The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Five & Six)

Chris started running towards the closest transportation vent in the dome. He knew he shouldn’t have left her to return to the human realm alone, even when he specifically instructed her to wait in his apartment till he returned.

He should have known she would not listen to him but instead try to play hero. In the magical community someone with Chi’s naturally affinity was very rare. As an esper she was both telekinetic and telepathic, most mages either possessed one of the two or had them as low level secondary abilities. Her unique magical affinity put a lot of pressure on her as a child and most of the older mages always had expectations of her.

As she grew older she had learnt to cover up her sense of responsibility with an even greater air of nonchalance that always seemed to frustrate everyone, especially those who had come to expect “great things” from her. Despite all this she couldn’t fool him, deep beneath all the playfulness was a mage with a serious messiah complex. Chi really did believe that she could save everyone and that mentality was about to get her killed, he could sense it and he needed to get to her before it was too late.

Ironically he had been trying his best all morning to get them off the Ronke case. His plan was to get the heads of the factions to assign the case to another pair, giving him enough time to plan and if need be protect Ronke. It wasn’t much of a plan but it was the best he could come up with on such short notice.

He spoke to General Musa and General Segun and they were both dead ends. General Musa was rather disappointed in him for putting the reputation of the Guardians on the line while General Musa was just angry that he would, in his own word “dare” get romantically involved with a human.

It wasn’t against the rules to be romantically involved with a human, after all the human faction existed for a reason. Still there were procedures to these things that Chris had ignored despite Chi’s warnings which only made Chris feel more responsible for the situation they were currently in.

He was on his way to see the Mage Masters when he felt that Chi was in danger. He finally arrived at the nearest vent, thought of the location he wanted to go and jumped in. Appearing in his room, thankfully he was already in his guardian uniform which were black pants and an armless black shirt. They also had various arm accessories depending on rank or the mission at hand but he didn’t have the time for that right now, he quickly picked up his silver double bladed staff from his wardrobe and rushed out of the house.

In the guardian order, every guardian had to select a weapon of choice and train for a decade to master their weapons. This didn’t mean that they weren’t versatile enough to use other weapons or even excel at hand to hand combat, but Guardians needed a weapon to perform basic low level battle spells. Your weapon of choice was usually considered to be an extension of yourself and it usually takes at least a year to select a weapon to master at the beginning of training.

When Chris joined the Guardian Order he was one of the promising students and every tutor wanted to take him under their wing. General Segun in particular (who was still a Lieutenant at the time) was one of the best katana wielders in the order and was encouraging Chris to pick the katana as his weapon of choice.

During their first year of training, the first years participated in a long standing tradition of watching the two Generals’ spar. That was the first time he ever set his eyes on a doubled bladed staff which was wielded by of the General Tony (now retired). He was so marvelled by a weapon that could be used as a regular staff, unsheathed and detachable at the middle turning it into two short swords and could also be used as a naginata.

Chris made up his mind to master the double bladed staff and learn under General Tony, up until today he had a feeling this was one of the reasons why General Segun didn’t like him. After ten years of training under General Tony, he gave him the Silver double bladed staff as a gift. The staff was a sister to the Golden Staff that General Tony owned and he would never forget what General Tony told him at his coronation ceremony.

“The Double Bladed Staff like every other weapon can never be totally mastered. I have only taken it as far as I could, but if there is anyone who can take it much further it is you my boy. I have had many students, none of them quite as disciplined and yet as reckless as you are and to master this weapon you need a delicate blend of discipline and recklessness.”

He still hadn’t figured what the hell the old man was ranting about up until this day. He quickly got out of the house and headed for Ronke’s apartment. Running as fast as he could he looked at the sky and noticed the birds were converging, flying ahead of him towards the direction he was running.

“I hope this is good” he muttered, running faster although he could already sense that things were about to get more complicated.

Chi had figured out three things from where she was standing. The first thing was that the guy standing in front of her was a mage hunter. It wasn’t just because he was holding two karambit knives and looking at her like she was prey, it was because she had just tried to read his mind and had failed.

She could probe into almost anyone’s mind with ease except high level Mages who usually put contingencies in place to avoid it. Another mind she had never read was the mind of Chris but that was a deliberate decision and not a lack of ability. She could already feel everything he felt and the last thing she wanted to do was to strip him of the privacy of his thoughts as well.

The second thing she had figured out was that Ronke was a mage hunter as well. Prior to this time she had always been able to see into her head but right now she could feel the same wall she felt when she tried to read the guy’s mind. Although the wall wasn’t as strong as the guy’s yet and she suspected that was because she just awakened so she could still pick out a few words like “Chris” and “Wole” which she guessed was the guy’s name.

The third thing she had figured which should probably have been the first thing was that her life was in danger. Chris already knew this and she knew he was on his way but for now she was going to have to hold her own.

She already tried to lift both of them and that hadn’t worked either so she decided to use materials in her environment. They were both resistant to magic but that didn’t mean that their surrounding was.

The Wole guy had probably instructed her to keep her distance because she took a couple of steps backwards and leaned on her apartment door silently watching. She was obviously terrified and confused, Chi felt so sorry for her.

“You know who I am and I know who you are. Wole right?” Chi asked.

