Blazar and Azar are two brothers who live in a universe close to our universe. Blazar is good, and Azar is terrible. One day, Azar sent his warriors, the Quarks, to Earth to enslave all of humankind. When Blazar discovered Azar's intentions, he developed a plan to stop him. Blazar traveled to Planet Kalzar in the Epinour Galaxy, where he climbed to the summit of Bueam Mountain and retrieved two unique stones, those recommended by Holidez, the leader of all the universes. Blazar brought the stones to the Enlightened Ones of Kalzar, who decreed both stones unique, and those who carried even one would have special powers. Madra, Blazar's daughter, has rare capabilities: She sees the future and understands the to-be-nature of those yet to be conceived. Blazar gave to Madra one of the Kalzar stones plus thousands of vials, each with his warrior gene inside, and said, "Implant one of my genes into the egg of the human you select to be Protector and when this one is born and grows to become the Protector, give him or her Kalzar's stone." Madra fashioned her Kalzar stone into a pendant.The last time Azar tried to conquer humankind was in the fifth century in Wales. At that time, a Roman Centurion, Amadeus, the Protector, used his powers and Kalzar's Pendant to defeat the Quarks. This morning, Manuel, the current Protector, is murdered, and Kalzar's Pendant stolen.Manuel's Protector-in-waiting was to have been John, but he was killed sixteen years ago at age fourteen years. Madra selected Paulinha to be John's replacement, and at her conception, Madra inserted Blazar's warrior gene into her fertilized egg.Paulinha is now sixteen, home from boarding school, and knows nothing about being a protector. Before Paulinha's birth, Blazar selected Dominic to be Paulinha's Defender. He learns of Manuel's death and realizes that Paulinha is unprepared to travel to where she must be before sunrise to find the other Kalzar's Pendant.On the night of Manuel's death, a police officer, Officer Cardosa, spots eighteen owls flying in-formation outside Maria's Café. He thinking, it unusual for owls to fly this way, decided to follow them. Soon, the owls are attacked by hawks outside Manuel's farmhouse and tiny bodies of Pac's, Blazar's warriors, litter the lawn. Officer Cardosa finds Manuel's body and reports this to his supervisor who does strange things.The Evil Ones by now have taken police personnel from the surrounding areas under their control. No human knows of this, making it impossible to know who to trust.Four secretive hospitals have been gathering people who collapse while looking at the sun's rise. Suspecting an unknown virus might be infecting these unfortunates, infectious disease specialists from the USA arrive at the hospital nearby Rio de Janeiro. In time, these doctors becomes suspicious of what is happening and prepare to expose all. A CDC doctor is killed, and the other doctors are thrown into prison-like cells inside the hospital.On the farm, Miniature beasts that can easily grow to eight feet, attack Paulinha, Farmworkers, soldiers, and police. A mysterious transmitter begins operating on the farm, and two Azar spies are suspected. Brazil's top general sends Stealth Helicopters to the farm to deal with tiny robotic flying craft armed with Stonium missiles and EMP weaponry.On the morning of Manuel's death, the sun rises as it always does off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, however, on this day creatures from Azar's land ride the Sun's rays to take control of the humans staying at the hospital. Later, the sun begins its rise East of Paulinha's farm, where she is being pursued by two unknowns as she struggles to get to where she must be before the sun completes its rise.