Birth of the Guardian (2 page)

Lillian leaned against
the
moss-covered rocks and looked out over the valley. The
sun had just started to rise and the tiny buds on the trees
glistened with the morning dew, it reminded her of a happier time
in her life. Every year, on May 2
^nd
, going back as long
as she remembered her family would set the picnic table under the
oak tree in her back yard. All of her friends and family would come
over, and they celebrated her birthday. For Lillian, that special
day wasn’t just about her; it was about life being reborn in a way
that made the world seem more beautiful in her eyes.

“Lil… Lillian,” Jackson said in a low,
cautious tone as he tried getting her attention. “Lillian.” He
tossed a small pebble, hitting her in the arm. “Get down!”

“Huh?” Lillian turned. With her attention
sheltered deep in thought, Lillian failed to hear what Jackson
heard. The subtle sound of brush rustling, along with the sound of
rushing air overhead.

“Someone’s
coming,
”
Jackson whispered as he motioned to Lillian to crouch low to the
ground. F
rantically, she
pressed her body
against the cool, damp ground and glanced from side to side; but
she saw nothing.
Nothing,
until they appeared
from behind a small outcropping of rocks. It was the only direction
from which, the two men could approach unseen.

“There they are,” yelled one of the men.

“Lillian, run!” Jackson ordered her as he
jumped to his feet, and prepared to take on the two men. He knew he
could beat the men, but he could slow them down long enough for
Lillian to escape.

“You will submit to him,” said the smaller
man as he reached to his side and grabbed a pair of iron shackles.
“He’s your God.”

Jackson took two steps back and pushed
Lillian behind him. “Lillian, go now,” he said as he shielded her
with his body. “Run!”

Lillian hesitated for a
moment
but then broke into a full sprint. Countless
branches smacked against every part of her body as she crashed
through the thick
brush.
Lord, please help
me
,
she
thought as she looked over her
shoulder. Then she heard the most horrible sound, a gust of air
directly above her. Lillian looked up; she expected to see Armaros,
but the sky was empty. In the distance, she heard one of the men
behind her. He was
loud,
and his heavy
footsteps trampled through the thick brush, letting Lillian know
just how close he was.

He wasn’t far behind her, and in a split
second, she made her decision. Lillian turned and started running
to the cliffs. In her mind, she didn’t have a
choice
. She couldn’t lead the men to her brother, and she
couldn’t turn back. Her only
option
was the
jagged rocky cliffs that towered over the gorge. It was close to a
thousand feet
deep
, and impossible to climb
down, but it was her only option.

Lillian reached the cliffs and collapsed to
her knees in tears. She was exhausted, and more importantly, she
realized her life was over. With her decision made,
she
clasped her hands and began to pray. “Dear Lord,” she
said, “please, forgive me for what I am about to do. I cannot give
myself to him. I won’t do it…I just can’t.” Lillian’s prayer was
interrupted.

“You little bitch.” The man stood gasping for
breath. “You made me chase you.” Lillian looked up at the man. He
was tall,
massive and looked as if he was born to
inflict punishment on people.
His face
was
scarred
and disfigured from countless battles, and his
shaved head was covered in
sweat
. Other than
Armaros, he was the scariest creature Lillian had ever seen. Weak,
scared and without hope, she pushed herself to her feet.

“He can’t have me!” she shouted as she
tightly
clenched
both
fists
in defiance. “I die free.” Lillian stretched out
her arms and stepped
backward
, to the edge,
letting herself fall gracefully from the
edge
of the cliff. In her heart, she was at peace. Her soul would be
free, and she
honestly
believed she would soon
be reunited
with her parents.

“Stupid girl,” the man muttered as he turned
and walked away.

The sound of wind rushed by Lillian as she
fell. For some reason, it was oddly calming to her; it was
pure, peaceful and
reminded her of an
afternoon storm. Then she felt it, a searing pain that burned like
fire throughout her entire body. It
felt
like
a fierce flame had consumed every inch of her.
Hell…I’m in
hell
, she thought.
God, please
, she prayed,
forgive
me
, Lillian begged, the sound of wind rushing past her limp,
falling body stopped.

“Lillian, you are safe now. Put your feet
down.”
She heard a voice
drift through her
mind. Confused and dazed, she opened her eyes, and then screamed in
terror. She was twenty feet
off
the
ground.

Oh,
my
God
,
what is happening to me?

“Not God.” The voice answered. “I am called
Ariel.”

Calm
came over Lillian
and she listened to the voice, putting her feet down as Ariel
lowered them to the ground.
No! Dear Lord, not me
, she
thought, seeing her reflection in the still water of the small
stream at the bottom of the gorge.

“Be calm, my dear,” the voice said. “You are
safe now.”

Lillian stared into the water, captivated by
the fierce eyes gleaming back. They were her eyes, but different in
every way possible; no longer were they a dull shade of brown, her
eyes had changed color; they were brilliant blue, the color of a
beautiful ocean. Then she noticed her chest. Her tattered shirt was
covered, covered by what looked like scales. Lillian looked closer;
she poked, prodded and picked at the diamond shaped pattern with
her fingers, but they wouldn’t give. Ariel’s scales were designed
by God himself. They served as
protection,
like
armor, and they formed an impenetrable breastplate when
Ariel joined with Lillian.

