Chronos' eyes widened. He stood up unintentionally stomping the wooden floor which produced a sound as if something snapped.

"I see, I see.... Wait, What?! Riel Eteria?! As in the Guardian of Light?!"

There were showers of saliva as he shouted in disbelief.

"I already told you not to move too much... And yup, I am Riel Eteria."

The girl who's apparently named Riel calmly warned him once more while he could only apologize for his sudden reckless movements, especially for him rudely stomping the floor.

"R-right... Sorry. You really surprised me there."

And then Chronos remembered.

"Wait... You knew my name?"

"As one of the guardians, I can see things that others can't. It isn't to say that I can see everything. I can only see things that people aren't trying to hide. That includes the name given to you by your parents."

She explained. Chronos still in disbelief, frowned his eyebrows. Still, he didn't want to be rude to his savior and decided to keep things to himself. Just then, Riel stood up quick holding something and walked towards his direction. Thinking that he somehow made the girl angry, he tightly closed his eyes prepared to accept his punishment.

"Have some potatoes."

"Huh?"

"I said have some potatoes."

"T-thanks..."

"..."

"This potato is pretty big..."

He thought as he inspected the still warm potato that was just handed to him. He took a bite after a few seconds and,

"Ohh.. Oooohh!! This is good!"

"Hey! Your potato really ish gowd!"

He spoke his praises while munching on the potato.

"You can have as much as you like. I happen to have a lot in stock."

She replied with a mild smile on her face. She appeared satisfied seeing her patient happily eat her food. Meanwhile, the Chronos who finished his food fast went to get more of the potatoes. The food was nearby Riel, and not knowing how much he would be eating, he went and took a sit near the girl for the convenience.

"Thanks for the food!"

He pronounced the magic words as he took a potato from the pot with his left hand.

"Ohhoooohhh!!! This is the best potato I've ever tasted! Amen to the God of potatoes!"

And just as he was praising the God of potatoes(non-existent), he heard a giggle. He figured it was Riel. After all, it would be weird if it wasn't her, right? But when he looked at her, he saw something different.

What he saw wasn't the matured Riel, but a more child-like one. With her right hand on her mouth as if to hide her smiling face, eyes that are nearly shut, and shoulders rapidly moving up and down.

"Ha ha. You finally showed something in line with your appearance. Feels so nostalgic."

He whispered. For some reason it felt nostalgic for him, but why exactly? He wasn't sure. Riel heard him though.

"What do you mean 'in line with your appearance'?"

"Ahh... That was nothing."

But Riel was unsatisfied with this,

"I won't let you eat more of my delicious potatoes if you don't tell."

And those words struck Chronos hard.

"Uhh... Well, you've been acting all adult-like and matured despite your young appearance. It’s a breath of fresh air seeing you act according to how you look."

Riel only went with an "I see." before going full silent mode working on her potions. Seeing her go back to her matured mode made Chronos feel confused and awkward. One moment she was acting all mature and composed and then she giggled like a child. This time she went back to being adult-like, but for some reason the "composed" part was missing. It was like there is an underlying sadness beneath her pure white appearance.

Chronos kept his gaze on her while his left hand was ready to go get more potatoes on the pot.

"I am allowed to eat more, right?"

He thought. He didn't bother actually asking for permission and proceeded to eat anyway.

"This really is something."

But while he was appreciating the beautiful taste of the potato, the girl beside him asked him to stand in a voice with a hint of authority.

"W-wait... Did I do something wrong?"

He asked, but he stood up anyway when Riel said "Just stand.". While he was standing blankly staring at the short miss in front of him, the miss went to grab one of his arms.

"H-hey, wait. Are you finally abandoning me? I don't mind, but at least tell me what angered you."

Riel didn't answer. Instead, she pressed forward to the house's exit dragging Chronos with her. What awaited outside was,

"W-whoa... Amazing! This is AWESOME!"

All this time, Chronos was recuperating on an island. An island filled with greenery. The whole land that was filled with grass was divided into different parts.There was a part of the land to the west surrounded by fences where many different kinds of plants and vegetables grew. To the east was a forest where different kinds of animals dwelled.

In the north was an unknown building and in front of that building was a sword stuck on the ground. It reminded Chronos of those stories where the protagonist would find a mysterious legendary sword stuck on the ground for who knows how many hundreds or even thousands of years, and yet for some reason the protagonist would just pull it out without much of a hitch.

In the south was nothing much. An empty land filled only with grass. A perfect place to stargaze at night, and a perfect place to view the vast extending horizon at daytime. Where was Riel's home located? She said the whole land was her home. How about the house where she lived? Well, it was in the middle of everything.

The house basically could be made into a landmark considering it’s core position on the island. Though the house is separated from the rest of the island by a river surrounding it. The river also extended far into different directions making it a good guide in case one were to get lost.

