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Description
"That was incorrect, Sparkie. Try again." Chira's massive claws rapped the ground. "If you cannot access your powers fluidly you will never be able to command anything more than short bursts of excruciating power. Focus on where you want to channel the energy. Force the flow of the power where you want it. You'll have to start out doing small motions to get your body to react correctly, but with enough practice you'll be able to do it without even thinking."  Chira demonstrated what she meant as she flicked her tail and created a ball of fire and then dissipated it without even moving.

Sparkie sighed gustily. Her hair was a frizzy mess. She was only here because she called her mom and told her she was going to stay at Ella's for the night and therefore had an excuse not to be home. But that was beside the point. Even if it was only the first day of training and they had fought with an evil force earlier, Chira was showing no mercy. It was always 'try again try again try again'! Sparkie was about to tear her hair out. She couldn't do it!

Ella and Chaz were doing just as bad. In fact, Ella couldn't even access her abilities. She couldn't even get the stomach churning pain that came with the rush of new-found strength. Chaz was about on the same level as Sparkie, but still, Chira was being very unfair.

"Sparkie, I know you think this is cruel, but time is our greatest enemy. The Umbra boy is only the first step into fighting shadow beasts. You will be challenged by much more powerful creatures before you can blink, and you'll need your full power. Now, knock me off my feet." Chira stood up and locked her powerful dragon legs. "Don't worry about hurting me." She smiled dangerously.

With a frustrated sigh, Sparkie did as Chira had been instructing. Lightning was untamable, it was wild and ferocious, beautiful and dangerous….lightning had chosen the wrong person.

BOOM! A bolt of lightning backfired from Sparkie's body, knocking the teenager down.

Chira shook her head, "Why did that move backfire?"

"I….I don't think I'm the right person…."

"For your element? Don't ever think that. Shove doubt from your mind, and knock me down!" Chira stomped her foot and the ground rumbled. They were actually training in a courtyard behind the temple.

Sparkie looked up at the stars and sighed. Lightning, for all that it was gone in a brief flash, lived fully in its few seconds of existence.  It was a light--maybe it was even hope. It wasn't like fire, a warm and life-giving heat that could just as easily become dangerous. Chaz had control over that.  Sparkie had the weapon of the skies at her fingertips, she had the power to rain down hell…she closed her eyes and felt the sickening rush that signified her powers activating. Snapping her right hand, Sparkie brought it up into the air.

A lightning bolt shot straight into the clear skies. Sparkie staggered back and fell on her rump. "Ow!"

Chira smiled. "Very good, Sparkie. Try again, and then you can go home." Ella and Chaz had finished their training and were currently snoozing with their backs to a tree that had sprouted up in the courtyard over the years.

Sparkie gulped and focused. This time, her powers seemed willing to obey, and her stomach barely even twisted as she brought her right hand up. Sparks ran down her arm and concentrated in the palm of her hand. A glowing yellow light began to shine. Sparkie's eyes widened. She had done it! A bolt of lightning shot from her hands and went straight at Chira. The centaurion smiled and stopped it with a flick of her wrist.

"You are done for the night. Get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Am I training?" Sparkie asked, curious.

"You can come tomorrow whenever you have time. I know that you don't have time to just come at my call. This is not a world that would accept the fact that there is a threat and there are heroes that can fight it--but that they need time to prepare for it. You live in strange times." Chira started walking back to the temple.

With a frown, Sparkie looked back up at the stars. "We do live in strange times." What would happen if the world found out about this 'new Guardian generation'? She didn't want to dwell on it; it was an uncharacteristic thing of Sparkie to do--thinking about the consequences of something.

She walked over to Ella and Chaz--the two were leaning against a tree, asleep--and  kicked over her best guy friend and rapped her best girl friend on the head. "Wakey-wakey you two! Time to go home!"

They jumped up, bleary eyed. "Whaaa?"

"Time. To. Go. HOOOOMMEEE."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ella sat up, her wavy hair wild and her body sore and aching. "Jesus." She looked over at Sparkie, who was passed out beside her. "Well, I guess even super-heroes can still have sleep overs." She stretched, and put her hand on Sparkie's shoulder, "Wake up."
The blonde rolled over and fell off the bed. "Ooow." Sparkie sat up. "My hands hurt. Weird. They feel all tender." She looked at her palms. They were red and splotchy, and looked like they suffered from burns.

