First Drafts/Deleted Chapters

If you see something here, it's cuz I'm revamping it

plus things here will be mostly unrealistic lmao

Edit: OMFG I WAS SUCH A BAD WRITER

Edit: This makes me feel simultaneously good and bad about myself, because on one hand, I improved, (no fifteen year old is sixty pounds) both in writing and logically, but on the other hand, I started somewhere... uh... bad? Well, worse than I'm doing now, anyways. I'm still working on the story, so you should look out for it. First re-re-revamped chapter being uploaded rn!

Chapter One

Present Day, the Forlorn Forest in the Twenty-Seventh State, on the Planet of Anagénnisi

Carter leaped upwards, higher and higher through the branches. Although he was fifteen years old, he only weighed about sixty pounds. This only contributed to him looking much more skinny than he should have been, as he stood at five foot eleven.

“Caaarterrrrr, stop showing off!” His twin sister stood below. Her name was Lily, and although slightly shorter than Carter, she was about the same in height, weight, and physical features as her brother. Both were dirty blond, tall, and had a layer of stringy muscle. The only difference were their eye color. Whereas Lily’s were a light shade of green, Carter’s was a strangely condemning dark blue.

Appearances otherwise, Carter and Lily were different in attitude. Carter was the daredevil who’d run through a hail of bullet fire just for the fun of it. He was talkative and loud. If someone saw him for the first time, they’d think he hadn’t learned his manners yet. Lily was calm and cautious, not willing to take big risks unless she was sure she had a chance of getting what she wanted.

At the moment, Carter was scaling a huge conifer tree in hopes of getting to the top for once. It had become as a sort of competition between the two ever since they had first climbed up the tree to the first branches. Guardian had seen this, and encouraged them on with prizes for the first person to reach the top. Eventually, the two had become fearless of heights, always trusting themselves to keep going higher.

Carter grabbed onto a particularly thick branch and hauled himself on. He looked up. There were only about ten feet left, but the branches couldn’t hold his weight by themselves, or even in sixes and sevens. Fortunately, there were a lot of them, but that just meant more leaves to scratch his ankles and distract him.

He grabbed a branch with each hand, and used them as anchors. He planted his feet against the tree, and started “walking” up it. When he was curled up into a ball, he grabbed onto the next tree limbs. Repeating the process over and over again, he finally got to the last haul. His arms were trembling from exertion. Needles scratched his ankles and wrists, tickling him.

Carter reached up for a branch, and took it.

He heard the sharp, ugly crack. He heard the brown twig break off of the trunk, and dropped it. He made a desperate leap higher, easily going over the top, smashing through branches.

His hand touched the top, and he grabbed on as much as he could. Arms trembling, he slowly, painfully pulled himself upwards.

He was at the top. He had made it.

But Carter wasn’t stupid. He was impulsive, which led him to begin to yell “I MADE I-”, but he quickly realized an important fact, which left him sober. He looked around desperately, wanting a way to solve his problem, but there was no solution in sight. How was he supposed to get down?

Carter sighed. He had no other idea than to go back down the way he’d come up.

He slipped down, snapping a couple branches in the process. Sitting down on a large branch, he gazed downwards. His confidence left him, and he gulped as he stared down at least twenty five feet of leaves, ten of trunk, and a wide plane of grass and dirt.

“Maybe this wasn’t a good thing to do,” he mumbled. Nimbly leaping to swing around a thick piece of tree like an acrobat, the boy eventually clung to the bottom, looking like an elementary school student on the monkey bars, unsure of where to go next.

His mistake was staying on the branch for too long. As he scouted out for the next handhold, Carter never noticed his quickly slipping hands, sweaty and trembling from the tension. The moment his eyes locked on the next stepping stone, he reached out to take hold of it.

Unfortunately, he opened both of his hands.

The next moment, he found his heart in his throat, with grass rapidly coming towards him. He wasn’t sure if it was his sister that had screamed or himself.

No matter who had done it, he saw a dark blue blur flying towards him, through the air. A bird, his mind managed to choke out the words. The second last thing I see will be some sparrow, before the ground.

Then something slammed into him, knocking the air out of his body. He found himself on the ground, his sister still looking upwards, mouth open in shock. The Guardian stood over him, looking worried.

As Lily turned her gaze on him, he rolled over, got on his knees, and used his lunch as fertilizer. After he finished retching, he glanced over to the Guardian, like his sister. Both stared, mouths open comically. Lily was the first to retain her speech. “How-” she managed, before looking downwards. Carter also whispered with her, “How in the world did you fly up about thirty feet, then move at the speed of light?”

Guardian looked away, turning red. “I swore to your parents to protect you for life. I wasn’t going to let them down, even if they’d gone Over.”

“What?” The siblings kept staring. “What do you mean, gone Over? What, did they fall over the railing of the Grand Canyon or something?”

He glanced back at them. “I used some of my Inheritance to save Carter. Inheritances are the powers I, like many others, received from the first Immortal three hundred millennium ago to save the race of Humankind from Oblivion.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to save the planet of Earth. In fact, I’ve been lying to you this whole time when I said we were still living on that beautiful sphere. Earth is gone, destroyed. I, along with a few other Inheritors, managed to portal most of the population to the next Biosphere available, the planet of Terra, which is where we are. To be exact, the Forlorn Forest in the Twenty-Seventh state of the country of Tyrannia. At least, that’s what us Latin speakers call it. We’ve been living as fugitives for the whole of your lives. Most of the other Inheritors got greedy and basically conquered Terra. They’re looking for us, and some other kids, split up between a guy the Greeks called Chronos, and Nephthys of Egypt. Well, they’re also trying to get a couple other guys, but you are the biggest targets, because of a prophecy about seven, which indicates you and five others, controlling all six of the Inheritance types and the Oddities, which don’t fit in any category. Eventually, one of the seven would control all powers, becoming a next-generation Immortal. And the Inheritors think they’ll be able to somehow control the Immortal to their own wicked ends.

“Honestly, Inheritances are just magic. And each magic falls into six categories: Elemental, Vitality, Combat, Protection, Traveling and Necromancy. Each magic is also defined by their color. Elementals are always blue, Vitality is green, Combat is red, Protection is white, Traveling is aqua, and Necromancy is black. Sometimes, there will be an oddball, who falls into the purple category, which is a simply miscellaneous. Oh, Vitality and Necromancy aren’t sets off different skills, they’re just how good you are at the skill.

