Odyssey of the Guardian Emperor

Since the first Tempering Ritual, the concept of sleep had begun to shift. At times, Alaric slept normally, then during other times, he travelled to the In-Between. He wasn't entirely sure of the difference.

The gentle form of the dark-haired boy sat curled up like a ball inside the thick meadow, grateful for the gentle warmth of his realm in the In-Between. Far from the tree growing in the middle, he hid amongst the tall stalks of grass, embracing the shadows that kept him hidden from everything.

His heart thundered in his chest, beating with a dull ache he wished would go numb already. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the tears flowed down his face, no matter how much he wiped them away.

He wished the ground would swallow him. He wished for time to stop, or perhaps go backwards. He wanted to return to the Five Hills and lock himself in the orphanage, never to leave the safe village again.

Alaric wanted to terminate his contract with the Tower of Seekers and just forget about everything. A single dark moment flashed through his mind now and again. An image. It was of the Dark Mage's face as he came at him with a killing blow, filled with malice and raw murder intent.

The fear. The possibility of death. The magnitude of this whole mission came crashing down on his shoulders. His thoughts rolled silently off his lips, 'They said I was exceptional for jumping straight to the Wood Rank… but all I've found are even stronger fighters. Everywhere I turn, something's trying to kill me, and it's always so powerful.'

A set of eyes peered through the stalks, casting a gentle gaze on him. Alaric looked up at the beast. A brilliant black coat of fur, amber eyes, white sharp teeth, whiskers and a faded scar running down to its nose, courtesy of the Dark Mage.

"You finally showed yourself," Alaric's hoarse voice echoed in the silent meadow.

The catlike creature emerged from the shadows, raven black wings tucked closely to its side. It was a familiar puma, easily towering over Alaric's coiled form. He felt no fear towards it, only kinship. They were bonded to each other, after all, much like he was bonded to his guardian, Alia.

He could feel the puma's emotions, gentle and comforting. Naturally, the puma could feel his emotions as well. This bond was less in comparison to Alia's. They couldn't read each other's thoughts, but that didn't stop it from feeling any less real. The black cat coiled around the boy and nuzzled his head gently before settling down.

'Sabre,' the name came to him. He'd acquired this guardian from a dark mage who didn't deserve her, and now, after so many months, she was confident enough to approach him, even though he didn't understand what reason she had for being shy.

Alaric's body shivered again in fear as the images of Avaros and his relentless attacks flashed through his mind. He saw the times he narrowly got stabbed, and the times when he did get hit. He saw the moment when his shoulder got smashed, and that was when he was sent reeling out of the woods with black smoke in his lungs.

"I stood tall, like a Sentinel. I stared death in the face and tamed my fear at bay so I would keep moving…" The boy bit his fingers, fresh tears pooling, "…but death looked right back."

He sniffled and hugged his legs, burying his head behind them.

Hours passed before he peeked over his hands again, a little bit calmer than before. He couldn't tell how long he'd been crying, but now, the ache in his chest had dulled a bit. He looked up at a blue sky and just went still.

'This world is so much bigger than this, isn't it?'

The answer was one he knew all too well. He'd read books that spoke of the vastness of the Valerian continent.

The Floating Isles of Liquidium in Central Valeria, the Breathing Desert in the North, the Great White Peaks in the East, the Sea of Sorrow, not far from the Breathing Desert, and so much more…

"Finn had always wanted to visit the Pill Tower in the West, where the greatest alchemists go to learn the most difficult elixir recipes and pill-refining techniques. He would go on and on about it, especially before Jared died."

Alaric chuckled dryly, "He'd say it's where the best and the brightest ended up and that one day, he would make it there, too. Of all of us, he had the biggest imagination."

"Darla always wanted to travel the continent and try a few things. Eat some exotic food and maybe even find herself a familiar," his tone remained neutral as he rested his chin onto his folded legs.

Their childhood dreams, colourful in all ways, now trembled inside his mind, brittle. They were nothing but dreams of children who knew nothing of this cruel continent. They lived in a world where people like Avaros just walked around killing innocent people, as if the demon scourge wasn't already enough.

Alaric knew bad people existed. His guardian had warned him, and none of them had ever been under the illusion that the world was all rainbows and butterflies. But in contrast to the type of evil Alaric's imagination could cook up, Avaros was worse than a nightmare.

