World Keeper

Chapter 858: Guardian No More

The moment that Strea stepped out into the endless void, the chaotic energies around her fell to darkness. It was as if her mere presence within the void caused night to fall on a world with no concept of either sun or moon. She tread upon the endless black nothingness, her eyes scanning through the expanse to find a figure towering in the distance. It stood with its back towards a spherical object that seemed to shimmer like a distant star.

“Hmm… you’re still there.” Strea nodded her head at the sight of the armored guardian, before furrowing her brows. She had seen the Guardian’s armor gradually turning black over recent years, but now it seemed to be made of pure obsidian. “My, what’s all that behind you, though?” She asked, eyes cast beyond the armored figure and to the squirming masses that seemed to be gnawing at the spherical object, the world behind it.

Strea had been a Fallen Goddess long enough, and had trained directly under Leowynn long enough to be able to gather some insights from the appearances of void beasts. At the very least, she could determine which ones were harmful, and which ones were fine to interact with. “Those friends you have there… they don’t seem to be very nice. Someone hasn’t been doing his job.” Strea clicked her tongue, extending one hand to the sky.

“I invoke the endless Night. May shooting stars erase that which I find unpleasant in this abyss.” She said, her eyes firm as glittering points of starlight formed within the void around her. Similar to how gods enacted their divinity, the fallen used verbal commands in order to help them focus their power. However, the difference lay in the source of that power, as the fallen directly commanded the power of the void, harnessing it for their use.

When those stars shot forward, they carried the strength to shatter planets, each one as powerful as a true star erupting in the night. However, none of these shooting stars managed to reach their targets. Instead, a giant sword manifested in the air, blocking the attack and taking the shock. Strea’s eyes went wide as she watched the Guardian just barely stagger backwards. “You… are protecting them?” She asked, her voice shaking not with fear, but rage.

“The Goddess bestowed you with life, she gave you purpose, and you turn your back on her? On everything that she stands for?” The darkness around Strea shook as her fists clenched, bringing both hands forward. “Fall into eternal darkness.”

The black substance of the void seemed to latch onto the Guardian when she issued that command, and she seemed sure in her victory. However, she never let down her guard, as this was a creation of Leowynn herself. She would be a fool to underestimate it. She watched every second, how the black substance crawled across the skin of the Guardian, how it struggled to pull the darkness away from itself.

Only when it had been fully dissolved, vanishing within the cage of shadow she created, did Strea allow herself to relax. “Now… where was I? Right… shooting stars.” She muttered, another dozen dots of starlight shooting out at the creatures attaching themselves to the spherical object the Guardian was meant to protect.

She let out a faint sigh, closing her eyes as she heard the sound of the collisions, and felt the eruption of her power. But then… her brow furrowed, and she opened her eyes in shock. She couldn’t feel the satisfying deaths of the void monsters.

Jutting out from the darkness, seemingly ripping a hole in the void itself, was the same sword that had protected the monsters earlier. A hand grabbed the side of the hole created by the sword, forcing it wider and allowing the Guardian to emerge once again. Now, it’s face had completely blackened as well.

Strea took a step back, her eyes wide. She didn’t dare summon her sanctuary here, or even retreat to it. If the Guardian had been able to escape that imprisonment, and carried the power that Leowynn gave it, it could very likely destroy her sanctuary.

The Guardian stepped forward, going on the offensive for the first time against Strea. It swung its sword, cleaving open the darkness that spread from Strea’s presence. The dark red energies of chaos flooded in once more, and that line of energy drew itself across her torso, completely bisecting her body.

Her eyes shook as she felt her connection with her lower body severed. As an energy being, even a wound such as this would not be fatal. Yet, she felt as though that energy was completely lost. Looking down, she saw her lower half dissolving, streaks of dark power rushing from her and towards the Guardian.

Strea didn’t hesitate even a moment longer. Before the Guardian had time to swing his sword again, she tore open a gate and allowed it to swallow her body whole. She cared not for her appearance, only wishing to use any method she could to escape just a little faster.

When she emerged, she fell back onto the cold stone floor of the church, Jaden calling out in shock. “Lady Strea?!” He shouted, the Fallen Goddess having been gone for no more than a minute.

“Alert… everyone.” She muttered, her eyes shaking in disbelief. She was gradually regrowing her lower body, but she knew that she could not return to fight the Guardian in her state. “The Guardian has gone rogue. We will need every Fallen under the Goddess’s flag. Everyone… and any others who dare to fight. If they have a speck of talent for the void…”

Jaden’s legs shook as he heard those solemn words, able to feel just how hopeless Strea was after that brief encounter. One attack had cost her half her life, and would have taken more if she didn’t flee immediately.

“He did what?!” Leowynn’s voice shouted out from her room, startling a passing Ashley, who peeked her head inside.

“Leo, dear? Is everything okay?” She asked, feeling an unmistakable anger in Leowynn’s voice. The last time that she saw Leowynn truly upset was… well, it was in the battle that killed her.

“What?” Leowynn looked up at Ashley, her brow furrowed. “Yeah… yeah, I’m fine. Sorry… I need to take care of this. My Guardian’s turned traitor.” After she said that, she vanished in a flash of starlight, leaving a stunned Ashley looking into the empty room.

