The Lost Souls
As the entity's final breath disappeared, a soft light rose around them. The silhouettes of the three Watchers appeared, floating above their scattered remains. They had resumed their human forms, but their appearance was translucent, almost ghostly.
"We weren't always guardians," murmured Solon, his voice filled with sadness. A scene materialized in the light around them, like a window opened to the past.
In the visions, a young Solon, Althea, and Varnak stood in a peaceful village in Eyoma. The sun shone high in the sky, and the laughter of children filled the air. Their parents were there, smiling, holding the hands of their children. A peaceful, happy life.
"We were like you," Solon continued, his voice trembling. "We had family, friends, a future..."
The scene suddenly changed. The sky darkened, screams echoed, and flames devoured the houses. Unknown soldiers invaded the village, tearing the parents from their children's arms. The young Watchers watched, helpless, as their world collapsed around them.
"Our parents were taken... torn from us without mercy," Althea said, tears in her eyes. "We were alone, homeless, hopeless."
The visions continued, showing Solon, Althea, and Varnak wandering in the wilderness, hungry, scared. Days and nights passed, leaving them weaker and weaker. Then, a man appeared in their lives—the scientist. With a kind look and a gentle smile, he offered them shelter, food, and a comfort they hadn't known in a long time.
"He saved us," Varnak murmured. "He gave us a reason to live when we had none."
Kwame watched the scene with a cold expression. He had seen orphaned children and ruined lives before, but it didn't touch him as it should have. Maybe he had already become numb after so many years of battle. Or maybe he knew this story wouldn't change anything about his mission.
Tears streamed down Althea's face. "We had to protect his work... it was the only thing he asked of us. He was our only parent, our only guide."
But Kwame seemed unmoved. "Your story is sad, but it doesn't justify standing in the way of my mission."
Solon lifted his eyes to him, a look of despair in his ghostly eyes. "And you, Kwame, who are you really? Do you think you're different from us? Today, you are a ruthless warrior, but tomorrow, you will be like us, chained by pain and loss."
Kwame remained impassive, his face hard and closed. He didn't have time for pity, no time for compassion. "I am here to complete my mission. Nothing more." His tone was cold, as sharp as a blade. He saw no innocence in the Watchers' eyes, only enemies who had nearly stopped him.
Althea tried one last time, her voice trembling with emotion. "You think we are monsters, but you, too, have lost something, someone. It's not the difference that makes us monsters, but what we do to survive. Who are you to judge us?"
Their words pierced Kwame's armor, but he showed no sign of it. His gaze remained fixed, determined. He couldn't afford to waver now. The mission was all that mattered. Everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed, had led him to this precise moment. And he couldn't fail.
"I am not like you," he finally replied, his voice low but icy. "I am not a monster. I am a soldier. And I will not let anyone stand in my way."
The three Watchers, their ghostly forms flickering, exchanged desperate looks. "Then look closely, Kwame," Varnak murmured with a final sigh, "for the day will come when you see yourself in our eyes."
Before any of them could say another word, Kwame raised his sword, his gaze cold and resolute. "I don't have time for regrets."
Symphony of the Enchanted Dancing Sword. In one fluid motion, without hesitation, he brought his blade down, decapitating the three Watchers in a single strike. Their forms dissipated in a burst of light, their souls freed from this world.
A deafening silence settled over the temple. Dust slowly fell, as if to mark the end of something sacred and terrible.
Without a glance back, Kwame turned on his heel. His eyes fell on the door that led deeper into the temple, where the scientist was hiding. He knew that beyond that door lay the key to his mission, perhaps the answer to all his questions. Alaric, still unconscious, lay sprawled on the ground, covered in wounds and blood, but alive.
Kwame stood there at the crossroads of two paths. He cast one last look at Alaric, then at the door behind which the scientist waited. A brief hesitation crossed his mind. Then, with renewed determination, he clenched his fists.
"I have no time to waste."
He turned away from Alaric, choosing the door. Without a word, without a second glance, he moved towards the destiny he had set for himself, leaving his unconscious friend behind, oblivious to the revelations and truths that had just been unveiled.
Kwame knew that what he was doing was harsh, even cruel. But it was necessary. Every step he took brought him closer to his target. And he was willing to sacrifice everything, even those he considered allies, or perhaps even friends, to complete his mission.