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Part 38

Silence. That's the first thing I notice. All the sounds of battle have vanished. Next is the lack of pain from my injuries. Those two things are enough to tell me that either I'm dead and I'm moving on or the whole thing was a horrible nightmare that is over. At this point I think I will be content with either situation.

I just lay there in the silence trying not to think about what I just went through when a voice calls from above me, "Open your eyes son something is going on."

Reluctantly I open my eyes to see my father standing above me with a worried look on his face. At first I think that I am meeting him in the afterlife but then I notice the sky behind him. It is still the same dark crimson as before and in the distance I can make out the top of the shadow creature that caused all of this.

With a start I sit up nearly colliding with my dad as I ask, "What's going on? Did you do this?"

Anil shakes his head, "No we didn't we thought you pulled us here in a last effort to cling to life."

I reach up and rub my head, "I didn't have the strength left to even try."

I look past him and see the other three masters standing behind him each with the same look of worry. The five of us are all that is moving, however, as everything else has frozen as it always does when we talk. Only this time it feels different somehow.

I get to my feet automatically as I look around. The first thing that catches my eye is the wall of ice I created, or rather what is left of it. There is a crater blasted out of it going a dozen paces in each direction before anything resembling the wall can be seen. There are shards of ice flying out in all directions away from it frozen in midair. Intermixed with them are tongues of flame from whatever caused the explosion. As my gaze continues to travel the scene I notice that the shadow creatures that survived my attack all seem to be running with looks of terror on their faces.

Trying to figure out what could scare them I follow their gazes to two figures locked in combat. One is Aduro clad in his black armor. There are places where it has been cut and burned, probably from the explosion. His face holds a mask of outrage and pain as his fur is burning in places and his right ear looks as though it has been almost completely severed. Only a tiny piece of flesh holds the top two thirds to the rest of it. Drops of blood are frozen in mid air around him.

The other figure is clad in armor of the darkest crimson. At first I don't recognize him then I see his face. Shadows face is so contorted with rage and grief he doesn't look like the same person. His lips are curled up to expose every tooth in a horribly vicious snarl. His eyes are burning with their own inner red light, instead of the normal silver I fell in love with. They almost look to be made from molten rock the way his tears are flowing away from them. He is swinging his sword so hard I can see the very shockwaves in the air as it passes by, frozen flames still dancing along its length.

Then I see something that makes me freeze in place as well. From where he is gripping his sword the hilt and blade have begun to shift from gold and silver to the reddest ruby I have ever seen. The transformation has been frozen part way through but it seems as though my mate has unlocked his potential to become a fire guardian master.

I look from the blade to master Aiden and ask, "How?"

He clears his throat before saying, "It would seem that years of discipline and training are not the only way to make masters. Just as yours was triggered by the emotions of nearly loosing Shadow so it would seem has theirs."

I don't fully catch his meaning until master Nerine grabs me gently by the shoulder and points to more nearby figures, "Look my pupil. Look at what your legacy has become."

I follow the direction she is pointing and see three figures crowded around a fourth on the ground all of them missing their helmets. Standing like a sentinel clad in green armor, his cape flapping in the wind behind him is Rick. There are steams of tears flowing down from both eyes but instead of uncontrolled furry like Shadow he wears a mask of emotions that seem to be carved from the rocks themselves. Then I look closer at his eyes and see the green light shining from within them.

His hammer is raised high ready to slam into the earth. Where he grips it the staff is turning into emerald the color of a mountain meadow in the spring. All around him the very earth seems to be flowing both towards and away from him as though alive waiting to do his bidding.

Master Terra stands next to him and runs a hand down his side saying, "His stance may leave some room for improvement but all in all he has been well trained by you. I am honored that such a worthy guardian has arisen to carry on our legacy. As you should be."

Next to Rick stands Jasper. He shares the same tears as his brother but his face is more detached as though he has set aside his grief and is focusing on the bigger picture. His eyes glowing white like the top of clouds as his weapon is turning into crystal clear diamond. He has his bow lifted and pulled back with an arrow forming from the very air around it. Stretched out in front of him is a line of arrows he has fired in rapid succession.

His stance shows that he has accepted that he is now a leader more than ever. As my father steps up to regard Jasper he says, "You have raised a fine young leader my son. He is capable of carrying on in your place as alpha just as you knew he was. Only now does he see that same ability in himself."

Tearing my gaze from the oldest of my surrogate sons I look at Rosalie. She is on her knees above the head of the fourth figure with her head held up. Her right hand is holding her trident which she is using to support herself. Again I see tears streaming from the face of someone I love and it tears at my heart knowing how much they are suffering. But as I look closer I see the stormy blue glow of her eyes as her gaze is locked on Aduro.

