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The Lost Chronicles of Eden: CHAMPIONS

The Lost Chronicles of Eden

champions

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KARREN RENZ SEÑA

The Lost Chronicles of Eden

champions

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“Karren’s writing drew me in, kept me hooked, and got me aching to know what would happen next. A beautiful, sophisticated, brilliant piece of work! The youth needs this kind of engaging material that will challenge them to rise to the call of heroism.”

– George Tolentino Gabriel Award-winning Author of Love Life and Live Life, Kerygma

Preacher, and Editor-in-Chief of FiSH magazine

“Debut novelist Karren Renz Seña has the uncanny ability to grab hold of even the most disinterested reader with the first sentence alone, and manages to sustain that piqued interest with a matching prowess for eloquent description, relatable characterization, and a compelling narrative. In this first novel, Seña proves that she is no stranger to writing fiction, and she is most certainly no novice in the faith: from the accurate epigraph to the final period, “Champions” serves to entertain and enlighten, through allegories of fantasy, about the battle between good and evil, and how all of us are called to be guardians to slay our own demons. May this book fire up the imagination of its readers so that their hearts may be set aflame by the call to become true Champions and heroes.”

– Ma. Ailil B. Alvarez Deputy Director, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

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For Mama, Kihyan and Koleen,My favorite girls in the world.

I love you the most.For God,

You wrote this.All glory be Yours.

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He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the

way to the tree of life. – Genesis 3:24

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Lost Chronicles of Eden: CHAMPIONS

ISBN- 978-971-007-087-9

Copyright © 2014 by Karren Renz Seña

Address requests for information to:SHEPHERD’S VOICE PUBLICATIONS, INC.#60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines 1109P.O. Box 1331, Quezon City Central Post Office 1153 Quezon CityTel. No. (+632) 725-9999; Fax No. (632) 727-5615E-mail: [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, except for brief quotations, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover Design and Illustration by Kihyan Renz Chua YapLayout by Rey De Guzman and Angie Espuerta

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

Prologue: Of Things Visible and Invisible, and the Beginning

of the End 11

1: On Missing Home and Stalking Lovestruck Boys 15

2: Fighting Demons Gets You Kicked Out of Class 21

3: Fiery Sunsets, Melancholia and Beautiful, Pissed-Off Ladies 25

4: Cranky Priests, Noisy Kids, and Meddling Nuns Make Up a Good Family 31

5: Bronze Medallions Are More Than What They Seem 37

6: Guns and Girls Don’t Mix... But If They Did, Run 43

7: When Your Life Crumbles Around You, Keep Calm and Remember 49

8: On Escaping Foul-Tempered Warriors and Chasing After the Past 55

9: Dimension Travel Is the New Cool 61

10: When the Apocalypse Looms on the Horizon, Choose Love 67

11: Study Your History Before You Go Out to Save the Worlds 77

12: You Can Always Say No, But That Would Really, Really Suck 87

13: The Worlds in the Hands of Misfits and Troublemakers 93

14: Getting Down to the Business of Heroism 103

15: Dramatic Anointing Ceremonies, Questionable Credentials, and Embracing Destinies 111

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Table of Contents

16: Because Guardians Know How to Rock and Roll 119

17: More Questionable Credentials and Dancing Weapon Wielders 129

18: I Take Care of What’s Mine 139

19: Out of the Flames and into the Deep — The Path of Inner Beasts 145

20: Further into the Deep and Farther from the Light 153

21: Not About What’s In Front, But What’s Behind 163

22: Into the Heart of the Battle 175

23: The Hardest Battles Are Between Friends 181

24: When One Door Opens, Close It; When Another Closes, Let It Be 189

25: The End of the Beginning of the End 195

Epilogue: When the Visible Become Invisible and the End Starts to Begin Again 201

My Champions, Thank You 204

About the Author 207

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PROLOGUE

Of Things Visible and Invisible, and the Beginning of the End

There’s a demon beside you right now.No, really. I mean it. You may not see it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. It hovers

over your shoulder, snarling, gnarling, baring its rotten fangs, waiting for the perfect opportunity to latch on to you.

Don’t worry though. Where there are demons, there are Guardians as well.

And just in case you’re thinking that Guardians are angels, they’re not. They’re soldiers born and raised in another dimension whose main duty is to police the forces of evil that linger in the Worlds.

