Emerald39

In a faraway galaxy, beyond Andromeda, beyond the Medusa Cascade, lies my home planet of Gemstania. It was a very unique planetary phenomenon; with a creation date estimated to be about 7 billion years ago, a distant circular orbit from a massive star, and a rectangular prismatic structure, no scientist could comprehend the support of life on its surface. However, they were proven wrong, and so Gemstania flourished; the unique areas of the planet formed, with roaring oceans, searing lava flows, rocky earth, blooming plants, and even whispering plains. From the first life forms to my own time, it had become a very tranquil and powerful planet, filled with many different species, and also many different races, including my own.

Each race had control over specific elements; the Rubefecians controlled fire, the Jethestras controlled metal, the Topasirozarens controlled electricity and earth, the Amethevitras controlled psychic power, spirits and darkness, the Sappherisens controlled air, water and ice, and the Jadelfiers controlled plants and organic toxins.

On the other hand, I was part of another race, one that exceeded all others: the Emerald Royal Family. This powerful group not only was placed in charge of the other races, without protest, but also could control every element of every race, including the rare elements of light and pure emerald. Everyone was at peace and was living prosperously, but then everything changed.

Just 30 million km from Gemstania was a moderately large spaceship; but it was no ordinary ship. It was the battleship of the legendary Vitrolax, the dark leader of the planet Vidraxis. The legends told of him as a skilled swordsman who destroyed his own planet out of rage, and then vanished into the cosmos to learn how to control fate; but no one thought that he existed, or that he would return.

On the spacious bridge of the cosmic brigand, he sat in his command console at the back of the room. He had a rippling body of dark matter, triangular golden eyes and a left hand sheathed in metal. His mythical sword leaned on the wall next to him, his purple cloak wrapped around it.

One of the pilots turned to face him and reported, “Targeted planet inbound, Vitrolax. ”

Vitrolax’s eyes gleamed golden as he heard the news. “Are we within range?”

“Affirmative,” the pilot replied.

Vitrolax rose from his seat and walked towards his sheathed weapon. “Excellent. Activate the transmitters.”

The pilot returned to his console. “Yes, my lord.”

Vitrolax put his cloak on and, holding his sword in his other hand, stroked it with his steel claw. “Soon, the new fate will be sealed. Be prepared, Prince Emerald, for this peaceful day will be your last.”

*

At the time, I was in my private chamber of the royal palace, preparing for the celebrations. It was an important day for me; not only was it my birthday, but I would commence training tomorrow. I would finally learn how to use emerald energy, after 14 years of waiting. I would be the final member of the family to master it, as everyone else had learnt it much earlier. I wore my royal robes, the official prince’s crown and a long flowing cape around my shoulders. Mother had let me keep my hair spiky, but she insisted that my diamond-shaped eyes be outlined and the emerald in the middle of my forehead shined.

I didn’t consider it that important. Every Gemstanian had a gemstone located there; the only differences were what gems they were and their shapes. The Rubefecians had a triangular ruby, the Jethestras had a tear-shaped jet, the Topasirozarens had an oval topaz, the Amethevitras had a circular amethyst, the Sappherisens had a square sapphire and the Jadelfiers had a spiral jade piece. The Emerald Royal Family had a diamond-shaped one, as if a third eye; they considered it as a mental eye, watching over the universe and the planets contained in it. Me, I only considered it as a variation of a common trait that all Gemstanians had. My only interest in that area was of the insignias, which were unique to each Gemstanian. The patterns and combinations interweaved from the original ancestors and their descendants were so fascinating to me, with their intricacies and rune-like qualities. When the celebrations had ended, I planned to create a system to profile these insignias and use them to trace back our nation’s history; I could even discover when in time our different races branched off from each other.

As I was readjusting my cape, Emerina barged through the door. She was also a Royal Emerald, and my elder sister; she was the busiest in the family, and assisted Father significantly throughout the palace.

Her breaths were heavy as she spoke. “Brother, I have bad news. We are under attack; the Amethevitras are marching in military formation towards the palace and one of the observatories has spotted a battleship in orbit around the planet.”

I jolted. “A revolution? What could have happened?”

The reply was sudden. “Calm yourself, brother; it’s not a revolution. We believe the orbiting ship is behind this assault.”

As calmly as I could, I asked curiously, “Did they provide a description of this ship?”

“Yes,” she replied, and her eyes widened. “It had a purple-black appearance and bore an emblem of a triangular golden eye.”

The information struck me like a mason’s hammer. “But that’s impossible; he’s just a legend.”

“Or so we all thought, brother.”

