The Shadow Man

TwentyEight

"What is this place?"
I ask.
The Guardian steps forward.
Without a word he unstraps his armor, allowing each heavy piece to fall to the ground. It releases a heavy thud as it hits the ground.
With his chest plate off, he's left with armor covering only his arms and legs.
It's an open field, where foliage refuses to grow.
For a mile in each direction, nothing sprouts from the ground.
The ground, is made up of metals and dirt drawings.
Symbols lay etched into the floor of the monument.
"Remove your armor."
I reach up and remove the bindings that hold the plating securely to my chest.
It too, falls to the ground.
The metal sleeves protecting my arms slip off, leaving behind the body glove which the suit latches to.
I step forward, standing beside the giant.
He reaches up, calling his staff to him.
It materializes in his hand in a cloud of lighting.
"Present your weapon."
He says.
I pull the staff from my back, and hold it out in front of me.
Something happens.
Symbols begin glowing with notice energy.
"Burn Your Legacy, Young One. Become Legend."
Strangely, I know exactly what he means.
Thunder rolls above us.
I raise my staff above me.
It's blade extends in my hands, taking a new shape.
A strait jagged weapon forms in my hands.
I leap into the air.
Lightning strikes me, charging my weapon.
I bring the blade down upon the ground with the force of a cannon shell.
The dirt lifts from the ground, and swirls around me like a cyclone of fire.
Waves of dust and ash float away from me upon impact.
A new symbol glows in the ground, burned into the metals of the ground.
It's me.
It's my symbol.
My legacy.
My legend.
As I stand, I feel giant hands grabbing at my legs, preventing me from taking a step.
I don't panic, I don't feel fear.
The metals climb my body, going in veins across my skin.
Like a second hand it climbs between my fingers, and intertwined around my hands.
I look up, and I feel metal cover my face.
"A New Guardian Rises."