THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 1 - Reaching Nirva - Part 1

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

Chalchiuitl, or Cha as it was better known, had forgotten how little radiance existed in the material realm. Scanning the area, it could see nothing but a forested expanse that surrounded the clearing it had appeared in. Right at its feet, a small emerald was sitting rather conspicuously in the dust, echoing Cha's own hue. Cha knew that this was the arranged place where it had been sent with the last of the spirit realm's magic and was content to wait, curiously watching some insects gathered around a fruit tree. Outside its range of vision, birds chirped and leaves rustled from the movement of small rodents.

As the orphans meandered down the path, Velda strayed from the group. She had always liked the orphanage's forest trips, but it was irritating to be surrounded by so many others in the quiet vastness of the Nirva forest. The silence would have been calming if not for so many footsteps, and besides, she had somewhere to be and something to find. Soon, she would be bound to a Magistone like Mortimer, and finally stand a chance against him. She eagerly backed out of line and slowed her pace.

Cha froze and listened intently. It could hear the playful cries of children passing by. The vaya deftly moved through the trees, careful to not stray too far from the Powerstone, until it could see a group of creatures walking down a path. They were small, spherical, fluffy beings, no more than a third of Cha's height, except for the leader, who was twice the size of the smaller ones. Their fur was mostly orange, but each one was different, ranging from browner to yellower shades. The leader was dark brown, almost maroon, and marched at a demanding pace, but somehow the younger ones kept up.

Making sure she was far enough behind to not be noticed, Velda scampered away into the trees, spotting the vaguely familiar bumpy branch that pointed with a long, knotted finger to the clearing. Glancing behind herself once more, she followed the route she had taken the first time, being careful to walk straight. As she went, she looked down to check that the empty silver ring was still on her right middle finger.

Chalchiuitl was intrigued by the small orange being that had left her group with so much intent. Following her back to the clearing where it had first appeared, Cha noticed her scrawny arms and legs, the latter of which seemed barely barely big enough to support her weight. They were as brightly colored as her fur.

Velda reached the clearing and went to the center. She needed to remember where she had been, but it had been a full week, and now all the rocks looked about the same. Then, a dark gray stone caught her eye, shaped like the canine of a huge beast. For all she knew, it might have been an actual tooth in a past life. Crouching low to the ground, she scanned the grass and dirt around the giant tooth. Sure enough, she found an emerald resting in the dust nearby where she had found the empty ring the last time.

She sat on the rock to brush off the green stone, letting her fur dangle to the dusty ground. The emerald had seven sides and was extremely thin, but expertly cut with just a hint of a point on the underside, and the top was smoother than a still pond. In it, she could see a reflection of the glade's opening to the sky where a flock of birds flew past the midday sun.

Then, Velda snapped back to reality. She had to bind herself to the Magistone here. If she did it in front of the others, she wouldn't be able to surprise Mortimer later. She eagerly held up her hand with the empty silver ring, ready to place the stone.

Chalchiuitl knew then that this being would be the Keeper of the Powerstone. She looked perfect for the job: curious, intelligent, and brave — a future leader. All Cha had to do was convince her. Moving closer, Cha noticed the stone start to glow with power at Velda's touch. It was indeed her Powerstone, and Velda was exactly who Cha had been waiting for.

Velda noticed the glow too, which quickly morphed into a complete covering of nearly opaque green magic, and was so startled that she dropped the emerald. She glanced around the clearing to see what had caused the magic to emerge, but it appeared empty. By that point, the glow had faded again. "That's odd," she muttered in a tentative tone, and she bent to pick up the emerald where it had fallen to her side.