Alicia briefly looked back at the red veil and found that it was no longer there. The surprise she began to feel quickly turned to anxiousness as she walked through the thick fog that swirled around her. Her eyes darted in all directions as she attempted to get an idea of her surroundings, but nothing but fog was visible. As she walked forward a bright light began to shine through the fog, she decided to go to it. The closer she got to it voices started echoing around her. Her heart jumped into her chest she heard a voice behind her call her name. Alicia turned around to see a shadowy projection of herself. She looked the same, but this version of her looked somewhat tormented.
"What are you?" she asked.
The projection looked up at her with a look of grief. "You shouldn't be here. Why have you come?"
Alicia shook her head. "I need to find out what happens in the future. This was the only way."
"You d
Alicia glanced around her and saw that everything around her had turned completely black, as if someone had removed the environment and replaced it with a blank canvas. Fear gripped her insides as she was unsure of what she was supposed to do. Moments later she started to her loud explosions all around her but couldn't see where they were coming from. As the explosions grew closer and louder, she noticed that above her was a bridge. Rubble and debris had begun to appear everywhere as she walked further into what she assumed was the future.As if on cue several figures appeared crouched next to a pile of rubble underneath the bridge. She walked over to them and quickly recognized them from her vision. Her eyes scanned each of them and noticed that two of them were missing, Cassandra and the woman she had been fighting alongside were absent. This sent Alicia's mind into a frenzy of questions that all led to one conclusion. Cassandra'
One Week Later......Cassandra stood anxiously in the center of Urlecit's private meeting chambers. She had been called here by the God himself for reasons not disclosed to her. In her mind she had been trying to figure out what his reasons for calling her here could've been. Her mother told her that the Gods were very wary of any offspring of the Goddesses, especially if they couldn't be controlled by them in some way.Though she didn't feel like this was a meeting about herself, it was most certainly about Alicia. She knew that her cousin was a sought-after prize that Urlecit wanted. What caused Cassandra a great amount of confusion was why? Why did the Gods fear Alicia so much that they chose to test her prowess and force an ultimatum upon her that was beyond unfair? She herself had abilities like many Celestials within Paradea, yet only Alicia was being tested to prove herself worthy.Cassandra worri
Prelude:Change of Identity2453 November 12, Syndicate HeadquartersZebulon: Capitol Planet & seat of power of the Intergalactic Federation......within the Pleb System.Levi Fost stood alone in the corridor outside of one of the many containment cells within the Syndicate headquarters on the Federation capitol world of Zebulon. He was currently in a vexed state as he was trying to wrap his mind around the events of the past few weeks that had brought him here. Levi was a sergeant in the Syndicates espionage division, his job was to oversee the training of new recruits and supervise the assets within the division. On occasion he also recruited candidates for the asset program. In the past he had tried to distance himself from recruiting because it was a shady business, he had to portray himself different a
It was the weirdest sensation she had ever beheld during her whole existence. She knew that she was awake but she didn’t believe that she had actually been asleep. She slowly opened up her eyes to find that she was and naked in a beautifully decorated master bedroom. An uneasy cold tingle shot threw her neck, something was very wrong, she didn’t live alone. Last she checked, she’d just gotten engaged and had found herself implanted within a very successful career path. No! This was something else, she sat up in the bed, pushed the covers off her body and gazed out the massive twin windows that this bedroom sported. She tried to think of what she last remembered doing before she had awoken here, but everything was fuzzy. Every time she attempted to call upon the memory it came and went in a flash. The only thing she could remember was feeling a sense of danger, anxiousness and... death. Or at least dying was the first thing that came to mind that could mildly explai
Carmen stood in the elevator as it descended down to the hanger bay. She had been contemplating how she was going to go about killing this target she had been given. It wasn't that she had doubts about doing it, she just wasn't sure if she was ready to kill an actual living person. It was one thing to shoot at digital targets in a training simulation and another to kill a real person. She had been trying to prepare herself for the moment when she would pull the trigger. For a male it may be different to just kill someone since men are able to channel different emotions and do what's necessary. For a woman it was different. This woman might have a husband, children and so on. Strangely enough a part of her felt at ease with killing, almost as if this was something, she’d done many times before. But that couldn’t be possible, but then again, she couldn’t remember anything before her training so who was to say she hadn’t killed anyone before today. The doors open
