Prologue - Rain

The Prologue of the Alpha Arc.

## Summary

The Goddess of the Heat and The Goddess of the Calm apprehend the Goddess of the Dark, who becomes too powerful and vengeful for her own good. Through this altercation, The Goddess of the Calm creates the celestial beings that will carry on their quest.

### Characters

1. Goddess of the Calm
2. Goddess of the Heat
3. Goddess of the Dark
4. Goddess of the Forge
5. The Sun

## Prologue - Rain

High above a sea of clouds, on the borderline of the heavens, there rests a palace, fit for the gods. Ethereal in both interior and exterior structure, Grecian in design. Pillars of concrete jutting from the clouds provided the proper structure for a ceiling, ample shade from the flame of the sun.

“You’re rather bright today, Sun.”

The Goddess of the Calm drifted from within the palace’s walls. Her skin glowed with a gentle blue light, her blue curls flowing in the cosmic wind. Her pale eyes glistened in the sun’s glare. The sun, alive, turned to face the goddess, flaming and raging as ever.

“It’s summer. I have to work extra hard to glow for everything this season.”

A feminine voice muttered from the core of the sun and echoed throughout the cosmos. The Goddess of the Calm smiled weakly, congratulating the sun on her hard work during the summer season. She couldn’t see it, but she knew the sun was smiling. The Goddess of the Calm retreated back to the halls of the palace. Her bare footsteps on the cold marble echoed through the empty space, and filled it with life. The cosmic winds picked up a bit, causing a draft to pick up and blow dust through the hallways. The blue goddess reached an ordinary-looking door and knocked upon it.

“Heat, the cosmic winds are getting stronger.”

A rustling, followed by the sound of something collapsing, and finally a flash of bright red hair and a glistening crown. The Goddess of the Heat emerged from the room, with a bewildered expression. She was clutching a large novel, featureless besides the hard leather cover; embossed with a single letter, written in script so ancient that no one remembers what it means.

“Calm. I need to ask you about something...”

The Goddess of the Heat pulled on the other goddess’s hand, yanking her into the room. Upon entry, she noticed the room-high piles of books and papers, teetering to the cosmic wind. The room was a mess, and every corner was upturned. The room was also lit with candles, sitting on edges of tables and on top of books. The fear of the room burning down was irrational; The Goddess of the Heat had total control over open flames. If anything were to happen, she’d stop it before it could create even a spark. The Goddess of the Heat slammed the book onto a nearby table, on top of other piles of documents.

“Be careful with that, please...” The blue goddess started, but the red goddess silenced her with her finger. Frantically, she flipped through the book until she found a page with doodles of gemstones on them.

“Here! The Enchanted Birthstones! Are they safe here?”

“Safe?”

The Goddess of the Calm chuckled a bit.

“Of course they’re safe. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t safe.”

The Goddess of the Heat grew ever more impatient, but the Goddess of the Calm was reassuring.

“I’ll go get them if you’re so worried about them.”

From there, she retreated, closing the door gently behind her. She went back up the corridor, leading outside, and turned a corner, entering a darkened hallway. There was a heavy wooden door, overgrowing with vines of ivy. The Goddess of the Calm reached into her hair and pulled out a glowing, blue key, which fit the slot perfectly. The heavy door creaked open, letting in the scant amount of light that illuminated the hallway into an even darker room. The Goddess grabbed her belt, and a small, floating, blue orb was produced. It glowed, and lit up the entire room with a pale blue light. On the far end of the room, there was a pedestal with a small jewelry box upon it. She approached it calmly, and opened it with the same blue key from before.

Inside the velvety interior were the twelve enchanted gemstones; a diamond of purest white; an emerald, robust and clean-cut; a pearl, reflecting the blue light; a ruby, red as can be, even in the blue light; a peridot, heart-shaped and lustrous; a sapphire, of a bluish-clear hue; an opal, mostly pink, but speckled with a rainbow of colors; an orange topaz, cut in an angry triangle; a mottled and irregularly shaped turquoise, beautiful in it’s own way; a garnet, friendly and geometric; an amethyst, mystical and glowing; and an aquamarine, as deep and clear as the ocean. The Goddess marveled at the beauty of the stones. She was as taken as the first time she'd seen them. She smiled, cradling the jewelry box like a precious baby. She closed the case and brought it back to the inconspicuous room, the light of the orb dimming until it vanished.

“Here you are.”

She set them on the table, next to the large book. The Goddess of the Heat heaved a sigh of relief.

