im here. As long as he is not dead, we're good. We cannot be letting him hurt any more innocent lives," Ozim restated.
As Milo left his office, he passed the receptionist again. Her smile radiated in the room.
"Milo, I won't lie to you. What we're asking is hard. We're here to help anytime," the receptionist exclaimed. Miles paused and nodded.
---
As the autumn leaves swept beneath Star's feet, a black cat jumped across the street.
"Meow!" The cat hastily made its way to the shop's entrance, where Star had lived. Star's family wasn't the richest and had owned a measly restaurant that barely earned enough profit to keep them fed and sheltered. Still, Star's enthusiasm sparked in his unconventional silver hair.
Star was born with Albinism, a rare condition that made his skin and hair lighter. Not only did his silver hair spark at school, his light grey eyes were scary for some. But overall, his outward appearance had visual harmony and attracted girls easily.
It was evident to say Star was quite popular at school.
"Did you see the news?" students exclaimed through the hallways.
"Hazel is dead somehow and Liam has gone missing!" others shouted. The school was in a craze after 3 incidents had occurred. Nobody felt safe and everyone thought they were next on a murderer's list of some sort.
Star didn't care.
"Hey Ace," Erik nudged.
"Yeah?" Star replied. "What do you want this time?"
"You gonna figure out the meaning behind the murder?" Erik asked.
"Why did you come to me? Like I said, I don't want to be dragged into any drama!" Star sighed, slamming his locker shut.
"Because you're Ace! You're known for your insane smarts, please broski!" Erik pleaded, clutching on his shirt. Start pushed him back.
"Back off, I already said no. Do your own hero antics," Star scoffed, slinging his backpack on.
"Ugh," Erik groaned. "Come to my party tonight!"
Star ignored Erik's offer and shook his head in frustration. Suddenly, Star saw the same black cat again. It crossed the street softly this time, each step treading with care. It didn't get hit by a car, and it ran towards Star for a strange reason.
"Where are you from?" Star asked, petting the cute cat. It purred and rubbed itself against Star's leg. Students walked towards Star as if he was the centre of attention, watching him play with the cat. Star had never liked attention, and he didn't know if it was because of the way he interacted with the cat.
The cat hissed. Star nervously clutched the cat in his hands and walked home.
"Ma! I'm home!" Star yelled as he placed the cat outside the store. Again, the seats were empty as he walked inside.
"Oh, it's the cat from yesterday!" his mother replied. "How was school?"
"Alright," Star replied. His mother grabbed a bowl and poured a little milk and placed it on the floor to which the cat happily ran over.
"Why don't you keep the cat? It certainly thinks our store is nice and cozy,"
"Well, what if it is someone else's?" Star asked.
"Come on Star, you barely have any friends," his mother scolded. "We've given you academic goals and you have always crushed them, but apart from that, you've done nothing your entire life!"
Suddenly, the cat sneezed. Star unfortunately caught a whiff and immediately turned around, somewhat disgusted. His mother laughed but Star wasn't amused.
"C'mon, stop pushing yourself!"
Star rolled his eyes as he plopped down his lunch box on the kitchen counter, then walked away into the shadows of his bedroom. He never looked back, Star only ever had one goal in mind. Be the star of the school that aced every test. He didn't care about what others thought, but it was a clear goal. Heck, he didn't even know what he was going to pursue after his final year of school.
His slow trance towards his room was sluggish compared to the cat's speed, for it stealthily bolted into the darkness of Star's room first, pouncing onto his chair.
"Are you serious?" Star asked, flicking the lights on. He lazily threw his bag down in the corner of his room and got his workbook out with a scrumpled worksheet underneath it. It was extra exercise for math that he had gotten from his teacher. "Shoo! Shoo!"
The cat instead leapt for his bed, swiftly executing a marvelous landing on his soft pillow. Its claws didn't claw against any of the bedding, and Star was impressed for once. The light bulb suddenly flickered on and off, a strange phenomenon that caught Star's eye.
"Mom, the light is broken again!" Star yelled down.
"Ugh," his mother sighed. "I wish your father was still around…He'd know how to fix these things better than me!"
"Hah," Star smiled. He petted the cat gently as he watched his mother help fix the light.
