Chapter 1 - Falling Stars

~Scarlett~

The summer sun was unbearably hot and thick. Moisture was held in the air, and it stuck to my skin like glue. I hiked up a rocky seaside trail alongside my friends Lila and Skye. I could hear Skye's exhausted breath while Lila lagged behind, her green eyes gazing leisurely at the scenery. We continued up the slope, rocks, pebbles and dirt crunching under our feet. At the top, there was a vast view of the ocean. Roaring waves crashed against the bluff, and a cool breeze finally blew pleasantly around us. I stopped and waited for my friends at the edge. I stared straight down at the vicious water; it tackled the coast relentlessly. The smell of the salty water tickled my nose.

Skye called out to me tiredly, her droopy blue eyes watering lightly. She wore her dark brown hair in loose pigtails, her hair was wavy, and the curls sat at a medium length near her shoulders. I watched her adjust her round, thin blue glasses as she took off her oversized white cardigan with cute blue, heart-shaped buttons. Underneath the cardigan she was wearing a short baby blue crop top in the heat and dark blue short shorts. I shook my head at her disapprovingly. She was wearing cute blue flats and frilly white ankle socks on a mountain hike.

I teased Skye lightly, my voice tough and brash, "You know Skye, maybe if you wore proper hiking shoes, you wouldn't be so exhausted?"

"When you said hike, I thought like, a walk in the park or something," Skye shouted, her tone fluttery like a bird, "Besides, Lila isn't even wearing hiking shoes. She's wearing high-topped sneakers and she's fine!"

Lila approached us quietly. She added in a nerdy but cute voice, "I paced myself."

I stared at Lila's feet as she stood behind me. She was wearing purple high-top sneakers with white laces and two differently colored over-the-knee socks, one purple with a starry pattern and the other white. I noticed that Skye had a point, Lila was practically dressed like a schoolgirl. As usual, she dressed oddly in a purple plaid skirt and short sleeved white blouse with a purple ribbon tied around the neck's collar. Gazing up at Lila's face, I stared into her round green eyes, she adjusted her rounded geometric black glasses and looked out at the horizon. Her long, straight light brown hair flowed in the wind, she kept fighting with her full bangs and pushed them back.

It was at moments like these I was glad to have shorter hair, mine was black and cut close to my head with tight curls. Unlike my friends, I had come prepared for this hike. I wore sporty black shorts with cargo pockets and a tightly fitted red tank top. On my feet, I wore maroon hiking shoes tied around my legs with knee-high sporty white socks to prevent my legs from scratching in the bushes. Despite this, the vision of the beautiful blue coast was blurred by my smudgy square glasses. I cleaned them quickly and put them back on. The view from here was breathtaking.

"Are you guys ready to keep going?" I asked, as I ran to the edge of the cliffside.

Lila stopped to tie her shoe and replied, "Ah, yes I just have to fix my shoe."

"Wait, can I take a picture?" Skye asked while struggling to take off her backpack, "I want to take one with all of us next to the cliff, overlooking the ocean."

Lila hesitated before answering, "I don't look good in pictures."

"It's just one picture, I promise," Skye said while she held up her phone timidly.

I replied, "Alright, let's not make this a thing. I want to get to the rest of the trail. Let's take a picture!"

Lila, Skye and I got close together by the cliffside at a safe distance. My feet were planted stiffly in the dirt, and I threw up an energetic peace sign as Skye reached her phone out in front of her. Lila tried her best to smile weakly, and Skye adjusted her hair gently. The picture was snapped, and Skye put her phone away into her blue backpack. Each of us brought our own bags of what we thought would be essential, and for Skye that meant a place to store her phone.

We continued the hike up the cliffside. The fresh scent of minerals, pine and salt filled the air. It was steep up the rest of the way, but I wanted my friends to see what waited at the end. It was a nesting place for many seabirds. I knew that Lila would love the odd wildlife, and Skye would enjoy the photography opportunities. My goal was to enjoy the journey and make it safely back down.

