She was twelve when she realized how ugly the world was. To think, that this world and its people would bring children as young as us to tears, or well, one of us.
The tears of the boy in front of her were of a person she knew very well. They were siblings and while not all that different in age, they were treated differently at birth.
He was previously seen and looked to be the next heir while she was supposed to be married off to continue the bloodline of her family.
“I hate this.” She mumbled this every night before today.
“Why does he get all the attention, just because he’s a boy. And why do I have to be used like some breeding stock? A pure blood line, what a joke.”
A mounting disgust at her own relatives began to fester in the girl. Her family’s ideology seemed backwater to her, especially in this modern society the world found itself presently. But what was more irritating was that no matter how much she worked to improve herself, she could never be seen.
So why? Why was she treated less than him?
Why can’t I be special?
But today, after a certain day when a commotion had stirred, people began to notice her.
“You’re amazing!”
“Quite skilled, I might say.”
“You’ll become a great leader, I know you will.”
These were the same words that the boy had received in the past and while it filled the girl’s empty heart, she noticed how the boy began to be treated as less. Their roles had reversed, the tides had changed, and the girl felt it was her time to shine.
Attired in a pretty dress of blue watery aqua, making her seem as delicate as the calm surface of a pond, yet as beautiful as glittering snow in the summer, the girl found that everyone’s attention was on her. They hailed her as a genius of their time and would be the one to lead the group who professed themselves as the true inheritors of the earth.
Not that I care. She thought.
But another group objected, believing that the girl’s talent should be used differently. The two sides bickered, and the girl watched on as they tore at each other with hateful words.
“She will be the future of humankind, why can you not see it you fool!”
“What you say is blasphemy! Have you forgotten who you truly are? We are HUMAN!”
“Yes, you are right, but we are becoming greater HUMANS. She is proof of it.”
“IDIOT! Do not taint our next generation with your foul ideals.”
The two sides continued to bicker, their attention no longer with the girl. Not even her pretty voice or alluring looks could get their notice. It was then that the girl realized that all they cared about were their own desires.
“Disgusting.” She muttered and felt like turning her eyes away from this indecent affair, but didn’t, instead she kept her calm appearance.
If she left, then she knew this situation would have devolved into more chaos, and she could not bring shame to her name. She wanted to escape but was compelled not to do so as it was her role.
But is this really what I want? To help these disgraceful humans and their malicious goals? What about me, what do I want? She asked herself.
A cold sigh escaped her lips, but it went unnoticed. Or so she thought. A warm hand suddenly took her own and led her away from the argument.
“Where are you taking me?” Recognizing who had absconded with her, the girl scoffed at the boy who was her brother.
“You will be punished if father finds out about this.”
“But you looked uncomfortable.” The boy said hesitantly yet showing real concern for the girl. To her. The boy seemed like a scaredy cat, but she could see a tinge of confidence behind those brown eyes.
“And why would you care?” The girl asked but in return, the boy went silent. It angered her, in turn breaking her cold facade. To the girl, the boy looked as if he pitied her, but she didn’t want that, especially not from a talentless fool like him.
“Shouldn’t you hate me!” She screamed. “I took everything from you, so why! Why are you still acting like we are family!”
“Be-Because no matter what, I don’t want to be like them.” The boy then shared his ambitions, even though they were all taken from him, he still aspired to be a hero.
Too naive, the girl thought, but again she saw the light in his brown eyes. They were warm and nothing like her own. In this moment, it was hard to believe that they were siblings, if not for the common blood in their veins.
“You’re hurting, aren’t you?” The boy said and the girl flinched.
She had not let any pain show in her expressions, maybe in harsh training or lessons, but never in everyday life. But this boy saw it, his eyes trained on her every movement.
Seeing that she was trembling, the boy grabbed her hand. Again, she felt how warm they were and large they had become. When was the last time she ever held another’s hand, held it in a way that was meaningful, rather than cordial.
Never, she thought and when the boy felt her hands stop shaking, he let go but the girl held on. Even after all she had gone through and how she felt about the boy, the girl was relieved by his presence, even with the flickers of animosity in her heart.
Not only did someone at least see what lied behind her exterior but the boy also didn’t show any aversion to her. She had not lost his affection or familial bond.
With how he was so cruelly treated and looked down upon now, how could the boy still find the strength to smile with all that suffering put upon him. Not only that, but the boy still had warmth and happiness to give to another person like her, someone who was the cause of his suffering and was indifferent to people’s feelings, only desiring their attention.
