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Part 40

The air rushes past my head as I plummet through inky darkness. I flail my arms and legs about trying to find something, anything to catch hold off. With an incredibly painful thump I land on something solid only to begin rolling downhill out of control. Each following thump is accompanied by a jolt of pain from a different point on my body. Then the sensation of falling starts again.

I throw my paws out to try and catch hold of the ledge I just fell off of but my fingers only scrape thin air. Just as my falling gains speed it is suddenly and violently stopped with a forceful yank, slamming me hard against a rock. I let out a raspy cough as my whiplashed neck spasms from being forced to stop my body.

Gulping in the breath knocked from my lungs as I hang there, I slowly reach above my head and feel my cape pulled tight. Thankfully it seems to have hung up on something stopping my fall into... whatever it is I'm falling into. I reach as high as I can but can't feel what it is that I'm hung on. Looks like my luck is limited at the moment.

I try to pull myself up by using my cape as a rope but the way I'm hanging makes that near impossible. Next I feel along the wall beside me looking for hand and foot holds to grab. That quickly proves to be out of the question as well. What handholds there are crumble away at the slightest touch leaving me with nothing but a paw full of pebbles and dirt.

Letting out a swear that echoes in the darkness I punch the rock. The outburst only serves to bruise my knuckles and set me rocking back and fourth. Then a voice sounds from above me, "Seeker is that you?"

I look up with surprise in the direction of the familiar sound, "Haran? That you?"

A shuffling sound and a soft swear answers me as a small shower of pebbles rains down on me bouncing off my helmet. After the dirt stops falling Haran calls out again, "Yeah it's me. Can't see for shit though. Did you fall off the ledge?"

With grumble I reply, "Fell, rolled, depends on how you look at it.''

The sound of a stifled laugh comes from him before he says, "Looks like I had an easier landing. Just landed on a flat surface and had the wind knocked out of me."

I try reaching up again but can't reach anything. Looking up I say, "Good for you. Maybe you can reach down here and give me a hand? My cape is hung up on something but it's out of my reach."

The sound of movement echoes as he replies, "I'll try. Can't see more than an inch though so may take a minute. If only we had some light."

I mentally smack myself in the head mumbling, "Im an idiot sometimes."

Holding my right hand out I summon my spear causing a soft gold light to reveal the area around me. Looking down I see nothing but a black void. With a gulp I shift my gaze upwards and see Haran's silver eye looking almost straight down at me from about a foot above where my cape has been tangled up in what looks like a root protruding from the cliff face.

He gives a slight grin and says, "That's much better. I'd say hang on but you might decide to skewer me."

I give him a glare as I see where Shadow gets his humor from. Haran reaches down and grabs a paw full of loose cape and says, "I'm going to try and pull you up as much as I can. As soon as you get close enough reach out with your spear and I'll grab that with my other paw."

As I nod he pulls up on my cape. There is a tugging around my neck as he slowly lifts me up a couple feet grunting with the effort. I shift my spear to where I am holding just the end of it while the other end is as close to Haran as I can get it. He give a hard yank on my cape propelling me a couple feet higher up.

For a split second I am in free fall before he grabs onto my spear with both paws just below the point. With a grunt I slam back into the side of the cliff while holding onto my weapon with all my strength. As Haran pulls upward I claw at the rock with my hind paws and slowly, inch by inch, I move up.

After what feels like an eternity the edge of the cliff reaches my eye level and Haran's paws grab onto one of mine. With the other I grab hold of the ledge and work to pull myself up. Eventually I pull my body and finally legs up from the edge and we both crawl a short way from the ledge before collapsing on the ground panting.

As my breath returns to normal I look at Haran and say, "Thanks, I owe you one."

He just shakes his head, "No Seeker, you don't owe me anything. You never will. If not for you I would still be trapped in my own body and that is a debt I can never repay."

Not sure how to respond I get to my feet and offer him a paw up. Once he is standing I hold my spear out and try to use its light to see around us. I'm not able to make out anything beyond a few paces in any direction. With a sinking feeling I turn to Haran and ask, "Where do you think we are?"

