I’d like to kill the Sage. I’d like to rip him apart and throw the rest of him into the ocean. There are a number of reasons why I can’t. First off, I’m the First Guardian, and the Sage is the only one who can be my guide.

He has been for every First Guardian since Julian. So it’s probably not a good idea to piss him off. He has been chosen by the council as the only human wise enough to share information with. Although he does not know where the Triplex is, he can help us find where to begin.

He gives both sides the clue and tells us what he feels we are to know. So he is not only wise but untouchable. Akons and Guardians are not permitted to harm him in anyway. And the city where the Triplex is hidden is where the Sage will be found. Another reason I can’t kill him or even take a swing at him is that he’s six years old.

We have been here for a few days. The first thing we did when we got to Earth was go see him. The sound of the crowd ringing in the New Year filled the street as the six of us made our way to a little fish store off Canal Street.

The Akons should be waiting for us as soon as we come out of the Sage’s home. The council had forbidden either side to strike until both sides had been to see the Sage. But make no mistake about it, the second we come out of the door, they will show no mercy.

I was prepared for anything the Sage had to tell me. I knew this fight would be very dangerous and lives would be lost. I didn’t know exactly what would be said, but I was certain finding the Triplex and destroying the map inside it would be extremely difficult. Lucy had been trying for centuries, and she was getting better each time.

The Sage lived with an elderly couple who owned a fish shop. We all arrived in front of the door exactly at midnight. An old lady came and opened the door for us. She led the way to a small narrow waiting area with plastic chairs. She told us to wait there. Moments later, she came back out and showed us into a dimly lit room with “Jeopardy” playing on the TV. A little Indian boy sat at the table playing an intense game of army men.

The board in front of him had two groups of army figurines, one in black and one in white. I had never seen that kind of kid’s army game. The pieces were extremely detailed and life-like. Both sides had an equal amount of men. Each man had wings. None of the angel-men stood in the same pose. Each had their own confrontational stance. The Sage studied both sides carefully.

“Welcome, Marcus,” he said without taking eyes off the board. “Sage,” I said, not quite sure what I should do next. I motioned to Meana and started to introduce her.

“This is the second guard—”

“—Ameana Rachael Jones,” he finished.

Of course he knew her name. He knew we would be coming. He knew who we were and why we were here. He is the one human being on Earth who can decipher the complex pattern that the council has woven. He saw the “whys” and “whens” that we didn’t.

“Who is Copernicus?” he said without taking his eyes off the board game. We looked at each other perplexed. Is this some kind of code? Were we supposed to answer him? Just then Reese tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the screen. The Sage was answering a question from Alex Trebek. All of us turned to the TV screen and waited for the result. The contestant had said the same thing just after the Sage spoke.

“You were right. How often does that happen?” I asked.

“Often,” he said simply. I got the feeling he was never wrong. The others seem to agree with me.

Rio whispered to me, “I don’t see anything.”

“You are looking for my wave?” the Sage asked.

“This is the first time I can not see the wave of someone who is alive. You are radiating nothing,” Rio explained.

“I have learned to control my emotions. There is nothing to radiate, Rio.”

We all looked at each other. Even though we knew he was bound to know all of us, it was still freaky to have him talk as if he had known us for years.

“I have known you for years,” he said. We all looked at him in wonder.

“Yes, I can tell what all of you are thinking. It’s a gift from the council for my centuries of service,” said the Sage.

“Better than a gold watch, I guess,” Jay said.

“Jayden, I have always enjoyed your humor. Since the day you died, you have been… the life of the party on the bridge.” The Sage smiled. I didn’t know he could make jokes. But then again, I had no idea he could read minds.

He looked at Miku and called her name. “Little one, you and your brother have suffered a great deal. I feared you would go the way of darkness. But, alas, you have chosen the path of light. That says a great deal about your heart.”

“I would never Turn. I wouldn’t hurt anyone without good cause,” she said.

“Do you know who was the first Guardian to Turn?”

“No, we have heard fragments, but we do not know the whole story,” I answered.

“His names was Unclis. It was the third cycle of the Triplex. He was a very powerful angel. His powers were speed like Jayden and control over elements, such as earth and water.

“Four months into the mission, he began having doubts as to which side he should be on. He had seen much hardship in his lifetime. And once on Earth as an angel, he began to think that humans were pitiful creatures who needed help and guidance. He thought humanity should get a fresh start.

