Our story simply begins in a pearl-white room where a man decked in white is standing. A cucumber-cool exterior is what he's currently presenting as he patiently waits for someone. In all actuality, he's waiting for a group of someones. A small smile soon comes across the man's face as five projections of light come alive in front of him and vanish immediately after they do so. What's left of these projections are five teens. One is a girl whose raven hair reaches to her mid-back. This girl is a Star Wars fan, after all, so why else is she wearing purple and black robes? Another teen is as yellow as yellow can be. Why? Well, because her messy hair and pullover hoodie are a bright yellow. One young man's outfit looks the strangest out of all of them. Yes, the redheaded girl had a unique pullover hoodie, but his costume reminded the man of a very particular hero. Thankfully, the young man's mask has no ears along with his cape being as smooth as the man's cape. Oh, and his costume is decked in navy blue and black. Speaking of the redhead, the other attire that covers her body is her dark blue jeans and black low tops. The final young man has the simplest clothes choice. He wears a blue hooded zip-up with tan chino pants and dark gray running shoes. Out of all of them, the robed girl is the first to address her concern regarding their new surroundings.
"W-What?" The robed girl asks. Where is she? Is this heaven? Is that God himself?
"Where the hell am I?" The redhead speaks up. She's tired. However, her tiredness is outweighed by this shocking scenario. Before any other members of this teen group try addressing the weirdness, the man introduces himself, ceasing their confusion.
"Greetings. My name is Starsis. Come, I'll explain everything in the living room," Starsis says as he leads the group into his living room. Although some of them are hesitant at first, they follow the robed man into the room due to sensing no negative reception from the man. The five teens sit on the guy's comfy couch as the man called Starsis brings pizza.
"I know most teenagers like pizza, so what the heck?" Starsis lays the box down on the table for them. He then makes himself comfortable before he talks to the group further.
"I understand you're all confused, but I will explain myself after I let all of you introduce yourselves. Let's start with you." Starsis politely gestures to the girl in the purple and black robes to introduce herself. She does without any hesitation.
She says, "Ok, then. My name's Asori, sir."
Starsis chuckles and in response, "Please, Asori. Starsis is what I'd like to be called." The reason for the figure's requests relates to him not wanting anyone here to give him any special treatment. Asori nods formally as a means to show him respect for his request. The rest of the team give their names to the entity starting with the redhead, then the young man in the blue hoodie, the girl drenched in yellow, and the young man wearing a costume.
She casually says, "Name's Ashley."
He calmly says, "Jayden."
She says happily, "Aubrey."
He says confidently, "And, my name's Shadow Bird."
"You mean Jeremy Ethos. After all, this mask is used to hide the genius kid who works with technology away from the world. Am I wrong?" The entire groups' eyes open like saucers. This man's further knowledge of them and their lives only shocks them to the core even more.
"Yes, I know all about you five. Asori Zara. Ashley Stephens. Jayden Isaacson. Aubrey Stone. Shadow Bird A.K.A. Jeremy Ethos. I know all of your birthdays, your past lives, everyone you've met that you like and dislike, etc. Now, I'll tell you why you're going to fulfill this request for me. And no, it's not because I'm lazy." The current scenery is then taken into a series of flashbacks as the light entity explains his and his brother's past to the bewildered teens.
"I am the entity of light, Starsis. Evilkin, my brother, is the entity of darkness. As you might have guessed, that means we didn't get along.'' The battle between brothers is as titanic as many battles between divine gods are. Starsis fights with elegance, wit, and precision. Evilkin lashes out at his brother without a hint of mercy in his savage attacks. Both brothers, back then, have power that could very well destroy entire universes if they wanted to. After all: their intense energy blasts, swordplay, enhanced physicality, and expert hand-to-hand combat aren't human. The light entity's narration continues during the fighting.
"Our battle lasted from the first few years since the universe was created till now. Only for a few select moments did we break from our battles and rejuvenate at our private homes to regain our strengths. However, one day, our powers were severely weakened. We could still teleport from place to place, but our other great feats were nearly impossible." While Starsis isn't too concerned about his weakened state of power, his brother snaps as usual. The venom in his voice and the coldness of his fury is so unspeakable that even Silencer and Raptor, his ever so loyal servants, are terrified of their master's outburst. It takes an entire week for him to relax. And yes, the aftermath of his tantrums isn't pretty.
Starsis ends the narration with, "During his wrathful week, I went on a journey to collect the shards of the Crystal of Power. That object is an all-powerful item capable of endless possibilities. After finding all the pieces, I used it to summon all of you for this mission." The flashbacks cease there with Starsis still talking to the teens he brought here.
