◇◇◇

【║】◇【║】

◇◆◇

- - -

- - -

Crystal Guardian

Arc 3: Perversion of the Light

- - -

Chapter 31: Giver of Light

- - -

◇◆◇

The next morning 8 of the Guardian Armoured arrived at the top of the pyramid, and Naole was the last to arrive. Nearly all of Crystalorb had come to witness the ritual with only security personnel absent. When Naole arrived he found the other eight already wearing their Crystal Armours, and on the ground was his old Crystal Armour.

Cyris : " Good; Everyone is here, we can begin."

Everyone looks at Naole, and Naole looks at his old Crystal Armour

Naole : " Haven't seen this in years!"

Isalo : " That thing is an Antique" The other Guardians laugh "An Antique I tell you!"

Kano : " Does it even work?"

Cyris : " The question is whether it's still compatible with Naole?" after a brief pause "Activate Naole!"

As Naole touches the Crystal Armour sphere it does not react

Naole : " What’s going on?"

Cyris : " The Crystal Armour may not recognize you in your current form. Use your Chest Crystal."

With a burst of Light energy from Naole's Chest Crystal the Crystal Armour sphere springs back to life and waits for Naole to say his Oath. Naole places his right hand on the Crystal Armour sphere and begins to speak.

Naole : " I am the light on the hill!" The Guardian Armour sphere begins to open "The line in the sand!" Light energy increases, making it hard to see Naole "Here and no further!"

The sealed Crystal Armour sphere opens and automatic assembly begins, and in a moment Naole is clad in his Blue Guardian Armour

Naole : " It's as if I never left."

Cyris : " Let’s begin; Remember that you need to focus your energy! Link your power to your mind! Remember the ones you love! Make sure that the person you remember has a portion of their spirit in the Spirit Stone. Aman will Begin."

The 9 Guardian Armoured stood in a circle and activated their Chest Crystal and thus releasing a ball of energy at the centre of the circle

Aman : " I remember Lenao; Healer, Doctor, Mother to my children, Wife, Friend and Keeper of my Heart!`"

Nasan : " I remember Reabo; Friend, Father, my Husband and my Lover!"

Thato : " I remember Pule; Guardian, Father, Friend and my Husband!"

Isalo : " I remember Ocyris; Scientist, Guardian and my Husband!"

Kano : " I remember Anang! Warrior, Mother, Friend and my Wife!"

Kato : " I remember Inala; My Mother and my constant Friend!"

Casara : " I remember Esara; Guardian, Warrior, my Mother, my Teacher and my Friend!"

Naole : " I remember Nalen; The knowing mind, Guardian, my Father, my Teacher, my Friend, Legend Of Heart!"

Cyris : " And I remember Lesedi; Giver of Light!"

Aman : " Giver of Light!"

Nasan : " Giver of Light!"

Thato : " Giver of Light!"

Isalo : " Giver of Light!"

Kano : " Giver of Light!"

Kato : " Giver of Light!"

Naole : " Giver of Light!"

Casara : " Giver of Light!"

Cyris : " Giver of Light!"

When they had all chanted the mantra "Giver of Light" an orb of light began to form where their energies were focused and it became too bright to look at. Then a figure began to emerge cloaked in an aura of light, and as light diminished everyone in Crystalorb immediately recognized who it was. Even the security personnel and ship personnel abandoned their post to see this figure.

Lesedi : " Greetings from beyond the Vail!"

Everyone in Crystalorb immediately fell to their knees except for the members of the Hodian High Council

Cyris : " By the ...!"

Lesedi : " I'm Honoured that you remember me after all this time. On your feet Cyris; There is much work to be done. Like I told Gaurdius, you would not have lost the Spirit Stone had you not expanded the tunnel into Crystalorb."

Cyris : " My Lord we...."

Lesedi : " I know; Progress!" Lord Lesedi looks at Naole "Well Naole?"

Naole : " My Lord?"

Lesedi : " You see Nalen; I told you he would not remember!"

Cyris : " Nalen?"

Naole : " Father?"

The spirit of Lesedi began to separate and thereby releasing the 8 other Spirits, and they were Esara, Nalen, Inala, Ocyris, Anang, Pule, Lenao and Reabo.

Lesedi : " I told you that they could not remember once they returned."

Naole : " Returned my Lord?"

Nalen : " You crossed over Son."

Esara : " You were briefly with us on the other side."

Casara : " Father! Mother!"

Naole : " So I did Die?"

Esara : " Hey guys!"

