The Last Guardian

Chapter_59: The Clan Of Elders

The moon was setting over the horizon. The sky was scattered with black clouds- it would rain again soon, the pavement was still wet after a brief downpour. Somewhere in a back alley, Azazel was struggling to stand on his feet after a sudden surge of Chi from Johnathan’s mind. He was acting like a maniac, tearing off his clothes, punching and kicking on the garbage cans nearby. Johnathan was awake now.

“You thought it would that easy to dominate over my body? Give me back my body or you will be exorcised by my Chi!” said Johnathan.

Azazel, who was in charge of his body, refused, although he knew what he said was true, he was just beginning to enjoy being in a meat suit. It was next to impossible to defeat a first- grade fallen angel or demon in the flesh. But once he’s out of his body and his soul is trapped, then it becomes a lot easier to defeat him. And it becomes easier to destroy such a demon, once he’s trapped in a meat-suit or possessing a human body. A powerful Guardian could exorcise him like any other low grade demon, provided he had enough positive energy or Chi to do so.

“No! This is impossible- how could you possess such energy? You were half dead-”replied Azazel.

“Last chance Demon! Return to your rightful place and I’ll allow your soul to co exist inside me-”said Johnathan, his energy growing stronger every second.

Azazel grunted and struggled against the ever growing energy in his body- it was starting to burn like hell and it almost felt like an exorcism.

“I cannot be destroyed like a lowly demon trapped inside this meat-suit! Take it back! But remember, it’s only a matter of time before the demon blood in you fades and I am released- after which I’ll resurrect myself into my own body with the help of the Eternal Darkness and that day, I shall find you and destroy you like an insect!”remarked Azazel and handed over Johnathan’s body.

There was huge burst of energy from Johnathan’s body as Azazel switched places with him. The switching made Johnathan dizzy and exhausted and he collapsed on the street.

Farid felt this sudden burst of Chi and he could tell from which direction it came. He immediately called Raven and gave her the general direction. After almost half an hour, Raven found Johnathan, lying besides a dumpster in some back alley- his clothes torn to pieces and he looked exhausted. Raven woke him up and dragged him on her bike and took him to the hospital once again. It would take two days before Johnathan would wake up and taken to Brother Farid’s place- The Lucky Shop.

Two Days later-

Johnathan was still in his bed, fast asleep, it was early morning. Farid’s wife had brought him tea and some cookies. Farid was busy in his shop- the customers were starting to arrive and he was busy attending to them and showing off his items. He hadn’t heard of either Billy or Raven since the incident at the hospital, they left after dropping Johnny off at his place and Farid remarked that Billy had made an unforgivable mistake and Johnny was lucky that he could take over his body once again- there was a demon inside him- inside a Guardian! How ridiculous was that! Billy scoffed and said nothing and drove away while Raven gave a sorry look and went off. Lisa has been calling from time to time asking about Johnny, she was worried after he told her what had happened in the hospital.

With Billy and Raven away, Farid was left alone to guide and help Johnathan in this battle. He could already sense a change in the atmosphere in the city. That woman that the demon Yoshi wanted to hurt, was the first seal, she was safe for now but it wouldn't be long before the darkness sent another ine of its minions after her and Johnny was still trying to find the balance. But Farid was wise, he had better plans to help Johnny and protect the seals. He called up a friend of his named Solomon to come and assist him now that Billy had become unreliable and Raven could only help with the logistics.

Later that day, Johnathan woke up and feeling a lot better. Farid had closed his shop when suddenly there was a knock on the door. He opened the door and to his great pleasure, his friend Solomon had arrived. Johnathan saw a tall African man dressed in a white robe with a kind face entering the shop, he had a thick Zulu accent. He walked up to him and looked at him-

"So this is the Guardian that you've been telling me about- he looks strong and yet conflicted somehow-"said Solomon.

"Meet Brother Solomon- a great Alchemist and a fellow Elder!"remarked Farid.

Johnathan smiled and shook his hand.

"I thought there were no other elders!"he said.

"Don't be silly! We're many- we used to be a great clan of magicians and sorcerers until the darkness killed most of us- the few that are still alive are hiding- in plain sight."Solomon said sitting down on a chair.

"Really? A clan?"asked Johnathan.

"Yes- you're familiar of our legacy I presume- we are priests and monks and we act as guides and healers for the Guardians- we have been doing this for a thousand years and we pass on our skills to our children-" replied Solomon sipping some tea that Farid brought.

