Gaurd stone

 “What is it, kid? I told you not to disturb me while I’m speaking.”

Ryan jumped down from the rock he had been sitting on and walked toward me.

“Well, well... this stone looks kind of green.”

Ryan looked where I was pointing.

After a few moments, Ryan suddenly stopped.

His expression changed.

“Old man, what happened?”

“Look, kid.”

“We found it.”

“The guide stone we were looking for.”

So this was the one we had been searching for.

Ryan stood up.

He raised his hand.

A strong stream of water suddenly blasted toward the stone.

“WHAT ARE DOING, old man?!”

“I was just cleaning it.”

“If you do it that way, the inscriptions are going to be erased.”

I pointed toward the stone.

Ryan looked at the stone again.

“Fair point, kid.”

“Water Stream.”

Unlike Ryan's attack, I controlled the force carefully.

I adjusted the flow whenever I saw dirt covering an inscription.

Ryan crouched beside the stone.

There were several carvings across the surface.

Others looked like symbols.

...I don't understand a single thing.

“Old man, can you read this?”

“I can.”

Ryan moved closer to the stone.

Then he began to read.

"HEED THESE WORDS, TRAVELLER.”

“The road beyond was not made for the fearless.”

“Those who enter without resolve shall lose their way.”

“Those who enter with greed shall be devavored in their own desires.”

“And those who seek the Guardians without accepting what lies within...”

“...shall never return to the world they left behind.”

“Begin where the guide stone sleeps.”

“Turn toward the land where neither the rising sun nor the setting sun may watch.”

“Walk the path of fallen leaves, and count five hundred and sixty-four steps.”

“There, where three ancient ones stand together, follow the road beneath their shadows.”

“When the fairy's lullaby reaches your ears, follow its song.”

“There, a white veil falls endlessly upon the earth.”

“Beyond the Mist Lord's curtain lies the road to the Guardians.”

Written by €`^$ Aster.

Aster.

Ryan stopped reading.

I looked at the stone.

Then at him.

“Old man.”

Ryan didn't answer.

“Who is this other Aster?”

He remained silent.

“Do you know him?”

Still nothing came out of his mouth.

I waited for an answer.

Ryan simply stood up.

“It's getting late, kid.”

“Old man, I'm asking you—”

“We'll figure out the inscription tomorrow.”

He turned away from the stone.

“Let's make camp here tonight. The forest is going to get wild once it gets dark.”

I looked at him.

He's avoiding the question.

I looked back at the name carved into the stone.

Aster.

Who were you?

I decided not to push him any further.

For tonight at least.

---

Next Morning

The next morning, we woke up early.

The forest was quiet again.

Ryan sat beside the guide stone while I sat across from him.

“So,” I said, “where do we start?”

Ryan pointed toward the first line.

“We start from the beginning.”

I looked at the inscription.

> “Begin where the guide stone sleeps.”

Ryan nodded.

“That part is simple. We're already here.”

“Then the next one.”

I moved closer.

> “Walk toward the place where the sun rises not, nor sets.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“So... somewhere between east and west?”

Ryan shook his head.

“Not exactly.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“That is what we're going to figure out.”

We began going through each line one by one.

Some were easy.

Some weren't.

Then we reached the part about the number.

Five hundred and sixty-four.

I looked at Ryan.

“Five hundred and sixty-four steps.”

“That's what it says.”

“So we actually have to count them?”

“Unless you have another idea.”

I looked at the forest ahead.

“No.”

Ryan smiled.

“Then let's do the math.”

We began working through the clues together.

“Walk toward the place where the sun rises not, nor sets.”

I looked toward the forest.

“I think it means north.”

Ryan looked at me.

“East.”

“North.”

“East.”

“Why east?”

“Because the sun rises from the east. The inscription says the place where neither the sun rises not, nor sets. It is pointing us toward the direction of the rising sun.”

“But it literally says the sun rises not there.”

“That doesn't mean you can simply choose north why not south.”

“Then why east why not west?”

“Because it is connected to the sun.”

I crossed my arms.

“North makes more sense because we came from South.”

Ryan sighed.

“Why are you so fixed on north?”

“Because every dangerous place we've encountered so far seems to be north.”

Ryan stared at me.

“That is not how directions work, kid.”

“It worked until now.”

“That doesn't make it correct.”

“Still, I'm going north.”

“I'm going east.”

We stared at each other.

Neither of us moved.

This old man is stubborn.

This kid is stubborn.

I could almost feel him thinking it.

“Fine,” I said.

“Fine.”

“We'll go northeast.”

Ryan paused.

“Northeast?”

“That way neither of us is completely wrong.”

Ryan thought about it.

Then he nodded.

“Fair enough.”

And so we started walking northeast.

We continued for quite some time.

The forest became denser as we went deeper.

Eventually, the path ahead came to an end.

I stopped.

“Dead end?”

Ryan looked around.

“There doesn't seem to be another path.”

Then I noticed something ahead.

Three enormous trees stood together.

They were so tall that their branches stretched across the sky and blocked most of the sunlight.

I looked up.

“Those weren't here before.”

Ryan walked closer.

I followed him.

The three trees stood side by side, almost as if they had been planted there intentionally.

I looked at the inscription again.

“There, where three ancient ones stand together...”

I looked back at the trees.

“Old man.”

Ryan smiled.

“I know.”

“We found the three ancient ones.”

