Odyssey of the Guardian Emperor

Calling Alaric an enigma was starting to feel like an understatement the longer Alia watched over him. The guardian stared at her master with a complicated expression. She'd expected him to grow fast, but not like this.

There was a reason Steel Ranks were rare, and even then, there were three whole ranks above them, and yet, Alaric was growing at a pace that suggested those ranks should be easily attainable.

He'd broken through to the Wood Rank within a single Tempering ritual, but in what world was he allowed to just climb through the Wood Rank in two weeks and start asking for a Stone Pill?

Even for a talented individual, he was becoming an outlier. That said, she was more concerned with how he felt about this whole 'rupturing your meridians if you don't find a Stone Pill' situation. A normal person would be stressed out and frantic, but Alaric just smiled at the puma purring beneath the touch of his accomodating hands and asked, "How much time do I have?"

The knight blinked, aware of the few steps they were skipping. The giant rocky guardian standing to the side with a steel mallet in hand easily fell into the background.

"Alaric, you know, it's okay to vent a little bit." Alia tried.

"I know," Alaric responded, "I've seen someone in a worse situation, so I'll be alright. How much time do we have?"

"I… didn't ask that question," Alia responded, "I was still questioning Thai when I suddenly sensed your presence here. I came to see you as soon as they put you in the water."

Alaric nodded. He knew the use of Bases. During Body Tempering, Bases were elixirs used to enrich the body's surroundings with the nutrients required to strengthen the body enough to wield the power of the new Temper Rank. Without Bases, however, climbing through Temper Ranks became exceedingly slow as the nutrients were to be ingested naturally by eating carefully picked foods.

"You taught me full-body Aether Manipulation to help me progress faster, didn't you?" Alaric asked.

"It wasn't supposed to work that well, honestly," the guardian responded, "Aether Manipulation lets you control the aether within your body, channelling it smoothly through your meridians. Body Tempering is different—you draw raw, chaotic aether from your surroundings, letting it flood your channels to strengthen them. It's like forging steel in a storm."

Alaric narrowed his eyes, "But I easily conduct the aether around me through myself." A short laugh rippled through the peaceful meadow, "That explains why Lucy was surprised that I could transfer aether from my body into another. Is it… abnormal?"

The guardian shrugged, "It's not about it being abnormal. It's reckless and unnecessary. Everyone has limited aether reserves, and they need that aether to avoid Aether Depletion. It makes no sense to learn how to transfer aether from one person to another when there is not enough to go around to begin with."

Alaric nodded, "Thank you." It had been a long time since his guardian taught him the mechanics of the Valerian Continent. He felt the need to ask more questions now that they had the time. Once the Body Tempering Ritual was done, he'd know to wake up, and all this would come to an end. His eyes suddenly opened wide, 'Wait, wake up!'

"Alia, I've never been awake during a Tempering Ritual, have I?"

"I wouldn't say that." Alia shrugged, "You've never been this 'awake'."

Sabre laughed inwardly, the vibrations massaging Alaric's hands as he rubbed her fur, "I was here during both times. You kept skipping around like a child and playing with Alia. It was comical to see you so carefree."

Alaric felt heat crawling up his cheeks while his mind flashed with memories of him running through the meadow with a beautiful girl leading him through. There was laughter… and hide-and-seek, and childish fun. But most of all, there was ignorant innocence, 'Wait, I remember something like that. I wasn't dreaming?'

The black knight had shed her armour and returned to her yellow sundress. This way, her red blush could be seen as well, "I take it the days of frolicking through the meadow are over."

"Don't call it frolicking!" Alaric cried, burying his face in Sabre's fur, which was not enough to hide his embarrassment.

Laughter erupted through the meadow, all melodic except for one deep guttural maniac standing five meters above everyone. Alia finally turned to look at the guardian and regarded his colossal frame.

WorldHammer's skin gleamed like molten rock, scales and armour scraps clinging to his massive frame, more decorative than functional. His mallet, propped beside him, pulsed with latent heat, as if ready to melt stone to lava. Horns curved from his brow, framing a maw where flames flickered with each booming laugh.

"You must be WorldHammer."

"Yes, it is I, WorldHammer, and I challenge the commander of this realm serving under His Majesty," the towering gladiator's voice boomed, "For I, champion gladiator of the arena, undefeated in the Pits of the Spirit World, will never yield to one weaker than me."

A smirk played on Alia's face when she heard the guardian speak.

