Guardian Of The End

[ I'm hiding in your shadow so that no one can sense me. ] Feta explained as they walked inside the glass box to see that majority of it was empty.

"Where the hell were you guys?" Issac inquired as the three of them slid beside Issac and Zara.

Nora was sitting with them too and nothing looked out of place.

"Well the thing is…" Risa hurriedly explained the entire scenario to Issac who rolled his eyes a bit. It was as though he had been expecting something like this.

"I'm just waiting for a day when we can go out and not have these many troubles." He sighed before looking straight at Nora. "You feeling anything kiddo?"

"I don't think so…" Nora mumbled. He had been sitting in the same place for a long time and still hadn't faced any problems.

'Did we guess wrong or was this another distraction?' Jason couldn't help but wonder.

He had no idea what Alexa was planning, however, she seemed to be making them go around in circles.

She definitely had a target or was she just showing that she had a target in mind?

[ Don't over think things too much. Alexa is someone who hadn't had a vessel in a long time. I thought she would retire from her but looks like she suddenly got a wave of motivation. I don't know how what that is though. ] Feta explained.

Jason sighed and stared at the screen ahead to see that the prize distribution ceremony was going on again.

The ceremony looked hundred times bigger than what ten year olds had gotten.

"The award for the winner, Hiro Vancouver, is the mythical spear Ataraxia." Zilan announced as a spear suddenly appeared in front of him.

The spear in itself was a marvelous piece to behold. It was made from a bright red metal and had number carvings done it.

It also had an aura of supremacy surrounding it.

"I wonder what the first place would've received if Hiro didn't win." Ray suddenly commented as Issac and Risa nodded in agreement.

"Ataraxia has always been handed to those who are going to become the king. If Julian passed it to Hiro, he is basically declaring him as the crown prince of the kingdom." Issac commented.

'Julian… that's a new name.' Jason observed. It was pretty obvious that the name must belong to the king of the kingdom as only he could declare the crown prince.

All of them focused back on the screen as Zilan handed the spear to a boy with blond hair and gray eyes.

Jason noticed that all members of the royal family had the same blond hair. It was a trait possessed by all members of the royal family.

Hiro didn't have any expressions on his face as though he wasn't affected by the things being handed to him.

[ He must've gotten a high level of training at maintaining a poker face. ] The system suggested.

'I guess that's kind of obvious considering how he is the son of the king and apparently the next in line to the throne.'

Zilan finally passed the spear to Hiro as a ripple of power went across the entire arena.

Ataraxia had a glowing aura around it, the color of the aura same as Hiro's eyes.

'Inspect.' Jason silently thought as a system screen opened in front of him.

---

< Ataraxia, the spear of legacy >

Rank: ???

- This spear contains the legacies of all those who have wielded it during their reign as a king.

- It has the power to channel the emotions of the wielder on will and can be used to effect the emotions of others as well.

---

'It's much simpler than I thought.' Jason observed before staring at the three question marks with a sigh.

He was yet to know many of such details that would help him greatly. However, Jason could now obtain this information on his own.

'A couple more system points and I can buy that guide. Hopefully it will have all the information I need to know.' He hoped as Zilan went ahead to distribute the next reward.

"The award for the second position is…" Zilan's voice suddenly trailed off as thick mist gathered all around the arena.

The hair on Jason's back immediately stood up as he and Risa exchanged a glance. They were the only ones present there who had seen the mist before.

The scenes from the forest were still fresh in their mind as well as what Alexa had done recently.

[ Its her. ]

[ Its Alexa. ]

Both the system and Feta spoke up at the same time as Jason immediately stared at Nora. The other members of the Syrward family also got closer to each other as they formed a circle around Nora.

Zilan was trying to figure out what was happening yet the first thing he had done was to get closer to his daughter, Aysel.

A silence settled over the entire arena as one by one, people started falling asleep. Only those above a certain level of power were able to stay awake as a terrifying chill spread over the entire arena.

Jason felt himself on the verge of losing consciousness but he was saved by Feta's interference.

[ Try not to think about sleeping. ] She suggested as Jason looked around the glass box.

All most all children present in the glass box were asleep, except for Jason and Amber who were kept awoke due to their guardians.

"Jason, use your guardian powers and stay awake." Issac ordered as lightning flickered all around his body.

Jason could feel the aura of power coming out of Issac and he knew that his grandpa was currently in a serious mood.

The rest of his family members had similar feelings yet they didn't display anything on the outside.

Jason noticed that Flamey had wrapped around himself around Amber's neck and was looking around with glowing eyes.

'Will you stay as a goat if you appear normally?' Jason inquired.

[ No. I simply took the form of a goat because it was the easiest to blend in with. My real form is actually a wolf and that will be the form I will appear in from now onwards. ]

'I see.' Jason wanted to ask her more about her real form yet he was currently preoccupied.

The mist had gotten thicker around the arena yet nothing else seemed to be happening.

'I need to get these children out of here…' Zilan was currently looking down at the children as well as adults lying unconscious on his feet.

He was holding his daughter in his arms while looking at the sky which had turned black. He couldn't see anything else clearly due to the mist which seemed to be blocking his senses.

"You shouldn't have done that, Hestia." A voice suddenly swept over the entire arena as a tornado of mist suddenly appeared inside th glass box.

Issac and the rest moved around Nora protectively as Zara held his in her embrace. Jason fully believed that they could handle Alexa on their own yet something seemed to itch the back of his mind.

'System, tell me that I'm not the only feeling that something is amiss.'

[ When is anything like this simple? ] The system questioned back. [ However, I also think that something doesn't add up. If she wanted to Nora as her vessel, she wouldn't attack him in front of so many people. ]

'Exactly.' Jason stared at the tornado of mist inside the glass box with observing eyes.

It was spinning around on only one spot and was about 30 feet tall. If one stared close enough, they could also observe that the tornado was moving forward inch by inch.

[ Jason, I am sorry. ] Feta suddenly spoke inside his head as a wave of power knocked him over.

He fell on the ground face-first as he prevented himself from facing any injuries by planting his hands on the ground.

'Why are you sorry?' he immediately asked while trying to stand up only to find that the strength had left his legs.

[ She was after you all along, ] Feta admitted. [ I thought that she was trying to get to your brother yet she is still pursuing you. ]

'Then why are you saying sorry?' Jason used his lightning element to provide some energy to his legs as he finally managed to stand up.

[ Host, your mana is being sucked out of your body at an astonishingly faster rate. You are only awake due to the extra mana provided to you by Flamey… ] The system announced.

Jason turned his gaze towards Amber just in time to see that the young girl was also facing the same problem.

It was only due to Flamey that she was managing to stand straight.

[ It takes a person and their guardian around one week to form a bond. During this time, any other guardian can still chose the same person to be their vessel. ] Feta explained. [Also, I'm sorry because it was due to me that you got into this drama.]

'If you didn't become my guardian, Alexa would've made me her vessel and by the looks of it, she is a total yandere.'

[ That is true as well. ]Feta agreed as the tornado had moved closer to the Syrward family.

Issac and Risa had tested a few of their attacks on the tornado yet all of them had been sucked inside by the rotating column of mist.

'Also, who is Hestia?' Jason asked at last, remembering that Hestia used to be the name of a goddess from Greek Mythology.

[ Its my real name. ]

Before Jason could respond, the tornado suddenly seemed to be growing exponentially bigger in size until it touched the ceiling.

It started moving forward at a rapid speed as Jason was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea.

Only then did he realize that the tornado was heading straight for him though the purpose for its approach was only known by a single person.