He rubs his left arm with his right paw as he looks around. A hint of fear crosses his face as he says, "I can't say for certain. But it looks and feels a lot like....."

He swallows hard as his voice falters but he manages to continue, "...it looks like... the place that thing kept me imprisoned in."

I close my eyes for a moment as my fears are confirmed, ''So somehow when that thing tried to take over Shadow, it pulled us along as well?"

He nods, "I'm not an expert on this stuff but I would guess that somehow we were pulled along at the same time it tried to take over my son."

A scream of pain echoes from far in the darkness followed soon by a laughter. Haran and I both look around but can't find any clue as to which direction the sounds came from. With a growl of frustration I swirl around and yell into the void, "SHADOW! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

Another scream of pain followed by a sickening voice, "Oh he can hear you guardian. But he can't help you. He is powerless now as you soon will be."

The laugh from the creature fades into silence but not before I am able to pick out a general direction of the source. I look at Haran and I see that he to has come to the same conclusion. With a nod we both set off in the direction of the laugh and Shadows scream.

For a time we trudged along in silence using the light from my spear to show us where to step. It was slow going because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the light to show more than a few steps in any direction.

After the third dead end Haran let out a mumbled grunt of irritation, "I feel so useless. I can't even fight with more than my bare claws if need be."

I turn and look at him asking, "I'm sorry?"

He looks at me and I see the aggravation in his eye, "You heard me Seeker. I'm useless to you here. If we are to get out of here we will have to fight. And what use will I be? You are a being with powers I will never have or understand. Even my own son is able to do stuff I will never be able to. I don't want to sound jealous of you, but I am damnit. Next to you, the others, even that creature, me and others like me are just ants."

For a moment I look at him then I will my armor away and grab his paw and place it against my chest right above my heart and say, "Feel that. My heart beats the same as yours. My lungs pull the same air. My eyes see the same sights. We are more alike than different Haran."

He pulls his hand away and shakes his head, "You know what I mean. You may look like us, move, like us, even talk like us Seeker. But you are so much more than us. You are practically a god. Hell you can even do more now than the masters of old could. You've said as much.''

I nod, "Yes I can. But not because of anything special about me. I can do that because I have learned how. I have pushed myself beyond all normal limits and come through it. More than once I have nearly died doing so. I did die today, actually. The only reason I'm here now is because others who were more godlike than I will ever be, gave me the ability to do even more. I am still just as much like you as I ever was."

Letting out a sigh he waves a paw at the area around us, "Look around us. This is not the work of a normal being. A normal being would have broken just from the thought of being here. But not you. That's what I'm saying. You are not a normal being anymore. I see how you can detach from things Seeker. When you fight or are working on a problem you are different. All you guardians are. But you more so. I have seen a lot through that creatures eyes when I was possessed and nothing came close to how you look."

I try to say something but he holds up a paw, "Let me finish. The others when they look at you they see you as their protector or leader or father figure. They look at you with love and are blind or just refuse to see it. When I look at you I can see all that, but I also see something else. I can see a force of nature more terrible than any storm.

"Seeker I respect you a great deal and I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt someone. But at the same time I have seen what is in your eyes when you let go. That day when we fought or rather you fought that thing in me, and Shadow nearly died. I saw something more terrifying than anything that creature ever made me watch."

I shake my head, "What you saw that day..... I was raw emotion. I was barely in control of myself. I had not experienced that level of pain for thousands of years."

He nods, '' That's it there. You are so much older than any of the rest of us. How can we not seem like ants to you. We are born, grow old, and die while you stay the same century after century."

I look at him for a moment before saying, "This is not just about me is it. But about you and Rosalie."

He looks at me with a stunned look on his face before he tries to reply, "No... It's not.... It has nothing to do with her.''

I look at him with a raised eyebrow but say nothing as he keeps stammering into silence.