I had no time to lose; I flew out the door and straight to the throne room. Mother and Father were there, sending messenger orbs at maximum efficiency via the large windows. They were both dressed in their royal outfits, just as surprised as I was by the observations.

I walked up to my father. “I presume you have received the description from the observatory.”

My father laughed. “That I have, son. You’ve been informed as well, then.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “But that can’t be possible; he’s a myth. He is a myth, right?”

Father turned to me. “From our observations, he’s more than just that.”

“Father,” I reported, “I also heard news of the Amethevitras attacking. Do we know why?”

Father replied, “We believe Vitrolax is using some form of primitive mind control. The Amethevitras had always been fascinated with understanding the powers that the former ruler had during the thriving of Vidraxis, and so constantly tried to harness it from the planet’s remains; they eventually managed to command darkness at a reasonable level, but then he simply used an unknown form of darkness to command them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why is he attacking? What could he possibly want?”

Before my father could reply, the castle walls rumbled. Small stones fell from the ceiling and some of the windows shattered. I had no idea what had struck the palace, but at the time it didn’t matter to me.

I gritted my teeth. “That bastard is destroying our home, our people’s homes, our entire planet! I’m not going to let that happen! I’ll fly up to his ship and kill him myself!”

But before I could take flight, Father grabbed me. “Don’t do that, Emerald. You cannot defeat him, and if he kills you, he will have accomplished his goal.”

I looked at him, perplexed. “What do you mean, I cannot defeat him? That he’ll succeed if I die? I am a Royal Emerald, aren’t I?”

“There’s no time to explain now,” Father said calmly. “All will be made clear in the future. Now go, follow your mother to the emergency capsule; I’ll handle Vitrolax.”

I landed in front of him. “If you have time to handle Vitrolax, then you have time to answer my questions. Why can’t I fight alongside you? What information are you hiding from me? Where is the pride and courage that our family has upheld since the first king was inaugurated? I will not be left in the dark while you can see the light! SO ANSWER ME, DAD!!”

Father crouched down so that his eyes were level with mine and he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Emerald, there’s no time; you must escape this place.”

“No,” I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I will not leave your side; this is my fight as well, and I refuse to run while our people suffer.”

My father sighed and stood up. “Then I am sorry for what I must do.”

He held out his palm towards me and I started to feel drowsy. I tried to stand up, but within 10 seconds, I had fallen on the ground in front of him, unconscious.

*

I awoke in the capsule launcher, ready to be fired. I frantically looked around and saw my mother programming the co-ordinates in.

“Mother?” I said. “Where is Father?”

Realizing I had regained consciousness, she turned her head to face me and told me, “Your father is … dead.”

This shattered me. “What?? I thought he said he could handle any evil, including Vitrolax.”

She somewhat calmly replied, “He has become much stronger; he is now a larger threat than we had originally thought. That’s why we must launch you far away from here, so that he may never find you.”

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. My mother, my own mother, was forcing me to leave my whole world behind, all because of that vile creature that is Vitrolax. My whole world seemed to collapse around me, and the walls shook in agreement.

Shocked, I yelled, “You can’t just send me away from here! If Vitrolax discovers my departure, he’ll destroy this entire planet!”

I tried to lift myself out of the capsule, but Mother gently held me back.

“Don’t be afraid,” Mother replied. “I will prevent him from damaging our home. Gemstania shall live on after him.”

I held back tears as I struggled to move. “Please, let me face him, challenge him to combat. Even if I lose, I know he will be obliterated by one of us.”

“Sweetheart,” she said, a single tear streaking down her face, “You have come so far, but we are doing this for your own good. Only you can defeat Vitrolax, this much we know; and no matter how separated we are in time and space, my love will always burn for you inside.”

She stroked my cheek as she spoke this. A diamond tear crawled across my face. “No… I can’t do it… maybe you could…Emerina could…”

She kissed my forehead. “Never fear, my dear son. For I know that you are capable of purging any evil, no matter how wise or great. Now go, and know that your parents’ love and hope for you will shine forever among the stars.”

Those were the last words I heard her say; as Vitrolax appeared in the open doorway, she slammed her hand down on the panel, and the capsule launched into the distant outer realms of vast space. The last image I saw before my vision blurred from the acceleration was my mother, crying as Vitrolax’s sword stabbed through her crystal figure, her hand still on the launch panel.

As galaxies whizzed past in a blur, even in my stasis form, I thought for certain that Gemstania would be no more; I only hoped that wherever I ended up would be for the best. 

From first observations, I saw it’s cloudy atmosphere and vast oceans, much like on Gemstania; and I saw its solitary moon and spherical shape, nothing like on Gemstania. I felt as though I had read about it somewhere, but my mind was still hazy. As gravity caught the capsule and brought me towards the surface, it started to combust and heat up; but I knew that nothing would happen, as it was built to withstand supernovas and meteor strikes, or even the Big Bang, should I have been flung through space for long enough. I landed on an island continent, with a curvy shape, a small southern island, and a significantly larger northern island.

Crashing into an arid region, my arrival was discovered almost immediately by strange creatures in a nearby town. They looked eerily familiar as well, with pinkish-white skin, elliptical eyes and unique clothing. By nightfall, the capsule was surrounded by thin metal fencing and flooded with lights shining from metal cylinders. Still unable to move, in my mind, I feared the possibility of being despised by these alien beings; they may be sentient, but they may not be accepting of other species. A lot of intelligent species are like that; believe me, I know.

As time passed, many more of these two-legged quadrupeds came to the site, with flashing lights and metallic telescopes. Some wore white coats, and were the only ones who were allowed within the fenced-off area. Every time, they would bring some strange device and then proceed to try to break through the capsule layers. How oblivious they were to its godly strength.

The planet’s days were incredibly short compared to Gemstania’s. Day and night interchanged very rapidly, with each cycle lasting what felt like seconds. I thought that the remainder of my life would be spent here; how wrong I was.

The foreign sun was overhead, and the white-coats were attempting to penetrate the capsule again. However, not all of them were occupied with the machine, as one of the creatures was standing away from the group, staring at me. Her eyes were level with mine, and I stared back, fascinated by her cold gaze. Something must have caught her eye, as she then approached the capsule. I was surprised as she reached out toward the capsule and lightly touched it. The moment she made contact, green electricity burst forth and shocked her; I presumed it must have been a built-in failsafe. But to my surprise, the capsule deteriorated and my body fell to the ground, inanimate. The world turned black around me due to the broken stasis. 

*

I came to quite quickly. I was unsure how much time had passed, but I estimated several day-night cycles. Upon further observation, I realized that I had been transferred to somewhere else. This place seemed more technological, with concrete walls, a coloured flooring and a strange rectangular object set into the wall. A band was around my arm, which was connected to another smaller rectangular object, but this one displayed something in green light. A weird line moved up and down, and a sound transmitted each time this occurred. I exited what appeared to be a bed, and advanced towards the rectangle in the wall. A button press activated the device, which was projecting images and text, both of which seemed familiar to me.

Looking around, I noticed another bed alongside my one. Contained within was someone I thought I would never see again: Emerina. What a relief to see that she had survived.

She also had a band attached to her arm, which was linked up to a separate monitor. Removing her from the bed, she was still wearing her royal robes, which were the same as mine. But that didn’t matter right now; I needed to figure out our current location. With my arm securing her around the waist, I busted out of the room and flew within orbit of the planet. It was then that I realized where I was; after years of learning about this place, I had finally reached it: Earth, the Planet of Hope.

As I admired the view of it from my position, Emerina awoke and, startling me, silently screamed in fear. The telepathic communication from her was unordinary. Where am I? What’s happened to me? How am I breathing in space? Am I dead?

 I tried to comprehend her reaction, and then I reached the conclusion that this may not be the true Emerina. She might look like her, but potentially be an entirely different being. In order to quell her fear, I flew back down to the planet’s surface and pondered as to what to do with her. Releasing my grip around her waist, I waited until she appeared to be in less distress, and I calmly asked, “Madam, may I inquire as to who exactly you are?”

She responded in a nervous manner, her legs slightly shaking. “Eil … Eileen … Eileen Gillespie … human … female. Please … please don’t hurt me.”

I was astounded; how could a human such as her have been converted into a Gemstanian like myself?

Acknowledging her fear, I said, “Eileen, please remain calm. I am not going to hurt you; I am simply leaving to find assistance with this planet’s authorities. Hopefully, they will be able to help you recover from this incident.”

She looked at me, her eyes frantically staring at me, then ran to my side and clutched my arm. “No, don’t do that. Just leave, hide; if he finds you with me, he’ll torture you for the rest of your life.”

I stared back quizzically. “If who finds me?”

Before she could reply, a large group of humans emerged from nearby; they wore a green uniform, and carried metal weapons. I guessed that this must be the ‘army’ that the human tribes possessed, and that I must have trespassed onto their land.

Eileen watched with panic as they marched towards us. I could feel her grip tighten. “Run; I am telling you, run. You can’t negotiate with him.”

I was confused by her words. “Who’s ‘him’? How can you say that I can’t reason with this person?”

She began, “Because…”

I missed what she said afterwards, as something heavy hit me in the back of my head. Dazed, I fell to the ground, perched on the edge of consciousness. I realized that I shouldn’t have let my guard down before I had even negotiated. The last words I heard before I blacked out came from Eileen: “No…father…”

*

The room I woke up in was not as pleasant as the previous one. It was a dank metal box with strange instruments lined up along the side. While I was out cold, I had been clamped to a giant table. That was all I could see before he came in. The human male appeared to have some form of high authority, and judging by his attire, I assumed he would have been the ‘general’ of that militia that attacked us. He looked rather old, with a grey moustache, wrinkled face and weary blue eyes.

I tried to liven the mood a bit, as he looked rather aggravated. “Ah, you must be the general. I was rather astounded by the prowess of your army, if I may say so, sir.”

“Quiet, you freak.” His voice was gruff, and as cutting as steel. He turned away and grabbed one of the implements off the wall. “Now then, freak…”

“I have a name, you know; it’s Emerald.” I was getting rather sick of him calling me that.

“Ok. Now then, ‘Emerald’, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What have you done to my daughter?”

Confused, I replied, “Huh? Your daughter?”

“Yes, my daughter! Because of you, she’s no longer human; she’s … one of your lot. So answer my question: what have you done to her?”

He was close to losing his cool, so I tried to figure out whom he was referring to. Then it occurred to me: that girl.

I inquired, “Wait a minute; is your daughter called Eileen?”

That question caught his ear. “Yes, that’s her name: Eileen Gillespie.”

After he said that, all the pieces came together. “Oh, so that’s who you’re talking about. I’m not entirely sure what’s happened to her, but I believe that the capsule had a genetic seal embedded within; so when she reached out and made contact, her entire genetic code was transformed from human to Gemstanian. Although I don’t understand why her appearance was completely changed, including her face.”

Having taken all of this in, the general juggled the object in his hands and responded, “Ok, then; if that’s what happened to her, then maybe you can change her back.”

I knew that I couldn’t, so I told him. “Unfortunately, I am unable to perform that kind of action.”

He didn’t want to hear that, which explains why he then tried to crush my fingers with what appeared to be a hammer. He obviously didn’t know about the elemental defense mechanism that every Gemstanian had, and so the weapon passed through without damaging me.

His temper flared. “That’s not what I want to hear. Your people did this to her, so you can change her back.”

To surprise him even more, I floated straight through the clamps and sat on the edge of the table. “I’ve told you, I can’t do it. If any of my family was still alive, they’d be able to restore her, but I haven’t acquired that power yet.”

“YOU LIAR!” In rage, he grabbed something resembling a sword and swung it at me. It passed straight through without harm, and in retaliation I morphed the blade into water, which splashed onto the ground.

I said calmly, “General, I am not lying to you. Some processes in nature cannot be reversed; this you should understand, being a well-ranked fighter. In my current state, I cannot do anything to make her human again; but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There is a chance that my family was capable of reversing the genetic seal; so if I do figure out how to in the future, I promise that I will restore her for you. This I promise you.”

I held out my hand to him, and he reluctantly shook it. “You better not be lying to me, or there could be a bullet through your brain.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry; I always keep my word. Now, on to more pressing matters, I need to speak with all the international generals.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Why? Is something coming?”

I replied, “Not something, but someone.”

*

I sat in the head seat of the room. With me were General Gillespie and all the other generals from around the world. I got up and addressed the gathering:

“Good afternoon, gentlemen; as you would have been notified about, I am Prince Emerald. I have gathered you all here because of an entity that threatens this planet, this universe and myself. There is a cruel dictator of dark matter, by the name of Vitrolax. He is currently chasing after me to kill me, for what reason I do not know. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal; he will even obliterate entire planets to get to me. I do not wish to have innocent people killed any longer, so I propose to apprehend him here; we can make this planet the final frontier in this struggle for survival. What I require from you generals is simply surveillance: maintain observation in your respective countries and notify me if Vitrolax appears. I am not certain about when he will arrive, but I would estimate within a month. You people will be crucial to preventing this corrupt leader from slaughtering millions, so I am heavily relying on you. I care about the safety of the people as much as you do, and so I will ensure that minimal casualties are sustained. We will bring this tyrant to justice, and with your help, that can be swiftly achieved. Thank you for your time; meeting adjourned.” 

Chapter 2: Impact

2 million (human) years passed, with no sight of me ever landing on a single planet. I did not age, however, due to the stasis of my body. The Medusa Cascade was a smudge of light from the capsule and Andromeda was a red blur, and then a blue blur as I passed it. The chance of impact became more promising when the capsule was pulled in by another galaxy, the Milky Way. For years I had wondered why it was named that, but now I comprehended why. The capsule ended up in the spiral arm of Orion, and then into a cluster of unique planets, some of which seemed familiar. I landed 28,000 light years from the galaxy’s centre, on a mysterious blue-green planet.

From first observations, I saw it’s cloudy atmosphere and vast oceans, much like on Gemstania; and I saw its solitary moon and spherical shape, nothing like on Gemstania. I felt as though I had read about it somewhere, but my mind was still hazy. As gravity caught the capsule and brought me towards the surface, it started to combust and heat up; but I knew that nothing would happen, as it was built to withstand supernovas and meteor strikes, or even the Big Bang, should I have been flung through space for long enough. I landed on an island continent, with a curvy shape, a small southern island, and a significantly larger northern island.

Crashing into an arid region, my arrival was discovered almost immediately by strange creatures in a nearby town. They looked eerily familiar as well, with pinkish-white skin, elliptical eyes and unique clothing. By nightfall, the capsule was surrounded by thin metal fencing and flooded with lights shining from metal cylinders. Still unable to move, in my mind, I feared the possibility of being despised by these alien beings; they may be sentient, but they may not be accepting of other species. A lot of intelligent species are like that; believe me, I know.

As time passed, many more of these two-legged quadrupeds came to the site, with flashing lights and metallic telescopes. Some wore white coats, and were the only ones who were allowed within the fenced-off area. Every time, they would bring some strange device and then proceed to try to break through the capsule layers. How oblivious they were to its godly strength.

The planet’s days were incredibly short compared to Gemstania’s. Day and night interchanged very rapidly, with each cycle lasting what felt like seconds. I thought that the remainder of my life would be spent here; how wrong I was.

The foreign sun was overhead, and the white-coats were attempting to penetrate the capsule again. However, not all of them were occupied with the machine, as one of the creatures was standing away from the group, staring at me. Her eyes were level with mine, and I stared back, fascinated by her cold gaze. Something must have caught her eye, as she then approached the capsule. I was surprised as she reached out toward the capsule and lightly touched it. The moment she made contact, green electricity burst forth and shocked her; I presumed it must have been a built-in failsafe. But to my surprise, the capsule deteriorated and my body fell to the ground, inanimate. The world turned black around me due to the broken stasis. 

*

I came to quite quickly. I was unsure how much time had passed, but I estimated several day-night cycles. Upon further observation, I realized that I had been transferred to somewhere else. This place seemed more technological, with concrete walls, a coloured flooring and a strange rectangular object set into the wall. A band was around my arm, which was connected to another smaller rectangular object, but this one displayed something in green light. A weird line moved up and down, and a sound transmitted each time this occurred. I exited what appeared to be a bed, and advanced towards the rectangle in the wall. A button press activated the device, which was projecting images and text, both of which seemed familiar to me.

Looking around, I noticed another bed alongside my one. Contained within was someone I thought I would never see again: Emerina. What a relief to see that she had survived.

She also had a band attached to her arm, which was linked up to a separate monitor. Removing her from the bed, she was still wearing her royal robes, which were the same as mine. But that didn’t matter right now; I needed to figure out our current location. With my arm securing her around the waist, I busted out of the room and flew within orbit of the planet. It was then that I realized where I was; after years of learning about this place, I had finally reached it: Earth, the Planet of Hope.

As I admired the view of it from my position, Emerina awoke and, startling me, silently screamed in fear. The telepathic communication from her was unordinary. Where am I? What’s happened to me? How am I breathing in space? Am I dead?

 I tried to comprehend her reaction, and then I reached the conclusion that this may not be the true Emerina. She might look like her, but potentially be an entirely different being. In order to quell her fear, I flew back down to the planet’s surface and pondered as to what to do with her. Releasing my grip around her waist, I waited until she appeared to be in less distress, and I calmly asked, “Madam, may I inquire as to who exactly you are?”

She responded in a nervous manner, her legs slightly shaking. “Eil … Eileen … Eileen Gillespie … human … female. Please … please don’t hurt me.”

I was astounded; how could a human such as her have been converted into a Gemstanian like myself?

Acknowledging her fear, I said, “Eileen, please remain calm. I am not going to hurt you; I am simply leaving to find assistance with this planet’s authorities. Hopefully, they will be able to help you recover from this incident.”

She looked at me, her eyes frantically staring at me, then ran to my side and clutched my arm. “No, don’t do that. Just leave, hide; if he finds you with me, he’ll torture you for the rest of your life.”

I stared back quizzically. “If who finds me?”

Before she could reply, a large group of humans emerged from nearby; they wore a green uniform, and carried metal weapons. I guessed that this must be the ‘army’ that the human tribes possessed, and that I must have trespassed onto their land.

