A Pair of Shooting Stars

Whenever I look up at the sky, I think about where the stars have guided me in life.

For as long as I can remember, I always felt like I was destined for something more.

I kept waiting and wishing on the stars to give me the greater purpose I so desperately needed.

Little did I know that after so many years of wishing, it seemed that the stars finally responded.

These powers that have been bestowed upon me... Can I really use them to their fullest potential?

Or rather, will I be able to realise mine?

Hopefully, by devoting myself to protecting people, I can find the answer.

As is the path the stars have chosen for me...

A young lady, 19 years old, pondered to herself as she wandered the city outskirts in the afternoon with only the inner workings of her mind to keep her company as she surveyed the area. She was enjoying the quiet time to herself away from all the crowds and noise of the outside world, since it gave her time to properly reflect on things.

She liked getting lost in her thoughts like this, but she had to be careful she didn't get herself trapped in there; otherwise, it would be hard for her to get out.

But unfortunately, she would be pulled out of her thoughts whether she wanted to or not when her smartphone started ringing, much to her annoyance. She knew there was only one person who could be calling.

Umbra swiped to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, An-Chan." The caller started. "What's up?"

"The sky. The one I was enjoying looking at before you interrupted." Umbra answered half-jokingly. "I thought you might be in trouble, but you sound fine. What did you call me for?"

"What, I'm not allowed to talk to my girlfriend if I'm feeling lonely?" The other girl pouted; Umbra could tell by the sulky tone she was using.

"I didn't say that." Umbra couldn't help but smile out of the corner of her face. Just a little. "Well, if you wanna chat with me, get on with it."

Umbra's girlfriend giggled. "I just wanted to check in on you to make sure you were... okay."

"Don't worry. It seems peaceful enough around here." Umbra looked around.

"Well, if you say so..." The other girl sighed. "But if you do see anything... suspicious... Can you call me back, so I can come help?"

"I mean, I should be able to take care of most threats by myself." Umbra said candidly.

The other girl clicked her tongue. "I don't know... I'm just worried that they seem to be getting stronger, and if it gets to a point where eventually we won't be enough by ourselves..."

I'm so tired of these feelings.

Suddenly, Umbra sensed those words that cut through her like a knife, causing her to tune out of everything else around her as she felt the full impact of this short, yet chillingly ominous sentence.

"Hey, are you even listening to me anymore?" The other girl pouted again. "I'm telling you, I'm worried! What are we gonna do?"

"Uh..." Umbra made an attempt to focus on what was being said on the other end of the call, but nothing she could say could pull her mind back out of what she was currently fixated on.

I want this pain...

This unbearable pain I have to deal with every day of my pathetic life...

I want it to end forever.

Umbra could sense, without a shadow of a doubt, that these words she heard were imbued with an overwhelming amount of the kind of despair that almost always led to...

"Hey... Umbra?" The other girl made one last attempt to grab back Umbra's attention, but it was no use. Without saying another word, Umbra hung up, and leapt forward to the source of where she felt those words coming from.

Dammit... Please, don't let me be too late. Umbra's thoughts raced along with her body as she moved on auto-pilot.

Whenever Umbra sensed such strong despair such as this, she felt an uncomfortable tension coursing through her. However, there was something about this instance that especially shook her to her core. Maybe it was because she related to this person's pain too much...

Maybe, if I can save this person... Umbra internalized in her mind. It means there's still hope for me.

Umbra's senses led her to the front gates of a nearby high school, still within the city outskirts. There was no denying the overwhelming aura Umbra felt from within the school building, especially as she could just barely hear a cacophony of screams and smashing glass.

"It's already begun." Umbra muttered under her breath, as she clenched her fists and teeth. She knew what had to be done.

"Starlight Empress, I summon you!" She cried out to the stars in order to summon her weapon. The sky heeded her call with a shooting star that descended right down to her as she caught it in the palm of her hand, and in her fist it glowed before transforming into the shape of a giant long blade and chain whip that shone silver, gold and sapphire blue.

