A Guardianâs Possession
The Guardian Heart Crystal Series Book 5
Amy Blankenship, RK Melton
Copyright © 2009 Amy Blankenship
English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship
Second Edition Published by TekTime
All rights reserved.
The Legend of the Heart of Time
The worlds may change⦠but true legends never fade.
Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators, yet the ongoing need for good and evil have never been in question. However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix⦠the one thing that both sides want but only one can have.
Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always striven to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe, yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. Some say the crystal has a mind of its own⦠others say the gods are behind it all.
Each time the crystal has appeared, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. The identities of these guardians remain unchanged and they love with the same ferocity regardless of the world or time.
One girl stands in the center of these ancient guardians and is the object of their affections. She holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines often blur, and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the priestess from the other guardians.
This is the wine from which the heart of darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also the girl as a man would crave a woman.
Within every one of these dimensions and realities you will find a secret garden known as The Heart of Time. There, a statue of a young human priestess kneels. She is surrounded by an age-old magic that keeps her secret treasure hidden and well preserved. The maidenâs hands are outstretched as if waiting for something precious to be placed in them.
Legend says that she is waiting for the powerful stone known as The Guardian Heart Crystal to return to her.
Only the Guardians know of the true secrets behind the statue and how it came into existence. Before the five brothers drew their first breath their ancestors, Tadamichi, and his twin brother, Hyakuhei, protected The Heart of Time during its darkest history. For centuries, the twins protected the seal that kept the human world from overlapping within the demon realm. This task was sacred and the lives of the humans as well as demons had to be kept safe and secret from the other.
Unexpectedly, during their reign, a small band of humans accidentally crossed over into the demon world because of the sacred crystal. During a time of turmoil, its powers caused a rip in the seal that had separated the dimensions. The leader of the human group and Tadamichi had quickly become allies, making a pact to close the rip in the seal and keep the two worlds locked away from each other forever.
But during that time, Hyakuhei and Tadamichi had both fallen in love with the daughter of the human leader.
Against Hyakuheiâs wishes, the rip had been repaired by Tadamichi and the girlâs father. The strength of the seal had been increased tenfold, separating the dangerous love triangle forever. Hyakuheiâs heart was shattered⦠Even his own blood brother, Tadamichi had betrayed him by making sure he and the priestess were separated by eternity.
Love can turn into the most wicked of things once it is lost. Hyakuheiâs broken heart turned to malicious anger and jealousy causing a battle between the twin brothers, ending Tadamichiâs life and splitting their immortal souls. Those slivers of immortality created five new guardians to take guardianship over the seal and protect it from Hyakuhei, who had joined the demons within the evil realm.
Imprisoned within the darkness he had become, Hyakuhei cast out all thought of protecting The Heart of Time⦠instead, he turned his energy toward banishing the seal completely. His long midnight locks, reaching past his knees and a face belonging only to the most seductive, belied the true evil hidden within his angelic appearance.
As the war begins between the forces of light and dark, a blinding blue light is emitted from the sanctified statue signaling that the young priestess has been reborn and the crystal has resurfaced on the other side.
As the guardians are drawn to her and become her protectors, the battle between good and evil truly begins. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominant within the world of light.
This is one of their many epic adventuresâ¦
Chapter 1 âFeathers of Midnightâ
Dark feathers left a path in the night sky as Hyakuhei flew within the raging storm he had created⦠his anger forming the core of it. Lightning and thunder mimicked his mood as the rain hid the truth of his torment. His ultimate power was to thrive on the authority of the demons he battled then took inside his being⦠but he had not expected it to backfire in such a way as this.
His target had been an easy demon to overcome and consume into the void that was his soul. But the sprite had hidden a piece of the shattered guardian heart crystal deep within its mind. That power allowed the dream demon to survive within him and it was now trying to get its revenge.