“You haven’t met the Immortal, but you’re still Inheritors. Why? Children of Inheritors have their parents’ legacy. Always.

“Obviously, your eye colors indicate what you are. You-” Guardian pointed at Carter- “are an Elemental, and your sister is a Healer.”

The siblings were staring in shock at his long monologue, but quickly snapped out of it. This time, Carter was the first to reply.

“Uh, why are you still alive if you got superpowers at the beginning of humanity? Can you repeat that?”

Guardian rolled his eyes. “Maybe you two are too young for this. Every Inheritor is invincible for an indefinite number of years after they first use their powers; at least to natural deaths. Viruses, diseases, poisons, none of that harms them. Oh, and Inheritors age a thousand times more slowly than humans after the Realization of their powers.

“But they can die in battle, and only in battle. An assassin would never be able to kill an Inheritor unless the Inheritor swung so much as an uppercut at the mercenary. An attempted murder in cold blood doesn’t leave any marks, not even on clothes.

“For those thousand millennium, the Inheritor is in peak condition. All they need to regulate is their control over their power. That’s the only other thing that can kill them: their own powers. I saw a fellow Inheritor named Hlysnan smashed into pieces with his own uncontrollable telekinesis.”

He turned to Carter. “If that answers your questions, I can help you start training. I’ll be inside.” With that, Guardian turned and walked towards the small hut the three of them lived in.

Impulsively, Carter stared at his hands, then looked up and ran at his parent figure. “Well, I’ll take that offer now.”

Behind him, Lily yelled agreement.

Guardian smiled as he swirled around. “Then, Lily, find an injured animal and think of it being in pristine condition. Carter, follow- aw, heck.”

A huge white dome swirled into existence, fast enough to stop bullets from thudding into the three. As if they had popped out of nowhere, soldiers opened a rapid-fire hail of bullets on the dome, but they didn’t penetrate.

“Huh. Guess we won’t be able to do anything with Inheritances for now.”

Guardian was sweating, and he seemed to slump from the pressure he was under, maintaining the impenetrable shield while trying to hold casual conversation at the same time.

Carter glanced nervously at his sister, who was staring straight out at the squad. He was nervous and frightened at his first combat situation. For his whole life, Guardian had led a grueling warrior lifestyle for them; they slept on the cold, hard floor, without blankets; he hadn’t known what a chair was until the year before. They woke at six in the morning, and jogged two miles, but they’d always had to run it in less than ten minutes. Then they had an hour of hand-to-hand combat. At this point, they were both the highest degrees in several martial arts, and Carter was just starting on Judo. After, they would eat a small breakfast of sourdough bread and boiled eggs with milk for thirty minutes. Then, they studied the histories of Earth for another hour. After, they would go for weapons training. Both siblings knew how to assemble almost any gun they were given, how to string a longbow correctly, how to use objects lying on the ground as weapons, which end of a spear was which, and what techniques were needed to make a katana. After lunch, another light meal, they would do more physical training for an hour. This time, there was no combat involved. They would do exercises like push-ups, balancing, and diving in a small but deep pond nearby. Afterwards, they would do math, science, language arts, and world languages. Finally, a quick dinner would lead to a ten-minute free time period, which then branched off into a midnight tactical exercise. They always slept around midnight, but sometimes the exercises took another two hours to finish. Even with the training, which kept them light, quick on their feet, and powerful, Carter still wasn't sure if he could take on the soldiers in a real battle.

However, Lily was staring, and concentrating at the soldiers. He was surprised to see her irises flash a darker shade of green. Suddenly, a huge tree cracked, and fell towards the soldiers. However, they all dodged the massive bullet. Guardian smiled as he saw his young charge using her power.

No one was aware of Carter's eyes also going through a dark color. A faint smile tugged at his lips like a possessed animal. His fingers fluttered and the dark grey clouds already gathering above sent out a thunderbolt before showers of rain. The soldiers scattered.

Carter blinked. His eyes returned to their normal sky blue. What--what was that? It felt like I was just spectating, watching someone else taking control. I wonder, is that what Lily felt too?

Guardian roared at the two staring at their opponents, “Hey, you guys coming?” As the siblings turned, they spotted two large backpacks, and a third on Guardian’s back. Carter grabbed one and looked inside. Weapons, food, canteens of water, and some kind of device. As he looked up, Guardian relaxed. “Get ready to run.”

They all gathered on the opposite side of the soldiers, and, at a snap of Guardian’s fingers, they started running, past the shield that wasn’t there, getting away from the surprised squadron with each step.

The soldiers jumped to their feet, but they knew it wasn’t in their power to stop them from there. So, they got down and started shooting.

The first hit was landed on the boy’s arm. He stumbled, but kept running, as it barely grazed his arm.

The man was hit multiple times, in spots that should have been fatal, but he kept running as if nothing had happened.

However, the children weren’t as well off. The girl stumbled, and found a bullet in a knee she couldn’t use anymore. The boy had some in his pack, several in his hand, and a scar from another near-miss. The girl was the real target, though. An observant soldier had seen her eye color change, and had noted the thunderbolt and tree had struck mere moments afterward. No one had noticed the boy, so they all gunned for the girl, thinking of her as the real threat. They saw her stumble, and fall. The boy caught her, and slung her on his back.

The soldiers didn’t know how much of a success their mission was. They didn’t know how one had nearly clipped her spine, and how several others had led to the loss of consciousness. They hadn’t heard the cracking ribs or the sound of a bullet smacking a large tree branch into her shins; if they had, they would have stopped shooting.

The man seemed taller now, as he drew himself up to his full height. The run must have exhilarated him, because there was no more sweat on his forehead. He flicked his hand out, and a huge portal appeared. The man and the boy, still holding on to the girl, ran inside.

Another soldier appeared; however, this one had eyes that seemed to shine brighter than the sun, and a band of gold on his wrist, unlike the other plain gray uniforms. With a sarcastic smile, he held up a camera at the shrinking portal while telling the others to stop shooting. He turned to the soldiers, still grinning.

“We’ve rooted out the first Traitor. Our mission here is accomplished. You-” he pointed to a short, wiry commando “-send a report to the Trickster. He has a debt to settle with this one.”

Chapter Two

Present Day, Abandoned Village of Tauran, Twenty-Seventh State, Planet of Anagénnisi

The two burst out onto the roof of a quiet house in a quiet village. A quick glance from Carter revealed the truth: the village was silent because no one was there. The houses were half burned, the stores pillaged, and there seemed to be no evidence of life. Anywhere. Another look-over found bones on the ground. Some were animal bones, but other were human. And there was blood. It was dried blood, but it was still blood.

