Fallen Stars: A New Age - Act 2 - Chapter Five

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Dream Journal # 2 – Entry 1

Alright, so, I've been having a lot of weird, creepy dreams lately, creepy enough to keep me awake at night, and my therapist, Miss Evadi, suggested that I start a new journal to see if we could find any meaning behind them. I doubt there is any, for all I know they're just a bunch of nonsense that I might as well not pay any attention to, but me being me, I guess I can't help but dwell on them. Anyway, I'm rambling again, so, might as well start.

The dream I had last night was especially boring in comparison to the shit I've been seeing. I was in a weird, unknown yet familiar place, it was a huge hill, with a big, lush and leafy tree on top of it. It was huge, and the sun was shining, and I had a beautiful view of the landscape around, which consisted mostly of hills, with a forest not so far away. The breezy air smelled of salt. It was… a nice place. Anyway, I was just playing and running around that tree, and I guess I was just having fun. But there was another kid with me. Another Kiridan. We were playing tag. I was faster, but he was bigger and rougher, probably older than me. He looked very familiar… He turned toward me eventually and asked if I wanted to go fish with him and his dad the day after.

I woke up right after. Too tired to make connections right now, but eh, a dream is a dream.

The interior of the alien ship looked like something out of those terrifying old science-fiction movies. There was close to no power left to run the strange technology of this wreckage, and that turned what remained of the inside into a charred and dark abyss that reeked of sulfur and molten metal. What few neon lights remained were flickering in and out, with electric cords producing from the broken panels of the walls, feeding the eerie air with a feeling of abandoned hope. Kirby doubted they could ever hope to salvage this ship in this sad state. It was a real shame, but looking at this terrifying hallway made him forget about this possibility, and with a ball of thick saliva stuck in his throat, the brave yet scared young warrior took a step forward, ready to-

"Kirby."

Already on edge, Kirby jumped suddenly with a sharp gasp, and the tensed little man whirled around. Azure, that big idiot dog, was standing right there behind him, and all Kirby could see of him in the flickering lights were his eerie, glowing eyes. Kirby bit his lip so he wouldn't say things he would regret, but he did extend his hand to tap Azure on the head in a reprimanding fashion, saying:

"Don't do that!"

Azure's ears flattened a bit on his lowered head, and he sniffed the air, wary of everything he could see.

"I don't like this place," he said. "Let's leave."

"And leave this guy behind?" Kirby answered. "No way. Come on, let's go."

Kirby, frustrated to have been scared by his own friend like that, turned back around to continue walking in the corridor, but he stopped; Hailan was already ahead, toward the end of the corridor. Under a flickering neon light, he turned back to the two boys and said:

"Master Kirby, the way is clear. Be wary, there is fire in the upper levels, but it is nothing Azure cannot deal with if you are fast. I will scout on ahead."

And without waiting for anything else from Kirby, the ninja dove into the darkness, the faded light of his antennas being the last thing Kirby saw. The young warrior blinked a few times; he knew ninjas were meant to be subtle, but he still couldn't understand how Hailan made it past him without even being seen. But eh, he told himself, that's what ninjas did, so he wasn't that surprised.

Without any more waiting around, Kirby and Azure both continued down the corridor as well, their goal set on the main deck of the ship. The fire the dragon had spat inside the ship had acted like a lava flow that coated the walls and floors in a thick layer of dark molten rocks and panels. Only a few spots on the ground had cooled off enough so Kirby could walk forward, but the deeper they went in, the more smoky the air became, making it hardly breathable at all. They hurried through messed up rooms and short halls, and Kirby was barely able to see anything there was in here with how dark and smoky it was. Finally, they made it to a larger door, but it seemed to have short-circuited, for it was barely open and wouldn't respond to any presses of the panel next to it. Kirby took matters in hand and attempted to slip through the open gap, thankful that his body was squishy enough to allow him to do that, and once he was stuck between the door and the wall, he pushed with all of his strength. With Azure's paws offering their help in pulling the door, they managed to open it just enough to allow full entry, and what they saw on the other side shook them.

