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Soft breaths trickled past warm fur, spindly arms wrapped around what remained of a past better left forgotten. An embrace, tight and close, a boy and his friend, a scene of wholesome serenity. It was something Skylar, or Star Scourge, had grown to appreciate. The silence; something which had once deafened him, surrounded by walls of cold steel. Nightmares continued to plague restless nights, tired eyes attesting to such truths, despite Skylar’s shallow lies. 

A supernatural glow, azure illumination above a small, pale nose peered ahead, a gaze meeting the surface of flakey, old wallpaper. How long had it been? Four months, if memory served, the boy’s fingers tenderly combing through his friend’s silken coat. Without Cosmos, the terror of an outside world grew all the more horrific. A mundane interaction, a casual transaction, a heartfelt conversation; aspects of life Skylar was still growing accustomed to. Though he wished to claim that a rapidly beating heart did not keep him from peaceful slumber, the boy still shifted his focus towards whatever doorway was closest, fear creeping down his spine. A scene played out, syringes and lab coats on full display. Open or closed, it made little difference, for from the darkness they stepped forth, an operating table on the horizon. 

Clenching his teeth, Skyler’s embrace tightened further, Cosmos’ calm presence lulling the boy into a state between fear and comfort. Though months had passed, closed eyes brought him back there, to the facility. Screams, needles, pain, chaos, thoughts whipped back and forth, prickles stretching across the lad’s paper pale skin. A gulp traveled down his throat, darkness lit by sapphires coated in eternal shine, darkness sharing a tale of safety and trauma, a spiral of contradiction to confirm Skylar’s reality. 

Up it went, stress confiscating its space, anxiety growing ever stronger until finally the veil of turmoil was pierced by a familiar sound. Vibrations dragged against a hard surface, a ringtone denoting Skylar’s caller. Slowly, a spindly hand extended from where it had held the boy’s canine companion, scrawny fingers wrapping around the outline of his cellphone. [i]’Diane,’[/i] a name Skylar had come to associate with a call to action. It was a woman who retained the mutant’s purpose, the one thing allowing him to escape self-made torture. Out there, on the field of ceaseless battle was where Skylar felt free. It was where he could shed thorny shackles slowly wrapping themselves into a strangle hold. It was where he could pretend like the past seven years never happened, where he could don the cape of a hero and put these anxious terrors to rest. 

[color=4ebcbe]”Hello,”[/color] a soft voice trickled past Sky’s lips, fuzzy ears fluttering at the sound of his tune, soon accompanied by a large, wet snout meeting his chin.

“You sound like shit,” came a response, “it’s ten o'clock, are you in bed?” 

Brief silence came to meet the conversation before eventually Skylar spoke once more. [color=4ebcbe]”What do you want?”[/color]

If one had the ability to hear grins, wide and mischievous, this would certainly be an apt opportunity to put such feats to the test. “Always jolly, aren’t you?” Diane mused, british accent proudly presented, “listen, there’s a robbery taking place at Carlyle Museum,” she began, “seems like some other blokes are dealing with that, though.” 

[color=4ebcbe]”So why are you calling me?”[/color] The boy sighed as he sat, thin sheets of soft fabric falling down his shape where Cosmos echoed the motion, tail thumping against the mattress with each passing breath. 

“Because while they’re dealing with that, an old friend is going to use the chaos to his advantage. Ever heard of Ember?” Diane did not bother humoring a response. It was rhetorical, knowing full well that Skylar’s knowledge of heroes and villains was lacking at best. “Nasty bugger in an impressive suit, isn't he? He’s after an ancient relic that’ll make him proper troublesome. Be a pearl and deal with that, will you? If you leave now, you’ll catch up to him.” 

A savior from the ever flowing rivers of despair, Skylar stood, bare feet padding across an empty floor until socks soon found themselves pulled on. It was what he needed, an escape from himself by diving into conflict. Attention turned towards Cosmos, the dog’s head tilting where eyes far more intelligent than a typical canine met the boy’s own. [color=4ebcbe]”I’ll be back soon, Cos’, be a good boy,”[/color] Skylar lowered himself to a knee, arms cradling his friend before a small, tender kiss met Cosmos’ snout. [color=4ebcbe]”I love you,”[/color] came a quiet utterance met by a high pitched bark. Two products of a traumatic past, both keeping the other sane, with foot and paw firmly planted upon the ground. Reaching for a casual shirt alongside cargo pants, Star Scourge certainly lacked the appeal, but he was a Hero; that much he would confirm. With azure force encircling the mutant, an opened window served as his exit, and the museum was not far off.

[hr]

Feeling the night air licking past his skin, Sky exhaled a relaxed breath, flight as effortless as a practiced step. It was the first thing he leaned towards when freedom was tasted. A world extended before him, and a Starlit flight soon followed. It was freedom incarnate, arms outstretched as the warmth of a breeze carried him forth, a lullaby sung by leaves on the wind, and yet, that was not the serenity he was heading towards. Not now. 

Carlyle Museum, an impressive sight by every measure, a collection of relics plucking at strings of the past, a mummer’s dance for those who would stand and listen. A shame it would be, then, for a missile to allow entry and further chaos. A projectile small, yet deadly, fired from a wrist launcher as it pierced the air in a straight path for the Carlyle Museum, but was met by an unexpected obstacle, sapphire force preventing the device from proceeding, but rather, repelled the missile back to whence it came. There, it met a holographic shield, another technological addition of Ember’s airborne suit, a barrier to protect him from an imminent explosion caused by none other than his own device once fired, and returned. “The fu-..!” A robotic voice echoed before Ember spun on his heel, the man’s visor zoning in on a most unwelcome addition. “Fucking hell, not another super powered freak,” he spat, “look, just in and out, no one needs to get hurt.” 

