Max Baker: Guardian of the Ninth Sector

by Matthew Cronan

  “I’m sure they were,” Ausiris chuckled. “There are two prophecies boy. And I am the one that they were written about. The emperor to rule all worlds. The Dark Bringer.” Ausiris stood up tall.

  “You’re in there too.” Ausiris turned and began pacing again. “Let me see if I can recount it. The Guardian is born of a breed not of his world. Something something. Twin stars that will be separated, one of which will rise to greatness, while the other will fade into darkness. Blah blah blah. The Guardian, accompanied by allies of his world and protected by the dagger of another will rise to face the Dark Bringer. It’s quite poetic actually.”

  “Yeah, you sound like a real Edgar Allen, but can you please skip to the part about me kicking your ancient butt,” Max said. “I’d really like to hear that part.”

  “That’s the beauty…you lose.”

  Max scoffed at the man.

  Ausiris stopped dead in his tracks, “You don’t believe me?” He turned and faced Max. He knelt down so that he was eye level with him. Max could smell the stink of the old man’s breath with each exhale.

  “Well, you did put up such a compelling argument, and painted me such a vivid picture, but no.” Max struggled to get back to his feet. He was weak, and there was a piercing pain coming from his chest.

  “So would you like for me to skip over the part where it talks about me destroying you and your allies? You’d like me to skip all of the juicy details and leave out the parts about the rise of the Fallen One? You would just like me to bypass where the Dark Bringer and the Fallen One rule over the universe as one? Because those are my favorite parts.”

  “You are a liar,” Max said. He spit into Ausiris’s face.

  “I may be a lot of things, Max Baker,” Ausiris said, wiping the spit from his face, “but I am not a liar. I will kill all of your little friends as I force you to watch. I will kill the Protector, and the Elders, and everyone else who puts their misguided faith into the prophecy of the Guardian. I will kill your mother and your schoolmates. And when I am finished, I will set your miserable excuse for a planet on fire. And when you finally beg for mercy, I will end your worthless life.

  But do not fret, because your death will bring good to this universe. I will use you as an example. I will hang your lifeless body high above the streets of Arressnia for all of my people to see. They will live in fear because of your sacrifice, Max Baker.”

  Max could feel his heart racing, but it was pained, and a white, hot heat shot threw his chest with each beat that it took. Ausiris seemed further away than he had before.

  “And after you die, the Fallen One will rise up from the ashes and rule alongside me,” his voice grew louder and louder with each word. There was a crazed look in the beady yellow eye. “It is because of your death that all of this will happen.” Ausiris’s hands were glowing with the orange mana.

  “Wake up, Max Baker,” Ausiris said, “Wake up and face your destiny.” The orange light jetted out Ausiris’s hand and hit Max in the chest. Max felt his chest exploding as the energy poured into him. He knew that it was all over. He knew that Ausiris had just beaten him.

  “MAX!” Donovan’s voice came flooding into his brain.

  Another wave of energy passed into his body, and Max again felt his skin burning and his organs frying. The heat of the energy made him feel like he was roasting alive from the inside. The pain subsided for a moment, and then another energy blast…and then another.

  Chapter 28

  The Prophecy

  Max opened his eyes to see Donovan staring down at him; his hands were pulsating with the blue light and beads of sweat covered his brow. Behind him, Kennedy and Noah watched over them. Both of them were sobbing.

  “He’s awake!” Donovan yelled. “Max, can you hear me?”

  He saw Kennedy drop to her knees. He saw Noah wiping his eyes as he said something inaudible; everything was still far away. Everything was blurry and distorted.

  “One of you grab my bag,” Donovan instructed. “Now!”

  Max laid there silently as the team tended to his wound. Donovan pulled a couple of vials from the black bag that Kennedy brought to him. Donovan uncorked the first vial with his teeth; a neon green liquid swirled in the glass tube. He poured it over the wound, and it began to smoke. Max gasped as it seeped into his open flesh and shredded muscles. After the smoke had subsided, Donovan uncorked the second vial and poured out a red liquid into it. It began to heal right in front of his eyes. Max’s chest felt tight as the new skin formed and stretched over the wound.

