Tale of Vanguard

The dignified old man navigated the forest with ease, despite its dense terrain and thick underbrush. Kaelen walked beside the old man, making sure he didn't get left behind. As they continued walking, an eerie silence hung in the air, with no signs of life to be found, making Kaelen a little uncomfortable. He decided to fill the air by asking Master Kronos a question:

"Hey Master, where exactly are we going? we've been walking for almost an hour"

"Did Rogue already tell you about the place we just came from?"

Giving Master Cronos a questioning look, Kaelen then nodded.

"Yeah, the Gloomshade... Haven, right? He also mentioned that we're on the west side of the kingdom."

Master Cronos acknowledged him with a nod of approval.

"That's right, and just south of the sanctuary is my research lab, where I spend most of my time. There, we will discuss the necessary procedures for your path to becoming a Seeker."

Hearing the term "Seeker" mentioned by the old man, Kaelen began to contemplate the idea of him becoming someone who can control supernatural powers. If you describe these things as supernatural, they probably seem quite natural to the people of this world.

"Say what do you think about the girl that we've just met back then in the sanctuary?"

Startled by the old man sudden question, Kaelen blushed a little.

"My.. thoughts about her? I don't know, maybe the fact that she is really strong?"

What Kaelen said isn't wrong, considering the girl was able to lift a creature of such immense size with just one hand. Not to mention, the blade that pierced the creature's torso was likely her doing, given her bloodied appearance. It made him wonder what kind of battle they had endured to leave her looking like that – Of course, Kaelen left out the part about her looking pretty, as he had a feeling the old man would just tease him about it.

The old man chuckled.

"Well, you're not far off the mark. That girl has seen her fair share of fighting since childhood, or perhaps its not wrong to say that's what occupies her mind most of the time."

Hearing the old man's remark, Kaelen couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. How could someone who appeared to be around his age could be having such thoughts? He chuckled at himself, realizing that he wasn't exactly a perfect example of an ideal childhood either, given that he had spent most of his life worrying about his fragile mother.

Looking at Kaelen's gloomy face, Master Cronos began to speak to him

"I just have one piece of advice for you: when you have the chance, befriend her. You two probably have more in common than you think."

"Are you sure it's okay for me to befriend someone like her? I mean, she is the princess of this kingdom, right?"

Master Cronos smiled and respond to him.

"That's why I said that if you do get the chance. Always know that the chains of fate work in mysterious ways, boy. Never let your guard down."

'The chains of fate.. huh.' 

"By the way, what's the history behind you and the woman back there?"

Hearing Kaelen's question, Master Cronos expression frowned a little.

"Ugh, that old hag... She's one of the Keepers of the sanctuary, the Gloomshade Haven belongs to her. Four of the sanctuaries in our kingdom each have their own respective head responsible for managing the stability of the sanctuaries and the gateways within them. As for our history, she was once a junior of mine at the academy, but you don't need to worry about that. More importantly, I have something I want to discuss: it's about your mother's condition."

Kaelen's eyes widened in suprise, he gave his full attention to hearing what the old man has to say

"First, remember when i told you that her condition is often seen in this world too?"

Kaelen nods his head, then the old man continued:

"The problem is, our world hasn't found an optimal solution to heal these curses yet. Therefore, the kingdom has devised a long-term plan to execute an Imperial Venture into an unknown world, hoping to find a remedy for these curses there, but that's just a small part of it, the main reason for this venture is resource acquisition. This unknown world is believed to hold rare and invaluable resources, magical artifacts, or ancient technologies that could greatly benefit the kingdom. The goal is to secure these resources to enhance the kingdom's power and economy. Fortunately, I was chosen as one of the Striders for this expedition, which brings us to my task for you:"

Kaelen listened intently, his breath held in anticipation for what the old man was about to say.

"I want you to attend the Royal Academy of the Calaria Kingdom."

"Say what now?"

***

With a bewildered look, Kaelen asked:

"An academy? as in a school?"

Master Cronos just simply nodded in response to his question

"What the hell, old man?! How do you expect me to just attend a random school casually while you're going on an expedition that could determine my mother's future?! Why can't I join you?"

As they walked, Master Cronos suddenly stopped, prompting Kaelen to follow suit. He then looked at Kaelen with a stern expression

"Abandoned those naive thoughts immediately boy, this expedition is no simple matter, i can't guarantee my own safety later let alone yours, what good will you be to your mother if you're as good as dead."

After hearing Master Cronos response, Kaelen began to think that he had a point; Kaelen should have realized that he would probably be a dead weight to them. He also knew that the old man wouldn't offer a suggestion that didn't benefit the both of them. His temperament got the best of him yet again, he then took a deep breath to calmed himself down.

"But why an academy? is there any particular reason?"

"I will do everything in my power to help your mother and ensure that you complete your first step toward becoming a Seeker. However, what happens afterward will solely depends on you. The academy is currently the best place for you, as you will face countless trials and errors to improve your strength there. So remember this: the powerful will always prevail over the powerless. That is the harsh reality in both of our worlds."

Master Cronos then continued his walk while Kaelen still contemplated the old man's words, until he soon followed, remaining silent until they arrived at their destination.