The bright midmorning sun beat down violently on the country of Pandora.  Even though it was the middle of September the temperature still reached well into the 80's.  The orange trees seemed weighed down by their ripe fruits, and the palms sulked in the morning heat.  The haggling and chatting at Caupie's large market grew louder by the minute as the afternoon rush of activity grew closer.  Though the city beside it bustled with activity, the small guest palace owned by the Zeru royal family remained relatively quiet.  On the second floor, three doors down the west hall Janus Zeru was just beginning to stir.  He wanted to sleep longer, but the sun shown so brightly through the taffeta curtains that it prevented him from relaxing.  Reluctantly he opened his deep red eyes, and slowly begun to drag himself out of bed.  He stretched out, and yawned softly, trying to push away the last effects of sleep.

       "I can't believe it's morning already... ugh.... I really hate them," complained Janus, though no one could hear him.
 
       Janus groggily plodded out his room, and across the hall to a nearby bathroom.  His pale blue hair hung slightly below his shoulders, and his long bangs covered his face.  As he entered the room, he grabbed a hair brush from a small cabinet, and began to preen his rabbit fur-like hair.  As he brushed his bangs back away from his eyes, he thought about what he should do that day.  This day was important to him.  Today was September 17th, and he had just turned ten years old.
 
       "Today's my birthday, and I'm stuck in Pandora.  I wish I could be in Zeru today, but that isn't going to happen.  I'll just have to get by," remarked Janus,
 
       As Janus finished talking to himself, he turned to look into a nearby mirror.  His eyes grew wide with shock.  Even though his face looked practically the same as it always did, he immediately noticed one peculiar difference.  On the center of his forehead was a jet black triangle which gleamed slightly in the bathroom light.
 
       "Eeya!!!" screamed Janus.  "What's that?!?!  It's never been there before!!!!"
 
       Janus ferociously rubbed the black mark, but it refused to fade off.  Frustrated, and alarmed by the strange spot, he started scratching at it.  He hoped it would chip off, but all he managed to do was draw a few drops of blood.  What ever it was, it was permanent.
 
       "Get it off!!  GET IT OFF!!!" exclaimed Janus, horrified by the nasty spot.
 
       He bolted out of the bathroom, and dashed down the hallways and stairs still pleading for someone to remove the odd black triangle.  He wasn't paying attention when he turned the corner and entered the main corridor.  Janus barely caught a glimpse of Shaela standing in front of him.  He desperately tired to stop before he collided with her, but tripped, and lost his balance.  Before he hit the floor, Shaela caught him, and helped him get back on his feet.  Her bright blue eyes were clouded with concern.  She had heard his hysterical screams, and obviously thought something terrible had happened.  She always treated him so well, and he deeply regretted making her worry.
 
       "Janus, what is the matter?  What has upset you so?" inquired Shaela.
 
       "When I woke up this morning I found this weird mark on my forehead," responded Janus, as he pointed to the black triangle.  "No matter what I do to it, it doesn't come off!  I don't know what it is or how it got there!"
 
       Shaela carefully looked over the mark, hoping to find some answers to her brother's questions.  The little black triangle simply reflected the sunlight that shone through the large palace windows.  It silently denied to yield it's secrets.
 
       "I have never seen anything like it.  How peculiar..." remarked Shaela.
 
       "It could be a bad sign!  I've just got to get rid of it!!" exclaimed Janus.  "Bye Shaela... I'll  be back when I find someone who can destroy it!"
 
       Before Shaela could say another word, Janus had taken off down the hall.  She could only watch as he pushed the front gate open, and slipped away.  A small swirl of wind danced through her long, deep blue hair as the door slammed shut.  She clutched her hands upon her chest, and sighed quietly, as a purple tabby cat strolled over to her feet.
 
       "Oh dear... Janus was in such a rush that he forgot to change out of bed clothes.  This mark seems to be all that he can think of.  Alfador, you had better follow him, and make sure that he is safe," commented Shaela.
 
       The cat looked up at her and nodded.
 
       "Right away, Princess Shaela." announced Alfador.
 
       Alfador sprinted out the front door of the palace, and headed down the main road that led to the heart of the city.  Even though he was a Hypsidian cat, he still had the speed and grace of his less intelligent counterpart.  In only a minutes he was able to close in the gap between him and Janus to only a few feet.
 
