[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 86 - 20: The Battle’s End [10]

Chapter 86: Chapter 20: The Battle’s End [10]

Grief was a powerful thing.

And so was guilt.

Several questions and possibilities came to Ardyn’s mind at that moment now that the danger had finally passed, and it made him feel worse, especially when he compared the state of his body to those who had passed away.

They were dead, but he was still alive. He wasn’t hurt as much since he had been protected by them, but they had suffered much more as a result.

He wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t let the monster drag him into the battlefield. He wondered if things would have been better if he had decided to hide in another area, or better yet, if he had decided not to come here at all.

Would they all still be alive, then?

Was he the reason the sealing process had failed?

Ardyn swallowed as the guilt in his heart grew, making him feel even more anxious. He couldn’t resist the little voice in his head that mocked him, telling him that he should never have gotten involved in the first place.

Maybe then, these people would never have lost their lives—

His thoughts were deftly interrupted when he suddenly saw Blade turn his head towards him. There was no emotion on the man’s face, but he raised his hand slightly and waved Ardyn over, as if he was beckoning.

Ardyn hesitated only a moment before walking towards them. Then, as if hypnotized, he knelt beside Evan’s body, his hands shaking from the sight.

He stared at Ansel and Elyana’s lifeless forms and felt the lump in his throat grow heavy. Up close, he could see how battered their bodies were, and their clothes were soaked with dried blood. Their eyes were closed, but the gaping holes in their bodies made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t even imagine how much pain they had been through.

A gust of wind blew past, blowing strands of hair from their faces. No one spoke, not even a word. They were all despondent.

Clay reached out and grabbed Evan’s other hand, squeezing it reassuringly. His expression was stricken, a stark contrast to the tough and protective man he usually was.

Evan’s gaze swept slowly over their faces, his eyes being the only ones that moved. He lingered on each of them as if memorizing their features in his head.

When his gaze finally landed on Ardyn’s, there was a semblance of a smile on Evan’s face. Ardyn stared back, but his heart sank at the burn marks on Evan’s face. He looked so different from the charming boy he had met just yesterday. It was heartbreaking to see.

Evan coughed, and blood trickled down the side of his lips to his left cheek. He turned to Mathias and opened his mouth to speak.

"Sorry, Matty..." he apologized softly. "I couldn’t... fulfill the favor, after all."

Mathias shook his head, biting his lower lip to control his emotions. "No, no," he whispered. "You did your best, Evan. I know you did."

Evan didn’t say anything, but the smile on his lips seemed to grow, just a little bit.

Mathias took a deep, shuddering breath. It seemed that Evan remembered the conversation that they had before all of this happened. Before the Calamity had made its appearance.

-

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"A favor? What is it? You’ve never asked me this before."

"Please stay alive for me."

-

Everyone watched as the life slowly left Evan’s eyes, each of them dead silent. The wind also stopped blowing, as if it understood what had just happened and decided to give them peace.

Ardyn was shaken to the core. Not only had he never seen a dead body before today, he had also never seen anyone die so slowly and quietly. He couldn’t even speak. He just stared as Evan passed away, unable to vocally express his gratitude or his farewell.

But what should he do now? What would happen next?

How could he ever begin to make up for all this?

At that moment, as if Blade had read his mind, he reached out and put a hand on Ardyn’s shoulder. "You should leave," he said in a solemn voice. There was a slight tremor in his tone, but it was clear that he was trying to keep the emotion from spilling out.

"What?" Ardyn said, mind spinning. He couldn’t think straight at the moment.

"You should go and find your Summoner," Blade told him. "It won’t be safe for you to stay here. If reinforcements come and they find out who you are, it’ll only give you trouble, and that’s not what Evan would’ve wanted."

To Ardyn’s surprise, everyone else, including Clay, Voss, Gideon, and Mathias, looked at him and nodded in agreement.

Why?

Why weren’t they blaming him...?

"Survive, just like how Evan wanted you to," Voss said softly.

"We’ll take care of things here," Gideon said. "If you stay here for too long, the soldiers might return and question your identity."

"Do you need our help to find your Summoner?" Clay asked. "We can help you for a while and also assist you in escaping quietly—"

"No, no," Ardyn said, shaking his head as he stood up and politely declined their offer. "There’s no need to do that. I can manage on my own. I don’t want to be a burden to you guys anymore."

"It’s really no proble—" Voss began.

"Don’t worry about it," Ardyn quickly assured him. He took a deep breath and felt himself slowly calming down. He forced the thoughts and feelings of grief and guilt out of his mind to focus on the current situation.

He hadn’t made any great decisions lately, so this time he had to do things right. He had to accomplish at least one goal and get out of here. Otherwise, his life would be in danger.

He had come this far already. He didn’t want to give up now.

As Voss had just said, Evan wanted him to survive, and probably for a good reason. If there was one thing that drove his motivation now, it was to pay back the man who had saved him and encouraged him to live on.

And there might even be something he could do. There might be a clue that he needed to find in order to discover the true reason for his existence in this world.

"I might have an idea where he is right now," Ardyn said slowly. Now that there was peace in the surroundings, he could focus on where his mind and heart were telling him to go. "I think I can find him if I follow my instincts this time. I’ll get him out of here and then go to Ravencoast like Evan told me."

I’ll need to get my backpack from the tree outside of the city, too, he remembered. Evan’s instructions and letters are in there. I can’t lose it.

Mathias nodded. "Okay," he said quietly.

Gideon smiled. "Good luck."

They all watched as Ardyn walked away, his steps swift and purposeful. It was a long way from here to the city gates, but there was no danger now, so there was nothing to worry about.

They turned back to their three lifeless comrades, and it was as if they all understood what to do next.

"I hope he was right," Clay said quietly, breaking the somber silence between them. "About that guy, I mean."

Blade let out a low, almost hollow chuckle. "I don’t doubt it for a second. Our Summoner has always had an amazing instinct, after all."

‏‏‎ ‎

* * *

Meanwhile, some time earlier...

-

Luke found himself lying motionless on the floor of the basement area. His head felt a bit dizzy as he tried to adjust his vision to the surroundings.

What happened? he wondered as he tried to pick himself up from the floor. Did I faint again?

After his heartbeat quickened to an almost alarming rate, he felt dizzy. It was as if something inside him was warning him that something bad was happening and that he needed to leave immediately.

However, the pain on his forehead and the pounding of his heart were too much for him to handle, especially in his magic-depleted state. So before he knew it, everything had gone black.

Damn it. I hope I haven’t been sleeping for too long.

Luke sighed in frustration. He had never felt this way before. It was as if the arrival of an Otherworlder in this world changed him inside, clouding his mind and pulling at his heartstrings. It was as if he couldn’t concentrate on anything until he met that person. He couldn’t even recall other Summoners feeling this exact same thing. It must be because their kind was, unfortunately, unique.

The thought of it was maddening because he didn’t want to be associated with anything Summoner-related. It was as if fate was playing a cruel trick on him.

I’ve gotta get a grip.

When he was about to get up, he spotted a familiar object on the ground not too far away from him.

It was the commcrystal.

Luke grabbed it and checked it for cracks. Fortunately, it wasn’t broken or anything.

Should I call Zach? he wondered, gripping the crystal in his hand so tightly that his skin turned white.

He didn’t know what to do. There was a chance that his Guardian — that Otherworlder — had also sensed him and was looking for him everywhere. Luke still didn’t know how he should feel about that, because his heart and his brain were currently at odds with each other.

Slowly, he turned his head towards the stairs.

What if I just go upstairs for a moment and... see what’s going on outside?