Chapter 11: The Crystal of the Wind

Jaeger had listened to the crystal explain what was happening with growing dread and shock. The idea that the world was going to stop existing because the Light was out of control and that the only hope was Darkness went against everything she had thought was true. She listened to what was expected of her and Nick in horror; the Crystal couldn't really expect her and Nick to do all of this on their own?

Jaeger didn't want to be a Dark Knight, and she didn't want to be a Warrior of the Darkness, but right now that wasn't important. She would do it if she absolutely had to...but Nick...

"Crystal, I don't care about myself anymore, but you can't ask Nick to do this!" Jaeger pleaded with the crystal after its speech. "He can't even take care of himself!"

'I know more about that than even you do, Justice,' The Crystal said in a tone that Jaeger felt sounded like resignation, 'It is not Nick's fault that he is the way that he is, because of the four spirits that were born to the flesh, he was the only one that formed incorrectly at birth and because of this he has developed a form of dementia.'

Jaeger's mouth dropped as she stared at the crystal in horror. She had always thought that Nick had problems yes, but she had always thought that he'd grow out of them. He had some kind of dementia? Was the Crystal saying that Nick's brain was malformed?

"You knew he was demented and you still chose him?" Kyle asked softly. Jaeger turned towards him to find that he looked as shocked as she felt. She looked towards Jeff, wondering if he had had any clue that he had been calling someone with an actual mental problem a 'tard for years. Jeff was staring at Nick already however, quietly and with an emotionless face. Nick didn't seem to be paying attention at all...

'Chose? This was not a matter that we took so lightly that we chose random children at birth. The Dark Crystals had a direct hand in your creations, and Nick was the first to be formed. We learned where we went wrong from him and did not repeat the same mistakes.'

The entire room was silent for a long time, finally Kyle cleared his throat and asked one last question.

"If you learned what you did wrong, why didn't you make a new Dark Warrior to take Nick's place?"

'And what would you have had us do with Nick?' The Crystal asked with a bitter tone that did not sound like it had moments before, it was as if it was speaking with a different voice completely. 'Would you have had us cast him out to live a life devoid of the Fate he was intended for? "Sorry, we failed you so now you don't get to do what you were born to do?" Whatever you might imagine we are capable of, we are not that cruel.'

Nick had daydreamed about saving the world on occasion, and hearing that the world was literally in his hands made Nick smile unconsciously though it didn't go very wide. In his head he was already crushing goblins with a spoon and then force-feeding them cough syrup that was on fire. He was so happy with this idea that he didn't even notice that the others were talking about other things that probably weren't important. He had caught the stuff earlier about Jaeger being gifted with a dead spirit and that stuff about a judge and a Djinn, but that was about it.

Suddenly, it occured to Nick that everyone was looking at him.

"What?" Nick asked, but no one seemed willing to tell him what was going on.

"Are you...are you okay Nick? You...and Jaeger don't look that good." Kyle said weakly to Nick, and Nick realized that he did feel kind of sick.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I do feel kind of off..." Nick began, but then he smiled and scratched the back of his head. "But I also feel better than ever, so that's kind of weird."

'We thought this might happen.' The Crystal said in it's usual tone. 'Our power and the spirit we gift to you will take time to work together as one. Until it does there will be a feeling of disorientation and nausea.'

"So the Stupid Rock made me sick, huh." Nick said as he nodded his head in understanding. "In that case I will call this Stupid Shiny Rock Sickness!" Jaeger and Kyle just looked really sad for some reason, but as Nick looked around he couldn't figure out exactly what they had to be sad about, but then he remembered what the crystal had done to Jaeger and he became rather upset himself.

But before he could say anything, Jeff spoke up.

"'Fore anehone goes anehwheres," Jeff said as he tried to control his rage and made his accent the worst drawl he could possibly make it. Mistress Mallory was right to think that he made it worse on purpose, he found that it really annoyed people. "I wanna know wha' the poin' of bringin' me and Kyle here was."

'Nick and Jaeger could not have defeated my guardian alone, and after sensing an intruder I knew there was no way he would not emerge. I was also aware that after using so much energy I may lapse into a state of unawareness and be consumed by the Light. The only reason I summoned you here is because I felt that you three would be able to help Jaeger and Nick survive. You three had the most courage and skill, and you three were also the eldest. I was unaware that the caretaker would not awaken for several hours at the time, because I was barely aware of myself enough to save anyone.'

"Awright, I'm glad ya brough' all dat up, 'cause I wanted ta talk ta ya 'bout it," Jeff said as he clenched his fists. "Why t'hell did ya pick a little girl and an idgit to be two o' yer chosen warriors!?" Kyle flinched in Jeff's perephial vision, but Jeff ignored him and continued.