The main deck was a large room containing many broken screens and panels hanging from the walls and ceiling. There were closed off rooms on either side of the deck, but one could easily see that fire was raging behind those, and the smoke here was getting worse for the lungs. On the ground, Kirby saw him; the Halcandran, laying face down on the floor, motionless…

Down below, Hailan looked at up at the ceiling; he had not gone in the same direction as his young master, and he could see them, far up in the upper levels, making their way toward the main deck. He still had time to investigate this place, which was his main concern right now. In all of his years both in the Ninja Special Forces and as a mercenary travelling the stars, he had never seen a ship of this kind, and it worried him greatly. Halcandrans weren't known to be violent creatures, but still the thought that this could be a potential weapon wouldn't leave his mind, and so, the ninja decided to explore a bit before this ship went up in flames. There must have been a reason why a Guardian Dragon would want to destroy it… or was it the Halcandran it was trying to destroy? Either way, there was enough cause for concern that Hailan needed to remain on guard on all fronts, and so here he was, heading down into the bowels of the ship.

He was not the least bit familiar with the Halcandran tongue, so the written panels on the walls leading his way meant nothing to him, but following the logical schematic of a normal ship, he made his way to the engine room. On the way, Hailan's strange eyes caught something; in the walls, he could see what remained of the ether flowing, barely enough drops to power the lights around, but alongside that was… something else. This strange new energy flowed with the ether, seemingly receiving power from it, but Hailan had never seen it before. To his eyes, it looked… it felt… ancient. Confused, and dreadfully curious, the hybrid followed the traces of ether toward the engine room. When he arrived, he found exactly why the ship had crashed in the first place. Any strange technology that could have been here was now gone, and replaced with a smoky, flaming hole that lead straight outside the ship. Disappointed that he wouldn't get any answers as to this strange energy, Hailan saw no reason to stay in this destroyed place and went back on his steps. There was something else he could look for instead… and he found it quicker than he thought.

By going back a few rooms and heading left instead of right, Hailan found the computer room. By Halcandran standards, this place looked… modern. It even had the standard computer models Halcandrans used today, and it made a stark difference with the ancient looking technology present in the rest of the ship. This place was unpowered, but Hailan knew what he was after. The computers were like large libraries of microchips and digital books all connected to each other, each containing important data from the ship, and after so many years of hacking and stealing from demon computers of the same kind, Hailan knew what info he was after; the captain logs. Usually, they were the ones containing the most secret information a chatty captain could leave in his personal logs. Ah, but alas, in their team, Hailan was the least reliable when it came to computer hacking; it was usually Kaï's job to do that… Going through the tall shelves of chips, Hailan started doubting himself, unsure of which one to take. He could read the demon tongue, but not the Halcandran's… If they were dealing with Halcandrans, he would have to change that, for sure.

Before he could make up his mind, however, he raised his head to check on Kirby; and saw that he and Azure had made it to the main deck; but Kirby was struggling! He couldn't breathe up there! The fire was spreading, and not even Azure absorbing it could stop it. Regretfully, Hailan abandoned the computer room and ran as fast as he could through the ship, setting his idea of investigating this place at the back of his mind for now. His Master was at the top of priorities, after all, and he would not fail him now. If he had the chance, he would come back later…

Kirby was seeing stars by now. The smoke was growing thicker by the minute, making it impossible to both see and breathe, but no matter how much he shook the Halcandran, he wouldn't wake. Kirby tried looking up and around to find a quick way out, but his head started spinning, and he felt like passing out right then and there. He could hear Azure's whining and barking as he did his best to take in all the fire that had spread into the main deck, but he couldn't see him at all. It felt like he had his eyes closed, and for a short moment, Kirby wondered if he did have them closed; they were tingling and crying, infected by the smoke… Kirby felt the Halcandran in front of him and attempted to carry him, but he started coughing, forcing them both down. He tried to inhale the smoke to clear the way, but it invaded his throat with harsh knives, making him cough badly and choke. He started deeply regretting coming into this ship now… White dots were swarming the edges of his darkened vision... Everything was swaying…

"Azure, blow a hole through the wall, and get the Halcandran out. Don't growl at me, hurry!"

Suddenly, the young Star Warrior heard a loud explosion nearby; it was followed by the most refreshing breeze he had ever felt upon his face. He raised his head and opened his eyes just in time to see what appeared to be Azure, jumping out of a giant hole in the hull. Hailan then helped him stand back up, and without a word, wrapped his young master's arm around his shoulder before forcing him to move; next thing he knew, Kirby was outside, in the fresh and welcome night air. He had never been so happy to feel that grass under his feet!