Hyakuheiâs black eyes became a shade darker as he wondered if that had not been the demonâs true intent all along⦠to break him from the inside. The lowly dream demon thought to give him⦠nightmares! In his rage, Hyakuhei had mistakenly taken the dream sprite into his body to silence it forever⦠only for it to torment him now from within.
The demon had unchecked power Hyakuhei had not expected. It held within it the ability to see the true past that even he had not been aware of. Things that had happened in another time and place⦠alternate realities. With such a power, Hyakuhei should have known it possessed one of the sacred crystalâs talismans.
Now the demon chose to torment him with visions when he closed his eyes to the world around him⦠sleep had now become a place of trickery.
The unwanted memories left his blood heated to a painful degree by creating a longing in him that he had forgotten⦠a craving for the auburn haired priestess that would forever elude him. The hunger he had felt was unbearable now, a reminder of ultimate betrayal from the last place he ever expected it⦠love becomes something evil once it has been taken away from you.
Ebony hair obscured his angelic face as he screamed out in fury. âHow dare you show me the past when there is nothing I can do to change it!â The sound of his voice was lost within the thunder that resounded around him. It thundered deafeningly in response to his anguish, almost taunting him to continue. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face briefly, bringing his beautiful features to stark reality.
He had awakened but an hour ago to the night sweats that accompanied dreams of her. Heâd once held her⦠touched her. His ebony eyes narrowed in anger. She had let him love her and she didnât even remember. That alone was far more painful than the dreams, yet even now they had their own lives that fate had once again intertwined.
The recurring dreams never finished⦠the ending always eluding him, making him want to see and feel more of the bittersweet tormenting tale. The most evil vengeful thing the dream sprite could have ever done was make him want her again. Heâd supposedly moved beyond it, embracing the creature heâd become in her name. Even now he dared not confront it for fear of losing himself to the suffering of his own soul.
Hyakuhei felt his anger ebbing as he listened to the mischievously whispered voices within him. The countless evil entities contained by him, demons that willingly did his bidding, converged on the dream sprite⦠fighting an inner battle that did not last long.
The dream demon was forced to bend to its new masterâs will, if only for as long as the invisible chains could hold it. He knew the demon could still taunt him with voices and seductive images, but he also knew he could now use that borrowed power to share those memories with the priestess.
Hyakuheiâs lips curved slightly into a tainted smile knowing he could now use the dream sprites power for his own advantage. He would feed the priestess dreams of what they had once shared on the other side of time⦠planting himself within her nightly imaginings and mixing memories with the strange bond that held them linked even now within this world.
His hand rose in front of him⦠holding what would help him. The slivers of the guardian heart crystal he had collected lit up, reflecting the bolt of lightning that passed right above him. As he watched the tiny crystals glitter to life, her image appeared as a reflection in them. His gaze caressed the softness of her face and the ruby redness of her full lips. He would now become a master of illusion.
âI will have you again,â He whispered sullenly before evil crept back into his voice. âPriestess, Iâll get inside your mind where you cannot escape me or the memories of your own past⦠our past!â
The shattered pieces of crystal glowed within his palm as their now tainted power crossed worlds and realities to find the priestess within her own world⦠where she slept.
*****
On the other side of The Heart of Time, in her nice warm bed, Kyoko lay sleeping⦠but the silence of sleep became disturbed with flickers of images and sounds as she tossed and turned. The confusion broke as the sounds and movements became one within her mind and she was lost within the strange nightmare.
She broke out in a cold sweat as the dream became almost real⦠too real as it pulled her in.
Kyoko could hear the enemyâs scream of denial just as she passed out. She had done all she could. Sheâd kept Hyakuhei from acquiring the Guardian Heart Crystal the only way that she had known how. Her last thought was sadness⦠she had shattered the Guardian Heart Crystal and now⦠she couldnât go home to her own world.
Hyakuhei gazed down at the girl whoâd spoiled all his carefully laid plans. He had made them all think he was dead⦠no longer a threat, then heâd silently waited within the darkness.
