Serenity Astravalon

Origin Story (TW)
It had all started the day she was born (duh). An accident, that's what her parents called her. It was a one-sided, fraudulent love. Her mother, Stella, had the ability to manipulate a person's emotions. Naturally, when she fell in love with Ren's father, she forced him to marry her by making him think he loved her. He didn't, but he didn't need to know that. So long as he thought he loved her, all would be well, Stella thought. He would never have to know.

When Ren was born, neither Stella nor her father loved her. She wasn't born with a power, and she was weak. Ugly, they called her. Dumb. Gullible. Perfect. So, when Stella was offered a position on the Anarchists, she accepted, and dragged both Ren and her father with her through her emotional manipulation.

Stella practiced her abilities every second of every day. She practiced on her husband, of course, because he could never know what she did. But, she also practiced on Ren, her young little girl. The weakling. Stella didn't love Ren, never did, but she convinced Ren that she was loved, and that she was happy.

She wasn't. Not one bit.

You see, her 'practicing' was far more than just making someone feel loved. It was stopping people from feeling other sensations and emotions. Like pain. And betrayal. And hate. Stella wanted to see how far her abilities stretched, and so she started to work towards mind control.

She started out small, saying extremely hurtful things to her young little girl. This, she thought, would at least toughen Ren up. For as the saying went, 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.' Then she started focusing on the stones.

That started out small as well. Well, as small as physical abuse could be. She would trip her stumbling child, slap her across the back of the head, push her down. Black and blue bruises would mar the girl's poor, chubby face. Then the tears would come.

And when Ren cried... Stella would yell at her to stop. Scream at her, hurt her more... All the while making Ren think her mother loved her.

Once Ren was toughened up against bruises, Stella worked further. She wanted to see how much pain a child could bear before it became too much. How much pain could she inflict on her own daughter before her emotional manipulation could no longer convince Ren she was loved?

That was when she pushed for the sticks.

Stella had had another daughter, one whom neither she nor her husband loved any more than Ren. Another accident. Another experiment. But Stella wasn't done with Ren yet.

"Serenity, sweety, do you see that knife?"

"Yes, mother."

"I want you to grab it and bring it to me."

And that is what little Ren did.

"Oh, Serenity. This blade looks a little dull. It could use a splash of color as well. Can you test it for me?" Stella then pushed into Ren's emotions, and carefully placed obedience. And a feeling of disappointment.

Ren raised the knife to the tip of her right eyebrow, her eyes going wide.

"It's okay, sweety. Nothing bad will happen to you. It's just a little experiment..." And Ren believed her. At least, she believed her enough to drag the tip of the knife across her face, all the way to the corner of her lip. Ren didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't do anything. She just stood there, the knife dripping red. "Isn't that better? Scarlet is such a pretty color."

Ten-year-old Ren nodded obediently, then she sprinted out of the room, far far away from her dangerous mother.

Then her younger sister, Brona, walked up to where Ren was sitting, beneath a weeping willow. Oh, how fitting the scenery was.

"Daddy took me to see the doctor today," Brona said.

"Oh?" Ren replied, turning to look at her sister, whom she loved deeply. It was real love, not a planted, fake one.

"They said I had Prancer," Brona said, smiling. "When do you think I'll learn to fly?"

Ren's smile fell. No. No no no no no!

"Do-do you mean cancer?" Ren asked quietly. Brona tilted her poor little head to the side.

"Oh, yeah! That's what they said. They said something about a timeline... When do you think I'll start flying?"

Ren ran away from Brona, fighting back the tears she knew she couldn't allow to fall.

Brona died a while later since Stella and her husband refused to 'waste' money on treatment. Ren was hysterical, insane. She had cried for hours and hours and hours, not even caring that her parents were abusing her, both emotionally and physically. She just didn't care anymore.

Then she developed her ability. She had been staring up at the stars through a telescope she used to share with her sister. Her parents didn't know what to do with her. The Anarchists wanted to train her, but Stella refused.

"She's worthless! Stupid! Weak! She couldn't harm a fly!" Stella would tell them.

It had become a huge fight, and, during one of the more heated moments, Stella lost control over her husband. All love and affection disappeared, replaced with loathing and hatred and disgust. It was so strong that Stella couldn't make him love her again, and so they divorced. Then Stella killed him. And then she fled.