He looked at her so intimately as they stood at the altar in front of the priest. She put the wedding ring she bought on his finger and he did the same. It was a very happy moment as the priest pronounced them husband and wife. They learned in and shared the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. It was the best day of her life; she was married and would be graduating from the arts academy in three weeks. Not only that, but her daughter's birthday was in three weeks not to mention her own birthday; which was on the same day. Graduation and both of their birthdays, it was indeed a happy moment. She hoped that it would last forever, but she knew very well that all good things always come to an end. "You know that I love you more than anything in this whole universe?" He said to her as they went into the private dressing room. She smiled at him intensely. "I know, I love you too. Where's Valic
Her friends had left and she was now sitting at the bar by herself. It had been a long day at work and all she wanted to do now was have a few drinks before she went home. The job was stressful and the hours were crazy, but it was the only thing that kept her going. After her divorce was made final, she had decided to work more than she used to. That ended up becoming a nightmare that she wasn't able to get rid of. Since her divorce she had been spearheading an operation to bring down the Syndicates drug trafficking ring, that in itself was just a cover for what she was really doing. Since then, there had been numerous attempts on her life and she was lucky to still be alive. The Syndicate was trying their damn best to kill her, but somehow, they were unsuccessful.Michelle had become paranoid, after surviving the last attempt she decided to work more from home. It gave her a chance to be around her daughter more and spend more time with her then she used
Carmen glanced around the corner and saw three Federation spec ops troopers further down the corridor guarding Michelle Gaven's apartment door. Apart from the troopers the corridor was empty and from the looks of it that wasn't going to change. She glanced down at her wrist watch and saw that she only had a few minutes before Amelia would be in complete control of the buildings security systems. Carmen had given the AI specific instructions to hack into the system and plant a virus. If Amelia was as good as she claimed the officers in the security room wouldn’t even notice the intrusion. She was beginning to appreciate having an AI with her during her missions. Amelia did come in handy when she was needed. Hopefully all the security cameras would be shut down once Amelia was finished."Are you almost done?" She asked Amelia, her voice just above a whisper.Carmen didn't get a response, so she patiently waited as she watched four more t
One Week Later......Cassandra stood anxiously in the center of Urlecit's private meeting chambers. She had been called here by the God himself for reasons not disclosed to her. In her mind she had been trying to figure out what his reasons for calling her here could've been. Her mother told her that the Gods were very wary of any offspring of the Goddesses, especially if they couldn't be controlled by them in some way.Though she didn't feel like this was a meeting about herself, it was most certainly about Alicia. She knew that her cousin was a sought-after prize that Urlecit wanted. What caused Cassandra a great amount of confusion was why? Why did the Gods fear Alicia so much that they chose to test her prowess and force an ultimatum upon her that was beyond unfair? She herself had abilities like many Celestials within Paradea, yet only Alicia was being tested to prove herself worthy.Cassandra worri
Alicia glanced around her and saw that everything around her had turned completely black, as if someone had removed the environment and replaced it with a blank canvas. Fear gripped her insides as she was unsure of what she was supposed to do. Moments later she started to her loud explosions all around her but couldn't see where they were coming from. As the explosions grew closer and louder, she noticed that above her was a bridge. Rubble and debris had begun to appear everywhere as she walked further into what she assumed was the future.As if on cue several figures appeared crouched next to a pile of rubble underneath the bridge. She walked over to them and quickly recognized them from her vision. Her eyes scanned each of them and noticed that two of them were missing, Cassandra and the woman she had been fighting alongside were absent. This sent Alicia's mind into a frenzy of questions that all led to one conclusion. Cassandra'
Alicia briefly looked back at the red veil and found that it was no longer there. The surprise she began to feel quickly turned to anxiousness as she walked through the thick fog that swirled around her. Her eyes darted in all directions as she attempted to get an idea of her surroundings, but nothing but fog was visible. As she walked forward a bright light began to shine through the fog, she decided to go to it. The closer she got to it voices started echoing around her. Her heart jumped into her chest she heard a voice behind her call her name. Alicia turned around to see a shadowy projection of herself. She looked the same, but this version of her looked somewhat tormented."What are you?" she asked.The projection looked up at her with a look of grief. "You shouldn't be here. Why have you come?"Alicia shook her head. "I need to find out what happens in the future. This was the only way.""You d