After a moment he looks down with a defeated look, his ears folded back as he says, "Yeah in part I guess it is. But my points the same. How can anyone like me be of use to someone like you or the other guardians? You are all so much stronger than us."

Letting out a sigh I lean against my spear as I let a bit of my guard down and allow the weight of my life show a bit on me. It doesn't show physicality but it shows emotionally and Haran picks up on it because he has a sudden change of expression. He goes from confusion and fear to concern.

I look at Haran for a moment before saying, ''You ask how you can be of use to someone like us because you don't see just how much we need people like you. If not for you and others like you I would have lost my humanity a long time ago. If anything what I am and what the other guardians have become is more a curse than a blessing. We will be forced to watch time and time again as those we care for come and go. Rosalie has an idea what it's like but it's only a small taste of what is in store for her."

Haran looks at me for a moment then looks down, "I'm sorry Seeker I shouldn't have let my feelings take charge. Certainly not now. It's just that here we are in a place that is as close to the playground of a god as we can get and I don't even have a rock to throw. So I am still going to be useless at best to you. A liability at worse."

I give him a slight smirk before saying, "Oh really? And just who would have pulled my tail up out of that abyss back there hmm? Without you I would either have fallen into that void or been stuck hanging there till that thing found me. Now because of you we have a chance to save Shadow."

He tries to argue back but can't find anything to say so remains silent while I continue, "So you see, no one is useless. I have been in the world for a very long time and in all that time if there is only one thing that I have learned it's that everyone is important in some way. Even the mightiest of warriors can be taken down by a child and when you get down to it even gods are nothing more than the big kid in the sandbox."

He looks at me and says, "That is one of the most ridiculous comparisons I have ever heard of."

With a shrug I reply, "Maybe, but from my perspective it's the most accurate. The one constant thing about playgrounds is this, there is always a bigger kid just around the corner. The question then becomes, who will become the next big kid?"

With that I let him think more about what I've said and start walking on with Haran following in silence.

As we walk the sound of Shadows occasional scream and the subsequent laughter of the creature slowly gets louder. Each time I feel my blood boil a bit more at having to let my mate suffer while I make a slow clumsy path towards him. I take the opportunity to look at Haran and see determination etched on his face.

In an effort to try and break the silence I say, "I've been thinking about what you said back there. About how me and the other guardians are so much more powerful than others like you."

He looks at me but keeps silent so I continue, "When they say power corrupts it's not just an expression. You only have to look around us now to see how true those words are. We would not be in this situation now if it wasn't for a guardian becoming corrupted with their lust for power. I think that what we need is someone or a group of someone's to help keep the balance."

With a raised eyebrow he asks, "What do you mean?"

I rub the back of my neck saying, "I have been alone and unaccountable to anyone but myself for centuries. I would like to think that I have done fairly well for the most part. But I have seen some really terrible people come to power. With no one watching them they could have destroyed the world. Thankfully the universe seeks balance in all things."

I see his confused look so I try to explain better, "Haran the new guardians are going to be thrust into power and I won't be able to keep all of them in check all the time. As our numbers grow I will need help making sure they don't fall to the same temptations of the past. If you are willing I would like you to lead a group to keep an eye on us. Both from outside and from within, when possible."

He looks at me wide eyed, "You want me to spy on you and the guardians?"

I chuckle softly, "Spying would mean us not knowing. No I want you to hold us accountable for our actions. Be the balancing force. Guardians for the guardians if you will."

He stops and I can feel his gaze boring into the back of my neck causing me to stop as well. After a moment he asks, "Seeker, why are you talking about this with me?"

With out looking at him I say, "Isn't it obvious? You brought up the fact about how powerful me and others like me can get and how dangerous that is. I just figured that would make you a logical...."

He cuts me off saying, "That's bull shit and you know it. Your just trying to convince yourself that's why."

I swallow hard. I know he's right I just don't want to admit it.

Silently I open my mouth to speak but the words are stuck in my throat. I swallow again and say, "It's to keep my mind preoccupied. If I stop and think about.... where we are...."

