The water swirled around the pillar, floating in midair. An elven woman walked into the twisting water, her webbed wingers spread with her palms facing upward, though her hands were by her sides. She flared the fins on her back. At that moment, her eyes shone with a bright blue light, and her feet left the ground. The Guardian of the Oceans was ready.     "Sweet nights, *that's* what we have to do?" The cosmic elf recoiled. "Always been." Another elf, this time a man, knelt to the ground, touching his hand to the grass. His husband, too, touched his hand to the earth. Vines sprung from the second elf's touch, curling around the base of his pillar until they spiraled their way up to the top. The pillar looked like it had been untouched by civilization for decades, and had been reclaimed by the earth.     Cracks jumped across the third pillar's surface, and small rocks and pebbles lifted off the ground to hang effortlessly in the air. Both of these elves stood up straight, and shared their final kiss, before walking towards their respective pillars. The antlered elf went to the pillar covered in vines, taking his place among them. He was lifted off the ground a few inches as he lowered his head just a bit, his antlers pointed toward any who was in front of him. The elven man with crystals that were embedded in his neck and right shoulder floated upward amongst the pebbles and rocks. He tipped his head to the left, baring his crystals for the world to see, while his hands curled into fists at his side. Soft brown light spilled from his eyes, while green light spilled from his husband's. The Guardians of the Plants and Earth were in place.     "Guess it's my turn, ey?" The second elven woman, this time with scales across her arms and neck, reached a hand out towards her pillar. Flame leapt from her fingers, plumes curling around the pillar and swirling. They mirrored the pattern of the water that surrounded the Ocean Guardian's pillar. She stepped into the fire, keeping her one hand outstretched even when she turned around to face the inside of the circle. She put one hand on her hip, then froze, a confident smirk on her lips as she lifted upwards. Red light burst from her eyes. The Guardian of Flames was ready.     The winged elf touched her forehead to the Draco, basking in his touch for a moment. When their moment was over, she stepped toward her pillar, immediately lifting up. The only thing that betrayed the fact she was using her magic was the whipping of her hair around her face the way she loved, and the trembling of the grass in the wind. She spread her arms and wings, letting a white light emit from her eyes. At the same time, her lover took his place by his pillar, with small dragons surrounding him. He spread his wings, but kept his hands by his sides, and curled his tail over his feet, which soon left the ground. Purplish light emitted from his eyes. The Guardian of Storms and the Guardian of Dragons were prepared.
     "I-I don't want to do this." The cosmic elf said, taking a step back. The Divine elf caught their arm. "We must." She said to them, staring into their eyes. They studied her, then with a reluctant sigh, the starlit fox variant cosmic elf stepped toward their pillar. Illusions jumped in front of them, spinning around them. There were constellations, and over their head was an arch made of the moon phases. Their ears were pressed against their head, and they held their silver foxtail in their arms. Silver light glowed from both of their eyes, even the blind one. The Guardian of the Cosmos was on deck.    The Divine elf smiled, proud of her work. Then with a single snap of her fingers, a two-tailed lemur sprang from the pillar, resting on top and blinking its eyes at her. When she took her place by the pillar, it leapt to her shoulder. Another flick of her fingers, and a falcon dove from the surrounding trees, landing on her awaiting arm. She gently stroked its feathers, which were an odd mix of purples and blues. She smiled down at the twins, then nodded as she floated up. With her two familiar spirits, red light poured from her eyes. The Guardian of the Spirits and Souls was on deck.
     The dusk elf looked towards his sister, who looked back at him. They were younger than the others, but just as responsible. The dawn elf lashed her tails eagerly, and with a quick bound, was in front of her pillar, which was surrounded by a soft golden light when she touched it with her tails. In silence, her brother made his way towards his pillar, touching it briefly with his hand to make a sphere of darkness surround him. He was lifted off the earth, with his head bowed to the ground, and his hands in his pockets, as if to make him seem as unassuming as possible. The starlike patterns that covered his purplish skin glowed through the darkness around him, and his eyes went black. Unlike her brother, the dawn elf put her hands behind her head and smiled brightly. The sphere of glowing light that surrounded her mixed with a sort of inky blackness that was reminiscent of the darkness before the dawn. As the light swirled, she curled two of her tails downward, and the third toward her brother. Her eyes glowed golden. The Twin Guardians of Dawn and Dusk were waiting silently.
     All of these Guardians closed their eyes at once, when they were surrounded by crystals of the same color as their eyes. The pillars were also part of the crystals, and the magic the elves had guarded them. Water twisted around a blue crystal. Vines held a green crystal in place, while crystals and various pebbles were embedded in the brown crystal, and tongues of flame licked the red crystal. Around the white crystal was a strong air current that would shred anyone who got too close, and around the purple crystal were small dragons that would forever be stationary until there was a trespasser. Illusions flickered across the edges of the silver crystal, and the falcon and lemur, despite being within the red-colored crystal, could still move freely. The dark grey crystal was surrounded by an energy that would will you with immense pain, and around the golden crystal was a barrier of energy that would make you forget you were there at all.     The Guardians were asleep. Until the world needed them again, of course.