Starfire

By: HighlyRandomized

## Intro

So uhhh......Ummm......Hi. This a story which is set about a 1000 or so years into the future where the Earth has been invaded by various species of elves. Some humans have also developed powers now. The elves have taken over both the Moon and Mars, which were humans bases earlier and most of Earth as well. The planet Earth is a somewhat hostile situation where the Earthen leaders want to attack the intruders, but are scared of their magic and powers.

## Prologue

The night sky was dark, a blanket of twinkling stars like tiny, bright pinpricks of light on a dark velvet background. A light silver sliver of moon hung solemnly; pale compared to the sheer brilliance of the stars. An unnatural fog rolled over the tall spires of the Aurian castle, shrouding the castle with its secretive and enigmatic nature. The air and the clouds buzzed with anticipation of something unknown, as if a dark, magical storm was brewing, ready to strike chaos and wreak havoc on its seemingly peaceful surroundings. Under the cover of the strange, atypical fog and the peaceful, seemingly innocent night sky, a dark figure was moving towards the castle.

The fog seemed to surround and mask its fluid, graceful movements, allowing it to slip past a duo of palace guards. As it moved past, the figure raised two curved swords, one obsidian black and one shining silver. The glint of those blades as they reflected the moonlight and the blazing stars was the last thing those guards saw.

The guards slumped on the cobbled floor of the palace courtyard, their necks slit and their blood forming a dark pool around them, like dark liquid ink on darker still parchment. Their steel weapons clattered to the floor beside them, skittering some way away. The other guards were found the next day to be frozen in screams of terror, their bodies inanimate and literally frozen forevermore.

Unfazed, the unearthly figure began to move forward. It navigated the long, winding palace hallways with ease, moving its way forward with stealth akin to a predator stalking its prey. Only a golden door decorated with carvings of elegant animals in a forest and mountaintops in the distance separated the predator from its prey now. The door, oblivious to the danger it was letting in, swung in with a loud creak.

Alarmed by the creaking door, the queen opened her eyes to see a beautiful and graceful figure looming over her. She had slanted eyes with irises like deep silver pools of liquid mercury and long hair as dark as night, adorned with silver and streaks here and there that complemented her narrow face, pronounced nose and pale thin lips. But no amount of hair could hide the two long elegant black horns extending out of her hair, speckled with silver. The elf wore a short black hooded cloak, with simple close-fitting clothes underneath. She had two small, but sharp daggers and silver pistol strapped at her narrow waist. She held two more curved swords, one black and one silver, edged with metallic blue. Looking up tentatively, pleading words forming slowly in her only half conscious mind, she saw a blazing fire in those eyes, not like a small flame like one ignited with a match, but one that blazed out of control, destroying everything, living or nonliving that dare stray in its destructive path. The elf was beautiful, in a regal yet terrifying way. With a jolt of terror, Queen Estelle sat up, realising why this elf had come here. She had come here to kill her.

“Is taking over half the solar system and half the Earth not enough for you wretched elves? Must you really end humanity? I, for one, believe that humans and elves can live alongside in peace.” She said, hoping to negotiate with the elf who, in turn, made her swords disappear(somehow) and took the silver pistol in her hand, turning it over and over as if wondering how the bullets within would look like imbedded in her heart. She threw her head back and laughed, an eerie, bone-chilling sound that made her veins run cold and the fine hair at the back of her neck prickle with unease.

“Foolish humans. Foolish queen. Talk like they own the cosmos. Your time ends now, little Queen. Hopefully your successor will prove to be…. a little more cooperative…” Her soft voice was like the dark, quiet night- hard to hear but somehow scary all the same. The elf aimed, pointing at Estelle’s heart, and fired.

In that split second where the silver bullet was whizzing through the air towards her, she let out a scream; a blood-chilling sound of pure terror, loathing and hate. It caused the remaining palace guards to wake, but they were too late. The bullet had found its mark. Blood pooled around the corpse, soaking into the various sheets and fabric that adorned the bed. Then queen of Auria was discovered dead in her bed later that fateful night.

By the time the guards stormed towards the golden door that marked the queen’s bedchambers, the elven assassin was gone, leaving only the silver bullet and pistol, both marked with the Starfire insignia, and a hastily thrown open window in her wake.

Faraway from the castle, a lone boy was out in the forest that ringed the whole of the east coast of Auria. He traversed the dark, shadowy terrain with surprising ease, nimbly jumping over jutting roots, vines and rocks. A crescent moon shone brightly overhead, its silver brilliance framed by the twinkling stars and the dark canopies of the century-old trees in the forest. Looking up at the moon with unease, the boy moved forward quicker than before, running as if his life depended on it.

He allowed himself a small, bitter half smile at that thought. His life- and the fate of thousands of innocent people- elves and humans alike- depended on this very moment. This was the very night where all those timelines converged, the point after which even he- being one of the most powerful Seers to ever exist in the galaxy, maybe even the entire universe- could barely envision what happened next. The future usually spread itself out to him, like a road that split into a myriad of different paths, with he being able to view each path and take the best one. But now, the crossroads were foggy, some paths covered; some not appearing at all. He had only limited knowledge now. He made a mental list of the facts he did know in his head, running at the same time.

He knew it was crucial that he get to the castle of Queen Estelle, the Aurian queen.

He knew that Queen Estelle was dead by now, assassinated by the Starfire elf.

He knew this would lead to an all-out war between humans and elves.

He knew that that he, along with a group of other people would end it. If they- he failed, the world would literally end. Humanity would cease to exist.

So, no pressure then, right?

The steady rhythm of his dark thoughts blended in with the soft thumping noise of his footsteps, and before his knew it, he had arrived at the edge of the forest. Straining his eyes to see in the dim light, he could make out a lavishly decorated castle, complete with tall winding spires, rising triumphantly out of the grassy valley where he now stood.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out a blurry figure, running, weapons extended towards the forest. An unnatural mist surrounded the Starfire elf, masking its movements so the boy couldn’t make out any of its features, nor its gender. Directly above it, the stars in sky brightened tenfold, their silver glare almost covering the already pale moon.

Seeking refuge from the blazing stars and the elf, the boy once more ducked into the calming yet mysterious forest, and sat down on a fallen log, massaging his temples and pondering what to do next. His prophetic gift wasn’t any help, his head was now whizzing with unfinished, dark, bloody timelines- a maimed corpse, its features hidden under a spray of scarlet blood. A human army marching through a scorched, barred landscape, only to be surrounded by an army of Flamespark elves armed with shining blood-red swords and other horrible weapons of war. Chaos everywhere. A fleet of ballistic missiles streaking towards the Earth at the speed of light, followed by another fleet of starships marked with elven runes. Those missiles landing on the Earth, raining fire, shrapnel and destruction on villages and cities and towns full of innocent people. That vision bought him back to reality he was yet to save. His head was now throbbing more than ever, but he was able to form only two coherent thoughts- the destruction and death was only in futures where he didn’t save the world(which was probable) and the sweet, happy futures in the one where he did save the world(probably not gonna happen).

Standing up, he took the only non-world ending approach- he followed the elf deeper into the forest.