“Looks like it.”

I looked around.

The area beneath the trees was surprisingly clear.

The shade made it much cooler than the rest of the forest.

Ryan placed his bag down.

“Let's stop here.”

“For what?”

“Lunch.”

I looked at him.

“We came all this way to solve an ancient riddle and you want lunch now?”

“Yes.”

...Fair enough.

We gathered some wood and prepared a small fire.

While Ryan started cooking, I sat nearby and looked at the three trees.

There was something strange about them.

They didn't look like ordinary trees.

They felt old.

Really old.

Ryan noticed me staring.

“You know, kid...”

“What?”

“You asked me yesterday about the name Aster.”

I turned toward him.

He continued cooking.

“You still want to know?”

I immediately sat up.

“Yes.”

Ryan remained silent for a moment.

Then he finally spoke.

“The Aster you're asking about was the first.”

“The first what?”

“The first Aster to take the duty of protecting the Shrine.”

I looked at him.

“What's his name?”

Ryan looked toward the three trees.

“Hikari Aster.”

I froze.

So that's who was written on the stone.

Ryan continued.

“He lived long before my time. Almost three hundred years ago.”

I looked back toward the guide stone in the distance.

The name suddenly felt different.

The person who wrote those words wasn't just some ancient traveller.

He had actually known the place we were trying to reach.

And apparently...

He had been the first Aster to protect it.

Ryan continued cooking while I sat there, waiting for him to continue.

“So what exactly is the duty of the Aster Clan?”

Ryan was quiet for a moment.

“Our main duty is to protect the treasure within the Shrine.”

“Treasure?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of treasure?”

“That is something only a few people have ever known.”

“Why only a few?”

“Because only a few people have ever been allowed to see it.”

I looked at him.

“And what happens to the people who see it?”

Ryan's expression became serious.

“They die.”

I stopped.

“What?”

“They are affected by a curse.”

“A curse?”

“Yes. After seeing the treasure, their lifespan becomes shorter. They die much earlier than they should.”

I looked toward the three giant trees.

So that's why only a few people know about it.

Ryan continued.

“Because of that, every Aster has to prepare someone before going to the Shrine.”

“A disciple?”

Ryan nodded.

“The Aster must train a disciple and entrust them with the Aster name and the duties of the clan.”

“So they can continue protecting the Shrine?”

“Exactly.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“What about your predecessor?”

Ryan's expression changed slightly.

“My predecessor never returned.”

I looked at him.

“He went to the Shrine?”

“Yes.”

“And he never came back?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know about all of this?”

“He taught me everything he could before he left.”

Ryan paused.

“But there was one thing he never told me.”

“What?”

“What duties are actually performed inside the Shrine.”

I frowned.

“He didn't tell you?”

“No.”

“Then how did he expect you to continue?”

“He simply told me one thing.”

Ryan looked at me.

“I had to choose and train a disciple before my time came.”

“So he left without telling you anything else?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Ryan.

Then a thought suddenly came to me.

“Wait.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Am I your disciple now?”

Ryan immediately shook his head.

“No.”

“...No?”

“Not you at all.”

I stared at him.

Ryan continued without hesitation.

“My disciple is far better than you.”

I felt my eyebrow twitch.

“In intelligence, beauty, magic...”

He counted them on his fingers.

“She is in a completely different league.”

This old man...

“And she will be coming to Lionheart next month.”

I quickly corrected him.

“Next month is in fifteen days, old man.”

Ryan looked at me.

“Yes.”

“Then who is your disciple?”

Ryan smiled.

“You'll know eventually.”

I stared at him.

Why does everyone in this world answer questions with another mystery?

Ryan went back to cooking as if nothing had happened.

I sighed and looked toward the three ancient trees.

So the Aster Clan has been protecting something inside that Shrine for hundreds of years.

And Ryan's predecessor went there...

But never came back.

What exactly is waiting for us inside?

Ryan finished preparing the food and sat down beside me.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Then Ryan looked toward the forest.

“Kid.”

“What?”

“There is something else you need to know.”

I looked at him.

“We don't know what is waiting for us beyond that shrine.”

Ryan's voice became more serious.

“We don't know what kind of creatures may be there, what kind of traps were left behind, or what the curse around the treasure might do.”

I stayed silent.

“So I want you to promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“If anything goes wrong...”

Ryan looked directly at me.

“You will be the first person to get out safely.”

I frowned.

“Old man—”

“Promise me.”

I looked at him for a moment.

Then I nodded.

“Fine. I promise.”

Ryan smiled slightly.

“Good.”

He looked toward the trees again.

“And if I don't make it...”

I didn't say anything.

“If I don't make it like my master did... or like my big brother...”

Ryan paused.

“Then tell my disciple everything that happened.”

I looked at him.

“Everything?”

“Everything you know.”

He smiled.

“And tell her that her grandpa died protecting his grandson.”

I stared at him.

Ryan leaned back.

“Sounds pretty heroic, doesn't it?”

“Old man.”

“Hm?”

“Stop dreaming.”

Ryan blinked.

I pointed toward the food.

“I'm hungry.”

He stared at me for a few seconds.

Then he laughed.

“Alright, alright.”

He handed me a plate.

“Eat, kid.”

I took it.

Seriously... this old man.

I started eating while Ryan continued smiling.

Neither of us knew what waited beyond the forest.

But for now...

We had lunch.