"I remember you. Young, curious, blind," the old master walked among fifteen apprentices, all clad in their blue Glacier Temple robes.

"When the time came, you were sent to the temple to learn the ways of the Guardians. I gave you shelter, I trained you, I taught you how to master the cold and stay warm in the snow."

The master, though aged, still possessed incredible strength. Apprentices shared a legend that when he was young, he was left in the snow desert for a month. He survived by hunting storm owls and cave wolves with his bare hands. Those were legends, but every legend has some truth in it.

All fifteen apprentices spent years training hard and eagerly awaited this day - the day they became Guardians of the Ark.

"Hundreds of years ago, long before the War of Machines and the Great Cold, our ancestors built an iron sanctuary so far away, even they couldn't reach it easily. They filled it with everything they found worthy to preserve, worthy to serve as a beacon of light for humans when every hope is lost. And when the doors to the sanctuary were sealed, five hundred guardians were assigned to keep it shut. Years went by, and the guardians built a village and founded the Glacier Temple to bring up new soldiers for the cause. What is the cause, Elea?"

The master paused and turned to a young woman with a red flock of hair successfully trying to escape a blue robe's cape. She took a step forward, fixing her bright green eyes on the Master's wrinkly face.

"To protect the Ark," she said loud and clear, then retreated to her position among the other graduates.

The master huffed. "Yes, it is true. You are the future protectors of everything left of humanity. But before you go and enjoy this last day of freedom, I must share the greatest wisdom with you. Remember, young ones, the Ark doesn't need protection. But it needs us," the master overlooked the graduates and raised his hands. "Now you can go. Today you are nobody. But come tomorrow - and you will be Guardians!"

Loud Hai echoed through the room, coming from all fifteen graduates simultaneously. It kept bouncing from the walls until, finally, it left the temple through the windows and doors and dissolved into the cold morning air.

#

"I don't understand, you're leaving for the outpost tomorrow morning?" Daniel frowned, rolling a piece of bread in his fingers. Elea looked over the horizon.

"Yes, it's a great honor. And nothing has happened there for decades, so it's safer there than here with you and your night hunts!" Elea laughed and took a big bite from her loaf.

They were sitting on a hill near the village. Rows of houses stretched before them, roofs touched by the afternoon sun. The Glacier Temple, a mighty tower of wood and metal, stood aside to the left, resembling an arrow of a giant sundial. It was their favorite spot, and they used to come here whenever time allowed.

"It's not funny. What if those cultists come?" said Daniel, still worried. "My gut tells me it's too soon."

"Then give it some food," Elea smiled.

Daniel was rejected from the Temple as a baby, but since then, he has become one of the village's most promising young hunters. They have known each other for twenty years. And as it sometimes happens, a friendship has slowly evolved into a feeling much warmer and closer. Love.

Daniel took a bite.

"When are you coming back?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I'm not gone yet, and you already miss me?" Elea giggled. Her red hair started glowing, reflecting the falling rays of the white sun. Daniel blushed.

"No, I just don't know the shift schedule," he said, trying to sound casual.

"We will be back in two months. Don't worry, I'll be safe and sound. And if the cultists come, we have a whole Iron Pathway to stop them and tear their junky gliders to smithereens," she saw concern in his eyes. "After all, we are the second outpost. We don't even fight. We are there to sound the alarm and retreat."

"Alright. But I'm still worried," said Daniel seriously.

"I know. And I love you for that."

She put her head on his shoulder, and they watched the sun falling behind the ice mountain, revealing billions of stars that danced their mesmerizing dance.

#

The walk to the second outpost took two days. It wasn't windy during the nights this time of year, so the whole group of five guardians arrived earlier than expected. The previous shift had just finished gathering their belongings.

"Master Ovo, a pleasure to see you safe," a tall woman in a blue monk's robe and a warming vest bowed to the newcomers and their leader.

"Master Kiya, the pleasure is mine," Master Ovo bowed in response.

While the masters discussed the situation over a cup of hot tea, Elea and the others explored the surroundings.

The Second Outpost was a small piece in an elaborate chain of security stations. It was built at the same time as the Ark and resembled a large iron igloo, with quarters for guardians and a lookout tower. The main purpose of the outposts was to alert the Keep at the foot of the Ark about incoming threats.

Built into a mountain wall, it was nearly impossible to get up here without knowing the secret passageways. Right underneath the mountain lay a long snow-covered road that led straight to the Ark. Anything that tried to pass it was met by an elaborate system of traps, spears, and pull-up chains. Nothing could get near the Ark, protected by this system.

The road was named the Iron Pathway.

Elea gazed at it in awe. She had heard legends from the past when the guardians were many and strong as ever. Legends about evil madmen who tried to destroy the Ark and failed, being torn apart by the Iron Pathway. Now the road was a home for bones, skulls, and rusty metal junk covered in thick layers of snow and ice.

The place for the Ark was chosen wisely.

Surrounded by mountains and a snowy desert, far from any ancient settlement, the Ark remained intact during the War of Machines and was still out of reach of the greedy hands of the Dome Cities.

"Look, Elea!" Someone touched her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Mico, another freshly graduated guardian from the Temple. Mico was pointing to the horizon and squinting. There, far away, in the rays of the morning sun, Elea finally saw it.

The Ark.

A masterpiece created by the best engineers from times long gone. A giant solid steel rectangle, rising from the snow. Its fifteen-meter-thick walls kept everything vital left from the previous generations safe. Crops, medicine, books, music, moving images, weapons, and technology. Everything that was preserved five hundred years ago now rested to be discovered by those remaining humans, facing extinction and seeking knowledge to repopulate the planet and rebuild civilization.

Elea gasped. She had only seen the Ark on old drawings back in the temple. And there it was, right at her fingertips, with all its eternal might.

"This is unbelievable. It looks just like I imagined it, only smaller!" said Mico, as other guardians joined them to see the astonishing view.

"You realize it's miles away?" said Elea, looking at Mico suspiciously. "Or do you think we are guarding something that can be stored in your robe's pocket?"

A wave of laughter went through the group. Mico shook his head.

"I mean smaller from here!" He said resentfully, but Elea knew Mico was a good guy who could take a joke.

"Guardians!" The deep voice of Master Ovo cut all the chatter. Everyone turned around and stood in attention. Master Ovo cleared his throat. "I've taken control of the outpost from Master Kiya. Her group will finish packing and leave in an hour. I will now announce the watch schedule for the week."

#

After finishing the official part, Master Ovo sent everyone to their quarters. Elea saw another monk guardian at her assigned hammock wrapping her carrying bag. She nodded, greeting her shift change.

"Good luck," said the leaving guardian. "You'll need it to avoid a horrible death from boredom."

Elea smiled. The woman looked around carefully and slipped a piece of paper into Elea's hand.

"In case you want to see a breathtaking view from the other side of the mountain," she whispered in Elea's ear, giving her a mischievous smile.

Elea glanced at a tiny piece of paper in her hand. It appeared to be a hand-drawn map of one of the passageways through the mountain. She stared at the leaving guardian.

"But..."

"Don't tell a soul! You'll thank me later," the woman winked and left. Elea quickly hid the map deep in her bag.