The Collection of Protection:

2ND Chronicle
By

Jonny B. Mitchell
To my little love one, Jasmine Tipton
 Chapter One

In the beginning, there was only the formless abyss. This

empty mass begat the energy of the primeval void to which

all life was formed: Chaos. In his swallowing of the abyss

with his massive size, Chaos took from his energy and

manifested the three Great Deities. The Deity of Time, Aion,

was the cornerstone of the universe, the creator of all from

the Junction of Annulled Miracles. The Deity of Fate, Moirai,

communed with Chaos, until the last days of such, not giving

much attention to her counterparts. Whereas the Deity of

Void, Dark-El, hated and envied Aion’s impenetrable glow.

Her beauty was only surpassed by her aura that radiated

with gold and silver light, her hair was many colors that

constantly flowed in the eternal wind, and with Dark-El being

mightier in strength, he banished her to transient on the Edge

of All. She wandered alone; crying and solemn, strolling

down a vast metallic slab from one end of the Edge to the

other, hoping and praying for something more. One second

for Aion is a thousand years and many seconds of thoughts

passed by before she fashioned her complete power and in

her golden splendor, she closed the Primeval Emptiness

under the Edge between the Chaos Mass while creating four

sparkling junctions called the Upper Realm. She encased its

entirety in a beautiful orb of scarlet crepuscular rays of light.

From the energy of Chaos, she formed the innumerable stars

and planets, drawing powers from nebulas to form new stars.

Countless galaxies and black holes fashioned in her thought

and with her last bit of power, Aion birthed six massive

personified cloaks of energy; Yeshiva, Vishnu, Shakyamuni,

Ashanti, Genesis, and Athena. In these six she gave each a

soul seed of crystal, called them all ‘The Ever-Majesties’ and

gave them power and dominion over the junctions; to which

these six created sentinels of their own from their soul power.

Guardians of the Gods was the name they were called.

A sudden blast of power encased a slumbering Aion in a

tomb on the Edge with zodiac symbols protecting it above the

Mass of Chaos. The Majesties together created the Mid-

Realm, which lay interwoven in the four junctions and

radiated majestic light that filled the junctions. Once each

Majesty had completed their abode, they all met on the

seventh Paradise, a world of complete light and sky, with

snow-covered mountain tops for each of their feet and their

sentinels at their right side. They each took from their soul a

piece of it and blessed it into a faceted seed. The Soul of

Chaos was formed from Yeshiva, it was the energy of

everything and illuminated in a golden orb. Vishnu was the

birth of all life and her seed was just a piece of the soul of

nature. A greenish hue discharged from its center as white

balls of energy orbited around it. Rejuvenating Darkness and

the Protector of Light was what Shakyamuni called his seed

as it was floodlit with ocean blue pulsating energy. Only love

and peace will be the true victors of the soul Ashanti faceted

in a powder purple burst of light while Genesis bounded his

sapphire soul into the slumbering heart of Aion forever, who

immediately was given extra protection around her zodiac

tomb. Athena instilled a wealth of knowledge into her seed

that brightened like sunshine from three of her kisses. All,

excluding the Majesty Genesis, blessed their guardians with

the seeds of their souls and as they departed back to their

newly created paradise junction. The Deity of Void grew

exceedingly jealous and in a burst of rage, his wicked energy

created the Lower Realms…

The burnt, leathery diary was slammed shut and snatched

away from Kenneth Whitley, who was lounging on a

hammock within an open forest. He wore a heavy jacket

zipped up against his caramel skin and thick black sweatpants

tucked into some fuzzy boots. His face, overgrown with

facial hair, had irritation etched all over it.

“What the hell, Shawn?!” Kenny turned over, swiping at

the book that had his full name changing into a Metatron

symbol.

“Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

“Give me back my book!”

 Shawn Harris, a dark-skinned, short-haired federal agent,

stood unamused over his best friend who was grabbing for

the book he had extended high in the air with one arm, the

other arm still in a cast from the previous battle they shared.

“Always looking for the lazy way out.”

“Shut up and give me- OW!”

Shawn had tossed the book down and begun walking into

the brush and trees.

“There! Keep your stupid book and get fat for all I care!”

