The Guardians
Chapter 4: Meeting Eriol
By SilentLight
"Then on one particular encounter," she closed her eyes, as memories flooded back, "I met Eriol."
*****
The weather had turned stormy, and the wind blew hard at the already closed windows in the town, ahead of the upcoming storm. Dawan, however, was still in the open. The garb of the One With the Powers, an entire black outfit of shirt and long pants, with a long coat that reached her knees, replaced her customary long black skirt and white blouse. It was to be noted that the colour of the stormy sky suited her current emotions. Tears ran freely down her cheeks, even as once again, her 'best friend' turned out to be sent by the Demon. Already her supposed 'plan' was set for her, to destroy the demon-sent as quickly as possible, and with the least damage done to the surroundings.
But Dawan was tired. Four years of searching for a friend, a true friend to the heart who would not betray her at any possible chance had exhausted her, spiritually and physically. Now she watched with a heavy heart, feeling disconnected from her physical self, and watched dimly as her hand stretched out, and a ball of energy gathered in her right hand, to be whatever she commanded it to be, and do whatever she commanded it to do. A sudden light to the right of her caught her attention, and she turned in time, to see a man of about thirty with an air of one older than he looked, sent a ball of fire from the long staff in his hands to engulf and consume the demon-sent before her. Dimly, she wondered who he was, even as he drew closer to her. "Are you one call Dawan?" he asked, and she nodded dumbly, even as her initial probes towards him were repelled. He did not mention them, merely motioned for her to follow him. Habit, more than curiosity, took her firm by the hand, and she followed him like a lost puppy that had found its owner.
The stranger led Dawan up the mountain, to a clearing by a lake. A woman waited by the lake, staring out into vast stretches of land that encircled the mountain. The stranger went up to her, and his staff shrunk into a key, which he hung around his neck. The woman turned around, and embraced him tightly. Dawan noticed tears flowing down the woman's cheeks, and knew enough not to intrude on their private life. A moment later, the woman sagged against the stranger, who slowly sank down to his knees, and lay the woman down on the cold ground. The stranger bent to kiss the woman's forehead for the last time, then turned to face Dawan. "Dawan. You are the One with the Power, aren't you?" Dawan nodded silently. "I am Eriol Hiiragizawa, and I seek your aid."
*****
Dawan focused on her audience of four before her. "Eriol said that he needed a power source for his guardians. The only thing he and Sakura could come up with was to have a living eternal source." She paused, recalling his exact words. " 'You are the One with the Power. You are eternal, ending your life only when the Earth is dead. You are the one we seek desperately.' And so I agreed. And here I am today." There were things she had skipped over, things she did not require the guardians to know. In time, they would have new masters, and they would go out again into the harsh and cruel world, and to return after a generation, battered and worn. This was the cycle that could never end, the cycle that Clow Reed had forgotten about when he created his guardians to outlive him.
Kero spoke up. "What do mean when you say you are the One with the Power?"
Dawan smiled a little. "The One with the Power is born of the Earth, and not of the coming together of two humans. There are ten in the world, capable of calling up anything with the Will and Word. We draw our Power from the Earth, thus we have never-ending magic, because the Earth is able to regenerate its strength, and therefore ours."
"But the glow.the golden spell." started Spinel Sun.
"The spell that Eriol and Sakura cast is self-sufficient. It connects me to you, so that you can draw on my magic," explained Dawan. She looked outside, and saw that night had fallen. "Well, we should all get some rest. I'll fix up some food. Anyone's hungry?" she asked, looking around. Ruby and Kero grabbed Spinel in unison, and chorused in delight.
"We are!"
*****
Yue sighed into the freezing night air. There were no clouds in the sky, no signs of any impending storm. The stars twinkled cheerfully in the sky, almost delighting in Yue's lack of enthusiasm. He knew that he was different from the other three guardians, for he was a loner, and did not find warming up to anybody an easy task. He found himself wallowing in self- pity, and did not bother to pick himself up. There was no need now, not ever.
*****
That night, when the house finally sank into silence for the night, the Sakura Book, kept in the humongous library that Eriol had painstakingly built up over the years, shone with a pink brilliance and vanished. In a not so faraway place, at the foot of the mountain where the guardians and Dawan resided, a male figure mumbled in his sleep. "Key of Sakura."