Her face is a sea of emotions to vast to fully comprehend. Now I have an idea of what I must have looked like on the day I became a master. All around her water is frozen in midair as it has begun shifting into needle sharp spikes. It looks as though the water is responding to her on a primal level much like the earth is doing for Rick and the air for Jasper. Sparing a glance for her trident I see where it is nearly half turned to Sapphire by this point.

Coming up behind me Nerine says softly, "We water guardians always did have stormy emotions and it seems that your friend is no different in that regard."

I chuckle, "Yeah she always has been as temperamental as the sea."

That's when I look down at the figure in Rosalie's lap and my chuckle dies in my throat. Laying there looking back up at me with a gaze I have only ever seen on the dead is..... me. Dropping to my knees I look into my own lifeless eyes staring back at me from a face I barely recognize. The fur around my muzzle is soaked in blood where I had coughed it up. Where it isn't red it has been singed and blackened from the explosion.

As my eyes move down I see where my shoulder was hit with the ax. It's a wonder I stayed conscious after that hit alone. The wound looks as though the only thing that kept my arm from being torn off entirely is a small bit of flesh below the socket and my armor. What's left of my armor on that side of my body shines crimson, rather than the normal blue, with all the blood covering it.

Moving from my arm I see where my the top half of my trident remains buried in my chest. Seeing it from this angle it's a miracle it didn't kill me instantly. It looks as though both of my lungs and heart may have been pierced. That would certainly explain the blood I coughed up. I look for the rest of my trident and find it impaled in my right leg. Looking close I see where it goes straight through my leg and into the ground underneath causing a pool of blood to form beneath my body.

Closing my eyes I lower my head. It's one thing to know logically you are dead. But it's quite another to see it so obvious on display. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up into the sad face of my father as he says, "I'm sorry son. I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

I slowly get back to my feet and turn my back on my body, "I don't think anyone can imagine what it's like staring at your own body. But it does bring back the question of how we are here. I obviously am in no shape to hold us here like this. And none of you did it. So who or what did?"

The masters and I all look back and forth at each other for a moment. All of us are at a loss as to how we got here. Then a voice echoes from the very air, "I brought you here young one. As well as your former masters. As you are all connected in life as well as death."

The voice seems very familiar to me at the same time comforting and frightening. The other masters don't seem to find any comfort in it however as they have all summoned their weapons. I look at them with a raised eyebrow asking, "Really? Are weapons going to be that useful here?"

They all look at me before Aiden speaks up, "We may be outside of the normal rules of reality here. Who is to say what can and can't be useful."

"I think you will find that what I have to say on that subject will carry quite a lot of weight Master Aiden." says the same voice. We all turn to look in the same direction to see a hooded figure making its way towards us across the battlefield. When he is about five paces from us he stops and just stands there.

All four masters point their weapons at him. But I just look at him with a raised eyebrow. For a moment no one speaks then my father says, "I don't care who you are. But you are not going to harm my son."

As my father draws back on his bow forming a silver arrow the person speaks, "Master Anil I have not come here to harm your son. Quite the opposite in fact. I am his last hope to stop this evil."

With these last words I finally recognize the speaker. I step up next to my father and place a paw on his arm gently pushing down his bow, "He isn't here to harm me. In fact he helped me live the last time I was near death. Isn't that right, Daniel?"

I look back at the figure and he lowers his hood revealing the elderly human that once met me in the void between life and death. He looks back up at me with a somber expression, "All that I did was show you the options you had that would give you a chance at life young one. You were the one who made the choice to live."

Nerine lowers her trident some but keeps it pointed at Daniel, "So are we supposed to believe that you are here to once again give Seeker that choice?"

He just shakes his head sadly, "No, Master Nerine, I'm not here to show him how he can continue living. For all intents and purposes Seeker is dead. I was just barely able to pull us into the moment of his last heartbeat. We have precious little time to try and set things up so that there will be hope and light in a world being overrun in darkness."

Terra hefts her hammer onto her shoulder with ease, "Oh and just how exactly do you plan to do that? Last I checked everyone here has been defeated rather soundly by that evil. Some more than once." She glances in my direction for a second, "No offense Seeker." She turns back to Daniel and asks, "Also how is it you know all our names? I'm pretty sure I never met you before."

Daniel looks at her, "Those are valid questions Master Terra. To answer your last question I know all of your names because I have been watching all of you for as long as you were alive and again since you were united with the young guardian."

