"The Eighth One? What are you doing here?"
"Long time no see, Guardians. I am just trying to do my job."
"Oh come on, Captain Ryodon. Now that there are only us here, are you still going on with the formalities?" - Eliz pulls him closer.
"Fourth one, can you help me erase the memory of these people?"
"Sigh...What did you do this time?"
"Nothing much." - Ryuma snaps his finger. All the blood in the Circle returns to each lying corpse on the ground. Everyone is brought back to life again. The Fourth Guardian then uses her power to completely erase their memories so they will not know what happened to them back then. Everything goes back to normal as if nothing ever happens. Eliz instructs them to go back while the rest are having conversations.
"So you went against the First one? and she called you here?"
"She is not a Guardian anymore. She is now the leader of this headquarter which explains why she needed to do so. However, tell me about it next time. Crazy woman." - Ryuma looks at Eliz.
"If I told you, you would not do it. Just want to see those abilities of yours one more time."
"Anyway, it is good to see you are all nice and healthy. I have to go back to work."
"You darn workaholic! Your comrades appear after so long and you want to leave already? At least show some emotion before you leave." - The Second Guardian pouts.
"You know I cannot do that no more. Just come and find me at my office. We will talk more if you want to." - Ryuma cleans up and leaves right away.
....
"Is everything okay here, First one?"
"So far, but I do not how long I can keep that monster within my facility."
"As long as he did not do anything recklessly, then we can keep him alive longer. Otherwise,..."
"If that "Otherwise" part happens, then we must be quick. The Eighth one is the one opponent I do not want to face as he understands our power perfectly well. Hell, I do not even know if we can stop him at this point or not." - The Fifth Guardian looks concerned.
All Guardians look at Ryuma's shadow slowly disappearing. They all go back to Eliz's office for further conversations.
....
The story of the Guardians began way before Eliz's headquarters was established. It was the time when demons, god, and humans were fighting each other to gain authority over the land. They believe that one faction to rule over everything and everyone would be logical and easy to control. The war happened for decades, and finally, it came to a halt from every side. To make sure that they would not go back on their own words, each faction chose its strongest contestant as representative. They agreed to the representatives by the terms "Guardians" as they hope that the Guardians will help them and future generations to learn about the roots, history, and strength of each faction.
After countless contestants, they finally came up with a team of seven outstanding individuals who become the Guardians. Two from the demon, two from the god, and three from the human. This group was assembled and went on a journey to fight and balance the order in the world so that no more faction wars were initiated. Each of them was exceptional in their unique powers, but each of them also carried unique curses. The Guardians were strong enough to be called the Saviors, the Heroes by their people. However, the factions needed something to hold them back in case they went rebellious. That was the main reason behind the curses.
Unfortunately, with the Guardians being gathered some groups did not believe in the idea of peace. Those were the remnants of the old Faction War. They were the commanders, leaders, or even soldiers in the war who miraculously survived, and they were gathering forces and materials for another War to happen. The Guardians work days and nights to eliminate all of them from the surface of the country, but their powers were not strong enough to stop all of them. That was when the three Factions came together one more time to discuss another solution: the birth of the Eighth Guardian.
....
"After we finished with our task, we all went on doing our own work. Did anyone improve their power actually?" - the Seventh Guardian asks out of curiosity.
"Well, yes and no. In terms of power, we Guardians are teaching the young generations, but our Curse is still there."
"Even the Eighth one?"
"His power is still the same. Right after he joined our group, the mission became easier as no more groups wanted to rebel anymore, except for the Light bastards. He is still searching to wipe out all of them." - Eliz explains.
"Let's check one more time. Status!"
A list appears for the Guardians. It shows the ability and the Curse each person has. Surprisingly, they can see each other's Curse, but for Ryuma it is still a mystery.
The First one - The Curse of Exhaustion
The Second one - The Curse of Depletion
The Third one - The Curse of Life
The Fourth one - The Curse of Ignition
The Fifth one - The Curse of the Sea
The Sixth one - The Curse of the Dream
The Seventh one - The Curse of Link
The Eighth one - The Curse of ...
"Hmm. So they are all there, huh? The Eighth one is still not open to us?" - The Third Guardian questions the list.
"For some reason, but he talked about it before. About his Curse, right?" - Eliz responds.
"You meant his expression?"
"No one in this world can utilize more elements than him, which was his original power. However, to achieve that many elements at once. He was forced to sacrifice one thing to his creators, and he chose his emotions. That was why he never show a single expression from the beginning and even now."
"I wonder what he feels when he sees other people. The smiles, the laughs, the anger, etc. I guess he will never get it anymore. That reminds me of when he beheaded the rebel. Those cold eyes of his never showed a sign of hesitation. What a crazy person."
"Now that I call of you here. There is something that I need to you help out with. Let's go, we will discuss more along the way." - Eliz takes them back to her office.
...
In the meantime, Ryuma returns to his office. His entire team is waiting for him at the front door.
"Ryuma!" - Yuna hugs him tightly while tears fall on her face.
"Why is it that every time I see you, you are always crying?"
"It was you, idiot!"
"Ryuma, what happened? Is everything okay?" - Ishino asks.
"Everything is now back to normal, guys. They decided to let me go. I am sorry for worrying everyone."
"Thank god! Without Captain, I don't know if our team can work together or not." - Several team members are relieved after hearing Ryuma.
"Go back and rest, everyone. Don't forget about our upcoming mission." - Ryuma let everyone go, but Ishino wants to stay back for a bit.
...
"Brother"
"What is it, Ishino?"
"Wanna hang out for a bit at our favorite bar?"
"Fine. But I'm not paying again."
"Haha you bastard. I'll make sure you will go out with an empty wallet for today." - Ishino pulls Ryuma out of his chair.
Both of them talk and share their past memories back when they were little kids. The more they talk, the more Ishino realizes how stressful it is for Ryuma to try and keep everything in order. He cannot help but feels bad for his friend.
"Mrs. Erma! The usual ones for the two of us, please." - They come to the bar asking for the drinks.
"So, how did that Curse of yours go?"
"It is still there? Why are you mentioning it now?"
"Before leaving the Circle, I saw other Guardians coming in. You told me and Yuna about your Curse once before forming the team. So I was wondering if they helped you out or not."
"That is not how the Curse works, brother. Once it is there, it will be there forever. If we know how to cure it, all Guardians would have gotten rid of it way back then." - Ryuma sighs with his emotionless face.
"Why don't you go and ask from the Royal? They have some of the best healers in the world. Maybe they can fix it. Don't you want another chance? Like to feel the emotion once again?"
"..." - Ryuma stays silent after Ishino said that.
After several drinks, Ishino is pretty much wasted. He cannot stand on his own. Ryuma, as usual, pays for the drink again and takes him back to his apartment.
"Br...Bro...Bro.."
"Don't puke on me, bastard." - Ryuma complains.
"Hic...hic...How..do..you live..without your feelings? I want to...tell you this...but I never have a chance. You didn't even...get drunk...hic"
"Hey, stop talking. We are at your place. Let me get you inside."
"Think...about Yuna also..bro. She has...a huge crush on you...since like forever... hic"
"..."
"We are not like that, brother." - Ryuma slowly responds
Ishino sleeps right away on the floor. Ryuma takes him to his bed. The smell of alcohol is still lingering. Ryuma washes his face and goes out. Another day just like that passes by. He silently goes back to the bar alone and asks for a few more drinks himself.
~To be continued~