They call me Jaded and I'm the broken star. I've been alive for over 450 years but I'm not a celestial spirit or a god or anything really. I'm actually a normal human, a regular mage but my life is not normal. My life is something I wouldn't trade for anything but it's also something I'm not sure I can hold onto for much longer. It all started when I was two, in the destroyed town of Shirotsume, 450 years ago.
(Third Person Point of View)
A woman stands cornered between a falling building and the huge lizards in front of her. Her dress tattered; she gulps for breath as she realizes she's stuck. In a moment of panic, she uses the rest of her magic and reaches for a key on her hip. She grips it tight and lets a smug look come over her face, she knows now that she can't lose.
"Open Gate of the Lion, I summon thee, Leo. Take care of these pesky lizards." She waves her arm in front of her, pointing at the lizards.
He nods stiffly at her and his arms glow with magic. If doesn't take long to fight of most of the lizards and they don't put up much of a fight. He pulls his arm back, then letting it fly forward, sends the lizard flying through the air. A claw thrust from behind sends him into a fallen building. Getting up he notices a bundle in the corner, but before he could check to see what it is, a blast from behind reminds him of his query. He finishes of the rest without much trouble. He stretches quickly before remembering the bundle.
"That was almost too easy" The woman from before says laughing. She goes to a forgotten bag a little ways off and changes into an extra set of clothes. While she's busy, Leo goes to the bundle he had seen earlier. As he gets nearer, the blankets shift and he catches sight of dark blue hair. He stops as he realizes that it's a child under the blankets. He turns his head and calls out to the woman.
"I've found a child over here. They look abandoned." He says, walking closer. The woman sighs, and shakes her head as she gets closer.
"So what? I have no use for a child, besides it must mean something that it was abandoned. Leave it. I have to collect my fee and a child would only get in my way." She says, walking closer.
Leo sighs softly and steps toward the child and kneels down. Shifting the blankets, he realizes that the child under the bundle was a small girl, looking to be about 2. She seems to move closer to him, as if seeking his warmth. After looking behind him quickly, he summons a blanket from the celestial world and wraps the small girl in his arms. Feeling the woman close his fate, he holds the child closer, intending to take her with him. The woman leaves, grabbing her bag and walking to the east. She sighs as she feels the pain from her ribs; she will have to stop soon. She was stupid to have thought that she could have done it without Leo, the other spirits were nowhere near his level of power.
(Celestial Spirit World)
Leo looks down as the little girl moves closer in his arms.
"So Julia called for you. What did she need this time" Aquarius asked, rolling her eyes. Scorpio chuckled, smiling at her obvious annoyance at the Celestial Wizard. His eyes clouded with confusion as he notices the blanket in his arms.
"Just some lizards, she probably called -" Leo started to explain but was cut off by Scorpio.
"She called me. What's with the bundle of blankets?" Scorpio interrupted, nodding towards Leo's arms. Leo looked down and shifted his arms as the little girl turned over.
"A little girl. She was abandoned in a fallen building where Julia had summoned me. Julia was going to leave her, and the buildings were falling apart. I couldn't leave her to die." Leo explained as the little girl seemed to wake up. She twisted around while turning her head up. She slowly opened her eyes and Leo looked into shockingly violet eyes. She smiled at him softly, before struggling and pushing likely at his chest. Leo looked confused but loosened his arms and she slid down. She looked around confused but her eyes seemed to light up when they settled on Aquarius. She struggle her way toward her, leaving the blanket behind. When she made it to Aquarius she looked up with her arms outstretched in front of her.
"Beautiful….Mommy." Aquarius blushed but leaned down and picked her up. "I'm not your mom. I'm Aquarius." But the little girl snuggled in her arms and said softly "Mommy." Aquarius rolled her eyes and signed softly but she didn't argue further. While holding the little girl in her arms, Aquarius looked the little girl over. She was wearing a tattered dress that hung over her frame, and flats that were slightly big on her. Her blue hair was long and knotted. She was obviously malnourished and had been alone for too long. Aquarius felt her heart go out to this little girl.
"Aww, you look good as a mom." Scorpio said while throwing an arm around her and giving her a squeeze. Leo chuckled softly and shook his head. The hair on his neck stood up as the ground shock.
"Who is this?" The King's voice boomed but didn't seem to affect the sleeping child. The King walked closer to the celestial spirits to look at the child in Aquarius's arms.
"An abandoned child, she was alone in a fallen building." Leo explained as he turned toward him. The King looked at the child a moment before fixing Leo with a look that clearly said 'what is she doing here'. "She was all alone and someone had to look out for her. What's the harm of her being here for a while before I can put her somewhere where she'll be taken care of her? I'll watch over her and make sure nothing happens while she's here."
"And when do you plan to put her back on Earth?" The King moved toward her, looking down and taking in her appearance. She seemed to sense his presents because she shifted in Aquarius arms and opened her eyes slightly. She seemed almost confused, and turned her head toward Aquarius saying softly, her voice still laced with sleep. "Grandpa?"
The other celestial spirits that had come over when the King showed up, chuckled at the look on the King's face. Aquarius blushed and lightly shushed the girl, who turned over and when back to sleep.
"She's a bit confused, that's all." Aquarius tried to explain but the King waved her off and turned around walking away. "Make sure you get her back to Earth Leo, humans do not belong in the spirit world." The king disappeared and the spirits then crowded around Aquarius to see the new human. Coo's of, 'She's so cute', 'Can't we keep her' and 'She adorable' echoed around as the atmosphere lightened.
"What's her name Aquarius?" Virgo asked, softly rubbing the girl's cheek. Aquarius looked shocked and then looked down at the girl in her arms. Leo leaned in, wondering what Aquarius would say. The child had nothing that would indicate a name, nothing to indicate she had a family. Aquarius seems to smile softly at the child and spoke in a voice that showed her attachment. "Her name is Jaded. She is our broken star."
The spirits were astonished at the name and looked at the child for a while, then one by one nodding as though the name was for her and her alone. All the spirits knew of the Jaded star, a star that centuries ago stood alone in the sky. In a time long passed the star was jaded and threatening, but one miraculous night the star broke apart, into 3 smaller pieces. Years passed and the star has since been surrounded with numerous stars. This little girl was alone, but now she was with the spirits, surrounding her. Though she seems sweet, they could feel her power. She would no longer be alone, she truly was Jaded, the broken star. She would grow up to be strong, among family.
The spirits continued to crowd around and everyone insisted on a chance to hold her. The news of Jaded spread fast and it was a while before the spirits calmed down and left her to rest.
Hey, Thanks for reading the first chapter of my new story. This is my second multi-chapter story so please feel free to criticize or give me pointers. I know Jaded sounds off but I feel like Jaded means (probably because of the -ded) rough around the edges, sorta like hard candy with a soft middle. More to come!
Lizz
P.S. I undated this chapter and I've already started on the next! Next chapter coming this week! Thanks for waiting, I'm sorry it's taken me this long to come back.