Coughing what remained of the invading smoke out of his hurting lungs, a rather unpleased Kirby turned to the ninja, saying admist a few coughs:

"Where were you?! I thought you said you'd be scouting ahead!"

"I did," was Hailan's calm answer as he pulled out his flask of water and handed it to him, "but I suppose I wasn't clear enough with my intentions of investigating the vessel. Please forgive me, My Lord."

With one final cough, Kirby still accepted the flask, shaking his head as he mumbled:

"It's fine, don't worry about it… Man, I hate smoke…"

He always felt like this around smoke. He could barely inhale it at all, depending on the quantity of it, and it made it one of his worst enemies.

Kirby briefly looked back at the ship, only to frown at the sad sight; the fires had completely engulfed the upper levels of the ship, and heavy plumes of black smoke were escaping into the night sky, darknening what had otherwise been a beautifully clear night. Even from this greater distance, Kirby could feel the hot drafts of air emanating from this brasier of a ship. Farther out, the coughing young lad could see the villagers scramble around with water hoses and buckets of water, trying to put the flames down in fear that it might spread out to the fields. He could see Galacta Knight flying overhead, dropping heavy buckets of water on top of the heaviest flames in order to control them; the knight briefly saw them, gave them a sign of his hand, and resumed his work.

Kirby turned back toward Azure when he heard his wolf bark out at him; the Halcandran was laying on his back, and he was moving, ever so slightly. He and Hailan both ran over, and Kirby let the ninja take the Halcandran from Azure's back, quickly laying him down in the grass.

"Is he alright?" he asked the ninja.

"I think he's waking up," he answered in a more hushed voice.

Kirby could now observe the Halcandran with a clearer eye, and he stood surprised at how young he looked. Not a young teen, but definitely not a full blown adult either, judging by his face and size. He was about Kirby's size, and was wearing blue and golden garments with modest decoration, akin to those of Miss Evadi, with a hood to cover his head and his small, ear-shaped horns. His blue-clad body was shaped like an egg, and a blue scarf was covering most of his face, although Hailan had to move it out of the way so he could breathe. His dark-brown skinned face looked young and kind, but hurt as well… And finallly, he opened his eyes. Bright yet clouded yellow eyes opened to the world, slowly blinking the haze away as he awakened more and more. He coughed harshly, and Kirby gave back the flask of water to Hailan, so the ninja could offer him some. The Halcandran gladly took a few gulps, and it seemingly revitalized him, making Kirby smile. He was glad to see that he was okay, but he lost his smile when he saw the young alien sit up and look around, his eyes clouding themselves with panic as he took in his surroundings. Hailan acted immediately and put a gentle hand on his back to keep him still and calm, and he spoke in his kindest voice:

"Fear not, young one, you are safe here. I am Hailan. Can you tell me your name?"

Kirby saw the Halcandran's eyes dart back and forth, first setting on Hailan with a confused look, then staring right toward the Kiridan. It was only now that Kirby took notice of the emblem on his coat and front; gear symbols. A most familiar sight…

"I-I'm…," the scared alien stuttered, showing his heavy Halcandran accent. "My name… is Magolor. W-where am I? What happened?"

He then took notice of the large, flaming and smoky vessel in the distance, and Kirby watched as he seemingly retrieved all of his energy and stood; he floated off the ground, taking a few steps forward as he exclaimed, putting his hands over his horns in disbelief:

"Why is my ship on fire?!"

But before anyone could elaborate on why it was the case, Magolor groaned and held his head in his hands, slowly floating back in the grass. Kirby quickly went by his side, offering a helping hand as he asked:

"Are you okay? We just got you out of there, you were about to get caught in that fire."

Magolor then looked up at him, his suspicious and confused eyes turning curious by the moment.

"W… Who are you?" he asked. "I feel like… I've seen you before, but I can't recall where."

"Oh! Sorry, I should've introduced myself first. I'm Kirby! It's nice to meet you, Magolor! … despite the circumstances. Sorry about your ship…"

"Kirby…," the Halcandran repeated slowly. "It's… It's nice to meet you. Glad I landed on a friendly star at least… Urgh, my ship…"

Hailan walked over and gently moved his hood to expose his head; and thus the injury lying beneath it. There was a large and swollen bump right at the top left of his forehead, just before his horn. No wonder he felt dizzy.