My father steps forward with a curious look, "You say you have been watching all of us both while we were alive and since my son found the ring. That would make you at the very least a thousand years old at the time of our deaths. So just who and what are you?"

Daniel looks at my father and replies in a cold voice, "I am the only hope you have for your son to breathe again or for this world to continue breathing. I was old when the first fisherman found Atlantis. I was there when those you call guardians first came into being. You of all people should be able to identify me Anil. All of you have opposites after all."

For a moment everyone is silent before something in me clicks and I speak up, "Fire and water, air and earth. Water will douse a flame while flames will dry a puddle. Earth will stop the wind while a storm will erode a mountain."

Daniel looks at me with a smile, "Very good young master. Though those are not the only opposites in the world. There are good and evil, life and death, darkness and...."

Aiden snorts, "Let me guess you're saying the light and dark guardians are real?"

Daniel goes to respond but another voice answers instead, "They are real Aiden, and I think he is the last light guardian."

All eyes turn to my father as he puts away his bow before continuing, "But if you were the guardian of legend why did you not help us when Atlantis was destroyed?"

A look of sorrow passes briefly across Daniels face, "As much as I wanted to stop that slaughter I was not strong enough nor would I have been able to had I been. You of all people know that the future, once seen, is very hard to change. It was you after all that foresaw the destruction of your home."

At that Aiden speaks up, "That's awfully convenient, hiding behind prophecy and not changing fate, to not do anything. So let's say for a moment that you are one of the so called guardians from legend. How did mister shadow over there come back twice now while you didn't?"

The other masters and I look at Aiden then back at Daniel before I say, "He does have a point there. Why didn't you?"

Daniel turns for a moment and looks up at the creature towering high above us, "He was able to come back because his power is a twisted and corrupted version of what it is supposed to be. Originally my brother and I along with the other four guardians were the elemental sentinels of this world. We stood alongside other great creatures that fought for good and protected the people here from a wide variety of evil."

He turns back to face us with a tear in his eye, "But as so often sadly happens the heart grew envious. At some point my brother decided that a more absolute rule was needed and that was when he tried to take over as the single leading guardian. One on one he was stronger than most of us but together we were able to drive him off. It was several years later when he returned leading an army much like what you see here."

As we look around at the army of shadow creatures he continues, "It was a long hard fight that took a great toll on us. When it was all said and done the other guardians and I held council on what to do. That was when it was decided that the powers of earth, air, fire, and water would be spread among many different guardians. Any one of us by ourselves was far too powerful, seeing as how our battle nearly destroyed the world at that time. We then hid the sources of their powers and sealed them away safely so that future guardians would only be able to access a portion of it at any given time."

He glances at the creature before looking back at us, "That was when I decided, that until new hosts for the powers of light and dark were born that could prove themselves above corruption, that I would imprison my brother away. Unfortunately in order to do so would require me to sacrifice myself as well. So that's what I did."

He waves his arms around gesturing to the whole area, "The results of my efforts locked both of us in this realm, a place frozen between life and death. Here our powers were locked away, tied to our still living spirits even though our bodies have long since turned back to dust."

He lowers his arms, "For century after century we were kept even in our power, light canceling dark and dark canceling light. Then something changed. I don't know how exactly he did it but somehow he found a way to influence the evil in living beings and draw strength from them. Eventually he was able to break free of our prison and escape as a specter back into your realm. Leaving me here forced to watch his actions."

His voice grows more bitter as he tells his tale, "The only solace I could find is that he requires a host with some degree of power to remain there. Over time I learned how to influence beings to work against the darkness, though never with his skill. Over the centuries heroes would rise and fall each one keeping light alive in the world despite the overwhelming darkness."

He turns to look at the other four masters in turn, "When he attacked Atlantis, it seemed that you all had managed to defeat his host and sent him on, even at the cost of your own lives. Sadly all it did was weaken him greatly."

He looks directly at me, "But hope didn't die that day. I have since learned how to store up excess energy given off by beings who followed my path in life and had an affinity for the light."

Nerine looks at him with a hint of disgust, "You mean you learned your brothers trick to leach off others?"

Daniel looks at her angrily, "I most certainly did not. What he does is an abomination. I simply absorb and collect what naturally radiates out into the world. He is a parasite that takes everything from a living creature leaving behind a withered husk. What I do is more akin to a flower taking in the light of the sun. For one day that may not seem like much. But spread it out for three thousand years or more and you have a rather deep reservoir to draw from."

