Guardian: Darkness Rising

by Melanie Houtman

  “What?” Chiara hissed under her breath; suddenly, a broad grin appeared on her face. “You think you’ve defeated me?”

  “Yes, Mother,” Kyan confirmed, unaware of the underlying meaning of Chiara’s words, “we have defeated you. Your curse has been broken, and you will be charged with treason.

  I am sorry it had to end like this, Mother.”

  “Oh, don’t be, my boy,” Chiara laughed. “But these Guardians, on the other hand... they soon will be. Very soon.”

  “I wonder what she’s talking about?” Felicity asked, while freeing Luke from the wall.

  “I don’t know,” Luke replied, as he watched Eloine carry Violina out of the throne room. Just as he was about to thank Felicity from freeing him from the wall, it hit him.

  “The Master,” Luke gasped. “Everyone! Get out of here! NOW!”

  Alarmed by Luke, everyone inside the throne room instantly started to sprit toward the exit. Unfortunately, only Kyan, the guards and Eloine made it out before the doors slammed shut.

  Marco and Mari, who’d just reached the doors as they slammed shut, tried to pull them open, but the doors were jammed.

  “So, Guardians,” the Master’s chilling voice spread through the throne room. “We meet again.”

  The Master pointed his staff at Luke; as the orb started to glow, Luke was lifted off the ground; Luke’s body followed the orb’s movement, and slammed against the wall. The Master’s signature shadow ropes seemed to grow out of the wall, holding Luke tightly against it.

  “Not again,” Luke sighed.

  “Honestly, I must say I’m impressed,” the Master said, as he calmly walked down the steps he’d spawned on. “I hadn’t thought the lot of you would be strong enough to survive an avalanche.”

  Luke struggled, but with no avail. He knew what the Master wanted to do to him. And the fear in Luke’s heart grew with every step the Master took.

  However, the Master wasn’t meant to reach Luke - well, he would have been if it hadn’t been for Luke’s friends.

  “Oh, how adorable,” the Master smiled. “So, we’re protecting each other now, huh?”

  Tony stepped forward toward the Master, pointing his sword at the Master’s chest. “Isn’t that what we’ve always been doing?” he said.

  The Master shrugged. “I guess you’re right. But even now, it’s pointless.” He proceeded to pound the ground with his staff; behind the teenagers, Luke was lifted off the ground by the same kind of shadow ropes as the ones that had kept him against the wall.

  Luke let out a yell; he tried to reach for his sword, but failed to do so. Luckily, his family came to his aid; Daisy was quick to cut the ropes so Marco could catch him.

  “You see?” the Master commented dryly. “Useless.

  I could easily pick him up again if I wanted.”

  “I could easily jam my sword into your heart if I wanted,” Daisy grunted, resulting into the Master making a sharp turn toward her.

  “I don’t think you can,” the Master said. He pounded the ground with his staff once again, turning Daisy’s lower legs to stone.

  “I think that’s about enough,” Luke said, pushing himself in front of his friends.

  “Lucas-!” Marco shouted, but Luke ignored him. It didn’t help that Daisy was encouraging Luke, either.

  “Why, look at that,” the Master smiled. “Now Papa’s out of business, his dear son decides to play the hero.”

  “Don’t let him get to you, Luke,” Luke heard his friends warn him from behind, but their words seemed to be coming from far, far away.

  Luke looked thought of his dad for a brief moment, but continued to speak to the Master. “I’m not ‘playing’ a hero, Asura. I am a hero. Just like my father.” He inhaled to make his chest appear as broad as possible; the Master laughed at this.

  “You can laugh all you want,” Luke said decisively, “but I’m still not afraid of you.” Suddenly, his expression changed to a cocky grin.

  As Luke pulled out this sword and pointed it at the Master, he said, “In fact, I am challenging you to a duel.”

  The Master seemed intrigued. “Well, my boy,” he said, spreading his arms wide and taking a bow, “at which terms would you like to challenge me?”

  Luke didn’t hesitate. “If I win,” he said, “you’ll reverse the curse you cast on Lunaria, leave and never return.”

