steal the moon

As the forest devoured every bit of light, White's footsteps were relentless on the earth. The air was thick, and the smell unbearable. The ancient trees around him seemed to breathe darkness, as if they were lying in wait. He felt something strange pressing on his chest, and with each step, the feeling of isolation grew stronger.

"Twenty slots... how many can I fill?"

The sudden offer from the system: "Level-up gift: Additional storage space." At first, he thought it was a simple feature, but over time, he began to realize its importance. Limited storage could mean the difference between life and death in a world like this.

But at that moment, there was something else on his mind. Something he couldn't ignore.

"I was there, at the beginning... with them. But they betrayed me. Why?" He recalled the image of the man he had spoken with on the mountain. He could see it clearly in his mind, even though the memories were hazy and muddled. "They were afraid of the end... of the truth we were searching for... the full song."

Yet that feeling haunted him, he couldn't shake it. He knew something was missing, something he hadn't yet understood, but he felt it deep in his heart. Those unanswered questions were growing heavier in his mind, as if they were chasing him from every corner.

"Why was there talk of betrayal? Of conspiracy?" he wondered, but the answer always hid behind a thick fog. Those thoughts collided in his mind, overwhelming his focus and drowning him in a world of doubts. The image he had seen on the mountain fell apart before him like incomplete puzzle pieces, and every time he tried to assemble them, they faded away.

"Why can't I escape this?"

While organizing his items in the storage space—Terowin's sword, the book of the renegade guardian, and survival essentials—he looked at the renegade guardian's book intently. The book in his hands was a strange source of comfort. Whenever he held it, the magical beasts that typically lurked around him would retreat, as if the book was an invisible shield protecting him. This brought him some relief during his journey, but he knew it wasn't enough.

As he watched the trees surrounding him, his mind raced. He felt something closing in on him, something unseen. Without realizing why, he suddenly turned around. But it was too late.

From between the trees, a creature resembling a massive lizard appeared. A shell of moving stone surrounded its body, with sharp scales and a surface as hard as rock. Its eyes glowed with anger and hatred, and the creature advanced quickly, each step shaking the ground.

There was no time to think. His heart pounded rapidly as he pulled the book from the screen in a hurry. He knew that the book's presence was all that stood between him and death. But that wasn't enough.

"Ice grave!" he whispered to himself, as if the words threatened to scatter from his mouth. He cast the spell on the approaching creature.

Suddenly, invisible forces surged, and ice began to envelop the creature. It tried to flee, but it froze into a massive block of ice. It became a solid statue for a moment, as if time itself had stopped. The ice grave spell had done its work.

But the moment of relief was brief.

The ground of the forest shook again, and faster this time. White raised his head and realized in an instant: this wasn't the only one.

Three more massive lizards emerged from between the trees. Their bodies were covered in glowing stone patterns, and their eyes shimmered with anger and hatred. He knew he couldn't handle this many. Even the ice grave spell wouldn't be enough now.

"I just want to escape... why all this?!" he whispered to himself, but his words melted away in a mind filled with despair. The lizards drew closer, and each step meant death was near.

His situation became more complicated. He didn't have many options. One flaw of the Grave Ice spell was that it could only be used once every hour. The creature frozen before him was still in its frozen state, but this wouldn't last long. He was breathing quickly, but the only thought that kept running through his mind was: escape.

As the lizards came closer, he remembered Cloudius's words: "Your magical circles are incomplete. You won't benefit much from being a wizard like this." Those words echoed in his mind like a bell that never stopped. But even in that moment, he still didn't know what that truly meant.

"Isn't that what he meant?" he asked himself angrily. He was angry at himself, at the world that threw him into this predicament. How could he be a wizard without real power?

He had thought Cloudius's words were just a warning, but now, he began to feel that it was a harsh truth. He had become a wizard, but he couldn't use most of the powers he had. The spells in the book he possessed were full of magic, but he couldn't use them. The Grave Ice spell he received from the system was powerful and the only one he could use, but it was purely defensive and wasn't enough to face this many enemies.

"Why did they give me a book full of spells I can't use?!" he whispered angrily, staring at the book in his hands, feeling the weight of despair. He had gained power, but he couldn't control it.

Rage ignited in his heart. He was angry at everything, at the renegade guardian, at the system, at the lizards, at himself. Why did he have to fight like this? Why did everything in this world that he had been thrown into seem to be against him?