  “How long was I out for?” Max finally asked.

  “Only a few minutes,” Donovan said.

  “I have to get up,” Max said. "Ausiris is coming. We need to get in position.” Max sat up, feeling every muscle of his chest constrict in pain.

  “We need to get the crystals and go,” Donovan said. “You are in no state to fight.”

  “We can’t,” Max said. “He’ll burn this planet down looking for them. We have to stand and fight.”

  “We don’t have the manpower to fight against his army,” Donovan said. “It’ll be suicide.”

  “No…he’s afraid. He knows that if we have the crystals, we have the upper hand.”

  “What makes you so sure Max?”

  “I was there in the castle…I was there with him. I need you to tell me about the prophecies. Both of them.”

  * * *

  Max told Donovan everything about waking up in the castle and what Ausiris had told him. They had sent Kennedy to the tower to keep watch for any signs of Ausiris’s army. Noah had been tasked with collecting all of the guards’ guns and taking them to the tower.

  “There are two prophecies, Max,” Donovan said.

  “Why two?” Max asked. “Which one is the right one?”

  “Both of them,” Donovan said. “And neither of them. There is no right or wrong answer to that question.”

  “Um, I beg to differ,” Max said. “Are you telling me there is a 50-50 chance that the prophecy you believe in is incorrect? Because let me tell you…that’s a wrong answer.”

  “Let me explain, Max,” Donovan said, but Max had already jumped back into his rant.

  “You’ve put my friends’ lives at stake, and you’ve put my life at stake, under some misinformation that there is one prophecy that states that I am some sort of guardian of an entire galaxy. And come to find out there are two prophecies, and the other one says the exact opposite. Is that what you’re telling me? Because if that’s what you’re saying, I think I’ll transport my friends to safety and you can deal with the legion of ravenous demons coming to rip our faces off.”

  “Max, you must calm-”

  “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” Max said. “I’ve died twice now, and I’m beyond pissed off. This other prophecy, which you have neglected to tell us anything about, states that it will be my blood that will cause the Fallen One to rise up. But not just rise up, oh no. He’ll also make nice with Ausiris, who is crazy by the way and referring to himself as the Dark Bringer, and the two are going to hold hands and frolic about as they move from planet to planet, expanding their sadistic little empire. That about sum it up?”

  “In a nutshell,” Donovan said.

  Max shot a burst of energy across the room. It nearly hit Donovan, whizzing by his head, just over his shoulder. Donovan didn’t move; he stood steadfast. The ball of light hit the castle wall behind him, causing it to crack and shatter.

  “Why did you do this?” Max asked. “Why did you put my friends in danger?”

  “There is something you must understand about this world, Max. The universe creates and keeps a natural balance, that is the only way it has survived as long as it has and will continue to do so. When it creates good, it also has to create evil to keep itself balanced. It is a common theme with everything that you know. Good and evil…they walk hand and hand, and one cannot exist without the other. It’s an eternal truth. There is peace and there is war. There is love and
there is hate. Yin and yang. Order and chaos. There is life and there is death.

  There is the prophecy that tells of the chosen one being born to a land that he does not belong to. It speaks of you defeating the Dark Bringer and the Fallen One. It speaks of your team facing obstacles and hardships, and it speaks of you overcoming them every single time. The Prophecy of Light was foretold by an Angrothian nearly 500 years ago.

  “There is a second prophecy. The Prophecy of Darkness speaks of the rise of the Dark Bringer and of the Fallen One. It does speak of your death being the catalyst to their rise of power. And it does speak of your friends, myself included, meeting an untimely demise by them. That prophecy speaks of war. It speaks of death and of tragedy.”