"This journey I'm assigning you kids is to recollect the shards of the crystal and bring them to me. I'll then use the crystal to restore my full power. After that, I'll defeat Evilkin and use a device I'm working on to seal my brother away forever," Starsis says. The team, whilst listening to the story, can't believe it. It sounds legit, but they're still mind blown. Jayden speaks up as a question regarding the entity's huge scale story is still fresh in his mind.
"So, let me get this straight. You and your brother's powers got weakened, and you used this crystal to summon us so we could recollect it," Jayden starts, his face contorting to reflect his confusion. "But how come you never used the crystal to get your full power back, Starsis?" Starsis answers the boy's question with absolute confidence.
"That, Jayden, is because Evilkin broke into this house with Raptor as I was about to use the crystal. I quickly put my thoughts into the crystal and it spread out just as Evilkin found me. I knocked him and his servant out in which I used another device I created to teleport them back to their palace. You five going on this journey will give me enough time to put the final touches on my current gadget that'll permanently seal Evilkin away."
"Starsis, where do we even start? Aren't the locations you got the crystal shards from light-years away?" Asori asks curiously.
"No, not with this," Starsis proudly states as he pulled an iPad-like object from under his seat.
"With this, you'll be able to transport yourselves to these locations with ease. Just tap on the locations and it'll take you there. Ohh, and it's also a phone, tracker, and projector." All five teens are fascinated by the object from the moment their eyes are locked on it. Indeed, it looked so much like those famous tablets, but it's with a few different features. After observing its physical features down to its clean front, Asori once again opens her mouth.
"Are we gonna need anything else for this journey?"
With absolute confidence, Starsis says, "Just something to carry this device as well as some good old-fashioned teamwork, your strengths, and the powers the crystal gave you when it summoned you to me."
"What?" All five teens ask in unison. Still riddled with confusion and surprise, the figure's explanation does nothing to quell their newfound inquiries.
"Ahh, yes. The crystal gave you special abilities under my command. Why? Because I wanted to make this journey a little easier for you kids, not that it'll make things a piece of cake. Jayden, since you just discovered that pen in your pocket, you get to try your powers out first." The man's words are true as the pen in Jayden's hoodie pocket was suddenly noticed by its owner.
"Ok," Jayden says with bewilderment in his voice before heading back to the white room to test out the new "powers" that this crystal gave him.
"Alright, how am I gonna do this?" Jayden says out loud as he holds the blue pen in his hand. After thinking for a short moment, he taps on the pen's button to activate it. The boy in the blue hoodie then starts drawing something simple. The simple object is a short sword. Jayden is astonished by what he just did.
"Woah," Jayden says after putting his pen away. Making a few slices and defensive poses with the sword, Jayden can't help continuously smiling brightly. This is a dream come true. Excitement courses through his veins while performing action sword slice after action sword slice. The others are dazzled, no, excited too. Aubrey and Ashley laugh happily. Asori and Shadow Bird just smile goofy-like. Starsis looks on, loving nothing more than the hope and happiness of this blue hooded child.
"Do you guys see this?" Aubrey asks them joyfully. Jayden does a few more cool poses with the sword while the rest talk among themselves.
"Yeah, this pen Jayden has helped him make a freaking sword!" Shadow Bird shouts, his excitement being electrified by the fact they all have powers too, especially himself. Whilst they talk among themselves, it's muffled and ignored by Jayden looking at himself in his sword. He still smiles and huffs only slightly. This is it. He's on the path to being what he's wanted to be all his life. A hero. Putting the sword down, he's now starting work on a backpack. Asori's eyes go from the group to Jayden. She can't believe it. Is this real?! Or, is she actually in heaven right now?! She doesn't care at this point as her entire being is unleashed. She's in another world, she's got people her age to talk to, they're gonna go on an epic journey, and they've got powers. Ashley and Aubrey have the same reactions. Their only difference is Aubrey's smile being as bright as the sun, and Ashley's mind is just blown to bits, courtesy of her wide-open eyes and mouth. Shadow Bird... He's happy as hell. Now he's Batman. No, Spider-Man. No. He's gonna be his own hero. Whilst placing the sword inside a section of the backpack he's close to finishing, Shadow Bird comes up to Jayden, hoping to congratulate his blue hooded peer.
"That's so b-a! Nice work, dude!" Shadow Bird loudly congratulates.
Letting out a small laugh, Jayden tells Shadow Bird, "Thanks, SB."
"You're welcome, Blue boy." The banter session between the two blue young men ends just as Aubrey started speaking.
"You guys mind if I test my powers now?"
