As Evan watched Ansel die before his eyes, nothing ca to mind. It was like drawing a blank in his head. There was nothing there.
Absolutely nothing.
This was far worse than what he had seen years before when he had visited the smaller towns and villages after the Calamity’s attacks. There had been devastation everywhere, with dead bodies and heartbroken families.
It wasn’t as if he was a stranger to death; he had witnessed it many tis before. He had felt a mixture of pain, rage, and sadness swirling in his chest, and he hadn’t been able to recover from the grueso sights he had seen.
But this ti... it was different. It was so much different. This ti it was soone close to him, soone who was a part of those he cherished the most in this world. Soone who trusted him and cared for him like family.
Soone who shouldn’t have died today.
Elyana’s screams reached his ears first, stunning him back into reality.
"ANSEL!" she shrieked, and the tone of her voice was so horrified that it made his insides twist.
Now he really wanted to throw up.
"Why..." Evan’s mouth moved on its own. "Why didn’t you... make yourself intangible..."
Ansel shook his head weakly, still gripping on the tendrils tightly so they couldn’t reach Evan. His hands were covered in blood. "Not enough... magic..." he choked out.
Evan reached out with a trembling hand and cupped the side of Ansel’s face, his features twisted in anguish. "No... don’t do this to ," he whispered. Instinctively, he tried to heal his Guardian, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. Barely any magic ca from his fingertips.
anwhile, Mathias and Elyana rushed over as quickly as they could. The tendrils pulled out of Ansel, leaving gaping holes oozing with blood. He gasped in pain and collapsed on top of Evan. Alard, Evan imdiately wrapped his arms around the boy, fingers trembling from shock and fear.
The other Guardians ran over to help Mathias block the attacks while Elyana hastily crystallized Ansel’s wounds to stop the bleeding. A Guardian’s natural regeneration was faster than a normal human’s, but even so, Ansel wouldn’t have much ti left. The wounds were too severe.
Evan felt his entire world spin. He thought that he could hear the other Guardians shout sothing, but it was no use. He couldn’t hear anything right now. Only white noise flooded his mind.
"No... No... Please..." Elyana choked out, tears streaming down her face as she cast her magic on the wounds, watching the blood seep into the crystals. By the gods, there was so much blood. "Stay with . Stay with !"
"Why?!" Evan demanded, breathing hard to control his hysteria. "Why would you save at the expense of your life?! I’m going to die anyway. You shouldn’t have—!"
He was interrupted by a weak chuckle coming from Ansel. "There you go again... scolding ," he remarked softly. "You know, I’m really going to miss... it..."
"Please don’t speak. Don’t talk anymore," Evan begged. "I’ll try to heal you again. I don’t care what happens to . Just—Just don’t—"
"I’m... a lost cause, Evan. Don’t heal anymore." Ansel shook his head. "We need to... stop the monster first. Before it—it kills soone else."
"But—!"
"I’ll help you... Let do this. Please. I don’t have much ti."
Evan’s eyes widened. "What?" What was this guy talking about?
At that mont, Ansel gave a faint smile before reaching out and placing a trembling hand over Evan’s heart. Wispy tendrils of bright orange essence started emanating from his skin, drifting and swirling around them. Evan inhaled sharply as the wisps entered his body, feeling Ansel’s warm, magical energy flow into his core.
He’s using the Guardian bond, Evan realized.
He could feel Ansel’s power mixing with his own, filling his reserves and revitalizing him. It wasn’t just Ansel’s own magic that was being transferred. There was also the essence of his soul, the one that made him a Guardian in the first place.
It was one of the abilities a Guardian had to empower his Summoner, but only when necessary. It could only happen after the Summoner had extracted the Spirit from them, and should only be used as a last resort.
Because doing so would co at the cost of the Guardian’s life.
In this case, since Ansel was already dying, he would only be able to transfer a lesser amount of magic energy.
But for Evan, it was more than enough.
"Thank you... for changing my life."
