The Guardian of Zero

The Familiar

"No more running. Rest now."

Empress Caiatl and the guardian approach the lifeless Calus. His body appeared as though a tree had woven its roots through him, lifting him above the ground in an eerie spectacle.

WOOOOOSH

Nimbus, a colossal humanoid adorned with cybernetic enhancements, flies in on a gleaming silver board. Landing before Empress Caiatl and the guardian.

"Woo! Ah, the uglier they are, the harder they fall, right?" Nimbus says, sticking out his hand for a fistbump out to the Empress. "No?" Seemingly being turned down, he moves onto the guardian.

"Come on..."

The guardian, showing a friendly gesture, agreed to the fist bump with Nimbus. However, as Nimbus walked around to meet the guardian's outstretched hand, the unexpected power of the fist bump made the guardian wince slightly.

In the midst of this, the guardian's attention was momentarily diverted from their Ghost, and they didn't immediately notice the unusual behavior. The Ghost drifted closer towards the Veil.

Then, a sudden communication alert blared in the guardian's helmet, and Osiris's voice struggled through the disruptive static. "Get your Ghost—"

But before Osiris could finish his sentence, the connection was abruptly cut off, leaving the guardian baffled by the fragmented transmission. "What's wrong, Osiris?" the guardian inquired, straining to make sense of the distorted message.

Osiris's voice finally broke through with a sense of urgency. "Get your Ghost out of there!" he implored.

Now, the guardian's gaze locked onto their Ghost, which was perilously approaching the Veil. Panic set in as they wondered how to intervene.

"It's creating the link!" Nimbus shouted with deep concern.

"At long last," a sinister voice echoed out from the Ghost.

"Destr-"

"Throw me." Seemingly being interrupted, the Empress looks down at the guardian.

Perplexed, the Empress questioned, "Huh?"

"I won't harm my partner. So, throw me," the guardian repeated, their resolve unwavering.

After a moment's contemplation, the Empress sighed and reluctantly agreed, "Very well."

In a swift motion, the Empress seized the guardian by the helm of his cloak, a mixture of hope and uncertainty in her eyes. "I trust your judgment," she murmured as she hurled the guardian toward his ghost.

In mid-air, the guardian extended his hand, his fingers outstretched towards his partner. Yet, as their fingertips brushed against the shell, the ghost emitted a brilliant, radiant golden light, establishing the link they tried so hard to prevent.

"Got ya!" the guardian began, his voice filled with assurance, but before he could finish his sentence, a vivid green portal materialized in front of him. With no chance to halt his momentum, he was engulfed by the portal, vanishing into the unknown.

An unsettling silence gripped the room, leaving both the Empress and Nimbus in a state of shock and profound horror as they grappled with the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of the Guardian. Their expressions spoke of an unspoken dread.

Their trance was abruptly broken by the voice of Osiris, who urgently sought answers from Empress Caiatl. "What is transpiring over there? And why is the Guardian not responding to his comms?" Osiris inquired, his tone reflecting the gravity of the situation.