Chapter 13

After class ended, we waited for all the other students to leave before approaching Baby.

"So, what’s going on here? Why are you suddenly our substitute teacher?" I asked. "I saw the note saying you wanted to stay close in case something happened, but I need more context than that."

"Well," she began, "as you know, Micah's guardian is no longer around. Because of that, the headquarters wants me to supervise you all. They weren’t too happy about sealing a demon within a Waymaker. That being said, we’ll figure out a way to work around it." She crossed her arms. "I’ll be your substitute teacher from now on, so I can keep a closer eye on you three. I’m also going to start training you myself."

"I thought training two Waymakers was already difficult enough," Beck added with a sigh.

"It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure," Baby replied. "This will be the first Waymaker team I know of, working together like this. Maybe it’ll change how we do things—might even save more lives."

I saw Micah flinch slightly at that. "What do you mean by ‘lives lost’?" she asked nervously.

"You don’t need to worry about that," Baby said firmly. "That conversation’s for another day. For now, I want all three of you to go to these coordinates after school." She handed us a slip of paper. "There’s an address written here. Be there."

"Where is this located? Beck asked, eyeing the slip. Can you give us an idea"?

"Nope, I'm letting that be a surprise and test, so to speak. I can give you more information once all of you get there." 

After school, we went to the address. The route was far from straightforward. Getting to the outskirts of town was tricky, and it led us through wooded areas. 

Eventually, we came upon a single building built into the side of a mountain—there were no other buildings around. This place even looked abandoned. It was a shrine that we all chose to explore.

Upon entering the dilapidated shrine, one could see that its architecture resembled an old Catholic church. The windows were a strange blend of Japanese design and stained glass. At the front of the room was an altar with a marble statue of a man resembling Christ.

This one was different from what I’d seen in movies or books. He was tall and had short, wavy hair and a lean, muscular build. His hands stretched forward as if offering a hug. He wore a holy tunic and stood barefoot. At the base of the statue, words were engraved:
"Love thy God with all thy heart, thy mind, and thy soul."

I recognized the verse. It spoke of maintaining a connection with the Creator, of having a personal relationship with Him. I believe it was also one of the Ten Commandments. But I still didn’t understand why we were here, in this strange church-like shrine, or what we were supposed to accomplish. 

When Baby was nowhere to be found, we started getting curious, walking around to see if there were any other entrances. 

After all, these were the coordinates that Baby had given us to go to. I thought I was lost in questions. 

“Hey, Kaysi,” Micah said, trying to break my train of thought. “I've never seen a place like this before, but since it looks so secretive, do you think there might be a hidden entrance?”

“It is built into a mountain,” I noted. This is strange because it's such a small building for a large mountain. 

You know what, now that you mention it, maybe you're right." 

"How about we split up and check different areas of this one-room building? Maybe we can find another entrance; look for anything out of the ordinary." 

We started moving pictures and fiddling with torches on the walls like characters in an old cartoon.

"Aah!" Beck suddenly screamed. 

"What is it? Did you find something?" Micah and I spouted in unison. " 

"A spider landed on my hand and scared me." Beck whinnied.

"Oh wow, seriously? I laughed. You scared us for no reason."

“Maybe we should just head back,” I suggested. “I can meet Baby later and determine if we were in the right spot.”

Micah pointed out, "Maybe she even put down the wrong coordinates or address—who knows?" 

"Sounds good to me," Beck said out loud, agreeing. She is kneeling on the ground, searching for something in her backpack. 

"What are you doing, Beck?" Micah asked her. 

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Beck replied. “I’m looking for my bug spray. We’re out in the woods, and I’m not fond of bugs.”

"Well, I wouldn't suggest putting your backpack on the ground; then, you never know what's crawling around, I teased her. 

"Oh, here's my bug spray," Beck said. “And you're right—I’ll just hang it right here for a second while I put this on.”

Beck put her backpack on the hand of the marble statue that stood in the middle of the altar. 

The hand cracked and tilted downward with a low click.

"Oh no! Look what you have gone and done!” Micah exclaimed. “Did you break it?" 

"No! I mean, I didn't mean to! I thought I would be stronger than that, being made out of marble and all," Beck said in shock.

Suddenly, the whole building began to shake. Dust rained from the ceiling. The back wall behind the altar groaned and slowly began to move. A growing shaft of light spilled from the widening opening. When it stopped, it revealed a cavern leading into what looked like a hidden world—some inner-earth habitat that felt completely otherworldly.

“I’m guessing this is what Baby wanted us to find,” Micah said, stunned.

“Yeah. Looks like we’re supposed to go through here and find her.” I stated.

We stepped into the cavern and followed the path as it opened into a wide, meadow-like clearing. Baby was there, leaning against a strange tree. It looked alien—something I had never seen before. All around us were plants and vegetation unlike any I had known. 

"Hello, girls." Baby greeted. "I see that you have found my location. It took you long enough." 

Rolling my eyes. "I mouthed off, yeah, what's with that? You could've given us better directions." 

"Yes, but it's high time you started learning and discovering things independently from me. There will be many times when you’ll have to make decisions without me." 

She stood up and stepped forward. “We have a lot to talk about going forward. First, I want to address your skills and powers and how well you solve problems. That was today’s test. The fact that you found this place tells me you can work as a team.”

“This will be our new secret training ground. There’s a unique barrier around the mountain. No demons can enter. It also masks your spiritual pressure—the energy seers use to detect people like you. The more power you release, the more noticeable you become. But not here; you will be safe.”

"Welcome to the Guardians' training grounds. As I said before, I will be the coach for all of you. Let's get started with some of the basics. 

She stepped back and took a stance.

“I’m going to attack you. You’ll do whatever you must to defend yourselves. This is an assessment. I’ll evaluate you on strength, defense, and individual problem-solving.”

She turned toward Micah. “Let’s start with someone I don’t know very well yet. Micah, step up. You already possess Waymaker skills, so I assume you’ve unlocked the ability to form a weapon.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Micah replied hesitantly. “But… I don’t feel comfortable attacking you. I barely know you. And honestly, I don’t like attacking people who are supposed to protect us. My last guardian never made me do this kind of thing.”

“I’ve heard about your stubbornness,” Baby said flatly. “Your guardian was dismissed. Things are different now—and so am I. I’m not as soft as she was.”

“You can choose to participate… or I’ll attack you anyway, and you’ll have to defend yourself. Either is fine with me. But even if you stop being a Waymaker, the demon inside you and the power you carry will continue to draw trouble.”

She stepped closer, eyes sharp. “You could be hunted—maybe even by another Waymaker who won’t hesitate to execute you."

Baby said ruthlessly, "At this point, you don't have a choice; this is your better option. Don't you think your friends care about you? They risked their lives for you. I don’t think they’d want you throwing yours away." 

Micah gritted her teeth. “Fine. Since I don’t have a choice, I guess I’ll have to give it my all.”

Baby smiled. "Precisely what I want. Please feel free to use your frustration towards me now. Don't hold anything back. As I said, this is an assessment—and I want to see everything you’ve got.”