It was at this moment that the girl’s frozen heart, that was layered in stagnant emotions of jealousy, hatred, indifference, and hopelessness, softened like ice during the afternoon summer.
The girl, now older and more mature, looked around the airport terminal.
“Do you really want to go?” A man said, his long gray beard looking haggard and unkempt. The girl recognized who it was and smiled at him.
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“Grandfather, I believe I’ve made my choice clear. I must be at his side, just as how he was for me, I will be there for him.”
“Hmph!” The man sounded impressed and folded his arms across his chest. “To think that I’d see such a fire in your heart. Heh, well, the youth can do what they want. It is a damn shame though. The other families are already losing their other talents to other nations, with you leaving, it will cause a stir. But you know that already, don’t you?”
The girl nodded and bowed in apology. What she was about to do would undoubtedly cause trouble for her grandfather and father, but she knew her grandfather could handle it. But of her father, the girl felt no real worry about his situation, in fact, her father could drown in work for all she cared.
“I know, please forgive me. I---”
“Stop Stop Stop.” Her grandfather waved his hand in dismissal, a big smile on his face as even the creases of his wrinkles rose into cheerful curves. “Enough with your courtesy, follow your heart girl and see where it takes you. Unlike the old coots here, you’ll spend your days better where you’re going.”
Her grandfather sighed, wishing that those old coots would get their shit together. So much conflict and strife, and all for what? Proving an ideal that was ludicrous and objectively wrong, but who was he to judge, he really didn’t care and would much like to retire soon.
Drinking good sake all day while talking about old war stories with friends seemed like better times than hearing the nagging of his young associates.
The girl rose from her bow, but gave a neat curtsy, saying nothing more, she turned, her suitcase rolling beside her, and departed to new lands. Seeing the plane off, the man felt his personal device vibrate and picked up the call.
“Father, Is it true? Have you sent her away without my permission?” The voice on the phone sounded steadfast and unconcerned, which irked the man since the guy on the phone should be screaming at him.
He was the girl’s father and the man’s son, yet the guy on the phone, his son and his granddaughter's father, showed little emotion or intonation in his words, as if he already knew.
“Shouldn’t a father be more concerned about their blood?” He asked and the guy on the phone went silent, and the older of the two could already tell that the one on the phone was having a hard time internalizing this. The grandfather’s son sighed and hung up, but not before giving a warning.
“Keep the youth out of the conflict. There’s no need to involve ourselves with those who choose to not carry our legacy, that is all.”
Ending the call, the girl’s grandfather grinned and looked across the horizon. “It’s in your hands now, treat her kindly you guys, I hope she meets up to your standards unlike my idiots over here.” He stroked his graying beard and chuckled at the look his other grandchild would have when the girl arrived.
***[Meanwhile In Andromeda - North Sector]***
Bright and early, light shone into Amanda’s room. While the Terracolony was enclosed by an expansive and titan-like wall, it still had a system of sunrise and sundown. The reflective panes of the Terracolonies dome allowed for a simulated night and day experience but it also allowed natural light to enter and leave the thriving ecosystem inside.
While the scientific mechanics of this eluded Amanda, she was glad that she could still enjoy a warm morning. Even though the titan-like walls were to block her sight of the horizon, they in fact didn’t since this Terracolony was so large that even the perimeter wall was out of sight.
She stared at the rising sun on the horizon and felt a bit of incongruity. Was she really inside an enclosed area, it didn’t feel like it at all. But, she put that out of her thoughts.
Today, she’d finally be free, free from the tyranny that was paperwork and work in general. While under Itsuki’s wing, or more like forced to, Amanda had been subjected to several all-nighters to help with the preparation and move in process of the incoming students.
Not only that, but the reason why the dorm was so empty was due to how the upperclassmen and underclassmen from last year had all left for a training camp. Coupled with their return, the amount of work both Itsuki and Amanda had to do to reorganize the dorm and its policy was immense, especially for only two people.
It did allow her to socialize since moving students into their rooms was an enlightening face-to-face experience. But now, she was finished with that, she could now enjoy school life and be on her way to becoming an explorer.
“Hmmmm, I wonder what else I should wear?” Looking herself over in the mirror, Amanda believed she needed to spice up her uniform’s attire. There was no rule to modify it, as long as it kept within the laws of decency, so Amanda thought adding a few eye-catching decorations would help to make an impression.
