It was an ominous and wondrous sight at the same time, but instead of feeling overwhelmed, she felt calm. Like the world had come to a stand still despite the storm raging above. 

This place was the spirit sanctuary. She saw creatures of translucent light moving in like the Grolls, and half-faded shadows, just as Elizei's gaze caught them, they slipped away, staying out of her sight. Little flying blobs of light like the jellyfish she had read about, great figures of shadow and light moving in the distance at the edge of horizon, only their silhouette visible to her. 

It was wonderous, all of it. Elizei wished she could show this to Fuwina and Yeri. 

“Beautiful isn't it,” the voice came, startling her and snapping her back into the moment. 

She turned hoping to find the owner of the voice now, but he still remained invisible to her. She turned back to look at the nest towers before her.

“Yes, yes it is beautiful, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.” she said breathily. 

“Indeed, I live here and yet I could never get accustomed to it.” 

The voice sounded so out of reach still, its grating tone, the way it spoke and the things it told her, all led to only one conclusion. 

“It's you isn't it? The Guardian I must bond? You just said you lived here–” 

The voice laughed, “Oh stars girl! No, I’m honoured that you would think of me as a sacred being. But I am perhaps the most reviled, and cursed being in the Garden of Gods. No. You must bond with the one who rests inside that nest.” 

Elizei clicked tongue and nodded, she followed the directions the voice gave her.

She stepped on glass that melted away into the dusts of light, and the air here.. she felt she didn't even need to breathe. And infact she wasn't breathing, her own spirit, felt so tangible and real here. 

Elizei was born with an awakened spirit like all the Krimzons that were born with the sparkmarks: the natural tattoos on her left hand. It was a quality few were born with, though much commonly found among the Krimzons. 

It made them natural bonds for the elements. And they were called sparkborn, and she would need to to bond the Guardian, if that could even work. 

“This is as far as I can accompany you child, you would have to go do this on your own. Show the Guardian your sincerity, show him your fire, your passion to protect. Show it your resolve to fulfill your purpose. Honestly is the only way to convince the Guardian, if you wish to use the Submission method.” 

Elizei nodded, this part she did know, although only in theory. 

Walking past the dim and seemingly dying nests path which was cut out by someone beforehand. After walking some distance, she reached what she felt like the centre of the nest, and came upon a hollowed out clearing.  

And.. the Guardian rested in the middle of it. 

Elizei had expected some godlike figure of majesty. Surrounded by a holy aura, and bathed in divine light. What she saw, however… The Guardian was huge in size, like she had expected. But… Its body was like a lithe great lizard, with two sets of tattered batlike wings on each side of its elongated body, sprawled out like the wings of a butterfly. Its face elongated, with a sharp snout, two eyes on both sides of its face and another one its forehead. The Guardian’s body however, unlike the elements she had seen, seems to be dim and… sickly, as if about to rotting and waiting to fade away.  

She thought the guardian might've shone with bright sapphire and white radiance once, but now it was dimmed to a dark black and blue. It opened its eyes, as soon as Elizei stepped out into the opening, she froze. Her blood turned cold, as something seemed to have grabbed her spirit itself in a vice. 

She stood shaking, trembling with fear as the Guardian’s gaze fell upon her, his gaze so heavy and terror inducing, she feared she would wet herself. The Guardian however just lay there, looking at her. 

Elizei waited, then she waited some more, expecting the Guardian to turn her to ashes for disturbing his slumber, but when he didn't move, She hesitated, and felt the pressure on her vanish as quickly as it has come.

Then… she took a step. The Guardian didn't move, its eyes still fixed on her. Gulping down a rush of saliva, she took another step, and then another. She kept taking those steps, until she was just a handspan away from the Guardian, expecting him to destroy her. 

But the Guardian didn't.

His gaze seemed to have lost that initial freezing effect. 

“Gr-Greetings Guardian…” she said, her voice weak and squeaky. The guardian let out a puff of pure white mist as if letting out a huff. And somehow, she felt that the gesture must've been painful for the being.

