Chapter 2
"It’s really changed, hasn't it?" said Penni. "Bersia, I mean. Since the secret police left."
Penni was nineteen, with a thin build, olive skin and short hair. Born in Bersia, she had been a Guardian for six years. She wore a black, ninja-style uniform with a symbol of the Three Ways woven on her right breast pocket.
"I know what you mean. It’s not just the people," replied Sari, looking around the forest. "Have you ever seen so many animals, birds and insects?"
Sari was sixteen, with a small build, olive skin and long, dark-brown hair. Born in Bersia, she’d only been a Guardian for half as long as Penni. She also wore the same ninja-style uniform as Penni, with the same Three Ways symbol.
“We're in the true realms of the Goddess without the Shadows,” said Penni.
The countryside of Bersia was scenic, with rolling hills covered in flowers and grand old trees dotting the landscape.
“Now it's up to us to keep it that way,” said Sari.
“Not on our own, but we play a pretty significant part,” said Penni, looking at Sari seriously. “You know all that training we've done; we'll have to put it all to the test sooner or later.”
“Yeah, but let's not think about that now,” said Sari. “We should be enjoying ourselves while we can!”
“You’re right, Sari. Never look back and never look forward. That's what Dad always said.”
“He did, didn't he?” said Sari. “He said a lot of things like that, and it never really sank in until Mum left.”
"She was a strict woman and not exactly the greatest wife," said Penni, “but she is our mother, and look where we are because of her."
Both girls were silent for a while as they walked through the forest.
"Look at that huge butterfly!" said Sari suddenly. "Let’s try and catch up with it."
Both girls gave chase. Soon they were running through a field of tall grass, giggling with each other as they ran. Suddenly, they fell into the grass, still giggling as they rolled over and looked up to the sky.
"We used to do that a lot, didn't we, Penni?" said Sari. "How long has it been?"
"Maybe five or six years," said Penni. "Since then, we've been running after Oracle-generated beasts. But it’s nice for a change."
"Well, I've had my Oracle for three years," said Sari. "The Oracle has ruled our teenage years. It’s like we’ve..."
"Missed out on growing up, perhaps?" said Penni.
"Maybe, but we've gained so much in other ways," said Sari.
"Like understanding people and being in tune with nature," said Penni.
"Yeah, but we already had that as Gurus," replied Sari.
"Having the powers to vanquish a Shadow Lord?" offered Penni. "Well, you can't beat that one!"
"Perhaps if all these things...” Sari trailed off. “Something has happened. I can feel it through the Oracle. I sense it's about to reveal something.”
“I felt that, too,” said Penni.
A large golden Mandala suddenly opened up behind the girls. They looked at each other, knowing that this was their first real quest. They quickly walked through.
Penni and Sari re-materialised and stood observing a picturesque scene. They were in the centre of the Realm of Innocence.
“We're still in Udicia,” said Sari, breaking the silence. “It's too beautiful for there to be Shadows here.”
“This is Delicia,” said Penni. “I know because I've seen that pyramid-shaped building in a brochure before.” They were on a mountain, overlooking the city. The city was next to a large shipping port. “It's breathtaking.”
“We must be close to a Keeper,” said Sari. “Why else would we be here?”
They walked in silence for a while, both contemplating the fact that they were now on their first mission. They were moving along the side of a mountain, taking in the resort-style housing that overlooked the city.
“It's cooler this way,” said Sari, pointing to one of the houses at the edge of the cliff.
They walked around the side of the building and noticed a man standing close to the back fence, looking out at the scenery.
“I was expecting you two,” said Ulef, turning to face the girls and smiling. “Come through.” He looked up the road. “Where's the other Guardian?”
Ulef was the Keeper of the Realm of Innocence. He was of medium build with brown, curly hair, and was thirty-eight years of age. He was wearing Lemarian clothing, which looked like it came from England in the nineteenth century.
“We haven't caught up with him or her yet,” said Penni. She looked at Ulef's wrists. He wore gold bangles on each one, with disks covering his lower palms. There was an etching of the Mars-like planet of Marcia on each disk, representing the Realm of Innocence.
Ulef motioned them toward the back of the yard. He looked across the ocean and pointed to the land in the distance.
“Lemaria,” said Sari.
“That's right, young lady, Lemaria. It's a beautiful country now, since the transformation, but before that, it was under the brutal rule of a tyrant called Liro.”
“You played your role as a Guru,” said Penni. “You stayed united with other Gurus and gave the community hope.”
“We did survive, didn't we? Like yourselves,” said Ulef. He stared at Lemaria. “Look how close I was to freedom. I could have just got in a boat and come to Delicia years ago.”
“But you didn't,” said Sari. “You chose to be part of something significant and fight for the cause.”
“Like us,” said Penni.
There was silence among the three.
“Please come inside for a moment.”
Ulef’s house was big inside, full of memorabilia from his home country, Lemaria.
“Why the two talismans?” asked Penni. “I remember the Earth people only having one.”
“You're right,” said Ulef. “All the Keepers of Udicia have been given the powers of the Left, Central and Right Ways, and now they only reside in the Central Way. I guess it falls in line with the three Guardians. Thus, I'm now sitting in Delicia, and not in my home country, Lemaria.”
“Three Guardians?” queried Sari. “I wonder why we haven’t met the other one yet?”
“I haven't been given the privilege of that knowledge,” said Ulef.
“I guess we'll find out who the other one is eventually,” said Penni. “Do you know where we're going?”
“No, there isn't any need. All the Keepers are required to do is put their attention on the specific realms at the right moment. It doesn't matter where you are in this Universe; everything is connected.”
Ulef lifted his arms, palms up.
