Celestia

There are screams and fire everywhere.The very world seems to be tossing and turning around me. I realize that I am witnessing the downfall of the great Sebille family,but it is I who knows how they can slaughter people without a care in the world.I am suddenly reminded of mom and frantically search for her in the gory battlefield which was rich with sunlit corn harvest just a few hours ago.I catch a glimpse of blonde amidst the chaos,and instantly recognize it immediately. Its a moment of relief, though short lived.The Wrecker is plummeting towards the ground at a greater speed than any recorded meteor,it'll hit the earth precisely within 5.69 seconds. Yes, that is all I am capable of, with not even an ounce of energy left in my gut, I am utterly useless in battle having only the capacity to do pointless calculations.Knowledge is strength supreme they say... I have but ceased to believe it anymore. Everyone stands still watching the great meteor - Wrecker,hoping that it's fire will engulf the Sebille traitors and bestow showers of blessings upon them.No.Its not what they believe, but the only thing they are ALLOWED to believe.

Several things happen at once. The blinding flash of the meteor dims and it vanishes somewhere in a hazy mass of the dark mysterious sky and I lose all sense of consciousness. Somewhere in between those two events I hear a voice,almost an imaginary,faint whisper-''live on, Faith Sebille. I have faith in you.'' My mind is too much of a jumble to process any of it,I realize that I have failed everyone.I feel numb.I pray to god if it's my last day and everything goes black.

CHAPTER 1 - EVERYTHING GOES BLACK

My head is spinning and everything has gone black, is all I remembered once I regain consciousness.I feel lost, like all my thoughts and memories have melted away into nothingness.Everything is a blur, but I do remember one thing-Blaise

It's just a word,a name,but I feel a strong tugging in my heart even when I think about it.Something feels off...like when you enter a room and forget why you even came in the first place. My whole body squirms with discomfort as I try to sit up.The door clicks open as I prop myself up with my hands.A middle-aged,beautiful woman enters,her auburn hair dangling on her shoulders and worry clouding her face. Its hard enough to focus my eyes because of the blackout, but she gives me a sense of deja vu.

''Are you alright, my dear Faith? you had us worried to death'' she says while stroking my hair.I flinch away from her touch,there is a vague feeling of uneasiness and betrayal blanketing her but I am too numb,too broken,too lost to reply.

Soon all the doctors in the hospital are surrounding me as if I am a newfound species.They look at me but I don't look back, I just blankly stare beyond them,my face,motionless.expressionless.Only a single thought is making loops in my brain and though I do not understand it, I say it as if I've known it since childhood.''ionsdaleite, 100 kms ,fire ,ionsdaleite, 100 kms, fire, ionsdaleite,...''.I kept chanting it like a mantra, hoping to learn what that means. The doctors around me wearing pure white coats,fumble around with wires that I can name just by glancing at them once.They suddenly trap my hands,making me unable to move and bring in monstrous machines for god knows what reason.I try to think straight but my mind gives up and all I can really do is lie down and trust,if I have one, my family.

CHAPTER 2 - MY FAMILY

''That is dangerous.It makes you a lethal weapon for them.'' , '' I don't want you to become another pawn in Ryz Sebille's hands.This mark is proof of your connections to the paradise from where the Protector comes from.'' I hear, for the bazillionth time in my life,carefully worded by mom,to be aware. That's all I have to do. to be careful so that no one comes to know about the mark I have.

That's my usual day.Getting warned by mom,scolded by dad,bullied by siblings and envied by others. Ironic isn't it? One heck of a life I have.My red hair is a mess early in the morning,and I am kicked out of the house once I am done brushing it straight and the royal meal is done.Yes,I said ROYAL. I am the sole descendant of the Sebille lineage,the ruling family of Xerneas. And trust me,it's not funny to be the only descendant and have the Celstia mark on you. Especially if you are the daughter of Ryz Sebille.

----

I hear someone crying. It's so heart-breaking that I almost cry myself. Whoever that person, is holding me like I am about to be snatched.I recognize she is my mother.There is a noise outside that I do not know.''Does my child bear the mark of Celestia?'' says a cold voice. MY CHILD.... as if my mom is an outsider. I am surprised that such is my father.

