The Third Key (GUARDING THE LIGHT)

by Ramsey, V. K.

  The Third Key

  GUARDING THE LIGHT SERIES

  Book 1.

  © Copyright 2012 – V. K. Ramsey

  Look for author’s posts and upcoming release announcements at:

  Web: www.vkramsey.com

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/VKRamsey

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/vkramseyauthor

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all those who follow, protect and cherish principles of Light. You and your deeds are very important. I owe you so much. Geoff, special thanks go to you. Without your support I would never dare to publish my stories.

  V.K. Ramsey 11th of February 2011

  Govardhan, Mathura, India

  Table of Contest:

  Dedication

  Preface

  Part 1: It’s a New (Ordinary?) Day

  Chapter I.

  Chapter II.

  Chapter III.

  Chapter IV.

  Chapter V.

  Chapter VI.

  Chapter VII.

  Part 2: Kailash: (Please Don’t Try This at Home)

  Chapter VIII.

  Chapter IX.

  Chapter X.

  Chapter XI.

  Part 3: Third Guardian

  Chapter XII.

  Chapter XIII.

  Chapter XIV.

  Chapter XV.

  Part 4: Cracking It

  Chapter XVI.

  Chapter XVII.

  Part 5: Temple of Tyn

  Chapter XVIII.

  Part 6: St. Peter's-on-the-Wall

  Chapter XIX.

  Chapter XX.

  Chapter XXI.

  Chapter XXII.

  Part 7: The Clash

  Chapter XXIII.

  Chapter XXIV.

  Chapter XXV.

  Part 8: The War

  Chapter XXVI.

  Part 9: Face Off Demon

  Chapter XXVII.

  Chapter XXVIII.

  Chapter XXIX.

  Part 10: If They Only Knew

  Chapter XXX.

  Glossary

  Copyright

  Preface

  “You can’t blame the blade, you can’t consider it accountable – it’s all about the attentions of the person behind it.”

  1.

  Jason observed his students performing the hardest part of their training. In the last few months, they had worked hard at mastering the skills of a close range fight against multiple attackers. Now the time had come to put their training to the test. These few selected students in his Warrior Academy worked hard to apply all that he had taught them.

  Michael, Jan and the others knew they were more than privileged; the methods and fighting skills given to them were entirely different from anything they had seen. By now, their hearts had entirely identified with the teachings about Light that Jason presented with his every step, and subtly, their moral and spiritual values had followed suit. But despite all the training time they had spent together, the Warriors really did not know who Jason was, and how soon he would need them – for the fight of his life.

  Many times they felt as if they had entered into a comic book world – scenes such as breaking stone blocks, a baseball bat or a 3-inch metal rod by the simple touch of Jason’s palm now became a part of their reality. Jason was not only the ‘living example’ of martial art perfection, but he was willing to train them! All of them had tested several martial arts schools and styles, but had gotten frustrated at the limiting rules and concepts that failed in real situations. Jason’s teaching didn’t hold a trace of the ‘choreography’ that they had found elsewhere. Kill or be killed – disarm or be harmed. The Warrior Academy students were gradually fine-tuned into nearly flawless warriors who could instantly kill or disarm multiple opponents – if they had identified with forces of Darkness, they would have become skilled assassins. That was achieved by hard training on the part of both student and teacher – Jason had barred every potential student who seemed to show any demonic traits.

  Four students, wearing full sets of neoprene protective gear and using real weapons, were attacking Michael with full power. That way, they could practice the real extent of their skills. Protective shock-absorbent layers, specially made for this purpose, successfully deflected all the punches, kicks and Dim Mak* blows. There were no rules, no cage and no tatami– only reality.

  With two minutes left of the ten-minute attack sequence, Jason could see Michael’s energy waning. The ‘attackers’ were also shaken from the blows and throws received. Jason could see a few moves ahead. He saw Michael taking a bad position that quickly turned into a serious injury, and knew this had to be the last moment of practice.

  “Enough!” The power of Jason’s voice stopped them immediately. Michael had just applied a solid wristlock and was ‘finishing’ the attacker on the ground. All eyes were raised, looking at him through the protective masks, their faces dripping with sweat. Jason took over and showed them the danger of being on an ‘open side’ … as a demonstration, he took Michael’s position and took out all of the ‘attackers’ within seconds.

  As they headed off toward the showers, Jason looked around the Warrior Academy. He and Gunnar had found this building, labored over every piece of equipment, whittled down their list to suitable students, and trained men to engage with evil. No training would be wasted, but he wondered sometimes – how would they use it for more than training some day?

  2.

  Quabil opened his eyes with difficulty. Nothing around him looked familiar. The pain of his broken arms and ribs was stunning - despite his trained mind, Quabil struggled to remain conscious. The last thing he remembered was total defeat and the bitter taste of sand in his mouth.

  “What is this place? Am I dead or living?” He realized the absurdity of this question – of course he was alive! “Who saved me? Am I saved?” Hundreds of similar thoughts flashed through his mind; the lack of answers kept him awake.

