The moonstone sat eerily still in the cupboard of the torn-down cabin, nestled among broken wood and dust.
Then—it stirred.
A faint tremor. A pulse of energy unseen, lighting up the darkened drawer.
The vibrations grew, shifting into something alive—something calling.
It moved.
Floated.
Then—launched itself forward like a comet, small yet impossibly fast, bursting free from the drawer in a blinding streak of silver.
Celestia and Synthena barely had time to react—before it shot past them, knocking them to the ground.
"What in the world??" Celestia gasped, eyes wide as she scrambled up, staring as the stone collided violently with the cabin's remaining pillars.
The beams splintered beneath the impact.
"We need to stop that thing before it destroys the cabin!" Celestia yelled, urgency sharp in her voice.
"Right! On it!" Synthena jumped to her feet, bracing herself.
The moonstone darted like a bird trying to escape, knocking over chairs, shelves, anything in its path—the destruction growing.
Celestia and Synthena lunged, arms outstretched— but the stone was too fast.
They collided—with furniture, walls, the floor—each failed attempt leaving fresh bruises.
"Hey! Stop moving!" Celestia shouted, frustration bleeding into her tone.
"I got it!" Synthena declared, leaping toward the rock—only for it to swerve at the last second, sending her crashing into the wall with a painful thud.
She groaned, rubbing the fresh bump on her forehead.
"Get off your tail and help me catch this!" Celestia snapped, still jumping, reaching—failing.
The moonstone continued its wild flight, its intent unknown— but whatever it was calling, it wasn't stopping.
Synthena jumped up from her tail, determination renewed as she lunged for the stone again.
But it was relentless—darting, twisting, weaving, avoiding capture with impossible speed.
Then, it changed direction.
Straight for the last pillar, keeping their cabin standing.
Celestia's voice rang sharp and urgent.
"Get it before it destroys the last hold!"
Both of them hurried forward, racing, their minds singularly focused on protecting the only remains of their home.
But neither noticed—
They were running toward the same point, at the same time, with the same blind determination.
The moment they leaped was a mistake waiting to happen.
Their cries rang out in unison, bodies mid-air, arms outstretched— only for the stone to shoot directly through a hole, escaping toward the forest beyond.
Celestia and Synthena collided.
Face-first.
The impact was spectacularly clumsy—cheeks crashing, limbs tangled, balance entirely lost.
They hit the ground dazed, stunned, in a heap, their bottoms in the air, utterly mirroring each other's mistake.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then—
"Ow." Celestia groaned, voice muffled.
"Yeah... that could've gone better." Synthena muttered, still sprawled on the ground.
Celestia pushed herself up, rubbing at her sore cheek, glancing toward the forest's edge.
The moonstone was moving fast, streaking through the trees, its light pulsing faintly like a signal.
"Look—it's heading straight into the forest! We need to catch up and find out where it's going!"
Synthena nodded, still absentmindedly rubbing her face.
"Yep!"
With no time to waste, they both stood, shaking off their stumble before darting after the moonstone, tracking its glowing trail into the unknown.
Their cabin stood—barely. Their pride? Less so.
And somewhere in the forest, the moonstone kept running.
*****************************************************************************
The Moonstone's Path Ends in Tragedy
They followed the glowing moonstone, its light pulsing like a heartbeat, guiding them forward— only to find ruin waiting.
Absinthe lay motionless in Obsidian's arms, her silver blood flowing freely, pooling around them like liquid stardust.
Her lips tainted red, her breath long since stolen, her eyes—dark, void of life.
The moonstone hovered above her, spinning slowly, quietly, as if mourning in its own way.
Synthena's breath hitched, her eyes widening in horror, then bursting into tears.
She ran.
Tumbling toward Obsidian's side, uncontrolled emotion tearing through her as she collapsed beside Absinthe's cold form.
Obsidian shifted, moving just enough to make space, but there was no comfort he could offer.
Just silence.
Just the weight of loss pressing down on them all.
Synthena's cries ripped through the forest, raw, broken, endless. Celestia remained frozen, unable to move, unable to process.
She didn't know whether to scream or weep, whether to break or retreat.
Regret twisted in her chest.
Guilt choked her throat.
Echoes of the past wrapped themselves around her, suffocating.
