"Man's fascination with space goes far back in time, probably farther than man's finding of fire as a starry sky was the only source of lumination in the nighttime."
"The stars, heavenly beings, although beings millions of light-years away, still shone like fireflies in the sky keeping us enamored with their beauty."
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"For man, the night sky is holy, a serene spot for a man to stare at and be alone with his thoughts, or for lovers to go and make promises of their future."
"It held that much of a sway in our minds.
Then we decided to venture into it, building our great machines to help propel us to the heavens, places that were once left only for wishes and rumored to be the lands of the gods had been conquered by mere mortals."
"One small step for Man, One giant leap for mankind."
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"It was a giant leap indeed, because soon after, the moon had been conquered, scouting drones had gone for the other planets. Man with glee, set up their biggest set of exploration yet.
You have colonized villages, cities, countries and continents.. now you've plan to colonize planets."
"How do you know so much about us?" I asked him, intrigued and yet confused about his words.
"For as you've watched the sky for so long, we've watched you back."
"We've seen your plots, seen your convictions, laughed at it, and suffered hardly for that mistake."
He looked at his planet, craters filled with smoke and so many bodies from the just concluded war.
"All you humans do is to kill and take, nearly draining your planet's resources, you've come in search of more... A cursed race.
"Your feelings of discontent mean little to me. They're just the ravings of a dying god."
I twisted my sword in his gut and he laughed loudly, although his face flinched in pain.
"You laugh to hide your pain?" I was amused by the bravado.
"I've hidden everything but my pain, yet this laughter is one of sheer amusement."
“How so?”
"Silly Human Champion, you first defeated Mercury, the land of the quick, their fiery climate burning your hands and feet but with your doggedness and determination you preserved."
"Next you went and massacred Venus, a peaceful planet that held no weapons nor had any warriors. That was a planet of retreat, a planet of love, a planet that was loved, by me especially.
Thus I swore to get my revenge."
"But you failed." I said again, tired of the long talks and amazed by the longevity of the fallen giant.
"Oh human champion, just like a stone, revenge can be passed on. My planet, the land of iron has considerably weakened your forces."
"You've inhaled my air, the poison is already in your systems, plenty of your men have and will soon die."
I looked on and saw that the men who were once lying down, resting from the battle, were no longer moving.
I felt the same though, no problems in my vitals, I looked through and saw that I was more or less unaffected.
"It's true that you are different. Infused with Earth's blood, you are truly her champion."
"Yet only you can't conquer a planet, moreover only you can't win who's coming here, no one can."
With a flash of thunder, a new being landed next to me and Mars.
Mars regarded him and smiled a bloodied, weak smile.
"I leave this champion to you, Jupiter." With that, he spoke no more.
I regarded my new enemy. Jupiter, also known as Jupiter Maximus.
The biggest planet, the strongest, the champion of the solar system.
He looked smaller than Mars, he hadn't spoken.
He looked around, taking note of the smoke and blood, the aftermath of a land ravaged by war.
He then looked at Mars body, still all color of red drained off as his life force faded, now just a large empty husk.
He then looked at me.
"So you're Earth's Champion. The human who did this"
I didn't reply. I couldn't reply, it felt less than a question and more than a threat.
Immediately, I put my guard up, I knew just from instinct, He was dangerous.
It wasn't a battle, couldn't even count for a massacre. One second I was thinking he was dangerous, the next, my neck was in hold, and my eyes going dark.
The last words that I remember were his..
"A quest to claim the stars? So meaningless. I'll show you the darkness of a night with no stars."
This is made in response to the June in Leo Monthly Prompt. Day 8
Unsourced Images were made using Meta Ai
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