The Garden and the Guardians: An Overview
How do I begin to tell such a tale? How does one sit still and write down a lifetime’s worth of adventure? How do I start? Where do I start? From the beginning, they said. But where is the beginning in a tale as old as the world?
Solomon, my soul’s half, once told me that I should start with myself. I am my own anchor, I am my own beginning. When put that way, it makes things easier, don’t you think?
Well, here it goes.
My name is Solenn Del’Cielo, Alpha Guardian. That’s how I always introduced myself, as if being an Alpha Guardian is what defined me. In a way, maybe I allowed it to define me, because that’s all I’ve ever known.
We’re Guardians, and our reason for breathing is to defend the Garden of Eden from all threats. And as if that wasn’t enough, it is also our task to protect all of Cielterra and the Earth from the minions of darkness.
Overworked, but thankfully, not underpaid. But let’s not get to the monetary benefits of risking one’s life for the entire Cielterran and Human race. I wouldn’t want you to think that I became a Guardian because of the money. It was never about the money for me and Solomon. It wasn’t even about loyalty to the duty, or whatever.
We became Guardians because we wanted to be strong. We became Guardians because never wanted to feel weak and powerless again. We became Guardians because we wanted revenge.
But Samson, the closest thing Sol and I had for a father, always said that it wasn’t always about what we want. There is always a higher purpose, a higher calling, which we have to answer to. It took us a long time before Sol and I came to terms with that higher calling, because the call for blood and vengeance was strong, especially when somebody you loved was killed right in front of your eyes. Honor, loyalty, friendship, faith, and love had very little meaning for us back then.
But being chosen by the Triune has a way of changing your perspective. Aside from that, war has a way of changing your life.
There was a time when I was just Solenn, soulmate and sister of Solomon, adopted daughter of Magdalen. There was a time when I didn’t have to wield a sword, kill demons, lead armies, and fight wars. All I did was to run through the forest with my familiars behind our home, or swim in the sea in nearby, all day long. But that was a lifetime ago. That was me then. This is me now.
Champion of Eden. Co-commander of the entire Cielterran army. Knight of the King.
But I didn’t become all these things overnight. I had to go through so many battles, some of which I thought were my last. We had just won the war. So many lives were lost, but that was the price we had to pay to keep Eden safe. No one is allowed to get to the Tree of Life by his own means. There is only one way to eternal life, and this tree is not it. I’ve always wondered why the Triune never took down that Tree if it posed too much temptation to many.
No Tree, no Guardians, no temptation, no war. Simple as that.
I’ve always asked Samson why, but his only answer was that the Father never destroys. He never takes a life. He only gives it. And so the Tree was created, once, in the beginning of time. And even though man was cast out of the Garden, He will not ruin whatever beautiful He has made. He can only task us to protect it, until the Son comes back to bring us all there.
Eden was once located in what we call the Center Realm, and what you call Earth. It was right there, in the Middle East, somewhere in the [Mediterranean], from where the Four Great Rivers flow [research if Tigris, et al is still there]. The Holy Book says that the Father put cherubs and a flaming sword to keep men out. For a few generations, it was all well and good, but as men grew in numbers, they also grew in wickedness. The descendants of Cain, the First Murderer, grew farther and farther from the grace of the Father. The demons who were cast out of heaven latched onto the hearts of the Wicked and together they brought so much evil upon the land. By order of the Father, the cherubs appointed and blessed the descendants of Seth, the Third Son, to fight the Wicked. These favored men and women became known as the Guardians.
Many of the Wicked, attracted at the thought of immortality, began to covet the fruit of the Tree of Life, which they knew lie untouched in Eden. They knew that the cherubs were vicious in guarding it, and they knew that there were a few good men and women who wouldn’t hesitate to defend Eden as well. Over time, the Wicked built an army strong enough to attack the Gate. Many of them also struck deals with demons to gain more power. On the night of the siege, the cherubs blessed seven chosen Guardians with seven Holy Weapons and extraordinary powers that helped them defend Eden and defeat the Wicked.
That was the First War for Eden.
To prevent another war, the cherubs hid Eden in a realm located somewhere between Heaven and Earth, called Cielterra. The Guardians, faithful in their duty to Eden, chose to relocate to that realm. But some of the Guardians have married some of the Wicked, and so the bloodline of Cain still flourished, even in that world. The four rivers that flowed out of the garden of Eden gave life to four big cities (kingdoms, actually, but details).
In the East of Eden, where the Gate and the Flaming Sword was located, flourished a city that was favored by heaven—Cielos. In the Western isles, farthest from the grace of heaven, settled the descendants of Cain—Astana. In the North lies Alegrea, a place where the Otherworldlies lived. These are creatures that existed only in myths, folktales, and legends. The Center Realm could only be accessed through the portals located in Alegrea. In the South lived the Favored who chose not to become Guardians. They were, in the Cielterran realm, probably the most similar to you humans.
Because the blood of the First Murderer ran through the veins of the Astanasons, they, too, also tried to invade Eden. Cielos, a city that is most like the futuristic ones shown in your films, was prepared for that attack and defended Eden successfully, with the aid of another batch of Champions. That was the Second War for Eden. After that war, the mighty cherubs decided to hide Eden in a realm that not even the Favored knew of, as a last resort to keep Eden protected. Only the Gate and the Flaming Sword were visible.
Many generations passed before the rulers of Astana attempted to invade Cielos and Eden once again. In order to get to the realm, they summoned Sargatanas, the prince of hell who was capable of slashing through time, spaces, and dimensions. It was one of the hardest battles the Guardians and the Champions ever fought. They won, but barely.
They succeeded in sending Sargatanas back to the underworld. To make sure that he will never rise again, they sealed him in a cave hidden beneath the mountains at the heart of Alegrea.
The Cielosons built a stronghold to protect the Gate and the Flaming Sword and called it the Citadel. It became the capital where Guardians were trained. Over time it became the most thriving, prosperous, and well-protected city in all of Cielterra.
And so that was that.
When Champions retire, they return the weapons to the Seven Towers. The Towers sleep and will only light up when Eden is or will be in danger. There weren’t any need for Champions after that Second War, but for as long as evil roamed all of the Realms, the Guardians will fight.
But then a few summers back, Astanason attacked. The Towers lit up and triggered the mark placed on the Champions, who were chosen long before they were born. Solomon and I were marked. We were chosen, along with five others, to fight the greatest war that Cielterra has ever seen.
These tales weren’t meant to be told, but we fought to reveal them. It’s time you Humans realize that great wars are being fought to defend you. While you sleep soundly at night, safe in the cocoon of your warm blankets while many of us battle with terrifying demons that you only see in your films. Your films and stories tell you that there are monsters lurking under your beds or hiding in your closets. In my world, they neither lurk nor hide—they attack.
They’re everywhere, waiting to find the next person to latch on to. To possess. To influence. To own.
And that’s what we’re here for. To fight for you. To keep you safe.
Because we’re your Guardians. And will continue to guard you until the real King comes and the Last Battle is won.
For now, you sit back, relax, and read the lost chronicles of Eden.