Carter fought the urge to retch. He was okay with cutting up something dead, in the reassurance that it wouldn’t feel anything, but seeing the results of the manslaughter was more than enough to urge him to donate his lunch. But the weight of his sister in his arms held him away from the edge. He gently lowered her to the ground - then ran over to the side of the roof and started spewing food at the ground.

Guardian looked sadly around at the ruined village. “The Colossus has been here once again,” he whispered. “All this bloodshed, all the crushed bodies, even if he hadn’t left a footstep, it would have been obvious.”

Carter hobbled back to Guardian, looking a little green. “A footstep?” Guardian simply pointed.

Carter turned and gasped. He had mistaken it for a crater at first, but now, he saw the print of a boot in the ground. Except big enough for King Kong to live in it. He felt scared for the answer, but asked anyways, “Who’s the Colossus?”

Guardian let out a little sigh. He sat down, clutching his knees. “The Colossus of Rhodes was originally a statue meant to celebrate the slaughter of Cyprus. However, it served as another function, too. It was a bronze robot named Talos, stolen from the Minoans and reprogrammed. It stayed there, ready to protect the city when needed. However, after finally seeing action, it lost its legs to a surprise attack while it was still on its pedestal. The Angel of Death restored it and used it for its own good, and teleported it here. Oh, and before you ask, the Angel of Death is the only living PDI. PDI, which is short for Primary Dark Inheritors or Principal Destruction Inquisitors, long story, are the first Dark Inheritors who started using their powers for their own good. The others were… destroyed when Obliteration came. Or Khahn was, anyways. Ierys was… my first kill.”

Carter turned. “Kill? As in blood-red-slit-throat kill?”

“Not the slit throat part. More like it was raining… blades from heaven. Immortal’s blades.” Guardian smiled at the boy’s confused expression. “Before you ask what they are, I can’t tell you now, or you’d spend your whole life trying to master their power, and get yourself killed. Anyways, we need to portal out again. Your sister’s life is in danger.”

Carter’s eyes widened. “What? What happened?”

“Getting shot is never a good thing. Unfortunately, I haven’t practiced my Healing after that time you fell off the roof. It’s lucky Inheritors have a superhuman constitution.”

The boy winced. Nine years ago, he’d ventured onto the roof after a failed attempt to climb the tree. Unfortunately, there was a patch of ice that had been water left out overnight. He’d slipped, banged his head on a tile, and fell twenty feet to the ground. Even isolated from society, both siblings had known he was healing too fast. “I thought that was you!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t actually do much. Inheritors also have faster-than-normal healing and a crazy constitution. Even so, Lily is probably halfway dead already, and will be if we don’t get to a healer.”

Carter grimaced. “Then, let’s go.”

The door to wherever opened in front of him, and, throwing the girl over his back once more, the young Inheritor walked through.

Seconds after the gate closed, a hand flicked its way onto the roof. The rest of the soldier followed. He looked around, confused, and shrugged.

“No one here, colonel.”

Present Day, Nagasaki, Japan, Earth

Carter coughed as he stepped out into a vast wasteland. He could see the ruins of buildings, cinder blocks on the ground. As he took a closer look, he could see how some were marked graves.

Grass and flowers grew here and there. Although wildlife was nowhere to be seen, besides the ruined structures, it seemed normal enough.

A man stood at the top of the remains of a staircase. Colorful panels forming a chestplate led to a skirt-like armor piece, and below the beetle-horn helmet was a shoulder pad, on the left shoulder only. A long straight sword was tucked into a bright yellow scabbard. His face was covered by a golden mask, which looked like one of a ghoul.

The boy jumped back, into Guardian, who grunted in pain as he took a step backwards to steady himself. “Careful. You want to heal your sister, don’t you?”

In a lightning fast motion, the samurai slid his sword out of his scabbard, and twirled it. It had a long green hilt, studded with gems, and a longer blade, bright yellow and orange. A dragon was carved into it, threatening and furious, dominating the double-edged razor sharp weapon.

Guardian just smiled cheekily. “I thought you would’ve given us a better reception, Yoshitsune.”

The samurai removed his helmet and mask, revealing a handsome Japanese man. He stood tall, seeming to reach the sky. His eyes were red, as if he had cried recently. Guardian’s smile faded. “Little Emperor? What’s wrong?”

The warrior bit his lip. “The reason Kusanagi is in my hand, and not Yoshitsune’s, is because he was captured last night by the Liar.”

Guardian’s eyes widened. “No,” he whispered. “It can’t be. Antoku, I’m so sorry.”

Antoku turned around. “I know where he is,” he whispered. “I just can’t get there. Can you attack the Tornado? He’ll be held there.”

Guardian bit his lip and nodded. “I’m leaving Carter and Lily with you, though.” He gestured vaguely at the two. “She needs medical attention. Oh, and can you train them a little bit? Carter is the Elemental and Lily is, ironically enough, the Healer.”

With that, one of the only two people Carter fully trusted disappeared into a white door. As he did, the sword slashed into the ground besides Lily.

Carter jumped. He whirled around, instinctively going into a fighting stance. “What are you doing to my sister?”

“Calm down,” Antoku growled. “I don’t want to hurt your sister. Kusanagi was the tip of a dragon’s tail. That dragon just happened to be my… father. In the right hands it can do more than just wound, it can heal the worst of injuries.”

“Father?” Carter started. “I thought you were human?”

“No Inheritor is truly human. And when I say father, I mean I am a reincarnation of the dragon. In a way. I, of all people, Inherited the dragon’s powers sometime after was killed by the god Susanoo. By ‘sometime’ I mean a couple centuries. Anyways. You wanted your sister healed?”

Carter started to nod, but Antoku pointed. “You better hurry. Go into the biggest ruin you can see from here, grab the small device, and run back as fast as you can.”

Carter glanced down at his sibling. He noticed the ominous stains on her shirt, the small trickles starting to flow from her arms. He nodded, and started running as fast as he could.

Present Day, Tornado Squadron Headquarters, Thirteenth State, Planet of Anagénnisi

Guardian burst out onto a concrete maze. He glanced around, and sighed. Other buildings in this planet were pretty eco-friendly, but not the PDI buildings. He glanced up, feeling so many nostalgic memories coming from the sight alone. The building was a replica of the Trickster’s base on Earth. Then, he had also left his young charges to save another prisoner. That time, he had-

“Walked right into a trap,” Guardian breathed. As he spun around, the bullet grazed his shoulder, sending backwards a step.