''No mark bearer.But her intelligence, even after just being born is phenomenal I must tell you.'' She covers it up the best she can, but apparently,father does not trust most of what she says.

''To heck with intelligence! my own flesh and blood cannot provide me with the greatest of ancestral power!''he thunders , I know he hates me,hates me for not being able to provide him something, and that ''something''... I learn in my later life.Day by day my mom's warnings echoing in my ears,to never let anyone see my right arm.The mark of Celestia must be concealed from all. I learn that it is a Sebille belief, that whoever bears the mark,is actually a resident of the unknown planet from where the Protector comes. It is just a common meteor made up of ionsdaleite,but capable of great damage.Our ancestors faced many uprisings because of the sheer number of people who died when this meteor hit earth for the first time. They hid this fact from the next generations and named it the ''protector''. People in my family since then have believed this and continued to study about it. But were technologically underdeveloped and I would

say,still are.My mother has since warned me,

''My ancestors lived to see the meteor which crashed in Xerneas,but no one here believes me.'', ''they want to use your power to call upon this calamity,the mark bearers are used like sacrificial lambs in the hope of achieving the greater good.'' GREATER GOOD. killing your own daughter just to reach this imaginary goal sounds exactly like something my father would do.All my life I have lived,scared and alert,ready for an assault. My mom is the only who understands me and is willing to protect me. She has told me about this one advantage I have because of which my father won't have the need kill me yet.

----

Well, I am used to all this tension by now. But there are things I look forward to in the future. Rumour has it that there are two mark bearers in a century,just like the 'Protector' which hits land every century, ... and maybe I'll be able to meet the one like me.

CHAPTER 3 - THE ONE LIKE ME

So..... we left off where I was kicked out of my house. Apparently, my absence helps them focus better on this ''mission comet -Protector''. All of them are the same, not because they waste their lives living in false hope of achieving the greater good, but, because they are left with no other choice. Yes. My father is the ruthless,dumb tyrant who controls his own family by means of drugging so that they can be ordered around easy. This little secret of his slipped past my mom,and since forever, I have known better than to eat or even drink water without mom's approval. Dad is still kept in the dark obviously,but we pretend to be the easy-to-boss,loyal dogs of the royal Sebille family.

As soon as I am sure that no one is following me, I rush to the place,the only place I am accepted, because I created it.For some reason my instincts tell me that, the Protector might be close by,like a voice guiding me.My calculations so far have pointed my theory in this very direction,that the meteor shower will be sometime around nightfall in Xerneas itself.The sun is not too bright I notice,thankfully, otherwise the data files that I had kept to dry would burn away.I conduct my own research to locate meteors and find more about the spacial extent of the universe. By now I am sure how distance and time works in space,how vast the total extent could be and of course all the crucial information about 48 galaxies that keeps them functioning.This is the reason my father has kept me alive,my ability to calculate and reason surpasses that of any average learned scholar by far.I have till now,did nothing but lie to him,whenever he wants any information that can help them learn more about ionsdaleite which is the only reason my existence is valued,it slows down their research and speeds up mine. But haven't yet dared to tell my mother about this secret work place,which is the basement of an old abandoned building, she is kind but not courageous and the moment I confess to her, she will undoubtedly spill the beans in front of my dad and ask for forgiveness that I know he won't grant,instead would probably order our execution.

I wish to live freely,without the constant threat to hide the mark I bear, with my mom,happily ever after.Sadly,that ain't the case right now.But we can dream ,we can have the hunger for freedom, life isn't meant to be wasted in sadness and loneliness,but should be enjoyed and cherished with happiness.

