Chapter 9

Dinner was fabulous as always! We were lying on the mattress, hugging, and thinking about different things. The moment of passion and fun had passed, and now there was peace, at least for me.

I've already told Mary the bedtime story, and she boasted about her success at school. My father asked about the first day at the university, sighing about how much everything had changed since he studied there.

The news that I now had a job inspired and delighted my family. I was pleased to feel their pride for me and promised not to let them down.

Everyone was joyfully screaming into the phone and then expressed their wishes. No generation in our family had ever achieved something like this. My father worked as an ordinary clerk in a state-owned company, my mother spent almost all her life working an administrator of a small catering company, my grandparents were farmers who chose a peaceful rural life to all career achievements.

And I had plans to become a partner in a law firm. My parents completely supported me in this endeavor. They were dreamers who had gladly left their farms in pursuit of a better future. They did not quite succeed, so it was now the duty of their children to make their dreams come true.

It was slowly getting dark outside, reminding me of my mission for which I had left the comfort of my bed and risked my life several nights in a row. I could no longer enjoy my life. Everything that was ordinary for other people was now a luxury for me and, therefore, valuable. The beauty of the moment was overshadowed by the second hand of the clock, which inexorably crawled forward, bringing closer the moment when I would need to run again.

Jackson stroked my hair, and I inhaled his wonderful scent. He smelled of freshly baked sweet bread.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" Jackson suddenly asked.

"Yes, I do... It was weird."

"You kissed me out of pity. I knew it at once but I felt relief. Your kisses always helped me go through the dark moments."

"Is it happening again?" I got worried.

"Yeah, but this time it's much worse. I see him in my dreams all the time. My father calls out to me, and I feel scared."

"Jackson, everything's going to be alright! I am and will always be here. I promise, I won't leave you. You have nothing to fear!"

I hugged him hard, trying to show how much I believed in my words. He pressed his head against my chest and listened to my heartbeat.

Jackson had a difficult childhood, he lived through all the horrors one could imagine. His father, an aviation pilot, died during the demonstration stunts at the performance for the enthusiastic audience, right in front of his pregnant wife. At that time, she was nine-months pregnant, and she was hospitalized right from the airport with severe bleeding. She fought hard so that Jackson could see this world. Doctors strongly feared for her health because she madly loved her spouse and did not want to live even for the sake of a newborn son. Her sister managed to persuade Jackson's mother to come to her senses, and she seemed lifted in spirits when she first saw her son. But it only looked that way.

She outlived her husband by five years that seemed to her agony. I had heard Aunt Jackson's stories about her torments, how she was literally dwindling all these five years, and her sanity was leaving her. She did not live but existed in her memories and fantasies of lost love. In the end, her heart gave out, and she followed Jackson's father.

Jackson did not remember his parents, even his mother who almost never spent time with her son even when she came at her senses. He only inherited their photo and nightmares on the eve of the anniversary of their death.

His parents were buried together to be forever inseparable. Little Jackson had no idea of what was happening back then but felt that had lost something important. He only had his aunt left who was helping her nephew as much as she could since she also had no other family members left. Aunt Janie raised the boy in love for his deceased parents, telling him about what their life and strong love for each other was. But these were only stories of Aunt Janie's romantic nature. One could only imagine what had really happened and how much Jackson's mother had suffered after her husband's death.

When Jackson went to school, violent children teased and bullied him because he did not have parents like others. Then he learned about the cruelty of the world and how merciful his heart was. He forgave the children, knowing already at his young age that they were only doing it because they did not understand him, and hoped that no one would ever experience the kind of pain he felt every second.

His aunt took him to the cemetery on the anniversary of his parents' death to remind him of what he had, but he only remembered what he had lost. Since then, every year around September 3, Jackson became depressed and overwhelmed with fears and pain.

For a long time, I couldn't get what was happening because he never shared his worries with me. One day he told me about his family and how much he was afraid to stay alone. That day 6 years ago, when I was almost 13 years old, I kissed Jackson for the first time, trying to soothe and take away some of his pain. Since then we've become one and tried to stay together and always were there for each other.

It was important for him to hear me saying I would never leave him at any cost, and every time I told him this was not only to calm him down but because it was becoming important to me.

"I'm afraid to close my eyes..." he whispered. "I'm afraid to see my father again. I've never been so scared!"

"Don't worry! I'm with you. Go to sleep, and I will guard your sleep so that no one will disturb you."

"Thanks for being here..."

I stroked his head until Jackson's breathing leveled and he fell asleep.

