Guardian

For the reader!
finally getting back to it :D i finally found a narration that works for the introduction, im excited to get back to it.  still lacking editing.

thank you.


(untitled)
Nicklaus West




                                                      Prolog

      "josh laid in the frozen grass, his eyes felt hard and full of fluid, skin cold and blue. his body was too weak to shiver. all he could do was watch her, her who had come to him in a dream days ago. she was with him now and he loved her. even as he lay on the brink of his own frozen death he could not stop thinking of all the love he had for her.

      joshua began to cry and grown out of pain and discust. the muscles in his abdomen contracted and nasuia swept over him. The pain of watching her be beaten and the pain in his own body melded inside his chest, and it burned like fire. every strike to her face and body made him cringe and bite his lips. watching them tear at her cloths and hair sparked fire in his blood.

      the burning started to roll in his chest...waves of heat began to corse through his heart and out to his lungs. more waves and more, like the beating ocean aginst its blockaded shore; the wave came strong and constantly. They grew and grew and the burn enterd his arms and legs, with the fire came strenth.  Pain was gone now and all that was left was fire and ice...ice on his skin, fire in his veins.

      he stood slowly behind the 7 men that beat and tore and his new love. Her screams deadend my the hand of a villan; black haired and olived skin. this man would soon know the consiquence to his actions. there was no time, there were no words or sounds. Joshua dacton had let the fire take him, and for the first time in 300 years he let the black inside him blind his eyes. the eyes that Once saw good and love in his world. joshua dacton let that blackness consume him.

      the first strike was simple, he placed his hands on the back of the mans shoulders and pulled him hard into his metal clad knee. the snap of the mans spine quickly cought the attention of the others. As they stared at him and the large broken man who lay in front of him they saw something that gave them more fear then even hell it self.

      Joshua loved his god and fallowed his commands to the core. but in this instance joshua found the one side of him that transended loyalty from the "should". and accepted the "what is" and "what was". 7 very unlucky men slowly beating to death the love of his life. the 7 men now found themslves the victoms of a 300 year old warrior of god who just decited that the all mighty had nothing to do with his soon to be action. joshua had accepted that god would judge him for what he was about to do, and the large and beautiful sector of his heart that housed his love for that god had been drapped in shadow.

death was all that lay in front of joshua now.  Joshua knew that this path may lead him to his own, but that was love. ultamite destruction of self to create union.

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                                                Chapter one
                                            (The Far Lands)

              “Please, can we stop just for a moment...” I asked the angel.
              “Of course we can, we have been walking in the far lands for quite some time. Although neither of us need ever to rest in this place I am sure you have become accustomed to such things.” he said in his strange but beautiful Voice. it was like servral people talking at once, errie and comforting at the same time. I looked at him with wonderment.
         “What is all of this?" i began to rub my eyes, "my eyes are having trouble focusing" I brushed my hand against the air as if to cause a current like water. He took a few steps twards me and pulled a small vial of clear liquid from his sleve.
         "Lean your head back and I will wash your eyes, they will take time to adjust but once they do you will understand and see things like you have never seen them before.” he raised his hand and dropped the cold dropes into my fluttering eyes, it shocked me how cold it was, but it didn't hurt.  I squinted hard and looked into the distance.
         “Its so different from what I had imagined” I looked up into the sky and back down to the land. “It really makes you understand why they say no eye has seen, because i can bearely see 3 feet in front of me.” the angle grinned at me, this made me a bit mroe comfortable, at least he had a sence of humor. “So this is your job I guess? You take the fresh Newbies and show um' around the afterlife?"
                “Life” He interupted, “you are in the truest form of life now"  I could almost see the pride in his black black eyes as he said this.
         " Oh, of course, of course. So is this what you do though?” i said prodding for information.
         “No, I am here for you because it is enjoyable for me to see humans witness the City for the first time…Its a sort of gift” He stood taller saying this.
         “Interesting…so what is it that you do?"
         “Do?” He asked.
         “Yea do. You know, like what’s your purpose?”
                "my purpose is to serve God" he sounded almost robotic.
                "Im sorry, im just interested in all this, its a bit hard to understand" his demenor softend
                "you surly should not be sorry." he grinned again "relax, you should be enjoying yourself, be at peace brother. as far as what i do, if im understanding you correctly, I am the Keeper of Paths. I hold the keys and knowledge to all roads in and out of the City” his tone was engaging.
         “Oh like how people get here from earth and how angels get to our world.”
         “Worlds” he interrupted again.
         “Worlds?…you mean to say like heaven and hell and earth right?” I cocked my head and raised one eyebrow up.
         “Not entierly, i hold the keys for all of the paths to all Gods created worlds."  We kept our pace in the vast plainlands, i was trying to wrap my mind around his answer. 
         ‘So there are others!” I spoke at last like i had uncoverd one of the deepest darkest secrets the universe held.  “Aliens? Different planets with different life forms?!”
         “No” he answered abruptly.
         “No? but you just said”
         “I said that there were other worlds, I never spoke of life being created different in form.”his answer confused me, diffrent form?
         “But there is a difference?” I said with a whim.
         “You will learn all of this from the city.” he was clearly trying to move the conversation away from this or maybe he was just board of this information. I was not about to give up, this was the single greates thinn i had ever herd.
         “Oh please, tell me about them” I pleaded.
         “It is not my place, I am to take you to The City ” my face fell as if he had just Gave me grim news.
         “You don’t understand…" spite had enterd my tone but i didnt retract it."I have been wondering about that since I was a child” he turned and look stright into my eyes. “I’ve read countless books and watched hundreds of movies on the idea of life beyond ours. Please share with me something, at least give me some understanding.” we stopped walking and he turned to me stunned.
                "Understanding?" his voice had changed again. instead of a chorus of voices comming at me, it was a solitary voice, human and normal and full of concern. Do you think you deserve understanding?" His black eys were motionless on mine. i took a deep breath and said the only thing that i could truely say.
                  "Yes" i was holding my breath, fear hit me like a bolder. did i just stand up to a 9 foot Jet Black Angel of God?
                  “Very well, I will show you another world, but please try to understand that not many people at such a young place in their lives get to see this. It might be hard to understand.” for the first time his face softend.
         “I will try my best, thank you for this…by the way what is your name?” I held out his hand. he smiled large and accepted it saying;
                “you can call me James.”

