Guardian of Elements

Chapter 3 - Who am I?

"What is that?" Kate asked and looked down again.

"That used to be a human village," Tawarthion replied.

"Human village? I've never heard of anything like that. What even is a human?"

Tawarthion looked at her.

"Who are you, Kate?"

"What? What do you mean, who am I? I'm Kate..."

"No, I mean who you really are," he said and pointed at the round blue gem on her chest.

"That? Well, you told me that I am the Guardian of Elements, but... you never told me what that really means, other than that I can manipulate water and bend winds, just as you can heal and talk to animals." She was a bit confused.

Tawarthion walked to the edge of the cliff and looked to the distance.

"You know, I was standing right here three years ago, when I gave the oath to the other Guardians to raise you."

"What? There are other Guardians, just like us?" Kate asked, surprised.

"There has always been seven Guardians: of Nature, Wisdom, Might, Minds, Souls, Hearts and Elements."

Kate couldn't believe her ears.

"Seven... Where are they? Why have we never met them?"

"Kate, listen. We all – including the former Guardian of Elements – lived in and protected different parts of the world. Once a year, we gathered here to see each other and talk. And today, it's exactly five years since our very special meeting. It was then, when the Guardian of Elements told us she was about to have a child. Her name was Andúril and she was your mother."

Kate was shocked by this revelation.

"My... mother? She was a Guardian like me? Where is she? What happened to her? Why have you never told me this?"

"Kate please, let me finish," Tawarthion continued.

"That shocked us. You see, we Guardians are not allowed to have children, and we wouldn't even think of trying to break that law. Some of us were surprised or excited, but it was Raya, the Guardian of Hearts, who was terrified by it. As you know, we can't use our powers on each other: I can't heal you and nor you can burn me with your flames. The same way, she was unable to read your mother's feelings. She was so scared, so angry of her breaking the rule, that she left immediately. We then returned to our domains and haven't heard of each other for another year.

We were never so excited to meet again like the next year. When we did, the Guardian of Hearts didn't show up. That troubled us, but then your mother arrived, and she was carrying you: a tiny blue kitten, so playful and cute. I'll never forget that moment, but I won't forget what happened after either.

Suddenly, Raya appeared. She ordered Andúril to give you up, to abandon you because you shouldn't've been born in the first place. She called you a mistake, a flaw on this world. We tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen. Your mother stepped forward and said that she would never listen to a fallen Guardian. That she betrayed what she swore to protect: love. Raya attempted to attack her, but Andúril unleashed her powers and raised the ground around us high to the sky, leaving Raya far below us. We were standing right here where we are standing now, when we looked down at her, running away into the night. When we turned around, your mother was gone with you and we left shortly after, confused and unsure about the future." Tawarthion remained silent for a while and then continued.

"It was three years ago, when we met again. We discovered that humans moved here. They built their village here, on our former meeting ground. We were not sure what to do about it, but then, Raya came again. However, she was different. Twisted. Her fur turned dark and her eyes were red and burning with hate. Her gem was completely black. We moved aside when she walked to the edge of this cliff. Then, she spoke. I'll never forget those words. 'One year ago, you named me a fallen Guardian. But now, you shall see what a fallen heart really looks like.' With those words, her gem, instead of shining, began to emit a dark cloud. The dust slowly descended on the village. Then, a horror started. Humans in this village were screaming in pain, and then they turned on each other. It was a massacre. We were frozen in shock, unable to do anything. But your mother didn't give up. She appeared from the forest, ran to the edge and used earth to throw Raya down from the cliff.

She jumped after her, using wind to slow her fall. I've never seen her do anything like that. When she landed, Raya, though wounded, was already running to the village. We were watching from here when she arrived at the village's square and turned around. She probably said something and then ran into one of the houses, followed by your mother. But then we noticed that the villagers, who were fighting each other moments ago, were now running to the same house. We couldn't warn her in time to get out of there, the men entered the house. For a few second, nothing was happening, and that silence was terrifying. Then, a massive explosion occurred. The house was torn apart and the flames formed into a gigantic vortex, swirling in the air. When it disappeared, Andúril's gem was hovering high in the sky for a while, and then it darted towards us. We dodged it, but it was flying towards the bushes where you were sleeping. It landed on your chest and formed a collar around your neck.

We were just standing there, unable to understand what just happened. The Guardian of Wisdom left to scout for Raya, the Guardians of Souls and Minds went down to the village to try to heal humans. But they all returned empty-handed. It was not in our powers to remove the curse and there was no trace of the Guardian of Hearts or your mother. We didn't know what to do. That night, I swore to raise you, and the other Guardians left to try to stop Raya's plague from spreading. They promised me to take care of my lands in my absence, and I took you back to Andúril's den. I haven't heard from the others since then. That is all I wanted to tell you."

Tawarthion looked back at Kate and remembered again when he saw her for the first time.

"She would be proud of you."