That’s right. Worlds. Yours is not the only one.Where demons appear, Guardians follow. Battles occur. Weapons

clash against claws. Swords pierce through flesh. Talons rip through skin. Demons get thrown back into hell, and Guardians—forces of light they may be—sometimes die.

And it’s all happening right now, as you’re reading this, or while you’re doing your homework, or as you’re beating the next boss in the newest online RPG you’re skipping class for.

Because there are things that you see and know, things that you easily grasp with your hands or reason. You like those things — things that are tangible and easily understood.

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But there are also things that escape the clutches of your limited understanding.

You Humans like to push the boundaries of your understanding, desperate to shed light on things unknown because of your fears—the unseen, the darkness and shadows, the unfathomable.

(Nowadays, what the Human mind cannot grasp, your Google can explain.)

But there is a truth hidden from your world. There are things you cannot see, creatures, concepts and ideas that you have yet to discover and make sense of.

Reality is not how you understand it. What you know is but a speck of a greater truth. There are many things in this world (and in other worlds) that have escaped the clutches of Human curiosity, and therefore have been left untouched, uncharted and undiscovered.

Until now. I’m here to shake you up a bit and shed a little of light on the

darkness that has shrouded your senses.The things your dreams and nightmares are made of — fairies

and dragons, ghosts and monsters, spirits and beasts, angels and demons — are real.

Very, very real. As real as the air you cannot see but can breathe. As real as the

love you cannot touch but can feel. As real as the demon hovering over your shoulder you cannot hear, but can sense in that part of you that remembers cowering in the shadows, afraid. Its presence is strong, palpable, like anger or fear or pain.

There is a war, hidden from you, but brewing steadily. It’s not in your world, not yet, but in a world that exists parallel to it. The world where Guardians came from.

Cielterra. My world. Because by the way, I’m a Guardian, too. Hidden in the heart of this world is the Garden of Eden, kept

there for safekeeping, away from the greedy, prying hands of those

Prologue

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who crave power and immortality. Evil can be so cliché. So, anyway... The Tree of Life can give you power and life eternal. And to be honest, it’s a pain to keep it safe because there seems

to be no end to the number of people willing to do almost anything to get to it. There are even those who have sold their souls for the opportunity to revive one of the Demon Majors of hell, who possesses the ability to tear through the very fabric of space and time that separates the dimensions. Sargatanas can transport anyone to any and all realms, including the hidden ones.

And Eden is exactly that. Hidden.Hidden and not displayed for everyone to see, so that no man,

woman, animal, or creature, visible or invisible, can get to it because it’s. just. not. allowed.But villains, megalomaniacs included, simply don’t seem to

understand the concept of boundaries and rules. They broke into the heart of the Citadel — the impenetrable stronghold of the powerful city of Cielos, home of the Guardians, the city closest to heaven —and stole the one sword that can rip through space and time. The one sword that can unlock Gate Pandora, the portal closest to the mouth of hell.

The Sword of Sargatanas.That’s why the Champions were called. The stolen sword was the

catalyst that lit the fires of the Three Towers. There exist three keys that together can unlock the seal that imprisons Sargatanas. The first among these is the sword; next is the Heart of the Dragon, a precious ruby that beats with the lifeblood of the endangered beasts; and third is the Key of King Solomon. With the loss of the sword, the Judges knew that war was upon us.

My name is Solenn.I am a Guardian, born, raised and trained. I was chosen as one

of the seven Champions and given the task of locating the last of the seven, to be found in your world, the Human world.

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War is upon us. The fate of the Worlds — ours and yours — lies in the hands of

the seven Champions.This is the beginning of the end. Brace yourselves.And if you dare, join in the battle.

Prologue

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On Missing Home and Stalking Lovestruck Boys

They weren’t supposed to be there. At least, as far as Solenn was concerned.

It had been quite a while since they were last home, and she was getting a bit sick of listening to the professor’s impassioned speeches about things she could not relate to. Today was a particularly bad day because the air conditioning unit of their classroom was out of order, so they had to open the windows and spend three hours discussing media ethics inside a concrete furnace.

Solenn glared at the professor who droned endlessly about the socio-political implications of some pop star’s music video and wished she were anywhere but there. He was gesturing wildly to the video flashing on the LCD screen while ranting about moral degradation and child labor.

She couldn’t care less about the video, because from where she came from, pop stars didn’t sing in front of the audience or camera half-naked, and they didn’t slither on poles in a pathetic attempt to look sexy. She was two blinks away from passing out, but she had to stay awake because if she pissed off the professor one more time, she’d be sent to the Discipline Office. Again.

