Author's Note: This is my first fanfic and I'm really excited. Hope to get a lot of reviews. Well, here goes nothing.

(A/N: Author's Note)

Italicize: Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except the original ones. W.I.T.C.H. and all other characters are property of…whoever owns them. But this story is mine. All mine! Get your own story! (Wow, my first disclaimer. :))

The Dark Guardian

It was the most beautiful day Meridian had seen in a long time. Finally, after so much waiting and hoping, Phobos had been defeated. The Guardians had won, Elyon had returned, and the future looked bright. Everyone in the city was outside, celebrating the new age and the coming days of peace and prosperity.

One such celebrant was a little girl, who stood with her dad at the edge of the street, watching the parade go by. For her, today was like waking up from a bad dream. Everyone was smiling, happy. Everything was perfect.

As she looked from one face to the next, taking in the smiles and smiling back, someone caught her eye. On the other side of the street, standing behind everyone else, was a man with long, black hair. He was staring right at her, with a weird smile on his face.

There was something about that smile, something she didn't like. She'd seen it before, she knew it, but she couldn't remember where.

As she looked at the strange man, his smile got bigger and bigger, and his eyes grew wider and wider. And as they did, she became more and more frightened.

I don't like that smile, she thought. Stop it…stop looking at me! Then she remembered. She knew that smile now. It was the same smile that monster had; the monster Phobos sent to her house that night. The same smile he wore right before they took her mom away, while she lay screaming her name…

She wanted to say something; to yell, to scream, but she'd lost her voice. She wanted to turn away; but her eyes wouldn't move. She stood there; waiting, waiting for the man to do something, something that would make her cry, make her scream.

Then, a person walked between them. For an instant, she lost sight of the scary man. But when the person walked away, and she saw that man again, what she saw made her gasp.

He's a monster, she thought. Suddenly, she could move again. And she found that she'd been holding her breath. Taking deep gulps of air, she tugged on her dad's arm, tore her gaze away from the man for a second to get his attention. He looked down at her and said, "What is it, honey?" She pointed and looked back at the monster, but he wasn't there. She looked up and down the street, but the scary man had vanished. Where'd he go? She looked up at her dad, but he was already talking to her mom again, who'd just been freed from Phobos' prison. So she turned back to stare at where the man-monster had been, wondering where he'd gone...

The man the girl was looking for had taken an alley to get away. As he walked, he laughed quietly at the scare he'd given her. His face was back to normal, and now that he wasn't standing behind a throng of people, you could see that he was wearing black robes over a black shirt with black pants, black gloves, black shoes, black everything. In fact the only part of him that wasn't black was his skin, which was pale.

As he continued walking, he waved his hand in front of him. As he did this, a portal appeared in front of him. This portal was purple, not blue, and when he stepped through it, he emerged still in Meridian, but far away, in the ruins of a great city, in the dead of night.

He now walked down an abandoned street, the only sounds coming from his boots hitting the road, the only lights coming from the moon and stars. Tall, stone buildings, once elegantly decorated but now ravaged by time and war, rose around him, but he didn't look up. He simply walked on, as if he'd traveled this road a hundred times.

Finally, he came to a large, stadium-like building, complete with a dome on top. "No place like home," he said with an amused smile, and went inside.

As he entered through the huge doors a small, winged creature flew down to him. It looked like a human, if humans were two feet tall, and had bat wings, red eyes, pointed ears, spiked hair, leathery skin, horns, and claws on its hands and feet. When it spoke, its voice was like a snake, and as it talked it smiled with a mouth full of fangs and a forked tongue.

"How was your trip, Master?" The little creature said.

"It was filled with delight, sunshine, and the laughter of children. Everyone was happy, and the whole town seemed filled with joy and hope." The man replied with a smile so bright that it had to be fake.

"That bad, huh?"

"Ugh, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Although I did take the time to scare one little girl." At this the man moved down the huge hallway, followed by his servant.

"So it's true, then? Phobos is dethroned?"

"Indeed it is, Greeva. Our chance has come at last."

The two to them then came to a room that, when entered, was filled with books, scrolls, and charts. The man stepped up to the center of the room, where a crystal globe sat on a pedestal. It had a three-foot diameter and seemed to be filled with swirling clouds. There were no torches in the room, but the globe gave off some illumination of its own, which was enough to see by.

"I'm sorry, Master, but I don't see how this is our chance. Will it not be harder to take the throne now that the Guardians are here to protect it?"

"Oh Greeva, how little you know. It is because of the Guardians that I have this chance, and I'll tell you why. Are you familiar with the concept of universal balance?"

"No, my Master."

"The law of universal balance states that for every power, there is an equal and opposite power. For every right there is a wrong, for every force of good there is a force of evil. And for every bright light, there is a deep darkness. Do you understand?"

"Um, yes."

"Good, Now tell me, what do you think happens when two opposite forces come into conflict, and one of those forces is destroyed or rendered harmless? What happens to the balance?"

"Um, it is unbalanced?"

"One again, correct. Now, when one force is destroyed, it leaves a void in the universe. A void that may be filled with a new, stronger force. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Uhh…give me a second…" Greeva thought hard. Then, his eyes widened in enlightenment. "You're saying that since the Guardians defeated Phobos, there's room for a new evil to take its place!"

"Precisely."

"And were that evil, right?"

"Actually, no."

"N-no? But then, how does this help us take over Meridian?"

The man chuckled. "Because, Greeva, we now have the chance to create and control that evil"

"Huh?"

"I have found someone Greeva. A person who holds within him enormous potential for harnessing the powers of darkness. I will take him, and turn him into my champion, into a warrior with powers even greater than those of the Guardians! And then, with him leading my armies, I will destroy the Guardians, and take the world into darkness once more! Ahahahahahahahaaa!"

"Brilliant, Master. But, if I may ask one question?"

"Yes, Greeva?"

"Now, you're going to make this person stronger than the Guardians, right?"

"Yes."

"Which means, he'll be stronger than you, right?"

"Right."

"Right, so, here's my question. Aren't you worried that he might turn on you? Why not simply make yourself stronger?"

"First of all, that's two questions. And second of all, you're right Greeva, I could do that. But the risks would be great. You see, darkness is a very dangerous power. If you're not careful, it can consume you; overwhelm you with its power. If that happens, you're soul will be lost, and you will forever be a slave to the dark and to the emotions that led you down that path."

"I see. So, you will have this champion consumed by the darkness instead of yourself, is that it?"

"That is my plan. He will become my puppet, an extension of my will, consumed with rage and hatred. He will want nothing but the blood of his enemies. And I will give him that."

"Once again, you have concocted a brilliant plan, Master. So, when will we get this warrior?"

"I'm leaving right now to pick him up."

"Now? But you just got here!"

"Yes, Greeva. But now is the time to act. My plan is already in motion. Very soon, my warrior will be ready. Don't wait up, Greeva. I'll be back in a few hours." And with that, the man created another portal. As he was about to step through, he turned back to Greeva. "If you want, you can use my crystal to watch my plan unfold. Trust me, it will be a sight to behold."

Then he left, the portal disappearing behind him. Greeva looked at where the portal had disappeared for a moment, and then turned to look into the crystal. As he put his hands to the surface, the clouds beneath it gave way, revealing a scene taking place far away, where a young man was walking down a road, unaware of the dark forces gathering around him.

Alright, first chapter done! I'm hoping to update soon, probably over spring break. Please review, I'd like to know what you think. Oh, and I'm having a hard time thinking of a name for my main character, the dark guardian. If you have any ideas let me know. Till next time, see ya!