"Saga of the Gaia" by Ly M. Frick

‘There is no God.

No single, holy divine being governs the way we live and gives us the ultimate reward in our afterlife. There is no form of hell to punish those who do not live up to the ideals of the righteous. There are not even polytheistic truths in the vast cosmos that greets our pitiful species. There is only Earth. Yet, there is more than Earth at the same time. Our planet is alive and She can feel us. She gave life to the beginnings of the entire population of flora and fauna that grace Her precious landscapes. But that was the end of Her direct involvement. The moment the first form of life divided into existence, She stepped back and let Her child create the world entire.

As She watched, Earth wept. There was one species that would not leave well enough alone when it came to the exploitation of what She had created. Those ingenious primates, the erstwhile humans, started their downward spiral of destruction the moment the first small group of hominids cast their rocks at their fellow man. Earth knew that She would eventually lose to Her creations and be obliterated if precautions were not taken. So, with a heavy heart, She set Herself on the creation of what I will refer to as Titans, for lack of a better word. Monsters, perhaps, would be just as fitting. They were elemental constructs based off of the seven principle elements that make up the world. Lesser Titans were also given life and, from them, mixed elementals were given breath. Soon, a formidable army of the Elementals writhed in an adjoining plain of existence, waiting to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting, infectious population of primates.

They were not left to their own devices, however. The Elemental Titans were dangerous and could not be controlled easily by Earth. Something had to be made to watch over these creatures for Earth, who had no actual embodiment apart from the rocky sphere and a sense of presence. Thus, the Gaia was born. She was a spirit, a solidified presence that chose the shape of humankind for the practical purposes it possessed. She took her name from the one who created her and lived as the Guardian to the Elementals, but they were growing too strong for even her to control by herself.

The Gaia set her eyes on humans in hopes of finding those blessed with a higher understanding and the ability to mesh well with their surroundings. The world was still young and minds were open to all new, intriguing practices. Soon, the Gaia had a following of worshipers who strove to live in peace with their surroundings and not head into the abyss of world destruction. All the while she remained on the Earth and not in the Elemental Realm, the Gaia could feel a surge of power against the gates behind which paced the monsters she was sworn to keep at bay. Saddened, Gaia turned to her pupils and took the most promising from each of the seven groups, removing their spiritual selves and sending them to the other plain of existence. These were The Chosen Ones.

The Gaia left Earth and returned with her seven apprentices, determined to turn them into Gate Keepers. As it was, they lived an indulged lifestyle, sparing no extravagance as they watched over the deadly wards. The Gate Keepers had been humans, after all, and thrived on things material. The Gaia preferred a human physic herself, making teaching her students easy as they could not shape shift as she could. Their souls would always be human in structure.

There was not always peace amongst the Keepers. Rivalry was fierce and many wished to be seen as best in the eyes of the Gaia, to whom they owed their eternal existence and powers. In the end, war was declared between Pyrkagia and Aeras, that of fire and that of air. The two men had always been at odds, but with open fighting brought the other five to choose sides and, much to Gaia’s dismay, they sought to destroy each other. In desperation, she punished her pupils, flinging their souls to Earth with a faint hope that a few centuries as humans would cool their heads. However, she did not account for how she would cope with the increasing number and strength of the Elementals usually guarded by those seven. Before long, she knew she had to gather her pupils back to her realm. Yet she could not find them. Hundreds of years of birth, death, and rebirth had claimed the seven Keepers.

With a pray to her creator, Gaia sealed the Gates with more power than ever used before. Then, using the last of her strength, she threw herself into the cycle of life in the hope that she could recover her Keepers before the wards wore off and the Gates broke open.

Throughout our history, there have always been eight people living amongst us; living, dying, and being reborn without knowledge of their own existence. They are the Keepers and their Guardian. Gaia and her pupils. It has been spoken by the Prophets for eons that the day will soon come where they will rise again. That day is dawning.’

~Brief History of the Gaia

Eluna Preforia, Prophet of the Gaia

The middle-aged woman brushed premature graying locks from her eyes and proceeded to glance over the pages she had just scrawled into a notebook that was balanced on her knee. The sun, a golden, fiery orb, blazed down on the woman, causing beads of perspiration to form on her forehead. What a day to be outside! It was lovely, though the air was still and slightly stifling.

All around her shuffled students on their way to classes and meetings and whatever else they did on an average day. The campus was alive with young people in short shorts and revealing tank tops sprawled on every piece of available grass to sunbathe. Most ignored her, and that was fine by Eluna. Unless she wanted their attention, she had no reason to draw them to her. Soon, however, she would need them to listen. She could feel the humming in the air and hoped that some of them would finally be swayed to believe what she was telling them.