“How did you know, doesn’t matter…I won’t let you kill her, so it’s either you get out of the way or I kill you” Wole replied.

“Why do you hunters have to be so stuck up? It’s always black and white with you guys isn’t it?” she said.

“Step away mage, I won’t ask again” Wole threatened.

“It’s not that simple, Ronke is my best friend’s girlfriend. Believe me, I’m the best person that could have come here” on saying that Chi took another step forward.

As her feet were touching the ground, Wole threw two vials of purple liquid at her. She lifted two large stones from the ground and smashed them mid-air before the vials got to her. Shifting her focus back to him only in time to hear Ronke scream as one of his karambits aimed directly for her neck. Hitting knife away from his hand with one of the stones, he still managed to spin and kick her right in the stomach pushing her towards the gate.

“Telekinesis huh? Troublesome” he said, stepping back to pick up his knife.

Chi stood up. He was fast, so fast that he covered the distance between them in the few seconds she used to smash the vials.

“What was in those vials?” she asked.

“If those vials broke a bit closer to your personal radius, this fight would have been long over by now” he said.

“But that’s the thing, I’m not here to fight you. I only want to talk to her.” Chi said.

She was getting upset now. There was a drum of water just outside Ronke’s apartment door. She lifted the drum and before Wole could react, emptied the water around Wole trapping him in a water bubble.

“Okay Ronke, while he’s running out of Oxygen let’s talk” Chi said.

“What do you want to talk about? Chris lied to me. He’s cheating isn’t he?” Ronke asked.

“Cheating?? Really??? How can you have seen all that you have seen and the best thing you could come up with was cheating???” Chi asked angrily, she didn’t know how long she could hold the water bubble and still concentrate on Ronke.

“I know the rest, magic is real and all that. Wole came here to explain it to me and take me to safety, doesn’t still change the fact that he’s having some kind of magical affair with you.

It all makes sense to me now, although I hardly saw you he always mentioned you. You were always first priority for him” she replied almost in tears.

Chi stared at the bubble, Wole was still struggling in the bubble and it was harder to keep it together. A normal human being would have passed out by now but obviously these hunters were cut from a different cloth.

“Listen to me Ronke. You don’t know shit, and I know that there is a lot you don’t understand. But I can assure you that if you leave with Wole, you’ll never know the truth…”

Her hold of the bubble weakened a little more and Wole lunged at her mid-air with his knife, she unhinged Ronke’s apartment door and pushed it at him to block but he anticipated that and bent to dodge. Landing a few inches from her, he attempted to stab her again only to be kicked away by someone unexpected.

“Took you long enough” Chi said.

“You’re welcome” Chris replied.

“Chris…you….” was all Ronke could say at this point.

“Ronke, we need to leave NOW. I’ll explain later but we might be in danger here.”

“You’re not going anywhere with her” Wole said back on his feet.

“Dude listen. This really has nothing to do with you, besides you could barely take on Chi. You definitely can’t beat me and even if you could, you can’t beat us both.”

A flock of birds flew towards Ronke’s house and started circling her roof.

“Oh shit, they’re here” Chris said.

Two figures approached Ronke’s house and Chi opened her mouth finally understanding the situation.

“No, not them” she said.

“What’s going on?” Wole asked.

“What’s going on is that you’re going to help us or you’re definitely going to die here” Chris said.

“I’ll never help a mage” Wole spat.

“Well there’s a first time for everything.” Chris replied.

“Go inside your house now Ronke.” Chi said.

A man of average height and build wearing a green tee shirt and grey pants that looked oversized with a slight moustache that seemed a little out of place accompanied by a girl that was slightly taller who wore her hair in a ponytail dressed in standard guardian blacks with her katana hung on her side entered the gate.

“Well, if it isn’t our best and brightest” the man said.

“Hi Remmy, Hello Iradat. What brings the both of you all the way down here? I’m sure you have better things to do.” Chi said.

“Well, we heard that a mage hunter was awakening here and we were asked to come and finish the job, just in case you couldn’t. Obviously you couldn’t so here we are” Iradat said with a smile.

Chi didn’t like Iradat so much, she was five years older than Chris in the guardian order and was the best katana wielder in the order apart from General Segun. She was only also his best pupil and she hated Chris with a passion for rejecting her master’s tutelage. These were already enough for reasons for Chi to be her least biggest fan, but the real reason she disliked Iradat was because she seemed to enjoy taking the dirtier jobs from the factions. Sadly though, Iradat was one Guardian Chris could not beat, at least not yet.

Chi was certain that they were screwed because in the duo, Iradat wasn’t the real problem. Remmy was the real cause for concern; with a natural magical affinity to communicate with, control and manipulate animals popularly known as Zoopathy he was a really hard nut to crack.

The first downside was that she could never read his mind or control it because she could never ever figure out exactly where his mind was at a given period in time. This advantage applied to his guardian as they shared a connection so controlling Iradat was also a dead end. He had mastered his abilities so much that he could split his consciousness between animals even of different species.

He could be having a conversation with you and at the same time controlling a flock of birds. His abilities hadn’t left him without a downside and it was rumoured that he had spent so much time in the minds of animals and insects that he wasn’t totally human anymore. The only person that really understood him was Iradat and they were by far one of the best teams of Guardian and Mage that existed in the dome.