                                            Chapter 2
                                ( the Crystal in the Sky)


         The Angel in front of me was walking as if he had never felt the effects of gravity, no dust flattened beneath his hard leather shoes, his hair and cloths were not affect by the breeze as mine were. I had often thought towards the end of my life what and angel might have looked like, this broke the mold of every thought that had entered my mind.  he was beautiful and terrifying to look at, at only one time in our discussion did I look into his deep black eyes, I swear I saw my own soul and the souls of a thousand more people, to this point it will not leave my mind, almost like a melody that stay with you for days, but instead I will never forget that sight. I yearn to see it again
         “There are 7 other worlds beside earth” he spoke as if the information was dull.
         "Seven?!" i exclaimed.
         "Yes" This information was the single most amazing thing i had ever herd.
         "What separates them"
         Nothing, they are all based on the same planet in the same galaxies and with in the same number of rotations around Telenot.
         Telenot?
         “The sun” he sharply said.  I nodded my head even though I was fallowing him outside of his vision, I could tell he saw me though.
         So, is there any difference between them or do they all have Al Pachino movies and really bad dancing from the 1980’s
         Hardly,” I could sense a small laugh in his tone. “No, all are vastly different now in their 9000 year, but all have had the same beginning, ever single time.” I could feel his disappointment.
         Adam and eve biting the apple?
         Actually it was a quince”
         But a quince uncooked is terrible, its like biting into a dry sponge. I thought the forbidden fruit tasted good?
          it was, god cursed that fruit, saying that until humans have learned some patients it will taste as if taking the soil to the mouth. Hence that’s why you cook them.          
         God wanted us to cook it? That shows patients?
         One of gods greatest gifts to you was a sense of taste and he is amazed by earths ability to change everthing he laid out for you, for better and for worse,
         So Gods is man?
         No, I say that merely because it is a common ideal about god on earth to identify that he is male, now if you were from Orea or Landis I would have said she.
          What are Orea and Landis like?
         Landis is now a barren waste land, after the fall of the Babylonian empire the world ate it self really, things that should have never been pillars of civilization were aloud to roam free through major world powers, and one by one so much pelage and darkness had taken the world so deeply that god had no choice but to flood Landis, but unlike your earth civilization never build itself back.
         And Orea?
         Orea is much like your earth up to about 100 AD of earths time, Orea had seen the Christ, and he died just as he did on earth, but instead of his life and death starting a “religion” as it did on earth, it started a World wide movement on Orea; which in just under 200 years had consumed about 70 % of the worlds population. In fact Orea has become so understanding of Gods want for humans and his sons plans for all life that we are starting to see the first few people actually excelling in what we call “Light power”
         What is that…like light speed?!
         HAHA no my dear man, it is ones ability to break the limits set in the world.
         I don’t understand
         Herm…think of it this way, they can defy physics as you can in your new life.
         I can defy physics?
         There are no limitations in this life
         Ok, but how can they? there not dead or alive or what ever!
         No, but they have come so close to the right ideals of what life was meant to be that some of them can.
         This is insane, you’ll telling me that on Orea there are people that can fly?
         None yet but I’m sure one will break the feat in a few hundred years. Its all a matter of faith and knowledge.
         Will you show me Orea?
         If you like, when you are ready to see The City and take your place in Life you need only to ask, just remember that what you may see may only seem like moments to you, but years will pass underneath us.
         “Thank you James“ I said, and at that point James pulled out a small black marble and opened it, inside was a galaxy in all its wonder, I cried the moment I realized what it was. There were no words between me and the angel. In that moment large black wings burst from his back, they could reach  almost 6 meters above our heads, they slowly closed around me as if to block out any light. Then he spoke in a new voice I had not yet herd…it was deep and shook my core. “This is the path of Naitish from here we can watch Orea and its inhabitants. Their story will unfold before us and unlimited understanding will fallow. Do not be afraid.”
         I looked at my feet and I was standing on a path made of fine crystal, as I looked up and down I could see the stars and a symphony of light, tears pored down my face.
         "I’m, sorry” I sniffed “its just, I've never seen the world like this, how foolish I was to think as I did on earth, I put limits on everything I saw."
         You need not worry about that my dear man,” his hands touched my brow instantly taking my tears away “instead understand you are free here…free at last.” As the last of my tears fell to the precious stone beneath me I looked out towards Orea and saw what civilization should have become, freedom, democracy without greed the people generally had love for one another. The angels Voice boomed again.
         “Do not blind yourself to see only these things" he knew what i saw. "look deeper.” He was right, there were dark shadows and evil that filled parts of the land, a human named Roshak sat at the thrown of evil and through his land came hate, fear, and sin like I had never seen on earth.
         The angel spoke again “He is the terror or Orea, he is strong…Satan has given him great power, but look to the north, great power is there also,” as my gaze traveled north I saw a young man standing under dark skies.
              "Joshua" i said.
             
