Shadowed figures dashed through the dim, dead trees of the barren landscape. One, far ahead, seemed to be eluding the following mass. A flash of light heralded the drawing of a sword as various inhuman screams and moans followed. The figure turned, his pursuers defeated, and again began to run, dark scarlet hair glinting in the dim, almost absent light.
Past a dead field, the man fled, finally reaching a small, indistinguishable rock outcropping. The redheaded man dropped to his knees, scanning the surrounding field. Stealthily, he pushed one of the stones back, revealing a small, cave-like entrance, which he slid through.
A sharp blade at his neck caused him to stop. From the shadows, a voice chuckled.
�Good to see you�re home safe, Tooya,� said a male voice. The second figure withdrew his sword, lighting a dim candle as the entrance swung shut. Tooya glared at the brunette man, but said nothing.
�You enjoy guard duty to much Jason,� he said, brushing off his slightly tattered clothes and looking around through the dimness. He pulled out a dirty cloth and began wiping his sword clean.
�Friendly as always I see. Well come on in. Did you get it?� Jason asked, blue eyes glittering with child-like anticipation. Tooya nodded to him, brilliant green eyes still holding a gleam of annoyance. Jason gave the man a lopsided grin and pushed open a small door behind him. Through it, light and voices could be seen and heard. �Well come in and share!� he said.
The small, dark entrance opened up into a decently sized, but slightly stuffy underground room. A few more people, all men except for one, sat around the room, differing emotions playing across each face. A man with pale brown hair looked up, fixing brilliant blue-green eyes on the two arrivals.
�Back already? You found it didn�t you,� the man stated. Tooya nodded to him. Kevin, the psychic of the group, usually had a knack for knowing things before he was told. A flash of gold and violet greeted Tooya�s answer.
�You found it? Really?� a young blond girl asked him. Tooya smiled slightly and nodded to the youngest member of their resistance force.
Aria, the last of the Guardians of Earth and the bearer of the power of Spirit, was a small girl with flashing sapphire eyes and wavy golden blond hair. Her child like innocence was more than a reason for these young men to be fighting such a meaningless battle. That, and the promise that her life represented, the hope that survived with her. For behind the delicate shell of a young girl, a deadly warrior and defender of earth lay waiting to rise once more, waiting to break the seals of her comrades and begin again the battle for earth.
The eldest seeming of the small group rose from his position on the floor, brushing short, wild black hair out of his piercing blue-violet eyes. Sitting against the wall next to him was a second, nearly identical, if younger seeming; man with longer black hair tied back in a loose ponytail that fell almost to his waist and crystal blue eyes. The first of the two smiled at Tooya and extended a hand.
�Well, let�s see what you�ve found,� he said, eyes anxiously glittering. Tooya nodded to him, pulling a roll of parchment out of his coat and handing it to the man.
�So are you going to tell us exactly what you sent him to find now Myrandel?� asked the longhaired man teasingly. Myrandel, the violet-eyed man, grinned at him, a sly glint surrounding his face.
�Patience Rhodry, patience. I�ll tell you tomorrow,� he said. Rhodry just rolled his eyes as Jason pounced on Myrandel, eyes wide.
�TOMORROW! I can�t stand any more suspense! Come on! Tell!� he yelled.
�Jason, calm down,� spoke another dark haired man, catching the brunette, who was just short of strangling the violet-eyed tease. Joe was slightly taller than his twin, Jason, and had much darker hair. In fact, no one would have guessed they were twins by their looks. Jason glared at his brother as Rhodry and Tooya rolled their eyes in unison.
�Alright, fine. I�ll tell,� Myrandel finally relented. He nodded to a seventh man, who entered from a back door and settled himself next to Aria. Mark was the eldest of the group, a dark haired, dark eyed young man and the only one of the seven who lacked the supernatural powers they used to fight the demon Lord Balthas. His swordsmanship skills, however, were second to none in the room. Myrandel looked around, surveying the attentive faces. He smiled slightly.