“That’s good. I was so worried about them.”

She sat down, clutching the box to her chest. The blue goddess put her hand on the red goddess’s shoulder.

“Why are you so worried about them? Celestial thieves know not of their presence, and they are far from the clutches of man.”

The words were reassuring, but an uneasy feeling still crept down The Goddess of the Heat’s spine. Her expression fell sullen and her glow receded.

“There is still...her.”

“Her? The Goddess of the Dark, you mean? She’s been ruling the underworld for centuries. Why would she have any interest in our silly little rocks?”

“I’m keeping an eye on her, that’s all.”

The Goddess of the Dark was the goddesses’ sister, as charming and practical as all the other goddesses. At first, she created night, as she admired the Moon for its beauty and mysteriousness. Then, she became restless. To entertain herself, she created night-versions of man, to follow the humans around and mess with their minds. They call them shadows, and it is said that The Goddess of the Dark can manipulate them to her will. Although it was her job, she was young, and it got out of control, The Goddess of the Calm banished her to the underworld to watch after the dead, so she could fix everything in the human world.

“Don’t worry about her. If anything riles up, I’ll be sure to fix it. But if you’re still worried...”

Then, The Goddess of the Calm reached to her belt again, and retrieved a glassy, solid, blue orb, as big as the palms of her hands. It illuminated from the inside, revealing what seemed to be swirling clouds of a gas of some kind, forever tormented by a slowly-turning hurricane. She whispered ‘show me the Dark...’ into the orb, and it took little to no time to reveal a hazy, yet accurate, image of the Goddess of the Dark. She sat at a frozen-over balcony, expression stern. Inky black sections of curls swayed in the cosmic winds, and snow and dust picked up. Pink and purple eyes were trained on the souls of the dead. They lumbered slowly, milled in snowy streets. Their eyes were vacant, slightly jaundiced, and staring endlessly. None of them spoke above a moan of simple boredom.

“There she is. She seems to be handling everything well.”

The Goddesses watched on. A pillar of light separated the dense, blue clouds of the dead winter. The black goddess’s interest piqued and
an eyebrow was raised as a mortal, freshly deceased, cowered before her. He
screamed and cried; yet the goddess was unfazed. She stood from her seat to
lean over the edge, her entire palace made of ice. An inky, dynamic trail
followed her every move.

“Where am I? What is this?”

The man was in shambles, scooping up snow and dirt as if the
earth would give him an answer. The Goddess of the Dark remained calm, yet
stern. She said nothing for a while, beginning to find the mortal’s antics
amusing. When she decided she had had enough, she grabbed hold of the balcony’s
railing, and climbed atop it. She floated as if made of air.

“Welcome to the Deadlands; a frozen-over paradise for people
just like you.”

Her tone was dry and sarcastic, yet she finished with a smile.
Then she jumped. Her dress fluttered in the air, her body twirling...then she
vanished. What was left of her trace were small particles of ink; fragments of
pure shadow. The man only had time to look up to notice she was gone already.
She reappeared, materializing out of thin air. The fragment coagulated again,
reforming her essence. She was standing behind him, looming menacingly over the
man. He turned, and jumped.

“Am I dead?! Is this Hell?! Are you the Devil?”

He was panicking, something that a lot of dead people don’t
usually do. The Goddess of the Dark floated towards him, and then planted her
bare, inky black feet in the snow. She placed a hand of pure black on his
forehead.

“I may be scary, but I’m not the Devil. I only watch the
dead here. It’s not my job to punish you,” she pointed upwards with her other
hand and said, “It’s *her* job to judge your soul.” She was referring to
The Goddess of the Light, in charge of truth and justice. “And this isn’t Hell
either. It’s just the Deadlands.” She tightened her grip on the man’s forehead
slightly, squeezing gently at his temples with her middle finger and thumb. He
wanted to scream or run, but the goddess calmed him down. When she released her
hand, his eyes went yellowish-gray, and glowed with a dull light. His mouth
parted open, and his skin turned gray. He was now indistinguishable from the
other residents of the Deadlands. The man stood, and groaned passively. The
dark goddess smiled.

“Now, go meet the others. Build a snowman or something.”

He grunted and drooled, then turned to another group of
zombified spirits, and promptly began to roll up a ball of snow. The Goddess of
the Dark smiled weakly; having most of her power locked away after being
banished to the Deadlands was draining. She looked at her own hands, black as
onyx, and closed them slowly. The cold of the Deadlands was keeping her powers
minimal; for now, she was only able to suck the life out of people who are
almost dead anyway, and her teleporting abilities still worked. She wondered if
her shadow-weaving was any good. She turned back to her icy throne and
teleported again, slumping down in her chair. She lifted her fingers daintily,
and wriggled them for a small while, unknowing that the other goddesses were
still watching. Both goddesses knew what she was up to, even without saying a
word.

“I know that face. She’s testing her powers.”

The black goddess’s fingernails began to grow, and stretch.
They bent and contoured along the edges of the ice palace. They moved quickly,
yet without a sound. She was turning her fingers into shadows, and they
traveled along the surfaces of the snowy ground. They began to twist and turn,
weaving around the legs and feet of the wandering souls. It was a long time
since she’s weaved into anyone’s shadow; she tried desperately to match her
previous techniques. The shadowy fingertips grew until they merged with the
shadow of one of the zombified citizens, who was in the middle of building a
small snowman. The zombie halted, and its body jerked a bit, its mouth opening
to screech in pain before realizing it was under control. The black queen
raised an eyebrow, and lifted her index and middle fingers. The zombie went
blank, and it raised both of its arms in the air. She smiled and grinned. Then
she began to laugh. The other two goddesses traded horrified expressions.

“We need to go.”

The Goddess of the Calm hesitated, looking back within the
glowing sphere. The Goddess of the Dark turned around, clawed fingers extended.
The goddess was grinning in the thin air, but she seemed to be staring directly
at the Goddess, right through the crystal ball. She jumped and screamed,
dropping the ball and shattering it. The Goddess of the Heat grabbed the other
goddess’s hand and dragged her out of the cluttered library. The cosmic winds
were now gusts, blowing small chunks of clouds and dust around. The goddesses
shielded their eyes from the debris. Underground, the Goddess of the Dark was
growing her army. One by one, she weaved her shadowy tendrils into each of the zombified spirits, and turned them to her. Instead of controlling them, however, she
preferred to suck the energy out of them; what little energy was left, anyway.
The other goddesses knew that The Goddess of the Dark’s powers were practically
nonexistent in the icy recesses of the Deadlands. The little warmth and energy
that she absorbed was enough to increase her power; her shadows could reach
farther, she could teleport farther, she could hover more...They never thought
she’d try to rebel. The Goddess of the Dark gathered enough strength from the
zombie hoard that she could reach her shadowy hands up to the clouds. Instead
of her fingers, she threw up her arms, hoping to cover some of the distance.
Her fingers and hands speared through the cloud barrier and shot up through.
Both of the goddesses standing outside could see the black projectiles
separating the clouds. They seemed to almost rip the clouds open, and the black
goddess was able to fly her way through the frozen atmosphere. Warmer and
warmer, stronger and stronger, she continued to escalate. Finally, she was
free.

“Are we too late?”

The Goddess of the Heat searched for the black goddess,
fighting through the cosmic winds.

“I think so.”

The Goddess of the Darkness was perched atop the stone palace,
at the very apex of the front decoration, on one leg. She flipped her hair,
letting out some inky black particles.

“And does it feel good up here, or what? Man, oh, man. It’s
like stepping out into a sauna after being locked in a freezer for hundreds of
years.”

She grinned wildly, her soul burning with vengeance. She
jumped down to the other Goddesses’ heights, purposefully making a loud *thud*
*and cracking the surface upon landing. She approached them, the inky trail*
becoming wispier and gassier.

“I believe you have some apologizing to do.”

She stepped right up to her “Dearest sister...” and grabbed
her wrist tightly. The dark smoke wisps began to burn her wrist. The Goddess of
the Calm let out a screech of pain.

“We owe you nothing!”

She retrieved her arm, rubbing the darkness off. A dark blue
scar was left. The Goddess of the Heat stepped in between them, and engulfed
her own fist in flames; this was how she fought.

“Don’t make me hurt you. You know what you did was wrong.”

The Goddess of the Dark stared for a moment, then she began
to laugh.

“What I did? What about what *you* did? What you *both*
*did!”*

“You can’t just manipulate people on your own will. It was
uncalled for.”

“It was my job! That’s what I was born to do! Just because
you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s wrong!”

She was shouting now, overcome with anger and dread. Her
shadows were steaming off of her now. The Goddess of the Heat was charging up
as well, preparing for a fight. The Goddess of the Calm was pathetically
standing by, making no effort to stop them from fighting. She just wanted to
hold on to the gems, making sure nothing happened to them. The enchanted
birthstones were ancient artifacts, the only things left from the last universe
that the goddesses ruled over. They were of sentimental value, and held
mysterious power. She didn’t dare risk losing any by opening it now, though.
She decided to step out. The Goddess of the Heat made the first move. Her fist
would have slammed right into the dark goddess, but she put up a shield of pure
shadow and cancelled out the effect. The red goddess bounded backward, kicked
back by the force of the attack. The shadow shield dissipated, and the goddess
smiled.

“If you are going to attack me, at least hit me first.
Plus...” Her gaze shifted to the one person who wanted to disappear. “*You’re*
*the one I’m after.” She glided past The Goddess of the Heat, her feet*
barely touching the ground. The Goddess of the Calm was anything but, backing
up over the edge of the palace’s ground. Her heels were scaling the edge. The
shadow goddess’s hands were charging up, smoking and steaming with power. The
Goddess of the Calm was panicking and didn’t think to use her own powers over
ice. She kept backing up until there was no more. The Goddess of the Darkness
formed her hand into five, long daggers.

“You banish me to the land of the dead?”

The Goddess of the Calm began to fall off the edge. The
insteps of her bare feet were curved along the edge of the marble floors of the
palace. Before she could begin to fall, The Goddess of the Dark stabbed The
Goddess of the Calm in five places. Her arms went limp, and she almost dropped
the box of jewels. Her long, blue hair flowed dead in the wind. Her eyes were
still fixed on the dark goddess, full of hate and rage even as her heart
slowed. Blue blood trickled down her legs and out of her body, and pooled at
the edge and dripped down to eternity.

“I banish you to the land of the dead.”

The Goddess of the Dark retracted her shadowy daggers of
fingers, and let her body fall back through the hole that she ripped through
earlier. The Goddess of the Heat was losing her mind, screaming and flaming.
She was engulfed in flames. Out of rage, The Goddess of the Heat wasted no time
running after her, while at the same time, grabbing the Goddess of the Darkness
by the hair and dragging her down with her. Screaming and crying, she sent a
flurry of flaming punches and kicks, landing every blow on the dark goddess.
They were falling faster and faster, and soon passed the Goddess of the Calm.
She *was* calm, her eyes closed, still holding the box of gems closed. Her
breaths were icy and visible, even compared to the climate they were entering
by falling through the Deadlands. The Goddess of the Heat continued to pummel
The Goddess of the Darkness, until they reached a high enough velocity where
they’d break *through* the soil and snow of the Deadlands, to whatever
lurked below. The Goddess of the Darkness waited for a moment, letting the
heated goddess have all the fun. Before they hit the ground, she transported directly from under her, and she punched through the ground before the
realization. She screamed and fell; hitting the cold steel of the location they
were in. The Goddess of the Calm landed in the snow, a few feet away from the
hole that was created. She was still alive, but she wouldn’t be for long. Still
clutching the box of gems, she realized she had to give them to someone else.
The Goddess of the Light would be too suspicious of a choice. She thought on it
hard, with every fiber of her being. She knew what she had to do.

“What in the name of—"

Another goddess emerged from the shadows, but she wasn’t
hidden for long. She was much older, and her skin was a metallic gray. Her
armor and dress were metallic and shining, and her hair was nowhere in sight.
Her eyes shone reddish-orange. She gasped in horror at the hole in the ceiling,
but more so at The Goddess of the Heat, whose body was ceasing to burn bright.
The Goddess of the Darkness levitated in the hole, still bruised and bloodied,
purple blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it and began to
speak.

“Goddess of the Forge.”

“Sister.” Her tone was dry and slightly rude.

“I can think of three things you can do for me right now,
and I’ll pay you back in full. I promise.”

She raised an eyebrow; fine muscle movements looking strange
on someone whose skin is metal. She blinked. “Continue.”

“One. I want a chain, about three or four feet long, with an
iron ball attached to it. Two. I want you to put it around *her* ankle,”
throwing a glance at The Goddess of the Heat, “and three. I don’t want her to
leave your sight.”

The Goddess of the Forge sighed.

“I have two questions. One, why? And two, can you please
just teleport here next time? You all can do it. And I’m not babysitting
tonight. Ask the Goddess of the Light. Why specifically here?”

The Goddess of the Darkness cackled as she explained that
the coldness of metal saps the heat’s powers, just as ice does to her darkness.
Metal is also smooth, making friction harder for the goddess to find. The
Goddess of the Heat sizzled against the iron floors. She finally lifted her
head, charred a bit on her forehead.

