-- Aster 9 days ago --

"Ok, this has to be a trap." Looking through the collections website, I found a detailed map of the entire compound. It even had conveniently marked locations for each item , the ax was labeled 23 and the gun was labeled 37. I think this was a map for all the tourists when they visit. 'At least I have a map of the house. Whether or not they were in the same place we would find out.'

Then I read the bottom of the map:

Security provided by the Masked Owl Guild.

'Welp, that confirms it. The house is some kind of elaborate trap.' I hung my head. I don't know what that guild's issue is with ours but they were responsible for taking down almost all of the shadows before they even hit rank 4. Let alone rank 10 when the bounties are removed. This was probably a guild member's house or something.

'I'm still going to have to break in. Unless...no I don't even know where to find a dragon, or some old people. I've been in the city for almost 2 years and I don't think I've seen a single person sporting grey hair on the streets.'

At this point, I started to just stomp around the room going back and forth talking to myself. "This is 100% a trap. I know it is, it's probably some elaborate ploy to easily capture aspiring rogues or something, and if I actually attempt this then I'm probably going to die." I kept shaking my head. "No can't think like that. Maybe if I put a plan together...it would probably backfire like crazy. I mean if this stuff is so valuable how is it still there?"

"Fuckkk!!!" I wanted to bang my head on the table. *Bang* "I am so fucked."

My head pressed against the wood surface, I tried to get a hold of myself. "You know what. I have..." I looked at the clock on the wall finding it was 3 am. "2 days...if I sleep. So I will sleep, use the map and hope the items are in the same spots as the website. Should I wait for night?" I shook my head. "No going to have to do it as soon as possible. Even then I'll have almost no time for trying my idea."

Time, it all boiled down to time, and I had so little of it left. The air just fell out of me as I fell back into the chair. 'I'm going to die,' I began to laugh a little crazily before letting out a big breath deflating just letting myself slide down to the floor.

I laid down on the ground just staring at the bottom of the table. It was surprisingly clean, I was expecting some gum or carving, but it was immaculate.

"Fuck it. If I'm going out it's going to be interesting at the very least." I pulled myself up and made my way home to get some sleep.

The next day I found myself buying cookies from a shop right around the corner of the compound. I couldn't quite bring myself to even look at the place yet. I was terrified. My hands were shaking the entire time I was buying cookies, to the point I was surprised they didn't crumble.

'Come on Aster just take a look, you can chicken out after.' I took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie in an attempt to calm myself. The pastries were helping to give me something else to focus on, before I knew it I had walked to the gates.

My first thought seeing the entire thing was that the pictures didn't do it justice. The place was enormous, the lawn itself had to be at least 10 acres of perfectly manicured grass, a hedge maze, a massive greenhouse, and the house itself was huge. I never realized how big 30000 square feet was until now. That wasn't even mentioning the 20 foot high wrought iron spiked gates surrounding the entire thing.

Then I saw the glimmer, it was small at first easily dismissed in the daylight, but I saw it. I knew exactly what it meant, it was too bright for me to see what exactly it was, but it was something invisible. Something that was probably going to be a problem.

Then there were the guards, although I was surprised by how few of them there were, especially for a property this size. I had only counted 8 on the outside and was sure there was more, but it just felt like there should be more. 'At least they look bored.'

I took the last bite of the cookies I bought, and found myself just standing outside the front gate. 'It's official. I have no clue what I'm doing.' Even with all my training, I had no idea how to do something like this during the day.

I was just standing looking toward the mansion, trying to figure out how to even get on the property. "Fine, I'll admit it. I'm not as smart as I think I am."

I don't know what I was thinking, coming here without a plan, thinking I would just wing a high-security break-in I didn't have a chance.

I froze, my mind locking in on something.

I focused my will pulling on my well of power focusing on a gamble, and I spoke. "I need a CHANCE" I felt the energy flow into the word. I didn't know what would happen when I spoke it but I knew it was my only shot. I felt a strange pull to look at the entrance.

"Oh look, the gate is open."

I moved through the gate. It felt right, whatever I had done was pulling me toward the mansion. I didn't know how long it would last, I could sense the power draining becoming fainter as I walked.

I had the sudden urge to put my mask on so I did, but that didn't feel like enough. I began to push my senses out grabbing onto the surrounding lights and shadows. Once I had a firm grip, I pulled.

The grass and ground ahead of me became flat like a cartoon, as shadows began to pool in my palms. Always it was the cool shadows that gathered first, followed by the warm lights. It was a strange dichotomy of hot and cold, a swirling nebula held in the palm of my hands.