Tornado guards took aim. Guardian just waited. If he didn’t do anything, he would be fine-

A man entered the room. He had dark black hair, malicious red eyes, and skin that seemed too white to be normal. He was of average height, and a powerful build. A red Viking outfit was draped across a frame that seemed too big to fit in it, yet it did. He held a mistletoe sprig in his right hand. In his left was a tall metal staff, gleaming with purple light.

A bolt zapped out, and Guardian barely missed it. He turned around to see another familiar face. The Inheritor Sekhmet. A lion-headed Egyptian. She lunged at Guardian, who dodged. A bullet meant for Guardian hit her in the forehead and immediately, a flood of red slashed its way outward. She collapsed to the ground.

Guardian gazed at his long-time enemy. The staff twirled, and spat out more beams, which were all barely dodged. The staff could nullify the protection of Inheritors. Only one person would want, and need, to do that…

“Loki,” Guardian breathed. “Was it not enough to murder Balder?”

The Norse god of tricks laughed back, “Only absolute power will be enough,” and he launched his attacks.

Present Day, Nagasaki, Japan, Earth

As the boy ran back with the device, he could see his sister’s wounds healing. Blood was beginning to falter its flow, and the stains weren’t increasing. He tossed the device to Antoku, who caught it and deftly placed it on the sword. The device beeped, then powered down. The sword, Kusanagi, started to glow gently. The light dimmed as Lily’s wounds healed. By the time her wounds had all disappeared, there was no more light.

Carter gasped. “What the-”

“Kusanagi is a powerful artifact. It’s one of the Swords of Power, and can take energy and redistribute it.”

The boy gave Antoku a confused glance. “Guardian mentioned that, but he never told me anything more, except that if I figured out what they were, I’d spend the rest of my life searching for them.”

A grim laugh was his answer. “Do you know why? This disaster is the result of Seth’s quest for Kusanagi. He took Gramr, the sword of Wrath, and made the first atomic bomb. He threatened to throw it over the city if I refused, and a second on Hiroshima. Of course, I didn’t think he’d actually do it, so I told him to make sure he didn’t run back to Egypt with his tail between his legs.

“Nagasaki here is the second site of this atomic disaster. Both ended World War II, and made the Japanese government give up. Seth had no excuse to fire off some more explosives… but there was no way he could, anyways. I still have Gramr, and his other sword, Dáinsleif, today. Before you ask, Dáinsleif is a sword that belonged to King Högni, and whenever drawn, would always take a life and leave wounds that couldn’t be healed. Unfortunately, the sword’s curse didn’t work against other Inheritors, which was how I got the blade.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed. “You’re avoiding the question. What are the swords of power?”

“If I told you, let’s just say it wouldn’t be a good idea. You’re the Elemental Inheritor. You have almost unrivaled power; the only one who might be a match for you is the Outcast Inheritor. Outcast powers are those that don’t fall into any category, by the way. They have some of the most powerful Inheritances… but Elementals can obliterate almost anything if correctly harnessed. There’s a legend of an Inheritor who lived on the island of Aztlan. It’s rumored he used his fire to rip the fabric of reality itself, forcing the Aztecs to flee. Of course, it’s never been confirmed, but no one’s had the guts or power to travel to Aztlan.”

Carter’s eyes widened. “Why not?”

“Aztlan is long gone. When Seth and Horus fought over who was to rule Egypt, Chronos was locked in combat with his children, and the Olmec demigods were in a destructive fight with the predecessors of the Maya. These events all caused the foundations of the island itself to shake. What made the Aztecs flee was the power of the Inheritor, which destroyed the foundation. To find it, you’d have to go back a couple hundred years in time. Anyways, you’re pretty powerful. The Swords of Power would enhance that, but they’d also leave you bloodthirsty right now. Maybe in a couple months, you could, but not now. Some have, and they’ve gone insane. Insane enough to destroy a world: Earth.”

“What?” Carter’s surprised cry was enough to wake his sister. Her eyes fluttered, and she coughed. Carter was instantly by her side, afraid of what might happen. Something was wrong.

Then he realized what was wrong. He yelped and fell on his butt. He scrambled to his feet as his sister leaned on an elbow, then weakly turned her head. Antoku drew Kusanagi once again to face a new enemy.

Standing behind them was a tall samurai, with an elaborately carved metal mask. He was somehow taller than Antoku, and was heavily muscled. He carried a traditional katana in one hand. In the other was a kumade, or grappling claw.

“Hello again, Little Emperor. You should know this time, I will not pause until I have what I want.”

“Kagetoki,” Antoku spat. “You look great for someone one and a half millenium dead. I wonder, how much rotten flesh and bone is under that mask? Or maybe your necromancer simply spent thirty years trying to raise you like you were when you were alive, though I do NOT think anyone would take a generation to raise someone as ugly and useless as you!”

Kagetoki´s face darkened. “Once, I was loyal to the throne, serving under your grandfather Go-Shirakawa and your master´s half-brother Yoritomo. Now, I think there needs to be a change in who sits on the royal chair. Really, there is only one thing I am here for, and it is your head!”

Present Day, Tornado Squadron Headquarters, Thirteenth State, Planet of Anagénnisi

It was a quick fight.

Guardian simply let the bullets from the soldiers hit him to no avail as he stomped his foot. A barrier of earth came up and blocked any bullets coming at him, while also suffocating those firing. Guardian knew Loki would still be alive, and attacking. He calculated he had several seconds to find his friend.

He punched a hand into the ground. It started to crack as he attacked it relentlessly. He then jumped into the small hole he’d made from his barrage.

Loki smashed through the final layer of rock to find only a gaping hole waiting for him. Without thinking, he jumped in, hungry for blood, and met a fist to the jaw. The Inheritor was thrown backwards, and hit the wall. He slumped to the ground and dropped the staff. Guardian destroyed it with a tendril of earth suddenly piercing upwards, crushing the weapon against the cavern roof.

“Fool,” Loki whispered. “You just released another Annihilator.”

Guardian’s eyes widened. He took a step backwards and vanished. Loki smiled, blood running down his mouth. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Take me where I need to be, Annihilator. I trust you won’t let me down.” A dark, humanoid silhouette behind him reared back a fist, and struck. When it drew back, Loki was gone.

