Darkness. She could only feel the pulse of the shadow in which she was enveloped. Then, light cut through the sea of black like a blade through flesh. She rose from her cave and saw a man. She knew his name, but knew not why she did. Aridus. She knew he was strong. She noticed it. The static, the pulse, the power. She felt it moving in her veins. She reached her hand out and let the energy accumulate at her fingertips. A beam of light cut through the silence and left a burnt corpse on the ground.

“Very good.” bellowed Aridus. She filled up with pride. “I told you she was going to be magnificent!” Aridus gestured towards a window. She noticed a group of people behind the window, they seemed...pleased.

“Hello.” She said, surprised by her own voice. It was graceful and delicate.

“Ah, she speaks!” exclaimed one of the men in the window. Aridus laid his hand on her arm and led her over to a door. The door opened and the men in the window walked out with a presence unmatched by anyone in the room. They walked over to her.

“She is powerful...impressive.” said one of the men. She knew this one’s name was Dramikus. He was the warlord that had conquered Earth in the Dark Times. 

“She needs a name.” demanded one of the men. He was called Gyranop, he created almost every modern weapon used to conquer the known worlds. 

“What is your name.” asked one man. She could not tell who he was though. Earthic she thought.

“I am Solara.” She blurted out. She had no recollection of this name being bestowed upon her. She decided not to dwell on it.

The Earthic walked over to her, examining her body.

“She is strong.” He said.

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“I made her that way.” spat out Aridus, as if he thought the Earthic did not believe in his creation.

Solara was then directed to move towards a window. She peered out and saw fires and explosions and the core of a world. She was pleased by the sight, but unable to identify why. She then wandered about the room, hoping to discover something. She did not know what she was trying to find, but that was the nature of discovery.

“Why don’t you come this way, Solara?.” said Aridus.

Solara walked over to him and he guided her to her new room.

The room was empty except for a bed and desk. She had a nice view of the destruction beyond her. She laid in the bed and waded through her thoughts, wondering how she had acquired them. Solara stared into the emptiness of the ceiling until she fell asleep

Solara woke up to a red light flashing over the door to her room. This light meant something important. She stood up and opened the door to a soldier.

“Come with me.” the soldier commanded. Solara followed him to a giant circular room. The cavernous space allowed every sound to echo throughout the room. The soldier gestured to her to stand on the black dot in the center of the room. As Solara walked over to the center, she noticed one of the walls moved slightly every few seconds. Strange. 

“Solara, please destroy the targets in front of you.” said a speaker. Solara recognized this voice as Aridus. 

She gathered the static so it reached her hands and shot it out towards the targets. The beams lit up the entire room and illuminated Solara’s fiery eyes. She destroyed those targets in a matter of seconds. Charred, black dummies fell to the ground and disintegrated into ash.

Solara heard clapping and cheers over the loudspeaker. 

“Very good, Solara,” said Aridus, “You have done very well.”

A guard walked over to guide Solara to the viewing room. She followed the soldier to the elevator, and in mere seconds they arrived. Every eye in the room stared at her with a mix of fear and awe. The Earthic was one of the only to speak.

“You are doing very well, in a few months, you will be ready.” Solara wondered what it is she would be ready for.