The basement is dusty as ever, dull and devoid of light.But, I catch a glimpse of a faint silhouette, that slowly comes nearer and nearer by the tick. I panic and pull out my gun(which, of course does not work) and go inside to get a closer look at the intruder and I see a hint of blond hair and striking green eyes staring down on mine while holding my precious documents,

''You study space and meteors right?? This looks like a whole life's worth of knowledge..... Do you happen to be the of the Sebille family to have access to such classified information???" I have no clue how he knew all that but he says all this with such ease, like it doesn't scare or surprise him. I am too stunned to answer any of that, but just then I notice two intervened stars on his right arm, and realization dawns on me it's like a message from the heavens

CHAPTER 4 - A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAVENS

It's a huge shock for both of us.I don't know how long it took him to process everything I told him about my research. "the mark you have on your hand is called Celestia,and is believed to be a symbol of the unknown planet from where the Protector crashes on the earth every hundred years causing widespread damage.'' I say all that in one breath, and he looks at me like I am some kind of alien,''ohh!!! it is so generous of you to provide me with such knowledge, I thought that these were some kind of fun tattoos the doctor gave me when I was born.''

''I do not have patience with obnoxious,sarcastic,arrogant blonde-heads who barge into my place without prior notice'' I say as sternly as possible.

''you know, don't try to be all hard and tough.I can tell that you don't usually snap at people.''

''I don't usually get stalked by random idiots'' The look on his face disheartens me and I wonder if that was the right thing to say.

''Well, I didn't mean to do so.... but after being chased to death for 3 hours, one gets tired and needs rest''

he tells me his story, that he ate all the tira misu in a restaurant on the way and didn't pay the owner.

''so, you are a thief as well?"

" you have to eat in order to survive without a family.'' He says, suddenly all tensed up.''My parents were killed by some blue cloaked soldiers when I was 3. Apparently, they wanted me for this."he points at his mark and I notice that he has a well built,yet lean body with big muscles and... I stop myself from thinking any further as I realize... blue cloaked soldiers searching for someone with a mark... it has to be the Sebille family.My family is guilty of killing his parents.I remember dad talking to my older siblings to carry out a murder of the Zverev family ,which was suspected of bearing a possible mark bearer and capture their son. His name as I recall is Blaise. Blaise Zverev

The two of us are running on the field to find a spot to set up the telescope. He is quite strong to carry the telescope and keep up with my pace.

I showed him my mark which shocked the hell out of him. Never had I thought that I'll meet the other mark bearer this easily,and that one day,I'll have the courage to share my curse with someone else.We shared each others' knowledge on the meteor's speed, nature and mass,but it so turned out that I was only one with important things to say and after I told him the truth about who killed his parents,I expected him to strangle me on spot, but he just smiled and said,

''Its not like you are to blame, Faith Sebille. Don't sweat it.'' It shocks me,It's unusual to be treated with so much kindness and acceptance.

We find a spot and immediately get to work. we have a common goal now,to prevent Ryz Sebille from getting his hands on any of us and saving the people we treasure from the meteor that we predicted will fall by night. ''wow,how do you just KNOW and PREDICT things like that!!'' he screamed.I smirked at that and said, ''well,knowing when a certain giant piece of rock is going to crush me flat,happens to be speciality.''

Just as our confirmation research smoothly goes on I realize we have another similarity, to hear voices from the heavens that tell us where meteors are likely to be floating around.My mom never told me about any power that mark bearers possess but it is like a whisper in the language of stars which I somehow manage to understand as if they are talking to my feelings.It's kinda hard not to notice, but yet again,mom is absolutely unaware about this.

''we must evacuate the town folks before evening. The impact will be highest on the valley, so we have time before the Protector crashes.'' I say as I realize that my predictions were inaccurate by two hours.

''The Protector is a misnomer given to it by ancient people, It doesn't protect, only wrecks life and property... so I call it the Wrecker. how do you like that name? kinda cool ain't it?''he says innocently.

''quite good for a dumb-head like you''I tease him , but he only grins at me.The Wrecker, it's a good name.

There is one hour left before our secret is revealed.

