A few hours after leaving Alexander to enter the cave, Erika and Elizabeth arrived at the base of the mountain where the cavern housing the shrine let out. They set up a tent and a small camp, the sun beginning to set behind the mountain.

Erika glanced at Elizabeth, her voice fraught with worry. “Do you think Lord Bellmonth will be alright?”

Elizabeth sighed, her expression stern. “You know that no one knows what happens to the guardians inside the cave. Regardless, I hope it will help him shape up and take things more seriously, for both our sakes...”

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky turned dark, Elizabeth lay down to sleep, leaving Erika alone with her thoughts. She sat against a log, reflecting on her sister’s words. Elizabeth was right. Alexander’s life depended on them, and theirs on him. She had never really thought about it, but now, faced with the reality of it, it was frightening and intimidating. She remembered Merlin saying that he had to take things seriously, or else their world would be at risk. She wondered about their world, not remembering much of it from her childhood. She and Elizabeth had spent most of their lives on Avalon, training and preparing to serve. She sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t all be for nothing, as her head dipped, and sleep took her.

A rumbling within the mountain stirred Erika awake. She jerked up, shaking Elizabeth. “Elizabeth, wake up! Something’s happening!”

The sun had barely crested the horizon, still hidden behind the hills in the valley. Erika thought it was far too soon for Alexander to be exiting the shrine, but she had no idea what the rumbling could be.

Elizabeth stumbled to her feet, grabbing her sword and shield. “Is something coming?”

“I don’t know,” Erika replied, her voice tense. They both prepared for a fight as a figure emerged from the mouth of the cave.

After a few moments, they realized it was Alexander, standing there with his robes tattered, looking off at the sunrise, his shoulders squared and his gaze steady, a newfound determination radiating from him. They ran up to him, surprised that he could have possibly made it through the shrine that fast. Elizabeth whispered to Erika, “Hey, something seems different about him…”

Erika nodded. “I see it too. His aura, his whole demeanor…”

Alexander noticed them standing there and waved, calling out with a smile. “Hey! I made it!”

Erika couldn’t believe it. “You made it through the shrine in a single night?”

Alexander looked confused. “A single night? What are you talking about?”

Elizabeth explained, “We left you there yesterday and we only set up our camp last night.”

Alexander shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been in there for two, maybe even three weeks. I’m not sure. Kinda lost track of time.”

The twins were dumbfounded. Erika rationalized, “Maybe the immense concentration of magical power causes a distortion in the flow of time?”

Elizabeth asked, “What happened to you? What did you do all that time?”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Alexander answered, “Most of the time was spent fighting vampires.” He decided not to tell them about his visions with the figure, thinking they were too intimate and personal to share at the moment. He gave a faint smile, deciding to keep those for himself.

Erika and Elizabeth looked at him in disbelief. Elizabeth replied, “I didn’t even know vampires live in the there...”

Alexander speculated, “They probably weren’t real, just manifestations created to test me. But it all felt real enough to me.”

Erika surmised, “That explanation is likely correct.”

Elizabeth quipped, “Surprisingly well thought out for you.”

Alexander laughed slightly at her joke and then, with a smile, suggested, “Let’s return to Master Merlin.”

Alexander and the twins entered the great hall, to Merlin’s astonishment. She hadn’t expected them back after only one day, and she could tell something was different about Alexander. His tattered robes obviously indicated a physical struggle, but she could sense something different within him. He was the same Alexander as before, but almost seemed like a new person, reforged within the fires of the shrine.

Merlin stepped forward, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. “Lord Bellmont, Erika, Elizabeth, you’ve returned so soon. What happened?”

Erika and Elizabeth exchanged glances before Erika spoke up. “Lord Bellmont made it through the shrine in a single night.”

Merlin’s eyes widened in surprise. “A single night? Incredible...”

Alexander nodded, a faint smile on his face. “To me it felt like weeks. Time must flow differently in there.”

Merlin studied him for a moment, sensing the change within him. “Erika, Elizabeth, leave us. I wish to speak with Lord Bellmont alone.”

The twins bowed and exited the hall, leaving Alexander and Merlin alone. Merlin gestured for him to sit. “Tell me, what happened in the shrine?”

Alexander took a deep breath, his expression serious. “I owe you an apology, Master. I realize now that I was wrong before. What I saw in the cave, what it showed me…this task, this duty that has fallen to me… At first, I was desperate to run from it, but now I realize I have to confront it. To face it head-on.”

Merlin listened intently, her eyes never leaving his.

“I know now that a World Guardian is a hero, a protector,” Alexander continued. “That’s what my world needs. I will give it all I’ve got. If that’s what it takes to keep my friends safe, then I will do my best.”

Merlin’s expression softened, a smile forming on her lips. “Perhaps there is hope for you yet, Lord Bellmont.”

Alexander bowed to her as the twins normally did. “I will do whatever it takes!”

Merlin nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of relief and determination. “Stand up, Lord Bellmont. I still don’t think you’re ready yet, but for the first time, I can see it. You as a World Guardian!”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now go and rest. Our training resumes in earnest in the morning.”

Merlin sat back in her throne, and the turmoil that had briefly left her returned. The vampires in Alexander’s world were growing restless, and she knew that time was running out. She affirmed to herself that he still wasn’t ready yet. Despite the progress he had made, he was not yet strong enough to face the threats that loomed over his world.

She wondered how many lives must be sacrificed to buy them valuable time. The thought made her stomach churn, and she felt a wave of disgust wash over her. She cursed herself for thinking such a terrible thing, but she couldn’t see another way. The weight of her decisions pressed heavily on her shoulders.

“For the greater good,” she whispered to herself, trying to find solace in the rationale. “A few may have to make the sacrifice to ensure the survival of many…”

Merlin knew that she was essentially trading the lives of people in Alexander’s world to buy more time to train and teach him. It was a cold, calculated decision, and it tore at her conscience. She didn’t like it, but she believed it was necessary. She had to prepare him to be the World Guardian his world needed, even if it meant making these sacrifices.

She kept these thoughts from Alexander and the twins. They needed to focus on the training, to hone their skills and prepare for the battles ahead. She couldn’t afford for them to be distracted by the grim reality of the situation.

Merlin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, her resolve hardening. “This is the only way,” she thought, though the words felt hollow. She knew the path ahead was fraught with difficult choices and sacrifices, but she was determined to see it through. For the sake of his world, she would bear the burden of these decisions, no matter how much it pained her.