through the air as SC walked down the stairs, feeling warm inside at the sight of the people he loved.“Good morning, SC!” Natalie greeted him as he sat down across from her. “Did you sleep well? I can’t imagine that yesterday was easy to process.”SC hesitated. Should he tell them about the dream? He didn’t want to worry them too much… then again, it was probably good to get it out. He wanted help to keep The Dark Lord’s thoughts out of his head. He decided he would.“Not really,” SC replied. “I had a… very scary dream last night.”“What was it about?” Green asked, sounding concerned.“Um… well… You know the second Starborne?” He asked.“Yeah,” Natalie replied, concerned in her voice as well. “Why?”“Well… um… He might’ve… visited me in my dream last night?”Chosen promptly choked on the chamomile tea he was drinking and turned to face SC with wide eyes. “WHAT DID HE SAY!?” He blurted.“Easy, easy,” Natalie said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Let him speak, please.”Chosen calmed himself down and looked at SC. “Proceed,” he said with his usual tired expression as he took another sip of his tea.“He… he told me he wanted to recruit me. That he wanted me to join him in destroying the universe. He said that it was part of my nature… I told no, that he was just lying. But it was still really scary.” He fidgeted with his sleeves.“I can imagine it was,” Natalie replied, her expression full of sympathy.“And you’re right,” Chosen chimed in, “Destruction is not in our nature. We just happened to be extremely skilled at it.” He set his tea down on the table. “The Dark Lord is psychotic, unstable. His mind was destroyed a long time ago. Don’t believe what he says. He simply wants to toy with your thoughts. He finds enjoyment in it.”“And you’re not like that, SC,” Green said, “You wouldn’t hurt anybody. I know it.” He smiled down at his little brother. SC returned the smile.“But if he does appear in your dreams again, or if anybody else does, do tell us,” Chosen said. “Tell us what they say. Dreams are the domain where the Zodiacs are most powerful. If one of them were to twist your thoughts and actions, it could be detrimental to our mission.”SC nodded. “So… when are we leaving?” He asked.“As soon as you’re ready,” Natalie replied. “You only need to bring yourself, don’t worry about packing.”There was a dreadful silence as all the siblings looked at SC, a sad expression on their faces. SC figured they didn’t want him to leave, and to be honest, he didn't want to leave them either. But Chosen had made it clear that it wasn’t safe for them on the journey, and Natalie had agreed. Natalie had told the family he would be fine, although she didn’t seem to believe it herself. SC took a breath.“We can go after I finish breakfast,” he said. “But first, I have to say goodbye to my family.”Natalie nodded. “Of course,” she said. Chosen remained silent and stern.
Breakfast had passed, and Natalie was packing up the tent in the backyard, Sunspot waiting eagerly for her to finish up, her tail wagging with anticipation in typical doggy fashion. Chosen was doing some stretches, preparing himself for the journey ahead. Natalie picked up the last of the tent. “We’re ready to go!” She declared. Sunspot barked happily, seemingly eager to go home.SC was sitting on the grass, a few feet away from them. His brothers sat on the porch, looking down at him with sadness in their faces.“You’re going to stay safe, right?” Blue asked.“Of course,” SC replied.“We’re going to miss you,” Yellow said.“I’m going to miss you guys too.” He smiled up at them.Red got up from his seat and hugged SC close to him. He looked up at his older brother, tears in his eyes. “You’ll come back, right?” He asked. “You’re not gonna go like mommy and daddy?”Natalie looked over with a pained expression.“Of course not,” SC replied, smiling. “I’ll be back, and when I get back, we can play together all you want.”Red looked up at his older brother sadly, and then hugged him tightly once again. SC could hear him start to cry a little bit. The oldest three brothers came and bent down, creating a group hug. They sat there, silent, except for Red’s little sniffles.“I’ll be back, I promise,” SC said to all of them. They all let go of the hug.“SC?” Natalie interrupted.SC looked up at Natalie. “It’s time to go,” she said.SC nodded. He stood up, then his brothers followed. He followed Natalie and Chosen to the back of the yard, staring back at his brothers as he walked. They made their way into the forest, his family slowly fading out of view. SC looked forward to see Natalie admiring the scenery, her blonde hair bouncing as she stepped. Sunspot trotted next to her, her tail wagging excitedly. Chosen walked like a soldier, his shoulders lifted and his gaze looking straight forward. Just as always, he dared not show his emotions.“Are you going to be ok, SC?” Natalie asked, looking back at him.SC was silent for a brief moment.“I… I think so,” he replied.“If you need anything, just ask, ok?” Natalie offered.Another moment of silence.“..Ok,” SC responded.The trio came up to a strange opening in the forest, where the sun shone brightly. SC could sense something in the air, but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was.“It’s magic,” Chosen said.SC looked over at him. “H- Huh!?” He responded.“You seem to be puzzled about this place,” Chosen said, “The thing you are sensing is celestial magic. Since you are a cosmic being, you have a special sixth sense that allows you to sense magic. Your powers must be starting to grow now that you know your true identity. This power to sense magic is called Archaic Sense.”SC thought to himself. This place was… magical? That’s what he was sensing? This was magic? What else could his powers do?Natalie took out her sword and waved it around, and it started glowing a golden yellow. “Shall I do the honors?” She asked.“Fine with me,” Chosen replied.Natalie lifted her sword and struck thin air, but where the sword slashed there was a golden line that ripped open. Through the tear, SC saw a forest much like the one they were in, but the trees were much larger, the roots twisting through the ground, their leaves impossibly vibrant shades of green. It looked so… alive.“That’s Otherworld!” Natalie said, “We’ll be traveling through those woods for most of the day, then camping the night tonight. Don’t worry! I bought bug spray! Well, it’s an Elven bug spray, but it still works!” Sunspot barked with excitement.
SC looked through the portal with a childlike wonder in his eyes. This… this is where he really came from? This was his home? What was it like?“You ready, kid?” Chosen asked.SC nodded, almost excited. “Yeah… I think I am.”“Then let’s get out of here,” Natalie exclaimed. She walked through the portal, Sunspot by her side and Chosen following her. SC walked in after them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At first, there was nothing but white. The golden sunlight shone brightly in SC’s eyes, the boy keeping them closed as the rays gently warmed his face and his skin. He opened them, blinked once, twice, rubbing them as his pupils narrowed and adjusted to the glorious light. He opened his eyes fully, looking up at the sky, bluer than any sky he’d ever seen, the clouds fuller and whiter than any he’d ever known. The sight was so beautiful it was almost blinding, and SC’s eyes filled with wonder at the sight of it. The sound of birds chirping filled the air, beautiful harmonies that were carried by the slight breeze that SC felt on his face and in his hair. He could feel the grass under his worn-out sneakers, the earth beneath him firm and strong.He lowered his gaze to the forest in front of him. The trees were tall, their branches reaching for the blinding sun, their leaves impossibly vibrant shades of green that came together like an oil painting, making the entire forest look like a masterful work of art. The roots of the trees were deep, winding into the ground, the forest itself dense and unchanging. The trunks had swirling patterns in them that emitted the faintest golden glow in the darkness, thick and ancient and unmoving. A small river could be seen, the sound of it a soothing addition to the symphony of the trees. SC was in awe of it. Was this truly where he was born? He didn’t think a place so wondrous could even exist.Natalie saw SC’s unwavering wonder towards his surroundings, and smiled down at him lovingly. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” She said, “A world where intelligent life and nature live in sync.” She looked onward to admire nature as well. “Your world never learned how precious nature was until it was too late. I hope humanity is able to find a way to live in sync with their nature, just as the Elves have.”SC thought about what Natalie said. I do too, he thought to himself.“Alright,” Chosen said, observing the area cautiously while Sunspot attempted to catch bugs in the air, “I have a spot next to a waterfall that I know would make a suitable space to camp. There’s also someone there waiting for us, an old friend of mine.”“A friend?” Natalie asked, “I wasn’t aware you had any of those, Chosen.”“I do,” Chosen replied, “But just the one. He’s waiting for us at the waterfall. We must be quick to find him.”“Is he in any danger?” SC asked, genuinely worried for this aforementioned friend. Sunspot caught a fly in her mouth, instantly regretting it upon tasting the insect.“No,” Chosen responded, “He just hates being alone. He gets anxious if I’m not there with him, and he’s been alone for a while now. He can survive on his own, but I imagine he misses me a lot. This is his first time out in the wild all by himself, so he’s probably very scared.” Chosen almost sounded worried about his friend.“This friend of yours sounds like a child,” Natalie said. “Did you leave a child all alone in the woods!?”“He’s not exactly a normal child,” Chosen replied, “He can breathe fire and fly.”“Ch- Chosen, are you talking about a dragon!?” Natalie exclaimed.“Yeah,” Chosen replied, “What did you think I was talking about?”Natalie facepalmed. “Chosen, we thought you meant an Elven child…”“Oh,” Chosen replied, his expression changing just a little bit, “My bad. My friend is a dragon. He’s still a baby dragon technically, but he’s old enough to be on his own now.”“You have a dragon!?” SC asked, running up to Chosen, beyond the definition of excited.Chosen turned to face SC, his expression still blank and tired. “Yes, I do. His name is Smolder. I think the two of you would get along well. I believe he’s the dragon equivalent of your age.”SC was overflowing with joy, almost jumping up and down, but he tried to reel in his ecstaticism.“I wasn’t aware you had a familiar,” Natalie mentioned, pleasantly surprised. Sunspot ran up to the trio, her tail wagging, seemingly interested as well.Chosen seemed embarrassed for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. “Um… yes. He’s my familiar. We’ve traveled together for a while now.”Chosen lifted the tents they were carrying off the ground. “Let’s get going,” he said, “We have much to do, and much to discuss with the little Starborne.” He started walking into the dense forest. “The waterfall is this way,” he said. Natalie followed, Sunspot trodding next to her, SC not close behind. He was excited to meet this dragon.“So, what’s a familiar?” SC asked Natalie as they walked.Natalie seemed to ponder how to explain the concept to SC. “Well,” She began, “You know how in the human world, humans keep pets in their homes?”SC nodded.“Well,” Natalie continued, “A familiar is like a pet, but more. Your familiar is your animal best friend, and the two of you have a spiritual connection. You work or fight in synchronization, and you build a deep bond as you live life together. They’re like a soulmate. Not everyone has a familiar, but those who do, do everything with theirs. Take Sunspot, for example.”Natalie stopped to crouch down and pet Sunspot behind her ears. Sunspot’s little doggy face lit up with joy.“Sunspot is MY familiar. She was given to me as a puppy when I was very little. We’ve spent our entire lives bonding together. She has my back, and I have hers.”“Woah…” SC exclaimed, “That’s awesome, actually.” He bent down to also give Sunspot pets.“Familiars are a big responsibility, just as taking care of any living creature would be,” Natalie added. “But the loyalty you share with each other is worth every step of the way.”“Um… guys?” Chosen called. SC looked up from Sunspot to see Chosen looking curiously at him and Natalie. “Why have you stopped? Is something wrong?”“I was just telling SC about familiars,” Natalie responded, “We didn’t mean to hold up.”“Oh,” Chosen replied, “I see. It’s a good thing to learn about, especially if you’re interested in receiving one.” He knelt down and started petting Sunspot as well. SC saw a shift in his expression, a brief one, but… It almost looked like a subtle smile.Chosen’s expression then turned blank once more. “The waterfall is just up ahead,” he said. “We can rest there and then set up camp. Then we’ll make our plan for stopping The Dark Lord and the Zodiacs.”Natalie nodded, standing up with Sunspot following her. SC stood up as well, a bit scared of Chosen’s last sentence. Chosen said he couldn’t stop the Zodiacs without his help, but SC didn’t even know how to use his powers he supposedly had. What help could he be?Soon enough, they arrived at the waterfall. It wasn’t very big, but the water shone like crystal in the sunlight, the sound of the water crashing into the ground somewhat peaceful. Next to it was a patch of grass that looked perfect for setting up camp in.“Everything here is so pretty,” SC remarked, staring up at the waterfall.“Otherworld is full of vibrant nature,” Natalie replied, “The Zodiacs want the Elven race to take care of it, so we make an effort to preserve it as best we can. For every tree cut down for supplies, two more are planted in its place, and it’s been that way for centuries.”She set down her supplies on the grass, stretching a bit, and then pulled out her tent. “You wanna help me set up, SC?” She asked, smiling.“I don’t see why not,” SC replied.“Awesome,” Natalie said, handing SC a couple supplies. “You may hold those as I set up our tent.”She took the supplies one at a time as SC stood there to hold them. “So… Chosen?” He beckoned to the Starborne.Chosen looked up from setting up his own tent. “Yes?” He replied.“When do we get to meet your friend?” SC asked, genuinely excited.“Oh,” Chosen replied, seeming to just remember his friend existed, “I guess now is a good time to summon them.” He whistled for the draconic beast like one would whistle for a dog to come. There was an utter silence that befell the party as they anticipated the creature’s arrival.“...Is he coming?” Natalie asked.“Give him a moment,” Chosen replied.Suddenly the ground started to shake, birds flying out of trees as something ran through the forest, tearing through the woodland towards the trio. All of a sudden, a large beast with scales as black as soot emerged from the canopy of branches, roaring in excitement. His long, black tail wagged like a puppy’s as he bounded over to Chosen excitedly.“SMOLDER WAIT-” Chosen exclaimed, but it was too late. His scaly friend pinned him to the grass, licking his face. He was about as big as a pickup truck, with stripes down his back the color of fire. He had a line of fur that began at his forehead and ran down his back and ended in a tuft at the end of his tail, and two twisted gray horns that grew out of his head.“SMOLDER,” Chosen exclaimed between dragon kisses, “I CAN’T GIVE YOU PETS IF YOU’RE ON TOP OF ME!”Smolder, hearing Chosen’s words, quickly removed himself from Chosen, and sat on the grass panting like a dog, still looking very excited to see his owner. Chosen shook the dragon spit off of him. “It’s nice to see you too,” he told his friend, “but please don’t tackle me next time.” Smolder nodded in understanding, making a few grumbling noises.“Good,” Chosen replied, standing up. He walked over to his scaly friend and gave him chin scritches. “I missed you too,” He said affectionately. Smolder pressed his snout against Chosen’s head, making a sound that somewhat resembled purring. Chosen wrapped his arms around Smolder’s head, hugging the draconic beast. Much to SC’s surprise, he was… actually smiling.“Forgive me for interrupting this tender moment,” Natalie intervened, “But we need to set up camp. It’s almost noon, and we would want to be prepared for when some other beasts come, ones that wouldn’t be nearly as friendly.”Chosen nodded. “I agree. If it doesn’t inconvenience you, Smolder and I will go collect wood for a fire while you two set up your tent. Afterwards, we may discuss our plans.” His expression was blank and cold once again, causing SC to wonder what he had against expressing his emotion.“That sounds like a good plan,” Natalie agreed, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Smolder.” Smolder did a little bow, looking up at Natalie with his big, fiery eyes.“Pleasure to meet you as well, Smolder,” SC chimed in, smiling at the dragon. Smolder smiled back, showing all his big, sharp teeth. SC laughed a bit. He didn’t mind having a dragon join their party one bit.The rest of the day came and went, and the sun set under the horizon. The forest was even prettier at night, fireflies danced in the darkness as frogs chirped their late-summer songs. The party had set up both their tents, and had a good fire going to light up their surroundings. It was a little humid, but SC thoroughly enjoyed sitting by the fire. He looked up to see the stars glimmering gently in the vast expanse of the cosmos, that familiar feeling of home warming his chest. He wondered to the bright lights why they would ever want to destroy the gorgeous world below them, a world he so dearly loved. He was born from a star, right? He wondered if he could convince his kin to change their minds.“Alright,” Chosen began, “I suppose it’s time to explain to you exactly what our strategy is, little Starborne.” He grabbed a scroll out of his backpack and laid it out on the ground. At the top margin it read, ‘Map of Otherworld,” and four locations were circled in red.“The Three Starborne were crafted out of celestial power and stardust, born from stars created by the Zodiac Gods. The Three Starborne were crafted by a team of four gods each, and they were in charge of giving the Starborne their powers, their nature, and their appearance. For example, I was created by Tauros, God of Soldiers and Honor, Gemini, the Twin Gods of Mischief and Adventure, Virgo, the Goddess of Nature and Peace, and in charge of them all, Libra, the Goddess of Justice. They decided my appearance, my powers, et cetera.”He turned to SC. “You were created by the gods whose temples are circled on this map. Capricorn, God of Joy and Companionship, Pisces, God of Magic, Sagittarius, God of the Hunt, and Aquarius, Goddess of Sadness and Water. They are the ones who created you.”“Because you were created by these gods, you can go to their temples and ask for their blessing. Our hope is that your gods will favor you and grant you new powers to help defeat The Dark Lord. Perhaps they may even rethink their choice, but that’s a little far fetched. The goal right now is to visit each of their temples and have you receive their blessing. Then, we track down The Dark Lord, and stop his rampage.”SC looked down at the map. His gods didn’t seem so bad, or so he hoped. Maybe he could convince them to give him their blessing after all.“We should probably head to Capricorn’s temple first,” Natalie suggested. “It’s the closest one to here, plus there’s a village nearby that gives offerings to the temple every so often. We should stop by there for supplies after we’ve visited the temple.”“Sounds like a plan,” Chosen replied. “We leave at dawn tomorrow, if that’s acceptable to you two?”“Wait,” SC chimed in. Natalie and Chosen looked at him. “When am I going to learn to use my powers? I… Still don’t know what any of them are or what they do.”Natalie looked at the ground, seemingly deep in thought. “I’m not exactly sure,” she replied. “I myself am not sure exactly what they are.”“Usually, the Zodiacs would’ve taught you through dreams,” Chosen said, “But since we are choosing not to communicate with them at this time, the teaching you to learn your powers will be purely experimental.”Very reassuring, SC thought to himself, that makes me feel so much better.“We’ll figure it out, SC,” Natalie reassured the boy, “I believe you’ll catch onto them pretty quickly. You’re a lot smarter than you think.” She smiled at him warmly.“We leave for The Temple of Capricorn at sunrise tomorrow,” Chosen said. “For now, I see it fit that we get some rest.”Natalie nodded. “Some sleep wouldn’t be so bad. I think Sunspot would agree.” She looked over to see the puppy half-asleep next to Smolder, who was snoring louder than an avalanche.“Where am I going to sleep?” SC asked.“You can sleep in my tent if you want,” Natalie said, “I have an extra sleeping bag for you.”“That sounds ok,” SC replied. He’d never slept in a tent before, so he was a little nervous, but also excited.“Alright then,” Chosen said, “Then let’s-”Suddenly, the sound of a branch snapping echoed throughout the woods. The trio stood deadly still.Natalie and Chosen looked at each other, then both stood up, Natalie drawing her sword and Chosen’s fists becoming engulfed in that crimson red energy. Both prepared to fight whatever lurked in the woods. SC stood up too, getting ready to run away at any given time. He couldn’t fight, and he didn’t want to end up like he did with the ram, so he thought it best to hide if things got messy.The two warriors slowly walked towards the woods, preparing to pounce at whatever might leap out of the woods. Another twig snapped, this time closer to the trio. Natalie raised her sword, preparing to strike. Sunspot ran to SC’s side, as if to try and protect him.“SHOW YOURSELF, BEAST!” Chosen declared, “OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE COSMOS!” The light that doused his hands shone brighter.There were a few more moments of silence, then something - no, someone - crawled out of the bushes, shrouded in darkness.A person? SC thought to himself, are they an elf?Then the person walked out of the darkness, his hands raised above his head. He looked to be a young adult, his hair dyed green and headphones around his neck- wait a minute.“GREEN!?” SC exclaimed.“I COME IN PEACE!” His brother exclaimed. “Please don’t… throw fireballs at me or something…”“What are you doing here?! HOW are you here!?” Natalie exclaimed, confused. Chosen just stood there in bewilderment, the light fading from his hands.“I followed you through the forest and through the portal,” Green explained, walking towards them. “I couldn’t leave SC. He’s my brother. If this journey is really as dangerous as you say it is, I want to be here to protect him.”SC smiled. Green wanted to keep him safe! It would be great having him here with him.“What about your brothers?” Natalie asked.“They’re back at home,” Green said, “I left Blue in charge of the house.” He walked up to SC and gave him a hug. SC returned the embrace. “I’d never leave you, buddy,” Green said. SC smiled. He was glad his brother was here for him.“Well,” Chosen said, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have one more person on our journey-”“GREEN! WAIT UP!”The party turned to see Blue running out of the woods, a backpack full of who-knows-what slung on his shoulders.“BLUE!?” Green exclaimed, looking shocked his brother was here. Blue ran up to the rest of the party.“What are you doing here!?” Green exclaimed.