Star Keepers: Rebirth

Chapter 9

Cygnus shakes her head. "You're lying!"

Hydra laughs, sticks out a hand, and begins draining the life out of Cygnus. "His screams were music to my ears. Pitiful and pained. I've been waiting seventeen years to find and kill you both!" Hydra's sharp teeth were glimmering in the dying light, making his laugh all the more chilling. "Now here we are."

Cygnus felt faint as she felt the blood drain from her body. "Why are you doing this?"

"Too many people in the Star Realm."

"Don't lie!" Cygnus tries to look at him, but she can't lift her head. "If that were true, you would've done it years ago. And you wouldn't be hunting Lupus and I for seventeen years if it wasn't something more personal."

Hydra stares at her for a moment. "It would be useless to tell you. You won't be alive much longer." He smiles. "I'll kill you just like I did Lupus. Nice and slow, so every second I spent searching for you two would have been worth it."

Cygnus lets out a scream as her bones begin to ache.

"No!" Someone yelled. Cygnus opens her eyes to see Orion up off the ground, fighting his Hydra double.

The original Hydra lets Cygnus go, and he begins fighting Orion too. The other three also wake up and fight their doubles.

"Cygnus, are you okay?" Scorpius runs over to her when his Hydra is taken care of.

"He said he killed Lupus." Cygnus said. "He's lying. My ability was working. He's near, I know it."

"Okay, we'll search for him." Scorpius says. Cygnus nods and begins to join the fight, but Scorpius grabs her wrist. "We'll search for him." He gestures to the four of them.

"What? But you need help." Cygnus insists.

"You need to be in a safe place, the place we meant to take you when we first met." Scorpius closes his eyes.

"The Star Realm? You can't get it open!"

"We haven't tried in a while." Scorpius stays perfectly still as the sky turns dark despite the rising sun.

"It's working!" Corvus said.

A portal appears in front of Cygnus and Scorpius. "Go!" Scorpius tells her.

"No, I'm staying! I need to find Lupus!" Cygnus protests.

Scorpius doesn't listen. He pushes her through the portal. "Stay here!"

"No! Scorpius, let me help! Don't! I can help-" Before she can finish, the portal and Scorpius disappear.

Cygnus turns to see multiple Star Keepers staring at her.

"Who is that?" One asks.

"That can't be a mortal, can it?" Another said.

"Can someone tell me how to get out of here?" Cygnus asked.

"What's going on?" A lady asks. She wore a beautiful purple dress with matching shoes. She had black hair that went to her shoulders and had brown eyes, and a crown upon her head. Her eyes meet Cygnus's. "Oh my..." She walks forward. "Cygnus?" Cygnus doesn't reply, just stands awkwardly. "What are you doing here by yourself? Did they just find you? Where's Lupus?"

Cygnus doesn't answer any of her questions.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I need to introduce myself. I'm Ursa Major. Ursa for short." She smiles warmly.

Knowing who this was relaxed Cygnus a bit, yet she was almost intimidated knowing it was her creator.

Ursa puts her arm around Cygnus and guides her towards a much more private room. "Where were you, dear? Is everything all right?" Ursa asks.