I collapsed on the ground, exhausted but relieved. I asked Fulminor, "What did I just do?"
You have an incredible amount of energy inside of you. All my past holders did, but you are something else," he said. "Your energy is a fragment of the source which created me, created guardians, created this universe. That power is like poison to wraiths, which makes them disappear for good. But your power exploded and you didn't have control over it. It was a reckless move. You could have destroyed your heart.
"I asked for your help, but you went silent and I panicked. Then I could feel your presence growing stronger and did that instinctually. I won't repeat that," I said.
It's not that I'm angry. I'm proud you thought of something, but…
Fulminor went silent and didn't say anything more. I didn't ask him because I knew what he would say.
I went back to see if everyone else was fine, but first, I had to take care of that guy. When I got back, everyone was awake and they had rescued the second team. Just as Fulminor said, other guardians had helped them.
"Where were you?" Lisa asked, her voice filled with worry.
"A pack of wraiths attacked me but I took care of them in the parking lot," I said. "Our signals were jammed, so we called for backup outside."
Lisa nodded, relief washing over her face. "I'm glad you're okay. We were worried."
I looked around at my team, grateful that they were safe. The wraiths were getting stronger. As we regrouped and prepared to leave the mall, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was coming. The wraiths were just the beginning.
After some time, backup arrived and took the sleeping members. We rode in a vehicle back to the HQ. Inside, Kairos and Caelum didn't say anything to me or the girls, and the girls were equally silent. I looked at Lisa and Seri; they both seemed terrified. Lysandra, who had been quiet the entire way, also looked deeply troubled.
They all had to face something they feared. That's why they are quiet. Don't ask them anything and let them deal with it on their own.
Upon reaching the HQ, the affected ones were taken to the facility for treatment and checks. We were also examined and then told to go to our rooms. Yumiko would take our report the next day. I went to my room, and shortly after, there was a knock. Lysandra came in.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," I replied. "Are you feeling better?"
She nodded. I then asked, "What did you see in your illusion?"
She was silent, and just as she was about to speak, I interrupted, "When you're comfortable, you can share it with me. Not now."
She smiled at me and said she would, then left.
The next day, Yumiko gathered us and asked what had happened. Lisa stepped forward and began, "When we reached the target, we slowly and carefully entered the building, but after some time, we were separated and then we saw…"
I interrupted, "We were under a spell that put us in an illusion where we faced our nightmares. It can only be broken by the caster or with the help of guardians."
"That explains why others aren't waking up," Yumiko said. "There was someone else, too."
Everyone looked at me with surprised expressions. "Who?" Yumiko asked.
"A human who, like us holders, has wraith powers. He was the one who used the spell. He can also summon wraiths at will and command them. It's something we haven't faced before—a new enemy."
"I didn't know humans could help wraiths," someone murmured.
"There are some who worship wraiths as gods and help them bring chaos," Yumiko explained. "Like a cult. Can you describe him?"
"He wore fancy outfits, like some rich people do," I said.
"He must be some kind of businessman or a CEO of a company. I don't know, but he is very skilled. He could have killed us there if he wanted to. When I was being chased by the pack of wraiths, he could have killed the others. If he had faced me himself, he could have defeated me in seconds, but he didn't. He wanted to watch us in torment. He enjoys watching others' misery," I said.
"We need more info on this guy. Can you identify him, Rudra?" Yumiko asked me.
"If he was standing in front of me, maybe."
"Good, we need to scan your brain to look into that info, so could you stay behind and help?"
"Scan my brain? What do you mean by that?"
"It's as you heard. We will look for that man in your brain with the help of sensors. Don't worry, it wouldn't hurt… that much," Yumiko said.
"That much? So it will hurt."
"Don't mind the details. If you are afraid that we might look into your stuff or embarrassing moments, then don't worry. I, as the director, give you my word that we won't."
"If you say so."
After that, we went back to our normal classes. During lunch break, Kairos and Caelum were acting normal, joking and laughing about the fact that my brain would be scanned and some embarrassing moments might be found. But I could tell they were trying to be normal. Maybe they still hadn't gotten over those illusions. What could they have seen?
Everyone has something they fear, fear of losing something or someone. Even us guardians have fears. That's why they tried to seal me because they feared my power.
"So what do you fear?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Later, I saw Lysandra. She came to me and asked if I had any embarrassing moments that I feared would be found by others. At first, I just stood there, but after some time, processing what she just said, my face turned red and I stammered, "No."
She laughed and said it was a joke. "But still, you should be careful. They might discover about Fulminor."
"Yumiko gave her word, so I don't think she would look for something else other than that man."
"I also hope so," she said and went back.
I was kind of relieved that she was doing okay, but Lisa didn't look good. She was pale as ice. I went to her and asked if she was okay because she didn't look it. She didn't realize that I was standing next to her like she was not paying any attention to her surroundings.
"Yeah, I am okay," she said, then walked away.
Something was wrong with her.