"Whither my roots, I was right. There were two more descendants with you," the Dericoed said, its brow furrowing slightly as the dark, hollow ovals it had in the place of eyes turned to them. "Indeed, Guardian. I am known as Taegin, Siraye's father, and this is my brother, Ardrin. It is an honor to meet you," Taegin bowed, prompting Ardrin, however reluctantly, to do the same.
They introduced Anwill briefly, with Bernar following close behind, exchanging pleasantries and helping the guardian to understand the current situation of the realm he'd long-since been isolated from.
"So, this realm is under threat yet again. Perhaps it was he who called himself the Scourge," the creature said pensively. "There is a good chance it was, but an even better chance that it wasn't," Erumon noted. The Dericoed's blackened eyes widened. "You mean to say there is another? He has not yet arrived?" it asked with genuine surprise.
"Not yet, but that is a clear sign he is making his move," Erumon pointed to the sealed orb, which began to diminish in size under the weight of his sealing spell. "Then you will have no choice but to wake him if this realm wishes to survive the coming war. We Guardians are too few and too vulnerable to fight an all-out war, but we will protect the land with which we were entrusted," it said, prompting looks of pure befuddlement on everyone's faces.
Well, everyone except Erumon's, that is.
"Are you sure about this? Even if we do wake him, it will not be easy to convince him of our need, as he's long-since shut himself off from the ongoings of the realm, from what I've heard," Erumon protested, spreading his folded arms out beside him, but the creature let out a rhythmic sound that could only have been a chuckle.
"You see much, know much, and are capable of much, Warden, but if you want to protect the realm you swore to keep watch of, then your best chances lie with him and the ones who walk with death," it said, tilting its head toward Ren with what might have been a grin on its face, sending a slight chill down the small elf's spine.
"The Wraithborn," Anwill muttered, finally understanding a piece of a puzzle that had long-since turned in the corners of his mind, getting a nod from the creature in response.
"Very well, Guardian. I will gather our allies. In the meantime, I trust you will continue to guard this land to the best of your abilities," Erumon said, looking up at the massive creature with a tinge of hope written in his expression. "Such is my purpose, Warden. See to it that you do not defeat your own," the Dericoed said, offering him a deep, respectful bow.
Before they left, Erumon condensed the orb down into another pearl and placed it in the hidden space in his bracelet. They bid the creature farewell and made their way back to Myrdin in contemplative silence.
When they arrived, they were met by the others with expectant, fearful looks on their faces. "W-What was it, Lord Erumon?" Leona asked, followed by the others who stayed as well as Aurae, who greeted him with a bow. "An orb of Leech and Tyrant mana nearly wiped out the guardians near your communion chamber, I believe Ren called it," he replied gravely, causing the others to be taken aback by his words immediately.
"Here? How is that possible?" Aurae asked with genuine concern. "It seems Mideia, or perhaps his subordinates, have found a way to breach the protective magic of the Hynafol Arboraneth," Taegin replied, nearly sending her into a state of shock. "Hera fy Angharad," she said, putting a hand to her heart.
"Not all is lost, yet, as we still have a few ways to protect this realm. If we fail here, then this realm may not be the only one affected," Erumon said, raising a hand to calm her, but his words still held a weight that was difficult for Marte and Neko to comprehend.
Even Leona was still a little shaken, but she did her best to remain calm.
"What kind of ways are you talking about, Lord?" Thorsen asked. "Before I tell you, I would like you and Gwili to step forward," he said with a gesture that signaled for them to stand before him. The elf and the giant looked at each other with pure, unadulterated confusion, but they did as the Warden requested.
"While you may not be one of the Arwydus, your family has helped safeguard the Gwynnleaf for many generations," Erumon began, turning to Gwili, who swallowed dryly. "And your lineage, though heavily diluted now, is the same as my own; thus making you a guardian of this realm by birth and Blodt," he continued, turning to Thorsen.
The information he presented caused a slight stir in the small group, as they suddenly realized that these two, who'd loyally protected Leona and many others, were always destined to do so. The two before the warden were clearly the most shaken at this display of confidence from one so powerful, but neither of them could even say a word.
"On that note, I would like to give you something befitting of a guardian, one I have only given to one other person here," he said, giving Taegin a knowing nod. "W-What kind of gift might that be, Lord Erumon?" Gwili stammered, turning to see who he was looking at and shuddering in realization.
Erumon's expression softened as he produced a pair of bright, orange pearls from his bracelet. Everyone's eyes widened and focused on the pearls that glowed like twin suns in the palm of his hand, though none dared move toward it.
"This is known as Shifting mana. In my realm, this is a common power, though it has been lost to this realm since the time of the Great Partition. I have only deemed one, other than yourselves, worthy of this power in the past, though it was purely out of necessity," he explained, though it didn't seem like their words reached his audience.
"I-... We're honored, Lord Erumon," Thorsen stammered this time, shifting somewhat uncomfortably at the mention of being worthy. However, Gwili's eyes began to well with tears at the word, but he did his best not to break down entirely before the others.
He failed miserably, of course.
"It makes me glad to see you so moved, Gwili Gwynn, but please refrain from staining my boots with your tears," Erumon said with a hint of humor; the first time anyone, including Taegin, had seen him use such language. "Here, take them. I hope they will serve you, and the ones you seek to protect, well in the coming days," he continued, presenting each of them their pearls.
They gingerly took them, though Gwili nearly dropped his with the amount his hands were shaking, and washed them down with water from a skin handed to them by Leona. She stepped back with a prideful look and watched as the two began to glow brightly, like the last light of a setting sun. It didn't hurt their eyes to look at it, but there was a similar warmth as one might feel when standing next to a fire on a cold winter's day.
As the glow died down, Thorsen and Gwili looked at each other in silent contemplation as to what had just happened. "T-This is an incredible, and humbling, gift, Lord Erumon, but how are we supposed to learn it if it's been all but lost to this realm?" Thorsen asked, flexing his fingers momentarily, feeling the Shifting mana coursing through his veins and muscles.
"Taegin can assist with that, but as I said before, we have other options aside from our Wraithborn friends to help us fight against Mideia and his plans," Erumon began, causing nearly everyone to raise an eyebrow and emit a unified huh of confusion.
Has that much information been lost to this realm? Erumon asked himself with a soft chuckle before looking at the others.
"What do you know about dragons?" he asked in the same tone a professor would to a class of young students.