Star Beings: Dawn

The Crow and The Lion

Within the hour, a tailor arrived to take measurements. When I attempted to protest, Corinna simply brushed it off and said I had been around "slobs" for far too long. Once they leave, I pick up my new phone once again, only to discover more texts. The Star Beings, or at least most of them, seem to understand. But I can't ignore the subtle anger laced into every sentence.
Elian, on the other hand, still begs me to reconsider. It hurts to see him literally bargaining with me for my own life. Especially since we both know that there isn't a choice. I can only apologize and hope it's enough.
However, his reaction is still better than Hade and Leigh's. They don't respond.
The sun sinks below the horizon, and I don't hear a single word from either of them. However, I do hear my name on the news once again.
"The notorious Dark Star is once again on the loose, having betrayed the Star Beings once again. We have reason to believe she has joined forces with the Shadow Lords... Gods have mercy on our souls."
I grab the remote and shut the television off, unable to stand another second of that man's horrendous voice. I check the time. Twelve AM.
Because of course it's midnight already.
I climb off of the couch, looking around the extravagant room. I had gotten used to my plain apartment with leigh. Now, the spacious suite with the large, fluffy bed, a television mounted on the wall, a couch, and a balcony with an extraordinary view of the mountains and valleys below them.
I slip out of the room and down the hall, each step all but silent as I creep into another intricately decorated room. Papers are scattered across a desk. Books are strewn across the room, pages torn out and ripped to shreds.
"What the-"
"Cori had a temper tantrum. She doesn't appreciate getting one upped, you know. Not even by her idol." A squeaky voice says out of the darkness. I spin around only to see the youngest lord perched on top of a bookshelf, staring down at me with a look of interest, his head tilted to the side.
"Whatever are you doing up this late, avicula?" I question, trying to keep a level head.
"I should ask you the same thing, lionne," the boy mumbles as he leaps from the shelf onto the floor, agile as a cat. "It's alright, Anaideia. I won't tell Cori."
His smirk vanishes as the dagger appears in my hand, its shape blurred around the edges yet still sharp enough to slice through bone if needed.
"Here's a lesson: Don't fuck around with a master of shadow in a dark room, brat." Yet, as the words leave my mouth, I immediately want to stuff them back in there. The poor kid is eerily calm. But not in the smug way of someone who knew they'd leave this little altercation unscathed. No, it was the casual manner of someone who had done this a thousand times before.
The exact attitude I had gained with my father after years of being pushed to the very brink of my abilities and still being told it wasn't enough. That I, the human weapon of destruction, was not enough for a feeble man such as Eligio Timor, who was too cowardly to own up to the supposed murder of his own wife and instead blamed his innocent younger brother.
"Just make it quick," the boy says through gritted teeth. Instead, I open my hand and the dagger rejoins the dark of the room once more. Cassius looks surprised. He isn't used to being let off the hook so easily.
"What-"
"Who?"
"Pardon?"
"Who?" I repeat, motioning to the scars on his face, hands, and neck. He hesitates before answering, but I know the culprit before he ever opens his mouth.
"Cori. After our mother died, Cain disappeared into these mountains. He went into some sort of grief after a couple of years, though Cori and I were long gone by then. We left for the nearest big city. Cori wanted to join a crime ring, mainly because she enjoys hurting people, and I had no choice to follow. Most mistakes were taken out on me, hence all of the scars. Cain still doesn't know. The last straw was a night where I had fucked up particularly badly. She flew into a fit of rage and attempted to blind me and, when that didn't work, she stabbed me in the gut and left me for dead as though I couldn't just heal myself and move on."
The boy sits down on the edge of the desk, his greasy black hair falling into his eyes. For the first time, I realize just how young he is. He can't be over seventeen.
He's just a kid.
"How did you manage to figure it out so quickly? Have I lost my edge?"
"No, not at all. In fact, I was starting to think you might have actually switched sides. I mean, seeing how you reacted to beheading Patricia, I had some doubts but your performance-"
"The crows were your doing????"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I was one of the birds on the window sill. I don't particularly enjoy you killing one of my friends, but Patricia was always a bit of a bitch anyways."
"Please tell me I didn't kill an actual human."
"No, you didn't. Patricia was a bird. However I have a whole flock that hangs around. Crows always seem to like me."
I study Cassius for a moment longer. He fidgets with his hoodie, twisting the fabric around in his hands.
"So you won't tell Corinna?"
"Oh, please. If I wanted to, I would have already. My older sister can go to hell for all I care."
with that, Cassius reaches down, opens a drawer, and hands me a stack of papers.
"Here's the battle plans for the next few months. Just tell the Star Being's I helped, ok?"
This is his way out, isn't it? He thinks that if I tell the Star Beings what he did they'll take him in.
Well, I will do so much more than that. I'll make Natalie swear that she'll allow the boy to join their side. I won't allow another child to be forced to become a weapon. Not this time.
"Alright, I will."
The boy flashes a thankful smile, which I return.  He gets up to leave, but I stop him after an idea comes to mind.
"Actually... could you help me with one more thing?"

The two of us took photos of every single document, all of which were sent to Natalie immediately followed by a text about Cassius. Once we were done, we both went back to our rooms with the agreement to hate each other during the day, in order to avoid suspicion, and then snoop around Corinna's office at night.
I lean on the railing of my balcony, the night air sending a chill down my spine. I hear my phone buzz from inside, and go to check it. It's Natalie thanking me for the info and promising that Cassius will be safe.
I need to keep that boy safe. Is that what Elian felt when I was a child? This desperate want to protect someone no matter the cost, to protect them from your same fate? I don't want this kid to be like me, and I can see that if I don't intervene then he may become even worse. He and his siblings... they aren't like me, or Hade, or even Leigh. They are something completely different, something that isn't completely human. I can't explain it. From what I've heard from DJ, Natalie and the others have all said that they have all of the capabilities of a star being and then some. But... that shouldn't be possible. Cain doesn't fall into the right time frame, and technically Cassius doesn't either. Corinna is my age, but there's never been two Dark Star's at once. Not to mention that they can heal themselves, so that cancels out that option. What the hell are they?
"Demigods." A voice says calmly. I practically jump out of my skin for the second time tonight, whirling around only to be met with a surprisingly familiar sight.
A medium sized man in an ironed, all black suit, with dark hair, red eyes, and pale skin. Better known as the god of destruction himself.
"You."
"Me. But, to answer your question once again, they're demigods."
"And how would you know that?"
"Well other than the fact that I am a literal god and omniscient being, they're my children."
Didn't I almost kill creation once? How hard would it be to kill their brother, I wonder?
"You mean to tell me that this is your fault?"
"Well-"
"You mean to tell me that your inability to keep it in your fucking pants-" "HEY!" "-is the reason that I had to get dragged out of prison and sent on a literal sucide mission???"
Destruction goes silent, and I storm inside.
"Anaideia-" the god starts, following me into my room.
"No. You know what? Get out. I can't deal with you right now." I snarl, reaching for my daggers. The time for negotiation has passed, and now I am fully prepared to stab this man if he doesn't fucking leave.
"Listen, do you want information on the kids or not?"
I slowly turn to face Destruction, the rage and curiosity inside me battling each other.
"What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly. The god motion towards my couch.
"You may want to sit down."