The Starlight Chronicles: Slumbering

by C. S. Johnson

  I looked around uneasily. What should I do? Seeing Tim lying on the ground, unconscious, and Gwen in the hands of the other demonic creature, I quickly decided protecting Gwen was a good place to start.

  All right. Let’s see what I can really do with this superpower stuff.

  I stepped forward. Deep breath. “Let the girl go!”

  Shezape glared at me before laughing. “Who are you supposed to be?” he asked. “Halloween’s been over on this pathetic planet for weeks now. You don’t scare me!”

  “Well, we’ll just have to fix that!” I yelled as I charged forward. Like a running tackle, I thought as I aimed for the legs.

  Shezape tumbled over, loosening his grip on Gwen.

  “Augh!” the demon cried. A surge of power went out of him as he tried to force me off of his back. There were sparks of yellow and gold flying out from him as he tried to get up. I gritted my teeth and tried to meet him, power for power.

  Come on, I thought desperately. Do the light flashy-thing…!

  A stream of bright lights blasted out of my hands a moment later, and I rejoiced.

  While I unleashed my untrained fury on Shezape, I saw Gwen crawling her way over to Tim’s side. She cuddled him up to her chest, trying to protect him as the two fights on either side of her continued.

  She was certainly admirable, even if it was a tad revolting to me.

  I caught her eyes with mine, and I saw a flicker of shock and maybe even a spark of attraction (I was hoping.)

  “Wow,” Gwen smiled. “There are two of them! How awesome is that?”

  “Augh!” I cried out as Shezape strangled me in a sudden deadlock position. Gripping onto the monster’s large hands, I fought off all the pain Shezape was causing me with his own will.

  The monster slowly managed a grin. “You’re not getting tired, are you?” he asked me.

  “No,” I snorted indignantly. “You’re not getting smarter, are you?”

  Shezape frowned and unleashed even more power. “You don’t know who it is you’re dealing with, silly child!” he cried out. “I am Shezape, the Sun Demon!”

  I squeezed my eyes shut as I tentatively blocked the new surge of power. He’s pretty powerful, I admitted despairingly. I wish I knew how to make my powers work!

  Shezape narrowed his eyes and emitted a small, forced laugh through his gilded fangs. He was struggling to maintain himself. “I’m going to steal your Soulfire,” he vowed. “After you beg for death, watching those other two humans suffer!”

  “No!” I yelled. I would never allow this demon to take away anyone’s soul – even if it was just Tim Ryder’s.

  My blood pulsed; light poured out from my heart to my hands, penetrating and neutralizing Shezape’s power; seconds later, the demon was thrown back into a tree.

  I looked down at my hands in wonder. Did I just do that? I marveled. That was awesome! I smirked down at my foe. “Ha! You lose!”

  “Look out!” Elysian called.

  I swiveled just in time to see Starry Knight fall out of the sky. I jumped to the rescue; she slammed into me hard, knocking me back and rolling with me across the grass. Elysian unleashed a blast of fire at Maia to distract her.

  Starry Knight hurriedly pushed her body up off of mine. Her long hair tickled my face; I glanced up to see into the violet depths of her eyes.

  She faltered. Her lips opened in what I read as shock, and a long moment passed between us in silence.

  I desperately racked my mind to find any memory of her from the other life I’d had. There was nothing, but that felt like it was off.

  Then the moment passed, and Starry Knight, recalling her battle, hurried to her feet. She pulled an arrow out and held her bow at the ready, looking threateningly down at Maia. “Enough,” she commanded.

  She is lovelier up close, I thought before stopping myself. Then I shook my head again, finally standing all the way up. She thought I was a child, remember? Weak. Helpless. Now look at me, I thought proudly. I was a warrior, too, just like her – if not better.

  “Watch it, kid!” Elysian warned me.

  “Huh?” I turned around just in time to see Shezape getting ready to launch another attack.

  Elysian’s long, scaly tail whipped out and wrapped around the dark creature, squeezing him into submission. “Hit him!” Elysian called out.

