A Silent Vow

The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm glow over the riverside town of Tombuza. A gentle breeze rolled through, rustling the leaves and carrying the distant laughter of children playing in the open fields. The scent of fresh grass and the faint aroma of cooking from nearby homes mixed in the air, giving the evening a peaceful, almost nostalgic feel.

I ran as fast as I could, my breath ragged, my legs burning. The riverbank stretched ahead, its gentle currents shimmering under the setting sun. A wooden fence ran along its edge, meant to keep reckless children from wandering too close. No matter how much I pushed myself, I couldn't close the distance. Astrea and Kai were already there—waiting.

Gasping, I finally stopped, bending over with my hands on my knees, struggling to catch my breath. Sweat dripped from my forehead, stinging my eyes. I was never the fastest, and after five whole minutes of running, my body was screaming at me to stop.

"Ardi!!"

A bright, familiar voice carried through the air. I forced myself to look up. There she was—Astrea—standing by an old oak tree, grinning from ear to ear as she waved at me. Her golden hair shone under the soft evening sunlight, swaying gently with the wind. Even from here, I could see the excitement dancing in her golden brown eyes.

Astrea and I had grown up together from the moment we were infants. There was never a day in my life when she wasn't there. And that oak tree—the one she stood beside now—was where we spent most of our days.

"Don't be so slow! Come here fast!" she called out, tapping her foot impatiently. Beside her, Kai stood with his arms crossed, giving me a slightly awkward smile. Unlike Astrea, he wasn't one to yell or rush me—he was calmer, more mature. At nine, he was older than both of us by three years, and that alone made him feel like a responsible older brother.

Kai is kind ,he always tends to think that its his responsibility to keep us in check, as if we will go ahead and do something stupid if left alone

Well not to mention there was the time when I fell into the river when he was not here

It was just me and Astrea, playing near the riverbank, and I—being the genius I was—decided that walking along the very edge was a perfectly safe idea. Astrea had told me not to, but I just shrugged her off.

"We'll be fine," I had said.

We were NOT fine.

The second my foot slipped, I plunged straight into the river, the cold water shocking me to my core. Panic surged through me as I flailed, my little limbs barely able to keep me afloat. My breath hitched, and water filled my mouth, my throat, my lungs—

I was drowning.

And Astrea?

She had been five. Just five.

She couldn't swim. She couldn't even reach me.

But unlike me—who had arrogantly assumed we could take care of ourselves—she reacted.

She turned and ran.

As fast as her little legs could carry her, she sprinted straight back to town, screaming for help, her voice ringing through the air.

I don't remember much after that. Just the weightlessness of being dragged by the current, the hazy blur of the sky, and the sudden, crushing grip of strong hands pulling me out.

The next thing I knew, I was coughing up river water on solid ground, a bunch of adults hovering over me, their voices overlapping in panic and relief.

And Astrea?

She was out of breath, her tiny frame trembling, her face red from both exertion and frustration.

"Idiot," she had muttered between gasps. "You… you said we'd be fine!"

…Yeah. I did say that, didn't I?

When Kai found out, I expected him to be furious. And he was. But after scolding me half to death, after sighing and rubbing his temples like he was already too old for this—he just shook his head and placed a hand on top of mine and Astrea's.

"You two really can't be left alone."

Well, it's not like that will ever happen again, right?

Kai's black eyes carried their usual calmness and his black hair being swayed by the hair slightly, He wore simple summer clothes—an off-white tunic and dark brown shorts—perfect for the warm weather.

 I groaned between breaths, still hunched over.

"I've… been running… all this time… You two… are just too fast… It's not fair…"

Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Then maybe you should train your stamina instead of whining about it."

Astrea huffed, folding her arms. "Stop complaining and come already!"

Yeah, she was definitely getting impatient. I forced my legs to move again, trudging toward them.

That oak tree stood proudly in the eastern part of Tombuza, near the path leading out of town. It was an old, sturdy thing—its branches stretching wide, offering shade from the sun, its roots weaving into the earth like veins.

Tombuza itself wasn't particularly advanced, but it wasn't underdeveloped either. The town had sturdy stone buildings, well-structured roads, Most of the houses were simple, built with a mix of wood and stone, their tiled roofs giving them a rustic charm.

 As I reached the tree, my breathing was still uneven, but at least my legs weren't screaming anymore. That's when I noticed what Astrea was doing—she was carving something onto the bark with an old, rusted knife.

This place had always been ours, a quiet corner of the world where we spent most of our time.

