Everything was hazy when I opened my eyes, and I grimaced at the headache that pounded through out my entire body. I coughed violently, my toes curling as my entire body convulsed and shivered. I groaned, trying to sit up straight as a wave of nausea swam over me.

I fell to my knees off the bed I'd been placed in as I crawled towards a waste bin. emptying my guts into it, I only lifted my head from the trash can when someone cleared their throat.

A figure with golden hair stood in an open doorway behind me as I looked up at him. He didn't have wings, his face resembling someone I couldn't name. Sharp cheekbones and a fine nose pulled my attention directly to his eyes which glowed golden. He has a presence, almost like an aura that tingled through the room. I felt safe with him, and I couldn't explain where the feeling came from.

The man took a seat on a chair I hadn't noticed, resting his forearms on his knees.

"Are you feeling alright?" His voice sent shivers down my spine and I nodded quickly. Everything about him radiated a sense of pride and self-assurance, a leader's confidence. His very nature demanded compliance. "Your name is Kate Stratton?"

"Yes." I said before coughing again. Everything rose in my stomach as my head hurt and eyes burned before I threw up into the basket again.

"When you use your Meraki to such an extent unpracticed, you'll feel violently ill as you do now." The man said, rubbing his chin. "You need to learn how to control these surges you're experiencing. We can work on that together."

"Who are you?" I said hoarsely.

"My name is Secta. I am the father of the Guardians."

I stiffened, taking in his figure. He was Secta, the selector of the Guardians who protected the planets like Cybele had told me. Fear filled me instantly as I stared at him; he held more power than Tron ever had.

"You're Secta?"

"Indeed." He almost looked amused.

"Have you chosen me? Where am I?" I stuttered.

He cracked his knuckles, sitting up straight. "You were taken here because your Meraki imposed itself upon Cybele. She has recovered, but any act of violence against her is a declaration of war against me. You were brought here to be locked away for harming her." Secta raised a hand as though to answer the terror building inside of me. "I know that you have no knowledge of us and that you did not intend to harm my daughter, so I have forgiven it. Though the two of us needed to meet since your power must be kept in check."

"Your daughter?"

"Yes, Cybele is my daughter." Holy shit.

I shook my head, going back to my questions. "Where am I?"

"Gabrian, the home of the Guardians. You are currently inside my home."

"What is my power that you're so concerned with? Why am I here?"

"I have not seen enough of it yet to give you a valid answer, and you're here so that I can protect you from your own meraki." Secta stood, brushing off his knees covered by the same black material Finn and Raphael wore. "Come, I shall give you a tour. You will be treated as a guest in my dominion."

"Where's Cybele? I'd like to apologize." I confessed as I followed Secta out of the room. The entire hall was made of windows, gazing down over green fields and houses inside a large, bubble-like dome that stretched for miles. My entire city could fit in here.

"Asleep. When she awakes, you may be permitted to enter her dwelling." I nodded as he spoke. A large tube stood before us and Secta allowed me to step inside first. We stood on a platform and it slowly began to sink down towards the ground. "The dome protects us from the outside world, and it keeps us hidden as well."

"Where's Finn?"

"I believe that he is training."

I tilted my head. "Training?"

"This is the school for the Guardians; they are taught how to engage in combat by senior Guardians, including Finnigan. He most likely will be teaching the more advanced students at this time of day."

Finn's a combat instructor? Woah... I found myself unable to believe that he was that skilled at fighting. He'd disarmed me, but was I really that much of a threat? Then again, he'd saved me from soldiers on the riverbank.

The platform sunk to the ground and came to a halt before we stepped off. Secta started to walk forward and I followed on his heels. Guardians who passed us saluted him and he gave his thanks, not bothering to check if I was behind him.

I stumbled after him, dazed and disoriented as my vision was still blurry. This had to be a dream. The entire city was built of an ancient stone, each building multiple stories tall with flags and blazing lights igniting the windows to create the look of a medieval castle. The marble path we walked on was lit with illuminated crystals glowing a lovely gold. The sky was a bright blue without a cloud in view.

A steep staircase of marble was embedded into the side of a hill and I followed him down, trying to keep up with his quick pace. "The buildings to your right are the Guardian dormitories. The second set of buildings to the left side are the apartments for senior Guardians. The fortress in front of us in the central courtyard is the dining hall. Yonder down the hill is the forest as well as the agility fields and sparring meadow. The older building to the left is the barracks, including the jail in which is where you would have been housed. The library is to the side there."

He turned sharply, stopping in the path as I nearly slammed into him. "You will join the others to eat only when I allow it. You will remain in my home otherwise so that I can monitor you. I would advise you to stick to the guidelines."