  “And if I win?” the Master said, the grin on his face broadening. He knew that this was an opportunity he couldn’t possibly let slip by.

  Luke did hesitate this time; he obviously began to become less confident that he’d win. But, knowing he couldn’t go back now, he went through with it. “If you win,” he said, his voice betraying no anxiety, “You may kill me. If you manage to defeat me, I will turn myself in to you.”

  “LUKE, NO!” Marco, Daisy, Mari, Tony and Felicity shouted in unison – but Luke ignored them. This wasn’t their decision to make.

  The Master’s grin broadened even more – if possible. “Very well, then,” he said, transforming his staff into a black sword, “let’s dance.”

  The Unexpected Generation

  The Master was the first to attack. To prevent anyone from intervening during the fight, he surrounded the area where he and Luke were standing with black flames. It also prevented Luke from fleeing.

  The Master was better at fighting than Luke had expected him to be; Luke instantly began to question his decision to fight. Luke had never had any training, aside from the fencing lessons Thomas and James had taught him. Another problem was, that the Master fought aggressively, determined to win.

  But Luke wouldn’t let that get him down. He struck back at the Master, swinging his sword at the Master’s abdomen and neck whenever given the chance.

  Luke could hear his friends and family cheering him on as he struck at the Master or blocked his attacks. It was an amazing feeling, but Luke eventually started to get tired – after all, he hadn’t eaten or slept in well over twenty-four hours. It didn’t take long before fatigue got the best of him, and the Master worked him to the ground.

  Luke had lost.

  “LUKE!” Marco cried out. Using his crossbow, he tried to shoot an arrow at the Master, but the arrow was incinerated as soon as it hit the fire.

  “I believe we have an agreement, Luke,” the Master grinned, pricking into Luke’s chest with the tip of the black sword, causing Luke to groan.

  “A-alright,” Luke uttered. “You- you got me. You win.”

  The Master’s eyes narrowed. “Thank you for not making this any more difficult, Lucas.” His grin broadened. “But... I’m not going to kill you.”

  Luke’s eyes widened. “What?” he said, feeling every muscle in his body tense up.

  “You heard me,” the Master said slowly. “I will not kill you, because I have someone else to do that for me.”

  The Master snapped his fingers, and almost directly, a figure appeared within the circle of fire. It was James; he looked beat up, and his eyes were glowing bright red once more.

  “Dad, no,” Luke protested, trying to get up, but the Master forced him back on the floor with his foot.

  “Shh, Lucas,” he said. “The adults are talking.”

  The Master walked toward James, leaving Luke lying on his back. “Dad,” Luke coughed.

  “James, my boy,” the Master laughed, “I’ve got a job for you.

  “Do you see this boy? I made a deal with him... and now, he’s all yours.”

  James’s eyes shifted toward Luke, who was still lying on the ground. To Luke’s horror, nothing in the two glowing red eyes looking at him seemed to show any sign of recognition.

  The Master turned the sword back into his staff, seemingly amused by Luke’s despair.

  “Dad,” the redhead blurted as he tried to get on all fours. “It’s me. Luke.”

  “You see, Luke?” the Master grinned. “I always get what I want. That’s how it works around here... You children have got nothing on me.”

&
nbsp; Luke swallowed. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” he said, reaching for his sword that was still lying on the ground – but unfortunately, the Master noticed.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, summoning the sword from the ground, leaving Luke unarmed. “You promised you wouldn’t struggle anymore if I defeated you... now didn’t you?”

  “He did, but we didn’t,” Marco said, his voice coming from above.

  Both the Master and Luke looked up in surprise; Marco had climbed into the tapestries that were hanging on the wall – and was ready to shoot the Master.

  The Master’s eyes seemed to be spouting fire when he saw an arrow coming his way. He quickly backed away, sending the arrow flying back to where it came from with his staff, causing it to bounce off against the wall – but didn’t notice the hem of his robe catching on fire as he did so.

  “Anyway. Where were we? Ah...” The Master grinned, but his grin quickly faded away when the smell of scorched fabric caught his nose. “What the-”

  “Smells like something’s burning, now doesn’t it?” Luke said with a smug grin covering his face from ear to ear.

