The Future

Hello everyone :) The Guardian's of Time has been one of the first books I read by myself when I was a kid and it was the start of my love for time travel stories. The series is super nostalgic to me and I think Isabel and Arkarian are the first couple I ever shipped? Regardless of my love for the first two books (the third was okay), I had a lot of issues with the fourth book that just came out last year (The Shadow). Dillon was the only good thing about it tbh.

Still, I adore the series and I always had plently of ideas of how it might continue. This is one of them. I'm not sure whether I will ever finish this story, but I felt the need to publish the Prologue anyway. I don't even care if the fandom is almost extinct, this is purely for my own enjoyment. Although, if you stumble across this story and like it, I'd be happy about any reviews I get. Have a wonderful day :)

PS: My brain has been conditioned to write in past tense. This is my first attempt at present tense, so I might've missed mistakes. Opps.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Guardian's of Time.

Prologue

As I Lay Dying

Isabel

Snow crunches beneath my socks as I step through the eastern entrance of my hometown. I look at the sky only to find the sun hidden behind an impenetrable wall of gray clouds, leaving me with no sense of time. A shiver runs down my spine when a lone snowflake brushes against my cheek, but I'm not cold. I really should be, considering I'm only wearing one of Matt's oversized hoodies and a pair of silky shorts—which are not exactly winter-proof—but luckily I can't feel temperatures in my visions.

I can only observe.

Angel Falls rests quietly beneath the white blanket, the lake is sleeping under a think layer of ice and even the dense forest surrounding the town is bathed in silence. The range of familiar mountains, which frame the northern side of town, are watching over the valley with ancient eyes.

It is peaceful, almost too peaceful.

I close the distance between myself and the buildings, wondering whether I am looking into the past or the future. At least I'm sure it isn't the present because we are currently in the middle of the hottest summer since temperatures were first recorded in 1850. A couple of days ago, Arkarian patiently informed me that while he had experienced worse summers in his lifetime, it was a sign that global warming was taking its toll on our planet. Even if a majority of the natural disasters subsided after we defeated the Order, there are apparently some issues that aren't as easy to resolve.

The idea makes me frown.

My thoughts return to the present as soon as I spot a truck that had an unfortunate meeting with an old road sign. I consider checking for the driver, but judging by the thick layer of snow on top of the vehicle, it has been abandoned for a long time. How odd. The fire department should've towed it away by now, right?

What is going on here?

Suddenly, a sense of urgency overwhelms me and I break into a sprint towards Angel Falls, my breath leaving behind white puffs of condensed air. I would have enjoyed the exercise if the ghostly fingers of foreboding weren't squeezing my heart, silently demanding I pick up the pace. It only takes two minutes until I arrive at the first row of houses and the sight that greets me makes me freeze into an actual ice statue.

"No way." I gasp. "What the hell?!"

It looks like an earthquake had renovated the city and shook the life out of it, while a tornado picked up whatever was left afterwards. This is worse than what we had to clean up after the final battle against the Order. Streetlamps have been uprooted from the asphalt and cars have been turned on their backs like turtles, unable to get up without help. A majority of the roofs have collapsed, houses have toppled like card towers and trees have fallen over like dominoes.

Slowly, the realization that Angel Falls has become a ghost town sinks into my mind, twisting my stomach into anxious knots. The absence of noise makes sense now since the once busy town is completely devoid of life. There are no people, no animals and no machines.

It isn't peaceful. It's desolate.

I force myself to move on in hopes of finding signs of life, ignoring the smashed windows of my favorite bakery that is run by a kind, elderly couple. Shaun's shop doesn't look any better and neither do the other stores along Main Street. I briefly venture inside the caved in jewelry store. It's strange how despite the heavy damages, nothing seems to be stolen or misplaced. Everything has remained untouched as though the citizens had evacuated the town in a hurry, willing to abandon their belongings.

Something really bad must've happened for people to flee like this.

I stop by the newspaper kiosk at the street corner across from school. Maybe I can find out what happened from the papers, although it seems like a majority of them didn't survive the harsh weather conditions. Nevertheless, I catch a glimpse of a date.

4th July 20XX

That's only six months from now. What happened that made Angel Falls change that much in half a year?

