Tale of Vanguard

Kaelen and Master Cronos stood in the center of the labs main room, a quiet intensity filling the air as they prepared to begin the next stage of Kaelen's journey. Master Cronos took a few vials and parchment papers from the shelves in the room, carefully placing them into his pouch – Strangely enough, the amount of items stored inside didn't match the pouch's small size. Could the pouch itself be something magical? He then took a satchel bag under the table which he offered to Kaelen.

"Fill this with food."

With a puzzled look, he accepted the bag from Master Cronos hand.

"Can't you just put the food in that magical pouch you have?"

The old man gave Kaelen a bewildered gaze

"Do you want the food to taste like goblin urine?"

Kaelen quickly grabbed all the clay pots and jars filled with food from the pantry until the satchel is filled. While he couldn't deny a certain curiosity in his head about how a mythical creature's urine might taste like, he decided that it was best to keep his curiosity in check. He had already imagined the worst-case scenarios that could happened from indulging such thought. 

'What's with all those potion that he stores anyway?'

After they had both completed their respective tasks, Master Cronos urged Kaelen to approach him. He then extended his hand to him with his palm closed.

"Grab my hand, and whatever you do, do not let go at any cost, also if it's any help, i recommend you to close your eyes"

Feeling a bit worried, Kaelen complied with Master Cronos instructions as he slowly grabbed the old man's hand and then closed his eyes . Suddenly, he felt an intense heaviness envelop his entire body. The air around him seemed to tremble, causing the entire room to vibrate. Not long after, both of them began to dissipate into the ground below.

***

"Hey kid, you can open your eyes now"

Kaelen could hear the old man's voice, but it was faint and unclear. He slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a breathtaking view. Before him stood a forest that was the complete opposite of the one he had encountered before.

The forest before him was a vibrant, bathed in warm sunlight filtering through a canopy of lush green leaves. Tall, ancient trees with golden-hued bark, their branches filled with a symphony of colors—emerald greens, soft yellows, and hints of crimson. The air was alive with the sound of rustling leaves and distant birdsong, creating a sense of harmony. Unlike the foreboding darkness of the previous forest, this one radiated life, peace, and a welcoming embrace.

But what caught his eye was the center of the forest. A towering monoliths, weathered by countless ages, rise in an enigmatic formation, each carved with intricate runes that faintly glow with a soft, ethereal light. The stones are arranged in a perfect circle, their surfaces adorned with ancient symbols that pulse gently with Aether energy.

Master Cronos stood in the middle of the circle, appearing to draw some type of sigil on the surface with his staff. Once he finished his task, he gestured for Kaelen to approach him.

"Do you still remembered the prerequisite step for someone to become a seeker?"

"Yeah, it's the attunement right?"

Master Cronos nod his head in approval.

"Good, so you did read the book. Now, do you know the factors that affect the success of the attunement?"

Kaelen made a confused expression, thinking for a moment before coming up with an answer:

"If I'm not mistaken, it requires immense focus and purity of intent from the person undergoing the trial."

"Correct again. However, what the book didn't tell you—and what most people don't know—is that when a celestial event occurs, it can also increase your chances of a successful attunement. This ancient site is designed to align perfectly with the stars above, it enhances the effectiveness of the attunement, which is why we waited four day for this particular celestial event. Now, I want you to sit in the middle of the sigil while I prepare the necessary procedures."

Kaelen complied with the old man's instruction and took his place in the center, while Master Cronos stood near one of the towering monoliths.

"Remember, when you enter the Resonant State, you will be faced with a random event that even I cannot predict, as each person has different criteria for completing their attunement. Also, do yourself a favor and view everything only as an illusion; this mindset will help you accomplish what you need to do, even though it may seem unnatural and unhuman like."

Kaelen gulped a little after hearing Master Cronos words. The old man began to chant a spell that Kaelen couldn't understand. Suddenly, a torrent of light enveloped the entire area within the circle surrounded by the monoliths, causing Kaelen to lose sight of his surroundings.

"Ah, I almost forgot—do your best to not..."

***

As Kaelen was trying to hear Master Cronos voice, it suddenly cut off. He then sees himself still sitting in the middle of the circle—only this time, the vast forest that surrounds them is completely gone. Black soils cover the entire ground as far as his eyes can see. In this place, only him and the monoliths remained. 

'Creepy.' Kaelen thought to himself while slowly standing up.

As he looked at the night sky above him, he saw three glimmers of light perfectly aligned with his position, which seemed to form the foundation of it. He wondered if those are what Master Cronos meant when he said the things about a celestial event. As he looked around aimlessly, another source of light appeared in the sky above him, but this light was black? He noticed that the black light was growing larger and larger, until he suddenly realized that it was aimed directly at his position in an unimaginable speed.

"Oh shit!"

Kaelen shouted, jumping out of the way just as the light crashed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact turned the surrounding ground to ashes, causing a smoke screen around it, its as if a meteor had collided with the ground before him. As the smoke began to clear, a familiar dark figure emerged from within it. 

Kaelen looked at the dark figure with a sense of familiarity

"Hey, aren't you the one from back then?"

Yes, It was the same ghastly figure who had made gestures to Kaelen when he was transported from his world to Celestoria. This time, the dark figure just stands there quietly without any movement.

He planned to approached it, but his instinct is telling him not to—When all of a sudden, black flames enveloped its entire body from top to bottom, transforming it into some kind of a fiery figure. Two glowing eyes and a sinister smile appeared on its formerly shrouded face.

"Fuck..."