“Tell me again why we waiting for the Induction?”

“Our dear Count of flying rats is bringing another one to join the meat-grinder. We are duty bound to accept his offer and test his candidate. After all, not all who come can go to the Garden. Don’t you know this already, Sosta?”

“But I hate waiting.” Ristera grumbled with the sound of grating iron. Both men were almost twins in their bearing. They were Iron-Hearts and like the Flame-sworn or the Radiant, they were sworn to their elements.

They were sworn to the earth and of the earth, they were claimed by the metal most of all. That was why they were huge, hulking men wearing armour that was like a second skin and even their tempers were like steel as well, quick to rise to the fore and quick to pass away. They were more akin to living, moving statues than anything else when they were still. This was because not even one inch of their skin was visible outside of their armours. The only sign that they were even living was their grey eyes that shone like lanterns as they spoke or moved.

“Come on, mate, we can wait. We always wait for the end, don’t we?” The light that the two of them possessed seemed to dim a little then. They were Iron-hearts sworn to their duty and they would never fail, never fall until the end. That was why they were chosen but their dedication did not man that they were able to remain without fatigue. The two of them were the gate guardians here, sworn to guard this gate till the very end of time or the end of them, whichever came first.

Behind them was what they were sworn to protect. There was an arch of obsidian ten metres tall that was as black as the darkest of nights. Still on that endlessly dark surface were arcane images and sigils that barely made sense to the mind and seemed to be almost alive, changing and turning every moment that one looked at the arch. Furthermore, the arch itself seemed to be humming some strange song as it remained there. Only the Iron-Hearts were immune to the song of the arch. Not even the very Avatars of the elements were that immune. That was why they stood guard with their horse-cutters and their helmets of iron.

No one else would do.

“So, the leaders make us wait for what might be an honest waste of time while we remain as we are.”

“It’s not so bad.” The two of them knew why that was so. No one messed with the garden and thus no one messed with them. Who would dare to? Behind the Garden stood those monsters in human skin. And those monsters would not brook any disrespect or slight on their honour. The Avatars would not brook any trespasses on their domains. The Garden was one such domain. It was a good thing that most of the Avatars were more altruistic than not or else guarding this gate meant nothing.

“It’s just so dull. Oy! Do you remember when we truly were warriors instead of glorified watchmen?”

“Faintly, very faintly.” The two of them laughed their heads off sounding like metal scraping against metal. The two of them could hear the sound of the thunder and the screech of an entirely peculiar storm as well as the sorrowful regret within. They grinned under their helmets still. The time for the Count to come was upon them and they needed to get ready. The two of them stood straighter, formed their helmets into the shape of snarling dragon-heads and hoisted the great horse-cutter swords with the points facing earth-side. The two of them took a deep breath and with a deep breath they let loose the skill that they’d been building up for a while.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Around the arch that stood odd and alone, no monster was to be seen. They would not dare to approach. The skill they released summoned the strongest of the monsters and forced the monsters to pay obedience to the arch. Great birds with wingspans of several metres, ferocious predators the size of small buildings all bent low and worshipped the arch. This was the sight that those who were to come to pay respects to the arch would see. This was the illusion that was no illusion.

The two guards snickered as the sound of metal screeching rang out once more as the odd storm continued to approach them.

It made for a strange storm at the moment as it seemed to move entirely strangely. Driven in almost a straight line. Nature never made such straight lines.

It was odd to hear crackling thunder interwoven with the cries of monsters mixed in with cheers of the most obnoxious sort. There was no rain though.

All that could be seen were flashes of claw or deadly maw interwoven in the midst of swirling clouds and dust intermingled with the flash of deadly lightning. There was more to be heard rather than seen. There were roars of anger, screams of pain and grunts of exertion that seemed to want to swallow the carriage and horses with merely the sound alone. Still in what seemed to be defiance, spells ripping apart the beast’s momentum were cast ceaselessly.

