The Guardians' Legacy

Colth felt a strange sensation. It was like diving into deep, icy waters. For a second, he thought he was drowning. The sensation was so bad that, as soon as he realized it, he opened his eyes in despair. He wasn't sunk as he had imagined, but something just as strange caught his attention.

As soon as he focused on what was around him again, he widened his eyes. He was standing alone in the middle of a clearly old prison cell. The floor and walls were made of stone, with no windows, and only a single light bulb on the ceiling that illuminated the precarious place. A door with steel bars, in one corner of the wall, was the only thing that stood out and seemed to give access to the outside.

— What? Where... — Confusion took hold of him.

He walked unsteadily towards the bars that caught his attention. When he touched them with his trembling fingers, he noticed a large padlock securing the door. He looked around the cell again, looking for another way out, but in vain.

— Hey! Someone! — he shouted. His words echoed in a tone that was slightly desperate. At that moment, he noticed the steam coming out of his mouth, and that was when he noticed the intense cold. — But what is that? — he asked himself without any indication of an answer.

“It’s the beginning of summer, how can it be so cold?” It was inevitable to think that. Just a moment ago, he was sweltering in that damned stuffy infirmary room, and the next moment, he was shivering in a freezing cell.

—What's going on? Where am I? — he asked himself again as he strained his eyes to see outside the cell.

What he could see was a dark corridor that brought with it the freezing wind from outside.

— That, my distinguished guest, is your defeat. — A voice echoed in the hallway.

The imposition of the speech seemed like an attempt to scare, but the soft tone was almost childish. Whoever was the owner of those words approached slowly with calm steps.

— ... — Colth didn't answer, he hesitated when he noticed the light of a flashlight illuminating the darkness of the corridor and moving closer.

“Sadly, that was the end for you. I hope you lived a long life.” The young, masculine voice came close enough for his face to be revealed, and like Colth’s incredulous face, it was also visible in the light. “Wow, you’re young. So I hope your short life was a good one.”

— What are you talking about? — Colth refused to take those words seriously. The reason was simple: the person who said them sounded like a spoiled, carefree teenager, which didn't fit in at all with those words in a cultured tone and the terrifying environment.

The young man stood facing the prisoner on the other side of the steel bars, he looked at least a little familiar. With a smile on his face, he continued:

— Welcome to the Last Fortress — he said, forcing his voice to sound imposing. He raised one of his hands, demonstrating the grandeur of the place, even though nothing could be seen beyond the stone walls surrounding them. — This is the place of judgment for the impure who crossed the path of Finn's guardian.

— Last Fortress? Guardian of the End? What are you talking about? —Colth asked sincerely, his tone seemed to underestimate the boy in front of him.

— It's not "guardian of the end", it's "guardian of Finn". Finn. Got it?

— Whatever — he replied with a shrug. — Listen, kid, how old are you?

— Me? I don't know exactly. — He seemed surprised by the question.

“Don’t you know your own age?” he replied, doubting the answer. He imagined that the boy, who looked to be about 14 years old, could lie about his age in order to pretend to be older, but to say he didn’t know? That was too much.

— Of course I know... — the young man frowned. — I just don't know, exactly.

— Whatever. Where are your parents? Or rather, the person who runs this place? I need to talk to them. They made a mistake when they...

— I'm the one who takes care of this place. — the boy replied, interrupting him. He stared at the light of his flashlight in the middle of his thoughts. — Should I know my age? I mean, should I know exactly?

— ... — Colth remained silent. He was surprised once again, in fact, that whole conversation was a succession of surprises.

— I never thought about that. — The boy continued with the subject while remaining with a thoughtful look, then turned to Colth on the other side of the fence. — How old are you?

He thought about not answering, that wouldn't get him anywhere, but when he noticed the boy's curious and innocent face, he couldn't help himself:

— I'm 20. Now listen to me, I need to get out of here...

“20? Haha.” The young man laughed forcefully. He stopped paying attention to Colth after getting the answer. “Then I’m definitely older than you. You should respect me.”

— What? Of course not.

— Of course.

— Ugh. Why am I arguing with a child? — Colth pushed away the temptation to waste time on something so trivial. — Listen, I need to get out of here. People are in danger. I'm in danger.

— You? Why would you be in danger? There is no danger here. You have already been defeated. — said the boy in disdain.

— What are you talking about, boy?!

— Didn't you notice? Poor thing. — Again, the absolutely casual and relaxed tone of contempt was the least bit odd for the situation. — I'll try to help you remember, then. A woman.

— A woman?

— That's it. A woman. Is it so hard for you to follow my reasoning like that? — he showed an angry expression on his poorly lit face. — She has long hair, is very bossy, always has a frown on her face, wears glasses...