�Well guys, I think we may finally have what we need to defeat Balthas,� he said. All seven spectators stopped dead and stared at him as if he had grown ivy out his nose.
�What? Defeat Balthas? Not even all nine Guardians were able to do that!� Jason cried. Aria gave him an indignant look. �No offence Aria�� the brunette amended.
�Anyway, ignoring Jason�s slightly valid outburst, what I asked Tooya to find may be the key to finding the resting places of the eight sleeping Guardians. We have two problems however. First, only Aria has the power to awaken them, and second we need to translate this.� With that, Myrandel unrolled the creased and tattered parchment to reveal a small poem. It read:
Jason just blinked dumbly at the rolled piece of paper. He shook his head, confused.
�You�re right, that is a problem. How the hell is this going to help us?� he asked. Myrandel shrugged.
�Well, each line, with the exception of the last two, is supposed to be a clue as to where each Guardian is. �Mountain of Fire�, for example, very likely means a volcano, and since we already have the Guardian of Spirit,� Myrandel nodded to Aria, �We can ignore the third to last verse.� Rhodry leaned over the paper to get a better look.
�Maybe an old map would help. Many of these verses probably have to do with the names of certain places. �Valley of Death�, for example. I think I might have heard of a place to the west called Death Valley,� he said. Joe shook his head.
�Don�t you think that�s a little too easy?� he asked. Rhodry shrugged in reply.
�Most of them are a lot harder. �Wounded Earth�, for example, is a tough one. It could mean just about any massive canyon or valley on earth,� he said. Kevin tilted his head, looking at the paper.
�In any case. We need to translate this to some extent before we go trudging off on some wild goose chase,� he said. Myrandel snorted.
�We already are on a wild goose chase,� he stated. Mark nodded.
�Yes, but a wild goose chase we need to win.�
Darkness shrouded Balthas� palace of ebony stone, creating the effect of a shadow within a shadow. Demonic guards stalked the grounds, carrying out their duties as human slaves toiled in the dim, unforgiving crypts below.
Inside the massive fortress, Balthas fumed.
�How could they have let one stupid half-blood escape!� he muttered to himself. �The bastard was right in their grasp! And with the information he has��
�Don�t worry so much,� came a disembodied male voice. Balthas calmed, listening to the speaker. �What the boy found was insignificant either way. The Guardian of Spirit would seek to revive her fallen comrades with or without such clues. Even so, the nine cannot be defeated as long as they sleep. They would have become a menace again anyway. It is their nature to do so after all.� Balthas nodded tiredly.
�True, but still, it�s discouraging to know that a contingent of my men couldn�t take down even a single *mortal* infiltrator,� he said.
�That boy will enter your plans as an asset rather than a danger soon. After all, he didn�t get away completely unscathed.� A demonic grin played across Balthas� lips.
�To true, to true.�
A dim candle lit the small room Myrandel shared with his brother Rhodry. Two piles of old, threadbare blankets made up their beds while old wooden crates covered by thin pieces of cloth held the few personal items they had managed to salvage before running.
Myrandel himself sat against the wall, curled atop his makeshift bed. In front of him he held the candle up to the ancient seeming parchment Tooya had salvaged from Balthas� fortress. In his other hand he held a pen to a worn, yellowed piece of paper. On the parchment was scribbled various notes on the poem before him. Blue-violet eyes squinted intently at the object of his attention.
�You�re going to get a headache like that,� Rhodry said, entering the room quietly and carefully hooking the door curtain behind him. Myrandel grinned mischievously at his brother.
�To late,� he muttered. Rhodry raised an eyebrow and Myrandel rolled his eyes. �This poem is impossible alright? I can�t figure it out.� Rhodry nodded, pulling a roll of paper out from under his arm.
�We found these maps. They might help,� he said, offering them to his brother. Myrandel took the old maps carefully, grazing at the top one. He glanced up at his brother.
�Thanks.� Rhodry grinned and turned to leave, not wanting to disturb his brother further lest he spark him into a frustrated rage. Myrandel was known to be both intimidating and inexplicably vocal when annoyed. �Rhodry?� Myrandel asked absently, attention still focused on the maps. �Can you send Kevin in here?� Rhodry nodded.
�He went out with Joe to find some supplies. I�ll ask him when they get back,� he said. Myrandel nodded absently.
�Alright.�
The village was a dim, quiet place with small brick and wood and sometimes even steel roofed huts cluttered around a circular central area. There, those humans who could recover the meager benefits of the desolate surrounding land could sell their tattered wears in exchange for small amounts of food, or what coin and supplies had been recovered from the decimated remains of various cities.
Kevin and Joe trudged through the dingy streets towards the market. Curious eyes followed their movement, peaking out from behind boarded windows heralded by soft sounds of shuffling feet. A young woman in worn jeans and a patched shirt watched them with wide eyes.
The market, like the rest of the village, was gray and subdued with a few villagers wandering the drab stalls and tented shops. Even the small amounts of sellable food or cloth were dim in color and vibrancy. Kevin, who had a small bag slung over his shoulder, walked immediately up to an elderly man and his young grandson who were running a small food stand. Joe followed, sapphire eyes scanning the area carefully.
�Hello Kevin, what have you for us today?� the elder man asked with a small smile. Kevin nodded, smiling at the young boy.
�Not much Mr. Thomas, but we�ll see if you�re interested,� he said. The young boy peaked his sandy blond head over the counter and gazed at Kevin�s bag with intent emerald eyes as the psychic began pulling things out of his bag. Most of the items were various herbs or wild fruits from the surrounding forests. Since the woods were frequently patrolled by demon soldiers, few actually had the nerve to collect them. Mr. Thomas inspected the wears expertly, giving the various plants a critical eye. Joe, bored with watching the market, turned to the small booth and grinned at the curious boy there.
�Staying out of trouble there Colin?� he asked. The boy looked up at him with wide green eyes.
�Did Aria come today?� he asked. Joe nearly laughed at the excitement in the child�s voice and eyes. The eight year old had a somewhat serious crush on the blond child-Guardian.
�Sorry kid, she stayed home today. Tooya got caught in a bit of trouble so we�re laying low for a while,� he explained, ruffling the boy�s blond hair. Colin drew his mouth into a childish pout, drawing a laugh from Joe. �Don�t worry Colin, we�ll bring her with next time just for you,� he said. Colin smiled brightly.
�Then can I come back with you?� he asked, holding out his fists as if he clutched an invisible sword. �I wana help fight the demons too!� Kevin chuckled quietly at the child�s antics.
�Maybe when you�re older,� Joe told the child. Colin beamed at the raven-haired man.
�Really?� Joe nodded.
�Just wait �til you�re older,� Mr. Thomas told his grandson. Kevin smiled slightly, a misty glaze in his eyes.
�Hopefully that day will never come,� he whispered. Mr. Thomas gave him a strange look.
�Kevin? Is something coming?� he asked calmly. Mr. Thomas and his young grandson were of the few that knew of and acknowledged the gifts of these young men who risked their lives in the hopeless battle for freedom. Kevin nodded slightly.
�We may have found a ray of hope,� he said. Mr. Thomas smiled grimly.
�Even so, our people may never recover from this. It�ll take decades, maybe even centuries to replace what we�ve lost in these ten years.�
�We�ll make it,� Joe said, a hand on young Colin�s shoulder. �Humans are stubborn, don�t worry about reviving our world.� Mr. Thomas nodded.
�Well then, you two should be returning home now shouldn�t you. Just tell me what you need,� he said. Joe looked on quietly as Kevin took care of their supplies. He grinned at Colin, ruffling the boy�s hair as the two turned to leave. The boy ran after them for a few paces, waving wildly.
�Good luck, Mr. Joe, Mr. Kevin! Bring Aria next time!� he yelled.
�We will, don�t get into too much trouble shrimp!� Joe yelled back, waving. Colin pouted slightly at the demeaning nickname, but waved back as enthusiastically as before.
�Bye bye!�
On the way back, Kevin suddenly collapsed to his knees, holding his head in pain.
�Kevin!� Joe yelled. Kevin held out a hand to stop his friend.
�I�m alright,� he said softly.
�Like hell you are!� Joe hissed, �You haven�t had a vision hit you that hard since�� Joe�s voice cracked. He shook his head, sorry for bringing THAT up again. Kevin winced, the memory only making his immense headache worse.
�I saw a cave at the edge of a river, a big cave. It was glowing�� Joe raised an eyebrow.
�Was it one of them?� he asked. Kevin shook his head carefully.
�No, it felt different. But I know we need to go there. It�s important,� he said. Joe thought for a moment.
�There�s a large river near here. Do you think we have time?� he asked. Kevin nodded.
�Let�s go!� They traveled quickly, using the dull trees as cover against airborne spies. The river dipped into a small valley it had carved in the millions of years since it�s creation. Trees and bushes littered the steep hills and cliffs leading down to its narrow, sandy shores. Joe gazed around at the sandstone walls.
�I didn�t expect there to be so many caves around here. Can you tell where we need to go?� he asked. Kevin stepped forward on the sand, his eyes glowing dimly as he walked forward. Joe sighed, following the psychic carefully. A few hundred yards down the beach, the two came across the gaping mouth of an ancient sandstone cave. Kevin stopped, turning towards the opening.
�This is it,� he said quietly. Without another word, the two stepped into the cave, feet splashing in the shallow stream running towards the river from it. Soft dripping sounds echoed through the darkness as the sounds of splashing water trailed them. A dim glow appeared in the distance. As they approached it, they saw it was a great stone glowing with fluctuating colors. Kevin stared at it, his face blank, while Joe gave his friend a weird look.
�We have to break it,� Kevin stated. Joe sighed, cracking his knuckles, a reddish glow escaping from his skin and giving off an ethereal light.
�As you wish,� he said. A blast of scarlet energy shattered the stone into glinting crystal shards. Driven into the center of the stone, and set in a circle, seven gleaming swords stood. Both young men stepped forward, entranced by their beauty. Joe reached forward and wrapped a hand around a thin, dimly glowing golden sword. He drew it out slowly, inspecting the rapier thin blade with curious eyes. A the top of the hilt, a golden circle holding a distinctly eastern symbol was carefully embossed and the tip of the handle held a tiny, nine pointed star set in a circle. The other six were similar, if different in style and size. A sapphire, black and silver sword that Kevin had drawn had a slightly thicker and shorter, delicately curved blade with strange symbols etched into the brilliant silver.
�Do you think these symbols mean something?� Kevin asked, back to his old self. Joe screwed up his face, giving the golden sword in his hands a confused glare.
�Maybe. I say we smuggle these back to base and check them out more closely,� he said. Kevin nodded.
�Good idea,� he said, setting the sapphire sword down on a small sandstone outcropping. He drew out a scarlet and gold sword next which was designed more like a one handed broadsword, thicker and sturdier than the others. Joe did the same with the gold sword and drew out an amber and silver one. It was longer than the others; the handle curving slightly into a hand guard. The blade was thinner than the scarlet one, but still thicker than the gold one.
Kevin sighed, wrapping a hand around a completely silver sword with slight lines of gold etched around the handle. It was about as thin as the amber sword, but shorter and more delicate looking. The crossbar was strait across, curling under at the ends and twin silver tassels hung from the cut out star pattern at the tip of handle. Joe�s next choice was a black and silver sword styled more like a Japanese katana with a one-sided blade and an almost non-existent crossbar. The base of the handle was tasseled like the silver one, but in black.
