Chapter 27: Guardian of the Altar

Chapter 27: Guardian of the Altar

With the battle over, Zeth’s Blood Magic ends and his body returns to normal.

The other heroes walk over to him. With a smile, Joe says, “As frightening as you were, that was awesome! How did you do that?”

Zeth looks down at himself and then at his hands, worry creeping onto his face. “I… I don’t know. And I feel as if I was naturally more aggressive while in that state. Just a minute ago, I felt amazing, and now, suddenly, I’m worried that I could go too far with it. I remember tasting blood and that’s when it happened.”

“No need to worry about that now,” Emily says with a smile. “You defeated the demon and saved the people of Flagron.”

Zeth turns his focus to her. “I guess you’re right. Everything turned out okay. I shouldn’t let a hypothetical ruin this moment.”

Suddenly, poison ejects from the altar and dissipates. With the poison gone, rays of light release from it and scatter all around the whole cave room, leading to a ghostly woman emerging directly above its circular surface. The ethereal woman’s long gray hair flows down to her lower back. Her fit figure is lean and clad in a white robe.

She smiles warmly. “I offer my greetings to you, young humans. I am the Third Guardian of the magic altars.”

Zeth raises an eyebrow, confused. “Guardian?”

“Yes, over 130 years ago, the Light Goddess, Harmona, had eight of us Guardians watch over the eight magic altars that she created. She created the altars in the era of Great Chaos to give humans magic, to help her fight back against the Dark Goddess, Dakame, and her followers.”

“So, what exactly are you guardians? You look like a ghost.”

“We are the spirits of angels. Our task is to guard the magic altars, and we will do so until the conflict between Heaven and Hell ends.”

“What if that never happens?” Sasha asks.

“Then we will forever watch over these altars. We will protect mortals from the demons of Hell even if we must do so for an eternity.”

Kurt places his hand up to his chin. “An eternity... I can't even imagine it...”

“Listen well, young humans. Those demons that you just defeated had a secondary objective. They wanted to destroy me and the magic altar. Weak demons such as them would stand no chance against me but they were using a specific poison mist created by Dakame and it overwhelmed me. Beware, those demons you fought are among the weakest of Dakame’s followers. Had you had to fight any of her stronger demons, you would have all perished. To Dakame, these demons you fought would just be cannon fodder.”

The heroes focus on her, fear starting to spark in their eyes.

“That’s a frightening thought,” Emily says. “We have a long way to go.”

“So these altars can give people magic?” Zeth asks for clarification. “Can they give people who already have magic even more magic?”

The Third Guardian nods. “In a way, yes. But not in the way you’re thinking. They can add more abilities to the magic you already have. They won’t give you a second type of magic though. To add more to their benefits, they can make you stronger as a whole. However, after the first time, the power increase from other altars is only slight, but you will still gain more techniques. Let me empower you with the power of this altar.”

She holds her arms out wide, leading to beams of light shooting out of the altar, enveloping all five heroes. They all look down at their bodies in awe, feeling their core power increasing.

“Wow, I feel so much stronger!” Zeth says with a loud tone.

“I can tell you how powerful you have become in terms of the rank system set up by humans. Zeth, you are now a mid F-Rank. Emily, you are a low F-Rank. Kurt and Joe, you are both a high G-Rank. And Sasha, you are a mid G-Rank. Now, going forward, you will get stronger as you train and as you fight.”

Sasha bows. “Thank you for this, sincerely.”

“No need to bow,” the Third Guardian says with a warm smile. “I’m just doing what is best.”

“Whatever the reason, this will be very helpful,” Kurt replies.

“I have a question,” Zeth says, curiosity in his voice. “Was it you who teleported me and Sasha out of certain doom in that abandoned village?”

“No, that teleporting magic Drought was using was draining his own strength to keep you away,” the Third Guardian states. “Eventually, he had to stop using it, probably hoping you had died by that point. Dakame created that magic technique, and it’s supposed to teleport someone to whom or where that person is most likely to meet their end.”

“I see,” Sasha says. “Any longer and we would have died.”

“Now, on to the next step,” the Third Guardian says as she points at Zeth. “Zeth, you must go and talk to Harmona.”

Zeth’s eyes widen, her request taking him by surprise. “The Light Goddess? How would I do that? And what for?”

“You can do so at the Temple of the Light Goddess. You have demonstrated that you can use Blood Magic at a low level of power and not die from using it. You have inherited your magic, and your blood must be powerful. Harmona will surely want you to help her prevent another Great Chaos.”

Zeth closes his eyes for just a moment, as if in deep thought. “Hmmm. Now that I think about it, I have never seen my parents use magic.”

“Then it would be best if you go to see them first before you go to the Temple of the Light Goddess. Perhaps they’re hiding something from you, Zeth. Go and ask them about it.”

Zeth nods. “Okay, that makes sense. I was heading home anyway.”

The Third Guardian turns her focus to the other four heroes. “You four should accompany Zeth on his way to the temple. I have a feeling you will all have a big role too.”

They all nod in unison, staring back with serious expressions.

“Now, you must be off on your way,” she says. “Good luck to you all.”

With determination, the five heroes turn around and leave the altar, heading for the cave’s exit.

After they leave, the Third Guardian just continues to stare forward, shedding a tear, her face overcome with sadness. She thinks to herself, “I’m sorry that I could not reveal everything to you, Zeth. I believe it is not my place to do that. I believe Harmona should be the one to do that. I won't take that away from her.”

***

Outside of the cave.

When the heroes reach the outside of the cave and pass through the waterfall, they see that the sun is starting to rise, bringing in the dawn of a new day.

“Look, the sun is coming up and the water is back to normal!” Joe shouts in a cheery mood.

Zeth stretches and then looks on with excitement. “Alright! Let’s get back to town!”

They begin their journey as they start walking back to Flagron, all smiling, knowing they saved an entire town.

After talking with the Third Guardian, the heroes now have a new goal!

Chapter 27 END

To be Continued in Chapter 28: The Only A-Rank