—Are you talking about Garta? — Colth foreshadowed the answer to what seemed like a riddle.

“How do you know her name?” The boy outside the cell tilted his head in doubt, but quickly shook it off. “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that she sent you here. So I, the all-powerful leader of the Ultima village, will judge you.”

— ... — Colth had a big question mark on his face.

— You look pretty dizzy, huh? — the boy said as he placed his hand under his chin thoughtfully. — What did you do? Are you some follower of the Goddess Lux?

— What does that have to do with anything? I mean, I've been to church a few times, but I wouldn't say I'm a follower.

—That's not what I asked—he found the answer strange. —What I want to know is, what did you do to make Garta send you here?

— What did I do? I didn't do anything... I think.

— What, you didn't do anything? There's a reason you're here.

— We are just partners in the selection exams.

— Partners?

— Yes. We fell into the same group and then...

Before Colth could finish his explanation of the events, a flash of light from behind him interrupted him. The quick, brief blue light came from the center of the cell and caught the attention of both of them who were arguing.

— What was that? — He turned around with his eyes half closed and his vision blurred by the sudden light.

—Speaking of the creature... — said the blasé boy.

— Why are you so heavy? — The woman in the center of the cell carried an unconscious man in her arms.

— How did you get in?... — Colth said, his mouth open as he realized who it was.

Garta dropped the unconscious man's body to the ground without any care or delicacy, then, upon noticing Colth's surprised face staring at her, she became displeased.

— I had already forgotten about you — she said to the incredulous boy as she tried to stay standing with noticeable difficulty.

— W-what? This place is closed. Where did you come from? How...

Colth couldn't finish his questions. The woman, in turn, tried to pay attention to them, but she couldn't resist the extreme fatigue weighing on her shoulders. Her eyes closed and her body collapsed.

— Girl! — the boy shouted worriedly. He quickly found the cell keys in one of his pockets and opened the door to run to the woman's body on the floor and crouch down next to her.

— I'm fine... I just need to rest a little. — she said weakly. She breathed wearily until she lost consciousness.

— Damn... — the boy expressed his concern. He immediately tried to lift the woman's body.

— Wait. — Colth went to help as soon as he noticed the boy's difficulty with the weight. — Let me help you...

— Don't touch her! — he growled like a dog.

Colth hesitated as the boy awkwardly held Garta's body, trying to pull her unconscious out of the cell.

— Are you kidding? Are you really going to drag her like that?

— No. — he tried hard — I'm going to...

— Stop it... — Colth ignored the previous orders and pulled the woman into his arms.

— What are you doing? — the boy asked helplessly. — I sent you...

— Stay quiet — he insisted — I'll take care of this. Just show me the way.

The boy found the attitude strange. The boy really seemed willing to help him. He fell silent, thoughtful.

— Shall we go? — Colth urged.

— Okay. — He let go of any doubt. — Come, follow me.

As soon as they passed through the steel barred door, the boy spoke once more:

“Do you know this other one?” he said, pointing with his eyes to the unconscious man on the cold floor of the cell.

— He was the one who attacked us a little while ago — Colth replied, still with the woman in his arms, waiting for the right direction.

The young man locked the cell again with only the hooded man inside.

— Come. Bring her up.

The boy made his way through the darkness of the hallway with his flashlight in hand while being closely followed by Colth.

The boy remained silent even though he had a dozen doubts in his head. He couldn't help but observe, for a few brief moments, Garta's unconscious face, thinking about how fearless and strong she had been at the time of the fight. Even though her delicate and serene rest now didn't show any of that, she was undoubtedly a troublemaker in person.

“What are you doing?” the boy asked as he stopped in front of a passage at the end of the corridor and suddenly looked at the boy who was following him.

“Huh? Nothing.” Colth hid his dazed gaze from the woman in his arms. “I was just…”

— He really is a fool — whispered the boy. — Come. It's this way.

The young man began to climb a flight of stone steps that stretched into the darkness of the claustrophobic corridor. Colth complied with the orders and, as soon as he finished climbing the staircase, he found himself in a completely different environment from the last one.

A spacious, well-lit hallway, luxurious from floor to ceiling. A red carpet, which ran the entire length of the long hallway, cushioning their footsteps, led them to one of the many hand-carved wooden doors.

The hallway of large windows and chandeliers was left behind when the boy entered through one of the doors and was followed by the bellhop.

— Put her to bed.

Colth nodded. He gently laid Garta's body on the soft mattress covered in silk and cotton sheets that made up the double bed in the center of that spacious room, as luxurious as the hallway. The boy took a few steps back and watched the boy take his place with concern, the young man cuddling the woman and covering her with the sheets.

“Is she going to be okay?” Colth asked.

— Yes, she will. She just needs to rest a little. — the boy replied as he headed out of the room.

— What is this place? — Colth followed in the younger man's footsteps. — I never imagined being in such a grand place. I can only imagine one place like this in all of Albores... Wait. We're not in the emperor's palace, are we?

— What? Of course not.

— Sure, sure. I don't really know much beyond my city, but I'm surprised to have such a luxurious place in the Capital.

— Capital? Haha. — The boy laughed without hiding his surprise as he closed the double doors to the room. They both found themselves facing each other in the middle of the well-designed hallway. — We're not in the Capital. We're very far from there.

— ...

— If you don't believe me, see for yourself. — He pointed to the window behind the beautiful curtains that hid the hallway from the sunlight.

That's what Colth did, pulling the hanging fabric aside and revealing the view of the outside of the place.

— Wow — he whispered, fascinated.

On the other side of the window, the impressive landscape filled the observer's eyes. Mountains and more mountains covered in reddish forests throughout their entire length. It was possible to see some structures amidst the vegetation that seemed to have been abandoned a long time ago. A beautiful river ran between the buildings and the golden vegetation, bathed in the light of dawn and complemented by the birds flying in the blue sky; the horizon was like a painting coming to life through a dream.

— This is Finn, or it used to be. Before the Goddess of Lux unleashed her wrath upon this world. What’s left is basically this place and a small village on the outskirts of here. We call it the Last Fortress.

—This is amazing. — Colth’s eyes still shone at the dazzling horizon.

— Hmm. — The boy let out a sigh inspired by a smile. — You should see this place in spring, the flowers make everything more colorful. In summer it's also incredible, everything turns green and animals appear in droves, the problem is the insects.

— Did you say, summer? — Colth showed his surprise. — It's summer.

— Not in this world.

— World? What does that mean?

— Why did you bring me to the room? — Garta's tired voice came from the room that had just been closed by the boy. She leaned on the door frame and tried to demonstrate strength that she clearly didn't have at that moment. — I said I just needed some time.

— Girl? You should rest more. If you keep going like this, you'll end up killing yourself.

— I appreciate your concern, little brother, but I'm already much better. — He walked slowly across the hallway.

— Are you sure? — the boy worried.

— Yes. I just abused the commute a little.

She approached the two and leaned on the windowsill in front of the glass.

— How many did you make?

— Three displacements. One was with that emissary who attacked us. Plus this displaced one here. — He pointed to Colth beside him.

— Four people? That’s a record, isn’t it? — asked the boy, impressed.

- And yes.

— Can someone explain to me what's going on? — Colth spoke up, tired of just hearing things that didn't make any sense, he was ignored.

— Can you tell me why you moved this guy here? — the boy asked without any shyness, pointing at the confused young man.

— This is Colth, he's harmless. My real target was the emissary who attacked us, but he moved just in time. Anyway, I got that one right. He was actually lucky, if he had missed he would be dead.

—Dead? —Colth whispered.

— So, this one isn't an enemy? — the boy sought clarification.

— No, Hikki. He's no threat, I told you.

— Of course I'm not an enemy! — Colth exclaimed irritably. — I've been by your side all this time without harming you. It wouldn't make sense for me to be an enemy. Besides, I even carried Garta, does that seriously not make me a trustworthy person?

— Wait a minute. — Garta interrupted the boy's words. He turned to the boy. — Did you let him carry me? Hikki?

— What could I do? Leave you in the cell with two strange lunatics?

—And you decided it was okay for one of those crazy people to carry me around?

— Hey. I'm here, you know? I'm not crazy. — Colth remained ignored.

— Ugh. Forget it. I'd rather not know about it — Garta gave up on the argument.

The three in front of the window joined in the silence for a few seconds, the sunlight hitting their faces warming the more orderly environment.

—And what do you intend to do with the crazy guy? The one down there — asked Hikki after taking a joint breath.

— I want to question him. — Garta returned to his natural seriousness. — Ask him how he found out about Celina, the guardian.

— Celina, she... — Colth interrupted the conversation.

— She's fine, don't worry. The emissary who attacked her wasn't a big threat. — Garta tried to calm the boy down and then turned to the boy. — But I want to understand how he infiltrated the Ministry of Defense headquarters.

— Hmm. That's important. — Hikki agreed. — And the guardian?

— In the library, along with a noisy little boy.

“Are Aldren and Celina here?” Colth looked excited.

— Yes. On second thought, it's a good idea to go see them. — Garta anticipated what the boy was going to say. — We'll take care of the emissary later.