"Wait... Isn't this the same place where I was supposed to die?"

Riel didn't bother answering Chronos. Instead, she went and dragged him further to the south. They crossed a bridge connecting the house to the southern part of the island and there, a simplistic wooden bench that stood a few centimeters above the ground with just enough room to support four people could be seen. It had no back rest nor soft foam for a comfortable seating.

Riel continued walking until they reached the said bench.

"Take a seat."

"What happened to not moving too much? Now you're forcefully dragging me here."

"That was then. Now you are allowed to move."

Chronos didn't bother going against Riel anymore and decided to just follow her, and so, he sat down. The cool air made him feel better while the quietness made him notice the fact that,

"There is no one here..."

"That's because I am the only one living here."

Chronos went with an "hmmm... I see." while Riel took a seat beside him.

"So you are living here alone huh...."

To be honest, Chronos didn't understand it. It was impossible that Riel was the only one living here. Why? This was the first place he stumbled upon after escaping the black entity he encountered back then. He knew he was supposed to arrive at the nearest village so....

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Wait... That village..."

Chronos finally realized that the place he found looked completely different from the village that he had in mind, but what could have happened?

"Hey, how did I arrive here? And where is this place? What exactly is this place?"

Chronos' expression became different from his earlier carefree and happy-go-lucky attitude. His voice bore a deep, serious tone in it while his gaze was as sharp as a blade. The girl kept quiet for a few moments, but Chronos couldn’t allow himself to go at her pace any longer. He didn’t want to be rude to his savior as much as possible, but there were way too many things that he couldn’t comprehend.

"If you're not going to speak then I will figure it out on my own."

He stood up with the intention of leaving, but Riel held onto the hems of his clothes.

"Don't leave. I will explain."

Chronos let out a sigh before sitting down once more. For some reason, Riel looked like she was actually begging him to stay. She wore her calm and composed expression but her eyes couldn't hide it. Chronos saw through the loneliness that was hiding itself deep within those pure eyes.

"I was actively monitoring the world below at that time when I saw you enter the crystal dungeon, and then moments later you were running away bearing a fatal wound. I could tell that your fountain of life was running dry fast, and that you couldn't have survived no matter what you did. That's why I summoned you here."

That was how Riel explained it, but just as usual, Chronos’ mind couldn’t process any of it.

"What do you mean: ‘you summoned me’? Where is this island?"

He asked. This time with a more friendly, upbeat tone.

"Up in the sky. This is a floating island. My home. My paradise. My sanctuary."

The moment Chronos heard the word Sanctuary, it came to him. A sudden headache. Sweat began forming on his face. His eyebrows frowning, teeth gritting. The pain caused him to touch his head with his right hand. A flashback appeared. It was dark. He couldn't see anything. Only a pair of crimson eyes could be seen. It was saying "This is my sanctuary.". And then he remembered. The black entity he encountered also said the same thing. That the dungeon was its "Sanctuary".

"I see... Guardians...."

Riel heard him, and so, she explained.

"That was one of the two guardians of darkness. The guardian Diabolus. He is often referred to as 'The Devil' in human books both historical and fiction."

Chronos could only mutter "I see." as he looked down to view the grass. Riel on the other hand felt compelled to ask him something.

"Say, Why did you become an adventurer? Did you want to save the world? Did you want to defeat the guardians of darkness?"

Chronos being surprised by her question, blankly looked at her for a few seconds with his mouth agape before speaking.

"I thought you can see things that we normal humans can’t? What happened to that?"

"I already told you I can't see everything. I can only see the things that you are not trying to hide. Besides, directly hearing your answer would be nice."

"Ha ha... It pains me to say, but aren't you accurate? I do hate it when people ask me that. No reason, really. I just don't like that question."

Just after Chronos spoke his hate to that question, he stood up, moved a little forward, and laid himself on the sea of grass beneath. He then continued,

"Let's see... Why did I become an adventurer again? Right... It wasn't because I wanted to save the world or anything grand like that. Why the heck would I sacrifice my life to keep everyone safe? Most protagonists in stories often die at the end. Only the people he saved could truly enjoy the 'Peace' he worked hard to bring. And even then, who knows when another tragedy will fall. Even if I defeat the demon king or guardians of darkness or whatever, people will always find a reason to fight against one another. They will always find a way to destroy themselves."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before continuing. Just then, he saw the girl he was speaking to. She had her eyes closed while happily swaying her legs back and forth. She also had a smile on her face as if she was having fun listening to a fictional story.

"Having fun eh? I guess it isn't a waste of time talking about myself."

He thought as he shifted his gaze towards the sky. This time with his left arm stretched towards the sky as if he was trying to reach something.

"Continue." Was what Riel said.

