The Guardians - A Mystery of Gods

Prologue

"Wait, please!"

Urek turned, his withering gaze falling on Riard.

"Wait?" Urek shouted, raising his hands to his head. "After everything I've taught you, how could you betray me like this?"

"We cannot anger the gods, Urek. You of all people should know that.

"The Guardians?" Urek glared at Riard. "They are not your Gods."

Urek took off running, leaving a confused Riard behind him. The moonlight reflected in the windows. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the deserted streets.

"Just a little more."

Urek's legs trembled with every step he took. A sharp pain shot through his chest, but he forced his body to keep going. He rounded the corner. The huge building loomed in front of him.

The Church of the Guardians, a great landmark of Tonbur's architecture, was built in a spiral shape and the four elements were dispersed along its walls, forming intricate patterns.
Water for Peord, nature for Mlania, fire for Iana and finally air, dedicated to Leto, each element representing one of the gods.

"Please, I can't lose him again, not after coming so close to finding him."

Urek went to the church gates, but try as he might to open them, they were locked. He gathered his strength and drew the air around him to a single point between his hands. Over and over, condensing the force of the wind until he couldn't hold it any longer and hurled it at the old gate. The impact echoed through the night, filling it with the screech of metal and the crunch of stone. He coughed and closed his eyes from the dust to find the old gate intact.

Urek looked up to where the church's stained glass windows were and nodded to himself.

"Time for a new plan."

He walked under one of the stained-glass windows and repeated the same process, this time with success. His ears rang with the screeching sound of breaking glass. Urek drew in a breath and raised his hands in a circular motion. The air surrounded him and the small pieces of shards that came into contact with his barrier were expelled.

Urek crouched and called to his element once more. He could feel the little vibrations under his feet, the desire for escape, and that's when he jumped. His breath caught in his throat. Urek closed his eyes as he was pushed away from the floor, which was now stained with small shards of glass.

Urek opened his eyes as he felt his feet hit the ground. In front of him were several benches arranged in two rows, one behind the other. A red carpet with symbols of the gods in gold separated them.

A buzzing sound filled Urek's ears, but he still dared to take a step. The world spun around him and he had to grab hold of a pillar to keep from falling.

Cautiously, he lifted his head and looked around. Over the past few months, Urek and Queen Lilain had made great strides in their research, and he was confident that they would soon be able to pierce the island. But if what Riard told him was true, all the time they had spent researching it would have been in vain.

Urek walked slowly to avoid hitting anything. His focus was on the movement of air in the church, but apart from the flow of air through the window he broke, the environment was still.

He approached the altar, which consisted of four statues twice his size and a small table in the center, separated from the rest of the church by a staircase.

Urek's eyes widened at the sight of blood trickling down the stairs.

"No, no, no." Urek hurriedly ran to the altar.