The Modern Nature Guardian-Episode one

Alex Boardman's first official mission as Earth's Nature Guardian.

The Nature of the Universe

The House of Nature is a pocket dimension to which Mother Earth, a Mother Planet, herself  has given a Nature Guardian access, along with the power of Nature Magic. Mother Earth isn’t a living being. More of a magical AI that was created by Mother Nature, one of the first beings to ever exist.

Mother Nature sacrificed herself so that whenever a planet had enough living beings on it, a Mother Planet is born to bestow upon any being it deems worthy to become a Nature Guardian.

Nature Guardians use Nature Magic, which is powered by their planet’s living things. Each living thing gives off a certain amount of Nature Magic.

A Mother Planet can see in the future and will alert its Nature Guardian if there is an event he or she needs to stop, in order to protect that planet’s nature, or magic. But the nature takes precedence over magic. The Mother Planet will also give the Nature Guardian pieces of information about the event. The information--like a company name or coordinates--is always readily available to the Nature Guardian. When the Nature Guardian is prepared, the Nature Magic will teleport the Guardian to or near the location of the mission.

The Peacock

Part 1

Leia Davis poured herself some grape juice.

She stared at the pavilion draped in white fabric shining the early evening light. She smiled to herself.

It was actually happening. She was getting married that day.

Alexander Boardman laid down the leatherbound book.

It was the final book the House of Nature had on bringing back the dead. There was nothing within his skill level that could bring back his parents. His parents had died six months ago. He had buried them soon after, in the House of Nature’s garden.

“Can I go?” he said out loud. It was time for him to take a small break before he continued his research, “I know you can hear me. Mother Earth.”

There was silence. Mother Earth would, if it chose to, talk to Alex, but she never actually talked. She would usually show Alex where to go in the House Nature by making the floral highway- brown flowers which grew on the ceiling of the House in a singular group, all connected to each other, going everywhere in the House- glow to wherever she needed him to go, like the line of google maps showing you how to go to A to B.

The floral highway didn’t even glimmer.

Alex let loose a low growl. Mother Earth would let him go out into human society at least once a week. Alex understood why, she needed him to research as much about magic- particularly Nature Magic- and animals now that Alex was the new Nature Guardian. It had been six months ever since the… forest fire.

“I can leave without your permission,” Alex stood up. But I don’t want to deal with you if I do. Mother Earth was like a roommate. Alex could open a portal to the world, but Mother Earth would be agitated if he did.

He pat his pet tortoise on his head, “I’ll be back soon, Shell.” It wasn’t the most creative name for a tortoise, but it was a name. He called it Shell because it had a cool spiked shell.

Alex fed Shell a green leaf before walk to his room, he was going to change. Afterall, he only had pajamas on. He walked into his room and changed.

When Alex walked out he was wearing a special vest. It didn’t give him any powers, but it held sentimental value. He was able to scavenge it out of the remains of the cabin his family had stayed at, the one which was hit by the forest fire which killed his parents. When he found it in the rubble, he had found a few dollars in it. And a pen. Now it had his father’s wallet in it. Alex scavenged both his father’s wallet from fire, he used its credit card to take out all his money- over time- with an ATM. He would need the money. The vest he was currently wearing was black on one side, but camo on the other side. Alex was wearing a t-shirt under the vest, and a random pair of gray and white long pants. For shoes, he was wearing his worn shoes, which were on the verge of tearing up.

Alex headed into the lobby, the only room that one could open a portal in or out of the House. It also had his suit in the middle hanging on an armor stand. Alex extended his hand, and sure enough a portal opened, the other side couldn’t be seen, just a bright brown glow. Alex looked up to see the floral highway glowing for a few seconds, Mother Nature saying “yes”.

Alex simply nodded.

Leia Davis was admiring, well everything about her wedding, when a woman walked up to her.

This woman looked wonderful. She was wearing an orange dress, which faded into white at the hem which reached to her knees.

“Hello,” said the woman, “I know this is your wedding and all. But will you please help unzip this? I’ve met someone.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but can’t you ask him to do it?” Leia asked.

The woman chuckled, “I’m embarrassed. It’s my first time.”

Leia didn’t want to be rude to this lady. “Fine.”

They walked into the church building. And into the bathroom.

The woman turned her back to Leia.

“Good luck. Hope you two hit it off,” Leia said.

“Thank you,” the woman said, “But I should tell you this now.”

“What?” Leia stopped halfway through unzipping her dress.

The woman turned to face Leia. “There is no guy,” she whispered. She clocked Leia in the face.

The woman leaned down, taking Leia’s wedding dress off her unconscious body. “Thank you for donating to the peacock foundation.”

Alex strode past the bookshelves of the Grandstand Library. He liked this library, not just because this library was the only one in the city, but because it felt comfortable.

