CHAPTER 268: THE LAST GUARDIAN

Deep beneath the earth, there existed a world filled with dark energy.

It was a realm known as the Demon World.

More than six thousand long years had passed.

There had once been many kinds of beings there.

Those who had gone mad.

Those who had taken twisted and inhuman forms.

Those who had become nothing more than black shapeless masses.

One by one, as time moved on, they crumbled and disappeared.

They had existed only to fulfill one purpose, that’s to protect.

They had endured through ages, stubborn and unwavering, for that single duty.

At last, only one remained.

And within that last being, a faint trace of human consciousness still lingered.

Once, long ago, this being had been a man that was one known as the greatest sorcerer the world had ever known.

His eyes had melted away, his fingers and limbs had long since blackened and crumbled, leaving him without a human shape.

Yet even so, through the centuries, his will alone had kept him barely human.

"Th... the path... is closing..."

When the magicians had sacrificed everything to build the great barrier, one thread of magical energy had remained, a narrow passage left open.

The guardian who stayed underground existed for one purpose only: to seal that path, to keep it closed from the creature known as the Aeon.

Now, in the final flicker of its fading mind, the being trembled with joy.

The "gateways" that once opened to the surface, the "exits and entrances" were finally being sealed, one by one.

After six thousand years, at last, now...

"Th... they made it... in time..."

With that final thought of relief, the last guardian surrendered itself to the eternal darkness and finally, found peace.

...

She stared deeply into the mirror that shone like the surface of a dark endless night.

There, within that glass, the image of a man appeared.

The man had golden hair and deep blue eyes, it was a face that’s so well formed it seemed carved from light itself.

He was tall with perfect body and the magic flowing from him shimmered like sunlight breaking through clouds.

He looked to be in his late twenties.

His traveling clothes were simple but of fine quality, neat, elegant, and well-fitted.

Even in motion or stillness, everything about him spoke of grace and strength.

She could not look away from him.

She watched this scene feeling captivated and lost in admiration for him.

The mirror showed the man’s form, though it gave no sound.

The man spoke to a boy standing beside him.

The boy lifted his face to answer that man.

It was a boy with rare black hair and large dark eyes.

He was pretty enough, perhaps, but ordinary.

He felt no power from him, no trace of magic, no spark of worth.

Why was the man with that boy?

Why not with her?

That gentle smile, the warmth in those eyes those were things that should have been meant for her.

How could a man so beautiful exist in this world?

And if fate had allowed him to appear before her eyes, then surely that was destiny.

The man suddenly lifted his gaze.

He looked straight ahead, straight toward her.

Of course, she knew the man could not truly see her, but in that instant, it felt as if he did.

Those clear and cold blue eyes pierced through her like a blade and her whole body trembled.

The man’s perfect lips moved as if he spoke, though no sound reached through the mirror.

Oh, how tormenting it was that the mirror gave no voice!

She e longed to hear him, she’s certain that his voice would be as beautiful as his face.

He belongs to me.

I will have him.

No matter what it takes, she would make him hers.

But the man left no opening.

Even the faintest trace of extra magic in the mirror could shatter the fragile connection.

If the man sensed her presence, even for an instant, the reflection would vanish and perhaps forever.

For now, all she could do was watch silently, hiding her breath and waiting for a single careless moment.

A small bell rang in the room, someone calling for him.

She clicked her tongue in irritation.

How she wished she could stay here forever and simply watching the man she loved.

But this was an important time for her country.

With a reluctant sigh, she forced herself to rise.

She reached for the door handle, then turned back for one last look.

The room was not large, but it was well ordered, the bookshelves lined the walls and a sturdy desk and a comfortable sofa stood beside a matching table.

And on the pedestal before the far wall sat a large black stone that was gleaming like the heart of the night itself.

The stone was as tall as half a person, its surface flat and polished like a mirror.

Moments ago, it had shown the image of the golden haired man, but now it only reflected a smooth, black shine, like a night sky sealed within the stone.

...

After finishing a day of endless duties and shaking off those who tried to delay or charm her, she finally returned to her private chambers.

It was already late.

The first thing she did was open the hidden door in the wall, a door that only she could unlock.

This room was surrounded on all sides by stone walls filled with a special harmony for magic.

For someone like her, whose magical power ran deep and wild like a stormy sea, the stones acted like the walls of a dam, it’s absorbing excess power when she overflowed and releasing it gently when she grew weak.

Without this room, her magic could easily spiral out of control.

She had discovered these strange stones in a cave on a remote island and ordered them all to be brought here.

The scholars said they were the remains of a sea creature that lived in ancient times and no longer existed.