“But in order to make that happen, he decided that the Triplex should go to Atourum so that the Earth would be burned and ravaged beyond repair. That way that could start again. Unclis didn’t Turn overnight. He battled these internal questions for weeks. Finally, when he had a chance to destroy the Triplex and he didn’t, he Turned.

“His soul became as black as the night sky. He could no longer get back into the light, or the bridge. He had switched sides. The First Guardian at the time did not notice Unclis’ weird behavior because he was so busy looking for the Triplex. Had he done a better job, he would have seen the changes in Unclis before he Turned and switched sides.”

“You must look out for your team, Marcus. The longer they are away from the light of Omnis, the easier it is to let doubt and bad influences corrupt their soul. It’s up to you, Marcus, to apprise the situation and make sure that good is not only winning on Earth but in the hearts of your team.”

“Of course. We are all faithful to the light. No one on my team will Turn.”

He stood up and faced me. “Such a heavy burden, isn’t it?”

“It’s what has to be done,” I said.

“Yes, that is very true. All the same, remember Lucy will try to Turn any one of you. She cannot force you to join her, but each encounter you have with evil leaves its scar. And some are more painful than others. Do not be easily swayed by darkness. It will call you. It will invite you in with the sweetest breath and promise that you will never want. You must resist.”

He looks into each of our faces. “All of you must resist.”

“Can you tell us if we are strong enough?” Miku asked.

“Can you tell me if you’re strong enough?”

“Well, alright. Can you tell us who wins?” Reese asked. The Sage just looked at him blankly.

“I had to ask,” Reese said sheepishly.

“I know, you can’t help it,” the Sage said.

“Where do we begin?” Ameana asked.

“So quick to start.”

I looked at Meana. “Well, it is a matter of life and death, is it not?”

“Yes, it most certainly is. But you will find that the biggest battle is within.”

“I’m sorry, what does that mean?” Ameana said, somewhat impatiently.

“You have always been closed. I was hoping death would open you up.”

“Open me up to what?”

“Love.”

“I am open to it. I found it,” she said, not wanting to look at me.

It didn’t matter, the Sage knew about us. He turned and looked at me.

“Yes, a Guardian couple…this should be interesting.”

I could tell Ameana was growing leery of the little boy nosing around in her business. She shifted her weight, looked away for a moment and rolled her eyes slightly. I placed my hand on the small of her back, signaling her to be cool and let him finish.

“What is scuba diving?” he answered another of Alec Trebek’s questions. He was right again. That could get to be annoying.

He turned the TV off, then turned his focus completely on me. “I will need to see you alone.”

Jay objected. I knew he would. He was okay so long as it was all of us or none of us. He had grown up in a tight-knit family, and this was as close to family as he would get.

Truth be told, we are a family. All of us protected each other like family. It’s what happens when you are told that the one next to you has to help you save the world. You bond really quickly. On the bridge, all of us had gotten to know everything about each other. We knew what each other’s Cores were, what led us to choose the light and what we most feared about this mission.

Jay felt uncertain that he could protect all of us, and although I’m the first Guardian, he is the oldest. He is like a big brother. It feels weird to order him around. But luckily he is usually on top of things. The twins are the most powerful twin Guardians that have ever been chosen. Miku can take out a whole city block with a verse of song, and Rio makes it impossible for the Akons to surprise us.

Because they are twins, there is said to be a power that they have once they pull together. We don’t know what kind of power it is. The last set of twin Guardians didn’t find out what their twin power was until they were in the midst of battling the first Akon. They held hands and each focused on protecting the other. The sheer will of the twins’ connection enabled them to cause an explosion that took out two hundred blocks of what is now Russia. The twins are hoping they won’t have to combine their power, as they are not sure what the results will be.

Reese and Jay are best friends, although you’d never know it. They compete over everything. Who’s the strongest, fastest, cutest, you name it. It gets on my nerves. But they love each other in that ‘I’ll kick your butt if you don’t survive this mission’ kind of way.

Meana and Miku are closer now than they were when we were first chosen. Miku has an infinite amount of patience. That comes in handy when dealing with Ameana. Miku could tell right away that Meana wasn’t used to having girlfriends. She was cold, kept secrets and never smiled. And Meana never gave more information than what was needed.

Over time she and Miku became friends, especially when Reese and Jay would challenge them to anything boys versus girls. She is fearless, calculating and brilliant. It’s a good thing she’s on our side, that girl is a force of nature.

She isn’t like any other girlfriend I’ve had, even aside from her being an angel. She never seems to need anything or anyone. Meana is the very essence of independence and competency. Her mind is amazing. Her ability to plan and execute ideas is unparalleled.

