The Guardians

“So this is what the people of your world have done with magic. You take Cryomancy and call it refrigeration. You take electrokinesis and call it wiring. You take telepathy and call it the internet. You call familiars robots. You have taken all this magic… and you have made it boring!” Apollo said.

“And what would you have me do? You left, for millions of years without so much as an instruction for us kids. You come back out of thin air and expect things to be in your vision?” Srinska said as she walked from the doorway towards her father. “There was no choice in the matter. It was either this, or the humans would have learned the secrets of creation you so jealously guarded from everyone. You should be thanking me!”

Srinska watched her father stare down at her as he paced the room with his arms folded. She thought back to the time before he disappeared. He had called all his children to sit before him and told them the secrets of creation. He made them swear to guard it for the entirety of their existence.

“As soon as you left, Marcus made the stupid mistake of telling some of his human friends, select secrets just to seem smart. Just to get some validation. Marcus descended into madness for centuries, spilling and showing secrets, one after the other.

The smartest amongst the people he had told, made a name for themselves, and claimed the ideas as their own inventions in the name of science.” Srinska snorted

“You let Marcus do all that? You should have put him to sleep!” Apollo said, yelling.

“Put him to sleep? My own brother? I would not risk my brother’s life force to protect your precious humanity. And of course, we could have taken care of the humans, but we did not want to risk revealing ourselves, and our family. Nor could we kill them, knowing the consequences.” Srinska sighed loudly and collapsed into the couch.

Srinska said in a low voice “Father, we called for you, several times, but since there was no response, it became clear that you had traveled out of the universe. Where were you?

My sisters and I, watched as the humans celebrated the discovery of these secrets as if it were their own. They have built on top of it, to create an artificial environment much more toxic than we wanted for them.

We have watched them, descend into madness and war, using the very tools that Marcus unleashed on them.

Humans, thinking they have made advancements, do not realize they have reduced the soul and the lifespan of their planet.

I have awaited your arrival for millennia alongside my sisters so we can be free to leave.”

“You can not leave just yet,” Apollo said.

Srinska nodded with half a smile. “Oh, we will. If we were to be as selfish as you and Marcus, we would have left for the Dohora a long time ago, leaving your precious humans to suffer and destroy the little round blue ball they live on.” Srinska sunk further into the couch and crossed her legs. She looked up at her father and said “Have you nothing to say for yourself, Father?”

Apollo stopped pacing and stood still. He looked sideways at her and kept pacing.

Srinska scoffed and shook her head. “It makes my blood boil that these lost souls call you their God. When you are nothing close to it. You are unworthy. You are just a guardian of this corner of existence. When I leave for Dohora, how would you like me to tell our creator, that for millions of human years, you left your children in charge of earth, and left humans to suffer?”

Apollo turned sharply to Srinska

“You dare not!” he said.

“Watch me, Father. Watch me!”

Inspired by a writing prompt