"No… no… no…"
Obsidian did not speak.
Did not move.
Did not react.
Because what words could exist for this?
Nothing.
Just Synthena's wails, filling the empty night.
****************************************************************************************
The Voice from the Stone
The moonstone hovered, its quiet spin growing slower, deliberate.
Then—
A voice.
It reverberated through the forest, weaving through the air like a forgotten truth resurfacing.
Not loud.
Not commanding.
But calm, wise, knowing.
A single sentence—just a fragment of something greater.
Synthena's cries never faltered, her grief too deep, too raw to notice.
Celestia remained motionless, lost in thought, her knees pressed to the earth, her head lowered, drowning beneath emotions she couldn't untangle.
But—
Obsidian heard it.
And his attention was caught.
"Stars Never Die ...They Are Reborn"
The moonstone spun, its motion growing faster, sharper— until a beam of light tore through the sky, stretching deep into the unknown.
Day collapsed into night, stars emerging where they shouldn't be, the moon casting its glow over the world as if it had been summoned.
Then—the moonstone shot upward, vanishing into the lunar light.
The beams left in its wake bathed the forest, washing over Absinthe's still body, touching every fragment of silver blood pooling around her.
Synthena and Celestia stilled, their attention finally caught, drawn helplessly into the unfolding spectacle.
Then—
Absinthe's body lifted, cradled by the moon's light, weightless above the forest grass.
Stars descended, breaking away from the sky, circling her form, as if called to her, as if answering an unseen force within her.
One by one, they infused into her, silver veins pulsing violently, brighter, stronger— until the light consumed everything.
A light greater than the moon.
A light that did not belong to this world.
****************************************************************************************
The Light Of Rebirth
After an immaculate burst of light, the stars infused within Absinthe vanished, leaving behind a cosmic tapestry across her skin—constellations glowing in perfect unison.
Her silver aura flared, unweaving the tightened strands of her French braid, letting her long, flowing hair spill free—its strands shimmering with a starlit glow.
Then—slowly, weightlessly—she drifted downward.
Her body was placed gently upon the grass, still, peaceful—resting.
They stared, frozen in amazement.
Synthena's tears ran dry, her chest tight with emotion. Celestia's thoughts dulled, emptied, drowned in the reality of what they were witnessing.
They moved closer, breathless, desperate to see what had changed.
Absinthe's wounds? Gone.
Then—a twitch.
Every eye locked onto her face, watching—waiting—holding onto the impossible.
Slowly—she stirred.
Long, white hair spread around her like mist, her movements hesitant, disoriented, her expression lost in a dream-like daze.
She looked around—eyes wide with uncertainty, taking in the forest where she had once died.
Yet— somehow, impossibly— she was alive.
She blinked, slow, confused—then turned toward them, her voice dry but deliberate.
"I hope I'm not late for school."
Silence.
Then—chaos.
Synthena launched herself forward, arms thrown around Absinthe, crushing her in an unforgiving hug.
"You're alright!!" she cried, tears spilling again. "Don't die on me like that ever again!"
Absinthe winced, but did not pull away.
Obsidian sat from a distance, watching—his golden eyes bright, glowing, sparkling with quiet relief.
Celestia stood farther away, but the way her shoulders relaxed gave her away.
She stepped forward at last, sighing.
"You sleep like the dead."
Her voice was sharp, teasing—but the weight of her relief was impossible to miss.
Obsidian let his back press against the ground, fully relaxed, his hand resting against his cheek.
A soft smile pulled at his lips.
"Welcome back, sleepyhead."
Absinthe flushed, heat rising to her cheeks as she quickly turned her head away, hiding her embarrassment.
Obsidian, now closer, grinned—his usual mischievous smirk settling into place, utterly entertained.
"Did you miss me?" he teased, lips puckering into a mock kiss, his golden eyes full of playful challenge.
"Baby."
Absinthe's face turned wildly red— and before he could push further, she shoved a fist into his forehead, knocking him back with a satisfied huff.
"Shut up, idiot! Go back to your hidey hole!"
Synthena, nearly falling from the sudden movement, only laughed, soaking in the return of their playful chaos.
And for the first time— the group felt whole again.
Laughter spilled between them, breaking apart the weight of everything they had lost.