“We know the girl is here, give her to us and you’ll live to see another day.” Remmy said.

The birds were still circling so it was obvious he was still controlling them, what Chi wasn’t sure of was whether there was any other animal or insect around that they hadn’t taken account of. Dealing with Remmy was always quite a hassle, she stole a glance at Chris and she could tell that he shared her frustration.

“Not if I can help it” Wole said and he dashed towards Remmy. He barely took two steps before Iradat appeared in front of him jabbed him in the gut with the hilt of her unsheathed sword sending him flying towards Ronke’s apartment entrance.

He stood up coughing up blood.

“If you try that again, I’ll eat your eat your flesh you disgusting worm” Remmy said, licking his lips and smiling coyly.

“What was it you said about helping mages again? Isn’t it obvious that at least for now, we’re on the same side?” Chris asked helping Wole to his feet.

“I can see that you’ve formed an alliance with our enemies, which makes you enemies.” Iradat said unsheathing her sword.

“Iradat, try to listen. We are not here to fight, but you can’t have Ronke. Not yet.” Chi said.

Iradat was already approaching as Chris unsheathed his staff on both sides.

“Let’s see if what that disgusting old man taught you was worth shit” she said as their blades collided.

For the first couple of minutes it was a rapid succession of blade clashes and blocks, none of them seemed to be able to land a direct hit and they seemed pretty evenly matched.

Meanwhile, the birds were trying to get into the house but Chi surrounded the open door with a telekinetic bubble. Telekinetic constructs were difficult to maintain and she was already exhausted from fighting Wole.

“Let me help” Wole said, slashing at the birds with his knives.

“How dare you hurt my babies???…you will pay vermin” Remmy said as a swarm of bees from literally thin air approached Wole.

“A little help?” Wole asked as he attempted to run away from them.

“Great, just great” Chi muttered under her breath.

She lifted a pile of gravel stones from the ground and created a box to enclose the bees, she then created a hole in the ground and buried them in. By the time she turned back to the door, the birds were already inside.

“Oh NO” she exclaimed.

Chris was beginning to slow down as Iradat’s slashes became quicker and quicker.

“You’re using a strength and speed enhancing spell with your sword” he noted.

“Less talking boy” she said swinging her sword towards his face, he blocked it just in time with his detached twin blades but the force still strong enough to knock him to the ground.

“Enough, we’ve won” Remmy said as the birds brought Ronke out of the house. They carried her by her limbs and dropped her on the ground. She was bleeding from all the scratches they had inflicted on her.

“Oh no, Ronke” Chris shouted attempting to get up. Iradat kicked him in the gonads and pinned him to the ground with her sword.

“You’re done” she said.

“Chris I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault” Chi said.

Wole simply stared helplessly at the situation.

“So should we kill her here or we should take her away?” Iradat asked Remmy.

“We definitely are going to eat her here, but we first have to kill the traitor. The one that was willing to die for love” Remmy said smacking his lips again.

Iradat kicked Chris again.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, I never imagined I’d get to do it with such an audience. The two most important people in your life get to watch you die, you should be grateful.” Iradat said gleefully.

Chi had no strength left, magical or otherwise. She could barely even stand, the saddest thing was that if Chris died she could still find another guardian. The guardians always got the short end of the stick and it hurt her more than anything to admit it.

“Last words perhaps?” Remmy asked Chris.

Chris just stared at Ronke barely able to mumble any words.

“Well this was fun” Iradat said aiming for Chris’ heart.

At least that’s what she meant to do before she heard a shriek that made sword drop from her hands.

Chi opened her eyes to find Ronke screaming and it seemed like some kind of force was emanating from her body as she did. Remmy attempted to control the birds but he couldn’t and Wole seeing that used the opportunity to dash at him stabbing him in the shoulder.

He aimed his neck stab for the neck but Iradat had recovered from the shock already as she the stab with her hands and kicked him away. She then carried Remmy on her shoulder and fled the compound.

Ronke stopped screaming and the force slowly disappearing from around them as she collapsed on the ground.

They all stood in silence for about three minutes until Chris’ finally found a voice to speak.

“Okay what just happened?” he asked.

“She is a Mage Spawn.” Wole answered.

“A what?” Chi asked.

“A mage spawn. They are a class of Mage Hunters who have a powerful mage somewhere down their ancestral lineage. All mage hunters are simply resistant to magic and we learn other tricks. A mage spawn can somehow extent their magical resistance to their immediate surroundings like a force.” Wole explained.

“I’m quite confused.” Chris said.

“This is the first time I’m seeing it myself but I’m certain that is what she is. They are extremely rare and the ones that exist in this generation hardly associate with regular mage hunters” He answered.

“That would explain why Remmy was powerless and Iradat couldn’t use her sword. The sword is bound to her by magic.” Chi exclaimed.

Chris walked towards Ronke and picked her up in his arms.

“So in the end she saved us all. How ironic” he said with a chuckle.

“But we can’t stay here, and we can’t go to the ethereal realm either. I’m sure by tomorrow we’ll already be labelled as traitors. Mages and Guardians alike would want our heads.” Chi said obviously worried.

“I know a place we can hideout for a bit. We’ll figure it out from there.” Wole offered.

“I hope this isn’t a trap.” Chris asked.

