***

I awoke a few hours after the incident in a blur. "How can this be possible...Jason...Adira?" I questioned myself.

"Oh, thank god you're awake!" I heard a familiar voice at the entrance of the room I was in.

"If we would have lost another guardian I don't know what we would do." Dr. Su stated while grasping my hands.

"I see...so it was all real." I asked. "What about Gerard?" I asked solemnly.

"He's gone. What's strange is that his house was raided... most of his belongings were already taken, and all that was left was his will. It's almost like he knew he was going to die..." she stated. "Either way, the F.C.F. or at least the few people left from it, will be holding a press conference and his funeral processions. It seems like former Secretary Kim will be taking over the role of it's President." She said with tears in her eyes. "I know this is all happening suddenly, and things are moving fast, but Vernon...We need you, there aren't many strong guardians left. The F.C.F. is probably going to come to you with an offer, I hope you take it." she said and then left the room.

"Everything about this is too strange...What should I do?" I thought to myself. At the same time, my ears started ringing and my forehead began to throb. "Huh?" I said as I looked at the System screen, opening once again without my consent.

"Yo~" read the screen.

"Yo..." I replied.

"Glad you're finally awake, who would've thought this would happen?" he sarcastically chortled.

"What do you want? And why are you messaging me through the System instead of Gaia?" I asked.

"It's a bit complicated. Gaia can contact you by using her essence to temporarily increase her connection with you." they stated. As for me, well I'm directly connected to your soul, so it's a bit easy for me. I don't have to use my own essence, instead I use the reserve mana etched into your soul!" they stated as if it were a joke. "I'm not kidding! That mana will replenish itself pretty easily, but I can't use it indefinitely. Anyways, if you ever need help just use this feature I added to the System, 'Soul Connection'." they stated.

"Fine, then answer me this. Did you know all of this would happen?" I said somewhat angrily.

"Well, kind of?" they replied.

"Then why didn't you tell me anything!" I screamed out loud. A nurse came rushing in, and I apologized letting her know I was okay.

"Woah! Calm down. You wouldn't have listened to me anyways..." they replied. "Besides, don't you think everything going on is a bit strange? I mean Alexander has killed countless humans, Gerard was ready to die, Adira and Jason following Alexander. Something's fishy, maybe this is a good time for you to start questioning everything. I mean think about it, why would you even need to help protect this city? What value does it hold for you? You aren't even from this time. Well, whatever you chose I don't care. I'm bored, goodnight." they stated as they closed the chat, leaving the normal status screen behind.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Hah...it's not like they're wrong...whoever they are." I muttered. I now had some choices to make, but those choices will have to wait for after the funeral. I needed a couple of days to rest and gather myself before I plunged into the abyss.

***

A Few Days Later

The funeral procession for Gerard just ended. Apparently, he had a younger sister who was a guardian, Ghislaine, present at the funeral. I didn't see any sort of wife or child, but most of the city showed up. There was a press hearing yesterday detailing the attack, blaming Alexander Lyon. There is also a vote to change the name of the city, but it hasn't been decided yet. Finally, as I was leaving the area of the funeral, I was approached by a few men in suits.

"Excuse me, are you Vernon?" one of them asked me.

"Yes, may I ask who you are?" I replied.

"We are members of the F.C.F. President Kim is looking to speak with you, if you would please follow us." they said.

"And if I refuse?" I replied.

"Well..." they looked at one another. "There's not much we can do. I'm sure President Kim will be pestering you though." they replied.

"That's okay, if it's not by force then I'm willing to meet." I replied.

"Wonderful, this way then." they pointed to a car and I followed them there.

After a thirty minute drive we arrived at the new headquarters of the F.C.F... It was nothing great, just a small unused building near the hospital. They led me to a small office towards the back with the plaque "President Kim" hanging above the door.

*knock knock*

"You can enter." A cold voice resounded from the other side. "Oh! You actually came..." he said in a bewildered tone. "Welcome, take a seat." he continued. "Listen, Vernon. You know why I called you here, we really need you. The Guilds that remain don't have the manpower to cover the hole left behind by the Lyon Guild's betrayal. And now with Gerard gone, and the F.C.F. destroyed, rebuilding will take time. We need your help." he asked.

"I see..." I replied. "Why me specifically? I'm just one person." I asked.

"Because...we know you have the potential to exceed Alexander. He's our enemy now, and we need something to hold him back if he were to return." he said.

"I see...And what do I gain from helping you?" I replied coldly.

"Well, we'll give you freedom to do whatever you want in the vicinity of Lyons. You'll also have whatever luxury you want, entertainment, really anything." he replied.

"I see." I replied. "So, what happens if I say no and decide to leave." I asked.

"You can't do that." he replied quickly. "If you leave we'll have no way of closing the gap, Lyons will fall." he said.

After a moment of silence I finally replied. "Is there anything you're keeping from me?" I asked all a sudden. For a moment he looked directly into my eyes, as if he was surprised.

"No, there's nothing." he replied and looked away.

"Something is definitely off." I thought to myself. "One year." I told him. He looked back at me. "I'll give you one year to help rebuild Lyons, and give you time to round up more guardians to fill the gap that Alexander left." I said. "Once that year is up I'll be leaving Lyons, and I'm not sure if or when I'll be coming back." I told him.

"One year..." he replied. "Well, that should be enough time to get us back on our feet. Thank you, truly." he stated.

"Sure." I replied, still doubting his words.

"Alright, with that out of the way, we'll be assigning you some missions to clear fields and dungeons in the vicinity of Lyons." President Kim told me.

"Right to work I see. That's fine, I've been itching to let off some steam. Let me know when the mission is ready." I stated.

"Of course! Follow the men that brought you here, they'll take you to the apartment we have set up for you. Hopefully this one won't be blown up." he replied in a joking manner.

"Yeah, hopefully." I returned to my new apartment. It had many more amenities than the dorm I was in before. There were two bedrooms, a full sized kitchen, a small room with gym equipment, and a large balcony. It was also stocked with food and new clothes. I took a shower, made a meal, and quickly fell asleep.

"Hey..." I heard a voice as my eyesight was enveloped by an endless black space.

"Yo~" I heard another voice. "Two voices?" I said. Then I realized, there were two people in this dream like space. "Ah, this is troublesome." I thought.

"Agreed." one of the voices replied.

"Hey!" the other one retorted.

Bit by bit, the truth surrounding my life started to unfold.

***