• CHAPTER 1 – THE ENCOUNTER

    Gixus’ parents had taken a quick trip to the market to get some groceries and other daily things. They were only going to be gone for a few moments, and Gixus was old enough to behave for at least that long. Gixus sat playing in a little village of sand he had constructed the day before, carefully digging and sculpting bridges and moats and castles; see most people don’t know this but the trick to making reliable walls is, they have to be made a day before you put them together with mud so that the bricks wont crumble. Gixus had a tendency to just, figure things out; you’ll hear more about that later. As he sat playing a long dark shadow began to grow over his back, enraged that some one dared to block the light from his kingdom, he unsheathed his imaginary sword and swung with an equally imaginative “SUPER CRUSHER STRIIIIIKE!” After Gixus got back to his feet and dusted himself off, he realized he was still an embarrassing 3 feet away from…what he swore was an angel. Standing before him was a tall, ivory skinned woman. She was dressed all in black, hair of the darkest color flowed like a slender mist around her. He could barley even look up at her after this first encounter. "Jeeze!! First I get caught building stupid mud cities, then I attack her … WITH AN IMAGINARY SWORD…from like 6 feet away, I mean; (Gixus just shook his head in frustration, staring at the ground) way to go master ninja". With one slender finger she lifted his head softly and whispered in his ear “remember” She faded along with her words. Gixus never told anyone what he had seen, but the images that woman placed in his mind can never fade.

    As Gixus’ parents returned from the market to find their son standing in the middle of the yard, staring upward as if building a city out of the clouds. They slowly approached him as if not to distract him. Ganos kneed own next to his ear and whispered “what are you looking at sweety, what? did you get bored with dirt and now it’s off to the sky?” Ganos gave Gixus a slight shake but his eyes transfixed, unblinking, unmoving.”Gixus Castianna you look at me, are you okay baby?” at that moment Gixus turned to his mother and put his hand up to her face ever so gently as if to kiss her. With a lurching scream Ganos fell to the ground unconscious. Gixus simply stood up, looked down at his mother and walked into the house without so much as a blink. Tired and drained Gixus dropped to the couch, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Still somewhat in shocked, Mirrodin finally realized what had happened and rushed over to his collapsed wife. She was unconscious but she didn’t appear to be hurt except for a small dip of blood in the corner of her eye. Mirrodin quickly checked her pulse “Thank God” he sighed as stood to take her inside. As Mirrodin lifted her body and moved to take her inside he noticed that as he picked her up her dress made a design in the sand. As quickly as the symbol was finished Mirrodin subtly rubbed out the demanding mark with his boot and took Ganos inside. “Not yet damnit, not yet; It’s just too soon…this changes things.

    Shortly after Gixus awoke, his mother sprang up as if launched into the air. She stumbled slightly and dropped to her knees letting out a scream that would turn the blood of the even the gods. Gixus’ father ran to her and pulled her up into his arms. She was unconscious again, but at least this time she actually feels like she’s resting. As Ganos slept, Mirrodin had a job to do; he just didn’t think it would have to be this soon. “Hey Gix, come out side with me for a minute, there’s something I need to show you outside” For over three hours Mirrodin did his best to explain to a 10 year old boy; that for the past 8 generations and maybe even before, there have been a group of people, among other things, that have kept watch over Gaia since, well from what they can tell, the beginning of Gaia, maybe even time itself. Gixus sat listening to his father in the best way that can be expected…swinging his feet of the dock thinking of how he could make a pool for his mud city at home, at what’s worse still, how the heck was he going to get the water there (they grow up so fast don’t they?). Meanwhile his father continued to tell him about these soldiers of light and how long they’ve been around, something about how their not exactly soldiers of the “light” …"I dunno I wasn’t paying attention; I figured out how to make that aqueduct though".

    She awoke shortly after to find Gixus staring at her from across the room. With an ashamed sigh, Gixus ran from the room with tears streaming down his face. As he ran down the hall to his room his father popped out of a closed door way scooped Gixus up in his arms. Gixus looked into his father’s comforting eyes and they slowly made their way down the hall back to his mother’s room. As they entered the room Gixus’ mother looked up, her face tortured with a look of anxiety. Mirrodin and Gix sat on the edge of her bed. Gixus leaned down and hesitantly kissed her on the cheek. “It’s okay mommy, I can’t do it anymore”. Running his fingers through her hair, and giving a faint smile; Mirrodin grabbed the phone and called the family doctor. *cough*”…Babe, c-mon, it’s almost midnight” Mirrodin faked a smile and said “Don’t worry beautiful, He’s going to want to see you, I called him earlier while you were resting, he’s expecting you” As Ganos got up to shower, Mirrodin couldn’t help but stare with a heavy heart as she turned the corner for the shower, “

    Dr.Raziel office was eerily quiet. The doctor greeted them at the door as if they had been expected; that or the doctor was bored and waiting for patients. Either way they were escorted directly to the doctor’s office without hesitation. Explaining the situation and what had happened was…obscure at best, Ganos didn’t know what happened really, and she was starting to get the feeling that Mirrodin was hiding something. What could be so important that the great Dr.Raziel, the doctor who’s so stinkin great he doesn’t even need a first name. One time when asked by a patient what his first name was, his reply was “Doctor, that’s what happens when you’re world class” The nerve of that guy, you’d think he saved the world or something.

    Despite the high and mighty throne of Dr.Raziel, this time he seemed different. He’d been the family doctor for years and not once had he ever shown an inch of compassion for his patients. Dr.Raziel didn’t seem all that surprised with the incident, he just stood there with intent eyes scrawling things on his note pad like journalist covering breaking news. He paused and turned to set of drawers behind him, sporadically shuffling through instruments and papers he produced a small scanner like instrument. We’ve seen some pretty shocking stuff throughout Gaia, but this, I’m sure not even the cosmos itself was ready for. After retrieving what seemed like a simple hand held pc, he said; “Now from what you tell me it sounds like you might have some misfire going on up stairs. So I’m gonna scan with this here and then take a trip around back to check the results, this’ll only take second”. Ganos didn’t know whether to feel comfort or fear, to be honest had Dr.Raziel acted like that with her alone, she may have got up and ran out right then,

    Almost as soon as he turned the corner to his office, Dr.Raziel returned with a set of papers, and much different attitude. “I don’t know how to tell you this but it seems you two have suffered some sort of neural shock, now normally that would just be a small matter of a few dizzy spells for a while at best. But this, this is … well strange. It seems the neural pathways in your brain that control the release of … well the release of certain hormones that tell your body to produce, ummm...reproductive elements so to speak have been completely severed. I’m sorry ma’am but you and Gixus here can no longer have children.” An odd look drew over Gixus’ face as his mother burst into to tears. Dr.Raziel placed a comforting hand on Mirrodin’s shoulder and shifted out of the room leaving the family to grieve. As Dr.Raziel turned the corner a slight grin came over his face and new light shown in his eyes…”It’s finally started, albeit premature; it has started none the less”