My spear vanishes in a burst of light leaving us in darkness as I fall to my knees with tears rolling down my face as sorrow and worry begins to shake my body. A pair of paws find their way to my shoulders and squeeze gently as I say between sobs, "He... He is the most important person to me. The first I've let myself love in centuries."

Haran slowly sinks down beside and quietly responds, "I know. He is my son. I love him to. But he is strong Seeker. If anyone can hold on its him."

I work to get my emotions under control and with a sniff say, "I know he is. That's part of why I love him so much. But I can't help but fear that we won't find him in time. That creature is pure evil, it won't relent for a moment till it has what it wants, and the only two who can fight it are stuck in this cursed darkness with no clue where we are, no path, and now..... no light."

There is a moment of silence then Haran lets out a chuckle. I turn to try and glare in his direction but can't see past the end of my nose as I say, "I fail to see the humor in this."

He stifles another laugh before replying, "Sorry, but this is the first time I've seen this side of you. I've seen you as a warrior, a philosopher, a teacher, a leader, even a larger than life living legend. Just a few moments ago we were going on about how powerful you and the others are. You were planning for a group to try and counter you even."

I snort in irritation, "Your point?"

I hear him shift a bit before he says, "Out of all the roles I've seen you play, I think this is the first time I have seen the real you. The wolf behind the guardian. I didn't mean to laugh, especially considering the circumstances, but it's nice to see that underneath that armor and fancy magic there is still a person with emotions like the rest of us."

Letting out a sigh I grumble, "Yeah there is. Despite how easy it is to forget at times. I so rarely let my true self out anymore that I forget who I am. Shadow is the one exception. With him I have never had to be anything other than me. Not a leader or guardian or teacher.... Just me."

There is movement beside me as Haran gets back to his feet, "Then quit feeling sorry for yourself and be the warrior again and let's kick some ass."

Slowly I get to my feet, "That's all well and good. But we still don't have light or any idea where to go."

With that a loud laughter echoes around us, "Isn't that touching. The big ol' guardian has feelings after all. That will make this so much more fun."

I look around me with a mix of fear and panic. It would seem that the creature has decided that it's time to focus on us again. Looking around I try and find the source of the laughter but I can't see shit.

With a twisted laugh the creature says, "Can't see anything young guardian? How about I let some light in on your situation."

As the voice fades away so does the darkness. Slowly the inky black is replaced by a red glow that grows in strength till the whole area is revealed. Very quickly I find myself wishing for the darkness back. Ignorance truly is bliss at times, or at least it's less intimidating.

All around us the area slowly begins to become visible. At first it's just the area around us that is revealed. In moments we realize that we have just been walking in circles the whole time. We are standing on the edge of what is basically an island in the air.

It is roughly a hundred yards across with a sharp incline one one side. That would be where I landed and nearly rolled off the edge. On the other side it is relatively flat which would explain why Haran didn't fall off when he landed.

Looking out past our 'island' others begin to come into view. Some are little more than floating rocks while others are larger than where we landed. Beyond all of these floating mountains in the distance is a figure.

As I look closer the islands seem to part and fully reveal the creatures humanoid form towering over everything. Held in front of him encased in a web of dark energy I can see Shadow. His red armor dented and broken. His cape nothing but tatters. What I can make out of his face shows that he has been tortured rather badly.

His face is bloody and beaten with several cuts along his head and muzzle. One ear looks to have been broken as it is flapping limply on the side of his head, blood running from a wicked gash at its base, while the other is pressed tight to his skull as though he is expecting another blow to land at any moment.

My heart breaks seeing the abuse that I was unable to stop. From beside me I hear a deep earth trembling growl as Haran calls out, "LET GO OF MY SON YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The creatures laugh echoes around us, "Well if it isn't the old host. I thought I threw you out with the trash. Looks like I'll have to make sure you stay gone this time."

Haran makes a move to try and attack but I hold an arm out to stop him asking, "I know how you feel but how do you propose to get to him without falling into empty space?"

