Planet 5 - Between Mars and Jupiter
2 Months after Galaxia's defeat
The barrier resisted another attack from the Fendahl Core. She shrieked in frustration and continued slamming into it, over and over. With every attack, she cursed the unknown entities who had trapped her planet and her people.
She had been lucky, if it could be called that. She had seen the barrier going up and had tried to flee. She almost made it, but the barrier closed around her, trapping her in a sort of bubble. At least the barrier is thinner because of it.
She slammed into the barrier again, but it refused to budge. She was weak and tired from her useless attack on the barrier. "We will NOT die here," she spat.
Reluctantly, she tapped into the power of her thirteen Fendahleen and began to focus it. Once she was sure she had tapped enough, she released the energy in a focused beam. It smashed into the barrier with a roar. There was a cracking sound as the barrier split open for a fraction of a second.
It was more than enough. The Fendahl Core launched herself through the crack, crooning in victory.
It was short lived. The barrier closed again, cutting the Fendahl Core off from the Fendahleen she relied on for most of her energy. Without them, she felt her power drop drastically and feared she might die. Her vision swam, but she remained conscious and, more importantly, alive. She shuddered as the last of the Fendahleen's voices fell silent, leaving her drifting alone in the darkness of space. She had never experienced loneliness before. Even when trapped, she had her Fendhaleen.
She looked back at the spot where her planet was. With the barrier closed, her planet was, once again, out of sync with the rest of the Universe, frozen in a Time Lock. Hatred burned within her, directed at whoever had trapped her planet and her people.
The Fendahl closed her eyes as she tried sending a message to her kin. I will be back. I will free you.
Wearily, she turned her attention back to the rest of the solar system. She could feel energy and life coming from several of them. Only one was teeming with life and energy. There was more than enough for her to consume. I could grow strong enough to break the Time Lock and free my kin.
Eagerly, she calculated the distance to and speed of the blue planet. Once done, she focused some of her precious energy, releasing it to send herself hurtling through space at the speed of sound.
Within a quarter of an hour, the Fendahl was brushing the atmosphere of the planet. As she passed through, the air around her roared like thunder, heating up to a point that was nearly fatal to her.
Desperately, she tapped into her energy to create a weak shield. She was uncomfortable, but it was enough to keep her from burning up. Once she was in no danger of burning, she gently probed the minds of the dominant, intelligent species. After a few moments of contemplating, she used the last of her energy to morph herself into a human female.
With no energy left to control her descent and her vision flickering wildly, she let herself fall towards the huge city below. She dropped between two buildings and crashed into the alley, leaving a small crater and sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
Wincing at the pain caused by movement and her weakened state, she slowly looked up to see a befuddled man staring at her. "You okay kid?" he asked, approaching. He glanced up at the top of the building before looking back. "You had a bit of a fall there. We should get you to a hospital."
"I'm fine..." the girl's voice came out harshly. "Just... hungry..." She considered consuming him, but didn't have the energy left to stand, let alone consume his life force.
The man helped the Fendahl Core to her feet. "Sure you don't want me to call an ambulance?" He asked gently.
"I'm fine," the girl insisted. "I just need something to eat."
"Well, come on then," the man said gently. "Let's get some food in you."
He led her to a nearby restaurant and ordered some food. Within seconds of receiving the food, the Fendahl Core devoured it. She scowled slightly. Physical food was only moderately useful to her. For the time being, it'll have to do.
The man stared at her in disbelief for a moment. "You weren't kidding," he said, the shock obvious on his face. "Never seen anyone eat like that."
The Fendahl smiled coldly at the man. "Thank you," she said. "I really must be going now."
Before the man could reply, the Fendahl brushed past him and left the restaurant. She wandered the streets aimlessly, trying to decide her next move. I have to blend in, at least until I can regain my strength and create more Fendahleen. I'm too vulnerable right now.
She paused for a moment as she came across a building. "Juuban Municipal High School..." she read aloud. Everything she had gleaned from her probing flashed through her mind. "Perfect."
She paused as a girl dashed up to the building, her mass of blond hair, tied in two braids, flying behind her like streamers.
The Fendahl looked at herself, then at the girl. Deciding they looked close in age, she approached the other girl as she was opening the doors. "Excuse me," The Fendahl said coolly. "I'm new here and I need to register."
"Oh, hi!" The girl smiled warmly at her. "I'm Serena!"
"I'm..." The Fendahl struggled to come up with a name for a moment. "Anastasia."
"Nice to meet you!" Serena replied cheerfully. "Come on, I can use you as an excuse for being late!" She grabbed Anastasia by the arm and dragged her inside the building.
After being registered, Anastasia used fake information, she was given a uniform and assigned to Serena's class. Serena babbled happily as they walked to their classroom. Anastasia ignored her, but she seemed not to notice.
The two finally made it to the classroom. "Serena, late again," the teacher sighed in exasperation.
"I brought a new student!" Serena announced proudly. "This is Anastasia!" Serena shoved her in front of the class.
The class greeted Anastasia warmly. She crossed her arms in discomfort as the class pestered her with questions. The teacher quickly ended it by directing Anastasia to a vacant chair. "You can all ask your questions at lunch," the teacher said. "Right now though, we have a lot of material to go through. Open your books to page three-hundred ninety-four. . ."