“P...please...help...”

She could only squeak the words out. The Goddess of the
Forge remained silent, and didn’t move an inch. Her gaze shifted from the dark
goddess, and back to The Goddess of the Heat. She shrugged.

“I assume you are trying to imprison her. Well, I can’t let
you do that.”

The Goddess of the Forge slid on a pair of worn work gloves,
matching her eyes. The Goddess of the Darkness wasted no time rushing up to her
and grabbing her around the neck. The inky black trails of smoke began to rise
and she grinned maniacally. The iron goddess was in danger, but remained calm
throughout.

“—But I can make you an offer! If you refrain from telling
The Goddess of Calm about this, I’ll throw in another chain for free!”

“You aren’t helping the situation!” The Goddess of the Heat
spat. “Besides...she won’t be hearing any of this.”

“Why not?”

The Goddess of the Dark dropped The Goddess of the Forge to
the iron floor, her metallic body clanking loudly against it. Her neck was
scarred with a deep, dark circle, as if she were wearing a choker. It didn’t
even bother to bleed. She rubbed the wound sourly. “What’s going on?” She
managed to squeak out the words through her wounded windpipe. The Goddess of
the Darkness gestured towards the hole in the ceiling.

“The Goddess of the Calm is dead.”

She was grinning way too much. The Goddess of the Forge’s
expression went from bitter to painful, as she managed to stand in expression.

“What do you mean? What did you do?”

The Goddess of the Heat cooled down enough to refrain from
sizzling on the iron. She stood, uneasy on her feet. She rubbed her sore arm
from when she punched through a level of the heavens.

“She killed my sister. Our sister. *Her own sister.* Don’t
listen to a word she says. She just wants me chained up because she knows I
can–”

Before the fiery goddess could buck up to her, The Goddess
of the Darkness managed to stitch her shadowy tendrils into her, and control
her like a marionette. She barely stifled a scream before her body was
completely taken over. Her arms flailed, her legs had a fit. The Goddess of the
Darkness removed the tendrils as quickly as she entered them, but they were not
a solid mass. It was more of a gaseous state, tangible shadow. The Goddess of
the Heat collapsed, her eyes rolled back. The Goddess of the Forge stumbled
backward, gasping in horror.

“You’re a monster... I can’t believe you! Killing your own
kind. For what? What reason do you have? Revenge? Please.”

Behind her, The Goddess of the Forge was fumbling for a
weapon. She didn’t want to look completely obvious, so she refrained from
turning around. Running her hand along the shelf, she grabbed hold of a wrench.

“I’m taking over this joint. Once I’m strong enough, I’ll
smother even the brightest light.”

She pointed upwards in reference to The Goddess of Light.
She brought her arm back to her sides, and held the other one at the same
distance. A black fog grew around her body, whipping up a frenzy of inky wisps
and boiling smoke. The Goddess of the Forge pathetically threw the wrench. It
would have hit her, but it dissipated upon contact with the black smoke. She smiled.

“Night, night.”

From the Deadlands, The Goddess of the Calm rested in the
snow. Still alive after everything that’s happened, she raised a hand to her
belt. She was still bleeding pretty badly, but as long as she was alive, she
could heal. She retrieved another blue orb from her belt, one of the last ones
she had. She weakly held it up in the air, and it began to glow. It evaporated
into a light blue smoke that rushed into her body and healed her wounds. The
blood ran slower and slower, and the puncture wounds closed. She stood after a
moment, holding the box of gems.

“I know...”

She felt the universe shift, the sky rumbling in sorrow. The
clouds rolled in, darkening the skies. It wanted to rain, but the clouds were
too heavy to cry. The Goddess of the Calm slowly opened the box of gemstones.
They were all glowing brightly, and vibrating slightly. She closed her eyes and
set the box on the snowy ground. She lifted her left hand and swirled it around
in the air. She channeled her ice controlling powers, and swirled the lazy
snowflakes around her hand. They whipped around, creating a type of flurry
around her arm. The ice began to solidify, and formed a type of pike, a spike
engulfing her arm and sticking out quite dangerously. The gems were glowing stronger
now, but the skies were a threatening deep grayish-purple. Her eyes grew hard,
her expression long. At the first lightning strike, she ran. She ran all
throughout the Deadlands, past all of the zombified spirits, now no longer
alive even here. She ran past the icy temple, still sound in its structure. She
ran right to the spot where The Goddess of the Darkness ripped the sky open.
The clouds were closing in on the spot fast, but it was still there. She
concentrated, icicle weapon in one hand and the box of gems in the other. The
ice and snow swirled around her dress, and her skin became more frosted and
pale. The ground beneath her began to bulge, break, the ground came from within
itself. She was building an ice pillar, using the ice and snow already around
her to build a tower that would pierce the sky. It worked, the wind rushing
through her hair and her face. She made it. The Goddess of the Calm rose right
in front of the sun, which seemed uneasy at the moment.