[color=4ebcbe]”You were about to blow a hole in the roof, dude,”[/color] Skylar retorted, his brow raised where the lad crossed his arms, an ethereal aura of starlit blue keeping him afloat far above mingling life below. Life which grew into a more sporadic motion at the sound of an explosion. 

“A quick entry,” Ember shot back, “I’d have been gone by now, you know.” 

Another sigh slipped past Skylar’s lips before the boy raised his hand, a swipe conjuring forth a devastating current of azure force, a spectral blade to slice through that of which it struck. Ember, however, was a quick actor with rocket propelled suit lifting him above the attack, “some Hero you are! We’re not even done talking yet, and you attack!? Fuck you, man!” The power-suit clad gestalt hissed, a beam of concentrated plasma released from his gauntlet to strike at the Starlit boy, a beam met by azure wrath where Skylar’s own pulsar ray of Starlight connected with immense heat to warrant yet another explosion between the combatants, a shockwave pushing them further away from one another.

[color=4ebcbe]”Sorry, still getting used to making you tools feel validated,”[/color] Star Scourge scoffed, a torrent of explosive orbs launched forth, spectral missiles glimmering like the cosmos, each bursting into an azure expanse of dangerous energy where they followed Ember’s flight. Supernatural marvel clashed with technological wonder, a display of fireworks and flamboyance, sapphire blue alongside topaz yellow painting the sky in chaotic light. 

“Psh.., I’ve always hated you super-freaks,” Ember exclaimed, seeing how Starlight began to envelop him in a sphere of whirling destruction, a fate he was able to escape before bursting forth, changing course as he dove further towards the ground. “You could catch one! Catch these, you little shit!” A shout echoing across the night sky, one accompanied by missiles fired. With sections opening across Ember’s armor, projectiles were scattered, “want to save some innocents, Hero!?” The museum was not their target. 

Eyes brimming with Starlight shine widened at the decision Ember had made. Beneath their battle, a gathering had clustered, cell phones produced with cameras recording. [color=4ebcbe][i]’Oh no..,’[/i][/color] Skylar’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t stop Ember’s onslaught without leaving himself open, and yet, the lad’s shape vanished, fading into starlit energy before once more manifesting as a guardian between skies and earth, a teleportation to position the boy. He extended his arms, a wide echo of azure force emitted to hold the mass of missiles in place, Starlight working to telekinetically hamper their advance and freeze them to the spot only moments before exploding.

The shockwave forced Skyler to the ground, his powers regaining their equilibrium before cushioning the mutant’s descent, one which would have otherwise spelled his end. No, that was not an honor Ember would allow the effects of something so impersonal. Taking this moment, this split second of granted advantage, the man’s engines severed a distance once held between the pair, a holographic sword extending from his gauntlet to pierce Skylar’s chest. “So fucking predictable. All that power.., wasted..,” a mere whisper, Ember’s visor close to Skylar’s ear, a hand on the boy’s shoulder and blade pushing through his spindly shape. “You let your guard down.”

Blood blue as the deepest ocean flowed down the mutant’s body, glittering in the moonlight, tired legs held up by an unforgiving sword. [color=4ebcbe]”..y-you.., too..,”[/color] a raspy echo returned, Skylar’s hand grasping Ember’s metal clad throat. Azure destruction washed over the man, embracing him as a scream left his helmet. Ember was blown back, his armor shattering as he rolled across the asphalt, a tumble reaching an abrupt end. Though on his knees, Skylar’s hand remained extended, Starlight glimmering around his prey, slowly crushing Ember’s body beneath its grip. [color=4ebcbe][i]’K̶̳͛̿͝i̸͙̠͛l̸͙̖̓͐̈́l̵̘̋̓ ̶̪̞̔h̶̤̘͂̏ï̴͔̈m̵̨̗̚.̵̧̭̗́͆.̵̩̜͖̅͐̏,̷̘̐ ̸̝̏ķ̶̺̗̿ǐ̵̞̺̈l̸̽̈́͘ͅl̸͉̃ ̴̳͗̋̚͜h̵̜̾̃̂i̸̱͕̩̾m̷̧͔̰͂̇.̷͚̯́͗.̷̛͈̭̝͝͝,̵̧̙͕̀͘ ̶͙̑̀̊d̵͎͔̭̂͑̓e̸̻͕̰̿͌̊s̴̳͊̿ṭ̸̨̔̐̈r̵̠̜̿̊o̴̳͈͙͌̈́y̶̹̯͕̽͌.̷̠̯̗̓.̶̡͔̐̓̓,̷̧̬͘͜ ̵̞͛͗ḋ̸̖́e̸̻̦͘s̶͕̊̿t̴̘̒̕r̵̟̺̲͊̌͝ò̵̠̲̳͗̓ÿ̸̦̭́̆͝.̷̲͕̎.̶̲͈̅̎̑,’[/i][/color] there was silence. As if the world had reached a freezing point, Skyler trembled. His vision was fading, the mutant’s strength trickling away, and with it, his senses returned. Star Scourge swiped his hand, sending Ember into a lamppost, knocking the man out, but retained his life. 

Eyes once mimicking stars in their glow were dim, a fatigued, desperate motion attempting to pull the boy forward. [color=4ebcbe]”Cosmos..,”[/color] he tried, darkness claiming him.