  “With pleasure,” I smiled as I felt my heart jump with the adrenaline rush. Aiming carefully, I landed my punch square on.

  Shezape’s face caved in, his scream of pain and terror muffled as his power began fading, flaking him into dust. Elysian grinned as he tossed Shezape loose, the wind catching the speckled remains. A bright cloud of white fire with twinkling sparklers spilled all through the sky; the captured Soulfire were free.

  “My Soulfire!” Maia cried out, hurrying over to the stream of souls.

  “The next arrow is for you,” Starry Knight called out, warning her.

  Maia flipped around, a few of the collected Soulfire flames kindling in her hands. “You can’t kill me with just that silly arrow!” Maia replied in a strong voice. “You might be able to bind the lesser demons, but you will need a lot more power to bind me!”

  “Do you really want to test that?” Starry Knight asked.

  I exchanged glances with Elysian. What should I do? I wondered. What is going on? I could tell that Elysian is thinking along the same lines.

  I decided to step forward. “Stop, wait a moment!” I called out. Maia and Starry Knight looked over at me, and I slipped momentarily. Performance anxiety, I supposed.

  Maia glanced back at the Starry Knight and grinned.

  “Kid…” Elysian whispered. He saw the look on Maia’s face. “Don’t –”

  It’s too late. Maia unleashed a powerful bomb, sending it straight into the ground, creating an upheaval of dirt and debris. The earth was torn apart and flung into clouds, trembling and cracking with groaning sounds.

  Elysian went flying back, finally stopping as a couple of bushes broke his fall.

  Starry Knight jumped out of the way, landing on a nearby tree branch; and I landed less than gracefully on my rear in a pile of mud. Soupy mud.

  “Well, it’s time for me to leave now,” Maia called as she took flight. “So sad I have to leave now, bye-bye!”

  “No! Come back here and fight!” Starry Knight called. She unleashed an arrow once more, but the night sky was too dark and murky for her to get a good lock on her target.

  Then everything went silent; it was done.

  “Eww,” I cringed as I found myself ankle-deep in a mud pool. It figured, I moaned silently. Out of all the places to land!

  Elysian let out a groan as he tried to move. “That witch,” he muttered. “How like a Sinister to take a cheap shot like that.”

  “Villains have no honor,” I reminded him.

  “Yeah, yeah, quit quoting your video game mottos to me,” Elysian sneered as he got up and shook the mud off his body.

  “Ugh! Hey!” I complained as the mud splattered a fresh coat all over me. “This is a new outfit.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re not fit to wear it,” a voice said from behind us.

  “Huh?” I looked up to see Starry Knight staring down at me, her long gingerbread hair blowing in the wind. Her violet eyes were narrowed in vexation. I didn’t say anything to her remark, although I normally would have.

  A couple of police sirens could be heard in the distance.

  “Who are you?” I asked after a moment of somewhat awkward silence.

  She glared warily at me.

  What? Why was she so irritated with me? Did she blame me for that Maia person or whatever she was getting away?

  As if to answer my question, Starry Knight frowned. “Stay out of this war,” she warned. “This is between me and them.”

  War? What did she mean, war?

  I stood up and wiped the mud off of my suit. “Look,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. I didn’t want her mad, just annoyed. “I’m a
warrior, too, and –”

  She sneered. “You are hardly a warrior,” she said. “You don’t even know who you’re fighting.”

  “Is it you?” I asked pointedly.

  She turned and walked away. “Stay away from this battle,” she warned me again. She faltered momentarily, before looking back over her shoulder. “You might get killed if you don’t.”

  I didn’t know it at the time, but that wouldn’t be the first time Starry Knight would warn me off or irritate me or insult me. It would be, however, the last time I watched her leave without getting the last word in.

  I felt a chill run down my spine as I watched Starry Knight leave from our first real battle together. “Well, she isn’t going to be pleasant to deal with,” I huffed as she took off into the night.

