"Shall we return?" Evan said, his voice quieter than normal. "I feel that it's time."
Ardyn got up from the edge and turned to him. "You mean the evacuation?" he asked.
Evan nodded. "We have plenty of time left before daybreak, but with the large number of people and royal guests from other kingdoms here to visit, it is imperative that we move fast. We need to ensure there are few to no casualties this time. The world does not need any more deaths."
"Okay… I should start packing my stuff then once we return."
Evan nodded. "Remember not to lose my letter of instructions. Take the road to Ravencoast and catch a boat to Prismond Town. That way, you'll be in the Emerald Kingdom within seven days as long as you don't make any detours. You'll be safer there than here."
"And… you?" Ardyn asked hesitantly. The question was a little silly, but he felt that it was better for him to hear it for himself.
"I will be staying here alongside my Guardians," Evan smiled. "We will do our duty."
Ardyn felt apprehensive. "You… Nothing will happen to you, right? I mean, you'll just seal that monster, right? After that, everything will be back to normal for another eight years?"
Evan looked surprised for a moment and gazed at him for a while. It was a bit difficult to decipher his expression, surprisingly.
Ardyn was growing uncomfortable by his stare. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?" he asked.
Evan shook his head and smiled once again. "Oh. Forgive me. I was just thinking about something. To tell the truth though, I'm surprised that you care this much," he said teasingly.
Ardyn huffed. "Of course I do! You saved my life. I wouldn't be here right now without your help. Actually, I wouldn't even know what to do if it weren't for you constantly encouraging me and giving me a goal in this life. If you're telling me that I can get all my questions answered and my restlessness resolved by finding my Summoner, then that's what I'll do."
"That's wonderful!" Evan said in delight. "That way, you can figure out what you really want. Soon, you will need to decide if you want to be with your Summoner and go on a long journey to find the other Guardians or if you want to leave your destiny behind and live a different, but new life."
The two of them started walking their way back to the castle.
"Is that allowed, though?" Ardyn asked. "Rejecting my destiny, I mean. After all, I presume that the people here need Summoners and Guardians."
"That is true." Evan nodded. "But yours is a special case."
"Is it because I'm an Otherworlder?"
"Yes." Evan paused for a moment. "Do you remember when I mentioned to you back at the castle about your energy attracting the Calamity?"
Ardyn swallowed visibly. Right. He had almost forgotten about that. Or maybe he had unconsciously been trying to put it out of his mind because the thought alone was terrifying.
"Yeah. Isn't there anything I can do about it?" he asked. "What if I hide underground or something?"
"Unfortunately, no," Evan said sadly. "If we knew of a way, we would've done it a long time ago."
"Oh. You're right." Ardyn suddenly felt stupid. "Sorry."
Evan shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for. It's only natural that you don't know a lot of things about this world. You cannot be blamed for that. But don't worry. The moment it appears and attacks the city, we'll be here to seal it away. You just go on your way and live your life."
Ardyn was speechless. "But…"
"I've trained for this my entire life," Evan said gently. "I can do it. My Guardians are capable as well. The only thing I ask is for you to make your own decisions about your life, and that is to lie low and figure out where to go from here. Okay?"
Ardyn fell silent, not knowing what else to say.
He's not really forcing me to do anything, but I feel some kind of pressure on my shoulders…
But he's right in a way. If I want a solution to all this, I'll have to find it myself. I can't expect to receive help all the time.
"Also, as a Guardian, you have a special… state, so to speak," Evan added lightly.
"What do you mean?" Ardyn asked, his interest piqued.
Evan started to recount a few things. "You won't get sick easily, your wounds heal much faster than others…"
Ardyn's eyes widened. "Oh! Come to think of it, I rarely ever got sick back in my world. I can't even remember a time when I was ill. I never got injured for long, either."
"Ah, so there you have it." Evan nodded in satisfaction. "Although it's not solid evidence, it's still something to note."
Ardyn blinked slowly, still finding it all hard to swallow. "I'm gonna need fourteen hours of sleep after all this," he remarked.
Evan reached out and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "No worries. You'll get your much-needed rest soon. For now, let's go back to the castle, okay? We don't have much time."
Ardyn nodded. "All right."
I wonder…
Will this be the last time I ever see Evan again?
As the two of them walked back on the path leading towards the castle, a strange sensation suddenly swept over Ardyn.
It wasn't anything alarming. Rather, it felt like an incessant tug at his brain, a silent voice urging him to slow down, to pause for a moment.
There were a lot of people in town. They walked by with bright smiles on their faces, and children played happily with their friends in the background.
But the noise soon faded in Ardyn's ears, like someone slowly turning down the volume of a television with a remote control.
It was as if the world suddenly began to slow down. The noise around him became a distant murmur, and the colors around him seemed to fade into a blur.
He stopped in his tracks, confused, trying to make sense of this sudden change. The rhythmic sound of footsteps and distant chatter became distorted echoes.
And then a single sound emerged, drowning out the fading noise.
The steady beating of his own heart.
And it grew louder with each passing moment.
[Thud. Thud. Thud.]
Suddenly, Evan turned to him. "Hey, I'll go over there and buy something, okay? I'll be right back."
He then ran to a nearby food stall, but Ardyn couldn't bring himself to care. He was too engrossed in these sudden emotions that were rising inside of him.
What's happening? Ardyn wondered to himself as he took deep breaths. Why is my heart suddenly beating so fast?
The sound was so distracting, it almost drove him crazy.
And then he saw someone.
The person stood out a bit in the crowd. Unlike the others, he wore a white cloak with the hood pulled up, all buttons tightly fastened from top to bottom. A distinctive clasp resembling silver-blue butterfly wings adorned the front, catching the light and shimmering for a moment.
The figure moved purposefully in Ardyn's direction. It was so strange, but an undeniable force seemed to pull them together, making them gravitate towards each other like magnets. Even Ardyn felt his own legs moving of their own accord.
Gradually, the figure stopped in front of Ardyn. Festival lights illuminated the lower part of his face, revealing lips that were slightly parted in surprise.
Ardyn's heart kept pounding, over and over, until it was the only sound he could hear in his eardrums.
"You…" Ardyn uttered in a low voice, and the person stared at him, the shadows concealing his eyes. "Who are you?"
But before the person could answer or respond in some way, the moment was broken by a sudden shout.
"Ardyn!" Evan said happily as he came beside Ardyn. "I bought some extra cakes for you. Would you like to try some crystal frost toppings? They're heavenly, I promise!"
Ardyn, startled, turned to him. "What?"
Evan waved the paper bag in front of his face. "I bought some cakes to bring back. Ansel loves this snack. Would you like to try one?"
"Uh, no, I—" Ardyn snapped his head back towards the stranger.
But, to his shock, the person was gone.
It was as though he had vanished into thin air.
"Is something wrong?" Evan asked in concern, noticing the confused look on Ardyn's face.
"I—It's nothing," Ardyn stammered, seemingly bewildered. "I thought I saw someone… Turns out I was just imagining things."