Guardian: The Great Beginning

Chapter Eleven - Responsibility

Part Two: 

The Overturn

Chapter Eleven

Responsibility

The moment of avoiding responsibility had passed for Akilah. It was time to come clean entirely; that was the only way for her siblings to understand the situation at hand and fix Asura before it was too late.

Confess all, regardless of consequence. Sure, her siblings would be livid, and their trust in their eldest sister would be broken. But trust could be mended, given time and patience. Right now, Akilah's greatest concern was to help Asura and prevent both the boy and Lunaria from falling apart.

Akilah made her siblings sit down immediately when she initiated the Council. She had something important to tell them.

She had to take a deep breath to keep her voice from shaking.

"This Council today will discuss only one thing," Akilah said, "and that is Asura, and me."

Her siblings didn't respond, although their faces spoke for themselves; furrowed brows all around the table.

Akilah closed her eyes and sighed. "I have a confession to make." She waited a brief moment before continuing, still waiting for her siblings to provide any commentary.

She was sure they wouldn't appreciate the truth that her confession held.

"I may not have been entirely honest with you, siblings.

"I was born as the original Child of Light. Since the beginning of the Spirits' Rule, it has been my responsibility to make sure Lunaria is always in good balance."

She bit her lip and paused.

Her gaze then shifted towards Aharnish. "I was there when the Councils of Light and Dark were erected," she said. "And I was there when the Council of Dark failed.

"I lived through the chaos that occurred. I was part of the Council of Light that disbanded the Council of Balance and thus the Council of Dark." Another brief pause followed; Aharnish turned his gaze away, probably either trying to process what Akilah was saying or feeling embarrassed for believing Akilah had been lying about the Council of Dark and being wrong about this all along. He'd been making a fool of himself. But then again, Akilah had never bothered to tell them the full truth either, so in a way, Aharnish hadn't been wrong entirely. At least, that's how he saw it.

Akilah nodded in her brother's direction before redirecting her attention towards her other siblings. "It was me who took their powers away," she said. "I turned my own siblings mortal to save them from themselves and their Element."

This time, it appeared as though Aharnish wanted to comment, but Akilah stopped him by raising her hand. She had to finish her story now that she'd got this far. He could comment on it and express his feelings after she'd finished it.

"I saw the anguish they went through," Akilah said, "the anguish the Darkness inside of them caused. And that anguish didn't go away after the Dark had left their bodies.

"They were permanently damaged, and some of them couldn't take the pain any longer.

"It was at that moment in time that I swore I would never allow any of my siblings to suffer ever again, that I would do whatever it takes to help them."

It wasn't difficult for her siblings to put two and two together; however, they didn't seem to consider the truth to be viable in any way.

"So... you did something to Asura?" Aharnish said. "We already know you helped him train. What else could you have done?" He proceeded to narrow his eyes.