“What’s going on? The weather is getting funny.”

The Goddess of the Calm looked down at her hands, then back
at the sun. Her expression was longer and sourer than ever.

“I apologize in advance for this.”

In one swift motion, The Goddess of the Calm plunged the icy
spear into the sun. It didn’t scream or yell; it didn’t even feel any pain. As
she removed the spear, a bit of the sun came out. The essence of the sun
splurged out a bit, running thick like lava. With that, the box began to
vibrate. Without warning, the lime green peridot flew out of the box, and
buried itself within the residue of the sun. It glowed and morphed, finally
taking the shape of a person. It was the shape of a woman, with long, flowing
lava-like hair. It glowed just as the sun did. She was nude, besides the
peridot embedded in her chest. She looked up, desperately, with bright green
eyes.

“Listen, Sun. You are in danger. Everyone is in danger.”

She began in a commanding, yet panicked, tone. The sun
looked at her, knelt down on the cracked marble of the palace. Without a word,
she looked down at her own hands, trembling.

“W...what am I?”

“You’re a human now. But only a bit of you.”

The Goddess of the Calm tilted her head toward the rest of
the sun. The puncture closed itself up seamlessly.

“Listen, sun. I’m going to send you to Earth now. I have
these...” She flashed the remaining gems at her before closing the box again.
“...And you have to protect them. They are not safe here.”

Black lightning struck the air, and a rumble of thunder
shook the palace.

“They are *really* not safe here.”

“And I have to protect them?” Her green eyes glistened.

“Yes. But you aren’t alone. I’ll gather remnants of all the
planets to accompany you. Quickly.”

Before the Goddess could finish her thought, another streak
of black lightning crashed down right behind her. Time to go. Without a word,
she shoved the box under her free arm, and she grabbed the woman with her empty
hand. Then they ran. On the way there, she used her ice saber to slash through
the other planets, cutting chunks of rock and gas and ice of the other planets.
Gemstones flew, and bodies were formed. There were nine people before her,
listening to her every word. She handed the box to the woman made from the Sun.

“I’m sending you to Earth now. Please, keep them safe. I’m
counting on all of you. Don’t let me down.”

She held her arms out, as if motioning to embrace them all.
Hot tears were forming in her eyes as she smiled sweetly.

“I love you.”

Lightning struck. Icicles blew in a flurry of a storm. The
clouds parted beneath them, and they were sent below. Before long, they were
gone. The Goddess of the Calm’s arms was still outstretched, still frozen in
place. The tears were still streaming down her cheeks. She looked towards the
sky as the rain began to pour down. Within seconds, she was soaked from head to
toe. She couldn’t take it anymore, and fell to her knees, sobbing. The rain
began to cool, and froze against her skin. Everyone already thought she was
dead, so there was really no point in fighting back. She was too weak; she knew
the Goddess of the Darkness would destroy her. She did the only thing left she
could do. There, on her knees, she began to frost over, the rain covering her
in a thin sheet of ice.

“Please...”

She whispered faintly as her body solidified.

“Please...don’t fail me...”

And with that, she became engulfed in ice, an ice sculpture
of herself. The detail was immaculate; even her tears were silhouetted against
the skin of her cheeks. She ceased to move, squeaking as the last bit of air
escaped her body.

The ten adults were sent to the Earth, to an isolated
area, dark and damp. It was like a forest; an uncharted jungle. They laid sprawled out in the soil, in quite shock. They were all naked, afraid, and confused. They began to come to, observing the surroundings and their own bodies.

“So, this is what it’s like to be human?”

The woman made from Venus observed her own hands, her tone slightly disgusted. The man born from Saturn stood as well, dusting dirt off his knees and arms.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Now, everyone calm down,” The Sun began. “We’re here on a mission, no? Let’s try to come up with a strategy to keep these gemstones safe, okay?”

The woman with the red flaming hair lifted the case up to her chest, opening it and revealing the gemstones. There was a moment of silence that lingered in the air. The man created from Neptune sniffed the air, and began to speak in a low, quiet voice.

"We should find some clothes, yeah?"