This is the tale of a man who has his Destiny intertwined with that of a young girl of another world. Saddened by her daily struggles, she finds solace in a place surreal to her own. She cherishes every moment in observing the man who searches for the Destiny that beckoned him from his daily routine. The never-ending battle to either defy or fulfil Destiny has allowed him to accomplish feats that would be considered impossible. All she wishes is her life to be like his, so she can continue the fight in her world for a better tomorrow and learn of her rightful place. Residing herself to the place of her isolation, she is unaware that Destiny will call upon her and intertwine her life with the man she so desires to become…
Space. The ebony shroud that is infinite and consuming, unforgiving and silent in every single way within the bounds of possibility. Even where the faintest glimmer of starlight cannot reach, space thrums with abundant life. Amongst the thousands and thousands of planets that lay scattered across the stars, we are one of them. In the beginning, humanity believed our rocky world to be at the centre of the Universe and that all the planets revolved around us. But the people of ancient times were proven wrong with technology advancing far beyond what they could access in their era and man prospering the cosmos. What we've learned from exploring our cosmic surroundings as well as seeing some of the breathtaking and beautiful phenomena Earth has to offer has since not answered the lifelong question that has been pestering at the minds of humankind since time itself began: is there other life out there?
One thing seems certain though: the only place in this Solar System or the entire Universe harbouring life with the mind power and the capability to evolve and adapt complicated enough to build a civilisation is here on planet Earth.
But why?
What is it that makes our world so special? After all, everything in our Solar System shares the same origin.
Our little corner of the galaxy was created out of nothing more than a spinning cloud of gas and dust millions of years ago. Solid worlds condensed out of the swirling mists, but each world is radically different. Across the Solar System there are worlds that erupt with volcanoes of sulphur and others of geysers of ice; there are worlds with rich atmospheres and swirling storms, and there are moons with surfaces sculpted from ice that conceal bodies of liquid water. But amidst all the wonders that this vast system has, there is only one world where the laws of physics have conspired to combine all these characteristics in one place.
Only on Earth are the temperatures and atmospheric pressure just right to allow oceans of liquid water to exist on the surface of the planet. Earth is big enough to have retained its molten core that not only powers geysers and mountains of spewing lava, but also produces our magnetic field that fends off the deadly solar winds and protects our thick, nurturing atmosphere.
It is the combination of all these wonders of the Solar System and the Universe beyond in one place that allowed life to begin and to get a foothold here on Earth. Yet to allow that life to evolve into such complex creatures as ourselves requires one more essential ingredient and that is time, deep time - the vast and sweeping vistas of time over which mountains rise and fall, planets are formed and stars live and die. When all is said and done, it is perhaps this that makes the Earth so rare and so precious in the cosmos, because it has been stable enough for long enough for life to develop into such magnificent complexity.
Life on Earth today is the result of hundreds of millions of years of stability, and the most remarkable, complex and wonderful component in this priceless and possibly uniquely sophisticated and interconnected ecosystem is us, humanity, a species that has developed to the point where we can bend and shape and change the world around us. We have already begun to explore deeper into the outer cosmos that we had ever imagined. We are powerful, and with such great power comes great responsibility, for we are now the ultimate guardians of this world. Through our advanced intelligence, we possess the potential to protect, damage or destroy it as we chose, according to our desires and forever shifting dreams.
And it is a choice - a choice that is best informed by perspective.
We, steered by the passion discover whatever the outer cosmos conceals from humanity's eyes; continue our cosmic journey, regardless of the horrible things that happen across our planet. Civilisations crumble beneath their corrupted rulers, driven to the very brink of insanity. Those who rule over them are in complete control, ripping them of their free will and their power to act with purpose. They manipulate them like puppets, exploiting their mental and physical flaws and eventually, the people they rule over lose the will to continue and so the thought of them fighting a futile battle slowly solidifies in their minds, causing those people to unwillingly succumb to their rulers' twisted ways.
Poverty dominates many places across our planet. Humans, like you and me, are restricted to living in places where no one is safe. They have to dwell in these places as they have no choice. Confronted with many dangers, people of these places must tolerate these unforgiving conditions, and amongst it, find a way to stay alive. The battle for survival seems unlikely to present any victors soon, but the people of these places do all share one thing in common, the determination to push forward, no matter how challenging life may be. Their determination is one of the few things that allow them to see a tomorrow, but it is one that is no better than the last. Determination is the fire that lights their path, but it is also mine.
This is my Destiny, to ignite the heavens ablaze and combine all the fires of courage that reside within every single one of us and with it, forge a path towards tomorrow… A better tomorrow for all life and I will fulfil it, no matter if my life is overshadowed with disdain, no matter if the path ahead is paved with people that will try to prevent me from achieving my dream. I will continue to fight as long as the magma that resides in my soul continues to burn with a mighty flame!
