The Accidental Journey: Battle of the Last woman Standing

The Guardian [Part one]

It was the same scenery from my last dream, It was in the same garden and I was putting on the same armour. I walked through the same path and got to the same junction and not surprisingly, the man in white was there at the other side; the ground had separated once again.

''We meet again child.'' He says with a warm smile.

''Who are you?'' I ask him

''I am a friend and I am here to guide you on your way to greatness.'' He says his smile unwavering.

''Why should I trust you?'' I ask him.

''Tribal Relationship is more than meets the eye. I don't need to earn your trust, I already have it.'' He says and to be honest, I didn't have a clue on what it meant.

''Come here child.'' He adds stretching out his hand motioning for me to come.

''I've told you, It's impossible; no one is crazy enough to do that, it's too wide.''

''Again I'll tell you; you can do it. You just have to believe in yourself.'' He says kindly but I'm not buying any of it.

''If it's that easy, why don't you do it then.'' I tell him and he laughs

''You underestimate me young child.'' He says with a smile.

''However, I do not need to prove myself to you; you're the one who needs to discover your true potential.'' He adds.

''You know nothing about what I want and frankly from the looks of it, you want me dead.'' I tell him infuriated.

He laughs for a long time and says;

''I am not your enemy young child. I am your friend and I have been with you and your generation, longer than you can imagine.''

I stare at him confused.

''I am the guardian of the energy core in your possession.'' He says 

''Guardian?'' I wondered. Kimer didn't mention anything about a guardian.

''The energy core has been the major source of strength of our Tribe for centuries. Unfortunately, it was desired by enemies in the guise of friends and they stole it from us. I was instructed by my Father to use all means to get it back, this I did; however, my Father and the rest of the tribe were held captive by the wicked tribes and in the bid to protect the core, I travelled to another dimension and spent my life guarding it. Later on, after a gruesome sickness, I thought I was going to die but instead,  I found myself trapped in this place, I believe it is in the heart of the core. I tried to get out of here for years but couldn't. It was then I realised that My Father's dying wish was for the Core to be safe and as a result, I cannot separate myself from it until I ensure it is. If I wasn't trapped here, I would have died several several years ago. At the moment, I am neither dead nor alive, I am only a figment of a phase that exists in the Heart of the Core. I can only appear in thoughts, dreams and imaginations. I have been bound to this place for so long and as a result, I have always longed to be free, to rest, to leave this conceited world as I have had enough of it. I didn't even get the chance to bid my family farewell but witnessed their passing. Young Child, I have waited for you for centuries, you are the one to carry on the legacy of our Tribe by protecting the core and restoring peace to our Territory. You have been Chosen by the core, You are the Kimchi, Embrace your responsibility!

This dream was even weirder than the last but it felt so real, unlike last time, I couldn't control my actions and words. This time around, It felt more like me. I reached for the core and wondered if the man was really trapped in it. I really wished I could speak to Kimer, she would know what to do. Xander on the other hand would only complicate matters. That was when I realised he wasn't in the room, where could he have gone this early. I checked around the room and discovered he wasn't there. 

My back was aching because of the floor I slept on. According to Xander, talented and handsome warriors like him should not be found sleeping on the floor. So while, I slept uncomfortably on the cold hard floor; he was having the time of his life on his bed. The bed wasn't too fancy or anything, I wasn't sure what it was made of but it was definitely better than the rock I used to sleep on back at home. Just then, Xander entered the room, smartly dressed, his usual smile void from his face and I wondered if he was still angry about the worm incident.

''Good morning to you too.'' He says, arms crossed on his chest.

''Get up and get dressed, you're training with me today.'' He adds and drops new a new set of clothes and boots in the corner of the room. 

''Thank you.'' I say awkwardly, wondering why he was so serious all of a sudden. As annoying as his usual self is, his constant smile has a way of putting me at ease.

''Well....'' He trails

''Well?'' I ask 

''Get dressed, the earlier we start, the better.'' He says frustrated.

''You don't expect me to get dressed with you watching, do you?'' I tell him, irritated with his sudden attitude.

He seems to realise this as he nods his head, his mouth shaped like a small ''o'' and leaves.

I waited for a few seconds for him to leave before I got dressed. 

I was on the verge of passing out when we got to the so called training facility. What made it worse was the fact that Xander looked perfectly fine in contrast to my sweaty self. 

I was glad when we got to the extremely large building but my expression turned sour when Xander opened the door and I realised we had to climb the stairs.

''Your hand.'' Xander says without interest and motions for me to take his hand.

''Oh so you're talking to me now?'' I retort but he just ignores me.

''Why should I take your hand?'' I add.

