Everything was cold…

Jason glanced at his hands, noting with a certain sense of indifference that they were semi-transparent.

He stood in a field of gold—a ripe field of wheat that stretched far in all directions. The sky above was cloudy, with only a hint of sunlight peeking through the dense clouds, and as his gaze turned upwards, droplets of rain started falling.

Why am I here? Jason wondered, moving forward and trying to touch the wheat beneath his fingers. His fingers slipped right through the wheat and he pulled back his hand in a hurry.

Far away stood a man, framed by falling rays of sunshine that lit his hair as though it were aflame. He raised his hand, as though to call out to Jason…

The distant sound of drums compelled Jason’s feet to move…

He woke with a start, cold sweat drenching his body.

What was that? A nightmare…? Who was that man?

<--<< >>-->

The barrier shimmered, glistening with a myriad of colours, when Jason touched it. His touch was feathery light and as soon as he withdrew his hand, the barrier faded back to its original, transparent form.

“Thank you for showing me this, your majesty,” Jason said, glancing over his shoulder.

Behind him stood the elven queen of life, Euiridas, dressed in a resplendent and loose white dress that had sheer sleeves and shoulders and a sheer section at her abdomen. Beneath, she wore a strapless tight-fitting white chemise.

Her sky-blue eyes met his auburn ones and she said softly, “I expect you know this already, but Vern Kainley is not your birth father, and his children are not your blood siblings.”

At Jason’s tense nod, she continued, “You’ve awakened the powers of the gold guardian—and only those blood-related to the guardian can inherit the power. I’m sure you’re aware of the implications—either your birth mother or father were related in some way to the gold guardian bloodline. I’ve investigated the history and believe it most likely that you are the son—specifically, the second son—of Reyneld Bladesworn, the last gold guardian to date—before your powers awakened, that is.”

“Wha-” Jason exclaimed, “That’s impossible! He was old when the demon war happened and nobody heard from him since then! How could he have a child then, nearly thirty years afterwards?!”

Euiridas smiled and reminded him that guardians lived long lifespans—so long, in fact, that Reyneld’s first son was born before the demon war struck, and Jason born well after it ended. Reyneld’s lifespan was testament to the unique power the bloodline held, although most guardians did not live to retire.

“Reyneld… my father… I really can’t believe it…” Jason muttered.

Euiridas said, “In time, I believe the truth will become clear. Come, let us return to the city! We have seen what there is to see out here…”

Jason nodded and followed her steps.

Barely a few moments passed before Euiridas’ tanned complexion turned white as a sheet and she stumbled. With trembling hands, she grabbed a nearby tree and sagged, her breath coming in ragged huffs.

“Your majesty! Are you alright?” Jason cried, “S-Should I call someone?”

Her dazed eyes met his and she hissed, “I’m fine. We should g-”

Crimson splattered on the forest floor, trickling down from the queen’s mouth and nose. Red dripped onto her white dress, dying the fabric an ugly, red-brown rust colour.

Her eyes widened and she exclaimed, “Poison! Aaez ve ein deu daegrun!”

She uttered a string of curse words in ovaal, too fast for Jason to catch.

A crackling sound filled the area and Jason looked back to see the barrier flickering.

Thud.

The ground vibrated, shaking trees and sending animals on the run. Euiridas staggered, sinking to the ground as she held a hand over her mouth.

A massive shadow rose over the trees, towering as tall as the border mountains and covering the forest in shadow. Barely visible behind the massive being was a flickering portal that quickly shrunk in upon itself and vanished into the thin air. A large arm, scaly, thick and bright red, lifted and soared towards the barrier, colliding with a bang. The arm rebounded, but the barrier flickered and fine cracks appeared.

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“Run!” Euiridas groaned, “That’s a demon! We need to warn the town!”

A demon?! Jason thought, By the gods, it's huge!

He grabbed Euiridas’ arm and supported her, half-dragging her away as fast as he could.

The massive demon lumbered closer, and as Jason peered back at it, he saw the demon’s full appearance. Hideous tusks protruded from a mouth full of jagged teeth, blood-red skin encompassed a large face and snout and a pair of tiny, beady eyes. Horns from its head curved around a pair of scaly, cat-like ears. Two sets of long, hairy arms protruded at the shoulder, tipped with sharp talons from each of the seven fingers. It stood on two hoofed hindlegs and stood so tall its head almost appeared to brush the sky.

