Kiara had so much more to tell Mira. There was so much they needed to catch up with but their sweet little reunion was cut short by a terrified howling wolf. " That's Braze! " Mira immediately sprang to action, looking at Kian. But as soon as they turned to chase the howling , those creatures whom Kiara mentioned as Dark Mages,reappeared, attacking them from all directions. " Kids, move. I will distract them. " Mira, Kian and Xen(who was slowly getting back to normal) , watched in amazement, surprise, shock and wonder as Kiara spread her raven black wings, ascending above them like the archangel. The matted discolouration of the feathers were screaming testaments of her ailing powers. But the kids had no clue. They were just watching a live supernatural elegance in action. " You mother has wings? "It wasn't a question, more like a statement that Kian made.They scurried their way inside one of the hollows but Mira paused to take another glance at her mother who stood like their p
"We can't get back home, right? "Mira finally asked, breaking the unusual silence, building up between them. They were almost out of the forest. " I mean it would make sense to stick together and look for the Guardians right? If they could lure Braze out in the middle of the night, it could happen to all of us and we saw how messy it gets." Mira said. " Or worse if they attack where we are staying. We will risk the lives of our friends and family . " Kian put in. " You forgot the Watchers. What happens when they come looking. You already got one admitted to your class. " Xen placed a hand on Kian's shoulder. " I wasn't lured out by the Dark Mages! " Braze broke in, making his way between Xen and Kian. " I was being summoned. It was the song. I am sure it was the song. " He was hanging between Xen and Kian, who gladly carried his weight. " Whatever, I cannot trust myself around my roommate anymore... " Mira walked a little ahead from the three of them. She was looking at her own
Kian's phone started annoyingly ringing again right after the air hostess asked everyone to switch their phones off. Kian switched it off and shoved it back in his pocket. " Who is it? Your grandfather? ” Xen asked. His grandfather had every right to be worried. He had just purchased four first class tickets to the end of the world, literally to the deserts,after mysteriously vanishing from school. He wasn't even available to pick up his calls or text him back. It had been Mira's call and the boys followed her without any question. The address on the post card was a North African state. But it looked shady. Nevertheless, they decided to investigate. Mira and Braze were two seats behind Kian and Xen, eyes closed, sitting with an awkward silence. They had barely flown for half an hour when suddenly there were some jolts, as of the aircraft was facing some disturbances. Braze moved the blinds and looked out of the window. The weather looked absolutely fine. He looked around to
"Goodness gracious... my whole body stinks, " Mira pretended to puke as she sniffed herself. She was sitting at the edge of the fishing vessel that had agreed to give her a lift. As soon as she came near the shore, she waved at them, " Thank you for the ride, " she said before diving back in the sea. She swam as far as she could, scrubbing herself , trying to get the stinking smell out of her skin. She went to the shore , picked up some mud and rubbed all over her body.It did her good and then she was finally ready to venture inside civilised society. Mira was not someone who had the opportunity to travel a lot and the overwhelming crowd in the bazaar adjacent to the port, took her by surprise. It seemed like every eye followed every step she took and it was making her feel very uncomfortable. She picked up her pace and began walking faster. " Gezz! Where are the rest of them... I swear they all look like they are straight out of the underworld. "She murmured as she took a tu
Mira fell on the chair and was about to throw hands," Who are you? Where are we? "She looked around Yvonne's tiny enclosure. " You are safe. Your friends will be joining you soon. I am Yvonne. I believe, you came looking for me. "Mira sat up. Could it be the Guardian they were so desperately searching for, was actually standing in front of her. But why did he take her away from the battlefield and run away? Were they not equipped enough to ward off those things? Yvonne thrust a bottle towards Mira and ordered, "Drink. You need it. "Mira had not noticed but she had been staring at Yvonne's jugular vein. One sip from the bottle and her thirst disappeared. She bowed at him with gratitude and then went straight to the point. " Since you know me, you might also know why I am here. "Yvonne nodded. " Do you know my mother, by any chance? I mean she was the one who asked us to find a Guardian... what's a Guardian? Where are you from? Are you from earth or somewhere else? " She asked
" Something isn't right about this man. Are you sure we can trust him? ”Braze brought his lips very close to Mira's ears as they sat hurdled together, as if in a detention camp. Mira shrugged. " I don't know. Do you have a better suggestion?”He was fast at work behind a veil, after drawing blood from all of them. They had been sipping tea and munching on biscuits Martha brought them, while throwing disgusted looks at them. " I swear I want to k*ll that b*sh! What's her problem? It's not like we are taking her kidneys. Is she a Guardian as well? ” Braze and Kian pulled Xen down for the fifth time and it was getting harder and harder to maintain their cool. " I was wondering ... " Kian began, " If Mira's mother is also like us, are our parents the same as well? That would mean there are many Chemorian on earth already. Why would he say it was exceptional for the Dark Mages to show up in numbers? I am still trying to understand. "" No. Your parents are not Chemorian dear boys. Th