Ren was left alone, a fledgling in her abilities. Haunted by nightmares now that her mother was gone, Ren gave up her usual sleep schedule. She slept during the day so she could train at night, and even during the day she hated to sleep.

Nightmares haunted her when she slept.

Tears haunted her when she was alone.

Insanity haunted her when she was with others...

And a thirst for vengeance haunted her to the bone.

Ren and Nova
Ren, after being deprived of love and care her entire life, is greatly confused. She doesn't know what love feels like, and is only aware of the term's existence. Because of this, when Nova expressed that she cared about Ren, Ren thought that it was a starting love. She was never cared for, and she was never loved, and so her broken mind decided to merge the two together. When Ren ran away after realizing she somehow messed up, the cracks in her sanity swallowed up the pieces, leaving her to forget everything... Almost. Because Ren still knows Nova cares, but her desperation to forget the last few minutes resulted in her actually forgetting them after a particularly bad insanity attack.

Ren and Pat
Ren and Pat had met a couple of times, one of which Ren ran out of the room after Pat told her his ability, and the other to apologize for running out. Ren is starting to realize that Pat may also care, as, after her attack, he offered to help her laugh in a stupid, ridiculous, humiliating way. After talking a bit and laughing, realized that Pat understood certain things about her, and so she told him to smile... Something she had previously forbidden him from doing. It had hurt so much before because Ren, with her broken sanity, was able to isolate where the 'feelings' were coming from, and identify them as manipulative tactics similar to her mother's. However, because Ren had been so happy and calm dancing with Pat, when he smiled there was no confusion. No broken pieces. Her mind accepted the change and built off of it.

Insane Ren
Ren tends to have 'attacks' where she goes insane. She doesn't remember anything that she does or says during these attacks, only that they happened. She usually knows when one will begin based on different warning signs. Her vision will commonly get a lot worse than usual gradually, and she sometimes will sway and get really dizzy, usually because of her blurry vision. Her mood will plummet and flashbacks of things her mother did to her or of other bad things that happened to her will appear, causing her to succumb to the darkness and 'lose her mind.' Sometimes, once she is insane, she will 'sing' lyrics to broken songs, her voice cracking. The songs usually have to do with stars, and (disclaimer, nothing of what she sings are songs that actually exist, and if they do, I don't intentionally use them-) are never that happy or peaceful. (To be continued...)

Ren's End
Ren’s End (TW - mentions of bl//d and s//c/d/, violence, maybe others)

Ren tossed and turned in her bed, her mind frazzled and broken. Nightmares pounded the few stable pieces, shattering the rest to dust. Icy blue eyes watched from the darkness, a halo of white surrounding them. Darkness and shadows, with a hint of sharp light. Ren twitched, letting loose a wail as she sat up. The glow of the eyes were practically glued into her mind, and no matter what she did she couldn’t shake them away. She wrapped her arms around herself, rocking slowly.

“Come here, Serenity.”

“I’m coming, Mother.”

Ren shivered. A piercing headache tore through her skull, threatening to shred what was left of her sanity to smithereens. She stood up shakily, her hands clutching her skull like that would hold herself together. She found herself unlocking her dorm door and wandering over to the elevator, clicking the button to go up. She went all the way to the top floor, then found the stairway to the roof. She made a key to the door at the top using starlight, unlocking it slowly and hesitantly. When she reached the top, the darkness was almost unsettling. The shadows seemed to be inkier than normal, swirling and twirling, as if they were mocking her meer existence. She took careful step after careful step towards the edge of the roof, slowly plopping herself down, her feet dangling out over the ground below. Her breath came out in icy puffs, but, oddly enough, Ren was calm. Well, as calm as she could be with her brain a crumbling mess. She scooted a little further, peering down at the twinkling lights of the city below. At the woods where she and Nova had raced, at the streetlights illuminating the inky darkness. Even at the original EEyEs, although it was nothing more than a dot among the thick, green landscape.

Ren didn’t realize she was crying until she felt her cheek, smudging the drop away. Such a beautiful world. A world she never truly got to enjoy. Maybe never even would.

“Ren?”