  The Master yelped alarmed when he saw his robe going up in smoke behind him; he quickly took off the dark piece of clothing, and threw it away on the floor, where the fire continued to burn. Soon, one of the tapestries caught fire as well. “Oops,” the Master cackled. “How unfortunate. Within moments, this entire place will be lit like a torch... and so will you.”

  Luke’s chest tightened. He was still trapped within the ring of fire; he had no idea how to reach the flaming robe – and his friends didn’t have anything to put out the fire with.

  “Well,” the Master continued, seeming to rather enjoying the fear that radiated from Luke’s aura, “seems like your father won’t need to fight you anymore. The fire will incinerate you, which I would deem a much more painful and fit punishment for an annoying pest like you.”

  The Master gave his staff a gentle nudge; black ropes wrapped themselves around Luke’s middle, forcing him to stay still in one spot.

  There was nothing Luke could do to escape; the Master still had his sword, and his friends were blocked from reaching him by the wall of flames, which was ever growing.

  “I’m sure the Queen will blame you for this, if you’ll even make it out alive,” the Master said, gently stroking Luke’s head.

  “Get your hands off me,” Luke growled at the Master through gritted teeth.

  The Master laughed. “Why, of course, my boy,” the Master said, his eyes narrowing. “I won’t touch you any longer.”

  “Why aren’t the Queen’s guards trying to break down the door?!” Daisy yelled in frustration, her legs still keeping her stuck to the floor. “They should be helping us by now, don’t you think?”

  The Master let out a loud, menacing laugh. “They can’t,” he cackled. “Time is frozen in the rest of this palace – temporarily, of course, but... I didn’t want anyone getting in my way.”

  “My Lord, I advise we leave, before the fire breaks the shield you put around this ring,” James said. Luke looked at his father with a rather dumbfounded look on his face. Shield? So that’s why the fire was only burning half of the room – the half where the Master, and thus the teenagers, weren’t in.

  “You’re right, James,” the Master said, seeming satisfied, and turned back around. “We can’t keep Lucas safe forever... just like he can’t protect his friends forever.”

  Luke’s eye twitched; his fear had been replaced with anger. “Leave them alone,” he spat. “If it’s me you want to watch burn, then that leaves you no excuse to harm them.”

  “Ah, how adorable,” the Master said, slowly turning back to face Luke. “You just want your family to be safe... such a noble, yet naive, goal.”

  Luke’s eyes shifted to behind the Master, where his father was standing. “Please, Dad,” he begged. “You’re stronger than this. I know you are. Please, I beg you. Save my friends, save yourself, save your own friends.

  “We’re not the enemy, Dad. The Master is.”

  “Ugh,” the Master scoffed. “Enough of this.

  “I have no more time to waste on you children... I have more serious matters to attend to. Like, destroying a magical barrier, for example. I hope you enjoy your final moments before the fire engulfs you completely... following the rest of this palace.”

  Luke, as he struggled against the ropes that held him in one place, yelled, “COWARD! Why didn’t you turn us to stone when you had the chance?”

  The Master laughed. “Oh, boy,” he said. “Lucas, dear boy, there’s only one reason I haven’t turned the six of you to stone... you aren’t a threat to me or my plans.

  “You have no idea what you’re doing... and now, there’s no one left to help you. This Eleventh Generation never should have existed, and you’re only proving the reason why.”

  The Master then proceeded to take a bow, before disintegrating into black smoke, taking James, the Guardians’ statues, and any traces of magic with him. The sound of blazing fire instantly filled Luke’s ears, but it sounded more like a hive of angry bees; Luke felt weak, his vision was blurry and he felt as if the world was turning before his eyes.

  The last thing Luke heard before hitting the ground, was the clattering of metal, and the creaking sound of a roof falling apart. Then, everything went dark.

  Apparently, at the exact same moment Luke fainted, the doors to the throne room opened, and Eloine and Kyan, accompanied by several guards, came rushing in. Eloine was quick to put out the fire before the entire castle would collapse, but the throne room was ruined.

