Prologue
Seventeen year old Lirin Star was walking towards the house with her older brother, Chad, after exercising the horses on her parent’s ranch. Both were very tired and hungry from the long day’s work. "I wonder what Mom made for dinner."
"Don’t know. But whatever she made, I’m sure it’s delicious." Chad replied.
Mrs. Miriam Star was an excellent cook, among other things. She had a strong and kind will and spirit, and had a depth of character. Lirin had taken after her mother more than she had her father, whom Chad more resembled. Both were very beautiful, with wavy golden blond hair that shown like the sun; Lirin’s was long and came to a few inches below her waste and Miriam’s was shoulder length, and both had intense light green eyes that had a touch of silver to them and sparkled with starlight. Those eyes acted as windows to their souls. They were tall, with long slender legs, and were graceful, quick, and agile, yet strong of body and mind too.
Miriam Star was a descendent from the first Warrior of Cosmos, whom Lirin was named after. Miriam had named her daughter after this warrior for she knew that her daughter would someday be just as great as the first ‘Lady of Cosmos’ and would be very much like her. For, when Lirin was born, the Ancient One, whom Miriam’s husband Darien was a descendent of, had come to them and told them that she had been chosen by destiny to someday be a great warrior and guard this realm. He also said that as soon as she was able, she should be taught the martial arts and the ways of the Armor of Cosmos, which Miriam possessed, being a descendent from the Lady of Cosmos. That way when the time came for her to battle, she would be well prepared. She had also known that Lirin would be just as great as her names’ sake because of her "Starlight Fire" gift, which none of her family line had possessed except for the Lady of Cosmos herself.
Lirin had mastered the martial arts at a very early age and was very skilled in the ways of her armor because of her training. It had all been second nature to her. She had even learned to use some weaker attacks while in sub-armor.
She had always controlled her starlight fire, ever since she was very little and she didn’t even have to be in sub-armor to do so. She controlled it with ease and it always gave her a sense of comfort and safety. When she was in danger from a wild animal or something of the like, she would call upon this white fire from the stars and the flames would surround her body or just a part of it if she wished. She could even cast it around something else but she was the only one who could bare the heat of the flames. At full intensity, the white flames could burn something to ashes as soon as it touched.
Lirin also had two more gifts that had come from her father’s line, the line of the Ancients. She had almost physic powers at times. If she touched something or someone, she could get memories or feelings (Like Phoebe <is that spelled right?> in "Charmed"). This gift she could either call forth or have it come to her when it wanted to, unbidden. The second ‘gift’ was that she would sometimes have dreams or visions of the future. Only short little flashes of the future, nothing in depth. They could be in the near future, or sometime in the distant future. These visions never came on command, but where always unbidden. This ‘gift’ she considered a curse.
Both Lirin and Chad had reached the front door to the house and went inside. Mr. Star had already come in to go over some paperwork and was seated at the table. Mrs. Star was just coming out of the kitchen with dinner in her hands. "Perfect timing kids." she greeted them.
"Mmmm…Smells great, Mom." Chad told her
"Need any help?" asked Lirin.
"Nope, I got it, honey. You and your brother just go wash up a bit though before you sit down to eat. Your hands are probably filthy from working with the animals."
"Kay." And, they both headed towards the bathroom to clean up.
While they were gone, the spirit of the Ancient came to Miriam and Darien Star. "Miriam. Darien." He called to them. They both immediately stopped what they were doing and stared, shocked. "It is time for Lirin to do battle with the evil forces that are trying to take over this realm. She must join the other Ronin Warriors and help them defeat the wicked Talpa and his minions."
"So soon?" Darien asked.
"But she is still so young!" Miriam argued.
"Nonetheless, she must go. It is her destiny." replied the Ancient.
"Let me go instead." Miriam continued, trying to spare her daughter. "I am trained in the ways of the Armor, I will go in her place."
"You must not wear the armor again!" the Ancient told her. "If you do, then you will perish."
"But—"
He silenced her with a look. "She must leave at once, before she is to late. She is already late to enter the battle; I cannot give her any more time. The others need her assistance or all will be lost. Tell her to be ready by tomorrow afternoon, for I will come for her then." And with that, he disappeared.
Chad and Lirin came back just then and both of them noticed the looks on their parents’ faces. "Mom? Dad? What happened? What’s wrong?" Lirin asked. They stared at her sadly. "What is it?" she asked again.