"There we go," his mother said. "I heard one of your classmates is celebrating something tonight, word from our group chat says it's a big party, are you going to go?"
"Party? Not my thing mom," Star replied, falling flat on his bed.
"C'mon, you need to go out more! At least go exercise by walking there. If you don't like it, come home, alright?"
"Fine…" Star rolled his eyes.
The cold night breeze was rather chilling, for the temperature had dropped down to a whopping 5 degrees celsius. For an Autumn night, it was quite rare. As Star walked along the footpath to Erik's house, he saw a man sitting on the sidewalk, covered in rugged sheets and a hood. It masked his face and he couldn't imagine what it was like for a homeless guy like him.
But it also hit Star in the head. Why was a homeless guy in a suburban area?
"Excuse me," Star asked as he approached the man. "Are you cold? Why are you here?"
"Read the sign," the man grunted, half asleep. The sign read; 'I'm immortal, kill me now.'
"Immortal?" Star chuckled. "As if! Magic doesn't exist!"
The man sighed. He gently touched a flower beside him and it crumbled instantly, then the ash remnants were swept by the breeze. Star was shocked. Suddenly, the man looked up.
"You…I haven't felt this presence in so long…" the man blurted, slowly standing up.
"Um, what are you doing?" Star asked. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
"Please, you might be my saving grace. Are you busy at all?" the man asked.
"Me? Well, not really," Star replied, smiling awkwardly.
"Well then, follow me," the man motioned, leading Star away.
"My name is Sadana…It might sound ridiculous, but I am no human. I'm known to be a Jespan Lord…" Sadana began as they walked through the neighbourhood. It felt magical to Star since he couldn't believe that instead of going to a party, he was talking to a presumed alien that needed his help to be killed. "Like you saw what I did to the flower, I am the depiction of decay and death. I can make physical objects undergo rapid decay which turns them into nothing or dust,"
Their conversation continued, and Star had followed Sadana to a nearby scrapyard. The monotone landscape spoke of melancholy as Sadana sat down on the hood of a car, sighing. "Well, show me your powers kid,"
"Powers? I don't have any, I don't know what you're talking about…" Star replied.
"Focus. Concentrate." Sadana instructed. The dim overhead lights casted subtle shadows that Star began absorbing. "Facsinating…"
For a cosmic being like Sadana, he could see things Star couldn't. It was the energy that came from the lights overhead, and Sadana observed Star's body reacting to this light energy being directed to him. He absorbed it like fuel, charging something up internally.
"Try to shoot that car headlight over there," Sadana directed.
"How do I do that?" Star asked. Sadana lazily hopped off the hood of the car and helped Star.
"You aim and channel your inner energy," Sadana guided. Star's eyes began to glow a whitish yellow, and then all of a sudden, a concentrated beam of light shot out, destroying the car headlight instantly. It was surreal to see such magical things happen to Star's body, and he wondered where and when he had gotten this power.
"Woah…" Star gasped. "I had this power in me all the time?"
"Well, I'm not sure, kid. I see potential in you," Sadana smiled. "Come here tomorrow sometime, I'll teach you more. I'm sure you humans need to sleep or something,"
"Yeah?" Star smiled. "You alone here, or what?"
"I believe so. I'm alone, disconnected and lonely. I've got nothing left and worth fighting for so I might as well spend my time teaching you younglings. A new generation of power is vital," Sadana smiled.
"Wanna be friends? You seem nice, plus, people like us need someone to rely on," Star suggested.
"Why I'd love to! 'Til dust do us apart!" Sadana exclaimed, waving Star off.
---
The next day at school, Star took a different approach. He figured that his powers had something to do with light energy, and he presumed he could store that energy somehow. From his studies, he concluded the electromagnetic spectrum had to be related somehow.
"Ryan just got cancer!" students in the hallway chattered. "Did you know Harry got sunburnt?" "In Autumn? That's nonsense!"
"Milo got the intercom working again and helped fix all the computers this morning…" more students added. "They've been bugged all week! I can finally finish my research paper!"