Just over this next hill was the end of the hike. I felt excitement pour into my body, my heart raced, and I picked up the pace. My excitement was halted when I reached a sign. A landslide of rocks was piled in front of the trail. A heavy red 'x' hung over a log. The trail was closed, and we would have to turn back. My heart dropped into my stomach.

"No!" I shouted irritably, "I wanted to show you the whole hike!"

Skye shrugged her shoulders and replied, "That really sucks Scarlett, I wish we could have done the whole hike. We can always do it another time, right?"

"Yeah, it's not a huge loss. I would do this again. The views were nice," Lila said quietly.

I searched around myself frantically. There was a flat stretch of soil and grass outside of the trail. It was easy to traverse and completely free of fallen debris. A smile crept across my face as I pointed excitedly to my left. Lila tilted her head curiously, and Skye shook her head furiously.

I raced over to the log and took a step off the marked trail. "We can just go around! The blockage is short, nobody will even know. We'll be back on the trail in no time at all!"

Skye held her stomach in her arms and avoided my gaze. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. We could get in so much trouble, and you'll trample all the plants!"

"Yeah, most of the dangerous things that have ever happened on hiking trails were because people didn't stay on the trail. That's a recipe for disaster. Also, I agree, it impacts the ecosystem," Lila said.

I clenched my fists together and began to beg, "Oh, come on! It's just a short detour. I promise we will be careful! Just this once, I will never ask you to do it again!"

Skye rubbed her arms uncomfortably as she put her cardigan back on. She kept her mouth shut and Lila glared at me disapprovingly. A silence stood between us as we waited. I decided to act and charged off to the left adventurously. Skye followed behind me frantically, and Lila rolled her green eyes as she threw her arms up in the air and came along with us. Good, we'd still make the hike.

The thickets and grass grew thicker the further we walked. The clearing of rocks left a strangely shaped cut in the ground. We clambered across it and Skye struggled to keep up. She whimpered quietly while I led the charge. Lila was eerily quiet. I stopped halfway around the blockage and gazed behind my shoulder. Skye was out of breath, but Lila was missing. I panicked and retraced my steps. Skye groaned and let out a deep breath as she continued to follow me. I pushed through the pine trees, the prickles hurting my fingers and scratching my skin back to the clearing.

A straight cut across the clearing made the grass look like it was freshly mowed. Lila stood there in the field, her hair messily blowing in the wind and her eyes fixated on a strange stone slab. I approached her, she held the slab close to her chest and showed it to me. There were strange symbols etched across the front. The symbols warped and changed into legible letters. I felt an uneasy sensation creeping up my spine. As we were staring at the text, Skye finally caught up. She peeked over our shoulders at the grey stone tablet and shivered. I touched the stone; it was freezing cold.

Lila examined the stone carefully. "I'm sorry for stopping, this was kind of just sitting here. It looks so strange."

I stared into Lila's eyes and examined her curious expression. "I'm not usually the cautious type, but that thing is giving me bad vibes."

"This is really creepy! I don't want anything to do with it. You guys are the kind of people who are going to go missing in the horror movie. Can we please just go back to the hike?" Skye yelled while her shoulders shuddered uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's funny because all it says is, the door on the other side is open to those who will it. That's confusing," Lila said slowly.

Suddenly, the stone cracked, and a ray of light cut into the sky like a knife. It flashed harshly and I closed my eyes. They stung horribly. I felt pain rushing through my entire body as I clutched my sides with my fingertips. The wind pushed against my body, and I felt my arms and limbs plummeting. I was falling. I opened my eyes, we were crashing straight down into the dark, scorched earth. I screamed loudly and glanced around me. Lila and Skye had passed out from the impact. I quickly held them close to me. It felt like fire was scorching my skin as we gained speed. I was going to die.

I swallowed dryly and closed my eyes out of fear. I would face the end bravely, with my friends close to me. We hit the ground, but our bones didn't shatter. Somehow, I was completely fine. My heart raced with adrenaline as I opened my eyes. This world was completely foreign to our own. A tall, grey stone building stood outside. White grass and soot crawled across the crimson, brown soil. The landscape stretched empty and full of blood red sand and dark brown dirt for miles. I squinted my eyes and stared out at the horizon. There were hordes of armies coming out from all sides. I could hear the faint battle cries and roaring as they grew closer and closer. I shook Skye and Lila fearfully. They both opened their eyes, slowly coming back to consciousness.

