The Dark King (Completed)

(B option) Gaia the traitor

"What would happen if she purified all the shrines? Gaia! Tell me the truth!"

Luc kept asking, no, interrogating Gaia for answers. That stranger had warned him. The one who looked like him. And the earth guardian has been acting strange lately.

Gaia sighs. Finally he replies, "She would die. It's the end of her mission. Using her life force to revive our power again."

"Gaia, you stupid moron!" yells Undine.

Gaia says, "This is my decision. Just leave. Your power has been restored."

Manta Ray disappears.

Gaia says, "I don't care if they labelled me as a traitor. All of you are my friends. I couldn't sacrifice Charlie for retrieving my power again."

Charlie kneels down and scoops the tiny guardian from the ground. And she kisses it's tiny head.

"Thank you," says her.

Gaia shakes his head.

He says, "Thank you for giving back power to my friends. It's suck to be tiny. Guess it couldn't be help."

Suddenly her head swirls a lot and she collapses. Luc lifts her on his back.

He orders, "Tell me how to cure her. Or you're doomed, guardian. Toss you to a nearby hungry cat. I want her health back like before."

Gaia looks to the sky.

Finally he says, "There's a legendary flower that could give health and longevity. Don't know it's true or not. Only knows it blooms in the coldest region north."

Luc says, "Lead us there. And guardian? No more trickery, you hear me?"

"I swore on the holy ground beneath my feet. No more lies or secret from my side," says Gaia solemnly.

The guardian sneaks into Luc's pocket as usual.

He says, "The other guardians would stall the Demon Lord for a while. Don't think they would succeed. We didn't succeed in the past. And now? Minus me. Less chance."

Luc says, "Thanks for choosing our side, Gaia."

"Humans aren't too bad. For mortal beings. The other guardians just don't understand them. Humans always fascinated me."

Dante asks Claudia, "What's in your mind?"

"Don't know who to trust now. Even the mighty guardians abandoned us. No hope left."

Luc overhears her statement.

He says, "There's hope yet. My future self warned us not to sacrifice Charlie. Somewhere in the future, I learned how to do time travel."

Gaia asks, "Which time lines? Which dimensions? That's the real question..."

Luc asks, "Meaning?"

"Opening dimension is the Demon Lord specialty. That's how he got his minions from the moon."

Luc is walking in silent.

(Opening gate to another dimension and timeline. My father could do it. Maybe I could do it too? What if I could do it too?)

Luc is contemplating in silence. The others have stopped chatting too.

Each one of them has their doubts in their heart. Chances to win against the Demon Lord are very slim. The guardians didn't win against the evil demon Lord in the past.

How could they win now?

*****

"It's too damn cold!" curses Dante.