       "Where are you off to so hastily?  You ought to return to the palace now," suggested Alfador.
 
       Janus didn't reply to him,, or even slow down for a second.  Instead he just kept running at top speed until he reached the end of the street where he suddenly stopped.  A cool wind curled through the branches of the nearby tangerine trees.  The wind drastically picked up force, and speed, quickly transforming into a blinding gust which howled about him.  The unexpected change in weather alarmed Alfador, who ran over to Janus's side.  Unfortunately, he was too late.  An overpowering blast of white light forced him back before fading into darkness.  By the time the area had returned to normal Janus was gone.  Where he had stood, not a trace remained.  No tracks leading away had been left.  He had simply disappeared.  The shocked Hypsidian refused to believe it.  He looked quickly around the street for him, but to no avail.  Finally he gave up and laid down where Janus had been moments before he disappeared.
 
       "Janus!!! Janus..." called Alfador, "...where could you be?"

       In the middle of an empty, darkened room Janus lay unconscious.  The shock of the blast which had taken him there had been too much for him to handle.  It wasn't incredibly powerful, but it was enough to cause him to pass out.  After several minutes passed he slowly started to open his eyes.  He was still disoriented when he caught sight of a single point of white light off in the distance.  He started to watch as it slowly grew closer to him.  Closer, and closer it came until it formed a ball of soft light.
 
       "Janus ... Zeru," whispered an elegant female voice.
 
       Janus looked from side to side, and then behind himself without seeing any source for the voice.  It sounded so close.  He slowly turned back to the light which came closer still, as the voice called out again.
 
       "Janus Zeru."
 
       "Who are you?" pleaded Janus.
 
       The voice did not answer, but the light began to float up.  When it was about five yards up it exploded in a blaze of glowing, rainbow colored droplets.  Janus watched in astonishment as the specks of light touched the floor, leaving a bright green or blue spot where they lay.  As soon as the last speck touched the ground, it burst into a wave of light that illuminated the entire room.  The sparkling blue and green jeweled floor was almost overpowering.  At each corner stood a marble column that reached forty feet in the air.  The roof was basically open, except for the edges, which were also made of marble.  Once he finished absorbing the beauty of his surroundings, he turned his attention to the strange creature in front of him.  She looked like a blue point Siamese cat with an odd human touch to her.  She walked on two feet, wore a green satin gown with a blue trim, and had long flowing golden hair.  Her eyes shown with a brightness that was far more humane then feline.  She was an Anthromorph, a mythical race in many Kwanchan creation myths.  She smiled at him.
 
       "Greetings, Janus.  Welcome to Nexxus,  I am the Goddess of Life and Death, but I prefer to be called Brigitte,"  greeted the feline Anthromorph.
 
       "Oh my god, am I dead?!" screamed Janus.  "I can't believe it!!  Someone must've killed me when I was running through Caupie!  Ack... Pandora... of all the filthy places to die...."
 
       Brigitte's brow flickered, and her closed eyes twitched.  She smirked from exasperation, and clutched her head.  Janus's ranting was giving her a terrible headache.  His voice was incredibly grating as he jabbered on incoherently.  After only a minute she could take no more.  Even though she was quite irritated, she tried to speak to him as calmly as possible.
 
       "Calm down.... you're not dead, I just summoned you."
 
       "Summoned me?  But... why?"  inquired Janus.
 
       Brigitte's face grew stern, and her attitude became far more serious.  A sunset behind her outlined her body with a reddish glow, as the rising sun in front of her, illuminated her figure.  Janus stepped back in shock.  The strange cat girl suddenly looked more like a goddess.  Brigitte delicately cleared her throat, and began to speak.
 
       "The Council of the Gods has given me the task of finding and training a special group of warriors who will defend Kwancha from outside threats.  Each one will have a mark upon their forehead.  That mark you bear signals that you will be the protector and soldier of the shadow elemental, Guardian Shadow!" announced Brigitte.
 
       "Me?  A... guardian?  How can that be?  I'm just I kid..." declared Janus.
 
       "You don't believe me?" exclaimed Brigitte.  "Fine, I know how I can prove it to you."
 
