Moments before unleashing his guardian’s power, Alaric had an internal dialogue with the S-class guardian. Among his flaws, as Alia often told him, was his over-cautious nature. This was most evident when he wasn’t listening to his gut.

‘What exactly do you plan on doing?’ Alaric had asked his guardian only moments before releasing his opponent from the vines binding her.

[ I’ve had enough of this child’s antics. She’s been coddled so long that she thinks she can walk on everyone simply because her father is the master of the Tower. So I’m going to show her how small she is… A little display of power just to put her in her place ] Alia replied. Alaric could hear the venom in her voice which, while harmless, was very unlike the stalwart guardian.

Alia wasn’t reacting as rationally as she sounded though, so Alaric took the reigns on reasoning this time, [ Won’t unleashing your aura defeat all our efforts to hide you? ]

Even as they’d fought the girl, Alaric’s Concealment Spell hadn’t wavered. It was something he always kept on his guardian at all times… even when he slept.

[ Just like Jack’s Fall, the Tower of Seekers has a barrier around it that’s powerful enough to conceal the presence of someone like me. Besides, I’m only releasing what you can handle. It won’t be more than what an A-class guardian should be capable of. It will be enough to shut everyone up… Wouldn’t you want everyone here to stop walking all over you like some trash they picked up in the river just because you come from the Five Hills? ] Alia responded.

[ I’m fine with that, Alia… I don’t mind. The way they see me doesn’t really bother me. I would like to help Crystal though ] he replied with a sigh.

[ You take the fun out of everything, Little Prince ] the guardian groaned, [ Do you want my help or not? ]

[I always welcome your help, Alia ]

[Then give me control of your body for five seconds…]

And so, Alaric did…

As the vines withered and let his opponent down, an avalanche of power poured into his system, exploding out of his body in an insane wave that it threatened to shatter his Spiritual Vessel but held. Suddenly, Alaric could feel the power turn his bones stronger until they were stronger than steel.

The world moved a lot slower, his eyes could see insanely far… and not just that, but distance grew warped just as well. The concept of strength warped as well… almost like he could crush a cobblestone brick with ease now.

The power that filled him threw his perception to heights far beyond anything he could ever imagine. With the emergence of this incredible power came a consciousness he’d never felt before. This was the first time his guardian would be attempting something remotely close to fusing with him.

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It was said that the union of a guardian and a master is the next level of power for both creatures, creating something exponentially greater than the individual parts.

While Alaric felt his guardian’s power, he also felt her emotions… Alia had been forced to watch the fight and she’d grown bored with the sheltered girl’s act… so much so that when she unleashed her first words through Alaric, a shockwave slammed Crystal into the ground.

“YIELD,” his voice boomed.

The flying guardians holding the Protectors came crashing all around them, all of them bowing involuntarily. SwiftWind lost his hold on the wind and careened to the ground. The scholars scattered at the sight of the giant stingray falling.

Thinking fast, Garin dismissed his guardian and jumped to the ground. The Protectors that were formerly on the stingray’s wings had to think fast, each of them disappearing from the scene in different ways: Teleportation, flight through various means that Alaric had never known existed, walking on air.

Some of the Elder Seekers simply waved barriers around them, defending themselves against the chaos that ensued. Their eyes, however, were pinned to the scene before them. Alaric’s entire demeanour had changed in an instant, bringing an aura that affected the whole vicinity of the Tower.

“I yield…” Crystal said through gritted teeth.

Just as it had come, Alaric’s aura vanished. The boy reached for the girl and picked her up, “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Crystal sat and scrambled away from the boy in fear, “What are you?”

Alaric tilted his head, “Now you fear me… I thought you were a higher Temper Rank than I was.”

“You… You…”

“You’ve never seen an S-class guardian, have you?” Alaric asked.

“You… stay away from me,” Crystal stammered.

The boy rubbed the back of his head. Before he could talk, however, an imposing voice boomed, “What’s the meaning of this?”

The great doors of the Tower entrance burst open to reveal a very angry old man. Alaric had seen Elder Gregory angry before but never to the point that even his beard looked messy and ready to fight whatever battle needed to be fought in the name of peace.

Elder Gregory walked out of the Tower and stared at the scene before him. The courtyard was a mess… and while it was hard to tell what happened, all it took was one look at his daughter for him to suspect she had something to do with what had just transpired.

“Crystal, can’t I trust you with a simple Orientation Tour?” the man’s voice boomed.

“He… He’s the one who…”

“Not another word… Follow me. Garin, take over her position. Clearly, I made a mistake entrusting a task as important as this to my daughter…”

“Elder Gregory… Forgive me for speaking out of turn… but could you give her one more chance?” Alaric interrupted with a bow.

Elder Gregory gave the boy a long hard look, then looked around at the mess of the dissipating crowd and finally rubbed his temples, “I’ll put it into consideration. Go get something to eat with Garin while I talk to my daughter. I’ll decide whether she’s fit to continue the tour. Until then, Garin will take her place.”

Alaric watched as the girl was leaving with her father. As she passed by him, he whispered, “I had hoped we would become friends… but I guess my background is too low for you.”

He ignored her stricken expression as she walked past him. Her father was not in the mood to wait for her either, so Alaric walked away without giving her the time to explain herself.

[ I should expect more people like her to make fun of my home village, shouldn’t I? ] he asked his guardian.

[Yes. But you will not try as hard to make friends with them as you have with Crystal…] Alia replied sternly.

[Yeah… Never again…]