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but he had already turned, marching down the gravel path towards the gathering hall where flags streamed in the air. The heavy wooden doors laid open and I bit my lip, following him down the walkway until I entered the bright hall made almost entirely of glass windows. Wooden benches lined the inside and a stage sat at the end of the room along with a thick podium.

"Here is where meetings and congregations take place." The Guardians relaxing in the open benches scurried out of doors opposite to us, shooting me strange looks and widened eyes. "You shall sit in with Cybele and I." He pointed towards the stage and I felt myself grow queazy.

Secta shoved open a set of double doors, opening up a long hall of tables dressed in gold and maroon. "Dining hall. You won't eat here until I allow it."

He backed away and I followed slowly, looking back at the long hall where other winged people sat in small clusters at the tables. They had that same look in their eyes when they saw me, a twinkle of interest yet darker.

Secta didn't show me the dormitories or the barracks, instead taking me down a thin dirt path through the tall grass to where he had pointed earlier: the sparring meadows.

My mouth fell open in shock as I admired the lonely building that loomed on top of an isolated hill, the structure looking like a beast as it stood many stories high and its windows full of thick darkness. "What is that for?"

"It's called the Mimic. It simulates situations that a potential Guardian may face in battle or in the pursuit of saving civilians. It tests every skill and helps to evaluate the mind of the Guardian. Only if they complete the course can they enter with the army into battle." Secta's eyes scanned the tall building as if it were just another fish in a full pond.

I turned my eyes forward, focussing on a group of figures in an open plain of cut grass. Two were locked in combat in the center while others stood in silence as they observed. As we drew closer, their eyes left the fight and flew to me as scorching flames ran up my skin.

I took a deep breath when I realized Finn was in the center, fists raised as he dodged punches from a far skinnier and weaker winged man with black hair. I gasped as Finn ducked down and somehow managed to flip him over his shoulder. The man hit the ground with a sickening crack, letting out a cry.

"That is how to defend yourself when the enemy has you in a lock from behind. Remember the steps: you escape first by..." His speech came to an obvious halt as his eyes burned into mine before glancing to Secta. He offered his salute and the rest of the students followed his example though many still looked to me with strange glances.

I crossed my arms as Secta cleared his throat. "Class dismissed."

His words sent more dissension through the crowd before they all nodded and started to march around us as though we were a rock against the flow of a stream. I felt their eyes on me, eating away at my skin. There were whispers that I couldn't pick out as I watched them all disappear behind us back up the path.

"Good afternoon, Sir." Finn replied stiffly.

"Forget the formalities, Finnigan. You are family." Secta's eyes turned sharply to me and I sucked in a breath, feeling my heart beat quicker in my chest as I balled my hands into fists. "I am aware you have already been introduced."

"Yes, Secta. I was the one who found her." Finn replied.

"I'm assigning you to her when you are not teaching. I trust her in your hands, and I need to determine her Meraki as well as its potential to the role we are looking to fill. She may follow your schedule besides where she eats and where she sleeps. Be wary of her distance with others."

"I wouldn't hurt anyone." I began, but bit my tongue. Cybele. "I wouldn't mean to... It doesn't feel..."

"I am not saying that you are a malicious entity, but because you are inexperienced and your control has not been obtained, you are a possible threat to others who might accidentally trigger the emotions that allow your Meraki to activate. You shall remain here for as long as needed."

"I'm not going home?" My eyes went wide as his lips twitched. "But, my sister..."

"You are to remain here until I have evaluated your Meraki and helped guide you to control. Not only are you affecting others, you are injuring yourself as you stretch unexercised muscles in your brain that allow for your Meraki to grow strong. The acts of power you have produced are far too much for you to handle, and I fear that if I do not help you to learn control, you will become unresponsive. It has happened before, and I am surprised that you are not dead yet. You shall see your family again once I have shown you how to protect yourself from your own mind."

Secta brushed past me, marching like a soldier back up the hill as I stood in shock.

I could have died? I'm not going home? I'm a threat to others? What is happening to me?

I closed my eyes, rubbing them with my hands as I took a deep breath. When I opened them, Finn still stood in front of me, studying me with his blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Kate. I really am, but what he says makes sense. Secta always knows."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "He doesn't know. None of you know. He doesn't know what I am. Just take me back to my cell or wherever else you plan to lock me away."

His jaw tightened as he stood taller, stiff throughout his body. "You are a guest, not a prisoner. Follow me and I'll take you back to base."

I felt my eyes begin to water and I nodded. He slid in front of me, wings hanging across his back. I followed slowly behind him, though I caught his curious eyes glancing at me over his shoulder.

I clenched my hands into fists. "Why do you all stare at me like that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone I've passed by, those 'students' you teach. They were all looking at me and whispering." I felt a lump rise in my throat.

"I think it's been a long time since they're seen someone besides Secta without wings."

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Map of Gabrian for your reference: