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The Meteor Shower (9) : One of the hallmark features of the Star Festival is the week long meteor shower that kicks off at the beginning of the celebrations. The first night is usually a little slow, and it picks up more on the second and third evening, but tonight is different. Within the first hour of the first visible falling meteor, something hits the ground with enough force that the ground trembles and power is lost for a few seconds. The impact can be heard throughout the city and the news reports that a small meteor made impact--only, they don’t report that they can’t find any damage and have no idea where it landed. Maybe that’s enough to convince some people, but anyone who knows about this powered war might expect that nothing good ever comes from space.
The Star Festival was coming around once again. In the last few years, Ren had come to enjoy the festival, using it as a moment of respite from his father and his house. He'd managed to snag a scholarship to DCU where he could live on campus, and boy was he thrilled about that. He never really had to 'sneak out' anymore; he just told his roommate - when he had one - he was going to do astronomy things, and no one questioned his late nights and all nighters. Some people questioned his lack of sleep, and the dark circles under his eyes, but he did run two demanding degrees.
What would his professors say if he told them there used to be full civilizations on all the stars and planets and objects in the night sky? That there was a whole civilization within the earth itself? Ren snickered softly, rubbing his nose with a finger.
Probably call him delusional.
The rooftop he'd chosen tonight was on campus; he had to do some report on the Star Festival and the meteor shower for class. He was to keep tabs on it through the week, taking note of the fall patterns, the approximate numbers of meteors, anything abnormal. In his experience, things from space never brought good tidings with it, but he was Ren and not Mourite right now. He could deal with knights and senshi and all that later. For now, he was simply here to lay on the roof and watch the night sky.
The first meteor shot across the sky, and something bubbled in Ren's chest. Ever since he'd been a child, he'd felt... something, some pull, some draw, towards the stars. His mother had once said she too felt the same draw. That they were blessed - and cursed - by 'wanderlust' and that the stars within their hearts longed to be back to where they belonged.
His father had called that hogwash and told her to stop giving his protégé stupid thoughts. With his fist.
The irony that his father had allowed an astrophysics degree was not lost on Ren. Yet it got him out of that house, out from under that man, and for the first time Ren started to breathe easy. Granted, counseling helped the matter - there was a lot to unpack and more to try to deal with - but at least he could lock his own bloody door.
The building he laid on shook violently for a moment, and the entire city went dark. Ren didn't move, just felt a flush of Chaos as his second skin as Mourite enveloped him. The power flickered back on not even a minute later, and he felt around for the power signatures of the city. Nothing out of normal, nothing giantly Chaos or Order pinged on his radar. He packed up his gear, scribbling furious notes in his log about the meteor shower.
Whatever it was that crashed into the City, it wasn't on any side of the war he was familiar with, but he needed to scope it out.
Nothing good ever came from space.
[ WC: 515 ]
