Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  Meanwhile, in a previous time and a different place, Ion and Terra were warily getting to their feet. Terra's arm hung uselessly at his side, and blood obscured most of his face. His emerald cloak was stained with dirt and charred at the edges, with large holes pockmarking the lustrous material. Ion had fared little better, and her normally perfect hair was muddied and splayed out. Her leg bore a large wound that would most likely have felled any mortal man, and her left eye was shut tight. Her breathing was ragged, but she still held a regal posture. The destroyed city had become the obliterated city, which in turn had become the crater of the obliterated city. Only the ç'aether forests remained, though only because the siblings had taken care not to let them be destroyed.

  In the middle of the crater was a large mound of earth. Small streams sprouted forth from it at every level, and grass was already beginning its long-term take-over. Radiating outwards from the mound were countless patches of burning earth. From above, it looked like a stylistic representation of the sun, but it's purpose was far darker.

  From deep within the mound, a voice could barely be heard. “Do you really think that this will hold me? Have you forgotten who taught you everything you know!”

  It was Terra who replied, saying, “We have not forgotten, Raigan. And we have not forgiven either. The man who taught us... the man who cared for us... the man who loved us... is dead. You, you are nothing but a fake. You have no right to claim the title of 'Avatar of the Skies'. You have no right to claim His title!”

  “Ha ha ha! You are pathetic. You tell yourself that he is gone, over and over until it becomes a reality. But it will never become the truth! I am still the same brother who watched you grow up! I am still the same brother who defended you when you made mistakes! Do not try and delude yourselves.”

  Ion, supported by two columns of ice-cold water, slowly began to limp towards Raigan's tomb. With a firm, yet compassionate voice, she said, “If you say that you are still our brother, then that means that you can still return to us! Please, try and remember! You were kind. You were always there for us! You loved the humans the most... even when they began to pollute the skies. You suffered for them! So how can you talk of destroying them with such a smile on your face!”

  There was no reply for some time, until Ion began to wonder if he was still there. Eventually, a harsh voice cut through the silence, saying, “Don't you understand? Everything I've done, I've done out of love! I love this planet! I love the skies and the seas and I love the earth. I love the day, and I love the night! I love the changing seasons. I love the animals that struggle to survive! I love the plants and the trees that fight to live! It is out of love that I seek to rid the world of this disease you call humanity! Wherever they go, they sow destruction and death! They turn fertile land into graveyards, and flowing rivers into dust! They are the cause of the pollution that ravaged this world... and I will have my revenge! Since the planet cannot defend itself, I will become it's Avatar of Death!”

  Ion and Terra looked to one another, pain crossing their angelic faces as the madness of their brother was made clear. It was a horrible thing to see. To witness the fall of a man whom they had respected enough to call “Older Brother”. He had been a champion of doing what was right, of always placing the needs of others above his own. He would look upon the struggling humans from his loft with eyes full of admiration, and he would talk for days about how inventive and hard-working they were. When natural disasters threatened those he cared for, he would personally intervene, going against their laws and customs without a second thought.

  Even after being punished again and again, he would not admit that he had done wrong. He would simply smile and say, “They are like children, without anyone to protect them. Even if I am destroyed in the process... I will protect them.”

  It was Terra's turn to call out, “Raigan, this is pointless. There is nothing to gain by fighting us, and He might come down if we continue to fight. Is that what you want?”

  “I grow tired of this.” The voice had come from behind them, and they quickly spun to see who had spoken. Raigan stood there, a small, hollow smile painted on his pale face. Not a single hair was out of place, and his cloak was untouched by mud or dirt. He bore no wounds to his body, even though the odds had not been in his favour. Terra and Ion wearily stood straight, ready to continue the battle despite their wounds.

  However, it was not to be, and, with a frivolous wave, Raigan disappeared. As he left, they heard him say, in a voice that was somehow both calm and malevolent, “I have taken pity on you, for old time's sake. If you ever try to attack me again... I will kill the both of you.”

  He was gone before they had a chance to respond. Turning to the destruction they had caused, Terra said, “He disgusts me. I can't believe we ever looked up to him!”

  Ion wore a look of sadness as she said, “I know how you feel... I miss him to. But right now we have more important things to think about. They are running out of time, and this latest development will only slow them down further. I wonder if we should do something? Help them along, you know?”

  “Sister, you know why we can't do that. If they were to face that man right now, they would be destroyed in an instant. They need to get stronger… strong enough to do the unthinkable. Besides, we are supposed to keep our interference to a minimum, remember?”

  “But-”

  “Don't forget, of all of the candidates, they were chosen. Their progress up until now should be all the proof that you need of their capabilities. We can only place our faith in them, and hope for their success.”

  “I... I understand. I will place my trust in them...”

  The two Avatars looked down on the ruins of the city, the city that they had dealt a final blow to. Tearing her eyes away to the east, Ion caught sight of something strange. There, a few miles away, lay the remnants of a great monument. Once a great spire, it was now little more than a half-melted base. However, a section of the monument had gone untouched by the fury of the lightning. It was a small section, containing only enough space for a single carving. An eye, surrounded by a field of crosses, which had once cried crimson tears. Seeing it Ion could not help but shiver in her frayed cloak.

  “…and he will bear the sign of the damned...” Ion thought. Although Raigan might be terrifying, humans had always been good at destroying themselves without any outside help. “Were we foolish to try and guide them? We sought to show them the light, and yet we could never cleanse the darkness in their hearts… not entirely. That same darkness, which allowed them to look at our bountiful world and say, “We want more…” That same darkness which allowed them to destroy their own world… and create monsters…” For an instant her eye fell upon Alza, and she shivered again, despite the lack of wind.

  “Monsters…”