The two sighed, glancing at the last of the blades. It was the shortest so far, it�s delicate silver handle wrapped in wispy but graspable violet fabric. As Kevin drew the sword, he noticed that the blade was as thin as the gold one�s but etched with symbols like the sapphire sword. All together, it looked as if it were made for a child. Joe raised an eyebrow.
�This is� interesting,� he said. �Now let�s get these back to base.� Kevin nodded, wrapping the violet and silver sword in some dull fabric to hide it.
�Alright,� he said.
Rhodry, Jason and Mark were sitting in a small circle with a deck of cards watched by curious sapphire eyes when Kevin and Joe returned. Tooya gave the two a calm look, barely raising his head. He shifted in his position against the wall, gripping his sword tighter. Aria looked up from the card game and gave the two a confused stare when she noted the bundles they carried. She stood and crept over to them.
�What are those?� she asked. Joe smiled at her, setting his bundles down against the wall.
�We found them in a cave near the river. All of you might want to have a look at these,� he said. Mark turned his head to look at Joe while Jason and Rhodry craned tier necks to glance around him. Tooya raised his head.
�Well, let�s see,� Jason said, half pouncing on his twin in impatience. Joe rolled his eyes and lifted the nearest bundle. He unwrapped the old fabric to reveal a rapier-like golden sword. Rhodry�s eyes went beyond wide.
�A Jin Soul Sword,� he murmured. Tooya just stared at the blade in disbelief while the other four young men gave the half-bloods confused looks. The longhaired healer carefully plucked another shrouded sword from the pile and unwrapped it. This one was silver with twin tassels hanging from the end of the handle. Rhodry held it up to his face, tracing the symbol beneath the thin crossbar carefully.
�Which one is it?� Tooya asked, ignoring the rising levels of confusion in the room.
�Hope,� Rhodry answered. He set it down and held out a hand to Joe. �Can I see that one?� he asked. Joe carefully handed the thin blade to him and he again inspected the symbol beneath the hilt carefully. �This one is Loyalty,� he said.
�Um� Can someone explain what�s going on here,� Jason asked. Kevin shrugged.
�I had a vision on the way back from the village. It led us to these� Soul Swords did you call them?� he asked. Rhodry nodded.
�The seven Soul Swords of Virtue, or Jin come from an eastern legend almost as ancient as the Guardian Legend. Supposedly, each sword is endowed with magical powers linked to specific human virtues. The sword chooses a bearer that exhibits strong feelings of the corresponding virtue as well as at least some magical power,� he explained.
�So they�re magical swords. Why would we find them now?� Mark asked. Rhodry shrugged.
�I don�t��
�There is a theory among those who know both this legend and the Guardian legend that there is a link between the two,� said Tooya, cutting the healer off. �A few even think that the Swords were created for the Guardians.�
�But there are only seven swords and nine Guardians,� Joe said. Rhodry nodded.
�The seven swords were actually created after the Guardian Myth began. It�s said that they�re design was based off the theoretical designs for the weapons carried by the Guardians of Death and Life, the Reaper�s Scythe and the Staff of Redemption,� he explained. A soft shuffling sound echoed through the silence as those present thought the information over.
�Rhodry, are you sure this map is accurate? I can�t find anything.� Myrandel stopped and blinked, watching the small congregation in complete and utter confusion. He raised a hand to his face and lifted the thin reading glasses he was wearing off his nose. �Did I miss something?� A massive, unified sigh filled the room. Rhodry stood and walked up to his brother, snatching the map.
�It would help if you read it right side up,� he said. Myrandel snatched the map back and squinted at it.
�I still can�t read it,� he stated. Rhodry rolled his eyes.
�You can read, write and speak seven different languages fluently, two of which can�t be used in modern society for their sheer age, you know more than half of Latin literature by heart as well as various celestial legends most humans have never heard of and you can�t read a simple map?� he ranted. Myrandel shook his head.
