The Heart Of Time. Amy Blankenship

      

      The Heart of Time

      The Guardian Heart Crystal Series Book 1

      Amy Blankenship

      Copyright © 2008 Amy Blankenship

      English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship

      Second Edition Published by TekTime

      All rights reserved.

      The Legend of the Heart of Time

      The worlds may change… but true legends never fade.

      Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators, yet the ongoing need for good and evil have never been in question. However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix… the one thing that both sides want but only one can have.

      Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always striven to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe, yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. Some say the crystal has a mind of its own… others say the gods are behind it all.

      Each time the crystal has appeared, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. The identities of these guardians remain unchanged and they love with the same ferocity regardless of the world or time.

      One girl stands in the center of these ancient guardians and is the object of their affections. She holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines often blur, and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the priestess from the other guardians.

      This is the wine from which the heart of darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also the girl as a man would crave a woman.

      Within every one of these dimensions and realities you will find a secret garden known as the Heart of Time. There, a statue of a young human priestess kneels. She is surrounded by an age-old magic that keeps her secret treasure hidden and well preserved. The maiden’s hands are outstretched as if waiting for something precious to be placed in them.

      Legend says that she is waiting for the powerful stone known as The Guardian Heart Crystal to return to her.

      Only the Guardians know of the true secrets behind the statue and how it came into existence. Before the five brothers drew their first breath their ancestors, Tadamichi, and his twin brother, Hyakuhei, protected the heart of time during its darkest history. For centuries, the twins protected the seal that kept the human world from overlapping within the demon realm. This task was sacred and the lives of the humans as well as demons had to be kept safe and secret from the other.

      Unexpectedly, during their reign, a small band of humans accidentally crossed over into the demon world because of the sacred crystal. During a time of turmoil, its powers caused a rip in the seal that had separated the dimensions. The leader of the human group and Tadamichi had quickly become allies, making a pact to close the rip in the seal and keep the two worlds locked away from each other forever.

      But during that time, Hyakuhei and Tadamichi had both fallen in love with the daughter of the human leader.

      Against Hyakuhei’s wishes, the rip had been repaired by Tadamichi and the girl’s father. The strength of the seal had been increased tenfold, separating the dangerous love triangle forever. Hyakuhei’s heart was shattered… Even his own blood brother, Tadamichi had betrayed him by making sure he and the priestess were separated by eternity.

      Love can turn into the most wicked of things once it is lost. Hyakuhei’s broken heart turned to malicious anger and jealousy causing a battle between the twin brothers, ending Tadamichi’s life and splitting their immortal souls. Those slivers of immortality created five new guardians to take guardianship over the seal and protect it from Hyakuhei, who had joined the demons within the evil realm.

      Imprisoned within the darkness he had become, Hyakuhei cast out all thought of protecting the heart of time… instead he turned his energy toward banishing the seal completely. His long midnight locks, reaching past his knees and a face belonging only to the most seductive, belied the true evil hidden within his angelic appearance.

      As the war begins between the forces of light and dark, a blinding blue light is emitted from the sanctified statue signaling that the young priestess has been reborn and the crystal has resurfaced on the other side.

      As the guardians are drawn to her and become her protectors, the battle between good and evil truly begins. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominant within the world of light.

      This is one of their many epic adventures…

      Chapter 1 "Shattered Memories”

      "Kyoko!!!!!!"

      Toya's cry of rage could be heard throughout the surrounding forest. As the sound of his desperate scream faded, everything became deathly silent as all eyes watched for Hyakuhei’s next move.

      No one could have stopped it. Everything had happened too fast for anybody to react. What happened had paralyzed all five of the guardians with fear. They couldn’t believe they had come together as the protectors of the guardian heart crystal to fight Hyakuhei… only to have him win. Only to lose the one person they all loved and protected.

      There, hovering in the center of the battlefield… their worst nightmare was unfolding.

      Hyakuhei held Kyoko trapped against him as he gazed down into her terrified face. The lower half of her body had begun to fuse with his, just as he’d planned. He was slowly trying to devour her and The Guardian Heart Crystal into his body and the void within his soul. All who watched could see the corruption of the Crystal as it glowed with darkness born only of evil.

      Kyoko's hands were against Hyakuhei's chest as she frantically pushed back from him, trying with all her might to free herself from this guardian lord turned demon, only for him to laugh.

      Hyakuhei was now high on the power that was coursing through his flesh and blood and her feeble attempts at escaping him amused him greatly. His long ebony hair swam around them as if it had a life of its own. The silky ends of the midnight locks wove their way around behind Kyoko like an iron band to help restrain her small body against his.

      Kyoko felt defenseless as she fought the pull of her body becoming one with his. She didn’t want to fall into the cold dark void that was his soul. She could feel all the demons there… waiting for her. The more she was drawn into his body, the colder that part of her body became. Her legs stung as if ice was forming along her skin like a million pin pricks all at once.

      She knew if she didn’t do something fast, they would all be lost. She could see the five brothers who’d guarded her over the last couple of years… as they stood there watching. All of them wanted to help her but were too afraid to make a move as long as she was being held as a shield.

      She didn’t want to lose to this traitor of the guardians. He was their own uncle… why had he turned against his nephews so long ago? Kyoko’s emerald green eyes turned back to lock on the enemy’s in fearful anger. This couldn’t be happening… Not after all she’d been through. This was all her fault.

      Her eyes narrowed on Hyakuhei’s dark steady gaze. She’d brought the Crystal to this world and she would take it back out of this world if she had to take it straight to hell with her.

      Kyou stood not twenty feet away and quickly drew his destruction sword ‘Hakaisha’, in a blind fury. He did not like the thought of his uncle… his enemy, touching the only human girl he had ever grown to respect. She looked so dangerously fragile in the arms of a mad man, the fight now becoming purity against evil.

      The lord of the guardian realm… Kyou, oldest of the five siblings, could do nothing without hurting