Ella grimaced, "Oh. I think we have some ACE bandages. Let's get those taken care of. Is it from….using your powers?" She whispered, hoping her brother wasn't eavesdropping. The brunette jumped out of bed. She was wearing some boy boxers and a tight fitting tank-top. Sparkie hadn't even bothered to get any clothes, so she was wearing one of Ella'shirt/short combos. The shirt was baggy in the chest, but Sparkie didn't mind, at least Ella was nice enough to lend her something.

Her friend had meanwhile returned from the bathroom with ACE bandages, and lots of other medical stuff. "Okay, let me put some of this stuff on your hands, we'll tape them up and then you'll be good as new!" Ella crossed her legs as she sat on the bed.

"You know," Sparkie grinned, "You seriously don't look like the girl that can clean, cook, and take care of any injury. You're like a mom, almost."

Ella's lips cracked into a smile, "Well, my parents think that Matt takes care of me, but it's really quite the opposite." She finished bandaging Sparkie's hands, "Besides, everyone knows you're pretty much my first child. How's that?"

Sparkie clenched her fists, "Wow, cool! I feel like some ninja in an anime!" She punched the air a couple of times.

"Okay, tiger, take it down a notch." Ella rolled her eyes and got off the bed. "I'm starving. Wanna go get some coffee?"

"Sure!"

The two girls got ready for their day and ran out of Ella and Matt's small house. It was a block away from Sparkie's house, a fence hop away from Chaz's, and very close to any small café or convenient store in the area. The friends lived in the suburban area of the old town, with its newer houses and buildings blending with the ancient buildings of their ancestors.

Sparkie and Ella walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, giggling and enjoying the cool day. Even if it was summer, Sparkie was still able to wear her light long-sleeved overshirts and maintain her casual style. It was really beautiful out today, not too sunny, but not completely overcast. The light was dappled from the abundant foliage.

"Man. It's nice out." Sparkie looked around, as if she were seeing nature for the first time.

Ella nodded. "Mmmhhm. It really is nice out today. It looks unusually beautiful, you know?" She stopped before they entered the coffee shop. "Speaking of unusually beautiful, look at that."

Sparkie looked up, and her eyes met with a pair of soft blue eyes. He had light skin, and shiny, sandy blonde hair. His eyes were what held her in place for what felt like forever. He smiled, suddenly.

Turning quickly to hide her suddenly red face, Sparkie opened the door to go inside.

"Woooaaah. You to were all intense, huh?" Ella followed Sparkie inside the shop. "Have you ever seen him before?"

"N-no!" Sparkie's blush deepened, "But that was weird! He…he….he's right behind me, isn't he?" Sparkie turned her head slowly to see the boy from a few seconds earlier walk by her.

He went up to the counter, "Hello, can I just get the usual?" He smiled at the worker, and she quickly mixed up an iced coffee.

"There ya go, Baylee! See ya around!" The worker grinned and took the payment for the drink.

"Baylee…" Ella was lost in thought as she walked up to the counter, "Baylee…Sparkie, what do you want?"

"Whatever you get, I don't care!" Sparkie walked over and sat down by the window. She looked at the unusual brightness of all the leaves and grass. She couldn't remember a day when she had seen nature look so healthy.

"So, your name's Sparkie?"  The blonde boy was sitting across from her, sipping idly on his drink. "I'm Baylee Hemsley, and I just wanted to introduce myself to you. You run track at Northwest, right?"

Sparkie blushed furiously as they made eye-contact. She felt a strange connection to the teenager in front of her, something that made her feel safe and very comfortable.

"I-I do run track at Northwest. How'd you know? I'm Sydney Walter, actually, but Sparkie is my nickname!" She smiled, a little nervous.

Baylee smiled back at her, "Because I'm a huge fan of the Northwest track and field team! I'd run, but athletics….eh, not my calling. I enjoy watching, though. You won first at state this year in the 100 Meter Dash, if I'm correct? You're very good, good enough to get a scholarship!"

Feeling her face get hotter and hotter as he continued to compliment her running abilities, Sparkie started scooting her chair back. Sure, she was already crushing on the guy, but she was also terrified of that weird, secure feeling she got around him. Also, she couldn't resist staring at his face, or just enjoying his smell--it was very warm and natural, like fresh hay or something, she couldn't quite place it! But even if she was getting the 'it's okay, just relax' signal from her mind, her instinct was screaming 'trap!' Besides, what good were males anyway? Her own dad had left her when she was little, so she didn't trust just any guy!