  Elysian transformed back into his smaller self as he nodded. “She’s definitely a mystery,” he agreed. “We can’t know whether or not she is a Star on our side or not. We will have to watch her. She could be dangerous.”

  I snorted. “Of course she is,” I grumbled. She’s a woman.” Woman… that reminded me…

  “Hey, where are you going?” Elysian asked as I started running.

  “I’ve got to see if Gwen’s all right.”

  Elysian sighed. “At least go back to your normal self, first,” he reminded me.

  “Uh, how?”

  Elysian shuffled over. A moment later, he grinned. “Ah! The Emblem of the Prince!” he exclaimed joyfully.

  When I just gave him a confused and irritated look, Elysian pointed to the mark on my wrist.

  The mark had changed slightly. It was no longer just a four-point star, but two of them, crisscrossed over each other. One was glowing bright red, while the main one, the regular one, is glowing black. Elysian smiled. “That is a sign,” he explained. “It means you have accepted the truth. You have been given power.”

  “Uh, so? How do I turn off the glowing and stuff?”

  “Just touch it, kid,” Elysian shrugged. “That should do it.”

  After pressing the mark, I was instantly reverted back to my regular self. “What a relief,” I muttered. I had a sudden thought. “Elysian, do you think Starry Knight has a regular side, too?”

  “You mean like you? It’s possible,” Elysian admitted. “But there is no doubt she is more familiar with the Immortal Realm.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “There is no doubt she knows more than we do,” Elysian repeated. “When she showed up to fight, she knew who Maia was, and who Shezape was, and what they were doing. Only a Starlight warrior would know such things on her own.”

  I caught sight of Gwen. Before Elysian could explain further about stuff I didn’t really get, I shook my head. “Never mind. I’ll let you tell me later.”

  Elysian’s head fell into his claws as I happily scampered over to my would-be girlfriend. “Augh!” he cried out softly, but still loud enough I could hear. “Two steps forward, seven steps back! That’s all it is with that kid!”

  I smirked. Elysian was never going to be the boss of me.

  20

  Acceptance

  “Gwen!”

  She turned at the sound of her name. “Hammy!”

  I slowed in my running, realizing I need a good story to tell Gwen. I didn’t really want to say anything about anything.

  Elysian hopped up on my sleeve and changed from his tiny dragon self into a chameleon. “Kid,” he whispered, “I wouldn’t say anything about what happened if I were you.”

  “I’m not going to,” I mumbled back. Did Elysian really think I was that stupid? “Now, shut up, or she’ll realize you can talk.”

  I made my way over to Gwen’s side. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, I guess,” Gwen replied, sadly. “I don’t know about Tim. He got hurt trying to save me!”

  I rolled my eyes as I saw the mushy expression in Gwen’s eyes. It looked like I had a bumpy road ahead of me if I was going to win over Gwen’s heart.

  “Did you find Adam?”

  “Huh?” Gwen’s question cut through my inner turmoil like a knife through peanut butter.

  “I asked you if you found your brother,” Gwen said again patiently. “I don’t think he was around here when I was attacked, thankfully.”

  “Uh… no, I didn’t find him yet! Oh great! My parents are going to kill me!”

  “Well, I’m glad neither of you were nearby when the fighting broke out,” Gwen replied. “That weird lady from before came back, and tried to hurt me. She had another one of those really ugly creatures with her. But guess what?” She gave me this big smile. “I saw her again! Starry Knight! She came back and protected me!”

  I gave her back a forced smile and nodded as she gushed about her role model. I didn’t really pay any close attention to her – smiled and nodded, said “uh-huh” and smiled some more – until she started talking about her new superhero.

  “He was really strong, and he was just so amazing,” Gwen said. Her eyes glittered with admiration. “I didn’t get his name, but I hope to see him again!”

  I grinned to myself. Maybe I’ll like this hero business after all.

  The ambulances arrived a short time later. A couple of medical personnel asked Gwen if they could check her to make sure she was fine. I only smiled as I thought about how Gwen had radiated affection for her rescuer – moi, of course.