"Don't you want that for them? For Darla to see the world, and for Finn to reach the Pill Tower?" A gentle voice filtered into Alaric's tired mind.

He locked eyes with Sabre. Her amber eyes cast a gentle gaze on him, radiating nothing but loving warmth. The big cat leaned in and nuzzled him, licking his cheek gently.

'Of course, I would like Finn to visit the Pill Tower. But…' his heart cracked at the thought of Finn dying in the explosion of an Aether Cataclyst. Was this how the Matriarch felt sheltering Lucy for so long?

His voice came out hoarser and broken, barely a whisper, "I want them to be free to do whatever they want… but it's so dangerous out there. I'm not sure if you know this, but I almost died fighting that man."

Sabre leaned forward and licked his face again. Her fur was gentle, and her breath felt like a hug. In this space, she was light against Alaric's darkness. The winged puma coddled him, "If all you think about is danger, all you will ever see is danger."

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"All I've been faced with since leaving the Five Hills has been danger," Alaric blurted out, his heartbeat rising. At every turn, he'd found himself being hunted by something.

"What about Jack's Fall?" the cat purred against him, unfazed by his outburst, "You loved it there. You ate Master Jill's favourite cakes without thinking."

She had a point.

Jack's Fall had been a wonderful place indeed. Simple, safe and with such good people. Sabre continued, "There will always be danger, Little Prince. Not even your past self could escape it when he got to the Divine Rank."

"You knew him?" Alaric asked, curiosity shining in his eyes, "You knew Soren?"

"Not personally, no," the puma chuckled, "Every guardian knows the tales. It's why no guardian in their right mind would stand against you. At least not directly," Sabre paused, nuzzling him a bit more before adding, "It is okay to fear death. It is okay to run away and hide, and weep. It's okay to allow yourself despair. That all makes you human, and humans are not without fear. There is no exception. What's not okay… is failing to pick yourself back up and forging a way forward."

Alaric hugged the puma and rubbed circles in her soft fur, tremors running through his body. Tears flowed down his face again; It was like a pipe had broken and would not stop leaking.

The sound of eight Cataclysts exploding rumbled through his mind. The memory of light and heat, expanding to burn the flesh of every living thing within Melbourne, flashed through his eyes like a fresh scar to remind him of his battle against the Dark Mage.

Five days of planning only to nearly get himself killed. He lost count of how many variations of the Dance of the Sword he'd used in that battle, as well as how many times he'd replayed those fights in his head.

Each variation he tried had failed, and even when the Dance of the Sentinel had brought him two cuts of the Bone Tiger's blade, it hadn't been enough to finish the Dark Mage off.

The puma chuckled at the river of convoluted emotions flowing through his mind, "Can I ask you something, Little Prince?" Alaric nodded for her to continue, "What are you without your armour?"

Alaric scoffed, "Just another frightened child."

Another soft chuckle punctuated their tranquil silence.

"It's not that simple." Alaric paused to pay the guardian his full attention, "When someone is stripped of all their armour. When they lose everything they own and all they have built, they are not reduced to nothing. Some are reduced to fathers with children looking up to them. Some are reduced to children with hopes and dreams brighter than the stars. Some are reduced to deep wells of knowledge that can save so many lives, or destroy them. What are you reduced to?"

Alaric stared at the puma's dark fur blankly, 'Was this some sort of trick question?'

Lacking anything better to think about but his fears, Alaric allowed himself to ponder the question, "What am I reduced to? A boy with hopes and dreams like any other."

There was silence. The puma didn't respond, only softly purring by the boy's side. Alaric knew his answer was incorrect. He knew there was more to the guardian's question, but it was rare for someone to admit to what they saw in the mirror. Some things were harder to see.

"Do you want to give him a clue, Valiant Knight?" the puma spoke out.

Quietly, a girl stepped through the tall stalks to reveal herself to Alaric. Alaric's fingers coiled around the puma's fur, careful not to cause the guardian pain while still conveying his unease. His breath deepened, and his shivers began to worsen.

Alia reminded him of the same things he was running from… or wanted to run from. Deep down, he knew there was no escape for him, especially with the same guardian who called him a 'wimp' for crying a lot when Jared died.