Eileen watched with panic as they marched towards us. I could feel her grip tighten. “Run; I am telling you, run. You can’t negotiate with him.”

I was confused by her words. “Who’s ‘him’? How can you say that I can’t reason with this person?”

She began, “Because…”

I missed what she said afterwards, as something heavy hit me in the back of my head. Dazed, I fell to the ground, perched on the edge of consciousness. I realized that I shouldn’t have let my guard down before I had even negotiated. The last words I heard before I blacked out came from Eileen: “No…father…”

*

The room I woke up in was not as pleasant as the previous one. It was a dank metal box with strange instruments lined up along the side. While I was out cold, I had been clamped to a giant table. That was all I could see before he came in. The human male appeared to have some form of high authority, and judging by his attire, I assumed he would have been the ‘general’ of that militia that attacked us. He looked rather old, with a grey moustache, wrinkled face and weary blue eyes.

I tried to liven the mood a bit, as he looked rather aggravated. “Ah, you must be the general. I was rather astounded by the prowess of your army, if I may say so, sir.”

“Quiet, you freak.” His voice was gruff, and as cutting as steel. He turned away and grabbed one of the implements off the wall. “Now then, freak…”

“I have a name, you know; it’s Emerald.” I was getting rather sick of him calling me that.

“Ok. Now then, ‘Emerald’, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What have you done to my daughter?”

Confused, I replied, “Huh? Your daughter?”

“Yes, my daughter! Because of you, she’s no longer human; she’s … one of your lot. So answer my question: what have you done to her?”

He was close to losing his cool, so I tried to figure out whom he was referring to. Then it occurred to me: that girl.

I inquired, “Wait a minute; is your daughter called Eileen?”

That question caught his ear. “Yes, that’s her name: Eileen Gillespie.”

After he said that, all the pieces came together. “Oh, so that’s who you’re talking about. I’m not entirely sure what’s happened to her, but I believe that the capsule had a genetic seal embedded within; so when she reached out and made contact, her entire genetic code was transformed from human to Gemstanian. Although I don’t understand why her appearance was completely changed, including her face.”

Having taken all of this in, the general juggled the object in his hands and responded, “Ok, then; if that’s what happened to her, then maybe you can change her back.”

I knew that I couldn’t, so I told him. “Unfortunately, I am unable to perform that kind of action.”

He didn’t want to hear that, which explains why he then tried to crush my fingers with what appeared to be a hammer. He obviously didn’t know about the elemental defense mechanism that every Gemstanian had, and so the weapon passed through without damaging me.

His temper flared. “That’s not what I want to hear. Your people did this to her, so you can change her back.”

To surprise him even more, I floated straight through the clamps and sat on the edge of the table. “I’ve told you, I can’t do it. If any of my family was still alive, they’d be able to restore her, but I haven’t acquired that power yet.”

“YOU LIAR!” In rage, he grabbed something resembling a sword and swung it at me. It passed straight through without harm, and in retaliation I morphed the blade into water, which splashed onto the ground.

I said calmly, “General, I am not lying to you. Some processes in nature cannot be reversed; this you should understand, being a well-ranked fighter. In my current state, I cannot do anything to make her human again; but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There is a chance that my family was capable of reversing the genetic seal; so if I do figure out how to in the future, I promise that I will restore her for you. This I promise you.”

I held out my hand to him, and he reluctantly shook it. “You better not be lying to me, or there could be a bullet through your brain.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry; I always keep my word. Now, on to more pressing matters, I need to speak with all the international generals.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Why? Is something coming?”

I replied, “Not something, but someone.”

*

I sat in the head seat of the room. With me were General Gillespie and all the other generals from around the world. I got up and addressed the gathering:

“Good afternoon, gentlemen; as you would have been notified about, I am Prince Emerald. I have gathered you all here because of an entity that threatens this planet, this universe and myself. There is a cruel dictator of dark matter, by the name of Vitrolax. He is currently chasing after me to kill me, for what reason I do not know. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal; he will even obliterate entire planets to get to me. I do not wish to have innocent people killed any longer, so I propose to apprehend him here; we can make this planet the final frontier in this struggle for survival. What I require from you generals is simply surveillance: maintain observation in your respective countries and notify me if Vitrolax appears. I am not certain about when he will arrive, but I would estimate within a month. You people will be crucial to preventing this corrupt leader from slaughtering millions, so I am heavily relying on you. I care about the safety of the people as much as you do, and so I will ensure that minimal casualties are sustained. We will bring this tyrant to justice, and with your help, that can be swiftly achieved. Thank you for your time; meeting adjourned.”