"Don't be shy, Commander! Step forward. I shall make it quick," WorldHammer laughed for a good, long minute after declaring his intentions before looking back down on the group staring at him. A white clone of Alaric had joined them as well, staring at the gladiator with amusement.

Alia stepped forward and looked up, uttering a single word, "Kneel."

The gladiator came crashing to his knees immediately as an invisible pressure fell on his shoulders. Alia walked up to his head, which was currently large enough to be half her height. His flaming yellow eyes stared at her with a look of defiance. "What is this?"

"My Will," the guardian answered.

"Impossible! Only a member of the royal family can have a Will this strong, and they're all dead," WorldHammer grunted.

Alia's eyes blazed, her fists trembling at her sides. "We merely went into hiding, and Fate protected us. You're not the only ones who've been waiting for the Guardian Emperor to return. And one more thing, WorldHammer. Don't bring up my family ever again!" Alia answered with a punch to WorldHammer's face, powerful enough to send thunder echoing across the realm and rip a crater into the meadow.

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The gladiator flew off like a ragdoll, crashing several paces away as though he'd been rammed into by a charging metal rhino.

Despite the destructive force of the attack, Alaric's attention remained pinned on his guardian. Her heart was beating fast, and Alaric could feel it despite the tough act she was putting on. Sabre's fur rippled in fear while Alaric's clone crawled away to hide behind the massive tree after mouthing an 'Oops.'

[ Can I go? ] Sabre asked the boy—more like begged. Alaric lifted his hands, and the puma took to the sky before diving into the meadow, fleeing for her life.

All of this happened in the wake of Alia's emotions, which was a first for Alaric. Unlike everyone else, though, he wasn't scared by her. If anything, he was worried, "You okay?"

Alia turned to him, "What? Do I look sick to…"

"You can read my emotions, Alia, and I can read yours. It's not exactly a one-way connection," Alaric cut her off. He stood and approached the guardian, only to stop after taking two steps. For the first time since meeting the guardian, he was wary of her.

Shadows rose all around her, encasing her in the familiar black, fearsome armour while she grew five metres tall. The warmth that normally surrounded her was gone, replaced by cold alien malice. "And what do my emotions say, exactly?"

The boy sighed, "That you want to be left alone."

"Exactly!" the guardian whispered back, then walked away. WorldHammer shrank down to a more manageable size and ran away from the stomping guardian. At the edge of the In-Between, Alia took a seat and looked outward.

Alaric's heart thundered in his chest, a dull, familiar ache pulsing within. Their connection was a two-way street indeed, but it was also one that could either grow stronger or be shielded and most of the time, Alia was peering into Alaric's mind while he rarely peered into hers.

Today, he was tempted to try, [ Don't even think about it. ]

[ But Alia… ] Alaric called desperately through their mental connection, [ This isn't how this works! ]

No reply came.

Tears were flowing down the boy's face before he even knew what was going on. His heart felt hollow and painful in a way that felt more like a reflex than an emotional reaction—like his body recognised the danger before his mind did.

It was the absence of his guardian's bond.

Alia had closed off her end of their bond, placing him in a void of true loneliness. She seldom turned away from Alaric except on the rare occasions when he annoyed her.

It hurt. It always did, but when he didn't know why she turned away, it hurt a lot more. Like he was being punished for something he hadn't done.

It felt worse than the times Sister Marla would scold him for not watching the children, yet she'd granted him permission to leave and forgotten. It felt worse than the times Finn got mad at him and stomped off, saying they'd never be friends again. It hurt even worse than finding out he had no family.

That among the orphans in the Five Hills, he was one of the few who were labelled True orphans—children with no parents. Ordinary orphans were placed in orphanages for protection, and when they'd finally awakened their guardians, could return to their homes. In the Five Hills, this transition happened a few months into the Academy to give orphans time to prepare themselves. Alaric wouldn't have that.

The boy looked up at the sky and wondered when his time in the water would end. Just a few moments ago, he'd wished he had more time here; now he wanted nothing more than to get out.

'Perhaps if I circulate my aether even faster…' he wondered.

He didn't know if it would help with how injured his meridians were. Directing his thoughts at the puma hiding somewhere in the meadow, he asked, [ How do I get out of here faster? ]

There was a short period of silence before Sabre's voice filtered into his mind. [ You don't. You have to be patient, or you risk damaging your meridians and channels. Your body is in a critical state without the Stone Pill, so you'll have to be careful. ] Sabre answered, [ Is this your first time on the other side of Lady Alia's ire? ]

[ Not this kind. What's wrong with her? What did WorldHammer say that was so bad? ] Alaric grumbled, frustrated. He'd hoped the black cat would eventually emerge from the meadow to keep him company, but that didn't happen. She spoke from afar and never stepped close to the small hill.