“I’ve seen enough to know that you don’t want to harm this girl, so for now…errhmm…I trust you” Wole said in-between coughs.

Chi let out a sigh of relief and laughed a bit. Partly because she couldn’t believe they survived this ordeal and mostly because she knew it was only a calm before the storm.

As Chris carried Ronke on his shoulders with Chi and Wole walking beside him, Chi asked.

“So Wole?”

“Yes?” he answered.

“What was it you said about helping mages again?” she asked with a smirk.

“Technically I’m helping her, not you” he replied.

“Whatever floats your boat bro” she said whistling ahead of them.

Chris burst into laughter shaking his head at her and even Wole couldn’t help but smile.

The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Four)

Ronke tried to sleep but it seemed very far from her at the moment because every time she closed her eyes, she kept remembering Chris and Chi disappearing in a thick fog of smoke.

As soon as she got out of Chris’ apartment that evening she went straight to the police station and then to the hospital to get treatment for the leg that she bruised while making her escape from his house.

The weirdest thing was not the fact that the policemen, doctors and nurses thought she was crazy; in retrospect she didn’t expect them to believe her. What upset her was that when she got back to the hospital this morning to dress her wounds, the doctors and nurses had no memory of all the things she told them the night before and she could almost swear on her life that she saw a grey cloud hovering around their heads.

After she left the hospital, she went back to the police station and found that the policemen she talked to the day before didn’t remember either. They didn’t even remember her coming in and they had the same grey cloud around their heads.

She came back to her house frustrated with everyone for thinking she was crazy.

“Maybe I am going crazy” she thought to herself.

She was grateful that she was still on her work break, the last thing she needed right now was to have to deal with work. Pouring herself a glass of wine from the fridge, she fell face down on her bed hoping sleep would take her or better still she’d wake up and all this would have been a dream.

A couple of minutes of tossing and turning passed and she heard a knock on her door.

The last thing she needed right now was guests or family. She glanced at the clock by her bedside, it was almost noon.

“Maybe the person will just go away” she thought.

She heard the knock again, then again.

“Miss Ronke, I know you’re in there.” The voice said, it was male.

She sighed.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“The Police, you came by the station yesterday and early this morning” he replied.

“Finally, someone remembers” she exclaimed as she rushed towards the door to open it.

The door swung open to reveal a man wearing blue jean shorts and a red polo shirt, he was almost as tall as the door and he smelled of sweat.

“You’re not the police” Ronke acknowledged looking up at him.

“I know, let me in we don’t have much time” he said.

He used his leg to stop the door as she started to shut the door against him.

“I’ll scream” she threatened.

“Listen, your life is in danger. I know you went to the hospital and the station to tell them about what saw. I know no one believed you. I know you went back this morning and they didn’t remember. I know you saw grey clouds.”

He said, holding the door as she tried to shut it.

“How do you know this? And how is my life in danger?” Ronke asked confused.

“You were exposed to magic and you were awakened. I don’t have much time to explain but they know you’ve awakened and they are coming to kill you.” He said.

“Magic? Awakened? Who is they?” Ronke asked, her head began to buzz seriously.

“The Mages, they know of your awakening and they are coming for you. That buzzing in your head means one of them is close. We need to leave NOW.” He said pulling her hands.

She thought for a minute. This may be the closest she’ll ever get to proving that she wasn’t insane besides if he was right and she was really about to be killed, she needed to leave now.

“At least let me get dressed” She said with her head buzzing louder.

He paced frantically “Okay, five minutes”

“Who exactly are you and how did you know my head was buzzing? How do you know any of this?” She asked from inside her bathroom as she quickly got dressed.

“My name is Wole, and I know your head is buzzing because my head is buzzing as well. I’m a mage hunter just like you.” He answered.

“A mage what???” she asked coming out of the bathroom fully clothed now.

“Questions later, we leave now” he said.

They both dashed out of her apartment making their way towards the building gate. As they approached the gate he stopped her abruptly standing in front of her like a shield.

“The mage is here” he said, bringing a knife out of his pocket.

The gate budged slightly and the locks opened from the inside.

Ronke peeked from behind him to see what was going on and opened her mouth at what she saw.

Chi stepped in looking intently at both of them.

“Go back inside and wait for my signal’’ he ordered Ronke unsheathing another knife.

“I know her that’s Chi, my boyfriend’s childhood friend. You can’t hurt her please” Ronke said.

“Well your “friend” here is a mage and I won’t let her kill you because I can assure you, that’s why she is here” He replied.

Chi started to walk towards them.

“Okay Ronke, we need to talk” she said.

The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Three)

Chi found herself in Chris' apartment, sitting alone at the spot where she initiated the "travel spell". After the meeting at the dome, Chris refused to come back to the human world with her saying that he needed to find a way to fix things at the ethereal realm.

She had expected this reaction from him and didn't bother to push any further when he told her his decision. Chris believed that he could solve any problem he encountered and for the most parts he was right, usually she would find him obsessing for days trying to find a solution to a problem and he never relented until it was solved.

The thing that worried her the most though was that for the first time in her life she was sure he couldn't fix this. The three factions rarely agreed about anything and on those "purple moon" occasions when they did, they were never wrong.