Ren jolted up, turning around to face the person who’d spoken. She hadn’t even realized she stood up until she started walking to greet the figure. “Eia?”

Eia smiled. “I didn’t realize you would be up this late.”

“I just woke up,” Ren said. “Nocturnal habits and all.”

“Ah, I see. Mind if I sit with you?” Before Ren could respond, Eia sat down.

“Why are you up?” Ren asked, sitting back down and tightening her human ball.

“I’m thinking of cloning myself, and it works best when I’m doing it at night, close to the sky. It also keeps me calm while doing so.” Eia’s own breath was coming out in clouds.

Ren nodded. “Darkness can be beautiful.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.” The two sat in silence for a little bit, then Ren twitched. She rubbed her head, wincing. “Ren? What’s wrong?”

Ren froze, literally. She wanted to spit the awful words out, wanted to tell Eia that she needed help, that it wasn’t her fault she was broken, but her mouth was glued shut. Willed shut.

“Ren?” Eia repeated. Ren shook her head violently, but just as she did, her legs straightened, forcing her to her feet. Then she walked over to the edge. Ren’s eyes widened in sync with Eia’s, and for a moment neither of them could move. Then Ren stepped off the edge. Eia immediately lunged forward, locking hands with Ren and pulling her back, dragging her further onto the roof. Ren was shaking uncontrollably, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Eia,” she croaked, her eyes darkening. “She’s here.”

“Who? Who’s here?” Eia asked, tightening their grip on Ren’s wrists. Ren pointed to a shadowed figure standing behind them. Eia turned slowly, gasping when they spotted Stella, cloaked in shadows.

“Ah, Serenity speaks,” Stella said, a dark glint in her eye. “My manipulation isn’t working as well as it used to, I suppose.” Eia pushed Ren behind them, guarding her.

“Leave, Stella. You’ve tortured Ren enough.”

“Have I, though? As long as she isn’t dead I can torture her more. And I prefer the term manipulate. Can’t you see I was doing her a favor by dragging her off the roof? Pitiful creature, never could do anything right. All her successes were because of me. Because I had the sense to stick nearby her whole life, guiding her.”

“Guiding me?” Ren shrieked. “You were hurting me!” Her eyes widened as she felt her arm move to her waist, where she stored her daggers. “No… Please…” She raised one to her throat, her hand shaking, shaking, shaking as the tip pressed closer and closer, dangerously close.

Stella tilted her head. “I never have understood how my ability works, at least with you. When you were younger I could control you as a whole. You would beg to do my bidding. Now, I can only control certain parts. Either your body or your mind, never both. Or maybe it is both.” Stella shook her head, sighing. “Stop fighting it Ren. Just let it go. It’ll be swifter that way. Painless.”

Ren laughed, a deranged, pained, harsh laugh. “Painless, you say? Since when is dying painless?” She flinched as the blade pressed closer. Eia yanked Ren’s arm, pinning it down while they pulled the dagger away.

“The more you fight it, the more painful it will be,” Stella said, her voice chipper as if she were playing a game. That’s all this was, a game. A game of mind. But also a game of trust. Ren’s eyes pleaded with Eia to not let her die, and Eia returned the gaze. They had no intention of letting anything happen to her. Ren’s fingers twitched beneath Eia’s grasp, itching to reach for another dagger. Ren clenched her fists, she wouldn’t let her mother win. “Serenity.” Stella’s voice was laced with warning, although her mother’s eyes told a different story. There was a craving behind them, longing, but for what Ren didn’t have the faintest idea.

“It’s Ren,” she spat, tightening her twitching fists more.

“No, Serenity. I chose your name, remember?” Stella pointed at herself to emphasize her point.

“And maybe I legally changed it,” Ren countered through gritted teeth.

“You didn’t. I’ve followed your every move, Serenity. You’d think I’d know if something like that happened.” Stella smirked. “You belong to me, Serenity. Your thoughts are mine. Your feelings are mine. Your actions are mine.”

“Greedy people always die horrible deaths in the books,” Eia muttered. “It’s why I never upgraded EEyEs until recently.” Stella turned her glare to Eia.

“Nobody asked for you to talk,” she said. Eia frowned.

“I was just making a point.” Eia folded their arms over their chest, momentarily forgetting about Ren’s conundrum.