A strong breeze ruffles my long blonde hair, biting at my skin while I continue to explore familiar places, which have become almost unrecognizable to me. I shouldn't be able to feel the icy wind that carries falling snowflakes across the street, but I'm cold now. The shadows begin to grow while I'm standing the middle of this hopeless world. I don't know how much time passed, but I'm sure I never had a vision that lasted this long.

The thought frightens me a bit.

Sinking down on a lone park bench that had miraculously survived the apocalypse, I stare at my green socks in resignation. There is only one place I haven't checked yet, but to be honest, I'm scared of what I will find. It seems like the vision isn't going to stop until I go home, but I'm not about to let one of my own powers bully me into doing something I don't want to do.

"Meow."

I yelp and jump out of my seat, only to be greeted by a pair of attentive yellow eyes. The black cat appears unperturbed by my reaction, but I feel like it's silently judging me. Honestly, I have never been a big fan of animals with sharp teeth, but cats are cool in my book as long as they don't scratch me.

"Um … hello there, kitty." I begin eloquently, secretly happy that I'm not alone anymore. "Can you see me?"

The cat tilts its head to the side, yellow irises never leaving my form. Our staring competition only lasts for half a minute since the fur ball soon becomes bored and starts licking its paws instead. This is new to me. Normally, I can't interact with anything in my visions and nothing can interact with me. I'm like a talentless ghost who can't even produce haunting worth filming.

"Where did you come from?" I ask curiously. "Do you have a name?"

It looks back up to me. "Meow."

"Of course, the cat can't talk, Isabel." I mentally slap myself and bury my head in my hands. "What did you expect?"

If Neriah was here, I would be able to get vital information from the feline. I wish my visions came with subtitles for animal language instead of cryptic messages and a dose of pain. Spying through my finger, I grumpily observe the cat while it continues to lick its fur. My sour mood turns somber once I notice the collar with a silver tag around its neck. It spells the name Cosmo in elegant letters. His fur is surprisingly shiny and he seems well fed despite the circumstances. Their owner must love him very much.

"You lost your friend, didn't you?"

Cosmo's mournful cry tugs at my heartstrings, so I reach out in an useless attempt to comfort him. As expected, my hand passes right through but I can tell he appreciates the gesture.

"Your name is Cosmo, right?" I smile while I pretend to stroke his fur. "That's a nice name."

Suddenly, Cosmo jumps on his four paws and meows loudly. I get the impression that he wants to show me something before he takes off towards the exit of the local park. I'm not sure whether I'm interpreting too much into the cat's behavior, but I don't have time to contemplate this, so I bolt after him.

Avoiding the dangerously deep cracks in the pavement, I hastily climb over the debris and follow the strange animal. It's growing darker by the minute and while Lady Arabella's gift of Sight comes in handy, it takes me a hot minute to recognize the path we're taking. Cosmo is running straight towards my house at the end of the street while I'm distracted by the patches of red snow that begin to increase in frequency the closer we get to our destination.

I attempt to stay calm while I continue to follow the trail of blood. There is so much of it that I'm positive whoever it belongs to is on the brink of death, if they aren't dead already. It might be the owner of the cat, but why would they be at my house? Nobody in my family owns a cat or, at least, we don't have one currently.

Oh, no.

Throwing caution to the wind, I hurry past the broken gate towards what was once my home. I pray that I'm not about to see my mom or anyone else I know. The trail of blood ends next to the front door, which had been thrown out of its angles. I stop on the second step of the porch to catch my breath. Despite the darkness, I can spot the height markings from Matt and I that mom used to carve into the frame every year to document our growth spurts.

Directly below them sits a woman with familiar sun-kissed blonde hair, who is clutching her stomach with gloved hands. Blood continues to soak the material of her thick jacket at an alarming rate, but she remains calm despite the incredible amount of pain she must be in. Cosmo sits beside her, pawing at one of her combat boots to get her attention. She doesn't seem to notice and keeps her eyes squeezed shut while I try to come to terms with the fact that she is wearing the same black hat that Jimmy got me for Christmas last year.

I take a step back, but can't help the loud gasp that escapes my lips. Startled, the woman's head snaps up and meets my disbelieving stare. It's like looking into a mirror. Of all the people it could've been, I didn't expect to see myself. And while I'm relieved that nobody I love is in danger, I'm not sure if seeing yourself die is all that comforting either.

"Are you real?" She asks bewildered, stumbling onto her feet. "Or am I hallucinating?"

