The boy and a star

The rest of the morning passed by with Pai trying to distract his mind and think about anything else but that dream.

"Open your textbooks to page one twenty-seven. Today's lesson is the biome of..." Mr. Z began, but a loud noise suddenly echoed outside.

CRACK!

The deafening noise reverberates from outside the classroom. Startled, a student creeped over, pressing against the glass to see what's happening. In an instant, the boy's scream pierced the air, and his soul seemed to leave his body. "What's wrong?"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! The sound of successive gunshots filled the air, sending waves of fear rippling through the school.

"Everyone, get under your desks now!" Mr. Z urgently commanded, and students scrambled to find cover, sticking like gum under their desks in nervous reflex. Cracking bones stopped, and Pai's eyes cautiously peered from under the desk. Mr. Z stood posted at the window, trying to assess the situation.

"Dad, are you okay? What the hell's going on?" Pai asked softly, feeling the tension rise in the room. Each step felt like wading through thick glue, but Pai was determined to see what's happening. As he tried to move, an eerie sensation passed through him.

Pai's mind raced as he realized the horrifying truth: "I was...No, we were never at the top of the food chain." His nervous smile slowly faded, and he found himself frozen with fear, unable to move. The entire class rushed to the windows, eager to see what was happening, only to share the same dreadful fate.

"Back to your seats now!" Mr. Z's scream pierced through the panic once more, commanding everyone to retreat from the windows and find safety at their desks.

"No one goes near the windows, stay put at your desk. Don't move at all!"

"Dad,” Taro screamed out, and Mr. Z hurried down the hall, checking every classroom against their windows.

“Were those bodies?"

"Bodies just don't fall out of the sky."

"What? Don't try to deny what we all saw!"

"Can you dumbasses shut up? This isn't the time to be doing this. Think about your classmates," said Taro, his voice tense with urgency.

"I need a better look. What if Dad gets in trouble?" Pai's curiosity pushed him to want to see more, but his fear held him back.

The students gazed at Pai, approaching him with worry evident in their eyes. One more body dropped before Pai, launching every boy and girl up, except the brothers. A creature stood over the corpses, and green light glowed from both eyes of the clothed gray-skinned being.

Pai and the being stared into each other's eyes. Its burnt yellow teeth smiled at Pai, sending chills down his spine. Taro pulled Pai away from the window, feeling his brother's sweaty arms. "I could feel...Something wasn't right about it. Pai, did you see that thing too?"

"Yeah, but this isn't the first time."

"What do you mean, nightmares?"

"You heard me in my nightmares, and I don't wanna keep repeating myself."

Mr. Z ran out both front doors, but only to find nothing. Every corpse had disappeared. Only heavy dark blood remained. Fresh grass rotten by the fluids, smokes some into the air.

"It couldn't be," Mr. Z argued, his voice trembling. A dainty red girl floated behind Mr. Z, her pearly eyes shining crystal honey orange.

"He shall rule over all." The girl's voice was haunting as she spoke. Mr. Z quickly turned around, but there was nothing to be found. He looked above, under the clouds. "So it finally begins, the race for power."

CHERRY VOL.1

"This is your local news. Cherry City will be canceling all schools plus a list of workplaces following today," the new channel announced across Cherry City. School bells rang, and sunset faded upon Blossom High students.

"Pai, you don't have to walk me home," Kel mumbled quietly as the sun began to set, casting a chill over the evening.

"It's alright, and you don't live too far from me; today's been creepy. I just want to make sure you get home safe." Kel blushed, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "Thanks, Pai."

On his way back, Pai couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following them. "You think I wouldn't notice you following? Yeah, keep following me," he muttered to himself. He decided to cut through a nearby park, its vast expanse illuminated by the moonlight.

"Alright, asshole, listen up. It's been a long day, and I've seen some weird shit today...If you're a girl who has a crush on me, please don't run away!" Pai called out defiantly, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Alone in the park, the cool breeze swept past Pai as he did a complete three-sixty, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. However, he sensed a strange pressure from above him. "Oh, a shooting star, why not make a wish?" He said to himself, almost mockingly.

"I want a girlfriend and wish good fortune for my family…Maybe get rid of this headache that's been plaguing me my whole life as well. You know, those should be nice."

The golden star seemed to grow larger as it hurtled toward Pai. "Yo, that's getting close; is that even a star? This thing's gonna hit me if I don't move...Damn it!" As the energy landed, it peeled away the grass, causing small explosions that sparked across the field, raining destruction to most of the park.

Pai found refuge hugging the roots of a nearby tree, his pink hair covered in dirt. "What the hell is happening? I can't catch a break today," he laughed nervously.

"HAHAHA!" Laughter echoed from the darkness, and a figure emerged, wrapped in a thick trench coat. "Who would've thought I'd track you down from some loud, stupid crying brats? Come out of there, you waste!"

"AGH," another voice cried out in pain. A young girl with blood running down her forehead reached out for Pai from inside the crater. "Help," she mumbled weakly.

"That is a person? It's only a girl; she came crashing down...From what the fuck?!" Pai's mind raced with confusion and fear. "Hey!" He pointed out to Pai with long gray fingers. "I don't know who you are, buddy, and I don't care, but that's my prey. Thanks for making this catch so trouble-free! Get lost before you make me angry."