The first thing that Skye did was panic, her breathing was heavy and labored as she squeaked out in terror. Lila gazed around with wonder and curiosity. She cautiously touched the soil with her index finger. I stood up fiercely and readied myself to protect my friends. A rotten stench was carried on the wind, and I felt stomach sick as I dug my heels into the ground. I had no time to worry about the scenery or where we were. The harsh sounds of clanging and roaring in the distance began to grow closer. I could feel the earth rumbling under my feet.

A massive creature flew over us and perched on top of the building. It was some sort of man; his skin was darkly colored, and his eyes were yellow like a cat's. Thorns trailed around his chin like a beard and his long hair was made of wispy pink flames. He stretched out his dark dragon-like wings menacingly as he scowled at us. He wore elegant hot pink medieval-looking armor tailored to his form. Two long, curling horns protruded from his head and his massive thorny tail whipped back and forth viciously. My heart fluttered in fear, my knees shook, but I kept my head held high.

The terrifying creature tilted his head as his armor creaked. "That light from the sky! Strange creatures, where have you come from?"

Another, scrawnier man stepped forward slyly and said, "Prince Azzeal, doesn't the royal library have fiction telling of strange beings like this? What fun it will be to tear them in two."

The other man was dressed in a strange hybrid armor of suit and plates. The fabric on his arms and legs was black and weaved tightly, while an orange chest plate, shoes, and kneepads with hook-like features hung from his body. The scrawny creature had a thin face with spiky, slicked back ginger hair. His ears were pointed like an elf, and his entire appearance reminded me of what a typical demon would look like. His left horn was broken off, while the other stood sharply in the air. A sly grin crept across his cheeks that revealed vampiric fangs. He stared straight at me with sharp, orange eyes and waved his orange hand-sickles menacingly. The creature named Azzeal plummeted in front of us and snorted an aggressive huff of smoke. The smoke clouded our eyes, and we coughed as we tried to catch our breath.

"We are not animals, Elfuric. Know your place! In the kingdom of Infernia we hold to the laws of my fathers before me. They can prove their worth or perish," Azzeal yelled while looking down on us.

Azzeal's hair stopped flowing and turned into a wavy mess of long pink hair. It shimmered in the dim sunlight, and I snarled at him aggressively. He reached out a clawed hand to touch my face, but just before he could do anything, a loud howl pierced the air from the north. A terrifying white creature with red eyes leaped over us and tackled the prince into the dirt. It had the snout and tail of a wolf, but the nose, fangs and ears of a bat. The massive creature was just as big as Azzeal, it slowly changed its form into a man with pale white skin, pointed furry ears, and a fluffy wolf tail. His hair was tied back with frizz and wild strands freely moving about. Both his and Azzeal's faces were rigid and strong like beasts.

The two men struggled on the ground, scratching and tearing at each other. Howls of pain and aggressive roaring were exchanged in a desperate struggle to survive. Azzeal frantically squirmed as the wolf-like man pinned him. The man's eyes were filled with crazed glee.

The man inched closer to Azzeal's face. "You let your guard down, Azzeal. I will have your head and free the kingdoms of your tyranny. This land should belong to Monrest!"

Elfuric giggled excitedly as he lunged at Frizen. "Not so fast, Frizen!"

Elfuric swiftly sliced Azzeal free and Frizen jumped back painfully. His arm was oozing blood and he gasped angrily. An elegant man with tan skin and deer antlers rushed to the side of Frizen and wrapped his green whip around the wound. Magical wisps rose from the gash, and it slowly healed itself. The skin stretched closed, and the blood faded away. The delicate man's eyes glowed with power, and he sat back down on the ground, exhausted. He smiled weakly, his freckles wrinkling while his green vine-like hair shifted to one side. A green beaded necklace hung around his neck, and he was covered head to toe in the hide of an unknown animal.

