[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 84 - 20: The Battle’s End [8]

Chapter 84: Chapter 20: The Battle’s End [8]

As Mathias looked back on his memories, he had never been the affectionate type.

Compared to the other Guardians, he was probably the most distant. Even Blade was easygoing most of the time, and Voss would also bring out his own playful side once in a while.

Although Mathias usually had an amiable demeanor and didn’t have a problem with socializing, he wasn’t the type to show physical affection. It just wasn’t in his nature.

He was nothing like Ansel or Leon.

But ever since Leon had left the White Castle that day, they hadn’t interacted much. Not even at royal gatherings or special occasions. It was as if the guy wanted to treat him like a stranger or a mere acquaintance. Whatever his problem was, Mathias didn’t care anymore. Maybe things would never be the same again, indeed.

When Ansel finally became an official Guardian, Mathias soon found himself one of those whom Ansel quickly took a liking to. It seemed that Ansel liked to refer to everyone as "family," and he even declared that Mathias would be one of his big brothers from now on.

Mathias had been stoic and reserved at first, but also very polite since they had just met. But Ansel approached him without fear or hesitation, gradually breaking down Mathias’ walls.

In the end, Ansel was the only one he allowed to cling to him and express affection. Although Mathias was the closest to Evan and Elyana, they weren’t really as expressive as Ansel, and they also knew that Mathias didn’t like physical affection very much. They would hug and hold arms from time to time, but not that often.

At that moment, a memory came to him, a time when the Guardians went to the White Castle after finishing their journey two years after the last Calamity attack.

One year before all this happened.

-

Ansel approached him casually, and his posture suggested that he thought he was being sneaky. Mathias gave him a bored look and saw that Ansel seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

"Matt!" Ansel said cheerfully. "Can you close your eyes for a moment?"

"Why?" Mathias asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"I want to give you a surprise!"

"I don’t do surprises," Mathias deadpanned.

Ansel pouted. "Come on! Just this once, please?"

Mathias sighed. "Fine," he said, closing his eyes.

The next thing he knew, he felt something being placed on his head. Judging by its weight, it seemed to be a hat.

"You can open your eyes now!"

Mathias opened his eyes to find himself face-to-face with a hand mirror. His reflection was staring back at him, and on his head was the most hideous hat he had ever seen, the sight almost mocking him.

The hat was an explosion of colors that didn’t match, making it look messy. It was tall and even had odd decorations on the top, a mix of feathers, bells, and even a small spinning windmill. The brim had not-so-smooth edges, and there were flaps of shiny things hanging from the sides, giving off a carnival feel.

It was certainly eye-catching, that was for sure.

And most definitely not his style.

"What do you think?" Ansel asked eagerly. "Don’t you think you’d fit right in with the festivities?!"

"Ansel," Mathias said as calmly as he could. "I am not going outside looking like this."

Ansel instantly looked crestfallen. "But—"

"No."

"But, Matt—!"

"No."

"Come on!" Ansel pleaded. "You should go out with us! Even Evan’s coming! Let’s go have some fun!"

Mathias sighed. "I don’t usually get out much, and you know that."

"That’s exactly why you should come with us!" Ansel insisted. "Matt, it’s not good to stay at home all the time. Come on, I heard there are new food stalls in town today!"

The mention of food immediately piqued Mathias’ interest. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was a bit of a gourmand. Though he wasn’t an adventurer like Ansel, Clay, and Evan, he was willing to make exceptions when it came to food. Especially if it was food he hadn’t tried before.

Ansel seemed to notice the change in Mathias’ expression, because his grin became wider than before. "You’re coming with us now, right? Right??"

Mathias gave a reluctant sigh. "Fine."

Ansel laughed triumphantly. "I knew I’d be able to convince you! The others didn’t believe that I could do it!"

Mathias shook his head, but there was a small, fond smile on his face. Because it was kind of true, in a way.

If it was anyone else — even if it was Evan... But then again, Evan wasn’t the persistent type — he probably wouldn’t go outside at all. But because it was Ansel, and because the boy had gone out of his way to see Mathias on the balcony of the top floor of the castle, Mathias knew that Ansel would not budge until he gave in.

So they started going downstairs, keeping the conversation going as they did so.

"I’ll go outside, but only if you take back this ridiculous hat," Mathias grumbled.

"Hey!" Ansel sounded affronted. "I picked that out myself. Doesn’t it look cute?"

