Minato's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

Minato turned the sphere over in his hands. The glowing lines shifted under his fingers, but nothing gave. He pushed at the seams. He pressed the star at its center. It stayed shut, warm and whole. Six years of searching, and the answer sat locked in his palm. He let out a slow breath and slid the sphere into his pocket. He would carry it until he learned its secret. The small pink creature watched him from the clearing. Its dark eyes held him for a moment. Then it turned and floated toward the trees. Minato left the dirt bike where it lay and followed on foot. The creature moved slower now, as if it wanted him near. He kept close. His boots crunched over dead leaves. The forest thinned, and the ground sloped down. The creature stopped and looked up. Minato followed its gaze. High above the trees, a light drifted. It was pale and cold, brighter than any star. It grew larger as it fell. Not a star. Something moving toward them. Minato saw its shape now. A body like a hard yellow star, five sharp points, tipped with dark spikes. It cut through the air and dove straight at him. He froze. His legs would not move. The thing screamed as it came. The pink creature moved first. It shot in front of Minato and puffed itself round and wide. The star-shaped enemy struck it head-on. The blow knocked the creature back into Minato's chest, but it held. It bounced the attacker off and sent it tumbling into a tree trunk. Bark split. The enemy shook itself and hissed. Minato hit the dirt with the creature on top of him. It rolled off and planted its crimson feet between him and the enemy. It spread its stubby arms wide. It did not run. It stood its ground for him, a stranger it had led into the woods. The star-thing charged again. This time the creature opened its mouth. Air rushed inward with a roar. Leaves tore from the ground. The enemy fought the pull, then slid, then vanished down the creature's throat. Silence returned. The creature swallowed and stood still. Minato pushed himself up. His hands shook. The thing had come for him, and the creature had put itself between them without pause. He touched the sphere through his pocket. It was still warm. He had thought he was hunting the creature. Now something else was hunting him, drawn by what he carried. "Why me?" he asked. The creature only blinked and turned back toward the trees. Minato wiped the dirt from his hands and stood. He could not open the sphere yet. But it had marked him now, and he could not put it down. He followed the creature deeper into the dark.