Star Fall of the Gods: The Sharidian Saga, #1

By Fletcher Lakeside

A great conflict of light and dark shattered the sky's and rent the ground asunder this is known in history as the great cataclysm. Unknown to many it was the fall of a god known among his fellow deity's as the Starbreaker. Now fallen he emerges from his battle a thousand years later no longer a god but not completely mortal either, he must journey to reclaim what was taken from him.

 

With his powers stripped from him, he finds new strength in this worlds magic, along with many allies he finds on his journey, however all is not as it seems with this new world, it has many mysteries to uncover, revelations that may shake the very foundations of the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Flag Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215716373

Book preview

Prologue

Floating on the brink of a supernova a lone figure drifted as it watched the star collapse into itself. The cosmos sundered in that moment, falling inwards, creating a massive black hole. The gravitational pull was intense, slowing time, crushing atoms, nothing could escape its pull, that was aside from Starbreaker. He moved through it as if gravity did not even exist his power utterly negated the black holes gravity his gift was finally honed to a razors edge, he was approaching the boundary of the accretion disk, from his viewpoint he could see the waves of gravity rolling from the epicentre. Stoically he reached out his hands slowly, just touching the edge of the matter stream. In that moment he might have thought he was untouchable, the arrogance of a perfect being, a god, but it would not always be that way, for even gods can fall.

Unaware of what fate would befall him, Starbreaker brought all of his power to bear, his calm aura suddenly blazed like a raging volcano. He felt the realm of the infinite space beginning to buckle under the strain of his power. Quickly he moved, this time bracing himself as he drew his power into a single point. Starbreaker hit the black holes gravity well with everything he could muster. In a moment, a mere instance, he completely obliterated the gravity well and its surrounding phenomena.

The infinite vacuum of space was quiet once more, that was until from behind him an impossible, but clearly audible and sarcastic slow clap came. Starbreaker turned seeing his brother, and kindred god, Riastures Ri

Why are you here? Strabreaker asked among the clouds of interstellar dusts that swirled around him, shards of things that once were, and would be again.

Riastures gestured for Starbreaker to follow him, and side by side they moved towards infinite space

The elders have a job for us Riastures said unemotionally.

Without words, Starbreaker knew what they would ask of him. In a moment, space fluttered past the pair. Galaxies swirled by in a blur and Starbreaker could hear the star ahead pulsing unevenly as he flew through the universe. Riastures was on his heels, his Soul Brother, the God of Creation. The radiant stars glittered across the vastness of space like pinholes in the curtain of the universe.

Would you slow down, he heard in his mind, and so he slowed down to let Riastures catch up.

Sorry, Ri, but I’m looking forward to this, he said jubilantly.

Riastures seemed surprised at his good mood, You aren’t usually so excited, Starbreaker He said in a concerned tone, Has something happened?

Starbreaker smiled jovially, No, but this is the first time I get to experience a neutron star.

Riastures shook his head smiling inwardly, You really can be such a child sometimes, he teased.

Look, there it is! Starbreaker said.

As they entered the solar system, the neutron star was fluctuating out of control, its surface shaking violently. Riastures shrank back from the waves emanating from it, and they both floated there for a moment in the void of space.

Well, Brother, this is as close as I can get, so it’s up to you, he chuckled at Starbreaker, who was already charging ahead. Never mind, he thought as Starbreaker enveloped himself in his power of Cosmic Annihilation. It sparked, flowing around him like a wave of fire and lightning as he landed on the star’s surface. His power utterly negated the universal forces.

The star was still shuddering violently but calmed a little in his presence when he placed his hand on its surface.

"Riastures, I need you to make a Chrono Bubble around the star," he pulsed to his brother, who was already using his creational power to do just that.

It’s ready, Brother. You can let loose now.

Starbreaker took his hand from the star’s surface, wondering a moment about what could be causing such an intense starquake. He brought his hand down in a slicing motion, cutting the star cleanly in half and then stepped from the surface. Dropping down to its core, he examined it carefully. Riastures clicked his fingers, and the star’s pearlescent glow flared to life and blazed for a while as Starbreakers power moved through it, settling down the fractures in its crust. Then it settled, glowing brightly but no longer shuddering from the quakes that had plagued it.

That was interesting to look into, he said enthusiastically.

Riastures just shook his head. Your power is truly unmatched, my friend. No other god could do that, Riastures said, turning to Starbreaker, however, one day, Brother, there will come a time when strength is not enough.

Starbreaker raised an eyebrow at the assertion. Interesting choice of words, Ri.