She glanced at her partner and smirked when she saw him fighting back a yawn with a scowl.

At least she wasn’t the only one. It was nice to know that she and her partner would always go down together.

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She shut the professor out and daydreamed about flashing broadswords and glorious battles. She dreamt of running amok in the woods behind her house, her huge fat cat and her oversized dog in tow. She dreamt of warm bread and hot soup on cold rainy nights. She dreamt of home.

It took an eternity before the bell rang. Solenn would have flitted away faster than the professor could say “Dismissed,” but duty demanded that she stay until their charge decided to leave. He looked like he had no plans of leaving, though.

Said charge was taking his damn sweet time gathering his things, because he was getting all moony over a tall, willowy girl with long, straight, jet black hair. One bat of her black almond eyes was enough to send the boy panting after her.

“You want to get this over with and just kidnap him?” Solomon asked as he approached Solenn. The noonday sun cast golden highlights on Solomon’s hair as he walked by the open window. He gave a small grunt as he plopped down on the seat next to Solenn’s.

Solenn shook her head. “Love to, but I don’t think the old man would appreciate that. He said to ‘escort’ him to the headquarters ‘only when the right time comes,’” she said in a deep voice, in mockery of the older man who gave them the order. She honestly didn’t know why they were wasting time in this place when there was trouble back home.

Solenn snorted as she watched their target charm the girl into agreeing to a date. “Bet you five rons she’d shoot him down,” she told her partner.

Solomon grinned. “I’d take that bet.” “So, Selina,” they heard him say as he picked up the girl’s books,

“How about that coffee? You think we could have a cup this afternoon after the org meeting?”

The girl’s voice was soft and low, almost like a hum. Solenn strained to hear it. “I’d love to, Gabriel —” Solomon smirked and


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held out his palm, “but I have to go home early today.” Solenn grinned and slapped her partner’s outstretched arm. “How about tomorrow?”

The boy named Gabriel smiled, nearly splitting his face in two. “Really? Great! Tomorrow’s my birthday, actually!” He followed Selina as she walked to her next class, his voice trailing off behind him, chattering all the way.

“Well. That’s a stalemate,” Solenn said as she stood up from her seat. She blew a lock of dark hair off her face and scowled at where Gabriel and Selina sat. “She could have just left it at a ‘no’.”

“Come on, ‘Lenn. She’d never say no to him, I’m sure of that,” Solomon replied, his tone teasing. “Get your butt moving. We have to follow them.”

Solenn sighed as she walked out of the room with her partner in tow. “Tell me again why we’re doing this, Sol?” She looked around and spotted their charge near the girl’s room. Ever the faithful watchdog, she thought as she headed in Gabriel’s direction.

“Because Samson said so.” “And since when was that motivation enough for us to stay in

this place?”“It’s Samson. We do what Samson says.” Solomon’s tone brooked

no room for arguments.Solenn rolled her eyes. Of course. When did Solomon ever

disobey Samson? Never, that’s when. Samson was their mentor and foster father to the golden boy, while she was the problem kid. Solenn took pride in being the only person in the universe that could get Samson to blow his top. Samson always told her that she’d be the death of him.

Story of her life. “Mind off the clouds, ‘Lenn,” Solomon said as he snapped his

fingers in front of her. “We can’t take our eyes off the target.” “Oh come on, Sol. The target is just entering the class as we

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speak,” Solenn snapped. “And one more thing, we’re tailing an oblivious 17-year-old Human around an age-old university. We’re just basically watching him live his dull, boring, uneventful life. I don’t need focus for that.” She glared at her partner and pushed past him into the classroom that Gabriel and Selina entered. The professor arrived right after they settled into their seats.

Solomon sighed and restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Solenn could be a bit difficult at times.

He could understand the cause of her ill temper and nasty attitude, though. They had been stuck watching over Gabriel for more than three months now, and they both missed home. Life wasn’t always easy back there, but at least everything was familiar.

The glint of sunlight on bejeweled streets. The soft rays of the moon shining on high-rise glass towers. Sun-powered boards and bikes hovering on floating boulevards.

None of those in this far-off, strange place. Cracked granite pavements. Overcrowded streets. Painted walls

hiding dilapidated homes. Dying trees along the islands of the wide roads. Oil-powered automobiles piled along congested avenues.