" Where are those kids Master Yvonne? Are they gone for good? " It was clear Martha did not like the four of them , in fact she saw them as competition for her master's attention. She took unnatural pride in her service. Yvonne smiled at her. " They are where they need to be. The sooner they figure out their purpose on this planet, the closer they will be towards their destiny... " He murmured settling down on his chair, putting on his glasses and scribbling something on his desk. " I feel sorry for the girl. She has so much on her shoulder at such a tender age... She doesn't even know, it all started with her... "Yvonne leaned back after putting his pen down. His hands folded behind his back. " Why did you have to choose him, Kiara... Don't tell me, you don't feel responsible for Mira's fate." He sighed heavily and turned around. " The poor girl has no clue. I am sorry Kiara. She is still looking for herself. I could not bring myself to tell her the truth about her father. I co
" Watcher George... Watcher Rozelle... "Their headsets went off at the same time, bringing both George and Rozelle back to consciousness. " Reporting... "" Reporting... "They answered in a chorus, dusting off the debris that covered both of them. " We lost them. " George looked around before helping his sister up. " They were nothing like normal Chemorians or any other extraterrestrial we have encountered this far... It seemed like they possessed no body... "" What about the students? " Asked the voice from the other side. " They were allies. It seemed like they were the targets these creatures are pursuing... " George reported" Hhhmmm....The encounter at the foothills now makes sense...Both of you should come back to safety and report the development...We will need to work with new strategies..."" Yes sir. " George looked at Rozelle who did not look convinced. George quickly switched off his headset and then bent down,coming closer to his sister and asked, " What's on your
Several Years Later At Chemora -"Baba! Baba! Who is that girl? Why does she have a star over her head! ""Sssshhhh! " The little girl asking the question was instantly hushed. " Don't you know dear that we don't talk about her? Not in the night. No, my little darling. Never. I will tell you all about her in the morning. Alright? "But the little girl looked very angry at her mother. " But why mother, was she not the one who brought peace and tranquility over our planet? " Her tiny voice was fierce and strong. The woman quickly pulled the blinds around her place and closed her windows. The little girl had been looking at a statue at the Central Square. It was snowing in Chemora and the snow made the star above her head absolutely white. " I will tell you the story. I will tell you the story again. But not during the hours of the darkness, my little angel. It is not safe. You know what's going on. " The mother begged. Almost terrified. " Alright. I will wait till the sunrise. Yo
Braze had his eyes glued on the telescope There was something happening amongst the stars. Something that he had been anticipating but could not really fathom. He was yet to complete his research papers. They were due for submission within a month . He has been lost in stargazing lately. Particularly gazing at a distant star. His phone rang breaking his undivided concentration. " You must come over at the observatory , Braze. Something phenomenal is happening with your star. You cannot miss it. The telescope at your place is not strong enough to capture this miracle. " What is it? "Braze asked as his breath picked up pace. Even though he could not properly see what was happening, he knew something was different about his star that day. Braze hit the brake hard as the voice from the other end hung up after telling him that, " It was the birth of a star. "***From the depths of the cosmic cradle, a celestial ballet unfolds as if orchestrated by unseen hands. Through the lens
" It's time to say our goodbyes, my sweethearts. Let's meet again in the next life. "The boys opened their eyes as they sat up with a jolt. They were under the stars. There was darkness everywhere around them. They were on top of the highest peak around. Their clothes were around as they sat there and looked up at the twinkling wonders above their heads. A particularly bright star shone so bright that it made every around them as clear as the moonlight. They looked at each other and then they looked up above. They could not understand what they were doing. They immediately ran towards their clothes when the realisation of their n*kedness finally hit them. " Do we know each other? "One of them asked as the others looked at him with more confusion. " I think we do. Are we waiting for someone? " Another one asked. " I think we are here because of that. " The third one pointed at the Southern Star. " My knights! "They turned around as they heard a voice. " That's her. She i