“I’ll show you a point,” Stella said, snarling. She hissed something under her breath, and Ren’s arms flew up to her head, squeezing and rubbing her temples as her face pinched up.

“Stop!” Ren wailed. “It hurts!” Storm clouds were rolling in from the east, and lightning strikes could be seen in the distance. Stella laughed harshly.

“You know nothing of pain, you foolish child.”

“I know everything of pain!” Ren screamed, tracing her scar with a shaky hand. “How could you have possibly forgotten what you’ve done to me?”

“I took away your pain! I made you feel loved!” Stella countered. “I gave you everything!”

“You gave me a false sense of security,” Ren whispered. “So you could hurt me more. So you could feed your shriveled soul.”

Stella’s snarl deepend. She hissed a little more, causing Ren’s knees to buckle as she screamed out in pain.

“You know nothing of pain!” Stella repeated, her eyes wild with a different type of insanity.

“I grew up knowing nothing but pain!” Ren yelled through clenched teeth, straining to talk over the roaring winds. Rain started falling in a drizzle at first, then it poured, as if the weather followed what was going on on the roof of the tallest building in the city. Dripping wet, Eia sighed.

“Of course the weather had to get all feisty on us,” they grumbled, swiping half-heartedly at water dripping down their face. Ren looked at Eia, rolling her eyes as if to say can’t you see there are more important things going on? Stella, too, was shocked by Eia’s statement. Snarling, Stella pulled a dagger and chucked it at Eia, irritated. Eia dodged, raising an eyebrow.

“Since when have I become the target?” They asked.

“Since your presence became more bothersome then entertaining,” Stella replied. Eia gasped in mock offense. Or maybe they were legitimately offended, Ren couldn’t tell. Either way.

“Mother, please. Stop!”

“Why should I?” Stella asked in a dark tone. She twirled another dagger, lining up her aim, this time back at Ren.

Ren closed her eyes tightly. “If you’re going to kill me, at least let Eia go free.”

“Ren- no. I’ve lived 800 some years and you’ve only lived 17. If one of us is dying, it’s not going to be you.”

For a moment, Stella was stunned at Eia’s impressive age. Then she shook her head, aiming it back at Eia. In a cheery tone, she said, “Wonderful. Now that that’s out of the way, hold still.” Stella let the dagger fly, but it headed towards Ren instead of Eia. Ren closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impending pain, but was shocked to realize that the dagger never touched her. It did touch Eia, though, who had jumped in between Ren and Stella last second. The dagger was wedged just below Eia’s heart. With a smile, they dropped to their knees.

“Finally,” they breathed, still smiling. “800 years on this painful planet and I finally had the courage to leave it.” Ren stared in horror, fighting the tears. With a whimper, she tore herself out of Stella’s manipulation, running to Eia’s side.

“Tell me you have a clone somewhere,” Ren begged. “Tell me this isn’t good-bye.”

Eia’s smile wavered. “EEyEs is yours, Ren. It will always be yours. Thank you for giving me a purpose.” They touched Ren’s cheek with a cold, shaking hand, wiping the tears. “Thank you for allowing my life to end saving another’s.” They coughed, their head lulled to the side.

Ren sobbed. “No, please…” With a final shaky cough, Eia died. Ren sobbed over Eia’s cold body, not caring that she was getting blood on herself, not caring that rain was pouring down and slicking her brown hair to her head, not caring that Stella could possibly have another dagger trained on her head at this very moment. Eia was dead. The only parental figure whom she had trusted was dead. Because of her. Eia had sacrificed themself because of her!

“How touching,” Stella mocked. “One down, one more to go!” Stella pinched her eyebrows together in concentration, and Ren felt her body turn to stone. Smiling in satisfaction, Stella reached for another dagger, then cursed, realizing she was out. Ren heaved a sigh of relief. Her mother couldn’t kill her. She was safe. But then a shadowy smile fell over Stella’s lips.

“How ironic,” she started, “would it be if I killed you with a blade of your own creation?” She laughed darkly. “Oh yes, that would be very poetic indeed.” Ren shuddered as her traitorous arm wound a new blade of starlight, dripping wet from the rain but glistening despite the unending darkness. Stella’s sneer deepened as she snatched the blade from Ren’s slippery fingers.