Deep within her, she knew that this issue was going to play out exactly the way the faction leaders had illustrated. She also knew that the "worst case scenario" was the most likely outcome because if it wasn't, they won't have mentioned it in the first place. Most of all, she knew that Chris would never kill Ronke no matter what he was told. He would rather die than kill her and Chi was having a hard time accepting this.

Living in denial of this truth wasn't an option sadly, not for her. She felt it as every second passed, after all, she knew Chris in ways no one else in the world did or probably ever could.

When they were younger, Chris saved her life and died in the process. That day she saved the life of a young boy who had given his life for hers. To be able to perform a ritual of this nature at such a young age made her stand out even among the best mages of her generation but it didn't come without a price.
Nothing in their world came without a price.

The saddest thing was that the person who had to pay the ultimate price was Chris and not her. To save him, she had to bind his soul to hers, using herself as an anchor for his life force.

The ritual she performed that night was for "The Guardian Initiation" but in his case she didn't leave him with a choice. Usually, becoming a guardian was a thing of choice, men and women throughout time who had lived a life of bravery, courage and strength were approached by mages at the end of their lives. Others were involved in accidents or other forms of ailments and the process was the same, they were offered a choice to become guardians and serve a higher purpose. It was never forced and declining didn't come with any consequence since the person was dying anyways. Chris wasn't offered this choice and Chi continually felt guilty about it.

From that moment, she could feel everything he felt and he could do the same.
The bond between a mage and a guardian could not be broken and although it was a gift, it could also be a curse.
Emotions were a lot stronger than words, and she couldn't help but feel things she had no business feeling.

The day Chris met Ronke, Chi didn't know the details but she felt the change in his emotional spectrum. Granted, this wasn't the first time Chris was liking someone so she was no stranger to these emotions but as time went on she realized how much of a hold the girl had on him even without realizing it.
With Ronke it felt like for the first time since she met him, he was alive. The emotions were so strong sometimes that they affected her own mood and she couldn't control herself.

She could never forget the night her family decided to go out for dinner to celebrate her younger brother's initiation as a mage. Her father decided that a fancy restaurant was the solution to all their problems so he practically dragged the four of them there.

On arrival she started to see that it wasn't so bad spending time with her family and she began to relax a bit even cracking jokes with her mostly annoying little brother. Everything was going fine until she felt Chris through their bond.
"I want to make a toast to my two children...." Her father began to say.
Chi shifted in her chair obviously uncomfortable.
"Oh no, oh no" she muttered under her breath.
She knew this day was going to come eventually but she never imagined it would be in a place like this. Here she was trying to endure a nice dinner with her family and Chris decided to pick this day of all days to have sex with Ronke.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat again.
"Chi's are you okay? You seem really uncomfortable" her mother asked.

"I'm...fine" she said in between breaths holding the table firmly as she spoke.

"This isn't good" she thought to herself.
She could feel through the bond that they were still at foreplay and she rationalized that if he was this horny already, then she was in big trouble for the rest of the evening.

"So Junior, tell us about your mage examination?" She said in a desperate attempt to divert everyone's attention away from her.
Luckily for her it worked and Junior was glad to rant about his tests. Her parents looked very proud of both of them and she seemed to be keeping the bond under control.
"Probably they won't have sex today" she thought to herself.
"Speaking of exams, Chi when do you plan to take your first order exams?" Her father asked.
"I don't know daddy, maybe..." She began to say until she felt something new and grabbed the table firmly.
"Are you sure you're okay, you're sweating Chi" Junior asked, a little worried.
"I'm...I'm...oh God" she moaned.
Chris was getting the best head of his life and she was getting wet at the dinner table.
"Chi, we could leave if you're uncomfortable" her mother offered, concern written all over her face.
"Don't worry...I'm..." She hit the table and bit her lip hard hurting herself in the process.
She struggled to find whatever was left of her sanity, apologized to her family and stood up heading for the door. She needed to get out of here fast.
As soon as she stepped outside, she called a cab.
Getting into the cab as quickly as she could, she gave him directions and cast a hypnosis spell on the driver so he won't be freaked out about what she was about to do.
She needed to touch herself. It was the only way to relief the pressure.
At the moment, Ronke was done with him but she sensed that the worst of it was on its way. Right on cue, it came like a wave over her. Chris had started to thrust so she slid her hands down her skirt to mimic everything she was feeling through the bond.
As the cab approached her house she could feel Chris getting closer to a climax. They came to a stop at a traffic light and Chris finally came which resulted in her kicking the backdoor of the cab a few times. A traffic warden started walking towards the car out of concern but as a soon as the lights turned green the cab speed off and dropped her at home.
As soon as she got into her apartment, she poured herself a glass of water, fell on her bed and slept off.

Sitting on the floor in Chris' apartment she realized that as awkward as that incident was, she couldn't deny just how much he loved her. For him, it wasn't just sex and she knew this as a certainty because she felt it.
She stood up and began to search through his apartment for something that belonged to Ronke. She needed to cast a locator spell, find her and erase her memory before things got any worse.

She finally found a lipstick in the bathroom that she probably dropped in fear after seeing them go up in smoke. Picking up the lipstick from the floor, she wrapped it around her hands and cast the spell.
Tracing Ronke's every move from the moment she saw them disappear, she finally found Ronke lying down in her apartment.
"Okay Chi, let's pay Ronke a visit" she said to herself stepping out of Chris' apartment.

