In a bright temple a man dressed like a sage in a white linen hood with golden embroidery sun designs, sat on a throne, there was a ten throne in a circle in the large throne room. He was holding a staff which emitted a halo of blue flame, he walked in front of the other thrones with statues sitting on it leaving his and the tenth throne vacant.
"The time has come for the rise of the next guardian." He said and the realm tore open and a body fell into the temple and the dimension mend up back, the body landed like a feather on the golden slab of the temple,
"He is here." The sage said as he walked towards the body and he used his powers to make the body float the transcend him allowing it to coexist in the current realm the face and features of the body became visible,
"so this is what Joe looks like." The sage said as he healed his wounds,
"Such injury, Alpha went too far… just as always." The sage added as joe's eyelid twitched,
"This is Incredible to be able to move even when undergoing my treatment?"
"The river was not wrong in choosing you but still I have to test you out." The sage said as a halo appeared on his head
"Divine restoration." The sage said as all the injuries disappeared, divine restoration is a 12th rank healing spell which could heal anything even on the verge of death, those who can cast the spell are considered gods…
"There he goes he took it nice and easy." The sage added before touching his chest and drew a sun seal on his chest to complete the healing, the sage walked away waiting for him to wake up.
"Where is this?" Joe muttered and the sage turned back instantly surprised to hear him speak immediately after divine restoration's treatment,
"Or is this that dream again?" Joe added as he wrangle his hands around
"Why am I floating this time though?" He added
"I thought I was dead few minutes ago?"
"How am I still alive?" Joe rambled on without noticing the presences of the sage.
"Good radiance to you Joe." The sage said calling his attention and Joe focused on his surroundings
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" he asked the sage
"Welcome to the temple of light."
"This is the throne room of all the guardians that have come before me."
"My name is Dele the light sage and I am a guardian." Dele said explaining to him as he walked towards the throne and Joe followed him, when they entered the throne circle a familiar scenario came into Joe and he was on his guard as he felt no Eldrath coming from him,
"Oh I see." You seem to be terrified from what you've experienced,
"Alpha went too far I apologise for that although it was necessary." The sage said
"What did you just say?" Joe asked as he paused and looked at the sage his eye filled with disgust
"I believe you heard me clearly." Dele answered
"You must be kidding…"
"Endangering my life and my friend lives was necessary?" Joe asked as he threw a punch at the sage, the sage dogged the blow and held his hand and pulled him close grabbing him by his neck,
"At least I apologised and don't be too hasty we will have time to even out our differences sooner." The sage said smirking and dropping Joe from his grip
"First I have to enlighten you on what you are about to be and train you," Dele said as he took him to a platform,
"I have to get out of here." Joe said
"Yeah you will, but not until you become the next guardian." The sage said
"What?" Joe asked as he looked around to see probably the sage was talking to someone else,
"Yes, Joe you have been chosen by the river of life to be the next guardian." The sage said
"Wait I don't understand this whole thing yet," Joe said folding his arm
"Let me summarize the long story short, the race between good and evil has been on for generations, and now in your generation you are going to be the head for the forces of good…"
"You are going to defend your generation to stop the impending evil from awakening again." The sage explained
"But why me?" Joe asked with is brows raised,
"That is not for me to decide but the decision of the river of life," the sage explained
"I guess by now your friend are planning to look for you." The sage said
"What?" Joe asked as his eyes widen
"Where are they? Are they alright?" he asked with worries in his voice,
"Just calm down and face the task you have at hand, when this is over you will go on out to see your friends." The sage said as he took of the hood exposing his well-built body which has some ancient symbol imbedded in his skin with gold,
"come on if you win I'll let you go out of here." The sage said as he grabbed his staff and took a stance,
"a sage taking a fighting stance?" Joe thought as he burst into laughter
"Easy," he said as he rushed towards the sage