         



                                       

                 


  James laid out on the crystal like it was a day at the beach, his demeaner was so odd, i thought.  the way i had always thought about an angle was some blond haird guy or girl in long white robes but this angel looked like a villian.  his skin was bullet black, like graphite. his hair was black as well but much for dramatic, it was black as the nothingness in space. Of all his features his eyes were the extravagent, his eyes were white like anyones, but the colored pulp was empty, dead grey they were and they never left my thoughs. They were so bold next to his graphite skin.

James" i asked
yes?"
what is the white light?"
i cant be sure"
but your an angel, how can you knot know?"
"your preseptions of angel are very false, angles are not all knowing, we have the gift of understanding but we can-not know all without seeing all. this story that will unfold will be as real to you as it is to me, every action and reaction will creat a new opinion and understanding in you, but for me i will see only the truth."
and what truth do you see from what just happend"
i see a young man who is without fear.
and thats it?
yes.

it was hard to want to press him deeper, placed my hands on the crystal wall infront of me and slowly inched my face closer.

it is not a matter of what the light is...it could be anything, its a matter of what people will do for it. look, he has come to rest, i would much like to watch this story transpire now, please do heed on your thoughts and let the knowlege come to you, i can tell you no more then the story will permit, i am at its becon as you are.

may i ask one more thing james?

yes

why do you call it a story?

because to me it can only be a story, for me that will never be my life, i am to be here and to watch the paths, not to creat them, not to lay them out or push other through. now watch, and let peace hold your toung." he gave a small smile to me then looked past me onto Orea. i fallowed his gaze to where joshua had come to rest.



                                              Chapter 4
                                          (A Broken Heart)


joshua came to a door and pressed his hand aginst a small blue and white striped pannle, his fingers dug deeply into it untill his had was engulft is soft blue and white gel.

"skeletal hand and data is match, welcome home Triant Cole" a recoding spat out. Part of being one of the greatest warriors orea had ever seen was the in ability to carry one name, sometimes he had trouble remebering all of them.

