July 4th, 2486 - Planet Bungirba, Raven’s Crater - Amami’s House

‘Rex, Lop, get inside now!’

The two children leapt up the steps, falling over each to get into their house. Amami held the door open for a few moments longer, watching the blue light flash once again, closer and louder now. Her large brown eyes glistened, reflecting the blue sparks which pulsed just down the road. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw them; Ichiro and Abiona, running down the street, their legs pumping as fast as physically possible.

‘Over here!’ Amami yelled, throwing the door open further.

They stumbled into the house, pausing in the kitchen to catch their breath.

‘What the hell is going on out there?’ Amami asked.

‘Someone’s … got a blaster weapon, or something … they’re blowing up the whole damn town!’ Abiona said between gulps of air.

‘That was no blaster’, Ichiro said, gasping.

‘Mom, what do we do?’ Rex asked, his ears quivering in terror.

‘Right, everyone upstairs—now!’ Amami insisted.

They followed her without a second thought, Amami taking her children to her bedroom, and Abiona and Ichiro hiding in the dusty guest room.

*

It became quiet outside—far too quiet. Abiona felt Ichiro’s shaky breath on the nape of her neck. She shivered, their body’s pressed against the fading cream-coloured wall beside the door. They stayed silent, not daring to make a move, listening to the drum-like beat of their hearts in their ears.

‘Do you think it’s over?’ Abiona asked, unable to take the tense atmosphere any longer.

As though it happened in direct response to her question, the floor suddenly caved in. Abiona shrieked, and she could have sworn she heard Ichiro yell, as the walls came down around them. She felt Ichiro’s hands on her shoulders, felt his chest rise and connect with her back, her bruise burning painfully, and then she was rolling, landing across from the old holographic television in the living room. She looked up, seeing Ichiro splayed out on the coffee table, groaning; he had broken her fall with his body.

Blazing blue light, so searing hot it pulsed white at its core, filled the room—the hooded woman stood in what little remained of the kitchen, her hand aflame. For a moment, Abiona thought she might have been seeing things, but then she became more sure of herself; a phantom-like creature circled the hooded woman, plodding heavily on powerful forearms. It appeared to be a gorilla, made entirely of pulsing blue light. Ichiro struggled to his feet and took a defensive stance, the muscles in his exposed arms growing taut.

‘Crush him, Hanno—bring me the girl’, the hooded figure commanded, and the Gorilla howled ferociously in response.

‘Run, Abiona!’ Ichiro wheezed.

That was when Abiona, staggering to her feet, noticed Amami and her children. They snuck towards the doorway, covered in dust, trying to escape before—a floorboard snapped under the girl’s foot. She froze up, her body becoming tense under her school uniform. The Gorilla turned and roared hideously at her.

‘No Hanno—the Humans, focus on the Humans!’ the hooded figured yelled, but the Gorilla had already leapt forward, towards the three Bungirbans who fled their crumbling home.

It was too late. The gorilla closed in, raising a fist and snarling. Abiona couldn’t watch. The gorilla screamed. It roared, stumbled about, and crashed into something. Abiona’s eyes were open in a flash.

‘Who in the name of Ulgara are you?’ the hooded figure asked, her mouth open in surprise.

The girl was unharmed. She stumbled, falling onto her backside and could only stare. A peculiar shadow knelt in the doorway. It rose, swaying slightly, as though unbalanced. Angora stepped into the light, golden hair shimmering in the moonlight.

‘Crush him, Hanno!’ the hooded figure roared, and the gorilla obeyed, lurching towards Angora and spraying a blue mist behind it.

Angora dodged the first strike, dropped and kicked, the Gorilla taking the brunt of the leg to its gut, which emitted a cloud of billowing blue smoke. It leapt back, swiping unpredictably with its’ fists, and Angora dodged them effortlessly, dropping below the last swipe and landing a second, bone-shattering kick, this time on the spectral creature’s skull. The gorilla roared, beating its chest and gnashing its teeth; the hooded figure roared a battle cry, urging the beast on, and it threw itself on Angora. Angora ducked and dodged, gritting his teeth and crouching in preparation to jump.

‘Your beast does not consider its actions’, Angora snarled, leaping up and drawing his right leg back. ‘That is why it is weak!’

For a split-second, it seemed that the leg was enveloped by a crackle of crimson lightening as it collided with the Gorilla’s face, an audible crack and eruption of blue smoke following in the kick’s wake. The hooded figure staggered back, tripping on debris, blood spurting from her nose. Whatever damage had been done to the gorilla, had been done to the hooded figure too. The hood fell away, revealing a young woman with long, messy charcoal-coloured hair, and angry eyes of flaming aquamarine, her brow trembling with fury. Blood dripped from her right nostril, staining an otherwise clear but ghostly pale face. The gorilla collapsed before her, shuddering and whining.

‘Get me out of here, Hanno!’ she yelled to the Gorilla. ‘This fight isn’t over, Bungirban!’

The spectral gorilla leapt up, scooped the young woman up into its arms, and before Angora could give chase, they were gone, disappearing into the night. Abiona stood, aching and speechless in the crumbling living room, attempting to process what had just happened.