Chapter 2

From the vantage point of his office, Miran stared out at the green landscape that made up the Isle. This was his home and he loved it dearly but every time he saw the similar white houses that jutted out of the greenery, he couldn't help but miss the mortal realm. Humans amused him with their spontaneous nature and creativity, something that the Guardians severely lacked.

The Guardians were immortal beings put on the Isle to act as protectors of the human souls that passed from the Sire's realm to the mortal realm and back. The Isle had door ways to both realms, it was made of pure raw energy that could be altered depending on what was required and thus the need for Guardians. Each one of them could control a form of energy and bend it to their will. Fire, with it's heat and ferocity, Water, which was fluid and graceful,Air, which was ever in motion and Earth which was solid and unmoving.

After living for so many centuries the Guardians had become detached from everyday life. They had seen civilizations rise and burn to the ground, had witnessed so much that nothing surprised them. As years passed they grounded themselves in what they called order, keeping away from the unusual so as to avoid distractions from their work. For a while, they had succeeded in closing themselves off but that was until he came along.

His birth, they said was something out of a myth. His mother had been the chosen heir of Isle, a star in her own right. She had a strong affinity for fire and had been able to summon flames at will. One day a doorway opened from the Sire's realm and an angel came through. He requested for her help though no one knew what for, together they passed through to the realm of mortals and had never been heard of again.

Many said that they had fallen in love while in the mortal realm and that was how he was conceived. No one new how much time had passed by because time was something only mortals were subjected to but a while after his mother had disappeared another doorway had opened and he came through it as a small child then. Only a letter from his mother that had been in his pocket proved that he was her son and a Guardian. She had left him in the care of the woman who had been her predecessor and the one he know referred to as grandmother.

Never had a child been found in the Isle. Guardians were beings of energy, they had no souls and therefore could not reproduce or carry life in them. Only the mortal realm had children because human bodies needed time to grow in order to fully resemble the souls inside them. Miran could only imagine the upheaval his arrival had caused. His grandmother told him stories of how scouts had been sent to the human world to find out what was done to babies and how to take care of them.

All the Guardians had assembled in the Emerald palace for days on end just to get a glimpse of the Guardian child. He had grown up surrounded by many people who seemed shocked at every move he made. Many questions arose about his affinity as he had not shown any signs of having one and all the groups were determined to prove he was one of their own. Even now they had not yet given up hope of recruiting him.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted the his thoughts.

"The Matriarch requests your presence," the court servant bowed before holding the door open for him.

Miran could have told the servant to go on without him but he knew from experience that that would not happen. No one disobeyed the Matriarch, unless they had a death wish. She was the only thing that scared the Guardians if you didn't count in the Sire himself. He left his place at the window and allowed himself to be guided out into the hallway and towards the Great Hall.

As always his grandmother looked nothing but serene on her throne. This had had many speculating that her affinity was of Water, but those who had witnessed her temper could swear she was a Fire welder. Her long silver hair that was at the moment held in an elegant braid marked her as one of Air but then her strong will could attest to Earth. No one was sure of what her affinity was and those who did were long gone. It was impossible to believe how old his grandmother was because she looked like a thirty-year old human woman if you ignored her energy signature which was overwhelming powerful. It took some time to adjust to her and most new Guardians fainted during the first encounter.

She looked up from the techpad she was holding and smiled.

"Look who finally graced me with his presence,"

Miran bowed and took her right hand in his and kissed it.

"Grandmother, it is always an honor to be in your presence."

" Now if I was a quarter of my age, I'd say say you were flirting with me my dear but I'm not so your charm won't work. We both know why you are avoiding me." she stared at him with those violet eyes that saw into his very soul. Miran hated disappointing his grandmother but ever since he found out that there was a possibility that his mother was still alive, he had found himself in more than a few arguments with her.

"Grandmother, I am sorry if that is was it seems like but I have had a lot on my mind, I did not mean to offend be you." he chose diplomacy over being blunt because the truth was that he had spent most of his time thinking of how to get to the mortal world. Only the doorways allowed movement between the realms and Miran was sure his grandmother kept an eye on them to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"My dearest boy is there no way I can convince you otherwise?"

He could hear the pleading in her voice but nothing could deter him from the decision he had made. There was a reason his mother had sent him to the Isle and the human realm held the answers. If he found his mother; well and good, if he didn't that was fine, at least he would know his conscience was clear.

"Well then as it seems that nothing can stop you, I will allow you to go. Something just came up and I cannot trust anyone else with it. I need you to go to the mortal realm." She know held both his hands in his, having placed the techpad on a side table.

"What made you change your mind?" Miran knew his grandmother well and knew she never offered anything without strings attached.

"You may leave," she addressed the court officials who had been lingering before turning to him after they were gone, " A new energy signature has been sensed in the mortal realm and it's causing distress in the human cities. Surprisingly only cities that are Guardian strongholds have been affected.

All the cities in question have experienced major black outs and thick darkness that blocks out light. The Guardians there say that the energy signature lingers for just enough time to be detected before it disappears once more. I am sending you and Serena there to find out what is going on and bring and end to it."

So that was why he was being allowed to go go, Serena was coming too. Miran had nothing against her, he actually considered her a close friend but then she was one of his grandmother's ladies-in-waiting. Sworn to obey the Matriarch, she had no choice but to report his every move to her. They had come to an agreement that she would never tell what she wasn't asked but still Miran didn't like being followed around. Yet he could not let this chance pass by, he knew how stubborn his grandmother was, she could easily withdraw it if he refused her conditions.

"When do we leave?" he knew she had been waiting for him to resist and saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes at his question.

"As soon as possible, I had the servants pack your luggage beforehand and a doorway is on standby for your departure." her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

" I'll take my leave then, until we meet again grandmother." Miran bowed and turned towards the exit but just as he took a step, she called out.

"Miran, I already lost your mother, don't make me lose you too."