Elizei reached out with her left hand, the hand with the Sparkmark. And the Guardians' eyes followed it as if intrigued by it. 

Elizei was born with an awakened spirit, unlike Avin and other spirit channelers who had to awaken it with time and effort. Although she was born with it, she could barely do anything with it. 

Elizei wasn't special, the Oracles, and the apprentices, and even some of the chiefs were born with it. Although their markings appear on their back, Elizei's however was on her hands. So she had to hide it. 

People like her were called The Sparkborn. They were born with the blessing to have a spirit that naturally attracted elementals. Making them excellent Elemental bonds. Elizei right now however, was stretching her luck with the boon given by the blessing. She wasn't trying to bond with an Elemental, not even a High-Element. No, she was going straight for the Guardian. 

She felt like the world had gone mad. 

Nothing seemed to have been going the way she had expected it to. She had trained to be an Oracle, but she didn't want to. She wanted to run away, she was scared, but when Elizei had seen the expectant expression on Aari Dreni, she couldn't say no. She was ready to sacrifice her life to pay her back, Only for Dreni to go ahead and tell her that she was a sacrifice to save her people. 

At that moment, Elizei had realised something she always knew, she was not the person she thought she was. She didn't want to be a sacrifice, but she also didn't want to see her people be destroyed. She wanted to run away, but knew that if she did, she would hate herself even more. Staying would be death, living by running away would be torture.

She just wanted it all to go away, for the nightmare to end. Wasn't it enough? Shouldn't she wake up by now… it wasn't fair. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want any part of it… Elizei was afraid. 

Tears fell down her cheeks as she fell to her knees, and her marked hand touched the Guardian. Then… the Guardian stirred. 

“Please… just end it already.” She said in a whimper, as everything she had been holding in, came pouring out of her.

And Elizei did the only thing she was trained to do, she opened up her own spirit to the guardian. She exposed her fear, her vulnerability, her desire, passion, hatred, resentment, confusion, fear and everything that she was she laid it all bare.

Her spirit burned like a flickering candle flame, and the Guardian sensing what was being offered to it, embraced that small flame, and Elizei, like a father embracing her pained daughter. 

Elizei's small insignificant spirit twisted, then warped… and exploded! Into a storm of Sapphire flame, power condensed and shook, then a bright white lighting shot up into the clouds of chaos above, blasting it away with a deafening crash. Blinding and glorious. Angry and relieved.

The Guardian's weakening, fading and rotting shell, his being that was once called Lightstorm. Faded away as it submitted it's core to Elizei. 

The pain was so great, as to make Elizei beg for death, but she couldn't even scream. Her spirit burned, and lightning ran through her, making her insides freeze and spazam in shock. 

Her red hair turned pure white, its tips turning translucent like crystal strands. Her pupils burned like a sapphire, holding dark blue flames inside. The marking on her hands turned bright blue-white, looking like veins that chaneled liquid fire… the feeling of her spirit, her very being overridden and morphed was enough to make her pass out. 

But before she did, Elizei felt the shell of Lightstorm, his consciousness that once surrounded the core of the Guardian's power. She felt the Millenia the Guardian had lived and nurtured the elementals. They were not his children, but still his to protect and care for nonetheless. 

Mother had created him from her blood once, long ago. So long ago that her memory had faded away, like the weathering of rocks through the centuries when exposed to the harsh winds. Lightstorm remembered warmth, at the inception of when Life was alive, to see over its children. 

Then he remembered the Cold one, with whom Lightstorm had once clashed, fire against the void of life, not of life but of the other one. Elizei felt the cold as if she was Lightstorm himself–back when he had gotten the wounds to make him end up in this state, Elizei felt his rage and hatred for the Cold one, and the sense of betrayal towards the one who had defiled the gifts of his mother. She felt the Millenia he was trapped here, not being able to venture out and heal himself, he had become a prisoner, who had in the end lost his will to continue. Just waiting for salvation. 

