Chapter 1: The Collectors

As the dark clouds in the sky pour rain, the crater-like dent on the metal platform slowly accumulates water, diluting the blood from the center.

While the rain continues to fall, the temperature does as well, making every breath created visible.

Holding a metal lance impaled through the ground, the person holding it uses it as a cane to keep herself standing as exhaustion made her knees so weak they started shaking.

"Lina…" she whispered in a somber tone.

Looking at the woman underneath her, her tears flow out of her yellow eyes as she watches her lance impaled her through the stomach, pinning her to the ground.

Though she wasn't moving, she was still breathing and was looking back at the person holding the lance.

"Talia…" she called out with her weak and strained voice.

"I'm… sorry." Talia looked at her and grit her teeth. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Lina coughed out blood as she mustered her remaining strength to move her arms. This made Talia's eyes widen in surprise.

"You… chose…" she grits her teeth in frustration as she tries to grab the lance.

Despite being gravely wounded and at death's door, she still had an inhuman level of strength strong enough to push the lance out of her stomach.

"Please! Stop this!" Talia pleaded in tears. "Don't make me do this!"

Even though she was dying, Lina's green eyes were still burning with rage and fury. "I won't stop! Not until I destroy the throne!" she declared.

Talia, although overpowering Lina and preventing her from lifting the spear, couldn't stop herself from crying as she watches her desperately try to fight despite the light of life in her eyes already extinguished.

She couldn't accept that what's left of her friend was a husk puppet of vengeance.

However, she couldn't live either. She was bound by her duty to defeat her to protect the peace of their world as a Guardian.

And with her friend becoming a threat to the world as a Fallen, there was no other way to defeat her except kill her.

With a heavy heart, Talia grits her teeth and uses her remaining strength and pushed the lance deeper and overpower Lina.

After twisting the lance to lock it in place, she lets go of her weapon and puts her fingers together and closes her eyes.

"I am a servant of the divine, a shepherd of righteousness, and the protector of the just. In the name of the Law of Trinity, I grant the divine light of Hanlea to the fallen."

As she continued to pray, she opened her eyes and noticed something.

Lina's mouth was moving, as if she was murmuring something.

"…to the spirits of the dammed, I offer my soul and grant me vengeance…"

Hearing the lines uttered by Lina, Talia's eyes widened in shock.

Immediately, when she spread out her arms, a massive halo appeared over her and illuminated the cloudy sky.

"I give you the judgement of Hanlea. Holy Smite!"

"I curse you with my fate. Dark Weaver."

As the massive mace made of holy light drops down from the center of the Halo in the sky, the red blood that has been diluted by the rain on the floor suddenly turns black.

Before she could even react, a thread-like object stretched out of the water and struck Talia in the abdomen.

"Not you, not the goddess, and not death." She declared as more blood comes out of her mouth. "I will have my revenge."

As her life slowly faded away, the black thread that connected Talia and Lina was severed on its own.

Even though she was in pain both physically and emotionally, Talia hardened her heart as she dealt the finishing blow to her friend.

"Your sin will go with you, and I will live with mine." She whispers. "I hope that someday, you can forgive me, my dear sister."

As the glowing mace drops unto her friend, an explosion of holy light blows away both the rain and the clouds and exposes a clear blue sky and a bright sun.

Emerging from the steaming platform, Talia stands up by using her lance as a cane. Covered in wounds, and her eyes and cheeks wet with tears.

"I thought you were going to tell us some amazing story today. Isn't that kind of depressing?"

A young man asks while sitting on a chair and his chin on the table.

The old man, behind the counter wiping glasses, twists his lips looking very disappointed at the young man.

"You asked for a Guardian related story. What's wrong with it being depressing?"

"Well, I mean, I'm an only child. How would I know what she felt killing her own sister?"

"They're not sisters, Rusty. Weren't you paying attention."

Next to the young man, a girl reading an old book with a metal staff on her other hand.

"You say that like you've paying attention or something."

"I am paying attention." She closes a book and looks at him with condescending eyes. "And also, I've read this story before."

Rusty felt insulted, but he had nothing to retort so he just pouted at her in annoyance.

"What have you been reading these days, Ruby?" he changes the topic.

Since Ilya didn't like his attitude, she let out a scoff and opened her book again to avoid looking at his face.

"I hear you're already a Tri-Star Cluster rank now." The old man says while sliding a glass of juice towards Ruby's part of the table. "Congratulations on the promotion, kid. This one's on the house."

Seeing the glass of juice in front of her, Ruby, although was in a bad mood a second ago, couldn't resist smiling with her face flushed.

"Wait, I didn't hear anything about promotions!" Rusty stood up shocked, turning to his friend. "You could've at least told me!"

"And why should I tell you?" she says as she takes the glass of juice while turning away from him. "You never paid attention."

Hearing such words, Rusty looked betrayed with his mouth wide open.

"He may be an idiot, but he's still your partner, kid." The old man came to rescue. "Don't be too hard on him."

Despite his words, Ruby was still sulking while dipping her lip into the juice she was trying to drink.

"You keep on doing the collection and even doing them solo." She continued to sulk. "You know how hard it is for us Engis to find competent Execs that we can trust." She added.

"I have reasons to do solo runs, alright!"