Sparkie started to get up, but then Ella ran over to them, coffees in hand, "YOU! YOU! OMIGOD! I should have known--those clothes, your build, you're the Hemsley kid! Holy crap! We need to talk!" Ella grabbed Baylee's arm and pulled him out the door. "Sparkie, here's your coffee. I'll be right back."

Wondering what on earth had gotten into Ella, Sparkie craned her neck as she looked out the window. Ella was looking pretty intense, she had her hands on her hips and her purple eyes were glittering dangerously.

"Match-maker face. Uh-oh!" Sparkie chugged her coffee and slipped out the door, running down the street--the opposite way from Ella and Baylee.

After sprinting madly down the street for a few minutes, Sparkie decided she had gotten far enough away from Ella and her match-maker face to stop and catch her breath.

A shiver ran down her spine. Sparkie spun around, looking down an alleyway, deserted except for some clothes hanging out above her. She had never felt that kind of feeling in her life. This wasn't just any sort of chill--not even the someone walked over the grave type--it was as if something had tugged at her very essence, and tried to pull it away.

"Woah!" Sparkie slid off the wall, wincing from the powerful blow that had been dealt to her back. She could feel her skin exposed and bleeding, her shirt ripped to shreds. "What was--oh God, not you again!" She grimaced as a cold hand touched her cheek, fingers tracing her jaw.

Knil slammed his knee into Sparkie's gut, causing her to cough sharply and double over in pain. "Teehee, Cutie, you look a little hurt! Need a kiss to make it better?"

"Drink bleach, freak!" Sparkie spat the words out between gasps for air.

Pursing his lips, Knil shook his head and made a 'tsk' noise, and slammed his knee into her stomach again, crushing out any air she had managed to recover. "Come now, that wasn't very nice, Cutie. Say you're sorry and I might spare you." He winked at her.

"Ne…ev…er!" Sparkie gulped. She tried to focus her powers, but her brain was foggy, her sight was growing dim.

Knil wrapped his fingers in Sparkie's head and slammed her head against the wall. She felt blood rush to her skull, and her vision really began to black out. She tried to get her fingers around something, tried to hold on to reality, but was slipping too fast.

Right before she collapsed, Sparkie swore she was in a field of sweet smelling wildflowers, safe and warm.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Knil smiled dangerously and flipped the Guardian over. Her chest still rose and fell, but it was slower, weaker. Summoning his knife, the immortal teenager took a steeling breath. He was infatuated with the girl, and he really didn't want to kill her, but it was his destiny to defeat the Guardians or die trying.

He stopped the blade inches away from Sparkie's heart. The Guardian seemed too peaceful, as if she were secure and truly sleeping. Her expression had been different before. What had caused the change? Knil's red eyes widened as he spun around. "Damn you!"

A tall teenage boy was staring in shock at the bleeding Sparkie, and her attacker. A small and busty girl was standing a little behind him, her eyes commanding the heavens to smite Knil. But she wasn't the problem. He could sense that power was building within her, but it was weak, far from peaking. The boy, however, was welling with strength, as if he would explode any moment….

"I see. Another Guardian has appeared. If you don't mind, just hand yourself over so I can kill you quickly." He smirked.

The blond boy frowned, "Guardian? What does that even---ow!" He grabbed his chest as the power hiding within him exploded. Knil began to back away. Newly awakened Guardians, while not as powerful as one that was fully prepared for battle (Knil had dealt with those, and wasn't looking forward to doing it again,) were fully capable of unleashing mass destruction on whatever happened to push them over the edge. He knew his enemy well--better, in fact, than they knew themselves.

The teenager had meanwhile dropped to his knees as a vibrant green aura began to ooze from him, shining like the leaves on a sunlit tree. He gulped and tensed his hands on the ground. The aura pulsed around him, and flowed through his arms into the ground.

Knil bared his teeth in frustration. The ground began to rumble around him, green shooting up from the cement. The ground began to crack, and finally shattered as a huge vine emerged from the earth. It was adorned with many spikes, and Knil smirked.

"Well, I think I'll leave this little party, no need to cause too much trouble." He sunk into the ground, a nasty look on his face.

More vines had sprung from the ground, and Baylee was choking on the energy that had taken over his body. He touched his forehead to the ground, panting for air. His eyes focused on Sparkie, and he crawled over to her.

"Sydney?" He asked softly, touching her shoulder. She looked peaceful, as if she were sleeping.

"Thank you…. And…" Her breath caught for a second as she moved her head to give him an expressive look, "You can call me Sparkie." She smiled and laughed a little before closing her eyes.

