17: Time

Meridian

Dark stormy clouds filled the skies over the Frakill mountains, all over then various humanoid shaped walked around patrolling them, looking about. From a cave high up in the shadows of them Demal looked out watching the latest patrol pass by several feet lower down in a valley.

"How long you going to remain out here?" Will softly spoke to him as she walked up behind him wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his left shoulder.

"I am just thinking my sweet" He smiled back to her as he turned to face her. "Things are playing out the same as before as is said in prophecy. And with the Mechanax searching around we can't be caught yet. Not until the moon shadows the sun."

"Well the Dolgag's are away in the other cave network and multiplying ready, so why not leave her on guard and we can have some alone time together in the back" Will smiled as she kissed his lips.

"I guess we can, after all tomorrow is the day of destiny and there is nothing else we can do until the path is revealed to the door" He stroked Will's heady softly before turning to Jessica who was standing in the shadows covered over by her cloak. "Girl guard the entrance and keep anyone out, no-one is to enter and find any of us here, us two will be in the other chamber of this cavern."

"Understood master" Jessica spoke as she walked forwards to take over standing in the entrance of the cave as Demal and Will cuddled together and walked over to a tunnel and went out of sight into another chamber.

Outside a large mechanical bird about 30 foot long from head to tip of tail flew over, looking down. Jessica watched it from the shadows of the cave entrance as it flew past, down below more humanoid Mechanax walked past, the entrance of the caves she was in surrounded by outcroppings and high above the paths.

Earth

"Wake up you lazy sleepy thing" A electronic male voice called out a little rudely.

"Let her sleep, she did get in late and it not a school day" Another voice, but female spoke back in a upset tone.

"So, just because it isn't a school day today, it doesn't mean that she..." The first one spoke back before it was covered over by a red blanket that was thrown across the room onto it.

"That will teach you" The second one laughed.

"Will you both just be quiet" Holly quietly growled, looking at her desk that now had her blanket on it as she got out of her bed. "Everyone else electronic had learned not to speak unless necessary or I ask them to talk to me, but you 2 haven't, instead it is just arguments constantly." She was clearly annoyed as she picked up 2 holo tiles from the desk, removing the one that was under the blanket and then opened a empty draw in the desk. "Maybe some time away from everything else will keep teach you something." She then placed them both in the draw and shut it as both called out, begging for her not to place them in the draw. She sighed a bit as a few bolts of blue electricity jumped between some of her spikes on her back. She grabbed some clothes to get dressed in for the day and to change out of her orange night dress.

"Sounds like someone is up, so who are you talking to?" Sophie's voice happily came through Holly's door.

"Just myself for being up late Sophie" Holly replied as she jumped by hearing her voice outside.

"Well I was wondering when you would get up, it nearly 11, and I have to get to work." Sophie called back.

"Sorry about that" Holly spoke as she dressed, a little sad. "I know we had plans for this morning and..."

"Don't need to say anything, you were doing a lot of school work when I got home yesterday and was still working when I went to bed, so that must have taken a lot out of you" Sophie interrupted as she stepped back from the door as Holly emerged in some tight jeans and a light blue tank-top along while putting on a darker blue jumper. Sophie was wearing black trousers, white shirt and a matching back jacket with the police badge on the shoulders, she was placing on her shoes.

'Thank you astral drop for not screwing anything up like the Overseer has warned can happen if whoever is using the heart is not careful when creating them' Holly thought happily as she gave Sophie a hug. "I'll see you tonight then I guess."

"You will, and I assume one you have eaten it will be a day out with Terri?" Sophie smiled as they walked into the main room, Holly going to the kitchin area.

"Yea, spending the day on the edge of town probably" She replied as she took a bite from a carrot that she took out of the fridge.

"Ok dear, say hello to her for me. Take care, love you" Sophie waved as she went out the front door.

"Love you too" Holly called back before it shut. She then sighed and muttered to herself "If only I could tell you want I really have been up to the last few days and will been doing tomorrow with what me and the others are about to face." She went over to the table in the middle of the area and got the orange pills form it and took them.