Several feet above, Guardian desperately raced through the hallways, trying to figure out how the Norse god had done what he claimed to have. Annihilator… how? Loki couldn’t have just harnessed the elements… he isn’t THAT powerful…

Whatever the case, the Inheritor dashed around another corner, and found his old friend. The samurai looked old indeed. He was dressed simply in a white tee and jeans, but he somehow seemed even skinnier than before. All the energy was out of him, and he slumped on a bench. When he looked up, Guardian found an empty husk with no spirit left. But when the warrior caught sight of his friend and ally, his smile lit up the cramped cell. “It has been such a long time… ”

“Never mind that,” Guardian sighed. “Loki tricked me into releasing an Annihilator. It looks like, uh… Kagetoki.”

Yoshitsune’s smile vanished like a summer breeze. “Then Antoku is in danger. Hurry, we have to go.”

As he formed the portal, Guardian told Yoshitsune about all that had happened. One of Japan’s finest commanders shook his head at the end. “Then we have more reason to rush to Nagasaki.”

With that, the last of the Minamoto family slid into a door through reality to face a mortal enemy who had been in an appointment with Death for the better part of two millenium.

And as he did, Guardian turned and glanced at the wall. Worry was written all over his face. That symbol… Where have I seen it before? He thought about it for a moment, then it struck him like a thunderclap. He staggered from the weight of it. No… I have to go now! If I don't… we take our first casualty!

Present day, Nagasaki, Japan, Earth

Antoku swirled Kusanagi around his wrist, causing Kagetoki to hesitate for a second and drop the kumade. The Emperor laughed bitterly. “I see you’re still as much of a coward in single combat. Maybe that’s why you only had great victories with soldiers around, and got honor in kills only when the enemy was already armed.”

Kagetoki snarled in response, and pulled out a traditional Japanese longbow. The seven foot long bowstring thrummed, and a barricade of metal flew at Antoku. Carter shouted a warning, but Antoku simply let the spikes hit him. He casually pulled one out of his arm, and the rest vanished. The arrow hit the ground, tip first, and there was no difference between Antoku’s grin, and a wolf’s, and between his state before the blow and after. “What is that word? It fits your situation perfectly. Ah, yes. Idiot. True warriors never strike first, however angered they are. I think it is not that you have forgotten your training over fifteen hundred years; it is simply that you had no fighting skill in the first place. All your power was in Yoritomo and mere words that didn’t last a minute.”

Kagetoki smiled evilly. “Have you heard of Tarn’s measuring system? The number your attack is, you can deal that many stages of damage to your opponent in a single blow, assuming they have no defense. The number your defense is, is how many stages of defense you have against your opponent’s offense. Unfortunately for you, my attack is strong enough to destroy you and all of your little friends in one of my strongest hits. You see… ” Kagetoki’s soulless brown eyes suddenly glowed a sinister red. “There is only one person who can destroy or command Annihilators, and happens to be the Elemental. And I don’t see him anywhere-”

A throwing knife lodged itself in the Annihilator’s chest. Stunned, Kagetoki looked down, then gasped. He fell to the ground, grasping at his gut.

“Whaddya mean, you don’t see him anywhere,” Carter muttered. He flicked another knife up into the air, and feinted a throw. His enemy flinched back. “He’s right here, unless you’re blind. Looks like I should start my Inheritor stuff right now, but I wouldn’t want to waste it on trash like you.”

Antoku shot Carter a horrified glance. “We need to send him Over now! You attacked him, he can attack you back!”

Kagetoki stood up with the air of one enlightened. Although obviously in pain, it didn’t seem to hurt him too much. “Ah, yes. The Inheritor’s protection. Unfortunately, I have the power to break it-”

Antoku laughed harshly. “But you have no chance to.” The imperial Japanese blade whistled through the sky, and left a deep gouge in Kagetoki’s arm. But the giant didn’t even wince. A single blow sent the man flying backwards. “I don’t need to.

“You broke it for me already.”

Kagetoki lunged, a tachi flipping out from under his arm. Carter jumped to the side, but not before hurling another knife. Judging by the pained gasp, he had hit his mark.

But the man was still moving like the Terminator. With a sweep of his hand, he picked up the feeble Lily, still recovering, and pressed the knife to her throat. “Stop, or the girl dies!” he yelled.

“Idiot!” Carter snarled back. He didn’t know much, but one fact kept with him the whole time. “She hasn’t attacked you yet! Lily, don’t do anything, you’re going to be fine.”

Lily nodded weakly in acknowledgement. Kagetoki’s eyes widened. “Crud!” He dropped the girl, then lunged for Carter desperately. The boy sidestepped, then punched the man backwards.

However, Kagetoki was unharmed.

Another tachi sailed by, slashing towards the charging Antoku. The Inheritor barely dodged the blade, watching it fly past and slash into a wall. He turned and ducked another one, then flicked a hand. Fire blazed towards the giant, who blocked it with his forearm. Seemingly unharmed, the warrior whiplashed out with a glowing hand. Antoku, now outlined in purple, was slammed into a wall.

“You, see, sovereign, the thing about Annihilators is that they aren’t Inheritors in their normal life. But they still get their powers, when they become the destructive force we are bunched up with. And most of them are the outcast powers.”

Carter glared at the warrior. He could see the blood flowing from the knife wounds that were almost fatal, the punch that left a black eye. He slowly reached in the pack once more.

Antoku, now bleeding from his forehead, jumped to his feet. Carter could could see one eye blinded, and several stab marks. But the stare of hatred was still there, the angry muttering. He ran with an arm flickering green, and as Carter watched, the flow of blood stopped; the wounds closed. Kagetoki, on the other hand, collapsed with a howl. He clutched at his left leg, which he seemed unable to move. But there were still tricks up his sleeve.

The warrior slammed his palm into the ground. It started to crack, and the cracks were getting larger by the second. “At least I won’t be the only one going down to hell,” Kagetoki laughed. “I don’t care if I die; your prophecy will have let go of its last hopes.”

“Nope,” Carter snickered, and pulled the trigger on a high-tech looking shotgun. It was labeled ‘CAUTION! May seriously wound user when overheating.’

Kagetoki was hit by a burst of bullets, which threw him backwards several yards. Blood was the new water, and flowed down like a waterfall. But Antoku wasn’t the only one with healing powers.

The Annihilator rose, just in time to catch an uppercut to the jaw. But now he didn’t seem to care the smallest bit. He grabbed Antoku by the throat with a single hand, and with the other, drew out yet another sword. He raised it, prepared to swing, and…

A firm hand grabbed his. Stunned, Kagetoki turned right into a punch to the face.

