Chapter 2: The Demise of the Heroine I
An airship traveled on its way to the Ampenth Star. It was the biggest and sturdiest battle airship of the empire star.
In it, Ying Yue sat on the control cabin monitoring their course while reviewing battle formations that will be implemented soon. Fei Hong sat beside her running the formation with her.
They have been traveling for a full 3 days now and they estimated to arrive by the 7th day. The people inside were tensed as they look forward to the big battle.
A lot of them might lose their lives in this war but they have no regrets, this is after all for the good of their people, their family.
"Fei'er, when we are near the defense radius of the Ampenth star, I want you to go to the rear to command the mechas in charge of long-range artillery."
"Alright, I will but Yue'er you have to be careful as you are the one commanding the vanguard. You have to promise me." Fei Hong looked at her eyes worrying about her well being. It warmed her heart how her best friend cared about her.
She was about to respond when the control cabin suddenly made alerting noise then everything inside turned red.
On a high alert, Ying Yue stood up from her seat to check what was going on. She was about to reach the mother monitor when all of a sudden she felt a sting on her neck, looking back, she saw Fei Hong holding a syringe with a very sinister-looking face.
She wanted to ask what was going on but she can't even move her mouth. She can only stare helplessly to Fei Hong as if asking her to clarify.
Fei Hong did not disappoint. Just as when she fell down Fei hong crouched down staring at her eyes that are showing confusion.
"You might be confused about what's happening right?" laughing sinisterly, Fei Hong stretched out her right hand to grab a handful of her hair.
" I hated you… No, to be accurate, I hate you especially now. You have always been very brilliant, very smart, always on top of everyone else." glaring at her she continued, " With you around, all my hard work is for naught! Everything was for you since we were young! You just have to be unique right?" Fei Hong laughed.
"My father and I worked very hard for the empire but still, we can only be shadows… of the marshal's and yours. So why should we continue working our asses off if we can lead a new empire ourselves?"
Fei Hong exerted some strength then threw her to the wall of the airship. Ying Yue's body hit the wall and produced a huge indent on the metal wall of the ship. She then landed with a loud thud on the floor.
Her physical constitution was not normal hence the impact didn't really do much damage, but it was her heart that she thought was stagnant throughout the years that hurt. It was more like a knife was stabbing it mercilessly then twisting it.
"As we speak, the warriors of the Ampenth Star are invading the Imperial star. Luring you away was the only way for them to succeed."
Fei Hong made her way to Ying Yue, once she was in front of her, she raised her right foot to step on her chest. Looking down she taunted
"Did you know, I have never treated you like a friend, instead you have been a bane that hindered me ever since I met you. How could I not hate? All the honor and glory that should have been mine was robbed by you. But that's okay now" fiddling around her clothes, she grabbed a capsule from her pocket.
"This will help you relax as I send you off to your resting place. Don't worry it will be very fun" smirking, she pushed the capsule in Ying Yue's mouth. The capsule melted the moment it made contact with her tongue. As the liquid made its way down her throat, her surrounding gradually blurred until everything became dark then she lost consciousness.
Darkness, that was all she could see. It seemed like it was a catalyst for her to remember some things in this life she was living currently.
After drifting off years after years, she had closed her heart to any emotion that might affect her. She had loved mortals at a time when she just lost everything.
Humans are known for being weak, weak in both emotional and physical aspects. Despite this, when someone is much weaker than they were, it illicit their sympathy and evokes a protective stance no matter the circumstances.
When Ying Yue was a child, she met a couple just like this. They pitied her and took care of her, even to a point that they adopted her so they could take care of her properly.
She felt the love and warmth that she lost when her parents were gone. But the thing about this emotion is, when you feel it right after losing everything, it will make you feel the worse pain and loss when you lose it again. The mortal couple though loved her with all their hearts, were after all just a normal human, they eventually died and left Ying Yue again.
After that, she felt that immortality was actually a curse. Watching people you care about die one by one as you stay and live on, was probably the nastiest curse that one can have.
She lived, but then she put up boundaries until living and dying was just a routine set for humans. Life was indeed very fickle in that sense.
After closing up her heart to everything, she lived as a bystander, a living witness for the changes in a generation to generation.
Then came Fei Hong.
She was that little girl who made her trust again. The one who can evoke that softest spot much more than the feelings evoked when someone sympathizes with the weaker being. It was more than that of a subordinate; it was more like a sister, a sister that she never had in her whole existence.
So right now, her heart didn't only feel hurt but it also felt another emotion that she used to see in others but had not had the chance to feel herself; the feeling of being betrayed. "So it was like this" was the last thought she had when she felt a pull in her consciousness.
Ying Yue could hear scuffling noises everywhere. She also feels a dull coldness from where she was laying and deduced that she was still laying down on the floor. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see where she was.
"Oh, glad you are awake Yue'er, I was just instructing the unit to drive us to the Dark stars cluster." Fei Hong mockingly said
Hearing the destination, Ying Yue's eyes became bigger as a surprise flashed briefly in her golden eyes. For the first time, she stared at Fei Hong without blinking. As if trying to see her for who she really was for the first time.
Fei Hong laughed as if she was able to hear her thoughts " you were surprised right? You must be thinking how vicious could I be that I have the heart to send you to the dark stars cluster… Well, it is your fault. If you did not evolve into an abnormal being I might have been able to come up with an easy way to kill you..." pausing she looked at her then smiled slyly, "but alas, only the central black hole can help me kill you. You should be honored."
Helpless, Ying Yue can only close her eyes and accept the reality that Fei Hong was not who she thought she was.
What was more heartbreaking was she has led her away so the enemy can invade the capital. Those helpless people will be hurt or worse die just because of this enmity Fei Hong harbored for her.
It was all because she was alive until now and the repercussion was something she cannot bear. She wanted to ask Fei hong, ask her if there was even a time that Fei Hong treated her sincerely. But then what was the point? Hundreds of thousands of people will suffer because of her. This death can only be her way to repay. This might not be enough but at the very least the future will not have a cursed half-breed like her. Ying Yue never felt as resigned as she was now.
"Stop a few light-years from the safe radius. We will open the hatch from there." Ying Yue commanded the pilot.
The Dark Stars Cluster was a place in the galaxy that was deemed to be a danger zone due to a fact that those stars were part of the stellar entourage that surrounds the central black hole. This was a forbidden area that no sane human dared to transverse. But now, this same area will become her resting place.
The airship made a countdown as to enable safe anchoring. There was a tremor then the ship came to a stop. Ying Yue opened her eyes and saw a shadow on her right from her peripheral vision.
Fei Hong made her way to Ying Yue in a slow manner, graceful and lithe. She stared at her saying " Yue'er those years that I was helpless will be brought forth to you a hundredfold! You will die here while I will make my own legacy and brandish a new empire!" Standing up, she turned to the people manning the control cabin
"Open the Hatch. Let this monster out" Ying Yue commanded, her voice was very joyful and relieved as if she was lifted off of a heavy burden
There was a buzzing sound followed by the sound of large steam being released. The hatch was opening and it was just a matter of time when she will be ejected to float endlessly to the void.
As she was still unable to move a muscle, Ying Yue felt huge energy pushing her, and she knew that she was being ejected out of the airship.
Not a moment later she felt the freezing coldness of the galaxy then she heard a large hum of an engine followed by a burst of light then it all became still.
After the airship made its space jump away from this place, a lonely girl in the midst of the darkness floated and drifted on the nothingness.