Guardian of Elements

Chapter 18 - Keeper of souls

Kate was lying on a gravel path in some kind of a human village. She couldn't move, only look around. Everything was a bit blurry. Clouds were obscuring the night sky, but the area was well lit up by many fires, burning down houses and vegetation near the village. Cracks of burning wood could be heard and screams of people were tearing through the night.

A human woman ran by in front of Kate. She was being chased by a man with a pitchfork. Kate turned her head around and saw another woman with a shovel, preparing to smack a woman next to her. A cry startled Kate again, and on the right, she saw a young girl, cowering by a wall of a half-burned house, in front of a man, unarmed but clearly angry. Kate was too weak to move, to even think of helping her. All she could do was to watch.

Whoosh.

There was a flash of blue light. Kate felt a wave of strength, pouring into her body. She could see and think clearly again, she could stand up. She did so and looked around again. Everything was moving very slowly, the man's fist preparing to land a blow, the running woman, even flames on the roofs. She was trying to remember where she was.

Whoosh.

Another flash blinded her for a second. When it disappeared, all fires were gone, and houses were showing no sign of any damage. The Moon in the now clear sky was shining faintly on the hostile scenery below.

Whoosh.

All the people vanished. There was no trace of the horrifying scene that was taking place there just moments ago. Screams, cries, shouts, they were all gone, and silent wind was the only thing Kate could hear now. Peaceful atmosphere filled the night.

Kate noticed a high cliff at the edge of the village. She looked up, and against the night sky, she recognized seven figures standing there above. They gave out one final pulse of light as night turned to day and the world swirled.

Kate woke up on grass. Her sight was slowly coming back together. The first thing she saw was a ghost of a ram, charging towards her. She didn't have any time to dodge when the spirit transformed into a wisp and darted through her body. She felt her strength returning. She stood up again and found out that there was a circle of blue spirits around her. One of them separated and went through her again. Its emotions erased the last bit of specter's influence over her mind, leaving but a memory.

Kate was feeling fine again. The animals left, letting her gather her thoughts. She found herself on the grassy clearing of the Tree of Spirits. The Sun was high, and everything was peaceful and quiet. She remembered the underground chamber and the ghostly wraith. Now she knew what Raya's plague was really like. The man was vicious and unforgiving. If he finished her off, she didn't know if she could survive with her soul intact.

Her soul... She saw the pale orange cheetah at the edge of the forest, his fur camouflaging him on the autumn-colored background.

She felt embarrassed. That was the second time in a row she messed up and another Guardian had to save her. She knew she was careless and almost payed the price again. She really had to learn to control herself. Maybe he could teach her too, after all. She took a deep breath and went to him.

This time, the Guardian of Souls didn't run away. Kate stopped a few feet behind him and sat down. The last time she messed up, it went well afterwards, but she knew that now it wouldn't be so easy. The Guardian was displeased with her being near the Tree and she refused to leave, even worse, she did the exact opposite. She felt terrible.

"I told you to leave," the Guardian of Souls interrupted the line of her thoughts.

"I know," said Kate, determined to take full responsibility this time.

"I told you to leave. Yet you didn't. You are young, arrogant and selfish. You are not even smart enough to understand a direct order. You are not worthy of being called a Guardian." The scariest about his words was the calmness with which he said them.

Kate knew that he was being unfair to her. She wasn't selfish at all. He didn't know what happened in Verilion's domain. She saved Fellas and her children... But only because she endangered them in the first place. He was right. Partially, at least. She didn't think he could see to her soul, but her actions probably told him much.

"I'm sorry. I know my guilt. I just needed to meet you."

"Meet me? You did, and I made myself clear. You are not welcomed here. I don't want to have anything in common with you anymore."

He turned around to face her. His green eyes once again made Kate feel uncomfortable.

"I had to. The Guardian of Wisdom told me to come here. He wanted me to learn from you."

"Learn what? There isn't possibly anything I can teach you, even if I wanted to. You are nothing but a shadow of your mother's memory."

Kate was insulted by that, but she was controlling herself.

"I didn't know my mother. You did. You could help me become who she was."

"Become who she was? You can never be who Andúril was!" His tone suddenly shifted from calm to angry. "She was kind and understanding and selfless. You are selfishly rushing head first without thinking anything through."

He walked away a bit.

"Look at these forests! Nothing can live here. They are woods of the deceased, and now, they are dying themselves. Every evil human soul I'm forced to bind to this place siphons the energy of the forest. It won't be long until it will wither and die."

"But... that's Raya's fault, not mine! She made those humans go crazy."

"But if it wasn't of you, the Guardian of Hearts might've never descended into madness. Back then, she was my friend, along with Andúril. When you were born, everything went upside down."

"So, it was a crime of me to be born? You're being illogical!"

"Enough!!" shouted the Guardian of Souls.

"Lerinth," a heavenly voice enveloped the area, "please, show some respect to my daughter."

They both turned around, and above the trees, they saw a bright white wisp closing in. As it gently descended, it morphed into a cat.