"Before he conjures a spell I will take him out from behind using my intense speed." Joe thought as all of a sudden he couldn't see the sage anymore
"Wrong choice." The sage said from behind Joe as he smack him in the back with the staff and Joe pout in pain trying to hold his back and he was sent flying, he float around and before he stopped the sage caught up to him and smack him again,
"don't judge a book by its cover,"
"I can fight hand to hand combats and also I am a sage," the sage explained as he held Joe who was floating around from the impact by his left leg,
"How is this possible he is supposed to be a mage not a fighter," Joe said as he tried gathering strength
"I guess you are not ready to leave this place, the flow of time here differs from the real world." The sage said
"What?" Joe asked as he raised his head
"Calculating it well, I think I have been here for only thirty minutes." Joe said
"so it would have been probably two hours?" Joe added and the sage chuckled
"that is wrong the time outside is eleven hours for your thirty minutes," the sage said laughing "now tell me do you want to leave here?" the sage asked as he strike the floor with the staff and held it with his two hands and his eyes glowed as he muttered some ancient words the runic symbols in his skin glowed and the air vibrated, as the staff shook and Joe could not move due to the noise the staff produced
""now die." The sage said as he hit him continually without stopping, Joe took a barrage of beating and knocking, the sage then used a power punch and drove it into his abdomen, Joe gave out shout of pain as he held his abdomen with tears in his eyes,
"It's either you fight or you die." The sage said as Joe flipped and took a stance with his hand in front of him like a wolf,
"This technique," the sage said as he had made a stance
"This is like that of the wolf; Alpha." The sage added
"If I can't touch him I will use all what I have gained from the last fight that almost took my life." Joe said in his thought as he took deep breathes and moved with his hands like a wolf running around in circles at random with the sage at the centre. With Joe's incredible speed, his agility, and the newly learnt skill he was moving like a fierce monster that is on a hunting frenzy,
"Although, it is not perfected yet, but for him to make such decision."
"That is incredible." the sage said as he looked around trying to spot him in the midst of the after image,
"It is quite an amazing feat." The sage added as he looked diagonal to his left
"There you are." The sage said as he swiftly caught Joe by the collar stopping the intense speed and he drove him into the ground, on impact Joe coughed out saliva with a bit of blood,
"I didn't want to hurt you," the sage said
"but this has to be done," he added as the debris from the impact flew by his face, the sage smiled as Joe tried to land a powered punch but he blocked it by grabbing his hands and stomping him in his abdomen and he kicked him as he flew across to the edge of the platform,
"That is all my strength, is this how it is going to end?" Joe asked himself, as he staggered to his feet and blood dropped from his mouth, his breathe was unstable and he could not focus his gaze on the sage. He slowly took a normal fighting stance as he controlled his breath and move forward running towards the sage in a straight line
"I know your plans,"
"I can read your moves." The sage said as he smiled and stood there as joe landed a hit but it was like that of a baby,
"is that all you've got?" the sage said as he scoffed and strike him on his left shoulder and his eyes went out cold as he fainted falling down to the
"This is the end," the sage added as he brought out the staff from thin air and stabbed Joe in his chest
"you are not ready." The sage said as he walked away after pulling the staff out of his body and splash the fluid on the floor, he stopped and let out a laugh,
"this is getting interesting," he said as the air around them gathered at the hole in Joe's body.
"I can't let you keep me here." Joe said as his eyes turned white,
"what is this?" the sage thought..
"A double consciousness?" the sage thought to himself
"He is dead and I haven't healed him yet."
"So did he manifest a double consciousness on instincts?" the sage thought as a sweat dropped from his face,
"this cannot be, his pre – awaken state is this powerful?" the sage asked in his thoughts
"powerful enough to make me sweat in my normal state." He added with a board smile crossing his face.
"show me what you are capable of." The sage said to Joe
"come, let me show you what desperation means" Joe said as he used his hands to illustrate the gesture.
"with this state I might be able to do this." He thought as he looked at his palm and clench his fist with hope to defeat the sage…