Across the city Emma had been up for a couple of hours, her parents had woke her up about 9am because it was happening, the egg was hatching and she was about to get a little brother or sister, a doctor had arrived, a normal human male in his 50's about 6 foot tall with short grey hair, hazel eyes and wearing a long white coat black trousers could be seen underneath and he also had some trainers on. Emma had quickly dressed into her grey leg wrappings, short denim shorts and a thick yellow t-shirt. She was sitting in the kitchen area of her home looking upstairs waiting for the news. The curtain around her parents sleeping area was drawn. The doctor had now been there an hour, and when he had arrived several cracks had appeared in the egg as it moved around a bit in its incubator.

"Did I take this long to hatch?" She questioned to herself as she finished eating a cheese sandwich. Her heart had been racing with excitement the moment she was told that it was starting to hatch, she wanting to meet her little sibling, this whole thing had put the events of the previous day and what the next day was going to bring to the back of her mind, tho the was getting a little impatient from waiting for a couple of hours now.

The occasional mutter from the upper level suddenly went quiet, she looked up and then there was the sound of a baby crying, she jumped of her chair and jumped a little on the spot exited, her hand holding tightly together, if her mouth could smile she would be, but as it couldn't she was just smiling away inside. The crying filed the room as then curtain was pulled back away and she could see her dad who just signalled for her to come up. She quickly ran up the ramp, not wanting to show she was now able to fly to her parents just yet.

"Emma, meet you little brother Garry" Her dad spoke to her as she arrived standing next to him, looking at her mother who was sitting on the bed holding a white blanket wrapped around a little baby as she calmed him down, his head was all that was visable from the blanket. The doctor was typing away on a holo tile as he packed away the last few tools he brought in with him into a small red box, the egg parts were already cleared up. She slowly walked over to her mother and sat down next to her, looking down happily at her brother.

"You want to hold him?" Her mom asked as she offered him to her. "Me and Rob just need to finish filling in some stuff with the doctor, so we can give the pair of you a moment to get to know each other."

"Sure mum" Emma spoke back a little nervously as she took hold of her brother in both arms, keeping her wings tucked back out of the way and held him against her, he cried a little quieter as their mum stood up and walked off down the tunnel that lead outside with the doctor. When she heard then go outside, she gently rubbed her nose that she knew would soon be gone against her brothers one that would also disappear when he would reach his mid teen years as it would merge into the beak that Emma had started to develop, and knew how it would end up thanks to her guardian form. As he cried more she summoned a small gentle breeze around them that made Garry go quiet and open his eyes allowing her to see his hazel eyes that matched their fathers. "Don't tell our parents that I can do stuff like that." She softly whispered to him as the thoughts at what could be lost should she and the others fail tomorrow. "I can do things others can only dream of, have to fight an evil alongside some good friends, and you now give me more of a reason not to let them succeed in the misguided plan they have, we will stop them, I promice you that, we will keep the infinite dimensions safe for you to grow up in, brother." She sat there cuddling her brother as their parents came back in and sat down with her.

Over in the woods Amy and Janet were awake and both dressed, Amy in her favourite red knee-length sleeveless dress and her hiking boots while Janet was in a dull silver hoodie that wasn't zipped up with a white top on under it and back loose trousers along with her hiking boots. Both girls were finishing off their drinks as they walked away from home, their parents both were at work, their father at the fold generator as a operator and mother worked in the shopping centre at the customer help desk. They walked out to a clearing on the south side of the woods where they knew they wouldn't be disturbed by any of the other people who lived in that region of the city.

"You certain you want me to do this with you?" Amy asked as both girls stood only a couple of feet apart facing each other.

"Yea, if I am going to be around and help you I best know how to actually fight" Janet replied with a nod. "I know a little from you, from us just playing around but that probably won't help me in the long run." She then giggled. "So just come at me and I will try not to get taken out too quickly, plus I can't exactly ask anyone else without saying about you lot can I?"

"All right you do have a very good point, but just because you are my sister doesn't mean I will take it easy on you in any way" Amy giggled back with a grin. "Just be ready for a very fast crash course of combat straight into the earth."

"Fine on not taking it easy but no using your powers for now, I know evil won't hesitate to use them, but let's work me up a little to that point of fighting against magic" Janet smiled as she took a defensive stance, holding her hands before her ready as she slowed down her breathing to focus on what her sister would do.

"Pity I was just planning to make you be swallowed up by the ground or hang you by a foot from a tree" Amy giggled some more as she took up a offensive stance. "Guess we are going to do this the easy and fun way then." She then charged forwards, using her attacks to show Janet how to fight offensively while making sure she can defend from incoming attacks too.

