XXV

Within the next hour or so, I had informed my parents that I was now residing at the Light Palace (they were delighted once they believed me), written a letter to Aunt Tia, called Nase (who was ecstatic that I was joining his ranks) and filled out all of the various documentation, such as the residency-under-Palace forms, the Guardian trainee forms, the Mana Training Within The Empire forms…it’s a wonder the Empire still has forests.

The next hour consisted of what few people ever enjoy to happen. It had not been the first time I had seen an Elemental, that being at Nase’s ceremony, but it was the first time I was able to talk to one.

Shero led me to the top of the tower, where the stage room lay. The Mana Seed of Light sat in its lidless casket atop a step-pyramid, much like the Seed of Water. Burgundy liquid swirled around each tread, and light poured in from the stained-glass windows, more beautifully than downstairs. I had moved from awe to awe so far that day.

The Guardian stood before the pyramid and raised his hands. “Lumina, please come,” he called.

Above the Seed, three yellow orbs circled outwards before a white flame grew between them. I didn’t see the rest as I dropped to my knees and bowed my head.

“Yes, what is it, Shero?” the Light Elemental asked, floating down towards him. “I was just talking to Salamando and…oh? Who have you got there?”

“Syoro Dyluck Thanatos Yoshi von Kippo,” Shero spoke on my behalf. “He has–”

“Ow, hit me with a Forsenaron rod, why don’t you?” It complained. “I see Popoie’s Boomerang has returned to Fa’Diel.”

I had taken it with me, holding it in one hand.

Shero nodded. “Yes. This young man – pardon me, I mean, Yoshi – has found it upon Yamauchi in a place known as the Spirit Temple.”

“I admire his civic duty to the people of Fa’Diel by journeying here from his homeworld.”

“This is his homeworld,” Shero told Lumina, patiently.

“It is? Dyluck…Yoshi…von Kippo? oh! You’re the Water Palace Guardian’s friend, aren’t you?”

Even the Elementals knew who I was? What had Nase been saying about me?

“Well, speak up, I don’t like probing minds for answers, like Shade,” it told me.

I lifted my head. “Yes, yes…Your Greatness,” I whispered.

“Your Eminence will do,” Lumina told me, kindly. “The Moon Gods and the Mana Goddess are greater than I will ever be, praise be to them.”

It is, for those who don’t know its appearance, a white flame, cyan around the edges, with black raisin eyes (most of the time). It can make three yellow orbs appear or disappear, which hover above it.

“We have a lot of respect for Nase Porami,” Lumina continued. “He campaigns for building inter-racial friendships – you’re his example. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and pardon me for assuming. Here, what am I thinking? Please, stand up.”

I did so.

“So, as much as I like show and tells, there’s got to be a reason why you’ve brought him here, Shero.”

“I’ll let Syoro von Kippo speak for himself,” Shero smiled, turning to me.

I gulped. “I…I want to be a Guardian…Your Eminence,” I whispered.

“So do a lot of people, kid,” Lumina seemed to smirk. “But, since you’re with Shero, I guess you’re genuine, yes?”

I nodded.

“Right. So, what are you going to Guard with that weapon of yours? Gold City’s already taken, as is Northtown and Southtown; you don’t seem the sort to usurp Wisdom; there are some ruins in the Empire that have some historical significance I suppo–”

“His weapon,” Shero interrupted.

Lumina looked at Shero. “I was just going to get to that. Right. Let’s see you use it then, Syoro Guardian-wannabe.”

I gulped once more. “But I–”

“Go on,” Lumina seemed to nod.

I turned away from them and gulped once more. It was just a case of throwing it, right? I shut my eyes in worry and threw.

I turned around once I heard silence.

“Hmm,” Lumina spoke sagely. “Ten points for hitting the torch, and five hundred for making Shero duck for cover on the rebound.”

“Only five hundred?” Shero interjected as he emerged from behind the stage.

