The Ancient Guardians

The Ancient Guardians (Earth, Chap. 1)

THE ANCIENT GUARDIAN OF EARTH

Chapter 1

Time is infinite. It just goes on and on forever, never stopping. There’s an infinity of time behind us and an infinity ahead. If anything is done at an infinite level it would take an infinity of time to do it. In others words, infinity is timeless, just like the present. Even though infinity is on both sides of the past and future there is this dead center: the present. And presently, I’m getting bored. I feel like I’ve been searching for centuries, while it’s only been half a century since I started looking. Avry had told me there would be three other Guardians at some point, but if they didn’t appear before darkness resurfaced I would have to find them.

Although, some might say: ‘Why are you wasting most of your life just searching?’ I’m really not wasting any time, after all my life is infinite. I am older than the trees, old enough to have witnessed world wars at an age far beyond golden. In fact, 50 years would be around a third of my current age. Ancient Guardians have a lot of special attributes, each one different depending on which Guardian. They can each control one of the four basic elements: fire, earth, wind and water. For example, my element is earth, so I can control everything that defines earth; I can move it and modify it as I wish. There are a lot of other characteristics that Ancient Guardians possess, such as immortality, pointed ears, etc.

Of course, because of my power and appearance it was hard keeping a low profile during history. When you think of immortality you immediately think about all the advantages of it, but there’re also many disadvantages. Any friends you make become temporary, you witness everyone you ever love die and usually after you die any reputation you had quickly disappears, but when you never die it just keeps building up because your deeds never cease and your name never fades. Speaking of names, my original name was Clarence Chamberlain. Since then I’ve used many different names to fit the times better and the one I’m currently using is Clint. I like that name because it sounds ‘cool’ as the current generation says. I can barely remember my original appearance, but since I changed I’ve had these pointy ears, long slick brown hair, gray stone-cold eyes, the perfect visage of a young man and measure 6’5”.

In any case, Avry had also said, in the event I needed to find the other Guardians, that they usually find themselves close to the same location. What he didn’t take into account though is the recent globalization of the human race. Anyone with any heritage could be anywhere by now, even overseas in America. Bloody planes… I never should’ve helped those Wright brothers. The only thing I had to help me was this rock which reacted to the dormant ability to be an Ancient Guardian, but it had a very small radius of detection. All I did these days was walk down streets through the whole city then moved on to another city and repeat the process. I didn’t have time to check every nook and cranny anymore, the darkening threat was approaching fast and I had to make it through the whole planet every year.

I must say though, I was taking my time for this particular city, it was nice and calm and a landlord was letting me stay rent-free for fixing an underground pipe problem that would’ve cost him a fortune to dig up. Every now and then I just sat down in the quiet apartment, sipping my very British homemade tea and thinking about the past.

I was casually walking down the urban street filled with people when suddenly the heaviness of the rock in my pocket faded. It took me by surprise and the effect quickly wore off, so I turned around and walked fast in the direction I was coming from, bumping into a few people in the process. There was a potential Guardian close, probably the one able to control wind since the rock didn’t freeze or burn. I took the rock out of my pocket and followed every person I had just crossed a few seconds ago, hoping for the effect to come back.

Then after a few moments, the rock turned green and its weight practically disappeared. I looked around and saw only four persons that I was following and none walking behind me. I kept in tow of them and the rock stayed green, until they arrived at a street corner. There was a balding business man and three teenagers, one boy alone and a couple. The man followed the sidewalk going to the right while the teenagers stayed still, waiting for traffic to stop. The rock remained green, though I already highly doubted the potential Guardian to be a middle-aged man. Only the Ancient Guardian of water is supposed to be female, so it had to be one of the two boys. Come on… move.

The cars cleared in front and on the left, making the couple cross to the left and the lone boy go straight ahead at the same time. Damn, which one to follow? I could just follow one and go back to the other if the effect of the rock faded. As I was about to choose randomly, the wind blew a little harder and made me realize in which direction it had been coming from this whole time: from behind. The wind pushed against my back, making me want to step forward. Was it trying to point me in the right direction, or was it itself following the young boy? I decided to go with it and crossed the road in front. Huzza! The rock stayed green and weightless as I kept following the boy.

Now that I had my target figured out I had to keep my distance and observe him to determine my next move. I had find out where he was going, what was his schedule, where I could intercept him and watch his behavior to know what will make him react. I know what you’re thinking; it’s not stalking. It’s strategic scouting. The evening was just starting as the sun was coming down; the teenager was obviously going back home from school. Eventually he turned into a lonely street and went up to the door of a lonely house, but the lonely boy didn’t open it right away. He stayed in front of the door for a few moments, as if reluctant to go in, fermenting on the spot in his own loneliness. Then he finally put his hand on the knob and opened the door and went inside.

From there on I was cut off from him, at least for the whole night. Creeping on the side of a house at night arouses only suspicion from the surroundings, it was better to get nearer in the morning. A pick-up truck soon turned into the driveway from which a fatigued, drunk man came out. When he opened the door he was greeted by a topless woman that swiped the beer he had in his hand. I assume they were the boy’s parents. After they both went inside the house and closed the door, there was nothing else for me to do until tomorrow.  

I walked back to the apartment I was staying at and spent the evening thinking about how I could convince the boy to come with me to his destined cave. I was getting anxious at this point, not because I had finally found what I had looked for, but because I would soon get a companion to live this unending life with me. I won’t be alone anymore…

After a good night’s rest I went into my treasured car to be able to intercept him on the road where I first saw him. Although it now looked like a 50s car (I had to modify its appearance, else it’d get too much attention because of its original nature), it was originally a 1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS 8. I had it painted brown; it had four leather seats which I always kept clean, a polished metal steering wheel and specially-made engine by an old friend of mine. I drove to the boy’s house and parked near the front of it, beside the sidewalk. I waited there for him to leave for school.

After an hour I started hearing some noise from an open window. I could hear what seemed to be the boy’s voice, but I couldn’t make out anything of what he said. Then, the voice of the father came a little louder, saying something like: “Why not?! What’s wrong?” It was barely loud enough to hear, and the muffled voice of the boy sounded again. Suddenly the father screamed so loud I could hear every word: “I don’t care HOW sick you are! YOU’RE going to school! No damn cold or flu’s going to make you miss even HALF a day!” That man must be irritated by his obvious hangover too.

The boy argued and I could make out his words for the first time: “Come ON, dad, I feel really sick. I could barely get out of bed to tell you.” There was a thumping noise, as if someone punched raw meat.

The father spoke again: “Didn’t you hear what I said!? Stop whining and go to school! NOW!” The conversation ended there.

Ten minutes later the teenager walked out of the house, carrying a bruise on his face. He slammed the door behind him, raised his middle-finger in a rude gesture at the empty air surely intended for his father and rapidly walked away.

Lonely life, troubles at home AND physically mistreated: perfect. It seems like convincing him will be easier than I thought.