What he’d give to ride his surfer and race against the rush of wind once again. He had a bike here, but the only rush he raced against was the afternoon traffic jam. Curses and damnation.

His musings were interrupted by a low growl, followed by a foul smell. And it wasn’t a growling stomach that preceded an unpleasant passing of gas, either. It smelled of rotting, burning flesh. It came from outside their classroom, but the distinct sound wasn’t lost to Solomon’s ears.

He sat up straight in his chair and shot Solenn a look. She was slouching in her chair, but her brown eyes were sharp and alert. The golden rings surrounding her eyes glinted under the fluorescent lights as she scanned the room.

“Did you hear that, ‘Lenn?” he mumbled as he pretended to yawn and shifted in his seat.


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“I did, Sol. I’m not deaf,” Solenn hissed back. She slouched further into her seat, but Solomon could see her slowly reaching into her uniform to palm the bronze pendant hanging on a chain around her neck. Embossed on the pendant was their insignia — four fiery swords pointed in four directions, forming a cross. She faked a yawn and pretended to be bored at the professor’s lecture. She looked like she was just playing with her necklace, but Solomon knew she was getting ready for action.

Action. Finally. The last time he had one was the other day, and to both of them, it felt like forever.

The growl became a bit louder, the foul smell a bit stronger. The demon was getting nearer.

“Sol.”“I’m on it.” Solomon took out his own pendant. Almost at the

same time, they closed their eyes and summoned the image of their insignia in their minds. Luminescent blue light wrapped them from head to foot, making them invisible to the Human eye. Their college uniforms suddenly turned into their combat gear — bronze plate armor over silver chainmail and camouflage pants. The same insignia shone brightly on their left chests. Even under the fluorescent lights they almost seemed alive. Their black leather shoes turned into high-cut combat boots. Solomon’s war hammer appeared on his left hand and his mace appeared on his right. Solenn grabbed the huge double-edged broadsword strapped on her back.

The demon crashed into the classroom in a billow of thick black smoke. Slowly, the formless vapor morphed into a ghastly creature with the head of a bull and the body of a large hound. Tattered bat-like wings hung on its side. A long spiked tail covered in black fur slithered behind it like a snake. Two large fangs protruded from its gnarling mouth, dripping with rotting flesh and slime. It remained unseen to the humans in the room, but its presence was malevolent enough to cast a dark thought or two in their minds.

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Immediately, the students in the class became restless as they fell into various states of negative emotions. A girl felt jealous at her friend who was sitting beside her crush. A young man didn’t want to go home as he remembered how his parents fought the night before. The professor felt like resigning because his promotion was taking so long.

Blood-red eyes glinted with malice as it scanned the room, searching for its prey. In a split second, it charged directly towards the ever-oblivious Gabriel.

Solomon and Solenn flew out of their seats and struck.


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Fighting Demons Gets You Kicked Out of Class

They killed it in less than a minute. Bullhounds are huge and deadly, but they are also slow and stupid.

The Underworld teemed with many types of demons, most of which are sentient and malevolent, but some are just beastly creatures sent to destroy. Those demons are the dumbest.

The bullhound charged directly at Gabriel without even looking at Solomon and Solenn. Solomon blocked its path and landed a blow on its head with his hammer. The whine it released sounded more like a thick gurgle as it stumbled onto the floor and skidded through the wall and out into the corridor. Solenn ran after it and thrust her huge sword into its neck before it could stand up again. Solomon followed in less than a split second. For good measure, he swiped at it with the sharp edge of his mace, slicing the head off its body.

“Ew, Sol!” Solenn complained as she dodged the splatter of thick, green demon blood.

Solomon flashed his partner a sheepish grin. “Sorry, ‘Lenn.”Solenn kicked the bullhound’s head in annoyance. It rolled

unceremoniously down the corridor. A Human boy grimaced as he walked past where it was. He couldn’t see it, but the presence was still strong, even if it was already dead.

Its mangy flesh quickly rotted before it disintegrated into a pile of ashes. A soft gush of wind came to blow it away. They both stared at it

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for a few seconds before starting back to their classroom.“I am offended that it didn’t even look at me,” Solenn said as

she strapped her sword to her back. “I mean, what am I, chopped liver? We’re Candidates, too! The first ones, even. Aren’t these things supposed to attack us? Why, just the other day they sent an entire horde to get us. And not the dumb ones, too.”

