Chapter Nineteen
My first meeting with the Light Keeper was an odd one. It had been nighttime when he arrived. I was busy glaring at Jael as he gazed at some meaningless spot on the dusty ground. It’d been two days since I had been taken. How many days is that in total? Hmm…four days? I’ve only been in the Realm for four days? I’ve got a long way to―
A creak! Sounded out from the stairs away from the cell. I didn’t really pay attention to it. Fare and that other boy―he was never addressed by anything, just “kid” or “bro” or something else that was stupid―usually came down here to taunt me and Jael. According to him, the pair didn’t know what Jael was. They thought he was some ordinary half-breed between a Banal―whatever that is―and a mundane. That would justify the way his lavender eyes glowed, but it was a stupid assumption.
I didn’t bother looking up, I simply stared at Jael with clear annoyance. The guy was 20, way more experienced than I was in the use of GuardSkills, plus he controlled darkness! I had no idea why he was still here, clearly starving and deprived of fresh air. Elena had visited me yesterday, so did her other part, he called himself Dar. I laughed at the name, which earned me a poke with that stick of her―his. I’ll stick with her. When she changes, I’ll call her him. Simple…?
“Ah, the infamous Archer Lumen.” A voice rasped and I looked up to see a being of pure light.
“Ah, if it isn’t the damn Light that everyone keeps talking about before they die. You know, since there was no actual proof of your existence, I almost became an atheist. You are so lucky that my mom would slap me silly if I stopped believing in God. You know, I wonder if the God on Earth, is the God of this place to. Or maybe that’s not the case. I keep hearing about the World King, so I’m guessing that he rules this place. But come to think of it, he can’t really rule all of the Realm, that’d get boring, not to mention amazingly difficult. So here’s my theory; we’re where North America is on Earth. That continent is called the―”
“Oh, shut up.”
I was glad that he had interrupted me, because it was getting hard, talking to him and keeping eye contact. That was like looking directly at the Sun while having a conversation with your best pal―it couldn’t be done!
“Wow, I heard that you were annoying, but I didn’t really know how annoying you were.” The Keeper laughed and leaned on the wall. I half expected the wall to burn from his brilliant light, but then I remembered, he was light, not the Sun. “My name is Avner―nice name isn’t it―and as you have probably guessed, I am the Keeper of the Light Reality. Want to see it?”
I grumbled, “What I want is for you to dial down one the glow stick juice…”
The two black dots that were where his eyes were supposed to be blinked in confusion before clarity returned to them. “What? Oh! My apologies, I always forget that only Leif can see me without fearing blindness.” I watched with interest as the light faded from his muscular form. Or I guess I should say, her muscular form.
That’s right, this “Avner” that everyone was talking about, was a female Keeper.
Her hair was like spun gold and even though she’d said that she’d turn down the light, it glowed softly as it rested in a perfect pony tail. Avner wore normal Earth clothes, complete with a hoodie and light blue denims. “Wha…? Isn’t Avner a guy name?”
I noticed the slight change in the air of the cell and ducked as Jael attempted to punch me. Avner narrowed her pale white eyes at me, “Yes, yes it is. But if I control all light, shouldn’t I be able to name myself whatever I want? You, come out here.” I noticed a mess of dull brown hair peek out from behind Avner and I almost said the name “Elena” aloud. But I didn’t, and she and I stared at each other for a long moment before Jael let out a snort.
“What do you want, Avnerella?”
I grinned at the flaring of her nostrils.
Avner glanced at Elena with obvious dislike, “Fetch my Reality, girl.” She left up the stairs, leaving Avner with Jael and me.
“Please, send him a message. Tell him I’m here.” Jael pleaded, having no further interest in punching at me. Avner sneered at him and shook her head. Elena came back down the stairs with an orb in her hands. It was covered in a dark cloth and the size of a globe. Avner gestured with her hand. Elena looked up at me before revealing the Reality of Light.
☽
The four of us were in the Light Reality. Or at least, our minds were. Avner’s hair shined brightly in this place, where light washed over everything. Elena was next to me―not Elena, it was Dar again. He controlled the body now. He grinned at me through the girl’s face―it was a face that they had both constructed, belong to neither of them, that was what Elena had told me.