With her weapon in hand, Umbra hurried inside the school and found students and teachers running for the exit; she had to force her way through crowds of teens shoving past her. Umbra found two girls who hadn't left yet and decided to interrogate them.

"Hey, what's happening? Did you see anything?" She got straight to the point.

The two girls were clearly very shaken up, but one of them tried to pull themself together as she spoke up. "It was Marina..." She spoke with a tone of desperation. "Her other friend... At least, she thought she was her friend... She humiliated her in front of class, with those bullies..."

"We tried to stop them, but they didn't care about her." The other girl said with venom in her tone of voice. "There was nothing we could do to help her in the face of those monsters."

"I'm scared she's gonna do something horrible..." The first girl quivered.

Scared... Umbra internalized what these girls said. She had seen how people react to their fear; how it triggers their fight or flight.

"Don't worry." Umbra nodded resolutely. "I'll do everything I can. Just... Get yourselves to safety." She didn't waste anymore time waiting for their response before she bolted upstairs to face whatever it was that awaited her.

Umbra dashed through the halls of each floor she ascended, searching for any traces of someone who could have manifested. Those caught up in the mess at the school had either headed to safety or were hiding in the classrooms.

This is terrible. Umbra thought to herself as she reflected on the tragedy of it all. This is exactly what happens when society spreads so much hopelessness, it grows into a monster that destroys everything in its path.

Umbra felt frustrated at the world that gave way to such suffering, but her extreme emotions fuelled her resolve as she climbed up one floor after the other until finally, she saw it.

Upon making her way up the stairs to the highest floor of the school building, she was greeted with the sight of the roof having been partially destroyed revealing the sky, and beneath it, was a disgusting mutation of black and red aura that pulsated as it drowned everything around it in darkness... Including the human host that was trapped inside.

This was the physical manifestation of one's despair. The monster born from one's beliefs that there is no hope left for them.

"Hey!" Umbra beckoned to the monster. "Is your name Marina?"

"Heh... Marina. All I wanted was for people to call me by that name, but look where that led me..." Through the armour of manifestation aura, Umbra heard her voice.

Suddenly, a shadowy appendage akin to a kraken's tentacle descended upon Umbra like a hammer. Luckily, she was able to dash out of the way, but the manifestation wouldn't give up that easily as it fired more attacks, including firing bullets made of its aura that Umbra had to weave through using all her evasion skills.

Crap. This one's really powerful... Umbra thought frantically in the midst of the action. That must mean she's gone through something terrible to feel this much despair.

"Tell me, what happened?" Umbra beckoned. "That is, to make you feel like there's no more hope?"

"Because they wouldn't leave me alone!" Screamed the voice inside, getting more desperate. "For so long I resented myself for the way I was born and wanted more than anything to feel free, but when I changed myself into something I could feel proud of, they hated me for it!"

"Who's they?" Umbra enquired.

"Those bullies! They made my life in school a living nightmare... And her... I thought she was my friend. I knew I couldn't trust anyone!" Marina cried. "This is just what I get for trying to break free... They did everything they could to make sure I was chained up, and they won."

"Did they?" Umbra confronted Marina. "Or did you let them win by giving up?"

"...What?" Marina's tone shifted.

While all this was happening, Umbra was locked in a fierce battle with the manifestation as she parried its attacks, but suddenly, the rate of which it attacked started to slow down, just enough for Umbra to focus more on talking to Marina.

"I don't know you personally, and I don't know exactly what kind of pain you had to go through." Umbra began to monologue. "But I know what it's like... To feel like you'll never belong. It's a terrible feeling, and no one should ever be made to feel like that."

The manifestation's attacks slowed down further.

"But you know something?" Umbra continued. "Your uniqueness doesn't have to be a curse. Not if you don't want it to be. In fact, you have a great potential to help others like you."

"How do you know that...?" Marina spoke softly.

