"Every star has its origins, some escaped from the darkness they were born and lived in the light, and some came from the light to fall into the abyss of their past"
-Author
"So...you knew everything now, haven't you?", Shin asked with her head low.
"Not everything, Shin, just some hunches and puzzle pieces. Until now that is, if...you're ready to tell me", Anne said, she came closer to Shin's face and lifted her gaze to hers.
"...Very well, but first, let me show you my true nature," Shin said and flew farther away from her.
In the void inside Anne's dream, Shin closed her eyes, and boom! Light scattered and changed the entire place to what seemed to be a beautiful starry sky, where the moon was full of glow, the galaxies in swirling colors of blue, pink, violet, and purple, and the planets, in their most prestige figures. Some fade from sight while others in the course of the collision, life forming anew from its broken parts.
Bewildered by the scenery, Anne was even more surprised to see Shin—no, not in her usual long dress, but a Star Guardian, a yellow one at that. With fluffy blue hair leveled at her chest, eyes as yellow as custard, skin like pearl-white sand, and wings in a gorgeous mixture of yellow and blue with twinkling stars as if the universe was at her back all this time. This was the girl who saved Anne's life, giving her another chance to live, a change for the best. A sweet smile that seems unthinkable to be one of the dark sides. But the only promising detail Anne realized was her star gem, it was gone, and a star gem gives a Star Guardian the power to extinguish the darkness. This very doubt only made Shin come closer to the curious Anne.
"You're wondering where my gem is, aren't you?" Shin asked.
"It's just strange for me Shin—"
"Please...call me Rheia, that's the name I was born with and who I was before all of this" Shin added. She took Anne's arms and together, they explored the vastness of the place.
"Wait! You're that Rheia? You look like a younger version of Xayah"
"I am, but please call me in your comfort. Also, thank you for that. It has certainly been a while since someone had spoken to me.."
"Okay... Rheia, the others have their star gems, why don't you?" Anne asked.
With the help of the feather she kept, Anne was able to learn more about the Star Guardians, specifically their star gems through ancient scriptures she read months ago. How each color signifies their purpose and capabilities on the battlefield, as well as the dangers of possessing one.
"You're talking about... the team?" Rheia questioned, and Anne nodded.
"So they were the ones you mentioned about... The people who will explain everything to me?" Anne asked.
Although the little details formed together to make a bigger part has already sufficed Anne about beings from another universe, what she has known so far was yet a quarter of the whole picture greater than she could imagine.
"...Yes but they will suspect you for being a Dark Corruptant due to knowing so suddenly about me. Only a few beings, including the Star Guardians, knew of my existence. Humans had always remained dormant about us, protecting them from the temptation of power. Also, Mom might kill you.
"What's a Dark Corruptant?" Anne asked.
"It's better if we sit this down, this will be a very long story," Rheia said, offering her a spot to sit next to her.
"Before anything else!" Anne rushed for an answer.
"Why do you look... different than before?"
Rheia sighed and replied gently, "You first encountered me as who I died as, someone on the outskirts of life and death, good and evil, someone on a mission to alter fate. Now this is my first look, at what I looked like before becoming a Star Guardian, a spirit under the care of the First Star"
As the girls sat on top of a sea of clouds, gazing at the world down below, Rheia began telling Anne her tale as old as the universe.
"I am the Princess of the Stars, the Mother of Familiars, the Prime Star, and the End Star, but before all that, I was a Star Guardian, my long-time wish as a spirit", Rheia smiled, showing memories of her past in the form starlights dancing in mid-air.
"When I was sent out for my new mission and team, I found out that I carried this title, but the crown meant something deeper than the surface, it was horrible and total chaos. Since then, I slowly lost everything; my friends, family, and... my sanity as I grow stronger over the years. Being a princess means... being a sacrifice to keep the balance between light and dark." Rheia said.
"So you're dead because of this?" Anne asked. She looked at the spirit with pity in her eyes.
"No Anne," Rheia wiped her tears.
"I died way more times before turning back into a spirit. First, to ease the corruption of Xayah and Rakan, then save the team from an abyss, then help bring Rakan back to the good side, and finally to end the unforgiving fate of being a Guardian, by destroying my gem, along with the very life in me"
Anne turned silent for a moment and continued.
"...Why do you have to destroy your gem?"
"A Star Princess is a very powerful being in the universe, as powerful as the source of light and dark itself, one that many would hunt down to solely have that power," Rheia explained
"And that power was?"
"The Prime Star and End Star, the keys to unlock the true forces of the ultimate beings, the First Star and Dark Star, the very hearts of the creation of multiple worlds and their lives", Rheia said in a broken tone.
As she continues her tale, Anne could see the pain she went through just to keep everyone she loves safe, even if it means paying with her life. It was then that Anne realized that someone out there has experienced a life much more painful and harder than hers, and for that, she was grateful for a different life.
"So it was you all along, wasn't it? I would've died that rainy night but you gave me another chance. My changes inside and out were yours. This body, talent, courage, and persona; none of it belongs to me, I was just living life as you would have...", This made Anne more conscious about herself, doubting if any of her decisions and memories made so far were hers or Rheia's preference.
"...You are... right, some of your changes were because of me". At last, there was a long silence in that haven dream but then broke when Rheia placed her hand on Anne's shoulder.
"But there were things only you did to yourself, those that I have never done in my life"
"And that was?~"
"Living your life to the fullest, never had I had that same fire in you because I was constantly living in fear, afraid to lose my loved ones because of who I am and what I am capable of. For being a coward, I put them all in danger and lost too much more that I could recover". Rheia smiled.
As time passed, both girls felt relief as their hearts were free from a slight burden. Yet another problem falters the peace between Rheia and Anne—they have been found.
"Anne, though Valoran City may look at peace, it won't be for long if they win," Rheia said.
This startled the girl but as she was about to ask for more, everything was starting to fade, including Rheia, it was morning already and Anne had to wake up.
"WAIT! Rheia, who are they? How can I find them?"
"You don't have to because they already did but mistake them not for allies. They are watching you near and far, they've been with you on your journey to this city. Always be wary and strong, and stay alive Anne, for, in the reign of light, darkness follows, waiting in stillness. Looking for a moment to strike, when you are at your weakest"
....
YOU ARE READING
AFTER STARLIGHT
FanfictionAn ordinary girl with an ordinary life one day becomes someone different. Determined to know memories from someone she felt familiar with, the girl ventures to a new place shown by her odd dreams. Little by little, she has learned to adapt to her ne...
