Starlight

The mission was simple, sneak into the castle, and destroy Veltron.

“If only it were that simple now”. Leith muttered under his breath.

It had been three long days of watching the fortress which held Galaxia’s famed tyrant, Veltron. The observations were imperative to ensure that Starlight, an elite group containing five teenagers, were able to slip into such a fortress, undetected, to kill Veltron, and end his assault on Scelsia.

“I wonder what is going on back home.”

Leith turned from his deep thoughts and turned to Jessica, the source of the voice. His mind began to wander back to home, a place of unmatched beauty. Home, the beautiful country of Scelsia, contained rolling hills, majestic peaks, and peaceful coastlines. In the spring, the hills would bloom into rich green grass, with white buds springing out of the earth.

Another thought had entered Leith’s head, his team. Leith began to think about the group that he led, called Starlight. It contained four of the people that he trusted the most. In it was Jessica. She was able to control the earth and make it move to her will. Jake, one of Leith’s oldest friends, was able to spark flames, and use them with great power. Crystal was one of Leith’s newer and more complicated friendships, but she was able to smoothly control the waves of the world. Probably the most important person in the group was Ben. Ben was Leith’s oldest and most trusted friend. They’d been through thick and thin together, and Ben had used his ability to bend the air to save Leith on multiple occasions.

That left him, Leith, the last member of the group. Leith didn’t think he was overly powerful, or particularly skilful, but his team seemed to think that he would lead them to victory on this mission. Leith was able to use the shadows to his advantage. He could hide in them, or he could create balls of shadow energy to crush his foes.

He smiled, thinking of home and his friends, but was soon interrupted by another voice.

“Leith! Look!”

A short distance away, was the mighty tyrant himself, Veltron. The five teenagers slammed into the ground, afraid of being seen. Luckily for them, the King had not noticed the group, or so it seemed. Veltron returned to his fortress, and showed no intent of coming back out soon.

“Thank you Ben.” Was the reply.

With a nod of his head, Ben returned to his lookout post in the tree. As Leith looked at the faces of his companions, he could see their fear about the task ahead.

“Don’t worry guys.” Leith said in his calm and collected voice. “He’ll never know that we’re coming, and we’ll finish this quickly, so we can all go home and enjoy our time together.”

Crystal’s face instantly lit up. Jake and Ben were pleased, but Jessica had a scowl on her face once she saw how happy Crystal was.

“Just because Leith suggests something like, “spending time together” with you, doesn’t mean that he actually likes you.” Jessica roughly stated.

Crystal’s face showed her emotions instantly. As she began to open her mouth to reply, “Jessica, just stop. You’re in love with Leith just like her, so just don’t be such a sour puss.”

“Thanks Jake.” Crystal said, a smile returning to her beautiful complexion. Crystal was in fact, a beautiful young lady. She had ginger hair that fell down her back, and shined in the sunlight. The rest of her was just as appealing with bright blue eyes, and a stunning smile.

Leith stood up, put his hands on his hips, and shook his head. “Really guys, this isn’t the time to argue between ourselves. We need to be strong as a unit in order to complete our task.”

Ben stood up, “I think we’ve done all we can here. Tonight we should begin our assault so we don’t get caught out like we almost did earlier.”

“Alright, good plan. Let’s pack up, we’re moving.”

---

“Can you believe that we have to spend the whole night standing at the gate?”

“Well Lord Veltron ordered that every night, starting with tonight, everything is heavily guarded.”

Starlight was huddled together on the roof of the gatehouse. This was their opportunity to make it into the fortress undetected. Leith motioned everybody to slip inside after the guards had passed. The group quickly slipped in, and found themselves in the main courtyard.

The sheer size of the castle, and courtyard, caught Jake’s eye. He stopped in the middle to look at the majestic architecture of the mighty fortress. Jake himself longed for a place just like this, with high walls, and a taunting gaze to all who look upon it.

