Aliens from Arapholanx: The Burn of Magic

by Adam Sipperly

  Aliens from Arapholanx

  The Burn of Magic

  ADAM D. SIPPERLY

  Edited by Melina Wedin of Healthy Writer’s Life

  Cover Art by Jelena Gajic @coverbookdesigns

  Copyright © 2019 Adam D Sipperly

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1698579551

  ISBN-13: 978-1698579559

  DEDICATION

  To my golden-freckled inspiration, for never tiring of my constant outbursts and interruptions when a new idea, plotline, or character jumps into my mind. Your constant and honest feedback has helped shape this story into what it is. Thank you.

  0: Silent Sentinels

  Thousands of years ago when Ringet cast her veil of magic across the galaxy, every soul alive was meant to forget the great war that had raged for a hundred years. It had been her hope that with this act each planet would be given time to mature and prosper. She believed that only when the time was right would one step forward with magic as great as hers and be able to pull back this veil.

  What Ringet had failed to account for was the feelings of those who had helped to enact her plans. At the last moment of her great sacrifice, her most loyal advisors turned on her and cast their own veil of magic. They kept themselves safe from her actions and named themselves the Silent Sentinels. They tasked themselves with keeping the peace on each planet and guiding any who discovered magic.

  There were nine Sentinels in total, each taking responsibility for a planet. Zedican fled to Pluto, where he vowed to watch over the aliens living on the outermost edge of the galaxy. Sash took to Neptune, having always loved their vast oceans. Yurish settled on Uranus where he mostly kept to himself. Powiq claimed Saturn believing it was ripe with opportunity for magic to grow. Luan had always been intrigued by the advancements of Jupiter and quickly claimed them as her own. Tinup went to Mars where she ended up taking sides in an unnecessary war. Sardena went to Earth, watching over the primitive humans who had yet to feel magic. Murkit went to Venus where his pursuits were largely ignored in favor of the Spirit of Venus. Finally, Prolifica ended up on Mercury where he believed he could still make an impact despite the lack of intelligent life.

  Over the next two thousand years, these nine spent their time seeking out users of magic wherever they could. Almost daily a familiar tingle would race up one of their spines as one was born into the world with a grasp of magic. These feelings never lasted long, the magic slipping from the newborns before they were old enough to truly understand or cultivate their powers. But every now and then, there was a tingle that just wouldn’t quit. Like a moth to a flame, the Sentinels would begin the trek across their individual planet, seeking the source.

  The first, Varoot, had been found by Sash. The magic in Varoot had been so great that even on Mercury, Prolifica felt the tingle. But with that power came great pride and arrogance. Varoot’s ego was only further stroked as Sardena, Luan, and Tinup all left their planets to aid in his training. But for all his arrogance and pride, Varoot was still young and naïve. This ultimately led to his death which left Sash destroyed to the point that she vowed to never train another.

  After Varoot’s death, there were twenty others who showed enough potential for the Sentinels to seek out. Each of these prospects a failure in their own way. Twelve of them turned on the Sentinels, choosing instead to go their own way. Of these, five were hunted down and killed without mercy while the remaining seven were cunning enough to escape. Five others ignored the offers of training, opting instead to ask the Sentinels for help with suppressing the magic within them. While each Sentinel took these as a failure, there were three who stood out as the greatest failures of them all. These three showed great potentials, but in the end, lacked the necessary control. It was through their actions that many innocent lives were taken along with the lives of three Sentinels.

  Leaving these failures behind, the remaining Sentinels retreated. The realization that the lives of mortals were not theirs to interfere with had come at a great cost. So, they took a new vow that they would retreat to their own hiding places and let the galaxy wake itself. However, this would prove to be their greatest mistake as the following years would see the rise of power and destruction the likes of which none of them could have predicted.

  Time flew by as the Sentinels remained in hiding. While most chose to live their lives in isolation and ignore the turnings of the universe around them, Sardena could not. She kept tabs on the galaxy, watching as events unfolded in ways she had never predicted. She saw King Olken of Pluto discover the means to remove the veil. She watched in anticipation as he pulled his closest allies together to wake the rest of the galaxy. With great sadness she watched him pass from this world, leaving the throne to his son.

  Prince Flaca, now King, had great potential for magic, power, and leadership within him. Sardena continued to watch silently as he gained more power on Pluto. She held true to her vow for as long as she could; only stepping in when King Flaca took Neptune with much bloodshed. But by then, it was too late. Each attempt she made to turn the tides of the war raging on Neptune was thwarted and only caused greater misery. Within a few short years, the great oceans of Neptune were stained red with blood and would remain so for many more to come.

  With King Flaca’s invasion over, an abnormal peace settled over Neptune. Sardena, ashamed at how terribly she had failed, sat and watched as the King continued on to Uranus. Maybe there is hope, after all, she thought to herself as she watched the King change tactics. It appeared he had learned from his failures on Neptune and was no longer relying on blood fueled rage, but instead on silent infiltrations.

  The following years were not filled with raging war as Sardena had predicted, yet each planet still fell to Flaca. Sardena watched and waited for her brothers and sisters to act in defense of their own planets but none did. It would be this refusal to act would ultimately lead to their undoing.

  ◆◆◆

  I: Leaving Earth

  Earth was abuzz with equal parts excitement, fear, and disbelief. The news of Patrick’s exploits with the aliens had traveled far and fast. When he emerged from their underground hideout many months prior, his story raced across the planet like wildfire. It was the scientific breakthrough of the century, not only did alien life exist, but they had brought magic with them to Earth. During the first month or so, Patrick’s hometown had been a zoo for reporters, scientists, and conspiracy theorists.

  But the allure and excitement died out as the next big story broke in the news. An Italian scientist claimed to have developed true Artificial Intelligence, capable of predicting future events. That story held people’s attention for a few months until NASA published a piece on remnants of a black hole discovered near Mars. The world was captivated for a few months yet again until the focus switched back to Patrick. Word traveled fast, his army was finally gearing up to leave Earth. And that made his story headline-worthy again.

  ◆◆◆

  Patrick sat in his childhood home, feeling the same mixture of emotions bubbling inside of him that spread across the globe. Within the next hour, he was to be one of the first humans to leave Earth on a manned mission to Venus. He was alone, a very rare thing for him these days with all of the activity that had filled his life over the past several months. He hardly had time to rest as his days were filled with countless hours of training, strategizing and running countless drills. But all of that hard work was finally paying off.

  He was desperately trying to enjoy his last few moments at home in peace. He sat on his bed, mindlessly flipping through TV channels, all of which seemed adamant in reminding him of the task that lay before him. With each click o
f the remote, he was brought to another news story, conspiracy theory, or talk show that was focused on his discovery and mission. There were even a few scripted programs now that he found mildly entertaining. One was a drama about an alien that looked eerily like Flupotia falling in love with a human who Patrick was sure was meant to be him. There was a comedy about Martians trying to fit in at boarding school, and another following the antics of a Fireman and Iceman living together in New York City.

  “Patrick?” Bonnie poked her head into his bedroom, “There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  The house isn’t that big, he thought to himself as he flicked his gaze to meet hers. “You should have some peace and quiet around here soon.”

  Patrick nodded to the TV which had landed on a live news program currently recording in front of his home. As his mother looked at the TV and let out a deep sigh he took a moment to admire her. The past year had been harder on her than anyone else, and it was starting to show. Despite keeping a brave face and calm demeanor, Patrick could see the cracks starting to form. She walked with heavier steps, sighed deeper, and was constantly pacing. Patrick’s heart dropped as he realized, we will be entirely different people the next time I see you.

  “I’d like to talk to you before you leave.”

  “Mom,” Patrick sighed knowing where she was going already. “You know you can’t convince me to stay. My mind was made up months ago. I’m going.”

  “I know, I know.” She stared down at her feet and held her hands up to her chest, palms facing him in defeat. “But can you blame a mother for worrying? No matter where you end up or who you become, I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm.”

  “I get it, Mom, I do. But I need to see this through. You and Dad taught me to never give up no matter how impossible the task at hand may seem.” He kept a straight face, staring her dead in the eye.

  “It’s just…” she fell into his desk chair and quickly covered her face with both hands.

  “Mom…” Patrick jumped from his bed and hurried across the room to embrace her.

  “You know, it’s hard enough having Jacob out in the world, doing who knows what? We haven’t heard from him in over two years now!” She looked up at him, her eyes red and her face blotchy. “And now you’re going out into space of all things!”

  Patrick choked on his words, knowing he would never find the right combination to calm her. He looked up as his father walked into the room. Gerald had accepted their new reality much faster than Bonnie. That wasn’t to say he too had aged significantly. Given the amount of time he had spent as a prisoner to the aliens and the long road to recovery, he had earned the grey hairs he now sported.

  “Patrick,” Gerald assessed the scene before continuing, “Flupotia is here. Says everyone is all set up and ready to get going.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” His eyes were wide with relief as he held steady eye contact with Gerald. “Mom, it’s time for me to go.”

  “Why is it, my son?! Can’t someone else be responsible for this?” The tears came flowing out. “And where is the military in all this? No support from them!” She threw her hands up in the air. “No, let’s just send some teenager into space instead!”

  “Honey,” Gerald stepped between her and Patrick, “he’s our son, not just some teenager. That alone should tell you he’s the best person for the job.” He pulled Patrick close, surrounding both in a giant bear hug. “We’re not going to change his mind. We have to let him go.”

  Patrick did not want to be the first to break from the warmth of their embrace. He took a deep breath in, trying to remember their smell for the days to come. His father had an oaky vanilla smell, with just a hint of smoke from the cigars he occasionally indulged in. His mother smelled of freshly baked peach cobbler, the perfect contrast to Gerald.

  Feeling his own eyes start to water, Patrick pushed away from his parents and said his final goodbyes. He took one last look around his room, his eyes settling on a sheet of paper taped to the wall above his desk. He pulled the paper from the wall, told his parents he loved them and left. It was not easy for him to leave, the stone sitting in his stomach weighing him down heavily. But his sense of duty, not only to his family but to the entire galaxy helped carry him down the stairs and out the front door. He heard the latch click as the door shut behind him, we’ll all be back together again soon, I won’t be gone more than a few months.

  Flupotia turned from where she sat on the front steps, the barrage of photographers not bothering her in the slightest.

  Patrick stared at her for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. It was strange, thinking back to where this had all begun almost a year ago when he had accidentally discovered a secret alien base hidden in the woods. He had been held captive for a short while before Flupotia went against her own and helped him escape. Time and time again she pushed him forward on the quest he was now on, proving herself a true warrior and force to be reckoned with. Despite all of this, Patrick still believed on some level that she was only using him to further her own agenda.

  She was now the face of the alien rebellion on Earth, fighting against their King who was looking to rule over the entire galaxy. Despite the fact that she may have been using him, Patrick didn’t mind it in the slightest. Flupotia had a hold over him that he couldn’t quite explain. Marching into battle by her side, he felt like he had found his place.

  “What have you got there?” She nodded at the sheet of paper in his hand.

  He laughed as he looked down at the paper and read the title to her. “Patrick’s ten-year plan.”

  “Oh! Let me see!”

  She reached for the paper and he quickly recoiled. She scowled at him in return.

  “Not much use in that, is there?” He crumpled the paper up as he walked across the porch, tossing it in the open garbage bin that sat in the driveway.

  “There’s always the after you know.”

  “Maybe, but for now this is my plan.”

  “And your plan for after?”

  “I haven’t gotten that far.”

  “Then maybe you should keep that one?” She nodded at the garbage bin.

  “No,” he shook his head, “it was written in pen.”

  She scrunched her face up and tilted her head slightly before responding. “And why does that matter?”

  “It’s always good to have a plan, just make sure you write it in pencil.” He smiled coyly and winked at her.

  She contemplated his words for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

  “Ready to go then?”

  “Only if we’re flying?” Patrick grinned, always eager to use their transformation powers.

  “Is there any other way?” Flupotia winked as she jumped from the porch.

  The reporters all jumped back from where she landed. She smiled up at Patrick and closed her eyes. Patrick watched for a few moments, the transformation process still as captivating as ever. Her red hair was the first to go as if a spool inside her head was winding it up. In its place, bright red feathers began to sprout and spread across her body. Her body began to shrink rapidly and her arms bent at odd angles, a membrane stretching from her wrists down to her waist. Her face contorted last, her mouth and nose melding into one as a bright orange beak sprouted out in their place. Where Flupotia had stood as an alien just seconds ago was now a beautiful red bird. Patrick jumped from the porch to her side where he allowed his own body to undergo a similar transformation, turning into a bird of cobalt blue.

  I love this power. Patrick thought of the magical orb, tucked safely away on his ship. It was locked inside a box hidden in a trunk of clothing, tightly packed away in the back of a shipping container. The orb had been the Pluto King’s plan for gaining control of the galaxy. Up until Patrick had managed to steal it from the aliens, they had been using its magic to harvest the DNA of thousands of different creatures from each planet. They were then able to use the magic of the orb to transform themselves into any
of those creatures. That is until Patrick overcame great obstacles to claim this power as his own. At that moment, the power was ripped from the King and his soldiers like a deeply rooted tree. Those closest to the King lost their powers first while those further away maintained control for a short while. Eventually, all had lost it.

  Thanks to the efforts of the aliens, there were now near-unlimited creatures in the orb for Patrick to call on. There was no denying his favorite ones always had a means of flying. There was something thrilling about it; soaring high above the Earth without a care in the world.

  The pair flapped their wings swiftly, kicking up a small dust cloud around them as they took flight. They rose quickly, the town shrinking beneath them until his home was just a spec. They took off for the forest, the views never ceasing to steal their breath away. Both of them knew the quickest path from Patrick’s home to the base in the woods, but they also knew it may be some time before they were free to fly like this again. While space travel sounded thrilling to Patrick, he knew it meant confined and cramped quarters. So they took the long way circling around the base to fly deep into the woods. It was a moment of joy for them both, one neither wanted to have ended but both knew it must.

  With a sharp turn and a dive, they headed back through the woods to their makeshift base. Despite the dense foliage that surrounded the base, reporters had made the trek through the woods and surrounded them a hundred feet deep in every direction. Some had even gone so far as to set up little campsites, taking turns to watch and capture anything new and exciting.

  To be fair, it was quite a sight. There were dozens of aliens with fuchsia-colored skin, Martians of burnt orange and little men of fire and ice running around the camp. As Patrick and Flupotia made their descent, they began to transform several feet above the ground. Months ago, neither would have attempted something like this. But with the plethora of training they had gone through, they could now control the transformation in ways they had never imagined.