I stood in awe as we saw it. From the subterranean sky, where the night was eternal and false, a thousand stars suddenly appeared over the four of us.
They were beautiful, each one shining like a tiny light. They slowly fell, and I was immediately a child again. It reminded me of the innocence of the first snowfall back home, as I reached out to grasp one of these lights, to feel it’s warmth and beauty with mine own fingers.
Dahlia wasted no time in tackling me to the ground, yanking me from my daydream.
“Are you crazy?! That is thermite rain! Activate your barrier before our skin melts off!”
I panicked, feeling exceptionally foolish as I stumbled to my feet.
“Shit shit shit!”
I closed my eyes tightly as I raised my arms to attempt a barrier to shield us all before who knows what happens. The starlight was beautiful, but the more that surrounded us, the gentle light turned harsh and blinding. I stumbled out my incantation as I prepared for impact.
“Great One I beseech you, Grant me tranquility and peace!” The final word came from my mouth as I braced for my impending death. Or further scolding from Dahlia. Honestly, both are possible.
Well, I noticed after a moment I wasn’t dead. Or being yelled at. I peeked out of one eye to see the thermite munitions sliding off of my spectral barrier slowly.
I breathed a sigh of relief as my barrier pulsed around my companions and I. I did it. For the first time, the Gods heard my plea and answered it in kind. If we weren’t at the razor’s edge of oblivion, I would be happy. My family at the monastery would be so proud. Suddenly however, my eyes felt heavy, and my shoulders drooped as I struggled to stay awake. Is this what that figure meant? That the Gods don’t do anything for free?
“Adrian, what the hell man?! You were supposed to be in charge of the recon for the investigation? I thought you said he didn’t HAVE any powers?” Dahlia shouted to the only other guy on the team, absolutely loving how ass-up this entire investigation of the subterranean garden was going.
A ginger boy scoffed and rolled his eyes in response to Dahlia before crossing his arms. He muttered, somewhat quietly. “Last I checked he didn’t.”
He wasn’t seeming too exasperated. More of a pout, really.
“I scanned him the moment we saw him bumbling around the River-Well earlier Even then, he showed no signs of any magic expertise..”
Before us stood what looked to be a boy around our age in a black face-mask, a brown denim jacket, paired with some jeans and dirty sneakers. He would appear comically like a Korean pop-idol at the airport if it wasn’t for the fact he turned out to be calling thermite from the sky like the second coming of the Mage-King.
The boy took the same strange stance again. He stood clutching something in his palm and looked toward the sky. He muttered the same words he did earlier.
“Wish Upon a Star I invoke thee. Smite mine enemies.”
Just as before, a thousand shining stars blinked to life again in the sky high above us, before beginning their slow descent and inevitable crash into the already burning earth.
We begin running immediately back toward the ruins we found ourselves in for any semblance of shelter.
Dahlia was even more irate than before, her messy bangs parting only for her glowing orange eyes. “What the hell is going on?! Your scouting ability isn’t working for shit, and now they won’t stop making this WISH to kill us!”
Adrian growled as he ran beside me. “I don’t get it either! Whatever is going on here isn’t normal! The Foundation probably doesn’t know someone like this has been hiding down here, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent us on a recon mission so unprepared!
I frowned in thought. Man, fuck the foundation. Do they EVER get details like this right? Shit like this is the reason I should’ve just stayed in college. I didn’t have enough time to ponder my distate for our employer long enough before a star crashed right before our feet near the shelter we took.
“F-fuck!” The thermite continued to crash onto the ground setting the grass ablaze in a white light.
Dahlia growled again. “Ugh. This isn’t going to work. We can’t just sit here, the air is getting thicker with whatever those stars are made of. We can’t just wait it out, we’re going to have to stop this somehow. Let’s split up. Harrison, take the crawl path and try to get behind him. If you get close, you can defend against his attacks the easiest. Adrian, Maria, and I will try to keep his attention from the front. Got it?
I gave a half-hearted salute. “You got it captain. But you owe me after this.”
Dahlia nodded. “All you can eat sushi. Sorry your first mission turned into a nightmare.”
I got moving to try to sneak as best I could. It took time, and the sun was setting. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an eerie glow across the war-torn landscape, I found myself face-to-face with our target. It seemed he was expecting me. His face flickered with a rage that felt personal, his eyes looking almost through me, exhibiting an otherworldly intensity.
“Who are you?” I demanded, my hand instinctively reaching for the grip of my axe.
A wry smile played upon the stranger’s lips. “Doesn’t matter. But what you should know is you made a mistake coming here. The foundation don’t care about people like you, less you’re linin’ their pockets.” The voice was gruff, and somewhat hurt.
Before I could respond, the boy raised their arms towards the darkening sky. “Witness the power of the heavens, that which the Gods would keep you deprived of. Wish Upon a Star!”
The sky above us erupted in a dazzling display of light. Countless stars, burning with the intensity of a thousand suns, began to fall towards the battlefield. As they descended, the stars transformed into searing droplets of thermite, setting the world ablaze.
I watched in horror as the burning rain consumed everything it touched, reducing the ruins to molten ash. The air grew thick with the acrid scent of melting metal.
Amidst the chaos, the boy stood untouched, unfazed, practically unchanged. “This is but a taste of my power. Surrender now, or face the wrath of the stars.”