Chapter Two: How We Found Out (Anti Dark AU)

As their friendships grew, so did their skills. The youngest, now known as Jack, relished in the time spent with his companion, who he called Mark. They would spend a few hours a day flying together, mostly in the mornings, then spend the afternoons eating lunch, or dinner, depending on how long they spent practicing flight. The days become months, then years, as each young Guardian grew. By the time their adolescences rolled around, they were both near pros at flight tricks and maneuvers. However, another change was about to occur to them, as they each came to the age of learning to fight, and getting close to meeting their human counterparts. But that's another day. Today, Mark had an idea.

They reached their typical viewpoint, where they first met, on the branch overlooking the memorial. The sun had just barely set, as Jack flew up and sat by Mark, smiling wide to see his friend.

"Hey~" Jack said, nudging him by the shoulder. "Wanted to take a late fly tonight?"

"In a second, yeah, I just wanted to ask you something first."

"Cool, ask away," he said, carefully holding his hands around one of the fireflies that had come out to lighten the night. Mark looked over, eyes glistening with a soft pink glow.

"So, have you ever taken a really close look at the monument?"

"Just from flight, never could get too close to it. Aren't we forbidden until we become warriors?"

"Uhh, technically, yes, but...I've actually already begun my training."

"You have?" Jack asked, his focus now off of the firefly, turned towards Mark. "When was this?"

"Yesterday, in fact. I left a little early from our practice, because my elder told me to get there before sunset. That's why I figured we'd hold off most of the training today until now," he said, pushing himself off of the branch and fluttering in a hover by him. "Wanna see what's inside?"

"Wait, there's an inside?" Jack asked, as Mark began to fly off, Jack quickly following close behind.

"Yeah, it's...well, just let me show you, ok?" Mark said, making sure Jack kept up with him.

Once they reached the very peak of the monument, the head, they peered through the large hole through the center of it. Through the bottom, all the way down, was a very narrow pit that one could only see if they were looking for it. It seemed to only have room to fall through if a Guardian was thin enough, with its wings folded inwards. A risky fall, as one could be unsure of where the floor could be if they weren't careful.

"Ready to go?" Mark asked, already hovering above the descent.

"Go? Go where? Where does that lead exactly?" Jack questioned, wings twitching with nerves.

"You'll have to follow me to find out~" Mark chuckled, before quickly spinning enough to swan dive down the hole, his wings close to his body. Jack gasped and tried to reach back down to him, cowering slightly at the edge as Mark hooted the whole fall down.

"Are you alright?!" he shouted down for him, spotting his eyes looking back up to him from all the way down.

"Yeah! Come on! It's fine, and you need to see this!" Mark called back to him.

"But...it looks dangerous, how do I know when it's safe to fly again?"

"I got you, I'll catch you if you mess up! Hurry up, we can't be here when they come back from their nightly fight!"

Jack shuddered, looking around, trying to see if there was a safer way down. The rest of the holes leading to the center were too small for him to get through, except for the one in the very center of the monument. He glided down to it, looking back down, seeing how Mark was still looking up to him. He sighed deeply and bit his lip, before slipping down the hole, his wings pressing up against his body from the edge of the wall. He shouted through the descent, but was caught easily in Mark's awaiting arms.

"There you go! You're good!" he smiled in the darkness, their eyes both quickly adjusting, much faster than a human's. "Stop shouting, your voice is loud in here!"

It was only then that Jack realized he was, in fact, still screaming. He took the moment to feel he was safe, looking back up to Mark.

"Jeez! What the...I'm ok, yeah...thanks for the catch..." he said, easing out of his arms, finding room to hover once again. He looked around, green and pink eyes both searching. "Where are we?"

"Check it out. This place is where Guardians get access to their humans."

Jack saw them. Hidden in the base of the monument were crevices spiraling all the way up to the top hole from which they fell through. Each small hole contained, well, things. Random objects that seemed to pertain to each Guardian's human, based on the inscriptions scribed in their language beneath each one. The items were small, but they all bore the shape of the monument in one way or another.

"What...is this place?" Jack finally spoke out in awe.

"Just what it looks like. Seems we get something from here once we're ready to protect our human. I'm guessing it's a sort of key that brings us to them," Mark spoke out in thought as Jack flew through each item. "I was shown this place, and was told that once I'm ready, I'll get my item. This one."

Jack looked over and saw that Mark was floating by a small music box, the lid opened to show a small monument spinning in the center. It lacked any sort of color or noise, Jack noticed, before Mark spoke out again.

"They say it'll activate when my human needs me the most. Same with all the others. Same with yours."

"Wait, where's mine?" Jack turned back to him, looking around excitedly. "I wanna see what it is now!"

"Uhh, I don't know exactly where yours is. Like I said, I didn't even know this place existed until yesterday. Maybe, when you start training, they'll show you." He finished, looking up to see the light from an early sunrise begin to shine through the monument's holes. "But we should be going now. We can't be in here when they get back."

"Aww, but why can't I have one yet? I've been practicing flying, and I have a staff at home! Well, my elder's staff, but it counts, that'll be mine soon, and I practiced with it a while ago!" Jack said, though still searching the walls.

"You need their permission, but I doubt we'll get it if we're caught here!" Mark said hurriedly, beginning to fly back down. "Now, you need a really powerful thrust to get back up there. Keep your wings by your body, you don't want to be losing them now!"

"Wh- I could lose my wings on this?!" Jack gasped, descending from fear. "You never said that!"

"Yeah I did, just now, now hurry!" he responded, before quickly jumping hard and flapping his wings once, before bringing them close to his body, shooting out of the center holes like a rocket.

Jack groaned, still scanning the walls quickly, desperately looking for his item, before hearing the horns of the Guardians' return. He stood on the ground briefly, before whimpering and repeating Mark's actions, his wings just barely making it to his body. In one quick motion, he was greeted by a strong hand grabbing at his arm and being pulled out of the center of the monument. In a brief panic, Jack lashed out with one hand, unaware that it was Mark. Also unaware of what his fear brought him to do next.

In that instant, a painful green light erupted from his eyes and shot like a pair of lasers, just above Mark's shoulder. Mark pushed back quickly and fell a bit, before gaining his barrings back and flying up to meet him. The lights died down, and the two were left staring at each other, silent and still.

"What...was that?" Mark finally asked, still stunned.

"I...I don't know..." Jack responded, tremoring with fright at what his own body just did.

"You boys are in so much trouble..." A voice spoke just above the two. They each winced and looked up, spotting a warrior well known in their land, hovering over them, soft blue fire-like lights sprouted on both of his hands.

"Follow me. Now."