  “Careful,” Elysian warned me as he crept up near my ear. “You can’t keep thinking like that.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

  Probably too innocently, because Elysian sighed.

  “This isn’t a joke, kid,” he reminds me. “The only way you’ll ever grow in power is if you learn more and practice. You can’t go back to your ignorant fairy-tale dream world where it’s all about you. Commitment is a major issue, Hamilton.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I waved him off. “I’ll worry about it later.” I looked back to see Gwen was back sitting on her bench; I guess she was waiting for the results of some test. Then I noticed there was a slight shadow hanging over her.

  It took me a moment to realize the shadow was a person. A girl. She looked familiar, but I didn’t know why.

  As I watched, the girl tugged her hand, and for the first time, I noticed there was a familiar-looking little boy holding onto her.

  Adam.

  I decided it was time to head over.

  “Oh, Adam!” Gwen leaned over and picked him up. He was small enough to fit on her lap comfortably. She turned her attention back to the girl, and I was close enough to hear her remark, “Thank you so much. He’s the brother of one of my friends. We’ve have been looking for him. In fact, that’s what we were doing when –”

  The girl nodded. “I’m glad you found him then. I’ve got to get home now, so will you please see he gets back to his brother?”

  “Sure,” Gwen smiled. “See you later.”

  “Bye,” the girl waved and disappeared down the block before I could make my entrance.

  “She’s so nice,” Gwen smiled. She looked down at a smiling Adam. “Hammy’s going to be so happy you’ve been found!”

  “I sure am,” I said, startling her as I came up beside them.

  “Ham! Adam’s been found,” Gwen was so happy to give me the good news; I was endeared by her genuine concern for my brother.

  Adam only cooed in response.

  Later that night, I remember lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the day’s events.

  It sure wasn’t the day I’d been expecting. I’d missed the football game, and I was going to hear it from Coach Shinal and my teammates the following Monday.

  I’d almost lost my brother, a nice way of saying I’d almost lost my life.

  I had almost, almost, seen Gwen and Tim completely break it off.

  So much had happened I was dizzy just thinking about it all. I’d learned a lot. But it’d just been the beginning.

  I still didn’t know if it would really
change me, although I cringed at the very thought.

  Three Months Later

  I watched as Elysian breathed evenly, curled up at the foot of my bed. I envied Elysian, that he could sleep so soundly after what happened. The memory of this night would stay with me for a long time. I instinctively knew this; perhaps it would even stay forever.

  It’d been three months since everything happened. Only three months since my world shrunk and was eaten viciously and voraciously by another. Three months since my comfort zone suddenly burst into a war zone for some interdimensional dispute.

  It had taken me three months, but I knew for certain, at last.

  I could see the chasm, the beginning of the bridge in my heart, by which I might get back – back to what, I could only guess. But there was no mistaking the murmur of certainty running along my thoughts as I curled up to sleep that night.

  I was certain, after the battle with Daikan had at last been laid to rest, and the press had been averted, I would likely never be able to go back to my own world, where it was free of worry and battles and Elysian’s snoring and Starry Knight’s starry eyes and annoying smirk. It was a certainty born of knowledge and nurtured with acceptance despite reluctance.

  I’d learned there was a higher purpose in my life than going to college and getting a degree; that some things in life could be miraculous (such as how someone who wanted to save the world could be so mean at the same time.)

  That there was a world beyond me out there; one I can’t see or touch, but one I can know by the brief inklings of my heart and the small stirrings of my soul.

  That there was someone out there who had marked me as his own for purposes I cannot fully grasp, for reasons I will likely never comprehend – but for something that was right, far more than feeling right.

  Maybe that was the most important truth of all. Or maybe it was the beginning of a journey that would lead me to it.

  It feels strange, I thought, as I turned over on my stomach, to see things the way I see them now. I yawned, ready to go to sleep at last. Ironically, I felt like I’d only been asleep until now; now, I knew the illusions and ideas I had before were not really the truth, and the truth was not always clear. But it is there, slowly being revealed, like the world after a dream.