"So, this is why you won't wake up," Alia gently whispered.

Alaric held her gaze before breaking it. After all the confidence he'd exuded coming out of the Five Hills, and later the Barren Mountains, facing her now only made his heart sink, "I know I'm the one who delivered the final blow, but I feel like he killed me long before I did."

"It's natural to fear death," The girl said, sitting in front of the puma to pet her head, "You feared it as Soren, and you fear it now. That doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."

"I'm not the man Soren was."

Alia hesitated, taking a deep breath, she hoped Alaric wouldn't notice, "Soren… wasn't the man you think he was." At this, Alaric furrowed his eyebrows, "Everyone saw him as this indestructible beacon of light and hope. A pillar that could never be toppled. The Great Guardian Emperor, the pinnacle of the Divine Rank, and yet, even he met his demise."

"Soren… was the Guardian Emperor?" Alaric's eyes widened.

"Yes, he was, as are you," Alia responded.

"I'm no Emperor. I'm just Alaric," the boy responded.

"I hid this from you so you would have a childhood. I wanted you to have fun without the weight of this burden on your shoulders. The Tower of Seekers knows this and has done its best to respect my wishes, but you will never be without enemies. They will always be looking for a way to get to you. That is why you train to get stronger," Alia responded.

"I don't want to be the Guardian Emperor," Alaric responded firmly.

"What makes you think you have a choice? An ant does not choose to be born an ant. A snake does not choose to be a snake. A guardian does not choose to be a guardian, even one as powerful as I. We are simply born into those bodies and we live our lives striving to be the best ants, snakes, guardians or Guardian Emperors we can be," the knight responded, "I'm not saying I will force you to be the Guardian Emperor. I'm saying you already are…"

"I don't understand…"

Alia took a deep breath and calmed down. "Can you question the fact that you were born human or that you were born a male?"

Alaric shook his head. "That's absurd."

"Exactly," the guardian smiled, "You were born the Guardian Emperor and, if you die, the world will be plunged into an era of darkness from which there will be no escape."

Alaric's mind buzzed. This wasn't a matter of being chosen, but his nature. He shook his head, refusing to wrap his head around that, "How… did a Guardian Emperor of the Divine Rank die?"

Alia stared at the ground for a bit, gently rubbing Sabre's ears as she thought through her answer. Just as the guardian could peer into Alaric's mind, he could peer into hers, although he rarely did. What he relied on were her emotions.

He felt her heartbreak and her loss. He felt the pain that came from thinking about Soren's death, like a fresh stab wound.

"Nothing is invulnerable, Alaric," the guardian whispered, drawing her lips to a thin line, "That's what I learnt on that day. You can train your whole life, endure the toughest of trials, rise to the pinnacle of the Divine Rank, fortify your castle and kill all your enemies, and still have fatal weaknesses."

Alaric's beating heart slowed just a bit, enough for him to think clearly. His fear was a lot greater than he'd initially assumed, but at the end of the day, even he was no fool to the truth. He could see through his guardian's words.

She wasn't asking him to be anything other than himself, because that is who the Guardian Emperor was. A small smile graced Alaric's face, and he turned his attention back to the black puma.

"What I'm reduced to… is an orphan with no parents," Sabre tilted her head, coaxing him to continue, "…and a friend, surrounded by love, willing to give up anything to protect it, a boy with dreams of one day vanquishing the Demon King, a keeper-candidate hoping he has what it takes to pass the Trial and a curious adventurer who yearns to see the world and all that it has to offer. But at my core, I'm a protector, who would rather die than see others suffer under the oppression of others."

If a puma could smile, that's what Sabre did. The cat licked his face with a satisfied purr, "That's better. Do not forget your fear, for without fear, there cannot be courage. The bravest men aren't fearless. Just as many as there are things to fear on this continent, there are plenty of things to love and experience. It's one big fat mess waiting for you to see it, and fix where possible."

Alaric hugged the guardian, "Shall I see you again?"

"I've been with you since you rescued me from my former master," the guardian chuckled in response, "Call on me and I'll be right there."

Alaric felt his consciousness drift after this, and for the first time since the end of the battle, he slept soundly without fear or nightmares.

………………………