[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 115 - 24: Our Childhood Friends [5]

Chapter 115: Chapter 24: Our Childhood Friends [5]

"Yes," Luke said, nodding even though he knew that Zach couldn’t see it.

"You know what, I’m not even going to bother panicking about what’s already happened." Zach groaned. "I should have known the moment I heard you were going to the Silver Kingdom."

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle.

Zach sighed once more. "You’re alive, and that’s all that matters. Just please don’t deactivate your commcrystal like that next time, okay? Don’t make me worry so much about you. Luke, you’re one of the only people that I have in this world. I won’t be able to handle it if I lose you."

The guilt came back to eat Luke up once more. "All right," he said softly. "I promise."

"You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? You healed yourself, right?"

"I did fall three floors down and fell unconscious. But when I woke up hours later, I healed myself up, though it did take up most of my magic reserves."

"You what?!"

Zach’s voice was so loud that it sounded like an incomprehensible shriek. Luke winced and rubbed his temple, trying to ease the ringing sensation.

"Zach, it felt like you were yelling right into my ear," he said with a frown. He glanced over at Ardyn to see if the man had woken up from the exclamation, but fortunately, he was still deep in sleep.

"You deserve it," Zach grumbled. "I thought you said you’d be careful!"

"And I thought you said that it doesn’t matter anymore because I’m alive?"

Zach groaned. "Luke, please. I’m serious."

"I’m fine. Don’t worry so much. I won’t die that easily."

"You know, that habit of yours really annoys me. Sometimes you seem considerate of me, but sometimes you just tell me everything that happens to you no matter if it’s bad or good, as if it’s nothing important. I feel like I’m the one overreacting for no reason."

". . ."

"But I’m not going to argue with you. I know we’ve had this conversation many times before." Zach sighed. "Anyway, you said you went there because you felt a strong pull, right?"

Luke let out a slow breath. For a moment he thought he was going to have another argument with his friend. "Yes," he said, grateful for the change of subject. Even though Zach was usually calm and easygoing, it was sometimes scary when he got angry. And he only got angry in risky or serious situations.

Then again, he might cry, too. Zach was also quite the softie.

"Do you think it’s because of those two Guardians?" Zach asked tentatively.

"Yes, it is. Surprisingly."

"See, that’s what confuses me a little." Zach’s tone was bemused. "Why would you feel such a strong pull towards a Guardian, especially when you’re not even an official Summoner yet? I mean, sure, Guardians like me are important to you and we have a bond, but not to this extent, right? Especially when you haven’t completed the final ritual..."

Luke gave a small smile. Zach was always good at analyzing things. "You’re right," he affirmed.

"I am?" Zach said, surprised. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"I’ll elaborate on that later. But first, did you take your family somewhere safe like I told you last night?"

"I couldn’t."

Luke blinked. "What? Why not?"

"There have been rumors of bandits in the area. Some of the villagers who went to run errands in the nearby town were robbed and injured. Also, the waters have been behaving strangely since last night."

"Bandits?" Their village was located on the outskirts of the island, so it was usually neglected and isolated from the other towns. In a way, it was relatively peaceful.

On the other hand, there had been reports of bandits increasing during the economic crisis. The Emerald Kingdom wasn’t as rich in natural resources as the Silver Kingdom, but the smaller villages near the sea, like Luke’s and Zach’s, were a bit lucky when it came to fending for themselves. Even with the government’s neglect and social inequality, they were able to make it on their own.

"And what do you mean by the waters behaving strangely?" Luke asked in addition.

"The waves were turbulent last night," Zach explained. "About an hour after we talked, a heavy storm hit, and the rivers flooded. We needed to wait for the roads to clear, but the rain showed no signs of letting up. The weather just got worse without warning. That was when I got a bad omen, because not long after that, I felt your fear."

"A storm?" Luke repeated in surprise. "Are you all okay?"

"Yeah, but we had to stay in the house for the time being. I was going to take everyone the next day instead, but after the storm passed..." Zach seemed to hesitate. "I heard some rumors in the village."

"What rumors?"

"Two rumors, to be exact. One is that the leader of the bandits and some of the members are much stronger than expected. The soldiers are having a hard time catching any of them or finding their hiding places."

Luke frowned. "Are you suggesting..."

"Word’s going around that there may be some powerful rogue Guardians among them. The government seems to be making the capture of the leader a top priority, especially since even the main capital itself has been affected. They also don’t think that they’re mere bandits. It seems they’re part of something much bigger."

"Rogue Guardians, huh," Luke murmured.

Rogue Guardians were usually looked down upon almost as much as those who bore the Otherworlder Mark. The government gave important positions to the Guardians whose Summoners had unfortunately died, and they were indispensable in their roles. Some were even offered jobs as bodyguards for the wealthy and high-ranking officials. In this case, they were not labeled as rogues.

Those who were branded as ’rogues’ had a variety of reasons for becoming one. Some had Summoners who betrayed or abused them. Some refused to accept their fate and refused government positions. Some could not even be classified as rogues, but rather as criminals.

Just as the world was made up of good and bad people, there were also bad apples in the Summoner and Guardian population. Some Guardians killed people in cold blood, accepted assassination jobs, and stole from the rich and even the needy. The same was true for the rogue Summoners, but they were less in number compared to the Guardians.

"Not only that, but the beastspawns have been restless lately," Zach continued. "The nearby forests have become dangerous. No one wants to go on the road near Niverline Forest. They say the creatures have suddenly become aggressive out of nowhere. It’s freaking the villagers out."

It’s the result of the Otherworlder’s arrival and the seal being broken,

Luke thought, but he didn’t want to say it out loud. Not yet, at least.

"I see," he said. "Have you... told your family about this? About me telling you all to evacuate somewhere temporarily?"

"I did. They’re also worried about you. But even if we want to, we can’t get out of the village just yet. Not with the danger that lies ahead."

"All right. That’s fine. You don’t need to evacuate from there anymore."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Has the news not yet reached the village?"

"What news? Is there any more that I don’t know about?"

Luke was surprised, but not really at the same time. Most of the news hardly reached their small village unless it was very important.

But word of mouth was a thing, and after the Calamity’s appearance earlier, the news was bound to travel to other towns like wildfire. Whether the information about the incident spread or not, the important thing was that they were all safe for now.

If a Summoner was able to drive the monster away, then the Calamity was probably in its regeneration phase somewhere right now. That particular period lasted for a few weeks, so they still had time to relax before the imminent chaos.

"If you haven’t heard about it yet, then..." Luke stopped himself just in time. "Hold on. Zach, are you alone right now?"

Right now, they were communicating with each other out loud, not in their heads. With everything that had happened since last night, communicating internally would only put more strain on Luke’s mental state. Zach didn’t seem to mind since he preferred to communicate verbally anyway.

"Me? Yes, I am. I’m in my room right now. Mom’s downstairs making dinner while Dad and Sis are busy with work."

"Okay. Just making sure that you aren’t in a public place."

"What? Luke, what’s going on?" Zach’s voice sounded even more worried. "Did something happen? Tell me. Let’s figure this out together."

"As long as you don’t freak out."

"...You’re scaring me right now."

"Zach."

"All right, all right. I’m listening. I promise I won’t freak out."

Luke took a deep breath.

"The seal broke. The monster’s back," he said solemnly. "And it destroyed Angelbay City."

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