Kenny grunted and chased down behind his friend.

“For your information, I came here to enjoy nature, and

aren’t you supposed to be collecting firewood for the party

tonight?”

“I already gathered it like the man I am. Aren’t you

supposed to be cooking like the woman you are?”

“First of all, fuck you.” Kenny stashed the book in the

inside of his wool coat, “Second of all, that’s Jerry’s

department.”
 The crutch of the dry brush echoed in the cold air as they

trenched through the overgrown forest toward a vast opening

in the distance. The coos and caws from crows sang overhead

as Shawn hopped over an empty log.

“We make Jerry cook for us all the time.”

“He volunteers to cook, what am I supposed to do? Say

no?” Kenny chucked a small snowball toward Shawn.

“Yes.”

“He went to school for it.”

“He went to school for law.”

“Whatever, he majored in law and minored in culinary

arts.”

“Who cares? Do you have your sweater ready for this

ugly Christmas sweater party bullshit?”

“I do! I’m excited to show you guys!”

“Why is a Jewish man celebrating a Christian holiday?

Isn’t that sacrilege?”

Kenny scoffed as they rounded on the path and started to

descend the hill.

 “I practice Judaism as I see fit, plus, Hanukkah and

Christmas overlap this year. So, I’m good.”

Shawn rolled his eyes and opened the brush in front of

him with a heavy kick. A small cottage sat within a collection

of pine and walnut trees, covered in snow and ice. Footprints

were leading them back down the path toward the front door,

that now had a Christmas reef dangling on it.

“I’m sure your sweater will clash with your complexion

and your cast.”

“Nothing clashes with dark and sexy.”

Kenny sighed and pushed his friend into the door that

unlatched into a cozy environment of reindeer bells and

jingle music. The aroma of pumpkin pie filled their noses as

Johnson Ross, massive like a football player, was crouched

down stroking the dying fire in plaid shorts and matching

sleeveless hoodie.

“We’re back, Junior!”

“About time guys,” Junior stood up to greet, “Where’s

there wood?”
 Kenny looked over at Shawn with a tired expression.

“I meant to get it. What do you want from me?”

“To get the firewood!”

“Junior,” Shawn ignored Kenny and grabbed some thistle

from a nearby box of decorations, “Why don’t you walk your

ass down to the ranger’s station and get a bundle? The wood

outside will still be damp from the snow.”

The football player huffed.

“It’s Christmas eve, please don’t cuss.”

“Shit. Fuck. Damn.”

Both Kenny and Junior shook their heads in

disappointment as a high-pitched buzzer screeched from the

kitchen.

“I burnt the goddamn cake!” a nerdy voice screamed in

frustration.

“Jerry, you had only one job!” Junior laughed as a bushy-

haired, stringy man, dressed in a chef’s hat and apron with a

dreidel on it, over his blue casual outfit walked around the

corner in defeat. He had a black spongey substance in a pan.

 “How did you burn the cake?” Kenny asked, stringing

lights around the naked tree in the middle of the room.

“Eavesdropping on you guys.”

A collective laugh rippled over the family-sized room;

filled with only a fuzzy couch, a small flat screen hanging in

the corner and a floor-length mirror, etched with designs of

silver compasses and metal clocks. Jerry plopped the plate on

the round wooden table by the kitchen opening and fell into

the seat.

“Let me get this straight, Jerry can cuss but I’m the

fucking devil?” Shawn tossed a few strings of popcorn at

Junior, who was back trying to get the fire to burn. Kenny

was finishing wrapping the lights as he saw Jerry texting on

his Blackberry phone.

“He doesn’t use a profane word every couple of breaths.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Jerry pocketed his

phone and looked up.

“The usual babble over proper word usage,” Kenny

answered, trying to plug the lights in but found the cord was
too short. Shawn tossed over an extension cord as the mirror

suddenly began vibrating. The glass parted in the middle like

a beaded curtain as a slender blatina and a freckled face

German hobbled through laughing with each other before the

curtain solidified back into glass. Tonya Brown had her hair

down and flowy with a plastic bag that had the name

LUCY’S in red letters on her arm while Theodore Mathis had

a bundle of firewood under his arm.

