Black Star

10 - Sapphire

MANY YEARS AGO, TITOL (BLACK STAR'S HOME PLANET)

Using her abilities to create stone-like steps, a teenage Sapphire and Onyx would stealthily make their way up. Travelling up the side of one of Titol's tallest mountains, the twins made it their mission to reach the top before nightfall.

They didn't know why they were doing this, or what awaited them at the top. But after all, they were just curious...

After hours of climbing, reaching the peak of the mountain proved to be easy enough. Stepping out of the shadows of the clouds, the twins stared towards each other.

"So... what now?" Sapphire asked.

"Now... well... we get to see something new," Onyx replied. "Something we've never seen before. Something very interesting."

The two turned their head towards the edge of the mountain. Stopping by the edge, the twins peered out over the view. Being at such a high altitude, the pair were delighted to such a beautiful view. A section of the planet was laid out before them, sparkling under the light of the sun.

"Look... it's like the whole world is glowing... " Sapphire said as she looked out towards the horizon. "It's amazing."

"Yeah... I can't believe we're seeing this." Onyx agreed. "This is a first... for us... at least."

They began looking out at the land below, taking in the sights. Soon enough, they spotted something moving down there. Onyx noticed it first, spotting an enormous blue-green bird flying through the air. The twins watched it fly past, examining its shape.

"Shit..." Sapphire gasped as she too spotted it. "A Rekdon."

"That's not good." The male gulped as the creature turned its attention to the twins.

"We have to leave." Sapphire shuddered. "Now!"

Without another word spoken, they turned around before scuttling over to the steps which Sapphire had created for them. Sapphire went fast, attempting to scale down the mountain as fast as she could. Onyx was just behind her, keeping an eye on the bird as he made his way down. But within a few minutes, the Rekdon flew towards the duo.

"Hey!" Onyx yelled. "What do you think you're doing? We don't want any problems!"

The beast cocked its head back, staring right at the twins. Its wings were spread wide, revealing its sharp talons and long beak.

"Oh no..." Sapphire whispered.

Before either of them knew it, the Rekdon flew at them and attacked and attacked!

Falling into a defensive stance, Onyx blocked the beast's attack with his arm. But this caused him to stumble, with the rocks beginning to give way underneath him. Stopping in place and turning to her brother, Sapphire would shriek before trying to climb over to him.

But the Rekdon wasn't done yet.

"Get away from him!" She screeched as its beak lunged at Onyx again.

With its head lowered, Onyx would grab hold of the Rekdon's long tail feathers, trying to pull himself to safety. As soon as he thought he did, the claws of the creature raked across him, tearing across his back. Onyx yelped out in pain, causing him to lose balance. Within a second, he fell off the mountain. The creature moved towards Sapphire, smacking its wings onto the female's head. She too would lose balance, joining her brother in falling off the edge.

Both siblings would tumble downwards, with seemingly nothing to save them. But as they fell, Sapphire's eyes flickered open. Seeing the ground coming in quickly and her brother just ahead of her, the woman would scream. Being surrounded by some kind of visible energy, the woman took control of the gravity around her. Causing the pair to stop in place, she'd gasp with shock. But seconds later, the Rekdon plummeted down towards them. Still full of rage and anger, Sapphire screamed. Staring directly at the bird-like creature, it would explode!