There was something else she could feel in the air and it disturbed her. Change was coming more quickly than she had thought it would. Her Great-grandfather had not mentioned when the Catastrophe would happen, but he did indicate that it could well be within her lifetime. Worry lines forming in her brow, the woman placed her palms to the grass and sighed. She could tell nothing other than that there was an expectancy all around her, as if Earth herself was waiting for something to happen. Could it be now? Was it about to happen? She must tell the people, she must prepare them for the Awakening.

Standing, the woman waved her arms around, calling for the attentions of the university students in her vicinity. She must make them understand.

“People, listen! I tell you now that the time for the spirits to awaken has come upon us! I know now that my great-grandfather recognized me for the prophet of the Gaia, as he had been in his years. Do not turn from me, I will tell you all you must know to help awaken the Gaia and her pupils. The day of our destruction will be at hand soon and we must call upon these powers to protect us. Do not turn from me! We must pray for them to awaken before the Catastrophe!” She was, as usual, disregarded.

Not far away, leaning against the stone side of a building labeled ‘Branstone Biological Sciences,’ a young man held a smoldering cigarette to his lips and took a long, satisfied drag. He took his time blowing the smoke from his lips, watching the gray wisps curl lazily upward, no wind present to blow them away. Flicking a few ashes to the ground, he half listened to the crazy woman ranting about some predestined disaster. He was used to her utterances, as was everyone else who had lived in this small, out of the way Montana town for some years. Eluna, most often called Loon, was the resident wacko and no one paid her any heed. No one took her seriously.

Ignoring her for the time being, the young man surveyed his burning cigarette and sighed deeply. Aja would grill him for this when she got out of class. He considered snubbing it, but decided one last drag would not change the amount of trouble he’d be in when his friend arrived to lecture him on proper healthy habits. He smelled of smoke as it was.

Wondering what was taking Aja so long, the man shifted his position and checked his watch. It wasn’t like her to be late. She must be talking with one of her professors. Mind wandering, the man unconsciously continued to suck on the end of his cig. He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead and ran fingers through honey-yellow hair in agitation. It was too hot out and Aja was making him wait in the sun. There was no shade near by and he couldn’t go inside until he’d finished his smoke.

“What do you think you’re doing? Jake, you promised!” A slender hand, fingernails coated in block polish, snaked into his view, snagging the cigarette from his lips before he’d finished a pull. Sputtering in his surprise, he chocked on a lungful of smoke and beat his chest with a fist as if that would help his situation. The paper stick was snubbed on the side of the building and tossed into a trash can before Jake could blink.

Once Jake gained control of his breathing, the man turned his eyes to meet a pair of apple-green iris that were darkened in accusation. “Aja. You’re late.”

“And you smell like an ash tray,” the young woman replied, folding her arms across her middle with a huff. “You told me you wouldn’t do that. What has she done now to drive you to kill yourself?”

“One cigarette won’t kill me,” Jake defended, unconsciously taking the lap top bag Aja was carrying and slinging it over his own hip. She was lugging a rather heavy book bag and he felt obliged to help her out by taking one of her other heavy objects.

“But ten will lead you down the path to addiction,” Aja shot back as she started walking away from the building. He followed her and they strolled down the sidewalk on their jaunt towards Aja’s apartment across campus. “You only smoke when you have a disagreement with Melissa. And lately you’ve been smoking a lot.” The dark haired woman scowled at the thought. “She’s no good for you,” Aja continued. “She’s mentally abusing you and it’s leading you to physically abuse yourself. I can’t stand idly by and let her do this to you.”

“You’re abusing me right now,” Jake countered, not liking where this lecture was leading. “I don’t need that any more than I need a kick in the head.”

“I’d rather disagree. I think you need a good kick in the head to knock some sense into you. Why do you put up with that woman?”

Jake glared down at Aja, angry that she was telling him outright that Melissa was evil and also that she was being so brutally accurate. “Because I love her,” was his stubborn reply to her question.

“I think you’re misleading yourself,” Aja said bluntly. “You think you love her, but you don’t.”

