The Protectors: Rising from Ashes [Progression Fantasy | Action-Packed | Epic Battles]

The day was quiet, but Cassandra's boots clicked steadily against the stone floor of the corridor, each step echoing softly in the emptiness. She had been the last to leave the dining hall, lingering longer than the others, her silence more thoughtful than slow.

Her cloak trailed behind her, rippling with each stride, the edges fluttering faintly in the gentle breeze moving through the high halls. A frown lingered on her face, deepening as her thoughts spun without pause.

She barely registered the warm sconces lining the corridor or the murals that adorned the vaulted walls. Her gaze was distant, unfocused, drawn inward by a single looping thought.

The weather changed so suddenly… thunder, lightning, clouds thick enough to drown light, and then gone in a blink. Everyone heard it. Saw it.
Everyone... except Elias.

Her brows pulled together, sharper now. Her pace slowed slightly.

He's connected to this somehow. I'm sure of it.

She reached the tall oak doors of Sentinel's office and stopped. Her hand hovered mid-air for a breath, hesitating, then she knocked twice, firm and measured.

A calm voice, low and composed, called from inside.

"Come in, Cassandra."

She pushed the heavy door open. The chamber greeted her with dim lighting and solemn stillness. The air was warm, golden light spilling from a tall hourglass resting on the center table. Its grains fell slowly, soundlessly, like time moving through quiet thought.

Sentinel stood near it, his back half-turned, head tilted downward as he watched the falling sand. His fingertips grazed the edge of the table, not gripping it, but touching it as if anchoring his focus.

He looked up when she entered, gaze steady. Calm as ever. But there was something in his eyes today, something unreadable beneath the surface.

"Come," he said, gesturing to the chair across from him. As he moved, he pulled his own seat back and sank into it with slow precision, his dark robes folding softly around him. "Sit."

Cassandra stepped forward, the whisper of her cloak brushing across the floor. She lowered herself into the chair with quiet control, posture upright, hands folding neatly in her lap.

"I assume I know why you're here," Sentinel said, voice even, unreadable.

Her brow lifted slightly, caught off guard.

"Sir, how did you—"

"Because I know you," he said, leaning in, elbows resting lightly on the table's edge. "Very little escapes your eyes, Cassandra. I knew this wouldn't go unnoticed."

Her gaze narrowed, sharpened by his accuracy.

"Then... you know what I'm going to ask."

"Yes." He nodded once. "You want to know what happened today. On the training grounds."

Her shoulders stiffened subtly, lips parting.

"It was Elias, wasn't it? The sky… the storm… the lightning. Was it him?"

Sentinel's eyes returned to the hourglass. For a moment, he said nothing, just watched the grains slide down. Then his voice came, low and certain.

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"When he charged at me today, he wasn't aware of what was happening around him. He didn't see the clouds. Didn't hear the thunder. But it happened, because of him."

Cassandra's hand moved, fingers curling against the wood of the armrest.

"So you believe it too. That he caused it."

"I'm certain."

Her breath eased out, slow and deliberate. Her eyes flicked upward toward the glowing orb above them, then lowered again, locking onto his.

"But sir, how? None of our kinds can affect the environment like that. Not directly. Not without ancient rituals or elemental rites. No one has ever—"

"I know." He cut in gently, but his tone held firm weight. "Even the Protectors who came before... none ever wielded something like this."

Cassandra didn't speak right away. Her eyes shifted slightly, brows drawing together as her jaw tightened. A beat passed before her voice came again, lower this time.

"Then why Elias? Why him?"

Sentinel leaned back, hands folding together atop the desk. His gaze didn't waver.

"Perhaps... because he's the leader of the Protectors. And the Eclipse Heart granted him something rare. Something needed."

Her eyes narrowed just faintly, a shadow darkening her expression. She leaned forward slightly, voice edged in quiet tension.

"But sir, you were a leader once. You carried the Protectors' legacy too. Why didn't you have that power?"

He held her gaze for a long, silent moment. The golden light from the hourglass shimmered faintly between them.

"Because the threat this time... is far greater than anything we faced before. That's what Vaelthar and I believe. The Eclipse Heart knows what's coming, and it gave Elias what he'll need when the time comes."

Cassandra turned her head then, slowly scanning the shelves lining the room, the polished weapons hanging in careful order, the maps pinned to the far wall. Her eyes lingered for a heartbeat longer than needed before turning back to him.

"But sir..." she said softly. "He doesn't even know he has this power. He had no idea. And worse... no control."

Sentinel nodded, the motion slow and grave, as though each word confirmed an unwelcome truth.

"Which is why we must be very careful with his training. If he loses control again, especially in the middle of battle..."

"It could cost us," she finished, her voice a whisper.

The room fell silent again. The only sound was the steady hiss of sand sliding through the hourglass, soft and constant like breath in a still room.

Then Cassandra straightened. Her shoulders squared, and her spine stiffened with quiet resolve. Despite the heaviness in her eyes, her voice came out clear.

"I'll stay close. I'll observe. And if he slips again... I'll be there."

Sentinel's expression remained composed, yet there was the faintest flicker in his eyes. Something unreadable, acknowledgment, perhaps even a trace of gratitude.

"Good," he said at last, voice even. "Because from now on, we'll have to keep our eyes on all of them. Not just Elias. They're changing. Awakening."

Cassandra's gaze dropped momentarily. Her fingers brushed lightly over a faint scratch carved into the desk's surface, tracing it as if grounding her thoughts. Then she inhaled slowly and looked back up.

"Lyric," she said. "She finally awakened her magic today. It caught her off guard... but it was there."

Sentinel gave a single nod, measured and deliberate. His hand moved to the hourglass, tapping the rim once with a soft metallic ring.

"I saw it. And Fenrik too... he's beginning to show signs of his real strength. That fight with the first invader, it stirred something in all of them. Pulled their true selves to the surface."

Cassandra's brow furrowed. She shifted in her seat, sitting a little straighter, one leg crossing over the other. Her cloak moved with the motion, folding neatly beneath her.

"And what about Eddy?"

Sentinel's head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowing just enough to show interest. "What about him?"

Her arms folded across her chest, not out of defense, but contemplation. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"He doesn't belong to our world. He doesn't even know how to hold a blade properly. When things get real, when the next threat comes, how is he supposed to survive that?"

Silence followed, but there was no hesitation in it. Sentinel leaned back into his chair, spine tall, exhaling slowly through his nose. His fingers laced together once more.

"Don't worry about him," he said. "Right now, he's still finding his place. But he'll learn. He has to."

His eyes locked on hers, steady and sure.

"And don't forget, he's not just human. He holds echo weaving. One of the rarest and most powerful magics in existence. Who knows what else is waiting inside him?"

Cassandra didn't answer immediately. Her gaze wandered just past him, thoughtful, almost far-off, as if recalling things unsaid or moments missed. Then, with a small breath, she focused again, eyes clear and voice firm.

"Then we'd better start paying closer attention... to all of them."