“There it is,” he mumbled. He picked out a book, the third in a series.

He walked to the clerk. “I would like to check this book out, please.”

“Okay,” the man said, “Do you have a membership card?”

“Yes,” Alex slipped forward his membership card. He bought one with cash the first time Mother Earth let him out, in the alleyway beside the library. “Thanks for the book,” Alex smiled before grabbing the book and card.

When he got back to the House, he would research more and more.

He was almost out the library doors when everything turned green, like he was wearing green glasses. That meant that Mother Earth had a mission for him. Hopefully an actual mission this time, it better be.

Alex rushed into the alleyway next to the library. He seated plopped down on a cardboard box before opening his bag and switching the book for his laptop and earbuds plugged into it. He opened his laptop, going to the mail section. Of course, Mother Earth doesn’t use email, but the mission being in his email made it less conspicuous if someone stole his laptop. Also Alex wouldn’t forget where to find his mission.

Alex clicked on the fake link and the screen went black. He could feel his laptop heating up.

Alex sighed. Mother Earth had been reluctant to use her magic with technology, but she realized that it would be less suspicious if someone saw a video playing on a laptop than a book.

A picture popped up fully on the screen. It was a newspaper clipping. It read: Bride assaulted and dress taken. Under was a woman who was in her undergarments and her name was underneath her photo: Leia Davis.

Alex clicked on the right arrow button, bringing him to just a simple address. 1067 Hillcrest Lane.

There was nothing else.

“Well that’s helpful,” mumbled Alex.

As soon as Alex put everything away, a portal opened up. He walked through it, he almost walked into a tree.

Haha Mother Earth. Very funny. Alex peeked around the tree. A road with houses lined next to it were behind the tree. He walked down the road until he was at 1067 Hillcrest Lane.

Alex knocked on the door.

The Peacock

Part 2

A man in simple clothing answered the door. “Yes.”

“Hello,” Alex was about to say something, before realizing that he didn’t know what to say. Then an idea popped up, “Hello, I’m a private investigator, and I have reason to believe that the same person who took from Leia Davis is targeting you now.”

“Wait… you mean that woman is going to steal from me too?”

“Yes,” Alex said, “I want to know if it’s okay to stake out your house from the bushes across the street.”

“Shouldn’t that be the police’s job?” the man asked.

“The police won’t admit it, but they’re shorthanded.”

“Oh… okay, you can stake out my house. And if needed, will you please come in if the thief gets in?”

“Yes, of course Mister…”

“Don, Philip Don. What is your name?”

“Mr. Don, you can call me… John Doe.” With that, Alex walked across the street to take cover behind the bushes.

It wasn’t until the moon was out that Alex saw someone, a woman, by the light of the streetlights.

There was something… familiar about her, but Alex couldn’t quite place it.

He looked closer to try and see where he had seen that face before, but the woman entered through a window on the bottom floor.

He sprung into action, he ran to a flower pot in the front yard, under it was a key to the front door.

He ran through the front door as soon as he could.

He spotted a Google Home on the front table. And the silhouette of the woman.

“Okay Google,” Alex said. The Google Home’s lights lit up. “Turn on all the lights.”

“Okay,” Google Home said, “Turning on all the lights.”

The downstairs lights flicked on.

That’s when Alex saw her, the woman.

She had brown hair, reaching to her shoulders. And blue eyes.

Alex figured that it was a coincidence that the woman looked so much like… her. Until, he saw the birthmark right above her lip.

It was his…

“Mom,” Alex’s voice cracked.

“Mom,” the woman said, “Well that’s a first. Because that means either you lost her and you love as a mom, or the other way.”

“The first one,” Alex realized, then, that he shouldn’t of said that.

Shockingly, the birth disappeared from above her lip, and she partially became a redhead, the red hair appearing in patches like spots on a jaguar. Her clothes turned into a leather jacket and baggy pants.

“No, you’re not my mom, you’re a shapeshifter. But how did you know to change into my mom,” Alex realized something as he said that, “You take the form of people’s dream women, from people around you. You’re like a peacock.”

The woman smiled, “I like that name, peacock. Please call me that.”

Fair enough. “But I was right wasn’t, Peacock. About how your powers work.”

“Yes,” The woman, Peacock, opened her purse.

First guess Alex thought. That’s when he saw that inside the purse was a pistol; he couldn’t react before Peacock drew it on him.

It was a revolver, only six shots, even Alex knew that.

“Don’t move, I won’t kill you,” Peacock started to move towards the living room.

Alex couldn’t do anything. His shields couldn’t block a bullet, not yet anyways. If he opened up a portal to the House and bullets were shot into it, Mother Nature would never forgive him.

Peacock stood in the middle of the living room.