The other samurai raised a naginata and swung. It landed neatly between Kagetoki’s head and body, severing the neck. As the stunned Carter watched, the remainder of what had once been a powerful opponent turned to dust.

“Welcome to the world of Inheritors,” Yoshitsune muttered grimly.

Guardian appeared behind the warrior, concern written all over his face. “Are you okay?” he asked, dropping down onto his knees.

“Yeah,” Carter swirled around at the croak behind him. Lily had gotten to her feet, unsteadily. “I feel okay.”

“How’d you kill him, though?” Carter asked warily as he walked towards Lily. “I thought only I could do that!”

Guardian pursed his lips. “He didn’t. Yoshitsune just postponed his eventual advance. He won’t be here for another, what, two years? Three? Something like that. But he has our coordinates. So we need to go now.”

“You know, the scariest thing is that I’ve gotten accustomed to this stuff,” Carter muttered. “Oh well, an hour filled with nightmares does a lot to a person. Well, see ya, then.”

“That’s not all,” Guardian cut in. “There’s something about the Wielder of the Two Swords coming back to life three months later. We need to prepare for him.”

“What?” Yoshitsune’s reaction was immediate. “Then go! Go and see what they’re up to! The girl is completely healed by now, and you’re all fine! The Inheritor’s Protection is back on you!”

Guardian turned. “Carter, let’s go.”

Carter wasn’t so easily persuaded this time. “So, there won’t be any fire breathing dragon or demon this time, right? I don’t think it’s going to be safe… ”

“Welcome to the life of us Inheritors,” Guardian muttered. He grabbed both children, and jumped into a purple opening.

Yoshitsune and Antoku stayed for a while, watching it close up. Yoshitsune sighed. “Let’s go to Hiraizumi, then.”

Chapter 3

Unknown Location, Planet of Anagénnisi

He threw a ball of fire at his slender mentor, who dodged back. She smiled, and put a hand up to signal a stop. “You’ve mastered the Flames of Inferno, then.”

Carter gasped. He sat up, panting, from a deep sleep. What was that? He thought to himself as he stared around the makeshift campsite. I…who…I’m supposed to be the elemental! Why…how…why is that kid able to manipulate fire and lightning? That can’t be possible! And anyways, where are we?

He vaguely remembered Guardian yanking him and Lily into a forest of green, and as he looked around, he could see bamboo and several oaks. He was lying down in a sleeping bag, which in turn was in a small white, transparent hut. Sunlight filtered in through the walls, which seemed to blur the view of outside. On the other side of the hut was Lily, still sleeping. She looked as if she had been too tired to change before crashing.

“Don’t bother her. She needs the sleep. She’s still recuperating, you know.” Guardian had poked his head in the ‘door.’ It seemed to Carter he had been standing guard.

Groaning, he shook off the sleeping bags and the last effects of sleep. “Where are we?”

Guardian facepalmed. “I’m pretty sure I told you we were in a jungle. Besides, shouldn’t you know that just by looking around?”

Carter sighed. “I got it.” he turned and walked out the door, sliding past Guardian, who trailed behind him. “I contacted the other groups, by the way. They seem to be all right, but...”

“There’s another Elemental, isn’t there? That’s right, isn’t it?” Carter grabbed his pack and took a hat out, pressing it over his bird’s nest of hair.

Guardian gaped. “How do you know?”

Carter slumped down, sitting down on the grassy ground. “Just a dream. Some guy going nuts with fire and lightning. So, the real question is, what am I? Am I a fluke? Just an ordinary kid who happens to be the brother of the ultimate health insurance? What am I? WHAT AM I?”

“No...” Guardian trailed off. “There’s another alternative…” He took a seat besides his young charge. “Your situation matches only one person I know, and that’s the fir…erm, someone I know.”

Carter wasn’t fooled by the hesitation. “Who was it, huh? Who?” He stood up and clenched his fists. “This is ridiculous. All I’ve been through in one day of being some kind of ancient legend is a chase and a fight I was utterly useless in! The moment I thought I was actually something because I threw a thunderbolt, I’m nothing just as quickly. If we’re going to be heroes in some Marvel movie, why not do it all together?”

He looked towards his mentor, and found Guardian standing up, peering into the trees. “That’s actually the reason we’re here. Good thing someone has common sense, eh?” He grinned down at the boy.

“And the other just recovered from a coma in twenty minutes,” Carter muttered. But he couldn’t help peering in at the trees. He’d trained himself to be able to sense people and sometimes objects by sensing motion and sound. Over time, it had become ingrained into his very personality, so he could do it without a second thought. And that very instinct was telling him there was no one there, besides the three of them.

Someone crept up quietly behind him, and he whirled around into a battle stance. Lily jumped in mock terror. “Hey, hey, hey! It’s just me!” Carter, seeing his sister’s blonde tousled hair and sleepy state, snickered a little as he made his remark. “Either that’s my sister after sleeping a little or a hag that just woke up from a coma.”

Guardian punched the boy lightly on the shoulder. “You’re such a gentleman,” he muttered. “Always treating people fairly like the example right here.” Spotting the girl fully awake and realizing she had no idea what he had been discussing, he raised his voice so both could hear his words. “As I was saying to Carter, we’re meeting up with the others soon. That’s why we’re here.” He raised a finger, forestalling the question that threatened to tumble out of the boy’s mouth. “We aren’t actually going to meet them now, but we’re going to later. Now, we need to make sure they’re safe and no one else comes after them.” He gazed thoughtfully out at the bamboo stalks in the distance. “Maybe you two can make some friends besides each other. It should be a good experience. Everyone should be able to socialize. And there’s no better way than to meet people. Heck, I didn’t have much to talk about, or anyone to.”

Carter glanced at him. Guardian was staring out in the distance, a wistful look on his face. He wisely decided not to interrupt. Instead, he turned to his sister, who was opening her mouth to speak. “Leave him alone,” he whispered quietly. He saw her groggy face frown for a second, then realization struck. She moved back quietly.

Guardian shook his head and broke his train of thought. “Anyways, we’re going to meet them sometime later. Dang, I’ve said that too many times. Anyways, this is near the location of Nephthys’ camp. We can’t go there now, because it’s protected by a type of shielding device, and I’m basically out of juice. Plus, neither of you have mastered your powers yet.” Carter noticed, bitterly, that he made a pretense that Carter was the Elemental. “So, we’ll walk. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of exercise, is there? Anyways, it shouldn’t be far, and you two can meet someone else for a change.” With that, Guardian turned and walked away. Caught off guard, the twins hurried after him.

