Chapter 33
All time around her seemed to stand still as suddenly Adia felt her mind lifted up into another place. A place where all she could see was complete whiteness.
Amid that whiteness a familiar figure was approaching. Not a Gungan but someone else. The Orban.
"You are weakening." The creature stated, directing his gaze to Adia's feet.
Adia looked down to where a pool had suddenly emerged before them. There in its reflection she could see a frozen scene where the Warrior stood over her fallen body. He was grinning, checking her over before initiating his final strike.
"He will kill you." The Orban broke Adia from her stare.
She gazed back up at him.
"Why is that creature doing this to me?!" She could feel tears beginning to form but she pushed them away. "I don't want to die! Help me, please. I'll do it, whatever you ask."
The Orban waved a hand, silencing her.
"You have all the help you need. Use it. You are your fighter's weakness."
The Orban began to withdraw but Adia pushed forward.
"What do you mean?" She demanded. "Why do you talk to me in these riddles Orban?!"
But the Orban merely shrugged.
"You know the answer to that..."
Adia's eyes snapped open and as if charged by a million volts of electricity her body jolted upright, startling the Warrior whom stood over her. The Gungan backed up, hissing something in his own language that Adia took as a curse. The girl pulled herself to her feet and as if completely rejuvenated faced the warrior.
That was when she suddenly noticed he looked familiar. His features showed a strange resemblance to someone she knew or had known somehow. The realization hit her like a punch in the face.
"You are the Shul." She whispered.
The Warrior's cold expression immediately turned to a startled stare. He pulled back, as if to deny her accusation. But Adia could see it so clearly now. The images in her mind of another life were not hers. They were his. He was a Guardian of the people… like Adia. The master of the sphere. He was the Shul of another time. But somehow he'd managed to form liaisons with the Shadows. Somehow, he'd become one of them.
"How could you?" Adia questioned. "How could you abandon you people like that?"
The Gungan hissed as she saw that he could take no more of this. He called upon the sphere, sending her another mind blast. But with her thoughts Adia blocked it. Now fully understanding the Orban's words. She was his weakness because like him, she was the Shul.
The warrior attacked with more force but like a sponge Adia drew it in only to send it out again in a mighty blast at the Gungan. The Gungan buckled, taken aback by Adia's strength. He forced himself upon the sphere, trying to gain control, but the girl fought back. The force field fluctuated. Began to waver along with the rhythmic pulsating of the sphere. The sphere's energy expanded, desperately trying to escape the stone in attempt to heed its demanding masters. Too much pressure… the stone began to crack.
Still, Adia and the warrior fought for control until finally the sphere could handle it no longer. The stone's power wavered and then in a spray of glass it exploded all over its masters. With nothing to contain it, the giant wave of pure, white energy expanded, searching for a new host. The Adia was closest.
She screamed tumbling backwards but it was too late. It pushed forward and with all its force surged into the girl until, in a matter of seconds it had disappeared all together and she fell silent.
"Adia!" Julian dashed to her side. "Adia, can you hear me?"
His heart pelted to a stop, she wasn't breathing.
"No!"
He cried, desperate to find a pulse… anything that indicated that she be alive. But there was nothing. She was still.
All around prophets and guards crowded but Julian hardly noticed them, he needed to get the girl back! He was her Guardian! He couldn't fail her.
"Medic!" Julian roared. "Get the Medic-!"
"She is dead!"
Another voice cut him off. Julian spun, where there the Warrior now lay, panting. His body changing. Mutating. It was if he were aging at an alarming rate. His hands and feet were shrivelling and his skin began to sag like that of an old man. He turned his head.
"Her life source has faded, I can no longer feel her."
Julian gritted his teeth in a vain attempt to hold down his anger as his tutors had taught him. But already his hands had tightened into fists and before he knew it he was on his feet with Cesta on hand, dashing at the Gungan's shrivelling, cowering form.
"I know how to help her!"
Julian stopped short of snapping his neck. The Gungan swallowed, licking his lips.
"Bring her to me."
"Why should I, shadow scum?" Julian leered, barely able to contain himself. "You killed her!"
"Yes!" the Gungan roared back. "What more harm could I possibly do to her now? Just bring her to me, death approaches me swiftly. I…" he stuttered. "I can give her another chance."
Julian gazed back at the prophets, who each in turn stared at Lord Yah. The Lord gave a defeated sigh, standing from his kneeling position by Adia's side.
"I feel that at this point in time, this is really her only hope." He paused. "But you, Julian are her Guardian, you must make the final decision."
Julian felt his stomach make a painful lurch downward, his mind begged for him to stop, to consider his options carefully but he ignored it. Hesitating no longer Julian hurried over to Adia, grabbing her lifeless body he brought her to the fallen Warrior.
The Gungan pulled himself up; allowing the Guardian to hold him he placed both hands gently around the back of the girl's neck. Bringing her forward into his chest he leaned his chin upon her head. Realizing indeed how soft and delicate her features were. It brought back a wave of painful memories. He saw her, a figure from his past. She smiled up at him. She was beautiful. Laughing she playfully kissed him on the nose…
The Gungan breathed pushing away the memory. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Shul. She was lifeless, but by no means gone. He could feel the sphere's force inside of her. It was that he concentrated on, that which killed her could also bring her back.
He knew what he had to do.
The Gungan directed his mind to that force. Used it to feed his own energy into the girl.
He could feel himself beginning to fade. His body began to slowly shut down as his own life force literally drained from him.
Then he felt it, her heartbeat. Faint at first but then it became stronger. Her body became warmer as she breathed her first, almost choking on her own saliva.
The girl's mind became aware suddenly, she knew that he was there, inside of her.
She did not struggle, did not fight.
She merely asked him, "Why?"
The Gungan only smiled as he released his mind into the unknown.
"A life for a life…"
The girl snapped awake as Julian slowly lowered the Warrior's still body to the ground.
"Adia." He hurried to her side.
Awkwardly, the girl sat up and immediately Julian brought her into a hug, thanking the gods she was alive. He sighed, realizing that he was shaking all over.
"Are you okay?" he kept asking her as he repeatedly checked her over until eventually Adia pushed him away, silently approaching the fallen Warrior.
There the girl seemed watch him, her eyes glazed over as if to be in another world.
Kneeling down by his side, she ran a hand across his scared face and crossing his arms across his chest she whispered.
"The Orban will take you now."
A blinding light suddenly filled his body. Instinctively Julian stepped forward to protect Adia but then stopped. The girl slowly stood, backing away. They watched, as that light became increasingly brighter until it swallowed up the Warrior's body completely. For a moment there was stillness as that light seemed to linger in the room. Then all at once it exploded outward, sending a massive shock wave through the Temple's walls.
The walls moaned, shifting under the pressure, causing the Temple to quake. Instinctively, the inhabitants moved for shelter, as they found themselves thrown about in the tremor. Giant cracks suddenly appeared across the floor and ceiling as walls began to give way.
"Move! Get to the docking bay! It's going to give!"
Someone's roar sounded above the quake sending the Temple's inhabitants into a mad dash to escape.
Julian leaped for Adia, sweeping her up he carried her through the countless corridors.
Ceilings failed and prophets went back for their fallen fellows, desperate to get everyone out.
Julian burst into the docking port where there, emergency vessels were accessed.
"Over here my Lord!"
A guard called to Julian, guiding him to a waiting sub. Julian hurried over, abruptly throwing himself and Adia inside. The sub was sealed and the last of the Temple's inhabitants blasted away moments before the Temple's walls finally gave in and it collapsed completely.
