Guardian: Darkness Rising (31 page)

“
But she didn’t, did she?” Louise
asked frantically. “For goodness’ sake, Anton, don’t pause like
that!”

“
She didn’t, Louise, trust me,”
Antonio said. “Mari did quite the opposite, actually.

“
She saved the world.”

Louise didn’t seem reassured. “She saved the
world?” she repeated her husband’s words. “So... does that mean she
came back home with you? Where is she, then?”

Antonio swallowed. “Mari... didn’t come back
home, Louise.”

Louise’s eyes widened in horror. In her heart,
she knew what had happened to her child, but she had to be
sure.

“
Antonio...” she said quietly, “is
Mari... is she...?”

“
Gone,” Antonio admitted, his
throat finally closing up. “She died. Together with Lucas, James’s
son. They saved the world, but... couldn’t save each
other.”

Louise allowed her breath to escape from her
lungs as she buried her head into her hands, her elbows resting on
her knees. “No...” she mumbled. “Marilyn... why did she have to be
taken from us right after we’d found her again?”

“
I’m so sorry, Louise,” Antonio
said, placing a careful hand on his ex-wife’s shoulder; to his
surprise, she allowed it. “I did what I could. But Mari wanted it
this way. And... Luke followed her, even.

“
This is what they wanted. To save
the world, to save us.”

“
But why?” Louise lamented. “Why
our little girl?”

She suddenly turned and wrapped her arms
around her ex-husband’s waist. “Please,” she said softly. “I
don’t... I don’t want to fight anymore, Antonio.

“
Please, stay. I don’t want to
lose you too.”

Antonio accepted her hug. “I won’t leave,” he
said. “I won’t leave you anymore, Louise. I promise.

“
I will try my best keep the
promise I made to Mari. The promise I failed to keep for her. But
this time, for you, I will do everything within my power to keep
it.”

A year goes by quickly. Quicker than you’d
think, even.

Things never went back to what they used to
be. Mari and Luke never came back; the void they left was never
filled.

And it wasn’t just a physical void they’d
left. They left a mental one as well.

The sound of Luke’s laughter was
missed greatly by his siblings. Even his tricks and shenanigans
were missed; especially by his parents.

Eventually, the inevitable winter came. Long,
dark nights, that seemed to seamlessly blend in with the almost
equally dark days.

No snow fell that year. Not even the slightest
bit of white flakes came falling from the sky. But, despite the
fact that there was no snow, the merciless winter cold
remained.

But of course the winter came to an end.
Spring began, the days started growing longer and lighter. Flowers
and trees began to bloom, and so did eventually the hopes of the
former Guardians.

Everything on Earth has a new beginning, so
that meant that perhaps they could have one, too.

As a result of that, James and his family left
New York for good later that spring. Anna and James felt like that
was the first step to a true new beginning.

Sometimes, to move on, you have to leave the
sight of old memories behind and create new ones. But the family
made sure to never forget Luke.

Luke’s family took him with them, wherever
they went. He was always in their hearts, no matter what
happened.

And although the first year was a difficult
one, they got through it, because they had each other to rely on.
Family and friendship; the most important elements when it comes to
human life.

Even Louise and Antonio found
their new beginning. Three years later, they were finally ready to
become a married couple once again. In their daughter’s memory.
They didn’t organise a big, fancy wedding, but perhaps that wasn’t
truly necessary, either.

It is important to keep your loved ones close,
because you never know when they’ll leave you. People can leave you
in many ways, after all.

But then again, if you love someone, you’ve
got to learn to let them go. It isn’t healthy for one to stay
fixated on each other forever. But just because you let someone go,
it doesn’t mean you never have to speak to that someone ever
again.

Actions speak louder than words, but words are
the ones that hurt the most in the long run. But perhaps sometimes,
saying nothing at all hurts more than saying the wrong thing.
Speech is silver, but silence is golden, they say.

Well... sometimes, you’ll just have to settle
for silver. And that’s because it’s the right thing to
do.

Be careful with what you say and do to the
ones you love. Cherish the time you have. Don’t take it for
granted.

And, if you ultimately do decide to split
ways, or are forced to do so, make sure that you always keep each
other in mind. You’ll never know when you might meet
again.

And you’ll never know what will happen once
you do.

***

~ TABLE OF CONTENTS
~

I: The
Release

II:
Th
e Game

III:
The Saviour