Guardian of the Heart- Part Four

Guardian of the Heart

           The night sky illuminated with glimmering stars, I laid on a branch gazing up at the night sky. It was a habit I did every night. I would sit atop of a tree branch and stay there watching the stars and constellations until I fell asleep. This time I must’ve slipped during my deep sleep, as the next morning I would wake up to a beautiful creature.

            I felt a tug on my cloak followed by a tap on my shoulder over and over again until I opened my eyes. There she was a creature of magnificent beauty—her radiant red eyes, lengthy black hair, and her scarlet dress that draped across my chest. I could not help but stare at her as the rising sun shined behind her beauty, creating a glowing aura around her body.

            “Hello?” she spoke with such softness in her voice. “Are you all right?” she asked.

            “Oh, yes I’m alright miss” I said gently smiling. She smiled back at me and lifted me up to my feet. As we stood face to face she noticed my cloak was torn, it must’ve got caught on a branch softening my fall. She insisted to patch it up and I let her.

           “Dahlia” she said. I looked at her staring into her beautiful eyes saying “What” as if I didn’t hear her. “Dahlia” she repeated “My name is Dahlia” she said smiling. Even her name was beautiful—wondering who this woman was, I asked her, but she would say nothing until I gave her my name. “My name?” I asked as if confused. “Yes, everyone has a name.” Dahlia said. A name, I've never really thought about my name. She was the first person I’ve ever met and the first one to ask me for a name. I didn’t know what to say to her, so I told her that I don’t have a name.

            Dahlia stopped stitching my cloak and looked at me with confusion. “Where are you from?” she asked. “The forest, this is my home for as long as I could remember” I told her. Dahlia then continued to ask questions about my origins, but I didn’t have all the answers. I told Dahlia I’m the guardian of the forest—the forest is where I was born and it’s all I’ve ever known. Dahlia’s expression changed, no longer confused it seemed as if she now knew who I am.

           “The guardian” she said as if she knew what it meant. “The guardian” she repeated “If you’re the guardian of the forest then that means you’re the guardian to the Heart of Eternity.” Her knowledge of the Heart of Eternity interested me, since no one besides me should know about the heart. I asked Dahlia how she knew of the heart, only for her to giggle and laugh as if I missed something. Dahlia then preceded to tell me of the stories she had heard as a child about Gaiya, her heart, and the protector. I was curious about how she heard these stories and told me she is Dahlia the Red Witch, one of the six witches of Gaiya. At that moment I was completely dumbfounded, this woman who was already marvelous is even more amazing than I thought. I felt completely entranced with Dahlia.

            I asked Dahlia about the other witches, all she told me is that the other witches are scattered and located on different continents of Gaiya. Dahlia also told me about Janu—her brother and twin. Dahlia reached inside of her scarlet dress and pulled out a necklace, it was a dahlia encased in ice. It was the last thing Janu gave to her before he left and the only thing she had left of him. Curious, I asked Dahlia if she or any of her other siblings visited one another. I could see the tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. She told me they were not allowed to leave their new homes, that it is their duty to watch and protect their lands. Dahlia had not seen her siblings for years, but she learned to manage that emptiness. I felt sorry for her, so I gave Dahlia a hug, but she assured me it was alright and then she kissed me. The warmth of her kiss filled my body with happiness and love.

            After our encounter in the grove, Dahlia left and she would then later to continue to return. She brought food every time and we would sit and watch the stars at night together. Dahlia had decided to give me a name and since I was the Guardian to Gaiya’s heart, she thought it would be fitting to name me Gai. My love for Dahlia grew every moment we were together—as well as her love for me too.

           Months pass with me and Dahlia, our love became stronger and unbreakable. I figured out why Dahlia was called the "red witch"—it was due to her powers originating from blood and emotion of love. The more she loves the stronger her powers grow. Dahlia invited me to come live with her in her town, she told me I shouldn’t be alone in the forest. I told her I can’t leave, that it was my duty is to protect the heart. Dahlia said it would be alright since the guardian is the only one who knows the location. I decided to rethink me decision and agreed to go with Dahlia.

           As we arrived at Dahlia’s town she told me of the people, the creatures, and name—Luminous. The town shined radiantly as I arrived, it was like watching the stars up close. The buildings were created from metal and infused with light magic, almost all the people had magic—I could see the people manipulate the earth for transportation, even the water for cleansing. The town was magnificent; I had never seen so many people before or so many buildings. Dahlia looked at me and smiled to see my face light up at the many wondrous sights of the town. 

           My time living in Luminous would be the best days of my existence, Dahlia would take me to restaurants, cinemas, and theaters. I enjoyed every moment of it and grew to fancy it all. The people of Luminous became my friends and I would become theirs, but I would never have imagine to lose it all.

           Dahlia and I took a stroll down to the town’s annual festival for the arrival of Spring. It was called The Blossom of Gaiya, the town celebrated with parades and games. Dahlia and I would enjoy the festivities until the first snowflake fell.

The sky began to darken as the snow transformed into a blizzard, the land around us began to freeze and the people who touched the ice became frozen as well. The people screamed and ran for their lives as the whole town started to become encased in ice. I turned to look at Dahlia, but she was gone, I could see a faint glimpse of her scarlet dress as she ran towards the blizzard. I ran after her and when I finally caught up to her, she was frozen in her movements as she stared straight ahead of her. I looked in her direction and saw a man with snow white hair, fur coat, and radiant blue eyes walking towards the town.

“It’s him” she whispered to herself, “Janu!”

I looked back at the man and then Dahlia “Your brother?” I asked. She didn’t answer me and ran towards the man, I shouted for her to wait, but she kept running. I watched as Dahlia confronted the man and as she stood face to face with him, they began to unleash their powerful magic. I ran towards them watching them fighting against one another and the enormous amount of magic they had. As I got closer to them I felt a powerful burst of magic that knocked me down and caused me to hit my head on a piece of ice.

When I looked back at the two, I saw Dahlia fall to her knees, her skin turned pale, and the man whispered into her ears as she fell. The man then approached me looking down at me as I tried to speak “Why?” I huffed out as he kicked me, knocking me unconscious.