Rachel sat in her room at her desk looking at various files displayed before her. All of them displayed information about Meridian: weather patterns, history, geology, species lists and star maps amongst other things. But despite looking through them all, there was stuff that she had learned of over the last week that isn't recorded in those files, the fact Mechanax aren't from Meridian originally but a completely different world, moving there in about 2004. This doorway hidden in the mountains had no information about it visible. Phobos was mentioned being a tyrant ruler between Queens Wiera and Elyon (who took the throne back from him with help from rebel forces and others) but nothing about any guardians being around aiding her or being the part of the others in helping defeat him, in fact a search across the different worlds earth has links to had nothing anywhere mentioned about guardians of Kandrakar (some mentioned guardians with full descriptions and information about what they did, but not the sort she was looking for in there logs) apart from the odd mention folk tales and it wasn't just Meridian that had no record of guardian involvement, she had looking to other world that they had been told of that witch had been to, but nothing was ever recorded about it. It was as if the existence while general knowledge going by what Amy had said being a Zambalen was able to recognise she was a guardian, the guardians were known of on other worlds but they don't record any involvement they do in the history logs.

"You all right in there Rachel?" James voice was heard on the other side of the door as he knocked making her jump a little before reliaseing who it was.

Rachel calmed herself and sighed quietly before speaking up "Yes I am fine" She then quickly made sure she was decently dressed in her dark green jacket and trousers, along with white trainers.

"May I come in then?" James then asked softly.

"Just a moment" Rachel called to him as she quickly changed the displays on her holo screens to hide what she was looking up with 1 being a partially written essay about a series of novels that were written in the 2020's to the 2040's. She went over to the door and opened it. James was in his usual suit. Rachel just looked at him and spoke quietly "I was just doing my homework and reading some other things that I was curious about."

"That isn't the issue" He smiled to her. "You missed breakfast completely and while I did come earlier to see if you were up you didn't respond. And remember last time you never ate was because you weren't well, and didn't say a word so me and the other staff were just concerned for you."

"Sorry, I was studying late last night, extra work set for the long weekend" Rachel muttered. "Doesn't help I get distracted by anything that I want to know more about."

"Well with all those attendance and grade awards I know you like spending all your time studying be it here, school or at the archives when u can't be here. But don't let that rule everything you do, I am proud that you have started to spend more time away from here apart from being at school but the archives are still not the place a young girl like you should be all the time." He then sighed a little. "Look it is a good day out there, granted it is starting to chill off a little now, which you fell more than I do, but go out and try to learn about the world from living in it, I know it may sound strange but you won't find everything you want from the information archives." He spoke knowing Rachel too well to know she wasn't always doing her homework to be reading about stuff, she was always looking for information for other things, her curiosity in things meant she looked up and read about it, but never would actually learn by experience, and that was something she needed in life, to know how to live it, not study it.

Rachel remained silent for a moment before she nodded and quietly spoke "Ok fine, I'll head out for a bit...later." She turned around and went back to her desk and pretended to read what she had up. James just sighed and closed her door and walked off. The moment she was certain he was gone she changed the displays back to the Meridian information. Reading through more of it and checking in stuff that gets pushed to one side, she then stumbled across something buried away in the depths of the legends part of one of the files.

"Mum what is it you want?" Terri asked as she climbed out of the water into the living area of the house. She was in her normal swimming costume, as she then shook herself a little to dry off.

Her mom singled her to come and sit at the sofa, she had on her own yellow swimming costume. "Sweetie there is something I need to tell you for a over a week now but things have distracted me from doing it. The fact work has had a couple of staff off sick makes keeping 4 year-olds very hard to control and that ship that sank out at sea had kept Jack out most of the time and well I wanted to have him around to tell you but I can't hold on to this anymore so I am going to tell you, tho I don't quite know how to say it."

"This you trying to say you're pregnant mum?" Terri asked as she sat down. "I know you have been wanting a child with dad."

"That is a possibility as I haven't felt so good these last few days but it will be a day or two more before I can take a test to know if there is a chance of us having a little one coming to join you" She giggled a moment for becoming a bit more serious. "No dear, I guess I best come out and say it so...I thought you would want to know I have finally managed to track down your father, and by that I mean you real one, so if you want to meet him I can arrange something."