She’s also the most striking girl you will ever lay eyes on. But I’m always stunned by how little she cares about her looks. Angels in general are beautiful. That is because of the lightness coming from our souls; it illumines things and people around us. But Meana was even beautiful on Earth.

In fact, it’s her beauty she sees as her greatest flaw. I never thought that. For me her flaw is how good she is at building walls. So good, in fact, that she builds them without even realizing. She is careful not to be too vulnerable around anyone, including—and sometimes, especially—me.

We respect each other greatly. We’re almost on the same wave length. Sometimes, though, it feels like she doesn’t really like humans. She seems to barely tolerate them. Maybe some time on Earth will help her find the goodness in humanity. After all, she is risking her soul for them. She should get a chance to get to know them more.

When she lived on Earth she told me she was very selective about what she did with her time. She said she knew somehow that she didn’t have long to be on Earth. But me, I never thought I was going to die at sixteen. Looking back I’m glad I didn’t know.

The Sage looked at Jay and said, “I will return him to you in the same condition I found him in, Jayden. You can trust me.”

I gave a sign that I was okay with being alone with the Sage. Jay and the others left the room and waited for me in the hallway.

“Marcus Jason Cane. You know you are the youngest First Guardian ever?”

“I’ve been told the others were a year or two older.”

“Please have a seat.”

I did as he instructed. He motioned for me to look at the board.

“You see, the white is your side. The black is Atourum.”

“Who’s winning?”

“I let it play out.”

“You have any money riding on it?”

“I have as much need for money as you do paper and ink. So much has been lost for paper and ink,” he says sadly. At that moment, I see the age in his eyes.

“Yes, I am quite old,” he said. This reading my mind thing is something I can’t get used to.

“Don’t worry, I can block out your thoughts if you wish.”

“No, it’s fine. What do I need to do to find the Triplex?”

The old woman came in with a teapot and two teacups. She poured tea for the both of us. We said thank you. She left us alone again.

“The truth is, I don’t like tea,” the Sage said. “I’d rather drink whisky, but she says that’s not good for me. I’m a Sage. I should be able to drink what I want.”

I smiled. I didn’t think he’d be funny.

“Thanks, I try to keep things light. You know, considering.”

“Sage, what is the clue?”

He got up and went to the window.

“Akons.”

“Yeah, they’re waiting for us to come out. It should be fun.”

“I didn’t think I’d feel this way.”

“What way?”

“Sad.”

“We can take care of the Akons.”

“Yes, you are very capable.”

“Sage, I don’t mean to rush you, but…”

“Yes, we must get on to the business at hand.”

He came back to the table and took out a flat oval made of glass. It was about the size of a silver dollar. He placed it on the table. There were tiny specs of gold floating inside of it. He put it in my hands. I looked down at the flakes swimming around. There was no information on it anywhere.

“When you leave this room, it will show you what you need to know. The moment you find out the clue, the Akons, will find out as well. The clue will only appear if both sides are viewing it. I gave them the same Plate I gave you. As soon as you look into it, so will they.”

“I just look inside?”

“That is the answer to most questions, Marcus.”

“Anything else?” I wondered.

“You can ask me.”

“What?”

“That question which you are certain I am not allowed to answer but desperately want to know.”

“Will we find the Triplex?”

“Yes.”

I was almost lightheaded with relief. So, I actually wouldn’t end the world. Good, for a second there….

I did something I have not been able to do in a long while: I smiled.

Then I addressed the Sage. “So, we will be successful and the world will be saved. Good, thank you. That helps. A lot.”

“I didn’t say that you would be successful. Nor that you would save the world.”

“What? You just said we find the Triplex.”

“And you will.”

“Then that means we save the world. That’s how it goes.”

“No. Not this time.”

I try to stay calm. I hate this talking in riddles nonsense. It’s getting to me. How can he say we find the Triplex and still say we don’t save the world? That makes absolutely no sense.

“I know it doesn’t, not right now.”

“Is it that we don’t find the Triplex in time?”

“You will find it in plenty of time.”

“So, what is it? What causes the world to come to an end?”

“You.”

This was beyond irritating. This kid was just talking nonsense. “I need to know more. Why would I stand in the way of the mission I have been sent here to complete?”

“I will say this and then you must go and start your journey. You will find the Triplex but you will betray them all.”

“You’re wrong. I would never Turn. I would never betray anyone.”

“We will see. The information in your hands will be the beginning of your end.”