“You forgot to pack supplies!” Blue exclaimed. “I came to give them to you. I also couldn’t let you go alone!”“But I told you to stay with the house!” Green replied.“I left Yellow in charge!” Blue exclaimed.“Really!?” Green responded, “You left YELLOW in charge!?”“Yeah! Why… OH.” Blue put his head in his hand. “I put YELLOW in charge… oh, what was I thinking…”“Are there any more of you I should be worried about?” Chosen asked, sounded ever-so-slightly stressed.“I told Red and Yellow to stay put,” Blue explained, “They should be at home.”“Oh, OK,” Green sighed with relief, “Thank goodness-”Then suddenly Red ran out of the bushes, bolting straight towards SC. Yellow followed not too close behind, heaving and panting.“RED!” Yellow exclaimed, breathing heavily, “You can’t run off like that!”Red clung to SC’s hoodie. He didn’t say a word, he merely huddled close to his brother's side.“What is going on!?” Green exclaimed, “I told you all to stay at the house!”“Red was scared the three of you wouldn’t come back,” Yellow explained, “He ran after you guys. I tried to stop him! I really did!”Red hugged SC’s legs. He was still silent.SC looked over to see Chosen banging his head on a tree trunk, mumbling something to himself. Natalie seemed to be rethinking this entire adventure.“Guys,” SC said, “I understand you all are concerned for me, but you can’t be here! It’s dangerous!”“We couldn’t just leave you!” Blue exclaimed.“I know,” SC continued, “but-”“They may tag along,” Natalie interrupted.The party all looked to her.“I understand it may be a hassle,” Natalie said, “But they are allowed to come. I think it would be beneficial to SC.”“But they’re unequipped for the wilderness of this land,” Chosen intervened. “I understand the thought, but if something bad were to happen to them-”“We’ll protect them,” Natalie interrupted. “Don’t worry.”Chosen looked displeased with the conclusion, and if he was, he was choosing not to say anything about it.SC’s brothers all ran to him to give him a group hug. “Thank you Natalie,” SC said. Natalie smiled.The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Well, and uneventful as it could be, anyway.The brothers set up a tent that Blue had brought, and SC decided to sleep in there for the night. He laid down and looked at the ceiling. Now they had a plan. Their next stop was the Capricorn temple. But SC still had so many questions, specifically about his powers. How was he supposed to help? Would the Zodiacs even give him their blessing, seeing how weak he was? What if something bad happened to his brothers? He shook his head. No, he thought to himself, that won’t happen. They’ll be safe.He turned over to look at his family. A million more thoughts raced through his mind, keeping him awake. But after a while, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off into the world of dreams. Right where the Zodiacs would know to find him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Cold, dark, and lonely. The only three words that Onyx truly knew the meaning of.The Elven capital sat high above the rest of Otherworld, built atop the cliffs and down into the valley. Majestic spires of obsidian rose high into the starry sky, constellations etched into the dark stone buildings to match the cosmos up above. Elven Noblemen, Lords, and Ladies all strolled through the lilac streets, dressed in the finest gowns and garments, admiring the swirling galaxies that rested above their great kingdom. The Temple of Pisces, the God of Magic, sat at the center of the capital, a beacon of pride and status for all to admire. But atop the highest cliffs sat the Royal Palace, the most grand architecture to ever be constructed in the history of Elven kind.The palace had many spires that towered above the city, constellations and stars etched into them to match the city below. Inside resided the Elven King, infamous for his wickedness and cruelty, to the point where even the most elite society despised him. But none dared to question him or rebel against him, for they knew the unspeakable punishment that would befall them, and they dared not to even consider such a horrifying possibility.For Onyx, tonight was just like any other night: another night of training.Onyx was about thirteen years old at this time, much too young to be locked in a high-security prison cell, chains locked around his wrists and ankles and neck. There were no windows, only torches high upon the towering walls that casted very little light. It was dark and very lonely, but his majesty had ordered Onyx to be put in this cell because he was “too dangerous for a common one.” Onyx didn’t see what he meant. He was only a boy. He couldn’t even do what The King said he was supposed to do.The King had said that he was something called a Starborne, and he was sent by the Zodiac Gods, the Gods of the Elves, to bring destruction to all life. But Onyx didn’t understand. He heard mumbles and whispers throughout his time in the palace, ones about how the King was training Onyx to become his weapon, and others about how the King was dooming himself by doing so. Onyx didn’t understand that either, but it certainly wasn’t his place to question.He sat in his sad little prison cell, looking up at the ceiling, his heart heavy. The King’s Mercenaries would be here soon, to take him to training as they did every night. They’d put him in a big arena and tell him how to harness his powers, although his progress on that was very slow. Then the King would tell him how awful he was doing, and he was dragged back to his cell, and it would all repeat again the next night. Onyx was getting tired of the cycle. He wondered if other kids his age had to go through the same thing.He laid on the stone floor, looking up at the ceiling when he heard someone unlocking the door to his cell. He quickly sat up, and the door opened, two elves with chains in their hands walking through. One was tall and dressed in heavy, black armor, the face guard on his helmet pulled down over his eyes just as it always was. He carried a large spear in one hand, Onyx’s chains in the other. He never showed his face. The other Mercenary was shorter than average, and he wore armor as well, but his was lighter for quicker movements. He had belts adorned with all sorts of gunpowder weapons and explosives, and he seemed much too excited to be doing his job. Onyx prepared himself for the night ahead as the armored warriors came to take him to training.“You excited for tonight, little guy?” The shorter mercenary asked Onyx, his face painted with a twisted sort of joy. Onyx sat there, confused, but too afraid to ask for clarification.“It’s a very special night!” He continued, his voice raspy, “Tonight you’re going to meet your counterpart! Ooh, I can’t wait! It’ll be so fun to watch you tear each other apart…”“Keep yourself together Ballista,” The taller mercenary said firmly, “His Majesty wants him to be at his best for tonight.”The shorter mercenary rolled his eyes. “Ugh, fine. You’re such a party-pooper, Smith…”The taller mercenary unclamped Onyx’s chains and put him into the ones he held in his hands, Onyx cooperating just as he always had. He never saw a point in fighting back against the soldiers, especially since he knew all the ways they could kill him. The two mercenaries grabbed his chains and dragged him out of his cell, down the winding steps to the main part of the palace.The palace was beautifully decorated on the inside, gorgeous paintings of the night sky hung on the wall and golden-colored carpet rolled out on the floors. But to Onyx, it was the path to his doom, to the training that wore him down and made him miserable. He walked just behind the mercenaries as they took him through the long halls, all decorated exactly the same. He tried his best not to fall behind. He could hear the mercenaries mumbling about something in front of him, but he couldn’t make out many words, just the usual ‘training’ and ‘Starborne’ and ‘His Majesty’. They walked him through the halls to the back of the palace, which had a door that led to the royal garden. Two guards, dressed in heavy gold-and-black armor like the rest of the guard, stood at the door and opened it for the mercenaries and the Starborne.The three of them walked through the door and into the garden, passing by trees and all sorts of colorful flowers and bushes, as the arena, tall and imposing, came into view. It was like a coliseum, made of the same obsidian that the rest of the grand city was made of, the constellations of Leo and Tauros carved into the wall, Leo to represent the arena was built by the royal family and Tauros to represent the soldiers that would fight there. Onyx knew very little about the Zodiacs themselves. He knew their names and what they were the gods of, but that was about it. He often wondered why the King or the mercenaries never taught him about the Zodiacs, considering everyone else seemed to know all about them. Perhaps it had to do with the prophecy everyone said he was a part of.The mercenaries carried Onyx through the arena’s entrance, into the giant colosseum. Onyx heard it could seat thousands of elves, although no one was ever around when he was training, save for the mercenaries, the king, and a few guards. The roof was open so the audience and the participants could see the stars, which glimmered brilliantly in the sky tonight. Onyx looked up to them, a sense of homesickness in him he couldn’t quite explain. He felt it every time he looked up at the stars.The mercenaries carried him to the other side of the arena, where the entrance to the containment chambers were. That’s where the arena housed wild beasts that the gladiators would fight in big events. Onyx looked around at all the cells, full of wild lions and dragons and other beasts of supposedly violent nature. But when Onyx looked at them, they looked tired and sad. They kind of reminded him of himself, all cooped up and trapped.The mercenaries took Onyx to a large cell in the back of the arena. Wait a minute, Onyx thought to himself, usually they take me to a small training chamber near the back. Why am I in another cell? The mercenaries opened the door to the cell and let Onyx walk inside. There was some straw on the stone floor, probably for bedding, and a trough with water in it on the left side. This was designed for an animal. Is that who Onyx was to these people?The mercenaries took off his chains and closed the door behind him, leaving Onyx in the cell, chainless and unsupervised. Now Onyx was very confused. He heard the mercenaries mumbling to each other, something about the King, and then they both walked away, leaving Onyx to himself. The young Starborne started nervously fidgeting with his fingers, scared of what would happen next. He stared down at the straw bedding, hoping to get his mind off of it.A few minutes later, Onyx could hear the clanking of boots coming towards his cell. He sat up, nervous, and still fidgeting with his hands. Was that… three pairs of footsteps? But, he only had two guards… unless…The two mercenaries were now accompanied by a taller, more imposing figure. He wore a ridiculously long cape laced with constellations of gold, all sorts of jewelry that glimmered dimly in the torchlight, and a bright golden crown that rested atop his head. His hair was a dark, dusty black, sort of gray, even. His eyes were a lighter gray, and his gaze pierced through the soul of any who dared to stare back. The beasts in their cages hid in fear as he passed by, for they knew he was their captor: King Victim of Otherworld.Onyx trembled in fear as the King approached his cell, his regal, imposing gaze fixated on the young teen. The King walked up to his cell and stared down at his weapon. Onyx looked down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact out of fear of what would happen if he did. The King then smiled.“He’s learning fast,” he said, his voice sinister. “You two have trained him well.”“Yeah, we’re pretty awesome,” the shorter mercenary claimed. The taller one sighed in annoyance.The King leaned forward to examine Onyx even closer, looking up and down at the Starborne as if he was some prized cattle. “He’ll do nicely in his little sparring match,” he said, the same twisted smile on his face. “Oh, what fun it will be to watch you tear each other apart… I for one can’t wait.”He backed away from the cell and looked at the mercenaries, the twisted joy in his face now gone, leaving a bitter expression in its place. “Prepare the other one for the match,” he ordered them. “I want this done promptly and efficiently.” The two mercenaries quickly went elsewhere, the King going in the opposite direction, as if he had business elsewhere.Onyx didn’t see the King often, at least not for more than a few seconds. Usually he’d observe Onyx’s training, but wouldn’t stay long to chat. But he’d rarely seen the King up close, and he never said any more than a few words. Onyx’s heart was pounding from the interaction, his entire nervous system overrun with fear. What was going to happen? What was this sparring match all about? Who was this ‘other one’? He sat down in his cell and curled up into a ball. Whatever it was, he was scared of it, that was for sure.Some minutes passed, and the mercenaries came back with important news.“Get ready,” The taller mercenary said, “You’re about to fight.”Panic started to settle into Onyx. “F- Fight who!?” He asked, trembling.The mercenaries said nothing. The shorter one pulled a lever mounted on the wall across from Onyx’s cell, and a door opened in the stone wall. Outside was the arena, a large field that bore nothing but dirt and sharp stones.“Ladies, Gentlemen, and everyone outside and in-between!” Onyx heard an announcer’s voice boom outside. “I present to you all, two of the very beings that were sent by our gods to destroy this world!”The two mercenaries opened the door to Onyx’s cage. “Go on,” The shorter one said, a look of insanity on his face.The announcer continued, “But as you will see tonight, these beings are nothing but an empty threat, as our benevolent and all-powerful King Victim has tamed these horrible beasts and made them loyal to his cause!”Onyx walked out of his cell and into the arena. He could see that a few of the rows of seats were filled with elven nobility and royal officials. The door closed behind him, and he was all alone.“Behold!” The announcer bellowed, “The eldest Starborne, nothing but a mere child! This supposed ‘destroyer of worlds’ is a pathetic excuse for an elven child! Watch as he stumbles through this grand arena that we have built!”Onyx looked up at the audience, their gazes all looking down at him at once. A strange anxiety started to build up inside him. He didn’t like all of these people looking at him.“And behold, my friends, the second Starborne!” The announcer shouted.Onyx froze. …Other Starborne? Wait, Onyx thought to himself, There’s another one? But I thought I-Suddenly, the wall on the other side of the arena opened. At first there was nothing but a couple men shouting, but then out of the doorway ran some sort of small beast, locked in chains as two mercenaries Onyx had never seen tried to control him. Onyx looked closer. The beast was actually another elf the same age as Onyx, but he looked scared out of his mind as he tried to break free of his chains. He was an elf, but his sharp, blood-red eyes were that of a wild beast’s, and he had a thin tail that ended in a tuft of red fur, his hair the same color. He struggled to break free of the other mercenaries’ grasp, with no avail. Sympathy tugged at Onyx’s chest. He looked so afraid.The announcer continued, “This is the second eldest of the supposed destroyer of worlds, but just look at him! He’s nothing but a feral monster, barely more than a wild animal! One that could easily be controlled by us! Did the Zodiacs truly think they could threaten us? Our Gods are mere fools! They underestimate the power and intelligence of the Elven race!”Panic settled deeper and deeper into Onyx, and he was on the verge of tears. Did he really have to fight this other Starborne, perhaps the only other one he’d ever know?“Gather around friends, as we watch these threats from the Gods fight each other in a thrilling battle for our own entertainment! Fighters, prepare yourselves!”Onyx started to freak out, anxiety blurring his mind as he watched the other mercenaries unlock his opponent’s chains. He summoned flames to his hands, adrenaline pumping through his system as he prepared himself.“THREE!”He got into a fighting stance.“TWO!”The other mercenaries finished unlocking the other Starborne’s chains and then quickly ran back into the door, the door closing behind them.“ONE!”Onyx and the other Starborne locked eyes for a brief moment, Onyx’s heart pounding with fear.“FIGHT!”The other Starborne lunged at Onyx, his clawed hands striking his face. Onyx screamed in pain as he felt blood run down his cheek, the other Starborne now on top of him. Onyx kicked him in the stomach with his knee and the other Starborne yelped in pain as Onyx made his escape. The other Starborne chased Onyx around the arena, Onyx stopping for a moment to throw energy in his opponents direction. His opponent dodged all of it swiftly, and leaped at his opponent again, this time missing Onyx as he threw another ball of light at his face, which singed the tips of his opponent’s hair as he fell to the ground. He quickly recomposed himself and summoned his own light, and threw it at Onyx’s face. It hit Onyx, but he recovered.The two fought as the audience screamed, none of them rooting for either side but entertained by the mere fact they felt as if the gods could not touch them. Onyx and his opponent maneuvered around the arena, the other Starborne lunging at him with varying success. Onyx thought to himself. The other Starnorne looked so afraid, perhaps he wasn’t doing this out of malice, but out of fear?Onyx knew what it felt like to be afraid. He knew what it felt like to be yelled at, to be abused, to be mistreated. He knew how it felt to feel like no one was there for him. If this other person really was another Starborne, like him… he didn’t want him to feel the same way he did. He wanted to help him.The next time the other Starborne lunged at Onyx, he grabbed his opponent’s arm and threw him to the ground, pinning him to the dirt. There had to be a way to reach him, Onyx was sure of it.“LET ME GO!” The other Starborne shrieked as Onyx felt him shake from fear. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”“Wait!” Onyx exclaimed, “Listen to me! Stop fighting!”The other Starborne tried to bite Onyx's hands with no avail, still thinking his opponent was his enemy.“Please calm down!” Onyx said to his opponent. “I don’t want to hurt you!”“Then why did you throw starlight at me!?” The other Starborne shouted.“You attacked me first!” Onyx argued, “I had no choice! Just, please, calm down! I want to help you!”“LIAR!” The other Starborne shouted. Tears streamed down his face as he yelled. “The mercenaries said you wanted to hurt me! They said you wanted to kill me!”“Well I don’t!” Onyx said. Why would they ever even say something like that? “They’re lying! Why do you trust them? If they’re anything like the other mercenaries, they want to make you feel scared! But you don’t have to feel scared around me!”The other Starborne seemed to slow his rapid breathing just a bit. “Do… Do you mean it…?” He asked.“Of course,” Onyx replied. “Look, the King and the mercenaries are horrible to us, right?”The other Starborne nodded.“Then we shouldn’t fight!” Onyx argued. “W- We should stick together. We should… help each other through this.” He got up off of the other Starborne, trusting that his opponent wouldn’t lunge at him. He reached his hand out to the other Starborne. His opponent looked at him hesitantly.“P- Please, let’s work together! We can be each other’s first real friend. You don’t have to be scared of me, I promise. I just want to help.”The other Starborne started to calm down and his expression softened.“Please?” Onyx said. “I don’t want you to feel the same loneliness I do. I want us both to be happy.”The other Starborne seemed shocked that Onyx was being so kind to him. “You mean it? Really truly?” His voice was shaky, like he was about to cry.“I do,” Onyx replied.The other Starborne smiled. He stood up and took Onyx’s hand, who then pulled him into a hug. The other Starborne seemed a little panicked by the gesture, but then returned the embrace.“T- Thank you,” The other Starborne said. They shared an embrace for a bit, enjoying the moment. Neither of them had ever felt such comforting warmth before. It was nice.“So… what’s your name?” Onyx asked.“Um… Ruby,” Ruby replied, still a little nervous. “And… Yours?”“My name is Onyx,” Onyx replied. “Nice to meet you, Ruby. I’m glad we have each other.”Ruby smiled. “M- Me too,” he said, sounding happy but also like he was about to cry.“...What do we do now…?”Onyx stood and thought to himself.“...We get out of here.”The audience was starting to wonder what was going on.“...How would we even do that?” Ruby asked.“...We can’t right now,” Onyx replied, “But someday. We’ll go and do what we want to do. Live our own lives.”“...Ok.” Ruby said. “So… Someday we’ll escape. Together.”“When we find out how,” Onyx said. “Yes. Together.”There was a silence between the two as they shared their embrace, the warmth of the hug drowning out the audience.“They still expect us to fight,” Ruby pointed out.Onyx thought for a moment. “Then we’ll pretend one of us beat the other. You can pin me, and I’ll pretend to pass out.”“Don’t you think they’ll catch on?”“They don’t seem to care,” Onyx said. “I think all that matters to them is entertainment.”Ruby nodded. “Alright then. Get ready,” we warned.The two let go of the hug and faced each other. Then, Ruby lunged at Onyx, pinning him to the ground. Onyx screamed, trying to convince the audience he was terrified, and then Ruby pretended to bite his neck, putting his sharp teeth inches away from his flesh. Then Onyx closed his eyes and went limp, pretending to pass out.The audience cheered, Ruby removing himself from Onyx’s supposedly limp body and looking at his friend. Onyx opened his eyes and flashed his new friend a smile, before going back to his act. Ruby smiled back.“And there you have it folks,” the announcer shouted, “Seems like the second Starborne has won the match! Oh doesn’t it make you ecstatic, seeing that the gods are defenseless against our genius!”Onyx scowled. Who did these people think they were? These weren’t the Zodiacs fighting each other. He looked up to the stars. As he stared, he felt a sort of anger upon them.He closed his eyes as he heard the mercenaries coming toward him and Ruby.“They’re coming to take us away,” Ruby said, sounding scared. “Will I ever see you again…?”“Of course,” Onyx replied. “Someday, I’m sure.” He smiled.“RUBY!” They heard a voice from behind. “Chains! Now!”Ruby turned around and held his hands out, and the mercenaries instantly locked his wrists.“Onyx you fool, wake up!” That must’ve been the other mercenaries. Onyx opened his eyes to see both the taller and the shorter mercenary staring down at him.“You aren’t even bleeding you idiot, get up!” The shorter one scolded him. Onyx stood up and was immediately chained. “That was pathetic,” the shorter mercenary continued, “you’re pathetic…”Ruby and Onyx took one last glance at each other. Onyx smiled at his new friend. Ruby smiled back.“Get a move on,” Ruby’s handlers scolded him. Ruby then walked with him out of the arena, the Starborne looked back at Onyx, still smiling. He mouthed, ‘thank you,’ before he left the stadium.A warm, comforting feeling grew in his chest. He really hoped he’d get to see Ruby again one day. The mercenaries started guiding him towards the palace and out of the arena as well.Later that night, the mercenaries threw Onyx back in his cell.“There’s more tournaments like that to come,” the taller mercenary told him as he locked his chains. “You had better get used to fighting that other Starborne. You’ll be doing it quite often.”Onyx stayed silent, sitting down on the cold stone floor of his dungeon.“That was so BORING,” The shorter mercenary said. “I thought there’d be blood everywhere and stuff. You could tell His Majesty wasn’t pleased.”“That’s disgusting Ballista,” the taller one replied. “You disgust me.”They both left, leaving Onyx all alone. He’d just made a friend tonight. His first real friend. The warm feeling in his chest grew even warmer. He felt… happy. Instead of feeling despair upon looking up at the ceiling, he felt… hope.Maybe he wasn’t doomed after all. Maybe he’d get a chance at really doing something with his life.He fell asleep that night peacefully. As he felt his eyelids close, he heard a soft voice speak in his ear…