As each of the spirits spends a few moments with their loved ones who had summoned them Lord Lesedi teleports himself to the people at the bottom of the Pyramid and interacts with them. Lesedi teleports himself from group to group, and because he knows everyone’s life history he knows everyone by name, he's like a Grandfather to every Crystalan. At the top of the pyramid Naole asks his parents about his late wife Tuo and he's happy to hear that she sends her love to him and the twin boys.

When Lesedi teleports himself back to the top of the pyramid the others know that its time to get back to work.

Lesedi : " To summon the Spirit Stone we will need all the energy you can master! Direct your energy at me in whatever form you’re most comfortable with"

Nalen : " We need maximum power; Naole?"

Naole : " Indigo Form!"

Naole Begins his powerful transformation to his ultimate form.

Esara : " You too Casara."

Casara : " Crimson Form!"

Casara also transforms

Then Lord Cyris asks all the Crystalans with Chest Crystal to send their energy to the top of the pyramid.

Cyris : " Everyone is ready!"

Lesedi : " Then let’s begin!"

The 8 other Spirits then once again fuse with the spirit of Lesedi. Then Lesedi gives them the signal and the Crystalans direct their energy at him in the form of light and electricity resulting in a massive energy display at the top of the pyramid.

Lesedi : " Just a little more!"

Casara : " Red Wave!"

Naole : " Blue Wave!"

Lesedi : " That's the way."

Naole : " Heart of the planet; I hear you!"

The energy output became so intense that it threw the 9 Guardian Armoured off the top of the pyramid and onto the ground. As the energy subsided the spirit of Lesedi was standing at the top of the pyramid. The 9 Guardian Armoured flew back to the top of the pyramid

Lesedi : " It's done; The Spirit Stone is freeing Itself as we speak."

Once again the spirit of Lesedi began to separate and thereby releasing the 8 other Spirits, and they were Esara, Nalen, Inala, Ocyris, Anang, Pule, Lenao and Reabo. This allowed them to say their goodbye's before they have to return to the next realm. Esara and Nalen were talking to their Son and daughter

Nalen : " We are very proud of both of you."

Esara : " We love you two very much. Remember that."

Casara : " I will!"

Naole : " All my life!"

Lord Lesedi approaches Naole, and Lord Cyris follows him.

Lesedi : " Naole; try and remember this time. When you returned to the land of the living we made you our Envoy of the Forbidden; A symbol of Hope." brief pause "Not all my Children are here. Others have chosen to follow the example of Amun. There are dark days ahead for not just Crystalans."

Esara : " And in the immediate future the greatest source of pain for the world will have its origins in Crystalorb."

Nalen : " The power of Crystalorb must not be used to destroy! Events are already conspiring to bring forth the age of Chaos." Nalen pauses to look Naole in the eyes "Stand firm my son; you are the Light of Hope!"

Lesedi : " Unfortunately Naole is the only one who can keep a constant watch." he looks Naole in the eyes "Such is your fate son; Remember your mission! Eternal Vigilance is the price of Honour. Though your soul seems somehow much older."

Naole : " I will remember my Lord!"

Cyris : " Envoy of the Forbidden?"

Lord Lesedi speaks to all of Crystalorb

Lesedi : " The ritual you performed to summon us has unintended consequences. When the dead manifest they bring with them Spirit Energy from beyond the Vail, and it takes over 200 years for the Sun to remove the Spirit Energy from earth. Spirit Energy is deadly for normal humans, and millions of people could die if you repeat the ritual within the next 200 years. Spirit Energy is Forbidden! Crystalans must not carry the weight of that Karma. However Crystalans and Hodians are protected from Spirit Energy as a result of an accidental gift from the Phaylon and the Elder Dragons. The energies that flow through your bodies provide a natural shield to Spirit Energy. For this reason our visit must be short. This ritual uses extraordinary Energy, and it should be revered; not for the ease of its method, but for the Dream of never having to Use it!" brief pause "Remember that Life favours progress! Love is the answer! Be good my Children!"

A moment later the 8 other Spirits then once again fuse with the spirit of Lesedi, and then in a flash of light they vanish. Many would later ask themselves what Lesedi meant by "accidental gift from the Phaylon and the Elder Dragons, and who are the Phaylon? And who are the Elder Dragons?” At the same time the Spirit Stone which had been trapped in a deep underwater cave which had been collapsed by torpedo explosions received the additional energy from Crystalorb along with instructions on how to free itself. With powerful bursts of energy the Spirit Stone destroyed the Negative Psionic Energy containment field and freed itself.