Halfway across the courtyard, Jessica managed to trip Crystal. As she fell, Crystal let out a yelp. Instantly Leith ordered everybody to hit the ground.

“What are you doing Crystal? We could get caught if we’re not completely quiet!”

Crystal’s face was crestfallen at Leith’s rebuke, and Jessica had a smirk on her face.

“I don’t think it was Crystal’s fault Leith.” Ben quietly whispered to Leith.

With a nod of his head, the group started to move again. They passed through a couple of winding corridors and found themselves at the entrance to the castle’s keep.

This was the most difficult part of their mission, as the keep was the most fortified place in this castle. In the heart of the keep, was Veltron. This was the place that Starlight needed to get into, to finish this mission that their parents had so valiantly started.

“This will be the hardest part, getting into the keep.” Leith said. “We need to be unseen, and it is absolutely essential that we get to Veltron as fast as we possibly can.”

The rest of the group nodded their agreement.

“There is one other thing you guys need to know.” Leith said with a hint of hesitation in his voice. “No matter what happens in there, it has been a pleasure to work with you all and you’ve become some of, if not my best friends.”

The looks on Jake’s, Crystal’s, Ben’s, and Jessica’s face said it all. They felt the same way, and had enjoyed their time together as a group. Leith turned to face Jake.

“Jake you’re fiery rage has helped sweep foes away more times than I can remember. Never forget that your fire is your most important emotion, as well as power.”

With a shake of his head, and a nod of his head, Jake acknowledged his beloved leader.

“Jessica. Your rock solid will and determination has inspired me, and kept me going even through the toughest times. For you, the most important aspect is to remain like rocks, unwilling to break or give in.”

Jessica smiled at the praise, and gave Leith a big hug, releasing him from the embrace before it got a little too awkward.

When Leith caught Ben’s eye, it was like he was looking at his brother. There was such an extended history between them, and they knew and shared everything with each other.

“Ben, you have been my best friend and brother for longer than I can remember. You’ve saved my life countless times with your cool attitude quick wit. You’re very intelligent, so use that to most efficiently blow your enemies away.”

Ben nodded, recognizing his old friend. With two fingers he gave Leith the old time salute, which was relied in kind.

When Leith’s gaze settled on Crystal, her face lit up, waiting to hear what he would say.

“You’re a bright young lady Crystal. It’s been a pleasure to work with you and your elegant manor. Use your majestic waves to drown your enemies. Never underestimate your beauty, and you’ll go far. Just watch that you don’t get too over-zealous with your power.”

Crystal blushed, remembering that one night that changed everything in the woods. It was the night when Starlight got ambushed by Veltron’s men. It was a short and exhausting fight, as all of Starlight had battled valiantly to get rid of these men. Despite their efforts, it wasn’t enough, and they were quickly overwhelmed. Before they could die though, Crystal had done something incredible. She had unleashed her inner power, something that took others years to find, and just washed all the soldiers away.

Crystal took Leith into her embrace, and whispered, “I love you.” in his ear. She gave him a light airy kiss on the cheek, and let him go leaving him to contemplate all that had just taken place.

The night went silent again, as the five thought about their potential farewells. During this time, the rain started to come down in slight drizzles. Before long, thunder was clapping, and lightning was crackling as the skies opened up, releasing a torrent of rain upon the earth.

Leith was the first to break the silence. “We should go. Let’s finish this.”

Ben took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and in one smooth motion, lifted all of Starlight up, and carried them over the wall. Once in the air, Ben smiled. The air was where he belonged, feeling the rush of the wind and coolness of heights. The only place he felt comfortable besides at Leith’s side was in the air.

Starlight were expertly navigated over the wall to the keep, and landed right on the back entrance to the keep.

“Alright team, we’ve got about an hour before Veltron is completely alone in his throne room. In the meantime, Ben needs to rest so he can be one hundred percent, and we should rest as well. We’ll all need to be ready to fight.”