Without knowing, I backed away from him and into Jael. He pushed me lightly, but when I turned to face him, a faint smile was on his face. What the hell? I wondered, but Avner’s voice prevented me from doing anything else.
“I, Avner the Light Keeper, wish to show these three the truth about the Light, and its motives, may I do so?”
We were all floating in nothing, but soon a slight rumble shook through the air and blocks began to form around us. The light began to fade until only our outlines glowed in the dim room. I whirled around to see bookcase after bookcase appearing along the round wall. They were filling up with books that held glowing pages. Dar silently approached me and tapped my shoulder, whispering, “Avner doesn’t know why I’m here, neither does Elena, I trust that you know what you’re doing, and what you might destroy?” I stared at him for a long moment. The insane sheen that had covered his eyes just the day before was gone, replaced with a look of pure knowing.
“Are…are you Dar?” I asked just as quietly.
The look of confusion on face was answer enough. “Who―”
“This way.” Avner interrupted and I turned to see that she was by a door. It was a door that seemed to be made of ivory―which is illegal to have, although I doubted that the Light Reality would care―and glowed brighter than everything. I stood still, even though Jael and the Natural Guardian bounded ahead to approach Avner. There were two reasons why I was hesitating. A) I was thinking about how fractured Elena was―if she was even the real Guardian, maybe it was the one that I had just spoken to B) What if that door was going to lead me into a trap? I didn’t need that, not even in my mind.
The only reason I went was because the others had already left me except for Avner. She stood by the doorway with a smirk. This was her realm, she was supreme ruler.
“Wrong, young one. She’s not the one in control, it is I―Light―who controls this Reality. Don’t forget that.”
A deep rumble shook my head and I found myself clutching the silver Badge around my neck. I was surprised that it was still here, especially since everything else that I had been wearing had been taken and replaced with a glass that shined with the light around it. “Lunar.” I grunted and the ring melted away from the string and became a metal glove―not my choice, the Badge shaped itself. Odd.
“Let’s move!” Avner hissed and I sprinted across the circular room. It was big, so the space took about two minutes to clear. When I reached the Light Keeper, I suddenly realized that she was powerful. Very powerful. I could feel the energy radiating off of her body, and it caused me to swallow in slight fear. That was enough for Avner to smirk and shove me into the doorway. While I stumbled into the dark empty space that the doorway led to, I managed to put the glove onto my right hand. Nothing happened.
I heard Avner close the door behind me and the only major source of light that we’d had, was shut off. We stood there for a moment, none of us talking. The only other light that I could see was Jael’s eyes, which pulsed every so often. Finally I lost my patience, “Yo, what’re we doing right now? I’m pretty sure that Avner is getting touchy-feely…”
The Light Keeper let out a sound of outrage, but was cut off by a faint whirr that sounded out through the dark room. Suddenly light colored the place and a door began to lift up.
What I saw was amazing.
It was a city, one where light was everything. We were standing in the entrance of a large castle that loomed over the region with bricks that glowed as bright as the Sun, if not brighter. The people of the city weren’t even people, they were orbs of luminescence. They floated through the clear air with such loose precision, it amazed me. I didn’t even hesitate this time, I simply sprinted down the cobblestone steps, through the large ivory-like gates and into the City of Light. I could hear the others behind me, hear their heartbeats as they gazed in wonder around us. The only calm one was Avner. She had a cool smirk on her face as she watched us interact with the things around us.
“Ignore her, Archer Lumen. Simply know this, the Guardians’ role is not what is assumed. There has been a misunderstanding, a great one.” The Reality rumbled into my head, this time more softly. I glanced around and immediately knew that no one else could hear it.
The orbs of light kept out of our way as they went about their normal “lives”. Jael laughed as one accidently touched him, but the laugh soon turned into a nervous chuckle. The orb clung to his armor―it was made of the same material as mine―it began to shake, moving Jael’s arm along with it. I watched in fascination as the sphere molded itself into a likeness similar to the one I had seen Avner in before. It crossed its arms and cocked its head at Jael who was backing up in fear. It stepped up closer and outstretched its arms. The light surrounding us seemed to intensify and the morphing of the other orbs was enough for me to feel paranoid.