Kai stood beside her, his brows furrowed. He looked half-annoyed and half-worried, probably because she was waving the blade around too recklessly. Knowing him, he was probably resisting the urge to snatch it away before she hurt herself.

Kai had always looked out for us, especially me. I wasn't brave—I cried too easily, got scared too fast. So in a way, Kai and Astrea weren't just my friends. They were my babysitters.

I took a step closer, trying to make sense of the carving. The lines weren't perfect—crooked and uneven—but I could still make out what it was. A circular crest, with words etched around the circumference. I squinted.

"…Vanguard?" I muttered.

The symbol had lines stretching outward, connecting to her name that Astrea was currently carving, linking it to the crest with a curving line. She stepped back, examining her handiwork, then turned to Kai with an expectant smile.

"Your turn," she said. Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

 Kai glanced at me, then at the carving, before letting out a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine…" He took the knife from her and, with a lot more precision, carved his name next to hers.

 Then they both turned to me. "Your turn, Ardi," Astrea said, holding the knife out to me. I hesitated. The blade looked old and worn out, but I wasn't worried about that. I just… wasn't sure if I should.

 But the way they were both staring at me—waiting, expecting—I couldn't just refuse. I took the knife. My hands weren't as steady as Kai's, and when I started carving my name, I messed up the last letter. The blade slipped slightly, creating a faint scratch below it.

I winced, hoping they wouldn't notice. Kai tilted his head. "…Not bad." I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Then he finally asked, "What is this Vanguard, anyway?"

Astrea beamed, her excitement returning in full force. "It's us!" she declared. Kai raised an eyebrow. "Us?" She nodded eagerly. "This crest means that we'll always be there for each other—no matter what!"

"And We will always help anyone who needs it" she continued 

I frowned, staring at the messy carving.

 "Asi… what can we even do? We can't even take care of ourselves."

She placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest. "We'll figure it out somehow. No use thinking about that now!" Her confidence was unshakable, like she had already made up her mind about it.

 I glanced at Kai, expecting him to argue, but he just sighed and shook his head with a small smile. I looked back at the carving. "Vanguard… huh?"

 For some reason, I didn't hate the sound of it.

Before I could say anything else, I saw Astrea's head snap toward the road leading out of town. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone—sprinting past me and Kai without a second thought.

"H-Hey, Asi—" My words barely left my mouth before she was already halfway there, her excitement radiating off her like a wildfire.

Following her gaze, I spotted the person she was running toward—a tall man walking down the dirt road, his strides steady, his expression unreadable. Silas Gohart.

The moment Astrea reached him, she practically crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

 "Dad!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a kind of joy that neither I nor Kai could ever hope to pull out of her.

Silas paused for a second before letting out a quiet chuckle, his cold expression softening as he ruffled her hair. "You missed me that much?"

"Obviously!" she said, looking up at him with an exaggerated pout. "You were gone for a whole week! A week, Dad! That's forever!"

Kai and I walked over, though walked might be an overstatement—it was more of an awkward, reluctant shuffle. I mean, it wasn't like we had much of a choice. Astrea had completely forgotten we existed.

Silas Gohart wasn't really the expressive type. He was the kind of guy who always kept his emotions locked away, never saying more than necessary. He had this calm, collected presence that made it hard to tell what he was thinking. But when it came to us kids, well… he was different. He smiled around us. He joked around—at least in his own dry, quiet way. And despite how reserved he was, I never once felt uncomfortable around him. If anything, I always kind of… respected him.

I don't know why. Maybe it was the way he carried himself. Maybe it was the way he always seemed like he knew what to do. Either way, something inside me just knew—this man was capable.

Astrea let go of him just enough to peer up at his face, her brows furrowing slightly. "You're not hurt or anything, right?"

Silas blinked, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Then, with a faint smirk, he knelt slightly so they were at eye level. "Do I look hurt?"

Astrea puffed her cheeks. "That's not an answer."

Silas chuckled, his smirk widening just a little before he finally reassured her. "I'm fine. Heista wasn't that dangerous."

Astrea huffed. "You say that, but—"

"She worried about you the whole time," I cut in, crossing my arms. "Seriously, I think she mentioned it, like, fifty times a day."

Silas raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Fifty times?"

Astrea went stiff. "I—I did not!"

Kai snorted. "You did."

Her face turned slightly red as she stomped her foot. "Shut up, both of you!"

Silas let out a quiet chuckle before shifting his gaze toward me. His sharp eyes still carried their usual weight, but there was a faint glint of amusement in them. "So, how much trouble have you and Astrea caused this time?"

