9th Generation; The Celestial Knight Part 1

Choosing a Cool name is Always the Hard Part

_universal_save_yz54846121b9n_phoenix_

It's been three months since I've seen darkness. Three months of travelling through the Zero Space running away from her. Three months of unease, not knowing when I'll draw my last breath.

I suppose we could run forever but my team and I are done with running. We make our final stand today. Of course 'day' is a planetary term. We're travelling through Zero Space where time and space are both irrelevant planes. Zero space is the definition of nothing. A white canvas that's been left unpainted between the fabric of space and time. The "place" where an eternal game of cat and mouse was playing out. We're the mouse. It's all my fault really. I shall carry the burden of my mistakes, knowing my incompetence may have spelled the end of our universe.

That is why I decided to stop running. I don't want to be remembered as the Guardian who ran for all eternity. If I'm going to die, I might as well go down with a fight and hope I make a difference. And If not I hope the next generation's Guardian will succeed where I have failed.

I bring The Crusader to a halt, breaking back into reality. We re-materialised right at the centre of the Universe, between the two aspects; a Hyper Star and a Super-massive Black Hole. It's a spectacle to behold, even at my final hour. The two driving forces of the universe were each as large as small galaxies. Flares from the Hyper Star arced across and were immediately absorbed by the Black hole; The Symbol of Beginning and End. It's mesmerising to watch the endless cycle. Each of the two Aspects we're orbited by much smaller spheres. Universe cores. Generators of elements and forces. The Hyper Star is surrounded by three while the Black Hole has seven....

I didn't need that to remind me we're on the loosing side. Only me and three of my team are left alive, the other four didn't make it. They fought valiantly but in the end they were no match for her. They we're annihilated and I ran because I was too weak to do anything.

She caught up. Less than a minute after we arrived. She was closer than I thought. Reappearing out of a worm hole was a Celestial Shark. The Crusader was massive, even for star-ship standards, but it was but a fly to the celestial being capable of swallowing entire planets with ease. She however isn't the shark. That is simply her host. She is sitting inside the shark no doubt laughing at my decision, savoring every moment. She is my shadow. Zera. The embodiment of Entropy. The natural degree of randomness and disorder. Chaos. Her goal is to accelerate the growth of our universe. Particle interaction will decrease to the point where no new stars can be formed and the universe falls into heat death.

Stars give off light and energy but their main role is their affinity to the Hyper Star. Each planetary system, each star Zera destroys, loosens the forces holding the universe together.

I intended to stop her by creating stars and planets faster than she could destroy them but my plan backfired. About a year ago, I had accidentally created a new type of life. Symbiotic celestial bodies. Enormous 'living' beings made up of small planets of pure elements that act as elements. They are naturally passive beings, roaming the galaxies absorbing starlight. Zera took advantage of this and infested a juvenile celestial shark. It was too young to fight back for control but even though it was young, it could devour planets faster than I could make them.

Everything fell apart from there. One day we tried freeing the celestial shark but that proved disastrous. We lost Chloe that day. Fighting it is impossible. We lost three others during our next few attempts. Running worked better but we can't run forever. There is one more option.

Seven shapes emerged from the shark's body. The shadows of my comrades. They all inhabited huge creatures but they were all insignificant compared to Zera.