[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 111 - 24: Our Childhood Friends [1]

Chapter 111: Chapter 24: Our Childhood Friends [1]

Fifteen years ago...

-

"Your magic is really pretty!" marveled a nine-year-old Leon as he stared at Evan, who was creating several white orbs that floated in the palm of his hand.

Evan grinned. "You think so?"

Leon nodded eagerly. "I’ve never seen magic like this before!"

"All Summoners have white magic, actually," Evan explained, letting the orbs of light float around them like glowing stars under the sunlight. "Though the use of it varies for each one."

"What do you mean?" Leon asked curiously.

"For example, mine can manipulate the shape and dimensions of an object for a limited period of time."

Leon’s expression turned blank. "You can... what?" he said, confused.

Evan couldn’t help but laugh at the innocent look on his friend’s face. "Let me give you a clearer example. See that wall over there?" He pointed to the sturdy castle walls made of expensive stone. "I can create a hole there with my magic."

"A hole in those walls? But they’re made of Forinthian stone!" Leon exclaimed with wide eyes.

It was well known in these lands that Forinthian stone was one of the sturdiest there was that could stand on its own despite bearing a lot of damage. In fact, it was difficult to even make a dent in it.

Since it was too expensive, only the castle walls and the White Castle itself were made of Forinthian stone. The rest of the buildings in the city, including the towers and lighthouses, were made of different kinds of stone.

"Like I said, any object!" Evan said, his grin getting wider. He seemed quite confident, which made Leon even more excited.

"Ohh, let me see! Please let me see you do it!" Leon pleaded with an imploring gaze.

"Okay, okay. Follow me!"

Evan led him to a secluded area where the guards didn’t patrol. Standing in front of the wall, he pressed his palm to the stone, and then a bright orange light emanated from his fingers.

Before Leon’s eyes, the wall seemed to shift and distort, as if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Then, a circular pattern appeared, forming a perfect hole in the wall that allowed them to see the outside.

"Whoa!" Leon exclaimed as he peered out of the hole. Since the castle was on the top level of the city and they were in the back courtyard of the palace, he could see the waters stretching out before his eyes, endlessly beyond the horizon. The sun shone on the sea, giving it a shimmering glow. Some fish even jumped out of the water and then dove back in. "This is awesome!"

Evan patted him on the back. "I can’t do this for too long, though. Right now I can only make temporary changes to an object. In thirty seconds, the wall will return to its original form, and it’ll be the same as it ever was."

Leon took a step back and looked at him. "I’m really envious of you," he pouted.

Evan chuckled and ruffled the boy’s hair fondly. "Don’t be. It’s not that amazing. In fact, it took me a lot of practice to be able to do such a simple thing."

Leon watched as the stone wall slowly returned to its original shape, the hole disappearing until it was no longer there. As if nothing had ever happened.

At that moment, Leon thought about his own magic. To be honest, he hadn’t thought about improving his skills that much, not when his father strictly forbade him to use it.

But seeing Evan’s magic and the extent of his abilities made Leon hesitate for the first time. Magic was so beautiful, and there were so many things you could do with it.

Leon didn’t want to use his magic for fighting. He wanted to use it to help people and save them if they were ever in trouble. He had a strong sense of justice in him, and it often bothered him whenever he witnessed any kind of wrongdoing.

However, he was torn between his duties as a son to his father and his own morals and principles. His upbringing didn’t allow him to do things as he wanted. He could not interfere lest it become a political and power issue. He could not make friends with commoners or his fellow royals just because he might do something reckless.

Even though Leon was a bad liar by nature, his fear of his father prevented him from saying anything, too afraid of the punishment he might receive for his act of disloyalty and disobedience.

"...Evan," Leon suddenly said in a quiet voice. "You’re a Summoner, right?"

"Yes. I thought you already knew that?" Evan said teasingly.

"Do you... want to be a Summoner?" Leon asked, the words coming out of his mouth before he could think twice about it.

It seemed that Evan hadn’t expected this question either, because his eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Leon for a moment, falling into a brief, contemplative silence.

Then, he nodded.

"Yes, of course I do. Why do you ask?" Evan said curiously.

"Well... I heard that Summoners have to do dangerous things to save the world," Leon said slowly. "Do you... have to do that, too?"

"Well, yes, naturally." Evan nodded. "It’s my duty as the prince of this kingdom and also as the people’s Summoner. I’ve been blessed by the gods with these powers since birth. If destiny wills it, then I must fulfill my responsibilities."

"But... you don’t have to do that, right?" Leon prodded. "You can make your own choices. You can — You can go against your destiny! Right?"

Evan looked surprised at this. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe you’re just... blindly following a path?" Leon said hesitantly, fear starting to pool in his gut.

There was no taking it back now. He might even slip up and say something he would regret, but he just could not understand why people would follow such paths despite the danger of it all. Were they really slaves of their destiny, like his father often remarked?

-

"You are not a Guardian, and you never will be," Duke Alfred Hartengrove’s cold voice rang in his ears. "Once you drill that into your head, you can live the rest of your life in peace without having to run off and waste your time searching for cursed souls like you."

"But..." Leon said meekly. "They say that you can’t defy your fate—"

"What nonsense. Who filled your head with this foolish idea? There are many idiots out there who are willing to throw their lives away. As my son, you must not be led astray from your path."

"But... what about my ’Summoner’s Mark’? My destiny?"

"No. Your destiny is something that you create for yourself. Those Guardians are simply slaves to their own foolish beliefs. I believe that you are much better than that."

"Father... you don’t believe in fate?"

Duke Alfred scoffed. "Fate exists. But it’s not that powerful. You can defy fate and create a better path for yourself." He glowered at his son. "You must leave behind a clear legacy! Not to be known and branded as an Otherworld Guardian forever! No, I will not let you make a fool of yourself and our family."

-

"Blindly following a path?" Evan repeated Leon’s words. Something flickered in his eyes, an indecipherable emotion, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Leon waited anxiously for an answer, but then a small smile curved Evan’s lips, and there was amusement in his expression.

"It’s funny," Evan said with a smile. "Why do I get the feeling that those words don’t quite sound like you?"

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