Cassandra stood still next to Alicia who had her head bowed and eyes closed. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her cousin, Alicia didn't normally frequent taking journeys into the Third Realm and go to the heart of darkness. Even though Cassandra had been tasked with seeking out this dark presence she had felt before leaving Galaxia, she didn't think that Alicia would be so quick to follow after her. Although her cousin hadn't been the same since she had spoken about the dream or as she called it 'vision'. Cassandra knew her cousin well enough to know that she was afraid. What caused her mind to ache was that she couldn't figure out what Alicia was so shaken and terrified over. She had the powers of a Goddess yet she allowed images within a dream affect her judgement. Her pondering came to a halt as Alicia suddenly stepped forward and faced the Guardian."Are you prepared to enter beyond the Veil of Time and Shadows?" the Guardian asked in his gho
Alicia awoke suddenly, drenched in sweat. Her mind stumbled over multiple thoughts as she tried to make sense of the dream she had. Could what she has seen truly been the future? Her mother said once that sometimes the power of the Five had a mind and will of its own, she had told her how that same power would find beings that were capable of executing the will of the Realm's. A part of her wanted nothing more but to go back to sleep and forget about the dream altogether. But she knew deep down, the dream was real, the people who fought alongside her were all real. Those creatures were real as well, it was only a matter of time until events within the realm would start to echo the event she just witnessed.Looking across her room to the arch way which led to the balcony, she noticed that it was daylight and Cassandra told her to meet her at the palace gate's when she awoke. She got up and grabbed her clothes and began to get dressed. She slipped on her an all-bl
3 Months Later.......Explosion after explosion went off around her as she opened her eyes. Before her was the scorched plains Galaxia. Fires plagued around her as she looked away from the plains and investigated the landscape further. On either side of her were young women in dark robes and armor. Each of them stood there watching something off in the distance, she noticed Cassandra among them. It was during this moment that she realized she was having some sort of vision.As she turned to see what was in the distance. Her eyes went wide as she saw thousands of alien creatures marching towards their position. First thing she thought of was how far in the future would all this take place. Second was who did that army belong to? Alicia knew that no matter what, the Collective had armies in case a war broke out. What threw off was the appearance of these soldiers. They were unlike any Cel
Alicia and Cassandra walked towards the shuttle that would take them to Seledon. Its golden paint job mixed with the beaming sun upon blinded Alicia for a moment. As she looked away from the shuttle, she saw her mother following close behind her. She wondered what words of wisdom she would bestow on her before her departure. Also, the thought of what her mother wouldn't say that she really did want to say, but always chose not to. Alicia knew her mother constantly wanted to tell her something, something that she knew always weighed upon her. Though she never did say what it was, she would only give of the slightest indication that there was something she wanted to say.She stopped walking and let Cassandra go aboard the shuttle as she felt her mother's presence directly behind her. She quickly turned around to face her catching a hint of sadness in her eyes. The decision to have her go to Seledon must've been a difficult one. Alicia didn't realize it till now ju
The Goddesses had all taken their seats. They patiently waited for the Collective to enter the chamber. They would take their seats across the chamber as they always did. Viennashal sat impatiently, this was a day she had been trying to avoid, though in heart of hearts she'd known it would come. Her daughter was a secret she had kept from everyone for fourteen years. A secret that could and probably be the catalyst in breaking the civil law between the God's and the Goddesses of Paradea. Such an idea that this could become a reality filled her with pride and guilt. Guilt that she might be grooming her daughter to be fed to the wolves, yet if her plan worked, she would be the slaughtering the wolves.The chamber door opened and the God's silently took their seats. She keenly watched her husband take his seat amongst his brothers. Viennashal didn't hate the God's in fact, she respected some of them. Not all of them were considered tyrants, though after today that
It was indeed something to behold, it stood as a testament of authority and seat of power for the Collective. The last time she had stood within its halls she was what the Goddesses of old called a new creature. A Celestial who still possessed some form of innocence and small power among beings whose prowess she wouldn't dare challenge. There had been those who did indeed try, they had either been banished or worse. She had made sure that she would never join their numbers, and rightly so. She knew that her sisters would one need her leadership and divine wisdom to one day challenge the Collective and bring justice upon them. Maybe, just maybe that day had come.Virdenasha the leader of the Council of Goddesses and Supreme Ruler of the Four Kingdoms sat in her seat within the Hall of the Ancients. Here she had aided in the governing of Paradea and led the Goddesses for many millennia. It was here only hours ago that she had learned of Viennashal Iminz and Lord A