Chapter 84: The Fog Island [24].

Aldrus did not need any words to explain to his group what the creature looming before them was; they could tell right away. Guardians had a presence unlike any other evil, no matter their Class. Even if a fairly weak one stood right next to a Black-Class monster, you would rather fight the latter every time. The boy could not speak for other Fragment Holders, but when it came to those of his peers who had seen a Guardian with their own eyes, they all agreed that there was something different about them; perhaps even a connection of some kind.

A Guardian’s appearance was also tricky to describe. Some looked like slender figures of about two and a half meters tall. Others were a little bulkier, almost as if wearing armor, and were three meters tall at most. Compared to a Butcher Yeti, the depiction of a Guardian’s frame and features almost sounded underwhelming. However, there was one thing every Guardian had in common—and that thing alone made up for the little dread ignorant souls would feel, were they to hear of them solely on the word of someone else.

It was their energy.

Guardians had no facial features, nor did they wear clothes. In fact, you could not tell exactly how they looked, even if you stared at them for hours on end. They were nothing but bright silhouettes; pure white figures outlined by a layer of energy visible to the naked eye. Said energy was a blend of every color, which resulted in a warped, palpable translucency, just like the edges of a magical portal you could only read of in tales. Not only that, but those creatures imposed a supernatural weight upon the world, and reality itself shattered around them, forming cracks out of thin air.

Wherever a World Domain was found, a Guardian would be found. They were more like puppets than living beings; their only objectives seemed to be the integrity of the World Domain they guarded, and the immediate extinction of all life. They targeted humans, beasts, and monsters just the same. They did not feed on them. They did not seem to kill out of pleasure or for survival either. They merely killed, stared at the corpse, and left as though they were trapped in an endless cycle of checking for something, yet nobody knew what for.

Aldrus froze in place feeling a pit in his stomach. The phantom pain in his chest came back all at once, like a scar splitting open again. His eyes darted back to his comrades and he saw them petrified, too scared to act. He waited for the Guardian to look away, and as soon as it did, he whipped around and slipped behind Alice, clamping a hand over her mouth and gripping her shoulder to keep her from making a sound. Then, as he hid with her nearby, he beckoned Cedric to take Aiden and take cover as well.

The blond boy obeyed and yanked Aiden toward him, then quickly pivoted and backed against a towering tree, sinking to the ground to stay hidden behind the trunk.

The next few seconds were the most terrifying of Aldrus’ whole journey. Being kidnapped, fighting monsters, reading his name carved in stone by someone unknown—nothing came close.

He sat against a rock and darted desperate glances at Cedric and Aiden to make sure they had not been slaughtered when he blinked, for such a short time was enough for them to die if the Guardian were to find them. He still held Alice firmly, feeling her lips trembling against his palm and her warm tears dampening his fingers. The abject terror was so overwhelming that Aldrus felt dizzy and colder than before, as if his blood were draining from his body, leaving behind a dry husk.

He could not think, he could not breathe, he could not move. He was small; he was weak; he was trapped inside an invisible boundary whose name was just fear. The only thing that eventually helped him snap out of that state was, ironically, the Guardian itself. The constant rustling of the leaves as it advanced, at some point, grew louder. Then louder. Then louder. Alice flinched at the same time that Aldrus realized what was happening. The Guardian was getting closer.

Please, don’t! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please don’t come here!

But his pleas meant nothing. Somehow, the Guardian was drawn to them even though it was clear that it had not seen them.

How?! How?! How?! HOW?! HOW?! How do you know we’re here?!

Like a sadist, the Guardian kept its pace slow, one step at a time. Surely, in less than twenty seconds, they would all die. Aldrus desperately tried to think of something he could do, but his mind was just as foggy as the island. In fact, it was so difficult to think that he found it strange despite the situation. He had faced a Guardian before and, while the outcome had been terrible and the fear, even worse, he had not struggled nearly as much to gather his thoughts.

Was it that the trauma it had left him with was preventing his brain from working properly? Or was it that, since this Guardian was stronger than the one he had lost to, it was capable of affecting his psyche in ways he had not heard of? No, that did not make any sense. They had been taught everything about the Guardians, and no such thing was mentioned even once. But then, what was going on?

Aldrus snapped his head to where Cedric and Aiden lay; he wanted to see their faces even if it was the last time. However, at that moment, something changed.

Aiden... Aiden! Aiden said it! He said it! It’s not us! Something on the island is making us forget!

As he looked at his friend, the memory of the silver-haired boy pointing out the lack of logical decisions they had been making throughout the entirety of their time on the island flashed into his mind. And there was something else he had questioned back then.

What was it?! What was it?!

Right before he sank deeper into oblivion, Alice pinched his leg and gave him a determined look. It seemed the girl had reached the same conclusion, and moreover, she had the last piece Aldrus lacked. The boy looked at her for a second, and suddenly, a fancy little necklace with three red-glowing gems embedded in it became incredibly apparent.