The Guardian Order (The Writing Sessions: Two)

"I knew we weren't alone in there" Chi exclaimed as the world around them began to materialize.

 "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

 Chris was lost in thought and could barely hear anything Chi was saying. All he could think about was Ronke and how he was going to make this right.

 "She probably thinks I'm a wizard or even worse thinks she's going mad" he thought to himself.

The first option would have been totally wrong anyways. Chris wasn't a wizard by any standards although Chi on the other hand was a mage of the second order.

In retrospect, meeting her changed his life in many positive ways but he still could help but feel like it was both a gift and a curse.

As a child, Chris had always been a wild card. He was terrible at school and didn't do so well class. This wasn't because he wasn't smart, in fact you would think he was a genius if you saw him play sports or participate in any of the vocational subjects. His major problem was that he didn't have the patience to learn, all he wanted to do was 'do'.

Chi on the other hand was the best student in his class and in their primary school. A Straight A’s student who was always on time, she never spoke to anyone or had any friends in class. Most students thought she was a snob and although this was true to a large extent, it didn't change the fact that most people were just jealous.

They never crossed paths as they both existed in two different worlds until that Friday. Friday was Chris' best day in school because classes were short and the rest of the day was dedicated to sporting activities, Chi on the other hand usually disappeared after classes on Fridays and was nowhere near the field.

 Oddly enough on this Friday, Chi was around for sports. Although she was a spectator mostly, she was on the field till the end of school.

After school hours Chris and a couple of boys stayed behind to play football while Chi was waiting for her driver to come pick her up. A few minutes later, Chris' game ended and he picked up his bag to leave the school premises just as Chi's red Toyota Camry drove into the school compound. He was just outside the gate of the school buying chocolate ice-cream from the local ice-cream seller when the car drove past him.

He didn't live far away so he just strolled home every day which usually turned out to be the best part of his daily routine. As he approached the turn that led to his street he saw the red Toyota parked on the other side of the road.

 "They probably stopped to get some ice-cream" he said to himself. His ice-cream was already done and he began to consider getting another when he heard her scream.

Looking back, he probably should have kept walking but he decided to go see what was going on.

 He found her in the backseat behind the driver's seat curled up in the corner with a mortified look on her face.

 Opening the back door from the other side he asked,

 "What's the problem?"

 Her eyes seemed to be staring into space and it took a couple of seconds before she could focus on him.

 "Go away!!!! Please, please leave me alone. They are coming, and if they find you here they'll kill you" she yelled with fears in her eyes.

 He looked at her confused.

 "Where is the driver?

 Please get down from the car so we can find a way to get you home" he said with urgency in his voice.

 Her face went still for a couple of seconds then she began to panic again tears gushing down her eyes.

 "She's running mad, all those books have finally made her insane" Chris' thought to himself.

 She grabbed him by his shirt and screamed,

 "They're here, they've found me. Please run, run Chris!!! RUN!!!"

Chris was only beginning to wrap his head around how she knew who he was when he felt it. A sharp pain on the side of his stomach snapped him back to reality. He was bleeding and before he could react he felt a slash on his left arm close to his shoulder. In that instant his instincts kicked in and he knew he was in danger, he took a step back and studied his environment.

He couldn't see anything out of place, but the blood soaking his shirt told him otherwise. In that instant he felt the air around him shift slightly and he jumped in the direction of the shift lunging forward like a wounded animal. He landed on a figure he could see but he didn't care, his mind didn't have time to process or ask questions he just kept punching and kicking until the figure stopped moving. The figure materialized and turned into a man knocked unconscious.

Chi immediately jumped out of the car and ran towards Chris. His vision was blurring and he was bleeding out. She knelt beside him placing his head on her laps in tears, he couldn't quite hear what she was saying but she was mumbling something he didn't quite understand. That was the first time he ever saw the smoke and he was convinced that he was dying.

Chris opened his eyes to meet Chi staring at him with a smile. He looked around trying to figure out where he was but he couldn't recognize his surroundings.

 He was lying down and Chi was resting at his bedside. As he tried to stand up, she stopped him,

"You're not completely healed Chris, you still need to rest" she said.

"Healed? What happened..." he asked weakly.

She only smiled as she placed her hand on his whispering,

 "Sleep Chris"

 He saw a puff of smoke come out of her mouth and he gasped as his memoires started flooding back. He had a lot of questions to ask, but he couldn't resist the compulsion to fall asleep as he slumped back into bed.

Chris woke up a second time with no one around his bed. He stood up and felt a slight pain on his stomach, he checked but he didn't see any marks or scars. He checked his left arm and saw nothing, there was no pain in the arm at all in fact.

 "How long have I been asleep?" He thought.

 Chi walked in through the door smiling and saying,

 "I sensed you waking up, how's the stomach? It still hurts a bit right?"

 He looked at her grimly and asked,

 "Where am I and what is going on?"

 

The explanation Chi gave him that day sealed his fate and from that day he became her guardian.

 Studying his surroundings now, it still felt like twenty years ago when he first came here. The book that brought them here was one of the few conduits that led to the Ethereal Realm. Chi's family was one of the most elite family of mages and that's the only reason why she had a conduit in the first place.