My lips part to answer her, but when nothing comes out I close them softly.

"I guess I'm getting delirious." She shrugs with a sigh when I don't respond, though the motion makes her sway where she stands. The blood loss is probably making her light-headed and it looks like she is sporting a fever as well. This is really bad and I'm not sure if there is a way to save her.

When I think she is going to sit down again to conserve her strength, she surprises me by summoning her remaining energy to make her way to the edge of the porch.

"Don't move!" I scream, worried. "You'll only loose more blood. Why don't you use that energy to heal yourself instead?!"

"So you are real." The older version of me smiles gently before she collapses against the wooden banister that surrounds the porch. I rush to her side and hold my hands over her with as much concentration as I can manage. Arkarian once mentioned that I might be able to heal through my visions one day and while I still doubt that, it can't hurt to try.

"Stop. It's … alright," she interrupts my racing thoughts. "I knew this would happen. There is nothing you can do."

"H-how can you be okay with this?" I sound like a helpless child, but I couldn't care less right now. "You're dying."

No, I correct myself mentally, I am dying.

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed." My older self mutters sarcastically, but before I can get offended she turns serious again. "I was hoping to meet you. There is something you need to know."

"W-what happened?"

"I wish I could tell you everything, but we don't have much time." She coughs blood into her gloved hand, leaning heavier against the banister. I try to help her sit up but my hand phases right through her arm. My older self laughs weakly to herself and I silently wonder whether the fever is making her delusional.

"It's kinda funny, huh? I'm an ageless healer who can see visions of the future, yet here I am, bleeding out in a ghost town while my past self can do nothing but watch."

"It's not funny at all." I argue, exasperated. "Where is everyone else? Maybe they can help you if I tell them where you are."

"You can't." A look of pain crosses her pale face and somehow I know that it isn't caused by the physical wound. Her sorrowful brown eyes bore into my own and for the first time I realize how bright they are, almost amber. "I'm the only one left."

I'm more shocked by the fact that the news don't surprise me. A part of me has known this ever since I set foot in this twisted version of my hometown. I just haven't been ready to admit it to myself and I'm not even sure I am ready to accept the news right now.

"How do I know that you're really me?" I can't help but ask, crossing my arms above my chest. Marduke and Sera were able to send messages through dreams and even though both of them are dead, somebody else might have the ability. My sixth sense disagrees with my reasoning, but I have to be sure. "What if this is a trick?"

She rolls her brown eyes at me. "Really now?"

"Tell me something only I would know."

"In seventh grade you set your table on fire in chemistry," she says while I cringe at the memory. "You did it on purpose, but told everyone it was an accident. After a couple more happy accidents, Ms Winstean finally gave up and let you join the martial arts club, which was scheduled for the same period."

I remember how bummed I was when mom decided that I should balance my classes more, forcing me to take extracurricular chemistry. Of course, we weren't allowed near flames back then, which is why I had spent hours researching how to produce a fire with only chemicals. Aceton, sulfuric acid and potassium permanganate were apparently the way to go. While my plan to switch clubs was kinda embarrassing—my classmates teased me for weeks—I was actually proud of teaching myself something new.

"Everyone at my school knows that," I protest, heat rising to my cheeks. "The only ones who don't are my mom and the teachers ... at least I hope so."

"When you were six, you stole Matt's and Ethan's clothes while they were swimming because they wouldn't let you play with them."

I raise a challenging eyebrow, unimpressed by that particular bit of trivia. "The two of them complained about it for years. I'd be surprised if the entire population of Angel Falls doesn't know that story by now."

"Damn, why am I so stubborn?!" She narrows her eyes at me, though I feel like her frustration isn't only directed at me. "Fine. Arkarian was the one who saved you when Marduke killed you with that dagger."

It isn't her knowledge that convinces me, since a majority of the Guard knows the circumstances of my first mission. I only learned about it from Ethan about a year ago and I can't say I was pleased that they kept such a major detail from me. However, I also understand their hesitation. The thought of almost dying still makes me uneasy.

No, it is the way her expression softened into pure adoration when Arkarian's name left her lips that convinces me.

"Okay." I nod and carefully lay my hand over hers, though neither of us can feel it. "I believe you."

"About time." She smiles ruefully before another coughing fit shakes her tired body. With her remaining strength, she lifts her other hand and holds out her pinky finger.