The five settled down, staking their sports to rest. The only sounds that could be heard were some crows that kept circling the flag that mean the world to Veltron and the people of Glaxia. The green and orange bordering the massive “GX” was fiercely whipping with the wind.

As the hour dragged on, the wind started to settle down, and Starlight started to get antsy.

“Hey Jessica, what do you think our parents would think if they could see us now?”

Jessica contemplated the question for a minute before replying. “I don’t know Ben, but I think they would be proud of us, and proud that we’ve come this far on our own.”

Leith had overheard the conversation, but was supposedly asleep. His thoughts turned to their parents, as his eyes started to tear up. He could picture their brilliance as they valiantly fought off any invader to Scelsia.

While Leith was deep in thought, Crystal started to whisper to Jake in the corner.

“Jake? Are you awake?”

“Yeah I’m up, what’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I think that Leith has done a great job leading us and getting us this far into the mission even though nobody else thought we could.”

“You’re right Crystal, Leith is a great leader. He’s done a brilliant job of getting us through the tough times. He’s the unsung hero of our squad. I mean think about it. Ben is known throughout Scelsia for his brilliance and sharp mind. Jessica is known for her temper, but loyal acts. You’re known for your beauty and I’m known for my strength and power. Leith isn’t really known as widely, but he’s the heart and soul of the squad. His parents would be proud of him.”

Leith couldn’t stop the tears that started to drip down his cheek, as he thought about his parents. He hoped that wherever they were now, they’d be proud of the decisions that he’s made in assuring that his team, his family, got to safety.

The group fell into a solemn silence. As they waited for their remaining ten minutes to pass, they started to pack up. With five minutes to go, they had packed up their bags, and put their snacks away. With two minutes to spare, the whole camp had been cleared and all traces of Starlight had been wiped or cleaned away.

At exactly 10:04 PM, Starlight made their move. They had found a route through the keep that held no guards if they timed it right. Their first obstacle was a giant wooden door that led to the back entrance. Once through it, they were confronted with a series of winding corridors, which they followed exactly according to their map.

The keep of Veltron was nothing to laugh at. The insides of the corridors were decorated with huge tapestries and paintings. The carpet on the floor was red velvet fabric, soft to any and all touch. Even the doors were not left untouched, as they were inlaid with gold and the handles were silver.

Even Starlight couldn’t help themselves as they gasped in awe at the magnificent quality of every corridor. Leith had to constantly remind them, especially Jake that they needed to keep moving so they didn’t miss their time deadline.

At last, they ended up at the most stunning piece of work yet. In front of them was a door, at least thirty feet high, and red oak. Every pattern on this door was inlaid with gold, and every inch had a mystical sparkle to it. The door handles were the most impressive things, as they were made of pure diamond. All Starlight was gasping in at this shining door.

“This is it team, the throne room.”

Then the door opened.

Inside was a massive stone chamber that had a slight breeze. It was so dull compared to the rest of the keep, having only one purple carpet at the front of the throne, which itself was made of pure diamond. Probably the oddest feature of this room was the man sitting on the throne meditating.

This man did not seem like the one who Starlight saw enter the castle earlier, in his majestic jewels and decorations of color. Instead, this man wore a plain black tunic with a hood.

The man was sustaining all four elements of air, water, fire, and earth. The amount of concentration needed to accomplish that was immense. He slowly extinguished every element, and stood up.

“Welcome to my humble abode Starlight.” Veltron spoke in a commanding yet soft voice.

None of Starlight said anything as their eyes were watching his every move.

“Nobody will return my greeting?” the tyrant questioned. “It is very rude not to talk to your host.”

Still nobody said anything.

“Perhaps you would feel more comfortable if we sat down with each other? I’m sure we have a great deal to talk about.”

This time Leith replied, and the fury, rage, and hatred was clear in his voice.

“We are not here as diplomats Veltron. We’ve come to end your assault on our homeland Scelsia once and for all. But we’re also here to avenge the deaths of our parents who you murdered in cold blood.”

