Prologue

Entire cities were demolished. Forests reduced to wildfire. Riverbeds left dry and desolate. Corpses lay everywhere, the smell of blood, sweat, and magic mixing together in the hot, dirty air to form a distinct perfume. Even the royal palace hadn't escaped destruction – it was barely more than a pile of rocks and rubble now, the crumbling façade mimicking the strength of its inhabitants.

Said inhabitants, the rulers of the once-powerful planet Sparx, were at that moment kneeling in a hallway over the dead body of their beloved older daughter Daphne. Next to Daphne's body squirmed a tiny redheaded infant wrapped in a blue blanket, her crying currently being ignored by the king and queen in their grief.

"My beautiful daughter," Queen Miriam sobbed, gripping the corpse's lifeless hand as if it were the only thing anchoring her to this world. "How did they get inside the castle? Where were the guards?" Her thoughts became more incoherent as the sobs began to overtake her. "Why did this have to happen? What were they fighting for? What could possibly be worth all this destruction and pain?" Any shred of rationality was gone, as the queen dissolved into a shaking, crying mess.

"Dry your eyes, my love," King Oritel urged, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and pulling her into his lap, as what used to be Daphne's limp arm flopped back to her side. "Crying will not bring her back."

"How can you be so calm?" Miriam cried, gesturing wildly with her arms in the motions of someone not entirely lucid. "Our world is destroyed, thousands of our subjects dead, and even our own daughter was lost to this terrible, pointless fight. And you don't even seem sad! The man I fell in love with had a heart."

"You think it doesn't hurt me to see all this? All the demolition of our cities, the people lying dead in the streets, our daughter's corpse! Of course it's affecting me."

"Then why doesn't it look like you do?"

"Because despite all of this, we still came out victorious today. And what remain of our people will be looking to us for guidance in the coming months, as we rebuild and grow stronger. If we cannot appear strong and confident, what chance does Sparx have of ever coming back from this? That would mean they have won. And I refuse to let that happen."

Miriam inhaled, her breaths ragged and shaky, but the tears had stopped for the moment as she considered her husband's words. When she finally spoke, it was in the voice of a scared little girl. "I don't… I don't know if I'm strong enough for that."

"In all honesty, I'm not sure that I am either. But what choice do we have? With great power also comes the burden of responsibility. We both knew that when we inherited the throne."

The queen closed her eyes and rested her head in the curve of her husband's shoulder, too overcome in her grief to speak. Oritel chose his words carefully.

"There has been great destruction, yes," he said, "but it was not complete annihilation. We can recover from this; we will recover, and grow stronger than before. As for Daphne…" His voice caught in his throat momentarily. "She made a great sacrifice, and she will never be forgotten. She shall live on in the hearts and minds of the people of Sparx; extolled as a true hero, who gave her life to ensure the survival of the Great Dragon's Flame – and her little sister, the remaining heir to the throne." The crying infant quieted as her father scooped her up and cradled her in his arms.

At this, Miriam's eyes seemed to light up as she pulled the child into her own arms, rocking her back and forth. "Oh, my beautiful baby," she cooed to the mewling little one, whose tiny brain had perceived nothing of the fierce battle that had claimed her sister's life. "Shhh… it's alright. Mommy's here." Oritel smiled as he watched his wife with their daughter.

"We will rebuild Sparx as a new world, worthy of the princess who will inherit it."

"To think we might have lost her too…" Miriam mused, tickling the baby's fingers. "At least Fate had the good sense to spare us one daughter."

"Indeed." Oritel cast another look at Daphne's corpse, then back to Miriam and their infant daughter. "Those who gave their lives today will never be forgotten. But we will move forward. This will not define us for all eternity." He stood, reaching down a hand to Miriam. "My queen."

"My king." She took his hand and pulled herself up. "So we just… move on? Put this all behind us? Try to act like today didn't shatter our hearts into a million pieces? Because I can't do that, Oritel; I just can't."

"I never said that." Oritel took a deep breath, feeling Miriam lean her head against his shoulder; clinging to him for support. In that moment, something inside of him shifted – like his grief and pain had been locked behind a heavy steel door, only to be accessed in times of extreme necessity. The entire magical dimension would be looking at the two of them in the coming months, as Sparx rebuilt, and at least one of them would have to be strong. "We'll just start by taking it day by day, sweetheart. It will get easier as time passes."

A sorrowful look flitted across Miriam's face. "I sure hope so."

"Come, now." He looped his arm through hers. "Let's go to bed. Everything will be clearer in the morning, after a good night's sleep. And then we can start to restore our kingdom to its former glory."

Miriam inhaled deeply, clutching her daughter tightly to her chest. "She sleeps with us. I will not let her out of my sight again." Something like a strangled wail rose up out of her chest. "Oh, to think we never even got to say goodbye to Daphne! And now she's gone – gone, gone, gone, and we'll never get her back…"

"There, there, my love." Oritel placed a hand on his wife's back, whispering a calming spell under his breath. Subtly, a steady stream of magic flowed from his fingertips into Miriam's body, relaxing her breathing and soothing her mind. "It will be all right. Everything is going to be all right…"

His hand still on her back, gently leading her, the pair made their way through the remains of the palace to the bedroom.

The sun slipped low onto the horizon, staining the yellowing sky with streaks of blood red as its final act on such a war-torn day. Then night dropped her shadowy cloak upon the world, blanketing Sparx in darkness.

With the cover of night on their side, a small group of select individuals gathered in the woods near the remains of the royal palace. They came silently and alone, many using invisibility spells or other magic devices to shield themselves from view.