Aiden crosses his arms and snorts, "Well that's all well and good. You're the guardian equivalent of a sun now. But seeing as how you can't leave I don't get how that will help us much."

Terra looks at him and with a tone of exasperation says, "Didn't you listen? He has been waiting for the next host of his power to step up and prove himself worthy. So either...."

She is interrupted by my father who says, "Born from a storm, raised in the sea. His light will shine on the darkest of days. Standing tall he will rise for all to see, in his name shall hide the key to the lights rays."

Everyone grows silent as he looks at me, "That was the last thing your mom told me before she died. She said that she had a dream about a figure bathed in blinding light and she was told it was a prophesy about the next light guardian."

The other masters and Daniel all stare at him as Nerine says, "Why did you never tell any of this before Anil?"

He looks back at her with a bit of regret in his eyes, "Because the next day she died in that fire that nearly claimed my sons as well. Then I was burdened with the vision of our own destruction. Would you have done any better at that time?"

She looks about to retort then her face softens and she says, "No I doubt I would have done any differently."

My father shakes his head and continues, "Besides I was afraid at what that prophecy could imply."

He turns and looks at me with both pride and shame in his eyes, "The night you were born was the same night one of the worst hurricane I ever saw hit Atlantis. Then when it was discovered you would be a water guardian when you were only three years old making you one of the youngest ever identified. I believed that the first line of the prophecy could have been talking about you."

That's when Nerine steps up and continues as my father seems to choke up, "'His light will shine on the darkest of days.' That could also be addressed to you Seeker. You were the last guardian for the world after Atlantis fell, you have protected people for centuries. You became a new light for guardians here when you found the ring we created and gained the power to resurrect the guardians."

Terra steps up and says, "Just today your example has allowed four new masters to be born to carry on the fight. If that's not standing tall and shining I don't know what is."

I roll my eyes and say, "Look it is just coincidence about being born in a storm. Lots of people are. This is just all of you looking for hope where I don't see how any can survive. Even if everything Daniel said about the light and dark guardians is true, there is still no way to help now. It's foolish to think otherwise."

My father looks at me with hurt in his eyes before asking, "Do you think your mother was foolish in her desire to learn about them?"

I let out a sigh and rub my eyes, "No I don't. But that doesn't change anything now. You are letting stories about super powerful guardians being reborn cloud your minds of the one key detail here on why, even if I match some or most of some prophecy my mom had, I can't be the next light guardian."

Nerine looks up at me with a questioning look, "And just what point is that?"

I point over at my body and say quietly, "Because I am dead that's why. Daniel may have the power to bring someone here at the moment of death, but nothing I have seen tells me he has the power to reverse that death."

Everyone looks down at my lifeless body before turning to look back at Daniel. For a moment nothing is said until he says, "No I can't give life to the lifeless, no power that I know of can. But I'm not offering that. All I am offering is a chance, possibly a very slim one at that."

I roll my eyes again and begin to turn my back on him again when he continues, "Just hear me out. The first time you were nearly killed by the darkness what happened? You found the strength of will to push your abilities farther than you ever had and became a water master. That new found power was able to heal you of your injuries. Just as turning your mate Shadow into a fire guardian was able to heal his injuries mere moments later."

Raising one eyebrow I ask, "So your hoping that the power of a light guardian would be able to heal my injuries?"

He nods, "I know that it sounds like a long shot and it is. But since I was able to bring you to this place in the span of your last heartbeat I'm hoping that there may be just enough of a spark of life left that a massive infusion of energy could reignite it."

I stand there looking at him in silence for a moment before speaking, "Ok say I go along with this and for the sake of argument let's say it works. I'm still going to be fighting one of the most powerful beings ever to have walked the earth. Who you yourself just said is able to jump from host to host to keep itself alive by draining others powers. What is to stop him from just jumping to another host and starting this whole cycle over again?"

Daniel looks at me for a moment before saying, "The powers of light and dark are more than just energy. Fire, earth, water, and air are just four elements. Very powerful yes, but just energy. The forces of light and dark are more than that. They seek balance with each other to exist in harmony."

Terra looks at him with skepticism, "Are you saying the powers are living beings?"

He shakes his head, "Not exactly, at least not in any way that you or I could call alive. But they do have a will of their own to some extent. For the most part it is something that I can only describe as being instinctual, though that is a very poor description. Simply put I don't think that what is left of my brother will be able to continue possessing new hosts. Not anymore. The power of darkness was never meant to be used like it has been and I believe it is trying to fix what is wrong with it."