Chapter 1: Subjugation

Earth, the Green Planet; it was so young, so innocent. In our schooling we learned absolutely everything about it: its vast continents, expansive seas & millions of life forms. I always thought it was so incredible how much this small space rock had achieved in 4.4 billion years. Little did I realize how close I would become towards it.

In a faraway galaxy, beyond Andromeda, beyond the Medusa Cascade, lies my home planet of Gemstania. It was a very unique planetary phenomenon; with a creation date estimated to be about 7 billion years ago, a distant circular orbit from a massive star, and a rectangular prismatic structure, no scientist could comprehend the support of life on its surface. However, they were proven wrong, and so Gemstania flourished; the unique areas of the planet formed, with roaring oceans, searing lava flows, rocky earth, blooming plants, and even whispering plains. From the first life forms to my own time, it had become a very tranquil and powerful planet, filled with many different species, and also many different races, including my own.

Each race had control over specific elements; the Rubefecians controlled fire, the Jethestras controlled metal, the Topasirozarens controlled electricity and earth, the Amethevitras controlled psychic power, spirits and darkness, the Sappherisens controlled air, water and ice, and the Jadelfiers controlled plants and organic toxins.

On the other hand, I was part of another race, one that exceeded all others: the Emerald Royal Family. This powerful group not only was placed in charge of the other races, without protest, but also could control every element of every race, including the rare elements of light and pure emerald. Everyone was at peace and was living prosperously, but then everything changed.

Just 30 million km from Gemstania was a moderately large spaceship; but it was no ordinary ship. It was the battleship of the legendary Vitrolax, the dark leader of the planet Vidraxis. The legends told of him as a skilled swordsman who destroyed his own planet out of rage, and then vanished into the cosmos to learn how to control fate; but no one thought that he existed, or that he would return.

On the spacious bridge of the cosmic brigand, he sat in his command console at the back of the room. He had a rippling body of dark matter, triangular golden eyes and a left hand sheathed in metal. His mythical sword leaned on the wall next to him, his purple cloak wrapped around it.

One of the pilots turned to face him and reported, “Targeted planet inbound, Vitrolax. ”

Vitrolax’s eyes gleamed golden as he heard the news. “Are we within range?”

“Affirmative,” the pilot replied.

Vitrolax rose from his seat and walked towards his sheathed weapon. “Excellent. Activate the transmitters.”

The pilot returned to his console. “Yes, my lord.”

Vitrolax put his cloak on and, holding his sword in his other hand, stroked it with his steel claw. “Soon, the new fate will be sealed. Be prepared, Prince Emerald, for this peaceful day will be your last.”

*

At the time, I was in my private chamber of the royal palace, preparing for the celebrations. It was an important day for me; not only was it my birthday, but I would commence training tomorrow. I would finally learn how to use emerald energy, after 14 years of waiting. I would be the final member of the family to master it, as everyone else had learnt it much earlier. I wore my royal robes, the official prince’s crown and a long flowing cape around my shoulders. Mother had let me keep my hair spiky, but she insisted that my diamond-shaped eyes be outlined and the emerald in the middle of my forehead shined.

I didn’t consider it that important. Every Gemstanian had a gemstone located there; the only differences were what gems they were and their shapes. The Rubefecians had a triangular ruby, the Jethestras had a tear-shaped jet, the Topasirozarens had an oval topaz, the Amethevitras had a circular amethyst, the Sappherisens had a square sapphire and the Jadelfiers had a spiral jade piece. The Emerald Royal Family had a diamond-shaped one, as if a third eye; they considered it as a mental eye, watching over the universe and the planets contained in it. Me, I only considered it as a variation of a common trait that all Gemstanians had. My only interest in that area was of the insignias, which were unique to each Gemstanian. The patterns and combinations interweaved from the original ancestors and their descendants were so fascinating to me, with their intricacies and rune-like qualities. When the celebrations had ended, I planned to create a system to profile these insignias and use them to trace back our nation’s history; I could even discover when in time our different races branched off from each other.

As I was readjusting my cape, Emerina barged through the door. She was also a Royal Emerald, and my elder sister; she was the busiest in the family, and assisted Father significantly throughout the palace.

Her breaths were heavy as she spoke. “Brother, I have bad news. We are under attack; the Amethevitras are marching in military formation towards the palace and one of the observatories has spotted a battleship in orbit around the planet.”

I jolted. “A revolution? What could have happened?”

The reply was sudden. “Calm yourself, brother; it’s not a revolution. We believe the orbiting ship is behind this assault.”

As calmly as I could, I asked curiously, “Did they provide a description of this ship?”

“Yes,” she replied, and her eyes widened. “It had a purple-black appearance and bore an emblem of a triangular golden eye.”