"Mmh," Hailan hummed. "You must have hit your head on the console when the ship crashed. Can you recall what happened?"

For a moment, a disheartened Magolor seemed to think and search for any answer… but he shook his head, looking rather distraught.

"No," he answered in a shaky voice. "Not at all. Last thing I remember… I was home. I had just got out of dinner and heading for my room… and then bam, can't remember anything after that. Next thing I know, I'm all the way in our sister dimension and the Lor is on fire! I had just finished working on this ship too… Now I gotta start all over again!"

He held his head in his hands again, but this time more in desperation than in dizziness, and that sight alone pulled at Kirby's heart. He kindly tapped him on the shoulder, saying:

"Don't worry about it, we'll help you repair it! I think we need to check you up first though…"

"Come," Hailan said, helping the Halcandran back to his 'feet' and holding him up. "I will take you to the doctor, you will be able to rest. Don't think about your ship for now. Everything is under control."

Kirby watched quietly as the ninja and the Halcandran slowly made their way away from the flaming ship, but as he did, he noticed in the distance a few shapes coming closer… Fumu! She was running their way, along with a few others, but they all stopped when they met with Hailan and her patient. He stopped as well, probably to ask where the doctor was, and Fumu answered by pointing in a direction and saying some things Kirby couldn't hear. While he was observing and getting lost, he felt a dry nose rub against his arm and he turned to Azure, who had lowered his head to his level and wanted to be rubbed. Kirby did just that, gladly running his hands through his furry neck – and briefly feeling the collar that was still hidden under there – and mindlessly listened as Azure started purring. The wolf was glad Kirby was out of there safely, and he wanted to show it.

"Kirby!"

He turned, and before he could see anything, Fumu was upon him. She took him in her arms and hugged the daylights out of him, taking him by surprise.

"Don't ever jump into a flaming alien ship when I'm around, do you hear me?"

He relaxed almost immediately. Although she was reprimanding him for his rushed actions, each word she spoke leaked with gratitude. She stepped back, looking at his face with disapproval. She touched his cheek and showed him her hand afterward; he hadn't realized it, but he was covered in soot and ashes. He was hardly even pink! He laughed in an apologetical manner and shyly rubbed the back of his head, saying:

"At least everyone's okay! Didn't think there was that much smoke up there though… Sorry to have scared you, Fumu."

She sighed deeply, pulling a strand of hair back as she did, but she smiled nonetheless… before giving him another hug, which he gave right back.

Behind Fumu, Uncle Az and Ribbon, who had been worried for the boy, both relaxed. The larger Kiridan smirked and quietly told Ribbon:

"I have a feeling we were all meant to come here today…"

Ribbon looked back at Kirby, and thought of the Halcandran. A fairy, two Kiridans, and an Halcandran, all coming here on practically the same day. She couldn't agree more.

"Okay… Let's recap… First, Meta Knight's dad comes over, surprise, the clan is still alive and kicking somewhere in this galaxy… Also surprise, Meta is still alive, but still hiding somewhere also in this galaxy… Because why not… Then, there's Ribbon… What the hell do I do with this situation… She says she needs my help for whatever dream she had, but I can't go to Ripple Star… Can I…? Dragato would kill me… and so would the Fairies I think…"

"Kirby."

"Then there's Magolor… and that dragon… Hailan seemed to know stuff about it, I could ask him… Should I go ask him now? Does he even sleep?... It said I was incomplete… Incomplete…"

"Kirby."

The young pacing warrior looked up at his bed; Azure was occupying three quarters of it, and was staring at him with a tired gaze.

"You're talking to yourself again. You should sleep."

Kirby waved his hand, saying as he resumed pacing around the room:

"Eh, don't listen to me. I can't sleep, I got too much on my mind…"

He looked up at the table on the other side of his home. And then, there was this. The mask. It was laying on the table, left there earlier by Galacta Knight after he had recieved it. With a heavy, weighty sigh, Kirby walked over to it and picked it up in his hands. Quietly, he put the mask down on the ground against the wall next to the fireplace, and sat across from it, his back against his bed. The eyeless mask stared at him in silence, and Kirby did all he could to get accustomed to this strange feeling; being watched by eyes that were absent. He sighed, and ran a growing finger along the woodboard on the floor, following the wood's veins. In his other hand, he held the emblem of the Khano clan, in a tight fist. There were words weighting on his little heart, and as he looked up at the mask again, he straightened himself up, sighing one last time before speaking up.

