**New Dawn: A Star Guardian Tale** Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Star Gazing
How many stories start with a dream? Nightmares, visions, recurring images, haunting memories, or even waking from a dream. There must be thousands, hundreds of thousands, of others beginning this way, but it seems that this is how, especially for us, every one of our particular stories is prefaced. My story is no different. It makes me think sometimes. Maybe when we sleep some part of us is still awake, or maybe when the stars shine in the night sky we are more susceptible to their power, being made more aware of the universe beyond ourselves and our time. Sometimes I think dreams are the way First Star tries to talk to us; sometimes I think dreams are the only way First Star CAN talk to us.
Spine chilling wind interrupted my train of thought as it whipped my hair across my face. Snow crunched under my boot as I adjusted my stance to keep my balance. Shivering, I ran a gloved hand over my head to keep the lengthy brown hair in place. The dull roar of the gust echoed off the cliffs of Mount Targon mimicking a deep voiced choir. As the freezing gust died down to a chilly breeze, the clouds above the peak parted to reveal golden sunlight beginning to creep over the mountain from the opposite side. Morning had passed; noon was rapidly approaching. By the time I climbed to the bottom it would be late in the afternoon.
“Damn,” I whispered. I had hoped to be back in town before nightfall. The only way to do that now would be to fly there. It would take little to no effort to do so, but risking my identity to save a few hours of travel time did not seem wise. A cold sigh escaped me, producing wisps of vapor that were quickly dissipated by the wind. I peered down at the campsite miles below me and the meadow where a brief but fierce battle took place the night before. Hardly any sign remained of the carnage. Some stones had moved and some trees had branches missing, but it was otherwise unassuming. Only another Star Guardian would likely be able to tell exactly what transpired there.
A lot happened last night. I begin shuffling through the snow as I take it all into account. Like many, many stories, mine begins with a dream from some time ago. It begins in a boundless sea of emptiness, floating through a lonely universe. Slowly, hours it feels like, stars come into view. One by one the faraway specks of light flickered into existence. Reaching out for them, I begin to feel them also reaching out to me. Eventually, there were stars in every direction, and I could sense them all; each one a part of First Star, each one a life in the vast expanse of an endless universe. Among the billions of stars surrounding me, four of them shone brighter than the rest. The four of them approached me from different sides, and as they moved closer I realized that they were the lights of other guardians. However, the lights took no forms. “Who are you,” I ask, but before I get an answer, I wake up. Having mulled over this dream for months, the conclusion I came to is that the people these lights represent may not yet be Star Guardians, and maybe First Star has given me the task of finding and awakening them.
Some students at Valoran City University mentioned a star gazing event being held at the base of Mount Targon. If I was to find potential Guardians, that would be a good place to look next. I volunteered to chaperone the event, but the astronomy club and faculty insisted they had everything covered. I went to the mountain anyway. I was no stranger to Mount Targon. Even before First Star awakened the power within me, I made frequent visits to the snowcapped peak. It was the best place to see the stars, at least on nights not plagued by raging snowstorms. Snow rarely fell during the summer, but the absurdly high altitude kept the winter snowfall from melting.
On the day of the meteor shower, I flew up the side of the mountain under the abundant cover of pine trees. Even when not fully transformed, a soft golden light still envelops me when I use anything beyond the most basic of my powers. Although strange things have been going on in many parts of the world these days, a flying, golden glowing man would still turn the heads of just about anyone who saw him. Some guardians may not mind sharing their secrets, but I prefer to be more discrete if I can help it. After the trees became increasingly sparse and farther apart, I took the rest of the trek on foot. It was a clear day. No clouds in sight. Sunlight reflected of the patches of snow. Each flake sparkled faintly when the sunlight hit it at the right angle, mimicking small clumps of stars spread across the rocks and dirt. It was one of the small details I enjoyed most about visiting Targon.
It was just before sundown when I arrived near the top of the mountain. I never got tired of gazing at the valley. I’ve lost myself several times standing atop the cliffs, my eyes repeatedly following the river flowing toward the hills that kissed the horizon. The golden-orange light of the sunset bathed the scene in a calm radiance. I breathed in the majesty of it all along with the faint aroma of pine and snow. I shrugged off my pack and got to work. I had a small camp set up just after dark. A small metal bowl hung over a fire, bubbling and steaming as I stirred the chicken and vegetables around.