"Fine. Fine. Where was I? Ahh. Right. To be honest, I believe it would be best if everyone is to be erased from this world. I mean, I'm not saying everyone is evil. I'm just saying that people, if without a common enemy, will always find a reason to trample the other."

"Anyways, getting back to the main point. My reason for being an adventurer is quite selfish. It really is simple. Do you believe that the world is big?"

He asked the girl who was eagerly listening to him. Riel didn't waste a second to answer. She simply said "Yes" with a nod though she only said so because that was what Chronos wanted to hear.

"That's it. The world is vast and big, and yet, most of us live and die in that same corner where we were born. I couldn't accept that fact. I couldn't live with that fact. So I became an adventurer. All in order to travel the whole world and see all kinds of things that nature has to offer. Of course, whenever someone is in trouble, I make an effort to save them. That is if they are in front of me. Otherwise, I couldn't care less."

That marked the end of his story. After all the things he said, his main point ended up being so simple.

"You wish to travel the world?"

Was Riel asking Chronos. She listened closely to everything Chronos had said but she felt the need to confirm.

"Yes. I wish to travel the whole world. So far I've traveled only a fourth of the world till now, but someday I'll reach the end of the world. How about you? Do you have a wish?"

He threw the same question to the person who threw that very question at him. Her eyes widened, and her lips tightened upon hearing that same question being asked of her. It was obvious. It was obvious that the girl proclaiming herself to be a guardian had deep rooted sadness affiliated to that question. The air caressing her hair just made her look more pitiful. She looked like a lost child. An abandoned child. A child who lost all meaning in life.

Chronos didn't want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that the lonely girl he was talking to was actually a guardian of light, but he wasn't such an ordinary adventurer that he wouldn't notice after speaking to the girl. She was telling the truth. She was indeed a guardian of light. Though her appearance looked younger than in the pictures and statues found throughout the world, but she did exude the energy of a guardian.

"You don't need to answer if you don't want to. I'm grateful enough to have been saved by you."

He said those words as if to comfort the girl, but the girl had resolved herself.

"My wish.... was to be given the gift of death."

She said in a soft voice as she looked at the sky. It was as if she was reminiscing something nostalgic. It was as if she was longing for a place far, far away. It was painful. She was really painful to look at, and yet, Chronos couldn't help but gaze at her.

"You see, we guardians don't age. No matter how many hundreds or thousands of years may pass, we will forever stay the same. Our bodies are immune to illnesses, and knives and swords will wound us only temporarily. Not even our own magic can defeat one another. We are immortals in the truest sense of the word.

Humans and even longevity-type demi-humans will never understand us. They will never understand the hardships that we guardians are experiencing. Humans has been searching for a way to become an immortal because they think it’s nice, but in reality, being immortal is nothing more than a punishment.

For us guardians, this world is nothing more than a giant cage, and we are the prisoners. People can argue that we are the wardens looking out for the cage, but that isn't true. Say, can you tell how old I am?"

A weird question was what Chronos thought. Nevertheless, he still gave an honest answer.

"Appearance-wise, I think about 15? But if you're going to ask me about your true age, then nah."

"Right... You can't possibly tell how old I am if even I have already lost count of it. I just know that I am past 4000 years old by now. How painful is it? How difficult is it? Seeing the world change, seeing its inhabitants get replaced by another, some place people are growing old while in another a child is being born. The seasons change, language is also slightly different from era to era. Even monsters change. Sometimes they get weaker, sometimes they get stronger. Everything changes. Everything moves forward. Except US. We, the guardians, will forever stay like this. We will forever be on a standstill. Our time will forever be frozen.

We have no chance to enjoy the afterlife. We can’t have the opportunity to follow our loved ones in death. All because we were forced to look over the world. All because we became the gods of this world. How many years do you think I stuck myself in my own little sanctuary? Doing nothing but ensure the balance of the world. I even gave up on making connections with others because it’s painful to see them go. My co-guardians are either asleep or avoiding one another for their own reasons. What's the point of being alive anyway? For me, there's no difference between life and death. It's basically the same thing. If ever, living is worse."

It came to a point where she was looking down with her arms shaking. Even her voice was trembling. She must be trying hard not to shed a tear. Still, Chronos had to say something.

"Wasn't there a requirement if a guardian wants to die? I read in a very rare book. Was there only two copies of it? Anyways, There is usually one or two requirements if a guardian wants to pass on."

The girl who was gritting her teeth about to lose her composure, replied.

"Do you really think I didn't know that? You really don't know anything, do you? It isn't that simple. Our requirements are very vague. They are so vague that it's almost impossible to fulfill them. Save someone? Yes, THAT WAS ALL HE SAID!"

Finally, she let out a loud voice. Tears poured down her cheeks as she talk about a certain someone who was already long gone.