“Why did you keep it a secret?” Stella asked darkly. “Why didn’t you tell anyone when you realized it was me? That you were never insane. That it was all just me manipulating you. Messing with your mind.”

“I-.” The truth was, Ren didn’t know. She always wanted to tell someone. Wanted to get help. Wanted someone to help her fight back. But whenever she would open her mouth to say the horrible words, something always stopped her.

“Were you scared of what they would think? Were you afraid to admit that you were weak? Were you afraid to say that all your successes and all your failures were the result of someone else’s hard work?” Stella smiled devilishly. “Or were you afraid that, if you said it, it would make it even more true?” Ren sucked in a breath. It was true. All of it. But even when she pushed past her fears, she still could never say it. “Or,” Stella continued. “Is it because someone else willed you to keep your mouth shut? Someone, perhaps, stronger than you?”

Ren paled. Even knowing what her mother could do, and what she had done, the thought had never crossed her mind that Stella would keep her from spilling secrets. Now that it had, she felt so dumb, like the child her mother had always told her she was. Ignorant. Foolish. Weak. Ren ducked her head, her tears mixing with the cold rain.

“So you’ve gone back to your pitiful ways of making your daughter cry, now, have you?” Ren looked up and noticed Solan standing by the entrance to the roof. He was furious, his glare fixed on Stella, flicking only occasionally to Ren.

“More enforcements?” Stella exclaimed, bored. “Well, kudos to you for your stellar skills in alliances, Serenity. I wonder how much of that you got from me.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe all of your ‘alliances’ have fallen apart,” Solan said viciously.

Stella laughed darkly. “Oh, child, not all of them. There’s one...” She bit her tongue. “Nevermind. Where were we? Oh, that’s right. I was about to start writing a poem about the irony of someone being killed by a weapon of her own making.” Her eyes darkened, the ice blue irises dancing round and round. Solan’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.

“Ren?” He squeaked. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Funny,” Stella interrupted. “That’s what they said,” she added, gesturing to Eia’s body. Solan paled, noticing Eia’s body for the first time. His expression was a mixture of anger, fear, and sadness.

“Solan, leave,” Ren said sharply. “Please. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Her eyes were brimming with tears again, and she oh so desperately hoped that her pleading eyes would make Solan listen.

“I’m not leaving you with your mother,” Solan said. He grabbed a dagger from his pocket. Stella quirked an eyebrow.

“So you are going to join our little game of life and death now, are you?” She asked, twirling the starlight dagger. Ren shivered from both the cold and her nerves. Her fear. One of her many many weaknesses. “Not that I would even let you leave,” Stella continued. “No witnesses. It’s a common rule of the game.”

“Enough of your dumb game, Mesmer,” Solan said, adressing Stella by her villain alias.

“And enough of your dumb bravery, Oxy,” Stella countered. “While it truly is admirable, it’s only going to get you killed.” Solan clenched his fists.

“Not when it's two on one.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong.” Stella wagged a finger at him. “It’s a villain versus a self proclaimed hero versus a suicidal girl.”

“Suicidal girl-” Solan turned to face Ren, who flinched away.

“She’s making me try to kill myself,” she squeaked.

“And Serenity keeps fighting it, even when she’s never gone a day in her life where she hasn’t wished the pain would end.”

“I didn’t want it to end by death!” Ren screeched. “I just wanted you to leave me be!”

“I can leave you be once you are dead,” Stella replied coolly. She lined up her aim and threw the dagger at Ren.

Time seemed to slow down as the dagger's tip flew towards Ren, glinting in the rain. She could vaguely hear Solan screaming her name and Stella laughing darkly, but her main focus was on the dagger. How it glistened with starlight and how everything reflected perfectly off of its surface. Ren focused on her hand. How it was practically glued to her side. How her traitorous fingers refused to budge, to finger the command to unwind the dagger. It got closer and closer, but then Ren felt something snap inside of her. Like a tether, fraying rapidly, weakened by the downpour of rain. Just as the blade was about to pierce her skin, Ren let out a cry and forced her hand in front of her, her powers tearing into the blade and dispersing it into wispy smoke on impact. She was alive, but still not safe.

Stella, on the other hand, was only getting more and more furious.

