Outside squeeky quite when the air suddenly flows the green leaf started to shallow and the wood flows through the strike of wind magic.
The silence outside felt unnatural, like the world itself was holding its breath. Even the trees barely dared to move, until a sudden current rushed past, whispering through the leaves. The green canopy trembled as if responding to something unseen—something awakened by magic. The wind carved through the wooden walls, humming softly, carrying with it a strange tension that made my chest tighten.
Oh that didn't work, too much playing words I guess, let me try again, windddddd magiiiicc.....
I scratched my head, embarrassed by my own dramatic attempt. The wind answered weakly, fluttering like it was laughing at me. I closed my eyes, focused, stretched the word longer, pouring intent into it. The air vibrated faintly, brushing against my skin.
What's that noise coming from the inside? Is something happening?
The playful mood vanished instantly. A sound subtle, but unmistakable crept from within the house. Not footsteps. Not voices. Something deeper. Something… hidden.
I enter the house, I didn't see anyone inside though, maybe outside or maybe not.
The door creaked as I pushed it open. The familiar warmth of home greeted me, yet something felt off. The room was empty. Too empty. No movement. No presence. Just shadows stretching longer than they should.
And then I used the wind to feel it more and for somehow it follows into my ear.
I let the wind guide me, pressing softly against my senses. It brushed my ear like a whisper, curling inward, carrying echoes with it.
And then, I hear someone is inside at the back of the storage books is like is there another door.
My heart skipped. Behind the shelves? A hidden space? The wind tugged insistently in that direction.
Is the key are the books, I try to flip each and every pieces of the book hoping to open a secret passage.
One by one, I pulled books from the shelf. Old tomes. Dust-covered spines. My fingers trembled with anticipation as I tested each one.
And suddenly it open, I was wondering what is was for it were never told to me about this place, I didn't know that we have this place what is this anyway? That's popping in my mind
With a deep grinding sound, the shelf shifted. Stone slid against stone. My breath caught as a hidden passage revealed itself.
*Why was this never mentioned?*
*What kind of place did my parents hide beneath our home?*
As I entered and walk down in a long walk something strange happen, and I think I step on a trap, a flaring arrow starting to attack me I dodge as far as I can, I jump high and through side and then at my very last point end of that flaring fire, I suddenly touch the wall on my right activating a what tool it is like a water blast in a sharp armor
The corridor erupted in chaos. Arrows engulfed in flames shot toward me. I twisted mid-air, heart pounding, barely escaping their path. Then
A sudden *click*.
Water blasted toward me with terrifying force, sharpened like armor-piercing blades.
I tried to use my wind magic to cover and protect me with it but it didn't last long for some water blast that contains bomb effect and my wind just triggering it more.
The wind clashed violently with the water, but instead of stopping it, the pressure intensified. Explosions echoed through the tunnel, throwing me backward.
In my mind, what's with this place, why is there a lot of trap happening and how on this place put it here anyway?
My thoughts raced. *Who would build something like this under our house?*
*And why?*
And then as I thought it finish, it isn't.
The silence returned briefly. Too briefly.
The attack stop and just that I here standing on the ground floor and my ground surrounding starting to dissappear rapidly in rectangular shape and I saw a flaring burning Fire like volcano below me and that freak me out.
The floor collapsed piece by piece. Beneath it roared a pit of fire, bubbling like molten rage.
I started to Jump and use ny wind magic to help me jump higher and my water magic to cover up the fire erupting below.
Wind lifted me. Water shielded me. Heat scorched my skin as flames lashed upward.
At the very last pile I jump as high as possible and manage to secured a safe place.
I landed hard, gasping, knees shaking. Alive. Barely.
---
As I walk through, I saw a door and when I opened it, I saw mom reading books and dad making something
The door opened into calm too calm. Mother sat peacefully with a book, Father focused on his work, as if hell itself hadn't just tried to kill me.
Hikaru, as Yare said, how you find this place?
Mihatu look hikaru is here
What are you doing here Hikaru?
I rushed forward, panic spilling out.
I heard a noise upstaire and I just follow it and it bring me here, but what is this place? Something strange a lot of traps keep attacking me back then that almost hold my soul to death I almost lost breathing in there its terrifying
Mother?
What is it hikaru?
Who is that?
Oh, you mean, this is Mikatski my Water Dragon and Pinmin my Ice Wolf and you already met Tageku my Fire Bird isn't it?
The air shimmered. Majestic beings revealed themselves, radiating power.
Oh, the one who guarded the trap fire, so that's him, he's tough and strong
May I touch you guys?
And then they vanish
Hikaru, maybe someday they'll let you touch them or even they may serve you someday or even better you get to have your very own partner
How do you get to have one of those?
You must have a strong will to connect to them and not by harm but with wanting to be partner with them. Some might want to deal with battle to match and see if your worthy to be their master specially for the guardians partner the strongest animal you might have or a human companion
So theirs a human partner not only animal?
That's right hikaru, but it's only rare to be bond with them, their are strong that can help someone to defeat an enemy and also they can lend you their ability and strength.
I want one, Father Can I have one?
In time my son, you'll find yours
---
Ahmm? Father?
The word slipped from my lips without thinking. There was something about his posture focused, firm, as if every movement carried meaning beyond what my young eyes could grasp.
What are you doing?
Curiosity pulled me closer, stronger than fear ever did.
And then I move towards to my Father as I am curious to what he's doing
Each step echoed softly against the stone floor. The smell of metal, oil, and magic blended in the air. Sparks flickered faintly as Father adjusted something on the table.
As I look to his finished work and touch them, I ask my father what is these?