Alex realized something that moment, from there she could see up the stairs, and any hallways leading into the living room, and no way someone could sneak up behind her.

Smart.

Peacock shot, twice.

Alex flinched, then turned his head to see that there were now two holes next to the door.

“Come on down,” the woman said, “Or else your friend will get shot in ten seconds.”

“I should get a say in this,” Alex said, trying to lighten the mood.

Peacock just glared at him for a second, before looking back up at the upstairs.

Alex heard steps from above him, Phillip.

“Mr. Phillip, so nice of you to join us. Come down here. NOW!” said Peacock.

Alex couldn’t see the stairs from where he was forced to stay, but he could hear the footsteps on them. Now, it was too late to make any move. Even if he could protect himself, Phillip wouldn’t be. His magic took time to get somewhere, almost as if an invisible hand, from Alex’s own body, had to touch wherever the shield would form.

“Give me the wedding ring,” Peacock demanded.

Phillip was bewildered, “What wedding ring?”

“The one you stole,” screamed Peacock, “A few days ago you broke into a house on Brookens Street. You stole one thing: a wedding ring.”

“It was the only thing in the safe. The most sentimental things are kept in safes,” Phillip said it as if it were some sort of excuse.

“Get. It.”

“Okay,” Phillip started to move towards the television.

“Watch yourself,” warned Peacock.

He raised his hands as he continued toward the television.

Under the television was a cabinet, and in that cabinet there was a safe.

Phillip unlocked the safe and brought out the only item in there. A wedding ring. He held it towards Peacock.

She pulled the trigger.

Phillip grabbed his wounded side before collapsing.

“Mr. Don,” Alex screamed.

The woman walked up and snatched the ring from his palm.

“Why,” Alex kept the tears back, “He was cooperating. Peacock!”

Peacock looked at him, “That’s what he gets.”

“Death for a simple robbery. That, that’s not fair or justice. Just revenge.”

“You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone, not through death.”

Before Alex could respond, Peacock shot a glass window three times. She leaped through it, landing in the man’s backyard and running off.

Alex scrambled to the window, hastily jumping through it. He landed the jump to see Peacock running out the fence gate. He followed her through the gate and the road.

She’s faster than me. I have to use magic. Alex focused on his open palm, he gathered his magic energy there. He formed a green sphere and launched it using magic. It right flew by Peacock.

She turned around, shock evident on her face, she almost tripped over her own running feet.

“I have magic,” Alex panted, “Just like you.”

Book of Human Alterations

There are mutations in the human blood at birth, although they are rare, that give humans powers  It appears that all these mutations use some level of magic, even if it’s just to give them energy to use the power gifted to them by the mutation- for example if one were to have electricity because of a mutation, then where do they get the electricity? Magic energy gives them the electricity.

“That explains my abilities. I guess,” Peacock continued to dash down the road.

Alright, time for a different kind of magic, Alex stopped running for a second to snap his fingers. Once he snapped his fingers a hardcover, blue book, it was colored brown on the edges and the spine. A book with consisted mostly of basic spell.

He mumbled the enchantment on the first page of the book.

The book’s pages started to turn whenever Alex wanted them to, handsfree.

He found a suitable spell as Peacock neared a car.

The Field Book

Incantation for spell: Fiedus Blasath

WARNINGS: Wind magic is dangerous, you might disrupt wind patterns and such.

Effect: Blasts a powerful gust of wind at target which must be pointed at.

Alex pointed at Peacock and whispered the incantation, he had tried to memorize but he always ended up forgetting it.

A powerful gust of wind blew Peacock to the ground.

The gust of wind continued past her and blew on some branches, revealing a bird’s nest.

That was close… What if there eggs in that. Alex had to be careful, or else he could do more harm than good. Alex heard a car door slam.

It was Peacock getting into a green car.

Alex had failed. But there were two things he could do.

First, he headed back to Mr. Don’s house. Alex picked up Mr. Don’s home phone.

He quickly typed 9-1-1.

“Hello,” came a voice from the other side of the line.

“Come to this address, 1067 Hillcrest Lane. Phillip Don is a thief, and has been shot,” Alex said in a gruff voice.

“Who is this?”

“Ummm… a third party,” Alex said before hurriedly hanging up.

He escaped out of the front door. His next stop was Brookens Street, Peacock either lived there, or knew somebody that lived there. “That’s what he gets” Peacock’s words repeated in his mind.

Alex knocked on the door of a small, two-story house on Brookens Street he had already checked nine other houses by then, and had the perfect speech.

A woman with ruffled blond hair answered the door this time. “What is it?” she asked.

“Hello, have you had anything stolen from a safe recently? Specifically a wedding ring.”

The woman stared at him, “Yes.”