“Almost,” I said to myself in anticipation. Little did I know I was right about more than one thing. Hardly two seconds after I had poured myself a cup of delicious soup I heard a low rumbling noise coming from near the campsite. About half a mile away from a small group of tents was a meadow. There were cracks in the earth, like the cracks on an egg of a chick about to hatch. Although not many eggs I knew of emitted a sickly greenish glow. Moments later the cracks burst into a spider web of chasms. Reaching for the hammer leaning against my folding stool, I prepared myself for combat. Creatures from the void, beings that only know to consume, destroy, and breed; it is a Star Guardian’s duty to protect all worlds from their threatening invasion, consequences be damned. A blast of pink and red lights stayed my hand.
“What in the…,” I whispered. Before I even had a chance to finish my thought, five lights shone from the campsite and zoomed up and over to the meadow. I stepped to the edge of the cliff and began to watch, curious about the scene unfolding below me. I expected to see a few fledgling Star Guardians or perhaps one with some experience, but not two teams with some seasoned fighters among them. It was clear that the people I was looking for were not among those fighting the hordes of void spawn below. They had already found their place. Not even the largest monster I’ve seen in a long while lasted long in front of them. Knowing there were more guardians out there should have put me at ease, but all I felt was frustration. It was possible that this whole trip was a waste of time. The thought made me livid. Once the woods were clear of the void spawn, the Guardians began to seal the breach in the void. Then all was silent. No sounds of explosions and laser blasts, no void spawn squealing, no insects chirping, not even a goddamned gust of wind. I exhaled through my nostrils, breaking the sullen hush. I kicked some snow onto the fire, grabbed my hammer, and went to my tent. I hardly slept.
There was only a field now separating me from the end of the dirt road. A small group of people were waiting in the shade of some boulders for the bus to come pick them up. They must have been the ones who didn’t enjoy camping as much as they thought they would because many of them looked more than eager to leave. I was eager to join them. I wanted to enjoy the few remaining days of summer before the fall semester started. I needed a break from my tireless search for new guardians. It had consumed me so that I’d forgotten to do some of the little things to prepare for my classes. If I lost track of something so simple, how could I be expected to lead a team of untrained- “Taric,” a woman shouted, derailing my train of thought.
She calmly but swiftly approached me from a cabin at the edge of the field, her long black hair trailing behind her. Her piercing gaze was locked on me. As she got closer, I could hear her footsteps crushing the grass beneath her. She was pissed. “Morgana,” I said, trying to greet her casually. She greeted me with a firm tug on the collar of my shirt, trying to bring my face down to her level.
“What the hell are you doing here,” she asked me. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t show up.”
I remembered that conversation differently. “No, YOU agreed I wouldn’t show up.” I took her hand off of my shirt. Her nostrils flared a bit as she exhaled. “Besides, I’m leaving.” This seemed to disarm her. Her scowl faded and she blinked a few times in confusion. Our arguments usually went on for much longer, neither of us wanting to lose or back down. It wasn’t always this way though. “I didn’t find what I was looking for up here.” For a moment I saw my old friend in her hazel eyes. She sighed and relaxed her face. I couldn’t help but do the same.
“What were you looking for,” she asked. Damn it all. I didn’t realize what I was saying. I couldn’t tell her my secret. There’s no rule preventing me from telling anyone, but I’m not one to divulge life-changing information without good reason. She reached back up to where she grabbed my shirt to straighten out the collar. “Well?” I avoided eye contact.
“I’d rather not say.” I took her hand. It was soft and familiar. She didn’t try to pull it away. It looked like her anger had subsided for the moment.
“Does it have something to do with…?” She trailed off. Neither of us liked to speak about the big fight we had long ago. I nodded. “Why can’t we go back to how it was before then?”
“Things change. Sometimes life just doesn’t work the way we plan it to be.” It was right after I became a Star Guardian. I would disappear without explanation, I was always exhausted, and I ignored her worries about me. I couldn’t blame her for getting upset. “And sometimes we don’t take it very well.”
“I know what you mean.” She squeezed my hand. “I just went through a… Pretty big change.” I could feel her pulse getting faster by the second. I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb to calm her down, just like I used to all those years ago. “I don’t know why I’m saying this,” she said, looking me in the eyes with a nervous smile on her face, “but I think I’m a magical girl. You know, like the ones from those cartoons when we were kids?” My eyes shot open, and I could feel my jaw hit the ground. She snickered at what must have been the stupidest face I’ve made in years. “Yeah, I know. Crazy, right?”
Well, there it is. Chapter 1 of a Star Guardian fan fiction. I have more chapters on the way with more action, more drama, and more guardians. Stay tuned, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! [sg-miss-fortune]