As if he had pressed a button on the remote control, the room suddenly became tense. Ardyn could feel the heaviness of the atmosphere seeping into his skin, causing his palms to grow sweaty from apprehension.
"Okay. I did promise that I'd tell you everything." Evan nodded and took a seat on the bed beside Mathias, folding his arms across his chest. "But first, are you up for a little history lesson?"
Ardyn's eyes narrowed slightly.
"God, I hate history lessons the most," he complained.
That seemed to break the ice a bit, because Evan immediately laughed at his remark.
Mathias, however, seemed unmoved and lost in his own thoughts. Ardyn looked at him in confusion, unable to ignore the man's unusual behavior.
"Hey, big guy," he called out hesitantly. "Is something wrong? You don't seem well. Are you feeling sick?"
Evan followed Ardyn's gaze and looked at Mathias, who sighed and finally met their eyes.
"I'm fine," Mathias said quietly. "Don't mind me."
Despite his words, it was clear to the three of them that he was not fine at all.
Ardyn grew sick of it. "Just be frank with me. It's a bad thing that I'm here, isn't it?" he demanded.
In response, Mathias stiffened, unconsciously giving Ardyn the answer to his question.
Ardyn's heart skipped a beat.
No way.
"To be honest, it's complicated," Evan said, a helpless look coming over his face. "I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you right now, but… just listen to us first, okay?"
Mathias turned to him. "Prince…"
"Matty, we should wait a little longer," Evan said without even sparing him a glance. "I have already done my part like I told you earlier. Don't worry."
Mathias seemed to calm down a little at that.
Ardyn looked back and forth between the two of them, his frustration increasing by the second. Why were they still talking in riddles?
"First off…" Evan began, taking a deep breath and staring directly into Ardyn's eyes. "There are things about this world that you need to know. Things that the people here won't dare to speak about openly unless it's under certain circumstances."
Ardyn felt the subtle change in the air and swallowed visibly. He knew that he had to focus on this conversation in order to understand.
"I'm listening," he said, nodding for the man to continue.
"Our world… it used to be peaceful. The lands were rich in resources, the citizens lived healthy and happy lives, and there were very few wars between the four kingdoms," Evan explained. "Right now, you're here in the capital of the Silver Kingdom, the city of Angelbay. Our kingdom values traditional lessons, cultures, and rituals. We rely on magic, but not completely. Although we do have academies to train certain… individuals."
"Certain individuals?" Ardyn repeated.
"Yes. They're called 'Summoners' and 'Guardians'," Evan explained. "The Summoners mostly practice their craft in the Church, but they also take lessons in the academies. Both Summoners and Guardians are very crucial in this world. The people need them to survive."
"Survive? Survive what?" Ardyn said, confused.
I've only ever heard about Summoners and Guardians in video games and fantasy novels!
But I guess it does make sense for them to exist here… Though for what purpose? he wondered.
"Well, we… we're not the only inhabitants of this world, and…" Evan swallowed, inevitably stopping his stammering. He glanced at Mathias, who met his gaze. They seemed to be sending each other a silent message with their eyes.
Ardyn watched them closely, feeling even more confused.
Evan turned back to Ardyn and took a deep breath before continuing.
"There's a darkness that has plagued our lands for centuries. We call it… the 'Calamity'," Evan continued with a hushed voice, as if speaking the name aloud would summon the entity itself. "It returns to this land every eight years, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Innocent lives have been lost, numerous cities have been destroyed, and the creature only grows stronger with each return."
"Hold on a second." Ardyn's mind was spinning. "What exactly is this creature? Is it a monster demon? How long has it been doing this?"
"It was created centuries ago, unfortunately by our own people," Evan said with a deep sigh. His face was grave and drawn, as if he had suddenly aged a few years. "A long time ago, a coalition of scholars and alchemists stumbled upon an anomaly, a rift in space-time on a remote island. To make the long story short, they wanted to harness its power. Using an ancient artifact and a forbidden ritual, they attempted to manipulate the interdimensional energy."
"Oh…"
Evan nodded. "You can guess what happened next. As expected, it went horribly wrong. The energy they unleashed merged with their own souls and gave birth to the monster we now call 'The Calamity of the Planet'."
Ardyn swallowed. "And it… grows stronger every time it returns?"
"Unfortunately, yes. The more souls it devours, the more strength and power it gains. It's too powerful to the point that we can't defeat it using magic alone."
"So how…?"