From the depths of the Antarctic Ocean the Spirit Stone broke through the Ice and headed for the stratosphere at incredible speed. When the Spirit Stone reached low Earth orbit it began to plot a direct path straight for Crystalorb.

- - -

It had been about an hour since Lesedi and the others left and all the security personnel had returned to their posts. The Four Crystalorb ships and the Indigo were hovering in the skies above Crystalorb.

The Jalen was the first to detect a disturbance in the atmosphere and Captain Palo of the Jalen reported the disturbance to the Crystalorb Command Centre

Palo : " Commander; I'm picking up something!"

Aman : " Come again Jalen?"

Palo : " I'm picking up something! It's moving faster than anything I've ever seen!"

The Joint Communications Channel is activated.

Aman : " All ships investigate approaching object!"

Thato : " Will do Commander!"

Kano : " On my way!"

Casara : " Acknowledged Commander!"

Palo : " On your Command!"

After a brief moment of silence as a message comes into the Crystalorb Command Centre from the Intrepid

Casara : " The object is moving at speeds in excess of Mach 70! It must be the Spirit Stone!"

Aman : " We don't know that Captain! For all we know it could be a missile!"

Palo : " Commander! Making contact in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...!"

The Joint Communications Channel goes silent.

Aman : " Come in! What the hell happened? Palo come in? All ships report! Anyone?"

Casara : " I'm on internal Armour Communications! Our ships have been shut down! Something has taken control of the ships! Hold on! Its ...!"

Cyris : " What happened?"

Aman : " The signal is being Jammed!"

Cyris : " What?"

Aman : " Let’s ask Naole to go and investigate"

A Communications Channel is opened with the Indigo

Cyris : " You’re aware of the situation?"

Naole : " Yes!"

Cyris : " Can you go there and take a look?"

Naole : " Ok!"

Aman : " Don't get too close!"

A few moments later the Indigo arrived near the area where the 4 ships were stationed

Naole : " Crystalorb; I can see them! They are moving around a Spherical object! Sensors indicate that it is the Spirit Stone. But it’s larger than it used to be, about 8 meters in diameter. The Spirit Stone seems to be doing something to the ships."

Aman : " What is it doing to them?"

Cyris : " Naole; Don't interfere."

Naole : " I don't know, but there is electrical energy between the Spirit Stone and the ships. The energy readings are off the charts! Hold on."

Aman : " What is it?"

Naole : " I'm being pulled in! Wait? Thrusters won’t respond! That's not right! My ship is responding to my energy signal, but from an external source! I ... !"

Aman : " We've lost communications with Naole!"

Nasan : " What the hell is going on?"

Cyris : " Maybe the Spirit Stone is getting reacquainted with its people. Looking for information about the past two years. The Spirit Stone never had an opportunity to interact with the Ships directly, and we know that the Spirit Stone has always had an ability to interact with Crystalorb technology."

Nasan : " What do we do?"

Cyris : " We let it happen. Inform our people to gather at the pyramid, every Crystalan must be here when the Spirit Stone arrives!"

Aman : " What about the Hodians?"

Cyris : " Lock them up!"

Nasan : " If the Spirit Stone is 8 meters in Diameter then how will it fit in the 5.5 meter diameter Tunnel?"

Cyris : " Don't worry, it will fit. Tell the guards at the Crystalorb Gates to open the Gates!"

◇◆◇

About an hour later the Spirit Stone arrived at the Crystalorb Gates, the Spirit Stone then separated into one 4 meter diameter sphere and 8 smaller spheres. The smaller spheres followed the larger sphere into Crystalorb, and when the spheres reached the top of the pyramid they re-fused to form the 8 meter Diameter sphere. After the Spirit Stone rested in its original place it began to automatically reconnect with Crystalorb's systems.

The Spirit Stone had released the 5 ships, and their crew were now returning to Crystalorb leaving ships hovering with no crew. The Spirit Stone had changed all the ships, and even the Indigo had been altered. When the Spirit Stone reached orbit it absorbed solar radiation, and rebuilt its energies. The Spirit Stone then used some of that energy to enhance the 5 ships, making the skin of the ships twice as strong as before, and the Spirit Stone also activated the dormant reproduction system in the Indigo. Naole had copied the reproduction system from Nalen's designs but was never able to activate it.