But standing out seemed too troublesome since being seen as gaudy was off-putting, yet she did want to socialize more. Compromising, she decided to add a little butterfly to her bow tie. The decoration was a clip on, and as tacky as that was, the fact that it was made of sculpted and blown glass that glimmered, made it eye-catching.
“Hmmmm! Alright, looking good!” She said, but at that moment she noticed the time. “Oh shoot, did I sleep in?”
It was 7 am, and while that was early by her standards, classes would start at 7:30 am. She wouldn’t make it if she took the tram to the academy, so she opted to run, quite fast at that.
On her way out, she noticed how there was a neatly bundled up lunch box for her in the drop off box just next to the door. She had gotten into the habit of checking it to make sure if she had mail or not, even with how rushed she was.
Going by how cutely it was bundled up, Amanda thought to thank Stella later for her compassion. Looking at the time again, Amanda booked it.
“Hey! Itsuki! Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? Hey! Aren’t you up yet!”
Amanda felt no obligation to help him, her room was close to his and was on the way out. Unlike the regular students, Itsuki had assigned himself and Amanda their own rooms in the staff section of the dormitory.
She knew that Itsuki was a late riser due to his workaholic tendencies she had recently come to know. Still wanting to help him, even if he was an ass sometimes, she knocked on his door. But after knocking for a while, she got no response and Amanda gave up. As a precaution, or to rub it into his face later, she slipped a note under the door.
“Jeez, if you can hear me, hurry up and get going, or else you’ll be late. If not, Well, sucks to be you.” She chuckled like a kid and ran off.
Unbeknownst to her, Itsuki had already left the dormitory.
With flowers in hand, he stepped up the many granite stairs that lead up to a particular garden in the Terracolony. There were many places like this all around the world, but this was special to him and his comrades.
As the oak trees blew in the wind, their dead leaves mixed with the lively pink petals of Sakura trees decorating the area in concert with other breeds of trees. In fact, you could find all the trees in the world in this place. They surrounded a large city block of stone and concrete structures that was in ruins.
At the foot of all this pile of what people would call ruined junk, Itsuki laid down his bouquet of flowers, their colors as numerous as the stars in the sky.
“Hi guys.” Itsuki said in his usual plain tone, he showed no emotion. “It’s been a while since I was last here. I just wanted to keep up the routine like every year. In that time, I well, I had my first vacation in years. I can’t say it was all fun, but I had a good time.”
He sighed, thinking he should’ve been working then but could hear a voice in the whistling wind, telling him in an accusatory tone that he was too much of a workaholic and that he really needed to stop being a hard ass.
Perhaps “she” was right, he thought, but shrugged.
“You guys are gone, you gave your lives for us and then some. I can’t thank you enough for the little peace we have now. I could go on and on, but I don’t want this to get sappy. So on another note, the new batch of students look promising, especially one in particular.”
He grumbled, a bit irked, yet somewhat happy, but he didn’t let either contrasting emotions show on his face.
“Like usual, I’ll say it again, just like how that one guy said it before.” Itsuki pressed his hands together, in somewhat like that of a prayer, but he knew there was no god in this world, for what God would let people like him suffer, and make a world like this.
But any malicious ideas went out of his mind. This was only his opinion.
“For Victory.” He whispered and unclasped his hands.
A calm expression fell over him and his mind became so sound that there was no distraction in his gaze. His eyes were still their pitch-black color, and they looked as if he was seeing miles ahead of himself. Seeing where he was going.
But as he turned to see the morning sky, if one was close enough, a hopeful glimmer of silver and gold, like that of stars, were alive in his sights that began to tear up.
In the distance, he saw large figures flying over in his direction. Wiping the moisture from his eyes, his demeanor went back to how it always was. Hard and stern.
“Looks like they’re here to pick me up. Time to get to work.”
His blond locks fluttered, but not from the wind. Instead, the air was kicked up as the figures approached, their engines making a pounding sound in his ears.
Character Info/Appearance
[Stella Crimsonia Battle Regalia]
Wreathed in fire, Stella still both protects and fights for her people. Armor as steadfast and beautiful as her, she storms the field with fire at her back.
image [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pvg3DLybRmU6CCr1KM9Hx23uGUQtfUxD/view?usp=drive_link]image [https://i.postimg.cc/25gD79nm/1696796016665.jpg]