“Jael, get away from…it!” I called from the other side of the street. I began to run towards the pair, a blur of light brown told me that the Natural Guardian was sprinting as well. Yet as I ran, I knew that something was wrong. Everything was slowing down―not everything, just me and Dar 2.0―and my speed was decreasing. I watched in horror as Dar 2.0―my nickname for the third part of the Natural Guardian―lunged at the humanoid figure and fell right through it. But somehow it was able to pick up Jael and hurl him into a nearby building. Destruction rang through the city and I felt the sense of slow-motion fade as the multiple humanoid figures surged past me as they tried to escape the chaos.
“Avner! Do something!” I yelled at the Keeper, finally finding a place that I could stand on without being hurt by the light figures. My glove throbbed with a strange energy. Avner laughed at me and Dar 2.0 made his way to me.
Hey, umm, Light? Could you, I don’t know, take us out of here?
I received no response―not that I was expecting one. I simply pointed towards Jael, who was being pummeled. “It’s because of his Reality, isn’t it? Dark and Light.” Dar 2.0 didn’t seem to disagree. The streets were cleared out by now, so I began to stride towards Jael, my gloved fist blazing with a silver light. “Hey!” I yelled. The light turned to meet my Badged fist.
Surprisingly, the clang! That sounded out wasn’t shocking. I had expected it, but Jael and the others obviously hadn’t. They gazed at me in awe while I watched the humanoid figure of light hit a small store. “We go, now.” I whispered. Dar 2.0 picked Jael up by the hand and we grouped together. Avner was jogging towards us by now.
“Hold on. Hey! Who are you? Where is the girl?”
I looked up at Dar 2.0 and found that he was now a fifteen-year-old boy with the same features as the man that Elena had turned into. “My real name is Ridge, nice to officially meet you, Lumen.” He tightened his hands on Jael and mine’s shoulders. “Now, think, ‘there’s no place like home’ and let’s get out of this Reality.” A grin was on his face, and I got the feeling that I could enjoy Ridge’s company. Huh.
I thought of the cellar, that dank section that Jael and I had to live in for the past 2 days. Then we left the Reality, leaving Avner in a confused state.
☽
I opened my silver eyes, not really looking at anything until my mind fully returned. When it did, I realized that Ridge was whispering furiously to Jael. Hi green eyes darted towards me. “You’re back,” he stated. “Good, because now you can talk some sense into our fellow Guardian. He wants to stay behind, can you believe that?”
I blinked at Jael, who was fingering a set of dog tags that hung from his neck. His dark hair fell loosely over his eyes, but I could still see the pleading in his eyes. “I’ve strayed from my Keeper; I’m rejected the one place that I felt was fighting for good. So why can’t I help you? The actual force of good?”
He seemed to be looking at me as if it were my choice. Ridge was outside of the cell―in his real form―behind him I could see Avner’s slumped form. The pulsing Reality lay on her lap, yet she didn’t stir. I glanced back at Jael for a moment before looking back at Ridge. “What’d you do to her? Why isn’t she getting up?” I grunted as I rose. My legs were cramped and I let out a small cry of discomfort as I fell against the bars. My hand wasn’t covered with the badge anymore. I liked the sword better anyway.
“I did nothing…I think Jael’s Darkness slowed down that section of the Void. I’m not completely sure.” Ridge replied. “But right now, I need you to pull some magic and break these bars.”
“Okay―wait, what?”
“I said, ‘I need you to―”
“No, I heard you. What makes you think that I know how to use my water GuardSkill all that well?” I glared at him through the bars; he was grinning at me! I rolled my eyes and backed away, already knowing that Ridge would ask again, and again, and again, until I finally said yes. So I closed my eyes and thought of the ocean. It was one of my most favorite places, going to the beach at night so that I could sit and stare at the dark water. The Moon would shine bright too, it always did on those days. Soon I’d fall asleep with the memory of the soft slapping sound fresh in my mind. When I woke up, I’d always say that it had been the perfect night.
A night where the Moon and ocean let me see them in their purest forms.
“Do you understand your GuardSkill now?” Selene asked me, and I had the feeling that she had always been there, even in the Reality, even on Earth. What was wrong with me? I felt…wise. As if I could understand everything, yet I knew that the secrets that I knew would have to be kept secret. I…I think I do. It’s the Moon. It affects water. The tides. I’m acting as the Moon’s gravity. Selene, where is our Reality?