 They materialized outside the Dome of Ether, a structure shaped like a gigantic egg. The dome was popularly known as the center of magic and several domes were built all around the world, it was rumored that these were the focal points where all the magical energy in the world converged.

 It was also the place where the three major factions in the world met to deliberate on issues that affect the balance of the world. The factions were; the mages, the guardians and the humans.

 

“Let’s go in, we're already late" Chris said walking in front of Chi as they entered the dome.

 "Wouldn't be the first time" Chi replied with a smirk on her face.

 "Do you ever take anything seriously?" Chris asked slightly irritated. Chi could sense that he was upset about Ronke, but that didn't stop her from teasing him a little more.

 "You were a lot more fun as a kid you know. I don't know what they feed you guys in the guardian order that makes you all so uptight" she replied.

 Chris just kept on walking not paying attention to any of the people around the various sections of the dome, he didn't even reply any greetings.

 They finally got to the door of Chamber One, the largest of all the seven chambers in the dome.

 "Kids grow up eventually you know" he said finally as he turned the door knob.

 "I know Chris, I know...and don't worry, she'll be fine' Chi said tapping his shoulder lightly.

 Chris sighed.

 "Okay, let's get this over with" he said pulling the door open.

The chamber’s design changed from time to time depending on the occasion it was being used for. Today it had the design of a court room, with the three factions sitting on three different rows and the two heads of each faction sitting on an elevated platform.

 "Chidinma Ananaba and Chris Adedeji; mage of the second order and her guardian you're late again" General Musa said.

"Apologies sir." Chris replied

Chris couldn’t help thinking they were in trouble again, the tension in the air was too palpable.

General Musa was one of the two heads of the Guardian Order and as mean as he looked, he was the nice one in the duo.

“Both of you come forward quickly, we have a mission for you” Master Folashade said.

“So we’re not in trouble?” Chris asked the master mage, walking with Chi towards the six of them.

“No you’re not” she replied.

“We initially summoned you here because Chi has refused to take the promotion trials for the first order” Senator Obiora said.

“So we were in trouble…” Chi said with a smirk.

“Forget that, a matter of grave importance came up on your way here. A human saw magic in use and we have to deal with it as soon as possible” Master Jude interjected.

 “No offense Master Jude, but this happens all the time. Can’t we just erase their memory as always” Chi asked.

“That’s the problem child, we already tried. We sent two of our best second order mages to erase every trace of the memory.

We were able to erase the imprints on the minds of those the subject told but the subject’s memories remain intact” Senator Laila said.

“What do you need us to do?” Chris asked.

“We need Chidinma to attempt to erase the subject’s memory. As an esper her natural abilities with the mind are more powerful than most spells we can make.” Master Folashade said.

“And if doesn’t work?” Chi asked.

“Then that would confirm our fears” Master Jude replied.

“What fears?” Chris asked.

“We suspect that the subject has witch hunter blood. If a mage with Chidinma’s unique gifts cannot erase the subject’s memory, then it means that the witch hunter blood in the subject is strong.” General Musa said.

“Okay?” Chris asked, sensing that they weren’t done.

“And as a member of the guardian order it would be your sole responsibility to protect your mage and the mage order from such a threat.

You will have to kill the subject before they get any stronger or get discovered by the witch hunters.” General Segun finally spoke.

“You’re asking me to kill someone who hasn’t done anything wrong yet just because they have the potential to be a threat to us?” Chris asked furiously.

“Calm down child, this is only if Chi fails to erase the subject’s memory. We both know the chances of that happening are very slim.” Senator Laila said.

Chi came to stand beside Chris holding his hand to calm him down.

“What’s the name of the subject and where can we find him?” Chi asked.

“Him? No, this subject is a female. Her name is Ronke Badmos, I’m sure you’re already familiar with her” General Segun said.

Chris’ eyes widened and he hands went cold.

The Guardian Order {The Writing Sessions: One}

Ronke used her extra key to get into Chris’ apartment.

It was a Wednesday evening and according to his shift at the factory he wouldn’t be home for another two hours which gave her enough time to plan her surprise.

His apartment was spotless and clean in the usual Chris fashion with everything in its usual place. She often teased him saying that a blind man could live in his apartment comfortably after a couple of days.

Chris never made any changes to his life or his routine and the few times she had even attempted to arrange the house or help with cleaning had been a complete disaster. He just ended up putting everything back in the places he wanted them and taking over the entire process.

She had made her peace with it and never even tried anymore but today was different. It was their one year anniversary and she was determined to make it special. She travelled on a business trip and was not supposed to be back for another couple of days so Chris wasn’t expecting her, fortunately for her some of the meetings were cancelled so she took the first flight she could find back home to surprise her man.

She took off her heels and put them in her bag bringing out the bottles of wine she bought on her way here. She didn’t want to leave any signs of her presence here and hoped that her perfume won’t give away. With the wine bottles and some chocolate in the fridge she decided to try out the black corset she picked up earlier at the mall.

Ronke was always conscious of her body when she was younger, being an early bloomer she started developing breasts earlier than most girls her age. At age 13 she had her first boyfriend and learnt very quickly that guys were a lot more interested in her body than her brains. From that point in her life she decided that no matter the attention she got when she walked in a room, she would make an equally good impression when she opened her mouth to speak.

