Chapter 4: The Battle Beneath the Twin Moons

The black-armored soldiers rushed forward in perfect formation.

Their boots thundered across the stone bridge, weapons glowing with crimson Aether.

The masked man remained at the rear, watching silently.

Caelan tightened his grip on his spear.

"Lyra."

She looked at him.

"When I say run..."

"...don't look back."

His calm voice carried an authority that left no room for argument.

"But—"

"Trust me."

Those two words caught her off guard.

Trust.

It was something she had sworn never to give again.

Yet for some reason...

She nodded.

---

The first soldier swung a massive sword toward Caelan's shoulder.

Clang!

The spear met the blade effortlessly.

Before the soldier could recover, Caelan spun his weapon.

The butt of the spear struck the man's chest.

The soldier flew backward like a leaf caught in a storm.

Another attacked from behind.

Without even turning around, Caelan swept his spear in a wide arc.

A wave of silver light burst outward.

Boom!

Three soldiers were thrown into the lake.

The water erupted into shimmering columns.

Lyra stared.

She had seen knights before.

She had seen generals fight.

None of them moved like this.

Every strike was graceful.

Every step precise.

It felt less like a battle...

And more like a dance.

---

The masked man watched quietly.

"So this is the Last Guardian."

"No wonder the Voidborn couldn't capture her."

He slowly unsheathed his own sword.

Unlike the soldiers' weapons, its blade was completely black.

Dark mist coiled around it.

"Enough."

The soldiers immediately retreated.

Caelan's eyes narrowed.

"You finally decided to move."

The masked man smiled beneath his silver mask.

"I've wanted to test your strength for a very long time."

He vanished.

Lyra gasped.

She couldn't even follow his movement.

A deafening clash echoed through the sanctuary.

Black and silver light exploded into the sky.

The shockwave shattered nearby trees.

Caelan and the masked man stood several meters apart.

Their weapons locked together.

"You've become slower."

The masked man chuckled.

"And you've become more arrogant."

Caelan pushed him back.

"I don't have time for this."

He raised one hand.

Ancient runes appeared beneath his feet.

The lake surrounding the sanctuary began to glow.

Silver pillars of light rose from the water.

The spirits that had been hiding among the trees emerged one after another.

Hundreds of tiny lights floated around Caelan.

The sanctuary itself answered his call.

The masked man's expression hardened.

"The sanctuary still obeys you..."

"Of course."

"It always will."

The glowing spirits rushed forward like a river of stars.

The black-armored soldiers cried out as the lights pushed them backward.

Some were disarmed.

Others collapsed unconscious.

Not a single spirit dealt a fatal blow.

Lyra noticed.

Even against enemies...

Caelan refused to kill.

---

Suddenly—

A sharp pain shot through Lyra's chest.

She gasped.

The silver pendant around her neck glowed brilliantly.

"What..."

Ancient symbols spread across her skin before fading again.

The air around her distorted.

The sanctuary trembled.

Everyone stopped fighting.

Even Caelan looked toward her.

"No..."

His usually calm expression was filled with alarm.

"The sanctuary is reacting to her."

The stone floor beneath Lyra cracked.

A pillar of silver light erupted into the sky.

Ancient runes appeared across every wall of the sanctuary.

The lake churned violently.

Deep beneath the island...

Something awakened.

A voice echoed through the entire forest.

Not loud.

Yet every living creature heard it.

"The Gatekeeper has returned."

The masked man's eyes widened.

"So the legend..."

"It was true."

He immediately pointed his sword at Lyra.

"Take her!"

The remaining soldiers charged once more.

Before they could reach her—

The sanctuary itself responded.

Massive roots burst from beneath the earth.

They wrapped around the soldiers, binding them in place.

The ancient trees surrounding the lake bent inward.

Countless glowing vines formed a living barrier around Lyra.

She stood frozen.

"I..."

"I didn't do this."

Caelan believed her.

"I know."

"The sanctuary is protecting you."

"But why?"

He didn't answer.

Because he didn't know.

---

The masked man suddenly laughed.

"So even the ancient sanctuary has chosen her."

"Interesting."

Very interesting."

He slowly stepped backward.

"This isn't over, Guardian."

"Our master will come personally."

"When that day arrives..."

"No sanctuary in Elarion will be able to protect the World Walker."

Dark mist gathered around him.

One by one, the soldiers dissolved into shadows.

Within seconds...

They were gone.

Only silence remained.

---

The glowing barrier surrounding Lyra slowly faded.

The roots retreated underground.

The lake became calm once again.

Everything returned to normal.

As though nothing had happened.

Lyra looked at her trembling hands.

"What..."

"...am I?"

Caelan approached her.

His expression was unreadable.

"You are still Lyra."

"But you're also something far more important."

He looked toward the ancient sanctuary.

"The legends spoke of someone who could awaken every sacred place in Elarion."

"They called that person..."

"The World Walker."

Before Lyra could respond—

A tiny ball of white light drifted down from the sky.

It circled around her head twice.

Then...

Poof!

The light transformed into a tiny snow-white fox with bright blue eyes and one fluffy tail.

It landed on Lyra's shoulder as if it had known her forever.

The fox sniffed her cheek.

Then it happily rubbed against her face.

"Eek!"

Lyra nearly lost her balance.

The little fox wagged its tail excitedly.

Caelan blinked.

For the first time in centuries...

He was genuinely speechless.

"...Lumi?"

The tiny fox looked at him, puffed out its cheeks, and turned its head away with an indignant huff before cuddling closer to Lyra.

Caelan sighed.

"That settles it."

"What does?"

"The Guardian Spirit of the Moonlit Sanctuary has chosen you."

Lyra stared at the adorable fox now asleep on her shoulder.

"...I think she chose me because I was warm."

Caelan couldn't help the faint smile that appeared on his face.

"Perhaps."

"But in Elarion..."

"Nothing happens by coincidence."

Far away, beyond the mountains of Ignisar, a pair of enormous golden dragon eyes slowly opened.

The Dragon Emperor had sensed the awakening of the sanctuary...

And the arrival of the World Walker.

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