The Last Supernova

Sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare

[Present time]

Planet Siranex

The water was frigid and deep. Serenity swam quickly to salvage the body bag. She was an exceptional swimmer but this task was proving to be difficult, even for her. Not to mention both her and the bag were almost at the end of the river. Panting, she swam even harder until her muscles were inelastic. As soon as the bag was within reach, she seized it and held on for dear life. She bit the top and ripped it open to reveal a pale little face. A child? Her stomach turned with disgust at whoever did this. Luckily the little girl was still alive.....barely but still alive. She gasped for air and her little arms emerged from the bag. The child became hysterical clawing at Serenity's clothes and crying as Serenity swam as her own life depended on it. Ironically, that just might be true.

Out of nowhere, the river ended and both Serenity and the child plunged down a waterfall. This was bad. Serenity had been on planet Siranex long enough to hear the stories of the Daegal. She never thought in her wildest dream that she would have to face it at some point.

The water here was different. Dark. It was dead silence except for the low murmurs of the child who seemed to be having a panic attack on her back. As much as Serenity wanted to console her she needed to make sure they survived first. It was only mildly terrifying when Serenity saw a shadow swim past her faster than her eyes could keep track of. This was it. She had an internal battle. She promised herself never to rely on anything "gifted" from the realm of the Goddesses. Just the thought of it sickened her but what was worst was that she knew she couldn't control it. It was coming up just like vomit.

Astrid stared at the two women in the water. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Just great. She had just calmed down a bit and now she was hallucinating. It was dark out but she was sure of what she was looking at.

" Who-who are you " she shivered too cold to feel anything including fear. She had just about burnt out that emotion in the last few minutes.

The woman didn't speak, didn't budge, or even blink. She just stood there. Not even treading water to stay afloat, the woman stood there with ease. She was tense with a blank stare; like a lioness waiting to go in for the kill. Astrid thought she was weird but she was more concerned about getting out of the water. She knew they were playing a game of chess. As long as they kept silent and didn't move they should be safe. It was not news that the Daegal had bad sight but however it had an extraordinary hearing. Most people never got to know this personally because they were too hysteric when facing the Daegal. In essence, most people died because they couldn't shut it.  Astrid learned this from her father. A faint smile graced her lips before turning into a trembling scowl. The thought of him alone was enough to bring her heart failure. Astrid was in mourning and survival mode at the same time. She knew she wanted to avenge her family. This was not a question. The real question was would she get out of her current situation alive to do it?

The shadow zoomed by a second time. A few seconds felt like an eternity. Astrid slowly gestured the ' SSH ' motion with a finger on her lip. The Daegal was patrolling now. Swimming back and forth waiting for the slightest interruption of the natural rhythm of its habitat. Minutes passed and Serenity's energy was depleting. It was just a matter of time before she and the child she held would drown or be devoured. Astrid looked around to notice the strange woman was gone. Maybe she had been hallucinating for real.

SKARRRRRRR!!

Both Astrid and Serenity whipped their heads around to the deafening scream. Could it be the Daegal In pain? Serenity saw this as her chance to escape or die trying. She swam wildly for about two minutes before the scream died out. She stopped dead in her tracks. Looking around she a black figure floating on the water. She paid no attention to it as she quietly and cautiously swam. She thanked the Goddesses she made it out alive. Astrid shakily stood with wild eyes.

"What is that?" she pointed to the black figure that washed up on the shore about ten feet away from them.

Serenity began walking away while gesturing for the child to join her. They needed to get out of the woods and Serenity didn't need to look. She knew what it was.

"The Dageal."

Flashback

REALM OF THE GODDESSES

" Half of the competition has been eliminated. Test two will be one of honesty and pureness of heart. A true Goddess is honest and compassionate."

What a load of crap, Serenity thought.

The room disappeared around her once more. It morphed into a strange yet beautiful land. Trees with golden brown bark grew freely everywhere. The sounds of birds chirping and bees buzzing filled the air. Even air smelt different here. Clean. Serenity walked around taking in the sights for a while before coming across a child.

It was unsightly. He had chapped lips, dirty unkempt hair, and lying in a hammock between two trees. His skin was filled with sores and boils that looked painful to touch.

"Please help me. I need to be moved to the spring of life before I die but no one will touch me because of my disease. I must be submerged into the whole spring." the child pleaded before coughing up blood.

"Don't get any closer or you'll die too. The disease is spread through contact and is fatal. The rest of the family already died and you'll be next if you touch him". A man shouted from afar. He walked over a little closer to the child. He was carrying a cup of water and a plate filled with fruits and vegetables.

"I bring him food every day and care for him but I can't risk touching him out of fear for my own family. Who will look after them if I were to perish trying to be noble? The people in this town aren't very friendly or kind."

Serenity felt pity. She also didn't want to die and with the Goddesses track record, that was completely possible to do here. On the other hand, how could she leave a child here to die? She didn't have much to live for anyway. Her mother was dead and her father was an emotionally unstable outcast. There was only her grandmother and Mariad left to live for. Serenity hated to think about it she had to acknowledge that her grandmother was on her way out and Mariad was on her way to becoming a Goddess.

Sighing Serenity ripped her white Robe. She rolled two pieces around her hands and the strange man poured water on them. She didn't want her raw skin to rub on the sores or make anything worst. She picked up the child.

"So where are we going now?" she asked as she accepted her fate.

Once again the room morphed back. This time there were only four girls left and Mariad was one of them. Serenity and Mariad shared a brief smile. For the first time, Serenity pondered what she would do if she was chosen to become a Goddess. There was nothing she resented as much. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to pass the last test. Her stomach turned. What if she did?