"Fire is both a gift and a curse"

***

Casey shivered as he stepped outside the warm home. His clothes were too thin for Aasmyr's harsh winter weather. When the chilly ocean wind blew, he thought he'd turn into an icicle right there. A nice decoration. Fresh snow glistened in the pale bluish-purple glow of moonlight. There were two moons in the sky, one slightly larger than the other. Dancing around the moons were millions of bright stars, splattered across the sky like a dark canvas. It was so surreal. The galactic purple, blue, pink and even green hues made the sky look like it was designed by a young dreaming child, and it was beautiful.

Casey sighed, and shivered again. He was told to wait outside while Shade and the Alpha talked in private. On his way out he didn't see Holly in her armchair next to the fireplace with her book. He assumed she went to bed.

A strange light caught his gaze. It wasn't far away, but the light was faint, like a dying white candle. Casey felt it calling to him. As he moved closer the light faded away completely. Shortly after, it reappeared, now further away. Reluctant at first, he followed it. The light guided him down the path, down the empty streets of the village. He passed a wolf guard on his way, that glanced in his direction questionably, but took no notice to the hovering light. Casey questioned his sanity.

The light disappeared again, but didn't reappear. The male frowned. He looked around only to notice he was at the entrance to the village. His gaze moved up the stone walls to the edge of the cliffside and that's where he saw the white glow. Whether this was worth the long trek to the top of the cliff, he didn't know, but something told him to follow it. He could sense it was important. With a deep sigh, Casey began the climb up the stairs. There was no torchlight within the spiralling tunnel like when he first arrived. Temptation to go back ate at him, until a white light flickered ahead. One of the torches was light with a white flame. It was so pure and warm. At last Casey reached the top only to find the entrance open. Had someone pulled the lever to open the gates? Whoever did, Casey was grateful for it.

The air was colder at the cliffs, and it bit at his skin as if it had sharp teeth. Upon a quick inspection of the area he found there to be no sign of the light. Even the white torchlight in the tunnel dimmed and the hole grew dark. He turned around again, denying the fact that he was probably crazy for following a strange light. It was then that he noticed a grey mekur sitting calmly at the edge of the cliff with its gaze on Casey. Its crimson eyes warmed him to the bone and made him feel safe like a parent's embrace. He recognised those eyes. He recognised this feline.

"I know you..." he muttered out, a cloud of white coming from his breath as he spoke. "You brought me here."

The mekur looked down at the empty spot beside him as if he was offering the young male a seat, then gazed down at the village.

The houses looked so small from above. Casey felt like he was a giant capable of stomping the houses flat. He could even see Rin's house from there. The candles from his office were still lit meaning his chat with Shade was probably not over yet. On the opposite side of the village was a path that led through a small forest to the waterfall. The water fell silently as if it was enchanted to be mute as the inhabitants slept. Beside that waterfall was a house. It was unlike the others, it looked like a shrine of some sort, like those Japanese house-shrines. However it had a beautiful garden around it with the river from the waterfall naturally keeping the ground moist enough for the plants. It looked well maintained.

"That used to be Frost's home," the mekur said.

Casey turned back to the furry feline with a raised brow. "Frost? Used to?"

"She's gone now. She used to be the guardian of Kazga." The mekur met Casey's gaze and continued explaining after he saw the confused in the male's eyes. "She was assigned to this region. A guardian defends the region from powerful magic and keeps the land in balance. They always stay near the leader of that region to be a trusted advisor, and as a beacon of hope to the people. Without a guardian, civilians lose hope, lose sanity, lose faith in themselves, in others and in the gods."

"That explains the shrine..." he muttered and the mekur dipped his head.

"She disappeared decades ago. Why and where to...no one knows. She vanished when we needed her most."

A moment of uneasy silence swept over the two. At last, Casey spoke.

"Who are you exactly?"

"I am Rae*. I'm your guardian in this world. It's my duty to protect you and to see that you achieve your mission in this world."

The male stared in confusion at Rae. Mentally he tried to repeat the name. He failed. It was hard to pronounce. "Why do I need a guardian?"

"There are many who would want you dead."

"Great!" Casey exclaimed sarcastically. "So I arrive to a world I never knew existed. Almost froze to death, found by cats the size of bears that can speak English, brought to a village below a cliff, almost got killed by a wolf from Twilight, met the Alpha, told there's a prophecy where I have to save the world and apparently I'm the only one who can do it with no explanation, found a guardian who showed up out of nowhere who's also a mekur or whatever the hell that is, and now I'm told people are out to kill me! Life is fantastic!"

Rae looked confused, his head tilted to the side like a puppy who couldn't understand what his owner was doing. He had the same big dilated pupils. Clearly he didn't understand sarcasm. "You think it's good?"

"No!" Casey exclaimed a bit too loudly. The mekur lowered his tall ears and avoided his gaze. "I-I'm sorry Rah-....Ra...damn it..." he cursed under his breath. "Listen, I'm just a bit stressed right now. It's not everyday I wake up in a new world expected to be some hero with millions of people counting on me to save them...how can I? I'm not a hero...I'm just....I'm just me. I'm just Casey....a normal kid...." his breath shuddered and he swallowed harshly. "God....I wonder how my brother's doing without me...he's probably worried sick."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah...older brother. Ethan. We live together. He's my legal guardian since, no parents ya know."

Rae lowered his head in respect. "My condolences. I am sorry for your loss."