In twenty minutes of foliage and aching feet, neither children managed to catch up with Guardian. He was always a few meters ahead, marching forward briskly.

And then he stopped.

Carter, caught unaware, bumped into Guardian, and stumbled backwards into his sister. “Huh? What is it?” Guardian was simply staring forward, mouth open, gaping. The boy poked his mentor. “Guardian!” his voice was a little sharp this time. “What is it?”

The Inheritor shook his head, then replied in a low voice. “Look at this disaster.”

Carter had been unable to see because of Guardian’s bulk, however small, and sidled out to the side. His eyes went wide.

For the second time, he found the ruins of buildings. Trashed. Destroyed. Obliterated. But this time, it seemed recent. There were still bodies strewn on the ground. Most were dressed like soldiers, but there was one girl, slumped on the ground in jeans and a t-shirt. Flames were kindled everywhere. Blood filled the place.

Guardian muttered something under his breath, something no mother would approve of, if it hadn’t been in Akkadian. “They’ve been attacked. An hour or two ago, I’m guessing. Those are flamethrowers. And who’s this?” He grabbed the arm of a corpse and flipped it over. A blue-eyed man, eyes staring into empty space and shining with a dim light. His grey uniform had a gold cuff on the sleeve. “The Outlaw. Minor deity no one knew about. We think he’s from the Wild West and whatnot, but we’re not sure. Glad to be rid of that scum.”

Carter peered closely. As he did, he noticed some of the boulders were a shade of black, as if struck by thunder. “Look. Our friend the thunderbolt at work,” he called. Guardian came over, and gave a grim nod. He didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Lily, on the other hand, was walking past the dead piled up and down on the ground. She reached the girl. Reeking of curiosity, she grabbed the other’s wrist, presumably to check if she was alive.

Faster than she could imagine, the girl’s eyes snapped open, a furious yellow shade complementing her blonde hair. She ripped her hand out of the startled Lily’s hands, and threw a quick jab, which smashed into her collarbone. The Healer cried in pain, and sank to her feet. The formerly unconscious girl moved like a whirlwind to move behind Lily, and locked an arm around her throat. “Don’t move,” she called to Guardian and Carter, who were still blinking in surprise. “Or else I’ll break her…”

She didn’t get to finish the sentence before a yellow blur pounced on her. Guardian, using the last vestiges of his power to blaze towards the girl, seemed to rip her arm away from Lily, while grabbing her by the collar and twisting. He held her up, choking and struggling, with ease. The yellow glow around him faded, and he threw her to the ground. “What do you want?” he spat. “Don’t touch them. Or else. I’ve been an Inheritor longer than you can remember, longer than a thousand times your age. I can destroy you with a single thought. Don’t move.”

The girl coughed, then glared. “You won’t get any information out of me, you Dark Inheritor!”

Guardian’s eyes went wide. “Wait a second.” He stepped backwards, dropping his hands. “You’re Sophia?”

The girl eyed him. “Of course I am. But if you’re here to kill me, you know that already.” Now that she was standing still, and had no cover, Carter could take a clear look at her. She was honey blonde, framing her startling yellow eyes, and tall, though he and Guardian still towered over her. Seeing how she maintained a loose, relaxed version of a fighting stance, he could tell she was trained to be a warrior. Inwardly, he sighed. The first person he met that wasn’t Lily or Guardian was a pretty blonde girl who could probably beat up a Karate master. Then he reconsidered. Of course, he probably could, too. He was the taller one, with the bigger bulk. Sure, she was fast, but he probably had a few tricks up his sleeve. After all, Lily was the Healer, so he couldn’t be THAT useless.

Could he?

He snapped back to reality when he realized Guardian had been talking. “…Look, all we want is to find Nephthys and your brothers. We just want to help.” The Inheritor had spread his arms wide, palms up. “I dunno if we can find them, but we have to try.”

Sophia spat at him and charged, beginning to glow yellow.

Instantly, Carter jumped at her. He had felt useless the whole time, as his sister had been shot, as Kagetoki beat up Antoku. And he unleashed it.

His foot slashed into her knee, and she collapsed. But before she could hit the ground, the boy whipped underneath her, and carried her on his back. For an instant. Then he grabbed her hands and slammed her down on the ground. The yellow aura around Sophia disappeared. She tried to get up, but was forced back down by Carter’s forearm clamping down on her neck. “Don’t make me do this,” Carter snarled, baring his teeth slightly.

“Carter!” Guardian’s voice was sharp. “She’s an ally. Let her go.”

“Yeah?” The boy didn’t move. “Seems to me she was trying to beat the crap out of us.”

“Carter!”

The boy stared into Sophia’s eyes for a long second. Her eyes, he noticed, weren’t so cocky anymore. They looked scared that someone had found a way to counter her greatest weapon. They were calculating, but fear still overcame it.

Carter sighed, then stood up. He turned, shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts, and started walking away. “Meet you here in an hour.” The shocked Guardian had no time to reply, and the trio could only watch as the boy headed into the forest.

“Let him go,” Guardian muttered. “We can talk with him later.”

Thirty minutes found the boy sitting on the bank of a lake, throwing stones. Nothing was going how he had first thought.

He had been stressed out ever since he had fallen from the tree. Now that he had looked back at it, it had been stupid of him to climb up without a way to get down. If Lily had been in his place, she would have thought up of one in seconds. Added was the bonus that she had healing powers.

Well, she has actual powers. What am I? The pack mule? The servant? The kicking dummy? If anyone turns out to be a bully, I’m doomed. Sure, I won’t go down without a fight, but I’m the easy target. Heck, I bet everyone else already has their powers already. Lily’s going to be the last one to realize her potentials and I’m gonna be left here in the dust. This is soooooo fuuuuuun.

He gritted his teeth, barely holding back tears that threatened to spill out. Maybe we can go to a nearby village or something and I can just stay there. I’m useless! The pebble among gold! Aaargh.

He threw another rock as hard as he could, failing to notice the yellow glow emanating from his hand. The small stone blazed towards the river, skipping once, twice, thrice from impact, then bouncing upwards once more before sinking. It glowed brightly gold for a second, then sank. He gasped, then bounced back. That’s the second time? First with that thunderbolt and now with the glowing stone… what the heck is going on?