Description
"That was incorrect, Sparkie. Try again." Chira's massive claws rapped the ground. "If you cannot access your powers fluidly you will never be able to command anything more than short bursts of excruciating power. Focus on where you want to channel the energy. Force the flow of the power where you want it. You'll have to start out doing small motions to get your body to react correctly, but with enough practice you'll be able to do it without even thinking."  Chira demonstrated what she meant as she flicked her tail and created a ball of fire and then dissipated it without even moving.

Sparkie sighed gustily. Her hair was a frizzy mess. She was only here because she called her mom and told her she was going to stay at Ella's for the night and therefore had an excuse not to be home. But that was beside the point. Even if it was only the first day of training and they had fought with an evil force earlier, Chira was showing no mercy. It was always 'try again try again try again'! Sparkie was about to tear her hair out. She couldn't do it!

Ella and Chaz were doing just as bad. In fact, Ella couldn't even access her abilities. She couldn't even get the stomach churning pain that came with the rush of new-found strength. Chaz was about on the same level as Sparkie, but still, Chira was being very unfair.

"Sparkie, I know you think this is cruel, but time is our greatest enemy. The Umbra boy is only the first step into fighting shadow beasts. You will be challenged by much more powerful creatures before you can blink, and you'll need your full power. Now, knock me off my feet." Chira stood up and locked her powerful dragon legs. "Don't worry about hurting me." She smiled dangerously.

With a frustrated sigh, Sparkie did as Chira had been instructing. Lightning was untamable, it was wild and ferocious, beautiful and dangerous….lightning had chosen the wrong person.

BOOM! A bolt of lightning backfired from Sparkie's body, knocking the teenager down.

Chira shook her head, "Why did that move backfire?"

"I….I don't think I'm the right person…."

"For your element? Don't ever think that. Shove doubt from your mind, and knock me down!" Chira stomped her foot and the ground rumbled. They were actually training in a courtyard behind the temple.

Sparkie looked up at the stars and sighed. Lightning, for all that it was gone in a brief flash, lived fully in its few seconds of existence.  It was a light--maybe it was even hope. It wasn't like fire, a warm and life-giving heat that could just as easily become dangerous. Chaz had control over that.  Sparkie had the weapon of the skies at her fingertips, she had the power to rain down hell…she closed her eyes and felt the sickening rush that signified her powers activating. Snapping her right hand, Sparkie brought it up into the air.

A lightning bolt shot straight into the clear skies. Sparkie staggered back and fell on her rump. "Ow!"

Chira smiled. "Very good, Sparkie. Try again, and then you can go home." Ella and Chaz had finished their training and were currently snoozing with their backs to a tree that had sprouted up in the courtyard over the years.

Sparkie gulped and focused. This time, her powers seemed willing to obey, and her stomach barely even twisted as she brought her right hand up. Sparks ran down her arm and concentrated in the palm of her hand. A glowing yellow light began to shine. Sparkie's eyes widened. She had done it! A bolt of lightning shot from her hands and went straight at Chira. The centaurion smiled and stopped it with a flick of her wrist.

"You are done for the night. Get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Am I training?" Sparkie asked, curious.

"You can come tomorrow whenever you have time. I know that you don't have time to just come at my call. This is not a world that would accept the fact that there is a threat and there are heroes that can fight it--but that they need time to prepare for it. You live in strange times." Chira started walking back to the temple.

With a frown, Sparkie looked back up at the stars. "We do live in strange times." What would happen if the world found out about this 'new Guardian generation'? She didn't want to dwell on it; it was an uncharacteristic thing of Sparkie to do--thinking about the consequences of something.

She walked over to Ella and Chaz--the two were leaning against a tree, asleep--and  kicked over her best guy friend and rapped her best girl friend on the head. "Wakey-wakey you two! Time to go home!"

They jumped up, bleary eyed. "Whaaa?"

"Time. To. Go. HOOOOMMEEE."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ella sat up, her wavy hair wild and her body sore and aching. "Jesus." She looked over at Sparkie, who was passed out beside her. "Well, I guess even super-heroes can still have sleep overs." She stretched, and put her hand on Sparkie's shoulder, "Wake up."
The blonde rolled over and fell off the bed. "Ooow." Sparkie sat up. "My hands hurt. Weird. They feel all tender." She looked at her palms. They were red and splotchy, and looked like they suffered from burns.