Casey stretched out his hand and tried to pet the grey feline, but he wasn't sure if he could. This was a civilised person nonetheless. If it wasn't for Rae butting his head against Casey's hand the male would still be contemplating if he should or not. The mekur's fur was soft and warm and lighter than air.

"Mother is looking for you. You should go."

Casey pulled back in confusion. He looked over to where Rae was looking only to see Shade in her mekur form. Realisation hit him like a truck. That's why those eyes were so familiar. He had seen them before after all. "Mother?"

"I'm a Crystallika. Shade is my mother. She gave birth-"

"I know what a mother is." Never would he have ever imagined Shade being a mother. She was the exact opposite of motherly. "She's just so....harsh and strict and rude."

Rae snickered softly. "Yes, Mother does do that. It's a safety mechanism. Don't worry, she's soft on the inside." Casey's mind imagined Shade as an egg. A black egg. It was a very weird thought. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. "You will soon see past her barrier one day."

"Aren't you supposed to come too?" Rae shook his head. "She can't see me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not alive."

Casey felt the cliffs threaten to drop him. "But....but I'm talking to you....are...are you a ghost?"

"Rude!" The male mekur fluffed out his fur. "I'm a Celestial Guardian. I'll explain this later, you really should go. She doesn't look happy."

Casey nodded and quickly got up.

"Before you go," Rae said as Casey was about to disappear down the stairs to the entrance of Aasmyr. "Don't tell anyone you saw me. Especially my mother. Don't look at me in public, don't acknowledge my presence. No one but you can see me."

The male took this into consideration and nodded again to show that he understood. Then vanished into darkness as the tunnel engulfed him.

When he reached Shade she looked like she was ready to swallow him whole. Casey gulped. "And where were you?! Actually that doesn't matter. We should go home. Your lips are blue." Now he could feel the motherly instincts within her.

It was nice of Rin to offer Casey to stay with the Crystallikas for the time being. Aero of course was the one who suggested it and she was the one who welcomed the male into their home with open arms and a bright smile. Pyro wasn't as ecstatic as his sister. Shade ignored him completely once they got home. She curled up on a large chair beside a window and stared out of it, watching the sky with great interest.

Aero, who was in her human form, led Casey up to her room, claiming she barely used the room anyways because she constantly slept with her brother. That didn't sit right in his mind. But Aero was Aero so it seemed like something she'd do and Pyro being the protective brother couldn't say no.

The room was rather plain except for the large king-sized bed. The room was also big enough to do fit all essentials the room would need including the space to fit a fully grown mekur or two. The wooden walls were covered in sky blue stucco to give the room more life. The bed was his favourite though. He couldn't help himself from leaping onto the soft mattress and into the dozens of cushions. After getting used to the room he prepared to go to sleep. Of course not before finding out where the bathroom was. Thankfully there was a bathroom and it wasn't like in medieval times.

That night Casey had an odd dream. The fact that he even dreamt wasn't the weird part, no. The weird part was what he dreamt.

It all started with darkness, as most dreams do.

He could walk around like in a lucid dream. He found himself in a dark place, barely able to tell the floor from the surroundings. In the distance was a yellow glow. Casey ran towards it. He came across a yellow crystal, amber.

The amber sparkled and glowed, memorising the boy in its warm glow. It was beautiful until he noticed that this huge rock had a person inside. He could make it out clear as day that it was a woman with golden hair, or so it seemed within the amber. She wore a long dress like someone out of an anime would, out of one of those rpg animes where it's sort of medieval but at the same time not. The woman's eyes were closed and in her hands hovered a sphere. Tempting whispers came from that orb as it glowed darkly.

As Casey moved closer, close enough to touch the glass-like amber, the stone cracked. The orb reacted and the yellow was replaced with black, engulfing the woman from sight. The crystal shattered, and disintegrated, leaving nothing behind. The woman and the orb was gone. He sighed and turned around only to gasp in shock.

Ethan stood there, all battered up and bruised. His dear brother.....He said nothing, and didn't respond when Casey called his name. After a few moments he looked up. "Four pieces. Four trials." Was what he said. "You can't stay here. They'll kill you."

Casey stepped back. "Who'll kill me? Ethan! Tell me!"

Before the black-haired male could say anything a wave of crimson washed the two away. Casey felt the metallic taste of blood on his lips as he scrambled up for air. He only found himself falling deeper and deeper...

"Casey."

For a moment he thought the angels were calling him to heaven. He forgot he was dreaming. The voice was so soft and sweet it really could've been an angel. He opened his eyes.

"Find me. Help me. Hurry. They know. They're coming to break it."

He only saw a mountain in the distance. A huge mountain with an island floating above the peak. That wasn't a mountain. That was a volcano. The voice came from there, echoing like it came from deep, deep, deep down.

And then he felt himself falling. He fell into darkness. It was cold and quiet. Until a jet of purple flame surrounded Casey in a ring. He felt like a caged animal. He looked around only to see the gaze of a dragon. A purple dragon. A creature of beauty. That dragon changed. A human's angry voice yelled inaudibly at it. Chains wrapped around it and a whiplash forced it to breathe fire again, this time engulfing Casey.

The male woke up in bed in a panting and sweating mess. "Scarlet dreams...." he muttered under his heavy breath.

~~~*

Rae (pronounced Rah-ey). Taken from the Japanese name 'Sae' and swapped S for R.