And of course, as he was pondering that fact, he heard Guardian yelling his name, along with the slightly fainter voices of Lily, and, to his surprise, Sophia. He colored slightly, thinking about the blonde girl searching for him alongside his oldest companions. Sighing, he turned and walked back the way he came. He wasn’t sure if it had been an hour, but it may have been.

He turned and sprinted, enjoying the feeling of the wind slashing against his bare skin as he ran.

Guardian peered nervously out at the forest. “Why isn’t he here? He said he’d be back in an hour. And it’s been at least ten minutes over already. Maybe some forces came to finish the job for sure…” He started a little. “I saw something in there. Anyone else? It looked a little gray and black… What’s a dark color?”

Lily put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Carter can handle himself… Inheritor or not,” she added. Guardian’s explanation had included the short conversation he’d had with the boy in the forest. “He’s tough. You saw how fast he was a little bit ago,” she continued, diplomatically choosing to forget he had done it to beat up Sophia. “And he climbed the tree. He’s loud, disruptive, and annoying, but he’s smart and strong. That’s a good match.”

Guardian’s shoulders slumped. “I guess. But… what was that?”

A quiet voice sounded from behind them: “That would be me.”

All three of them spun around. A cheerful “Think fast!” accompanied a fist sailing towards Guardian’s face. He ducked, then grabbed at the wrist.

Only it wasn’t there.

“So where do we go next?” Carter stood with his arms crossed, grinning infuriatingly. “I saw a cave that had adventure scrawled all over it. The front had the words ‘Daedalus’ chiseled in front of it. Looks fun.”

Guardian’s eyes went wide. “Daedalus…do you even know who Daedalus is?”

“Sure! Greek inventor dude who made wings and his son died using them.” Carter raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Behind him, Sophia tilted his head. “Is? Shouldn’t Daedalus be dead by now?”

Guardian waved his hand distractedly. “No, no, no. Daedalus is also a nickname for the First Immortal, because he technically invented our powers. And before you ask, there were several powers in the beginning, mostly Elementals, but some others were flight and invisibility. The others were all created by the Immortal.”

“Oh, by the way, who’s the oldest?” Guardian raised his eyebrow in surprise at the sudden question. “Why do you want to know?”

Carter grinned. “So we can have a leader if you’re gone.”

Guardian sighed. “You’re the second oldest out of all of them. The oldest is a guy named Rufus, coincidentally Sophia’s brother. So follow his commands, if anything.”

Sophia’s face twisted in disgust. “I am NOT taking orders from my own brother.” Guardian raised an eyebrow and she blushed, but maintained her glare. “And that’s it.”

“What if it saves your life? What if you make the wrong guess and he makes the right one? Look, I’ve heard from Nephthys he’s a Combatmaster. And Combatmasters are usually the leaders. Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Charlemagne, and King Arthur to name a few. Combatmasters know how to fight; their power is in fighting, after all. So they understand battle, and are master tacticians. Still unsure after that list? Two more, then. Miyamoto Musashi and Agamemnon. All famed warriors. All Combatmasters. All great tacticians.

“But we’re not here to talk about who’s the leader. We need to find the others. But since you guys must be tired, let’s just find the nearest village and stay there a while, incognito. We have to think up a new plan. If we were attacked, then Nephthys, Chronos is bound to be next. I’ll contact him, then try to find the nearest human settlement. You guys… just stay safe. Sophia, maybe you can teach Lily how to harness her power. I know you’re not an expert yourself, and you’re a Traveler, not a Healer, but the powers are much more similar than they seem.” Guardian turned, watching the last tongues of flame die out, and started walking towards the ruins of the house.

The children exchanged looks, then Sophia spoke up. “So… I guess we’ll get started?”

Carter shrugged. “I’ll be snooping around that cave to see what I can find. Maybe climb up a tree or something to find the next village?” He added the last part casually, but winked at Lily, then darted away into the dense undergrowth before she could reply. “I won’t get lost. Don’t worry about me,” the voice came.

He stared up into the large cave, shading his eyes from the sun with a hand. “Dang…” he muttered.

He estimated the entrance alone was at least twenty feet tall, and ten feet wide. Large wood and brass spiked double doors covered the entrance, and the aforementioned sign, with “Daedalus” written on it, was plated with gold. It’s not a cave, he thought. It’s more of a fortress, built into a mountain.

Ever since he could remember, Guardian had taught him and Lily how to fight, how to exercise, how to write, how to speak, how to read, and how to analyze objects tactically. He used that last skill now, casting an eye on the doors. “This is a pretty good spot,” he thought aloud. “The trees make it hard for any large body of warriors to get here, and it’s virtually invisible by air. The doors seem relatively flimsy, but if there are stronger barriers behind, it’s basically indestructible and impossible to get in, unless you’re incorporeal. And if you’re incorporeal, that means you could get almost anywhere you wanted. Since it has the name ‘Daedalus’ on it, though, I’d say there’s some kind of defense against even incorporeals. This place should be the best bunker in the world.”

But the question is, why?

Carter shook his head, then jogged towards a towering spruce, though not as tall as the one he’d finally climbed at his former home. He easily swarmed up it, and reached the top branches in no time. “Woah…”

He felt as if he could see from coast to coast. The forest loomed below him, and far away in the distance was a small puff of smoke. When he peered closely, he could see houses and the indistinct figures of people, walking around. “There we have it. Our answer,” he murmured to himself. He looked down, and wrapped his hands around the thick trunk, sliding down as if the tree was a fireman’s pole. “Thanks,” he whispered to whatever spirits were around. He wasn’t sure there were any, but if his sister had magic healing powers and Guardian was some ancient god, it was a probable guess there would be some kind of entity watching over him. He jogged away quickly, making sure not to disturb much.

Behind him, ancient spirits smiled and swirled away, thankful for the lack of harm done to them and the respect shown.

As he walked along, he mentally gauged the distances. If one tree is around ten feet wide, and there were about fifty or so trees in between us and the village… That’s a lot of walking to do. Can Guardian, like, fly us there or Sophia drag us or something?

He didn’t notice when he stopped in front of the cave once more until he almost ran into the door. Daedalus…Daedalus is an inventor, a creator. What does that have to do with this place?

Let’s see…he worked for Minos, made the Minotaur’s maze, and lots of other stuff. But one day, Minos goes mad and…

Locks him up in his workshop.

Realization struck.

This isn’t just for defense, he realized. It’s just as good for keeping one in as keeping others out.

This is Daedalus’ Workshop.

Whatever’s made here, I don’t know. But something is.

And I think we need to know what it is before continuing on.