"How many times have I tried saving someone? Yes, you weren't the first one, and I saved you only because I wanted to die! I had an ulterior motive for saving you! I didn't save you because I wanted to. I SAVED YOU ONLY SO I COULD FULFILL MY WISH!"

She continued crying as she spoke. Meanwhile, Chronos stood up and moved towards the girl's direction. He faced her. In front of him was the Lamenting Guardian. In front of him was the girl abandoned by her Parents. A girl abandoned by the very God who appointed her a guardian.

"It doesn't matter whether you saved me for your own gain. If it wasn't because of you, I would have long died. It was all thanks to you. I am happy to have met one of the guardians who's also the topic of many books."

He scratched his head before hesitantly continuing.

"It also just so happens that you are my favorite among the six guardians."

Whether Chronos told the truth or was he merely trying to comfort the girl is unknown, but the girl rejected him anyway.

"Don't (hic) think I will feel (hic) better."

"I'm not trying to make you feel better."

He then patted Riel's head, but she quickly removed his hand saying,

"Don't pat me. (hic) I'm not a child. (hic)"

"You're still saying that after crying so loud? See, you still have snot."

The girl then looked up to meet his eyes that somehow annoyed her. She had frowning brows as she looked at him.

"I'll throw you (hic) out of my sanctuary."

"Please no. I'm still recovering."

"Then you better be a good boy. (hic)"

"I will."

Chronos then sat beside her. Not too close though. He had to make some distance if he wanted to keep the girl from being too annoyed. This was when he thought of a great idea. At least that's what he thought.

"Say, wanna go on a journey with me?"

He asked as he offered his hand to the guardian named Riel. Her mouth opened agape as she slowly turned to face Chronos. Her hands staggered as if jolted.

"A... Journey?"

"Yes. A journey. I mean, who knows? You might be able to find a clue about your Gift of Death. Surely, you aren't forbidden to roam around, right?"

It was the truth. Guardians are indeed allowed to roam. Although there is a certain requirement.

"You knew about the Requirement?"

"Well, yeah. I read in that same book that you can go out if you choose a mortal to be your Sacred Warrior. Come to think of it, my last name is 'Sagrad'. It was what they called the warriors picked by the guardians themselves back in the day. That was like a few tens of thousands of years ago though."

"T-then... Do you know about the ritual?"

"Hmm... was there something like that? I don't really remember."

"Close your eyes."

Chronos let out an "huh?", but he quickly realized that Riel was serious and just did as he was instructed. Riel on the other hand,

"Don't open your eyes no matter what. This is important."

"Fine, fine."

That moment was like a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Riel. It was like the world and the flow of time slowed down. Everything was moving slow. She was only a few feet away from Chronos and yet it felt like an Eternity for her to get close to him. She touched his cheeks with her left hand while slowly moving her face closer to Chronos'. She closed her eyes as she whispers "You have been chosen. Rejoice, my Knight.", and her lips touched Chronos' forehead. The sun shone ever so brightly as if the ball of light was celebrating the bonding of two special beings.

Chronos opened his eyes looking dumbfounded right after being kissed on the forehead. He then made a question while wearing an annoying smile,

"Did you do this to every stranger you saved before?"

He said as he touch his own forehead while Riel quickly fought back using an slightly high and energetic voice,

"Of course not. You are the first. I'm not such a cheap guardian, you know."

"Are you sure about that? He he he..."

Chronos continued teasing her, but his guardian wasn’t in the mood to continue talking any more nonsense.

"I'm going to go prepare myself. You go and jump ahead."

She said. Though as usual, Chronos couldn't you-know-what by now.

"What do you mean 'Jump'?"

"This is a floating island. Of course you have to jump if you want to get out of here."

"Are you serious?"

"I am serious."

And that was the end of their conversation. Chronos couldn't continue on bugging her as she seemed annoyed enough. Instead, he went to verify how up in the sky he really was by going to the edge of the island.

"Gulp. Everything below me looks like a giant world map. Is she serious about having me jump?"

Everything seemed so small. Even the biggest structures looked like a dot to him. He had his doubts, but he wanted to trust in his guardian and savior. And so, he took off with a smile.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! SO HIGH! I'M UP SO HIGH!! I'M FALLING. I'M DYING!! AAAHHHH!! I DON'T EVEN CARE ANYMO-Brrgg arrbbggg"

He screamed at the top of his lungs. He continued screaming until the air impacting him prevented him from doing so. It wasn't such a bad experience if only it didn’t look like such a suicide. Meanwhile, Riel wore her white cloak and a small bag before setting out on a journey.

Just like Chronos, she jumped off the floating island, but unlike Chronos who went facing the earth below, she faced the sky. She wanted to see her paradise, her sanctuary one last time. She wanted to say goodbye to the place she called home. It wasn't an eternal parting, but no one knows when she would be able to see her home again. As if saying her farewell on a living being, she said

"Until we meet again."