The moment my fingers brushed against the object, a sharp pulse of energy ran through my hand. It wasn't painful but it was alive.
Those are Shuriken armor
The name alone carried weight.
What's its use? Do we need them? We have magic right?
I tilted my head, genuinely confused. To me, magic was everything. It felt limitless.
Hikaru, listen, magic are powerful enough itself but not all the times we used magic and not all the times we only fought with magic.
Father's voice was calm, but firm like a lesson carved through experience.
You can use armors equipment in battle and match it with magic that can make the magic and shuriken more powerful that a magic itself can't defend it or even make it a counter attack.
As he spoke, he demonstrated. The armor shimmered faintly, runes glowing as mana flowed through it.
Magic uses stamina and mana through our body, and in real battle Hikaru, those are important for it was only limited and must be use on the right time to attack the opponent that's why we have these things as a swordmaster we make the offense more stronger than anyone.
His eyes met mine serious, protective, heavy with meaning.
Do you understand it now, Hikaru?
I hesitated.
Is these really that kind of helpful?
A small smile appeared on his face.
It is Hikaru, and magic can duplicate it also.
My eyes widened.
Wooohhhh, Can Mother tried? I wanna see
Excitement burst from me like uncontrolled mana.
Okay okay Hikaru
Mother stood up gracefully, already smiling.
Mihatu toss it. And I say Flaring Blade
She caught it mid-air. The moment the words left her lips, flames wrapped around the weapon not wild, not chaotic, but perfectly controlled.
Wohhh, I got amaze and mesmerized, thats amazing theirs also a small sword and what is this?
My voice trembled with awe.
That's a smoke bomb uses to escape the enemy when things get outnumbered and outpower.
She held it up, explaining calmly like this knowledge was as natural as breathing.
Can I have one Father?
I didn't even think before asking.
No
The answer was instant.
Why not?
My shoulders dropped.
These are for me and for your mother
What about me?
The question slipped out softer than I wanted.
Yours, will have to wait and will be done before you start training with your master.
Is what you making are mine?
My heart pounded.
It is Hikaru, so you'll have to wait a little longer to have these things, and remembered only use these in times of needs as this will remember you to me, even when Im not physically be with you for Years always remember I'm here protecting you through this armors
The words struck deeper than I understood at the time.
Come here Hikaru my mother called
She opened her arms, and I ran to her without hesitation.
Yare, make spell to find a specific book for me, the book of summoning
The air shifted. Magic stirred.
You said you want to bond with your power Is it Hikaru?
Yes mother
Then here, read these book and learn from it, these will help you make a bond.
She placed the book in my hands. It was heavier than it looked.
These two books are powerful books that unfold true magic, only those with great power can open this one book and no one ever had the chance to open it.
My breath caught.
I myself only open the one book but that book is for me to pass it to you now Hikaru.
The moment I touched it
Something *answered*.
---
*In the kingdom of devilas*
A range of evilness spreading the place, the fire burning heat all around them, those evil eye and intuition of minds.
The land screamed. Flames crawled endlessly across broken stone. The air itself felt corrupted.
Rijaku the gods of mind control, I sense someone worthy touch the book, I once felt it when we're with kamaki his book of summoning.
A sinister smile curved his lips.
Mari speak the queen of games, you wanna know who is it? You wanna find out? Let's play a game then to them?.
Her laughter echoed sweet and terrifying.
Saturi the gods of space illusion, we'll find them, but as you all know we find to find the black book for no one can defeat us again and that white book must be destroyed permanently
Space warped slightly around him as he spoke.
Rijaku says, but where is that book anyway, the white book after the battle it disappear so we are, and that black book they sealed also sealed us for this place for years and lucky is in our side that day four years ago the guardian kid blasted his power uncontrollably that hits and break the shield that lock us in their
Saturi says, abrythm sacrifice life to haunt those who betrayed us and the living person those guardians child must be down as young as possible for his power shall be the reason for us to be totally removed.
The room darkened further.
Ireo and kikatsu, you have to find the black book before that guardian kid found it and use it against us, we don't want the same tragedy repeat itself
His voice boomed.
His uncontrol magic that day broke the shield that's been shielding us to be free but the black book is no where to be found and still we need to be prepared and preserved our mana for the day when the battle begin when we concure this world
The tension was suffocating.
The two of you find the book, destroy the white book and its guardian and keep the black book and return it to me.
The order was absolute.
---
*In the kingdom of lapryth*
The kingdom is still not in peace for the misery of the kingdom we shall protect at all cost
Dark clouds loomed over towers and walls once filled with hope.
Makiru the king of Lapryth called the guild master Isia. And Yuta his right guard sword master of the king
Makiru says, have you found the child of our guardian and their books the white and black book that uses to defeat the demon gods before?
My king Mikaru as yuta say, I haven't found any clue to where it can be found, I feel that we need to find it fast upon searching everywhere I saw the trees are draining life in the forest at someone or somewho is absorbing their life to what ever purpose it is.
Isia the guild master, also stated that for the last four years the last battle we had before, now our adventurers find it strange that the monster in the wood are getting stronger and harder to be killed as if someone is giving them strength and power, and somethings new in the forest new monster keep coming but they only small as of now but in time they will be bigger and might not be ready for just to handle it in our own
Mikaru stated, that's why we need to find it for our people.
You may go now, and keep looking time is running out we need those book to be find first before they do.
In wrong hand those power can immerge to something unexpected that could protect or killed someone.
Murming inside me, Mikaru sigh sigh can think clearly because he knew they need to be prepared.
The demon attacked 4 years ago that means the white and black book is out their.
The shield from the black book made by the guardians back then was shuttered, I need to talk to the gods of what we need to do in order to save us.
---