Both were floating in the void. Well, we had better get back to Celestus, Starbreaker heard Riastures say when he unexpectedly noticed a planet in the distance.

You go on ahead, Brother. There is something I want to look at, he said, as his mind was suddenly drawn to the planet.

Alright, I will see you back there, then.

Starbreaker moved off quickly towards the planet. It was gargantuan – easily a thousandth of an astronomical unit around.

He beheld the beautiful planet in all its majesty. Its seas were a wondrous emerald-green, shimmering the way the golden walls of Celestus did. As he floated in orbit, he could see landmasses of many different colours and sizes scattered across it. Such a beautiful spectacle, he breathed softly to himself as he admired the supercontinents he saw. He descended slowly, seeing that civilisation was beginning to bud on the continent below. He smiled to himself. Truly beautiful, he thought.

He contemplated going to the surface when suddenly he was struck by something. Starbreaker turned to see a dark entity, the presence of which he had never seen or felt before. Cold, endless darkness loomed before him, and as the creature approached him, it tried to encompass his being by swallowing him up like the gaping black hole had done before, but this time the power was more than a match for him.

Bracing himself against the crushing force, he enveloped himself in his power of Cosmic Annihilation and tore his way free. However, the dark entity only seemed to come after him more intensely now that his powers were activated. The back and forth as they battled was cataclysmic. Sparks of light and dark smashed together, causing ripples in the universe as well as tears in the fabric of reality.

Again, the creature tried to encompass him – and again, Starbreaker fought his way free. Nevertheless, he could feel his strength being sapped and his spirit being worn down. He had never faced a foe this strong before. This cannot be, Starbreaker whispered to himself, of all the gods, he was the strongest. He was the God of Power itself. And yet this thing, this creature, this darkness, was his match.

This creature has the strength of an Elder God! And his realisation stunned him.

While Starbreaker was screaming in pain he felt his gift being drawn from him, sucked free like venom from a wound, the creature slammed Starbreaker with the very power he’d used himself and sent him plummeting into the planet at near light speed.

He hit the supercontinent with an earth-shattering force, causing it to separate into four shards. His Immense power permeated, corrupted, and decimated the planet as it blasted its way to the core along with Starbreaker, who was buried under miles of rock and dirt.

Barely alive, he tried to move after being hit, but his body wouldn’t respond. He tried again and again to move, and eventually, passed out from the exertion.

Upon waking, Starbreaker found his wounds were healed. Muttering to himself about being caught off guard, he got to his feet while trying to exert his power. It was no longer there! Panic welled up in him; anxiety flooded his mind. What has happened to me? Innumerable times, he tried calling forth his power, but it did not come. Hopelessness and panic inundated him.

Reaching up, he began to dig his way forward for what felt like an eternity until he finally broke the planet’s surface, not in the way he would have before, no godly sundering of the planet or very stars, no this time with dirtied nails and blistered fingertips.

Standing there and looking at the sky, he tried to fly, but it was futile. He took in his surroundings. A mountain was close by, and a forest. He started walking towards the mountain as it would give him a good vantage point for looking around.

There must be something around here, he said to himself as he walked down a forest path. He remembered seeing a civilisation when he was in orbit near the planet and wondered if he might see the lights of the city from the mountaintop. Evening approached and the forest’s gloom deepened as he walked towards the mountain, but pale moonlight lit the forest giving it a gentle, ethereal glow.

For the first time in his existence fatigue started to set in, but he kept on walking and eventually found a cave set into a large hill in the forest. Bone weary, he gathered some firewood and, sitting in the entrance, set the fire and warmed himself for a while. After adding enough fuel to it, he slept with his back to the cave wall.

When the sun’s morning rays lit the front of the cave, Starbreaker roused from his slumber slowly. As he headed out the cave’s entrance, a blade flew across his path. Still, his hand instantly snaked out and caught it mid-flight.

Hearing whispers from the bushes, he realised he was surrounded, so he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender and placed the knife on the floor.

Some soldiers came out of their hiding places, their bows drawn. Shining steel helmets and armour adorned them. One of them, a tall man wielding a huge blade, strode forward ahead of the others.

Placing the steel between him and Starbreaker, he spoke commandingly, You are trespassing in the King’s Forest. Perplexed, Starbreaker did not understand what he meant by king.

Do you understand what I’m saying, savage? The soldier interrogated him loudly and raised the weapon in his hands threateningly. Although he did not attack, his intention was clear.