�Geography was the only class I ever failed,� he replied. The raven-haired half-blood looked over his brother�s shoulder, surveying the group through curious blue-violet eyes. �So are you going to tell me what�s going on?� he asked. Tooya rolled his eyes.
�You�re going to love this one,� he muttered. Myrandel raised an eyebrow.
�What?� he asked. Kevin pulled out the sword of Loyalty.
�Joe and I found these in a cave by the river. Rhodry and Tooya identified them as the Soul Swords of Virtue,� he said. Myrandel�s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He dropped his glasses and the map to the floor (lucky the glasses didn�t break).
�WHAT!?� he half-shrieked. Kevin glanced at the sword, then at the stricken half-blood. He waved the sword back and forth slowly, Myrandel�s eyes following the movement carefully. Finally, with a loud sigh of frustration, Rhodry punched his brother in the shoulder to raise him from his trance.
�Shut your hanging trap,� he snapped. Myrandel rubbed his sore arm and gave his brother a dirt look.
�Don�t tell me you reacted much better,� he said.
�Rhodry didn�t even yell,� Aria piped up, an innocent smile on her face. Myrandel pouted.
�Thanks for the support,� he muttered. �How many do we have?�
�All seven,� Joe answered. Myrandel raised an eyebrow.
�This could get extremely interesting now, with these and the poem. Balthas is in for a shock when we find the Guardians,� he said.
�Why do you think that? He kicked their collective asses last time,� Jason stated. A few of those present winced at the memory. Myrandel cleared his throat.
�The Soul Swords of Virtue are incredibly powerful talismans on their own, think of what would happen if a Guardian was one of the bearers?� he explained.
�You think these could help them?� Joe asked. Myrandel nodded.
�These swords could bring the rest of the Guardians up to par with Life and Death by giving each a magical weapon to focus their powers through,� he said.
�Are Life and Death stronger than the rest of the Guardians?� Kevin asked. Rhodry nodded.
�They have a few powers the others don�t have because of their weapons. Both together can either revive the dead or grant entrance to the cycle of rebirth, or even immortality in some cases. Cassandra had the ability to travel through the realms of the dead unaffected and was granted two helpers known as the Soul Gatherers to assist her. Marina could heal any wound or illness, magical or mundane and had the ability to combine all nine elemental powers into one powerful crystal through which she focuses her magic,� he told them
�And this is all because they have their own magical weapons?� Mark asked. Tooya and Rhodry both nodded. Myrandel frowned.
�The problem is, without bearers, these swords are almost useless,� he said. Aria tugged on his pant leg, big bright blue eyes gazing up at him solemnly.
�Then let�s go find them,� she said, violet mist collecting around her body. The smallest of the Jin Soul Swords began glimmering in the faint light. As Myrandel and the others gazed at her, twin flares of brilliant violet light erupted from the floor, covering both child and sword. Aria reappeared as the light died, thin silver and violet sword in hand. She had grown drastically in the few seconds of her transformation. Sapphire eyes gazed out beneath the waist length golden mane of hair as violet fabric mimicked it in a floating dance. Myrandel blinked, utterly shocked.
�Aria, you��
�I transformed! Yes I did it!� she yelled, jumping up and down for joy. Joe smiled and shook his head. She was still the same old Aria, just in the body she had worn ten years ago. A flicker of violet told him that she had switched to her more maneuverable fighter form. Her sword was now slung across her back in a thin silver sheath.
�Well, Myrandel? If these swords need bearers, then let�s find them! This one seems friendly enough,� she told the half-blood. Myrandel smiled softly when he saw the symbol on the hilt of Aria�s sword.
�Innocence, huh? Perfect for you,� he said quietly. Rhodry grinned and nudged him.
�Well, should we go or not?� he asked his brother. Myrandel smiled.
�Let�s go. It�s time the Guardian�s were free.�
Author�s note: And so we kick off Shadow Spirit! Woo hoo!! I�m already having way to much fun with this one. Hope you enjoy!
-Cat