I straightened up slightly, crossing my arms. "Hey, we haven't done anything crazy… today."

Silas raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "What do you mean by TODAY"

Kai, who had been silent until now, let out a dramatic sigh. "I tried to stop them."

Silas smirked, glancing at him. "Oh God! What have they done now?"

Kai, let out a long, suffering sigh. "Just the other day, they let the cows loose—again. And Astrea… well, she decided a duck would look better with a fresh coat of paint, so she chased it down and forced it to sit still."

Silas blinked, then slowly dragged a hand down his face. "Tell me she at least used normal paint."

Kai shook his head. "It was some weird mix of berries and soot. The duck was blue and red for a whole day before it finally got washed off."

Silas groaned. "And the cows?"

I shrugged. "They came back. Eventually."

"They trampled old man Myron's vegetable patch first," Kai muttered.

I winced. "Yeah… that part wasn't ideal."

Silas let out a slow exhale, shaking his head. "You two are a menace. I should start charging your parents for the mental strain you're putting me through."

Kai crossed his arms, nodding sagely. "Told you I tried to stop them."

Silas patted his shoulder. "Then you did your part. No one's ever managed to keep those two from running headfirst into trouble anyway."

Kai puffed up a little at that, and I rolled my eyes. "We're not that bad."

"Mm-hm," Silas hummed, clearly unconvinced. But he let it go, reaching into his bag and pulling out a small, leather-bound notebook. With an easy flick, he tossed it toward me.

I caught it—barely—and frowned as I flipped through the pages. The first half was filled with notes and sketches—detailed descriptions of sword forms, techniques, and footwork patterns. My grip on the notebook tightened slightly.

"You're serious about learning how to fight, right?" Silas asked casually.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not old enough for the academy yet."

"Then this should keep you busy until you are."

I ran my fingers over the pages, taking in the depth of detail. "This is… really useful," I muttered before looking up at him. "Thanks, Uncle Si."

Silas gave a small nod, smirking. "Just don't let Astrea use it to pick fights."

"Too late for that," Kai mumbled under his breath.

Silas chuckled before turning his attention to Kai. "And you… still into birdwatching?"

Kai blinked up at him, a little surprised. "Uh… yeah! I mean, I love it."

Silas pulled out another item from his bag and handed it to him. "Then these should be useful."

Kai hesitated before taking the small, finely crafted binoculars from Silas's hand. His fingers ran over the polished metal edges, eyes widening. "These are… really nice," he muttered, inspecting them closely.

Silas smirked. "Damn well better be. Had to call in a favor for those."

Kai eagerly lifted them to his eyes, adjusting the focus. The second he did, his jaw practically dropped. "Whoa… I can see everything so clearly!"

I grinned. "Guess I'll be losing you to the birds now?"

Kai didn't even look away from the binoculars. "Not my fault birds are cooler than you."

Silas let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "That was aimed at Arden, right?"

Kai grinned. "Yes"

Silas patted my head suddenly, catching me off guard. "Try not to make my job harder, alright? Someone's gotta keep you and Astrea in one piece."

I scowled, swatting his hand away. "Yeah, yeah."

Silas smirked, then ruffled Kai's hair too, making the him protest. "And you—don't let them rope you into anything stupid."

Kai pouted. "No promises."

Silas exhaled, shaking his head with amusement. "I'm surrounded by menaces."

"Sounds about right," I said with a grin.

Silas then turned to Astrea, reaching into his bag once more. "And Astrea my little girl," he called, holding out a small wooden box, "This is for you"

Astrea took the box, opening it carefully. Inside was a delicate silver hairpin, shaped like a crescent moon with a tiny gemstone embedded in the centre.

She didn't say anything at first, just staring at it before slowly reaching out and tracing her fingers over the cool metal.

"...It's nice," she finally said, her voice quieter than before.

Silas gave a small nod. "I thought it'd suit you."

Astrea carefully pinned it into her hair, adjusting it slightly.

"Looks good on you," I said offhandedly.

She shot me a look but didn't deny it.

Kai finally lowered his binoculars. "Alright, alright, enough serious stuff—Am getting hungry now"

Silas just shook his head. "Go on, you three. I'll see you later."

Astrea hesitated for a second before stepping forward and hugging him again, this time more gently. "Welcome home, Dad."

Silas gave a rare, small smile. "It's good to be back."

Astrea had already started rambling walking away with him holding his hand about all the things that had happened while he was gone, from the most mundane details to the critically important fact that I tripped on a rock the other day.

Silas just listened, nodding along as she spoke, never interrupting.

Yeah. I respected this guy.