WARNING: There are major spoilers for Book 2 and the Star Child. You have been warned!
Although peace and cohabitation had been achieved, she could sense an underlying current...directed towards her. The Draconians had easily accepted the avatar's longevity because their own life spans were quite long as well, but the humans, who lived such brief lives...a mere fraction of their own...were quite divided. Some viewed her as a goddess, others believed her to be cursed, and then there were those that despised her, mistrust stemming from their own jealously.
The previous generations that had been directly brought to the city by the Star Child had already passed on, even their children and children's children, so the purity of the people's faith was beginning to wane. Every time she entered or traversed the city, they would whisper and she really wished that she didn't have a good sense of hearing and eyes sharper than a hawk's. The things they whispered about, the names they called her, the looks they gave her...it hurt.
Never before had she experienced anything like this. It was one thing to be bullied in school, it's school and is expected, but to have a similar phenomenon occurring within the city she had built with her own two hands, from the descendants of those that she had chosen to bring into the city...why? She had given them a home, a safe place to have a family, taught them more advanced skills, showed them how to operate and maintain the city's technology...so why?
Why was she being treated like an outcast, a freak of nature...like some vile and twisted monster? Then one day, a single random thought gave her the answer...she didn't age. Throughout the construction and colonization of Atlantis, her longevity had never been questioned because she had told them about, explaining the how and why, spending time with each individual personally so that they could better understand the kind of person she was, but as the demands of the population steadily increased, the less time she spent living and walking amongst them.
She was so busy trying to attend to their needs, to settle in properly, and smooth things over with between the two races inhabiting Atlantis...the workload was tremendous and she oftentimes wants days without food or sleep...before one of the Draconians chastised her for neglecting her health. The distance and time away from the people, this was the cause of this mess. Contrary to popular belief, she could not be in two places at the same, but by neglecting the interpersonal aspect of the equation, she caused this.
As more time passed, her treatment became worse. The children, who had once rushed to her and begging for her to tell them stories, kept their distance or ran away to hide. The merchants that she had worked tirelessly to create a system that was both profitable but affordable...most of them either ignored her presence or simply flat out refused to sell her their wares.
The artisans that she devoted an entire section for them to express their creativity and allow others to view or purchase their completed works...no longer was she depicted as a benevolent leader, but became something so much darker and more ominous. A group of them had created a fountain with her as the centerpiece, but at her feet were the decrepit and the elderly, the basin of the fountain depicted countless skeletons...like she was sucking the life out of them.
This creation really rattled her because it quite adamantly portrayed the effect of time, the people around her that had lived and aged and died right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop because she didn't know how. That was not what the people believed...they believed that she was deliberately keeping the secret of eternal youth and power all to herself and that the alien race known as the Draconians held the key to this supposed immortality.
The Star Child spent more and more time, simply wandering about the city. She didn't know what to do about this. If things kept going along this course, then the legend of Atlantis from the distant future would come to pass...Atlantis would fall. Decades passed and the few remnants that once admired and respected her were all dead. She was prohibited from entering any government building and the entire science divison as well.
She, politely, tried to explain that she had built this city with her own two hands, but they cut her off and said that just because she built the city, did not mean that she owned it. If she went against their edicts then she would be punished. She was stubborn and clever so she still managed to get inside, mainly to acquire what few belongings she had, but was caught leaving the area.
She was stripped of her belongings and her clothes then shackled in a cell, naked and cold. Once morning came, she was dragged through the city, still naked, and chained to a pole in one of the main plazas. The ruling officials proclaimed her so called crimes, exaggerating quite a bit, and she tried to defend herself, but her powers were quite weak because of her physical and emotional state.
In retribution for her crimes and speaking so belligerently to her betters, she was beaten and whipped...in full view of hundreds of people. No one moved, no one tried to help her...they all just stood there and watched as her naked body was battered and bruised, the lashes from the whip actually causing her to bleed. It was in this moment that something occurred to her and filled her heart with a terrible dread. Everyone that was watching...they were all human. There was not a single Draconian amongst them and she knew that they would never allow her to be subjected to something like this.
A single question burned in her mind...where were her friends, where were the Draconians that she loved so much? A scorching fury erupted from within her soul because her mind had just made the connection. She was banned from all government buildings and all of the science division which meant that the answer to her question lay within one of the labs. If they have done any harm to her family...her mind simply trailed off as she lost consciousness.
Artz: And...CUT! I know, I know...a bit shorter than my usual ones but I didn't want to get too graphic about her treatment, just sort of skimmed it. There will be a flushed out version in the actual book.
Anyways this is where the beginning of Shadow's origin starts...when she wakes up...then a series of events unfold and you'll soon understand why the First Captain is known as The Fallen One. *poofs away to find images for the article*
Okay, I lied...there is a lot more that happens to her but I'm trying to keep the darker and more sinister stuff to a minimum. I would hate to have to label my blog with an extreme mature content warning...that would suck. Anyways...up next is the First Captain's profile. Seeya! *poofs away again*
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