“Put your Oracles on each talisman.” Penni and Sari did so. “And whoever the third Guardian is, may he or she also become empowered by the subtle qualities of this realm.”
Penni and Sari materialised at the end of a dusty road, in a small village. This was the Realm of Creativity in the Central Way. They were in the country of Velonia.
As they walked along, they noticed people politely chatting in front of restaurants, cafes, and art and craft shops. The odd chariot went by, with passengers smiling and waving.
“Do you know this place, Penni?” asked Sari.
“It’s still Udicia, but what country it is, I'm not sure. They look like Varlians, but their fashion is odd.”
A lady walked out of a sewing shop.
“Oh, my, young ladies, you are a long way from home. Beautiful fabrics like that, and lovely olive skin. You must be Eeonians – no, Bersians.”
“That's right,” started Penni.
“I’m Nellie. What are your names?”
“Penni and Sari,” said Penni, noticing a symbol in the window of the shop. It was the planet Lesnora, which symbolised the Realm of Creativity. She pointed towards it. “That's interesting. Where did you get that?”
“Well, you are very perceptive,” said Nellie. “I'm not sure exactly, but the man in that art shop over the road might know.”
They walked across the road and entered the art shop as suggested; although art shop wasn't the right description. This was quite a large gallery, with a variety of work from all across Udicia. The girls even noticed Bersian tapestries.
Something in one of the displays caught their eyes. There was a painting of the Oracle, the order of the rings, and even a Guardian sword.
“Look at this!” said Sari. “It's the final battle!”
Most Udicians now referred to the opening of the Juncture as the final battle. War and legacy no longer held any reverence in the new order. The past was the past, and most Udicians just wanted to move on and leave the dark times behind.
“Such infinite detail,” said Penni, looking at the work. “Only an Incarnation could paint something like this.”
“It always felt like someone else was painting it,” said a man from behind the girls.
They turned around and looked at Sef, the Keeper of the Realm of Creativity. He was of small build, with straight black hair, and was twenty-nine years of age. He wore a suited version of clothing from Earth’s old west.
“Hello, I'm Sef, and you must be Larn's girls, Penni and Sari?”
“Yes, that's right,” said Penni, looking at Sef's rings. He had rings on both thumbs. The etchings on his rings represented the moon-like planet of Lesnora, closest to the sun. “I guess we're here to make our connection with this realm.”
“Of course you are,” said Sef. He looked around the shop.
“We haven't caught up with the other Guardian yet,” said Penni.
“Maybe she's already in the battle,” said Sef.
“How do you know she's a she?” asked Sari.
“That's true,” said Sef. “The same way I knew these details: they just come to me.”
“So, where are you in this scene?” asked Penni.
“Here,” said Sef, pointing at the bottom of the painting. “That's Ulef right at the bottom.”
“I see,” said Sari. “So the Gurus fought in order of your realms within the Juncture?”
“Yes, but not at first,” said Sef. “This is a snapshot toward the end of the battle. So this is Ulef at the Realm of Innocence, and then me in the Realm of Creativity. Viler's here at the Realm of Contentment.”
“So you worked in a clockwise direction around the battles?” asked Sari. “Those Shadows within the battle circles, were they all the opposing qualities of the particular Realms?”
“Yes, you can see that, can't you Sari? Although we never thought of it at the time, we did circle the battles to counter their opposing forces. That was really the power in the battle, not the guns. It was also what the Guardians did with those winged creatures that helped.
“The Shadow Angels,” said Sari.
“Yes. Well, you can see here,” said Sef, “Cal is circling the Realm of Collectivity.”
“But he's firing at the Juncture,” said Sari.
“Gylith played that trick on the Gurus,” said Sef. “In order to try and break up our collectivity, he manipulated that very realm. With the transformation of General Nas, he had another means of blocking the Juncture and pulling Remm and Meln out of their realms.”
“I thought you said it was Uncle Cal's realm?” asked Penni.
“No, it was Remm's, but he was tied up in a battle with Nas. Cal was also a Varlian and a sniper. So he did the circling of Remm's realm.”
“Well picked up by the divine forces,” said Penni, looking in the Juncture. “Is that Nas and a Shadow Angel, flying through the Right Way?”
“Yes. The Gurus had little hope of bringing down Nas,” said Sef. “As you know, Meln tried to bring him down with a conventional weapon, but failed. Only a Guardian can kill a Shadow Lord.”
“You could now,” said Sari.
“In a way, I could, as Udicia is now working through the Planetary realms. If one was here I could move him onto the Juncture, which in our case now is via the sun,” said Sef.
“Ouch,” said Penni.
“As I was saying about the Gurus fighting in the Juncture, they never had any chance of destroying him.”
“But they could position him,” said Sari.
“Yes, put him in the right spot to be nudged up the way, which is what Meln did.”
“But at that point the Juncture wasn't open,” mentioned Penni.
“No, it wasn't. So Nas assumed his position at the wing tips of the Master,” said Sef.
“Wouldn't that have given Gylith more power?” asked Penni.
“It did, in a direct fighting sense, but he'd lost all his collective senses. You see, that war was all ingeniously prepared by the Guardians. All Gylith’s Lords were sent back to their Master, via the Keepers. Armies were prepared from each realm and coordinated to appear at the Juncture when Gylith attacked. When he was about to invade, the Guardians let the readied armies through, the Sylonians being the first.”
“There’s something missing in this painting,” said Penni.
“The Guru who represented the Realm of Security,” said Sari.
“That's right. That Guru was never there fighting on the ground. He was already fighting Shadows the way the Keepers will this time.”
“Who was he?” asked Penni.
“Considering you are moving your way up the realms, I think you will find that out by the time you get to that particular realm,” said Sef, staring at the large Mandalas spinning behind them.