"Yer sayin' they ain't ready fer this, and yer right, they ain't!" Jeff pointed towards Nick and Jaeger. "One of 'em's a 'tard that's more likely to kill hisself wit 'is own sword," Kyle had flinched again, and Jeff figured that Kyle probably thought that it wasn't right to call Nick that considering what they had just learned. Jeff kind of agreed, but for the moment he was trying to make a point. "And t'other's a girl that ain't ready to grow up yet and don't want nothin' ta do with your darkness," The more Jeff talked the more upset he got, and the more upset he got the more 'mistakes' he made in his drawl, but he continued on in the drawl despite how much harder it was to speak. "Yer tellin' me ya couldn'a picked from grown-ups wit a bit of darkness in 'em?! Me an' Ashley c'n take dere places if ya insist upon having yer Dark Warriors or whatevah, but leav' dem kids outta dis! Dey ain't ready!" As he concluded he stared defiantly at the crystal in silence and awaited its judgment, but he had the feeling he already knew what it would say.

'Your caretaker was not meant to be a part of this, and neither were you, Ranger,' The crystal said slowly. 'Both of you are beings with pure Light in your hearts, the Light of Courage. You could not be a Dark Warrior, and the Light has no need for a Warrior at this time.'

"Courage?" Kyle asked as he looked up at Jeff with what Jeff considered a new perspective. Jaeger looked at him wistfully and maybe enviously whereas Nick was looking at him with a slight grin, which from Nick could mean anything.

Jeff himself didn't know what to think about the crystals claim that he was a being with pure light in his heart, because not even ten minutes ago he'd extended the finger at the stupid thing. Taking that fact into account, Jeff decided that Nick was completely right about the crystal. "You got the wrong guy." He said finally and plainly by accident.

'You stood up to Stark, whom you believed wrongly at the time was a monster, though understandably, and you told him to take you and no one else without a second's hesitation. That is the Light of Courage, and for the moment it shines brighter in you than anything else.'

"Wait, so who's gonna be the Courage of Darkness guy?" Nick asked suddenly.

"No one. Courage is an aspect of the Light, as Justice is an aspect of Darkness." The Crystal explained. "But there is no more time for explanations. The Dark Warriors must depart and find the other Warriors. Behind me is a teleportation field. Use it and you shall arrive near the town of Ur."

The four children stared at each other, and then turned around to find that Ashley had already disappeared.

'I sent her to be with the children in the abandoned town of Ur. They are safe and you will be among them again soon. I'd have sent you away too, but I must not waste any more energy...and because I wish to know one thing.' The crystal added sadly. 'Why are you so angry at me? I know that many of you are upset with me, but I can truly do nothing more to help the world, or I would. You must believe that.'

Jeff turned towards Jaeger, who had not spoken in a long time. She had fought and struggled against becoming a Dark Warrior and against Nick joining her, and now she looked defeated and withdrawn. Jeff turned to Nick and then Kyle. Nick just nodded his head the same as Kyle. It was weird to think of Nick any differently than Jeff had always thought of him. He'd always figured Nick had problems, and now Jeff just knew what the name of that problem was, but it was just weird to see Nick being able to understand him with only a glance, as he had in some cases in the past...if that was any indication that what Jeff was about to say was right, then that was all he needed.

Finally, all of the boys stepped forward and stared up at the crystal accusingly.

"You said that you are supposed to be one of the things that keeps the balance between the Darkness and the Light in check," Kyle said with his arms folded.

"But now you done such a bad job, that you've picked a buncha kids to go get themselves killed." Jeff added without making his accent worse on purpose.

"I like the fact that you picked me at least, but let's not forget that you're a very Stupid Rock," Nick continued, "But that's not the reason we all hate you, I think."

There were a lot of reasons that they didn't like the crystal; but as Jeff, Kyle, and Nick shared a quick glance they all knew intuitively that they were on the same page about the most important one of all.

"You knew that the Darkness in Jaeger wasn't harmful and that it was a good thing, but you didn't come down and tell her that." Jeff said firmly.

"Instead you floated there and let her think that she would never be allowed to touch anyone ever again." Nick said, having continued from where Jeff left off. "You didn't just make her cry."

"You let her cry." Kyle finished. "Do we really need a better reason than that?"

The crystal did not respond, but instead floated up and down in shock, or so Jeff assumed it was in shock. Either that or it just didn't have any good retort. Jaeger had blinked when she heard their reason, and she whispered a small 'thank you' to the three of them, but that was the only thing that she said before she walked away.

Jeff went down the steps to find his pocketknife and then Kyle said that he saw it jammed into the stone wall over the precipice. Jeff took one last look at it and then turned and went with the rest towards the back of the cave and the teleportation field.

"One last thin'." Jeff said before he stepped onto the field. "You should find a different way to pick yer warriors, if you eva gotta do this again." The Crystal made no response as he stepped onto the field and vanished.