He moved his feet quickly, running away from the approaching lizards. He felt his heart racing as he sped up, while the lizards chased him. Each step took him deeper into the forest, into more uncertainty. Trees flew past him, and the faster he ran, the more he felt the edge of the ice growing in his mind. "How can I fight if I'm this helpless?"

He felt something near his heart as he was about to slip between the rocks. The ice grave spell had lost him his chance, and the thought "You're just a child playing with a book too big for you" was haunting his mind. There was no time to think any further.

While running, the voice he had heard on the mountain returned to his mind: "You are the second renegade guardian. Complete our path, remember." That voice haunted his mind more than the lizards themselves. "Is this what I am? Will I stay on this path without being able to stop it?"

Behind him, the lizards pressed on. He could hear their breaths, betting on himself to escape, but he had no other solution.

~~~~~~~~~~

Zalthar stood calmly in front of the king, a short distance between them, his eyes watching the man who had once been the leader of the nightspeak region. He spoke coldly: "Strange how the powerful can become weak overnight, isn't it?"

Adrian slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with anger and frustration. "You think you've won, Zalthar? You're no better than me. I made you, and I made the title you wear as a crown on your head now. What you do to me today, the empire will do to you tomorrow."

Zalthar smiled quietly, as though he had heard a tiresome joke. "Oh, your usual threats. How much you've missed, the world has changed, and I've risen above the judges. The title of guardian, my dear king, is no mere title... It's power that rivals the emperor's own. You know this well, don't you?"

Adrian clenched his teeth in anger, trying to suppress his emotions. Then he said, more sharply: "I know that this title was never your final ambition, Zalthar. You are a man driven by ambition. But don't forget, we created this chaos together. If I fall, it won't take long for your role to be exposed."

Zalthar's expression changed for a moment, but it quickly returned to his usual calm. He took a step toward Adrian, his voice lowering with a cold and mysterious tone. "You speak as though you have cards to play. Let me clarify something, King of Knightspeak no more... the world loves heroes, but it needs monsters like me and you to keep things under control. When my mission ended, I left you alone to face the consequences. You're the only one who still clings to what was, and now you pay the price."

Adrian laughed a bitter, short laugh. "You think you're above everything now? Above the empire, above the consequences?"

Zalthar leaned in slightly toward the king, whispering so that the guards could barely hear: "I'm above you, and that's enough. As for you? Your memory will be erased with time. But don't worry, I'll keep your stories alive... as a cautionary tale for others."

He stood up and turned toward the door without waiting for a response. But before he left, he cast a final glance and spoke sarcastically: "Oh, and remember, the title of guardian doesn't come without swallowing fire. Perhaps, if you had been wiser, you'd be by my side now instead of in a cell."

Then the king paused for a moment, raising his head to look at Zalthar with a desperate gaze, and said dramatically: "And what of my fate? What will happen to me now?"

Zalthar stood still for a moment, then spoke softly but cruelly: "Perhaps your personal magic book will be burned... perhaps you'll be thrown in a long prison, in a place with no light. Or in the worst case... you'll face execution."

He added with contempt: "But if you want fairness, you're not the only one who paid the price. My nephew Terowin died there, in that very castle. So did your niece. We both lost someone dear because of the chaos we started together."

Adrian's face trembled for a moment, then he looked at Zalthar with a gaze filled with sorrow and suppressed anger. He said in a voice thick with regret: "You consider everyone pawns in your game, don't you? Even the closest people to you were just tools. But Liana... Liana wasn't a pawn. She was my family."

His voice trembled at the end of the sentence, as if the pain he felt couldn't be described in words. For a moment, those emotions reflected in Zalthar's eyes, but he quickly regained his usual calm.

Zalthar left the room, leaving the king alone with his shackles and the rage he couldn't direct anywhere but the darkness surrounding him.

But just before Zalthar reached the door, he heard a strange voice coming from behind him, clear sarcasm in the words: "Guardians these days... they sure are trouble, aren't they?"

Zalthar stopped immediately, his eyes flashing with a mix of curiosity and surprise as he turned toward the source of the voice. There, in the shadows, stood a tall man, his face hidden in the darkness, but his smile was unmistakable.

"Who are you?" Zalthar asked in a harsh tone.

The man raised his hand in a concluding gesture and answered: "Me? Claudius Ronmark... Guardian Claudius Ronmark."