Veltron seemed slightly taken back by Leith’s intensity. He seemed to consider these words, then spoke.

“Fair enough then. However do not expect any mercy from me, as I have given you the chance to come and peacefully be defeated. But that is in the past. You have chosen death, and you have broken into my property, and home. Do not think I’m not ready for you. I’ve been tracking you ever since you entered the keep. Now you ALL shall die.”

The sudden change in Veltron’s tone took Starlight by surprise.

This time Jake stepped forward.

“Then let’s fight!”

Jakes eyes had turned fiery red, and his whole body began to show signs of heating up. Leith recognized he was about to take on Veltron alone, so he brought the whole team into action.

“Starlight! Star formation! Alternate shots starting with Ben, wait for his attack!”

Starlight leaped into action forming a star in front of Veltron. Ben made his move, sending a torrent of wind at Veltron. This was immediately followed up by rain bullets from Crystal.

“So far so good…” Leith thought.

The wind and rain bought enough time for Jake and Jessica to get into position to attack. As the rain bullets and pounding wind assaulted Veltron, Jake and Jessica conjured up their power combination. From under Veltron, the stone floor began to crack, and it burst open. The first thing that flew out was the lava that Jake had created, completely engulfing Veltron with all of the attacks, as Leith prepared to go in for the kill.

“Keep it up guys, almost there!” Leith shouted as he dashed into the storm.

Leith cloaked himself with shadows, and moved in. In the midst of the storm, he saw Veltron meditating, creating a barrier between him and the storm of elements. Leith crept behind him, and went for a shadow pulse to the head.

Normally this would have instantly killed someone, except Leith found himself unable to move, trapped in some sort of mental hold. Veltron slowly stood up, and sent a blast of pure energy that sent the rest of Starlight slamming into the wall.

Leith’s eyes widened with fear as Veltron turned his attention towards him, walked toward him, and smiled.

“It was a nice attempt. Your squad was a little more coordinated than your parents, yet just as ineffective. No I will kill you, all of you, one by one, beginning with you.”

Crystal was the first to regain her senses, and screamed as Veltron took Leith by the neck and slammed him against the cold stone wall.

The rest of Starlight had regained their senses by that time, and had just enough time to hear Veltron say, “And I think I’ll take your dear Crystal for myself.”, and snap Leith’s neck.

The remaining Starlight members were astonished as Leith’s cold body slumped to the floor. They were in shock that their leader had fallen this quickly. Crystal was the only one that seemed to react, summoning her inner energy.

Veltron had already charged his power, and sent pure energy balls at Jake and Jessica. They barely leapt out of the way as Ben hurtled a tornado at Veltron. By this time, Crystal had managed to reach her true power form, a pure blue, stunning being of immense power. Anybody who saw this would have said she was a thing of beauty, no matter how scary and powerful she looked. Then she spoke, her voice as divine as an angel, yet as deep and powerful as a demon.

“You will pay for your deeds Veltron. You killed my love. You killed my parents. You killed my people. I will murder you, and the rest of your little country Galaxia. I will not let you live another second.”

Jake, Ben, and Jessica realized what was about to happen, that Crystal had sentenced everyone to death, and started screaming at her to calm down. She seemed to not hear their pleas, and began the movements of the Final Wave. Her eyes were like bullets that cut through Veltron and forced him to back down. She brought her hands to the ground, embracing the destruction of everything, just as Ben had shielded himself along with Jake and Jessica.

The power that erupted was immense. From the floor, water started to rise, all the while swirling. Cracks were started to form in the walls, you could feel the whole castle creaking. The earth began to shift, as they felt Crystal take control the world, and start pulling the very essence of it apart. Everybody in the world, the leaders of Scelsia, the Galaxian nobles, everybody, felt the world start to spin uncontrollably before everything exploded at the blink of Crystal’s eyes.

Then, there was nothing.