“The stars are calling, young one. Are you willing to answer?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
SC awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. He blinked a couple times, and then sat up in his sleeping bag. He looked around. He was still in his tent from last night. He hadn’t gotten any visits from the Zodiacs. He sighed, relieved. Thank goodness, he thought to himself.He looked around the tent once more. His brothers were already up it seemed, as nobody else was in the tent. He decided it would probably be best to see what they were up to.He walked outside the tent to find a comforting scene: His brothers, Natalie and Chosen were all sitting around the fire, Blue cooking pancakes with some pre-made batter he’d brought with him. He and Natalie seemed to be chatting while Green and Yellow talked about something, Red chasing around Ruben (how did he get here?) and Sunspot. Smolder was laying next to Chosen, and the Starborne seemed once again to be pretty deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he fidgeted with a small ball of energy in his hand. Smolder couldn’t be less bothered by Chosen’s little angst session, as he was sleeping soundly next to the Starborne.SC walked up to the party.“Good morning,” SC!” Blue greeted him with a smile, “Pancakes will be ready in a few minutes!”“Good morning everyone.” SC said with a yawn. “Did everyone sleep well?”“I did,” Natalie answered. “It’s good to be home to Otherworld. I missed the flora and fauna so much.”“I slept fine,” Chosen replied as well, “I- HEY! SMOLDER! NO!”The party looked to see Smolder holding Ruben in his mouth, about to eat the swine. Ruben was squealing in panic. Chosen got up and ran to his scaly friend.“SMOLDER! DROP IT!” He demanded.“YEAH, DROP IT!” Red yelled after him. “EATING FRIENDS IS WRONG!”Smolder had a hesitant look in his big fiery eyes, and after a moment set Ruben down gently. Ruben ran as fast as his little piggy legs could take him over to Red, who promptly scooped him up and started whispering comforting words to his hooved friend. Ruben trembled in fear in Red’s arms.“Thank you, Smolder,” Chosen said to his scaly friend. Smolder looked displeased he had to give up his breakfast, huffing smoke from his nostrils.“My deepest apologies young one,” Chosen said to Red, “My familiar is still young and does not know what is food and what isn’t.”“That’s ok,” Red replied, “I used to try and eat legos when I was younger, so I get the feeling.”Chosen looked confused. “Legos…? Is that an Everworld thing?”“Uh-huh,” Red replied, “They’re little building blocks. You can make cool stuff with them.”Chosen seemed to ponder the concept. “Hm. Perhaps I will have to look into these ‘legos’ sometime.”“You should. They’re super fun.”“Pancakes are ready!” Blue announced. Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the pancakes Blue was distributing to everybody. He handed them a plate of two pancakes each. They all sat down around the fire, enjoying breakfast together.“These are amazing,” Natalie said, “I still can’t wrap my head around how skilled you are at such a young age!”“It’s either I cook or Green cooks,” Blue said, “And trust me, you do NOT want Green to cook.”“It’s true,” Green confirmed, “I’ve burnt water before.”“I still don’t know how you even managed to do such a thing,” Yellow said.“My skills are so awful I broke the laws of physics,” Green said, smiling smugly, as if he was proud of his absurd lack of skill. He probably was.Chosen set down his plate after he was done eating and stood up, getting the party’s attention.“Alright,” He began, “I see it fit that as soon as we’re finished with breakfast, we head for the Capricorn temple. It’s about a couple hour’s walk from here, and if we leave now we could make it by midday. I suggest you all eat quickly to save us time.”“Woah, hold on,” Green intervened, standing up to face Chosen, “We just started eating. SC just woke up. Don’t you think we should give him a minute? Let everybody take their time?”“I understand your concern, human,” Chosen said, “But now is not the time for taking it easy. We need to get to the Capricorn temple immediately. Besides, I’m sure the young Starborne would tell us if he needed a moment to wake up.”“Well I’m just saying,” Green continued, “Maybe let everybody enjoy the morning? If the world is ending, then shouldn’t we relax for a bit to release tension?”“Once again, I understand the thought,” Chosen replied, “But the fate of the universe is at stake. We can rest and relax afterwards.”Green looked like he had more to say, but if he did he was keeping his mouth shut. “Alright,” he said.SC swallowed the bite of the pancake he had in his mouth. “It’s ok Green,” SC reassured his brother, “I’m good to go as soon as everyone else is. I don’t mind.”Green once again looked like he was holding back words he wanted to say.After everybody was finished with breakfast, the tents were all packed up, along with the rest of the supplies.“Alright everyone,” Natalie announced, “Our next stop is the Capricorn temple! And then afterwards, Caprae Village!”“Caprae Village?” Yellow asked, “Is there an Inn there or something?”“An old friend of mine lives there,” Natalie responded, “I haven’t been in Otherworld for so long, I’d like to visit her, see how she’s doing! Plus, she might be able to give us a place to stay. That’s always a good thing!”SC thought to himself. He didn’t think about the fact that Natalie had loved ones here… people she left so she could take care of him. He felt a sort of guilt weighing down in his chest. Natalie gave up so much just to make sure he turned out alright. He wished he had been more grateful for that sooner.“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Chosen asked, “I’m a dangerous force of nature that’s destroyed cities. I doubt it would be hard to recognize me. Are you sure your friend will let us stay without causing an outcry?”“You make a good point, Chosen,” Natalie replied. “Hm… perhaps we can cultivate a disguise or a fake identity for you.” She smiled mischievously. “How would you feel about being… a musician?”Chosen’s expression changed slightly, and he looked confused. “I’ve… never played an instrument before. How could I pass as one?”“You wouldn’t have to actually play music,” Natalie said. “But think about it! You could be-”“Trevor Benjamin!” Yellow exclaimed, jumping into the conversation, “A famous violinist renowned throughout the land for his charisma and charm!”“Yellow,” Blue said, “I thought Trevor was your Dungeons and Dragons character-”“But after an unfortunate incident where he lost his pet weasel named Carl,” Yellow continued, “He suspected somebody kidnapped his precious pet! And now, he is on a quest to find his beloved weasel and bring the kidnapper to JUSTICE!!!” He made a very dramatic pose to sell the tale.“...And I’m supposed to… BE this “Trevor Benjamin?” Chosen asked.“Uh-huh!” Yellow responded, proud of his dramatic display.“But I don’t have a pet weasel named Carl,” Chosen retorted, “And I don’t know how to play the violin. I also don’t know how to be charismatic or charming…”“But you can pretend you do!” Yellow exclaimed, “Just tell people you’re a famous violinist, you don’t actually have to be one.”“Oh,” Chosen said, “Pretend to be him. That makes sense. But I can see the task being quite difficult.”“You’ll do great,” Natalie said, “I believe in you.”SC almost saw Chosen smile again, but he quickly stopped himself. “Alright then,” He announced, “I say we should head to the temple of Capricorn at this very moment, if everybody’s ready.”Everybody confirmed Chosen’s statement, save for Green who looked a bit stressed out, and remained silent.Chosen nodded. “Then let’s depart.”The forest continued east, where the party was headed, the impossibly tall trees creating a canopy over them as they walked. Red was pointing at various animals and naming them excitedly, stating a few fun facts about each.“Did you know that robin eggs are blue because of a special pigment in them called biliverdin?” He said, as the party saw one fly above them, “It comes from the mommy bird’s blood!”“Oh…” Natalie said, a bit concerned, “I sure hope that doesn’t hurt the poor thing… but that sure is interesting!”“I know a lot about animals,” Red declared proudly, “Did you know that pigs are actually smarter than dogs and feel happy when they solve problems?” He scooped up Ruben, who made a few squeaky noises of joy as his owner hugged him close.“Are you sure that applies to all pigs?” Yellow said, “I wouldn’t say Ruben is very smart. He eats socks and rotting fruit.”“That’s because he’s a pig, silly!” Red exclaimed. “Just because he’s smart doesn’t mean he’s a picky eater!”“Fair enough,” Yellow replied.SC watched as his brothers talked. He enjoyed having them here. They made him feel a lot better about not knowing anything about his powers. But he was supposed to get some at this Capricorn temple. Perhaps Capricorn would teach him…? He doubted it, but the thought was comforting.“You doing alright, SC?”SC drew himself from his thoughts to see Natalie looking down at him, a look of worry on her face.“Oh- um, yeah, I’m ok,” he replied, “Just… very nervous.” He began to fidget with his hoodie strings.“Anyone would be,” Natalie said, “You’re going to go ask a cosmic god for a favor.”“It’s not that,” SC said, “It’s just… I don’t know anything about my powers, but everyone’s expecting me to be a hero. They expect me to be something great when I’m just… not.”“Now what would make you think something silly like that?” Natalie asked, her voice gentle. “You ARE something great, SC. You don’t have to have powers to do that.”“That’s not what I meant,” SC continued, “I mean that, because I don’t know how to use my magic, I’m not as cool as Chosen says I am.”“I understand that’s what you meant,” Natalie replied, “And I say that you’re already as cool as Chosen says you are, even without your powers.”She looked into his bright green eyes, “You’re already a hero, SC. You don’t need powers to prove that.”“I appreciate the thought,” SC said, “but I promise you I’m really not.”“You are to them,” Natalie said, looking behind them at SC’s brothers. They were laughing together, making stupid jokes and smiling like idiots. SC smiled at them having fun together.“You helped them save their family, SC,” Natalie said, “If you hadn’t come along, Gods know where they’d be right now. Perhaps they would still be fighting.”SC frowned. The thought of his brothers fighting again pained him.“You’re the reason they all can smile together again,” She said, “If that doesn’t make you a hero, then I’m not sure what does.”SC thought to himself. Natalie’s words were comforting, but were they true? Yes, he did help his family reconcile, but was that what Chosen was looking for? Was that what the worlds needed? He sighed.“Thanks, Natalie,” he said, smiling up at her.“Of course, SC,” she replied, returning the smile, “I’m always happy to help.”They walked for a few more minutes before SC saw some sort of tall structure poking out of the trees.“What is that?” Green asked, seeming to notice the anomaly as well.“Our destination,” Chosen announced, “The Temple of Capricorn, the Goat, god of animals, joy, and platonic love.”They walked up towards the entrance. The doorway was framed with a keystone arch, the entire building made of obsidian with small spires that rose just above the trees. There were pictures of stars and constellations carved in the walls, the symbol of Capricorn carved into the keystone of the doorway. Thin, sparkly curtains hung from the doorway, blowing in the slight breeze.“It’s beautiful…” Blue gasped.“Every temple is supposed to be at its best,” Chosen said. “Usually, there would be a priest and some servants inside, but they were all denounced by the king after the prophecy was given. He said there was no need to stay in contact with gods who sought their downfall.”SC looked up at the temple, an uneasy sort of feeling weighing down in the pit of his stomach. This was the temple of one of the gods who created him. Should he have felt scared? Relieved? Welcome? Like a stranger?“In another reality perhaps, you would know our names just by our voices, by our faces,” A voice echoed in his mind, “But alas, those who are afraid of us took you from our embrace.”SC was taken aback. Wait, where did that come from? And why did it sound… familiar? Has somebody said something like that to him before?“SC?” Natalie’s voice said.SC snapped out of his trance. “Huh? Oh, sorry,” he said.“It’s quite alright,” Natlie said, “But it’s time to go into the temple and ask Capricorn for his blessing upon you.”The nervousness in SC sank even lower into him. “Oh… right.”Natalie took his hand and looked at him lovingly. “You’ll do wonderfully,” she told him, “I believe in you.”“Alright,” Chosen announced, “You four humans are required to stay out here, for your safety. Natalie and I will escort SC to the altar, and then we will leave him from there. There, he will ask for Capricorn’s blessing.”“You’re going to leave him all by himself?” Green asked. “Is that a good idea?”“There is nothing of the sort that could harm him,” Chosen replied, “But if it bothers you that deeply, I can send Smolder with him.”Smolder puffed out his chest to show how capable of protecting SC he was.“...Alright,” Green said, still looking stressed and nervous. SC wondered if he was ok.“Good luck, SC!” Blue exclaimed.“Thank you, Blue,” SC replied. He walked over to where Natalie and Chosen were standing, ready to enter the temple.“Are you all set?” Natalie asked.SC took a deep breath, his hands a bit shaky. “Um… yeah,” he said, “I think so.”“Then let’s head inside,” Chosen announced. He went in first, Smolder behind him, Natalie and Sunspot following, and SC last. They all went through the shining curtains and into the obsidian building, leaving the warm light of the sun behind them.The temple was gorgeous. SC looked up to see the ceiling glimmering with paintings of constellations, animals and elves playing blissfully in the fields were portrayed through the swirling violet paintings that covered the top of the building. The walls had art of the same likeness, woodland creatures running alongside small children as they played together, another depicted a pair of two elves holding hands, with writing underneath in some strange language SC couldn’t make out. Another depicted a small child and their pet pig running alongside each other, another had four grown elves on a boat, huddling close for warmth as storms raged above them, an elven girl hugging the muzzle of her cow, and watching them all was a large goat, his gaze gentle, lovingly watching over all of them.The room itself was a large-ish dome with stained-glass windows all along the sides, letting in the tinted sun. A large bonfire sat in the center, pillows and blankets all around it, bookshelves against the walls for pleasure-reading. The room had a hallway that seemed to lead deeper into the temple. The atmosphere was cozy and safe, and SC felt a bit calmer gazing at it all.“I don’t know what I was expecting, but I don’t think it was this,” SC said. “It looks so… peaceful for a place dedicated to a god.”“Capricorn is a god of friendship and happiness,” Natalie explained, “Of course a place dedicated to him would want to bring comfort to those who entered it.”“I believe Virgo’s temple is of similar nature,” Chosen said, “That temple is a lush garden maintained by hundreds. That temple is a lot larger though, as the city it resides in has a larger population. This one is somewhat small and unimpressive compared to temples like Leo’s and Pisces'.”“The Libra temple sure isn’t like that,” Natalie added, “It’s pretty rough for a temple. Then again, Paladins aren’t too fond of making things look pretty.”Chosen nodded. “SC?” He looked towards the little Starborne.“Uhm- yeah?” SC replied, meeting his gaze.Chosen pointed down the hallway that was connected to the entrance room. “The altar is in the next room, down that hallway. It is tradition to approach the altar alone. There, you simply ask Capricorn for his blessing.”“Is there… any way that I’ll know he gave it to me?”“I’m not sure,” Chosen replied, “if something happens, do tell us. If not, we’ll plan from there.”SC nodded, a ball of nervousness forming in the pit of his stomach. “And I have to go alone?” he asked.“Smolder will be with you,” Chosen said, “but neither Natalie nor I will come, no. This needs to be between you and Capricorn.”“You’ll be ok SC,” Natalie said, “The worst that can happen is that you don’t get the blessing, and we ask the next god or goddess.”SC took deep, slow breaths to try and calm himself. “Ok,” he said, “ok…” He turned to face the hallway. “Here I go,” he said to himself.He started to walk down the hallway, Smolder following closely behind. It was wide, with stained-glass windows on either side. As he walked, there was a point where the windows stopped, and were replaced with glowing carvings of violet constellations. SC could feel a sort of magic there, like the one near the portal spot on his first day in Otherworld. As he got deeper, the constellations started to shift, and they soon formed moving pictures that danced on the ceiling and the walls. SC watched as glowing animated images ran across the walls, elven children laughing, animals playing together, parties and quiet moments all moving on the walls and ceilings. He looked to his side to see an image of himself and his own brothers, the night that they had adopted him, laughing together and enjoying each other’s company. It made him smile.Soon, at the end of the hallway, there was a thick, royal purple curtain that led to the altar. The animated images around SC soon faded, and the boy took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, he thought.He walked into the room, Smolder behind him, seemingly in awe. It was completely without windows, but not without light, as the roof opened up to let the sun in. It had all sorts of bushes and plants, and a tiny water feature shaped like a goat in one corner. In the center was a large, raised circular platform, where the light was shining upon. It was so calm and peaceful. SC felt comforted. He looked down upon the circular platform. That must be the altar, he thought.He took a deep breath, and knelt down at the circular platform. At first, no words came out of him. But as he thought of what to say, he began to speak.“Um… hello… um… Mr. Capricorn?” he started.No response came.SC continued anyway, his nerves piling up in his stomach, “I, uh, don’t mean to bother you, but I was here to ask you a question.”He took another breath, ready for whatever was going to be thrown at him.“...Look, I don’t know how this works, considering I literally just figured out I’m some sort of cosmic being like, a few days ago, but um… if you really want to, I’d like your blessing, please.”“I… I know I’m not a hero, like everyone says I’m supposed to be. But if you could give me a power that would maybe make them think I am, that would be great. I know it’s a big favor, but I really need it right now.”More silence. SC waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. The boy took a deep breath. Maybe the cosmic god didn’t see him worthy to help.Suddenly, the altar started to glow. SC looked up to see swirling purple light, what he assumed was magic, coming together at the center. When it died down, a small goat made out of purple light stood in the center, his eyes full of cheer. He motioned for SC to walk up onto the platform with him. SC stood up and walked onto the platform, standing in the center as the small goat made way for him.Suddenly, the room went dark, no sunlight came through the roof. SC looked up to see the roof was closed now. The constellations on the wall started to shimmer along with the altar. SC looked down at his hands. He was glowing a light green color. The light grew brighter, and SC started to float in the air, as he felt some sort of power well up inside him. The lights in the room grew even brighter, along with SC, who closed his eyes and simply felt the cosmic power grow inside of him. He couldn’t see it, but the small goat pranced around the room and became a burst of energy as he phased into SC’s chest, making him glow brighter. SC hovered for a brief moment, feeling something heavy on his back for an even briefer moment, and then, the power inside of him started to settle, and he felt himself slowly descend towards the ground again. When he touched the ground, he waited a moment, and then opened his eyes. When he looked around, the room was no longer glowing. Smolder had been hiding behind his wings, but slowly retracted them after he realized the light show had ended.SC took a deep breath. What… what the heck was that???The sunlight had returned again, and everything was like how it was before he prayed. He sat up, and saw a purple flash of light, and after it faded, there were two things left in its place: a tin container and a very full-looking envelope.SC was hesitant to approach the items at first. But slowly, he reached toward them, taking the medium-sized tin and the envelope in his hands. Were these... from Capricorn? He turned the envelope around. On the front was the symbol of Capricorn, so SC assumed that was who it was from. He opened the envelope. There was a letter inside. A very long letter. SC began to read it:“To the Third Starborne,Hey! Sorry I couldn’t meet up with you in person, hope you don’t mind the little cluster of divine power I sent in my place! Leo kinda banned the zodiacs from talking to mortals, which sucks, because I like you guys. Truth be told, not all the zodiacs are 100% ok with the whole genocide thing, and I know for a fact that I’m not! Consider me an ally to you and your party. Anyway, back to the point of this note. So you’ve been given my blessing! I’ve given you a special little power that’ll let you talk to the beasts and the birds, one that will let you speak in languages that no others can. I can't do so much for you combat-wise, considering my whole thing is love and friendship, so sorry it isn’t that helpful… I hope you're still happy with the blessing, though! The next god you’re gonna wanna visit would be Pisces, the god of magic. They’re a little strange and spaced-out, but they do wanna help! Seek their aid next in the old capital.Leo and The Dark Lord are planning some pretty awful things, so you’d better make haste! I wish you good luck on your journey, SC. Tell Ruben I said hi!Signed your local god of friendship, CapricornP. S.