He looks at me, "Even now I can feel the power of light reaching out to you wanting to be united with its new guardian. That is something I have never felt before, even after having watched you for your entire life. So that tells me that something has changed in the world. As I said before I was waiting for the next light and dark guardians to appear to take on the power."

I look at him for a moment thinking before asking, "You said the powers seek balance right? And that the power of light has never reached out for another guardian till now? Could that mean that the next darkness guardian has been revealed as well?"

With a nod Daniel answers, "Yes I think that is a possibility. I think that the darkness power wants a new host, one that is free from the corruption that has poisoned it for so long. If it has found such a host then it only follows reason that the light would also seek out its new host in an effort to keep the balance. If that is the case, then when you manage to defeat what is left of my brother then the power of darkness will leave him for good and seek out its new host. Leaving just his spirit behind."

I look around a bit before my gaze finds its way back to Daniel, "I take it this host could be anywhere in the world?"

He nods but remains silent. I let out a sigh, "So if I defeat whatever it is your brother has become and live I will then need to track down the new darkness guardian and train him or her right?"

Daniel looks at me with a slight grin, "That pretty much sums it up."

With a sigh of resignation I say, "Ok saying this will work how do you plan on making me the next light guardian?"

For an answer he holds out his right arm and for the first time I see a golden tattoo on his wrist. It is in the shape of a spear with a sun behind it. As he hold his arm out light seems to gather in the palm of his hand before shooting rapidly up and down forming into the solid shaft of a spear. At the top a foot long blade forms made from the most polished metal I have ever seen.

As I look at it the blade seems to shift through the entire rainbow of colors as though lit from within by color itself. Without even getting close to it I can tell that the edges are impossibly sharp. The whole spear seems to radiate power as though it is a living entity all its own.

Daniel holds the spear between us and says, "All you have to do is take hold of the spear, announce that you are willing to become the next host for the light, and speak your name. Then we will see from there."

I look around me for a moment and see the expectant faces of my father and the other masters. Then looking past them I see the pain on the faces of Rick, Rosalie, and Jasper. Finally I look farther still and see the uncontrolled fury and grief on Shadows face and for the first time fully accept what I am willing to do, how far I will go, to protect them.

With a deep breath, which is more reflex now than necessary, I step up to Daniel towering over him though I still feel tiny in his presence and grasp the shaft of the spear. At once I feel the power held within it and a great sense of attraction floods my body. It's almost as if a magnet has been placed inside me and it is being pulled to the spear.

Looking down at Daniel I see him nod up towards the spear point. Following his gaze I look at it and say, "I Seeker, the last son of Atlantis. Claim the role of light guardian."

For a moment nothing happens. Then another passes. And another. After several long moments I look at Daniel and see disappointment on his face as he says, "I was sure you were the next host. So sure."

I let go of the spear but the attraction remains just as strong as ever and I feel disappointment as well. Then my father speaks up, "He said to speak your name son."

Turning to look at him I glare and say, "That's what I did. I spoke the only name I have gone by for centuries."

He looks at me with a soft smile and says, "That may be. But it's not the name your mother and I gave you. It's not your true name."

With a trace of a snarl I reply, "That person died three thousand years ago. He ceased to exist the day you and everyone he loved died. I am all that remains. That name has not even been heard in all that time."

My father looks at me with pain in his eyes and steps up to me and places a paw on the side of my head. As I look into his golden amber eyes so similar to my own he says, "No he didn't my son. He is still inside of you. You are just as much that scared young man now as you were then. You have been looking for so long to fill the void that was left in your heart that you didn't see that you have found what you were looking for. You are not seeking anything anymore are you?"

I open my mouth to try and argue but the words I want to say just won't come out. Then for the first time I realize that what I had been seeking for so long I had found without realizing it.

A tear falls from my eye as my father wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug and says quietly in my ear, "Go my son, and bring light to the world as your mother and I always knew you would."

He lets go of me and takes a step back nodding. Steeling my nerves I turn back to Daniel who is still holding the spear and I say, "Lets try one more time."

As he holds it out to me I grab hold of the shaft once again and say, "I am the last son of Atlantis. Guardian of all I hold dear. A sentinel against the cloud of evil and a shield of light. I will bear the responsibility to protect those who cannot do so themselves. I am Abednego Anilson."

When I speak my birth name for the first time in over three thousand years there is an explosion of the purest light I have ever seen from the spear. My whole body feels as though it is on fire and a sensation of being thrown back blocks everything else from mind. Then with a blinding surge of pain I hear faintly my father's voice, "Remembering your name was the key my son. I am so proud of you."

With that sound and light and existence fade as I wonder if Daniels plan will work.