In the meantime, at the actual center of the universe...

Ember was not happy.
The weather around the realms of the universe was starting to become really strange. Summer brought tons of rain. The sun shone in winter. The harvest was not even close to abundant in autumn. Flowers wilted and died in spring.
Ember was not happy.
She and her sisters, the Amazons, who were the fierce female force of the island, had tried many times to hunt down whoever was trying to destroy their island, which was, yes, in the extreme center of the universe.
The Amazons and their warrior sisters, another group of fighters called the Valkyries, were both used to the high levels of magic on the island. They harvested all of their strength from it and used it to protect all who lived on the island.
This magical island was called, by people in the other realms, the Island of Stars. The Valkyries, the Amazons, all the other creatures of the island, and the mighty, supreme ruler, Stalene, did not give it that name, because why give your own home a name when you're living on it forever and always?
Ember was not happy.
The realm of Darcissia claimed that they were in the center of the universe. This was untrue. Had Darcissia actually been in the center of the universe, it would have been too dangerous to live on.
Ember couldn't take it anymore. She rubbed the red stone on the forehead band of her leader's headpiece and stood up. She snatched up her red-feathered spear and turned to her younger Amazon sisters. "Let's move," she snapped. "Nothing to see here. Stalene will not be pleased with our findings today."
Ember turned and stomped away. Her younger sisters fell into an awkward formation behind her.
Ember was the oldest of the Amazons. She had always been the leader, the one to ward off any dangers. But now, some dark force had seemingly set up a barrier around the Island of Stars. It was the very reason the Nymphs of Abundance couldn't bring the autumn harvest to the realms, or why the Crystal Ladies couldn't bring snow in the winter. That was the reason the Sunbeams could not gift the realms with the warmth of summer, or why the flower nymphs struggled to plant even one seed.
All of this burdened Libra, the goddess of Balance and Harmony, with trying to keep the realms from collapsing.
Ember and Echo, the eldest/leader of the Valkyries, both knew what the dark forces were trying to do. So what if Stalene had nine of the most powerful forces protecting the island, including a ring of mermaids in the surrounding ocean? The darkness would take them all out. One by one, or all together.
The Island of Stars was in grave danger.