Page 11 of The Angel's Kiss
I wanted to deny his words, but he knew too much. He knew about my dreams, he knew about the comet on my birthdays, what else did he know? “What if I don’t want to be a Guardian?”
“You don’t have a choice. You are one and the demons know it too. That’s why I had to bring you here, to protect you as well as teach you,” Mr. Morris said. He moved from his desk to the chair beside mine. “None of us have asked for this fate, but it is what we were born to do. Rai, you will face many challenges as your journey will differ from other Guardians.”
“Why? What does that mean?”
“When you’re older, I’ll explain. For now, you must trust me.”
“Trust you? I don’t even know you,” I said.
“You will. I will guide you, Rai.” Again, he smiled as if that should ease me in some way.
“Is this destiny you’re talking about dangerous?” I asked, because I remembered how scary my dreams were.
He nodded. “Yes, but that is why you have to do your best to prepare. Do not refuse what you simply must learn in order to survive.”
“Are you a Guardian?” I asked, because, in all of my dreams, I saw him fighting.
He nodded. “The oldest of all of us.”
“How old,” I asked, my voice shaking with fear and uncertainty. Because in my dreams, nothing looked like anything I recognized. Even the clothes looked ancient.
“I am over fifteen hundred years old.”
My mouth dropped open. “No way!” I looked at him from head to toe. “That can’t be true. No one lives that long.”
He nodded. “Guardians do, if they survive their battles. Listen very carefully to what I’m about to say, Rai.”
I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Demons have been around for as long as the first human, which is around two point eight million years ago. As humans evolved so did demons, becoming more dangerous as time went on. Five thousand years ago, the first Guardian was born to be the last defense against the demonic reign over humanity. There were to be twelve Guardians born and you are the last one. There are now only six of us alive.”
“Why just twelve?” I asked, seemed like we needed a lot more based on my dreams.
“I don’t have an answer for that. It is what God intended, but it may also be the reason why he created Guards. Humans who have insight into our hidden world. They fight with us and oftentimes, handle lesser demons and spirits on their own. Our duty is to take on the bigger threats. The ones that, if successful, could destroy the world,” Mr. Morris said.
This was too much for me to accept. I didn’t want to fight demons my whole life. I wanted to be an astrologer. Preferably one who could fight, because I was really into learning martial arts. “Are you sure I’m the one?”
“Yes, we can sense each other. I’m sure you felt some kind of connection the day we met.”
I thought back to that day when I came home and saw him sitting on our sofa speaking to my mom. “Yeah, I did. I felt weird. I still feel it. I also remembered seeing you in my dreams, but I just wasn’t sure.”
“I know. I’m positive you’ve dreamed of other Guardians too, both living and dead.”
“Will I always have those dreams?”
He shook his head. “It’s simply to prepare you and to give you the knowledge you need. As time goes by, they’ll be fewer and far between until they are gone. And that’s usually within the first year of your awakening.”
“I don’t know if I want to be a Guardian,” I said, because it seemed like a terrifying life.
He nodded. “I know how you feel, the fears you have, because I’ve had them myself.”
“You’re not the first Guardian?”
“No, just the oldest. My teacher has passed in the line of duty,” he said.
Hearing about the Guardians who died made me even more scared. Just what kind of future did I have? Would I be able to do this as a side job and still have my dream job?
“Will I be able to go to college?” I asked.