  “Which one is correct?” Max asked again. This time his voice was encompassed with anger. Max felt betrayed by Donovan.

  “Max,” Donovan took a deep breath, “the reason that I believe in the Prophecy of Light is the same reason that the Elders do as well. It is the same reason that the citizens of Futora Armeddia believe in it, and the same reason that the majority of the Ninth Sector believes in it. It is because if we are wrong, and the Prophecy of Darkness is correct, then there is no hope for any of us.”

  “What if everyone is wrong?”

  “That cannot be.”

  “Really?” Max asked. “Because if I take my friends out of here right now, and we forget about you, and the Elders and the Ninth Sector…if I refuse to fight…then neither is right.”

  “Max, if you don’t fight,” Donovan said, walking over to the boy, “then we will all die. Ausiris will destroy this planet to prove that the Prophecy of Darkness is correct. And if you were to seek refuge on another planet, he would destroy that one as well. He will seek you until you are no longer a threat to him.”

  “I didn’t ask for any of this,” Max said softly. “I’m only 16. I’m just a kid.”

  “This is the reason,” Donovan said, “that you cannot be allowed full knowledge of the prophecies; either of them. You knowing specific details will force you to make your decisions off of feelings and emotions rather than instinct. Your knowledge of the prophecies could change the course of the future. It could be the determining factor of which prophecy is actually correct.”

  “So if the bad prophecy is correct, we’re all doomed?” Max asked.

  Donovan did not answer him.

  “If it’s correct will we die today?” Max asked. He could not hide the fear building inside of him.

  “Perhaps.”

  Max leaned his head back, letting it rest on the stone wall behind him. It had been hard enough knowing that the fate of his friends rested on his shoulders. Knowing that it might have already been written that they were doomed was too much for him to handle.

  “I need you to tell me the entire prophecy,” Max said.

  “You know that I cannot do that,” Donovan answered. “The Council has strictly forbidden your knowledge of specific details regarding the prophecy. They state that it might influence your actions-”

  “Yeah, like knowing that there was another prophecy that says we’ll all die? That definitely would have influenced my actions.”

  “Max, I did not have time to tell you everything.”

  “Well you sure had time to give us a history of the universe lecture.”

  “In retrospect, I should have taken the time to tell you about the second prophecy.”

  “Well your retrospect doesn’t really help me now, does it?”

  “Max, you’re acting childish.”

  “You’re acting childish,” Max said, crossing his arms and pouting. “At least tell me about Ausiris.”

  “What do you want to know?” Donovan asked.

  “Anything that might help us get an edge in this fight.”

  “Then you should know that Ausiris is not human. Not entirely anyways. His mother was born in Arressnia nearly 850 years ago.”

  “Wait. That would make Ausiris over 800 years old.”

  “830 to be exact.”

  “How is that possible?” Max asked.

  “His mother, an Arressnian, was once on the Council of Twelve. She was visiting the planet of Harowadur with a group of diplomats from Arressnia to further establish an alliance between the two planets when she was captured by a rogue demon horde. The group…had their way with her before leaving her half-dead at the gateway back to Arressnia. When she returned home, they discovered that she was with child. Nine months later Ausiris was born.

  “Demons do not age like humans. Their average lifespan is over 10,000 years, and while Ausiris is not invulnerable to the aging process, he does so at a much slower rate than a typical human.

  “When he reached the age of 35, he joined the Arressnian army and quickly ascended the ranks. He was known as the fiercest of commanders on the battlefield and was respected by many throughout their army. As Ausiris reached the rank of Head General, he staged a coup against the democratic government of his own people. He named himself Emperor of Arressnia, and he tortured and killed any citizens of his planet who did not immediately recognize him as such. Within his first 30 days in power the population of Arressnia became almost non-existent.

  After about 300 years, Ausiris began focusing his expansion to other planets. He met with King Salarac, ruler of the demon planet. He murdered the demon king in front of the entire planet. He claimed Harowadur as an Arressnian nation. The demons, being as weak-willed as they are, recognized him as their king.”