  The door to his small home opened and he trudged inside, he sat quickly on a small wicker chair and bent to remove his boots. the boots were made for one thing, soak. as joshua became ever more powerfull in his ability to jump, his ankles and shins took the brute of the strain. he uncliped a small leather strap that huged his calf, his shin guard did not loosen. the  thick dence metal that acted as guard  was connected to a bolt of sorts, it was placed deep into his Tibia so that the bones would not shatter from the impact of a dead drop. painful at first, but now he could barly feel the steel inside him.

he placed the steel plates on the ground and removed his shoes, twidling his toes sat up and arched his back. his cloths still soped wet and he knew he had to change, his urge to sleep was far more then his urge to see the matron and god knows if he didnt have a fresh mind before walkin into their he would be surly sorry. the matron expected you to be on your best of behaviour, even a yawn could offend the most gental of being who dweled their.

he stood and walked to his small bed, he quickly undressed and fell on top of the dark blue sheets, after a bit of josling and turnnig he quickly fell asleep. the dream that would have him this night would surely change his life forever.

his dream started with him holding a small white flower that was rapidly dieing in his fingers, he held it untill it crumpled into ash and blew away leaving a small bit of grey matter between his fingers, he watch the ash float threw the sky as an angel he reconised stood in view. joshua aproched the angle,
"Callius, i have new word for oyu and the others"
"and i have no word for you, dacton!" the angle interupted, tone was harsh and angery.
"whats wrong callius, it is I, your friend, do not act as i am villian.
"you are to leave now dacton, i am not you alli, i am my own and you will leave me or be layed out.
"callius the white light has been found" joshua tested his old friend with iformation to see if he could pull him back to him,

Enough!" the angle cried, you will dare not touch the light...only death touches that path, death and pain.!!

in that instant joshua found himslef in a temple, it could have been 100's of miles benith the crust of Orea, it was cold and dark...small teal lights coverd the floor. 3 wemon kneeled in front of him wearing burgandy claoks and hoods covering their faces.
"who are you"
we are" they said in unison
who are you, dont be coy! he said.
we are" they repeasted in harmony
he looked down and blood coverd their hands, their faces still were coverd.
are yuo hurt
we are, they responded
can i help you, are you in danager?
we are"
joshua, nelt down and lifed the hood of one of them, she was beautiful, she was unmarked and no distressed touched her expression. her eyes were closed tight and after a moment, it dawned on him. he quickly flipped the hoods off the other two and noticed that they look nothing alike, one was pale and thin faced, the other had high cheeks and large oval eyes.
we are, the watchers, the thin one said,"we are, the seekers,we are, the lies which you have kept.

without thought joshua stood one of them up, and brushed her deep blond hair away from her face, her eyes opened and met his. they kissed, with passion that he had never known and held each other. he girl was week and he knew it, he lifted her up and cradled her as if you take her over the threshhold on the night of their union...even tho he had no idea who this was he loved her, and he would die to save her.

he ran quickly with her in his arms , the teal lights that flooded the ground led him into a long hall that sloaped up and spiraled right. as he ran up the spiraling hall he felt the clutch from her hands on his back deepen and an egerness to leave this place and get her to safty came over him, he was running in full sprint. faster then any one human can run, the spiral seemed to go on forever but his chest never tightend, his legs never cramped...he ran for what seemed forever before he felt frsh air.

he emerged out of  the entrance to a cave in a deep jungle, and slowed his pace...he did not recognise his surroundings but could hear moving water, the sun touched the hair of his new love and it seemed to shine in full detail. he came apon water and placed her on a small grassy bank...her eyes were blazing with passion, and his never left her gaze.
"i love you"
"we are, we are love" she said softly
but you are no longer we, we left the others"
no, but i am, and we are...you and i are" this took Joshua and made his chest feel warm.
"why is their blood on your hands?" he asked egerly
i dont know,
come and wash them, he picked her up again with ease and walked her gently down to the small river, he steped into the warm water holdering her tight and never leaving her eyes.
why am i doing this, why cant i think of anything but your beauty,?"
because you have seen what only i am, it makes us one, it makes us whole...we are bound to eachother now, we will never be parted untill death." she washed the blood away as he held her above the current. the blood ran away down stream and he carried her to the shore.
but what did i see, he asked.
you saw my truth, and you accepted me for me, and you touched me without judgement, you chose me and i will forever choose you.

Joshuas mind wondered back to the temple, what if he had touched one of the others? what if he had kissed them? why did he tocuh her, was  this a cures upon him, was evil in place here?

"look into your heart, you will see this is truth, and this is love...her words were as beautiful as the Matrons, he could not deny her, he did love her with every ounce of his being.

he laid her back on the soft back and held the back of her neck,  he kissed her again and they laid together for the first time. he had never known such passion.

they washed in the river once again and walked back to the shore, hand in hand...her strenght had been renewed, they clothed themslefs and sat together watching the small stream...

will you ever leave me? he asked her
no, not by choice, and will you? her voice was high and angelic to him.
i would break my body to keep close to you, you are mine now and i am yours."
she pushed him back on the bank and layed her head on his chest,
"hold me" she said, and in a moment he was back, lieing on his dark blue sheets...his love was gone, and his heart broke...