Solomon raised an eyebrow at his partner and smirked. “I’d have thought you’d be more concerned that it attacked him.”

Solenn shrugged. “Yeah, that too.” “This is the first time a demon came for him,” Solomon pointed

out. “You remember what Samson said about demons attacking our charge?”

“Of course, I do,” Solenn snapped. “It means his cover as a Human is getting weaker because he’s nearing that age, and that... Oh, crap. We have to bring him home, don’t we?”

Solomon nodded. “Yeah, we have to. His cover can’t keep his true blood anymore. It’s getting stronger. He’s getting stronger. He can’t stay here any longer. It’s not safe. ”

“But his Mark hasn’t even shown up yet,” Solenn protested. “And if his blood’s getting stronger, he should be able to see us now even with our armors on.” She looked at where Gabriel was and nearly growled when she saw him poking at her.

Her Human double, that is. Her sleeping Human double.The entire class and the professor were watching as Gabriel

and another classmate tried to wake their doubles from their sleep. Solenn could make out a few veins popping out of their professor’s head as she approached him. He looked like he was going to die from brain aneurysm any moment.

“Solenn?” Gabriel whispered. “Hey, Solenn. Wake up. You’re dozing off again.”

“Look at him. Talking to me like we’re super close chums,” Solenn groused as she walked back to her double. “Stop poking at me, idiot!”


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she snapped, even though she knew Gabriel couldn’t hear her.“There goes another trip to the DO,” Solomon sighed as he

walked towards his own sleeping double.“I really hate these doubles. Useless things stare off into space or

fall asleep when we leave them. No wonder we’re always in trouble with the profs.”

“We’ll have to ask for better models when we get back,” Solomon said.

“If they have plans of calling us back,” Solenn said sarcastically. “At this point, I have a feeling Samson’s just trying to get rid of us.”

“Oh, no. He wouldn’t dare get rid of his favorite student. You, on the other hand...” Solomon trailed off with a teasing smile.

Solenn scowled at her partner before she took out her pendant and imagined the flaming sword. The vision was so vivid, she could almost feel the heat of the fanning flames. She felt her spirit gently merging with her double. A split second after, she felt pokes on her arm.

“Solenn, come on. Wake up,” Gabriel hissed. “The professor’s going to kill you! Solenn!”

“I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop poking at me,” Solenn snapped as she opened her eyes and sat up straight. She spared the hyperventilating professor a glance and bowed her head in a pathetic attempt to apologize. “Sorry, sir.”

To her left, she could see Solomon giving a nameless classmate a nasty glare as he “woke up.”

“Mr. and Ms. Del Cielo,” the professor hissed, “I will not tolerate you sleeping in my class, anymore. This has happened one too many times. I’ve never experienced such blatant disrespect in my life.”

“It won’t happen again, sir,” Solomon promised. “Of course it wouldn’t. I’m dropping you out of this class.” “You can’t do that!” Solenn said.“Yes, I can. It’s that, or I’ll file a complaint against you in the

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Student Welfare Development Board.”“I really don’t see how filing a complaint against us will foster the

development of our welfare.”“Solenn, shut up. You’re making it worse,” Gabriel warned. “You shut up! You don’t tell me what to do!”“He doesn’t, but I do,” the professor almost snarled. “Now get out

of my class, Del Cielo.” “Which one?” “Both of you! Out!”“But—”“I said out!” The two exiled students gathered their things and started for

the door without a word. They heard a snicker or two on their way out, but they chose to ignore it. Any other day, they’d be onto those jerks before they could even blink, but the two didn’t want to get into more trouble.

It was one thing to get kicked out of class. It was another to get kicked out of the school. They would really get in trouble, then.

On his way out, Solomon caught the eye of the raven-haired girl Gabriel had been trying to woo. He thought he saw her smirk as he walked out the door.


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3

Fiery Sunsets, Melancholia, and Beautiful, Pissed-Off Ladies

“Well, it’s not the first time we got kicked out of class,” Solenn said as she leaned on the classroom wall. They had put their armors back on after their Walk of Shame so that they could continue to watch over Gabriel. “Samson should be used to this by now, so I don’t think we’ll get into trouble.”

Solomon smirked. “You sound like you’re just trying to convince yourself.”

“Shut up, Sol,” Solenn snapped. “Anyway, he wasn’t that mad when we got kicked out of Salvation History back home.” She nodded firmly to herself. “We’re good.”

