Chapter Eleven

Throughout the night Hali lay unable to sleep. The feeling of unease she had had for some time finally came to a head. Beyond destiny and questions of the future, she began to wonder what or who was controlling this now. In the past she had come to understand that she was not alone. No amount of explaining could pass of the events of her past as coincidence. Her final days with the other Guardians more than proved that. Yes, she believed in a god beyond a shadow of a doubt. But she and her friends had been the ultimate power. Even now she stood as the only remaining ultimate power. There could not be anything beyond her, not anymore. The others had somehow been destroyed, for even gods are but mortals in disguise. The destruction that she alone had survived proved as much.

But it was more than that.

The visions of those last moments were forever surfacing in myriad forms. But it was the very power of these revelations that had destroyed the other Guardians…hadn't it? If that was so, then how did she alone survive when the others had died from their power? Yet, she remembered everything. Thought they surfaced in different ways and at different times, she remembered all of it. Didn't she?

Could I have missed something? She wondered silently in the last minutes before dawn's false light lit the sky.

At last she gave in. Not knowing was either going to drive her to the brink of insanity, or tear her apart. Too long had she wondered so many things of those last minutes. She had to know why she survived where the others did not. Yes, she had been more powerful than the others, but not that much. There had to have been something she missed. More than that, she had to know from the beginning what all of this was about before she could even possibly begin to understand what it was that was going on now—and in the days to come.

Heaving a sigh of reluctance and perhaps even a little shame, Hali set to what she knew she would one day have to do. Perhaps now was better than later. For all her power and wisdom, even she found it hard to face the shame she knew she would feel standing before her spirit kin, the Draconisi.

Taking her position on the floor beside her bed, Hali began to relax. Cutting herself off from everything but her spirit, she began to float free of her body. Having done this for so eternally long, it didn't take but a few mere seconds for her to find herself floating freely in her true from high above the astral projection of the Earth. Silently she both sought and called for those she had long known as her friends and family in the unseen realms of the spirit…

Not even half a mile away Sage sat alone in the woods doing exactly the same thing. Much like his beloved Hali, he had been plagued by many a long thought in the darkness of the night. While the rest of the world had slept peacefully he had fought desperately to push away, ignore, and even forget the dangerous thoughts that threatened not only his love, but the life he had fought so hard to live in recent years.

Always his senses had been far more acute than most others, especially given the power of his armor to accentuate such. Though the arrival of Hali in his life had been very much a blessing to them all, he could not deny the sense of power or danger she held. Many a long day and night he had tried to overlook the fear and uncertainty he felt around her. But with each passing day the sense of building power all around her had disturbed him further. Though he could not define it, the feeling that she lay at the heart of many a mystery of life and the world constantly tugged at the deepest recesses of his mind. Why he felt this way he had not a single clue. True she held much power and many mysteries, but for him to feel as though she held such astronomical answers as to the meaning of life and more, was beyond understanding.

And, perhaps, it wasn't just her vast power and age that made him think so much. From the minor questions of the origin of her power to the more acute curiosities of her past, he had begun to sub-consciously consider her the key to many a bizarre thing that seemed to have no relation whatsoever to him or his friends at all. Yet, it was these very questions and thoughts that brought him here now. In hopes of finding answers he knew he would never gain from her directly, he hoped to ask the spirits of those who saw much, but said little.

After several long minutes, Sage slowly brought himself to focus on nothing beyond his own spirit and the plane of existence it came from. Knowing very well that this was a dangerous practice in the area of spiritual experiences, he hoped it wouldn't take long. For the longer the body lay untouched by the spirit, the harder it was to come back. Often times, the total freedom of the spirit created a will to go on and never come back—especially in the young.

At last Sage felt the floating release of his spirit. Once again he opened his mental eyes to find himself exactly where he wanted to be, many miles above the astral projection of Earth. From here he would have to travel to the realms of sanctuary where many a spirit rested for a time of peace and reflection upon life. Here they observed the living they had once been and once loved. From there they could see many a thing he could not.

In the past he had gone here only a few times. From time to time he had found himself plagued by questions that no living person could answer. But even in the most desperate of times he found it difficult to bring himself to do this, for each and every time he did it, he brought back part of a spirit that had once been living. Worse, he found himself bringing with him the ever-increasing desire to just let go of this life and join them in their sanctuary.