“That’s too far, A.J.” Jake stopped in his tracks, causing the young woman to stop and turn around. “Where do you get off telling me what I think? How could you possibly understand the relationship I’m in? Everyone has disagreements. It doesn’t mean I don’t really love her and that she doesn’t really love me.” Those vivid green eyes of his friend’s stared back and he felt a sudden shiver pass down his spine. They were looking him over coldly, as though a sheet of ice had formed over them. “You have no right to tell me what I think.” His statement lacked the conviction he spoke with a moment ago and he knew it. She had that commanding presence about her that tended to overpower his usually strong resolve.

Looking away first, Jake stared at the tops of his tennis shoes, face cast in a shadow of anger. Her quiet voice, full of a seriousness that cut through him, brought his head back up to face her. “I tell you this as your friend, Jacob. You’re hurting yourself by staying with her. And by hurting yourself, you’re hurting me. And I’m getting tired of being hurt, Jacob.”

“This doesn’t concern you,” Jake started weakly. Aja cut him off with a shake of her head.

“You know my feelings on this matter. Let’s just get moving before we both burn in this sun.”

Jake nodded his consent and the two started walking again. A heavy, awkward silence was forming between them and the young man really wished she hadn’t brought up her feelings. He knew well enough how she felt and that made him feel rather guilty. It was his fault for misleading her about his civil status when they’d first met. By now she couldn’t really help how she felt and bore it the best she could. He had to give her credit for her strength. She never made things seem awkward when standing in the same room as both Jake and Melissa.

After the silence had dragged on for a good couple blocks, Jake cleared his throat. “So... When’s RTC playing next?”

“Tomorrow night,” Aja answered, glad for a reason to start talking again. “Alice has been locked in his garage for about two weeks trying to come up with some new material. I sure hope he tells us before we play.” There was a smirk gracing the young woman’s lips and Jake smiled back. That was more like the Aja he befriended. “Not that I ever get any interesting parts.”

“But without the drums, nothing would sound right. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Oh, I’m not. I just wish Alice had a bit more imagination for the beat.” Aja shrugged. “Are you going to come watch us?” she asked hopefully.

“No reason not to. Will you be at The Gecko?”

“As usual. They seem to like us there. If you come, though, could you do me a huge favor?” The hesitant look in her eyes gave Jake the impression she was about to ask him something he would not easily agree to. That thought lead him guess that she was about to ask him to leave Melissa home. He was slightly surprised when her request was nothing of the sort. “Please try not to get into any arguments with Jordan this time. You’re his boss, it looks bad for both of you.”

Jake tried not to look annoyed. “I may be his boss, but I didn’t hire him. I’ve no reason to be nice to that little prick-”

“Jake!” Aja looked skyward for a moment. “Please try to be nice, okay? I don’t care why you two seem to be at each other’s throats all the time but he is my band-mate and you’re my friend. It gets really uncomfortable if I have to be in between you two all the time.”

With a suffered sigh, her friend nodded. “Fine, okay. But he always starts it, not me. If anything , warn him not to bother me.”

“I’ll talk to him, don’t worry. One of these days I’d really like to know why you two don’t get along-” Aja’s words were cut off abruptly as all the air was squeezed from her lungs. In a heartbeat, her stomach felt as though it catapulted into her throat, then dropped to her knees before slamming painfully back into place. Stumbling, Aja grabbed her head and tried to breathe as a sickening dizziness overcame her senses and little black dots swam before her vision. Reeling, she felt strong hands gripping her arms to help steady her and Aja looked up at a very concerned Jake. “Aeras...help...” She saw no more as she crumpled into Jake’s arms.

Confused and near panic, the young man held the unconscious woman in his arms and glanced wildly around. They were standing near the Central Fountain, just a few yards away from Stevens-Farrow Hall. Thankfully, the area was shady due to plenty of trees in the park-like section of campus. The fountain, the central most part of the campus, was sparkling and cold, inviting people to lounge on the sides and on many benches surrounding it. Some of those people started to crowd around, concerned for the girl they just saw faint.

“I need to put her down,” he tried to explain, trying to juggle Aja in his arms while people all talked at once. Spotting a vacated bench, Jake moved to it and, after removing her backpack, placed the woman on the hard, stone slab that served as a blocky seat. “I don’t know what’s happened to her, she just fainted. Probably the heat,” he told the spectators that stood uselessly around asking questions. Digging into his pocket, Jake pulled out his cell phone and dialed a few numbers rapidly, hoping to God there would be an answer.

“Hullo?” a feminine voice greeted his ear.

“You’re there! She’s fainted, what do I do?”

There was a long pause on the other end. “Jake? What? Who’s fainted? Take a deep breath and tell me what’s happened.”