“No, we’re not,” Solomon said. “He said if we get into trouble with school one more time, he’d make our lives so miserable, we’d wish we never met him at all.”

“I wish that all the damn time,” Solenn said. She heaved a huge sigh and blew her bangs off her face. “What do you think our punishment would be this time?”

Solomon shrugged. “I have no idea.” “You’d have thought he’d be sick of punishing us, what with how

often we get into trouble, but no. He gets more creative every time.” “Yeah. Remember that time he made us run 50 laps around the

Citadel’s walls in anime cosplay? I was a ninja in an orange suit and you were a sailor warrior. I don’t even know how he knew what anime is.”

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“Bah. That was one of his lamest ideas,” Solenn said. “Remember when he tied us to a post and spread honey all over our arms? I thought I’d die when those fire ants started to crawl toward us. We’re lucky Gideon doused us with water and released us before the ants could bite.”

“What about when he made us give a ‘heartfelt’ public apology live on air? That was the most humiliating moment of my life.” Solomon shuddered as he remembered how Samson forced them to give a public apology after they started a riot during the High Mass. He couldn’t remember what his classmate said that had gotten him so pissed, but he could remember how good it felt when his fist crashed the idiot’s nose. Next thing he knew, Solenn had joined the fight. It escalated into an all-out brawl in mere minutes.

“Yeah, that was the worst,” Solenn agreed. “You think Samson would forgive us if we told him we got kicked out because we protected the Human?”

“We can try.” “You tell him, OK? He likes you more.”Solomon smirked at his partner before his expression turned

serious. “More important than our inevitable punishment is the fate of that Human over there.” He threw a glance at Gabriel, who was pretending to take down notes. He was just writing Selina another love letter. “I don’t know who’s been sending demons after us, but whoever they are, they’ve already found out that he’s one of us, too.”

Solenn nodded. “It’s bad enough that we have to protect ourselves from the attacks,” she said, “but now we have to protect him, too. I thought we’d at least be able to bring him back to us before he started showing signs of being a —” Anything Solenn was going to say was cut off by the final bell. Their eyes automatically shot to their charge. He was, of course, on his way to the object of his adoration.

“How long do you think before Selina blows him off?” Solenn asked. “Because I really think he’s just setting himself up for a


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heartbreak. Dude’s digging his own grave.” Solomon smirked when he noticed Selina hiding a grimace as

Gabriel approached. “Knowing how irritating that fool is? Soon.” “That poor guy.” Solenn’s mocking tone and amused smirk belied

her words.“Anyway, they’re heading out. Come on.” Solomon stood upright

from where he was propped against the wall and followed Gabriel and Selina out of the classroom, Solenn on his heels. Gabriel had wanted to hang out at the Lovers’ Lane, a long stretch of granite walk in front of their university’s famous Main Building, but Selina begged off with a polite smile.

The pair parted ways at the university gate. Gabriel waited until Selina had gotten into a jeepney before he rode another one going towards the opposite direction. Solomon and Solenn leapt to its roof and crouched low as the jeepney driver drove as if hell’s demons were chasing after him.

“I want wings,” Solenn said as she held on to the edge of the roof to keep from falling off. “Why didn’t they give us wings?”

“Maybe because they’re not very handy during battle.”“Angels handle them just fine.”“We’re not angels, ‘Lenn.”“What’s the difference? Our ancestors were. They were even

called the Nefilim once. And we have, like, super cool abilities that these normal Humans don’t have. Very celestial, if you ask me.”

“Our ancestors are neither angels nor Nefilim,” Solomon said. “They were just blessed and anointed by the Archangels, by order of the Triune. Those ‘super cool abilities’ were just handed down to us. You know, it would do you good to wake up and actually listen to Cielterran History every once in a while.”

Solenn rolled her eyes at her partner’s lecture and just concentrated on not falling off the vehicle’s roof. It wasn’t that she was a bad student. She actually graduated from the Initiative second

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only to Solomon. It was just that she hated being confined in a classroom when she could be out in the battlefield killing demons or in the training center honing her skills. Besides, Cielterran History wouldn’t be of much help to her when she’s out in the field fighting demons. It wouldn’t help her get stronger. Anything that wouldn’t help her get stronger is irrelevant.