“Stop fighting back, Serenity!” She screamed, tearing her hands through her hair. “I came up here planning to only be a minute, and you’ve extended it much longer because of your pitiful alliances and strong willed nature. Just die already!” Ren was shocked that she was still alive as well. She had felt the snap of the mental tether, felt the freedom behind controlling herself, but was that just Stella letting her taste something she would only lose a second later? Or was her mother actually growing weaker and weaker the longer they fought? Stella didn’t look tired, but who has ever looked the way they felt on the inside? Who has ever let people see their darkest secrets when they were too afraid to share them?

“I know you’re tired, Mother,” Ren whispered. “I felt your hold snap just then.”

“I’m not tired,” she replied, snarling.

“Then the only other possibility is that I’m getting stronger, more resistant.” Ren crossed her arms, shakily rising to her feet. She willed herself not to look at Eia. Or Solan. This was about her and her mother.

“Impossible,” Stella grumbled bitterly. “There is no ‘resistance’ to abilities. Your mind doesn’t just mutate to avoid manipulation and control.”

“Then what else could it be other than you being tired?” Solan said, butting in. Stella bit her lip.

“I’m not tired! I’m not weak! I’m stronger than both of you combined!” Stella yelled, clenching her fists. “And I will fight you until you’re both dead. I should have stomped your relationship when I had the chance.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to,” Ren whispered. She looked at Solan bashfully. “We brought eachother out of the darkness. No matter what you did, there would have never been a way for you to drag us both back to that awful place, without one pulling the other out first.” Solan nodded in agreement.

“Which is exactly why I shouldn’t have let any connection form to begin with.” Stella scowled. “Nevertheless, connections won’t save you from death.” She glanced at something behind her back. Stella raised one hand to the dark sky, then disappeared into a cloud of dark, smudgy shadows.

Ren let out a breath of air she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She sank to her knees while she muffled her sobs, the ones she had bottled up for so long because of numerous different things. She wiped her eyes, then stood up. Solan stared at her for so long, trying to fight his own tears.

“I won’t let you sink back into the darkness,” he finally said. “It’s okay to cry.”

“No. No, it isn’t,” Ren mumbled. She sniffed. “Others have had it so, so much worse.”

“And some who haven’t even had it half as bad as you are allowed to cry. You’re human, Ren.” He hugged her gently as she choked on her sobs. “And humans are allowed to have feelings. Humans are allowed to cry. Humans are allowed to make mistakes.”

“I don’t think my mom is human.”

“I don’t think she is, either.”

For a while Solan and Ren just sat there, focused only on eachother and the comforting embrace they were in. Ren eventually stopped sobbing, and only sniffled occasionally. She stood up slowly.

“Should we go back to the dorms?” She asked. Both had ignored the rain up until that point, content with holding the other as the rain mixed with their salty tears.

Solan tucked a soggy strand of Ren’s hair behind her ear.

“That would be better than sitting out here in the rain, wouldn’t it?” He asked teasingly. Ren nodded, but as she moved to walk towards the door, something shoved her off the roof. Stella reappeared, the shadows that had once veiled her dispersing so that she was visible once again.

Ren screamed as she lost her footing, her toe clipping the edge of the roof, making her trip. Out of pure instinct, she reached for the edge as she fell, barely managing to keep her grip in the rain.

Stella laughed darkly, villainously stereotypical.

“You were right, Ren. I am growing weaker. But you haven’t gotten stronger.” Stella seemed to be favoring a leg, and for the first time her eyes looked shadowed. Solan noticed and rammed his elbow into her stomach, knocking her off her feet. Stella gasped for air as she doubled over, hacking and coughing. Solan scrambled over to where Ren dangled, latching onto her wrists to try to pull her up. Every attempt was thwarted by the pounding rain.

“You have to grab my hands!” Solan yelled over the wind. “I can’t pull you up otherwise!”

“If I let go, I fall,” Ren countered. Her gaze grew distantly sad. “You can’t save me.”

“What? Of course I can!” Solan responded, slightly panicked. “Don’t talk like that!” Stella watched from her crumpled spot on the roof, her eyes darkening. This was it. Ren would be gone in just a few moments. All she had to do was wait. And reknot the tether.