Ella grimaced, "Oh. I think we have some ACE bandages. Let's get those taken care of. Is it from….using your powers?" She whispered, hoping her brother wasn't eavesdropping. The brunette jumped out of bed. She was wearing some boy boxers and a tight fitting tank-top. Sparkie hadn't even bothered to get any clothes, so she was wearing one of Ella'shirt/short combos. The shirt was baggy in the chest, but Sparkie didn't mind, at least Ella was nice enough to lend her something.

Her friend had meanwhile returned from the bathroom with ACE bandages, and lots of other medical stuff. "Okay, let me put some of this stuff on your hands, we'll tape them up and then you'll be good as new!" Ella crossed her legs as she sat on the bed.

"You know," Sparkie grinned, "You seriously don't look like the girl that can clean, cook, and take care of any injury. You're like a mom, almost."

Ella's lips cracked into a smile, "Well, my parents think that Matt takes care of me, but it's really quite the opposite." She finished bandaging Sparkie's hands, "Besides, everyone knows you're pretty much my first child. How's that?"

Sparkie clenched her fists, "Wow, cool! I feel like some ninja in an anime!" She punched the air a couple of times.

"Okay, tiger, take it down a notch." Ella rolled her eyes and got off the bed. "I'm starving. Wanna go get some coffee?"

"Sure!"

The two girls got ready for their day and ran out of Ella and Matt's small house. It was a block away from Sparkie's house, a fence hop away from Chaz's, and very close to any small café or convenient store in the area. The friends lived in the suburban area of the old town, with its newer houses and buildings blending with the ancient buildings of their ancestors.

Sparkie and Ella walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, giggling and enjoying the cool day. Even if it was summer, Sparkie was still able to wear her light long-sleeved overshirts and maintain her casual style. It was really beautiful out today, not too sunny, but not completely overcast. The light was dappled from the abundant foliage.

"Man. It's nice out." Sparkie looked around, as if she were seeing nature for the first time.

Ella nodded. "Mmmhhm. It really is nice out today. It looks unusually beautiful, you know?" She stopped before they entered the coffee shop. "Speaking of unusually beautiful, look at that."

Sparkie looked up, and her eyes met with a pair of soft blue eyes. He had light skin, and shiny, sandy blonde hair. His eyes were what held her in place for what felt like forever. He smiled, suddenly.

Turning quickly to hide her suddenly red face, Sparkie opened the door to go inside.

"Woooaaah. You to were all intense, huh?" Ella followed Sparkie inside the shop. "Have you ever seen him before?"

"N-no!" Sparkie's blush deepened, "But that was weird! He…he….he's right behind me, isn't he?" Sparkie turned her head slowly to see the boy from a few seconds earlier walk by her.

He went up to the counter, "Hello, can I just get the usual?" He smiled at the worker, and she quickly mixed up an iced coffee.

"There ya go, Baylee! See ya around!" The worker grinned and took the payment for the drink.

"Baylee…" Ella was lost in thought as she walked up to the counter, "Baylee…Sparkie, what do you want?"

"Whatever you get, I don't care!" Sparkie walked over and sat down by the window. She looked at the unusual brightness of all the leaves and grass. She couldn't remember a day when she had seen nature look so healthy.

"So, your name's Sparkie?"  The blonde boy was sitting across from her, sipping idly on his drink. "I'm Baylee Hemsley, and I just wanted to introduce myself to you. You run track at Northwest, right?"

Sparkie blushed furiously as they made eye-contact. She felt a strange connection to the teenager in front of her, something that made her feel safe and very comfortable.

"I-I do run track at Northwest. How'd you know? I'm Sydney Walter, actually, but Sparkie is my nickname!" She smiled, a little nervous.

Baylee smiled back at her, "Because I'm a huge fan of the Northwest track and field team! I'd run, but athletics….eh, not my calling. I enjoy watching, though. You won first at state this year in the 100 Meter Dash, if I'm correct? You're very good, good enough to get a scholarship!"

Feeling her face get hotter and hotter as he continued to compliment her running abilities, Sparkie started scooting her chair back. Sure, she was already crushing on the guy, but she was also terrified of that weird, secure feeling she got around him. Also, she couldn't resist staring at his face, or just enjoying his smell--it was very warm and natural, like fresh hay or something, she couldn't quite place it! But even if she was getting the 'it's okay, just relax' signal from her mind, her instinct was screaming 'trap!' Besides, what good were males anyway? Her own dad had left her when she was little, so she didn't trust just any guy!