Starbreaker turned to leave but was stopped by the others who blocked his path. Another stepped forward, You don’t get to leave! and they began to laugh.

We were sent here from Vali to hunt some Lycans, one of the others said. But you will do for sport, said another.

The leader shouted to the other soldiers, and they formed a fighting circle around him. The leader came running at him, weapon raised. Starbreaker easily dodged it and hammered his fist into his steel helmet like a hammer. The leader pitched backwards but managed to stay standing.

Pain shot through Starbreakers arm from the blow. He winced at the sensation, and a sudden rage welled up in him. His arm was suddenly ablaze with eldritch green fire.

Shocked by this, the soldiers backed up. He’s a bloody pyro! one of them shrieked in dismay, and the flow of battle changed instantly in Starbreakers favour. Keeping the momentum going, he dashed forward while reaching out. He grabbed one of the soldiers. His merest touch melted the soldier’s armour; his padded jacket caught fire; the flames blazed   hotter as Starbreakers rage intensified. The soldier began screaming for help from the others, who were too shocked to do anything. While screaming in pain, he burnt to ashes in the stranger’s hands.

The leader fell to the ground in fear of the pyromancer and frantically signalled to the others. As arrows rained from the sky, Starbreaker tried to reach cover, but three arrows pierced his leg. While using the fire,

He set fire to the forest around them to distract and disrupt the archers and ran for the deeper forest. He had to get away from these people who were trying to hurt him. He ran swiftly, but still, they tracked him. Their voices, along with the sound of arrows raining down around him, pursued him relentlessly.

As he did not understand his new power and had no control over it, he could not stop using it for a short while. However, at a certain point, the pursuit tapered off. Stopping briefly, he focused by taking a few long deep breaths to steady himself.

The forest’s gloom was now overwhelming; the moonlight couldn’t break through the thick canopy overhead. Like the blackness that had taken his powers, a small flame still flickered in his hand.

What a curious power! He had thought his powers had begun to return; however, this felt different. He felt drained from using it, not empowered as he used to from using his cosmic powers.

Fatigue washed over him as he scrambled to find a safe place. On hands and knees, he crawled.

He heard the soft footfalls of someone approaching him as he continued crawling forward until he passed out from exhaustion.

Chapter 1

Valketh heard the commotion along with the release of bowstrings and the shouts of the humans, and then a sudden, bright green fire erupted in the forest a mile from where he was. Valketh looked at the blaze, wondering what a pyromancer would be doing out in the middle of nowhere. That was the only explanation he could think of for the situation. Although pyromancers were an esoteric bunch, it was quite rare to see one unless you lived in the human capital.

Perhaps he could get this person to help him and his people escape from the human mercenaries hunting them. His ears pricked as he could hear the soldiers’ shouts more clearly now. Even though he was half a mile away, he loped along at a steady pace. He could also smell the scent of burning flesh. He clambered slowly down the forest’s mountainside edge with the wind cold and gentle on his face. The night was perfect for a scout like him. He looked down, watching the scene, his saucer blue eyes shimmering in the moonlight as the man ran from the soldiers.

Valketh smiled, This one’s a brave fool! He carefully tramped down further into the forest, a dangerous place. Thankfully the soldiers had now ceased their pursuit although the human was still running.

Knowing the dangers that awaited him, he thought that the stranger must not know about the things that happened in the Forest of Shades – strange hallucinations and things that were yet to happen could be experienced in this place. It was a true place of terror.

He saw the human collapse, watching as the fire from his hand sputtered into flickers of flame and went out. He was a novice, possibly, but from the size and power of his flames, he must be very talented. Only a pyromancer neophyte lets his power run him down to the passing out stage.

Although Valketh had never heard of green flames before, he had heard of orange and the vaunted red. He was definitely an odd sort, this one. What a curious being you are, he whispered to himself while musing about what this pyromancer would be like when he awoke. Valketh picked him up gently and carried him from the forest. He knew that the others would treat the human with apprehension on his return. But this one was a pyromancer, and they were an exception – feared and respected by all for wielding the flames of the soul.

He found them shelter in a nearby under-hill and watched over the human until dawn. However, he was still unconscious, so Valketh carried him back to his people’s camp. It took him only hours to traverse the mountainous forest, pounding out the miles at an incredible pace to find it. His brothers and sisters were also on the run from the mercenary soldiers.

As Valketh entered the camp, he could feel the nervous discontent of the others. J’aara, the camp leader, came out to meet him. He was a huge Lycan standing at over seven feet tall with thick charcoal grey fur, his body a wall of rippling muscle and fur. His eyes were a golden yellow that shimmered with feral ferocity. His jaw was filled with sharp, knife-length teeth that could snap a man in two with a single bite.

