Чтение онлайн

"This is Darsy, the human to whom Charon gave his Force.”

"Eugene, why did you bring her here?"

"I need a place to train her! Or do you want me to do it on the streets of Boston?" this guy sounded like a broken record…

"Anywhere but not here. That's gross."

"Hey, guys, I totally get you're not fans of people but I still can hear you talking…" I tried to defend myself, but the young woman went on scolding Eugene like I never existed, and my words meant nothing.

"Get that out of here now before anyone sees."

"Milena, Tol has already seen her and approved my decision. Moreover, he's the one who insisted on her staying here. Though, Darsy resists and wants to go home."

"Does this creature have a brain?" she was surprised.

I had only one thought in my head: why was this creature so beautiful on the outside and so ugly on the inside? Now even Eugene seemed sweet to me.

"Let's talk later! Now we need to train!"

Milena snorted and walked away, not even looking at me. It's not that I was against it, but I had not felt something like this for a long time, as if dirt was thrown at me, and dirt was not the worst part in this mix.

"Well, I see you are all so friendly that I'm already going to miss you," I said sarcastically. "Eugene, are you sure you're the good guys? 'Coz it seems that I'm in the wrong team."

"Milena's just not in the mood. And when she's like that she can be pretty harsh. She didn't like your presence, and she used it as an excuse to fight with me. She'll chill out."

"Is she jealous?" I assumed.

Eugene laughed as if he heard an excellent joke. I had to wait long for him to calm down.

"You are funny!"

"It was not a joke…" he raised his eyebrows, as if not understanding what I meant. "I thought you are close with her."

"Yes, it's true. She's my soulmate. Why would she be jealous?"

"That's what usually happens with people: when the bride sees her fianc'e with another girl, she gets angry and freaks out."

"Oh! That's where you're getting… You know, it's just impossible. She can't be jealous of you."

"Why is that? Since you're so truthful, then tell me: am I a freak?"

I wanted to punch him in the sore spot, and then kick Milena's ass. I, of course, was not as stunning as his girlfriend, but to treat me like that was just beyond normal.

"No, you're not a freak. By human standards, you're quite attractive. That's not the point…" I suddenly felt better. However, it was not clear why I was so interested in the opinion of the Guardian. "Let me put it this way. I've already told you that people are the inferior race for us. Any relationship between you and us is abnormal. It can be compared to the love of a human to a dog, and not just as an animal but as a partner for life. I can't physically have feelings for a human, so it would be weird to be jealous of you. I really don't know how it works with people," Eugene looked at me.

"Interesting! Though, now it's hard to call me just a human. What are your rules about this?"

"I don't think there is a significant difference. Right now, you're just a Vessel into which the Force was placed, but, essentially, you remain a human. And it's not you who absorbs the taken abilities, but what's inside you. Sooner or later, this all can be pulled out, and you'll be a normal person again. But I'd like to warn you of the future. If you kill the immortal and absorb his immortality, you will become immortal. There will be no way back. You'll become a part of our world forever. Immortality can't be extracted. People will cease to be significant and cherished… Even your parents."

"But you're not immortal…Why can't you accept people for who they are? Why do you consider us the inferior race?"

"I was born this way. Not all higher races are immortal. But you can only become a part of our world by gaining immortality. Everything else must be returned to the Source to restore the Balance. Everything but immortality."

"How will I know the enemy is immortal?"

"It's hard to tell. Unless you study the races. But even Tol doesn't know them all, so it just must be luck… Tremendous luck."

"Are there any exceptions?"

"It's more like a pathology for us. Puzzling and strange. So be on guard."

"Nothing will change for me. They'll always be my parents. It's impossible to stop loving someone who is related by blood."

"Believe me, anything is possible. Now you know this. One can't fight immortality. It's either there or not. If you become immortal, you won't be able to prevent what's coming. Your mom and dad will no longer be the most important creatures, and your cute brothers and sisters will no longer seem dearest and closest. You'll be sick of the memory of kissing your beloved, and there'll be nothing you can do about it."

"Can I ask you something? Please, help me not to kill the immortal one and not to take his Force. I don't want to become a part of this world."

"Okay! I will help, but my abilities are not limitless."

Eugene decided to train in a small hall away from the rest of the Guardians. They always frowned and glanced in an odd way at me, as if I was a rat that had accidentally run into the kitchen of the expensive restaurant.

When we arrived at the place, Eugene threw me a sword, which was too heavy, and began to take off his leather jacket. And when he turned around, I screamed in fear. His eyes lit up as if someone had set them on fire. One could most likely see them in the dark as well.

"Your eyes…" I muttered.

"Get used to it. The Guardians always light up their eyes before a fight. That's how we warn the enemy of danger and intimidate it."

"Oh! Okay! It works," I muttered.

I could not take my eyes off those eyes: they mesmerized and horrified at the same time. Most likely, that was the purpose. But when Eugene took his sword out of the sheath, and I understood that his eyes were not the biggest problem of the enemy, that's me at the time. It was not like the laser sword from The Star Wars, I could clearly see the contours of the steel. However, the glow coming out of the weapon was unearthly. It looked tangible so one would want to touch it. The sword seemed to radiate the sunlight. The scene was fascinating!

"This is the Guardian's Sword. Each of them serves only its master, and no one else can touch it. It's hardened with Zeus's lightning, so there's no equal opponent for it – any steel breaks, bends, or crumbles in contact with it. The sword isn't given right away. One should deserve it through trials that often end with death, so each Guardian values it. Newcomers, of course, don't have such a weapon. They fight with swords like the one in your hands. We specifically invented this weapon, the one of its kind that can withstand the impact of the Guardian's Sword as the recruits have to train not only with each other, but with experienced soldiers to improve their skills.”