The Guardians' Fate: Book One (On Hold)

The Outside World

The gate closed behind him as soon as Kyle stepped through. The human world felt alien after being away for nearly two and a half months. A gentle breeze carrying the scent of pine cone and damp soil overwhelmed Kyle's heightened sense of smell. He took a slow and deep breath to get used to the new smells and turned back, staring at where the gateway was. Kyle shook his head and focussed on his task at hand. He took out the three medallions onto his palm and held it out in front of him.

The three gems in the medallions began to glow. Few seconds later they floated up in the air and began to spin around in an orbit before coming to halt at seemingly random positions. Kyle knew they were anything but random, as they pointed directly in the direction of their respective owners, like a needle of a compass.

On closer inspection the emerald glowed brightest indicating it was the closest guardian. Kyle placed the other two back in his backpack when his ears picked up the faint buzz, like a swarm of bees but more consistent like a machine. He scanned the forest in the direction of the sound and a small movement through the air caught his eye.

A drone patrolling through the forest emerged into the clearing scanning for the suspicious activity. It switched between various types of sensors as the camera panned in every direction, scanning the location. suddenly it paused when the motion sensors picked up something.

It dropped its altitude and quickly zipped through the air as it traced the source of the motion only to startle a fox in the middle of a hunt. The drone lingered in the area for a few seconds before hovering away, continuing to scan the forest.

After waiting for it to be far away, Kyle silently dropped down from the canopy he was hiding in.

'They're still looking for me' realised Kyle. 'If they have eyes in the forest, then the sky's probably not any safer' 

Kyle groaned mentally releasing he has to go on foot . 'Fine we'll do it the old fashion way'

Living in a reclusive land with no vehicle meant lots of ground between him and the nearest road. With the help of mana boosting his body, he kept mostly to the canopy as he sneaked his way through the forest. The path was not easy. for every drone they sneak by another was there. Kyle tried every concealment spell he knew but the drones were always right on his tail. He knew there was no trace they could be tracking, no heat, no movement but they knew. That's when he figured it out. He thought back to when the soldier's attacked him and how one of them were able to tell his energy levels.

'They can track mana!' Kyle immediately powered down and the drones wandered away, proving his theory. However, he was not even close to the edge of the forest. The remaining path tested every survival lesson he'd learned from Balador. 

It was almost sundown when he made it to the town. The smell of smoke polluted atmosphere revived some long hidden memories. Judging from where he's heading the rest of those memories are bound to crawl their way back up. He could feel Aelias shift uneasy at those memories.

'Why did you?' He asked.

'I was young, alone and needed a way to survive' Kyle said like a line he had rehearsed many time. Which isn't too far fetched, after all it was what he said to himself everyday. 

'But why are we going back to him for help?' asked Aelias.

Just the thought that man disgusted Kyle. 'Not much of a choice. If we have to survive without getting caught, we need money, untraceable money'

While walking through the town, Kyle noticed how much had changed since he's last been here, but fortunately some things never change. The nightclubs of the red light district were very much still active; especially the one neon sign he was looking for.