The world erupted into light.
A barrier formed in an instant—crystallized from dust to solid, forged from a blue-like energy pulsing with raw power.
Absynthe stood firm, unmoving.
Her body vibrated with energy she didn't yet understand—but she knew one thing:
Synthena needed her protection.
Synthena's right hand glowed intensely, her blue markings shimmering as she instinctively reinforced the barrier, struggling to hold back the monstrous attack.
But cracks formed along the shield's surface—deep, jagged lines splitting through the shimmering wall.
Absynthe's veins pulsed visibly, silver light scattering starlit patterns across her skin.
She was a living fragment of starlight—radiant and otherworldly.
Something coalesced in her grasp. Energy rippled, shifting, taking shape.
Then—
She looked down.
A weapon had formed in her hands.
A sword.
A paladin's blade, forged from chaotic strands of silver and gold energy, flickering like ethereal fire.
Its weight felt natural—as though it had always been hers to wield.
The shield continued to crack.
Then—Absynthe's voice cut through the air, echoing like a chorus, ancient and commanding.
"Remove the barrier, Synthena. Use your red dust."
Synthena hesitated.
She turned to Absynthe—but what she saw wasn't entirely her friend anymore.
Absynthe's glowing eyes met hers—empty yet infinite, movements detached, as though something else had taken control.
"Abby?"
Uncertainty colored Synthena's voice.
But there was no room for doubt.
Not now.
With trembling resolve, Synthena raised her left hand—where a shadowy swirl of red dust coiled with beauty and destruction.
The energy was volatile, each particle dancing like a storm.
She unleashed it.
The crystalline barrier shattered in a single explosion—blue fragments dissolving into the wind.
Absynthe surged forward.
Her sword pulsed with terrifying brilliance, glowing like a celestial force awakening.
The monstrous creature lunged toward her, its corrupted form writhing with malevolence.
But Absynthe was faster.
A crack of silver light split through the battlefield as her blade cleaved through the beast.
The strike landed in one clean, radiant arc.
A primal roar tore from the creature's throat as its body dissolved into black and red dust, corrupt energy evaporating into nothingness.
The ground trembled, rippling beneath the shockwave of Absynthe's attack.
The last remnants of the monster faded.
And Absynthe stood frozen.
Her sword flickered once—then vanished.
The light bled from her veins.
Her body swayed, exhaustion finally overtaking her.
She collapsed forward.
Synthena acted instantly—summoning blue dust to cushion her fall, forming a soft bed to cradle her unconscious friend.
She rushed to her side, hands trembling as she cupped Absynthe's face.
Her voice cracked with worry.
"Abby, wake up!"
Her crystalline markings dimmed, flickering with fear.
"Come on, don't do this. Stay with me!"
Then—
A sharp crack echoed through the forest.
The unmistakable sound of a stick snapping underfoot.
Synthena's attention snapped toward the noise.
Her upper body twisted, sharp gaze scanning the shadows.
The makeshift cushion of blue dust beneath Absynthe's head had faded in the chaos, leaving Synthena holding her unconscious form on her lap.
Her movements were swift—instinctive.
Her hands rose defensively, glowing with opposing energy—
Her right hand radiated a calming blue—a force of assemblage and protection.
Her left hand shimmered with volatile red dust—destructive and raw.
Together, the glow balanced perfectly—a harmonious yet dangerous contrast of creation and chaos.
Her face hardened—jaw clenched, posture rigid.
She would let nothing harm Absynthe.
Not now.
Not ever.
The forest felt unnervingly still, the usual hum of life replaced by an oppressive quiet.
Then—
A faint rustle from a nearby tree bush.
Its leaves trembled unnaturally.
Synthena's glowing hands remained steady, every muscle tightly coiled with tension.
Then—a face appeared briefly through the foliage.
Shadowy.
Obscured.
Its features impossible to discern, as if shrouded in a veil of darkness.
Synthena's breath caught.
Her instincts screamed—stay alert.
But—before she could react—
The figure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
It melted back into the forest, as if it had never been there at all
******************************************************************************
Far away, in a dimly lit chamber veiled in secrecy, shadowed figures gathered around a crystalline table, its surface pulsing faintly with red energy.
The room was vast—lined with towering walls of shifting black stone, alive in its stillness, breathing as though sentient.
No light pierced the shadows.
Their faces were obscured, cloaked in darkness that devoured any trace of illumination.
Yet their presence was suffocating—a weight of power, menace, and silent calculation.
Then—
A figure spoke, their voice smooth yet cold, each word carrying deliberate precision.
"The comet's dust moves rapidly now. The vessel has awakened."
The others shifted slightly, movements measured, precise—like pieces in a deliberate game.
Then—another voice, grating and venomous, cut through the stillness.
"Their powers are unstable. The energy risks consuming them."
"Precisely."
A third voice—hauntingly calm, edged with calculated intent.
"But in chaos lies opportunity. We will use it. Travis's influence is… strategic. His loyalty ensures their progression."
The crystalline table flickered briefly, constellations bursting across its surface—an illuminated map of distant stars.
Then, the first voice commanded:
"We must act soon."
"The Starlight cannot be left unchecked. It is a power too great to roam free."
"They will serve us—"
"Or they will fall."
The room fell silent once more.
The table's energy dimmed—its light swallowed into blackness.
And then—
The shadows melted back into the void.
The figures vanished, leaving only a faint residue of their presence—
A chill that seemed to reach across space itself
********************************************************************************
The forest lay still, but Synthena's heart raced.
Her glowing hands remained raised, blue and red energies flickering in the dark, casting haunting reflections against the twisted branches.
Her posture held firm, gaze locked onto the rustling bush ahead, prepared for whatever lurked beyond the veil of shadows.
Yet—
Unbeknownst to her, another presence had taken notice.
Far beyond the physical realm, a voice rippled softly through the threads of existence—vast, calming, and woven from countless voices speaking as one.
The sound did not reach Synthena's ears.
Yet—it lingered.
"They are the only ones who can save us now."
A whisper.
A declaration that echoed through the cosmos itself.
"The one we call… Starlight."
Synthena shifted, her energy swirling around her fingertips, casting delicate glows against the waiting dark.
The bush rustled again—brief, fleeting.
Then—stillness.
The moment passed, leaving only the hum of nature and the sound of her steadying breath.
She glanced downward.
Absynthe's silver glow had faded entirely—veins that once pulsed with celestial fire now dimmed to faint traces of starlight.
"Abby," Synthena murmured, voice barely above a breath, fear threaded beneath the quiet.
"What's happening to us?"
The celestial voice faded—silently, seamlessly—
Yet its haunting words remained, etched into the fabric of the cosmos itself