       Janus watched as Brigitte extended her arms far out in front of her.  She closed her eyes softly, and turned her palms so that they faced each other.  She started to chant quietly as the jeweled floor gleamed around her.  The gap between her hands shone with a golden light.  The center of this light continued to grow brighter, and larger until it was about three inches in diameter.  Slowly the orb flattened out, and the corners became pointed.  The golden light faded away from the object, leaving a metallic black triangle behind.  As Brigitte handed it to Janus, the onyx center reflected the eerie light of the Nexxus sky.
 
       "This is the Shadow Transformation Clip.  It is the key to unlocking the powers of Guardian Shadow.  All you have to is hold it up, and yell 'Shadow Transformation Clip, Activation!', and you will become Guardian Shadow until you remove your clip.  However, if you believe you are not the guardian, then please try it now.  If nothing happens when you try to transform, then I must be wrong.  Only a guardian can use an elemental clip," informed Brigitte.
 
       "Oh fine..." groaned Janus, as he held the clip above his head.  "Shadow Transformation Clip, Activation!"
 
       The onyx heart of the clip flashed rapidly as the last word passed Janus's lips.  Subconsciously he lowered his arms, and rested the clip over his chest.  It remained floating there under its own power, as he started to glow a dark, yet vibrant gray.  The mark on his forehead shone as a black wave of pure shadow energy poured out of the clip.  It surrounded him in rippling bands that burst into a dark gray tunic.  More dark waves whirled tightly around his feet, forming black leather boots.  Another couple of streams of shadow energy loosely enclosed his legs, creating a pair of pants for him that matched his tunic.  Two final blasts emerged from the clip.  They spun over his shoulders, and met behind his back, leaving a decorative collar behind.  Finally, a beam of purple light streaked across his collar, down his tunic, and through the lace holes on his boots, leaving them with purple accents. The glow around Janus then faded away, and he was left in the full costume of a Mystic Guardian.
 
       "I don't believe it!  It really worked!" exclaimed Janus.  "I don't really look any different though.  Isn't this supposed to be a disguise?"
 
       "A Mystic Guardian has no use for a disguise.  Your identity was never meant to be a secret.  That costume is the traditional masculine style Guardian outfit.  It identifies you as a Guardian when you fight, and also offers you considerable protection from magic attacks based in your element.  Try to avoid opposite element attacks though, as they will do twice the damage to you when you are transformed.  Also, when you're in this form you can use your personal weapon, the Shadow Scythe, and your sorcery will be even more powerful," explained Brigitte.
 
       "It isn't very good armor..." complained Janus.
 
       "True... it doesn't offer much protection from physical attacks.  You are expected to be agile, and skillful when it comes to dodging them.  You will need to be trained in that of course.  Before that, however, let's test where your innate abilities are!" responded Brigitte.
 
       Brigitte raised her scepter into the air.  The sky darkened, and vortex of gray clouds spun above her head.  Her flowing blonde hair twirled, and twisted wildly about her body as hundreds of bolts of thin white lightning struck the blue jewel at the scepter's tip.
 
       "Demon Summon!!" cried out Brigitte, as she lowered her scepter.
 
       The white lightning that had gathered in the scepter suddenly shot forward, barely missing Janus's head.  He watched the blast as it exploded into a portal fifteen feet in diameter.  A heavy maize paw slipped silently out of the darkness, and onto the sparkling floor.  Janus's heart started to race, and his eyes widened in terror.  Another paw slammed to the ground.  This one was half white, and half reddish orange with black stripes.  He slowly started to back away as small droplets of sweat trickled down his face.  Panic welled up inside of him before he even saw the creature's face.  Finally a massive animal half lion, and half tiger leapt out of the portal.  It's stare tore deeply into Janus's body, paralyzing him like a rabbit before a wolf.
 
       "I call this demon Lyger.  Even a young Guardian shouldn't have much trouble with a creature as base as this," declared Brigitte.  "Now, demonstrate your skill!"
 From the veil of his terror Janus was barely able to stammer out a reply.
 
       "Y... you've gotta be kidding!!!  I... I can't beat THAT!!!   I can't believe you're killing me on my birthday!"
 
       "You do not have a choice.  If you cannot defeat it, then it will devour you," informed Brigitte.
 