Heaving a spiritual sigh of mixed reluctance and relief at being free of the confines of his body—if only for a little while—he slowly turned his astral eyes back to the beauteous vision of the Earth. So seldom did he allow himself to see such things. Seeing the Earth in all its glory in the black background of silently cold space brought a sense of mixed peace and joy to Sage's heart. In the darkest days of his captivity involving the Ronin Warriors, it had been this very sight that had given him the strength to go on fighting for the good of the world. It was this very sight that had helped him keep believing that maybe, just maybe, there really was something good here that was worth fighting for.

Slowly his eyes watched the gently whirling motions of the clouds beneath him. Below this he could see the brightly-lit hue of crystalline blue water beneath. In the glimmering rays of the sun, the Earth glowed vibrantly with a holy light of life and the living. Feeling the caress of the living and the spirit of the Earth below him Sage, now in the astral form of his living Halo Armor watched the world turning ever so slowly, capturing every fine detail to remember forever and carry within his weakening heart. Everything he would…

"What the—" Sage started with a violent flinch.

Out of the corner of his eye to his right, Sage noticed the sudden appearance of an astral being whose aura had been so powerfully bright as to be blinding. "Shielding" his eyes to the awesome power of the aura, he looked far off into the distance to see what appeared as no more than a silver speck. Curious, but wary, he began to move somewhat closer to see what this had been. Even as he did so, he carefully, lightly reached out mentally to this thing. Though awesomely powerful, he dared not attract its attention, being uncertain if it would attack.

Though the distance he began to tremble in awe at the almost infinite power of this being. Fearing its power and unrecognizability, he began to pull away and flee back to his very body. Yet, for all this power and even fear he sensed something disturbingly familiar about this being. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered vaguely if it was a god. As if being pulled hypnotically by this being's sheer power, he grew ever closer seeing it somewhat better.

But it was not alone. Even as Sage grew closer he could make out a second form standing stately before the first. The first form Sage now saw was a magnificent dragon bearing a scaled body of the purest silver that shimmered like liquid mercury in the light. With each movement if looked as though it melted and reformed in another position. Myriad colors reflected of the countless scales in a cascade of brilliance that compared to the beauty of its powerful aura.

Before this powerful dragon of sheer beauty, the black dragon that stood so regally paled by comparison. Though magnificently beautiful for being so dark, this dragon was nothing compared to the silver. Yet, Sage found himself more than a little surprised to watch as the silver dragon prostrated itself fully before the black. Even more shocking than anything were the words Sage could now hear in his mind that was the telepathic communication between the two.

"Mother, please forgive me," the silver begged in a voice not filled with fear, but infinite tears and sadness. "Draconis has been lost. I am all that remains of his memory."

"Why so sad, my child?" the distinctly female voice asked curiously.

"Because he is lost," the silver said, seeming on the verge of tears.

Sensing more than seeing the warm smile of the black, Sage watched with profound astonishment as the black dragon grasped the taloned arms of the silver tenderly in what appeared as an embrace. "No, my child, He is not gone. You are the living essence of all we are. You are our guardian, our hope, our continued survival. That is what Draconis was. Though his consciousness has ceased to exist, he still lives within you. As long as you live, so shall he. His death was a sacrifice, as were the deaths of the other Guardians. He knew what was to come and died long before the others."

"Is that true? Can it really be as you say and I have been him for so long?" the silver asked with all the wonder of a child.

"Yes, child. It is good to see you again…Draconis," the black said, bowing formally to her superior.

"Mother, don't do that," the silver giggled.

"At least you have not lost your sense of humor, daughter," the black said warmly. "Especially in these troubled times you will need it if you are to survive."

"What do you mean, Ashunda Makura? What trouble?" the silver asked, fear radiating throughout her very being.

Heaving a deep sigh, the black dragon faced the silver squarely. "My daughter, I know why you've come. Of all the days, of all the times we've shared, this is one I know I will regret. You have worked hard for the life you now live. I am more proud of you than I have ever been. You have succeeded where so many before have failed. And I know you long for me to wipe away the fears as I have long ago wiped away your tears. But I am afraid that this time I cannot."