Sparkie started to get up, but then Ella ran over to them, coffees in hand, "YOU! YOU! OMIGOD! I should have known--those clothes, your build, you're the Hemsley kid! Holy crap! We need to talk!" Ella grabbed Baylee's arm and pulled him out the door. "Sparkie, here's your coffee. I'll be right back."

Wondering what on earth had gotten into Ella, Sparkie craned her neck as she looked out the window. Ella was looking pretty intense, she had her hands on her hips and her purple eyes were glittering dangerously.

"Match-maker face. Uh-oh!" Sparkie chugged her coffee and slipped out the door, running down the street--the opposite way from Ella and Baylee.

After sprinting madly down the street for a few minutes, Sparkie decided she had gotten far enough away from Ella and her match-maker face to stop and catch her breath.

A shiver ran down her spine. Sparkie spun around, looking down an alleyway, deserted except for some clothes hanging out above her. She had never felt that kind of feeling in her life. This wasn't just any sort of chill--not even the someone walked over the grave type--it was as if something had tugged at her very essence, and tried to pull it away.

"Woah!" Sparkie slid off the wall, wincing from the powerful blow that had been dealt to her back. She could feel her skin exposed and bleeding, her shirt ripped to shreds. "What was--oh God, not you again!" She grimaced as a cold hand touched her cheek, fingers tracing her jaw.

Knil slammed his knee into Sparkie's gut, causing her to cough sharply and double over in pain. "Teehee, Cutie, you look a little hurt! Need a kiss to make it better?"

"Drink bleach, freak!" Sparkie spat the words out between gasps for air.

Pursing his lips, Knil shook his head and made a 'tsk' noise, and slammed his knee into her stomach again, crushing out any air she had managed to recover. "Come now, that wasn't very nice, Cutie. Say you're sorry and I might spare you." He winked at her.

"Ne…ev…er!" Sparkie gulped. She tried to focus her powers, but her brain was foggy, her sight was growing dim.

Knil wrapped his fingers in Sparkie's head and slammed her head against the wall. She felt blood rush to her skull, and her vision really began to black out. She tried to get her fingers around something, tried to hold on to reality, but was slipping too fast.

Right before she collapsed, Sparkie swore she was in a field of sweet smelling wildflowers, safe and warm.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Knil smiled dangerously and flipped the Guardian over. Her chest still rose and fell, but it was slower, weaker. Summoning his knife, the immortal teenager took a steeling breath. He was infatuated with the girl, and he really didn't want to kill her, but it was his destiny to defeat the Guardians or die trying.

He stopped the blade inches away from Sparkie's heart. The Guardian seemed too peaceful, as if she were secure and truly sleeping. Her expression had been different before. What had caused the change? Knil's red eyes widened as he spun around. "Damn you!"

A tall teenage boy was staring in shock at the bleeding Sparkie, and her attacker. A small and busty girl was standing a little behind him, her eyes commanding the heavens to smite Knil. But she wasn't the problem. He could sense that power was building within her, but it was weak, far from peaking. The boy, however, was welling with strength, as if he would explode any moment….

"I see. Another Guardian has appeared. If you don't mind, just hand yourself over so I can kill you quickly." He smirked.

The blond boy frowned, "Guardian? What does that even---ow!" He grabbed his chest as the power hiding within him exploded. Knil began to back away. Newly awakened Guardians, while not as powerful as one that was fully prepared for battle (Knil had dealt with those, and wasn't looking forward to doing it again,) were fully capable of unleashing mass destruction on whatever happened to push them over the edge. He knew his enemy well--better, in fact, than they knew themselves.

The teenager had meanwhile dropped to his knees as a vibrant green aura began to ooze from him, shining like the leaves on a sunlit tree. He gulped and tensed his hands on the ground. The aura pulsed around him, and flowed through his arms into the ground.

Knil bared his teeth in frustration. The ground began to rumble around him, green shooting up from the cement. The ground began to crack, and finally shattered as a huge vine emerged from the earth. It was adorned with many spikes, and Knil smirked.

"Well, I think I'll leave this little party, no need to cause too much trouble." He sunk into the ground, a nasty look on his face.

More vines had sprung from the ground, and Baylee was choking on the energy that had taken over his body. He touched his forehead to the ground, panting for air. His eyes focused on Sparkie, and he crawled over to her.

"Sydney?" He asked softly, touching her shoulder. She looked peaceful, as if she were sleeping.

"Thank you…. And…" Her breath caught for a second as she moved her head to give him an expressive look, "You can call me Sparkie." She smiled and laughed a little before closing her eyes.