I know that one day that Destiny will call upon me, and that day, I will not defy Destiny, I will fulfil it, along with my dream to create a better tomorrow. I will follow in the footsteps of an extraordinary man, who fought against Destiny for the majority of his life, before he decided to fulfil it instead of trying to defy such a thing. His actions lifted millions from their pools of terror, and instilled or restored an attitude within their hearts: the will to fight.
He, accompanied by his friends, went against an enemy most bizarre, but was at the same time just as terrifying.
They threatened to eradicate the human race in cold blood for they had awakened a power that was incredibly powerful, but incredibly deadly if it was overused. Their goal was to inflict absolute despair upon those who had awakened this power as they believed that despair at its deepest acted as the most powerful deterrent against the power's magnifying nature.
They annihilated all those who possessed this power and drove the few surviving life forms to the furthest corners of the Universe, where even the faintest of starlight cannot touch. But even with the fate of humanity hanging by a hair, the man confronted the enemy with great courage, an unbreakable fighting spirit and a burning heart that contained the fire of willpower.
Though I regard mine as insignificant compared to the man that achieved such feats that would be considered impossible, my burning heart and fighting spirit is what guides me on the two paths I embark on, the winding path of the Spiral and the burning path of eternal hellfire. With these two powers in my control, I will not abuse it to satisfy my own selfish desires. Instead, I will use them to incinerate through the despair enshrouds me and continue the fight for a better tomorrow for all life!
Just who the hell do you think I am?!
I AM ME, THE *ME* THAT I BELIEVE IN! I AM CHARLOTTE! CHARLOTTE THE DREAMER!
Prologue
"Shields are going down!" a technician called, tapping furiously at his terminal keyboard. "Mirror armour plating detaching!"
"We received severe hits in blocks 566 through 630," another one warned in a preoccupied tone. A blast illuminated the heavens overhead, betraying the presence a white flag billowing in the cosmic winds. It was decorated with a flaming red skull, wearing V-shaped sunglasses.
"Damage?" a feminine voice asked in a neutral tone. She calmly walked to the front of the bridge.
The woman had swirls of dark chocolate-brown garlanding her face and was wearing a bright magma-red top with a brilliant white star in the centre accompanied with a pair of black leggings. An obsidian-black belt, adorned with burnished silver studs and buckle, was strapped around her waist. A tall-necked, long, orange coat was draped over her shoulders with light silver studs adorning the sleeves and flames, coloured a molten yellow, decorating up the sleeves and up to her shoulders. On the back was emblazoned the same symbol that flew proudly on their fluttering pendant. Her eyes were concealed by a pair of bright magma-red, V-shaped sunglasses that shimmered in the light of explosions that raged on without cease around the starship. The sound of her heels clacking on the deck cut through the noise of chaotic bridge activity.
"Minimal, but our cloaking device is history!"
"Worry not," she replied, confidently striding forwards and standing next to her loyal commander, a man wearing a pale orange uniform who didn't look quite human, his eyes concealed by a pair of yellow glasses that were settled upon the bridge of his nose. "What are we exactly facing?"
"Enemy fleet size is off the charts!" a female technician responded, looking at the blinking radar.
"So, all the lights in the heavens are our enemies now, huh?" she smirked, toying with a small transparent, drill-shaped pendant. A miniature galaxy of glittering, orange stars swirled with aimless elegance at its heart, giving the impression of a flickering flame. "They allowed their foolish beliefs to draw themselves into picking a fight with us. Not that I can blame them. Even though they've proven to be worthy adversaries, they aren't aware of whom I am!" She enclosed her hand around the drill-shaped pendant, her smirk widening. "I'll use the eternal burning hellfire of oblivion to burn them to the very last scrap of DNA!"
She looked at her commander and ordered, "Give the order. We begin our attack now!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The commander lifted his arm and yelled out an order. "Prepare the Maelstrom Cannon! Target the Great Dimensional Waterfall!" Nobody questioned or challenged the order, even if some of the crew members had concerned looks on their faces.
One even dared to mutter, "I don't like where this is going…"
"Infernus! BLAZE ON!" she exclaimed, smugly crossing her arms. "Just who the hell do you think I am?!"
Winds lifted her cape and her hair billowed in the breeze as the giant vessel began to transform, panels retracting to reveal a colossal complex of mass destruction weapons. A strong humming filled the air as energy accumulated, manifesting as a deep crimson glow within the barrels. They finally unleashed the collected energy and a massive explosion engulfed everything in sight.
The time has come for Destiny to call upon the girl of another world…