“That’s crap. I won’t Turn. I’m stronger than that.”

“In time, we shall see.”

“You’re wrong,” I shouted and stood up so quickly the chair fell to the floor.

“Perhaps,” he said calmly.

Then he reached for the remote. And before turning on the TV, he said, “What is Antarctica?”

Then he turned on the TV. Alex Trebek was addressing the contestants.

“The Adelie Penguin makes its home on this continent.”

None of the players buzzed in, so Alex answered it for them. “What is Antarctica?”

I hate Jeopardy.

When I got out into the hallway, they all turned to look at me. My team. My family. The ones that, according to the Sage, I would betray. Should I tell them? No, why mess with their heads? It wasn’t going to happen. The Sage made a mistake. I’m not gonna put that on them. They have faith in me and I will not give them a reason to doubt me.

“What’s the clue?” Meana asked.

“It’s someone named Emerson Baxter. We have to find him.”

“The clue has never been a name before,” Reese remarks.

Miku responded, “He’s right. Past cycles have always had a place or an object. I’ve never heard of any Guardians having to look for a person.”

“Well, we’re looking for one now,” I snapped. They look at me, taken aback by my reaction.

“The clock has started. Let’s go,” I said in a softer tone.

I didn’t want them to know how utterly pissed off I was. But that was all pointless ‘cause the moment I walked out of Sage’s room, Rio picked up on my mood. That’s why he had been quiet. He knew I’d probably bite his head off given the color I was radiating.

As we headed out, Meana came up to me. “What’s wrong?”

“Besides being in charge of saving the world, having twice as many rules as evil and half the help?” I said bitterly.

She was about to say something, but I called out Rio’s name so that we didn’t have to get into a conversation right now. Not that Mena was likely to get distracted in a battle. I just didn’t feel like repeating what the Sage said, not now anyway.

“How many of them are out there?” I asked.

“All six; Mayhem, Chaos, Frenzy, Agony, War, and your favorite first, Akon, Rage,” Rio said.

“Where?”

“Rooftop across the street.”

“Let’s not keep them waiting.”

We walked through the front door. Rio walked out ahead of us with his shield out. Just as he said, the Akons were lined up on top of the building across the street.

Chaos had used his mind control powers to get about thirty or so people to leave the New Year’s Eve celebration and stand in front of us with improvised weapons. They formed a small but very determined mob, carrying broken glass bottles, box cutters, and makeshift bats.

“Are they all Pawns?” Miku asked her brother.

“Yes, they all have souls, so try not to hurt them.”

The Pawn at the front of the line shouted something and launched at us with a metal rod. Mena used her eyes to lift the rod up and over his head. She had taken all their weapons and floated them high in the air where they couldn’t reach them.

From the rooftop, Chaos silently ordered them to attack us even without weapons. This was an even better plan because we could not hurt them, and the Akons knew that. The humans punched, clawed and pushed us. More than trying to protect ourselves, we mostly tried to block the blows. Not that they would have hurt us, but humans are so fragile compared to angels. They come apart fairly easily. If anyone of us hit them in the wrong place, they would seriously get hurt.

“I’ll get Chaos,” Miku says as she slipped past the mob and flew up to the roof where the Akon had stood a second ago. I ordered Jay to go and help her take him out. Until Miku got Chaos under control, the mob would continue. Ameana lifted several humans in the air and into a nearby dumpster. Reese Blinked behind them and knocked them out.

The biggest guy in the mob was focused solely on me. No doubt it’s Chaos’ doing. The human swung a makeshift bat at me. I ducked every time. I looked around for something to hit him with that wouldn’t cause too much damage. There was nothing.

Finally he took a swing at me and it grazed my head. He was expecting blood and guts to come pouring out. When that didn’t happen, the shock made him pause for a second. That was all I needed. I took the bat from him, cracked it in two and threw it to the ground. He lunged at me; I moved out of the way causing him to lose his balance and land on the floor.

I stood over him. I finally got a clear look into his eyes. I saw his fear. I reflected it back. I can’t reflect at full force because it would kill him, but I reflected a glimpse of his nightmare back to him. He cried out and covered his face with his hands.

Meanwhile, Miku had started singing to Chaos. He held his ears as if they are being stabbed. Miku can’t kill an Akon with her siren song. She can kill Runners, Pawns and humans (that is, if we were allowed to). But she can distract Akons by causing immense pain. And she did that very well. Chaos was on his knees, screaming.

