VIGILANTS

When the sun began to rise over the horizon next to the city, Aelia and Ataoro were already down in the depths of the palace. Ataoro had arrived a few minutes earlier at the training hall they agreed to meet in. As Aelia entered through its gates, she could see the veteran guardians back, contemplating the otherworldly sight of the underwater sunrise, facing the massive crystal walls that surrounded the other side of the hall.

The training hall was a perfect viewing spot of the submarine scape of the city. The surface was roughly at the same distance as the seabed. Even though the water was clear, the bases of the neighboring towers seemed blurry, and it wasn’t possible to see nearly as many of them as up in The Haven. However, the underwater section of the towers had attributes invisible from the surface, such as additional pillars that composed a robust foundation to every tower, making them connect firmly to the jagged, coral sprinkled, rock bottom.

Nearly all of the towers, also had underwater rooms, not quite as big as the one they were standing on, but most of them were still big enough to hold a few train wagons. Aelia however didn’t know what those rooms were used for, and although she had never questioned it, today she was fully conscious of her ignorance.

Even though it was relatively dark, the depths of the palace were carefully designed to take advantage of the natural light that glinted from the surface, giving a faint bluish tone to everything on the inside. On the other hand, the white walls, floors and roofs, emitted a soft yellow light that gently embraced whoever walked down those desolate corridors. The sublime vastness of the ocean fading into darkness at the distance, could make even a king feel insignificant, like a mere grain of sand. Down there it was easy to be overwhelmed by the beauty and oppressive nature of the ocean.

For Ataoro, however, this sight had a different meaning.

"Aelia." Greeted Ataoro commandingly as he welcomed her to the hall.

"Good morning, Lord Ataoro." Replied Aelia nonchalantly, with a clear feeling of forced energy, due to her sleepiness.

"Do you know why our training, as guardians, is so important?" Asked Ataoro calmly, as he turned around to face her.

"So we can protect the people of Rossmaria." Answered Aelia in an almost automatic manner.

"That’s the obvious answer. Let me see if you understand what that really means."

Aelia took a few seconds to think, but her minds, blurred by the lack of sleep, couldn’t process any ideas clearly. She really didn’t want to be there.

"I… I don’t know sir."

Ataoro sighed in disappointment, but went back to observe the underwater scape.

"With luck, anyone with a little bit of talent can achieve greatness. At least for a while." He said as he walked across the hall towards the crystal walls. "As a guardian, you might be able to control a few vigilants, and under extreme conditions, if the adrenaline through your body responds well enough, you might be able to save a few hundred people." Said Ataoro in a neutral, relatively unexpressive manner. "However, the result will be based on a chance. Just as you might save people, you might be responsible for the deaths of thousands due to your incompetence and lack of experience."

"You are basically saying that training transforms chances into certainties." Reflected Aelia.

"You will never reach certainty. But you can develop consistency." Continued Ataoro "And with consistency, you will become reliable and be able to fulfill your duty, even on your worst days, without being distracted by your fears, your emotions or your ignorance."

Ataoro stopped to see Aelia’s face, which didn’t look too interested on what he was saying.

"Guardians such as you and me, have great power. Just being born with this quirk makes us greater than geniuses from the start. Where a normal citizen can just watch nature from a distance with impotence, we can control it." Said Ataoro as he once again looked at the vast sea that surrounded them. "We can shape the seas to our own will if we desire, as long as we work hard enough to make use of our talents."

Aelia could simply watch the scenery as Ataoro kept talking. She wasn’t completely uninterested, since Ataoro really had a voice that commanded interest and respect. But she simply wasn’t feeling them inside her.

"This is why we guardians have power. With control of our minds and bodies, we can control things larger than ourselves. And we can use that power to be reliable and protect others, even when surrounded by pain and chaos."

Ataoro once again turned towards Aelia, to see an emotionless face, that almost seemed to be asking “did you really wake me up for this?”

"It might be easier to explain if I give you a demonstration…"

Ataoro’s blood brown, short hair, began to wave slightly, as his silver eyes lightened up, clearly revealing the symbol of Rossmaria engraved in his irises, around his pupils. His already huge, muscular, dark tan body began to tense up, making him seem even larger than usual. His stance was firm but relaxed, and emitted a sense of raw, controlled power.

Ataoro rested both of his hands over the hilts of the two pairs of broadswords he always carried around both sides of his waist, as he smiled at Aelia with confidence. Most of the time, on normal days, it seemed as if those swords were just to show his status, as if they didn’t have any practical use. But this time it felt different, as if unsheathing those swords meant straight up death to any witness.

Aelia felt so intimidated by his instructor, that she didn’t notice how the floor and roof of the room had begun to lighten up as well.

"Let me show you what a guardian can do, Aelia." Said Ataoro with his face full of confidence and energy.

Just as those words ended, behind him, out on the underwater scenery, the silhouette of a gigantic creature, similar to a whale, but not quite as organic, passed rapidly swimming up into the direction of the surface, sending a cold shiver down Aelia’s spine. Two more followed it quickly, and made a spin that seemed to clearly change the current of the water and send waves up to the surface high up.

The three immense creatures, partly hidden by the shadows of the depth, but also gently lightened by the rays from the surface, floated right outside the training hall, looking at Aelia with terrifying glowing silver eyes, just like those of Ataoro.

As Aelia stared at the monsters in both awe and horror, she saw how two of the swords of the guardian, unsheathed without him even touching them, and began to float in a perfectly controlled manner, revealing their glowing white blades, and firmly guarding both sides of Ataoro, as he also unsheathed the two remaining swords with his own hands.

Aelia could easily identify that those floating swords worked in the same manner as the orbs she used to train with, by possessing each one of them with one of her minds. He was surely also controlling the massive creatures behind him in the same manner.

"This, Aelia… is what mere five parallel minds of a guardian can do, when used properly." Said Ataoro with prideful glowing eyes, as his back was guarded by three perfectly controlled sea monsters, his sides and rear were protected by two floating white broadswords, and he himself, stood in a firm combat position wielding the remaining two. "This is something you could possibly do already if you trained hard enough."

Ataoro relaxed his stance, and continued talking to a wide-eyed Aelia, who now seemed to have all traces of slumber washed away, as her shoulders curled inward and her hands began to slightly shake.

"Impressed?" Asked Ataoro, enjoying the expression of the young guardian "I personally, can control up to twenty-five thoughts at once. But I’ll leave that sight to your imagination." He continued. "We don't usually make these demonstrations, because of the large amounts of energy required to move the vigilants. But I presented a special request for us to use them today. I thought it might be good for you."

The vigilants returned back down to the base of the palace, as if they had their own free will, but gladly followed Ataoro's desires. In reality, they did have their own independent thoughts, that communicated into Ataoro as a control tower. Each floating broad sword, and each vigilant, were in a way Ataoro himself, projected into another body.

The floating swords also returned to their sheaths on their own, and Ataoro, with his own body, hid the blades of the remaining two swords he firmly held in his hands. Aelia had been struggling to breathe normally after witnessing the horrifying vigilants staring into her soul, but managed to catch her breath with a shaky exhale.

"Since you have this incredible talent, Aelia, we can’t afford it to go to waste." Said Ataoro hoping to have caused an impact. "And we, as part of this kingdom, are willing to do sacrifices so you can control it. Wouldn't you like to own this power and protect Rossmaria with it?"

However, Aelia’s pale face and unfocused eyes didn’t express any motivation whatsoever. If anything, she now seemed to be suffering, as if the only thing she wanted was to be anywhere else but down there.