“A dimensional dislocation was detected in Uninhabited World #104.”

“Dispatch mages.”

Part 1: Darkness

Obsidian hair reaching the small of the back framed her face as she stood in the canopy, watching the mages scurry around in the forest. Wary purple eyes took in the scurrying mages in gray; instinctively, she knew she should avoid them. Light appeared in again on the forest floor and more mages rose out of the blue spell.

Her dark purple armor allowed her to blend into the shadows and dappled sunlight. As she leaned back against the trunk, she held an item up to her face. It was a small shard of glass framed in some gold material that she had been holding. Dark patterns swirled on the surface, with a single white speck amidst the black depths in the mirror.

She searched the reflection in the mirror for a clue to who she was, but then a crash from below distracted her and gave her a start. It was the uniformed mages drawing nearer and nearer. Knowing it was time to leave, she slipped the half mirror into her armor and jumped off the high branch, landing silently in midair on a spinning hexagonal platform. Creating a glowing staircase to the ground behind the mages, she took off running into the forest.

Running quickly and stealthily on her toes, she darted between and behind trees, always moving. Finally stopping behind a large bush, she relaxed as she regained her breath.

When she felt she was ready, she put a hand on the ground and concentrated. She remembered the distribution of energy, the spinning runes on the ground, the purpose of the magic.

The half-mirror glowed in her chest.

A circle expanded from the tips of her fingers, glowing purple. A thinner line expanded right behind it and runes were engraved into the air with light. As the circle was completed, it began to spin slowly.

The girl put her other hand on the ground and in the circle. “Transport,” she said. Purple light covered her and for a moment everything was silent.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself sitting in a tall tree overlooking a lake.

Sighing, she rested her head on her knees. She could not remember who she is. Where is she? What was she here for?

She could only remember the magic, and another person, a girl.

Vaguely, in her mind, she could picture her. Her short hair was white and her eyes were a shade of gold, like pure amber.

The black haired girl shook her head. Why did she remember another girl instead of herself? She couldn’t remember anything else about her either, except her appearance. Lips pursing, she pushed the image aside; she needed to figure out who she was first.

Getting to her feet, she jumped off the side of the tree. Freefalling for a split second, she landed on her hexagonal platform and leapt to another, alternating as she descended.

Stepping onto the leafy forest floor, she made her way out of the jungle and onto the shore of the lake, weaving around brambles and under low hanging vines as she went.

Cupping a handful of water, she sipped it, tasting the cool water running down her throat. As the ripples dissipated, she looked at her reflection, trying to find recognition in her features. She saw her own eyes, a deep purple color. Although she didn’t have time to examine her outfit in detail before, she did so now.

A sudden chill fell over her. Looking up, she saw nothing; the sun was bright and not a cloud in sight. She wasn’t in the shadow of a tree either. She tensed, feeling danger; her senses strained and alert.

Instinct made her spin around. There was a rustle of brush and two crimson eyes peered out of the shadows of the jungle. A low growl made the air vibrate. A huge paw broke through the undergrowth with a crack as branches snapped under the weight.

A massive head bigger than her entire body emerged next; jagged lightning stripes lining the face and fur of the cat. Two fangs curved from the mouth of the tiger and as it curled its lips to snarl, it revealed a row of needle-sharp teeth.

The girl lifted her hands at the tiger.

Without warning, the calm, calculating strides of the cat exploded into a sprint. Jumping to the side and then leaping at the girl, the tiger’s jaw snapped open in a roar.

The girl’s eyes narrowed and her mouth opened in a chant.

“Begone from the light, hand of death;

Hide in the dark; the clock strikes twelve.

Smash and crush!”

The tiger’s claws sliced through the girl and smashed into the water behind her. The girl wavered and faded in purple wisps. The tiger quickly backed out of the water and tasted the air; ears flicking as it tried to locate its prey.

What it saw as it turned around made it lurch backwards, but it was too late.

The girl was already next to its head. Skidding to a stop, she swung her arm.

Spinning hexagon encircled her fist and those same knuckles plowed forward into the tiger’s head. The impact blew the giant cat backwards into the water and the air surged in a ring around her hand.

The tiger’s head broke the surface with a shower of red amidst the clear water, nose spilling blood. Shaking its head, it slowly paddled toward the shore. As it reached land, it fell limply to its side, dazed.

Without a second look behind her at the animal, the girl turned and walked back into the forest.

Part 2: Light

The white-haired girl’s eyes cracked open slightly, mind fuzzy with sleep. Sitting up, she looked around. She was alone in a dark alleyway, sitting against a red brick wall.

Yawning, she braced himself against the rough red wall and stood up. A loud hiss made her look up, and she came face to face with a small rough cat, brown fur matted and spiky. The cat’s yellow eyes looked into her golden eyes and its fur raised, back arched. Jumping off the trash can, it landed smoothly on the dusty floor, graceful feline movements unmarred by the pathetic state it was in.

“Hello,” she murmured, her voice soft, barely distinguished from a breath.

The cat looked up at the young girl and crept closer, allowing the girl a single light touch before drawing away and sprinting out of the alley.

Sighing, she looked around. She didn’t remember being here before. But then, she didn’t remember much of anything.

Pushing a stray strand of hair that was just barely long enough to obscure her eyes aside, she walked out of the shadowed alley and into the moonlight bleached streets.

Part 3: Obliteration

Nothing was left of the planet. No ice, no rocks. The planet simply vanished and the red star that was the sun is alone in space, alone in its orbit through the galaxy.

Before the tear, the planet was a frozen wasteland, nothing but ice and snow, a place too barren for living creatures.

The winds were so powerful they could carve out patterns in the ground. Water, when present, gathered in small pools before the next blizzard locked it in place. In this white wasteland, storms were commonplace.

On rare occasions, this stark planet would experience a warmer day; the snow would melt, exposing a glinting reflection brighter than the ice it was locked in. The ice reflected the dull red sun with crystal clarity, the only red in the sea of white.

On one such day, a second light appeared in the sky.

Beyond the atmosphere, a streak shone brightly against the dark backdrop of empty space. The comet flew past the sun, leaving behind a glittering trail of gas and stardust. It zoomed past the red star, continuing its way toward the empty, icy planet.

The falling star blazed toward the surface of the wasteland. It burned with an iridescent light as it sped toward the earth through the sparse, thin atmosphere. A tail trailed the meteor, flames, and heat distorting the air around it as it flew.

At last, the meteor reached the ground, and the world was silent.

An instant before the boulder struck the earth, a series of glowing hexagons stacked up between the meteor and the ground. The meteor crashed into it and stopped for a brief moment.

Without warning, the magical shields shattered and the meteor crashed into the ground through the layers.

A shockwave blew out from the impact, scattering the melting snow in a wide circle. The heat melted the ice instantly, leaving a hole of water and dirt. The rock itself smashed a deep crater, a deep, dirty hole that billowed smoke and flying rocks.

Amid the explosion, there was a very small sound; a sharp crack.

The smoke rushed into the air and covered the sun. It billowed outwards and spread across the land.

It all disappeared in a flash as a purple and golden wave of magic burst from the crater and the air cleared. It was as if nothing happened.

Two glowing objects rested in the crater; one of them purple and the other gold. They moved closer to each other for an instant and their auras merged, an instant before everything disappeared in a resonating thunderclap that was inaudible in the emptiness of space.

Nothing was left of the planet. No ice, no rocks. The planet simply vanished and the red star that was the sun is alone in space, alone in its orbit through the galaxy.