The city was absorbed by the night, and that meant I had to go. I did not feel like hunting tonight, as it was important to stay here and guard what was really precious for me. Jackson was sleeping peacefully. His eyelids fluttered noticeably, and I hoped he was dreaming something good.

"Darsy!" I heard a voice in my head. Eugene called me even though I had already decided not to go anywhere. "You have to help me out!"

Regardless of my resistance, I knew Eugene would not call for help for no reason. My tattoo was pulsating more and more, and my heart was beating faster.

"I'm sorry, Jackson! I need to go!" I whispered, kissed him on the forehead and went outside a minute later.

Somehow, I knew exactly where to run as if some inner compass was pointing at Eugene.

It was drizzling outside. It was so cloudy that one could see neither moon nor stars up in the sky. It was too dark in my neighborhood but I could see everything quite clearly for some reason. It was something new.

After a minute of frantic running, I heard but did not see Eugene. It sounded like he was fighting with several opponents. This time it all started on a small wasteland where local moms usually walked with their children and dogs.

Eugene was around nine hundred feet away. I was getting ready for a quick race and, all of a sudden, I appeared right close to Eugene. The vampire ability, which I was still mastering, happened to be very helpful. I needed to practice more to show up even faster next time.

There were too many opponents. They surrounded Eugene, who somehow managed to fight back.

I did not have to try hard to help him out. I made a slight effort to set them all on fire at once. A bright wall of fire rose from the ground. The attackers were wriggling and screaming, but I did not let go of the flame power until they all perished.

"Are you okay?" I asked Eugene who was breathing hard.

"Yeah. That's just your fire show didn't help much."

"What do you mean?" They all burned."

"Darsy, this demon can copy himself. He's a whole army. He hides somewhere, sending his clones to attack. You need to kill the original one. Otherwise, he'll make more and more clones. Many years ago, Zeus himself chained him in the rock but his henchmen helped Clonus to escape."

I giggled. It was an absurd name.

"Darsy, I know you're having fun but the longer we talk, the more clones he'll create."

"So what? I'll burn them all!" I shrugged.

"You don't get it. If you use your ability on them once, the next time it won't work. But it might work on the original one, whom we won't be let to reach. Do you think Zeus walled him up for nothing?"

"Why didn't he destroy Clonus, if he's so dangerous?"

"Think about it. It would be inconvenient to destroy a one-man army. Like other demons, he's glad to serve the one offering a decent payment for his services," while talking we explored the area where Clonus could be hiding. "As a rule, he has to be close to everything that's happening. Darsy, you can find him with your new Falcon ability."

"Can you teach me how?"

"You simply need to do the same thing as you've done today. Falcon not only could see well at any distance, but had a perfect sight at night. You can even distinguish colors. Come on, Darsy! You need this ability..." he hinted.

Eugene was right – it would be convenient to have the ability to clone myself under the given circumstances. Who had not dreamed at least once to be in several places at the same time? Unfortunately, it was temporary.

Having focused on the landscape, my eyes got used to the darkness fast, and I gradually began to see the contours and then details but not colors. Not a single sound was heard as if the someone was hiding from us. I could only smell something. The keen sense of smell I got from the vampire was perfect for this task, and I caught the demon's scent. It was strange, sharp and disgusting. It was confusing but I tried not to get distracted by the scent and follow the direction. As soon as I figured out his location, the smell spread out in different directions. Clonus chose the best moment and made dozens of copies to disorient me.

"Damn!" I got dispirited.

"I'll take care of the clones, and you find the original one. Hurry up 'coz I can't fight back long."

I nodded and rushed in the direction where I caught the strongest scent. The clones tried to grab me but they failed to do so because I was moving too fast.

Meanwhile, Eugene began to reflect attacks of the clones. They were too weak for him but prevailed in number. I admired Eugene the Warrior for a moment, knowing that I would never be able to see the Guardian fighting in all his splendor.

His pupils glittered and the sword burned in his hands, crushing the enemy with incredible agility. Eugene had the grace of a wild animal and the strategy of an experienced warrior. The scene was worth seeing it but I had to find Clonus, who kept on creating new clones. They were moving in a smooth flow towards Eugene no longer paying attention to me.

Everything became clearer, brighter, closer, and the smell also intensified. That shithead was out there. I stopped at the dead end.

"How?" I was confused for just a second. There was a movement on the right side – a small army of clones was descending from the fire escape to protect the master, who stood on the top platform and watched everything was happening.

"You won't get to me, human!" he chuckled.

"You're wrong!" I muttered and began my slow ascent so that Clonus could admire my abilities stolen from the Marker.