While on the ground, Chaos picked up a rock and threw it at her. The rock was about the size of a fist. Had a human thrown it, it would have no impact. But Chaos had such strength, the rock looked more like a rocket as it came hurtling towards her. She wasn’t able to duck in time. It hit her by her temple and she went down. The song she was singing halted with an eerie silence. Chaos seized his chance and attacked her.

Rio looked up just in time to see what was about to happen to his twin. Horror spread across his face as he realized he would not be there in time to save her. Chaos pounced on her. She made the most wounded cry I’ve ever heard. Chaos settled in for a final blow when a strong breeze whipped by him. He looked down on the ground; his victim had been taken away by the wind. Chaos turned around to find that the wind was really Jay, who had managed to glide in and rescue Miku. She laid in his arms.

“She’s good,” Jay shouted down to Rio. He knew full well that if he didn’t let Rio know the status of his twin, Rio would fly up there. Lucky thing he didn’t go up on the roof because at that very moment, Mayhem shot out poison daggers from each arm. The six daggers made their way towards Ameana. Normally she would be able to call the daggers away from her; she has complete control of moving objects. But she was dodging lightning bolts coming from the palm of Frenzy’s hand. She had no idea what was coming.

Rio bolted towards her, placing his body in front the oncoming daggers. His shield blocked them from reaching her. All six of the daggers landed on Rio’s chest. Ameana was safely behind him. The daggers stayed in Rio’s chest then dropped to the ground without causing any damage whatsoever.

Seeing that Reese had escaped death, Agony focused in on him and tried to control his body. He began to twist Reese’s leg. Reese called out as the pain went through his body. He focused enough to Blink away before Agony could break his leg.

Seeing that his fellow Akon needed help, War closed his fist and sprayed something out of his knuckles. I didn’t know what it was until he aimed at Reese, who Blinked, and the liquid hit the ground. It melted right through. It actually ate through the concrete.

“Reese, it’s acid, watch out.”

As War was busy trying to spray Reese, I flew over and rammed him in to the wall. Mayhem continued to shoot daggers from his wrists. Reese Blinked behind him and attacked him. They both fell to the ground. Reese tried to pin down Mayhem before he was able to shoot out more blades. But Mayhem administered a powerful blow and got away.

Before Reese had time to recover, Mayhem launched six daggers straight at Reese. There was no time for anyone, including Jay, to do anything about it. I called out Meana’s name and she was able to call the blades to a stop mere inches from her body.

The mob had been taken care of. Some were in the dumpster, knocked out. Some were laid out in the alley, bruised but alive. I flew up to the roof where Rage had been waiting for me. He stood in front of me and I knew it wasn’t a good idea to take my eyes off of him. Sure enough, his eyes glazed over with a dark film and seconds later a ball of fire appeared heading straight for the Guardians down below.

“Look out,” I bellowed to them. They looked up and saw the ball of fire coming straight for them. Rio stretched out his winged shield and tried to cover the team as much as possible. He fell back, his whole body engulfed in flames. Had his shield not held up, he would have been tar.

I pulled a telephone pole out from the ground like it was a toothpick. I charged at Rage and wrapped it around him. He set fire to the ground beneath me. I rolled to the ground before the fire could spread to me. Rage threw another wave of flames at me. I rolled quickly so I wouldn’t be charred.

I leapt off the side of the building. He quickly dove after me. I knew he would. I flew around wildly to avoid his wrathful blaze. There were several near misses, but I had to lead him where I needed him to be.

I flew across the street near the fire hydrant. Rage quickly swooped down to scorch me, but I was quicker. I flew up and over to the fire hydrant. I bent the hydrant until it busted into a spring. I manipulated it so that the water gushed and hit Rage directly.

“You’re a little hot under the collar. Thought you might like to cool off.” The water would not destroy him, but it would take him a few minutes to get away and recharge. That meant a few minutes where I could get the drop on him. The water pushed him backward and into the side of the building, leaving a huge imprint.

He looked possessed with demonic rage. But he would still need a few moments for the blaze to come back. He ripped a traffic light out of the ground and swung it toward me. I moved just in time for it to miss me and hit several cars. The windows shattered. The cars crumbled. Every car alarm on the block went off.

I knew it was time to go. Once humans arrive, we can no longer fight. The council would never tolerate Guardians fighting out in the open. And even Akons have to be careful of exposure. Besides, our first priority was to go find this Emerson person, get the Triplex from him, and destroy it.

I got back on the rooftop and called my team. I whistled a sound they knew to mean retreat. Jay had fled earlier and come back with a car. We all piled in as Rio shielded