“Somewhere safe. Don’t worry about that right now, just concentrate on your task, okay?”
“Jael, tell me about those dog tags.” I murmured, trying to find something to focus on.
The man made a noise of surprise before complying, “My father, he was a part of America’s military. I’m a half-breed like you, Archer,” he whispered. “When I was a kid―in the Realm―my mother came from her recent Jump. She was crying, like you’d expect when someone just got horrible news. She was the one who carried the Guardian blood―she had been the Dark Guardian before me―so she was so supposed to be strong. She had entered our home with tears streaming down her face. Did you know that past Guardians aren’t always stripped of their powers? Nature works oddly, and it was nature that allowed my mother to torture my mind. I was blind for a whole month, you know. The only beauty I could see was from my imagination, but soon that bitch managed to torture it too. My father was her opposite, keeping her in check, but when he was gone…” He trailed off, but began again. “Anyway, when my sight came back and my mother was off in the tavern, I found these. They’ve been the one thing that allowed me to return to Earth, no one knows about them. If they manage to see it, I tell them that a blacksmith made it for me in the Realm.”
“I’m sorry, Jael. And if it’s any consolation, you can stay. Although, I have no intention of letting those guys upstairs hold us back with you.” Ridge sighed.
I opened my silver eyes for the second time and felt the air around me getting drier. Beside me a mini tornado simply floated in the air, extracting H2O from it. “Whoa…” I whispered before launching the water tornado at the cell. At the same time, I shifted my bones so that they resembled a wolf’s, then I lunged at the bars as well.
A loud sound that was similar to that of tearing paper disturbed the relative silence. I let out a yell and landed on my knee. “Owwwww!” I groaned―apparently wolf bones don’t do jack.
Ridge grabbed me by the shoulder and hauled me upwards. He was much more muscular than I. I watched Jael climb out of the Archer Lumen-shaped hole. “Patent Pending, of course.” I chuckled.
Ridge glanced at me strangely. “Forget it.”
He shrugged and made the shh gesture with his fingers. Jael nodded and crept in front of me. I watched in curious silence as they walked up the stairs towards the outer door. I began to follow, but instantly froze and hid behind the wall next to the stairs that led into the upper area when the door opened.
“What the hell is going on, Avner?” Leif asked as he walked down the stairs, still not seeing me, but immediately spotting Jael and Ridge. “Fare! Jace!”
☽
She had continued to sprint, even after the shrouded figure had disappeared. It was only when she spotted the tendril of smoke coming from the campfire that she stopped.
“NK!” Sarah cried. “There was this…thing! Oh my God, what if Archer will meet it? Oh my God, I’m going to lose my baby! I’m going to lose him! Oh my…”
The man stood from the log that he had been sitting on, causing it to roll away and Miles to fall into the grass. “Thing? What do you mean?” When Sarah didn’t respond, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard, ignoring the sharp gasp of shock. “WHAT THING?”
A salty taste touched the tip of her tongue as she sniffled and replied in a shaky voice, “It flew…. How did it fly? And it could grab things without touching them―like those sci-fi books, but not quite. The objects that it moved floated in their own space, they weren’t ever touched, not even by an invisible hand.” She suddenly pushed NK off; her pride was back. “It was humanoid, but shrouded in black. Not even like a black suit, it was like…it was like there was no light. But there was something, a crystal hanging from its neck. Oh my God, do they have these powerful things in the Realm? Archer’s screwed, isn’t he? No, no, no, no…”
Miles walked up to her and smiled, emitting a monkey-like shriek. He’s in his monkey form. Wow, I’m really accepting this stuff easily. I guess Dad softened me up with his stories… Sarah thought with a small smile, her worries subsiding again. NK let out a smile of his own, “Archer is fine. Do you remember when Kade and his people entered your home? Well, I made sure that when Archer got home, he’d find a little present―a shape-shifting weapon that works in the Void and the two worlds. Few Guardians have it, the Lumens, however, do. Your son is fine. Now, Miles, I’ve been thinking. We can’t do anything here, our place in this coming battle is small. I know that you’ve never seen the Realm―actually, you don’t remember seeing it―but we need to leave. That figure that Sarah saw, that was Kade.”