As I approached, the demon's eyes widened for he had not expected such a turn of events, and his clones could not help him now. I stopped opposite, hovering in the air, and tilted my head to the side, looking at the original demon.

"Are you going to run away or what?" I asked.

"It doesn't make any sense. You're moving a hundred times faster than me. Besides, I have nowhere to run..." he sighed.

"That's right! I'll have to kill you..." it was weird to see the demon with an expression of infinite sadness on his face. Anger, rage, contempt, hatred, fear would be more typical.

"I know. You won't believe it but I'm glad. It's hard to bear a cross like this for so long."

"Then let me free you!" I held out my hand to him.

Clonus willingly put his hand in mine and smiled sadly. I saw gratitude and understanding in his eyes. I realized that not all scoundrels preferred to be like this for hundreds and thousands of years. Some got tired of hatred and darkness so much that they were willing to voluntarily sink into oblivion like every demon I killed. They had no souls. Having received a second chance, they all agreed they would disappear forever in the event of death. Life would never be eternal for them.

The clones disappeared, and we were left alone. Clonus closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when I began to suck the life out of him, stopping only when there was nothing left but the empty shell. I did not feel sorry for him. I was even glad that helped him in a peculiar way.

Having descended, I was in a split second next to Eugene. He was pretty battered but had no injuries.

"He wasn't a bad guy," I said.

"Darsy, don't idealize him. The fact that he didn't come to grips with you doesn't negate all his atrocities for five hundred years of his life. He killed more than one thousand creatures, including people, among whom were children, and women, and the elderly people."

"But he repented."

"No. He knew he'd lose. You would have destroyed him anyway if you had caught him. He was tired of running. He was hunted down for many hundreds of years: by gods to make him serve in favor of their selfish goals, demons, the Elders, and Guardians. He was never his own master, so don't feel sorry for him. Okay, let's learn to fly!"

"What?"

"To fly, Darsy!" he snapped his fingers at my face to wake me up. "Falcon was able to fly, so you can too!"

I squinted with distrust.

"I ripped his wings off. I thought you said I was only given abilities but not external characteristics."

"The wings are an exception because they are part of abilities. Stop talking, Darsy! We're wasting time!"

Was it just me or was Eugene in a bad mood today? He had strange mood swings, helped me in the morning and cursed in the evening.

He pushed me, turned my back to him, put his hands on my shoulders and began to whisper in my ear,

"Close your eyes and relax! Imagine how you fly. Feel weightlessness, like you do it when you refract the space. Breathe. Feel the wind..." his hands slowly slid from my shoulders to my hands. He took my hands in his and turned his hand towards the wind, which was blowing directly into the inner surface of the palm. "Do you feel it?"

I frowned. Was this some kind of joke? How was I supposed to feel the wind, its strength, and weightlessness when he was almost touching my back with his chest, holding my palms in his own, and whispering in my ear? It looked more like a seduction but not training. His closeness made my mind foggy. Probably, weeks of dissatisfaction adversely affected me, and my body was going crazy. I got the shakes when our fingers touched. I almost had to stop myself from turning around and doing something stupid. There was no doubt this would make him vomit on my sneakers and another Guardian would be appointed to me.

"Darsy, wake up!" Eugene said loudly. "Are you in Nirvana or something?"

"Almost!" I muttered. "Sorry!"

Eugene returned his hands to my shoulders, and I almost purred when he began to massage them. I felt like he was mocking me, knowing how pleasant it was. But why would he do that? I also loved to pet the animals but not in such movements. His fingers were gentle and skillful as if he had massaged others more than a hundred times. It seemed to be far from ordinary training.

"Eugene?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you doing?" my heart was pounding so hard that I swayed slightly in the rhythm of its beating.

"Wings are to grow around here..." his hands fell just below the shoulder-blades. He moved his hands up and down. "Darsy..." damn! And why did it sound so intimate?

My brain began to distort reality because it just could not be happening. And I got this straight. This guy was not a human but Guardian who treated me like some dog like the Maltese terrier that Jackson and I often saw in this park.

"That's enough!" I got furious. "I can't! It doesn't work! Perhaps, you're wrong and wings won't grow! And even if they grow it'll take some time to master this ability!"

It was some stupid situation, and I was getting angry with myself for my own reaction because I got used to keeping my emotions under solid control. It was easier!

"Okay!" Eugene dropped his hands. "Shall I walk you home or will you get home on your own?" it was a strange question for a guy, who had recently stated that our rules of etiquette were a waste of time.

"No. I'm not tired. I'd like to go to the Guardians' Abode for training and reading in the library."