When Leowynn appeared, it was within the boundless void, just as the last specks of energy from Strea were being absorbed by the Guardian. “What has gotten into you…” She muttered, staring hard at the Guardian, whose eyes slowly turned to face her as well. Her eyes pulsed black, and she gasped, immediately vanishing from her position.

This time, she transported herself to the Sky Citadel, appearing within the living room. Her sudden appearance greatly startled Dale, and even Tsubaki jumped to her feet in surprise. “Lady Leowynn… what is the matter?” Tsubaki asked, able to see the concerned, yet serious expression on Leowynn’s face.

“…Dad, I need your help. A call is about to go out for every Fallen God to rally together. I need you to join this fight.” Her voice was firm, but her eyes seemed to shake subtly.

Dale slowly stood up, walking over to Leowynn. “What happened?” He asked in a soft voice.

“The Guardian was corrupted.” Leowynn answered. “I don’t know the exact specifics, but I just confirmed it myself. His rules have changed. Instead of protecting the worlds under your control and defeating void beasts… he is now actively allowing and luring void beasts into attacking these worlds. Not only that… but he’s protecting them from anyone that tries to attack them.”

“Can you not rewrite him? Edit the rules to make him work properly again?” Dale asked, but she shook her head, leaning against him.

“Maybe if I had enough time. But he’ll be resisting. And I gave him so much of my power when I created him. I don’t know if I would have the energy to both withstand his attacks and alter his core rules. That’s why they’re putting the call out. No single god, fallen or otherwise, can stand up to this monster now that it has gone rogue.”

“Why would you ask my Keeper to interfere?” Tsubaki asked in confusion. “You must know what danger this would place him in.”

Leowynn gave a weak smile at that, nodding her head. “I know perfectly well. However, there’s the chance to turn things around if he is there. Otherwise, even if every Fallen God we have gathers together, I can’t be sure that it will be enough. His sword has the quality of severing chaos, while his armor absorbs energy directed at it, fueling its evolution.”

“Then wha–” Tsubaki began, only for Dale to speak up.

“You don’t want to fight it in the void.” He said, as if he understood. Leowynn nodded her head, confirming his thoughts. “As long as it’s in the void, it has a nearly limitless energy to pull from. With how you created it, and how it’s evolved, it’s essentially an old Fallen God itself. One directly specialized in hunting others like it.”

“That’s right.” Leowynn agreed. “In order to properly defeat it, we need to be able to trap it somewhere other than the void. However, to do so would require an enormous energy source, more than any of us could muster. The next best bet would be Terra, hoping that she could trap it in a book. However, it is quite proficient at breaking bindings. It might be able to tear its way out of her book, leaving whatever world the book is placed in vulnerable to its wrath.”

“So you want me to trap it within one of my mirrors, a world that doesn’t strictly exist, and is fueled by my power. My power as a Keeper, where everyone in nearly every world is supplying me with faith.” Dale added. “You’re hoping that would be enough to stop it, even if Terra’s technique wouldn’t?”

“No, I’m confident that the mirror world alone won’t be enough.” Leowynn shook her head. “You’ll have to send the Fallen Gods in as well. If you send only the Guardian, he will surely break free. Sending in the Fallen Gods will allow them to fight and keep it preoccupied. I won’t ask you to fight yourself, dad… I just need you to set the stage for them.”

Dale’s brow furrowed, and he nodded his head. “Alright. I’ll do it. When is the fight taking place?”

Surprisingly, it was Tsubaki that answered. “In… half an hour. I just received the message, an emergency summons has been issued in the name of the Starry Night church. All Fallen Gods fit for battle are to report within thirty minutes. The message went out over every channel, even the void itself.”

“Well then…” Dale smiled, shaking his head. “I guess this is a thing we’re doing. Tsubaki, I have a job for you while I’m gone.”

“What?” Tsubaki’s eyes went wide. “My Keeper, please let me join you in this fight.”

“Like she said, I’m not fighting. I’m just setting the stage for them. Besides… what I’m going to ask you to do is every bit as important as the fight itself, and I can’t trust anyone more than you to do so.”

Tsubaki hesitated for a moment, before nodding her head. “Please give me your orders, my Keeper.”

Dale reached over, gently gripping her shoulder. “Go meet James and Chel. Explain the situation to them. Tell them that we need a new planetary void defense as quickly as they can manage it. With the Guardian no longer protecting us, any void monster can bring the fight to us. I don’t want another incident like Ashe happening again.”

Tsubaki’s body stiffened at that, her eyes going wide. “I understand, my Keeper.” It was clear that she would prefer to join the fight alongside Dale. However, she also understood the importance of this mission. Even now, there were an unknown number of hostile void monsters attacking Earth. Any message that she passed on had the danger of attracting the attention of one, or triggering its effects. She couldn’t risk sending another messenger in her stead, because she couldn’t be sure that messenger would ever make it to Deckan.

“Leowynn, can you make sure she gets there safely?” Dale said in a whisper, Leowynn nodding her head and offering a blessing towards Tsubaki. In truth, even Tsubaki herself was in danger of falling to the void monsters. And the only reason Leowynn didn’t deliver the message personally… as the Goddess of the Void, she needed to be part of this battle.