''Because from what I see, you're in no position to climb the stairs, you'll most definitely pass out.'' He says making fun of me and I felt offended.

 ''I don't remember complaining to you Xander, What's so special about climbing a few stairs?'' I say smugly. 

''My training room is at the top floor, you can't make it.'' He says.

''And that is?'' I ask

''The one hundred and twentieth floor, with 500 stairs in each one.'' He says with a smirk

''Say no more.'' I tell him and take his hand and in a few seconds, we were in a different place. 

The room was big with a lot of books, pictures and weapons. I was fascinated at the designs and clever artworks around it.

''This is a lovely place.'' I tell Xander and he stares at me with a strange expression and says;

''My Father hates it.'' 

''Do you?'' I ask him

He was quiet for a while and answers ''No''

''He thinks it's not manly enough.'' He says and I laugh but stopped when I saw his expression.

''You're going to get most of your training during the trial but it wouldn't sound well if you do not have at least, the basic fire level skills and that's what I am going to be teaching you.''

''Okay?......'' I trail.

''Your training should be easier because of your energy core, but if you want to use it, you must clear your mind. Every form of training technique requires a lot mental strength. That's why we're going to start with meditation.'' He says and sits on the ground with his legs crossed  and gestures to me to do the same.

''Now, I know you have a lot on your mind, confusion, doubt, fear and I understand but in order to learn anything and to become stronger; you have to get rid of those negative emotions and focus on the positive ones, hold your core or just let it be in contact with some part of your body and try to connect with it. From the legends and books I've read; It is said that the Core has a heart, so try to connect with that, It may not come easy, It might take you hours but once you are able to achieve that; It'll be worth it. Close your eyes and try to meditate.'' He says closing his eyes.

''Um...before we start meditating and all that, do you mind telling me why you're so upset? I hope it's not about the worm incident yesterday? Listen I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done that.....'' I start to say but he cuts me short.

''It's fine Riley, I'm not upset, I'm just really focused on my training, you should too...I mean, you need it more than I do.'' He says with his eyes still closed.

''Oh...right; that's good then, so I'll just start the meditation then.'' I say with a short awkward laugh.

I took a deep breath and tried to imitate Xander's posture. I closed my eyes and held the core in my palm tightly but  after a few minutes, I started to get really frustrated, nothing was happening, I was so uncomfortable and let's not forget, I haven't had breakfast. I opened an eye to watch Xander and noticed how calm he was. It was like he wasn't even in the room anymore, even his breathing was really quiet. However, I couldn't ignore the fact that there was something wrong with him. It was obvious and his expression while meditating made it more evident. He looked really unhappy which was a huge contrast to his usual happy and silly self. I decided to stop thinking about him and to focus on my training. I decided to clear my head but it was really hard; random thoughts kept coming up at every given opportunity and as much as I hated to admit it, I was worried about the whole inauguration thing, worried about disappointing Kimer and Xander, worried about becoming a loser here, worried about not being accepted, worried about my gender getting exposed. It was too much, I was worried about a lot of things and this made it difficult to concentrate.

''Everything you need has been given to you.''

I recognised that voice as that of the man, I have been dreaming about, was I asleep?

''Come here Child.''

I heard the voice again, I tried opening my eyes but realised I couldn't. I felt confined, like I couldn't move and strangely I began to be more aware of myself and less of what was going on around me.

''... embrace your responsibility....''

I heard the voice again, this time louder, clearer and stronger than before. Without thinking I answered with the first thing that came to mind.

''I am Riley Swanson of the Ancient Swanson Tribe and I am the Kimchi. I would use the power in my possession for good and bring peace to the Territory. It is my Fate, one I am willing to accept.''  I said this and was surprised when I did. I didn't know why or how those words came to my mind but I knew I meant it and I will do as I have said. Just then, I felt a sudden rush of energy and confidence. It radiated through every single part of my body and it felt really good.

I realised I could open my eyes but when I did, I wasn't in Xander's training room anymore but in the same scenery in my dreams. I walked through the same path and wasn't surprised when the ground separated nor was I surprised to see the old man in white at the other side.

''Welcome child, I see you have unlocked a certain part of the core; energy is radiating all around you.'' He says with a kind smile although, I still couldn't see his face completely. 

''So...you're real?'' I ask him 

''Why don't you come and see for yourself.'' He says and motions for me to come.

Unlike the previous situations, I wasn't scared to jump. I realised the distance wasn't as wide as I had thought. I took a step back and ran, I almost stopped for fear when I got to the edge but kept on running and before I knew it;  I was on the other side and immediately the ground closed and was back to it's original position.

The man laughed with satisfaction and said, ''Now you're ready.''

And to be honest, I had never felt so sure of myself in all my life.