Chapter I

The world seemed to be ending. From the cliff of Malaya, I could see it. Fires engulfing everything. The waters were rising and washing away the people from their lands. Too fast, the waters were rising too fast. It's as if the sea had a mind of its own. While the fires burned through the mountains then onto the grasslands. The waters and fires were relentless. I could hear the screams . Oh the screams of those dying, I couldn't drown them out from where I'm standing. Tears rolling down my face, I could not save them. 

"Dalia!" An elder called me. I composed myself. Wiped away the tears. 

"Yes, my lord." I answered. 

"Child, come now. We must discuss our plan to stop the Rising!"

"The Rising?" Did he mean the destruction? 

I just followed my lord, Artonius, toward the meeting chambers. I wouldn't call it chambers. More of a wide open space with white columns. The place seemed like you're in heaven with the bright columns, radiating columns. 

Our leader of the Affinities were persuading us to just let everything burn or wash away. 

"The Rising is upon us and it is time that we let the world destroy itself." He was disturbingly pessimistic. Really, let the world burn? 

The Affinities are just human as you. Except that we had powers of varying strengths and weaknesses. We could only harvest our true potential by being with the same wavelength as another one of us. The stars written on the inside of our left forearm determines who we are fated to be with. The concept of love is something to be never learned as we may fall in love with someone we can never be together with. I still haven't found 'him'. I'm sure it is a him. I just know it. 

One of our council elders challenged our leader. "What good of our powers if we will not save this world?"

"What good has humanity done to this world? Or to us?" Our leader shot back. 

The people were now talking among themselves. Then loud shouting from the back was heard. 

"Yes, yes! Let them burn! Save ourselves! For we are the rightful beings, heirs to this world!"

However, the people were divided as one shouted compassion for the humans. "We are not just the rightful beings to this world! We must protect everyone, humans and Affinities alike. We are not gods but merciful, powerful beings tasked to keep the world safe."

But the Rising is not slowing down. I look at my arm and the stars are glowing. It's hurting me but I don't let it show. The sky is a mix of dark clouds and red comets, showering this land. My arm starts to glow red, same as the comets. I still haven't found him and the world was ending. I need time to find him and him to find me. Only then I could make sense of what it means to be an Affinity. It's burning my arm, a wisp of smoke is rising from where the largest star is on my arm. Everything is ending. Shouts, screams, selfishness and compassion mixing around us. I can feel it, the build up to the destruction. 

Fighting begins and then suddenly the gathering was split into two: those for saving humanity and those for letting the world burn. I had to choose. I went with humanity. Why? I feel the most human because I am weak, confused, afraid and lost. There was not time to feel sorry. The ground shook. The waters rose until the edge of the cliff. Our land would soon be swallowed by the sea. The elder, Artonius, takes me by the hand. I was soon finding myself among the group of human sympathizers. Past the hall we were running towards the basement. It was huge as I've never seen them before. The guards locked the doors from the inside. The place was filled with metal and stone giants. Fashioned after our likeness. Each with its own unique armor and color. 

I was drawn to one giant. It had white wings. Wings so massive but so beautiful and white with a hint of silver. Next to it was a demonic-looking...wings so black you probably couldn't see it in the night. 

"Dalia, I've known you since you were young and cared for you as my own." Artonius was beside me. I could only nod to what he was saying. "Your mother and gather did what they could for us Affinities and created these giants to protect the world. With that they lost their powers and sacrificed themselves." 

I was now beginning to tear up. He handed me a stone shaped like a star. I didn't understand it. How could my parents make these giants and then leave me in this world? Talk about the world ending and then this realization. I wanted to breakdown but I can't. The stone felt warm, assuring. Yes, assuring. Flashbacks of my early years with mother and father were zipping through my head. Too much all of it too much, the emotions, the confusion. 

"The Affinities are a cruel race. Vain, selfish and think of themselves as gods." Artonius said. "We could have stopped this madness if we weren't so self-absorbed and full of pride. But our time is ending. We weren't a lot to begin with." 

He opens a panel on the leg of the white giant. With some tinkering the giant came to life. The eyes glowed yellow and then its head lowers itself to look at us. I asked Artonius if we were doomed. 

"If there's no hope for us then what of this world?"

He was still doing something inside of the panel and then answered my question. "Some of the people and the elders who have worked on these giants have some sort of plan. It may work...no, it has to work. We will sacrifice the powers we have and combine it to stop the Rising temporarily."

"Temporarily? What do you mean?" I asked. 

"There are only a handful of us and we can't sacrifice the whole race. You and the others, young people will carry on. These giants will act as a vessel for your powers. Just like the bodies you have, it is only a vessel. Time will come until you wake up, until the world is ready for the Affinities." His explanation is all the more confusing. 

"Once we give up our powers, we won't be..." Before he could finish, the walls were crashing down. The roof cracked open and then the sky was bloody red. Then the giant's hands slowly lifted its hands. I felt myself rising from the ground and soon a beam of light from its chest covered me. 

It will all make sense my child, be patient." He shouted from below. I still had the stone then it was all blank, darkness taking over me.