The rain continued to pound, and Ren’s grip kept slipping from the wetness.

“Go,” she breathed. “Kill my mother before she can hurt anyone else. My life isn’t worth everyone else’s.”

“Ren, no.” Tears poured down Solan’s cheeks. “I won’t let you fall.”

“Go,” Ren repeated, tears slipping down her own cheeks. “It was love,” she said, then she let her grip slip the final distance, allowing the night to swallow her whole.

Solan watched in horror as Ren plummeted off the side of the tower, screaming her name over and over. Then he remembered what she had asked him to do. He grabbed his dagger from his pocket, then darkly made his way over to where Stella lay.

“Ah,” she said through coughs. “I see you have decided to make good on your love’s final wishes.” Her brows were pinched tightly together, like she was deep in thought.

“I have,” Solan replied, making sure to force all sadness away until Stella was dead.

“Get on with it, then.” Stella turned her back to him. “I don’t have all day.” She coughed more.

Solan wasn’t sure if the pity and tightness he was feeling was from Stella’s final attempt at manipulation or not. He had never killed anyone before. Ever. But it was Ren’s wish to see her mother dead. Unable to hurt anyone. Unable to kill anyone else. But did killing someone make him a villain? Did Renegades ever kill the villains? Solan’s hand hovered over Stella’s neck, the dagger dripping wet.

“You can’t do it, can you?” Stella asked. “You know the saying, don’t you? ‘You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ You can’t kill me, because that'll make you a villain.” Stella grinned from her place on the floor. Time was ticking for Ren. Only a little bit longer and then she could regain enough strength to finish off Solan as well.

“No,” Solan said. “It’s villainous to kill for revenge.” He slashed his dagger downward, and Stella could barely let loose a scream before she stopped breathing. “I kill to save others. That’s called being a hero.” He tossed his bloody dagger to the side, wiping his sweaty hands on his soaked pant leg. He crouched down, bowing his head while he sobbed. “Ren…” he cried.

When Ren let go, she had already resigned herself to the fact that she was going to die. She had felt her fingers go tense and lock up, her mother’s final act at ensuring Ren’s fate. It worked. She was plummeting and couldn’t do anything about it. Falling with the rain, Ren closed her eyes and turned to her back to both slow her fall and keep her from seeing the ground growing closer. Her eyes were closed anyway, but she wanted to die facing the stars then die facing the ground that had punished her. The little tether in the back of her mind was weak but present, and Ren sighed as she counted off her final seconds. Then, the tether snapped. Gasping, Ren flipped back to her stomach, and, as quickly as she had ever made anything before, wove a parachute from starlight. It was her desperation that gave her the strength and speed. Gripping onto the parachute with what was left of her strength, she gradually decelerated until it was an easy glide down, towards the soaked, wooded park.

Solan felt lost and defeated, even though he had killed Stella. Even though she was the villain, his gut twisted at the sight of her mutilated body. What he had done to her. And then he thought about Ren, who, just a moment ago, seemed at peace. Content. Before her mother had come to ruin it. Again. He clenched his fists, wanting to roar his frustrations but not wanting to draw attention to the roof, littered with bodies and blood.

“You killed her,” a voice said from behind him. Solan turned, half hoping to see Ren smiling at him, the other half rightfully anxious and suspicious. There was a smudge of dark, inky shadows, almost in the shape of a human. As he looked closer, he could spot the clearer outline of the figure, yet rain still passed through, as if all the shadowy figure was made of was just that, shadows.

The dark smudges grew more and more compact, until Solan was sure he was staring at a human. Well, mostly human. A human with a certainly powerful and useful and dangerous ability.

“You killed Mesmer,” the figure repeated. “I can’t believe you actually killed her.” They were talking with a hint of almost childish awe, but there was also anger and grief hidden in the figure’s words.

“Yeah…?” Solan stared, unsure who’s side this newcomer was on.

“I should kill you.” The figure’s shadowy hands clenched. Solan raised his hands in a sign of peace, but the figure only seemed to collect more shadows and step closer. A dagger as dark as night itself was wrapped up in the person’s hand, pointed directly at Solan’s chest.

“Please don’t-” He backed up, careful not to get too close to the edge.

“Yes, I think I will kill you.” They raised the dagger above their head.

