Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Fifty ~ The Truth

Garen could hear wind blowing, but that was it. He couldn't see anything, and he couldn't feel anything. Did I just die...? He thought to himself. He started to hear the ocean's waves nearby. As soon as he could, he opened his eyes. Garen recognized the place he was in. It was a port off the coast of the Oregon province, in the port village of Lincoln City. "How did I end up here?" he asked. He walked towards the ocean, the sound of sand crunching below his feet with each step filling the somewhat peaceful air. When Garen looked at his reflection in the water, he was shocked to see that he was a child again.

"Your father and I took you here long ago."

Garen hastily turned around at the sound of that voice. Behind him stood a woman he'd never met, but he recognized from his dreams. It was his mother, Anita Leonhart. She walked towards him with her hands behind her back.

"The ocean is a beautiful place, isn't it?" she asked. "You would always love coming here, so whenever I wasn't assigned to a mission, we would take you here." Anita smiled and chuckled a little, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I loved hearing your cheerful little laugh... Spending time with you and your father, Garen, those were the moments I cherished the most." Her eyes met Garen's, but as soon as they did, she looked straight forward at the ocean, trying not to cry.

"What happened?" asked Garen, looking up at Anita. "We lived in the Capitol with the King, the Queen, Xander, and Lenora, didn't we? Dad was there, too." Garen looked at the ocean. "I remember now. You were summoned to Grants Pass for a mission. Dad and I came with you, didn't we?" Anita nodded.

"I had no choice," she said. "It was an assassination mission. Nohr and Maevis heard that a corrupt religious leader there was killing innocent people, so I had to go."

"You went to kill Bartholomew?"

"Before I knew who he was." Anita closed her eyes and sighed. "I left you with the Bishop, who claimed that the man I was looking for had fled north. John and I, well, we..." Anita sniffled a bit and tried not to cry. "We heard the Capitol was under siege. It was the War of 1806 when it all happened. I was fighting in that battle, but John was nowhere to be seen. I returned to Grants Pass to find you, but the Bishop, Bartholomew, killed me on the spot, and claimed your father's name. His power was great enough to wipe your memories clean and make you think things happened differently." Anita knelt down and held Garen in a tight, loving embrace. "I never wanted to lose you, sweetie... you deserved to have both of your parents in your life. You deserved to live a nice life in the Capitol alongside the Royal Family. There's so much we wanted you to have, Garen..."

Garen had never felt the true embrace of his parents, or so he thought. But in that moment, when it happened, he wrapped his arms around Anita and embraced her tightly. He realized how alone he felt without his true parents in his life, and he began to cry. Anita gently placed a hand on the back of his head and she kissed his forehead.

"It's okay now, sweetie," she said softly. "It's almost over. You just have one more step to take." She let go of Garen and unsheathed her sword, the one Garen had been using, and she handed it to him. "This isn't going to be easy, but it's necessary. Look over there." Anita pointed at a boy standing at the pier. It was Peter. Garen started walking towards him, holding Anita's sword in both hands. Peter turned around with a kind smile as he held an orb that glowed purple.

"This is the piece of Bartholomew that entered your soul," he said. "Once we destroy it, you'll return to your new family. The one you created." Garen looked at Peter in stunned silence, and before he could actually say anything, the real Nicholas Guinness approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for what he did," he said softly. "My father's, well..." Nicholas shook his head and knelt down, looking at Garen. "You love Lenora, don't you?" Garen was stunned to see the very man he thought he killed, but he nodded in response. Nicholas smiled kindly and gestured for Peter to put the orb on the ground. "Then go back for her. She's waiting for you, Garen. Destroy Bartholomew's essence, and we'll all be put to rest."

Anita, Peter, and Nicholas stood behind while Garen looked at the black and purple orb. In front of it stood a kind old man, the true Bishop that Bartholomew possessed.

"It must be hard to see my face, huh?" he chuckled, placing a hand on Garen's shoulder. "We never officially met, since Bartholomew took my body long before you were even born, but I am Bishop Mark Alejarde. You are such a courageous and strong boy... I wish I was able to truly meet you. But now, like Peter said, it's time for you to return to your new family, Garen. You aren't alone anymore." The Bishop smiled kindly, and Garen smiled in return. The Bishop stood behind Garen, holding hands with Nicholas, Peter, and Anita. Garen gave them all a smile and looked at the orb. He held Anita's sword downward, pointed the blade at the orb, and stabbed through it, shattering it like glass. In an instant, the world around him faded to white.