[ Lady Alia is… sensitive with matters concerning her family. I will not go into detail for fear of angering her even further. Allow her to tell you about it in her own time. ] Sabre answered, [ And try not to be so hard on her. She went through a lot before being bonded to you. ]

Alaric looked back at the knight brooding at the edge of the realm for a bit and breathed out deeply. [ Everyone thinks guardians are born at the same time as their masters. ]

[ We would like to keep it that way. ] Sabre replied with a chuckle, [ All guardians had a life before being born with a human to guide. It's how we know everything that we know. Alia is no different. ]

The boy shook his head with a sigh and just went around the tree to where the white clone was reclining, relaxed and unbothered by the events unfolding around him. Alaric sat next to him and rested his head against the tree.

The wait felt like it lasted forever, and ended abruptly.

One moment, he was bored, staring at a peaceful meadow, and the next, his heartbeat went up. His mind glitched like a broken record before he was yanked out of the In-Between, his real body forcefully emerging from the bottom of a tub of water.

Aether shot out of the tub and shook the house to its foundation. The glowing crystals littering the floor and walls flickered and either grew larger or shattered as aether flooded into them. Alaric gripped the sides of the tub and struggled to catch his breath.

"How long…" he blurted out as soon as he struggled to catch his breath. Water flowed out of his hair and down his face, grounding him to reality.

"Two hours," LionHeart responded. The man speaking was dressed in a fine loose aqua tunic that showed off his built, lightly-hairy chest, tied at the waist with a white belt.

Next to him was Finn, dressed in a green gown much like the one Alaric had worn back in Jack's Fall. Brett was dressed casually—civilian black shirt and a trouser with far too many pockets—, not bothering to honour whatever it is the rest were honouring, as their ceremonial outfits all indicated.

The room was filled with a few more people, too, bearing an air of seriousness Alaric wasn't prepared for.

Scarlett sat on one side with Kair'ak and Sariah while Grun'am sat on the other with Troy, Old Thai and the other two males. Kair'ak approached Alaric and helped him out of the tub, wrapping him in a white towel in the process.

Her healing magic washed over him, soothing waves of pain Alaric had learnt to ignore during his time in the water. His body was sore all over, as though he'd gulped down a bucket of lava which then burnt its way through his veins and muscles, leaving him in a world of pain. The Healing Magic helped soothe the pain, but the look on Kair'ak's face only made him frown.

"This is temporary, isn't it?"

Kair'ak gave him a withering smile, "Your aether is… stronger than your meridians and channels can handle."

"There is a difference?" Alaric frowned.

"Meridians are the major pathways. Channels are everything else. Channels can heal from slight ruptures, but meridians are harder to cure. Think of meridians like bones while channels are muscles, or arteries and capillaries—something of the sort," the woman explained.

"How long do I have?" Alaric asked, "Y'know, before my meridians explode."

"Depends on how you use them. If you learn to circulate less aether, you could slow it down enough to give you a year, but if you use them to maximum capacity, then it can drop to as little as an hour," she answered.

"Okay," Alaric nodded, then turned his attention to Old Thai, "Do you have a Stone Pill?"

Thai stood up and approached him, "Normally, I would, but the ingredients required to make one haven't arrived yet, especially after what happened to the Sisters of Fragrance."

"Right… Ingredients," Alaric sighed.

"Alaric, you should take a seat," Sariah said, holding a set of clothes for Alaric to take.

The boy nodded, closed his eyes and drew on a power he'd only recently acquired. His body grew hot, and the water on his body evaporated in a gentle sizzle, leaving him in a dry towel.

Once he was seated, the meeting began. LionHeart, who was seated at the head of the gathering, spoke first, "To catch you up to speed, Alaric, Troy has agreed to travel with us to the Barren Mountains. That's where we'll find the ingredients to craft yours, as well as my Stone Pill."

"You're ascending, too?"

"Thai appraised my meridians. I should be ready to make the cross. I'll get a second opinion from the High Sentinel," LionHeart responded, "That said, there is a matter we've not addressed… and that's the matter of what the rest of the party will be doing while your Tempering Ritual takes place."

Alaric's heart sank. The last time he'd gone up a rank, he'd slept for six months.

'Crap.'