He knew as long as the priestess was with her guardians, she was too powerful to approach. So he had hid himself and suppressed his power, playing dead, waiting for her to make the mistake of being alone. She would be weak and vulnerable⦠enabling him to take the Guardian Heart Crystal from her.
It had all worked out perfectly. Sheâd been alone within The Heart of Time gardens⦠ready to go back through the time portal now thinking the dangerous game was over⦠the game theyâd played for several years with no winner. Heâd been within inches of what he wanted more than anything.
Hyakuhei stood above the beautiful virgin priestess, his raven dark hair flowing like silk down the length of his body, brushing against his calves and still fluttering in the breeze created from the shattering of the Guardian Heart Crystal.
He was every bit as beautiful as a dark angel, but within him beat the many hearts of enraged demons. He wanted to kill the Priestess for what she had done, but he wouldn't⦠he couldnât as his gaze caressed the face he loved. The starlight streaks that coursed from the shattering of the Guardian Heart Crystal were still lighting the sky like a celestial meteor shower⦠it was too late.
Hyakuhei knew her guardians would come for her. His brotherâs children would once again try to save her from him⦠and history would repeat itself over and over. The heavens had sealed their fate millenniums ago⦠only to offer up the continual chance of changing that same fate.
His angelic face turned into a sneer. The guardianâs would not find their priestess this time. Swiftly, he cradled her limp body within his arms. No one yet knew he was alive and for now he would leave it that way. He would not harm her⦠instead Hyakuhei decided⦠this time⦠he would keep her.
Again masking his evil aura, he used his power and opened a small black void and stepped inside, taking Kyoko with him through the gateway. The portal silently closed behind them⦠erasing all clues of the truth. When the guardians came for her, they would simply believe she had gone home, abandoning them to their land of demons.
Kyoko jerked awake in bed wondering where the nightmare had come from. She searched around the room with wide frightened emerald eyes making sure it had not been real⦠that Hyakuhei was not there. She could still feel him touching her, and strangely enough, she missed that touch. Yet at the same time, she wanted to erase the memory of it. She pulled the covers up around her in confusion.
Hearing the silence of the house, Kyoko knew she would never get back to sleep, so she made the biggest mistake of her young life⦠she decided to head back into a world of demons in the middle of the night. Being with the guardians would be the only thing that would make her feel safe again.
It was only a couple minutes later that she found herself on the other side of The Heart of Time looking across the clearing that surrounded the maiden statue. She sighed now that she was as far away from the bed sheâd just had the nightmare in as she could possibly get. But still, she could feel the dream haunting her as if it were waiting on her to go back to sleep.
It taunted the recesses of her mind, plaguing her imagination with images that were too corporal to let go. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and drank in the familiarity of her surroundings.
Huge white stones jutted up from the ground in remembrance of the magnificent castle that had once housed the gardens known as The Heart of Time. The wind rushed through the limbs of the surrounding trees, lending a soft sound to the quiet darkness.
Seeing lightning flash way off in the distance, Kyoko turned her emerald eyes to the east. She shivered wondering how something so beautiful⦠could be so dangerous. Even against the dark sky she could see the clouds blocking out the stars. The lightning danced across the clouds like spidery fingers giving the distant storm a sinister appearance.
Kyoko blinked when she saw the lightning converge on one place in the clouds. It formed a tiny ball of light before blowing out like a tiny starburst. She wasnât surprised by this phenomenon⦠having seen things more shocking than a lightning cloud. What caught her attention was that it kept happening in the same spot.
âWhat am I doing here?â she asked the statue of the priestess who looked so much like her, knowing she wouldnât get an answer. The angry clouds from the approaching storm had not made it this far yet and the moonlight shone down as if it were spotlighting the maiden shrine.
Kyoko stepped closer, examining the extraordinary detail of the statue and wondering at it for the hundredth time. They were almost exactly alike⦠she and the statue⦠but it had been carved over a thousand years ago in this world⦠not hers. Once again, she asked herself who could have put it there and why? How could something be carved with a face that no one had known or seen prior to its creation?