" Why are we back here? "Xen called out in astonishment as they found themselves inside the enclosure from where they had retrieved the Heartstaff. " Hello boys! Hi Mira! Thank goodness, you didn't keep me waiting. "Razzak's voice startled them. "Why is she here? " They asked in unison immediately coming in front of Mira like a shield. Razzak laughed as she shoved them to the side and went ahead and hugged Mira, who reciprocated the action with a smile. " Thank you for giving my memories back. "Mira was looking extremely refreshed and strong. The fear and unease that was darkening her face was gone. " You don't need to thank me. I took my chance. I always wanted to know more about you. Stella made it possible. I went against my ancestors in stealing that stone for you. I but all my eggs in your basket Mira. And I am glad that I did. "She smiled. " I will leave the rest to you. I think you might need some privacy. "She hugged Mira once more and winked, before leaving. " Wha
" So you figured a way around, huh? Do you think the power of the Heartstaff can keep me away? It literally runs in my veins as well. "Mira was in the centre and the boys were around her. She clung to her father, scared, afraid, unable to understand why the universe turned so violent ? And it seemed like it all revolved around her. " Attack! " One blow after another sent tremors all around as the boys fought hard to maintain their defense. Even with their collective effort, it was difficult for them to counter so many successive attacks. " Mira, you can end this! " Kilian yelled from the other side. " All that I ask from you is to come back with me. Everything can be like it used to be. Just come back to me Mira. "Mira grabbed her father's shirt tighter as one blast sent Kian reeling behind. Calex kissed Mira on her forehead, " Always listen to your heart. " And without another word, he darted off towards the Kakarian formation. " You fool! " Kilian personally sent one blast af
Earth had become a ragging battle field. There was news about random blasts and terrorist attacks all over the news. There was a frenzy everywhere as people ran indoors to hide inside their homes and basements. The Watcher Headquarters was going crazy, trying to handle calls from all the Presidents and Prime Ministers. It was true that they were answerable but the situation had blown out of proportion. They had no other choice than to call back their very best. Rozelle, George and Robert, walked back in the building, matching their steps. "Never thought that I would be back in business! " George stretched as the humanoids greeted them with coffee mugs. " Who would have thought that Gala had developed such a wonderful anecdote. She is talented, isn't she? " Rozelle read Robert's expression closely as she asked the question. Robert knew that he was in a tricky situation. He had to praise Layla for her credibility but he had to do so without making his lover jealous. " Life, my d
" Why did we stop here? We should be running. This place is not very far from Guardian Yvonne's place. Kilian can catch up at any moment. "Xen yelled, paranoid. " Wait! Martha is relaying a message. We wouldn't get it if we crossed this perimeter. Ssshhh! Listen carefully, it's Yvonne. Is he... is he talking with Kilian? "Calex looked concerned. There was absolute silence as they listened to their conversation carefully with the help of the connection that Martha had created -" There was a time when I used to admire my sister. I used to look up to her. But then they began to shower unnecessary praises on her while all she did was sneak out to meet with men. Like I didn't know what she was doing in the name of training for strength. "" What rubbish! Kiara never saw any men apart from Calex.And your tribe ostracized her for that. " Yvonne tried to counter Kilian's claim. " She did a lot more than that. I saw her myself with Netera... "" You cannot be serious.... " Yvonne fumed
" We will talk about this when you get back! " Kian's mother had just left when the front door almost blasted open. " He is coming. Where is Mira?"It was Xen. It seemed like he had run a million miles but he went straight for her, scooping her off the ground and kissing her in front of them all. " We need to get her out of here. Kilian is on his way. He is coming with his army. "Xen turned around at Braze and Kian, as if nothing had happened." How did you know that we were here? "" How does Kilian know? "Came the dual accusation. Xen signed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pointed towards his chest. " I did not know that we could still use this but when Kilian was chasing after my ship and wrecked it into half, my instinct kicked in. I could feel the two of you. And the power of the Staff manifested from my chest. "Xen pounced over the two of them and grabbed them into a bear hug with both his hands. " I missed you both! "His words came out of nowhere. " So it was you
They had been sitting beside each other for hours but neither had been talking. Finally Calex took the initiative to break the ice. " I am sure you father would understand. "Braze was startled by his statement. " Love makes us do all sorts for stupid things, " Calex continued as Braze looked at him with confused eyes. " I hope you are not being too hard on yourself. Guilt is a very dangerous weapon. It keeps cutting you from the inside while nobody get to know how you are exactly feeling. " He tried to smile at Braze and that definitely made Braze feel more awkward. " You know, I used to love Kiara, Mira's mother, just like you love Mira. " Braze could tell that he was putting real effort into that conversation. His voice was shaky and his eyes were turning red as he spoke. The topic was sensitive, yet he was willing to make things clear. Guardian Yvonne had gone to look for Kian and the Marine Queen while Mira was sleeping in her room. " I was in love with Kiara before I was