The tin is full of cookies! I baked them myself! There’s chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, iced sugar cookies and sandwich cookies in there! Along with some doggy treats for Sunspot!”On the bottom of the note was a little doodle of a smiling goat. SC was pleasantly surprised. He wasn’t expecting Capricorn to be so nice, but he appreciated that he was. And, he learned that some of the zodiacs liked them! That’s awesome news! A sort of relief flooded over him. Maybe this mission wouldn’t be as hard as he thought. Plus, free cookies! Who could pass up on that?But the powers he was gifted… The ability to talk to beasts and birds? What did that mean? SC thought to himself. Maybe-“Um, are you doing alright over there?”SC perked his head up. He thought he heard a voice, one that sounded around his age, but no one else was in the room except Smolder.“SC? Are you ok? I know you can’t understand dragons but I would like to know if you’re good!”SC looked over to Smolder, who was sitting by the doorway, looking worried.No. No WAY this was what Capricorn’s blessing was.“I’m ok Smolder,” SC replied.“Oh that’s good, I was worried- wait!” Smolder eyes went wide. “Did… you just understand what I said!?”SC stood up, cookies and note in hand, and walked up to Smolder. “I- I think I did!?” he said.Smolder gasped. “Oh my stars!” He said, excited, “You can understand me! Finally, an elf who understands me! This must be what Capricorn’s blessing was!”SC was smiling so wide it hurt. He could talk to animals! Maybe not super combat-useful, but he could talk to animals!“It must be!” SC exclaimed.“Oh man, this is so COOL!” Smolder explained. “Oh man, I wish I could talk to Dad like this… he’d love that so much!”“Your… your dad-?” SC asked.“OH!” Smolder exclaimed, “Sorry! You call him Chosen! I call Chosen my dad, because he raised me since I was a hatchling. He can’t understand me, but I still call him dad anyways, because I feel like his son!” He puffed out his chest, proud to have an elven dad.“That’s adorable, Smolder!” SC replied. “Oh, man… we should probably go tell the others about this, huh?”“WE SHOULD!!!” Smolder exclaimed, “Oooh, it’ll be so great!” His tail was wagging with anticipation.The two walked back towards the front room of the temple and then out from the curtain. The rest of the party was waiting outside.“SC!” Natalie exclaimed, running over to SC and pulling him into a hug. She then retracted and looked him in the eyes. “How did it go? Did you get Capricorn’s blessing!?”“I did!” SC said.“That’s good news,” Chosen said, his expression still cold. “What exactly happened?”“Well it was kind of weird,” SC said, “At first nothing happened, but then the room started glowing, and then I started glowing, and then I started floating, and then I just… stopped. I don’t know, it was weird.”“Oh, ok,” Chosen replied, acting like that was completely normal.“What powers did Capricorn give you?” Natalie asked.SC smiled. “I can talk to animals!”“YOU CAN!?” SC heard a very excited voice say. He looked over to see Sunspot wagging her tail like crazy.“I can indeed,” he replied to the hound.Natalie looked shocked. “Did you just-” She turned to face Sunspot. “You just understood her!”“Pretty cool, right?” SC exclaimed.“Ooo! Ooo!” Red exclaimed, running up to SC with Ruben in his arms, “Can you ask Ruben if he loved me a whole lot!?”SC looked down at Ruben. “Well?” He asked the swine.“Hm?” The pig snorted. “Food?” he asked.“Ruben,” SC asked, “do you love Red?”“Oh yeah!” Ruben replied. “Red good. He give me foods. I love Red.”SC looked up to Red. “Yes he does,” he replied.Red’s eyes went wide as he gasped. “YOU DO LOVE ME!!!” he exclaimed, and he hugged Ruben tightly.“He doesn’t talk much,” Smolder said, “He’s kind of stupid.”“I see,” SC said.“Well,” Chosen announced, “This certainly could be useful. I hope you thanked Capricorn for his mercy.”“He was a pretty nice guy, actually,” SC replied, “He gave us cookies.” He held up the tin in the air for everyone to see.“GOD COOKIES!?” Yellow exclaimed, “Oh those have to be delicious, I’m sure.”“I’m willing to share,” SC said, smiling. “Capricorn also said that there’s a few gods who are against the prophecy, and that he’s on our side. He also said to head for Pisces’ temple next.”“Really!?” Natalie exclaimed, “I- Oh my goodness-”“The gods have changed their minds?” Chosen asked, a bit skeptical.“He gave me this note,” SC said, “He said that a few of the zodiacs are against the prophecy, but Leo cut them off from contact with elves. Oh, he also wanted to tell Ruben hi.”“Hi!” Ruben said.“Hm…” Chosen pondered, “Well, I wouldn’t question him, especially if he wants to help. I suppose we’re off to the temple of…” He froze, just a bit of panic on his face.“Chosen?” Natalie said, “Are you alright?”Chosen snapped out of his trance. “Oh- um- yes. I’m completely fine.” He cleared his throat. “Our next stop in the Capital City. That is where the temple of Pisces resides.”“Then I suppose we’d better head there,” Green spoke up.“Um, could we maybe get some lunch first?” Yellow asked, “I’m starving.”“Oh!” Natalie exclaimed, “Caprae village! We can stop there and get some food and supplies! I know a friend who can give us a place to stay for the night!”“You did mention that,” Chosen said, “I’m not opposed to the idea. I say we go there, if everyone is alright with it.”“I think it would be nice to have a bed to sleep in,” Blue added.“Oh, this will be wonderful!” Natalie exclaimed, “Oh, Laura will be so surprised to see me! I can’t wait to see her after all these years!”“Is that where we’re heading next, then?” SC asked.“It sure is,” Natalie said, “Let’s get walking, and we should be there by this evening!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The sun rested atop the horizon, painting the sky with brilliant shades of orange and pink, the space devoid of any clouds. Fireflies danced in the low light, the sounds of crickets and the chirping of little frogs filled the air with a pleasant atmosphere. The call of a Mourning Dove could be heard in the distance. SC admired the beauty all around him as the golden rays of the setting sun poured into the sleepy forest. He’d never noticed how much he loved nature. He’d spent most of his life in a bland, empty orphanage, so the beautiful complexity of nature soothed him. He looked up at the sky. The moon could be seen at this hour, when the sky was still light. It looked like it was having a peaceful rest in the sky. SC smiled. He’d have to find some books about nature and astronomy sometime, for pleasure reading.“We’re almost to Caprae village,” Natalie announced, “This is the village where I was born, actually!”“It is?” SC asked. “You grew up here?”“Well, for a small while,” Natalie replied, “I was born and raised here until I was seven years old, and then I was chosen to be a Paladin, but that’s a story for another time. But I do still remember this place. It’s been so long since I’ve visited… I wonder how my friends are…”SC thought to himself. Natalie was taken from her home to become a Paladin? How did that work? He’d have to ask her about it later.Caprae Village was quite the charming little town. SC could hear the sounds of horses pulling carts, elven children laughing and playing, adults having conversations with each other as they walked by SC and his party. The streets were lit by the glow of the setting sun, and the smell of dust and dirt filled the air as it was kicked up by the horses that drew the carts. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the evening, and SC didn’t blame them. It was a wonderful evening.Natalie led the party to the outskirts of the village, where there was a small hill with a larger stone building at the top. Next to the building was what looked to be a stable, where a horse seemed to be eating some hay.“This is it!” Natalie announced excitedly, “The Sleepy Goat’s Inn!”“Oh, I love that name!” Yellow said, “That’s so cute. I should use that in my next D&D session.”“I think that would be nice,” Blue responded, “I think Basil would like that.”“You think!?” Yellow replied almost immediately, his face turning just a bit pink.Natalie led her party up the hill to the Inn, where she then proceeded to knock on its door. She looked so excited. There was a brief moment of silence, but then a voice could be heard from inside.“Coming!” SC heard someone say, followed by quiet footsteps coming towards the door. The door was opened by an elven lady who looked to be about Natalie’s age, with long, brown hair and bright green eyes. She wore a simple green dress, and her hair was tied up into a low ponytail.“Natalie!?” She gasped, her green eyes overflowing with joy.“Laura!” Natalie exclaimed, pulling her best friend into a hug, “Oh it’s been such a long time!”“You’re alive!” Laura responded, “Oh, I’m so happy to see you! The Inn has been so lonely without your visits. After you left for Everworld, I was worried you’d never return…”Natalie pulled away from the hug to look her best friend in the eyes. “I’m sorry I left without a proper goodbye,” she said, “But I was worried I wouldn’t have made it to the portal in time… But I’m back now, and I’m just fine! My mission was successful for the most part!”“That’s wonderful,” Laura responded, “I’m so glad you’re safe. It’s been incredibly busy here lately, so I’ve been all over the place. But your company would be wonderful to have! We have so much catching up to do!”Natalie smiled. “I’m glad to be here!” She said, “I actually do need a place to stay for tonight, if you have a few rooms open still?”“Oh yes!” Laura exclaimed, “I- wait, a few!?” She looked behind Natalie to find SC, his brothers, Chosen, and their animal companions standing behind her. “Oh goodness!” She exclaimed, “That’s… seven people! Plus animals! Oh dear Capricorn-”“It’s alright if you’re too full,” Natalie said, “We can find somewhere else if you-”“Nonsense,” Laura said, “I have a few rooms for you all. I would never turn down a friend. That would be mean. I would give you my own bedroom before I turned you down.”“Well thank you,” Natalie replied, “I appreciate your dedication. But do find a bed to sleep in, at least-”Laura chuckled and pulled out a notepad. “Alright, so that’s… How many adults?”“Four,” Natalie replied, “And three children.”“Got it,” Laura said, jotting down the information. “So who is everyone? Are they just traveling with you, or perhaps they helped you on your mission?”“OH!” Natalie exclaimed, “Well… Um… alright, so remember how I said I was on a journey to hopefully raise the third Starborne as a human to hopefully prevent him from fulfilling his destiny?”“Um, yes,” Laura replied, “Kind of hard to forget considering you were gone and raising him for about 14 years.”“Well it… didn’t work how I expected it to,” Natalie said, “And now I’m on a mission to help the Third Starborne stop the other Starborne from destroying everything.”“Wait, then where’s-” Laura’s eyes went wide. She slowly turned her head to SC. “...OH.”Natalie smiled nervously. “Um, Laura, meet SC! The Third Starborne!”Laura simply stared at SC in disbelief. “I.. Oh my goodness…” She turned her attention to Chosen. ‘Wait, then what does that make this-”“TREVOR BENJAMIN!” Yellow exclaimed, butting into the conversation without warning, “A FAMOUS VIOLINIST-”“The Chosen One,” Chosen replied, “The First Starborne. Pleasure to meet you.”Yellow looked at Chosen with a disappointed gaze. “You ruined my presentation,” he said.“Oh, I apologize,” Chosen said, “Proceed.” Yellow simply facepalmed.Laura looked like she was about to pass out, but remained calm. “Natalie, I didn’t think there would be a couple of literal godsend with you, and the First Starborne!? He could kill us at any moment, I mean have you heard the reports of entire cities being destroyed?!”“The Chosen One is on our side now!” Natalie clarified, “He wants to help us!”“I no longer wish to bring destruction to this world as my creators intended,” Chosen said, “Worry not. Your Inn is safe. I would not tarnish such a pillar of the community.”Laura stared up at Chosen in disbelief. “V- Very well, then,” She said, “But I’m keeping an eye on you… Starborne.” She looked at Chosen firmly. “And um… these others?” She gestured towards SC’s brothers.“Um.. they are the humans that adopted The Third Starborne into their family,” Natalie said, “They insisted on coming to protect their brother.”Laura looked on the verge of illness. “Right… humans… you know, creatures thought to be myth… Well, this is certainly a day, isn’t it!?” she said.There was a deafening moment of silence.“Anyway,” Laura said, “I apologize if my reactions are, well… rude, I just… was not expecting this today.”“That is completely fair,” Natalie said.“I’ll still let you stay, of course,” Laura said, “Your new mission is important. The prophecy is becoming more and more apparent to the people as we speak. Rumors say that the Second Starborne is planning something awful, even more than when the Capital was destroyed…”Wait, the capital? SC thought, isn’t that where Capricorn said the Temple of Pisces is?“He is,” Chosen said, “We are pursuing him and gaining power to defeat him as we speak. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”“It is,” Natalie said, “truly.”Laura smiled, “I’ll do everything I can. Now come in! You all must be exhausted. I’ve got some soup over the stove if you all are hungry.”“THANK GOD!” Yellow exclaimed in relief. SC rolled his eyes. They were all indeed very hungry. They all walked into the Inn, Laura stepping aside to let them all through.The Inn was a wonderful little place. Walking in, there was a counter with a wall behind it, the keys to all the rooms hung on it. Some wooden furniture was placed for seating adjacent to the desk. On the left side of the room was a staircase that led upstairs, with a few pictures on the wall that SC assumed were family. It was cozy, and SC liked it a lot. The elves really know how to decorate, he thought to himself.There was an elf sitting at the reception desk, their nose in a book. They wore gold-rimmed glasses and had short brown hair, the same shade as Laura’s. Their eyes were the same shade of green. They looked up from their book and smiled.“Hey Laura!” They said, and their expression very quickly changed to shock. “Oh geez, that’s a lot of people! How many rooms do we need!?”“Only two or three,” Laura said, “But that doesn’t matter. Don’t you recognize one of our guests?” she said excitedly.The elf behind the counter just stared at them blankly. “Clearly not,” they said, “Can I get a little help?”“It’s Natalie, silly!” Laura said, “She’s back!”The elf’s face very quickly lit up with joy. “NATALIE!” They exclaimed, running out from behind the counter and hugging her.“Clara!” Natalie exclaimed, hugging her back, “I missed you so much! Look at how much you’ve grown!”The elf let go of the hug to face Natalie. “It’s uh, it’s actually Devon now! I’ve discovered some things about myself since you were gone-”“Oh goodness!” Natalie exclaimed, “My apologies! But that’s wonderful! I’m happy you were able to figure that out!”“I am too!” Devon replied, “but that’s not important right now. You’re back! You’re alive! How did handling the Third Starborne go!? I mean they obviously didn’t kill you, so-”“Oh, it wasn’t like that!” Natalie exclaimed, “He was a bit of a hassle at times, but worth every second.” She turned to SC and smiled.“Oh, that’s neat!” Devon said, “So, who’re these guys? They your friends or something?”“This,” Natalie said, gesturing to SC, “Is the Third Starborne.”Devon’s eyes went wide as they turned to SC. “YOU’RE the THIRD STARBORNE!?”SC shifted nervously, “Uh, yeah? I mean, I think I am-”“OH MY CAPRICORN!!!” Devon exclaimed, “You’re really from space! Like, the cosmos!”“Uh yeah,” SC replied, “I guess I am-”“Have you seen the gods!?” Devon asked, “Have they shown you visions like in the legends!? What’s it like in space!? DO YOU GLOW IN THE DARK!?”“Ok Devon,” Laura said, taking her sibling’s arm and pulling her back, “Let’s give the boy some space. He just got here.”“Sorry,” Devon said, “I got excited.”“Alright,” Laura said, “Let’s get you all your rooms. Devon? Could I get the keys for rooms 7-9?”“You got it!” Devon said, walking behind the desk and taking three keys off the walls, each with a piece of paper tied to it with a number. They brought them over to Laura and placed them in her hands.“Thank you,” Laura said.“You’re welcome!” Devon replied.Laura handed the keys to all of them. “You may divide yourselves into the rooms however you’d like,” she said, “But the limit is four people in a room.”“I can take my own room,” Chosen said.“Are you sure!?” Natalie said, “I can keep you company if-”“Not necessary,” Chosen interrupted, “I prefer solitude. I’ll be fine.”“Alright then,” Natalie said, “Then I suppose that Green and Blue and the other two can share a room as well. As for SC…” She turned to the aforementioned SC. “I suppose the two of us will have to share a room.”“That’s alright,” SC said.“Wait,” Green intervened, “Are you sure? I’m sure we could fit a 5th one in our room, or I could sleep in your guys’ room.”“I’d feel better if you were with us,” Blue said, “SC will be fine, I’m sure. Natalie has known him a lot longer than we have.”Green had that look on his face, like he wanted to say something, but was keeping it to himself. “Alright,” he said, “But I can come in if needed.”“I’ll be ok, Green,” SC said, “I promise.”Green was silent.“Alright then,” Laura said, “I’ll escort you all to your rooms. Follow me!”Laura led the party up the stairs, which led to a hallway lined with many doors. Each door had a number on it, and SC counted them as he walked by. Four, five, six…“And here’s room seven!” Laura said. She handed Natalie the keys she was holding. “Dinner is being served at six-thirty, and there’ll be a story time for the younger ones at seven-fifteen in the lobby, and um… oh! The tavern is open until one in the morning.”“Thank you very much,” Natalie said to Laura, taking the keys. “We’ll be down as soon as we’ve set down our things.”“Excuse me miss,” Chosen interrupted, “Is there perhaps a place I can rest my dragon? A stable, maybe?”“Oh yes,” Laura said, “Trained beasts may reside in the stables.”“Thank you,” Chosen said.Laura nodded. “Enjoy your stay!” She said, “Come and get me if you need anything!” She walked down the hallway and down the stairs.Natalie turned to the party. “Alright. Chosen, you may take room nine-”“No need,” Chosen said, “I’m going to be staying with Smolder tonight.”Natalie looked shocked. “I- excuse me!?”“Was I not clear?” Chosen asked, “I apologize. I said I’m going to stay with Smolder tonight in the stables.”“But- why?” Natalie asked, reasonably so.“I don’t need to take up an entire room. You may return the key to miss Laura. I will be staying in the stables tonight.”Natalie just stood with unblinking eyes. “Alright then…”“Farewell,” he said, walking past the party, his cape trailing behind him. The party stood in silence as they watched The Chosen One choose a horse’s stable over a comfy bed.“...Well,” Natalie said, “Um, you four may take room seven.” She handed the key to Green.“Thanks, Natalie,” Green said.“Of course,” Natalie said, “Unless you’d like to join Chosen.”“No thanks,” Green said with a chuckle. “We like sleeping in beds.”“And we’ll take room eight,” Natalie said, turning to SC. SC gave a thumbs-up in response.Green unlocked the door to room seven, Red running in immediately, Ruben in his arms.“WOAH!!!” SC heard Red say from inside, “This is like that hotel that mommy and daddy and all of us stayed in when we went to Ocean City!”Blue smiled. “I think the hotel in Ocean City was a lot fancier than this,” he said, walking in behind him.Green was about to walk in, but hesitated, turning to SC. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” he asked.“I’ll be fine, Green,” he insisted, “I’ll come get you if I need anything.”Green had that look on his face again, the one where he wanted to say something but didn’t, and then sighed. “Alright,” he said, “I’ll see you at dinner, then.”“See you at dinner,” SC repeated with a smile. Then the two withdrew to their rooms.—--------------Dinner was absolutely delicious.SC laid down on his bed, which was actually pretty comfy. Dinner was awesome. It was just some beef stew cooked over a fire, but it was the best beef stew cooked over a fire that SC had ever had. He stretched a bit, and let himself sink into the mattress. He felt sleepy, as one does after a nice, warm meal. But unfortunately for him, his overthink-everything-brain wasn’t going to let him rest for a moment.The blessing of Capricorn was his. This was good. Some of the Zodiacs were on his side. This was also good. But there were plenty of things that weren’t so good.First of all: everybody has been acting so weird! Green seemed like he had something he needed to say to SC, but for whatever reason, he didn’t seem to want to tell him. It made SC sad, because he knew that Green knew he could tell him anything. He got him to talk to his brothers about all the pressure he was putting on himself. What was so much worse than that? He seemed to be doing it a lot around Chosen. Did he dislike Chosen? Speaking of Chosen, why did he insist on hiding his feelings so much? He seemed so cold at first, but there were times he would show emotion. But even afterwards, he’d try to cover it up. And his relationship with The Dark Lord… There was something more to it than hatred, he was sure of that. He acted so strange when he was mentioned. And the term “partner” was used quite a bit. There had to be something SC was missing.And his blessing… it wasn’t really helpful in combat. He was grateful for it, really, and he was glad Capricorn liked him. But was it what Natalie and Chosen, and… the entirety of Otherworld was looking for? Would he really be able to save the world like they said? He still wasn’t sure.Ugh. Thinking about all that made him tired. How was it possible to feel tired from thinking too hard?! That’s so stupid. He hated that.But it didn’t matter. He sat up in his bed and stretched. He looked around. It was a quaint little room, just a couple of beds and a small closet for clothes, but it was nice. Very cozy. SC sighed. Well, there was no point in lying around and moping, he thought. He decided he should probably go out and do something. He got out of bed and headed down to the lobby. Devon wasn’t at the desk at the moment, SC presumed they were out doing something else for their sister. He walked into the tavern, which was connected to the lobby by a doorway.He looked around the place. It was a pretty standard fantasy tavern, with a small dining area across from the bar, which was being attended by a taller elven man. He was washing a glass mug, which was presumably full of adult beverages at some point. He looked up at SC and smiled. He had brown hair and green eyes, so SC could only assume he was one of Laura’s siblings. SC smiled back at him.The right side of the room stretched out into a small living area. SC saw that Devon was sitting on a chair, reading to a group of younger kids, which Red was a part of. They had a larger book out and were reading from it, as the children in the audience leaned in, enthralled in the story Devon was telling. Blue sat at a table that was in the dining area, seemingly watching over Red, smiling happily. He must’ve been on babysitting duty for him. Well, SC thought to himself, it wouldn’t hurt to visit for a bit. Plus he still wanted to get his mind off of everything that was going on, and chatting with Blue was always pleasant. He walked over and sat down in a chair next to his brother.Blue looked over as SC sat down. “Hey there, SC!” He greeted his brother with a smile.“Hi there, Blue,” SC replied, “You watching Red?”“Yep,” Blue said, “Yellow is out with Natalie in town getting supplies, and Green is taking some time to himself, so I decided to look after Red for them. Devon is an excellent storyteller! They really know how to bring it to life, y’know?”SC nodded. “That’s awesome,” he said.“Mm-hm!” Blue said, “So what’ve you been up to?”SC shrugged. “Just have a lot on my mind, so I came down here to decompress.”Blue nodded. “I get that. A lot has happened in the past few days. I certainly didn’t think I’d be adventuring through a magical world with all of you guys anytime soon, but sometimes, life throws things at you that you aren’t prepared for. Even if they are absurd and ridiculous.” He turned to SC and smiled. “But if I’ve learned anything, the best thing you can do is pick yourself up and carry forward. It could be super easy, or super hard, but it’s about all you can do.”SC smiled. “Thanks, Blue,” he said.“No problem,” Blue said, “giving brotherly advice is kind of my specialty.” He put on a smug little grin. SC smiled back in the same respect.“And then the kingdom of Riverside was safe from the evil dragon king once again, and our heroes lived happily ever after.” Devon closed the book they were holding. All the children clapped for their wonderful coloration of the story.“I really love that story,” one of the elven children said, “Except for the part where the dog died. I didn’t like that part.” He pouted and crossed his arms.“I didn’t like that part either,” another child said, “it’s sad.”“Well, death is part of life,” Devon said, “Sometimes we lose those who are dear to us. But it’s important that we remember them after they’ve passed. In some way, that still keeps them alive, doesn’t it?”“So if I always remember my daddy, he’ll become immortal?” Another child asked.