CHAPTER 5 - SECRET IS REVEALED

It's a mad rush of villagers who we warn beforehand about the fast approaching disaster that is about to wreck our village. Many of them back away at the sight of our marks,but there is no choice but to keep trying.We try to stay hidden as mush as possible, but being in the valley that is visible from my house, it's not easy.The old peasants just scowl at us ,''ye lil' brats nowadays have no limits with your damn pranks!!!!.'' their wives follow what they say and refuse to escape.But, most of the residents in Xerneas including children,agreed to do as we said.Our plan is to get everyone (atleast most of them who believed us) secretly out, by distracting my father,it's easy because I plan to let him a taste of his own manufactured drugs. It's NOT a piece of cake,but my part of the job. Blaise agrees to take the lead and transport everyone out of the village by knocking out the security.''It'll be fun to kick them!! they are so going down once they face me.'' I marvel at his carefree attitude and groundless statements,but is fascinating

nevertheless.

Just as I manage to unlock the doors of my kitchen,I hear a thundering sound,and recognize that as the caravans in which the villagers are.There is no one other than my mom outside but I need to hurry.I slip the fine powder in father's evening drink and hide behind the large storage area a tick before the cook arrives.As he carries the goblet outside , the door unhinges and what I see isn't the most scary scene ever,but yet, tears my heart apart.

I see my father with a stern expression and standing right behind Blaise. He looks beat up,maybe because the security at the border was too strong... No. that cannot be the case. Blaise said that he would make it, and somehow I trusted that groundless statement.behind him there is a person with auburn curls swinging by her shoulders.my mom.she turned in Blaise. Maybe she was in on this from the very start.Anger flares throughout my body.I want nothing more than to kill them.

CHAPTER 6 - KILL THEM

''Why did you do that to me mom!!!!!!!!!!! I thought you wanted to protect me and live happily without dad's interference!! why side with him now???'' I scream at the top of my lungs,my voice cracks as tears flow down my cheeks endlessly. ''honey,listen to me I-''

''SILENCE!!!! SHUT YOUR YAP!! I KNOW EVERYTHING YOU BOTH HID FROM ME AND ORDER YOU TO BE EXECUTED !!!'' mom is cut off by my dad's true wrath.There are soldiers behind the entryway ready to finish us off.

They come at me,all at once and I only have two knifes from the cabinet to defend myself.The soldiers are a bit clumsy.I am not too strong,but fast enough to dodge their attacks, so they fall in their own traps.The whole time that I am scampering across the kitchen and throwing utensils on their heads,my mom just stands there motionless,watching as I fight.

All the soldiers from the first batch are beat,and I realize that one of them is Merriel, my older cousin,lying beside the stove,unconscious.I feel bad because she is not at fault,but attacking her was the only way out of that situation. I, myself ,am in a pathetic condition,with one or two broken ribs,a deep slash on back,some cuts and bruises running along my limbs with blood smeared on my forehead.As I limp towards the door,my dad gets hold of me and is about to end my life with a mere chef's knife,I try to stab him with my knife when I hear a loud shout from behind,

'' You are the one who is responsible for my parents' death!! don't you dare try to kill my friend as well!!!''

'''Blaise!!!!!'' I exclaim, as he slashes him with a katana,''are you hurt too bad??''I ask worriedly.He just slings his arm around mine, and gives me a thumbs up.Mom is stunned to see us happy,she looks almost scared.we run to the corn field outside, where the soldiers are still burning houses of the villagers to make them obey their orders.As we rush outside, Blaise says,''I don't care what happens but let's knock some sense into these dumb buffons together!!'' ''You got that right,Zverev!! we will put up a tough fight for sure.

There aren't many villagers left,but each one's life is equally high in my regard even though they refused to believe what I said about the Wrecker.As we move out of the Sebille manor,there is a prominent shine of purple streak in the sky,following it's trail,is a massive rock plummeting at the speed of ....wait......yes,100 kms,the Wrecker, I almost forgot about it,my mind is in a frenzy right now,but without a second of hesitation, I pull Blaise along with me to protect my villager's, Xerneas' s proud villagers who have upheld it's honour since forever.I don't plan on letting them down.

