The White Darkness

By Helbaworshipper

The Roland Kingdom Arc: The Ancient Relics

The Guardian was born at a time long before it could remember. The masked figure had existed during Roland Kingdom and even before it. The first time the Guardian was interacting beyond Lotsuan was so random. It was a random girl that Lotsuan tolerated around him. The girl would often bring cute animals towards Lotsuan. The most often chosen animal was a cute white rabbit. Once she brought it in, Lotsuan would let the creature calmly sleep in his lap as he continued his task.

"Is her presence important?" The rabbit was sleeping as Lotsuan simply lifted a writing brush. The beads of Lotis on the table were normal. Perhaps the reason was to make sure that those who got bracelets did not forget to limit their power.

"Is that how you see it?" Lotsuan's voice was calm as the ink formed into the bracelet carefully.

"She is simply a person. Why do you allow her to enter when no one else should?"

"Guardian, it is fate, sometimes..."

"Have they made a decision?" A voice brought the guardian out of the thought process. Alice was settled at the throne. She seemed to have just woken up. Her eyes seemed to be half opened.

"Samuel has not been able to make a final decision. Kayna says that for now she will be out in the city."

"Simple enough." The figure seemed to be calm despite hearing the negative news. Though it was something even the Guardian had foreseen. Even if Alice had willingly kept herself from interrupting Eric's plan, would Kayna and Samuel have been useful after the war finished? The figure's body moved naturally from the throne and simply walked down the stairs. The quiet of the throne felt almost like an unsaid agreement.

The castle was quiet, yet… The people around were simply moving as if unaware of the inevitable battle ahead. The Roland Kingdom had been abandoned for a long time, so even the food and drink were simply being created by will in some way. How Lotsuan could make such a miracle confused the guardian. Yet, she could feel Lotsuan's weakening drive to continue this fight. Alice had taken control, but… It was as if someone had willed it to happen.

"Master," a younger maram master was simply standing there. Alice simply nodded and seemed to wait. "The scouting group supported by your Riiya has spotted the camp starting to move." The person seemed almost lifeless for a moment. Eric had most likely put controlling words on them, but without him around, they simply did as they were told.

"Yes," Alice's hand simply grasped the item he held. She looked over the message carefully. "Tell the scouting group to prepare for a look over Weilhausen. We must be sure that they aren't coming with a pincer."

"He looked almost light for a moment."

"There's no reason for Weilhausen to do it." The body had moved out of earshot. "Still, if I do not give them a purpose, their lives for now will feel as if wasted." She seemed more saddened than the Guardian expected. "Some people only truly want to have someone to devote their lives to. Had I had someone to do that for at the time, perhaps..." For a moment the figure saw Lotsuan's face. It angered the Guardian a little. The mask trembled slightly as a hand moved to shake off the thought of the master.

The girl named Neyozeka was odd. It infuriated the Guardian that one could enter and go that was so carefree. It was on such a day that Lotsuan was asleep and in pain that the anger felt like it would boil over. The girl had come and simply sat there, carefully replacing the dana soaked cloth every so often. Though she had not brought an animal, there was some sort of food that the masked figure could not recognized.

"Child, it is rather careless to come here so often." A smile grew on the lips of the rather weak Lotis user. "What purpose do you have here?"

"You're silly to think I have a purpose." She kept her smile. "Isn't he just so lonely?"

"What do you mean? We have always been together."

"Then why aren't you doing this for him?"

"What is it that you could possibly be doing that would make it better?" The girl seemed annoyed for a moment, getting up and pulling the Guardian closer to Lotsuan.

"He's in pain." She was having a gloved hand hold another hand. It was awkward, but Lotsuan would be upset if Neyozeka was hurt. The two remained there. The girl quietly seemed to be humming, as if trying to ease the pain of the powerful Master.

"Guardian?" The masked figure nodded for a moment as Alice's face brought the thoughts back again. Without a word, the woman's had slowly placed a hand on the mask. "I know it is a lot for you these days." She slowly removed the hand and started to head towards the command room. For a moment, the figure wanted to remove the mask. To feel that hand against a face not covered in this rather cold material. Yet, it would be a pointless request. Letting go of it and the thoughts of the little girl, the Guardian could only follow.

It would be simple enough to invade and stop the resistance to the war. There were many pieces of knowledge that had been well known before. Still, the fact that Neyozeka had almost stopped the destruction of the Roland Kingdom had only been known to Eric. If Alice had an idea of it before her awakening, she didn't bother to care for it. Still, the fact was that now that the Guardian was off on a request to a place such as this was not easy.

At the moment the masked figure was going around what looked to be the inner Lotis world of one of the rebellion. It was not Frei, most obviously because it would be hard to intrude. Lately, Kyo Wakamiya's had been full of what remained of his mother. So, by deduction, it was either Frei's father or Christopher of the Roland kingdom. For a moment she noted the structure and knew it had to be the latter.

"Y-you're..." Ah, the target of the inquiry really was here. "What are you doing here? Is Alice here as well?"

"Master Lotsuan is not so free as to see you on the eve of such a battle." The tone was almost annoyed. Still, there was no sign of it beneath the mask. "After all, your rebellion is coming closer, is it not?"

"Then what sort of question is that?" Chris looked almost calm. Perhaps there would be no way to extract information in this position. Still, it was a task assigned while Master Alice did many things. "All you seem to be doing is trying to make us stop."

"Ideally, that would be best." This slightly surprised the former royal. "However, would you really believe that peace could be achieved and stay without another trying to take control?" The figure stopped before what looked to be an orphanage that had been burnt to the ground. That child had been from here.

"Even so, what would happen if Lotis and Maram were gone?" He was approaching a bit closer. About ten steps away now. "Alice kept talking about how it was one or the other. Why can't it just be the way it has been?"

"Were that a possibility, then Eric would not have destroyed your kingdom." The tone was soft, yet calm. "There had been one hope that it might not happen. Yet… Yet your kingdom did not protect it. Even while Lotsuan was in horrible pain."

"I don't… no one told us."

"It would not be something to tell just anyone." The image of dagger appeared in the guardian's hand. "Do you not remember this sacred relic?"

"That's..." More shock than expected. Perhaps he had thought it was in the treasury the whole time? "We were looking for that! My father said it was the key to keeping peace? Where was it?"

"Silly." The word confused him as the masked figure seemed amused. "It was not an object ever."

"Then..." He seemed to accept for a moment before grasping the robes of the guardian. "You've been hiding yourself with someone and not telling the royal-"

"Don't..." The figure spoke with more animosity than usual. "Don't you dare touch me. None of you were worthy to be of Master Lotsuan's blessing for it." The scene was slightly unstable with the Guardian trying hard to not lose focus. It eventually turned into the simple place that Lotsuan and his Guardian always were together. Chris himself was on his back from the force of the push away.

"What sort of test did one have to take to have it?" He asked softly, getting up carefully as he could tell the visitor was no longer even showing an opening for being close.

"One was simply chosen." The cloaked figure seemed to simply approach the bed Lotsuan slept on. It wasn't a very fancy bed. In fact, it was probably easily destroyed and created. "And that child was chosen. Yet she was killed by people with no protection."

"If we had been aware, we would have..."

"Being aware? Are you sure when you couldn't even tell of Alice's sleeping potential until it was too late?"

"That's entirely different!" He seemed to be on edge at the accusation. "Eric wasn't the type of guy you could just attack head on."

"If you had come earlier..." A saddened tone that caused at least one of them to be confused. "It would have at least stopped the upcoming choice from being so hard. She has caused bloodshed, so..." The figured turned slowly. "There is no way she will not fight."