Trinity

8

“No,” Lea said. “It cannot be.”

Shepherd’s gut was in knots. First, Itsuke shows up, bruised and bloodied. Now, the welcoming party they were meant to meet at the castle had apparently been wiped out. What was he getting himself into?

Hobbling with the support of his black staff, Itsuke approached Lea.

“So,” he said, “Kuro told me that she and the white Shardling had gone to the same plane to look for Guardians. Shepherd is a good guy, I’m glad you two found each other.” Itsuke nodded to Shepherd, and then extended his hand to Lea.

Still terrified, Lea slowly extended hers too. Itsuke’s hand passed through it as if it were made of mist. Confused, he glanced back at the girl he had arrived with, Kuro.

Sighing, she said, “It appears you still have much to learn as well, my Guardian.”

“I’m sorry,” Shepherd said, “but what’s going on? Why are we here, Itsuke?”

“Ah,” Kuro said, walking towards the rest of them. She examined Shepherd with cold, black eyes. “This ones soul is strong. You have chosen well sister, though it has taken you much too long. My memory was badly damaged; I can only imagine what has happened to yours. Tell me, what do you remember?”

Lea furrowed her brow. After a moment of thinking she replied, “Well, I remember that I am the Shardling of Hope. I am hope. I also remember that the All-Mother told me to come to this plane should I find a Guardian.”

Kuro stared at Lea for a good while, obviously expecting more of a response. “That’s it?” she asked.

“Oh!” Lea yelled, “I also remember that there was supposed to be an army here. And I remember that you said they were killed. And I remember you asking me what I remem-”

“All right, sister,” Kuro interjected. “It appears we have much work to do.”

Noticing the confusion on Shepherd’s face, Itsuke limped towards him, smiling.

“Hey man,” he said. “Pretty weird stuff, huh?”

“Uh...yeah. Pretty weird.” Shepherd replied.

“Well, don’t freak out. I freaked out when I got here and it didn’t do me any good. I’ll fill you in on everything I know, okay?”

Itsuke continued to grin, attempting to calm Shepherd. Oddly enough, Shepherd did start to feel a bit more relaxed. Itsuke seemed to know what he was doing, and that in and of itself was reassuring.

Shepherd glanced at Lea, who was looking at him expectantly. She seemed just as lost as he did. Despite his own situation, he felt bad for her. She seemed so innocent; like she needed him to take charge of the situation.

This whole time, Shepherd had just been following his gut; acting instead of thinking. It hadn’t failed him yet.

“Okay,” Shepherd said, sounding more confident than he felt. “Tell me what you know.”

Itsuke’s grin broadened as he nodded. “First,” he said, “let me introduce my Shardling, Kuro.”

Kuro glanced in Shepherd’s direction, then gave a swift curtsy.

“We’ve been bonded for about a year now,” he continued, “and we were the first pair to arrive at the castle. This is the Plane of the Guardians. The All-Mother created this place as a safe haven for the Shardlings, so we could train with them and become stronger.”

“The All-Mother...” Shepherd started, “I keep hearing that name. Who is she?”

Kuro was the one to respond. “She is the creator of the planes of existence,” she said, taking on a tone of reverence. “The ruler of the Spiritual Realm. There are countless physical planes, but only one Spiritual Realm. The All-Mother lives there. We Shardlings are her children; a connection between the physical world, and her world.”