  Marco had saved Luke from being crushed by the falling ceiling by ducking forward and snatching him away from the falling word and debris just in time.

  When Luke woke up, he was lying in a bed, and six worried faces were looking at him.

  “You’re awake,” Eloine said, smiling at Luke. “What happened?”

  “He- he- took them,” Luke mumbled, looking as if he was about to lose his mind. “Dad. Uncle Thom. Aunt Sam. All five of them.”

  “About a day ago, the Master turned our family to stone,” Marco added. “He told us that we were – our Generation – was never supposed to exist, and that that was the reason why he didn’t turn us to stone.”

  “He possessed James again,” Daisy said quietly. “I don’t think we’re safe here.”

  Eloine rubbed her chin. “Maybe you’re right,” she said, “but then again, I don’t want the six of you roaming around Lunaria without knowing where to go.”

  “Well, one thing I’d like to do before heading out again, is go to sleep for a while and eat a steady meal,” Mari said, unable to hide a broad yawn. “I’m exhausted – and starving.”

  Kyan nodded. “Of course,” he said. “We’ll put guards around the Castle, but I’m afraid we can’t keep you company – Mother’s execution is scheduled for tonight.”

  The teenagers nodded. “We’d just like to go to sleep,” Luke said, still feeling a little bit dizzy. “We promise we won’t bother you.”

  Eloine smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ve had Guardians staying the night in my castle many times... including your parents, actually.” She then beckoned Luke’s friends. “Come. I’ll lead you to a vacant bedroom you can sleep in – there are two more beds in this room. Would any of you like to stay here with Luke?”

  “Well, there are two more boys,” Felicity said, “so perhaps they could sleep here with Luke.” The others seemed to agree to that plan.

  Suddenly, Luke remembered a question he’d had on his mind for quite some time. “Oh, Felicity, before I forget-” he said, but the girls, accompanied by the King and Queen, had already left the room.

  After the Queen had let the teenagers to a safe place to sleep, they thanked her for her kindness. Right now, they had to be careful – the stakes to the ‘game’ – as the Master seemed to view it – had been raised, and the teenagers weren’t sure whether
they were up for it without their parents being there to help them out.

  Queen Eloine, however, promised the teenagers to train and prepare them for their mission in the morning. She promised she’d do whatever she could to make sure that the teenagers would save the world.

  Things were different than twenty-five years ago, but they’d figure it out eventually. These teenagers were now the new Bond of Light, the Eleventh Generation – the Unexpected.

  It was up to them to save the world; everyone, including their parents, was counting on them.

  The teenagers didn’t attend Violina’s ceremonial funeral that night – Eloine and Kyan had decided to leave them sleeping. And Chiara’s execution didn’t seem like something children should be watching.

  However, not all teenagers were asleep. Mari wasn’t. Despite how hard she tried, she just couldn’t clear her mind and fall asleep. Something was going on, something Mari couldn’t lay her finger on, despite how much she wanted to.

  Time was running out. Something needed to be done, and as quick as possible. And Mari was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to be a part of that.

  Practice Makes Perfect

  The next morning, the Guardians woke up before the sun had even risen. Mari started awake; apparently, she’d fallen asleep at some point in the night, after all.

  She watched silently as everyone gathered their things, and headed down to Queen Eloine’s study, where the Queen had told the teenagers to meet her as soon as they were awake.

  Queen Eloine seemed happy to see the Guardians. “Ah, you’re awake,” she smiled. “Good. I guess that it’s time to start your training, then.”

  The teenagers followed the Queen, anxious to find out what kind of training she had in store for them. Eloine took them to the courtyard; there, Kyan and various guards were waiting for their arrival.

  “Since I can only teach you how to use magic,” Queen Eloine said, gesturing at the guards, “I asked for some advice on different kinds of combat.”

  Kyan approached them, smiling broadly. “Since you’ve all got your own unique weapon, save a few exceptions,” he gestured at Luke’s and Tony’s swords, “I’d suggest you should just show one of my men your weapon, and they’ll see what they can do.