  “Great,” Max said. A knot was growing in the pit of his stomach.

  “To top things off, Ausiris possesses the same lifeforce as you and I, only his is far more evolved. The power that he possesses is far greater than anything I had ever seen…until I met you.”

  “If he’s so powerful, then why does he need the crystals?”

  “The crystals would take his powers to new heights. It would make him invincible. It could stop him from aging. It would make him a god.”

  “Donovan, you have to tell me about the prophecies,” Max pleaded with him. “It’s our only hope. I need to know what I’m up against if you or the Council has any expectation of us winning.”

  “The Council and I believe that you have the power within you to defeat any enemy, Max.”

  “Even the Fallen One?”

  “Even the Fallen One.”

  The two of them grew quiet as they stood facing each other in the center of the room.

  “You should have told me about the Prophecy of Darkness.”

  “I agree with you, Max.”

  The door burst open, causing both Max and Donovan to jump. Noah stood in the doorway; his face was flushed, and his eyes were wider than Max had ever seen them.

  “They’re here,” Noah said.

  Chapter 29

  The Crystals of Angroth

  Max chased Donovan and Noah across the courtyard to the watch tower. Max could barely focus. Each step that he took caused the muscles in his chest to scream in agony. The further that he ran and the more quickly he sucked the cold air into his lungs, the more he could feel the damage that the bullet left.

  They entered into the tower and ascended up the winding staircase to find Kennedy standing at a small cross-shaped opening in the tower wall. Max remembered from his world history class that these were arrow slits where archers would set up position, maintaining optimal safety as they fired into the battlefield below. Max and Noah crowded around her as Donovan headed across the room to another opening. Down below on the snow covered grounds, Max couldn’t see any movement or any signs that Ausiris or Gorthon was near.

  “Where are they?” Donovan asked.

  “There,” Kennedy said, pointing toward the tree line straight ahead. Max squinted and could just barely make out a faint flicker of light through the heavy snowfall.

  “It’s a fire,” Noah said, curving his hands over his eyes as if they were binoculars.

  “It’s the scout team,” Donovan said. “They are waiting on t
he rest of their army to catch up.”

  “What are you doing?” Kennedy asked.

  “What?” Noah said, looking dumbstruck. “It helped.”

  “What do we need to do?” Max asked.

  “We need to set up strategically along the battlement,” Donovan said. “Noah, have you recovered the weapons yet?”

  “Yeah,” Noah said, pointing toward the corner of the room. There sat a pile of oddly shaped weapons that Noah had collected from the guards and the bag that they had brought with them from the armory.

  “Good,” Donovan said. “You and Kennedy take your weapons and find a place on the battlement that you feel comfortable with.”

  “What’s a battlement?” Kennedy asked.

  “The top of the wall,” Donovan said.

  “Why didn’t you just say top of wall?” Noah asked as the two of them gathered their weapons and exited through the door that led to the battlement.

  “Where are the crystals?” Max asked. “We should move them to the tower.”

  “The crystals are located in the dungeon of the keep,” Donovan said.

  “I’ll get them and bring them back,” Max said.

  “I will go with you.”

  “No,” Max said, pointing toward the battlement. “You have to make sure that nothing happens to them until I get back. You have already put them in enough danger.”

  “Max, I-”

  “Promise me, Donovan.”

  Donovan nodded his head in agreement. “Good,” Max said and turned toward the door.

  “I must warn you,” Donovan said as he headed to the corner of the room, “the crystals are extremely volatile and must be handled with extreme caution.” He emptied the black bag full of ammo onto the ground and tossed it to Max. “You are not to let them make contact with your skin. Do you understand?”

  “I do,” Max said, opening the door and heading toward the stairs.

  “Max,” Donovan called after him. He removed his trench coat and handed it to Max. “Take this.” Max threw on the heavy coat. It hung down past his knees, making him feel like a young child.