"We've found a way to contain it, just for a certain period of time," Evan said quietly. "We seal it away, far up in the skies, inside a sealing crystal."
"So you seal it away…" Ardyn felt like he was listening to a fantasy story. It did not seem real at this moment. "How… How long does this sealing crystal usually last?"
"Eight years." Evan smiled wryly. "And that's where the Summoners and the Guardians come into play. They're the only ones who can do the sealing. No one else."
"Okay then…" Ardyn had so many questions in his head. "How do they seal it away?"
"These Summoners and Guardians… they are bound together by fate," Evan explained, a small smile playing on his lips. "The Summoners are given the daunting responsibility of finding and bonding with their seven fated Guardians. Only by bonding with them can the Summoners utilize the 'Spirit' within each Guardian."
"I see… Uh, what are these 'Spirits'?"
"They are fragments of the gods' power, blessed within each Guardian," Evan explained. "Each Spirit possesses tremendous power, and they're a force to be reckoned with in battle. A Summoner's ultimate goal is to gather all seven Guardians, harness their Spirits, and then fuse them into a single ultimate Spirit during the sealing process. This ultimate Spirit is the key to incapacitating the Calamity long enough for the sealing ritual to be completed."
After that, there was silence in the room. While Ardyn absorbed all the information in his head, Evan turned to Mathias, who had been silent the whole time. Mathias looked at him with a worried expression.
Evan gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to Ardyn.
"You must be wondering what the connection is between this and your purpose of being here," he said.
"Yeah…" Ardyn's voice trailed off. "What do I have to do with something like this? I don't even belong here originally."
Evan hesitated for a moment. "Do you remember how you got here?" he asked softly.
"I…" Ardyn racked his brain for answers. "I just remember that I died in a car accident and then everything went black. I felt like my whole life flashed before my eyes. Then the next thing I knew, I was lying on the beach near the city. That's all I remember."
"I see. Then… do you recall the rift in space-time that I mentioned earlier? The ones that the scholars and alchemists investigated centuries ago?"
"Yeah?"
"Several have claimed that it's a hidden portal that connects this world to different dimensions."
"Wait, so you mean…" Ardyn's eyes widened as the answer popped up inside his head. "That portal leads back to my world?"
Evan shook his head. "That's what the scholars claimed later on. Unfortunately, the portal no longer exists. It disappeared the moment the Calamity was born."
"Oh…" Ardyn slumped back against his seat.
Damn. He had to admit that he had felt a little hopeful back there…
This was so frustrating.
"However, since that space-time energy is believed to reside within the Calamity, stemming from the rift that was discovered long ago, there's a strong speculation that its essence is intricately linked to the energy of your world," Evan continued on.
Ardyn looked at him. "…It is?"
Evan nodded. "Every time someone like you — an Otherworlder — arrives here, the balance of our world is disturbed. The flow of magic, the rhythm of the waters, and even the behavior of the creatures on this planet all respond to the intrusion," he explained. "It's as though an unknown force trespassed into our dimension uninvited, which is similar to the energy that the Calamity exudes whenever the seal breaks."
Ardyn felt a slight shudder run down his back. For some reason, being compared to that terrifying entity was making his stomach churn.
"The specifics remain a mystery, but whenever the Otherworlder arrives, they emit this dark purple energy as they cross over," Evan said. "I witnessed this myself when I was at the beach earlier. I didn't see anything significant, but when I rushed over, you were already lying there on the sand."
"So that's how you became sure of who I am…" Ardyn murmured.
"I had my suspicions, but the more I talked to you, the more my certainty grew," Evan confirmed.
"Oh."
"There are many more theories, but I can let you read them all from the ancient tomes later. For now, I will summarize everything you need to know."
"Okay. I get it." Ardyn took a deep breath. "You said that my energy is connected to the energy of this… monster, right? What does that mean?"
Evan exchanged a look with Mathias before he let out a sigh.
Ardyn frowned. What did that sigh mean?
"I don't know how else to tell you this, but I have no choice," Evan said solemnly, looking directly into Ardyn's eyes. "You are not just a mere visitor here, Ardyn. No, you're part of a greater destiny. A destiny that you'll have to accept eventually."
"Uh, what?" Ardyn blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Remember the Guardians that I mentioned earlier?" Evan smiled slightly. "You're one of those Guardians, Ardyn. You're here because you're one of those people who are destined to help seal away 'The Calamity of the Planet', to bring temporary peace to this land."
Silence.
Ardyn's jaw dropped open in shock. "…Say what now?!"