The nostalgic gesture makes my eyes grow misty. Matt and I used to do this as kids when we made promises to each other. One evening, mom had told us that it originated from the Japanese mafia and if you were to break a pinky swear, the other person was allowed to cut it off. Safe to say, we rarely used it after that particular horror story, but when we did, it was serious.

"Promise you'll keep this conversation to yourself for now?"

I don't like to hand out my word when I don't even know what I'm agreeing to, but I trust my future self. Although I have to admit that it won't be easy to keep secrets from a bunch of Truthseers, especially since one of them is my boyfriend. Nevertheless, I wind my pinky around hers with a heavy heart.

"I'll try."

"Good enough. Though I'm afraid you'll have to cut off your own finger if you break it," she jokes and lets her hand fall back down. "So please don't. I happen to like my pinky finger."

I only manage a halfhearted laugh, the underlying reminder that she is about to die dampening my mood. As if on cue, she coughs again and the force of it has her laying on the floor. At this point, I'm not sure whether she will die of the blood loss, hypothermia or whatever has her coughing up blood. Cosmo sits next to me while I anxiously wait until it dies down.

"Listen closely," she begins, voice hoarse from exhaustion. "A lot of things happened in your future and in your past, that weren't supposed to happen. Even though it may be wrong … if I could turn back time and redo everything, I would do it in a heartbeat. You don't want the world to end up like this either, right?"

"No, of course not." I shake my head, thinking that this much should be obvious. Who in their right mind would want everyone they loved to die?

"Then you need to change the future in my stead," she pleads. "Don't let it end up like this."

"I want to but you know I can't," I protest while the feeling of hopelessness overwhelms me. "My visions always come true, no matter what I do. I knew Rochelle would die and we did everything in our power to prevent it, but it still happened. The prophecy fulfilled itself."

No matter what anyone says, I still haven't forgiven myself for her death and probably never would. I lost count how many times Matt told me that I need to stop blaming myself, but he just doesn't get it. Even if I'm not blaming myself for Rochelle's death, I still feel responsible. There is a difference. Yes, Marduke killed her—it was entirely his fault—but I was the one who should have prevented it. What good are my visions if people can't change their fate anyway? It makes me wish I never developed this power.

On top of that came the crushing realization how useless I was when I couldn't heal Rochelle and Lorian. Arkarian's quiet acceptance of his father's death was painful to watch, but the disappointed look on Ethan's face would haunt me forever. Before that day, I used to think that anything was possible if you only tried hard enough.

"I can't change the future," I say bitterly. "Nobody can."

"Laura would be dead if that was true," she reminds me gently, compassion swimming in her eyes. "You saw her attempt suicide at the sanatorium, remember?"

"That's … I …"

"Silly me. The future isn't set in stone," she says with a watery smile. "People have the power to change their destiny. Please, don't repeat my mistakes. Believe in yourself, okay?"

Tears blur my vision and my throat closes up, so all I can do is nod.

"There is something else y-you need to know," she continues urgently, "You d-didn't do anything wrong. Don't trust … them."

Her breathing turns dangerously shallow, signaling that our limited time together has come to an end. I can almost see her body temperature dropping.

"Wait! What does that even mean?" I yell in panic. "And who are they?"

Helplessly, I watch the light drain slowly from her eyes, however, she bites her teeth together and stubbornly clings onto her consciousness.

"There is s-someone in the Guard," she says and I have to lean closer to understand her. "Don't trust … the Guard. P-protect … the future. Can y-you … do that … f-for me?"

"Yeah." I assure her even though her words disturb me. I will analyze their meaning once I finally wake up from this nightmare. "You don't need to worry."

"Thank … you." A relieved smile pulls at her lips when her eyes flutter close. "It's … c-cold. Do you t-think … I will see them a-again?"

Quickly, I press my hands against my mouth to muffle the sob that threatens to escape. I notice that a few snowflakes have been caught in her long lashes, but they don't melt from the heat of her body anymore. It almost looks like she fell asleep, but at the same time it doesn't look like that at all. The tears I have been trying to hold in cascade down my cheeks and drip onto the porch. My heart breaks when Cosmo meows sadly, licking her face in an attempt to wake her up.

"Yeah," I whisper, forcing a smile onto my face. "I'm sure they've been waiting for you."

To Be Continued ...