Her father ran a hand through his blue-black hair and worry and sadness reflected in his midnight blue eyes. "Well, honey, the spirit of the Ancient One just came to us." Lirin and Chad looked at them in shock. "There’s more. You know why we’ve trained you in the martial arts and the ways of your armor, right?" he asked Lirin.
"Yes. I am to one day fight beside the other Ronin Warriors and save this realm from the evil that will threaten it." she answered, starting to get an idea of why the Ancient had come. "It is time for me to go to them and protect this realm, isn’t it?" she asked her parents.
Her parents marveled at her astuteness. "Yes. The Ancient said he would come for you tomorrow afternoon." her father told her.
"Then I shall be ready." Lirin declared.
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Later that night…
Lirin lay in her bed, tossing and turning, watching the events of a dream. In her dream, her mother was clad in the Armor of Cosmos, fighting off Dynasty soldiers. As she was fighting the ones in front of her, one snuck up behind her. Just as it was about to run her through with its scythe-like weapon, her father used his own body to shield her. The Dynasty soldier’s weapon easily slid through him. Miriam turned around in horror to see her husband run through by the soldier. "NOOOOO!" Miriam screamed. As she went to deliver the deathblow to the soldier who had killed her beloved, she felt a sharp pain in her back, which then reached to her stomach. She looked down to see the bloody tip of a sword projecting out of her stomach…Lirin awoke with a cry. She was sweating heavily and was very distressed. She knew that this was not an ordinary dream, but one of her visions of the future, and she wept.
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Unknown to Lirin, Miriam had come into her room last night to see how she was doing. She found her daughter tossing and turning in her bed. She mistook it for grief and fear of going into battle the next day, not knowing about the dream her daughter was having just then. She hated to see her daughter like this. ‘It’s not fair that one so young should have to go and battle to save our world. It is too much pressure for her.’ Lirin’s mother thought to herself. "I don’t care what the Ancient said!" She walked over to Lirin’s nightstand and took the Kanji orb. "I will take her place, she should not have to go!" She left the room to go back to her own.
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The next morning Lirin awoke to sounds of fighting outside. Only half awake she started to get out of bed and go to look out her window to see what was going on. Before she got to the window she heard a voice ring out:
"CELESTIAL BLAZING COMETS!"
Suddenly, Lirin was fully awake and looked at her nightstand. Her kanji orb was gone. With horror, she realized what had happened. Her mother must have come into her room last night and stolen her kanji orb to take her place. She rushed down the stairs to go outside and fight the soldiers, hoping, praying that she would not be too late to make sure that her dream did not occur.
When she reached the front door, she threw it open just in time to see the Dynasty soldier run her father through with its weapon. "NOOOOOO" her mother screamed, and Lirin watched in agony as last night’s dream repeated itself. As her mother fell to her knees clutching the blade of the sword that had gone through her, Lirin’s blood boiled with anger and white starlight flames erupted around her body. Lirin ran outside, still only in her nightshirt and boxers and began to kick some Dynasty butt. When she had wasted all of the soldiers she ran to her mother, who had now armored down.
"Mother, why did you do it?" Lirin asked, tears freely falling down her cheeks as she cradled her dying mother in her arms.
"I did not want to see you forced into fighting so young. I thought I could protect you by taking your armor and going in your place despite the Ancient’s warnings." She took one of Lirin’s hands and set the kanji orb in it. "I know I was wrong to do so now. You are the one chosen to defend this realm." Miriam twitched painfully and then closed her eyes as her spirit left her body.
Lirin wept freely over her mother, holding her lifeless body close. Suddenly, Lirin felt a presence and turned around to see the spirit of the Ancient One standing over her.
"I warned her not to wear the armor, but she didn’t not heed me. I am sorry for your loss." he said to her, putting a ghostly hand on her shoulder.
"I thank you for trying to warn her." she said, wiping the tears from her face with her hand. After a moment, she asked him, "Why did the soldiers come here? Surely they didn’t know of the Armor of Cosmos, for we have kept it a secret, as you asked."
"Yes, your family has kept the secret well. The soldiers were not here for the Armor, but to kill the last of my clan. Your father, Darien, as you know was my descendent. Talpa did not want anyone replacing me."
"Talpa." she said the name with contempt. "He will pay for what he has done. The death of my parents will not go unavenged." She clutched her kanji orb tightly. "Honor! Purity! Courage!" and she transformed into her silver and white sub-armor. "We leave to find the others and defeat Talpa." she declared with malice.
