The world turned cold and the forest grew quieter. Even the wind stopped blowing… as though it too was afraid of the new entity that emerged from the shadows.

An immense pressure presented itself at the same time, sending the poorly made barrier rippling wildly in an effort to contain the powerful aura. The dark-skinned mercenary felt the smirk on his face vanished as he stared at the two-metre-tall knight walking his way with a measured gait, her lightless visor showing no emotion.

Every cell in his body told him to run, flee, turn tail and run, take to his heels, disappear… This was no place for a mortal, “They didn’t mention the guardian had already awakened…”

The man was no stranger to S-class guardians. All the guardians he’d met were bad news, singular entities that stood above all other guardians in terms of power… but something about this one made him regret the day he accepted this job.

When he tried to move, however, a jolt of pain shot through his shoulder.

Turning to the pain, he noticed the thick arrow that pinned him to the tree with at least half the shaft driven into the tree. His eyes bulged with shock, ‘What kind of shot was that?’

The girl who’d shot the arrow had a small guardian floating above her. Her hand had morphed into what appeared to be a bow made of light. Her presence, however, pulsed with the distinct energy of an A-class guardian… a powerful one at that.

Sensing its master’s despair, a large black puma descended from the sky, tearing through the trees and landing between the approaching dark knight and the man. The large cat, at least the height of a human, stood between the two of them baring its sharp fangs.

Alia tilted her head at the guardian, “You would dare?”

The puma glared for a bit locked in a short staring contest, then flinched and wiped the hostility from its body and bowed its head to the knight.

“Alia…” Darla broke out of her rage upon hearing the guardian’s voice, “You’re alive… but how?”

She stared at the decapitated creature made of wood with a faint glimmer of hope.

Alia turned to the girl with an odd look. A guardian couldn’t exist without their master. That was just a fact… Then again, Alia had emerged from the shadows in a rage as well…

The guardian looked at her hands for a bit, feeling the faint connection between her and her master, “Alaric?”

The woods remained quiet for a bit before a whisper blew through the woods, “I’m fine… I think.”

For the aspirants and Alia, this was a total relief. The reckless boy wasn’t dead. Even though he sounded like he was about to pass out, he was not dead.

“HOW?” the mercenary yelled out in anger. Pain shot through his shoulder but he ignored it. He’d been the one with the upper hand in the fight, “How is that possible? I cut you down.”

“Trees don’t die the same way humans do… so I guess cutting off my head means nothing,” Alaric explained in a tone that sounded like he’d just shrugged.

“Alaric, get out of that form. You’ve done more than enough. I’ll take it from here,” Alia spoke out loud.

There was silence for a bit before the forest began to sway once more.

Three sets of footsteps joined the group just as a group of seeds fell to the ground and began to grow at a rapid pace. The seeds planted their roots fast and quickly entangled themselves in a mess of vines.

Oddly enough, the mess of growing vines seemed to have a vague order to it. Everyone, including the slayers from the Tower of Seekers, watched as the mess of vines intertwined and twisted endlessly, swelling and taking form until it was evident that nature was crafting the being that had acted as its master in the past few moments.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Darla rushed to the boy’s side while the other aspirants came into view, the invisibility spell coming undone.

As Alaric’s body weaved itself from nothing, Alia turned her attention to the mercenary, “Who sent you?”

“I don’t have to tell you,” the man said through gritted teeth. Blood covered his hands and the spot where a steel arrow was embedded into his skin. As it so happened, the arrow proved more than difficult to remove.

From his rugged appearance, frustrated expression and bloodied shoulder, Alia could tell that he’d already tried to escape a couple of times.

Alia scoffed, “I think you have the wrong idea here, buddy. You’re at my mercy now. Your guardian can’t help you which means I can do any number of things I want to get the information out of you… Death is your only escape. It would be a mercy.”

The man turned to his guardian and frowned when he found that the majestic black creature was still bowing, ignoring his surroundings. “Hey, you’re not going to just stand there and watch as she does all this, are you?”

