The Guardian’s breath hitched as Uriel uttered those words.
Just like all Guardians, he was trained for war and battle, but unlike the Silver Robe Guardians, he wasn’t used to fighting humans.
All he did was cut down beasts from ti to ti and handle administrative matters. He wasn’t as sharp as the truly battle-forged Guardians.
And Uriel knew it. He knew that he knew.
From the beginning, the boy had been playing with him, slowly stirring his emotions and continuously toying with his mind, as if all he desired was to make him attack.
It was like Uriel wanted him to strike first.
"W-why do you say that?" he asked, his voice shaky as he lowered his blade.
He wouldn’t let Uriel dictate things.
"Why?" Uriel raised a brow, almost confused. "Because I’m going to ascend the Spire—why else?"
Uriel looked at him as if he were a fool. "If you, an esteed Guardian, fear striking down a boy like , what can the rest of you do?"
He propped a shoulder on his chair’s armrest, then rested his chin on it.
"It seems to you’re all cowards, relying on grandiose displays to cent your authority. A decent bunch of cowards, I’d say."
The Guardian’s eyes widened.
"It’s probably why you couldn’t defeat those beasts and instead had to trap them in those little rocks, huh?"
Uriel shook his head. "Pathetic to the bone."
The Guardian snapped. His core exploded with power, his blade’s edge igniting with white flas as he cut down.
Uriel watched the blade slowly descend toward him and internally sighed in relief. ’Finally.’
’Now let’s dance.’
...
The outpost was as calm as usual.
People ca in, and people ca out.
The only oddity today was the rather slow processing on the administrative end. For so reason, they were taking hours for a single visitor.
It was strange, but not worrying.
The line was still as long as ever, and the silence just as oppressive.
Not far from the lines, one of the ivory-and-gold armored knights stood on watch, his back straight and his gaze piercing through his visor.
He stood tall, emitting an aura of pure authority and might. Though that was the case, inwardly, he found himself bored beyond words.
’I miss the academy...’ He lanted the lack of action.
His position was an esteed one, so he couldn’t complain—but still, he wished for more.
’It’s fine. I’ll be a guard for now. Then, in three months, I’ll go to the Royal Knighthood and take the test. If I fail, I’ll use my experience as a guard as a buffer.’
His gaze steeled.
’The boredom is just a step toward success. The grind is dictated by—’
BOOOOOM!
The young guard blinked, and suddenly, flas consud his surroundings. He was thrown off his feet, waves of debris collapsing onto him.
His ears rang loudly, and his eyes stung from the ash and soot covering them. The aether in the air was so chaotic that explosions continued to erupt spontaneously.
But this was exactly what he’d been trained for.
BANG!
A radiant golden fla burst from his body, shattering all the debris that had fallen on him and instantly bringing clarity to his mind.
He sprang to his feet, imdiately scanning his surroundings.
The outpost was now nothing but a field of burning debris, a large hole torn into the protective walls of the core ring.
Not far away, he could see hundreds lying unconscious and injured—but thankfully, none were dead.
His gaze snapped to his left, eting the eyes of his fellow Guard. "Terrorist attack?" he asked, trying to make sense of the chaos that had suddenly erupted around them.
The outpost had never been attacked in his lifeti.
Just as his fellow guard was about to answer, a body was flung from the deepest reaches of the core ring and into the rubble, skidding across the burning ground.
The figure wore torn golden robes and was bloodied beyond words, but, surprisingly, still alive.
"Co on."
Following after the skidding body was a charming young man, entirely unblemished amidst the destruction, wearing a smile far too radiant to an anything good.
Instantly, the two guards found their target.
BANG!
Alos, the young guard, suddenly exploded forward, aether and flas coating his body as he bridged the distance and struck down with vicious, killing intent.
Uriel threw him a glance. "Really nice armor you’ve got."
He stepped back and easily dodged the descending strike, smiling as his hips twisted inward and his leg whipped through the air in a high kick aid directly at the guard’s head.
PAH!
Alos’ helt of gold and ivory shattered, and he staggered backward, deep echoes of aether ringing through his mind and throwing him into a dazed confusion he couldn’t shake.
"Stand down."
Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice echoed.
Around the scene, a golden do ford, trapping Uriel within it and sealing him away from the rest of the city.
All across the do, silver-white robed Guardians appeared—dozens, hundreds, thousands. Too many to count.
And none of them emitted any aura whatsoever.
Uriel looked around, slicking his hair back as he found himself completely surrounded.
Even without sensing their auras, he could tell; none of them were within the first step.
They were all behemoths he couldn’t defeat, even in his wildest dreams.
But battle had never been his goal.
"Well then, my dear gentlen... what can I do for you all?"
Near the peak of the wall’s shattered opening, a crimson-robed Guardian suddenly appeared, his presence unhidden and vast, like the endless seas.
And for once, his eyes weren’t green. They were gold.
"Identify yourself."
Uriel looked up. "No."
"But I would like to ask for permission to ascend the Spire. Could you grant that?"
The crimson figure took a step into the void, then slowly floated down. In re seconds, they stood nearly face to face with Uriel.
Still, Uriel was a head taller, so the figure had to look up at him as he looked down.
His smile softened, then faded into neutrality. And then, Uriel fully concealed his presence, vanishing completely from every single one of their senses.
The crimson robe’s eyes widened, but in the next instant, Uriel reappeared.
Outside the golden do.
"Co chase !"
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