Looming over Valketh with a menacing presence, J’aara spoke angrily. Why have you brought a human here? His voice rumbled like an earthquake.

Valketh lowered his head, This one was also running from the soldiers.

J’aara snarled loudly at Valketh, who shrank back from his leader in fear but added, He has the wild power. The frightened Valketh yelped, He is a pyromancer!

Suddenly J’aara’s mood and demeanour changed to one of profound respect as pyromancers were beings of Wild Magic. J’aara knew they were to be feared and respected as forces of nature who took no sides but wandered the continent. See to his wounds! J’aara barked almost excitedly.

We will see his power once he wakes, J’aara promised forebodingly.

For the next two days, Valketh patiently tended the unconscious pyromancer until, on the third day, he awoke. Valketh had gone to get water to bathe him as he had started to make Valketh’s tent stink of human. When he returned, he found the human sitting upright on the pallet bed, looking around. He didn’t even flinch when seeing Valketh for the first time. Most humans panicked when they saw Lycans. This one, though, stared in curious wonderment at him almost as if he didn’t care what Valketh was or how he looked.

It’s rude to stare at others, Valketh snapped at him.

Awkwardly, the human stood up, still shaky as he got to his feet and walked over to Valketh, looking him over while he spoke, Who are you? And where am I?

The question hung in the air while Valketh considered such a peculiar query: "Who...?" What an interesting question, Valketh thought. Not What...? or Oh god! You are a monster! like other humans, but Who ...?

Valketh almost smiled. This one was clearly different from most humans, but then he was a pyromancer. He seemed fearless, and yet, there was an almost childlike inquisitiveness about him that made little to no sense. It was as if he’d been raised without other humans and their prejudices.

Valketh replied sharply, I think I should be asking you what you were doing out there in the forest?

A brief pause followed as the human seemed to ponder his words.

Trying to find my way, he responded warmly and, almost cheerfully, his hand brushed over Valketh’s arm. So where am I then? he inquired again in that warm tone.

You are in the camp of fugitive Lycanthropes who fled their home, Valketh explained in a sorrowful tone.

The human was seemingly puzzled by what Valketh had said and laid his hand on Valketh’s shoulder out of empathy. I, too, have no home, he consoled the Lycan.

The silent moment of empathy was broken by a blood-curdling howl that froze the day. In lumbered J’aara, standing at this full height and looming over both the human and Valketh, who shrank back in fear.

Still, with that inquisitive look on his face, the human stood to face the large creature. It bewildered Valketh that someone was so unafraid of them.

The human then shocked them by reaching out his hand and taking J’aara’s. Thank you for helping me, he said softly though his presence was so commanding that J’aara was unsure what to do initially.

He hesitated. You are not afraid of us? J’aara asked almost indignantly. His posture relaxed a little as the human looked at J’aara and smiled, You must be the leader here; truly, I am in your debt.

The human knelt, then rose swiftly. Valketh sat in awe of this human, wondering what he would say or do next.

Even though J’aara had relaxed, he still looked as if one wrong word would make him bite the human in half.

Why would I be afraid of you? the human retorted and then sat down on one of the rough-cut stools in the tent. If anything, you seem to be afraid of me. The reply was almost sorrowful in its tone, and J’aara sighed heavily; the weight of his responsibility as a leader was a heavy one.

It was humans that drove us from our home. J’aara looked at the human, studying his reaction, which was filled with an empathy J’aara had never seen before, at least not from a human’s eyes.

I’m sorry to hear that your home was taken from you, the human said and gestured to Valketh. I was telling him that I, too, have no home.

J’aara also motioned to the dazed Valketh. This one says you are a pyromancer, he rumbled smoothly. Again, the human looked at him quizzically.

I have no idea what that is, replied the human. J’aara looked at Valketh. A curious look came upon J’aara as quiet tension began to fill the room, and then suddenly, the human’s hand sparked to life with the eldritch green flame licking his hands.

Do you mean this? the human asked.

J’aara nodded slowly as he continued studying him. He sensed no ill will from this human; however, he had to know the truth of who he was, where he came from and what he was doing there. J’aara had many questions. Was it fate or mere luck they had encountered each another?

Then you will be put to trial, J’aara said commanded. Valketh came immediately to attention, but before he had a chance to protest, J’aara waved his hand. Do not speak, he warned pointing at Valketh.

The human saw the