Still Stars

A small boy stared up into the stars upon a warm summer night. His eyes were locked on one singular, still Star within that clear sky. Among all the shimmering flickers of light above, he found himself drawn to that singular one.

'Antares..' the boy thought with a slight grin. 'I wonder.. what is he like?'

He turned his eyes away from the stars. He knew something that no other in the world knew, something that, if he were to try and say it out loud, he'd be labeled insane.

A gentle breeze flowed across the landscape, whistling across the grass that wavered in it's whispers. A singular tree hung high over that field, the brimming light of Tokyo city behind him, flaring up like an explosion stopped in time, just before the destruction.

Behind him was his home, within, were his sister, mother and father. They lived on the outskirts of Tokyo, away from the bustling business.

'One day…' the boy thought, 'I'd like to meet the stars. But, as Icarus did, I won't burn. That.. would be my one wish.. and I hope to see it come true before…'

A sad smile crossed the boy's lips as his eyes shimmered with a faint gold glow. 'Before they come for me. But.. I don't have much time left. I know I won't live much longer.. but I'll die content.. knowing I'm one of the few.. who know the truth…'

He smiled, looking up at the sky, "of the stars." He spoke aloud.

~~~

Many would tell you stars are made up of gases and chemical reactions that create their radiant, burning light that shines across the depths of the endless void of space. But, that simply isn't true.

In reality, every single star you see, is the home-world to a god, each god's power and strength deriving from their star. Within each of the solar lights, there is a shimmering city of which the descendants of that god, or Star Born, reside.

Antares; one of the brightest stars of them all, and the Star Born himself, one of the strongest. Among the stars, he was a legend, a hero, who saved the entirety of Yterris (the Milky Way) from utter destruction.

Antares sat upon his throne of obsidian, brimming embers of flame glowing from within the crystalline black. The throne room was made entirely of gold walls and pillars, stones of obsidian embedded within the walls giving off the dim glow of firelight that cast shadows dancing across the golden floor.

Antares's marigold eyes stared off into the distance in the direction of the throne room entrance, but he was observing what no one else could see. Lost deep within his own thoughts, he tapped his finger upon the armrest of his throne as his head rested on his fist.

Antares had long black hair that flowed down past his shoulders, the ends of each strand fading into a reddish shade. He had dark tan skin and he wore a long, tattered cloak of black and dark brown cloth. Beneath the cloak was his bare, chiseled chest covered with scars. He wore black obsidian armor on each shoulder, as well as over his legs, each plate of armor lined with gold accents whilst the fiery glow illuminated from within the obsidian.

Leaning against one side of his throne was an obsidian and gold lance, the weapon thin and elegant, ending in a defined, sharp point as gold spiraled about the obsidian base. On the other side, was a large shield of obsidian. Unlike the lance, it had no gold, but a luminous red light flowed from its center, shimmering through the crystalline weapon.

'My star is on the verge of its next stage..' Antares thought. 'If I can just keep its growth going as it has been… I will move up from a Nova rank Star Born to a Nebulous rank.' An image of a figure with long white, silvery hair, cold blue eyes and a large, silver sword crossed his mind. 'Then.. no one will look down on me ever again.'

Among the hierarchy of Star Born, each star has the Star Born, the king, or the god. Within the city of that star, were the descendants of that star born, of whom serve their lord. There is the royal soldiers, and there are the workers, and the civilians. That is the hierarchy of each star, but, the stars themselves have their own hierarchy.

Each star, based upon its strength and light, has a rank. The ranks are as follows, from lowest to highest: Immortal, Elite, Divine, Nova, and finally Nebulous.

Most Star Born are somewhere between Elite and Divine. A small hand full are of Nova rank, and there are only eleven Star Born that are Nebulous rank, the strongest of them… again, the same figure crossed Antares's mind.

'Sirius.' Antares thought, clenching his jaw. Sirius challenged Antares to a duel once upon a time, after Antares had saved the Yterris. He likely wanted to see how strong Antares was.. but it was a completely one sided fight, and in the end, those cold eyes stared down on Antares with contempt.

Antares clenched his fist. 'I.. can't be weak. I need to get stronger, and then.. no one will ever look down on me again.'

The Nebulous Star Born had the habit of looking down on any below their rank, viewing them as lower beings not worth their time. It was frustrating, most of all to Nova ranks, especially those on the verge of being Nebulous. But it couldn't be helped.

Just then, the doors to the throne room opened wide and a soldier covered head to toe in obsidian and gold armor entered the room. A royal guard.

Antares lifted his head.

"What is it, Inor? Is everything alright?" Antares asked. Inor was his general and most trusted and loyal descendant.

"I apologize for disturbing you in your time of thought, Lord Antares, but…" Inor began.

"But?"

"Something is wrong. There are strange Solar Waves just beyond our star's reach, and it is heading towards us."

"What?" Antares blinked in surprise, then he closed his eyes, releasing his own Solar Waves.

Using his own Solar Waves to search beyond his own Star, Antares searched for the presence that Inor had spoke of. And then he felt it, the dark, negative energy from what was most definitely a Solar Born.

Crimson flames formed around Antares's back like a crest as his merigold eyes opened with a stern look. He stood from his throne, retrieving his weapons and walking past Inor.

"Ready our defenses. Be ready to fight." Antares spoke.