"On the contrary, it looks ridiculous. It’s the most ugly-looking thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life," Mathias said flatly.

Ansel shook his head, as though he was pitying his friend. "Matt, you’re really not an art connoisseur, huh?"

Mathias scoffed. "At least I have better judgment compared to you."

"What’s that supposed to mean?!"

Ansel started to whine, but then his hands started to wrap around Mathias’ arm, as he always did whenever they were together. At this point, they had already reached the open gates that led towards the town.

"Let go of me," Mathias deadpanned, although to be honest he didn’t really mind. He had gotten far too used to Ansel’s constant displays of physical affection.

"I need to hold onto you so I don’t get lost!" Ansel said cheekily.

"...You’ve been in this city for a hundred times now, kid. Who are you trying to fool?"

"Oh, over there! I think the new food booth is there, near that alley!"

"You think I won’t be able to tell that you’re changing the subject?!"

-

The memory of it broke Mathias’ heart, because he now wished that he could have hugged or touched Ansel at least one last time. He had expected himself to die in this battle, but never Ansel. He had never even entertained such a thought.

Now that he thought about it, Ansel must have made himself invisible and erased his aura to avoid being detected by the Calamity. Since the monster could detect auras and human souls, it was a useful ability to have. However, it also consumed a considerable amount of magic, so Ansel couldn’t use it for too long.

When they were all thrown back by the impact of the blast, he must have been hiding somewhere. He probably didn’t have enough magic left and made one last attempt to save Evan, and then...

Mathias took a deep, shuddering breath. Even though it hurt, he knew he shouldn’t think too much about Ansel right now. If he did, he might get carried away with his emotions and make mistakes that could put them all in danger.

There’ll be time to mourn later, he reminded himself. I can break down later...

He thought again about the ridiculous-looking hat Ansel had given him that day. He had kept it on a closed shelf in his room, much to his dismay. Ansel wouldn’t take it back, so he had no choice.

Thinking about it now, he was glad he did. It was a small yet precious memory that he would never forget in his lifetime.

Mathias grappled with the tendrils, muscles screaming as he fought to hold them back. One wrong move, one tiny slip, and they could pierce his chest and stomach like they did earlier with Ansel. The thought of it once again brought a mixture of rage and devastation, because he should have protected the boy. He should have done better.

He could hear Elyana’s sobs as she continued to fight, while Voss continued to slash and cut the vines without a word. Voss had always been the quiet type, the kind of person who kept his emotions bottled up. He and Blade were similar in that aspect, which was why the two of them hung out with each other the most.

Blade, on the other hand, unleashed more flames than before, effectively incinerating a large number of tendrils. Out of the corner of Mathias’ eye, he saw Clay hurriedly carrying Ansel’s lifeless body in his arms, while Gideon prevented the vines from reaching them. They were probably taking the body somewhere safe.

Mathias guessed that the two of them were almost out of magic at the moment, so it was a better plan to hide for a while and be on the defensive.

But the same was true for their current situation. He was running out of magic, and he sensed that the others were as well. Their only hope was Evan, who stood in the center as they surrounded him, concentrating magical energy into the crystal of his staff.

The staff was designed by Voss to amplify one’s magical energy once channeled completely into the crystal, but because of the intricacies of creating such a weapon, Mathias suspected that Voss could not summon any more weapons afterwards. In fact, the man had been fighting with the same two swords for quite a while now. If the blades ever broke, he wouldn’t be able to restore them with magic.

Time was running out, and luck did not seem to be on their side.

Suddenly, the Calamity let out a roar, and the air crackled with tension. Everyone tensed as the monster withdrew the tendrils, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"What’s it doing now?" Blade groaned from behind Evan. He had been protecting the Summoner from behind, and he sounded exhausted.

In fact, they all were. They were just one step closer to complete magic depletion. Mathias didn’t even know if he could hold out any longer. Even if they all ran now, they would still be caught by the monster, and worse, killed. So the only option was to keep fighting.

The Calamity dug its tendrils into the ground, cracking the stone and earth beneath it until fissures appeared and stretched towards them.

"Watch out!" Voss yelled, but it was too late.

Sharp obsidian spikes burst from the ground, racing towards them faster than before, but only in Evan’s direction.

Elyana immediately cast a crystalline shield, which eventually cracked under the relentless force. She screamed as some of the spikes pierced through, penetrating her defenses and impaling her torso in several places, causing blood to gush out.

Everyone froze in horror.

And then a desperate shout pierced the air.

"ELY!"