Lumina chuckled, and then fixed Its stern gaze on me. “Looks like we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

It was a lot of work: hard, horrible work. Those months are not something that I want to ever, ever go through again. If my time in the Pandoran Army made me a man, then I don’t know what my Refinement made me in comparison. It was awful. It was painful. Sometimes, it was even gruesome. Yet, those months did allow for times of humour.

We dubbed it the Boomerang of Light as we were working on it, a name I still call it now, but we all decided that “The Guardian of the Boomerang of Light” was too much of a mouthful, and relegated me to unimportance. I was the proud owner of Popoie’s Boomerang, and my Refinement was making me, and it, more powerful than I had ever imagined.

Hence the first time I came to throw the fully-powered Boomerang of Light. My technique in throwing had definitely improved – we worked out where I should hold it – but catching left something to be desired. So, I threw it, and within the blink of an eye, there was its name. Extending out from before me was an incredible curve that lasted the fraction of a second, its colour cyan thanks to effects of Mana. Then, as I recovered from creating a Yoshi-shaped door in the wall, Lumina spoke: “Well, that was a nice looking cyan arc you had there–”. I didn’t hear the rest as I passed out, but it was now named. The Cyan Arc.

Overall, though, I reflect on my Refinement as a time of hardship, but a necessary one. Both my time in the Pandoran Army and the flood were what I deemed to be unnecessary hardships, and there were many times I was going to give up and consider my Refinement unnecessary as well. But, there were two people that kept me going: Shero, and Ark.

Shero told me that it was up to me whether or not my hardship was unnecessary or not, and showed me the opportunities that would present itself once I had become the Guardian of the Cyan Arc.

“Do it for Ark,” he said.

He reaffirmed my belief in Ark’s survival, and that continuing my Refinement could re-unite us. I could use my new powers to find him. Instantly, I had a lantern feature installed on the Boomerang for cave exploration.

But what Shero said is not important, at the end of the day. What is important is that he had faith in me when I had not, and that he believed in me when I did not. Though he was an instrument of bringing about the pain of my Refinement, Shero was my pillar of strength during those hard days. I have a great respect for the old man, and my thanks to and for him is endless.

The river of time flowed sluggishly, but the day of my Ordination finally dawned amidst my doubts of it ever coming. It was a celebration of the end of my hardships. Throughout it I was able to enjoy the company of the King of Pandora, the Emperor and his Family, prominent Gold City businesspeople, the other Guardians and some of their families…basically, those who had made it in life or had been born to it. I was not only entering the ranks of the Guardians, but theirs as well. My parents and Aunt Tia had even come – they said afterwards that they felt extremely out of place.

Like Nase, I was presented, stripped to the waist. I had made the suggestion that I could have arrived nude, given my biological provisions, but it was best not to guess whether or not the Emperor and King knew about it. As I walked up the aisle, I could see Nase grinning. We gave a nod to each other.

I had to then give my declaration to each of the Vows, when Lumina asked me. I declared that I would do everything in my power to protect the Boomerang, use my powers to uphold that which is noble and just and good, protect it “wherever my feet would take me” (a rather pertinent and necessary one since I would have it with me all the time), give my loyalty to the Elementals, accept that I could only be Guardian of the Cyan Arc, and that I would be until Shade took me on Its back to Paradise. Then, Lumina told me things through telepathy that remain between me and It. Then, the Palace Guardians gave me their blessing much like they did to Nase, and then Shero robed me in the Robes of Office we had designed together.

First was a white alb, with a gold and silver cord around my waist. I remember fiercely trying not to scratch from the itchiness of the new cloth. I’m sure it made me look rather tense for the rest of the ceremony. Next was my stole. I feel rather guilty in that I may have made it too decorative: cream with a cyan stripe up the middle, with gold thread forming boomerang shapes up it, two depictions of Lumina towards each end, two of my Symbols of Office on my shoulder area, all finished off with gold, silver and cream tassels. Most of the other Guardians have this rather plain, because of the chasuble that sits over it. Mine is also decorative: towards its points it is silver, but at my shoulders it is gold. The two colours are divided by a cyan boomerang shape, and the whole piece is divided by a white stripe vertically. At the front are my symbols: in the centre is my Symbol of Office, above and to its left is the crest of Pandora, and on the other side is a orange-spotted Yoshi egg. I was given a diamond ring and my short rod. Its shank is turned from a fallen branch of the Mana Tree (it fell many years ago, so it’s safe to put in Storage), and it is crowned with the Symbol: a thin circle of gold, in which sits a golden parabola that flares in the middle, enough that a boomerang outline is cut into it.