The news shook Terri, a part of her had always wanted to know who her genetic father was beyond a name, old photo and the stories her mother would tell her, but there was the fact he had left her shortly after she had told him she was pregnant with Terri, so the two of them had never seen each other, that led the rest of her to hate him for just abandoning them. It was when Terri was 4 that her mother met Jack and she was 7 when they married and was officially adopted by him as his daughter, not just a daughter the wife has from a previous relationship, and while she was she always was happy with Jack, she didn't originally call him dad, only when she was 11 did she start to call him it as she finally was starting to understand what her real father had done in abandoning her mother and all Jack had done in doing everything he could for both of them since her mum and he had met, and she even then started to look up to him like any child would to a father. She thought things over a moment and seemed to get a little cross "I don't care about him, he is not my father by any means."

May sighed at Terri's response and spoke a little disappointed "It is you decision, I just thought you would want to actually know the person rather than have made a decision on him based of what I told you."

"From what you had told me he was a good guy, but the moment you became pregnant with me he leaves with no message as to you for a reason why or to where he went, so what is there for me to know about him beyond he didn't want to be involved with or care about having a child, I don't want anything to actually do with him because as far as I consider things Jack is my real father, he may have only known me since I was 4, but he has been there for me like he has for you since" Terri spoke still cross and with her mind completely made up on the situation. "Plus if you wanted there to be a link to him, why is he not named on my birth certificate then?"

"That was a mistake by me" May sighed again, a little ashamed. "I was still angry with him when you were born and because of that I didn't name him as your father. I always wanted you to know who he really was, that is why I had always kept an eye out in public records for a location or contact details for him, but if you don't want to know, then I am not going to force you to see or speak to him."

"Nice to know you have always thought that highly of me Terri" Jacks voice softly came from behind them, him having entered the room quietly as the girls were talking. He had on a sleeveless wetsuit with various tools and devices attached to it. "Sorry for not announcing my visit back, I didn't want to ruin the moment."

Terri got up and ran over to him and hugged him tightly a few tears fell from her eyes, he gently hugged her back as she spoke "Sorry I never told you sooner how much you mean to me, dad."

"It is ok little one, I only have ever wanted to treat you both right, and while you have been calling my dad for a while now, I only thought you did it because of the adopting of my surname not because you really viewed me as your father, and I should be apologising to you for that." He strokes her head gently as May came across.

"Seems we all made mistakes at a point here" Amy softly spoke as she kissed her husband as Terri then pulled her into the hug too.

"Sadly I can't stay, only came back to grab some new power packs for my equipment, that ship may be leaking some engine lubricant soon if we can't fully seal it up, so I need to get back there" Jack spoke as he left the hug.

"That is fine my love, after all Terri had plans on the surface with Holly and I need some rest, I think she may be right that I could be pregnant but it is another day before I will know if I can test" May smiled back, she did seem to be a little uneasy.

"Well just take it easy mum" Terri spoke as she went to some alcoves and raided a container for some shrimp and ate them, clearly cheered up now. "I'll be back tonight at some point and having dinner and Holly's." She then gave both another hug before grabbing her bag from a shelf and then diving into the pool and swimming down and exiting the house.

"I best move too before the others wonder what is keeping me away from the disaster area" Jack kissed May on the lips as he pulled a small disk out of a device he had on his wetsuit and attached another one that was stored in a alcove. "Just call me or a doctor if things get worse."

"I will and you be careful out there" May smiled as Jack then entered the pool and dived down. She held her tummy a little and went to lie down on the sofa, she didn't feel like going to rest underwater at the moment.

Kandrakar

It was a long morning in Kandrakar, the entire council of elders had been summoned to the council chamber for a urgent meeting first thing that day. For Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin they had to wait outside it. The door was closed and 2 guards stood there within their armour not letting anyone inside.

"Seriously if waiting around on a planet for years wasn't boring enough, we can't interact with anything as we are just spirits, so we can't entertain ourselves" Cornelia complained.

"Least you were on a world with inhabitants Cornelia, think about what me and Hay Lin had to go through, worlds with no life on, apart from the visitors to my world and Hay Lin's raven" Taranee muttered back.

"I enjoyed having the fish for company where I was" Irma smiled.

"In a way Cornelia is right, Grandma has had this meeting going on for probably about 4 hours now, and this waiting is worse than being on those planets" Hay Lin sighed as her raven flew around her happily and it seemed to cheer her up a little. "The fact it they are discussing what to do, and despite we held the key parts all this time for us to not be allowed in on the meeting is hard, and wanting to know what they decide is worse."

