Shattering the Stars

A Fate Which Still Remains

This chapter is dedicated to Mr. Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and main character and monster designer of the Dragon Quest series. While I've never gotten into Dragon Ball, I cannot deny it's along with his own influence on the world of anime, gaming, and other communities. Rest in peace, sir, and I hope you all enjoy.
-Justan

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 15: A Fate Which Still Remains

Eight held his breath as Empyrea and Landia soared higher into the sky and roared, portals opening just a couple meters away. As they neared the tears in reality, the regal Godbird noticed the slightly fearful look on the hero's face and chuckled warmly.

"Oh, Eight, there's no need to hold your breath, I can ensure that no harm will come to you as we travel," Empyrea explained, having cast a shield around herself and her dragon companion, allowing for Eight to survive in the vacuum of the dimensional portal.

"Alright!" Eight let his lungs relax as Empyrea and Landia flew through the doorway between the realms, getting almost blinded by a quick flash of light. When his vision returned, he was able to see a beautiful display of colors, light blue, to white, to green, streaming past him as he sat on the goddess's back. "Wow... I forgot just how gorgeous this view was..."

Landia could concur. Before all this had started, he rarely traveled the multiverse, but now that he had been jumping between realms so frequently, he found himself often admiring the sights. A small piece of him knew that Kirby would find it even more mesmerizing than Eight did.

The journey lasted but a moment, as the pair of legendary figures appeared in a new realms sky, sailing through the atmosphere like a kite on a breezy day, the need to flap their wings absent. They glided along a vast ocean, and eventually they saw a small, circular continent lining the southeastern horizon. On it, in front of a mountain range stretching from north to south, sat the kingdom of Aliahan, home of this worlds hero.

As the group reached land, flying over hundreds of acres of open fields by the continents northern region, a peculiar sight caught each of their eyes. West of Aliahan, on a miniscule island just off the coast of the kingdom's bay, were the remains of some structure. The Dreamer's Tower, Empyrea surmised, somehow destroyed by an event that she was not present for.

"I don't quite remember this place, in all honesty..." Eight admitted to himself as the group touched down on the outskirts of a forest that neighbored the cliffside overlooking the island with Dreamer's Tower.

Empyrea stood motionless while locked on the remnants of the tower across the stretch of water. Eight thought he noticed a part of the Godbird's shadow that didn't show up on Empyrea herself. Around where her wings blocked the light, along the ground, the outline of a vine was present. It bared thorns and moved on its own, like a snake slithering around. The hero blinked a couple times, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but when his view returned to Empyrea's shadow, it was perfectly normal.

"So where is this hero that we're looking for, hm?" Landia thought.

"He has a residence in Aliahan, visible across the ocean, there," Empyrea nudged her head towards the opposite coast. "It has been quite a while since his adventure, so I assume he is at home, however," She then looked at where Dreamer's Tower once stood, "I have a suspicion that he is somewhere there..."

"Then I guess we know where we're looking first," Eight said resignedly, somewhat unprepared to search through the pebbled ruins of what used to be a dungeon. He was at least glad that he had his sword and other equipment, although he was without the company of Munchie. Eleven was still fond of the fuzzy companion, even in its advancing age.