Finally, a tall, curvy woman with raven-black hair lowered her dark hood and looked around. "Twelve people," she exclaimed in a high, sharp voice. "This is everyone? This is all that's left?"

"Afraid so, Ariana," a brunette to her right said.

The dark-haired woman scowled. "How in the realms did they overpower us? We had every element on our side. Did someone talk?" She stared threateningly at every member of the group, her piercing blue eyes cold as stone.

"Who died and left you in charge?" a spiky-haired male sneered.

Ariana turned the full force of her gaze on him, leveling him with her stare until he cringed. "Do not speak of our fallen leaders that way, Zachary. And I was Belladona's closest confidante – after her other sisters, of course. It is only natural. Does anyone dare challenge me?" Nothing but silence. Her bright red lips curled into a smirk. "Very well then. I will lead."

"Okay, fearless leader," he scoffed. "Do you want to fill the rest of us in on your brilliant plan B? That is, of course, assuming you even have one."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ariana waited until she knew that all the others would be hanging on to her every word. "We are going underground."

"What?" Zachary's jaw dropped almost to the ground. "How is that a plan? That's like retreating!"

"It is strategic," she insisted, pushing the full weight of her intimidating aura into the words. "Right now we're in no shape for another battle. It would destroy everything we have left, and more. We will wait, bide our time, perhaps train a new generation to follow in our footsteps. And then, when the time is right, we will strike where they least expect it."

With the nature of Ariana's powers, she could sense other people's thoughts and emotions; she knew there was hesitation and uneasiness at her proposed plan. So she reached for something that she knew would pacify the others. "Make no mistake – the Dragon Fire will be ours one day. It is rightfully so, and so it will be." That statement was met with exuberant cheers, and Ariana allowed herself a moment's relaxation.

"It'll never work," a voice said from the trees.

Instantly, the muscles in her back tensed up. "Who's there?" she demanded into the night. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst: they had been discovered by royal guards, and the last remaining few were going to be rounded up and carted off to Omega. Well, not if I have anything to say about it, she thought, channeling energy into her fingertips in preparation for a fight. If it came down to it, there was nothing she wouldn't do to keep the cause alive – even give her own life.

An amused chuckle came from the direction of the voice, and Ariana whirled around to see a person appearing out of the darkness, wearing the same dark cloak that adorned her own body. He had strong features, high cheekbones, and long reddish-blond hair that practically glowed in the darkness. But it was his eyes that were the most remarkable – piercing, bright, brilliantly gold.

Those eyes met her own, locking onto them completely. A shiver raced down her spine that had nothing at all to do with the cold night.

"You can relax," he continued, in the same haughty, authoritative voice that had spoken to her from the trees. "We're on the same side." Ariana pursed her lips but didn't release her grip on her magic. He shrugged and nodded. "Suit yourself."

"You claim that we are on the same side, yet I've never seen you before. Why is that?" she insisted, pushing a bit of her mind-control power into her voice. "You will tell me."

But he only laughed, waving away her control. "Is that the best you can do? You'll have to try much harder if you want this lot to have any chance of survival."

"Why should I have to defend myself to you? I don't even know you! For all I know, you're a spy from the palace." The energy at her fingertips flared brighter.

He smirked knowingly. "This, my dear, is exactly why you won't stand a chance. You are not cut out for leadership, Ariana, and the sooner you realize that, the better. You're not Belladona, and you never will be."

"You have no idea what you're saying." Despite herself, her face was starting to flush with anger. "Belladona confided everything in me. She trusted me with secrets she didn't even tell her sisters. Who better to keep the cause alive than myself?"

"She told you everything, did she? Did she ever mention me?"

Ariana faltered. The mystery man grinned like the cat who'd got the canary.

"As I thought." He raised his hood. "Well, as much fun as this has been, I'd better be going while I'm still a free man. It was truly lovely to speak with you, Ariana. I wish you the best of luck, I really do." His eyes hardened. "You're going to need all the luck you can get if you think you're going to keep this crumbling coven from turning to ashes."

At that, Ariana exploded, releasing the energy in a powerful, white-hot ball that lit up the forest in the few seconds it took to travel towards the mysterious stranger – who was completely unfazed. Almost lazily, he held out one hand with fingers outstretched and caught her magic like a baseball, grabbing it in his palm and crushing it to dust.

Ariana stifled a gasp. Who was this man?

"Who are you?" she demanded. "I order you to tell me who you are."

"No one gives me orders," he said darkly. "Not anymore."

And then before she could open her mouth again, he was gone.

Ariana blinked several times, almost unwilling to trust her own vision. Eventually, she looked away and returned to her followers (it was strange to think of them as that now, when they had all been Belladona's followers for so long), who were still rejoicing. Forcing a smile onto her face, she tried not to think about that strange encounter.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the memory of those eerie golden eyes out of her mind.

Author's Note: I'm ba-ack! Yes, despite what I said about wanting to take time to work on original stuff, I just couldn't stay away for too long. It's official - my Sparxshipping addiction is beyond all hope of a cure.

So this particular idea has been kicking around in my head for a while now. It's enormously and drastically AU, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, but I will definitely be using elements of canon. I already have a plot outline and everything, and I'm very excited with my plan so far. It's going to be epic. :)

I know this first bit is sort of a tease, because I'm setting you up but then leaving you with so many questions of "well what happens next?" I'm sorry! Really, I am! Updates should be somewhat regular-ish for a while, but I can't make any promises when school starts again (gah, why am I already thinking about that? It's only the middle of summer! Bad Authoress!), because this year promises to be crazy like no other.

But enough about that already. You know the drill by now - the more you review, the more motivated I am to get chapter one up sooner. Come on, it's a win-win situation here, people. ;-)

xoxo,

- Authoress