Star ignored the small talk. Whatever the students were gossiping about, Star just couldn't unhear it. Cancer? Sunburns? Was it himself causing these phenomenons? He concluded that it could be since his powers drew directly from light, and it could cause burns. UV could cause cancer.
As Star was walking home again, the black cat remerged. Did it come out of his bedroom again? It was almost like the cat had followed him everyday. Then, he felt it. An ultraviolet wave had just reflected off of his face into a concentrated amount, directed right towards the school principal.
Star's eyes widened and took a quick glance but quickly darted back to not draw attention. He knew this was bad. The principal getting cancer? Every sign led to him. He was scared to reveal his power as he knew he was a monster.
"Sadana, I still can't control my powers…I've learnt what my abilities do, but I can't seem to restrict it!" Star sighed. He etched sketches into the pebbled sand with a steel rod, providing Sadana company in the scrapyard. It was peaceful and a distant place where Star found to connect with deeply, somewhere he began to feel safe. "I'm just like you…how you told me you lost everyone you loved…"
"Well, it's not about the things you can destroy, it's about the things you can protect. Unlike me, all I could do was destroy. I didn't protect anyone," Sadana replied. His advice was quite grim but surprisingly, Star understood what he meant. He was different. He had the chance to prove to everyone he wasn't a mindless killer. "Your powers are different than mine, kid,"
"Tell that to my classmate. All of a sudden, he's the talk of the town," Star began. "Fixing a load of electronical devices at school, he's gained a reputation of hardware guy! I used to be the one everyone relied on!"
Sadana was blank. Nothing clicked. Silence took over the conversation for a minute until Sadana breathed heavily through his nose, letting out a deep exhale. "There's no point in comparing yourself with others if you're supposed to be competing with yourself,"
"What does that mean?" Star asked angrily. "Stop speaking in riddles all the time!"
He needed to let off some steam. Sadana sighed yet again and laid down on the scrap metallic sheets. He watched Star destroy and create chaos in the scrapyard. It was the only space he felt free to use his powers.
---
"Director Ozim, I will be commencing my capture of Star very soon," Milo reported, handing an extensive research paper to him. Milo had worked on this project for the past few days without Star noticing him. Though Milo was heavily behind on schoolwork, he was determined to put an end to Star's massacre.
"Thanks for giving me some extra information, this will help a lot," Ozim replied, scanning the document. As he read the document, he realised the ugly truth. "This proves my theory. Star has killed these innocents. Over 100. But he doesn't know his power. This is really bad…"
"He's also got a mentor of some sort…His name was Sadana?" Milo added.
"Sadana? The Jespan Lord of Decay? That's terrible! I will send my best agents as soon as I can. Don't rush in! I repeat, do not rush in! Do NOT engage in the fight!" Ozim ordered. Sadana was one of the most powerful Jespan Lords and the ISID had merely prepared for this. Was this fate's doing?
"I got you. When do I go in?" Milo asked. He was prepared. Just like Star had a mentor, Ozim had personally trained Milo to become a stronger agent, teaching him how to maximise his abilities. He felt confident he could beat Star.
"This weekend. Though all my agents are all busy on a separate mission, you must not fail. You want to save lives correct?" Ozim asked. Milo's conviction to save lives was held in high regard and was indomitable. His will, his goal was almost complete. He nodded in utter truth.
"I will not fail you Director Ozim!" said Milo.
The timing couldn't get any better as it was the weekend, a Sunday morning when Milo flew out of the training facility Ozim had helped construct for him. It was finally time to capture the killer. As he traversed the electrical currents to his house, Milo thought about the lives he could save.
Of course, Milo knew he couldn't attack Star head on. He knew his own weaknesses, and knew he would get obliterated easily by Star's power. He had to get him somewhere dark, and to drain his energy out, so he waited for the perfect time to strike. Milo sneakily watched every move Star performed, following him to the scrapyard in the afternoon.
"Hey Sadana!" Star greeted.
"Are you supposed to be followed?" Sadana asked.
"No?" Star replied.
"Then who is that?" Sadana pointed.
"Dang! That old dude saw me!" Malstrom thought. He had no choice but to reveal himself. He took a deep breath and expected the worst. As he popped his head up, he saw Star and Sadana staring at him expressionless.
"Who are you?" Star asked.