Jake did as bid and explained the situation, gesticulating as he paced beside Aja. “I don’t know what to do, Heather. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. She didn’t even recognize me before she fainted, called me some weird name.”

“Is she breathing?”

“Yes.” Jake watched the rise and fall of Aja’s chest for a moment before nodding. “Steadily.”

“Is her heart beating?”

Jake pressed a couple fingers to the neck of his fainted friend. “Yeah. Feels normal, I guess. I don’t know about this stuff. What do I do, Heather?”

“Hold on for a few more minutes. I’ll send Essi to get you guys and bring you here. Where are you?”

“Central Fountain. Thanks Heather, I owe you.”

“Uhn huh. Hang in there. Want me to stay on the line? I have rounds to do...”

“No, it’s okay. Thanks.” As the dial tone met Jake’s ear, he flipped the phone closed and shoved it back into his pocket. Anxiously, he kept an eye out for the blue-haired Essi - she was easy to spot thanks to her bright locks - and he continued to pace. After a while, the crowd dispersed, though those that stayed in the area kept an eye on Jake and Aja as they tried to go back to what they were doing.

Pausing, Jake gazed down at Aja and got an idea. Dipping a hand into the fountain, he splashed some cool water onto her face. It didn’t help. Wasn’t water supposed to wake up people who had fainted? A sudden prickle on the back of his neck warned Jake that someone was standing far too close behind him. Spinning, Jake found himself face to face with Loon. There was a searching intensity in her eyes that disturbed the young man and he felt the urge to back away, but knew he had no room between the back of his legs and the bench on which Aja lay.

“Water will not awaken her. Nothing will awaken her save the prayers of those in need. Care for her as she has for you all those years. You cannot awaken her. Only the prayers of people in need can awaken her.” The strange, repetitious words sounded like a chant and Jake wondered if she was actually talking to him or if she was in her own world. Suddenly, those eyes snapped into full focus and bore into his own, sending an unpleasant sensation squirming into his stomach. “Pray, Jacob. Pray for the Awakening. Pray for enlightenment. Pray your friend will awaken before the Catastrophe destroys everything.”

“What...” Jake swallowed dryly. “What do you mean?” Being this close to Eluna was taking a toll on his nerves.

“What did she call you before she fainted? Do you remember? Did she see you, Jake? Or did she see someone else? Pray that she can awaken before the Catastrophe. She must awaken.” Thin, bony fingers grabbed Jake’s biceps and squeezed. “You must pray for it, Jacob.” Loon released the young man and brushed him to one side. Hunkering down, the older woman took Aja’s face between her hands. “Wake up,” she commanded, her tone deep and serious. Jake took an involuntary step backwards as, on the order of Eluna, Aja bolted upright, her eyes wide. Aja gasped for breath, a fear in her eyes beyond Jake’s comprehension. His friend blinked once and the look was gone, replaced by fatigue. She looked surprised to see Eluna as the older woman stood and looked between the two friends. “Give it time. We have none to spare, but give it time. She must wake up. We are running out of time. Always running out of time.” The intense dark eyes of the prophet met Aja’s. “Please... I pray for it.” Loon looked as though she had more to say, but it was at that moment that a streak of blue flew through the air to attach itself to Aja.

“Aaaaajjaaaaa! You’re not dead! I’m so glad! When Heather told me you had fainted, I was so worried! I thought I would faint, that’s how worried I was! But you’re up now so you should be fine, right? Oh, I hope you will be.” A thought suddenly entered the immensely blue head of Essi and she gasped. “RTC needs you! Alice will need you! They can’t play without you! Disaster will be certain! You’ll still play, right? How do you feel? Hot? Cold? Are you ill? How’s your heart? Breathing okay? Your face is wet, are you sweating? You’re shivering! You need to get up and move around a bit. My car isn’t far, can you walk?”

“I... don’t know.” Aja hesitated and then tried to stand. Her legs would not support her weight, however, and she started to sink to the ground. Jake knelt next to her.

“Piggy-back,” he suggested, handing Aja’s backpack to Essi. Aja climbed gratefully onto his back, wrapping weak arms around his neck. With his arms wrapped around the faint woman’s thighs, Jake headed for Essi’s car. The blue-haired girl walked quickly beside them, chattering away about everyday things. It was a moment later that he realized he had not seen Eluna the moment Essi crashed into the scene. He also had not seen her leave. Glancing behind him, he searched out the form of the mysterious prophet and shuddered. She was nowhere in sight.

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AN: Well, I hope that wasn’t too badly written >.< There will be more... eventually.