It's a Turtle?! What was in it?" "A human who died on the streets of the city several years ago. Now she is the most powerful guardian of the people's souls." "How do you know all this?" I asked. "She, like the other Guardians, has been sent to protect the people. Her name is Tessa." "So how do I know she's telling the truth?" "Tessa has helped the people of this city for several years. You can trust her." "But I don't even know her," I reminded him. "And I'm here because of her. She was right," I continued with a small smile. "I do trust her." "You want to help me?" he said with a surprised look on his face. "If you can lead us to Maelstrom, then I am all for it," I replied. "Follow me," he said as he started walking. The man from the bar was staring at me. He seemed to be in shock and I began to worry. Did I say something wrong? The man started following us as we began our journey to the center of the city. I couldn't help but notice the change in scenery as we left the docks and moved into the dark, narrow alleys. The people in this part of the city seemed to have a more sinister appearance. Their faces were almost distorted in their evil intent. That's when I realized that the people following us were just as evil looking as the people that I passed on my way here. "You're right, Tessa," I said out loud. "This isn't the place I came looking for. Not by a long shot. This is worse than a city of the dead." "I feel safer," a voice came from beside me. We both turned around. "Jaxon?" I was happy to see that Jaxon was the one with us. We had become close friends in the brief time that we had been together. His eyes were filled with worry, but he had a slight smirk on his face. "Tessa is worried," Jaxon said. "She's afraid that we are walking into a trap." "I'm not a fragile girl, Jaxon," she snapped. "Easy, Tessa," he replied. "It's okay." "Do you trust him?" I asked as Jaxon turned to me. "I trust my instincts," he replied. "He knows what he's doing." "He does," I said as we continued on our journey through the streets of the city. Jaxon has been traveling through the streets of this city with us, but he had been gone for a while. He was following a lead that we received from Tessa's friend in the black market. When I saw him standing next to me now, I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt a lot better about our situation. We had our own guardian with us. The man from the bar had been following us ever since we left the docks. He couldn't keep up though. We were so much faster than he was. "Keep your eyes open, Tessa," I told her. "It's not very likely that this guy wants to kill us, but I don't want to take any chances." "Fine," she said with a worried look on her face. It was getting hotter as we neared the center of the city. The buildings started to lean inward like they were trying to crush the people under their weight. The lights, which only a few hours ago, were casting their glow on the buildings, were dim and dimming further. Dark shadows began to appear. The buildings started to disappear as I looked upward to see the dark sky. It felt like we were floating. I wasn't sure if I was moving or if I was standing still. We hadn't moved, but everything else was moving, floating, and spinning. "I see it," Jaxon said. "The tower of light." We were standing on a bridge that led up to the tower. It was a tall building made of white stone, and the bridge seemed to be made of gold. The structure loomed over the city like it was a monster roaring down from the clouds. Jaxon began to walk across the bridge, and he was soon joined by a second guardian. "Tessa?" he said as we watched him walk closer. "I think I know who we're looking for." "What do you think of it?" I asked as I stepped closer to the bridge. "We made it in one piece." He nodded. "The tower should be up ahead." The guardian that I had seen earlier, which had given me the strange feeling that I was being watched, walked up to Jaxon. He was tall and looked powerful. There was no doubt that he was not someone that we would want to make an enemy. "I see you found her," he said with a tone that said he was a little bit mad. "What is your problem?" Jaxon asked him. "She's not ready to be here," he said with a voice that was filled with the same energy that I had felt earlier. "Who is she?" Jaxon asked as he looked at me. "The Guardian of Light," I replied. "I've been looking for her all over the city." He nodded. "A Guardian of Light. That makes sense." "She needs to be here," the guardian continued as he looked at me. "With me. But not now." "Why not?" Jaxon asked. "The world is about to end," he said with a look of desperation. "And I can't be the only one. I need someone who is ready." "I have what I need, Sergio," Jaxon said as he gave a slight nod. He seemed satisfied with that answer. "I will watch over her." "You better," Jaxon said as he and I stepped onto the bridge. Jaxon moved as fast as he could, but I could barely keep up with him. The other guardian wasn't there anymore. I felt like I was being watched, but I couldn't see anyone. The city was spinning around us, but I didn't feel sick. I didn't have the same feeling as before. It was like I was looking at a picture of a city on a television. The image was out of focus, but I could still see it. As we made our way toward the center of the city, I began to wonder if it was real. There was no way that this city was real. It was beautiful, but I couldn't say that it was real. It was all so strange. "It looks like a city in an old movie," I said as we were getting closer to the tower. "It's a city where the dark powers are stronger than the light," Jaxon said as he glanced around the area. "It's hard to believe that it exists in our world." "You can really fight these things?" I asked. "Yes," Jaxon replied. "But we don't fight them alone. We have guardians with us that can take on almost any force. It's like having a force field around the city. We're in control." "How many guardians are there?" "Not many," Jaxon replied. "Maybe a few hundred. It's hard to know for sure." "I'm sure there are a lot more than a hundred," I said. "As long as they can fight," Jaxon replied. "I was talking about more guardian guardians," I said. "Not just warriors. It would be nice to have friends." Jaxon shook his head. "I wish that it was that simple. We need more than warriors to defend us." "We have you and Tessa." "How many do you see?" he asked as he glanced around the area. "Can you see anyone?" "There are only a few of them," I said as I looked around. "But you can see them?" "We see the light inside each one," he replied. "It shines like a beacon as we watch them." "Are they evil?" I asked. He nodded. "Some of them are more evil than the others." I stopped for a moment. We had reached a bridge that crossed the river that ran through the center of the city. The bridge ran past the tower that I had seen earlier. The wall at the top of the tower was illuminated by a giant force field. It looked like a sun hanging in the air. "I'm not sure if it's safe to go closer," Jaxon said as he looked around the area. "I see a few more guardians, but there are others." "Why are you talking about them?" the Guardian of Light asked as she walked out of the center of the city. Her voice was cold and threatening. "This is Tessa," Jaxon said as he started to walk toward her. "She's my friend. Her name is Tessa. And this is Jaxon." "I see," she said as she gave me a strange look.