"Don't you remember me, Star?" Malstrom asked. "I'm in your English class!"
"What…are you?" Star asked.
"It's me, Milo!" Malstrom cackled. "You…You've ruined so many lives…And I will finally put an end to you!"
"Me…?" Star asked. "What do I have to do with their deaths?"
Malstrom unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and held it against Star's face. "Look at what you've done! You killed this girl! Your power of light…It's killing people!"
The image was the same image Director Ozim had shown him. The girl with sunburns and the three men diagnosed with cancer.
"Hey!" Star yelled, trying to rip it up. "I didn't realise my powers back then, plus, I didn't have control!"
"Lies!"
"How'd you get these powers anyway? Are you getting paid to do this?" Star scowled, hurling himself towards Malstrom.
"Ugh!" Malstrom grunted, pushing Star back.
"You cannot change the past, Milo! There's no point saving your parents, you have to let it go!"
"Shut up! Don't talk about my parents!" Malstrom roared. His body's voltage rose, the electric energy within himself grew stronger. "Don't drag them into this mess! I'm only trying to save lives!"
"Sorry, but that means I'll be kicking your ass!" Star growled, lunging forward at the speed of light. His movements outpaced Malstrom's significantly, beating him easily to a pulp.
"Gah!" Malstrom yelled, running towards a nearby warehouse.
"Find me!" Star laughed, becoming invisible by absorbing the ultraviolet light.
"I'm not playing your games!" Malstrom exclaimed, running into the warehouse. Star and Sadana quickly followed, pursuing Malstrom closely. As they entered, the door bolted shut with an electrical locking system.
"What happened?!" Sadana yelled.
"I don't know!" Star exclaimed, terrified. The window shutters rolled down suddenly, sending a thunderous clatter that echoed in the warehouse. No light leaked in. It was pure darkness.
"Star…I know your weakness! No light, no might! I've rigged the electrical system so that there's no light!" Malstrom laughed. Star was frustrated that Malstrom had known his weakness already, but he wasn't ready to give up. He focused his stored energy, allowing his body to emit a dim light that illuminated a small area around him.
There, Star saw the enormous warehouse, with shipping containers piled along the walls. Sadana stood motionless next to Star.
"Go!" Sadana commanded, instructing him to take the fight himself. He trusted Star, for he had grown significantly since they first met.
"I'll beat you lifeless!" Malstrom yelled.
"I'll make sure you meet your parents!" Star exclaimed. "I bet they would never imagine their son going down this path! They'd be better off dead!"
The words hit Milo hard. Again? His parents? He hated people talking about them. He loved his family, and he didn't want them to die for anything.
"Just a few more years…" he thought. "It's all gonna be alright,"
If Milo was going to fight, it was going to be for his parents.
"Arghh!" Milo launched. The two traded blows at each other, dealing significant damage to the surrounding environment. Milo was careful not to destroy the warehouse too much, otherwise the sunlight would boost Star's power significantly. He also had to defend against Star punching or melting out a hole for sunlight to leak in. "I've got you!"
Milo landed a direct hit, an electrical surge that tasered Star for a second, paralysing him. In that moment, Milo lunged in and struck Star down, hard into the ground.
"I'm…out…" Star huffed as he tumbled to the ground. He was exhausted, and it felt over. The warehouse was still dark and no light could enter. Star was powerless. He had run out of fuel. His heart paced faster, wiping the blood from his face.
"Out of juice, light boy?" Malstrom sniggered as he jumped into the electrical system to recharge his own power. His laugh sounded like a fluctuating electric voltage, sending a chilling sensation down his spine.
Sadana looked in disbelief, but knew Star still had the strength and most importantly, the courage to continue fighting. However, Sadana still sighed and decided to give Star just a small glint of hope. He unwillingly swiped at the electric box near the entrance, causing it to disintegrate and reveal the wiring.
"Your moves are too slow, old man!" Malstrom laughed, leaping out of a wire and attempting to drag Sadana in with him. His electrical form ignored Sadana's abilities, allowing him to firmly grip his body. "I know your limits! The ISID has documented your powers already! Your decaying touch can't chain, it only affects singular materials!"
