HOME | DD

Description
“C’mon Emile!! Push with your legs!! Your tiny, scrawny legs!!”

“Hey!! That’s insulting!!” Emile grumbled under the intense weight of both Jon and Tim. Once TRG made their decision to leave the Keepers without helping them, they immediately went out to find a way to escape the strange Keeper castle that they were trapped in. The only way out they were able to find was a window about 20 feet high. They could see the moon over the window, illuminating that same spot that summoned the Keepers in the first place. Smith and Rachel watched as Tim jumped on Jon’s shoulders...who in turn jumped on Emile’s shoulders...who really wasn’t having the best of times under their intense weight.

“Tim...just...just get to the stupid window before I suffer permanent dam-,” Everyone could hear a faint crack.

“Did anyone else hear that?”

“Yeah...I think that was my spine.”

“You know, you guys,” Rachel tried...from a couple of feet away, (she didn’t know when that human-made tower was going to fall...only that it will), “we don’t have to do this. Tell them dad!!”

“You want me to help TRG not do something stupid?!” Smith huffed, “that’s like trying to tip a cow by yourself. Sure some people say it’s possible, but once you try, you’ll just make the cow angry.” TRG didn’t realize that Smith compared them to cows at that time…

“But...they need our help-”

“Yeah,” Jon argued from atop the window, hands barely able to grasp its rim, “and we have to fly through hoops to help them. Sorry, but I’ll pass.” Rachel was about to argue again with Jon until-

“Maybe I can help persuade you a bit.” Shocked, everyone turned around…

Emile though, may have turned around a little too fast, losing his balance on his friends and toppling all of them on the floor below.

Everyone stared at Misael, who was watching TRG pick themselves up.”

“I understand you want to leave,” Misael explained, “in fact, I can’t even blame you for wanting to leave. The insane things you have had to deal with can attest to that. But before you go back to...whatever that was,” Misael referenced TRG’s climb to freedom, “please listen to this man’s story. Maybe I can explain it in a better light than how Nikhil did.”

“And if you can’t.” Jon raised an eyebrow.

“Then I promise I’ll open the door for all of you, and you can forget everything you’ve heard here.” TRG looked at each other, and then at Smith and Rachel. Everyone nodded approvingly.

“Alright,” Jon conceded, “talk.”

“Very well,” Misael started, “you see, there is more than one reason why Nikhil chose you to lead against Mordred. While it is true that all three of you house a great, I believe there’s something even greater that Nikhil sensed. Something that he...and the rest of the Keepers desperately need:

“You give people hope. You inspire people.” Misael tried explaining. He closed his eyes. Jon rolled his.

“Damn that was cheesy, not to mention cliche!!” Jon laughed, “alright, let’s say I believe this light vs darkness battle and crap,” Jon questioned, “we inspire people?! We give people hope?! There are hundreds of people who inspire better than us! We just make people laugh!”

“Yet it’s that same laughter that can give humans reason to keep fighting,” Misael never raised his voice, “Reason is one of the strongest forces in existence. A sense of community, of camaraderie, of happiness. Humans are some of the greatest creatures in the Universe. No matter how much someone throws them down, no matter how much hell is falling on them, they’ll continue fighting. No matter how many times you kill them, as long as they have spirit, drive, reason, then they become the strongest force in the universe...a human with reason…” Tim raised his hand.

“Ok but...question time!! Why do the Keepers need it? Is it because of the never ending time-travel or something or...what?” Misael shook his head.

“Not exactly. It is somewhat about that, but also something else. Something that hurts even worse. A plague that haunts only Keepers:

“The Keepers’ curse. An unavoidable curse that proves that you are only going to be loyal to the Keepers.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell us what it is already!!” Smith yelled, frustrated.

“The Keepers’ curse,” Misael swallowed. TRG could tell this is something even a Keeper fears, “As a Keeper, your one and only objective is to protect the balance of the elements. Anything else can never come between you and that job. The Keepers’ curse upholds that by destroying the thing most precious. It rips away the one thing you value above all else.” Silence fell for the next minute. Misael let it sit in for another minute before speaking.

Tor lost her husband to a plague. She was forced to watch as her husband lay dying for one week.

Bogart lost his parents to a robbery gone wrong. They came when they saw it happen. Bogart’s mother was able to save Bogart before they got him...she wasn’t as lucky.

Valen lost his entire lab to a fire. He’s been working in that lab, making scientific breakthroughs that rivals even DaVinci for his entire life. He watched as it burned in front of him. His secretary also died in the fire...before he had a chance to propose…

I lost my sister to a drunk bar fight. I just got to the bar to pick her up when I heard police sirens...she was the last living member of my family…”

Everyone stood there, shocked, not understanding.

“What about Nikhil?” Emile asked in a shaky voice, “what happened to him?”

“He lost his lover, the one who broke the cold shell he had when we first met him,” Misael explained, “she was killed cradled in his arms. And the one who killed her...was Mordred.

