Guardianship Prologue: The Throne

She went back to the Throne just a few hours after the battle had broken out. Dawn was coming, shedding light over the land where a great city once stood, which had become a battlefield and now lay in ruins. Destruction had rained on the city, where the Nameless had come to take away all life and the Guardianship. The ashes of the old world fell, nothing had remained intact, except the building in which the Throne was kept. It stood among the rubble, rising magnificently above the gray ashes; the roof had fallen, the walls had been torn apart, and yet it stood, even if it was half destroyed, resilient, determined to exist.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she saw what had happened. Her thoughts were racing, and emptiness neared her heart. The only thing she wanted was to reach the Throne. Guilt overwhelmed her, even though she knew she could not have prevented any of this from happening. What happened to the people who lived here? What horrors did they have to face? Why did I survive? I have no right to survive, I should have died in their place. I don’t…I don’t deserve this, I don’t…

She reached the walls of the building, more tears sliding down her face as she let out a strangled scream that sounded similar to what a dying, wounded animal would make. She climbed over the destroyed walls, more pieces of it crumbling to the ground. Next to her lay the beautifully elaborate wooden doors that once closed off the building from the outside. The interior was decorated as elaborately as the doors were, with lines and words engraved on its cold dark surface that was barely visible under the bricks stones and dust from the roof which had fallen, and now the sky could be seen from above. Claw marks left by the Nameless had ruined the beauty of the carefully engraved walls that still stood.

In the far end of the room a set of steps lead to the higher part of the building, where the great Throne rose, made of something similar to black glass, glinting with a dark light, slashed in the middle, nearly divided in two. It was a piece of beauty. The stone it was made from seemed as if it had either been carved carelessly from a single, large block, or that it had been assembled from different shards of crystals. It had many sharp edges, its back rising to nearly four meters of height, the highest crystal resembled a sword, and was probably as sharp. Behind it there were pieces of broken glass of the destroyed window that rose high behind the Throne, which used to be quite colorful, depicting something of importance, which was now scattered across the floor, destined to be forgotten. On top of the window engraved on the wall was written:

Here stands the Nascent Throne. Carved from the stone made of glass, it belongs to those who are destined to become great in the battle’s resolve, it belongs to the Guardian Of Darkness, and it is the place where the Guardianship lies

She climbed down from the pile of the ruins the walls had become, her talons echoing across the deserted room as they made contact with the floor, her Soul following closely behind her. She headed towards the Throne, little clouds of dust rising as she crossed the room, then a voice that belonged to no one sounded across the room.

“What do you seek in the fallen city?”

The voice was soft, kind and reassuring, but there was a hint of sadness inside it. The girl was not scared of it, she had been expecting it, it was after all, what she had come for.

“I seek the power of the world,” she said, her voice cracking, as she wiped the tears from her face.

“The power of this world is given only to those with honest reason. Do you have such a reason?” replied the voice.

“My reason is to end the reign of those who destroyed the city that once rose here, my reason is to bring back the fading lights.”

She could feel power washing over her, as the writings and drawings on the walls and floors lit up, glinting with the same black light that the Throne emanated. Nearly a minute had passed, and the voice had not yet spoken.

“Please!” she said, desperately. This was the only thing she had left. If the voice did not grant her the powers of the world, she would have nothing to live for anymore, there would be no reason in her life. For years she had searched this place, the place where the Guardianship of Darkness ley, and had traveled from far and distant lands.

“You have an honest reason, and a heart that is weak, broken like the Throne is, and your intentions are pure. You are worthy of the power of the earth that lie here,” said the voice. The walls, the floors and the throne were no longer glinting, but shining strongly with black light now, the power was getting stronger and stronger, “Marea Caedere, I shall give you the power of the world, the power to create and destroy, to conceal and protect, to bring the people together in their time of desperation, for it is your destiny to become great in the battle’s resolve. I bring down on you the power of the Guardianship of Darkness, and the wings which hold its power.”

The Throne lit up, and she felt the power seep within her, and she felt stronger, more powerful than she had ever been, but, just like when she had acquired the element of Darkness, she felt the pain that came along the power: sadness, despair, terror, guilt, hate. Her Soul was glowing with the power as well, and slowly, two pairs of wings started to form behind her, shining the dame way the Throne did.

“The wings of Darkness, my power, now yours,” said the voice, which was starting to slowly fade along with the lights of the room.The only thing still bright were Marea’s wings and soul. She moved the two wing in front of her, the embraced her, warm, like a blanket. They were not made of feathers or scales, but of crystals, the same that made the Throne. Lowering them to the ground, the blades scratched the floor, then they shattered and became sand

“They will shatter when they are not need them, but you can summon them at will. They are yours to command. I have little time left,” said the voice, barely audible now, “I can answer to one question you will ask me, and the answer I will give you will undoubtedly be truthful. You may ask for anything you wish to know.”

Marea knew the question she wanted to ask, it had burned inside her for years, ever since she had become a Darkness wielder, but she was scared of what the answer will hold. Will people like me? If it was yes, she would be stronger than she ever was, but if it was no, she would be broken, unrepairable. She feared making wrong decisions, and in this case, the time was running out.

“I have…nothing to ask,” she finally said. Marea turned and headed towards the wall she had come inside from, but the voice called her back, “Marea! Save our world, save Siela…all my hopes lie with you…”

“I promise, I will not let it Fade,”

---

Note: this was revised after GoldFlame and Birkhoff's review.