And with that Elizei finally passed out. 

****

She woke up sometimes later, her body ached, her spirit was sore and her mind dizzy from the spiritual and emotional overload of power and emotions. She opened her bleary eyes, and found herself in the hall where she had been. The piece of night sky condensed at the other end, but the sparks that once flew around were gone, the ancestors were gone. 

Where though, Elizei didn't have the presence of mind to ask.

“You…” she began, and tried getting to her feet but her head spun and her legs gave way, making her sprawl down on her back. 

Elizei cursed, and massaged her head, groaning. The voice didn't say anything so she took some time to get a hold of herself, the pain was fading, and Elizei felt… different. She looked at her left hand. It was the same as before, only the patterns on her hands had changed. 

She pulled her hair in front of her and saw it was the same as before as well. Her body was the same but still it felt different. 

The difference she felt was in her spirit. It was wrapped in an alien force, another spirit, that seemed to have shrouded her, and changed her in a profound way. Like she was herself… but more. 

“Feeling better, child...”

Elizei's head snapped up, she pushed herself off her back and onto her feet. 

“You–” she began, “You lied to me! He–Lightstorm could've been recovered long ago, but you didn't let him, did you? Why! Who are you? How can you!” 

Elizei seethed and noticed her body emanating soft blue light, her spirit was channeling the Guardian's power, and Elizei felt the urge to give in, to attack this vile villain, this monster. 

The voice chuckled, “enough Elizei, we have no reason to fight. You would not want me as your enemy, and killing you would only be a loss. You just need to do what you must in order to cultivate the most powerful weapon the Krimzon’s have. You must leave the Krimzon valley and make a journey.” 

Elizei blinked, “Wait, what? Why do I need to leave? I have the power of the Guardian. This should be enough power to defeat the Ulov and the Empire–”

The voice laughed, “Oh the Guardian's power would indeed be enough to defeat the Ulov, if your spirit was stronger. But as you are now, you won't even be a challenge for the Oracles. So you must become stronger and train under someone who similarly has bonded a Guardian. 

"You must go to the last child of Stars”

***

Elizei came out of the cavern, her body and mind exhausted from everything she had gone through. The Voice had not told her anything after telling her to go find the ‘Last Child of Stars.’ Even though Elizei had tried to be persistent in asking questions, she realised she might as well have been trying to convince a rock to dance.

She emerged into the open and found… Yeri and Fuwina waiting there, packs tied to their back and Aari Dreni standing beside them in her black robe holding the white staff. 

“You've arrived, which means you have succeeded. Good Elizei, I'm proud of you–”

“Don't! I don't need it, your acknowledgment, your secrets, your lies. I've had enough, so just don't…” 

Dreni eyed her and sighed sadly, “I’m sorry child…” 

“Sorry for what? I said enough.” 

Yeri and Fuwina looked at each other and when Elizei met their gaze, they averted their eyes. 

“So you both knew too? Hah! Why am I not surprised…”

“Master Yorum is ready, he is waiting for you all, it's time for you three to leave.” Aari Luseen appeared from left, her beautiful face emotionless as always.

Elizei took a forceful step, she had no intention to leave, she wanted to stay and protect her people, even if she would most probably die. She looked at Aari Dreni and stood defiantly. 

“I'm sorry child, I'm so-so sorry. But I'm afraid I must do this.” 

Both the Oracles looked at each other and their eyes began to glow with hypnotizing silver light, and Elizei tensed.

Muffled words came out of their mouths, a command rang out not into Elizei’s ears, but her spirit, even the Guardians power was not strong enough to resist. Then the world around her went blurry. 

She woke up in a rocking Groll driven cart, tucked into a blanket. Jerking up she looked around to find the night was fading away. 

She cursed, “not again, Damn it!”

She tried to remember the last thing that happened to her as the realization dawned on her. 

The Oracles had used the powers of their commands to make Elizei do what she didn't want to. She would've screamed and cursed but realised it was futile now. Like everything else, her efforts were futile.