Star: As he soared into the sky, he felt relieved to escape the crowd's clamor surrounding him. "It's overwhelming to be recognized like this; I'm not a fan of all the attention..." It was already bad enough that the people who once wanted nothing to do with him now suddenly liked him, but to be swarmed by this was another problem. While he was flying, he suddenly spotted something that caught his attention. He saw an abandoned town shrouded in mist.
As he descended to take a closer look, a wave of dread and fear washed over him. It must have been a suffocating and unpleasant sensation for him. Unfortunately, the fear was so intense that he struggled to flee.
"W-what, why can't I fly to leave this area?" His voice staggered and stuttered with confusion and fear. He looked up to observe this trapping environment, only to see the devastation of the past. The fog cleared up slightly to make the area more visible; it was a ghost town.
He gazed upon the dismal surroundings, and a wave of sadness washed over him. The town appeared in complete disrepair, with rotting wood and overgrown vines covering nearby buildings.
The pungent odor of decay filled the air, and dried blood was visible on the broken pavement. His heart filled with concern as he wondered what could have happened to this place. Approaching a large stone sign, he gently moved aside the vines to reveal the words "Greenwood."
Once his hand touched that title, a flood of screams and agony flooded his mind. He abruptly pulled away, grabbing the sides of his head. "Ah! What...What in the world happened here!" His voice echoed throughout the ghost town, and the fearful feeling grew in his mind and spirit. He was on this planet only a day and wanted nothing more than to leave, causing so much dread!
????: "Be quiet! He might hear you! He's probably already smelled the fear emanating from your body!" a young man's voice yelled to Star from behind, startling him. Star turned to face the kid, but what he saw seemed like an illusion.
It was a spirit, a glowing blue transparent image of a teenage boy, perhaps around 16, with poofy whitish-colored hair and old-themed clothes as if he had died long ago.
Star: "The spirit of a child?" He was confused by the sight of a lost spirit.
????The child was startled by this, "You can see me? You can hear me?!" This somewhat caused a slight smile on the kid's face. "I have tried to warn every person who has ever entered here that they are in danger but could never hear me because I'm just a ghost, but you can!"
Star: "Yes, it surprises me too; I am not even sure why I can see- wait, there have been others? Where are they now?"
????: "There have been many before you...some from here and some from around the world, seeking the truth of what occurred here long ago. None of them left this area alive; they all fell victim to the horror within this domain." The child looked away from Star as if he was extremely saddened by the topic of what had happened in this small town.
He looked back at Star before continuing the story, "I tried to stop them from entering. I tried to keep them quiet and their scent hidden from the beast, but they were too afraid...It feeds off of fear. It wouldn't let anyone leave, not their body, not their minds, not even their spirits could escape its touch."
Star: He felt horrible for what this child had seen but was somewhat confused. How come this supposed monster did not destroy this child's spirit? Was he immune to the beast's attack, or is there some more profound connection to this all? He got down on one knee to be more at the kid's level, "I am so sorry that you had to witness such horrors, my child, but I do not understand why this creature would spare you if it has been murdering all the other spirits."
????: "It enjoys torturing me...It stole my body and my life from me when I was very young. I-" The child could not continue his story; what had occurred in this small town was nightmarish to him. Glowing white tears fell down his cheeks, disappearing mid-air before they could even get close to the ground.
Star: He stared at the broken spirit, seeing how even talking about what had happened broke the young one even more. "I see you are troubled by this...I promise that I will set your spirit free from this horrid land and take out the monster that did this to you."
????: The child did not speak, only looked at the courageous yet scared man. He could sense the dread and fear gleaming off of Star's body, and if he could sense it, so could the beast. "I doubt you would be an exception. Everyone here has fallen victim to the monster, but you seem different; I can sense it in you. What is your name, stranger?"
Star: He smiled, seeing how his courage made the child's sadness disappear momentarily. "My name is Star, protector of creation. What is your name, lost spirit?"
Aiden: "Aiden Greenwood- Star is a funny name. Are you supposed to be some superhero?" The child's mortal mindset kicked in, feeling joy from meeting a real superhero.
Star: He chuckled, "Yes, I suppose I am supposed to be some superhero, although I am not sure what kind. My destiny was sprung onto me when I woke up, yet I was given so much free will."
Aiden: "It seems like you were given the chance to carve your path based on what you were born to be; I have read comics about heroes that are much the same. They are told what they should be, but they do not define them; the same applies to you." He felt embarrassed that he was relating a natural person to a fictional hero, but at the same time, he felt okay with it, knowing Star would understand what he had meant.
Star: He was astonished at the fact that someone so young could have such a grasp on the spirals of destiny, "That is a way of looking at it; you sure are a very perceptive and smart kid, Aiden."
They were abruptly interrupted by the etching sounds of whispers, screams, and calls coming closer to them. That first feeling of fear had grown twice in size because of this mysterious approaching force. Could this be the monster that Aiden spoke of?
Could it perhaps have some fear domain? An aura of dread that follows it everywhere it goes? Possibly defeating it is the only way that Star could escape this place and take Aiden to a much brighter portion of the world.
Darkness spread, covering the distant forest from which the noises were coming, as if a void was engulfing the woods, turning it into a pure dark abyss where only the concept of fear existed. As the wall of darkness formed, five glowing eyes appeared from within the dark wall, one regarded more significant than the rest, gleaming a blood-red aura.
What is this thing? Why did it want Star? Why did the aura feel so powerful? This was now the power of any mortal beast far beyond the demon Star had battled earlier. No...this was different.
Star: "Aiden...I want you to get to a safe distance; I don't want to chance this thing being able to harm or interact with your soul." He stood back up, his gauntlets burning with a courageous flame, powering his entire body and soul.
Aiden: He nodded to Star's command before running a safe distance away from what would come next and hiding inside a nearby building. He stuck his head out to be capable of listening and seeing what was going on. But he could feel the entity in the darkness about to speak, and it terrified him back into his hiding spot.
????: A deep, distorted voice spoke to Star; the words that escaped his mouth sounded reversed in Aiden's ears...but to Star's, they were perfectly perceptible. "You...your aura, your power. Yes, I know what you are, Star..."
Star: "You know who I am?" The fact that the creature recognized him was unsettling.
????: "I know many things; the ones in the sky spoke of a person of purity...a warrior that would lead the havens into the eternal light. That was before...the war."
Star: "A War? What war?!" He had so many questions: what was the monster talking about, and why was he connected to all of it?
????: The creature's laughter reverberated across the town, and although its body remained unseen, the expression within its menacing eyes spoke volumes. "The time for stories has passed, chosen one. I have come to claim your soul. As my final spirit, I will be reborn at full strength. Even the eternal gods will not be able to stop me a second time. My revenge will be complete."
A giant claw emerged from the darkness, dragging its thin, needle-like nails against the gravel. Star could see its now visible skin; it was torn apart, rotten muscle and bone were visible, and the skin almost looked burnt, causing it to have a darker tone.
"The time has come to choose: surrender your soul willingly or face the consequences of my wrath." The beast's red eyes glowed brighter, displaying the monster's readiness for combat. Star knew he had to gather his courage and face the challenge ahead.
Star: With unrelenting determination, he clenched his fists tightly, enveloping them with a radiant golden aura as he prepared for the inevitable encounter. He fixed his gaze firmly on the beast, exuding an unwavering confidence. "Come at me," he commanded, ready to face challenges.