Guardian of Elements

Chapter 11 - The origin

The next day, Kate woke up a bit late. She found some berry bushes in the sanctuary, but it was barely enough. Verilion said he would be sleeping in a nest somewhere above, but she was certain that he was already watching her. She drank some water from the small pond and couldn't think of anything better than waiting at the stone monument. Verilion came there after a while.

"So, you want to learn, little Guardian?" he said, being a bit catty.

"Yes, and please, don't call me little," she replied.

"Very well. What do you know about the Guardians?"

"Not much, Tawarthion told me the story about my birth, but that's about it."

"Fine, then listen. The Shard of Elements – the gem you wear – is one of seven. Together, they used to form the powerful Crystal of the World. When it was whole, it created our world. Hills, falls, plants and even animals were brought to existence by it. But such power could not be stored in one place for long. The power inside it tore the Crystal apart, forming seven Shards, each with the power over one aspect of creation: Elements, Nature, Might, Wisdom, Minds, Hearts and Souls. They are all needed to preserve the world. That's why the Guardians were chosen. We were tasked by watching over the world with powers that the Shards gave us. They chose us all around the world, creating our domains – areas where the Shard's power is stored. If the domain prospers, the power stored there can be greater. When you're manipulating the elements, you're using the Shard as a conduit, directing its power. Do you follow?"

It was much for Kate to take in so fast, but she was trying to keep up.

"So, my gem doesn't have any power in itself right now?"

"That's right. The power isn't in it but in your domain, in trees, animals, even in soil. That's also why it's not glowing at the moment, but it's in its natural blue. When you use it, it drains the power from your domain, and then you can give it a form, for example by conjuring flames."

"And when I do that, doesn't that harm the creatures in my forest?"

"No, don't worry. They don't use the power, they simply have it in their bodies, without even knowing about it. It just takes some time for it to replenish, so I don't recommend you trying to move a mountain in near future," said Verilion with a smile.

"I don't think I'll have to do that again." Kate still felt a bit guilty for destroying the maze. "And, if I may ask, what are your powers, besides that you're wise? Tawarthion could heal and make flowers blossom, but I can't imagine what you can do."

"Believe me, you haven't seen the tip of what Tawarthion is capable of, when his power is at full. I imagine being so far away from his domain must have been very exhausting for him," Verilion sighed. In a bit happier tone, he answered Kate's question.

"I have no physical abilities like you or the Guardian of Nature. You could say that I'm the weakest of the Guardians, but it doesn't work that way. However, I can alter what others know. There is no riddle I cannot solve. If I want, I can learn everything about any object or animal, its past, its properties or abilities, and if I'm concentrating enough, I can even see glimpses of someone's destiny. That's how I give names to the animals which complete the trial: I don't create them, I simply know them."

"Wow, so you know everything? And what was earlier, a chicken or an egg?" Kate made fun of him a bit.

Verilion, instead of using his powers, looked at her with a smile.

"That would depend on the Guardian of Nature." he smiled mysteriously. Kate chuckled, and then laughed. That was, indeed, a very clever answer.

"And what did you mean, that it doesn't work like that? Tawarthion told me that Guardians are equal, but why?" she asked then.

"Not us in fact, our powers are equal. Even though the seven Shards no longer form the Crystal of the World, they're still tied together. They can't exist without one another," he explained.

"So, if I attempted to drown you, for example?" She couldn't get it.

"Your water wouldn't touch me. If you get anything controlled by your power too close to me, your Shard would disobey to make it touch the wielder of its counterpart. That's also why you couldn't hear my voice in the maze, the power of Wisdom couldn't affect you. Our Shards are much more than just stones. If I told you to hurt your friend, would you listen to me?" he told her.

"Well, no, I guess not." She looked at Verilion's Shard. It seemed to be just a gem, tied to his neck by a collar. She would never suspect that it's so much more.

"And can we use it on ourselves?" she asked.

"Yes. Tawarthion can heal himself, I could know everything about myself if I wanted to and you can burn yourself with your flames. So, be extremely careful."

"I will," she promised. Then she remembered something.

"But according to what Tawarthion told me, my mother was able to use ground to throw the Guardian of Hearts from the cliff. Why that worked?"

Verilion took his time with the answer.

"I've been trying to figure that out myself for the last three years. Fates of other Guardians are obscured to me. My best guess is that Andúril's Shard, your Shard, somehow knew that Raya was corrupted. Or maybe your mother found some way around this rule. But that's a story for another day. Now, let's focus on what you can do. Let's begin your training."