Because this—this was the sign they had longed to see again.
****************************************************************************************
A Chilling Promise
Dr. Aria stood in the shadows, her long plumed hair draped over her shoulders, framing her sharp, knowing smile.
She leaned closer to the glass prison, voice soft but unmistakably dangerous.
"My favorite specimen, guess what?"
Travis tsked, already regretting her presence. He knew something was coming. Either a revelation— or a twisted game only she could devise.
His gravelled voice cut through the air, deep, filled with restrained fury.
"What do you want, Aria?"
Her eyes gleamed in amusement.
"It's Dr. Aria to you, subject." Her tone was swift, sharp—full of authority.
Travis growled, his patience stretched thin, snapping.
"If I weren't in this damn prison, I swear I would tear you apart!"
His anger surged, strength following suit—his left fist crashing through the reinforced glass, shattering pieces like splintered ice.
Before she could react—his hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing just enough for his warning to hold weight.
"I'm going to kill you when I get out of here."
But Aria was prepared.
The taser in her grip pulsed with energy—far from ordinary electricity.
She pressed it against his torso, and in an instant—plasma energy surged through him, forged from the blue dust she had been perfecting.
Travis collapsed, the shock so excruciatingly foreign that even his new form couldn't withstand it.
Soldiers stormed the room, boots heavy against the ground.
Officer Vance stood at the entrance, watching eagerly, eyes gleaming with barely restrained interest.
Travis shook through the aftershock, his breath uneven.
"What in the world is that?"
Aria laughed, twisting the taser in her hands like a masterpiece on display.
"Oh, this?" she cooed. "It's what I like to call the Shocking Realization—Blue Dust 345 0.1. Isn't she beautiful?"
Her pride radiated, the creation was magnificent, and she knew it.
Travis stared, jaw clenched.
"What now?"
Aria's expression darkened, amusement shifting into something colder, calculated.
"You low-life, no-brains would never understand what real science is." She let the words roll, deliberate, taunting. "So let me give you a taste—something we perfected on your beloved ancestors… the Genearians."
Travis stilled.
"Ancestors?"
Aria's grin widened.
"Yes! You're finally catching on!" She let out a laugh, hollow yet brimming with dangerous delight.
Travis swallowed, still gripping his side, the wound from the plasma shock lingering with unfamiliar pain.
The mist within his cell twisted, shifting, responding to the energy pulsing in the air.
"What does that have to do with me?" he demanded, though the weight in his voice was less defiant now—more wary.
Aria's gaze flickered, bright and hungry.
"Oh… it has everything to do with you."
The way she said it— The way her expression changed— The way she lingered on him as if he was a puzzle she was about to solve—
Travis felt something deeper stir in his gut.
Something he wasn't ready to face.
Aria turned, striding away with eerie calm, her voice carrying over the chamber.
"Prepare everything, as ordered—it's time to take that measly group down for good."
She passed him, pausing just enough to throw him a glance—running her tongue along the edges of her weapon, a chilling promise of what was to come.
Travis lunged forward, shattering more of the glass as he tumbled through, his focus locked entirely on Dr. Aria.
Before he could get close— before his rage could reach her—
Soldiers intercepted, slamming into him, forcing him back as he fought viciously, his screams cutting through the air.
"Don't you touch them!" he roared, his body thrashing against their grip, fueled by raw fury.
"Lock him up in the metal cells immediately—he's growing too strong!"
"Yes, sir!"
The order was swift. Absolute.
Dr. Aria glanced back, barely sparing the chaos a second thought.
She twirled her favorite tool in hand, swaying through the hallway, her steps light, careless—
Like the fight behind her was nothing more than background noise.
She skipped happily, her grin unwavering, prancing deeper into the halls— vanishing into the shadows with not a single care to give.
***************************************************************************
The misted figure stood still, unmoving, silent—watching.
Its white beaming eyes remained fixed on Travis, reflecting nothing but calm observation.
The chaos outside the cell—the soldiers struggling to restrain him, the orders being barked, the sound of metal clashing—
None of it mattered.
Then—a glint in the dim light.
A badge, resting against the figure's fog-shrouded form, caught the faint glow of the prison's sterile lights.
Etched into the metal—
"Dr. Lysander."