The girl slumped to the ground, her body emitting a strange golden energy. Pai felt torn, unsure of what to do. "I'm not a hero, I'm just one guy. I'm nobody special, so why is this happening to me? This has nothing to do with me.”

The unknown man moved swiftly to the girl's side, and Pai couldn't fathom how he got there so fast. "What else can he do? What even is he? This guy's a half robot, covered in gray skin…Aliens?"

"Time to end your species' existence for good!" the strange figure declared with malice in his voice.

"No! It's okay, you didn't know her. It doesn’t matter if she’s blown across the park, it was just her fate...No! No! No! No! I won't! Is that how you wanna think forever? How is that even right?" Pai's anguished thoughts fought to make sense of the tragedy before him.

A fiery charge of energy surfaced from the palm, exploding on the helpless girl. The impact sent dirt and dust flying, mixing with gruesome body parts and splatters of blood that painted the scene.

"HAHA, I've achieved my mission on to the next phase; got to update Dante about this. I'll be with you in no time soon now." Dust and red rays pushed near the crater. Pai closed their distance.

"Hey, shithead!" A sudden burst of growth seemed to have given Pai the strength he needed. He threw a perfect punch that caught the killer off guard, sending his head snapping backward.

Pai landed a perfect punch, putting his entire body into it.

Kneeing the man against his torso, soon after following right with an uppercut. Going for another strike to the nose, although, this time, it's caught.

With a splitting grin, it spat fresh blood, seemingly unfazed. "Hey, kid, let me introduce myself; the name's Rook." Pai's torso was forced back by Rook's powerful blows, causing a cloud of dust to rise with each impact. The force of the punches even caused Pai to vomit.

How is he this fast? Rook's speed and strength were astounding, nearly overwhelming Pai. Rook jabbed his nose and landed an uppercut that lifted him off the grass, before delivering a powerful punch to Pai's liver.

Spinning beams erupted from Rook, creating a violent whirlwind of blood and spit in the frigid air. "That should handle him for good," Rook declared confidently, pressing down dirt on the ground. But to his surprise, Pai’s nowhere to be found.

"Hey...shithead! I’m still here!" Pai's voice rang out from behind, catching Rook off guard as he turned around to face Pai. "You don't get to do that and think you’ll live in my existence." The air crackled with tension as the two adversaries faced off.

From Rook's perspective, Pai trembled, swaying unsteadily as blood and spit mixed and dribbled down his chin. Rook squinted at Pai, noticing the flickers of brown, pink, and red in his eyes, and felt the air around them grow scorching hot, making nearby plants catch fire.

"What the hell is this heat? Who the hell is this person with all this fucking essence?" Rook wondered, bewildered by Pai's newfound power. The girl he had torn apart earlier reappeared near Pai. “I can handle this, my friend.”

With a snap of her fingers, she cast a sleeping spell on Pai, causing him to slump onto her chest, and she gently held him up as a star appeared, gently placing Pai down.

"Now...what species did you say you were ending again?" Her lifeless golden eyes bore into Rook as she pushed her long emerald-green hair back, sparks dancing over her purple eyebrows and down her brown skin.

A royal gold essence enveloped her, and a beam of light descended from the sky, striking Rook and knocking him to the ground. Though he rose slowly, rage stabbed at his eyes.

"No! You should be dead. I know I killed you!" Rook screamed, but the girl launched herself at him, each punch denting his chest, followed by a powerful sidekick to his neck.

Rook's vision blurred as he struggled to stay on his feet. "I'll kill you, dammit! I won't fail this mission. So just drop dead, you fuck!" he yelled, but the girl appeared before him, placing both hands on him.

"You first. Star style explosion!" she declared, and a giant golden explosion engulfed Rook's entire body. He was blasted across the field and into the forest, his flesh searing from the impact.

Despite his injuries, Rook stood up, only to find multiple rays of light hurtling toward him at incredible speed. He tried to dodge them, but one struck him in the back without warning.

“AHHHHGHH!” Rook's screams filled the air, but they soon faded as more beams pummeled him, coalescing into a giant star that crashed upon him from space. The attack ceased, leaving nothing behind except for a piece of gray skin, ensuring his death.

"Serves you right,” the girl stated coldly as she and Pai soared away, leaving behind traces of golden essence. Cold clouds cool down the warm golden star.

“It looks like we’re the same, but when will your seeker reveal themselves, so we can join this race for Nova? I hope there’s more to you kid. I want a shot at this. There’s no way I can do this without you. Please be the boy to make my dream come true.”

As they flew over Cherry's City, its night lights cloaking them, they observed people gathering for the closing day, drinking and sharing laughs with friends. The neon lights were too weak to reach the massive cherry tree blossoms.

Fashionable people walked under essence powered light bulbs, while street performers collected their daily hard earned money. Group of kids swarm an overwhelmed police officer begging for ice cream, however the owner gave them a tube instead. Stars twinkle upon tall glassy cold metal skyscrapers covered with the cherry blossom vines.

When I first saw her she looked so powerless, begging for help, but as she came back, I knew that I was wrong all along. I thought someone with that strength doesn’t need any saving.