"Thank you, Abetmoph. You saved my skin," Frizen mumbled as he winced in pain.

Abetmoph redirected his attention to us and smiled warmly. "That light! is it true? Angels, from the sky?"

Frizen finally noticed us, his ears perked up and he turned sharply towards us. I could feel his nose sniffing intensely as he circled around us like a wolf. He tilted his head inquisitively as his face scrunched up unpleasantly. He was especially interested in Skye's aromatic perfume. It smelled like fresh rain. Skye crawled away from him fearfully and hid her face, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"You smell strange, like nothing I've ever known. You are not creatures of Faewrath," Frizen said, his voice rough like a wolf.

"Wonderful observations children, but these three are more important than you could possibly imagine," a voice called out from the darkness. It sounded warped and dark.

I whipped my head in the direction of the voice, a tall and frightening man emerged onto the white grass. His hair was made from long, wretched teal tentacles. Hooks under suction cups looked ready to attack at any moment. His skin and face were greyish blue, and his terrible eyes were pitch black with no whites. A smug smirk crawled across his face as he stretched out two giant bat wings with many tears through them. His teal armor looked like fish scales, and he wore a torn black cape over his shoulder. He lifted his arms casually, eyes started to spout from them, and I felt a deep gut feeling to look away. I acted quickly and shielded my friends from the monster's skin.

"Don't look into his eyes!" I yelled.

The creature spoke in a silky tone as the eyes disappeared, "This one has sharp instincts. I'll be taking them off your hands. They're coming with me. I need them for Eldreign's success and future."

"Geolin! The army of Infernia reached the flash of light first. Their fate belongs to us!" Azzeal roared as he lunged at Geolin's throat.

Geolin didn't flinch or move a muscle, another creature rushed forward instantly and forced Azzeal back with a flash of magic from a crooked staff. It was a figure hooded in black robes; his entire body shrouded under a cloak. Around the hood's neck was a jagged golden collar and he had additional golden chains hanging off his body. Compared to the rest of them, this monster was a lot shorter. Azzeal beat his wings and flew into the air. The wind nearly took me off my feet. His hair turned back into a raging flame, and he screamed loudly. The sheer volume of Azzeal's roar made my eardrums ache painfully. When he stopped, I could feel them throb as white noise rang in my head. Skye and Lila held their hands over their ears with their faces scrunched into frustrated expressions. Azzeal and Geolin paid no attention to us now. Azzeal hovered in the sky as he snarled, baring his teeth.

Geolin scoffed, "I am not afraid of you and your weak army. My right hand, Ganod, is stronger than you, Azzeal. Pathetic."

Tension ebbed around us like tidal waves as Skye, Lila, and I waited. An eerie silence fell over the battlefield. Frizen was the first to raise his fists and transform into a monster. The prickles of his skin morphed wildly as each of the other men readied their weapons.

The three groups began to charge at each other with full force and we were stuck in the middle. The noise of their screams made my ears ring intensely. My strong facade was beginning to waver as I braced for impact, but they all stopped. A pair of new creatures had arrived. My head was spinning, I hoped they would be the last.

The taller of the two stepped forward with reserved integrity. He was covered in ripped indigo robes and his neck had deep stitches. He glanced in my direction stoically, his indigo eyes dull and lifeless. I gazed at him; his black hair was swept down to one side of his face. The other side of his head was covered in scratches and shaved. He continued to stare at us tiredly, with not a hint of emotion in his gaze. Next to him, a man made purely of inky black shadows crawled along like a spider. His eyes glowed with white holes as he gazed about nervously.

The man with indigo eyes sighed uncomfortably as he scratched at the scars on his skin. "These creatures you are referring to are humans. They are standing on neutral ground. None of you have rights here."

Silence filled the air, and I gazed around frantically. I felt a cold gust of wind blow through my clothes, and I shivered. Tension poured into the atmosphere. All the men began to draw out their weapons. They glanced around viciously with claws, fangs and wings twitching anxiously. We needed to get out of here.