“Here’s the cake you requested to be store-bought.” She

jammed the bag drunkenly in Jerry’s lap.

“How can…can you plan to open an eatery and you burn

cake?” Teddy hiccupped and fell into the couch, dropping the

firewood by his feet. Junior sighed and pulled the bundle

toward him.

“I don’t know!”

Uncontrollable sobbing came from the wooden table.

“Happy Holidays.” Shawn sighed as he took a shot of

vodka from the makeshift bar by the door. Tonya hugged

Kenny before taking colored ornaments and lazily hung them

around the tree.

“Oh, don’t cry cutie pie.” Tonya burped and giggled,

“You are still the best cook I know. Even better than my

mother.”

“Thanks.” Jerry sniffled.

“Speaking of,” Tonya tossed her phone toward Junior,

“Call your son. He is stuck with my mother tonight.”

“Madison loves his grandmother.”

“Someone has to.” Tonya took the dark drink Shawn had

poured for himself and gulped it.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS, BITCHES!” She finished her

cheer with a loud yell.

“Good god, girl. Shut up! It’s the day of our lord and

savior.” Shawn mocked, helping Kenny with the tree

decoration now.

“Oh!” Teddy shot upright, “If Kenny is the new savior

now, wouldn’t this holiday be for him?”

 “Shut it, you’re drunk.” Junior pushed Teddy back into

the couch.

“I am not the savior. I didn’t save…”

“You saved the world.” Shawn cut in.

“Oh, come on…ugh. This is not my holiday.”

“Thank you,” Junior muttered, “I still believe Jesus is my

personal savior.”

Shawn made a jerk-off gesture to which Kenny silently

laughed. As the sun began to set, they were all nestled in a

circle, half-drunk, half high, enjoying the crackle of the fire.

Jerry and Teddy had their feet up on the couch as Shawn sat

reclined in a chair. Kenny was stretched out on the carpeted

floor between Tonya and Junior, propped up against a pillow,

back to the fire. He absentmindedly rubbed his bare collar

bone and quickly caught himself and looked around in

wonder.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Shawn smirked, “Thought

no one saw you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 “Miss who?” Tonya jumped in, “Christian? That fine-

looking man.”

Shawn’s smile grew into showing teeth as Kenny huffed

and flustered to change the subject.

“Why aren’t you guys in Europe like Percy paid for?”

“No, no, no…” Teddy snapped into the conversation and

his fingers, “Spill it! Why are you missing this hunk again?”

“Because he was an idiot for letting him go from being

his Protector.”

“Thanks, Shawn.” Kenny inhaled deeply, “I didn’t have a

choice in the matter. Clark cursed him to death, literally and

figuratively, if he makes a move on anyone else. And hello,

Christian’s in love with me.”

“And what’s the problem? You have the power to break

it, right?” Jerry sipped on a mug of hot eggnog.

“And he’s a grown man who knows what he’s getting

into,” Junior added, turning to lay on his stomach, arms

folded.
 Kenny hadn’t stopped thinking about his Protector,

Christian Archer, since he released him a month ago after the

last battle with the former host of the Love Soul Seed.

Memories flooded back into his mind, overwhelming his

emotions to the point that he pushed off everything around

him, grabbed his coat, and went outside. He inhaled the cold

and exhaled as he walked into the snow. The smell of lilac

and lavender infected his mind as he pulled the broken

necklace from his inside coat pocket and sighed. His heartfelt

like it was on fire as he entered the dark forest. The cold

winter air stung his lungs, but the feeling of guilt took him

over as he approached the end of the cliff and saw the cabin

below him and the skyline of Los Angeles, barley visible,

sparkling on the horizon.

A warm feeling on his arms caused him to roll up the

sleeves and he noticed each arm had shimmering white

energy of the gauntlets. He saw they were a pair from divine

armor and remembered the task of finding the rest. But at that

moment, his mind went back to Christian. The shimmering

light burst into a rushing mighty wind that traveled back

toward the cabin and crashed into it with a blinding white

barrier. When the light faded away, Kenny turned on his heel

but walked right into a solid body, the smell of booze and

lavender mixed.

Christian stood there in awe, and then looked at him in

anger.