Free Xander vol.1 Transmutation by Jaz Johnson Page A

it was at
least similar on Athena, to those who have been living with them
for so many generations. Her expression fell somewhat in the
beginnings of understanding.
    “ I guess …” she trailed
off, “So, wait. That dragon that was at the zoo that everyone
thought Saphora was trying to talk to. Was she actually talking to it? Was it like
… Like Loni?”
    “ A Guardian,” Xander
nodded. “His name is Arol, and he is her guardian. Perhaps one of
the strongest our kingdoms have seen thus far, and he is also
fairly young. They are quite the duo.”
    “ Are they … a couple?”
Nora asked timidly, trying to grasp at strings of comprehension.
Xander’s brows furrowed in confusion of the term. Nora averted her
eyes, feeling her cheeks grow hot as she struggled to explain. “You
know …” she said, gesturing her hands together. Clicking, Xander’s
eyes shot open as he understood. He burst into a fit of laughter,
shaking his head.
    “ No, no,” he urged.
“Goodness, no.”
    “ Oh …” Nora fizzled,
embarrassed. “Wait so then, why was he at the zoo?”
    “ I can’t say,” Xander
frowned, the laughter ceasing. “Your people attempted to imprison
him. Him ,” he
scoffed. “A dragon . Your people are foolish.”
    “ So … That giant thing
could turn into some guy?”
    “ Yes. And I’d say he still
has some growing to do.”
    “ All that,” Nora repeated,
somewhat in denial. “Into one person.” Xander raised a brow,
repeating his answer in silence. “How is that even possible? How do
they do that in the first place? And why would they chose to look
like that?” she whined, finding herself overwhelmed once again with
the anatomy of the Guardians and their lack of
consistency.
    “ No,” Xander offered.
“Taking our form is not their immediate decision. It is because
they choose us as
companions, that they take our form,” he explained.
    “ So …” Nora began. “If
like, Loni’s companion was a tree?”
    Xander laughed but
nodded.
    “ Then her form of choice
would be a tree, though not very practical.”
    “ So if I were to go to
Athena could I get a Guardian?” she asked, her eyes brightening at
the thought of the possibility. Xander chuckled, seeing her
profound wonder.
    “ It is possible, yes.
Though it takes years to be able to create a bond strong enough to
have the link made between us. Athenians go large portions of their
life without so much as beginning. Some, anyway,” Xander explained.
“Most are able to find a connection, on average, by their
eighteenth year.”
    “ Why? Is it like a rite of
passage, thing?”
    “ No,” Xander shook his
head. “It just happens to be that most Athenians have mastered some
level of their power at that age.”
    “ How old were
you?”
    “ Sixteen,” he gushed,
obviously proud of his somewhat early blooming.
    “ How old was
Saphora?”
    “ Six,” he grumbled. He
waved off the fact nonchalantly, trying to move on. “But she had an
unfair advantage,” he said waving his hand around. “Being an Ekechi
and all.”
    “ So then … What do they do
before they get a companion?”
    “ Hm,” Xander pondered. “I
suppose nothing. I’m not heavily involved in their field of study.
I’m not sure if they roam as they are, waiting for their
companions, or if they are able to morph at will. I’ll have to ask
my father.”
    “ And what if their
companion dies?”
    Xander frowned, his hand
lowered from his chin.
    “ They lose the ability to
morph to that form. The link between their anatomies is broken. The
brainwaves necessary no longer exist.”
    “ And what about for the
Athenians? Does anything bad happen to them if their Guardian
dies?”
    “ We become significantly
weaker. And vice versa. The bond between us makes us stronger. The
closer we are to one another, physically, mentally, and
spiritually, the stronger we both become. When one link is broken,
we steadily grow weaker.”
    “ Can you get new ones?
Like, new Guardians or