~Look out for the next chapter! Is this male person going to be the next master, or not? Meanwhile, read and review! ~
Chapter 4: Meeting Eriol
By SilentLight
"Then on one particular encounter," she closed her eyes, as memories flooded back, "I met Eriol."
*****
The weather had turned stormy, and the wind blew hard at the already closed windows in the town, ahead of the upcoming storm. Dawan, however, was still in the open. The garb of the One With the Powers, an entire black outfit of shirt and long pants, with a long coat that reached her knees, replaced her customary long black skirt and white blouse. It was to be noted that the colour of the stormy sky suited her current emotions. Tears ran freely down her cheeks, even as once again, her 'best friend' turned out to be sent by the Demon. Already her supposed 'plan' was set for her, to destroy the demon-sent as quickly as possible, and with the least damage done to the surroundings.
But Dawan was tired. Four years of searching for a friend, a true friend to the heart who would not betray her at any possible chance had exhausted her, spiritually and physically. Now she watched with a heavy heart, feeling disconnected from her physical self, and watched dimly as her hand stretched out, and a ball of energy gathered in her right hand, to be whatever she commanded it to be, and do whatever she commanded it to do. A sudden light to the right of her caught her attention, and she turned in time, to see a man of about thirty with an air of one older than he looked, sent a ball of fire from the long staff in his hands to engulf and consume the demon-sent before her. Dimly, she wondered who he was, even as he drew closer to her. "Are you one call Dawan?" he asked, and she nodded dumbly, even as her initial probes towards him were repelled. He did not mention them, merely motioned for her to follow him. Habit, more than curiosity, took her firm by the hand, and she followed him like a lost puppy that had found its owner.
The stranger led Dawan up the mountain, to a clearing by a lake. A woman waited by the lake, staring out into vast stretches of land that encircled the mountain. The stranger went up to her, and his staff shrunk into a key, which he hung around his neck. The woman turned around, and embraced him tightly. Dawan noticed tears flowing down the woman's cheeks, and knew enough not to intrude on their private life. A moment later, the woman sagged against the stranger, who slowly sank down to his knees, and lay the woman down on the cold ground. The stranger bent to kiss the woman's forehead for the last time, then turned to face Dawan. "Dawan. You are the One with the Power, aren't you?" Dawan nodded silently. "I am Eriol Hiiragizawa, and I seek your aid."
*****
Dawan focused on her audience of four before her. "Eriol said that he needed a power source for his guardians. The only thing he and Sakura could come up with was to have a living eternal source." She paused, recalling his exact words. " 'You are the One with the Power. You are eternal, ending your life only when the Earth is dead. You are the one we seek desperately.' And so I agreed. And here I am today." There were things she had skipped over, things she did not require the guardians to know. In time, they would have new masters, and they would go out again into the harsh and cruel world, and to return after a generation, battered and worn. This was the cycle that could never end, the cycle that Clow Reed had forgotten about when he created his guardians to outlive him.
Kero spoke up. "What do mean when you say you are the One with the Power?"
Dawan smiled a little. "The One with the Power is born of the Earth, and not of the coming together of two humans. There are ten in the world, capable of calling up anything with the Will and Word. We draw our Power from the Earth, thus we have never-ending magic, because the Earth is able to regenerate its strength, and therefore ours."
"But the glow.the golden spell." started Spinel Sun.
"The spell that Eriol and Sakura cast is self-sufficient. It connects me to you, so that you can draw on my magic," explained Dawan. She looked outside, and saw that night had fallen. "Well, we should all get some rest. I'll fix up some food. Anyone's hungry?" she asked, looking around. Ruby and Kero grabbed Spinel in unison, and chorused in delight.
"We are!"
*****
Yue sighed into the freezing night air. There were no clouds in the sky, no signs of any impending storm. The stars twinkled cheerfully in the sky, almost delighting in Yue's lack of enthusiasm. He knew that he was different from the other three guardians, for he was a loner, and did not find warming up to anybody an easy task. He found himself wallowing in self- pity, and did not bother to pick himself up. There was no need now, not ever.
*****
That night, when the house finally sank into silence for the night, the Sakura Book, kept in the humongous library that Eriol had painstakingly built up over the years, shone with a pink brilliance and vanished. In a not so faraway place, at the foot of the mountain where the guardians and Dawan resided, a male figure mumbled in his sleep. "Key of Sakura."
~Look out for the next chapter! Is this male person going to be the next master, or not? Meanwhile, read and review! ~