"Go ahead," Shadow Bird tells her cooly. The group makes space for Aubrey as she tries to discover her powers. Soon, Aubrey suddenly finds herself moving so fast that nobody sees where she goes. After the lap ends, Aubrey yells out happily. This is awesome! She's practically the Flash now! Knowing her time's up, Aubrey stops just after she stops her eighth lap around her new teammates.
"Aubrey, how'd you do that?!" Ashley shouts, completely shook from her slumber craving impulses. Sure, she's starstruck at Jayden's power of drawing what he wants for whatever reason, but now this team has a speedster.
"I don't know! It just came naturally for me to do that!" Aubrey says, more excited than Jayden with her hearty laugh.
"Guess it's my turn then," Shadow Bird speaks as he instinctively touches Jayden's sword. He drives his focus into the sword through hard, concentrated willpower. Shadow Bird's eyes go as white as the ones he has for his cowl. While in his mind, he sees everything. This sword's whole history on planet Earth along with how Jayden got the inspiration for its black and blue colors. Shadow Bird, after the quick slideshow, makes his way back mentally. The excited young man instantly starts talking about his findings to the group.
"Dude, you made a sword coming from the medieval era! Are you some type of fantasy nerd or something?!" Shadow Bird's retort makes Jayden laugh a bit at that lighthearted accusation.
"While Star Wars isn't my bread and butter, I do read those books from time to time."
"Sweet. You read the legends material?" Asori questions, her conversational skills in Star Wars quickly coming into gear.
Jayden says, "Hell yeah." No way in crap shit will he touch Disney's fan fiction after the O.G. trilogy.
"Ohh, did you play The Force Unleashed at all?" Aubrey asks, having fond memories of playing the game with her little sister on the Wii.
"Hell yeah! It's my favorite game!" She says although she's only played it with clients' kids and such.
"Ahh, man. I wish I'd get a chance to play that game again. I mean, I could totally incinerate some asshats with my force lightning right about now." Ashley suddenly stops talking to see that fire appeared in her hands. Realizing it's from a reflex she did with her hands, she does the reflex again. The powers are turned off immediately after that.
"I have fire powers," Ashley tells her team in a tone that's telling the group she's either confused or telling them she hates her powers. However, before anyone questions her about her opinion regarding her new abilities, Ashley smiles crazily.
She almost screams, "I have freaking fire powers!" Ashley blasts fire to the left and right sides of her away from the group. Then, after the redhead turns her powers off, all heads turn to Asori. Knowing it's her turn, the robed girl makes her way to the center where everyone watches. Asori closes her eyes as she opens her hands. In deep concentration mode, Asori channels both her increasing joy towards this situation and great rage from being rejected in others. Suddenly, two beautiful swords come out of thin air with the objects clenched firmly in her hands. Asori opens her eyes at that moment as her shock comes over when she sees what she just did.
"Oh my god!" Asori exclaims. To stifle this shock, that feeling being gone after a few deep breaths and a bit of concentration, Asori retracts her swords back into her aura. Then, she channels her inner power to make a gray aura emanate through her hands, that being a small gray orb.
"This isn't real," Asori whispers. Denial's not the only thing she feels right now, but that emotion goes away. Instead: there's excitement, wonder, aggression, and fear regarding her new power.
"This can't be real," Asori says louder, her face more than excitement. She then turns the orb off and joins up with the rest of the group.
"So, it seems we know how our powers work, right?" Starsis inquires when making himself known.
"Yep. Blue boy can draw just about anything. Redhead over here can burn people to a crisp. I can learn just about anything by simply touching it. Aubrey is essentially our Flash. And the Star Wars geek right here can make gray things from that aura of hers." Asori giggles before speaking up.
"I know my powers are a bit weird, but I like them."
"Just curious, do you know why your aura has that gray color?" Shadow Bird inquires.
"Well, I was feeling happy for a short while, then angry the next. Somehow, I just... mixed them. So, I guess my power comes from my passion." Asori shrugs her shoulders after finishing her sentence, for she too is riddled with bewilderment regarding this whole situation.
"That's pretty cool," Jayden says without a hint of jealousy or malice in his voice.
"Really?" Asori asks her peer.
Jayden explains, "Yeah, every artist uses their emotions to fuel their work, even me."
"Let me guess. You're all excited beyond words right now? Who wouldn't be?" Starsis asks, himself needing to take back the conversation. The group acknowledges what Starsis says with a head nod.
"Plus, you get to keep these powers forever." The teams' smiles stretch. This has got to be heaven. After all, what else explains this glorious phenomenon?
"However, please stay focused on the task at hand. You wouldn't want my brother plunging the multiverse into darkness, would you?" The group shakes their heads no at Starsis' question.