Sarah watched in confusion as Miles scurried off into the tent that was covered in trees. “Um, what―”
“Sarah, when Miles comes back with the artifacts, I want you to say these words, okay? Say: ‘Take me to the sister plane of existence’ while clutching it. Okay? Do you under―”
“Buddy, I’m not an idiot. I understand. Jeez, you’d think that I was some dog by the way that you’re speaking to me.” Sarah glared up at him. Although she had been spoken about as short, her height had increased during the past few weeks. Why? What the hell happened when I was passed out? I shouldn’t be taller, I stopped growing at sixteen! Miles returned―as a human―carrying three wooden objects; one was a simple block, another was a sphere the size of a bouncy ball, and the last one was a…crown? But that wasn’t what intrigued Sarah. No, there was something else about these artifacts that peaked her interest.
They had runic swirls that had been etched in, and filled with bronze.
“Here you go.” Miles said, handing NK the large crown. The man placed it over his shaggy dark green hair. Sarah took the wooden ball, taking a moment to admire it before palming it. “These are objects from Cano. You know the city?”
Sarah remained silent as NK nodded. “That’s where they’ll take us, according to the directions inside the tent.” Miles continued before placing the block next to his heart and whispering a string of words. “What the hell―?” Sarah stepped bad in horror as the monkey shifter faded away.
“Remember what I said to you.” NK said. Then he did the same.
Sarah stood in the Forest for a moment, confusion and nervousness painting her face. Then the memory of Archer came into her mind. If I go to the Realm, to Archer… Then we can come home―he doesn’t have to stay for six months if he knows that I’m safe. But…is Earth really our home? Mom wasn’t in the picture―she must have been a part of the Realm, and so was Dad. So…doesn’t that make the Realm more a home than Earth?
Shrugging, Sarah held the paw at shoulder length and recited the words that NK had given her, “Take me to the sister plane of existence…now.” Then Earth faded away, being replaced by nothing before buildings and a sign that read Cano appeared.
Sarah was in the Realm.
☽
His crystal’s flickering caused him to feel queasy as he flew. Damn, who was on my list? Kade wondered as his flying became erratic. In his hand was a chain with a Sun pendant. He clutched the pendant as if it were a lifeline. He was running out of power, and fast. It had been a mistake to cut himself off from Cyrus―not completely, but still a mistake. He would have lasted longer with the support of the Keeper. Now Kade had to find the latest ex-Candidate for energy. He was in the Realm, soaring through the sky with a grim frown on his face. It was going to rain, he could tell by the darkening of the sky―the dark clouds blotted out the Sun that was his only source of power, a meager source albeit, but still a source.
That’s why Kade wasn’t surprised when his gravity field collapsed, and Lucas began to take over. Thankfully he wasn’t too high―a precaution―but the fall would have still killed him if Lucas hadn’t been quick to morph.
For the briefest moment, the fractured beings occupied the same body, one eye green and the other a hard gold, but then the gold faded, and so did Kade.
Lucas let out roar of joy as the wind ruffled his golden mane. He was still falling through the air, and his shift hadn’t completely finished yet, but he was in control of the body now! I haven’t been here since…then. That brief instant where Lucas had taken Kade’s power and sent gravity fields in random locations in the prison. That had been strange. Usually Kade was the only one who could use their solar GuardSkill, while Lucas was the only one who could use their animal Shifter abilities. He was still deep in thought as a lion when the top of the pines came rushing up to meet him.
The air rushed out of his lungs as he connected with a thick branch. His body was tossed downwards, wood tearing at his fur and causing him to hiss in pain. The lion finally hit the ground with a thud, his eyes lazily opening and taking in his surroundings.
The lizard-like eyes of a Banal caused him to rear back in shock.
Oww, he thought as his head hit the tree behind him. The Banal in front of him was a heavy-set one, clad in two leather straps that crossed at the center of his muscled chest. He wore a pair of brown underwear, but was otherwise free of clothes. His yellow eyes narrowed at the sight of Lucas. Banal were primarily a barbaric folk―at least that was the image that they gave the other Garal. In truth, they were peaceful and only fought when it was necessary. And when they fought, they didn’t mess around. They resembled humans, but carried snake-like features. This one had a white torso that darkened into a forest-green.