“What are you?” Lillian stumbled back. “What
have you done to me?”

“As I said before, I am called Ariel,” he
answered. “And I have done nothing. It is our Lord, our God, who
has joined our fates.”

“God,” Lillian screamed as she spun around
and tried to pull Ariel from her back. “Get off me!” At once, Ariel
released his razor sharp talons from her ribcage and his arms
unwrapped from her chest. Lillian screamed out in agony as Ariel’s
talons
ripped through her flesh for
the second
time; Lillian’s legs buckled, her
body gave way and she
fell
to the
ground
, overwhelmed with pain. Resting on her hands and
knees, she looked up to catch Ariel landing on the boulder in front
of her. She was stunned. Stunned at how breathtaking and beautiful
Ariel appeared. Diamond shaped scales covered most of his small
body. They were the same colors of the eyes Lillian just saw
staring back at her from the stream. A spectacular array of
brilliant blue and emerald green scales that gave way to feathers
that swept down from his back, flowing to the tips of his wings
that folded neatly against his side.

“Lillian.” She heard Ariel’s voice within her
mind. “Time is not our friend this day. Lucifer has consecrated
this land, both he and Armaros may have already felt my presence,”
Ariel lowered his head trying to appear less threatening.

Your presence
, she thought, rising to
her knees.

“Yes, my presence.”

“You can hear me?” Lillian asked aloud.

“Yes.” Ariel’s words echoed in Lillian’s
mind. “I can hear you, and you can hear me.”

“How is this possible?” She asked as she
leaned forward, her eyes wide with amazement.

“I am truly sorry, but there is no more
time.” Ariel’s wings swept outward and with one downward thrust, he
leaped
twenty feet above Lillian. “He is
coming for us.”

“Who is coming?” Lillian asked just as Ariel
dove towards her.

Once again, Lillian screamed out in agony as
Ariel bonded to her back. His arms wrapped around her chest, his
talons sunk deep into her ribcage. The searing pain of
fiery
flames tore through her body quicker than before,
but the sensation of being consumed by flames was still
high
enough to drive the air from her lungs as her back
arched from the shock.
What are you doing to me
? She thought
as the light faded, and she passed out.

“Saving
us,
” Ariel
answered.

Lillian’s eyes opened
slowly
, and for a moment, her new world appeared blurry and
distorted. She could tell she was in complete darkness, yet
somehow, she could see. It wasn’t sight, as she knew it to be, it
was something more, something different. Everything appeared to be
in shades of gray and blue. Then she realized where she was — she
was under water. Immediately, panic set in and she tried pushing
for the surface.

“Be calm, Lillian,” Ariel’s voice drifted
through her mind. “I am breathing for the both of us,” he said.

Breathing for the both of us, how is that
possible?

“Trust
in
me, it is
possible,” he answered. “We are
Ariel; we have
dominion
over all that is sea or ocean. All
waters of this earth fall under our power, our influence. We are
the Lion of God, the tip of his spear, the deliverer of his
vengeance and justice.”

“Please,” Lillian pleaded, “tell me what is
going on? Who are you? What is this? I can’t handle it
anymore.”

“You have been chosen as the Guardian.”
Ariel’s voice echoed with reverence in Lillian’s mind. “And I am
your dragon. Together we will fight to restore peace and harmony to
this world.”

“This world is dead,” said Lillian, in her
mind. “There is no saving it or us.”

“You are wrong, girl!” Ariel said. “Let me
show you.”

All of a sudden, every muscle in her body
contracted at once, convulsing under the immense strain as Ariel
shared the whole of his knowledge with her. For hours, the two
floated
beneath
the sea as Ariel completed the
arc — joining with Lillian. All his understanding and knowledge
would become hers; and when completed, they would be one. Both,
their bodies and mind’s would become two
halves
of a whole. The pain she felt when joining would
stop, the fear and ignorance would disappear, and most importantly,
they would be ready to fight the evil that plagued the world.

Lillian stared at
her
reflection as she skimmed over the glass-like surface of
Sargasso Sea. The water was
a bright
aqua
blue, and as smooth as glass. Gliding over the waters
mirror-like
surface gave her a chance to see what she had
become. Once again, she fixated on her
eyes; she
fixated
on the color: a beautiful shimmering blue. Ariel’s
arms
wrapped around her chest, his
talons,
firmly anchored in her ribcage, creating a
lifesaving, protective breastplate. Ariel’s hind legs wrapped
around her hips, from her back, and molded over her thighs with his
talons clasping her flesh just above her knees. Together, they
completed each other, they transformed each other, and even though
it had only been one
day; Lillian had
been
reborn. Reborn into a warrior that would soon fight to save
humanity.

“Ariel,” Lillian spoke in her
mind
, “you’re sure we can track my brother and the rest
of them?”