Though he was ashamed of his actions, Rusty understood Ruby's feelings and sat next to her, albeit looking the opposite direction.

"But I guess I owe you an apology for leaving you behind."

Ruby immediately turns to him upon hearing those words in disbelief. And even though it was just for a split second, she could see his conflicting feelings.

He was too prideful to admit it but was caring enough to say it.

She couldn't help but smile with her chest pounding fast because of it.

"Well, it's nice to see you two lovebirds getting along." He giggled.

"We're not like that!" they retorted in unison.

But even though they said that their faces were bright red from embarrassment and were telling otherwise. This made the old man chuckle.

Unable to bear with it any longer, Ruby stood up from her seat and picked up her staff and headed to the door.

"I'm going to buy some supplies for our jump later!" she shouted as she stormed out of the bar.

Left alone with the old man, Rusty hangs his head while letting out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry about that, Gerald." Rusty forces a smile.

The old man, Gerald twists his lips under his mustache while wiping the glass on his table.

"I won't push any further." He declared. "This is something between you two."

Rusty forces himself to laugh while scratching the back of his head. "Like I said, it's not like that." He insisted.

"Then what is it about, really?"

He looks around the empty bar to make sure they're alone. After that, he swallows his own saliva as he unbuttons his collar and shows something on his chest.

There, there was a tattooed thick circle just around where his heart is supposed to be. And upon seeing such a thing on his chest, Gerald's eyes widen in surprise.

"I've been prepping my body." Rusty said while he nervously looked at Gerald. "In the next jump, I'll activate the mark and try to awaken some power."

Gerald went into silence for a second. After that, he lets out a sigh while glaring at Rusty.

"You know how dangerous that is. It's not worth it."

"But it's the only option I have left to a better life." He reasoned. "With my current status, I'll never get anywhere near Ruby."

"And if you fail in activating that, it will kill you." He warned.

Rusty clenches his fist as he looks at the table in front of him. Frustrated, his blood was starting to go up his head, but almost immediately, he took control of himself and took deep breaths.

"If it kills me, it kills me." He looks at Gerald. "But if it doesn't, then I can have a better future."

Looking at his resolve, Gerald gives in and lets out a sigh.

"Your mother would kill me if she was still here."

***

A while later after leaving the bar, Rusty finds himself standing in front of a large water fountain.

However, he wasn't the only one there.

Around the large fountain, several people in groups were gathered wearing protective gear and were equipped with staves, swords, bows, guns, and every manner of weaponry. There were even people unarmed and were only carrying backpacks.

And just like them, Rusty was also wearing protective gear and armed with a short sword and round shield on his back and finally a small hunting knife on his waist.

"Sorry I'm late!" a voice approached Rusty from the back. "The usual store was selling stamina potions half-price, so I stood in line."

Rusty looks at his partner who was barely on her knees to catch her breath.

Without being told so, Rusty grabbed her metal staff and crouched to look at her face.

"You got the Inversion gems ready?" he asked.

"Y-yeah."

"Today's terrain is in mountain ranges. Can you keep up?"

Ruby's lets out a groan while trying to stand straight. "Let's hope that the forward scans were wrong."

"If the scans are wrong, I'm breaking the gems. Can't have you get in danger."

Ruby pouts while taking her staff back from Rusty's hand. "I don't need you to baby me. I can take care of myself."

While they were talking to each other, out of nowhere, a loud bell started ringing which grabbed everyone's attention.

However, even though the bell was ringing, nobody was looking for the source of the sound. Instead, everyone was looking at the large fountain in front of them.

The railing that was surrounding the fountain lowered into the brick floor as colorful lights started to glow from inside the fountain.

Little by little, the water stops flowing as lights grow brighter by the second forming a wall that was rising from the surface of the water.

And when the water finally stopped flowing, the light bursts into the sky creating a white pillar that couldn't be measured by the naked eye.

At the same time, five large glasses with red water inside came out of the ground next to the fountain. All of them resembled an hourglass which some people from every group approached and touched.

Ruby also approached the glass and touched it.

"How is it?" Rusty asked.

After a few seconds, Ruby pulls her hand away from the glass and turns to Rusty with an exasperated look on her face.

"The Capitol Bridge won't be inverting within the next 24 hours." She said. "This seems to be a pioneering jump."

Hearing such words, Rusty's face glows with excitement and turns to the pillar.

"Then that means there are treasures here!"

Just as he was about to walk and reach out to the light like the other groups were already doing, Ruby grabs him by the handle of his sword and pulls him back.

"Wait, we don't have enough rations for the two of us for a whole day down there!"

"Then you eat mine." He said with a smile. "I'll just have your conjured meals instead."

"But those aren't good or even at least healthy!"

"It's only for one day!"

Without waiting for her to say anything back, Rusty grabs her hand and runs towards the light.

"W-wait! I'm not ready! What if we fall unto water!?" she cried. "I can't swim!"

With a big smile on his face, Rusty looks at her as he sinks into the pillar of light. "Then I guess you'll have to grab unto me again!"

And just when Rusty disappears into the light, Ruby couldn't help but let out a giggle as she grabs his hand a little tighter.

"I'll be in your care again."

And as if they weren't there, both disappeared into the light.

-End of Chapter-