"Who says I was trying to destroy the warehouse? That's not necessary for victory," Sadana grinned. "Brain beats the brawl, that's what Lucina had always said,"
"Shut up old man!" Malstrom spat, ignoring his lecture. He didn't believe Star could win. Malstrom smirked at the exposed wires leading underground now that the box was gone, able to see where he was going. He had devised a plan at that moment, almost executing it instantly. "I'll take you to the underworld!"
"Ace!" Sadana cried as his fingers barely grazed the door. The door began breaking down, leaving nothing but a frame that exposed the sun.
"You little!" Malstrom roared. His eyes darted around to look for Star, but he was gone. How did he disappear all of a sudden? Unable to react, Malstrom noticed the wire had been broken. He had been forced out, and his grip was still firmly attached to Sadana.
"Ultraviolet waves are invisible-" Star began. "I reflected a concentration of UV to burn the wires…Wither away!"
Malstrom finally flew out of the wire, revealing his true, vulnerable human form. A frail looking boy, still holding onto Sadana, was terrified. He forcefully pushed Malstrom away, not wanting to speed up his gradual death. Afterall, he didn't want to fight. It was Star's battle in the end.
"No…" Malstrom cried. "It can't be…"
"That's how those murders happened…" Star explained. "I've told you, I just didn't have it controlled until recently…And I'm sorry about your parents, I don't even know if I did it to them,"
"Shut up!" Malstrom wailed.
"The whole school knows! We all care, but you can't do much! You have to move on!"
Sadana was silent. Milo had begun fading. He had killed another. Of course, he felt guilty as he had ended countless lives before with his touch. Innocent lives, gone with a singular touch. Loved ones, withered away with a singular touch.
Star sighed. He leant down and placed his hand on Milo. "I'm open to change, willing to help. But whatever you've done, you've made yourself worse,"
"I…" Milo had faded. His body was gone, decayed into nothing but a pile of ash. Star's heartbeat spiked, staring at the remains of Milo. Sadana quietly stood up and walked to the docks. It was quiet again, and the waves crashed against the rocks.
"Well, I need to retire. I must find a way to depart from this world…" Sadana began. "I've lived for already 2000 years, and I don't think my existence will help humanity in any way,"
"No, you can't leave!" Star shouted, reaching out. "You still have a lot to teach me!"
"It hurts for me as well, Ace," Sadana cried. A tear trickled down his face that hung a heavy frown. "But I don't want to live forever,"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Well, live. Unlike me, enjoy life for what it is,"
"But you're…But…"
"Continue to transcend humanity…Your strength…It excels far beyond my own…I sense that I've met something like you…2000 years ago…"
As the sun set, Sadana's words pierced deep into Star's heart. He held it firmly, unable to control his emotions. His body bathed beneath the ultraviolet rays of the stars that rose just up ahead. Star gazed up hazily, blinded by his own power. His cold, alien-like hand pressed gently on Star's chest as the sunlight reflected off his face. The decay had begun. "Do you understand now, boy?"
Sadana's body had begun to wither, his own ability of gamma decay had reflected off of Star. Star hung his head low, unable to face the truth, the harsh truth that stood in front of him. Losing his teacher? No, it was more than that. Losing his only friend, it was. He wasn't a hero.
"My powers…?"
"You've finally controlled them. It's not about why you fight, it's about why you live." Sadana whimpered. "Go on, prove to the world that Ace isn't a brutal killing machine…show your good,"
The last thing Star witnessed was Sadana's faint and weak smile. It pained Star so hard internally that he didn't have the capacity to say goodbye. Sadana's decaying body slowly trickled into a fine powder, forming a neat pile on the concrete floor. The breeze carried the dust of his body as he disintegrated, leaving Star gazing at the open sea. He was alone, with overflowing gamma.
"Don't worry Sadana…I will make you proud!"
Then, the black cat appeared again. It had magically teleported to the port's edge. It purred gently, then a sickening meow followed.
Star wailed in pain, so he flew into the sunset at the speed of light, needing to release some steam in his body. The cat waited on the port, waiting for Star to come back. As the night grew colder, Star didn't stop. He didn't want to go back. He couldn't go back. It was stopping him.