Description
“C’mon Emile!! Push with your legs!! Your tiny, scrawny legs!!”

“Hey!! That’s insulting!!” Emile grumbled under the intense weight of both Jon and Tim. Once TRG made their decision to leave the Keepers without helping them, they immediately went out to find a way to escape the strange Keeper castle that they were trapped in. The only way out they were able to find was a window about 20 feet high. They could see the moon over the window, illuminating that same spot that summoned the Keepers in the first place. Smith and Rachel watched as Tim jumped on Jon’s shoulders...who in turn jumped on Emile’s shoulders...who really wasn’t having the best of times under their intense weight.

“Tim...just...just get to the stupid window before I suffer permanent dam-,” Everyone could hear a faint crack.

“Did anyone else hear that?”

“Yeah...I think that was my spine.”

“You know, you guys,” Rachel tried...from a couple of feet away, (she didn’t know when that human-made tower was going to fall...only that it will), “we don’t have to do this. Tell them dad!!”

“You want me to help TRG not do something stupid?!” Smith huffed, “that’s like trying to tip a cow by yourself. Sure some people say it’s possible, but once you try, you’ll just make the cow angry.” TRG didn’t realize that Smith compared them to cows at that time…

“But...they need our help-”

“Yeah,” Jon argued from atop the window, hands barely able to grasp its rim, “and we have to fly through hoops to help them. Sorry, but I’ll pass.” Rachel was about to argue again with Jon until-

“Maybe I can help persuade you a bit.” Shocked, everyone turned around…

Emile though, may have turned around a little too fast, losing his balance on his friends and toppling all of them on the floor below.

Everyone stared at Misael, who was watching TRG pick themselves up.”

“I understand you want to leave,” Misael explained, “in fact, I can’t even blame you for wanting to leave. The insane things you have had to deal with can attest to that. But before you go back to...whatever that was,” Misael referenced TRG’s climb to freedom, “please listen to this man’s story. Maybe I can explain it in a better light than how Nikhil did.”

“And if you can’t.” Jon raised an eyebrow.

“Then I promise I’ll open the door for all of you, and you can forget everything you’ve heard here.” TRG looked at each other, and then at Smith and Rachel. Everyone nodded approvingly.

“Alright,” Jon conceded, “talk.”

“Very well,” Misael started, “you see, there is more than one reason why Nikhil chose you to lead against Mordred. While it is true that all three of you house a great, I believe there’s something even greater that Nikhil sensed. Something that he...and the rest of the Keepers desperately need:

“You give people hope. You inspire people.” Misael tried explaining. He closed his eyes. Jon rolled his.

“Damn that was cheesy, not to mention cliche!!” Jon laughed, “alright, let’s say I believe this light vs darkness battle and crap,” Jon questioned, “we inspire people?! We give people hope?! There are hundreds of people who inspire better than us! We just make people laugh!”

“Yet it’s that same laughter that can give humans reason to keep fighting,” Misael never raised his voice, “Reason is one of the strongest forces in existence. A sense of community, of camaraderie, of happiness. Humans are some of the greatest creatures in the Universe. No matter how much someone throws them down, no matter how much hell is falling on them, they’ll continue fighting. No matter how many times you kill them, as long as they have spirit, drive, reason, then they become the strongest force in the universe...a human with reason…” Tim raised his hand.

“Ok but...question time!! Why do the Keepers need it? Is it because of the never ending time-travel or something or...what?” Misael shook his head.

“Not exactly. It is somewhat about that, but also something else. Something that hurts even worse. A plague that haunts only Keepers:

“The Keepers’ curse. An unavoidable curse that proves that you are only going to be loyal to the Keepers.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell us what it is already!!” Smith yelled, frustrated.

“The Keepers’ curse,” Misael swallowed. TRG could tell this is something even a Keeper fears, “As a Keeper, your one and only objective is to protect the balance of the elements. Anything else can never come between you and that job. The Keepers’ curse upholds that by destroying the thing most precious. It rips away the one thing you value above all else.” Silence fell for the next minute. Misael let it sit in for another minute before speaking.

Tor lost her husband to a plague. She was forced to watch as her husband lay dying for one week.

Bogart lost his parents to a robbery gone wrong. They came when they saw it happen. Bogart’s mother was able to save Bogart before they got him...she wasn’t as lucky.

Valen lost his entire lab to a fire. He’s been working in that lab, making scientific breakthroughs that rivals even DaVinci for his entire life. He watched as it burned in front of him. His secretary also died in the fire...before he had a chance to propose…

I lost my sister to a drunk bar fight. I just got to the bar to pick her up when I heard police sirens...she was the last living member of my family…”

Everyone stood there, shocked, not understanding.

“What about Nikhil?” Emile asked in a shaky voice, “what happened to him?”

“He lost his lover, the one who broke the cold shell he had when we first met him,” Misael explained, “she was killed cradled in his arms. And the one who killed her...was Mordred.