The puma remained silent, unmoved by his words. It didn’t matter that he was in despair or that his life was currently in danger. His guardian had gone completely unresponsive… like a parent abandoning their child.

A bond between a master and a guardian was a sacred thing. So much so that the silence made the mercenary feel colder than he ever had in his life. With a guardian, no one was ever truly alone.

True loneliness, therefore, was among the most painful things in the Valerian continent and one of the few Forbidden Techniques of Torture.

“Oh? You don’t even know the name of your guardian,” Alia mocked.

“Shut up! Who are you anyway?” the man snapped.

“Someone you’ll never want to see in your life ever again,” Alia replied with cold indifference.

She raised her hand into the air right before a gentle voice reverberated through the woods. Shadows began to coalesce around her palm right before a voice interrupted her, “Not yet…”

Alia turned in time to see Alaric standing up from a mess of vines and dirt. Darla supported the boy just as he was about to fall.

“You’re in no position to walk, Alaric,” Alia panicked.

“I know,” the boy nodded earnestly, then limped over towards the puma.

Alia walked up to the boy and stood between him and the bowing big cat. The guardian’s face was hidden beneath her helmet but her voice carried her emotions clearly, “Not this one.”

“I don’t want his power,” Alaric gave a half-smile.

[You’re the worst liar, Little Prince] Alia gave the prince a sad look.

[I want to know what happened to this guardian] Alaric replied.

[You don’t have to. You’re still fifteen] Alia complained.

Alaric found himself chuckling at this excuse. Since when did his age mean he didn’t have to do certain things?

[And yet I know how to fight and use aether… I’ll be fine, Alia]

Loudly, he spoke, “We can find out everything we need through his guardian. You don’t have to torture the man.”

“He deserves it and so much more,” Alia growled.

“His guardian will decide that,” Alia replied with a weak but warm smile.

Reluctantly, Alia let the boy through but stayed by his side.

Alaric’s ability was a powerful one… but it didn’t come without its side effects. Alaric brought his hand down on the puma’s dark fur and stroked it…

For a brief moment, everything was fine… but then, it wasn’t.

The boy’s knees buckled and he fell onto one knee. His tired mind was filled with so much information that he felt his eyes roll back into his head. He felt his mind near the brink of destruction, a feeling he was starting to feel often.

He was in no way used to the agony that came with using his power… and yet, he didn’t plan to stop using it.

‘On the bright side, I didn’t pass out this time,’ he thought to himself.

Alia heard these thoughts but merely balled her fists. A few moments later, Alaric’s mind was cast into a world he’d never had the chance to experience.

A man dressed in black robes was walking down the halls of an expensive mansion. The walls were covered with intricate tapestries and art pieces.

Walking behind him was a majestic puma. The two paid no mind to the antiques. Rather, they were engrossed in a deep argument.

‘Quit the Flame Vipers, Darth.’

‘No, Sabre. I won’t quit. We’ve never had so much money before… and yet we’ve served the Elite Guard for years. What do they give us in return? The bare minimum to get buy. No, we’ll be mercenaries… and we’ll use our abilities to pave the way to our future.’

‘But you’ll be killing people. I know we’ve always been lax on morals, but that’s a last straw for every guardian…’

“Darth, is that you?” a voice interrupted them.

Darth turned just in time to witness a man dressed in full ceremonial mage robes walking up to him. The man carried himself with an air of dignity unlike any other safe for the Emperor himself.

“Yes… Good evening, Master Jafar,” Darth bowed.

“Guardian trouble?” Master Jafar asked.

“Yes… but we’ll handle it.”

“Oh, but you won’t.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I’ll say it once more. You won’t be able to change your guardian’s mind. I can imagine he just said killing is a no-go for you,” Jafar chuckled.

“Yes… h-how did you know?”

“Oh… simply because that’s what they all say,” the man replied quietly. Clicking his tongue, he gestured for the man to follow him.

Something inside Darth’s stomach turned. He knew he shouldn’t have followed Master Jafar… but curiosity got the better of him that day.

This would be the day that he forgot his guardian’s name.