"I know you're listening to me. You and I need to talk."

The mask stared back.

"You probably know it, but I'm really mad at you. Terribly angry even. I didn't think I was able to be so angry at someone for so long. It's been five years, and not a single word from you, and suddenly you're back in my life from all sides. First Uncle Az, then the news that you're lurking around as usual, and then your mask comes back in to haunt me… What do you want from me?"

The mask continued to stare, and the silence perpetuated. Kirby sighed and shifted in place, his gaze lowering down.

"I don't think you understand… how hard it's been. Not having you around, that is. I don't know… I was getting used to talking to you everyday. It's… something I grew accustomed to. It was the one thing I'd look forward to… but… I guess you needed to leave, so I can't complain. But still… you sure do know when to choose your time to do it. It's still hard… to deal with it. My DMS, I mean."

Kirby wasn't emotional, for some reason he couldn't understand. His eyes would usually feel tingly and tearful whenever he simply thought of his teacher, but, at this very moment, as he was speaking his heart out to this unanimate object, he simply felt… better.

"It's always there," he continued speaking to the mask, raising his eyes back to its empty visor. "Hailan told me a bunch about it. He's got it too, and he said there's a chance it would never leave… I… I can't help but think it'd be easier to live with it if… if… well… if you were there."

He sighed, looking back down at the sigil in his hand.

"I'll find you though," he continued. "I know you're nearby… even if I have to go to Ripple Star. I'll find you."

As he finished speaking and found himself at a loss of more words, he suddenly heard Azure bark, making him jump and look back. The Wolfwrath stood up on the bed, barking toward the bedside table, and following his glare, Kirby saw what was bothering him; the bedside table was shaking! As if something inside wanted desperately to come out, it shook and pushed violently, until suddenly the only drawer it had opened wide… and out came one of the blue boxes containing his Warp Stars. It rolled on the floor and continued to shake there, a bright light emanating from inside. Hesitant, and pretty scared of this sudden reaction, Kirby held his hand forward and quickly grabbed the box. When he opened it, he had to squint his eyes at the sudden bright light that shone in his face; it was the blue Warp Star… It's light was so bright, so heavenly, so… warm, and familiar… Slowly, his eyes adjusted, and opened wide. He listened carefully… He could hear a voice. Calling his name…

As he stared deeply into the blue waves of the star, he found himself spiralling down into a world of light, a world of illusions that morphed and changed as he walked further in. The lights transformed into shapes, and colours faded in, creating a world he was most familiar with. As he walked forward, he found himself upon the beach. The sun was setting, and the sea was ablaze with a million diamonds as the waves brought in a most refreshing salty breeze. Before that sea, on the beach itself… was himself. He walked forward still, and called:

"Ah, I see you're already here. Impatient, are we?"

Kirby turned back and smiled at him; a younger Kirby, from ten years ago.

"You're late! You said to be here ten minutes ago!" the younger warrior called back.

When he arrived closer, Kirby pulled out a short sword, one used for training, and handed it toward him, handle first.

"Well, let's forget I ever said a time. Let's start right now then," he said.

The young Kirby gladly took the sword in hand and ran a few feet away from him, placing himself in position. He himself pulled out Galaxia from her scabbard, and the sun shone brightly against her blade as he took his own stance.

"Ready?" he called out to himself. "Now!"

The younger Kirby immediately ran forward, sword in hand, ready for a duel he had been expecting all day. He, too, ran forward, already dividing a strategy in his mind as their swords danced together in the fiery light of the sunset. They twirled, they dashed, they blocked and evaded, and suddenly, the swords collided in a tight lock; and the sun engulfed them both in its burning light, dissipating the world around them in an instant.

Kirby found himself in place of his young self; staring at the golden eyes of his teacher, staring in the blue eyes of a young and scarred face, staring… at himself.

