The bells of the Guardian Citadel rang without mercy.
Their deep thunder rolled across the mountains like a warning from the heavens, echoing across the marble towers of the fortress-city.
Guardians stopped in their tracks.
Priests looked up from their prayers.
Even the trainees sparring in the courtyards froze.
Everyone knew what those bells meant.
Emergency assembly.
And the last time they had rung like this…
A kingdom had fallen.
The Grand Hall of Judgment filled quickly.
Rows upon rows of armored Guardians gathered beneath the towering stained-glass windows that depicted the ancient wars of humanity. Colors of crimson, gold, and sapphire scattered across the marble floor like fragments of sunlight.
At the far end of the hall stood the circular council platform.
Several high-ranking commanders were already present.
Their expressions were grim.
A massive magical projection floated above the platform, a map of the known world.
And on that map…
Black fractures were spreading.
One of the commanders stepped forward.
"Report," he demanded.
A younger officer bowed and activated the projection.
The image shifted.
A destroyed village appeared.
Burned houses.
Blackened earth.
Not a single living soul.
"This was the northern settlement of Varell,"
The officer said quietly. "Population: four thousand."
Murmurs spread through the hall.
"What happened to them?" someone asked.
The officer hesitated.
Then he answered.
"We believe they were… consumed."
The word hung in the air like poison.
Another image appeared.
A massive crack in the earth, stretching hundreds of meters across a forest valley. Dark mist seeped from the fissure like smoke rising from the underworld.
"Three weeks ago," the officer continued, "a rift appeared here."
"A rift?"
"Not a portal. Not a dimensional tear. Something… different."
One of the older commanders frowned.
"And the investigation team?"
The officer lowered his head.
"They never returned."
Silence spread across the hall.
A different commander stepped forward, his voice sharp.
"You expect us to believe an entire Guardian squad vanished?"
"We found their armor," the officer replied.
Another projection appeared.
Broken weapons scattered across the ground.
Shattered armor.
Claw marks carved deep into steel.
But no bodies.
The hall erupted with uneasy whispers.
"This is impossible."
"What kind of creature could do that?"
"Demons?"
"No… demons leave corpses."
At that moment, the massive doors of the hall opened.
Every Guardian immediately fell silent.
An elderly man entered the chamber, leaning slightly on a silver staff.
The Supreme Commander.
Everyone knelt.
He slowly stepped onto the platform, studying the projections hovering above them.
"The darkness spreads faster than we predicted," he said quietly.
No one dared interrupt him.
He looked at the map again.
Five rifts now marked the world.
Each one slowly growing.
"Whatever lies beyond these fractures," he continued, "it is not demonic."
One of the commanders frowned.
"Then what is it?"
The Supreme Commander's gaze hardened.
"Something new."
The word sent a chill through the hall.
"Something ancient."
.....
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again with the something ancient 😅😅.
And also the guardians are stupid for not knowing this is the abyss at work, well can't blame them everyone thinks it's a myth.
But anyways the abyss is real.
.....
He turned toward the gathered Guardians.
"And something powerful enough to erase entire cities."
The hall fell completely silent.
Then someone asked the question everyone was thinking.
"What do we do?"
The Supreme Commander closed his eyes briefly.
When he spoke again, his voice carried across the entire chamber.
"We deploy them."
A ripple of confusion spread through the room.
"Them?"
"Who?"
The commander raised his staff.
A new magical projection appeared above the platform.
Not a map.
Three silhouettes.
"They were chosen months ago," he said.
"Chosen for what?" another commander asked.
"For a moment such as this."
The silhouettes remained dark, their identities hidden.
"The world is entering an age of chaos," the commander continued.
"If these rifts continue to grow, humanity will face a threat unlike anything in its history."
The room held its breath.
"That is why we created a special task force."
One commander leaned forward.
"You mean…"
The Supreme Commander nodded slowly.
"Yes."
His voice became heavier.
"Humanity's final line of defense."
The silhouettes slowly faded away.
And the commander spoke the name.
"The Luminary Vanguard."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: These bastard are foolish and incompetent for dumping the fate of the world on three people.
Well we need some strong individual, to go against the bearer of the abyss, normal guardians will just die after meeting him.
.....
Hours later, the citadel had grown quiet.
Night fell over the mountain fortress, covering its towers in silver moonlight.
In one of the outer courtyards, a lone figure stood beneath a stone archway.
She wore brilliant white armor that reflected the moon like polished glass.
A long spear rested in her hand.
Its blade shimmered faintly with light.
She gazed toward the distant mountains.
Calm.
Unmoving.
Footsteps approached from the shadows.
A man stepped into the courtyard, adjusting the sleeve of his dark mage robes.
Runic symbols glowed faintly across the fabric.
"You're Aurelia Solvang, I assume."
She turned slightly.
"Yes."
The mage smiled faintly.
"Lucien Arkwright."
His silver eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I've heard quite a bit about you."
Aurelia studied him.
"And I've heard that you're reckless."
Lucien chuckled.
"Only when knowledge is involved."
Before Aurelia could respond, another presence entered the courtyard.
Neither of them heard the footsteps.
A quiet voice spoke behind them.
"You talk too much."
They both turned.
A tall swordsman stood a few meters away.
His black hair was tied into a topknot.
A katana rested calmly at his side.
The moonlight reflected along the blade's sheath.
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"And you must be the famous eastern swordsman."
The man nodded once.
"Renjiro Takeda."
Silence followed.
Three warriors.
Standing together for the first time.
Aurelia broke the quiet.
"So it's true."
Lucien tilted his head.
"What is?"
She looked at both of them.
"They've chosen us."
Lucien smiled slightly.
"Yes."
Renjiro rested his hand on his sword.
"The Luminary Vanguard."
The wind swept through the courtyard.
Somewhere far beyond the mountains…
Darkness stirred.
Deep within the Abyss…
Kaizen opened his eyes.
A demon knelt before him, trembling.
"My lord… the humans have deployed their champions."
Kaizen's glowing gaze sharpened.
A smile formed across his face, as if he is excited to meet these champions.
"Champions?"
The demon swallowed.
"They call them… the Luminary Vanguard."
For a moment, silence filled the endless darkness.
Then Kaizen smiled.
A cold, amused smile.
"Let them come."
The Abyss trembled around him.
"Heroes always believe they can save the world."
His voice echoed through the void.
"But soon…They will learn the truth."
His eyes burned like stars in the dark.
"The Abyss is not something that can be defeated."
He leaned back upon his throne.
"It is something that devours."
.....
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So in the next chapter I'm gonna divert a bit, just to make the story a bit longer, albeit, I'll still be maintaining the planned chapter length.