Gate Guardian - Tale of the Blazing Heart

Phase 37: A Familiar Place

Phase 37: A Familiar Place

I knew it from the start, but I always deny it. I don't have any chance to win Erylle's heart. It's just all in my head. A delusion. I thought I have a chance. I even made a grand decision just to be with her. A Gate Guardian. If it wasn't for my delusional brain, I should've rejected her offer from the start. She's completely out of my league. A perfect woman will never like a complete loser.

And now that Atlas is back, there will be no room for my name in her heart.

I'm in all sorts of trouble now. Friends are already hurt because of me. I'm a complete burden to Erylle. I got a lot of people involved in protecting me. I should've known it will turn out to this. If I just decided to reject her offer back then, everything will not be as worst like this.

[Transfield]

[4:28 PM]

There was a sudden spark on my nerves. I clapped my hands and held it together. My heartbeat became faster and I open my mouth to shout.

"FEL ERI SUMA... FREIA!!!"

Suddenly, a smoke-like scent from my lungs emerged. I exhaled slowly with my nose, and black smoke came out from my nostrils. Then I decided to exhale it all out, and the whole grassfield was covered with the thick smoke.

There was a sudden grab in my shoulder.

"Let's go!"

Wait, I knew this tan face. He has the same white hair as the man I know.

"N-Neo!? Y-You're Void Wolf!!?"

He was holding his left eye, which is already bleeding.

"Save that for later. We should escape for now!"

Erylle suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me over. Then, Neo carried the fallen Zion and flicked his fingers, making a ring of light. It's a Gate, which we used to flee from the overpowered Cursed Guardian.

<>

It's been minutes since we started walking peacefully in the foot of the mountain so it seems that we already lost that crazy monster. Erylle is wordlessly using <Healing Touch> on my bleeding stomach as we came closer to our destination, which I don't know about.

We went pass through some hiking trails that is familiar to me. But then, my curiousness and familiarity of this place was interrupted by Neo, who swiped his fingers in the air. He opened a Gate again and transported us into a lake.

This place is...beautiful. It looks familiar again, but I don't remember when I got myself in this place. We are surrounded by green grass and some colorful lilies. There was a two-meter wooden gate entrance that has a label "Grove of Beginnings."

"Grove of Beginnings? Is this the healing spring?"

"Alright, Mr. Twin Gunner. You'll be the first to take a bath in that lake." Neo said.

"Wait, can you walk?" I asked, being quite concerned about Zion.

"Don't underestimate me, Yohan! I'm not as wimpy as you!" Zion yelled. "Owowow!"

He held his right shoulder which is surging with pain and walked slowly. He opened the entrance and then closed it gently. It made a slow creaking sound. Honestly, this place is as creepy as beautiful it was.

"...Hey..." Neo patted my shoulders.

I waved at Eryle, and she nodded. We went a few meters away from the entrance, leaving the sylph who was gazing on the afternoon horizon. Neo and I sat on the ground, gazing on the grassfields of this creepy place.

"Does this place ring a bell?" Neo asked.

"Yeah...It feels like we used to go into this place often."

"This is the Cicada Grove in the other side."

"Ci-Cicada Grove!?"

There was a time that I had a dream here on Cicada Grove. I saw a naked woman bathing in the lake. When we were in Junior High, every week I would visit this place, hoping that the angel of my dreams would appear. But no, it's just a dream. I'm such an idiot at that time.

Neo told both Erylle and me about the story about his first clash with Benedict Hamerov and how they got their own powers. Benedict is originally a good Guardian before. He was with a Guardian named Helena, who baptized Neo to become a Guardian. They formed a three-man Legion to protect Mirose Grande.

Neo's ability is <Voidcaster>, the ability to absorb and use Void Energy. He's the only one who can do it, and one of its privileges is to open a Gate to the Grove of Beginnings, which is a place that can heal all illness and injuries. Void Energy is a complete mystery.

Benedict's power is to absorb an Eidolon or another Gate Guardian's ability, and use it for a maximum of thirty minutes. He originally has to punch an Eidolon first before he can get its abilities.

I suddenly remembered about his speech in the summit.

"Unfortunately, I need that Eidolon alive. I will have his god-like powers. Join me. This is the time for revelation. Those who want to serve me, come. Step outside the mansion. Those who wanted to oppose me...die!"

It makes sense. He will absorb the Aeternos's powers.

But it's not that limited to that. He knew how to cast electricity-type spells, and a Heavenly Blade. We still don't know what Weapon Gem he's wielding.

But then, Neo grew much stronger than Benedict. Envious of Neo's powers, he made a contract with an Eidolon. He wished for additional power, which the Eidolon granted happily. Even becoming a Cursed Guardian, Benedict retained his consciousness. But the other rules for a Cursed Guardian remained for him.

"You can say that Benedict is my arch nemesis. He's my partner, together with Helena, and we protected Mirose Grande for the past five years. We even got our Heavenly Blade at the same time."

He immediately drew his giant saw-sword on his glowing chest, and then lent it to me. To my surprise, when my hand finally touch the saw-sword, there was a sudden spark. It stings painful that my hand became numb for a minute.

"Ouch!"

"Heavenly Blades chooses their own owners and no one else can touch it. That spark can be lethal if you will push yourself further to touch the blade...ha..ha..ha!"

Then he sheathed his blade through his heart and laughed with a mix of sarcasm.

The Heavenly Blade Neo owns is called <Orisioner>. Its owner will be able to use Projection Spells, the highest kind of spells. Projection Spells are spells of creation, which means you can create anything with your mind, just like the Hexagram Barrier he used to protect all of us.

On the other hand, Benedict Hamerov's Heavenly Blade, <Cataclysor> gives the owner the ability to use Destruction Spells. He can cast any Destruction Spell he likes, whether it is a fire, flood, hurricane, or a sea of darkness.

"How can we find another Heavenly Blade?" I asked, voicing out Erylle's thought since she's quite embarrassed to talk to Neo.

"You don't find Heavenly Blades. They are the ones who will find your hearts..."

That's the only thing he said about finding it. Seriously, none of us are literature teachers here.

Creak~ The wooden gate opened.