Auberon Night Night
5 chapters of Aeon and the Guardians
June entry
Chapter 11 - Window to heaven
The next few days was a daze of frenzied activity and Aeon felt more in the way than anything else. Everyone of the bird people seem to know exactly what to do and where to go and even though he was never actually in the way he felt as if he was.
Aeon found himself wandering the city and finally found his way to the temple. The doorway to the inner sanctum was open but on reaching it he felt a spiritual force emanating from inside. Not malevolent in any way but almost tangible and he did not feel worthy to enter so he sat outside the doorway looking in. Allowing the sensations to flow over him as for a moment he felt part of it all. Closing his eyes and allowing his thoughts to wonder his mind was filled with visions of space in ways he could never imagine. The vast empty space was alive with energy that seemed to shape and form in the same way as “action paintings in abstract art” does, only this was ever changing and with vastly more depth.
Feeling a serenity and oneness with all he simply let his mind wander this vision. His body responded with goosebumps and the release of endorphins as his mind experienced for a moment the true power of the heavens, the world of the gods and spirits.
When he finally opened his eyes again Bzzznip was sitting next to him and it must have grown late based on the darkness.
“We never expected a human to be able to enter our world”
“It is time we go now Aeon”
Aeon realized that Bzzznip looked different. Ghostly in appearance and much like the energies he had seen and experienced earlier in his vision.
“Yes it was our kind you saw”
“Wait”, Aeon thought, “ Did he just read my mind I did not say anything”
“Yes”, Bzzznip said, “You could say I read your mind although to be more accurate your mind spoke to mine and I am not really speaking either”
You crossed to our world Aeon and for a while there became one with us. You will forever be part of us and we a part of you.
In honor of that and as a way to return we will leave a portal here. Hidden as an enchanted forest with spirit guardians. When you are ready to return to us, enter the forest, go to the centre and find a tree there, touch it and you will cross over to the spirit world and back to us.
And with those last words a shimmering light surrounded the buildings and Bzzznip. Slowly everything and everyone seemed to dissolve and dissipate.
In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength
“Wait” Aeon called out, “How will I know when I am done and how will the forest be protected and….”
Bzzznip smiled, “The forest will be part of this world and be nothing more than a hunting ground. Only once a person is ready and his work in this world is done will the portal truly reveal itself.”
“You will know when it is your time to go”
“Farewell Aeon of the Mir Sky”
And with those words the last of the city and its people disappeared.
Chapter 12 - The warrior
Once again alone, Aeon set off in a South Easterly direction to find where he started from on this planet. That cave may be just a hole in the ground but it is the closest thing to home he has left.
Walking along the plains enjoying the sun he suddenly felt the disorientation and dizziness as before when he was displaced in time.
This time he was more prepared and braced himself by spreading his feet and lowering his stance. This lowered his centre of gravity and helped him anchor his energy to the planet. When the spinning sensation settled and his vision returned he found himself faced with a legion of guardians spread out over the plains.
Anger swelled within him driven in part due to losing his home planet and part due to being here fighting when all he wanted was a simple life.
Drawing his claymore he let out a battle cry that would chill the bones of any mortal and stormed at the nearest guardian.
Running full speed directly at the guardian Aeon stepped to the left and seemed to mean to pass but launched himself at an angle to the guardian, swung the claymore at the neck joint slicing clean through.
Before the body even hit the ground Aeon attacked the next one. Holding the claymore pointing directly forward as if a spear he pierced through the softer middle section severing the spinal cord and killing the guardian.
Looking slightly down he limited his forward field of view and allowed himself instead to use peripheral vision and see where the closest mobs are. His burning hot anger has been replaced by the cold calculating mind of a warrior who has already accepted his death and thus no longer fears it.
Time seemed to stand still in such a moment and had this been a movie one would see the camera move while everything stood still to show how multiple mobs was storming in towards him as he stood with his claymore still through the mob and calculating his next move.
And just like that time would return to the movie, if this had been one, and for a moment we would think replay has been accelerated but the truth is Aeon, now fully in the grip of war, fights and moves unhindered by thought. With speed gained from years and years of training and battle experience he moved from one mob to the next so fast if looked like he was leaping. Slashing, piercing and even kicking he destroyed them faster than they could move.
For the next few minutes one could clearly see the line of mobs diminish and be pushed back. Their number rapidly reduced while he destroyed them.
But as is true for all humans we will eventually grow tired and Aeon is no different. This would be a battle of attrition testing their numbers against his sheer will and stamina.
Had anyone been there to see they would have grown tired and hungry while watching the battle drag on for hours. Guardians seemingly endless in numbers streamed over the plain and hills and Aeon kept cutting them down.
Chapter 13 - Valley of death
As the light began to recede and the last of the mobs died at the edge of Aeon’s claymore, silence returned to the land. The starry night sky became visible and painted the world in wonder. The beauty of the sky could almost make your forget about the valley at your feet. But one look at the valley and you would understand the world is filled with beauty but also unforgiving in its brutality.