  Blinking hard, he stopped questioning and looked around. His naked body, covered in bruises, was chained to a metal table. Every time he moved, he discovered another injury. Green light beams pointed at his body from several places, pulsing in perfect rhythm with his heartbeats. Quabil soon realized that his pain was slowly ebbing, and he understood that he was being healed by technology never seen by humans, though healing was taking the place of pain much slower than he wanted. To distract himself, Quabil called to mind the most enjoyable moments of his life.

  He enjoyed a stream of violent scenes. Torturing cats, birds and dogs became as boring in his early years as bullying schoolmates. He clearly remembered his expanding expertise in the hobby of physical abuse, and his followers who eagerly helped him. He took shelter in remembering all the pain, sorrow and fear in the eyes of the victims that he and his followers caused. As a son of the powerful Shahzad dynasty, he managed to avoid the law even for the cruelest deeds. In Somalia, people were normally sentenced to death for actions similar to Quabil’s normal weekend entertainment with his crew. Remembering those ‘good days’ kept him alive. The sounds of begging for mercy, from all the girls they gang raped without mercy, was like a sweet balm for his soul. It helped ease the lingering pain of his defeat – he had never met a Guardian before who had destroyed him so completely.

  His real soul food, what he really fed on, was that particular moment of helplessness and fear before the death of his victims. That made him feel in absolute control and dominance, and he hunted that black nectar all his life. The demonic nature of his was strong even for his sociopath friends, and they mostly went along with him for fear of what he would come up with next. Quabil went on to explore the magical black arts, its demonic rituals and practice
s, until he became a skilled practitioner.

  Recalling the darkness of his life, and how he was finally taken to the lower dimensions by demonic forces, his memories unwound to the moment when he proved to be the best candidate within the Demonic Alliance. Training with them strengthened his powerful ability to enjoy death and pain, and his appetite grew while performing the most horrific acts. He was introduced to the Inner Darkness, powers that made any Black Wizard on planet Earth tremble in awe and reverence. Despite the bodily pain still present, now he felt extremely good, as if he were engaging in his most beloved pastimes. But there was another reason for his excitement:

  “Though I was defeated, I am saved by my all-powerful masters of this Universe. This is surely a place for healing. If my Masters saved me, they have good reason for it. That tells me only one thing: soon I will be more powerful then ever before.”

  His eyes half-lidded, Quabil stared at the ceiling and imagined what he could do after a full recovery. The green lights pulsed on in the dead.

  Part I

  It’s a New (Ordinary?) Day

  I.

  A familiar melody brought him back from the pleasant but somewhat unusual dream. Perhaps that was the only “warning” he would get, but he never could have imagined the upcoming events of this day. At 6:00 a.m., one of his favorite alert melodies ('Hallelujah') played from his iPhone. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked out the window. The soft light of the early morning sun was reflected all over the grass, trees and courtyard. Everything he could see from his bed, even the heavy punching bag, looked as if it were covered with thousands of shiny pearls. Fresh air carrying the smell of autumn filled the room.

  “This will be a day to remember". He couldn’t know how much truth was in that.

  A morning meditation session generated an energy boost and sharpened his mind as always. A general feeling of goodwill flowed through his body – he was ready for the morning Tabata cardio* session. He quickly changed into running clothes. Slapping his palm over his left arm, he remembered: "I was lucky, it's not broken. I have to be careful and keep that in mind; I am vulnerable again."

  A flashback of yesterday rolled through his mind. He had been explaining the methodology of effectively blocking round kicks to his students at the Warrior Academy, and got carried away for a moment. He told them: "One picture is worth more than a thousand words", a principle he used a lot while teaching. He requested an experienced, six-and-a-half feet high Thai Boxer to kick him with full power... and he didn’t block the kick. He could easily block it but he stood there ‘eating’ that powerful blow, demonstrating just what happens if you do not block or move from the line of attack. But, he forgot that he was not above the pain anymore. Just for a moment he forgot the 11th of November five years ago. Since then, everything in his life had become completely different.

  “Good timing, hope everything there is as usual…” Jason checked his wristwatch. 7:42 a.m., the last of 6 sprint sessions, and he was on his way back to the house. Other than some slight twinges in his left arm, and a bird cheeping too loudly outside the house, the day held only the promise of a slightly sleepy normal life.

  II.

  “Am I going to see her?” His thoughts were so loud that they were almost visible as he turned the last corner. Tension evaporated when he saw a gorgeous Japanese girl standing in front of the villa just across his house, innocently waiting for a car to take her to school. Somehow, he was able to understand her state of mind from one short glance. Even before she smiled back at him, he instantly felt that everything was O.K. This ‘morning ritual’ kept them both satisfied for the moment, but the future was not clear. There was no physical relationship, but it was obvious when they looked at each other how much they cared. Next to the students in his Warrior Academy and friendship with Gunnar, Sumiko was a good part of the reason he did his best at trying to live a normal life. He had not chosen to retire in this place – but he liked living in beautiful Prague. In the past five years, Jason Raiden had become attached to a simple life without much stress, free of the intensity that comes with a ‘hunt and kill the bad guys' lifestyle. He didn’t even seem to miss it.