“Okay, wow I haven’t gotten this far. Okay, I believe that a female friend of yours can shapeshift and has stolen a wedding dress and your wedding ring back from the man who took it from you.”

The woman pulled him into her house, slamming the door closed. “Don’t tell anyone about Sarah. Please.”

“So that’s her name,” Alex said.

“Yes,” responded the woman.

“Look, if I’m going to be able to get through to Sarah, I need to know why she’s doing this.”

“Because of me,” explained the woman, “Sarah and I were engaged, but she was using her powers of shapeshifting to look her best. Impress me, even though all I would see is her. You see, her powers only turn herself into the image of people’s most loved person, as long as they are around her.”

“Found that one out by guessing,” Alex interrupted, “Sorry for the interruption, but continue with her motivation please, ma’am.”

“Anyways, I called off our engagement when she started using her powers all the time. She must be trying to remake our wedding. This is terrible, please, you have to help her.”

“I will,” Alex assured her.

“I’m going to call her, tell her that I want to talk to her and to meet me here tonight.”

“Okay, and I’ll suit up,” Alex opened a portal to the House behind him, and walked through, leaving a confused woman behind him. He knew he wouldn’t need it to fight her, but he wanted to put it on anyways.

His suit was a green and brown magician’s robe. Under that was a long sleeve brown shirt. Green pants which could be mistaken for jeans. A brown belt with a blue jewel at the buckle. And blue socks that were thin enough that one could see the feet. Having the suit on made Alex's eyes turn from hazel to a turquoise color.

Later that night, Alex, the Earth’s Guardian, was hiding in the bathroom, waiting for Sarah, the Peacock, to appear.

She did, eventually.

“Harper, I’m here,” she said as she ran in.

“Sarah, this is for your own good,” Harper said when she walked down the stairs.

“Look,” Sarah said, “I’m going to return the dress, that was always the plan… wait. What?”

Earth’s Guardian stepped out of the bathroom. Forming a green sphere of magic energy.

“You,” Sarah said when she saw him.

“Yes, it’s me, Peacock,” he said in a loud and proud voice. Perfect for a hero to inspire with, “Or should I call you Sarah? This is not the right thing to do. I know you want to use your powers to fix everything, but it’s only making things worse for you. Sometimes, you have to use something besides your powers to get the job done.”

“You don’t know what it’s like, you have magic unlike mine. My magic has requirements,” yelled Sarah.

“Actually,” Alex said, “I know what it’s like. The magic I need to bring back the people I love requires a skill level I haven’t yet reached, and that’s just one reason why I can’t do it.” Then, Alex saw that Sarah had the same look in here eyes that Alex had in his. A desperation to get things back to the way they were. “Please just, listen to her,” he motioned towards Harper.

“Sarah,” Harper started, “Please stop this. I still love you despite what you’ve done. And this man and I have agreed that if you return that dress, we won’t turn you in. Come back to me, please.”

“Why would this man do that?” asked Sarah.

“Because,” Alex answered, “You haven’t killed anyone, you were going to return the dress anyways, and I am like you. A person with power that just wants things to go back the way they were before. Plus, only if you help me when I need it and I keep an eye on you.” Mother Earth only sent me on this mission to learn a lesson.

Sarah looked at him in disbelief, “Okay.”

The next morning, Alex looked at the two woman before stepping into the portal he summoned. Harper was holding Sarah. He had heard Sarah crying to Harper, about how she was sorry and going to make up for it. That happened almost all night.

That was another reason why Alex let her off the hook, he saw good in her. She could of easily shot him in their first encounter, but she didn’t. Only Mr. Don. And that was out of anger.

“I have something for you women.”

They both looked up at him.

“Here,” he handed them a heart-shaped leaf with a yellow tip, “This is a leaf imbued with magic. Whenever you rip it in half, or burn it, a portal will open which will lead me to wherever you ripped, or burned, it. Do it only when you need me. Please.”

“Thank you,” they both said.

They said their goodbyes, and Alex stepped through the portal, he closed it behind him.

“I got things to tell you, even though I probably don’t have to,” he said to Mother Earth.

That’s when he saw the floral highway was lit up.

It led him to the “Time” section of the library.

He searched through all the books, until he found a pocket watch behind one of the books.

The pocket watch glowed a light blue color.

Alex hurriedly searched through the book hiding the pocket watch, needing to know what it did to him. He found a page with a picture of the pocket watch, under it was text.

Mystical item: Chrono eraser

Effect: This enchanted pocket watch makes it so that a Nature Guardian cannot be seen by anyone who can see the future or past. Not even what they wrote or typed. Unfortunately not even Mother Planets. This was meant to be the point however, so that a Mother Planet cannot manipulate events for personal needs. However, after seventy-two hours, one will be able to see what a Nature Guardian did, wrote, or typed- but not what he/she said- in the past.