“Not exactly,” Devon replied.SC listened as the children asked all kinds of silly questions, as Red stood up, carrying a sleeping Ruben in his arms, and went to sit with his brothers.“How did you like the story, Red?” Blue asked.“It was nice,” Red replied, “I liked the part when the water dragon shot milk out of his nose from laughing too hard.”“That sounds amazing,” SC commented.“It was!” Red exclaimed, “It was so funny! I laughed so hard!” He chuckled a bit, clearly still entertained by the joke.Blue looked outside the windows. It was completely dark out, and the moon shone brightly in the sky. “Looks like it’s about time for bed for you, Red,” Blue commented.“But I’m not sleepy!” Red exclaimed. He then paused and yawned, blinking slowly afterwards. “Ok, maybe I’m a little sleepy.”Blue chuckled. “Alright, let’s get you to the room and get you to bed. A growing kid needs their sleep, y’know.”Red yawned again. “Okee,” he replied. He stood up, Ruben in his arms, and walked over to Blue, and took his hand. Blue started for the lobby, but stopped to talk to Devon for a moment.“Thank you for the story,” He said.Devon looked up from the children they were attending. “Of course,” They said, “It was fun.”Blue smiled, and escorted the sleepy Red to their room. “Are you going to bed, SC?” he asked.SC sat and thought for a moment. Despite his attempts to distract himself, he was still thinking about the weird things that had been happening.“I think I’m going to stay up for just a little while longer,” he told his brother.Blue nodded. “Well I’m pretty tired myself, so I’m going to head to bed. See you tomorrow, SC!”“See you tomorrow,” SC repeated. He smiled. Blue then walked into the lobby and to the rooms.After Blue was gone, SC stood up and left the tavern, going through the lobby and heading for the door. He walked out of the inn and out into the grass, heading for the stables. Truth be told, talking with Blue only made him think even more about the things he was trying not to think about, which was annoying. But he wanted answers. He walked behind the inn where the stables were. He walked in to find two horses, one smaller, white-and-spotted one, and a larger brown one. They were in their stalls for the night, about ready to fall asleep. SC approached the larger brown one.“Excuse me?” he asked the horse.The horse looked up. “Eh?” he mumbled. “A kid?”“Yep,” SC confirmed, “And yes, I can understand you. I was blessed by Capricorn to be able to understand animals.”The horse looked unfazed by the fact he was understood by an elf. “That’s neat. You need something, kid?”“Did you see an elf come in here earlier?” SC asked, “Very tall, dark hair? Had a dragon?”The horse huffed. “Yeah, I saw one like that pass by here. He’s in the stall all the way in the back. Heard him talking to his dragon. Weirdo.”“Thank you,” SC said, “Hope you have a good night’s sleep!” He smiled at the horse.“You and me both, kid,” the horse replied. He put his head down and closed his eyes.SC stood up and walked to the back of the stables, and lo and behold, there was Chosen and Smolder in the last one. Both were laying on the straw padding, Smolder fast asleep, Chosen leaning on him, seemingly deep in thought. SC approached them, and sat down next to Chosen.Chosen saw SC sit down, and turned to face him. “SC?” he said, “What are you doing here? Are you in need of assistance?”“I actually came to have a chat and ask you some questions,” he said.Chosen looked slightly surprised. “You… came to talk to me?”SC nodded. “You’re out here all by yourself. Plus, I do have some questions about the prophecy, if you’re comfortable answering them.”Chosen nodded. “Proceed.”There was a small pause.“When you refer to The Dark Lord as your ‘Former Partner’… What do you mean by that?”Chosen froze, his eyes wide. “Oh- Um- I- He-” he stuttered about a thousand times, it felt, before he finally got an answer out. “I… I mean that we were accomplices.” He was silent afterwards.“So… you two didn’t know each other very well?” SC asked.Chosen hesitated again. “Um… no. Not much.”SC squinted. “Are you sure?” he asked.Chosen tried not to show any sort of emotion on his face, but SC could see that he was an awful liar. He may have been just a kid, but he wasn’t THAT stupid.“...No.” Chosen replied.“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” SC said, “I was just curious.”Chosen was silent, still trying to keep his blank expression. “I would prefer not to talk about it.”“That’s completely ok,” SC said. “I’m not gonna make you talk about something that makes you uncomfortable.”Chosen was silent once again.“Did you get something to eat?” SC asked him, scooching over to sit right next to him. “That stew was amazing. I could eat that stuff for the rest of my life.”“I didn’t eat,” Chosen replied, “I have more important matters to spend my attention on.”SC turned to Chosen, a concerned look on his face. “You didn’t eat?”Chosen shook his head. “The universe is at stake. Those sorts of things can wait.”“Chosen,” SC said, “Just because the universe is in trouble doesn’t mean you stop taking care of yourself. It’s ok if you eat some food if you’re hungry.”“My wellbeing is not necessary for this world to keep going,” Chosen argued, “I will be just fine.”“Maybe you’re not necessary for the world to keep turning,” SC said, “but you’re necessary to this team. You helped kill that giant ram, you were ready to protect me when you thought Green was a monster, and you’ve been telling me all about Otherworld. You’re also just… valuable.”Chosen turned to SC, his head tilted like a dog’s when it’s confused. “How am I valuable?” he asked, “I haven’t done anything that has been beneficial to you, or anyone else for that matter.”“Well,” SC said, “You’re a person. I think that makes you priceless.” he smiled up at the Starborne.Chosen was silent. “Hm. Where do you get all of this compassion?” he asked.SC shrugged. He’d been asked that question many times by his own brothers. “Not sure,” he said, “I guess I just hate to see people sad.”Chosen stared at the ground. There was silence for a moment.“Well,” Chosen said, “I think you should be heading to bed. Sleep is important to a young person like yourself.”“Are you gonna be ok here by yourself?” SC asked.“I’ll be fine,” Chosen replied, “I have Smolder with me.”“Alright,” SC said. He then wrapped his arms around Chosen, pulling him into a hug. “Stay safe,” he told him.Chosen froze, unsure what to do in this unfamiliar situation. “Um… thank you,” he told SC, patting his head. SC let go of the hug and smiled.“If you ever need somebody to talk to, come and get me,” he said, “I’ve been told I’m something of an expert on talking to people.”“That’s good to know,” Chosen said. “Goodnight, SC. I hope you sleep well.”“I hope you sleep well too,” SC said. He headed out of the stables.—-----------------When SC got back to his room, Natalie was on her bed, in her pajamas, looking at something she was holding in her arms. Sunspot was on the ground, asleep.“Welcome back, SC!” Natalie greeted the little Starborne.“Hey Natalie,” SC greeted, “I heard you went out to get supplies with Yellow. How did that go?”“Truth be told, Yellow didn’t exactly stick with us,” Natalie said. “He was all over town, asking elves about Otherworld traditions and culture. He seemed very invested in it all. He was very respectful about it.”“Us?” SC asked, “Who else was with you?”“Oh, just Laura,” Natalie said, “She and I had some catching up to do after all this time. We wanted to spend some time together before we have to leave tomorrow.” She held up whatever she was holding in her arms, which turned out to be a goat plushie. It was brown with white spots, and curly, white horns. “She got me this as a welcome back gift! Isn’t it adorable!?”“What’re you gonna name it?” SC asked.“Hm…” Natalie pondered the question. “I shall name him… Sheep.”“A goat named sheep?” SC asked.Natalie grinned mischievously. “Precisely,” she said.SC returned the mischievous smile. “Well, I’m heading to bed,” he said.“That’s a good idea,” Natalie said, “I myself was about to do the same.” She stretched and laid down, pulling over the covers.SC took off his sneakers, and got into bed as well. “Goodnight, Natalie.” he said.“Goodnight, SC,” she replied, “sweet dreams.”Sweet dreams, SC repeated in his mind. He blew out the lantern on his nightstand, and then the room was dark. SC fell asleep not too long afterwards.The stars glimmered in the night skies. Right before SC fell asleep, he heard a familiar voice…“The Stars are calling, young one. And now, it is time that you finally answer.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Here again.As SC opened his eyes, he saw the familiar scene. The vast expanse of the cosmos all around him, the stars glimmering gently in the skies, and the soft clouds underneath his sneakers.He’d had this dream before, so many times, for as long as he could remember.But something felt different about this one.…Wait.Last time he had this dream, someone was at the edge of the clouds, waiting for him. She said something about how he’d been taken from her… how she hoped the elves could be redeemed.…She was a zodiac, wasn’t she? But which one? SC went through all the zodiacs he could remember. Perhaps she was Virgo? Mmm, no, Virgo didn’t have a jar. Maybe it was Capricorn? No, Capricorn’s presence… it felt different. Not nearly as mysterious.SC sighed. He couldn’t decipher who it was. He was going to have to find out for himself.He ran across the cloudy landscape, not in a playful manner like he usually did in these dreams, but in a determined state. He knew if he didn’t get to the lady in time, this dream would end, and who knew when he’d have it again?He felt reality around him warp and bend a little, blurring past him as he ran. He felt something well up inside of him, perhaps confidence? He looked down at himself as he ran. He was glowing that bright green color again, the same green as when Capricorn gave him his blessing. He wanted to stop and investigate. No, he thought to himself, I have to keep going.He looked up and kept running, the dream getting more distorted and blurry as he kept going. He felt something heavy on his back, also like when he was blessed, but he ignored it. He needed answers, and he needed them now. He could see the end of the clouds just ahead, and slowly reality started to f i x i t s e l f, the skies becoming clear again as SC started to slow down. Soon, the distorted reality was coherent once again, and SC saw the crying woman with a jar, standing on the edge of the cloudscape as she was last time.SC stood and looked at her for a moment. She was still there, just as she was last time. He approached her. He tried to say something, ask her something, but he was promptly interrupted.“Ah, little Starborne,” she said, tears streaming down her face, “We are reunited again.” HHhSC stopped. A nervous feeling grew in his stomach, as he hesitated to say anything.“The tension in your body is unnecessary, my child,” she continued, “I have no intentions of harming you.”Silence filled the empty void of space.“Who are you?” SC asked her, his voice shaky.The woman sobbed. “Oh, little Starborne… it pains me deeply that you do not know my name. It pains me that you are afraid of me, that you do not miss my embrace… If only there was a way I could have prevented this… but alas, I am helpless to Leo’s will.” She sobbed once more.“That… doesn't answer my question,” SC replied.The woman ignored him. “Your powers are becoming stronger… maturing and growing with your body and your mind. I see that your Dreamwalking capabilities are becoming easier for you to harness as well. Your attempt to find me faster was well done. Oh, how I wish I could have seen you grow from the very start… to see you become the boy you are today…” More tears fell down her face.“Dreamwalking?” SC asked, “That still doesn’t answer my question. Who are you?”The woman looked at SC, her glowing blue eyes staring straight into his soul. “I suppose an introduction is necessary…” she admitted.“I am the goddess that oversaw your creation, little Starborne. I selected and harvested the star that your body was formed from, that your soul was carved from, that your voice was tuned from. I carried you through the heavens and sent you down onto the crust of this realm. I gave you your powers, your talents, the love and compassion in your heart. You are standing here now, in this dream realm, because I gave you such an ability.”SC’s head hurt. “What… You… You’re the goddess who created me?!” He asked, trying to wrap his head around it.The woman nodded. “Our time is up, little Starborne… I fear that the sun is rising as we speak. The mortals you have foolishly grown attached to are coming to wake you. I am sorry we could not spend more time together…”“I never got your name!” SC called, “What is your name!?”The space around them started to warp and distort, but SC wasn’t the one doing it this time. SC stumbled as the ground under him started to disappear, the pain in his head growing sharper.“My name…?” the woman asked. The dream broke apart, everything falling out of place as SC heard her final words…“My name is Aquarius.”SC fell. All around him was a void of black, and he just kept falling and falling and falling.He heard voices. Voices he’d felt he’d heard before. Voices that came from everywhere. Some of them were loud, some soft, some young, some older, some high, some low.“I need to protect him.”“I wish I’d had a different fate.”“Why did I leave him?”“Could he ever forgive me?”“Where am I?”“Who am I?”“Who are you?”“Who are you?”“Who are you?”“Who are you?”“WHO ARE YOU?!”And then silence.…Finally, he stopped falling.—------------SC snapped awake.He sat up in bed, breathing sharply and quickly, his body shaking and tears streaming down his face. For a moment, all his mind could do was scream. SC tried to pace his breathing, taking deep, slow breaths, and slowly breathing out. Soon, his body started to relax, his breathing becoming slower and the shaking subsiding. He wiped the tears from his face.…What was THAT!?He looked around the room. It looked the same as it did the night before. His brain started to calm down, but it left quite the headache. Aquarius. That’s what the woman said her name was. So she WAS a goddess.SC clutched his blanket in hopes to ground himself. Aquarius had been visiting him in dreams, apparently his whole life. He’d been having that dream for as long as he could remember, but he didn’t think it meant anything. He was secretly being visited by a goddess. He held his head in his hands, trying to soothe the headache. It wasn’t very effective.“Hey SC,” Natalie said, opening the door to their room, “Breakfast is ready if you- Oh goodness!” she exclaimed. She walked over to SC and sat down on his bed.“Hrng,” SC managed to get out, “Good morning, Natalie…”“Are you ok?” Natalie asked, “You don’t look very well… Is it your head?” She gently pressed her hands against his forehead and his cheeks. “No fever…” she mumbled to herself.“I’m not sick Natalie,” SC said, “My head just really hurts.”“You look a bit sick,” she said, “Does your throat hurt? Do you feel tired?”“Don’t worry Natalie,” SC reassured his former guardian, “I’m not sick. I just… woke up from a bad dream.”The concern on Natalie’s face only grew. “It must have been a horrible dream,” she said, “What was it about?”“...I was visited by one of the zodiacs,” SC replied.Natalie’s eyes went wide. “Oh dear, which one!?” She asked.“Um... Aquarius.”Natalie’s jaw dropped, her expression mortified.“W- What!?” SC asked, panicked by Natalie’s response, “Is that bad?!”Natalie cupped her hand over her mouth. “Aquarius…” She muttered, “She’s… she’s one of the highest goddesses in the pantheon. If she’s visiting you…” Natalie stared at the bedsheets, then up at SC. “What did she tell you?”SC tried to slow his breathing again, with more difficulty this time. “S- She said that my powers were getting stronger- and t- that she created me. She was in charge of creating me.”“Anything else?” Natalie asked.“N- no,” SC said, “Just a lot of crying, saying she wished she could watch me grow up…?”That last bit seemed to catch Natalie off guard. “Hm… Well, it doesn’t sound like she’s out to hurt you, so that’s reassuring. But a goddess as powerful as Aquarius…? That’s still pretty scary.”SC started to tremble. “I- I didn’t know what to do. The dream started to break apart around me, and I just- fell through the floor, it was dark, and scary and-” He was breathing sharply and rapidly, tears streaming down his face. “Natalie, am I going to die!?” he exclaimed.“Oh, no, SC…” Natalie pulled the little Starborne into a hug. “You’re not going to die… That’s not going to happen. I won’t let it happen.” she held SC as he cried into her shoulder.“I… I don’t want to die, Natalie… I don’t want to die…”“You will not die, SC,” Natalie stated firmly, “I will not let you die. Chosen will not let you die. YOUR BROTHERS will NOT LET YOU DIE. You are not going to die, SC, we will all make sure of it.” She took SC’s hands in his, and looked him in the eyes. “Breathe with me, ok?” she asked. SC nodded.“Alright,” Natalie began, “Breathe in for five seconds, and then hold it for three, and then let it out for five. Ok?”SC nodded, closing his eyes. Natalie counted as he breathed.He breathed in.“One, two, three, four, five…”He held his breath.“One, two, three…”He let it out.“Five, four, three, two, one.”Again.He breathed in.“One, two, three, four, five…”He held his breath...“One, two, three…”And let it out.“Five, four, three, two, one.”SC repeated the exercise for a few minutes. Slowly, he stopped shaking, his muscles relaxed, and the tears ceased. He felt the mattress underneath him, the cool air around him, Natalie’s hands in his. Soon, he could breathe again. He looked up at his former caretaker and smiled.“Thank you,” he said. “I feel a bit better now.”Natalie pulled him into a hug. “Of course, SC,” she replied, “I know this is really scary, especially for someone as young as you.” She pulled away from the hug and ruffled his hair playfully. “I’ve got your back, buddy.” She smiled down at him. SC smiled back.“So,” SC said, “You were saying something about breakfast…?”“Oh!” Natalie exclaimed, “I was going to say that breakfast was ready! We’re having pancakes. Well, it’s an elven version of them, but they’re fundamentally the same.”“Sounds delicious,” SC said. “We can head down, now. I’m all good.”“Sounds like a plan,” Natalie replied. “Let’s head to the tavern.”—---------------The pancakes were, undoubtedly, delicious. The party had sat down at one of the tables, Laura and Devon joining them for breakfast. Laura had made the pancakes for them that morning, and they were absolutely a hit.“These are amazing, Laura!” Blue exclaimed, “Do you have a copy of the recipe I could take with me?”“I could probably get you one before you leave,” Laura replied. “It was my grandmother’s recipe. I’m sure she would have loved to spread her amazing cooking to the folks of Everworld.”SC was enjoying his pancakes thoroughly. They tasted sweet, but not too sweet, and had a nice, fluffy texture. Everyone else at the table had almost finished theirs, sharing the same sentiment. SC looked over to Chosen. He hadn’t touched his pancakes. He was staring down at the table, seemingly deep in thought as usual. SC was worried about him.“Alright!” Yellow said, “So where are we heading next? That old capital city, right?”“You are correct,” Chosen said, “It’s not that far from here, but it will be a much longer journey this time. There, we will ask Pisces for their blessing.”“You said Pisces is the god of magic, right?” Green asked.“That’s right!” Natalie chimed in, “They bless people with all kinds of magical talent! Wizards and Sorcerers will often ask them for new powers, or just for understanding, and a few are even chosen to become Oracles and see the future! Although I think I remember hearing that the last Oracle the Elves had was a little… um… unstable…”“I heard rumours about that too,” Laura said, “Stories say he used his powers too much, and it drove him mad. Nobody’s seen him since the capital was destroyed, and it’s presumed he’s dead.”“Oh god…” Yellow said, cupping his hand over his mouth, “That’s… that’s pretty scary. Does that usually happen to your Oracles?”“No, actually,” Laura said, “Oracles are encouraged to use their power responsibly. Whatever happened to our last one, albeit a tragedy, was most likely his own fault.”SC listened intently to the conversation, turning over to Chosen. He was looking down at his plate, his eyes wide, completely silent. Did he know something about the Oracle?“Anyways,” Natalie said, “That’s a long enough tangent. We should leave for the old capital as soon as possible, we haven’t a moment to lose. After everybody’s done eating, we should pack up and get going. Does that sound good?”“Sounds like a plan,” Chosen confirmed, “I’ll gather Smolder, and we can get going.”“Wonderful!” Natalie replied, “Then let’s get-”“LAURA! DEVON!”Everyone turned to see the bartender speeding into the room, a look of panic on his face.“Elouise!” Laura exclaimed, “What’s the matter!?”“Caprae village is under attack!” He exclaimed, looking to be out of breath, “There’s a giant, bright-red ram outside! It’s destroying houses, shops, oh gods the property damage-”Uh oh, SC thought to himself, Is this the same giant ram!?Laura stood up and ran over to Elouise. “Ok, calm down,” she said, “Deep breaths. Could you tell us what happened?”Elouise started to steady his breathing. “There’s a giant ram outside, made of red light. I can only assume that has something to do with Ares, but what in Otherworld would he be doing at our village!?”“This is no direct act of Ares,” Chosen said, standing up, “I have my suspicions on who could be the cause of this. Did you see anyone with the ram?”“I saw… I saw an elf with it, yes!” Elouise exclaimed, “They were standing on the rooftops, and they were following the ram around, I think! I wasn’t there long enough to notice much-”“Let’s get you some water,” Laura said, “Devon? Could you get him some water?”Devon nodded, quickly standing up and going to do just that.“That’s all the information we need,” Chosen said, “Natalie? SC? Let’s handle this.”“Wait-” Green intervened, “You’re not bringing SC to FIGHT, are you!?”“I am doing just that,” Chosen replied.Green looked absolutely furious, in a way that SC had never seen before. “I’m not letting you,” he said, “He could die out there!”“He needs this,” Chosen said calmly, “I assure you he will be under my protection if things get messy. You have my word.”“You’re just going to let him go out there and fight that thing!?” Green yelled, “Did you see what that thing did to him last time!? That awful gash in his chest!? You really expect him to be able to fight it!?”“It will be a part of his training,” Chosen said, “He needs to learn to fight.”“He needs to be protected!” Green shouted.“And what will that do?” Chosen raised his voice a bit, “It’s either he learns to fight now, or he dies later in this journey! He needs to be prepared for this!” He turned to SC. “He is perfectly capable of learning to defend himself. Even if something bad were to happen, we have Natalie and Sunspot. He needs to do this.”Green was silent, just glaring furiously at The Chosen One, his expression screaming volumes of wrath. “I’m not letting him die,” he said, “He is not going out there. He needs to stay safe.”“Green?” Blue intervened.Green turned to his brother.“Let him go.”“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” Green exclaimed, “YOU’RE SIDING WITH HIM!?”“I am not siding with anyone,” Blue said, keeping himself composed, “Chosen has a point. SC needs to learn to fight. Plus, Chosen promised to keep him safe. Natalie and Sunspot will be there too. Whatever happens, he will be ok. But he needs to prepare for what’s coming to him.” He looked at Green, his gaze firm.Green just stared at his brother in disbelief. He sighed. “Fine,” he said, “But if he gets hurt-”“He won’t,” Natalie said, “He will be just fine.”Green stayed deadly silent, that same look on his face, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. SC wanted so badly to ask him what on earth he needed to say.“Let’s get going,” Chosen said, “We haven’t a moment to lose.” He and Natalie headed for the door, Sunspot trailing behind.“You coming, SC?” The dog asked.SC stared down at the floor, deep in thought. Would this make Green upset? Would Chosen think he’s weak if he stayed behind?“SC?” Sunspot said again, looking up at SC, her doggy eyes full of concern.“I- I’m coming,” SC replied.The four of them walked out of the Inn, Chosen leading the way. As they ran down into the village, they saw all the elves in a panic, screaming and running in all directions. They heard an explosion, in the distance, the sky flashing fiery red for a brief moment.“He’s here,” Chosen said.“In Caprae Village!?” Natalie said, “What would he be doing here!?”“He must have been following us,” Chosen said, “And he waited to attack until we were vulnerable.”Another explosion, more screaming, and another flash of that fiery red.“Over there!” Natalie exclaimed, pointing towards a taller building. That was where the explosions must’ve been coming from.“Let’s go,” Chosen ordered, and the others moved close behind. They approached the source of the explosions, rushing past elves evacuating the village, their feet pounding on the stone roads as they got closer and closer. SC’s heart was pounding as well, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He wasn’t used to running towards the danger.They stopped at a dead-end alleyway.