Guardian (Part I): Last Winter

Chapter 25: Haemon

I returned to Mom and Finn by the time the sun came up. I may have given the impression that I would fly forward a little, then come right back, but I was away from them all night. I flew in every possible direction, while keeping Soareus Peak in my sight. I felt slightly guilty about leaving my mother and brother asleep undefended, but while I was flying around, I never sensed that they were in danger. Neither of them were attacked throughout the night, but I couldn't say the same about what was ahead. I knew Soareus Peak for the legend surrounding it, but also for the terrifying monsters that could easily tear us to pieces if we weren't careful when we ran into them. As soon as I landed next to Mom, her eyes shot open.

"Good morning!" I shouted.

"Good morning, Haemon," Mom groaned. "You said you would just fly along the path ahead."

"And I did," I lied. Mom just looked at me and raised one of her eyebrows. She knew I wasn't being honest.

"I did," I swore.

"You're lying to me," Mom hissed, narrowing her eyes. I couldn't say anything. I was caught. I didn't do what I said I would do last night, and she knew it.

"It's alright, Haemon," she promised. "It's not wrong to enjoy something you were deprived of. I guess that's one reason I'm going on this trip with Finn."

"I was wondering how you handled losing Hilles," I recalled. "How are you holding up?"

"You know, I lost him just before Finn was born," Mom sighed. "But I didn't lose Finn, or you." I began to sense a feeling of sadness from her. Talking about Hilles, and the Third Great War, was something that she seemed deeply saddened by. I sat next to her and held her hand, which must have been three times the size of mine.

"After his death, I couldn't even talk to Finn his entire life," Mom admitted. "Other than to teach him how to survive outside the walls of the remaining cities in Chardan. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him why I barely paid attention to him. Kind of like what happened between us. I failed you, Haemon."

"No, Mom," I denied.

"Just let me finish," Mom begged. "Even with someone like your father, you were still my son."

I could tell that there was no convincing Mom that she hadn't done a bad thing, especially after what she had done on Ember, but I wouldn't leave her thinking this way about herself.

"Well, Finn's still young, isn't he?" I reminded. "Do better with him." Mom looked at me, and there was half a smile on her face. What I said seemed to have made her feel better, even if just a little. She still had a chance with Finn, even after blowing it with me in her mind.

"What should we be prepared for?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't see anything particularly bad on the trail for the first few miles," I reported. "But that was from the air. I didn't actually walk on the trail itself."

"Thank you," said Mom. "Wake Finn up. We should start, now."

"Sure," I complied. I began to walk over to Finn, but before I woke him up, I wondered about something. It would tear her up more than being a bad parent, but I had to know something.

"Does he know?" I wondered. "About what happened on Ember, at the end of the..."

"No," Mom interrupted. "And he'll never know. That means you won't say anything to him about it, either."

"I had no intention of it," I promised. "But he'll have to know eventually, Mom."

"I said 'wake him up', Haemon," Mom hissed.

"Alright, alright," I whispered. I went to Finn and nudged him by the shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, then he rose to his feet.

"Hey," Finn greeted.

"You ready?" I asked.

"I sure am," Finn answered. "Haemon, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I offered.

"We were attacked by an Ilentia corrupted by the Abyss named 'Arion'," said Finn. "Do you know him?"

"Arion," I whispered. "I do know him. He's the youngest out of all of us, but he probably lives with the worst condition anyone could imagine."

"Yeah, I bet," Finn agreed. "Ina told us that he's the son of Anzulminar and Rionah, and was cursed to die over and over again for betraying Zenartha in the war."

"Well, he got what he deserved if you ask me," I growled. "I fought him once, and I couldn't kill him, no matter which body part ripped off. I had to turn myself into a bear just to incapacitate him. Anyway..."

"He was after me," Finn enlightened. "And only me. I don't know why."

"Well, who your father was might have something to do with it," I guessed. "You're more powerful than he was, and you're more powerful than your... our mother."

"That's what everyone keeps saying," Finn sighed.

"Well, it makes sense," I asserted. "You're someone that the Dark One absolutely must kill in order to win Zenartha. If Arion wants to kill you to satisfy him, there's probably no better reason than that."

"He seems to think that the Dark One will lift his curse if he does as he's ordered," Finn guessed.

"Well, from what I know of the Dark One, there's no chance of that," I sighed. I had met the Dark One before, when he wore a disguise. He was a lying, evil bastard that was a master of manipulation, all for the sake of his lust for power. Aaron, the first Guardian, beat him so badly in the War of Light and Dark that he couldn't escape Hell for another fifty thousand years, and he was angered by that. So much so that he would stop at nothing until Zenartha was covered with the Abyss, and the vilest filth of Hell was ravaging its surface. Whether he had to take his time and manipulate everyone in the entire world or raise all of the Abyss from Hell itself to that end didn't seem to matter to him. The Dark One was perfectly capable of both. Given how the Third Great War began, though, it only made sense that he went with the latter this time. Arion was just another poor soul that was a victim of his deceit. I sighed with despair. Not even Ilentia were immune from the corruption of the Abyss. So few of my kind were left. The only hope for Zenartha was its own people, not Ember's.

"Boys," Mom called. "Let's be on our way, why don't we?"

"Sure," Finn agreed. We began to walk further down the path of the mountain, ascending up the brick path that was laid out for us. I could easily have flown into the air to make the hike easier on my feet, but I wanted to stay with my mother and brother. Just the thought of having a brother that I actually cared about, and who cared about me in return, struck me as strange. Even more so than traveling with Mom again. I wanted to ask him more, like why was his hair white, or why was he a Guardian Knight at just the age of twelve, but that would have to be for another time. Besides, I had a good idea of how both of those questions could be answered. Finn's hair was white most likely as the result of some kind of genetic mutation, and he was a Knight at his age because of how powerful he was, and how much more powerful he became with a Guardian's basic training in aura-sensitivity.

"Hey, Mom?" I asked

"Yes?" said Mom.

"Can I ride on your shoulders?" I begged.

"Sure," Mom allowed. She bent down on her knees so I could climb up her back and sit on her shoulders. I lost my balance for a short second as she stood up, and she grabbed both of my legs to keep me from falling.

"All set?" asked Mom.

"Yeah."

Mom used to let me ride on her shoulders when I was younger, and I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. I had that same feeling right then, riding on her shoulders. Even though she was never the best mother in the world, she was still my mother after everything bad thing that happened between us. Nothing else mattered to me then. I still had my mother, and now, I had a little brother.