“Why?” Solan asked, trying to stall.

“You killed Mesmer,” the figure replied, as if it wasn’t obvious enough.

“Yeah, and?” Solan started to get defensive. Who was this person and why did they seem so confused?

“And you shouldn’t have killed her.” The figure got closer, but Solan didn’t step back.

“See, that’s where you are wrong. You don’t need to kill me. Wait, are you a Renegade?” Solan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“No, are you?” The figure countered.

“Yes, no. Technically, yes. But also no. I’m an Anarchist double agent… Sort of.” Solan didn’t know why he was telling the shadowy person this, he just hoped talking would keep him alive.

“So you killed a fellow Anarchist. Tsk tsk. Respectable. But I still have to kill you.” The figure let the dagger fly, and since he was unprepared, it nailed Solan in the stomach. The figure cackled, then disappeared in a cloud of shadows. Solan let out a startled cry, brushing his fingers over the area where the dagger had hit him. Blood pooled at his fingertips, staining them red. Before he passed out from blood loss, though, he smiled. He would get to see Ren again, get to hold her close, promise to keep her safe. He would be able to be there for her, and her for him. He would die with a smile on his face, because he would be going home with the only person he ever got to know and love.

“I’m coming, Ren,” he whispered, then the world went dark.

Ren had heard the scream as she was gliding. Heard the hurt and anguish behind the volume. Shared the pain. Solan. Her Solan. Her hero. Her everything. She had been taken from him, and now he was taken from her.

“Solan,” she cried, her voice broken and hoarse. She continued gliding towards the park as fresh tears fell down her cheeks, collapsing on the cold, wet ground as soon as she stopped falling. She dismissed the parachute through her sobs, her salty tears spilling into her open mouth. She lay her head on the muddy ground, rocking on her side as she sang quietly. Broken lullabye after broken lullabye, until the sun started to rise and she knew she would need to leave. To run. To hide. So she could be away from everyone while she mourned and grieved. So she could be alone with nothing but her broken mind. No, her shattered mind. Except now it would be worse. Now her brokenness was from herself, not her mother. Her mother was dead. Now only Ren’s shell remained. Because as much as she hated to admit it, Stella really was Ren. Stella never left her, never stopped controlling her, at least not entirely. Ren felt empty without the little tether that she hadn’t noticed until it was gone. Like those sayings, “You never know how much you need something until it’s gone.” It was just the same with Solan. Now that he was gone, Ren finally realized how much she had loved him. It was always the little things, the things that shouldn’t have mattered, that now dented Ren’s mind the worst. She shouldn’t be broken. Shouldn’t be shattered. Shouldn’t be unfixable. But everything was supposed to go back to normal as soon as her mother died. Her mind was supposed to heal, she was supposed to be at peace, she was supposed to be happy. So why wasn’t she? Why wasn’t she fixed?

“Because there’s a piece of you missing.” Ren didn’t move from her spot on the ground. It wasn’t until the voice said, “You’re missing the thrill that comes with revenge,” that she realized it wasn’t in her head. She sat up slowly, meeting the smudgy figure in front of her, veiled by dark, inky shadows that wound around the body like arms or tentacles. As the sun rose higher and higher, the figure’s features grew clearer and clearer, save for their face, which was shrouded by a black mask.

“Who are you?” Ren asked, noticing the person’s long, black hair and tight, black outfit, which hugged all their curves.

“You can call me Nora.” The figure--Nora--tucked a dagger into her pocket, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She didn’t remove her mask.

“Do I know you?” Ren narrowed her eyes.

“No. Here, put this on.” Nora handed Ren a mask of glistening white and silver. Ren took it hesitantly, staring at it for a long moment before tying it around her head.

“Why are you here?” Ren asked, redoing the braid she had previously woven her hair into.

“I’m helping you.”

“Why?”

“Because you have been wronged. And because justice needs to be served.” Ren could hear the smile behind Nora’s words as she said, “A new age is coming. The age of the Eclipse!” She tilted her head up and cackled. Beautiful, glorious evil. Ren stared at the rising sun, her brow furrowed, confused. Then, like the sun before her, something clicked. The dawn of a new age, and a new Ren. A new Eclipse.

She tilted her own head up and cackled too.

The End