The Forest Guardians

60. The End Chapter 5

3rd POV

Micheal Johnathan Evans started from scratch.

With the help of Sharon Ricci and Xerxes Break, he accepted potential Guardians from the God of Death. He mainly picked those who needed second chances or were passionate about helping the Library.

Also, he rewrote the flawed contract since it caused many issues. He wanted the contract amendable and the loss of memory to be optional. Many souls wish to keep their memories of their past. However, they were of the same understanding that if they let the past affect them, they would risk losing all their memories or their job as a Guardian. Being a Guardian pulls them from suffering at the hands of Death, but it is not an easy job because one does it for at least a thousand years.

There is one significant change, however. He started to follow pieces of advice of Sharon and accepted more self-aware characters as Guardians. The change was gradual because the hurt caused by Ravenna and Zacharius ran deep. Even then, Mike and the rest could see the cracks mending themselves as those affected tried their best to move forward.

The Dark Horse Organisation was merged with the Library, growing the Library to an even bigger size. Many of the internal structures and designs of the Library were changed by Mike because he felt much of Ravenna's presence remained. Fortunately, he kept the iconic receiving hall of the Library with its glass dome and the numerous rows of bookshelves. Many classrooms were empty because Mike still needed to find enough Guardians. As Omen said, they needed to be trained enough to watch over the worlds and universes.

The other branches of the Guardians filled the essential function of the Guardians. They were in charge of monitoring the situations in the worlds. They could act independently before reporting to Mike if there was any need for reinforcements. The variations of Omen there would assist them and update what happened. Meanwhile, Sharon and Xerxes got busy looking over them because they knew their quirks and tricks. For quicker access, Mike created specialized portals for each branch. Even in the future, they would retain their roles and have a say in the decision of the main Library.

It has been a hundred years since the death of Dark Shadow... and the death of Omen. He hadn't met the mesias of Omen whenever he was out on fieldwork. He was... avoiding them, but even then, they knew that he couldn't bear the thought of seeing her on them, so they always wore masks when meeting him.

Over time, the unease, guilt, and sorrow eased as he raised a group of young Guardians and had them out on field missions with him. Watching them grow stronger together and interact reminded him of his interactions with his past partners. It was true he wasn't much of a talker, but their liveliness brought much colour to his life as a Guardian. He cherished those memories.

And now, he had to learn to leave his past behind while looking forward as a leader of the Guardians. He created more inventions to make the job of the Guardians easier, mass producing the familiar eggs for every Guardian. As for Earl, whom Omen left behind, he wanted to travel between the worlds to help Omen's mesias. So, Mike made a few changes to his design to fulfil his wishes, and the owl left. Never to be seen again, except for letters with a piece of his feather left on his desk now and then.

As Micheal sat on the steps of the library's main hall, watching the clear, boundless night sky through the dome, feeling the slight night breeze seeping into the room, a group of people quietly sat beside him. It was his students. He said nothing to them except to acknowledge their presence. They never made a noise and observed the night sky with him. The lion which guards the door was softly snoozing at his feet.

Tonight, as created as a tradition, was just a night to remember the fallen.

Tomorrow, they would pick up their stuff and prepare for fieldwork. And someday, they would be out there helping Omen's mesias to fight against the Shadows, protecting the stories.

That's the life of a Guardian.

As long as stories still exist, they will be there. Silently protecting or being an active participant in the story.