The creatures laugh echoes, "That's right little guardian. All you can do is stand there and watch helplessly as I take control of this whelp. Then I will truly be unstoppable."

The creature stretches out a shadowy hand and grips Shadow's injured ear saying, "Isn't that right whelp. You will be my new host and I will be unstoppable. For once I'm actually glad that one of my plans failed when you lived. Now I will have more power than I ever dreamed of."

Shadow lets out a growl laced with a whine of pain, "I will never submit to you. I would rather die first!"

The creatures oily laugh echoes all around us, "You say that like you have a choice. Your father never had a choice when I possessed him and neither will you."

With that it jerks it's hand away causing Shadow to howl in pain as his ear is completely ripped off in splash of crimson blood.

Not even thinking about where I am, or what my obstacles are, I start running and summon my spear and armor as I leap into the void yelling, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

Acting on instinct I somehow manage to leap from the floating island Haran and I were on to another that was floating some distance away. The sounds of paws scrapping dirt next to makes me look and see that Haran has made the jump as well. Looking at his face I see the same anger and hatred showing that I feel in my own heart.

I look towards the creature and there is a short look of surprise and concern, at least I think that's what it is, kind of hard to tell when it's made of smoke. Then I glance behind us at where we just came from and my mind goes blank for a second.

The island that Harran and I were just on looks to be several hundred paces away and much smaller than it should be. I can't come up with a logical reason as to why we would have been able to jump so far. Even if that creature had somehow transported us to another place the laws of physics should still apply.

Then I look around at the floating rocks and islands and realize that any natural laws I'm used to following have gone out the window. This is a world of darkness created at the whim of that creature. Any rules here are its rules and that could be very bad for us.

If we had enough time I feel sure that we could eventually learn how things work here but time is something that is not on our side. Shadow may be strong but even he would succumb to torture eventually. As he lets out another yell of pain as the creature begins inflicting new injuries on him I look towards my mate and feel my heart sink.

Blood is pouring down the side of his face from where is ear once was while the creature is slowly tracing a clawed finger down his arm cutting into Shadow's armor and arm leaving a bleeding gash in its wake. As the creature glances in my direction I realize that this is meant to be torture for me and Harran as well. It is letting us see what it is doing on purpose.

With another yell of rage we both leap to another rock then another and another. Each time we do it seems like we cover extraordinary distances when we look behind us. But looking forward we seem no closer to reaching Shadow than when we first got here.

Haran growls from besides me, "It's no use, that thing controls this place completely. It created this realm specifically to torture his victims. I don't see how we can complete against something with a mind that strong."

I stand beside him panting looking about for anything that might help us when a small glimmer of red in the distance catches my eye. I glance from it to Shadow and see him give me the tiniest of nods before glancing down at his right wrist then at me.

With a grin I say, "Shadow you are brilliant my love."

I grab Harran and drag him alone, "Follow me."

Reluctantly I take a running leap towards the island where the glint came from, away from my mate. In the distance I hear the creature laughing, "Giving up already guardian? There is no where you can run. I'm the master here!"

As the laughter fades I hear Harran huffing besides me, "Seeker where are you going? Shadow is in the other direction. He can't wait much longer."

I glance back at him and whisper, "I know, but he is stronger than you think, and if I'm right he is trying to help us as best he can."

Haran gives me a skeptical look but doesn't say anything as we land on the rock I have been aiming for. As I skid to a stop another scream echoes from Shadow. I look back and see that the creature once again has its full attention on my mate and is inflicting new wounds on him.

Tearing my gaze away I begin searching the ground as Harran asks in an anxious tone, "What are you looking for Seeker?"

Down on all fours I'm running my paws through the loose dirt, "If I'm right Shadow is trying to give us an edge in the fight....." My paws hit something hard, ".... Literally an edge!"

Dusting the dirt away I reveal what I have been searching for. The ruby blade of Shadow's sword. Gripping it by the hilt I hold it up for Haran to see before saying, "Looks like you won't be weaponless after all."