       Lyger growled, as Janus started to back away.  It slowly drew closer to him, and then pounced.  Its gigantic shadow surrounded him as it dove upon him.  He dashed out of the shadow just as the gigantic paws hit the floor.  The impact nearly knocked him off his feet as he fled.  Brigitte looked disgusted by Janus's actions.  He wasn't living up to her standard for Guardian behavior.  As Janus ran past her, Lyger chased after him within striking distance.  Tired of the chase, it finally raised it's lion paw, and thrust it at his legs.  Janus quickly jumped over it a second before it would have whacked him.  Before his feet could even touch the ground the tiger paw slammed into his side.  The force of the collision sent Janus careening into a nearby pillar.  His impact was so great that it left deep cracks in the marble column.  He twitched, and moaned as he strained to get back on his feet under the watchful eye of Lyger.
 
       "Idiot!!!" screeched Brigitte.  "If you don't fight back you'll die!!!"
 
       Janus raised his head, and stared so intensely at Lyger, he seemed distanced from the battle.  His concentration upon the monster worried it greatly.  Feeling threatened, it became more ferocious than before.  It snarled rabidly, and charged towards him.  Janus calmly placed his hands together, and pointed his two index fingers at Lyger while he silently chanted.
 
       "Dark... Blast!!!" shouted Janus.
 
       A black bolt of energy shot from Janus's fingertips, and sped towards Lyger.  It didn't even try to dodge the attack.  The dark blast cut straight through it's torso, leaving a trail of black blood.  It howled mournfully as its body slowly disintegrated into a gray powder starting from the wound.  After a few minutes all that was left was a large pile of fine dust, which the wind quickly spirited away.  Janus blinked a few times, and ran his fingers lightly over the clip on his collar, as he watched his opponent's remains be spread about the land.
 
       "I... beat it," whispered Janus.
 
       "Just barely!" hissed Brigitte.
 
       Janus turned silently towards Brigitte.  Her eyes were slanted with disapproval, and her arms were crossed upon her chest.  Her face was contorted with a potent bitterness over his shameful performance.  He clenched his teeth at the sight of her anger.  He knew she would yell at him, and after her attack, he was in no mood to take any chides from even a goddess.
 
       "I can't believe how pathetic of a warrior you are!  Why did you wait so long to attack?  Your foolishness and inexperience almost got you killed!!" scolded Brigitte.
 
       "I never claimed to be a great warrior!!!  I told you before I'm just a kid!  It's not my fault you're too big of an idiot to realize that ten year olds aren't usually used to fighting to the death with gigantic monsters!  You're such a thoughtless demon!  I demand that you send me back home right now!!!" hollered Janus.
 
       "You're so rude..." scoffed Brigitte, "however, I can send you home since I have no use for you at this moment.  Before you go though you must take this with you."
 
       Brigitte handed Janus a lacquered cedar jewelry box painted with seven symbols.  He recognized them as the identifying marks for various elements.  Janus forgot his anger under the pressure of curiosity,  He unfastened the silver latch on the box, and pulled the lid back.  Inside were six transformation clips.  Each one resembled his in form, but they were all done in different colors and in the shape of other symbols.  He turned to Brigitte with an intrigued look upon his face.
 
       "Why are you giving me more clips?"  inquired Janus.
 
       "Each one of these clips belongs to another Mystic Guardian.  Your first mission will be to find the people who bear a mark on their foreheads which corresponds to one of these clips.  Once you find them, then I want you to visit my temple in Pandora.  Farewell, Guardian Shadow," explained Brigitte.
 
       Brigitte traced a medium sized circle in the air with one finger.  The edge of the circle glowed with a blinding white light.  Janus threw his arm before his face to cover his eyes, and tossed his head to the side.  By the time he had lowered his arm, and opened his eyes he realized that he was back in Pandora.  The strange realm of Nexxus was gone, and only the ordinary air of a city street was left.  He smiled softly.
 
       "I'm back..." remarked Janus.
 
       Alfador ran over to him from a few feet down the road.  His eyes shone softly with relief as he finally saw Janus before him, yet there was a depth to his gaze that reflected his concern.  The odd events of that morning had been a shock to him.
 
       "It's good to see you have returned, but where on Kwancha have you been?" questioned Alfador.
 
       "I haven't been on Kwancha, but that's in the past.  We've got to start rethinking the future.  I have a feeling that my life's not going to be what I've expected," replied Janus.