I stood there. On the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, traumatized. No longer angry. Just... blank? Surprised? Defeated? Yeah. that's the word. Defeated. I couldn't breathe as water was all over me. not that it was impossible. I didnt even know that I was underwater and about to suffocate to death. I was mesmerized or was it hypnotized by the fact that something just went to my homeland, hit me, and wiped its earth with me as if I was nothing but toilet paper.
Me. Khumet! Khumet the guardian of Alkebulan. Me, James Khumet King, the saint in training. The future watcher of the guardians, the guardian of the guardians, was turned into toilet paper by a monster. A beast. even still, in my homeland. The only land on earth, not even the gods could dare touch me.
I exhaled and tried to inhale as my aching body was starting to burn from lack of Oxygen. And still, on my original form. Salty water rushed into my nose and I quickly exhaled all the air in my lungs and formed a bubble of air around me. My wounds burnt as salt was on them and this is the part where I hate using my real body for any fight without armor on it. I couldn't self-heal as of yet.
Oh I know it doesn't make sense as a few days ago I healed someone, a human who had metal bars protruding out of her. A human. But when I try to heal Mom or my sister, I have to use or ask someone, especially Shay to heal them. Me, I can't! Why? I looked up. I wanted that answer. In the very same way, I wanted the answer as to who the Giant was. He killed my sentinel like he was nothing. Maybe I should look down to Gaia or Geb?
I sat down as fish from the deep circled around my air bubble, and the sponges on the floor and around me started complaining about the lack of air.
"I have a complaint too!" I told them, vocally. "Why is it..." I stopped. I can't complain to them. No matter how emotionally exhausted I was. I don't complain to them, or anybody. All the Guardians on earth, sentinels, Watchers Guardian Corp Bosses, Earth Council of kings, and the entire Earth defense forces, complained to me. Or will once I ascend. I can only Complain to the keepers, as off now. But soon, they all will complain to me. The people I am supposed to complain to, or should I say Gods, are Gaia and the guardian god. Or is it titan, Kingu?
I got off the ground and fought with the water pressure that tried to bury me, let it return to the life of the seafloor as I made the bubble around me, smaller.
"Well, well well. if it ain't the future Saint of the Guardians." Someone said in the ancient of ancient guardian language. Almost Lumerian time language. I looked back and saw a Mereman wadding towards me. Another keeper. great.
"I've heard rumors of the new saint being in training. thought it was only rumors and wondered when I was going to see you," He said approaching me. He covered his nose not that it was helpful for a being with fins on the neck and a human face. he laughed and covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his laugh. I may be underwater, in the midnight zone but I can still hear, and see properly. "Looks like somebody brought you here by force and in... whoa... right packaging!" he laughed.
I gave him a threatening look and slowly started unfolding one of my wings. the little peck that showed lit the surroundings and turned the water behind me into air.
"Sorry, bad joke." he quickly said raising his hands. dropping the watery trident he had.
"you think?" I asked. growled.
"Sorry, anyway. Welcome to the Atlantic." he stretched his hands out.
"Sorry, don't have time." I said before propelling myself out of the waters and flying home.
I didn't have enough energy to fly at the newfound speed of light nor had the guts to ride lightning with this body so I just did mark 3.
"congratulations, Saint James Khumet King!" Cyraon the keeper of Arcadia greeted me as I landed in a rumble that used to be our house. My bones wanted to give way and I was tired, hurt, and defeated. "you almost killed your parents!" he shouted at me. I ignored him.
this was what my house was reduced to. Every room that held memories of me, my parents, and... I remembered the sentinel that stood guard for me. where he used to, was nothing but a piece of his shield. His stolen smiles as he saw me act a kid, his encouragements, and his company, I wasn't going to see or have them anymore. I used to show off to him when I excelled at being human. When I wanted to smash the faces of the bullies at school he was the one who pulled me in line. but he is...
I picked up my sister's toys and salvaged everything that wasn't badly damaged and things I could repair by hand. "do you know why the code exists?" Cyraon continued asking as I started cleaning up. I looked at him, slowly growing frustrated and... I wanted to punch him, hard.
"the code of the guardians exists to protect every guardian, and everyone around the guardian from forces beyond the level of threats they can protect themselves from. the code exists to protect everything!"
I looked around. Yeah, it does. I know. I had the desire to say, but I didn't have the energy to say any of it. I just looked at him for a second as he screamed and continued cleaning. "A guardian's body does not, under any circumstance leave the continent he was born in unless the Earth is under any of the first thirteen protocols! I thought I taught you that!"