The ships were also infused with full spectrum Spirit Stone energy that has been lacking for over 2 years. This new energy Allowed the ships to reach their full potential, and that energized each Ship's Energy Crystals making them denser and more powerful. Because of Naole's connection to the Indigo his body was also infused with Spirit Stone energy causing his Chest Crystal to become denser, and all the Crystal in his body were energized allowing them to become more efficient.

◇◆◇

Before the elections of the new members of the now enlarged Council of Elders could be carried out the Spirits of the nominated people would be judged by the Spirit Stone, and an Elder would have to commune with the Spirit Stone and ask it to search their Souls for the qualities necessary to be on the Council of Elders. The primary requirement to be on the Council of Elders was always love; Love for Crystalans and Love for Sentient-Sapient Life.

When all the nominated people arrived at the top of the pyramid Lord Cyris approached the Spirit Stone and touched it

Cyris : " With the Crystal fragment on my Chest I unlock the Seal!" An aura appears around the Spirit Stone as it activates "Mighty spirits awaken and hear the call of your children!" Lord Cyris then instructed the 25 Candidates to touch the Spirit Stone "Heart of Crystalorb! Search their Souls!"

As the 27 Candidates touched the Spirit Stone 13 were immediately rejected by the Spirit Stone, Leaving only 14 Candidates eligible to be elected to the Council of Elders. From the 14 Candidates Saman Kanu, Letlapa Lesedi, Molau Lesedi, Mohau Naxe, Khutso Lesedi, Galo Lesedi, Mano Lesedi, Pao Naxe, Isalo Lesedi and Nasan Lesedi were elected to Council of Elders. Five of the 10 newly elected Elders had Chest Crystal.

◇◆◇

With the Council of Elders reconstituted the balance of power once again shifted to the Council of Elders, and their first order of business was to approve the promotion of 17 individuals to the rank of Guardian. The 12 sector Guardians had already been selected and all that was left was the endorsement by the Council of Elders. Casara and Naole were given the official rank of Guardian, with; Casara formally becoming the Expeditionary Guardian, and Naole becoming the Deputy Research Guardian.

Next to follow was the Guardian Armour upgrade ceremony, and in this ceremony all those who had been promoted received their Guardian Armour. All Crystal Armour was also updated to include recent technological developments. Naole's Guardian Armour was now compatible with his Chest Crystal. Enala was formally promoted to Guardian of Sector 5. When all upgrades were concluded the Council of Elders turned their attention to the Hodian High Council.

Lord Cyris then ordered that the Hodians be released and brought before the Pyramid, and since the Spirit Stone would not allow them to enter the Pyramid the Council of Elders would meet them outside the Pyramid.

◇◆◇

The Hodian High Council were brought before the pyramid in order for the Council of Elders to formally release them from Crystalorb's custody, and to release them from their obligations.

Lord Tumo and Lord Nato step forward to greet the Council of Elders

Nato : " Wow! It's larger than I expected. No Hodian Viceroy has ever been in the peaceful presence of the Spirit Stone."

Cyris : " Having fulfilled your promise and held true to your word we release the Hodian High Council from their obligations. Crystalorb hereby grants a permanent truce, and a lasting peace."

Nato : " In the Name of the Hand of Destiny I hereby grant Crystalorb a permanent and lasting peace with the Hand of Destiny."

Cyris : " Your Manacles will be returned to you at the Crystalorb Gates!"

Nato : " Thanks!"

Cyris : " After you leave Crystalorb will institute a Zero Hodian energy policy, and that means that no one who has had contact with Hodian energy will be allowed into Crystalorb. No Hodian will ever be allowed into Crystalorb!"

Nato : " Not even defectors?"

Cyris : " No! After our experience with Spies, we've concluded that defectors can stay in Crystal Valley City under our protection, but Crystalorb is from now onwards strictly for Crystalans. No others will be able to take up residence in Crystalorb."

◇◆◇

As the High Council of the Hand of Destiny leaves Crystalorb they are given back their Manacles at the Crystalorb Gates. The hope for Crystalorb was that they would never again be required to face the power contained in those Manacles. Once the Hodians had left the Crystalans began to once again focus on more social things, and Naole was taken on a tour of facilities of the Crystalorb Research Division by Janu Lesedi the Research Guardian.

Part of the conditions of the peace agreement was that Crystalorb would participate in a Hodian tournament held every five years. Five Hodians, Five ex-Hodians, Five Crystalans, and Five Hybrids, would battle each other without Transformations, Armour or Weapons to determine the most skilled warrior in the world. The tournament would provide a safe environment to test each others strengths.

◇◆◇

- - -