As far as one could see lay bodies. All of them with a kind if golden sparkling energy emanating from it. A peculiar effect that is visually pleasing but seems to only happen on dead mobs. Wounded and tired Aeon still had to salvage all the kills. A hunter never kills for sport. Even if the kill was in defense you have to salvage what you can. That is something Aeon’s father drilled into him as a child.
As he walked across the plain, salvaging mob after mob watching the peculiar sparkle disappear as the last of their essence leaves their bodies, his health slowly returning and his load increasing he realised that his skill at salvaging these has been increasing. At first the salvaging took longer and yielded less usable materials but now he finds that he gains more items.
As before when hunting the variety of materials was astounding. Various crystals, oils and even small tech items he did not yet understand how to use, but he kept it anyway.
As the last of the death sparkles disappeared and Aeon straightened up from his hard work carrying a now almost unmanageable load he looked up at the night sky and felt peace settle over him.
Aeon was born into a family of farmers but his father insisted he learn to fight from early on.
“It is better to be a fighter on a farm than a farmer on the battlefield” Or something like that his father used to say.
Feeling grateful for the training and happy to have won this battle he set out again walking back to the cave he has come to think of as home.
Chapter 14 - Settlers
Reaching the hill with the 3 lakes and his cave he realised that he is in a different time frame from originally when he arrived as there are now people here. A small base seemed to have been erected on top of the hill with a few people there already. For a while Aeon just stood there looking at them. He has been alone here so long that the idea of other humans felt strange and something to adjust to before he could simply walk up and greet them.
After a while of standing there he walked up to them and greeted as if this was the most natural thing to do.
Well if you know anything about the first wavers you will know they never expected anyone to be living here so naturally Aeon was a complete surprise and caused quite a stir.
In some ways it seemed almost surreal to Aeon to see humans. People who speak his language and look like him. Which also brought up some other thoughts. Why do they speak the same language as him when he is from another dimension?
Why do they look the same?
But for now he enjoyed the company even if so far it is mostly a bunch of talking and questions about him.
Finally Lee, one of the first wavers said, “Aeon you must be tired and here we are just babbling on and on. Lets have a seat by the fire and eat first then talk some more”
“Naturally we are curious. And I am sure you are curious about us too.”
Well Aeon never said no to a meal and having people to talk to was a welcome change.
So he sat and down with them and Miranda handed him a a drink and plate of food.
“Food rations, not the greatest but it has everything we need”, she said as she handed it to him.
As he smiled and thanked her he could see Helen look at him suspiciously from one side.
Guess I cannot blame her for wondering about me, he thought.
Helen seemed like a tough one but Miranda seemed more like a nice friendly girl.
Before his thoughts could further dwell on the women in the group and his feelings towards them Lee once again spoke up.
With his deep and calm voice he sounded like a natural leader although Aeon could not determine as yet if he was the leader as such.
“So Aeon, tell us more about you please. We just arrived here a week or so ago and as far as we knew there was no humans on the planet so you are a surprise to say the least”
Chapter 15 - Story time
What started out as a meal and question on question from them to Aeon and from him to them finally settled into new friends around a camp fire sharing stories and jokes and having a great time.
The night sky seemed even brighter and more beautiful than before to Aeon.
Looking up he felt as though he is looking back to his past to his home planet while surrounded by new friends and maybe just maybe a new home.
It seemed he had won the battle against the guardians and he could rest for a while maybe even settle.
Miranda seemed nice and yet Helen would be someone he could have adventures with.
Smiling to himself he allowed his thoughts to drift to a normal life.
A simple life.
As he sat there Lee was talking and summing up the story they could all piece together so far.
Aeon was born on the planet Mir to a human, English speaking family. Mir is in another dimension where it seems a being of great power created the guardians who are destroying planets in a search for power. Aeon followed them through a rift in time and space to this world and seems to have been affected by the rift’s instability leaving Aeon unable to stay in a time or place for more than a certain time period.
By moving back and forth in time Aeon met a race of gods or demi-gods who lived on this planet and called it an island in space that they created. These beings was in fact the progenitors to the screechers that the settlers found close by.
The settlers came from earth using a technology to open a rift in time and space to find a new world to start life free from persecution by power hungry countries and companies after the technology that allowed the opening of this portal and many other advances such as portable medical healing kits that scans you and then heals you. Chips you can implant in your head to allow you to heal, fight or teleport simply by thinking it.
Though it seems their portal may have caused the rift Aeon and the guardians came through and so inadvertently their flight to a safe haven brought a new danger in the form of the guardians.
This was all very much to absorb for Aeon but he felt at peace and glad to have some facts and working theories.
As he again looked up at the sky he thought he saw a figure some distance from them with a peculiar device in his hand. A green light emanated from the device and Aeon turned to look directly at the figure but there was no one.
Did he imagine it?