Eugene nodded and opened a portal, which I quickly jumped in for him not to see my tears of annoyance. What was wrong with me? The events of the last few days significantly affected my state of mind, and I was becoming a neurotic and a crybaby. And I did not expect this from myself! Then I suddenly realized that all new emotions and desires came from the Force that was changing me as a person. Tol said early that Charon had some human qualities awakened, so he always had them but the Force suppressed them. Something similar was happening with me as well. Not for nothing, I was drawn to everything dark, and fights that would have a fatal outcome exited me.

We arrived at the Abode and went directly to the training hall. I pulled out my sword and was pleased to see Eugene was going to fight me with a training weapon today.

"I want to fight in full force today so I've picked this weapon not to kill you accidentally!" he said lazily.

"So kind of you! I may be the one who has to be careful not to kill you today."

Eugene smiled with one corner of his lips, not really believing in my powers. Well, let's start!

Without further ado, I rushed into the attack. This time I let the Force inside me take full control of the fight. Eugene had no chances against my speed. Having deceived him with a couple of tricks, I used my entire range of abilities to drive him into the corner of the room. He tried to override my fast blows but he failed to keep track of the movements. In the end, I cut his trendy T-shirt from shoulder to waist with the tip of my sword, though with no wounds on his skin.

"You cut my favorite T-shirt!" he grunted.

"What are you talking about? Can Guardians be attached to anything? These are useless inventions designed to waste such a precious time of our short-lasting lives. I thought you all were above that. Aren't you?" I said with irony.

What got into me? Where did these poisonous words come from? I was frightened of my own words. My opponent's expression changed in a second. His smile faded from his face and was replaced by the same haughty grimace that he had for several days in a row since our first meeting.

Now he rushed into the attack, forcing me to back down. His blows were unpredictable and came from different directions. I barely managed to counter them, given the fact that I could move significantly faster than him. The hellfire blazed in his eyes, and jaw muscles moved on his face. He moved with such determination that I was sure if I got distracted for a second, he would cut me in half.

I had no doubts that he liked that garment a lot since he was so angry.

The clang of steel swords, mingling with my moans of zeal, echoed around the hall. Eugene remained silent like some ninja. I was quickly running out of energy, and my thoughts were distracting me. I gained control over the situation once again, having tamed the Force inside me. But Eugene got completely blind. He cut my shoulder with his next attack, paying zero attention to the cry of pain, and kept attacking me. While I was putting pressure on my wound, he went around me and cut my shank. My knees buckled and I fell down. He hit me on the face with the sword handle and that was the finale.

Spitting blood on the squeaky clean floor, I looked at Eugene. I did not know what he saw in my eyes but he dropped his sword down and leaned toward me. His hand inexorably moved to me, and I barely had time to shrink back before he touched me. I had enough mixed feelings for today, and I decided to put contempt aside – the feeling that prevailed all our communication, which had not started on a good note.

"I'm sorry! I wouldn't stop myself even if I wanted to. In the rage of battle, we cannot think straight until we see blood or death torment of our opponent. Sometimes our training is more violent than real battles."

"Sure! Let's just say I believe you."

"But that's true! We're the warriors of the Balance. Although we guard the balance, sometimes we must kill good creatures for the betterment of all. We're not robots and have feelings too, but we've been developing this instinct for centuries – when a battle begins, we must bring it to an end. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be able to complete our missions. We're also not strangers to mercy, sympathy, sorrow."

"Are you saying that you kill good guys too? And Demons aren't the only ones on your list, right?"

"That’s right. We have to, though it's not easy. Personally, I rarely had to do this. I'm usually sent on more dangerous missions..."

"Okay! Never mind. My wounds are already healed. But I want to gain revenge."

Eugene was surprised. The only lesson I got was that I needed to learn and train more.

That's what we were doing the next couple of hours. I was sweating but I forced myself to move and perfect my blows. Eugene explained to me some intricacies, showed unique maneuvers and even forbidden techniques that I practiced with him. We finished only when I literally could not stand on my feet anymore.

We put our confrontations aside. I did not provoke him and he was not angry with me. In the end, we left the training hall smiling. Maybe, we would be able to become friends.

"By the way, I've got a bunch of new questions! So, I'll need some help in the library today!" I said.

"Oh, no! Darsy, have mercy! I can't stand reading!"

"Eugene, you brought a human here again!" it was an unforgettable pain in the ass called Milena.

"Hello, beauty! How are you?" I waved at her just to annoy her.