Aetos was in the groove right now. Now that he’d had some time to get his spent mana back, he was casting Wind Blades with deadly precision. Their carriage was being chased by all manner of ferocious beasts and the nature of the beasts was hard to determine. He wasn’t as flashy as his comrade though. Instead of reaping the lives of everything around him, he was slicing away limbs and wings, deeming it more important to main rather than kill. Even in the dim moonlit night, he saw the distance and he was sure that he would need to persevere a little more. “Hey, watch it. I don’t need you to steal my achievements.”

Zyste was different, as he didn’t even seem to want to conserve his mana. Instead the carriage seemed to be the centre of a local thunderstorm. Each time a creature came even remotely close, it was struck away by a blast of lightning, leaving only the smell of burnt ozone and flesh. The two were in high spirits as they hadn’t been allowed to cut loose for a long time and this was entirely too much fun. “What? You think those weak wind blade do anything but tickle those beasts?”

The boy tried not to but he smiled a little hearing the two men goad each other to do better to kill the monsters. He didn’t want to but it was pleasant enough to hear. The count was almost smug when he saw this. The boy was still much too young to act as stoic as a veteran. The boy only saw flashes but that was enough, it was exciting and he knew that it was a few months ago, he would have even cheered. But now, everything was very different. There was excitement but what was the use of it. Wasn’t She gone anyway? That was why the exhilaration dimmed away quickly enough.

“We’re nearly there,” said the Count more to himself than to anyone else. The endless parade of dark creatures seemed to be thinning out and the pressure on the carriage was reducing quite well. “We’ll reach the two guardians of the Gate soon.” His feet starting tapping as his emotions started getting the better of him. This was a gamble was it not? Would those two accept this child?

The count dismissed the strange thoughts in his mind and took out an ornate golden compass. He nodded to himself as he yelled out. “Halt here, you will be safe. Boy, come with me. We have reached.” There was no time to be lost. The Count stepped out and wrapping the boy as he got out in the very same motion, he flew out of the carriage seemingly freed from gravity. The boy was awestruck as he floated by wrapped in the cloak of the Count. The two warriors sank back to back smiling and waving at their superior. “Bye Boss.” They yelled to their boss even as they turned to take care of the stragglers. They would remain here till he came back.

And even as they continued to fight the dying waves, the boy heard the sounds of combat grow duller by the moment. The Count positively flew over the ground with ease. He was after all no slouch but a warrior of the highest level.

“Those cheeky bastards,” growled the Count with good humour as he seemed float on towards what seemed like the moon on the horizon. The huge moon seemed almost like a great unblinking eye.

It was ever so reminiscent of those days.

The boy’s mind was in turmoil and the magic of this moment merged with the horror of that time and it was a strange, strange emotion that was left behind.

“Aetos, I think we’re going to be in trouble.”

“Zyste, I think we’re going to be deep trouble,” corrected Aetos. “But since you want his cousin as a wife, you’re going to be in deeper trouble than I.”

  `“You’ll not leave your brother be, right? Right? Answer me.” It was almost as though the two of them were part of a stand up act and that lightened the boy’s mood as they sped away. Strangely it was quieter now, no monster growled or sang of what horrors would visit the trespassers to this most holiest of their lands.

      “Hold on.” The Count increased his speed. The two of them moved like the wind and ripped into space as though it were a real physical object. This was the moment that would determine the rest of the boy’s future from now on till the very bitter end. The boy was unable to comprehend what it was that he saw there, in between the spaces of the world, but one thing was certain. It was unpleasant. The count seemed to be relieved as they gathered their wits after the spatial transfer. The sight in front of them took their breath away.

In front of them was the black arch that grabbed the entirety of their regard. There were two masses of steel in front of the arches standing guard while dozens of creatures all that made the gate guards seem tiny, bowed down. The sheer majesty of this moment took their breaths away. Yet there was no time to bask in the moment. “Last chance to stop. After this point there’ll be no turning back.” The boy didn’t even bother to reply as he tried to take everything in. The count took a deep breath and with it, something changed.

“I call on the Guardians of the Gate, to honour our sacred bond. I ask for passage.” As the words left his mouth, the two statues at the front moved and the two were pulled forward to the guardians. The earth moved and so did the two guardians. The metal that made them changed. The helm and the breastplates seemed to be writhing as though waiting for something.

  “We answer your plea.”

With that their armours began to change and morph.