"Good. Now, you guys have your pizza as I work on my device. Come to me if any or all of you have any questions." The team, starving beyond what mere words describe, make their way to the room where their food awaits. Soon comes about a dark castle with its master on his throne. The deadpan, dark expression of Evilkin himself can frighten even the strongest of heroes, or at least make them feel uneasy, with just this look. As Evilkin sits on his throne, Silencer and Raptor appear in front of him through their dark clouds and kneel before their master upon their arrival.
Evilkin darkly commands, "Silencer. Raptor. Stand." The two figures do so without question.
"Tomorrow, you two will gather the crystal shards for me. If you fail me again, you will be discarded on the spot. Understood?" Evilkin coldly but calmly barks.
"Understood." The loyal one's calm demonic voice doesn't phase the father's stone gaze nor his other son's morbid glee.
"We'll rip apart any who stand in our way." The two servants then walked off to their rooms to rest up for the day ahead. As Evilkin sits on his throne, his thoughts leave his brain and it's only two thoughts in particular.
"Soon, my brother. Soon, it will be the end of everything." The evil entity's scary scenery is soon replaced by the peaceful arena that is pizza eating.
"So, Asori. How long have you been a Star Wars fan?" The blue hooded boy asks as he sits down next to her and Ashley.
"Well, I've been in love with Star Wars since I was nine," Asori says in a relaxed manner to Jayden as she eats her food.
"What else do you like?" Ashley asks as she chews a bite of her slice and later swallows it.
"I also read a lot of graphic novels such as The Crow, The Giver, and The Perks of Being A Wallflower." Asori then has another bite of her slice. After swallowing it, the group keeps it up.
"What about you, Aubrey?" Asori asks with her eyebrows being raised to question her new colleague. Aubrey has a small laugh before she talks.
"For me, as you may have guessed, I'm a massive Pokémon fan." Aubrey gestures to her clothes as a means to prove her point. She then gets back to downing her slice as Shadow Bird's turn comes up.
"Besides inventing stuff, fighting crime is one of the things I like to do as I get to help people and annoy the bad guys." Shadow Bird takes a bite of his slice after finishing his sentence.
"What do you invent exactly, Shadow Bird?" Jayden inquiries as his life peak his and everyone else's interest.
"Just my gadgets and things I taught myself. Those things being how to operate a car, making a skateboard from scratch, and hacking into high-security buildings." Shadow Bird takes another bite of his pizza slice before Ashley speaks up.
"So, you took down a high-security bad guy base?" Ashley asks with intrigue building inside her. Is this guy just a teen Batman?
"Yep," Shadow Bird tells it as it is after swallowing his slice.
"Cool. As for me, I don't have a ton of hobbies, mainly because I've got a lotta stuff going on right now," Ashley says in a deeply melancholic manner. Everyone takes notice, but they don't bug her about it. It's just none of their business.
"Well, for me, it's usually drawing. I'm also a huge anime fan," Jayden says before finishing his slice. Jayden will admit. He's never had lots of friends. This is new to him. But he's happy regardless.
"What anime do you like watching?" Ashley casually asks.
Jayden explains, "Naruto, The Garden of Words, Angels of Death, A Silent Voice, and Kill la Kill."
"Dude, Kill la Kill is fire!" Shadow Bird laughs as he high fives Ashley for her comment.
"I know. I made a fire pun, don't judge me." The group then lets out a small chuckle at that joke.
"Your fire puns are good but not as good as some of the Star Wars prequel trilogy," Asori retorts.
"Wait, you liked the Star Wars prequels?!" Ashley shouts, her tone sounding offended by Asori's interest.
"No, I said I loved some of the prequel trilogy. The rest can go die in a fire." Asori can't contain her smile and snickers loudly at that pun she made.
"How many fire puns is this gonna lead to?" Ashley sarcastically moans.
"Who knows, Ms. Fire," Shadow Bird says, nudging her shoulder as Ashley playfully punches her teammate's arm.
"Shut up, Batman!" The howling laughter erupts from the team as they continue their talk related to jokes and other topics they're all interested in. The light entity's smile can brighten any room. He uses that same smile as he looks on at the conversing youngsters. Making his way to his workshop, Starsis looks at the picture close to his heart. Both kid brothers have not a care in the world. So innocent. So hopeful. No one, not even these kids, ever truly know how much he missed those days. But sadly, Starsis knows the lives of many, including his own, will cease to exist if Evilkin isn't taken care of. Hopefully, these kids can avoid his fate and help in cleansing the multiverse of his brother's evil.
YOU ARE READING
The Alta Heroes (J.F.)
Adventure"May this be a story anyone can be helped by." - Julian Finholm In the words of Julian Finholm, prepare for a story of heroism and humanity. Starsis and Evilkin, embittered entities who were once loving brothers, bring into their war five misfit te...