The information struck me like a mason’s hammer. “But that’s impossible; he’s just a legend.”

“Or so we all thought, brother.”

I had no time to lose; I flew out the door and straight to the throne room. Mother and Father were there, sending messenger orbs at maximum efficiency via the large windows. They were both dressed in their royal outfits, just as surprised as I was by the observations.

I walked up to my father. “I presume you have received the description from the observatory.”

My father laughed. “That I have, son. You’ve been informed as well, then.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “But that can’t be possible; he’s a myth. He is a myth, right?”

Father turned to me. “From our observations, he’s more than just that.”

“Father,” I reported, “I also heard news of the Amethevitras attacking. Do we know why?”

Father replied, “We believe Vitrolax is using some form of primitive mind control. The Amethevitras had always been fascinated with understanding the powers that the former ruler had during the thriving of Vidraxis, and so constantly tried to harness it from the planet’s remains; they eventually managed to command darkness at a reasonable level, but then he simply used an unknown form of darkness to command them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why is he attacking? What could he possibly want?”

Before my father could reply, the castle walls rumbled. Small stones fell from the ceiling and some of the windows shattered. I had no idea what had struck the palace, but at the time it didn’t matter to me.

I gritted my teeth. “That bastard is destroying our home, our people’s homes, our entire planet! I’m not going to let that happen! I’ll fly up to his ship and kill him myself!”

But before I could take flight, Father grabbed me. “Don’t do that, Emerald. You cannot defeat him, and if he kills you, he will have accomplished his goal.”

I looked at him, perplexed. “What do you mean, I cannot defeat him? That he’ll succeed if I die? I am a Royal Emerald, aren’t I?”

“There’s no time to explain now,” Father said calmly. “All will be made clear in the future. Now go, follow your mother to the emergency capsule; I’ll handle Vitrolax.”

I landed in front of him. “If you have time to handle Vitrolax, then you have time to answer my questions. Why can’t I fight alongside you? What information are you hiding from me? Where is the pride and courage that our family has upheld since the first king was inaugurated? I will not be left in the dark while you can see the light! SO ANSWER ME, DAD!!”

Father crouched down so that his eyes were level with mine and he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Emerald, there’s no time; you must escape this place.”

“No,” I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I will not leave your side; this is my fight as well, and I refuse to run while our people suffer.”

My father sighed and stood up. “Then I am sorry for what I must do.”

He held out his palm towards me and I started to feel drowsy. I tried to stand up, but within 10 seconds, I had fallen on the ground in front of him, unconscious.

*

I awoke in the capsule launcher, ready to be fired. I frantically looked around and saw my mother programming the co-ordinates in.

“Mother?” I said. “Where is Father?”

Realizing I had regained consciousness, she turned her head to face me and told me, “Your father is … dead.”

This shattered me. “What?? I thought he said he could handle any evil, including Vitrolax.”

She somewhat calmly replied, “He has become much stronger; he is now a larger threat than we had originally thought. That’s why we must launch you far away from here, so that he may never find you.”

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. My mother, my own mother, was forcing me to leave my whole world behind, all because of that vile creature that is Vitrolax. My whole world seemed to collapse around me, and the walls shook in agreement.

Shocked, I yelled, “You can’t just send me away from here! If Vitrolax discovers my departure, he’ll destroy this entire planet!”

I tried to lift myself out of the capsule, but Mother gently held me back.

“Don’t be afraid,” Mother replied. “I will prevent him from damaging our home. Gemstania shall live on after him.”

I held back tears as I struggled to move. “Please, let me face him, challenge him to combat. Even if I lose, I know he will be obliterated by one of us.”

“Sweetheart,” she said, a single tear streaking down her face, “You have come so far, but we are doing this for your own good. Only you can defeat Vitrolax, this much we know; and no matter how separated we are in time and space, my love will always burn for you inside.”

She stroked my cheek as she spoke this. A diamond tear crawled across my face. “No… I can’t do it… maybe you could…Emerina could…”

She kissed my forehead. “Never fear, my dear son. For I know that you are capable of purging any evil, no matter how wise or great. Now go, and know that your parents’ love and hope for you will shine forever among the stars.”

Those were the last words I heard her say; as Vitrolax appeared in the open doorway, she slammed her hand down on the panel, and the capsule launched into the distant outer realms of vast space. The last image I saw before my vision blurred from the acceleration was my mother, crying as Vitrolax’s sword stabbed through her crystal figure, her hand still on the launch panel.

As galaxies whizzed past in a blur, even in my stasis form, I thought for certain that Gemstania would be no more; I only hoped that wherever I ended up would be for the best.