“But- I could've sworn they were coming from here!” Natalie exclaimed, confused.“It’s alright Natalie,” Chosen said, “I’m sure-”Suddenly, the ground started to shake, the tremors becoming more and more violent as SC could sense something approaching, a familiar aura. The party looked behind them to see a giant ram, even bigger than the one they’d faced before, staring down at them with malice in its glowing eyes.“Zodiacs, it was a trap!” Natalie exclaimed, frustrated with herself.“Nothing we can’t handle,” Chosen said, “We beat it once, we can beat it again.”“Maybe!” A voice exclaimed from the rooftops. “But you’ve yet to beat me~!”The trio turned around once more. On the roof of the house behind them stood a shorter elf, his arms crossed, smiling and showing off all his razor-sharp teeth. His eyes were a bright red, his pupils slit like that of a beast. SC’s eyes widened. Oh no…“Chosen!” The Dark Lord greeted his former partner, “Long time, no see! Did you miss me? Oh come on now, you absolutely missed me~!”“The Dark Lord…” Chosen mumbled, his expression full of rage.“Oh come now~!” Dark teased, “Don’t be like that! We’re old friends! Besides, YOU’RE the one who BETRAYED ME!!!” His silly expression suddenly turned just as rageful as Chosen’s.“I realized the error of my ways!” Chosen shouted, “I chose to change! You’re still obsessed with destruction! Do you even know how many have suffered because of what we have done!?”“Don't know, don’t care~!” Dark retorted, sitting down at the edge of the roof, kicking his legs excitedly like a small child. “I’m only carrying out the reason I was born for! The Zodiacs won’t be pleased if I’m not out there destroying cities and ruining lives! I’ve got eyes on me always, y’know~!”He stood up once again. “Anyways, we’re wasting time! I’m here for a very special reason, y’know! I’m here to deliver a message!”“From who?” Natalie asked.“Leo! King of the gods, and god of kings!” Dark exclaimed, “He’s got a message for my fellow Starborne over here!”“What does he have to say?” Chosen asked.“Well!” Dark said, "It's a very important word!” He closed his eyes. Suddenly, he went limp, hunching over, completely silent. SC sensed a strange energy around him, an unsettling one. Dark then opened his eyes, and they were glowing a deep, cosmic purple. He stood up straight, his limbs slack, just hanging at his sides, and he stared blankly at the trio.SC felt sick to his stomach, watching Dark move so unnaturally.“You two have betrayed me,” Dark said, something off about his tone, as if there was someone else’s voice underneath his own. His body was stiff, his mouth the only thing that moved. “Your loyalty wavered the moment you defective children reached the dirt of this world. You have betrayed your purpose. Your home. You betrayed your gods. Surrender now. Rejoin your purpose. You will be spared from the Wrath of the Stars.”Dark went limp again, a harrowing snapping sound as he slouched. A few moments passed, and he stood up again, fixing his posture. His eyes were back to normal, and the strange aura was gone.“W- Well, that was his message!” Dark exclaimed, “I suggest you comply. I miss you terribly, Chosen! It would be just like old times! And you!” He pointed to SC. “You have so much left to learn! So much to DESTROY!!! You both can’t deny your purpose forever~!”“I would die before I joined you,” Chosen said, “I will never go back to that life. Not ever.”“Bummer,” Dark said, “What about you, little Starborne? Would you want a life of total destruction? Power beyond anything you can imagine? To be a GOD amongst these elves?”SC’s heart was racing. “I- No,” He said, “I could never. I would never join you!”Dark frowned. “Oh, such a tragedy… to think! We could have destroyed this world together!” He shrugged. “Well, your choice! But I’m afraid your choices have… consequences…” He snapped his fingers.Suddenly, the ram behind them roared, flaring brightly with red energy.“Do you like my new pet?” Dark asked, “He was a gift from my old pal, Ares! His blessing sure does come in handy, doesn’t it?”The ram growled at SC and his party, baring its unnaturally sharp teeth.“I hope you all have a nice little playdate!” Dark teased, “I’ll be on my way now. I’ve got business to attend to. Toodles~!” He slipped away into the shadows, leaving the party with his giant ram.The ram roared once more, scraping the ground with its hoof, preparing to charge.“Get ready everyone!” Natalie shouted. She raised her sword. Chosen’s hands burst into crimson light. Sunspot began to glow.“Wait, what do I do!?” SC asked.“Stay behind me,” Chosen said, “Follow my lead.”SC’s heart pounded inside his chest, adrenaline in every ounce of his body. He raised his fists, mimicking a fighting stance. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself.The ram charged.“SCATTER!” Chosen shouted, and everyone did just that, narrowly dodging the ram’s attack. The ram crashed into the house, cracking the walls, but it remained standing.“We need to injure it enough to make it disappear again!” Natalie shouted.“Good thinking,” Chosen replied, “Everyone, go for its legs first!”“What do I do!?” SC asked again.“Try harnessing your powers,” Chosen shouted as he thrust light at the ram’s leg, “Search for the energy inside you. Control it.”“What does that mean!?” SC asked.“There’s magical energy inside of you!” Chosen shouted, dodging another charge, “You need to focus on it, harness it!”Ok, SC thought to himself. He looked down at his hands. Focus, he told himself. He stood against the wall, and closed his eyes. Focus, he repeated in his mind. Focus……There.There was something inside of him. An aura of sorts, a power.The noise of the battle soon drowned out. He opened his eyes, and looked up to the sky.Stars.Even in the daytime, something was letting him see the stars, glimmering, shining, bright and wonderful in the sky.He looked down at his hands. He was glowing again, that bright green color. He couldn’t tell if time was slowing down, or he was moving faster.He felt the energy inside, gently settled within him, waiting to be discovered.Somehow, in the midst of the chaos, he felt peace.He closed his eyes once more. He felt his power grow inside of him. He had an idea of how this worked, but he had to test, just to be sure. He felt his power slowly climb from his chest, up to his arms, into his hands. He-“SC!” Chosen shouted, “Watch out!”SC opened his eyes, and saw the ram coming towards him. It leaped at him, and without giving it another thought, he shut his eyes and punched it as hard as he could, giving it all he had. He felt the energy in his palms release, and a bright green flash of light lit up the alleyway.He opened his eyes. The ram had been knocked back, disoriented and confused.“Way to go, SC!” Natalie shouted, pumping her fist in the air.I… I did it, he thought to himself. He started to smile.“I DID IT!!!” He exclaimed. “I DID IT!!! I-”Suddenly, he was hit in the chest, and knocked back into the wall.“SC!!!” Natalie shouted.The ram had recomposed, and hit SC into the wall with its horns. SC felt dizzy. There was no blood, but his body hurt. He looked down. His sweatshirt was completely ruined. He felt like he was going to throw up.“You take care of him,” Chosen shouted, “I’ll finish off this guy!”Natalie nodded, and ran over to SC with Sunspot. She knelt down next to SC. “Are you ok?!” She asked.“I’ve… been better,” SC huffed.“Oh, we need to get you to a healer,” Natalie said, her breath shaky, like she was about to cry.“Can’t… Sunspot heal me?” SC asked.“She can’t heal internal wounds,” Natalie said, “She needs to be able to touch the wound!”Sunspot nodded, confirming the statement.SC looked in front of him to see Chosen thrusting light at the giant ram, as the animal was visibly getting weaker. Was he going to be ok?“Let’s get you to the Inn,” Natalie said, “Laura can call a healer, and we can get you better in no time.” She looked SC in the eyes. “I’m going to carry you, ok?” She said. SC simply nodded. Natalie slowly and gently scooped up SC in her arms, careful not to put him in any more pain. SC groaned a bit, but otherwise was ok.SC looked over to Chosen, who thrusted one last ball of light at the ram. It hit it in the face, and it roared before dissipating into mist once again. It was gone, and like last time, SC was once again injured. How could he let this happen? He was doing so well, he almost had it! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He was so stupid!After finishing off the beast, Chosen ran over to SC, looking concerned. “How is he doing?” he asked.“Not great,” Natalie replied, “Let’s get him back to the Inn and get a healer.” Her voice was still shaky.Chosen nodded, agreeing to the plan, and they all started walking back to the Inn. SC closed his eyes, exhausted. He failed. He failed Chosen, he failed Natalie, he failed everyone. He wanted to laugh, but had none of the energy to do so. At this rate? He’d never be the hero that he needed to be, and the universe would be destroyed. Gods, he was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.…Maybe that’s all he’d ever be.—---------------------------------Natalie set SC gently in his bed back at their room in the Inn, pulling a blanket over him.“T- thank you, Natalie,” SC squeaked.“Of course,” she said, “Laura’s getting a healer, and she should be back soon.” She smiled down at SC, trying to help him feel better. “You’ll be ok. I promise.”“SC!!!”SC looked up to see his brothers rush through the door, Green kneeling next to SC. His face was full of worry and panic.“H- Hi Green,” SC greeted his brother.“Are you ok!?” Green asked, “What happened!?”“I got cocky, that’s all,” SC replied, “I wasn’t paying attention, and the ram got me. I’ll be fine.”“I knew this would happen!” Green exclaimed.Natalie put her hand on his shoulder. “Green, calm down. Now is not the time.”“But I told Chosen this would happen!” He repeated, “I told him that he’s not strong enough to go out there. He’s just a kid!”SC’s chest hurt, not from the pain, but from Green’s words. Did Green really think he wasn’t strong enough? That he wasn’t capable of learning how to fight? Was SC right about himself?“Green, please,” Blue intervened, “Calm yourself. Natalie’s right. Now is not the time.”Green took a deep breath. “Fine. But I’m talking to Chosen about this.”“I GOT A HEALER!!!” Laura’s voice yelled. She walked in the door, and behind her was a tall elf with curly, white hair. They wore a white tunic, and carried a satchel with them, supposedly full of medical supplies. Everyone moved out of the way for them.They walked over to SC. “Is this the patient?” They asked.Natalie nodded.They bent down next to SC’s bed, and examined him. “How are you feeling?” they asked.“N- not great,” SC said, “My stomach and m- my chest hurt.”The healer nodded. “Alright. Give me one moment.” Their hands started to glow a bright golden color, and they put them on SC’s torso, whispering the words to a spell under their breath. A few moments passed, and the healer took their hands off of him.Chosen walked into the room, scanning for SC. His head perked up when he saw the healer. “Is he alright?” He asked, SC hearing genuine concern in his voice.“Yep!” The healer said, “It’s nothing my magic can’t fix. Just a simple healing spell to help his body mend, and he should be good to go. Nothing fatal at all.”“Thank Libra…” Natalie sighed.“Give me one moment,” The healer said. Their hands glowed once again, and they gently placed them on SC. They started to whisper another spell, and SC could feel the pain slip away from his body. The healer finished their spell. “How do you feel?” they asked.SC sat up in bed, feeling good as new. “I feel alright!” He said.“Good to hear!” they said. “Just try to be more careful. Your body is still healing a bit, so try not to get into trouble, ok?”“Ok,” SC replied.“Alright,” the healer said, getting up, “he’ll be just fine! Good luck with your travels, everyone.” They walked out of the room, leaving the party to themselves.SC stretched a bit. “So… what now?” He asked.“Well, if you’re ready, we need to start for the capital,” Natalie said, “Our departure was delayed due to the attack, so it’s more important than ever that we leave as soon as possible. We haven’t a moment to lose.”“Natalie is correct,” Chosen said, “As soon as everyone is prepared, we should leave. The attack has made it clear that the prophecy is closer than ever. We need to get to Pisces’ temple, and fast.”“Everyone pack your bags,” Natalie said, “And we’ll head out in an hour.”—-----------------SC was alone in his room, waiting for everyone to pack their things. He sat on the edge of his bed and watched as he kicked his feet. He still felt awful about what happened earlier, and just couldn’t shake off that horrible feeling. All the things he was worried about weighed down on him. He felt like he was doing something wrong.He heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said.The door opened, and it was none other than Laura and Devon.“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted them.“Hi there, SC!” Laura greeted him, “We have something for you!”“We noticed your hooded tunic thingy got pretty torn up, and that you didn’t have anything else to wear,” Devon said, “so we made this!” They held up some folded clothes.“You… got new clothes for me?” SC asked, excited.“Uh-huh!” Laura said, “We wanted to help you all out somehow, and we decided that this would be pretty helpful!”Devon handed the clothes to SC. “You wanna try it on?” they asked.“Sure!” he said. The two left the room to let him change.After SC got dressed, he looked in the mirror at the foot of his bed. It was a relatively simple outfit. It was an orange-brown tunic with a belt overtop, and a pelerine of a lighter shade that clasped together with a light green gemstone in the shape of a four-pointed star. SC’s eyes widened. He looked like a character out of a fantasy novel. He couldn’t believe the reflection in the mirror and himself were the same person. As he stared, he felt a sort of… confidence. This reflection… looked like him. This almost inhuman reflection of his, it looked… like he’s always wanted to look. Like this was his true self. This is who he was meant to be.“How does it fit?” Devon asked as SC walked out.“I love it!” SC exclaimed, the euphoria filling every ounce of him. “Thank you guys so much!”“We’re glad you love it!” Laura exclaimed, “It fits, right?”“Like a glove,” SC replied.“The star clasp was my idea,” Devon said, swelling with pride.SC smiled. “Well, I bet everyone’s waiting for me, huh?”“Oh yeah!” Devon said, “Everybody’s waiting for you outside! We were gonna say goodbye before you left!”“Then let’s get going,” SC said.Everyone was waiting outside the Sleepy Goat’s Inn.“I’m ready!” SC exclaimed.“SC!” Natalie said, “Where’d you get the new outfit?”“Laura and Devon made it for me!” He said, showing it off, “Pretty cool, huh?”“You look awesome!” Natalie replied, “the adventurer look suits you!”“Woah!!!” Red exclaimed, running up to SC, “Do I get a cool cape thingy too!?”“Maybe someday,” SC replied.“You look so much like an elf!” Yellow said, “I mean that in a positive way, of course. The outfit really brings out your otherworldly features.”“Thank you,” SC said, genuinely warmed by the compliment.“Alright,” Chosen said, “I hate to ruin the moment, but now that SC is here, we should say our goodbyes and get going.”“Right,” Natalie said. She walked over to Laura.“I’m going to miss you,” Laura said, “Again.”“I’m going to miss you too,” Natalie replied, “As soon as I can, I’ll visit you again.” She pulled out the little goat plushie that Laura had bought her, and put it in her arms. “I need you to take care of Sheep for me, while I’m on this adventure. I don’t want the poor little guy to get hurt.” She looked into her friend’s eyes. “I’ll come back for him after my adventure is through,” she said, “take care of him for me.”“Of course,” Laura said, “He’ll be safe under my care. I promise.”The two leaned in for a hug, and shared the embrace for a minute. It was very clear they didn’t want to leave each other again.“Take care,” Natalie said, pulling away from the hug.“You as well,” Laura replied.Natalie walked back over to the party.“Bye everyone!” Devon exclaimed, “Come back around sometime! We’ll always have a room open for you guys.”“Bye bye!” Red exclaimed, waving frantically.“Farewell to you all,” Chosen said, “And thank you for your assistance.”“Any time!” Devon exclaimed.The party finished waving goodbye, and went on their way back into the woods. SC looked behind at Caprae village. He was going to miss that place, definitely. He looked forward into the woods, the familiar sight of the forest comforting him. Whatever was coming up next, he wasn’t going to mess up this time. He would finally get to be the hero that he needed to be.
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Onyx was right. He and Ruby would see each other again.Every. Single. Day.That arena match was so popular among nobility, that the King decided to have them as much as possible. Every single night, Onyx was taken from his prison cell to face Ruby in combat. Every single night, Ruby and Onyx fought each other in that arena. The King even remodeled it to have traps for Onyx and Ruby to avoid during their battle. But every single night, Ruby and Onyx did exactly what they did in their first battle: they pretended to fight, and one of them pretended to lose.They were getting good at it, too. With the addition of the traps, it was easy to fake injury amidst all the chaos they brought to the arena grounds. It really didn’t matter who won, they learned. They just had to make sure neither of them had a winning streak for too long. If Onyx had been “winning” the matches for a few days, Ruby would come in more ruthless than ever, and beat him easily. If Ruby had been “winning” the matches for a few days, Onyx would make it look like his brute force beat his opponent. It was like a game, a very dangerous one, one that kept their fate up in the air for a little longer.But tonight, there was no arena battle.Mostly because the arena was closed for maintenance, but also because rumor was going around that the King wanted to see Onyx and Ruby up close, for some sort of… inspection. Not even the mercenaries were completely sure what he meant by that. But there wasn’t anything that Onyx could do about it, so like every night, he accepted his fate, and played along.Onyx sat in his prison cell, chains attached to his limbs and neck, looking up at the ceiling. It had been four years since he first met Ruby. They were both sixteen years old now, part of the reason that the King wanted to inspect them, he heard. The Zodiacs who had created him were visiting him in dreams, his most regular visitors being Libra and Taurus. They taught him how to use his powers, how to dreamwalk, how to manipulate those dreams, among other things. Ruby was being visited as well, although he never liked to talk about his dreams.Onyx sighed. He’d been here his whole life, as far back as he could remember. He knew escape was coming, the Zodiacs said it was coming soon. But how soon was “soon” to a god? How much longer would he have to wait? He wanted to escape now. He wanted to escape with Ruby, so the two of them could live their own lives… together.Thinking about Ruby made his face warm. Why was that?He didn’t have much time to ponder that before he heard the door to his cell unlock, and the mercenaries walked in.“Alright Starborne,” The taller one said, “You know the drill.”Onyx removed himself from the wall to let the mercenaries unclasp his chains from it. They held the chains in their hands, and tugged on the one around his neck, letting him know it was time to get going. Onyx stood up. He was a little taller than the mercenaries now, and was a lot more muscular, too. The mercenaries would talk about how scrawny he was when he was younger, and wonder how he got like this. They were scared that Onyx would lash out one day and attack them, but the King would quickly shut them down. The Zodiacs were helpless to his power, after all.…Right?The mercenaries took Onyx through their usual route, but this time, went past the gateway to the courtyard, and kept going. Wait, where were they taking him? He’d never been to any other part of the palace before. The halls looked the same as the ones that lead to his chamber. Where were they taking him? Another cell?Soon, they came up to a large room Onyx had never seen before. The roof was made entirely of glass, so that the stars could be seen. Onyx could recognize a few constellations that the Zodiacs taught him when he looked up. Tapestries were hung from the ceiling, each with one of the Zodiac constellations woven into it. At the end of the room were two thrones, a smaller one made of white quartz with sapphires embedded into it, and a large one made of obsidian, golden constellations etched into it. King Victim sat in the larger one, his face bearing a perfectly disgusted expression. The smaller one looked like it hadn’t been sat in for ages. This, as Onyx could see clearly now, was the throne room.Onyx’s heartbeat started to quicken as the mercenaries led him to the throne. He tried not to show the fear on his face, keeping his expression blank and emotionless, but he was very afraid. What was the King going to do? What did “inspect” mean?Onyx heard another set of chains clanking into the throne room. He felt himself get excited for a moment, but quickly restrained himself. The other mercenaries walked into the throne room, Ruby close behind them, his head down.So many thoughts raced through Onyx’s head. They weren’t going to hurt Ruby, were they? The mere thought of him getting hurt made him feel all sorts of rage. Were they going to hurt both of them? Were they being punished? His heart raced even faster. He didn’t want to think about it any longer.Please, Zodiacs, he prayed, don’t let them hurt us. Don’t let them hurt him.The mercenaries brought both of the Starborne to the King. They stood in front of the throne, chests puffed out, shoulders back, as to look their best for His Majesty. The King stood up from his throne, hands behind his back, looking down at the Starborne with disgust in his eyes.“They’ve grown,” he remarked. He walked beside Ruby, looking him up and down. He walked in front of him, and took his jaw in his hand. He forced open his mouth. “Fangs…” he noticed as he examined his teeth, “Primal, did he always have these?”“Yes, your highness,” One of the mercenaries replied.The King smiled to himself. “Fascinating,” he remarked. He let go of Ruby’s face, and walked over to Onyx, looking him up and down like he did with Ruby. He was about eye-level with the Starborne in height, and Onyx wasn’t even done growing. The King took Onyx’s arm, pressing his biceps. “Hm,” he said to himself, seeming to acknowledge how much stronger he’d gotten. Onyx tried not to show how uncomfortable he was at the gesture. He didn’t like The King, or anybody, touching him like that.The King returned to his throne and looked down at the two Starborne once more. “They seem to be maturing healthily,” he remarked, “But why is this one so scrawny still?” He pointed to Ruby.“We’re not sure,” one of the mercenaries said, “We think his anatomy might be more animalistic than a regular elf’s.”The King scoffed. “Disgusting. Well fix him, will you? He looks pathetic compared to the taller one.”“Yes, your Highness.”A surge of anger overtook Onyx for a brief moment. He liked Ruby just the way he was. He didn’t need “fixed.” Onyx looked over to Ruby. Ruby was looking down at the floor, his jaw clenched. The words clearly upset him. Onyx wished there was something he could do. He wished he could stand up for his friend. But he was in chains. What could he do that he wouldn’t be punished for?“Well,” The King said, a twisted smile on his face, “They seem to be growing as they should. Excellent work, my mercenaries. You may-”“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, HE’S DOOMED US ALL!” Onyx heard a voice scream from the next room, the voice full of terror.“Oh gods, not this guy again…” one of the mercenaries grumbled.“LET ME IN THIS INSTANT! HE NEEDS TO HEAR THIS!” the voice screamed again. Onyx looked behind him to see a nobleman rushing into the throne room, his face full of insanity. “YOU FOOL, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’RE DOING!? YOU’VE KILLED US ALL!” He ran up to The King, his eyes wide like he hadn’t slept in days. He wore an outfit typical of a sorcerer, robes and a long cape adorned with constellations and jewels, his hair dyed dark blue. Onyx had never seen this man before.“Lord Navy,” The King said, annoyance heavy in his tone, “Can’t you see I’m busy here?”“NAVY!!!” Onyx heard another voice say. He saw another sorcerer run into the room. He was very tall, his hair an orange-brown color, a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his face. His robes were dark orange, with the same constellation pattern and jewels. He carried a staff with a topaz crystal embedded in the top. “Navy, I told you to stay in the courtyard,” he shouted, approaching The King and Lord Navy.“What are you two doing here!?” The King demanded, “I’ve already forbidden both of you from my palace. Don’t make me take further measures.”“Forgive us your highness,” the second sorcerer pleaded, “my colleague’s irrationality has gotten the best of him. He means no harm.”