Those were the last words Ansel uttered before the last wisps of life left his body, turning his skin into an almost ashen color. His head plopped lifelessly on Evan’s shoulder, and it was clear at this point that he was gone.
Evan choked out a sob, feeling the rush of energy and adrenaline flowing through his body. He welcod the new magical essence coursing in his veins, knowing that it belonged to Ansel. Even though it hurt, he knew he had to keep fighting.
It was what Ansel would have wanted.
Gently, Evan knelt on the ground and laid Ansel’s lifeless body behind him. He could hear Elyana sobbing nearby, but there was no ti for her or any of the Guardians to grieve. The tendrils were still coming at them relentlessly, and he could hear the deafening sounds of battle and the storm raging around them.
He brushed away the strands of hair that fell across Ansel’s face and cupped the boy’s cheek gently. It felt so cold to the touch.
Evan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart.
If his Guardians were in pain because one of their bonds had been severed due to Ansel’s death, the Summoner would be going through sothing much worse. In fact, Evan felt like he wanted to die.
The raindrops fell on Ansel’s body, washing away the blood from his skin. He looked peaceful now, and there was even the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
I hope you’ll be happier in the adow, my friend, Evan thought.
He rembered the first ti he had t Ansel. It was in one of the smaller cities of the Ormstonian Empire, months after he had completed the final ritual to beco a Summoner. He was traveling with his Guardians, naly Mathias and Elyana, to look for clues about the next Guardian. At that ti, Voss and Blade had split up with them to speed up the process. If they ever found sothing, they would communicate using the commcrystal.
Evan hadn’t bothered to wear formal robes or anything that would make him stand out as a Summoner. Instead, he wore casual clothes to blend in, and because of his royal status, he opted for a hat and mask. He didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention while they were traveling.
Later that night, they stayed at the inn with separate rooms. Voss and Blade shared one room, Evan and Mathias another, and Elyana had a room all to herself. The three rooms were right next to each other, so they could rush in if anything happened.
Mathias had excused himself to go downstairs to check on the feast. Voss and Blade, on the other hand, didn’t feel like going to the party, so they slept in their beds instead. It seed that there was a big festival going on to celebrate an upcoming holiday.
It also seed that the little thief had expected no one to be in the rooms, because when Evan returned, he imdiately felt an unfamiliar presence. He had gone out a few minutes ago to accompany Elyana to the festivities, but he quickly returned because he had forgotten his necklace.
The Summoner’s Necklace that would help him locate his Guardians.
So when he entered the room, it was as if he just knew.
He could feel the distinct aura perating the room, and it was such a familiar sensation that he already knew what it was.
Soone was using their magic, and it was soone with the sa Summoner’s Mark as his.
"I know you’re there," Evan called out softly. "Show yourself."
A heavy silence soon followed, as if no one was really there. But the tension in the air was palpable, and judging by the aura still present in the atmosphere, Evan could tell that the person hadn’t left or run away yet.
So he raised his hand and opened his palm, casting his magic and making his Mark glow.
"Wh—?!" There was a startled exclamation.
Evan smiled.
"Whoever you are... it seems that you’re my Guardian," he said softly.
The silence lasted for what seed like an eternity until sothing finally happened.
Finally, a figure slowly manifested in front of him. The air distorted and colors appeared one by one to reveal a boy seemingly a few years younger than him, with chestnut hair and lively brown eyes. He had an innocent expression on his face as he stared wide-eyed at Evan, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
And to his surprise, the boy was holding the Summoner’s Necklace.
Several seconds passed before the boy finally found the courage to speak.
"I’m... your Guardian?" he uttered in disbelief.
Evan nodded, the smile never leaving his lips. "I’m quite certain about it. And I’m sure you can feel it, too. That I’m your Summoner."
The boy continued to stare at him in disbelief.
Evan took a step closer, extending his hand towards the boy in invitation.
"What do you say? Would you like to go on an adventure with ?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)