"What about Billy and Raven, they're elders too I guess?" he asked again.

"Oh those two- huh! Billy was always fascinated by our works and he always wanted to earn a place in our clan but he was too ambitious and rash. He wanted to skip the spiritual part and focused more on killing demons, that's why he never earned our skills or appreciation- we let him help us because there aren't many of us left -"

"And Raven- I raised her as a child- teaching her great martial arts skills but she got power hungry and sided with Billy- together they do as they please with no higher authority to control them- but atleast they're on our side-" Solomon explained.

"Where are they now Brother?"asked Solomon.

"I guess they decided to take a break after the incident-"replied Farid.

"I see- nevertheless I'm here now and there are things I can teach you that you'd need in this battle and also I need to fix that thing inside your head!" said Solomon looking at him.

Johnathan was surprised that he knew about Azazel possessing him.

"But for now that thing could be a great ally for you if you can use it well-"he added.

Johnathan looked at him- he already started to feel like he was in the presence of a great master.

Somewhere in the city, Billy was sitting in a dark room, smoking a cigarette. He was frustrated with Farid’s attitude towards him.

“What does that monk know? What does he think of himself? I did what I thought was right- I saved myself and probably done Johnny a favour- Guh! The attitude he gives me after I saved Johnny’s life and helped him kill that witch-” he said to himself.

“So you’re gonna sit here all alone in and whine about it all day?”Raven said entering the room.

“Why are you here? You can go back to your old life, now that I’ve been discarded by the Clan!”replied Billy facing towards the window.

“What Clan? You mean those robe wearing sissy monks? We do all the dirty work and the heavy lifting for them and they sit and lecture us around? I never liked them in the first place and to think of it- they haven’t discarded you, because they can’t afford to- who else in their right minds would be willing to put their lives at stake and fight monsters all day, everyday?”said Raven.

Billy scoffed and said nothing.

“I think its time we show them what we are actually capable of- forget Johnathan- think about how much power and wealth we can have if we do what we do best!” she said placing her hand over his shoulder.

Billy thought for a minute and replied-

“You’re right- we don’t need that loser Johnny- he’s useless now that there’s a demon inside of him- I guess we should pull together all our resources and kill as many demons and monsters as possible- Yeah! The powers that we can have- screw the Darkness- screw the Seals- the world’s gonna end anyway, darkness or not. Might as well enjoy and get rich while we still can!” he said with renewed vigour.

Raven smirked. She knew that Billy was an evil genius and if he puts his mind to something, he would definitely accomplish it. She dreamt about the luxuries she could have by selling demonic and occult objects on the black market- there was a huge demand for authentic objects like that and to get those she had to kill monsters and demons- which was no big deal for her. With Billy’s brain and Raven’s skills, they could be the most powerful people in the entire country.

It was night time now, Billy had something on his mind. He was looking at a map of the city- Raven stood close and observed. He was on to something-

“We have been wasting time with Johnny, helping him for nothing. I reckon we hit the motherload once and get rich beyond our wildest dreams!” he said.

“What’s on your mind?”asked Raven.

“Here! This place-”said Billy pointing his finger on the map.

“The National Museum?” asked Raven in confusion.

“Yeah! Remember the first case that ever happened in this city- the one with the mad driver- he dropped off his ghostly passenger at this place- the museum. Now why would a ghost want to go in there? Now look- the ley lines- they intersect right at the centre of this place- there’s something very powerful here- paranormal objects are drawn towards it like moths to a flame- I reckon we go take a look!” said Billy.

Raven agreed and got ready to go.

Back at Brother Farid’s place, Johnathan was listening to the stories and legends that Solomon and Farid were recalling. He came to know that they were both around 50 years of age and had been ordained as a monk at a very young age. They practiced strict vows of celibacy and devoted a quarter of their lives to the Church. That was until the Darkness began to grow around them. It corrupted most of the church members and only a handful of them remained pure. The Church was destroyed in a war against the demons. It was the most bloodiest battle that he had ever seen, according to Farid. Many Guardians and Elders lost their lives until one of them made a great sacrifice and gave up his life to destroy all the demons. The war was won but at great cost. The Elder Clan was broken and the handful of members that remained were now scattered all over the world. Solomon and Farid gave up their vows, got married and led normal lives, while still keeping a strict eye on the ever growing Darkness.

Johnathan listened with great interest- he was like a child, listening to bed time stories.