Alexander spent the next few hours in solitude in one of the castle’s guest rooms. His mind hung on everything Merlin had told him. Everything he knew before was a lie. He never believed in magic or monsters, only in logic and science. He only ever believed in what he could see, yet now that he could see the monsters and the magic, he was still having trouble believing in them. He wondered why all of this was happening to him. Why, just 24 hours ago, he was living a normal, happy life. He had finally gone out on a date with the girl he liked. He was happy with his friends, his job, everything. He wondered if there was a god out there, were they punishing him? He broke down again and started to cry.

A knock at the door startled Alexander. He quickly dried his eyes and narrowly opened it to see the twin in dark robes standing there nervously. “I think your name is Erika, right?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, that’s right, my Lord. I came to check on you. Are you doing alright?”

Alexander answered honestly. “No, I’m not alright. My life as I thought it existed basically just ended.”

Erika didn’t appear to know how to immediately respond. “I suppose you’re right,” she said, starting to back away, seemingly upset.

Alexander felt troubled that he had upset her. He opened the door fully. “It’s not your fault. It’s just a lot to take in. I want to go home, but I can’t…”

Erika asked, “Can I come in and talk for a while?”

Alexander was unsure at first, hesitating as he considered her request. He noticed the sincerity in her eyes and the earnestness in her voice. Finally, he nodded. “Alright, come in.”

He sat on the bed as Erika sat at the desk in the room, a few lanterns lighting the chamber as the sun in Avalon began to set.

“Things might be overwhelming now, my Lord,” Erika said, her voice gentle and soothing, “but my sister and I are here to help you.”

He remembered that they mentioned they were his attendants. “What did you mean when you said the two of you are my attendants? Merlin never explained that part.”

“Every World Guardian has servants who assist them and fight by their side,” Erika explained. “We are yours. We are actually from your world but were brought to Avalon when we were kids. Our family served a previous member of your family, and we were noted as having strong magical potential. So, we came here to train and wait for our World Guardian to serve.”

Alexander thought they might not be so different from him. Their lives were decided for them, just as his had been now. But she seemed honest and genuine, so he decided not to say anything about it.

“I’ve been hearing about you for a long time,” Erika continued. “I wondered what kind of person you were.”

Alexander let out a nervous laugh. “Well, you’ve already seen me at my worst. I’m sorry…”

“I don’t blame you,” she replied. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. But like I said, Elizabeth and I will be here to help from now on.” A comforting smile formed on her face, which made him feel a slight bit better.

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

Alexander then looked at his hands. “Can I even use magic the way you did? I didn’t even know it was real until a few hours ago, and yet now I’m expected to learn it to safeguard an entire world…”

Erika’s golden eyes lit up at the mention of magic. She sprang forward and grabbed his hands, holding them close to her face. “You can absolutely use magic! Magic is a natural energy that flows through all living beings in every universe! Some are more sensitive to it than others, like me and my sister. The Bellmont family originally became World Guardians because of their natural affinity for magic. It will take time, but not only will you be able to learn magic, you’ll become more powerful than we are!”

Alexander was embarrassed that she was holding his hands, and their faces were now close together. Erika finally realized and sat back down, her face turning bright red.

He let out another small laugh. “I’m not sure if I can be a warrior like you. I realize the vampires were trying to kill us, but their screams…the way they cried out… I don’t know if I have that in me.”

Elizabeth suddenly walked into the room, unamused. “Hmph! Just our luck to be stuck with a coward for a Lord to follow.”

“Elizabeth, that’s enough!” Erika chastised her sister. “You don’t have to be so rude!”

Alexander’s anger exploded. “I never asked for any of this!” he yelled. “I was happy with my life! With the way things were before! If it were up to me, I’d be back in my world going about my business!”

Elizabeth stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she got in his face. “You think we wanted this either? To be forced to serve you? We’re stuck with you, and you can’t even—”

“Stop!” Merlin’s voice cut through the tension as she entered the room. “Elizabeth, that’s enough.”

Elizabeth reluctantly backed down, her eyes still burning with anger. Merlin turned to the twins. “Both of you, leave us. I need to speak with Alexander alone.”

Elizabeth stormed off, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Erika hurried after her, pausing to bow to Merlin and Alexander before closing the door behind her.

Alexander started to speak, but Merlin interrupted him. “I apologize for before.”

He asked, “What do you mean?”

“Conjuring a flame spell in your face was dangerous, but I needed to get through to you,” she explained.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Where do we go from here?”

“Rest for the remainder of the night,” Merlin instructed. “In the morning, we will begin your lessons and training.”

“How long until I can go back home?” he asked.

“As long as it takes,” she replied. “I won’t send you back until you are ready.”

“What about the vampires?” He inquired. “They were attacking people in the city.”

“The vampires were after you,” Merlin explained. “Since you are now here on Avalon, they don’t have a reason to immediately attack again. I hope their activity will quiet down for a while, at least until you are fully trained and ready to return. I have a way to monitor your world to make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

“If you’re so powerful, why can’t you just be my world’s guardian?” Alexander asked.

“That’s not how it works,” Merlin said. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. Natural law states that every world’s guardian must be from that world, and they must come from the established lineage. I am not even the guardian of this reality, but I have been tasked with teaching magic to those from worlds where magic is not widely known or practiced.”

Merlin then stood up and approached the door. “It’s getting late, you should get some sleep before your training begins in the morning.”

Merlin left Alexander to his thoughts. He lay in the bed again, staring at the ceiling. Everything from the last few days swirled through his mind. A part of him desperately wanted to believe that none of it was real, yet he knew that it was. He thought about home once again. About Robert and Megan. Would they come looking for him? Would they think he was dead? Would they be safe themselves? The anxiety of it all was overwhelming. He thought about Lila. After so long, he had finally gone on a date with her, and now this. He thought maybe when he got back, he could make it up to her.

As exhaustion finally took over, Alexander’s thoughts began to blur. He closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would bring some clarity. Tomorrow, his journey as the World Guardian would truly begin.