A little more time passed before finally the doors opened and 30 people of a verity of species, all dressed in the same white robe exited the chamber and walked off in different directions into the maze of corridors that made up most of the fortress. After another couple of minutes Will then exited and walked over to her former team and signalled for them to follow her.

"Well what is going on?" Cornelia asked as the 4 spirits floated after Will.

"Nothing for now" Will replied. "Until Demal is found or the time of the eclipse comes tomorrow there is nothing we can do."

"So we are just going to sit and wait all over again like last time?" Hay Lin asked a little on edge as they followed Will through some corridors.

"Sadly yes we do, so for now it is wait for news from the Mechanax, they have the entire Frakill mountain area being checked constantly by patrols so the moment they find something we will know, only problem the area is experiencing the bad weather that always comes as the time approaches for the path to be revealed so searching everything isn't easy and there are countless caverns there, and that is just those that can be reached on the paths, Demal could be hiding anywhere in the region, that is almost a grantee so he can be in striking distance when the path appears, plus it is what he did last time and he is a creature of habit so he most likely will be in the area." Will sighed as they then stopped before her rooms door. She then turned to the girls and held her right hand out and a quick burst of green energy came from it and hit each of the other 4 giving them all a quick shock.

"What was that for?" Irma complained as she hunched over a little feeling a tingle through her body.

"Umm Irma, were are not floating anymore" Taranee muttered, seeing them all actually standing on the floor rather than just hovering above it.

"Oracle gave me permission to use a interaction spell on you all so you can touch thing here now, so you can say thanks to her later." Will smiled as she then opened her rooms door and lead them all in. "Welcome to my room girls."

The others walked into her room and looked around seeing the shelves with the photos on from when they all were alive and the variety of items she had a mementos from back then. Hay Lin carefully took hold of the box that Will had her rings inside and opened it and smiled seeing the 3 rings in it. "You still have that hope ring I see."

"Yes, along with your ones which I have kept in a separate box, while the other rings and both the drivers that the riders gave us in their later years when they stood down are in another chamber, now linked to Kandrakar's power for whenever there is need for the wizards to rise again, with repairs and modifications as needed because of the creatures they used are now linked to this places power." Will replied as she sat down on her bed and left the others to look through the bits, she smiled thinking back of the days it was the 5 of them as guardians.

"Has anyone thought about the new guardians team name?" Irma asked curiously.

"I haven't, but they would have one being all teams have had a name, considering we were witch, there was chkyn before us, and after us it was magic, ironically in the naming" Cornelia smiled.

"I worked it out ages ago after we got here and met all the new guardians" Hay Lin smiled as she put the ring box back. She turned around to see everyone staring at her.

"Well don't keep us in suspense then" Cornelia gave a little joking snarl.

"They are heart" Hay Lin smiled as she told them leaving them all silent for a few moments.

"Seems they have a very suitable name as well then" Irma smiled.

"But there is something I have been thinking on" Taranee spoke up. "Everything is playing out almost the same as before, as the prophesy said. Hope you all still remember it after all these years..."

Earth

"Everyone!" Rachel shouted as she ran into the area they used to train, all the others were already all there as was Janet. Rachel seemed a little unsettled.

"Rach you are in good time" Emma happily spoke from her usual perch. "Now you all are here, I have some good news." She then took a deep breath before announcing it happily "I have a little brother!"

There was a few moments of congratulations before Rachel spoke up again "That is nice and wonderful Emma, and while I hate having to ruin the moment, there is something I do need to tell you I have found, a prophesy that is attached to the legend about that doorway, it was buried deep down in information about legends of Meridian."

"Well then spill it cos I want to know this" Terri asked. Like Rachel she was a studier but only for things she needed to know for class, not looking up anything no matter how minor. Everyone was staring at Rachel.

Rachel took a deep breath and spoke "It goes like this..."

Meridian

Another patrol passed below the cave, lightning flashed a few times in the sky. Jessica still stood in the entrance of the cave watching for anyone who tried to come to them. In another chamber Demal was cuddled up with his copy of Will who had fallen asleep, tucked under her cloak, he thought about the prophesy that was tied to what he was about to do as he took out a re-assembled key out from under his cloak that was on the floor next to him and whispered to himself. "As it is said..."

Next Time: Prophesy and training.