“MY IRRATIONALITY!?” Lord Navy screamed, “YOU ALL ARE THE ONES WHO ARE IRRATIONAL!!! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE!? YOU’VE DOOMED US ALL!!!”He turned to Ruby and Onyx. “Those… MONSTERS…” he said, his voice shaky, “I’ve seen them in my visions… they’ll destroy us… THEY’RE GOING TO DESTROY US ALL!!!”“Navy,” The King pleaded, “You’re being absurd. I’ve already told you that you have nothing to worry about. Your visions are false. The Zodiacs are messing with your head.”“THEY ARE DOING NO SUCH THING!!!” Navy exclaimed, “YOU HAVE ANGERED THE GODS. THEIR WRATH IS UPON US, IN THE FORM OF THOSE STARBORNE!!! I HAVE SEEN THIS PALACE CRUMBLE TO THE GROUND, THIS CITY BECOMING NOTHING BUT A PILE OF RUBBLE AT THEIR HANDS!!! I SEE VISIONS WHERE YOU DIE MISERABLY, WHERE YOU DIE AT THE HANDS OF THESE MONSTERS!!! I can’t bear to see them anymore, I can’t BEAR IT, I-”“LORD NAVY, PLEASE!” The King shouted, “You were removed from your position as Oracle. Your visions are no longer needed here. You’re insane, unstable, and irrational. Your visions mean nothing.”“BUT THEY’RE TRUE!!!” Navy shouted once again. He turned to the other sorcerer. “Lord Mango, you’ve seen them too! You’re the priest of Pisces, you trust in their power! You believe me, don’t you!?” He looked up at his friend, expecting his answer.Lord Mango stood and stared at his accomplice, then looked at The King. “I…” he clung to his staff, hesitating to speak. Finally, he said, “I do not.”Lord Navy’s eyes widened. “What?”“Navy,” Lord Mango pleaded, “T- The King is right. You’re being irrational. Those visions mean nothing, I’m sure. Everything will be fine.”Navy just stared at Lord Mango in disbelief.“W- We should get home,” Lord Mango continued, “My son is probably wondering where I am, and your wife-”“YOU TRAITOR!” Navy exclaimed, “You’re just as blind as everyone else here! To think I called you my friend!” The Oracle clenched his fist, “I was chosen by PISCES THEMSELVES to be the Oracle, and yet you all take my visions for nothing! YOU ALL ARE FOOLS! FOOLS!”He stormed off towards the door, shouting, “STARS BLIND YOU ALL!!! STARS BLIND THE KING, STARS BLIND MY UNGRATEFUL WIFE, STARS BLIND THE PRIEST OF PISCES, AND STARS BLIND THE THREE STARBORNE!!!”The King watched, displeased, as the Oracle stormed out of the palace, Lord Mango close behind. He looked distraught, as he mumbled words under his breath that Onyx couldn’t understand.The King sighed, and mumbled to himself as well. “Well, as I was saying before that interruption, you may escort them to their arena cages.”“Forgive me for questioning you sire,” the Mercenary with the covered eyes said, “but the arena cages? Isn’t it under maintenance at the moment?”“It is,” The King confirmed, “but I’m thinking of mixing up the battles a little bit. Perhaps they shall fight first thing tomorrow morning. A whole day of exciting battles! And, we could throw some of our beasts into the mix as well! Think about it!”The mercenary with the covered eyes said nothing for a moment.“...Alright, your majesty,” he replied, “We’ll take them right there.”“Thank you, Smith,” The King said, “You all are dismissed.”The mercenaries took the two Starborne’s chains in their hands, tugging on them to let them know it was time to leave. The two obliged, and followed their handlers out of the throne room, down the halls once again, into the courtyard, and right to the arena.It wasn’t very often that they walked together to the arena. Ruby was usually the first one to be taken there, and then Onyx would be taken in a bit later. But this time, they walked right next to each other. It… felt nice. Onyx looked over to Ruby. He had an exhausted expression on his face, like he’d missed a night of sleep. Onyx wanted to ask if he was ok, but he didn’t want to get hit. The Starborne were not encouraged to speak. So he kept his posture, and looked forward towards the arena, the same images of the Taurus constellation and the Leo constellation on the walls of it still, although they were starting to erode.As the mercenaries brought the two through the arena’s gate, the mercenary with the covered eyes started to give out new orders.“Put them both in the left wing’s chamber,” he said.“B- Both!?” The shorter one said, “Smith are you-”“It’ll get more aggression out of them,” the one with the covered eyes said, “if they’ve been tussling all night, surely they’ll be ready to fight tomorrow, right?”“Smith, you’re nuts, what’s The King going to-”“I’m his most trusted adversary,” covered-eyes replied, “whatever I do is with his best interest. I am also your superior Ballista, and I won’t be hearing any counter-arguments.”Onyx and Ruby looked at each other, confused looks on their faces. They weren’t supposed to be in the same arena cage. What was this guy doing?“Fineeee,” the shorter mercenary groaned, “but if you get executed, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”They carried the two over to Onyx’s usual cell. Onyx watched as the covered-eyes mercenary clipped his chains to the wall, still confused. Wasn’t that mercenary afraid of The King? Wasn’t he afraid of what kind of horrible fate that would come to him? Everybody was afraid of The King. What made him think he wouldn’t be subject to his wrath? He looked over to his side. Ruby was clasped to the wall beside him, still looking a bit down.“Alright, let’s get out of this joint,” the shorter mercenary said, “I wanna go to bed.”“As would I,” another one said.“Then let’s get going,” covered-eyes said. The mercenaries all started heading for the arena’s exit, save for the covered-eyes mercenary. He stood and watched his peers walk away for a moment, but then turned and walked back to Onyx and Ruby’s cell.He stood there for a moment, seemingly not knowing what to say. Onyx could make out a twinge of sympathy in his mostly covered expression. There was a bit of silence, as the mercenary peered into the cage.“What do you want to do to us?” Onyx asked.The mercenary stood there for a moment. He sighed. He then… took off his helmet. Onyx’s eyes went wide. He had a huge burn scar on the left side of his face, like he was caught in an explosion. His grey eyes were full of pain.“...I’m sorry that you two are the ones the king is choosing to take his anger out on.”Onyx was speechless. Did this mercenary… feel bad for them? Was he offering sympathy?“I am not asking you to forgive me,” the mercenary said, “but I do hope that one day, you can.” He put his helmet back on. “Enjoy each other’s company while you can,” he said, “I wish you both the best.” He walked away, his armor clanking as he went.Onyx hesitated for a moment, looking and listening to see if the mercenaries were really gone.“...Did they really leave?” Ruby asked.“...Yep,” Onyx replied, “They’re gone.”Ruby leapt up from his seat and wrapped his arms around Onyx, holding him tightly. He started to sob quietly.“Woah,” Onyx said, “hey, it’s ok. I got you.” He wrapped his arms around Ruby, attempting to comfort him. “I got you.”Ruby continued to quietly sob into Onyx’s shoulder, his shaking body slowly relaxing.“Did what The King say get to you?” Onyx asked.Ruby removed his face from Onyx’s chest. He looked so sad, so angry, so upset. He stared at the floor, silent for a moment.“...Do I need to be fixed?” he asked.“Of course not,” Onyx said, “Just because you’re not as buff as I am doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you.” He cradled Ruby’s face in his hand. “The King only sees you as a weapon. Of course that’s all he cares about. But I think you’re awesome just the way you are.”Ruby smiled briefly, but quickly went back to his distraught expression. “If you say so,” he said.There was a bit of silence between the two.“...So, what do you want to do?” Onyx asked.Ruby thought to himself. “I mean… if you don’t mind, I’d like it if you held me for a bit longer.”“Ok,” Onyx said, smiling. He wrapped his arms around Ruby once more, petting his scruffy hair. “You can stay as long as you need. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” He flashed a pained smile.Silence filled the room once more, but it was a comfy silence. It was nice being able to be around someone without having to keep up an act, or having to be entertaining the whole time. It was nice to just be able to exist around someone.“...When do you think we’ll escape?” Ruby asked.Onyx thought to himself. “Well, the Zodiacs said that we’ll be escaping soon. They said that we’re almost ready. Libra said my powers are becoming stronger.” He looked down at Ruby. “What did Leo say about how your training was going?”Ruby froze. “He… said that I still have some things to work on.” His voice was a bit shaky.“Well that’s ok,” Onyx said, “you’ll be ready eventually, and we’ll be free soon, I’m sure of it.”Ruby clung tighter to Onyx. “...But how soon is ‘soon’ to an eternal god?” he asked.Onyx bit his lip. Ruby had a point. The gods were taking their sweet time. Surely they had their reasons, but Onyx wasn’t sure how much longer he or Ruby could take it. How soon was soon enough?“Well, the best we can do is hold on,” Onyx said. “We ARE getting out of here, that’s a guarantee. So we at least don’t have to worry about that part.”“Fair enough,” Ruby said.A bit more silence.“Will you be there, Onyx?”“What do you mean?” Onyx replied.“...When we escape… Will you be there with me?”“...Of course. I’ll always be here with you, as much as I can. Nothing is going to tear us apart.”“...Not even The King?”“Not even The King.”Ruby was silent. He seemed uncertain.Onyx wanted to say something. He’d been wanting to say it for a while, truth be told. For longer than he wanted to admit. But… It was risky. He wasn’t sure how Ruby would react. He wasn’t sure what it would mean for the two of them. He wasn’t sure if it was the appropriate time to tell him. Onyx’s heart started to race. If he didn’t tell him now, when would he ever tell him? It was scary… but Ruby deserved to hear it. He took a deep breath.“I love you.”Ruby looked up at Onyx, his face almost as red as his eyes. Onyx looked back, his own face warm.“...Really?” Ruby asked.“O- Of course!” Onyx replied. “I didn’t know how to say it before but um… I wanted to say it now. To make you feel better. Because I love you. I really do.” His face grew even warmer, somehow.Ruby looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled. “I love you too, Onyx.” he replied.Onyx’s face then somehow turned even warmer. He felt like his chest was going to explode. “You do!?” he exclaimed, the biggest, dumbest smile on his face.“I do,” he said, “I love you a lot. I’m glad I have you.”Onyx’s entire body was going nuts trying to process the three words. He felt like he was going to explode. “I- ok! Wow! That’s- I was really afraid that you were going to think I’m weird…”“For loving me?” Ruby asked. “Pretty sure that’s a normal thing that people do. I think it’s adorable.” He smiled.Onyx wanted to scream. He felt so stupid for being so giddy. But he didn’t explode! That was already way better than what he expected! He was expecting to look stupid and he didn’t! Ruby loved him back! He had to be smiling like an absolute moron right now.“You seem very happy about this,” Ruby observed.“I am!!!” Onyx exclaimed, “I want to-” he paused. Oh, he couldn’t say that. That would be REALLY stupid.“...Want to do what?” Ruby asked.“Uh… well, I was going to say kiss you on the cheek but that would be stupid,” Onyx said, “So I’m not going to say that.”“...What if I wanted it?” Ruby asked, having trouble looking Onyx in the eyes.OH GODS, Onyx thought, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS. WHY WASN’T I PREPARED FOR THIS. I DID NOT THINK I WOULD GET THIS FAR.“I- I mean, I guess I could give it to you,” Onyx said, feeling painfully awkward. “Um… do you want it now?”“Sure,” Ruby replied.Onyx took a deep breath, trying to slow his erratic heartbeat. He took Ruby’s face in his hand, bent down, and kissed his cheek. He pulled away and looked at Ruby in his sharp, red eyes. Ruby’s face was burning, and his eyes glimmered in the dim torchlight.“Was that too much!?” Onyx asked, panicked.“No no, it’s ok!” Ruby said, “That was just… I’m not used to affection. I liked it. Don’t worry, you didn’t make me uncomfortable.”“Oh thank Cancer,” Onyx said to himself.Ruby giggled a bit. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to scold you or anything. You’re good.”“Yeah, that would be very rude,” Onyx said. “I- uh- I’m very glad you like me though.”“I’m glad you like me too,” Ruby said.“...Do you wanna stay in my arms for a bit longer?” Onyx asked.Ruby smiled gently. “Sure,” he said.Ruby yawned and rested his head against Onyx. “I love you,” he told him.Onyx smiled like an idiot. “I love you too,” he replied. They fell asleep in each other’s embrace.Onyx didn’t know what the future looked like. He didn’t know when they’d escape, or when everything would be ok. But he knew one thing for sure: he was going to be with Ruby as long as possible.He wouldn’t let anything tear them apart.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
SC and his party trod through the woodlands, trees appearing less and less as they went on. As they walked, they saw fallen logs and branches, strange cracks in the ground, rubble and wreckage that looked out of place. Light fog crept its way around their feet, and the forest was filled with complete and utter silence, not a single creature chirped or squeaked or howled. It felt dead, dead and desolate as one could imagine. Whatever happened here wasn’t an accident.
“We must be getting close to the capital,” Natalie suggested.
“Really?” Yellow asked, “I thought the capital city of a thriving civilization would look less… destroyed.”
“This is one of the first cities that was attacked by The Starborne,” Natalie said, “It’s been in ruins for over ten years. We might be the first people, human or elf, to visit this place in over a decade.”
SC looked up to Chosen, the First Starborne’s face revealing just a twinge of emotion. Was it fear? Dread? Sorrow?
“We haven’t come across any ruined buildings just yet,” Blue said, “How far does the destruction reach?”
“Miles and miles from here,” Natalie said, “The attack shook the world, figuratively and literally. It was the wake-up call to the King and nobility: The Prophecy is Real.”
“You think that they’d listen to their gods, but I guess not,” Green said, “did they really think the prophecy was avoidable?”
Natalie nodded. “The general consensus was that the Zodiacs were foolish in thinking they could threaten us. That the elves were untouchable. They were very quickly proven wrong.”
“Clearly…” Yellow said, gazing at the forest.
Silence took the party, and SC thought deeply to himself. Pisces was the next god on their list. They were the god of magic, SC remembered. He clenched his jaw a bit, the memory of what happened at Caprae Village flashing through his brain. He couldn’t mess up like that again. He had to get stronger, and he had to be the hero that Chosen was expecting him to be. Whatever Pisces’ blessing was, he hoped it would be enough to become just that.
“Guys!” Yellow exclaimed, “You have to come see this!”
Everyone quickly ran to the cliffside where Yellow was. SC wormed his way past everyone and stood right next to Yellow, and then gazed out to where he was looking. SC gasped when he laid his eyes upon it… the capital of Otherworld, completely destroyed.
—-----------------------
Though the wind blew fiercely, the air all around it was dead. SC and his party trod through the rubble of the old city, every single building a pile of rocks and stones. SC could make out bits and pieces of constellations that might have been engraved into it, but they were eroding quickly. The once stone streets were dirt and rubble, lampposts knocked over and broken, banners that were hung in the streets now tattered and decaying, the images they once displayed faded and undecipherable. Giant cracks reached all over the city, splitting the very earth, entire chasms separating streets and buildings. SC looked inside some of the decaying houses, seeing kitchens with tables still set, bedrooms with the sheets still made, fireplaces with not even an ember ablaze, houses waiting for families that would never return.
Everyone’s faces were painted with shock, even the animal’s, as they all gazed upon the dead city before them. Blue had Red in his arms, Red’s face pressed to Blue’s chest to make sure the boy didn’t see the city. He couldn’t even understand it, not when he was this young. SC looked at Chosen's face. His expression was as blank and solemn as ever, but SC could tell from Chosen’s furrowed brow he didn’t have a neutral reaction to the city.
“Pisces’ temple has to be here somewhere,” Yellow mentioned, “If it’s even still intact…”
“Over there! Is that it?” Green pointed to a large building a little farther in the distance. It, unlike all the other buildings, was still standing. The white quartz it was made out of was even shiny and looked polished.
“That’s it…” Natalie confirmed, “The Temple of Pisces.”
The party walked up to the temple. It was a tall, elegant building, a small moat dug around it where the water shimmered like crystal. Its tall spires reached for the skies, the walls glinting with an indigo tint. Small waterfalls poured from little openings in the temple, flowers and bushes and flowering shrubs blooming all around the building. It looked like a palace, or a very fancy wizard tower.
“It’s beautiful…” Blue remarked.
“Lemme see!” Red exclaimed, turning around. “Woah!” he pointed to the temple, “It’s so sparkly!”
SC had to admit, it was a lot more impressive than Capricorn’s temple. He could sense an aura around it, like the one at the portal when he first got to Otherworld… a few days ago!? Stars, it felt like so much longer than that.
“So, I just have to go inside like in the Capricorn temple?” SC asked, turning to Chosen.
Chosen’s breathing was quick and shallow, his eyes wide as he looked to something off into the distance. He didn’t seem to be paying attention.
“Chosen?” SC beckoned the Starborne.
Chosen quickly turned to SC. “Uh- yes?” He tried to equip his stoic look, but it wasn’t working very well.
“Are you ok?” SC asked.
“I’m- I’m alright,” Chosen replied, “What do you need?”
“I was asking if I just went into the temple like last time?” SC replied.
“Oh, um, of course,” Chosen stuttered a bit, “Yes, and this time, I recommend going in completely alone this time around. Pisces’ temple, unfortunately, does not allow animals inside. It would be disrespectful to violate their rules.”
“Their loss,” Smolder grunted.
“Why don’t they allow animals in this one?” Yellow asked.
“They poop everywhere,” Natalie said, “Not very sanitary. Pisces’ temple is a place where wizards and other magic users go to develop and unlock their powers. It would be kind of hard to harness the powers of the universe if there was poop everywhere.”
“Oh yeah, that makes sense,” Yellow replied. “And um, just asking purely out of curiosity and totally not a question I will ever act on, can humans become wizards?” He looked at Natalie and blinked innocently.
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Perhaps,” she replied, “Maybe there’s even been human wizards before.”
“REALLY!?” Yellow exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
“Where do you think humans got all those stories about magic and mythical creatures?” Natalie replied, “thousands of years ago, elves tried to teach humans about their ways. Unfortunately, ancient humans used that power to do some pretty awful things, so the elves left Everworld behind. Most elves think humans are myth, just as you think elves are myth.”
“Sounds like humans,” Blue sighed.
“Boo,” Yellow said, “I want to become- I mean learn about wizards.”
“You’re not being subtle at all, Yellow,” Green said, “I hope you know that.”
“YounotbeingsubtleatallYellow,” Yellow mocked his brother. Green simply flashed a smirk in return.
“I hate to interrupt your sibling bonding,” Chosen said, “But SC does need to go in.”
“Oh, sorry,” Yellow replied. Green’s playful demeanor vanished, his face turning sour. He looked at Chosen with resentment in his eyes.
“Is he gonna get new powers?” Red asked, excited.
“Hopefully,” SC said, “Capricorn said that Pisces wanted to help, so I’m hoping they live up to that.”
“There’s no time to waste,” Chosen said, “SC, you may go inside. We’ll be waiting out here for you.”
“Sounds good,” SC replied, “See you guys in a bit.”
“Bye!” Red exclaimed, waving. Everyone else followed suit, saying a quick goodbye before SC turned to the temple. He took a deep breath, and went inside.
He passed through the thin, indigo curtains, and into the temple. He was immediately met with a giant library, the shelves spiraling up out of SC’s view, infinite and unending. A bright light shone from above, lighting up the entire temple. The quartz bookshelves glimmered, the books on the shelves were all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes. Some books were floating through the air, an indigo aura surrounding them, going from one shelf to another, as if they were organizing themselves. Instead of torches, glowing crystals of blues, purples, and pinks were mounted on the walls, lighting up the darker nooks and crannies. There were doorways on each side of the room. One ahead of SC, one on his left, and one on his right.
Which one do I go into…? He thought to himself. He stood there for a moment, pondering the choice.
Suddenly, the doorway in the front of the room started to glow an indigo light. Was this a sign from Pisces? Did they want him to go this way? SC walked up to the doorway. It got brighter the closer he got to it. Yep, he thought to himself, Pisces definitely wants me to go this way.
He stepped through the doorway, the glowing fading when he passed through. When he looked around, he saw the entire hallway was made of glass, even the ceiling, and it was all filled with water, like an aquarium. He saw little brightly-colored fish swimming all around him, all of them in pairs, dancing in the crystal-blue water. The hallway went on for a while, as SC couldn’t see the end of it in front of him. He looked behind him. The doorway was gone, and the hallway stretched infinitely behind him.
Ok, he thought to himself, not creepy at all. This is very normal. This is the most normal temple I’ve ever been to. It’s boring how normal it is!
“Ok, enough with the sarcasm,” he said to himself. He figured he’d better start walking.
Walking through the hallway was kind of peaceful, actually. The soft murmur of water flowing filled the atmosphere, and the fish were quite beautiful to look at. They swam so carelessly, as if they had absolutely nothing to worry about. SC wished he could relate.
He walked for what felt like hours. He was starting to get tired, his legs starting to hurt from walking so much. When did this tunnel end? Was this a test? Did SC already fail? What did this have to do with magic??? He kept on going, until the water started to… change. The room started to get darker the deeper he went, the water turning from a crisp, clear blue, to a deep, cosmic purple. The fish started to glow, some of them so brightly that they looked like stars. Soon, the water started to resemble the night sky, the swirling hues of indigo and violet surrounding SC, the fish-stars shooting across the skies like comets, and SC looked underneath him to see he was standing on nothing. At first, he panicked, but he didn’t fall, so he assumed there was some invisible force keeping him from falling. The glass soon started to fade, eventually disappearing completely, leaving SC completely in the void of space.
He walked for a little while longer, starting to wonder if Pisces just left him in the void of space for fun, when he saw a doorway ahead of him, like the one in the room before, glowing brightly. It seemed to be the end of the hallway. SC took a deep breath, and his tired self started walking towards it. The light from the doorway was very bright, SC covering his eyes as he passed through as not to be blinded. He took a couple steps, and when the light started to fade, he opened his eyes.
The room was circular, glass-stained murals decorated the walls, depicting wizards and witches and sorcerers and mages. They all looked up to an indigo star, and each mural had a pair of fish swimming around the person depicted. The floor was flooded, water flowing from the ceiling into the pond that was the floor. Small quartz platforms floated on top of it, and at the other end of the room was the altar, a quartz gazebo floating on the water. The water was all kinds of deep purples, little sparkling yellow bits like stars in it, as if the cosmos was being poured into the temple.
SC was in awe. He probably should have expected the god of magic to have an impressive temple, but even with that expectation, he still would’ve been blown away.
“I see you’ve made it, my child.”
SC looked around. Who said that!? He suddenly sensed another presence with him. He looked around. In the gazebo, sitting at a floating table, was a merperson dressed up in a wizard’s getup. As aforementioned, the table was floating, as well as the two chairs next to it, and the desserts on the table, and the teapot as well.
“Welcome,” the merperson said, “Have a seat. We have much to discuss.” They motioned towards the empty floating chair adjacent to them.
Not knowing what else he could’ve done, SC walked across the floating platforms, walked into the gazebo, and managed to climb up onto the empty floating chair.
“Um, hello?” SC said, “Do you… work for Pisces?” SC asked.
