ELDER MERCI

I followed Sparx for what seemed like forever, through some of the strangest terrain and seeing creatures that I thought were only in children’s tales, until we came to a breathtaking waterfall.

"Elder Merci! Elder Merci are you home? I do apologize for my lack of visitations Elder Merci but I…" started Sparx only to be interrupted by a booming female voice.

"…But the others have given you a very important mission." With that said the waterfall opened sideways, reveling a lit up door in the center of darkness.

"I’ve been expecting you." ended the voice. Sparx looked over at me and said "Come on." We walked towards the door, rocks rose up to create a pathway across the water and once we reached the door it slowly opened, emanating a beam of bright white light. For a few seconds vision was a bit blurry but once I could see again, my eyes set upon a female figure. Wow! She was beautiful. White mother of pearl colored robes and a vail covering her nose and mouth, plus a delicate and extravagant head dress encrusted with jewels. She had fair skin and white eyes that just drew you in with a feeling of overwhelming peace. Sparx leaned over to me and whispered, "Elder Merci is the oldest and wisest of all the guardians. She was around during the Seven Births."

"Seven Births?" I asked whispering back but before Sparx could answer Elder Merci jumped in.

"The living would consider the Seven Births to ‘the earth was created in seven days…’" replied Elder Merci.

"Sorry for our moment of rudeness, Elder Merci." said Sparx bowing her head, "It will not happen again." Elder Merci nodded as she walked towards us.

"Elder Merci, we have come in urgency. Things have happened that we…" started Sparx.

"That you can not understand." finished Elder Merci as she touched the plant-made band aid Sparx placed on my wound. Merci’s slight touch caused the band aid to fade until it was no longer there, but only to show no wound at all. My arm looked as if it was never gashed open.

"Interesting. I was wondering when you would arrive." Merci said as she walked towards a huge book and started flipping through pages.

"When I would arrive?" I asked, looking back at her like she just snorted an eight ball in front of me.

"Yes." answered Merci and continued to finger through pages.

"I’m sorry. I …I don’t understand." I replied.

"You will soon enough my dear. You came here with questions did you not?" Merci answered. Sparx looked over at me and whispered, "The woman you saw." then nudged me.

"Elder Merci, could you tell me of the woman I saw? You see, we were in…" I started.

"In a battle, yes I know, I saw." Merci started as she returned towards us. Just behind us was something that looked like a mini waterfall. Elder Merci waved her hand just in front of the water and it showed images of the battle.

"You fought bravely." The waterfall started showing images of me throwing fireball after fireball at the mass of demons, then stopped just before I jumped into the portal Sparx made for our escape, almost like Merci had hit the pause button.

"There! That’s the figure I saw! Please, Elder Merci, tell me who she is." I said as I pointed toward the dark figure in the waterfall. Something about the figure seemed so familiar to me but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

"Ah, yes. The figure you see there is a creature by the name of Trap. She is the right hand of the dark guardian." started Elder Merci as she waved her hand in front of the waterfall and an image of a woman appeared. Red hair, black eyes, black tattoo-like face paint around both eyes, that looked like tears of some kind, chains, leather, fish net, long ass finger nails and horns.

"She became the dark guardian’s right hand after his first, Soul Hunter, betrayed him. She is rather new, my dear. Not much is known about her I‘m afraid." finished Elder Merci.

"They say that the black around her eyes has something to do with her doing a lot of crying when she was alive but no one knows her real origin, only her and of course the dark guardian." stated Sparx.

"And who is this…Soul Hunter?" I asked as Elder Merci waved her hand again and show a rather handsome looking man.

"Now his story, his is just about as sad as yours was Gothic Fire..." and waved her hand in front of the waterfall.

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