Guidestar Combatants

The Dessert

The scorching sun beat down on Aronik's back as he stood in the barren desert, a place that Jai had created specifically to torture him. It was a punishment for all the pain he had caused others, a place to make him feel the agony of his victims. And it was working. The first few days, he was able to withstand the heat and the physical pain. But as the days turned into weeks, the emotional pain began to take over.

Aronik remembered the day when he first got his wings, a mere sixteen-year-old living in ArrowHood, Pennsylvania. He didn't want them, but he knew it was his fate because of his father. He was told that he would obtain things that would make him regret his actions in the future, but at sixteen, he was only living for the present. He never thought about the consequences of his actions, about the people he hurt.

He had a group of friends back then, a diverse group that somehow managed to stick together. Angel, a young woman who struggled to breathe on land but was a natural in the water. Latem, a mysterious girl who never revealed her true self until one day, she confided in Aronik that she was the daughter of a famous flying hero. Dream, a boy with a peculiar name and an even more peculiar ability - he could read and use people's thoughts against them. They were all so different, but they never let that come between them.

But then, someone started playing pranks on them, and suddenly, their friendship was put to the test. It wasn't just harmless jokes, though. These pranks were calculated and cruel, meant to cause harm and pain. And as they tried to figure out who was behind it all, the tensions between them began to rise.

Aronik couldn't help but think back to his younger self, so carefree and unaware of the consequences of his actions. Now, he was paying the price for his mistakes, trapped in this desert with nothing but his regrets and the pain of others to keep him company.

But as much as he wanted to blame Jai for his predicament, he couldn't deny that he deserved it. He had caused so much suffering, and now he was finally facing the consequences. And as the days passed, he couldn't help but wonder if this was truly his worst nightmare - or if it was just the beginning.

Back in the scorching desert, the heat was relentless. Aronik's anger was bubbling just beneath the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment. His heart ached with a pain that seemed to intensify with the rising temperature. He growled, the sound echoing in the empty landscape. He couldn't take it anymore. The feelings were consuming him, like a fire burning from within.

Beads of sweat covered his body, his clothes sticking to his skin in the oppressive heat. He wiped his brow with his arm, but it was useless. His arms were sweating just as much as the rest of him. The pain in his heart only grew more intense with each passing moment. How could he have not seen this coming? His cousin had always been envious of him, always had a grudge against him. But he never thought it would lead to this.

Aronik tried to distract himself by thinking back to his high school years, when things were simpler. But even those memories were tainted by the event that made him cringe to this day. He could still feel the betrayal, the hurt, the anger.

His thoughts were interrupted by his best friend, Dream, walking up beside him. They had been inseparable since elementary school, but lately, Dream had been distant. Aronik couldn't help but wonder if he had something to do with what happened.

As they walked, Aronik couldn't help but notice how different Dream seemed. He used to be carefree and fun-loving, but now he seemed guarded and secretive. Aronik couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt and confusion. What had changed between them?

Dream led him to an old building, the ArrowHood High School. But it was no longer a school. Dream explained that it had been turned into an all ages club. Aronik couldn't believe it. How had he not known about this? Had Dream purposely kept it from him?