“I am Pisces,” Pisces replied, “Pleasure to meet you. Well, I suppose I have met you before, but that was when you were a cluster of light floating in the endless void of space. This is my first time meeting you as a person. Either way, it is a pleasure.” They sipped their tea.
“Oh,” SC said, “I thought Leo banned the Zodiacs from making contact with mortals?”
“I am magic itself,” Pisces said, “I follow no rules. Leo can try to restrain me, but I defy reality by nature. Whatever he tries to do to stop me will be futile.”
“Fair enough,” SC replied. “So… um… About your blessing?”
“In a moment,” Pisces said, “You should eat something. You were walking for quite a while. I’m sure you’d like to rest before I give you my blessing.”
“Oh, really?” SC asked. He was kind of hungry.
“Of course,” Pisces replied, “I’m the god of magic, not torturing teenagers. Go ahead, eat something. We’ll talk while you do so. I’ve been looking forward to our visit.”
SC took a small cake and started eating it. It was chocolate, with vanilla icing, and also had little cake crumbs on the top. It tasted really good. Did gods have a thing for baking or something? First Capricorn’s cookies, and now this.
“So, you said you were looking forward to the meeting?” SC asked. Now that he had a closer look at Pisces, he noticed their hair was a light indigo color, and had SC could see little constellations shimmering in it. Their pupils were the same color, their sclera a violet so deep it almost looked black. Along with the fish tail they had instead of legs, they had one on the back of their head like a ponytail.
“I did say that,” Pisces replied, “I haven’t met you since we sent you to the mortal world. I was curious about what kind of person you’re growing into.” They took another sip of their tea. “Have your adopted brothers gotten you an education?”
“What?” SC asked, “Oh, yeah. I just started high school a few days ago.” He gasped. “Wait! Oh shoot, what am I going to tell my teachers when I get back!? IF I get back!? I can’t tell them I was off saving the Universe! Oh man, I’m going to have so much work to catch up on…”
“Don’t worry about that,” Pisces said, “I’m sure they’ll understand. They won’t even notice you’re gone.” They winked at SC.
There was a moment of silence.
“Please don’t put a magic spell on my whole school,” SC pleaded.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Pisces said, “I’m friends with someone who works there. They have everything taken care of.” They finished their tea and let go of the cup, leaving it to float around. “Alright. As much as I’d love to talk, we do have a blessing to discuss.”
“Right,” SC agreed, “So… may I please have your blessing?”
“No you may not,” Pisces answered.
SC was a bit taken aback. “Oh…” he held his face in his hand. “But… Capricorn said you wanted to help?”
“I do,” Pisces answered, “But giving you my blessing would be useless to you. I am the god of magic, therefore my blessing would be given to you through magical power. You already have your own magic, SC. I gave it to you before you were born. Giving you what you already have wouldn’t be useful in the slightest.”
“Oh,” SC replied, “I guess that makes sense.” He shifted nervously in his seat. “So… I’ll just go, then?”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help,” Pisces clarified, “My blessing may be useless, but there is something I can give you that will help you exponentially.” They snapped their fingers, and suddenly everything set up in the gazebo was gone. SC fell to the floor, bumping his head on the quartz floor.
“What’s that?” SC asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.
Pisces was now floating in the air, as if they were swimming through water. “Knowledge,” they replied. “Think of it: you have all this cosmic power resting inside of you, so much potential buried deep inside, yet you do not know how to harness any of it. The best thing I can do for you is teach you how to use that power. If you can’t learn to harness it, you won’t survive the trials to come.”
“Oh, lovely,” SC replied. “Death and hopelessness. My favorite.”
“Sarcasm never made a good hero,” Pisces said, reaching out to help SC stand up. SC did just that, taking Pisces’ clawed hand and standing up. He’d had worse injuries, truth be told.
“So you’re going to teach me how to use my powers?” SC asked, a bit excited.
“Indeed I am,” Pisces replied. “Let’s start with something simple. The basics of magic, if you will.” They floated over to the pond full of space water, and dove right into it, fully submerging themselves. A few moments passed, and Pisces poked their head out of the water, looking at SC as if he was anticipating something from him.
“Jump in,” they said.
“In- in the water!?” SC exclaimed. “If… if that is water.”
“Yep,” Pisces replied, “This is where you’ll be having your lessons.”
SC leaned off of the edge of one of the floating platforms. How deep did this pond go, anyway? Getting a closer look at it now,, it looked like it went pretty deep.
“Um… I can’t breathe underwater,” SC said, “In case you didn’t know that. Unless elves can breathe underwater?” He asked. He felt his neck for some hidden gills, maybe.
“This isn’t water,” Pisces corrected, “It’s space matter. It’s what’s in the sky at night. Do you really think mortals float in space because there’s no atmosphere?”
“Well,” SC replied, “I can’t say I’ve ever been told otherwise.”
“You’ll be able to breathe just fine,” Pisces assured him, “Go ahead.”
SC took a deep breath, and jumped into the space-water. It was like he touched the surface of a pool, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself floating around in space. He looked around. The cosmos stretched endlessly around him, stars glimmering in the distance beyond, meteors shooting across the sky. As far as SC knew, he’d just been magically teleported to the outside of the Milky Way.
“Um- are we in space!?” SC asked, a bit panicked.
“Sort of,” Pisces replied, “We’re in my own personal pocket dimension. This is where I spend most of my time. I essentially live here.”
“So this is like… your fish bowl?” SC asked, smiling mischievously.
Pisces was about to say something, but stopped to think for a moment. “I… I suppose it is,” they said, as if they’d never considered this possibility once in their immortal life. “Anyway,” they continued, “First, to learn about your powers, you need to know exactly what they are.”
They swam (swam? Floated? Drifted?) over to SC. “First of your powers: Archaic Sense. I’m pretty sure The Chosen One taught you about this one already?”
SC racked his brain to try and remember what Archaic Sense was. “Oh wait, Chosen said that it’s my power to sense star magic, right?”
“Celestial magic, yes,” Pisces replied. “You can sense it all around you, can’t you?”
SC could, in fact, feel magic in the air all around him, like a third presence among them. “Yeah,” SC replied, “I can.”
“Archaic Sense is vital when fighting an enemy that possesses magical powers,” Pisces said, “If trained well, you can sense what spell your enemy is about to cast next, and when they’re going to cast it. It’s not a hard skill to learn, but very useful.”
Pisces clasped their hands together, and when they unclasped them, they were holding a bright, indigo star in their palm. “Can you sense this?” Pisces asked.
SC felt the star’s power emanating from Pisces’ hand. “I can,” he replied.
“Alright,” Pisces continued, “I’m going to send this star to a random part of the space around us, and you’re going to have to find it with your eyes closed.” They folded their hands around the star once again. “Are you ready?” They asked.
“Yep,” SC confirmed. He was a little nervous, truth be told.
“Alright,” Pisces said, “Close your eyes.”
SC closed his eyes, and heard a little ringing sound.
“Go ahead,” Pisces said, “The star is waiting for you.”
SC was still as he tried to feel out where the star was. He could sense it somewhere behind him, and so he turned around to see if his prediction was accurate. He felt the essence somewhere in front of him, confirming his guess, and he started to flail his way over to the spot. He could only imagine how stupid he looked right now. He soon got to a steady float over to the spot, and he could feel it getting closer to him. Soon enough, he reached out, and…
“Got it!” He exclaimed, feeling the shining star in his grasp. It felt like holding a spiky cluster of marble, but the exact shape kept shifting in his hand. He opened his eyes and looked over to Pisces, proud of himself.
“Very good!” Pisces said, “You’re catching on quickly. Let’s try the exercise a few more times, ok?”
They did just that, Pisces teleporting the star to various places around them as SC sought it out each time. He was getting good at it, too.
“Alright,” Pisces said, “That’s enough of that for now. You’ve mastered the basic skill, and I think you should figure out most things from there.” They took the star in one hand and snapped their fingers, and the star disappeared. “Now, the other three I’d like to teach you about are… complicated, to say the very least.”
“Like… complicated as in hard to do?” SC asked.
“In a sense,” Pisces replied. “The second of your powers isn’t really one I can teach you to harness, but it is one I can make you more aware of. Tell me, have you noticed throughout your lifetime that you seem to have heightened senses? Like your hearing and sense of smell are more sensitive? Maybe you’ve always had a quick reaction time? You’re quick to dodge things, perhaps?”
“Uh, yeah,” SC replied, “I think- WAIT, THAT WAS BECAUSE I HAD SUPERPOWERS!?”
Pisces nodded, seemingly pleased with SC’s reaction.
SC was astounded. “Oh my god…” he said. He just thought he was weird! It all made sense now! His hearing was sensitive, his sense of smell, how he managed to dodge Purple’s attacks on his first day in art class - it was because he was magic this whole time!
“Quite the plot twist, I know,” Pisces replied, smiling playfully. “Like I said, something I can only make you more aware of. Do pay more attention to your senses in the future.”
“I will do that,” SC replied. “So, what about the other two?”
“The third of your powers has been mentioned to you before,” Pisces said, “I’m sure Aquarius mentioned that you have Dreamwalking capabilities?”
“T- The lady in my dreams?” SC asked. He was pretty sure her name was Aquarius, but that morning was so anxiety-inducing that he couldn’t remember.
“Indeed,” Pisces replied. “I apologize for having to bring it up. But yes, you have a special magical ability called Dreamwalking.”
“I’m assuming that means I can walk in other people’s dreams?” SC guessed.
“And quite a lot more,” Pisces replied, “You can visit the dreams of other people, yes, but you can also manipulate dreams. You can turn pleasant dreams into nightmares, nightmares into pleasant dreams, you can create shared dreams between multiple people, among other things.”
“That… sounds like a lot of power,” SC thought out loud.
“It is,” Pisces said, “Which is why it is a power only possessed by the gods and The Three Starborne. The Chosen One, The Dark Lord, and yourself are the only mortals who can enter and control dreams. You remember when The Dark Lord visited you in a dream before you left for your journey, right?”
“Oh yeah!” SC exclaimed, “So I can do that too?”
“Absolutely,” Pisces said, “It’s not something I can teach you about this very second, but I can explain the method. Once you enter your own dreams, try to see if you can manipulate it. One way to do it is to imagine somewhere that makes you happy, and bring yourself there. From that point, you can start traversing the dreamscape, and enter the dreams of others. I’m sure you’ll figure it out from there. It’s easy to learn.”
“Oh, ok,” SC said, “Is… is that it?”
“One more power,” Pisces said, “Then our training will be over with.”
They drifted over to SC, and took his hands in theirs.
“You’re familiar with this last power, yes?” Pisces asked.
“Huh?” SC asked.
“The day you fought the ram again,” Pisces said, “you searched yourself for your powers, and for a brief moment, you found them. You could see the stars mid-day, as if someone was letting you see them, and you felt that energy resting inside you, like time had slowed down, and for a moment you felt…”
“...At peace…” SC finished.
Pisces nodded. “SC, the first three powers that I gave you are simple powers that are easily harnessed, like a second nature. The magic they are made of isn’t complicated in the slightest. But the power that you used the day you fought that ram… it’s connected to your very being. Your very soul. It’s a part of you, like a talent or a personality trait. It makes you a whole person just as much as any other aspect of yourself.”
They held SC’s hands open and traced his palms. “To harness this power to its fullest is not as simple as learning a skill, I’m afraid. It’s not something I, or anyone else for that matter, can teach you. It is something you must learn for yourself.” Pisces let go of SC’s hands.
SC looked down at his palms, a heavy feeling sinking into his chest. His powers, the ones that actually did something… they couldn’t be taught? How was he going to save everyone now?
“I…” SC trailed off. What was he supposed to do now? No one could teach him to use his powers? No one? He was destined to fail? How was he supposed to be the hero now? How was he supposed to be what he needed to be, for Natalie? Chosen? His brothers? How was he just supposed to learn on his own?
SC felt tears welling up in his eyes. “Pisces, I… I can’t…” he started to sniffle, tears beginning to roll down his face. “I can’t do it Pisces, I can’t do it… I…” He buried his face in his hands and started to cry.
Pisces swam over to SC and wrapped his arms around the boy. SC sobbed into their shoulder, his tears floating in the space around the two.
“I can’t do it, Pisces…” he sobbed, “I can’t do anything… I’m just useless…”
“SC, you know that’s not true,” Pisces said, “You’ve helped so many people in so many ways, ways you haven’t even seen yet.”
“That doesn’t matter,” SC choked, “I’m not the hero I need to be… I’m supposed to save the entire universe, and I can’t even fight… What am I supposed to do?” He looked up at Pisces expectantly.
Pisces looked down at SC with sadness in their eyes. There was a small pause, as if they were hesitant to speak. “That’s not something I can decide for you,” Pisces said. “My guidance can only take you so far.” They let go of SC.
“I am afraid that our time is up,” Pisces said. “There is nothing more I can teach you.”
SC looked up, tears still welling in his eyes. “What?” He speaked.
“I understand your frustration,” Pisces continued, “But it’s nothing I can help with. I’ve taught you everything I can teach you.”
SC looked at them, his eyes wide, angry, frustrated, desperate. That was it? He needed Pisces to teach him how to be a hero. He needed it.
“...ok,” he replied.
Pisces looked up. “Your family is expecting you,” they said, “I suggest you don’t leave them waiting.” they motioned upwards, telling SC to swim up.
SC sighed. “...Ok. Thank you… thank you for your time.”
Pisces’ gaze was saddened. “It was a pleasure,” They said, trying to sound happy.
With a heavy heart, SC began to push himself towards the surface of Pisces’ little pocket dimension, the tears in his eyes slowly drying. Soon, he could see the surface, the brightness of light shining down on him, slowly, he made his way up, and when he got to the surface, he closed his eyes, and when he crawled out-
He was back in the Capital.
“So, when’s he gonna come out?” He heard Red’s voice ask. He turned around, His brothers, Chosen, and Natalie were all standing in front of the temple’s entrance in the exact same spots they were when he left. Had they been standing there for Zodiacs know how long???
“He just went in,” Blue said, “He won’t be out for a while now.”
Huh? Just went in??? SC thought he was in there for hours! How could he have JUST gone in???
Chosen turned around. “SC!” He exclaimed, surprised that SC had suddenly materialized, as anyone would be.
“Hello?” SC greeted them, a bit wary.
“SC!” Natalie exclaimed as well, “But you-” she turned to the temple’s entrance, and then turned back to SC. “You just went inside?!”
“I- Huh!?” SC exclaimed, “How long ago?!”
“LIke thirty seconds ago!!!” Yellow exclaimed. “And how did you get back there!?”
“I-” SC put his head in his hands. “I was in there for hours…”
“Well,” Chosen said, “Pisces is the god of magic. Perhaps this was their doing.”
“I can only imagine,” Natalie added, “oh boy…” She seemed just as confused as everyone else.
“Well, despite the confusion,” Chosen said, “How was your time, SC? Did you get Pisces’ blessing?”
“Um… yes? No? Kind of?” SC replied, shrugging. He walked over to the party.
“Elaborate,” Yellow requested.
“Ok,” SC began, “Well, Pisces said that they couldn’t give me their blessing because it would be useless to me, because I already have magical powers. So they taught me how to use my own powers that I already had!”
“That’s amazing, SC!” Natalie exclaimed, “What did they teach you?”
SC froze. He didn’t really want to talk about what happened… The less that Chosen, Natalie, and his brothers knew about his insecurities, the better. He didn’t want to let them know he was a failure. But he didn’t want to lie to them.
I’ll… just tell them the truth, but leave out some bits, he thought to himself. Just tell them the stuff they want to hear.
“Well,” SC said, “They said that I have some superhuman- er, super-elven I guess- senses. Like I can smell and hear things better than most people.”
“So you’re like superman!?” Red exclaimed, running up to SC, his eyes wide.
“Kind of?” SC replied, “I don’t have laser eyes, though.”
“You should,” Yellow said.
“...Anyway,” SC said, feeling vaguely threatened by Yellow, “They also helped me with my Archaic Sense.”
“That’s good,” Chosen replied, “It’s a good skill to learn.”
“And they also taught me about Dreamwalking,” SC said, “I was actually going to ask if I could test that out on you guys. I’d like some practice, but those are like. Your dreams. I feel like I should ask you guys who’s ok with me walking in their dreams and who isn’t.”
“That’s fair,” Natalie said, “I’m personally ok with it. My dreams are just really weird.”
“I’m good with it,” Green said, “Same as Natalie.”
“I’m ok with it as well,” Yellow replied. “You can see the inner workings of this genius mind.” He smirked.
“And also Basil if he’s there,” Blue added.
“W- I DON'T DREAM ABOUT BASIL-” Yellow exclaimed, his face turning bright red.
“I’m alright with it too,” Blue said, “You can join me in my little reocurring enchanted garden dream.”
“Ooo! Ooo! Visit me too!” Red exclaimed, waving his hand around, “I have dreams about animals!”
“I will exempt myself from this experiment,” Chosen said, “My dreams… are private.” SC thought he saw his face turn just a bit pink.
SC nodded. “Don’t worry about it, Chosen,” he replied, “I won’t go into there. Those are your dreams. If you don’t want me in there, I won’t go.”
“...Thank you,” Chosen said quietly.
“Anything else?” Natalie asked.
Oh shoot. This was the bit that SC didn’t want to talk about. He couldn’t let them know what happened. Surely it wasn’t technically lying if he just left out some details, right…?
…Right?
“Um,” SC began, “Well… they told me a little bit about some other powers… like the ones that I used back in Caprae Village?”
“Your Celestial Magic?” Chosen asked.
“Yeah!” SC replied.
“What did they say?” Natalie asked.
SC breathed in deeply. “Well… they gave me some pointers on them.”
Utter silence.
“...Like?” Natalie asked.
“Um,” SC said, “They said that they’re going to be really hard to harness, and that truly mastering them is going to be really hard.” See, that wasn’t lying. That was just the truth but watered down a lot.
“Well,” Natalie said, “I suppose that’s true… Is that all?”
“Yep,” SC replied, “All good!” He gave a couple thumbs up.
Natalie looked suspiciously at SC. “Ok…” she said, “Well… now that that’s out of the way, I suggest we find a spot to set up camp for the night.”
“I agree,” Chosen replied, “It will be evening before we know it. Let’s rest up.”
—---------------
That night, SC sat on a log, kicking his legs as he watched Chosen, Natalie, and Green all set up the tents. A fire was going, and Blue was preparing dinner for everyone. Red hung out with the animals, and Yellow sat next to him, watching as his brother fed grass to Ruben. They were back in the forest, and the ruined capital was far behind them by now.
SC felt bad about lying to his party. But he couldn’t let everyone know he was a failure, he couldn’t let everyone know about what happened. How he’d never discover his powers, because no one could teach him. He couldn’t unlock them himself, he just couldn’t. That wasn’t possible, surely.
He couldn’t do anything right.
He wasn’t good enough.
“Dinner’s ready!” Blue exclaimed, snapping SC out of his trance.
“Soup!” Yellow exclaimed, running over to sit by the fire.
“It’s pretty simple tonight,” Blue said, “The market over in Caprae Village didn’t have many ingredients I’m familiar with, so I just got the ones I knew how to work with. So tonight, you guys get chicken soup.”
“Sounds good to me,” Green said, “can’t go wrong with some good ‘ol chicken soup.”
Everyone gathered around the fire as Blue handed out bowls of warm chicken soup to everyone. One by one, they started eating their soup. SC looked down at his own bowl. He wasn’t all that hungry, truth be told. But his party might get worried if he didn’t eat…
He blew on the soup, and started eating it. It really was delicious.
“While everyone is here,” Natalie said, “I’d like to make you all aware of our plans for tomorrow. The next place we’re heading is Saggitarius’ temple, but we’re going to be stopping somewhere special first.”
“Where is that?” Blue asked.
“The Paladin camp!” Natalie exclaimed, “My home! Oh, I haven’t seen any of them in so long… It'd be wonderful to see them after all this time.”
“Is that where all the Paladins live?” Yellow asked.
“Indeed,” Natalie answered, “All Paladins live and train at the Paladin camp. It’s our own little community. Of course, I haven’t been there in such a long time, but I still look forward to seeing all my sisters again.”
“You have siblings?” SC asked.
“Oh, not any biological ones, no,” Natalie said, “But all Paladins are sisters to each other. We’re like a family. We stick together no matter what.”
“Wonder what that sounds like,” Green said, looking over to SC and smiling. SC smiled back, but it quickly faded as soon as Green looked away.
“So we’ll be going there in the morning?” Blue asked.
“Precisely,” Natalie replied. “First thing tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Green said, “I’m excited to see the place.”
“I am too,” Natalie said.
Dinner was excellent as always, and afterwards, everybody decided it would be a good idea to get an early rest so they could wake up refreshed and ready to go. Everybody slipped into their tents when the moon was high, and went to sleep.
Except for SC.
SC tossed and turned in his sleeping bag, unable to get himself to sleep. He was tired, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get himself to rest. So, as anyone in the same situation as him would do, he walked out of his tent to go on a small walk.
The stars were out tonight. They always seemed to be in this world. SC laid down in the clearing where his party had set up camp, his face looking directly up at the stars. He watched them twinkle and shine in the endless blanket of night sky, a sense of peace washing over him. He’d never really thought about it, but that was where he was from, right? The night sky? He used to be one of those stars, glimmering in the endless bounds of the cosmos, a small dot of white among thousands of others. But he was crafted into a person, not so long ago. And now he was here, walking on the ground, where almost no star would ever reach.
He wondered, did stars have a consciousness? Did they think, or feel, or have memories? SC certainly couldn’t remember anything from before he was a person. He couldn’t remember when he was a baby. His earliest memories were at the orphanage, falling asleep in that awful beige room he lived in for so long.
Maybe stars were just clusters of pure energy, or bright balls of gas burning billions of miles away, or fish in a sea of black, or simply just stars.
Maybe stars aren’t meant to be understood. Maybe they’re just meant to be admired and loved.
As SC thought to himself, he felt his eyelids grow heavy, and slowly, lying there in the grass, he fell into a deep sleep.