And I succeeded. She paid attention to my words, and her nostrils began to swell like orangutan's when fighting the enemy. Milena was about to say something but changed her mind. Her eyebrows met on the bridge of her nose and formed several wrinkles.

"You shouldn't frown much or you'll get wrinkles ahead of time!" I said and pointed at that particular spot on her face.

It was a pure provocation on my part. I had no idea why I started this but I could not stop. It was pretty entertaining.

Milena flared up whether from my words or the fact that I dared to touch her. She reached for her sword, and I smiled back, looking forward to an exciting fight with another Guardian.

"Hey-hey! Take it easy!" Eugene stood between us and addressed his mate, "I wouldn't fight if I were you. Darsy lacks experience but she has outstanding abilities."

Milena snorted but put the sword back in its sheath.

"Keep her away from me, or I'll cut her in half one day and throw her nasty tongue to Cerberus."

With that, she walked away proudly and soon disappeared from sight.

"Wow!" That was rad! I've never seen anyone talk to her like that. What's gotten into you?"

"What's wrong about it? When she gets angry she looks like a funny and small mutt that only snorts but does not bite."

"You are wrong. Milena is dangerous. You'd know that if you asked me how she'd become the Guardian. She is disliked and feared by all the Guardians. She's terrifying in anger, and it's better not to provoke her. She's not a very good warrior but she's ruthless... Tol tolerates her only because she's the only Guardian who follows the vilest orders..." most likely he was referring to the murder of innocent.

"No wonder I didn't like her from the very beginning."

"Trust me, you're not the only one who thinks that way. Milena is a terrible woman and it's better to stay away from her."

We were walking to the library and, despite the late hour, the Guardians' Abode did not sleep. One could see its inhabitants everywhere. Some were training, others were discussing something vividly. Sometimes a couple of Guardians even ran past with alarming expression on their faces but no one paid attention to it.

"If you can't stand her, why are you together?" this question escaped my lips against my will. I squinted at Eugene and tried to determine if he had thought of anything else. But he simply responded,

"It's not my choice. I'd rather die on the battlefield than be with her. I still hope for this, as many Guardians do. We're disgusted by the idea of retirement and normal peaceful life because we're not built for this. And it was so many years ago: Guardians had no families, fought to the last breath and honorably died in the battlefield. But things have changed because of a few cases of human feelings awakening among one of us. Since then, the Elders decided that it would be better to select each Guardian an appropriate match and retire them after a few hundred years of service. They're the ones who find us a match. I don't know the criteria for this choice but I got Milena. Perhaps, I was given the most obnoxious woman as punishment for my temper. I'd rather hug an iceberg than her..."

"You have interesting customs. I thought you took a vow of chastity ..."

"Oh, Gods, Darsy, where did you get such thoughts? Though we're warriors, we're men as well. In our world, the moral framework is somewhat different than in yours, and as long as we do not marry, we lead a free life, even having a couple."

"Permissiveness... That's interesting! And what happens if, say, one of you falls in love already having a match?"

"Hm..." Eugene pondered. "That's more of an anomaly. I mean love. We don't have such feelings in the first place, which allows us to do our job well. The Elders still can't explain cases of Guardians' disobedience caused by love. The thing is that we do not love and do not fall in love. These feelings are alien to us as well as friendship, hatred, and the like. Only five Guardians felt something like this throughout our history. Even our mothers do not love their children. They have no maternal instinct because we are taken away from them at the age of five."

It was somewhat weird to listen to this story. I never imagined a creature who could not love. Even animals experienced something akin to love and devotion. I felt sorry for these creatures: they lived for the sake of a great mission but were not rewarded with feelings of delight, love, and tenderness. It was sad. They did not have friends or comrades but only their duty. I suddenly wondered how hard it was for them to live without everything we had. After all, they did not even get any gratitude for their sacrifice. But on the other hand, they probably did not even know what they were missing. And all this because nobody explained to them how good it was to be a human. They grew up in disdain for humanity, and it was not even their choice but what they were imposed, were thoroughly hammered into the head since the age of five. As a result, a century later they began to believe it and avoid us as leprosy.

We spent the last minutes on the way to the library in silence. It was surprisingly crowded. Few people stood at each table and argued fervently about something, poking their fingers into the books and scrolls. They tried to find answers but, apparently, they would hardly find them. The situation was really unique: the Styx River had never been left without the Carrier for such a long time.

Eugene found us a place and piled a decent number of books on the table. Then he took off his jacket, wearing just his torn T-shirt. Though, he looked very charming.

"Well, I'm ready for your questions, and then we'll start reading books," he said and smiled with his eyes only.

I got scared by the thought that I enjoy spending time with him.