Guardians of the Elements: The Lightning Guardian

The Calm After The Storm

White. How odd; Frank could swear the last thing he saw was the blackness of the night. His eyes focused; he was looking at the ceiling, a white ceiling. He moved a little; he was on something soft, a bed perhaps? The smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils. He straightened up abruptly. A small prick to the forearm and a quick look around confirmed his suspicions: he was in a hospital room. He ripped off the IV and disconnected the monitor from his left index finger. In that moment, voices from the hall called his attention to the door.

- ... calm, he will be fine, it is not the first time that he has received a shock from me - it was Raymond, speaking of him I would suppose, but with whom?

- Yes, you already told me ten times - Aileen!, he would recognize that annoying British accent wherever he was.

- But you're still just as worried as the first time - another female voice, would it be Brisa? Sure, she wouldn't have let her friend come alone.

- They're right, relax. We know him before you. Surely he already woke up - Eren, of course. And if Eren was there, that meant...

- Let's hope so - ... Narel. From the moment he saw her arrive at the lair attached to the Guardian of Life, he knew she was never going to take off him.

They had all come. Well, everyone except Aiden, who had basically sneaked in, and who wasn't expecting to come either. A smile was beginning to draw on his face when he was struck by a severe headache. Scenes from the night before passed through his mind, of how he was possessed by Darkness, how he was forced to fight his friends, and how they barely managed to defeat him and live to tell the tale. Once he passed, he found himself staring at the floor, his breathing ragged. A murmur diverted his attention to a dark corner. There he saw it; the Sword of the Apocalypse was stuck in the middle of the shadows.

- Take the sword - said a voice that he could not recognize, coming from the saber.

- No - Frank refused trying to get away without getting off the bed - I will not succumb to its power again.

- If you don't do it, someone else will do it - continued the strange voice - And history will repeat itself.

At that moment, fragments of his fight against the previous group of guardians sprouted from his memory. He was shocked when a feeling of satisfaction invaded him as he remembered the death of each one of them. He came back to reality. His breathing had hitched again and his hands were sweating.

- So, what will you do, "Guardian" - this last word was charged with scorn and mockery. Frank took a deep breath and stood up.

- I will not let another person suffer what I suffer every day - he finished saying as he approached the saber and took it by the handle with his right hand.

A black aura enveloped him for a few moments; his hospital gown had been replaced by his combat suit.

- Welcome back, Guardian - Filo's voice sounded as empty as ever.

Frank took one last deep breath and stepped into the shadow in front of him. Raymond and the others entered the room moments later.

- Empty - Eren commented - Are you sure this was your room? - he questioned the Lightning Guardian. The latter scanned the place with his eyes.

- Yes, it was - Ray replied crouching next to the shadowy corner, where an incision in the ground and a few dark particles betrayed the previous presence of the dark saber - He left.

***

Everrest was standing next to the bed where his master, Darkness, rested. The passage to the Lightverse and his consequent defeat by the hand of the guardians had left the latter very low on energy, which forced him to plunge into a long rest in order to recover them. His right hand was accompanied by the Shadow of blond hair.

- You should have accompanied him - Erenira reproached the biggest Shadow, appearing behind him.

- Yes, I should have - answered the latter without turning to see his interlocutor - We underestimate the guardians. They are very powerful in their dimension.

- And what are you planning to do? - asked the left hand of Darkness.

- I think it is time to bring this war home - Everrest proclaimed turning to see his companion - Rest, my lord, I will bring you the victory you long for.

Saying this, he withdrew from the room, followed by the short blond-haired Shadow, to whom he had entrusted the Daggers of Death. Erenira followed the latter with the look; a part of its face had taken on a pink coloration, with one eye turning blue.

***

The guardians were in the ruins of the lair; for some unknown reason, the pedestals were still standing, although the trees that adorned them had perished. The remaining five elements of light had already replaced their swords, the Lightning was the only one left. Raymond approached the pedestal that had corresponded to Death, the one that functioned as a bridge for Darkness to cross into that dimension. He stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and summoned his sword. He looked at it.

- It's time, Raymond - Finity's smooth voice rang out.

The Lightning Guardian nodded and placed his three-bladed sword in the purple-lit hole. The six pedestals brightened as new trees sprouted from the tops of them. The lush weeping willow again fed the stream with the dew of its leaves. The beautiful cherry tree illuminated the place again with the light of its flame-like flowers. The huge oak tree stood out again from the rest of the forest, attracting the great diversity of animals that live there. The white blossoms of the magnolia tree were once again swaying in the wind. And the strong fir tree grew again between the rocks with its leaves eternally maintaining its autumnal hue.

The pedestal of Death changed its dull purplish color to a bright and vivid yellow, and from it grew a majestic golden ash tree, which suffered the wrath of the heavens when it was struck by lightning. The roots of the six trees spread over the gap that made up what was left of the previous lair, forming a warm wooden roof. The guardians came out to see the scene: the six trees, unique, each representing one of the elements, in a perfect hexagonal formation. They had succeeded. They had managed to defeat the Darkness and restored the seals.

- Don't celebrate yet - they all turned to see Raymond. He added - We won this time, but it won't be the last. Frank left us today, and our enemies are surely getting ready. We must be ready for whatever comes.

- And we will be - Breeze calmed him, leaning her hand on his shoulder.

The six exchanged a confident look. Whatever they had to face, they would do it together, as a team.

TO CONTINUE...