Many years have passed and that little girl has now come to appreciate the perks of having a great body. Standing in front of the mirror she examined her curves in the corset, her breasts were even perkier than usual she mused to herself smiling. She didn’t think she had a pretty face although she had been told by a lot of men that she was beautiful. An almost round face with a chiseled chin that she got from her dad, Ronke had squinty eyes, generally small facial features and drooping lips that seemed to fit her perfectly.

Admiring her dark chocolate skin one more time in the mirror wishing she was a little taller than a 5’6, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of dangling keys at the door. She took a quick glance at the clock on the wall, Chris wasn’t supposed to be back for the next one hour at the very least.

She quickly looked through around the room to make sure nothing was out place. She hadn’t placed the rose petals in his bathroom yet but she figured a window of opportunity would present itself before the end of the night and she’d get her chance.

“Nothing is going to ruin today for me.” She thought to reassure herself as she ran into the bathroom to hide.

The door opened and Chris walked in casually with his helmet and overall in his hands. Spying on him from the bathroom she almost laughed out loud as he hung his hat in the usual place close to his Kanye West poster on the wall. Next he dropped the overall in the laundry basket and started to take off his clothes.

Watching him undress was a huge turn on for her and she couldn’t help biting her lower lip. This wasn’t because Chris had the best body in the world, in fact for many girls his body probably won’t demand a second glance as handsome as he was. Chris was lanky and just a little bit taller than Ronke, he was fit and surprisingly strong despite his looks probably because of the nature of his job.

All that aside, the turn on for Ronke was the fluidity in his movements. His life was so organized that he did everything with such deadly precision. Many ladies may consider this to be a boring routine but for Ronke watching Chris do everything was like watching a dance. The way his fingers trailed around each button as he unbuttoned his shirt lightly twirling around them like a nipple, or the way the muscles on his back seemed to contract and relax as he took off his shirt, or how his trousers pulled down his boxers slightly as he took them off and he adjusted them from the back to front. Now she was thinking about the front…

“Focus Ronke” she thought to herself coming back to reality.

Chris took off his clothes and grabbed his towel.

“Oh shit.” She thought. He was coming into the bathroom and she had nowhere to hide. She backed away from the door just as he was about to open it when she heard a knock.

He hung the towel on the door and went to get the door.

“You’re late Chi.” He said as he opened the door.

“I know, I know.” Chi said stepping in and dropping her bag on the bed.

Chris simply shut the door and gave her a knowing look.

“Arrgggh, you and your OCD” she yelled but she still picked the bag up and hung it beside his helmet.

Ronke watched from the bathroom in confusion. Chi’s name had come up a few times in conversation but she didn’t think they were that close. Chris simply said she was a childhood friend and they kept in touch loosely over the years. Right now Ronke was beginning to ask herself if she knew what the word “loosely” meant because it definitely didn’t include Chi sprawled on Chris’ bed going through his phone as he went to the fridge to get her a drink.

“So how’s Ronke?” Chi asked.

Chi was light skinned and taller than Chris slightly. She wore a pair of shorts and a crop top that showed off just enough of her body to make any man want to find out more.

“She’s great, she’s away on a trip.” He answered, sitting beside her on the bed.

“Does she know about us?” she asked.

Chris hesitated.

“No…no she doesn’t. I haven’t told her.”

“You can’t keep it a secret forever you know. Tell her or break up with her or do both.” Chi replied.

Ronke’s world went white. Us??? Break Up???

She couldn’t help the tears that stared flowing from her eyes, partly from sadness but mostly from rage. Just as she was about to burst out of the bathroom to kill them both she heard him say,

“Okay Chi its time”

“Time for what” she thought, hoping that he didn’t mean sex. She couldn’t put it past Chris to schedule sex after all it was in his nature.

“Okay get the book.” Chi replied.

Chris went to his wardrobe, picked up a small brown book and dropped it on Chi’s laps on the bed. Chi stood up from the bed and sat on the floor motioning Chris to join her on the floor. He sat in front of her mirroring her cross-legged posture with the book placed on the floor separating them.

Ronke was even more confused now with so many questions cloying at her mind. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any weirder she heard Chi say,

“There’s someone here, Chris”

Chris kept quiet for a bit to listen and Ronke stopped breathing.

“There isn’t, your senses are off.” Chris said.

“No they’re not, I sensed it as soon as I walked in but I wasn’t sure. Now I’m certain we’re not alone, can you look around?” she asked worried.

“There’s no time Chi, besides the only other person who can enter this apartment is Ronke and she’s not around.”

Chi relaxed a bit but she was still uneasy. Finally she said,

“Okay let’s do this, give me your hands.”

Ronke watched as Chris dropped his hands in Chi’s hands. They both closed their eyes as Chi said a few things Ronke was pretty sure wasn’t English. In that instant, the pages of the book stared to flip wildly as smoke started to ooze out of the book. The smoke oozed out until it enveloped Chi and Chris almost completely.

She finally had enough and burst out the bathroom door,

“CHRIS!!!” she yelled.

Chris opened his eyes in shock to find Ronke standing in front of his bathroom door utterly and completely terrified. He opened his mouth to explain but it was too late, he was already losing sight of his surroundings as he and Chi got sucked into the brown book.