Lucas rose shakily to his legs, ignoring the pain in his nape. He staggered away from the Banal―it merely stood there and stared at him.
“Hey…” Lucas said; he, like most Shifters, knew how to speak in understandable language and not just his own animal. “I’m going to go now…okay―” He bolted, his paws hitting the ground with a dull thump until they were replaced by blood-stained boots. The lion faded completely, and soon Lucas was running in all black with a sheen of sweat covering his face. The temperature was intense, in fact that was the one thing that gave him a clue as to where he was, well, that and the Banal that was barreling through the Forest to get to him.
Why the hell did the necklace take us here?
The Forest of Banal was more of a jungle, where the trees towered higher than normal―the normal was a lot higher than Earth―and where the Sun seemed to favor it. The trees were plentiful, hard to maneuver around unless you possessed the agility and cleverness to scale them like a lizard would. Lucas sprinted through the Forest of Banal, already knowing that the Banal behind him would eventually get him. But he still poured speed into his movements. Rain began to pour down the trees, the clouds darkened the entire sky until it seemed as if they were dashing through the night. The crystal that bounced on his chest was flickering faintly, and Lucas tried to think of Kade’s target. Unlike the Sun Guardian, Lucas didn’t need more power. Kade had gotten it into his head that he was weak, not having one of the legendary Badges, not having seen the Sun Reality like the others, and no being in full control of his abilities.
In short, Kade was a jealous little bitch.
The sky lit up with thin spidery lightning, illuminating the Forest for just an instant before letting it fade to darkness again. Despite the thunder and constant pattering of the rain, Lucas could hear the footfalls of the Banal. The creature had night vision. I’ll activate mine then. How about that? He didn’t stop sprinting as he Shifted certain parts of his body. Lucas chose to morph half-way, resembling the stereotypical werewolf, except he had golden fur. His green eyes glowed in the dark, flitting around to search for some place to hide.
“I SEE LION-BOY!” A voice yelled over the storm. It was the Banal. Lucas risked a glance over his shoulder. The glowing yellow eyes of the Banal caused his feral side to get loose.
Lucas stopped abruptly, letting the creature sprint past in confusion. When he backtracked, Lucas saw the large blade in its hand. They stood in the rain, glaring at each other, Lucas in no control, and the Banal in complete control. The lion was taking over now. Lucas let out a slow growl and began to circle around the Banal. It mirrored his movements. The lightning that flashed across the sky was their cue. It gave the Forest light, it froze everything that was still awake. Lucas didn’t even get a chance to count before the thunder followed.
“DUCK!” He shrieked before leaping at the large beast and pulling them both towards the ground. The smell of ozone hit his lion nostrils, causing them to flare. For some reason the Banal rolled until it was on top of Lucas. “I will help, lion-boy.” It grunted.
The searing streak of white struck the tree right at Lucas’s head. A loud crack! Rang out through the Forest, and Lucas barely had enough time to push he and the Banal away before the large wooden pillar came crashing down. The wind was blowing hard, howling in his ears and tearing at his blonde hair. Lucas shifted his emerald eyes to the Banal, “My name is not lion-boy, it is Lucas. Where is your tribe, Banal?” he panted. His clothes were soaked, the rain dripping off of the leather jacket. A bright red Sun was imprinted on the back, he remembered that. In an act of pure rebellion, Lucas tore of the jacket and hurled it at the blackened tree. He was done with the Sun, done. Kade’s escapades had gone far enough. Lucas knew what was going to happen―a war. A war that he should have tried to stop. Shh-h-h-hit.
“I have no tribe.” The Banal growled. “My name is…Aluf.”
“Alright, Al. This storm is getting worse, and since you’re a rogue, do you think that we can stick together, at least until I get my bearings?”
“I have no objections.”
Lucas grinned and morphed into his human form, slightly relishing the way the rain hit his skin. He and Aluf began to look for shelter―somehow, he’d just made friends with a beast.
_________
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Kate and her group, or Kira and Aaric. The next chapter will probably be about them. Haha, as always, could you please comment, critique, and vote? I'd appreciate your feedback!