The world morphed again, and they found themselves in his sanctuary, a world of stars and colourful lights, clouds and galaxies carrying them across time and space as they stood one before the other. In the distance, echoing through time, Kirby heard a song… a beautiful, familiar voice, singing a song he had heard once before, in another time and place… The one standing before him held a hand forward; smiling, inviting him on an adventure… one he couldn't refuse. And so, Kirby held his hand back; but when he touched his fingers, the one standing before him began to dissipate. Those pools of silver became horrified, terrified, as his light ate away at what he was, too pure for this scarred monster. He backed away, fighting this flesh-eating light, refusing to let it take him, and in doing so, he backed further away from Kirby, who, no matter how much he ran, couldn't catch up to him…

In an instant, he was in the dark, alone, and Meta Knight was long gone, eaten away by his own light…

And still his voice echoed, a lullaby reverberating eternally against the walls of his Universe…

"My boy… Understanding that the words we speak are irrelevant is of great importance to understanding why you are what you are."

"I will not say it, because I am blind to what I am."

"Come find me."

"And we can be complete."

"…rby!..."

"Come find me…"

"…ter Kirby!..."

"Master Kirby…!"

Everything faded away…

And he found himself back in his own house, sprawled on the floor, staring up at his ceiling. He blinked many times, feeling that his eyes were somehow very dry. His mind was empty. He couldn't think about anything. Hailan and Azure were both staring at him, the first having taken his mask off. The ninja's face expressed great worry… but also wonder. She sighed in relief when she saw he was awake, and helped him to sit up, keeping him up with her arm in his back.

"Master Kirby," she spoke softly as Azure cuddled with his cold stone hands. "How… How do you feel?"

Kirby looked down, confused; the Warp Star laid there, outside of its box on the floor, as if he had dropped it. It all came back to him. Everything he had seen just now. It had been… so clear. Like he had watched it all happen right here, in real time. He gulped down, suddenly feeling something awful well up inside him. He sniffled, slightly hiccuping as he turned to his protector, blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

"H… Ha-Hailan…?"

"Yes?"

"I… I need a hug, please. I-I'm cold…"

Taken aback by the answer, Hailan only hesitated for a brief second; she wrapped her warm arms around the frightened boy, and let Kirby cuddle against the warm fur covering her body. To her surprise, she heard him cry softly… And so, letting her motherly instincts take over, she only held him a bit closer, doing her best to offer him comfort in his time of need. She didn't know what he had seen, but she knew what she had seen; a nova. The birth of a star. The brightest light she had ever seen… well, the second brightest light. None would beat the brilliance of the first one… Usually, Kirby's light was strong, yes, but not as bright as it had been just now. His eyes… She would never forget them. Bright, and filled with a silver light, staring at things she couldn't see.

Slowly, his energies were fading back to normal, and as she held him in a kind embrace, slightly rocking him from left to right in a most gentle manner, she felt him doze off in her arms. She stayed there for a moment longer; somehow, a part of her didn't want that embrace to end. The poor thing had been so exhausted, he just fell asleep… She looked down at the Warp Star laying on the floor. It was blinking in and out, at an irregular pace… It was as if… it was speaking words. Could Kirby still hear it…? Nevertheless, she would need to report this to Sir Dragato. It couldn't go on any longer. If not him, at least Galacta Knight. Kirby was going through a rough time, and there was no way she would let him go through it all by himself.

Azure looked up to her with a deep worry in his eyes, and she smiled softly at him, still holding her young protégé in her cradling arms.

"He'll be alright, Azure, don't worry," she told him in a hushed voice. "He's asleep. Poor little one…"

With a soft sigh, she held Kirby a bit closer and carefully stood up, careful not to drop him. He had certainly grown a bit bigger since the first time she had seen him… As Azure got out of the way and back on the bed, she put the young boy on his pillow, pulling the covers over him. She stayed a moment longer behind, looking at his sweet sleeping face, thinking of how it looked so much like someone else's sleeping face, before leaning forward and lightly kissing him on the forehead. Without a word, she put her mask back on her face, becoming a faceless ninja once more as he headed back outside, ready to stand guard at the door for the remainder of the night.

On the way out, however, he picked the Warp Star and put it back in its box, sliding it in his own pocket. It was safer to keep it with him. When he stood outside, he picked up his radio and contacted Galacta Knight, already putting his explanation of what had just happened together on his tongue.

Inside the box, the star was still flickering, sprung back to life by this encounter…