They reached the walls of the city just as another thundering strike from the demon crashed into the barrier, causing Euiridas to cry out.

The city was a hive of activity. Frantic guards ran about, mothers searched for their children and frightened citizens huddled in their homes. The elven hunters had mobilised, assembling at the walls of the city. Nicon stood with them, his hawk-like eyes scanning the horizon as the awful thudding footsteps lumbered closer, shaking the ground with every step.

“King Nicon!” Jason gasped, “The queen! I-I’m not sure… what h-happened. She just started to cough blood!”

Nicon’s head jerked up, his face tense, and he hurried over to pull Euiridas from Jason’s shoulders. Quickly, he felt her pulse and his eyes scanned her complexion and he frowned.

“Poison? Who would-”

He was cut off by a resounding roar that shook the treetops and the demon’s head appeared, far above the treeline.

He cursed and hollered at the hunters. “Go! Put some arrows into that thing!”

Nicon turned to Jason and said with a deadly calm voice, “You! You’re a guardian, are you not? You’ve been training for a year now! Get your guardian friends—we need all the manpower we can get! The standing army is in Aelvor… they’ll never get here in time, even if we got a message out to them and they took the griffins!”

Jason nodded and took off with a flying sprint.

Hah! To think I’d one day fight alongside elves! He thought ruefully, When I learned who my father truly was… I guess I was relieved. Relieved that I no longer needed to hold my hatred for the elves. They’ve been nothing but good to us since we washed up unannounced on their shores.

“Aire!” He muttered, summoning a gust of wind to propel him at greater speeds through the mostly deserted city streets. His feet skimmed the ground, rarely touching it.

The first time Jason had tried to use the natural elements to enhance his overall physical ability, his legs could not keep up and he was left with muscle pain so severe he was unable to move for the next few days. The rough training over the course of the years, however, had strengthened his body enough to make use of the explosive power of the elements.

<--<< >>-->

“If I die, tell Aranel he can have my favourite spoon,” Taryn joked as they stared up at the monstrous demon.

“Why would he even want your spoon?” Jason exclaimed.

They stood together with Altein and Lirya, who was equipped with a bow and fierce gaze.

Gods! It's terrifying, She thought, her wide eyes travelling up to the demon’s face. She shuddered, Absolutely hideous! It's even uglier than Madam Hoserly’s scrawny, hairless dog!

Madam Hoserly had been a strict tutor hired by her father to teach her noble etiquette. She had lived with the family for a number of years as she oversaw Lirya’s education and she had brought her dog with her. That dog was the meanest creature to ever live. It was a skinny menace that barked and chased everything and everyone that moved. The dog had an ugly, squashed face, a perpetual frown, and was shaved of its fur due to Madam Hoserly’s allergy to animal hairs.

Lirya’s hand trembled as she held the bow so tightly the skin shone white.

All of a sudden, it was as if all sound was removed, save for a light but insistent ringing, like the chiming of a bell somewhere in the distance. Her numb fingers dropped the bow, but it made no sound when it hit the ground. The world greyed…

As if in a trance, she took shuffling steps forward… away from the commotion. In a space of time both so short and so long, she walked out of the town and into the forest. Her hand passed through the weak and flickering barrier, then her whole body left the protected space.

A ruined tower stood before her. The wilderness had mostly reclaimed the ruin—a magnificent tree grew out of the tower, grass carpeted the rotten floorboards and ivy crawled up the crumbling walls, covering the tower in a blanket of green. It was from within that ruined tower that the sound originated.

W-What am I doing here? Where am I? Lirya wondered, the fog in her mind clearing slowly.

Something called me here… it's in the tower…

With cautious steps, Lirya entered the tower. It was a simple structure really—tall, but narrow. The main floor was the only one still remaining. The wooden flooring that had previously held up multiple floors was gone, rotten away through time. Looking up, Lirya could see the sky clearing from inside the tower.

But most shocking of all was not the state of the tower, but the circle of swords in the centre of the room, embedded deep into the ground in a magic circle. And within that circle, chained to the floor, sat a mythical being.

His hair was matted and long, black with a bluish tint, and the clothes he wore were dirty and tattered.

Lirya could not help but stare.

Protruding from his back was a pair of white, feathery wings.