Here we are the final instalment of broken now every should make sense.
Chapter 11: A second chance.
Will climbed wearily to her feet after the heavy blow. She watched Caleb staring at her in shock. What was wrong with him? Did she have some kind of injury or was one her wings damaged. No she seemed fine. Caleb swung his borrowed weapon hard into the gut of a nearby Sentinel dropped it and ran hard.
"Caleb! Wait!" She called after him " The steel Sentinel advancing on him, she dashed hard at the Sentinel and performed a roundhouse kick into the monsters waist. What happened next shocked her beyond all recognition.
Her foot phased through the Sentinels body completely! Entering its waist on the left and exiting on the right. The creature seemed oblivious to her presence let alone her attack.
She watched helplessly has Caleb leapt into the crack in reality that would allow him to travel back to Metamoor. The Sentinels each went into a semi dormant state before Cedric ordered them back through the portal to Metamoor leaving Will on her own in the gym.
Will stared in disbelief at her body was she dead now? A ghost? She stared about the gym searching for something anything that might provide some insight into her new condition. She was about to get her answer
A brilliant white light appeared in the middle of the gym. The light spread flooding the room and her field of vision temporarily blinding her.
When Wills vision finally returned she looked about in shock at her new surroundings. She was in a courtyard of some type an "awe inspiring palace stood before her. The palace itself seemed to be made out of some sort of glassy marble like substance.
"Candracar…" she breathed. Was this it the end already? She had only been Guardian for a few months and her life has a whole was barely beginning. Surely it couldn't be over already. Could it?
She made her way across the courtyard to the front gates an elderly figure wearing green tinted robes (actually his entire body was green tinted!) and with a long flowing beard stood at the gates.
"Hi excuse me." Will smiled sheepishly in front of the imposing figure" who was now staring intensely at her and seemed rather aggravated.
"Yeah um could you please tell me what I'm doing here exactly?" Will asked in an unsure voice.
"Ha miss Will Vandom, The keeper of the Heart of Candracar and Guardian of the veil." The figure stated matter-of-factly.
"Yeah that's me." Will "confirmed.
"I am Tibor." The robed figure proudly announced.
"The Oracle requests an audience with you, If, you would please follow me." Tibor said gesturing her into the huge hallway of the palace interior.
"Please stay close to me," Tibor instructed.
"These hallways are vast. People have been known to get lost and spend a life, time trying to find their way out again."
"No wandering off gotcha." Will nervously replied. She followed Tibor through the vast hallways taking in the breathtaking hallways adorned with beautiful artworks and sculptures. Occasionally they would pass an open door and "Will stole a quick glance each chance she got. Some showed figures in some form of karma like meditation other seemed to lead into vast forests or natural wonderlands whilst in a few groups of people enjoying a party of some form or another could be seen. Finally they reached a massive door situated at the end of the long corridor the door seemed impossibly tall. Tibor stopped in front of it.
"You may enter but touch nothing." Tibor sternly cautioned has he opened the door.
"Ok" Will " replied still a little unsure about the whole situation. She quietly entered the vast diamond shaped room and looked about her surroundings. The room was full of strange glowing energy strings. "Each one weaving in and out of its neighbours forming a complex web. In the centre of this web a bald young man by the looks of him perhaps twenty- five with same green tinted look to him has Tibor stood carefully manipulating the delicate energy streams. When he saw Will approach he introduced himself.
"Greetings Guardian I am the Oracle." "The being announced.
"You are here because I have chosen to impart my wisdom upon you. The Oracle explained cryptically."
"I don't understand…" Will began.
"In this room are the paths of each mortal life currently residing on earth. Their past present and the infinite possible futures are all interwoven here. When necessary I have the power to manipulate these paths. Thus I have altered your recent encounters."
"You mean you're responsible for what happened to my friends?" Will asked anger growing in her voice.
" In a sense yes." I manipulated your recent encounters, which met with the Guardians untimely fates."
"Untimely…" Will whispered.
"This lesson was harsh but necessary."
"Harsh?" Will repeated bitterly.
"My friends were all butchered and you call that harsh? That was the hardest experience of my life! And you call it harsh?" Will spat.
"What could possibly justify my friends all being murdered like that?" She demanded.
"The Sentinels." The Oracle replied simply.
Will went unexpectedly silent.
"Phobos created these creatures many centuries ago. Shortly after I myself created the first Guardians of the veil. They had fought and won many victories and were all excellent warriors with a vast mastery of their respective talents. But these three Sentinels destroyed all the same."
"If they're so powerful how can we stop them?" Will probed.
"The Sentinels have but two weaknesses. First they require large amounts of energy to remain active for more than a few days. Even if Phobos was to give them all of his energy and life force the Sentinels would still only be active for a perhaps a year or so before they have to return to their dormant hibernating states."
"The second is a device Phobos created has a fail safe in case he ever lost control of the Sentinels. Unfortunately what exactly this device is even I am uncertain."
"But I thought you were like all knowing and stuff," Will asked confused.
"True my knowledge is vast," The Oracle responded.
"But it is beyond my abilities to," effect the land of Metamoor and that which is corrupted by Phobos dark magic."
"And since Phobos, controls all of Metamoor that means it's effectively blocked off to you." Will concluded.
"That is correct." The Oracle responded.
"Now that you have experienced what the Sentinels are capable of it is up to you to prepare the Guardians for your next encounter with the them."
"B-but we were beaten destroyed! How can there be a next encounter?" Will asked becoming confused.
"Soon when you leave Candracar I will use my abilities to reverse the flow of time by thirty days. You will have this long to prepare for your encounter with the Sentinels."
"You mean time travel?" Will asked.
"Correct. But "has I mentioned it is beyond my abilities to affect the land of Metamoor. Whilst your world shall regress and grow thirty days younger Metamoor will remain in its current temporal state."
"You have until the end of these thirty days to prepare the Guardians for your encounter with Sentinels. Should you fail a second time I will not be able to reverse time again. Do you understand?"
"I do." Will answered determinedly.
"Please step forward it is time to return you to your world." The Oracle instructed raising his hand.
Will did has told the Oracle raised his hand over head a strange glow emanated from his palm has he gently placed his hand over her eyes. She felt her eyes grow heavy and become very tired suddenly.
"I apologize if my methods of teaching offended you."
"Train well young Guardian."
End.
Like I said this Fanfic is over but if you think the story is finished ooh boy just you wait! Keep an eye out for my next Fanfic: return of the Sentinels, which will be up in the next few weeks.