I am drenched with blood,too much loss of life,that too most of them carry the same blood as I do.There is fire spreading and roaring all over the valley,and one glance at the heavens tells me that there is no stopping the Wrecker now.I hear a soft cry from behind a single remaining bush and make a mad dash to see if there are still residents here in the valley.Behind the bush I see an innocent baby girl,maybe 3 years old...... I feel an unflinching sympathy towards her. I wrap my arms around her tiny frame and run through the fire,best I can.Her mother is still within range of the meteor, so I shout -

''Your daughter's life is valuable and so is your's!! do not worry about anything and RUN!!.'' I watch as she disappears in the horizon and the moment I turn around, is when I see the blinding flash of light with precisely,5.69 seconds before it hits the earth.The meteor is just hovering above the trees,I feel extremely dizzy and begin to accept this as my fate,when I see two,large intervened stars shining at their brightest yellow that burn the meteor to ashes.I faint due to loss of blood,having no control on myself, but I do hear a voice,almost an imaginary faint whisper-''live on,Faith Sebille.I have faith in you.'' Memories of Blaise Zverev flash through my head,a rock from the Wrecker hits me and I am knocked out on the ground.

-----

''I once read somewhere that The Wrecker can be stopped by any mark bearer,if they perform a certain enchantment.'' says Blaise grinning at me like the idiot he is. ''It's not a game ya know? we have to risk our lives to protect the village.'' he nods his head innocently ''May I ask you a question Zverev??why are you helping me?" he looks offended,but says,''you are a mark bearer, so am I,and I have nowhere to go.I was practically searching for you my whole life,do I need anymore reason?''

-----

Blaise knew. he knew this would happen,he knew this enchantment ,and came to save my life. He is now dead all thanks to me,now I'll never be able get over that grief.But,by the second,I am losing my memory.

CHAPTER 7 - MEMORY

The doctors in the hospital bring in monstrous machines, that make a humming sound in my ears.Some rough hands hold me down and the sharp pain of a needle shoots up through my arm.Even with all this going on,I still hang on to my words with desperation,''ionsdaleite 100kms fire....''

It feels as if my life depends on it,and it probably,also the reason why it ended up this way.My struggles slowly fade,as if I am drugged and fall into a deep sleep.

I wake up with sweat dotting my brow,and screaming the name of someone known as Blaise. The auburn haired woman is sitting beside my bed,and is apparently,overjoyed on seeing me awake.She rushes to call the doctors. Great, so I do not know where I am,who these people are,and I have no choice but to put up with these tortures.

''who do you remember?''they ask me

''Blaise'' I say.

''where did you live?''they ask me,

''Blaise''I say.

''what is your name?''they ask me,

''Blaise'' I say. without even trying to understand what they want from me.The doctors scribble down something in their notebooks, look into my lifeless eyes and tell the woman -

''Faith has a severe case of schizophrenia,ma'am. She imagined someone by the name of Blaise,and now has lost all memory due to the meteor shower a week before. please take care of her,we must leave.''

That's all they say,even though I don't understand much.I stumble lazily towards the glass of water,and that's when weakness gets hold of me and I fall unconscious.

BLAISE ZVEREV

Cool breezes hit my skin in the beautiful twilight.My mind drifting towards several thoughts of the future......

Hi Blaise! I don't know who you are,or if you even exist,I try to talk to people but they consider me to be a psychopath on the loose.Just like those doctors did. I ran away from that horrendous,suffocating room immediately when I had enough strength.I just feel lonely.... but there are lots of wonderful people out here in this new village I landed up in,who need my help in various ways,I get to do the monthly calculations for the storekeepers and they let me have meals two times a day.Once I earn enough,I wanna learn more about this world,more about what lies beyond the sky.All of it seems so fascinating!!!!

The sky darkens, and there is a bright light across the sky,like a falling star.People from the village gather around to see this mesmerizing sight and say,'''those are comets!!''

Comets,I like them.I slowly relax on the fresh grass of the summit and gaze at the beautiful streaks of various colours mixing with each other to create beautiful hues. I suddenly hear a voice, as if the stars can talk to me. It comes directly from the heavens and whispers,''You look beautiful Faith.''

-------- THE END --------