The Guardian

Chapter 1: Watcher

In the beginning I had full recollections of memories. Snippets of a time pass that was my own before I was alone in the blackness, a loving family, wonderful friends, a career I loved, and countless other things. I remembered my death as well, when I became ill, the hospital, and crying family and friends, but it was harder to recollect the more time I spent within the blackness. Wasn't there suppose to be a heaven? Or was this my hell for the countless sins I've committed over my life, but I never had much faith to begin with.

Time was meaningless here. I had no need to sleep or eat, and each moment within this blackness was static. There was nothing to tell time, no sun, no moon, only complete and utter blackness, and then there was me within this world.

I had no voice to speak, to form sounds that could escape into this world, I only had my thoughts, but that too was getting murky and harder to comprehend. I knew I was vanishing, my whole being erased into nothingness.

I didn't know If i was willing to accept this fate. To fight against this destiny and my dissipating self. I remember the face of my loving wife that I forgot the name of, my wonderful parents who loved me, and my very beautiful children my wife bore me. I had a good life. Maybe, just maybe this was a time of recollection, to fondly remember all the people in my life before I move on to the next place. Yes, I had a wonderful life.

I remembered, and remembered fondly, and then I forgot.

A light birthed into existence within the blackness. I had no eyes to see, but I wasn't blind, I could see the light pulsing blue, and red, and a whole spectrum of colours before it dimmed. The light reminded me of stars within the night sky, but unlike the countless billions this was only a single light.

I was attracted to this unknown phenomenon. My every being fluttered towards the light. I wasn't sure if it was me, or the light that made me like this. Maybe it was a new stimuli within this static world that attracted me. The light never brighten or dimmed the closer I came to it, and it never moved away or came closer as well.

What was this light? How was I suppose to interact with it when I had no physical body? I wasn't sure what I was, did my thoughts only exist within this world? Did I have a spiritual body? I wasn't sure about anything, so I just winged it. My essence, my very being wrapped around this light, and then the light exploded.

I had an overhead view of a landmass. That landmass contained a forest that stretched until a black fog obstructed my vision, and I couldn't see pass this fog, no matter how hard I tried.

Within this forest was creatures of various degrees of height. Male and female creatures that was bipedal. The creatures wore fur clothing, and settled into wooden huts. The creatures resembled something I couldn't remember.

Humans.

I remember now, I was human too.

Why was this happening to me? What was I suppose to do? The only thing I knew was that I was a part of these people, and so I watched them live their daily lives. The first thing I noticed was I could see what they see. I couldn't see any other living beings unless they have seen it first.

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The community was an agricultural village. They grew their own food, and occasionally have meat the hunters bring back. The hunters that left the village would travel into the black fog, and I would notice that portion would remind visible even after the hunters returned to the village. The village was governed by a chief, and an elected group of elders, the women were the gatherers, and caretakers, and the men hunted and worked the fields. It continued like that for years, and the village prospered.

I noticed I had a power over them. I could influence them to do what I wanted, but I couldn't directly interact with them. I couldn't tell the hunter where game was, but I could point him in the right direction, but I didn't tell them which direction game was, I didn't involve myself with the community at all because I was merely content with watching.

Then one day just before the start of winter the hunter encountered something else, it was a creature that resembled a wolf, but this creature had no fur on its body. A black carapace covered most of it's body and parts of its head. It's tendrils ooze a liquid like substance that burned the ground it walked on.

It hissed, and killed a few of the hunters when it was finally killed, stone arrows and spears sticking out of its body. I was memorized by the bizarre creature's appearance.

“Just what is this monster?” One of the hunter said. They examined it, and from their eyes I could see skin underneath the carapace. The hunters tried to remove the carapace but was unable to because the carapace was tougher and denser than their stone knives. The carapace reminded me of iron, but I had no way to tell the hunters that.

Hisses interrupted the hunters' examination, and then from beyond the hunter's sight and the black fog, another creature emerged, and then another until there was too many to count.

Fear gripped my heart.

I knew I was happy with just being a watcher, but I didn't want to hunters to die like this. I watched unable to do a thing as those creatures ripped the hunters to pieces. The visible piece of land disappeared as the last hunter died, and the creatures disappeared from my sight.

I returned to the village.

I filled the chief with a sense of alarm, my essence filling him, but he ignored it. Unsure if it now old age that gave him that feeling. The chief decided it was now time to step down and entrust his position to his successor. I tried everything to influence him to notice the incoming danger, but the chief ignored all my warnings.

The sun was setting when the creatures finally appeared near the village. The creatures hissed and poured into the village, and they easily slaughtered everybody. If only I influenced them to build walls, but I knew they wouldn't listen. If only I tried harder to make them notice me. If only I tried harder than just being a watcher. Maybe things would have been different. I watched men, women, and children die.

Escape I yelled.

Nobody listened.

But they finally heard me.

I watched them. I watched each and every one that the creatures killed. I watched til the very end. I watched as the last human alive was killed. The creatures disappeared from my sight, the forest disappeared as well and then the black fog gathered.

I was nothingness once again.

Just what were those creatures?

Why did they have to die?

Why couldn't I tried more? Why was I content with just watching?

I... let them all die.

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