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Prologue

The beating had started as low thuds that could barely be heard above the other whirring and buzzing objects in the room. Huge bare windows from the high ceiling to the white marble floor allowed artificial light to stream into the hall. Where this light came from remained a mystery as looking out of the windows all that could be seen was the vast blackness of space and the tiny pinpricks of stars glittering in the distance.
The beating became louder and more insistent and Anona was forced to look up from the map she had been studying. Anona was a guardian of space and time, a Venia. Once she had been an average girl who had lived on earth, she had had a family, friends, and a life; but then this was taken from her quite suddenly when the war broke out.
Anona couldn't understand a star report was not due for another 400 years. She stood up from her stool and hurried towards the glass table in the centre of the room. Pulling her hair from her eyes she fingered the flashing case lightly. It stopped beating as she slowly opened the box, curious at what the star had to say.
The star shone bright nearly blinding her, she had almost forgotten how beautiful starlight was. Shielding her eyes with her hand she called in the case,
'Anona Otilie, Venia. You have an urgent message?'
She paused, waiting for the star to recognise her voice. The star dimmed and Anona stepped backwards steeling herself for what the star had to say.
'As urgent as they come,' the star gasped finally finding its voice, 'I saw it all.'
'Saw what?' Anona said sharply.
'Carcer,' the star replied shining brightly once again, a sign of fear, 'The fortifications have weakened and are soon to collapse.'
'What?!' She groaned inwardly. Carcer, a planet of death and destruction had been used as a prison for centuries. For a thousand years had passed since the Great War and Anona had tried to forget the troublesome past of the worlds.
Once a powerful star named Dagmar had seen how the human race on earth was thriving with glory and riches throughout the universe. Each night, humans would wish hate and greed upon her, she became a poisoned star but stars are pure and whole and Dagmar wasn't, so she fled to a world far away and recruited an army to seek revenge on the humans she despised so much. Dagmar returned centuries later with an army of creatures from all over the universe to rage war on earth and the people who had hurt her. Ludovic, her trusted friend was commander over earth. He created armies of non-humans patrolling the earth trying to prevent those he knew would try to overthrow his and Dagmar's rule. Many tried but failed to defeat the cruel rule but only one tried and succeeded. The Great Nebula. She created an army of her own, humans and non-humans alike fought side-by-side in the name of Nebula, the Queen of the Stars.
Nebula knew this war could never be won and so created the prison, Carcer, to contain Dagmar and Ludovic forever. She knew she would have to apply strong magic to the prison's defences and so a sacrifice would be required to obtain the needed stardust. As dawn approached, Nebula entered the earth's defences and battled in the sky. The human race in the peak of their suffering looked to the sky as stardust fell to earth like snowflakes. The invaders fled with their leaders trapped in prison. Humans and non-humans celebrated on earth, the stars froze in their positions in the sky and with Nebula gone they would remain frozen until she returned once again to liberate them.

She'd heard the story so many times but she had never expected this and she was sure Nebula hadn't counted on this happening either.
'Keep me informed every hour,' Anona said trying to keep calm.
'Of course,' the star sighed sounding weak, its light dimming quickly, 'and Anona,'
'Yes?'
'Look out of the windo'' The line went dead as the last of the starlight vanished.
Anona walked quickly towards one of the many windows and saw something that for the first time in centuries frightened her.

One by one the stars were going out.