I looked at him, and stopped everything I was doing. "you helped a woman who was supposed to die, and you spent more than twelve hours tending to her. You are a God! You DONT UNDER ANY CONDITIONS TEND..."
"YOU THINK I WANTED TO?" I shot back at him. "she gave birth to Adri Launa. she gave birth to a keeper and the gods tried to kill her before she was born." I looked down at my sister's toys and thought of the Eun-Tak's small body and her cries the day before when she grew aware of the condition her mother was in. "And she knew it. she knew that she was about to be killed. she knew without being born that she was the reason her mother was to die. Isn't it enough that I am the reason for my parent's pain and fears? shoulda newborn come into the world knowing that she is responsible for her parent's death?"
"No, but you should have left within an hour."
"I couldn't. she didn't even cry for the whole time I was there. she just cried to show she was alive and all that she wanted after that was to hold her mother close because she was afraid her mother might die, I stuck there to make her feel safe."
"James, a saint is both a blessing and a curse to the people around him. sticking around them and away from the land of their birth is a curse. Also a saint's..."
"a saint is supposed to put everyone before himself, I know. His emotions don't matter in the least. I know, I've read the code. But, a saint is also supposed to make sure all the other guardians and their mates are safe, I may not have protected mine when I met her two thousand years ago, but I would protect theirs as long as I live,"
"like you protected Allison Aver?" I looked down. Okay I may have screwed with her but I was young, wiping a few memories was necessary to make sure she didn't grow up traumatized by memories she couldn't handle. "true, She is safe, away from her mate, because them being together would have killed her before she could act a wife, but you are not a saint yet, you may have almost ascended twenty minutes ago, but you are still just a trainee, and earth, it's still not safe for the guardians.'
"I'm sorry, I'll try to be better.."
"YOU'RE WEAK! A PIECE OF AN EXCUSE OF..." I bent a chunk of earth out the ground and caught him right on the abdomen and as he flew off, I opened a portal to Acardia behind him. he flew in and I closed it.
I know I failed. I know was beaten, but he didnt need to tell me. I went to the bathroom and took the first aid kit from the cupboard and stood in front of the broken mirror.
I looked like shit. like someone took me and tried to scrub the ground with me. I had abrasions from head to toe and bruises all over my upper body. I washed them with my eyes closed shut and my teeth clenched as the wounds burnt from the salt in them and the water that ran through them. After I was done, I started treating myself, partly in tears applying the stingy ointment on my wounds and tried covering them with band-aids and plasters and heat patches. but the patches hurt.
"let me help," Shay said walking into the roofless and windowless bathroom. I kept quiet, knowing I would crack if I spoke with tears that were stacked in my eyes. "Don't use your powers," I told her as I felt her try to use her powers. I've had enough of magic. I wasn't going to provoke anyone, anymore.
"your parents are okay now, they're in a hotel in Rio," she said as she carefully applied the ointment in between my shoulder blades after a while. I felt glad that she didnt ask me any other questions.
"Thanks."
"do you wanna talk to them? they seemed a bit shaken," she added.
I am a curse to my family. "No," I responded after thinking a while about the Keepers words. she stopped and looked at me from behind. I smiled at her while facing the broken mirror. "it'll be better if I didnt talk to them in a while."
"you okay?"
"I'm okay." I wanted to crack. Fuck I hate being a kid.
"I heard about the sentinel, I'm sorry, I wish I could hug you but. I don't wanna make your wounds worse."
"it's okay," I told her with a folded smile. she helped me put on a bandage all over my body. but over my head and face, refused it, I wasn't going to turn myself into a mummy way before time. I don't want Anubis walking in here demanding my soul. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought of my past look. Long dreads weaved to the top of my head and flowed onto my back. I could make them but... let's wait a while.
"Shay, can I ask you a favor?" I asked her. she gave me a go-ahead and I asked her to pull guardian corp strings and give my mom and pops a job somewhere overseas. to remove them from the Book of life registry or any other document I could use to reach them. I even gave authorized her to access Thoth's extra capabilities to help hide them from me and anyone who may look to harm them because of me.
she did have reservations about it but, it was for better that they remained hidden from me. I'll see them only on their birthdays. I gave her a few undamaged toys belonging to my three-year-old sister and showed her the road.
as she left, I went to the basement and drew the symbol of the trinity before sitting on the center, and started chanting, ""Laku- di- eta ssisi- lau ra mini la- kueso to ufa nni!"