"Because everyone has the potential to do so much good for those around them." Umbra said, based off her sincere belief. "Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of people who don't realize it, and believe they're only capable of cruelty. But you're not like that, and the world can't afford to lose people who have so much good to give."

Marina quaked inside the manifestation. "But... I'm scared..."

"Trust me, it's scary." Umbra said empathetically. "Not everyone will repay your kindness. But those who do... They're the ones worth protecting."

Umbra smiled softly at the manifestation... Or rather, the heart beating inside it. "Just like you."

"I..." Marina cried. She was overcome with regret; regret that she gave up like this, and she wanted more than anything to be able to turn things around.

She didn't know if that was possible, but deep down in her heart, she didn't want things to end like this.

I want to be saved.

I want to be free.

That was all Umbra needed to hear to be able to finish the fight. Because now, Marina's feelings had weakened the manifestation enough for Umbra to destroy it.

Umbra gripped her blade as it made a clanking sound for emphasis. Before, she was afraid that this despair would be too powerful, but it seemed like this girl was stronger than she believed herself to be.

I'm glad. Umbra thought to herself as her blade glowed a blinding light, before she dashed forward and leapt high into the air with a spinning axel jump. Her blade, still glowing, spun around with her as she finished charging her finishing attack.

"Time for the grand finale!" Umbra dramatically called as she shot up into the air before changing her trajectory horizontally, completely defying the laws of physics in the process. Then she shot up again until she stopped at the apex of her flight to reveal the bright white outline of a Big Dipper constellation that she used as a source of power for her blade.

"HOKUTO SHICHISEI!" She cried as she shot forward like a shooting star with her blade positioned in front of her, shooting through the manifestation with a piercing light that caused the aura to disappear in a massive explosion as Umbra stuck her landing with grace.

From within the aura, a high school girl emerged looking thankfully unharmed as she slowly descended to the ground. Umbra got a good look at the girl she had rescued for the first time; she had a petite figure and long smooth locks of strawberry blonde hair. She slowly got up and looked around in a daze before she found her savior.

"Are you okay?" Umbra softly asked the girl, kneeling down to her level.

Marina was taken aback by the young woman's beauty. "I..." She blushed as she placed a hand on her heart. "I think so. Thanks to you."

Umbra showed a faint smile. "Good." Her sword vanished in a trail of stars, now that her work was done. "Don't forget what I told you. I meant every word."

"Hey wait, what's your na--" Marina tried to ask, but before she could get the words out Umbra had already leapt away from the area, vanishing into the night. All she could do was watch as she reflected on what had just happened.

What she told me... Marina thought to herself. Although she was still shaken up, she realised that she had been granted a second chance at life now. And it was all thanks to her mysterious saviour.

"Thank you." She muttered under her breath. "Whoever you are."

Once Umbra was far enough away, she sat down for a view of the sky once more; in the time that had passed during her battle, twilight had arrived, meaning she could finally partake in a spot of stargazing. But first...

I should probably let her know I'm okay. She reached for her smartphone to call back her girlfriend. "Hey."

"An-Chan!" The girl on the other end called out. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's fine. Just had some business to take care of." Umbra brushed off.

"An-Chan..." The girl said in a tone of disappointment. "Please, don't go off fighting manifestations without me. Do you want me to worry myself sick over you?"

"Sorry..." Umbra said sheepishly. "But it was urgent."

"Just promise me it won't happen again." The girl said sympathetically. "In any case, good work tonight. Now come home, you can help me make dinner."

"Yeah, I'll see you soon. Love you." Umbra hung up as she took a moment to look up at the stars as they watched over her.

Did the stars guide me to that girl to save her, I wonder? Umbra questioned to herself. Well, if the stars have something planned for her, I'm glad.

She got up to make her own trail back home.

Whatever path she takes in her future...

I hope it can be a bright one.

Note: The nickname "An-Chan" comes from the Japanese translation of Umbra's name (Anbura).