He sat upright, breathing heavily.
For a moment, he couldn't understand where he was.
The vision still lingered in his mind.
A massive sword buried in darkness.
Blue eyes staring at him.
And that voice—
"Find me…"
His chest tightened.
Then pain shot through his body.
"AAH—!"
He grabbed his side immediately.
Most of his wounds had been closed, but the pain remained sharp.
"You're awake."
Gohim looked toward the corner of the room.
Kael sat quietly near the window, arms crossed.
Morning light entered through the wooden walls.
"How long was I unconscious?" Gohim asked.
"Until morning."
Gohim looked down at the bandages around his body.
"You healed me…"
Kael nodded once.
"A temporary restoration technique."
Gohim frowned slightly.
"You can use healing techniques too?"
Kael looked outside briefly before answering.
"As captain of the Thirteen Knight Squad, survival knowledge was mandatory."
Gohim slowly leaned back again.
The memories of the fight returned.
The pressure.
The pain.
The explosion of energy.
His expression darkened.
"I lost control…"
Kael remained silent for a moment.
"Yes."
Gohim lowered his head.
"I almost died, didn't I?"
"You almost destroyed yourself," Kael corrected.
Silence filled the room.
Gohim clenched his fists.
"But… I was fighting back."
Kael nodded slightly.
"You were."
Gohim looked up.
"I didn't want to keep running."
For the first time, Kael's expression softened slightly.
"And that decision nearly awakened your power incorrectly."
Gohim frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kael stood up slowly and walked closer.
"The power inside you is incomplete. If it erupts without structure, your own spiritual energy can destroy your body from within."
Gohim remembered the pain immediately.
His skin cracking.
The pressure tearing through him.
He looked away.
"…it hurt."
Kael nodded.
"Because your body is not prepared for that level of release."
A short silence followed.
Then Gohim spoke again.
"I saw something."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What?"
"A sword."
Kael immediately became serious.
"What kind of sword?"
Gohim closed his eyes briefly, trying to remember.
"It was huge… buried in darkness."
His breathing slowed slightly.
"And there were blue eyes watching me."
Kael stayed silent.
Then—
"There was a voice."
Gohim looked directly at him.
"It said… 'Find me.'"
The room became quiet.
Kael's expression slowly changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"You connected to something."
Gohim frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kael looked toward the floor briefly before answering.
"When powerful Guardian weapons choose their wielder… fragments of resonance can appear before physical contact."
Gohim's eyes widened slightly.
"You think it's a Guardian sword?"
Kael nodded slowly.
"Possibly."
Gohim immediately tried standing.
Then pain hit him again.
He nearly fell.
Kael caught him before he collapsed.
"You're not moving anywhere."
Gohim sighed in frustration.
"I'm fine."
"No," Kael replied calmly. "You are stubborn."
A knock came from outside the room.
Kael immediately became alert.
"Who is it?" he asked.
An elderly voice answered.
"It's me."
Kael relaxed slightly and opened the door.
The elderly village chief stepped inside carrying a bowl of food and clean water.
"I thought the boy would be awake by now," he said kindly.
Gohim immediately noticed the difference in the village chief's expression.
Yesterday there had only been fear.
Now there was relief.
The old man placed the food down carefully.
"The village wishes to thank both of you properly."
Kael shook his head slightly.
"That isn't necessary."
The village chief smiled weakly.
"It is."
He looked toward Gohim.
"Especially him."
Gohim looked confused.
"I didn't really save anyone…"
The old man stared at him for a moment.
"You fought when everyone else was too afraid to resist."
Silence filled the room briefly.
Then the chief's expression became more serious.
"But there is something else you should know."
Kael immediately focused.
"What is it?"
The chief lowered his voice.
"Before those men came to this village… they were searching the mountains north of here."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The northern mountains?"
The old man nodded.
"They were looking for something."
Gohim immediately thought of the vision.
The sword.
"Did they find it?" he asked quickly.
The village chief shook his head.
"No. But strange things began happening after they arrived there."
Kael crossed his arms.
"What kind of things?"
The old man hesitated.
"People disappearing."
Gohim's expression tightened.
"And at night…"
The chief's voice lowered further.
"…blue light appears in the mountains."
Kael and Gohim exchanged looks immediately.
The same thought crossed both their minds.
Guardian energy.
Later that afternoon, Gohim sat outside the house while villagers repaired the damage from the battle.
Some still looked nervous around him.
Others looked inspired.
Children whispered about "the blue explosion."
Gohim looked at his hands quietly.
"I still couldn't control it…"
Kael stood nearby.
"Control comes before mastery."
Gohim looked up.
"Then teach me properly."
Kael stared at him silently for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"Anchor Flow stabilizes energy."
He drew a small symbol in the dirt.
"But stabilization alone is not enough anymore."
Gohim focused carefully.
Kael continued.
"The next step is learning containment."
Gohim frowned.
"Containment?"
Kael nodded.
"You must learn how to stop your power from overflowing when your emotions rise."
Gohim remembered the explosion immediately.
"…or it happens again."
"Yes."
Kael looked toward the northern mountains in the distance.
"And if what you saw is truly connected to a Guardian weapon…"
His expression sharpened slightly.
"…then your training is about to become far more dangerous."
Far away—
high above the mountains—
the hooded figure stood watching the village from a distant cliff.
The wind moved around him slowly.
"So the resonance has finally begun…"
He looked toward the northern mountains.
A faint blue glow appeared far in the distance.
The hooded figure smiled beneath the darkness covering his face, and said so you're this powerful that's why it isn't good to underestimate your enemies especially those with potentials
"Good."
Then he vanished.
And somewhere deep beneath the northern mountains—
something ancient slowly opened its eyes, kael and gohim knew they can't keep on running the have to stay and fight their enemies together till they find the remaining guardians.