Lowering her head, the black dragon faced the Earth below with an expression of mixed pity and sorrow. "There is trouble on the winds. You are right. There is something coming once more. While the realms of Heaven and Hell are now at peace with one another, there comes darkness to this world. And, my daughter, it comes for you."

"What do you mean? Why me? What have I done, Mom?" the silver asked fearfully in a small voice.

"Oh, my child, you have done nothing wrong. We do not know why it comes, but there are strings of power and time building around you with each day. With each motion you make these ties become stronger, and they are turning events in ways they were never meant to be. We don't know what it is that controls all of this, but we suspect that it may very well be you; for you are the most powerful being left."

"Then it is my fault, if for no other reason than I don't even know what I am anymore. I'm scared, Mom, and confused. I control everything about my powers that I know of, but there must be something I am not seeing. But there's no one or no thing that can help me, is there?" the forlorn silver asked, hanging her head in defeat.

"Beloved, do not say such things. There must be something or some way. But before you can learn to control everything about your powers, you must first understand all that you are."

"But what am I?!" the silver all but shrieked, making Sage start violently from where he cautiously observed all of this with a mind numbed by shock. "I feel so human, but I hold the power of all that I was long before the existence of this universe. And I am alone with all this power. I'm not a god anymore, not fully a dragon, and not entirely a human. What can I do? What can I be? I don't fit in with anyone anywhere, I'm just a freak!"

"But there is another we have noticed. Though I am reluctant to tell you…"

These next words Sage didn't even hear from the black dragon. Already his shock-numbed mind had gone reeling back to another day not so long ago when he had heard that one word before. That one word another person had used to describe herself in a moment of self-contempt.

Freak… he thought distantly as it echoed through his numbed mind.

Freak…

Fighting against the reeling shock and confusion of all he had just witnessed, Sage dug into his memories frantically for the one he had heard that from before. Struggling to remember through the haze of his confused thoughts, his mind finally came up with a face and a place. His mind bursting with the sudden connection of it all, he momentarily forgot where he was and what was now being said. As puzzle pieces falling into place, Sage saw it all come together before his eyes. In a single strangled gasp of sheer disbelief and total denial he gasped aloud a single word. But in doing so, even as softly as he had, he shattered the moment between the two dragons bringing both their eyes on him.

"Hali!?" he breathed, unable to say more as the terrifyingly familiar eyes of his love came to focus on him in total fear.

"Sage!" she hissed, even as the black dragon beside her roared her icy fury.

Sensing the oncoming attack of the black dragon, the spirit of the Halo Armor that Sage now wore moved to defend itself by bringing forth his no datchi into his upraised hands. In the next instant the black dragon was charging him fully. Reflexively Sage brought his sword down even as he blinked in the panic of the instant. But even as he felt it cutting through astral flesh as easily as water, he opened his eyes to find a sight that both terrified him and stabbed him with guilty pain.

The sword he had so expertly wielded only moments ago disappeared in a flash as he backed away shaking his head in denial of the situation. Before him the silver dragon stood clutching her chest where the sword had laid open the flesh to the bone. Frozen in shock at this protective motion of sacrifice, the black dragon only stared in total fear and heart wrenching pain. Together the two frozen figures watched as Hali quickly began to shrink and twist her body until she once again stood as her human self. But now she kneeled hunched over as she clutched her chest as astral blood flowed profusely in rivers over her arms and down to the Earth below.

In her usual whispery voice that Sage recognized so well, Hali spoke softly to them both. "Leave now, Sage. Mother, we will speak again soon."

As if snapping out of a trance, the black dragon also became a woman of endless age and beauty as she rushed to Hali's side crying, "My baby! Oh no! Let—"

Leave now! Hali hissed to Sage silently as she brought her enchantingly multicolored eyes up to his.

Seeing Hali look up, the black dragon once again remembered the presence of the intruder. Rising once more to attack, she hissed a deadly threat in her native tongue.

"Mother, stop!" Hali shrieked as her hand flew toward Sage.

But Sage never saw what came next. At instant later he found himself slammed dangerously fast back into his own body. Reeling in shock, Sage tumbled backwards off the rock he had been sitting on. Even as he became aware of the icy touch of the air and the rough landing on the ground beneath him, he watched dumbfoundedly as darkness crashed in around the edges of his vision.

Then nothing…