  He was already in front of the house, and the metal gate opened automatically -but he did not enter. He wanted to find the eyes of Sumiko one more time. Her ride had arrived already, but before she disappeared into the back of the armored Hummer, their eyes met again. Jason felt as if hundreds of butterflies were doing a dance in his belly but he controlled them – they would not master him. Again, he was able to read her thoughts: "I am fine, thank you again! That animal I have to call "father" is afraid and keeps distance from my Mum and me. Just please stay here, do not go anywhere! I depend on you. We depend on you! I cannot imagine what would happen if he would lose that fear of you."

  Her eyes, glimmering with emotions, glowed even through the dark glass of the Hummer that slowly moved away.

  “What I am supposed to do with this girl?” he often wondered. He knew that soon he would have to move forward. A short while before, he had (quite literally) scared the shit out of her abusive father Matsumoto, when he caught him drunk and beating both Sumiko and her mother. He was not just anyone; Matsumoto was a very powerful man that used the cover of a Japanese diplomat to protect and expand his ‘no rules – no mercy’ underground fighting business. Jason’s threats were all that kept Sumiko safe from her father’s abuse. But, he felt a lot more than a desire to protect her.

  “Things must flow naturally. She is only 20 and safe for now, but very young. I am not sure how, but it will all work out”. Thoughts like this often rolled through his mind about Sumiko, and sometimes they were so distracting that he just had to put those thoughts aside. It’s not that he was looking for reasons to forget the gorgeous Sumiko – far from it - but on days like today, there were important things that demanded his full attention. He had planned a five-day seminar on pressure points striking for the next week, critical skills that were needed especially for serious martial art students.

  Jason made hardly any money from his Warrior Academy because he charged only a minimal amount for his lessons and seminars. Martial arts were his forte and he really enjoyed teaching, but he didn’t want to turn teaching into a business like everyone else. He carefully selected whom he wanted to teach, and without hesitation rejected anyone whose mind contained even a small dose of evil or malice. He had the ability to feel the ‘black souls’ as well as those who had completely sided with evil, but had zero tolerance towards those people. He had perfected methods of hunting and killing them for years.

  The life he had led until only five years ago would be difficult to imagine for any human mind (even to those with a good dose of higher knowledge). As a 'Guardian of the Light' he had endless resources on his disposal. But, once he had 'retired', he was on his own. While eating breakfast, he mused on that day – the day of "coming back" to human existence. That was his choice and despite all the trials, he did not regret that decision.

  Taking a sip of fresh orange juice, Jason remembered that it was Gunnar’s day to present his business proposal. Gunnar Friedl was Jason’s best friend and brilliant business coach, whose ideas had made him a millionaire. Though Jason didn’t quite want that responsibility, he was intrigued to see what Gunnar had to show him today.

  “Jason, my friend, I have a great idea on how to triple the profit we make now”, he remembered Gunnar saying. “I’ll fly over in two days and tell you all about it”.

  As financier and advisor, nobody could touch Gunnar’s brilliance, and his lightning-fast mental prowess with spreadsheets was nearly uncanny. He could make an ordinary business plan sound like the new wave of the future. But if Gunnar said they could triple profits, they could – it had happened before.

  Five years ago, Gunnar had found Jason unconscious, floating on a lake with no clothes on. He saved him, took Good Samaritan care of him until Jason had fully recovered, and they had slowly become close friends and business partners.

>   Gunnar had become a self-made millionaire by selling educational programs online. His company was responsible for a few of the best weight-loss programs on the market.

  For him, it didn’t take long to turn Jason’s martial arts expertise and turn it into an online self-defense video course that sold like hot cakes. Self-defense proved to be a profitable niche and income skyrocketed. Profits piled up but neither of them cared about the money! What they lived for and cared about was achieving the goals they had set. Jason could not imagine how strongly and how soon the chances of achieving those goals would be shaken to the core. There was no indication of the danger that would put everything he cared for on the edge of existence.

  III.

  Jason was preparing for a morning training session. He looked at his watch. It was showing 9:07 am.

  “I have enough time”, he peacefully concluded and walked toward the library. He reached the heavy oak doors but before he could open them, he was thrown to the ground by an unknown force. He looked up, fully blinded for a moment by a massive eruption of white-gold light, five feet away from his nose. The whole room started to vibrate, and a familiar sound filled the place.

  “Aaaaammmmmmmmmm!!!”

  It was a sound he easily recognized. He knew exactly what would happen next but he didn’t know why!

  “It’s not going to work, my body will crash! Did the great souls from the ‘Council of Light’ forget that I don’t wear armor anymore?!” Question after question streamed through his mind while he placed his body in the diamond position, getting ready for the inter-dimensional jump.

  “Ssssssssshhhshh” – the fizzing sound of the Vimāna* was actually pleasant to hear but this time Jason felt vulnerable and uneasy.

  “I really hope they have this all planned well…otherwise that’s it for me in this lifetime.” Jason’s reasoning was simple. He knew that the material body couldn’t bear conditions that dominate the higher spheres of the universe. The material elements of his body would simply disintegrate when in direct contact with higher energy.