False Promises of the Stars
"Hey, are you okay? My name is Maya De Astraia. Nice to meet you!" These were the final words spoken by a legendary warrior who fought against the forces of fate.
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Maya gazed up at the night sky, lost in thought as she spoke. "Dear Mom and Dad, it has been twenty years since we lost you. Today, while walking, I met a child who had fallen while running, and I helped him up. He was crying and scared, but I was able to calm him down and make him laugh. It reminded me of when I was little and used to fall all the time. You two were always there to pick me up and make me feel better. But I have not forgotten my promise to avenge our people and take back Vespera. With the power of all 48 ancient constellations at my command, I will do whatever it takes to bring justice to this world," she vowed.
Leo, her teacher, approached her and interrupted her prayer. "Oy oy oy, you're still praying? You're 25 years old now," he teased.
"Shut up," Maya retorted, annoyed at the interruption.
"When you're able to defeat me in battle, then you can go anywhere you wish and do your honorable blabbering," Leo challenged.
"Then, fight me!" Maya responded with determination.
"Alright," Leo agreed with a smirk, ready to put her skills to the test.
As they prepared to spar, a faint voice in the distance suddenly caught their attention.
"We... Finally... Found them..." the voice said.
Leo sprang into action, his voice ringing out through the night. "Who's there?" His eyes scanned the sky, searching for any sign of disturbance.
At first confused, Maya followed Leo's gaze and saw that he was looking toward Polaris. "Teacher, what do you see?" she asked, her heart racing.
"Maya, look toward Polaris and then go three trees to the south," Leo urged urgently. "Someone is hiding in the forest."
As Maya made her way toward the designated location, they heard another voice from the forest. "The stargazer, last descendant of De Astraia."
Leo tightened his grip on his sword. "Maya, on guard!"
Maya changed to a defensive stance and stood beside Leo. "Oculi De Solaris," he whispered. Maya followed suit with "Oculi De Astraia." Their eyes lit up with an otherworldly glow as they tapped into the power of the constellations.
"Aquila!" they shouted in unison, their voices ringing out into the night.
"Maya, stay behind me," Leo commanded.
"Yes, teacher," Maya replied obediently.
Suddenly, a pitch-black arrow shot out from the trees, barely visible in the darkness. Leo swiftly shattered it with his sword.
"The shadows, huh?" Leo mused aloud.
"Shadows?" Maya repeated, confused.
"As stargazers, we are natural enemies of the shadows faction. They gain immense power and evolve by consuming our eyes," Leo explained.
"By the look of it, they've been searching for those who escaped," Leo continued.
"Y-you mean on that incident 20 years ago?" Maya asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"More or less," Leo confirmed grimly.
"Watch out!" Leo shouted as shadows began to stir and move toward Maya.
He pushed her aside just as a shadow emerged from the ground, wielding a scythe and attacking Leo.
"Teacher!" Maya cried out, horrified.
Leo shielded himself with his sword, deflecting the scythe with a loud metallic clang.
He countered with a swift strike of his own, but the shadow easily dodged it and lunged again.
Maya watched in horror as the two figures clashed in a deadly dance, their movements almost too fast to follow.
"Oculi De Astraia!" Maya called out, activating her power.
"Ophiuchus!" Her eyes glowed with celestial light as a serpent made of the constellation appeared on her left hand, allowing her to see the shadow's movements more clearly.
"Teacher! Move toward Taurus!" Maya shouted as Leo and the shadow continued to exchange blows.
Leo saw that Maya was holding a serpent and immediately moved out of the way.
Maya threw the serpent and caught the shadow.
Seeing an opening, Leo struck the shadow, causing it to dissipate into a cloud of darkness.
He quickly sheathed his sword and turned to Maya.
"Let's go, we have to keep moving," he said, his eyes scanning the forest for any other threats.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through his skull, and he stumbled forward, holding onto his head.
He let out a gut-wrenching scream as he realized a small dart had been shot into his blind spot, piercing through his skull and lodging itself into his right eye.
Blood gushed from the wound, coating his face and clothes in a sickening red.
He fell to his knees, gasping for air as the pain seared through his body like a thousand knives.
He tried to speak but could only manage a weak grunt as the agony consumed him.
"I should be more careful, I'm sorry Maya," he said through gritted teeth, his right eye now nothing but a gaping hole that seemed to stare accusingly at him.
As the light faded from his right eye, Leo knew he was done for.