I lifted my hands pouring the night over my face, letting it cover me. I felt a tug telling me I needed more. I walked and gathered as much starlight as I could until my entire body was covered.

I bet I look like a living galaxy' I giggled at the strange sensation of a universe covering my body. When I looked down I could see the universe flowing all around me. I could see nebula's, pulsars, black holes, entire galaxies spawned and living. It felt right.

I was almost at the front door when I began to wonder why no one has stopped me. I hadn't even seen any of the guards who were patrolling. It was broad daylight and there was no cover to even remotely obscure me.

'This is weird.' I would say it was suspicious, but my skill was still pulling me forward and I was wondering if I was somehow doing this. 'How can a skill do something like this?'

Just before I reached the door, one of the patrolling guards spotted me, ran up with his hand on his sword hilt.

"Halt."

He was a tall and imposing man wearing a clean pressed black semi-formal outfit with the word Security pressed on the back. The outfit looked both stylish and functional, looking to stretch in all the right areas, being the perfect outfit to fight.

Seeing the man tell me to stop, I looked at him curiously, and stopped. I patiently waited for him to reach me. Seeing this the guard became hesitant, 'I don't think he expected me to listen, and it's throwing him off.'

"Yes?" I asked once the man reached me.

That just appeared to confuse him more as he hesitated to say "Sorry but this is private property."

"I know," I said with confidence.

"Then you know you can't be here?" He asked.

"Why?"

The man froze. I think I shorted out his brain. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, especially seeing the gears slowly turning in the guard's head as he asked. "Were you invited or something?"

Hey, that's a great excuse. "Yes."

The man let out a relieved sigh, "Okay, give me one moment to confirm."

"Alright," I said calmly. This was going well. Of course, it was then that I felt the power guiding me and helping keep me calm finally cut off.

Before the man could do anything I asked. "Is there a place I can sit and wait?" I barely kept the shaking out of my voice.

"Sure there is a bench right there." The guard pointed to a bench next to the entrance to the mansion.

"Thank you," I said and walked over to the bench.

"Your welcome." The guard then seemed to realize I was covered in darkness. "Can you please bring your...starlight down?" He asked gesturing to my body.

I laughed looking down at myself like I had forgotten. "Sure. I'll just let it fall away." Stars started to race across my body until they slowed and set back into a night sky. There was no way I was going to bring the shadows down.

The guard looked confused as he asked, "Are you going to take it down?"

"Is it not down?" I asked in the most confused voice I could muster.

"It's not." He stated.

"OH COME ON," I said frustratingly. "It's a new ability, I'm still figuring out the blighted thing, and let me tell you it's a pain in the ass. I burned myself earlier if you can believe it." I threw up my hands. "On my own rotten ability to!"

The guard gave me a look that said he'd been there before.

I let out a long sigh. "Can you just let him know starlight is here?" I said the first name that popped into my head.

"Yeah once sec." The guard looked all ready to pass me off to someone else, as he lifted his communication device. "Sir I have a starlight to see you."

After a moment of silence, an annoyed gruff voice spoke. "I didn't order a stripper."

"They say they were invited." The guard smiled at me.

"Who invited someone named starlight?"

The guard looked at me and asked "Excuse me, who invited you?"

"Richard, sorry he didn't give me the last name. If this is a prank of some sort. I can just go. I don't need any more problems." I said already planning an escape. I mean what was I thinking just walking up to the door.

"They say Richard did."

"Richard is on break, let me run over and ask him."

"Sorry, about all this," I said. I stayed calm on the outside but I was completely freaking out. 'How the fuck was there a Richard here?' I pulled the name out of my ass. I had bought myself some time but not a lot. I had maybe a minute or 2 before they find out I'm lying.

I was looking for something, anything, some type of distraction. They're on the far end of the building was a large fat cat walking on the edge of the roof, next to a fountain.

I gathered my will and pushed as hard as I could. I knew how hard it was for a cat to lose balance. "FALL" the word cascaded out, causing the cat to miss a step and overcorrect itself. It felt the unnatural energy causing it to stumble and let out a massive yowl as it fell into the water. It hissed and spit yelling the entire time, before running off.

The guard jumped turning towards the noise, but by that time the cat had runoff. "What was that?"

"I don't know." I tilted my head, "But kinda looked like a person running."

He looked at me doubtfully.

I added a little bit of energy into my next words. "I'm not LYING."

It must have worked because his next words were. "Stay there." As he disappeared behind the corner.

Left alone I stood and opened the front door.