But my favourite part of my Robes was what Shero robed me in last: the cape. I had always wanted a cape, so I wanted it to be special. It’s shimmering silver, with little golden boomerangs running up and down it, forming a sort of subtle zigzag that makes the whole thing shimmer even more.

I only ever wear my Robes of Office at special events. I guess its part of the informality that I have picked up from Lumina. It’s also because they’re too good to risk damaging.

The Cyan Arc then appeared spinning above the Seed, and floated down to me. I was told to take it, and I held it aloft with a cry, partly from coming out of Refinement, partly because I was excited, and partly because I needed to vent from the alb making me itchy.

Shero gave a speech for me. Then, I made one. It can be found in libraries on Fa’Diel, so I’m not going to repeat it here, except for that it was the first time I ever made the line: “The Cyan Arc is a part of me, and I am a part of it”. I was talking about making your dreams part of you.

After all the speeches, Shero dismissed us, and I had the meet and greet session that I hoped Nase would have had. It was the first time I was able to really catch up with him since I left for Yamauchi, and the first time for a while that I could catch up with my parents. It was good to see them again. Unfortunately, my family had to leave early so that they could get back to the Navel Falls View.

Nase and I hung around each other for a while, talking for the first time in a long time as equals once more. Soon, though, as we were helping ourselves to another round of finger food, one of the other Guardians came up to me. “Congratulations, Syoro von Kippo,” he started off, nodding to me. “First non-Fa’Dieli Guardian and all. It must make you proud.”

I nodded to him, taking in his sun-tanned features and recognising his red and fire-themed Robes as Theutes Whalki, Guardian of the Fire Palace, based in the Kakkaran Desert. “Thank you,” I said meekly.

“Hey, don’t be shy,” he laughed, throwing an arm over my shoulder friendly and walking me over towards some other Guardians, pulling me away from Nase. “Look, how’s about I shout you dinner in my humble abode sometime? Say…next week?”

“Next week? Well…”

I looked over my shoulder to Nase and caught his slightly worried glance.

“Just let me consult my diary, first,” I said, pulling it out of Storage. “Let’s see…next Luna’s Day my old school wants me to open a new building, Salamando’s Day the Togo Pandora is giving me an interview, Undine’s Day I have free, but on Dryad’s D–”

“Undine’s Night next week would be fine!” he exclaimed.

“Well, I suppose I don’t have to leave for Yamauchi until late, and Matango’s on the way. I’ve made an appointment to see a real estate agent–”

“Oh, you’re going back so soon?” he asked. His concern was probably exaggerated.

“Well, I am coming back the next Yamauchian day,” I answered. “But, being a Guardian and all now, and considering how well the Lucre is to the Coin at the moment, my offer will probably be accepted.”

Perhaps what my Refinement gave me, in a way, was self-independence. I had decided that the first thing (apart from other commitments) that I was going to do after being Ordained was to buy a house in the Archipelago, somewhere in Yoshiville, since I knew the city from my university years. I had found a desirable place on the Interworldnet, and was going there to inspect it.

“Well, come to the Fire Palace, next Undine’s Night,” he asked. “Please?”

I gave a quick glance to Nase, who had tailed me. He bit his lip. I figured that no harm would come of this. Besides, he was a fellow Guardian – a Palace Guardian at that – and the more friends I made in my new membership, the better.

“Alright,” I nodded.

“You will? Oh, excellent!” Theutes spoke, elated, shaking my hand wildly.

Being a Guardian is not entirely about protecting what the Elementals have told you to. There’s a whole heap of other things as well, some good, and some that leave a foul taste. I was just about to discover one of them.