The ride took almost 30 minutes. The jeepney kept stopping at every intersection to pick up passengers or to allow some to get off. There was heavy traffic along Quezon Boulevard because of the churchgoers attending Mass at Quiapo Church. It was Friday, so there’d be more patrons than usual. Solomon and Solenn had inhaled quite a lot of the city’s smog as the jeepney cruised along Manila’s streets.

“If I wanted to destroy my lungs I’d have smoked a long time ago.” Solenn nearly growled as she leapt off the roof and avoided the pile of garbage on the sidewalk. “I don’t know how these Humans are able to live in this polluted, overpopulated city. They should take better care of this world.”

“I know,” Solomon agreed, “but we can’t meddle in their affairs any more than they can’t meddle in ours. We’re here to protect them, not clean up after them.”

Solenn kept quiet as she and Solomon trailed behind their charge. Gabriel easily navigated through the narrow alleys and busy streets of Manila before he stopped in front of a small church. Annexed to the main building was a small orphanage run by the parish priest and a small group of volunteers and social workers.

Gabriel was safe from attacks as long as he stayed within the confines of the church, so the two pulled back from their vigilant watch. They leapt up on one of the church’s roofs and watched the sunset.

The sky was on fire that afternoon. Beyond the grey buildings, the sun slowly descended, casting hues of reds, yellows and oranges


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against the blue canvass of the sky. A cool breeze blew past the tree that stood lonesome in the churchyard. Just below, the people rushed to their respective destinations, never once stopping to look at the brilliant artwork nature was creating for them.

Solomon and Solenn relished the rare moment of peace. Their line of work could not afford them the luxury of long rests, quietness and solitude. They were raised in a battlefield and grew up wielding swords, axes, chains and maces, instead of playing with toys. They had been soldiers for so long, the memory of a normal childhood was almost lost to them.

They had one, but it was so long ago, it felt like another lifetime.“Look at them, Sol,” Solenn said softly as she watched the Humans

rush past the church. “So oblivious to the things happening around them. I wonder what it feels like to be normal.”

“What’s normal, ‘Lenn?” Solomon asked.“A thousand things we’re not,” Solenn replied. “A nine-to-five job

that doesn’t involve risking our lives. Conversations about work and school instead of weapons and battle strategies. A complete family, maybe.”

“We’re Guardians, ‘Lenn. We fight demons and monsters and we protect people from the spawns of hell. We train, we go to battle, we fight for whatever good that’s left in this world. That’s our normal. You want their normal?”

Solenn thought for a bit before she shook her head and smiled. Her childhood was far from the Humans’ notion of what is normal, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. “No. I like our life as it is.”

Their quiet moment was interrupted by the arrival of their team’s third member. She leapt from another roof and landed on a crouch in front of them. She scanned the area without a word, her black, almond-shaped eyes sharp as it swept the vicinity. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she stood up and nodded at the two. The breeze

30

played with her long black hair as the sun cast red highlights on it. “You’re late,” Solenn teased, even though she had a hunch she’d been

with them since the jeepney ride. “Trouble along the way?”“Solenn,” the newcomer said, a sharp edge lacing her usually

melodic voice, “if I stay one more minute pretending that I like that moron, I’ll shoot him.” She gave Solenn and Solomon a dirty look. “Or I’ll shoot the two of you.”

Solomon barked out in laughter. “That’s quite a mouthful, especially for you.”

“Tell him the truth. Knock him unconscious and drag him back home. Shoot him dead. I don’t care what you do, but I’m done pretending to enjoy his affections.”

“That’s four sentences!” Solenn teased. “Record breaker!” “Solenn.” Solenn doubled over in laughter as her other partner pulled out a

huge gun and pointed it at her. “Alright, alright, Eli. I’m sorry I laughed at you.”

“Tomorrow. We tell him tomorrow,” the raven-haired insisted as she lowered her gun. “He was already attacked this afternoon. We can’t risk another attack. We can’t keep him here anymore. It’s time.”

They looked below and watched as Gabriel walked out of the church to sweep the fallen leaves scattered on the churchyard.

Solomon’s smile disappeared as he looked at their charge. “Alright, Selina. We’ll tell him tomorrow.”

To be continued in The Lost Chronicles of Eden: Champions. Coming to the Manila International Fair on September 17 - 21, 2014.

BE THE FIRST TO GET YOUR COPY! PRE-ORDER NOW AT WWW.KERYGMABOOKS.COM

To know more about the Champions and the author, visit www.karrenrenzsena.com. For inquiries, email [email protected]


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