With a final breath, he mustered up the last of his strength and removed his left eye, holding it out to Maya.
"Take them," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Take my eyes and use them. I won't be needing them anymore."
"T-teacher?" Maya said, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm no longer your teacher, you did well," Leo said, his voice barely above a whisper.
With that, he fell to the ground, lifeless, his body a gruesome sight to behold.
"Teacher? Teacher!? Please... HAHH!" Maya shouted in despair, tears streaming down her face.
"Oculi De Astraia! Boötes!" Maya shouted as a figure of a herdsman appeared, armed with a staff.
"Oculi De Astraia! Ursa Minor!" Maya called out as a little bear appeared, growling protectively.
"Oculi De Astraia! Canis Major!" She shouted again, and a pack of wolves materialized, snarling viciously.
"Oculi De Astraia... Gemini!" With the last, two swords made of pure starlight appeared in her hands.
"Huh? It looks like Alhena is missing." She said as she put one of the swords to the ground and placed Leo's eye in the missing coordinate.
Suddenly, the sword shone very brightly, illuminating the dark forest around her.
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"Where... where am I? The sword is gone?" Maya groggily muttered, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dimly lit surroundings.
"The Milky Way?" she said, her confusion mounting as she realized she was not in the forest anymore.
"Hey, Maya!" a familiar voice called out from the distance, prompting Maya to turn around in surprise.
"F-father?" Maya stammered, her heart pounding in her chest as she recognized the voice of her late father.
"If you're hearing this message, then I'm probably no longer alive. But don't be afraid, Maya. I have a very strong bond with the Gemini twin sword, which allowed me to transfer some of my consciousness into it," the voice explained.
"Why...?" Maya's voice trembled as tears began to stream down her face.
"I'm here to congratulate you, Maya. You have perfected the Gemini twin swords, something that even I, in my prime, was only able to summon one of the swords and it took a toll on my body," her father's voice continued.
"I know that you have many unanswered questions, so I've tried to anticipate them and provide you with answers. The first question on your mind is likely why I was kidnapped and why so many people on Vespera were captured, leaving only less than five percent of the population behind."
"The answer is that it was my selfish request. All of this was part of my plan. I sacrificed almost all of the people to create you. Even my teacher, who is waiting for you in the forest, was informed of my plan to create the strongest De Astraia descendant, knowing full well that he too would eventually be sacrificed."
"Many of our people were sacrificed, and their eyes were used to make the necklace that you are wearing. I know that it is an important memento for you, but it is not just a memento. The necklace amplifies your power a thousandfold. I understand that you may struggle with the truth that your father was willing to sacrifice innocent people for his selfish desires."
"As for how it works, I made them call out the constellation of Andromeda, forcibly transferring the power of their eyes to the necklace. Morally, it's questionable. Legally, it defies the law. Personally, I like it. And so, the lives of thousands of people are contained within that tiny item. It will protect you from harm, and by the time you receive this message, it is likely already bonded to you, making it impossible to remove."
"Moving on to your second question, I suspect you will ask why I would do such horrible things. The answer is simple: I like it, no, I enjoy it. That is my answer."
"As for why you, you are the descendant of De Astraia. However, you may wonder why you were chosen specifically. The answer is that, at the time, I was the strongest, and they chose you because they believed you would become the next strongest."
Maya's hands trembled as she clutched the necklace around her neck. Her eyes widened with disbelief, and her breaths came out raggedly.
"No...it can't be true," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
"How could my father do something like this? Sacrifice innocent lives...all for his selfish desire?"
Tears streamed down her face as she fell to her knees, the weight of the truth crushing her spirit.
"It's all a lie...it has to be," she cried out, her words filled with desperation.
"I can't believe this is what my life has come to...that I'm just a pawn in this twisted game."
Maya looked up to the stars, her vision blurred by tears. "Why me?" she screamed, her voice breaking with the intensity of her emotions.
"Why did it have to be me? I never asked for any of this...I never wanted to be a part of this cruel plan," she said, her body shaking with sobs as she buried her face in her hands.
The weight of the truth was too much to bear, and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of confusion and despair.
The twin swords, though appearing as if on the ground, shone brilliantly in the imaginary abyss that surrounded Maya.
"Grab the swords..."
"This is your destiny..."
"The wielder of the Gemini twin swords..."
"Maya De Astraia..."
"Once you pick the sword..."
"You will be known as..."
"Maya Starblade."