The Guardians' Legacy

“Come this way,” Garta ordered. Guiding Colth through the narrow streets of the quiet northern region, she quickened her steps.

The few residents seen at that time seemed friendly at first glance, on the other hand, the streets were not very inviting, some of them were completely full of potholes and many others did not even have night lighting from street lamps. Not only because of this, but for the population of the Central region, the North was synonymous with poverty, few from high society, much less royalty, dared to go near there. The reason was not fear or anything like that, but rather a feeling of disgust and contempt for those who were considered the least blessed.

Several simple residential buildings, a few small houses, and a few shops made up the gray landscape of the narrow alleys. Not a single car was seen during the entire walk, which lasted about ten minutes. The morning silence began to be, little by little, devoured by some agitated noise.

“Here. We’re here,” Garta said as he entered a small square. Colth’s eyes widened as he noticed.

The place was charming, a small space that stood out from the rest of the region. In its innermost part, two large cedar trees shaded the paving stones that extended up to the walls of the commercial buildings that surrounded a good part of the square.

Some people were working on the site, with ladders, hammers, screwdrivers and other tools, they were hanging power wires for the lighting that would be provided by several yellowish lamps along the cable, stretching from one end of the square to the other over the heads of the pedestrians. The workers were also setting up a grayish fabric tent in the center of the square, improving the look of the place.

— What are they doing? — Colth was curious.

—They're getting ready for the moon festival this weekend. — Garta replied.

— Moon festival? I had already forgotten.

Compared to the rest of the area, the square looked like a shopping mall. Restaurants, cafes, and several other small shops surrounded and integrated that welcoming diversion of an environment.

Garta walked through the square followed by Colth. Some curious glances from the workers, who were also residents of the area, could not be avoided.

— Who are these? — asked a curious person in the square.

— Are they from outside? — Another person among those many whispered his suspicion.

— Is that Garta? What could have happened? — Just another comment lost among many.

Many of those words were heard perfectly by Garta, she simply ignored them and continued to make space among the small concentration of people. Colth was bothered enough to lower his head and just follow the leader's steps.

After crossing a good part of the square in order to get things ready, the guard stopped in front of one of the few restaurants there. The building was simple, decorated with colorful flags and lights all over the facade, hiding the gray of the building. A four-step staircase led customers to the entrance of the establishment. Above the door, a wooden panel served as a sign and clearly highlighted the business.

The sign read “Relentless Cat Restaurant” and was accompanied by an almost childlike drawing of an extremely happy feline holding cutlery.

“Be quiet and just follow me,” she said in a direct tone.

Colth followed her through the door and into the restaurant. The place was nothing special, just a dozen tables arranged neatly on the polished wooden floor that reflected the light from the lamps hanging on the walls and the small, dusty chandelier in the center of the ceiling.

In the background, only one thing caught the boy's attention, an old upright piano surrounded by flowers and ornaments. Memories filled his head and a nostalgic feeling emerged that could not be avoided. Colth made a point of turning away from the feeling and ignoring the memories.

— Don't just stand there. Come quickly — ordered the woman, then started walking towards a service door at the back of the room.

Colth nodded and walked past the tables of couples and families enjoying their lunch. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but it wasn't to be outdone either. The atmosphere was cozy and warm, the round tables were covered in white tablecloths, and the dishes, delivered by the two uniformed waiters, looked succulent.

Garta opened the simple door at the back of the room without any ceremony, revealing the establishment's kitchen, which was still not very busy. He simply went to the back of the room and climbed the stairs that began after the counters full of ingredients.

Colth followed closely, they crossed a narrow corridor and came across two doors, one on each side, Garta chose the one on the right. They both entered the dimly lit room.

Work tables against the wall, shelves full of strange objects and gadgets, and an old sofa in the center of the room facing away from the door, all on a carpet with tears and missing parts.

A lone woman, as small as a child, was handling some hardware in front of one of the tables. She was so busy and absorbed in her work that she seemed not to have noticed the presence of other people there. Her light coat, protective glasses on her face, and a series of equipment on the wooden bench where she worked gave indications of her duties there.

— Bertha? — Garta called the woman's attention without success. She had to insist more than once for her attention to be heard. — Bertha? Hello?

— Ah, Garta... — he finally replied and, as soon as he laid eyes on the guardian, he was surprised. — What? What's that on your neck?

“I thought I was going to ask that question,” Garta replied, feeling discouraged. “Some men, probably Lux’s followers, ambushed me and put this on me. I’ve tried to take it off, but it won’t come off.”

— This looks like a Sathsai stone. — Bertha took off her goggles, leaving them on her forehead, and looked closer at the necklace around the woman's neck to see the details. — But it doesn't seem to have the inner glow of one.

—Anyway, after it grabbed my neck, I can't use displacement anymore.

— Really? — The girl began to smile as Garta nodded. — That's amazing!

— Are you serious? — she muttered dissatisfied. — I can't use my ability, what's so amazing about that?

“That means they’ve found a way to neutralize the guardians’ abilities,” Bertha added, smiling from ear to ear. Then she realized the situation and suddenly became serious. “It’s not surprising for you, since you have it around your neck. In fact, that’s a problem. A very big problem.”

— Ugh... Is there any way to remove this?

— Well... It seems like there's some kind of lock here. — The girl said as she walked around Garta, observing each piece of the object carefully until she stopped at the guardian's back.

Indeed, beneath Garta's beautiful black hair, the necklace hid a tiny little hole, it didn't look like a lock at all, but it was the only thing that stood out about the object besides the dull stone on the front.

—Can you get it out? — she repeated hopefully.

— I'll see what I can do. Sit on the chair. — said the youngest, going to the bench. She picked up some tools with the intention of using them and, upon noticing the strange person accompanying the guardian, she hesitated. — Oh? Who's that?

The boy was there, observing the surroundings, the whole time, but it was only after their eyes met that the girl became aware of his presence.

— That's Colth. Don't pay attention to him, he's just passing through — Garta replied as he sat down in the chair in the corner of the room. — He's nobody.

“I appreciate your kindness,” Colth muttered sarcastically. He didn’t give the comment any more importance, then went back to looking at the shelves full of tools and couldn’t help but be curious. “What are you doing here?”

— Mechanics, engineering, electrical. Whatever you need. — Bertha returned to the guardian after the indistinct answer.

— An engineer? That's pretty cool — Colth whispered as he noticed a small device open with its wires and parts exposed on the bench. His hand trembled imagining holding a tool he had never seen before.

— Don't touch anything! — the girl warned angrily.

— No. I wouldn't touch anything. — Colth said.

— Ah... — he sighed in rejection. He turned to the guardian. — The 'nobody' you brought is quite irritating.

— Can you focus on what matters? — Garta retorted.

— Okay. I'll start the operation, then. — said the engineer as she positioned herself behind the woman.

— Operation? — she asked, scared.

— Quiet — she smiled awkwardly at the woman in front of her. Then she began to focus on the necklace — So, why are you bringing these strange people here, Garta?

— ...? — Colth was surprised to be so harshly judged by the little girl with yellow hair and bright eyes, but again he didn't bother to argue.

— It wasn't my fault... — Garta began to explain himself in a bored manner, but in the middle of it, he felt the necklace tighten around his neck. — Ouch! What was that?

“I think we have a problem,” Bertha said in reply. “It seems that with every failed attempt to open this thing, the collar tightens even more around your neck.”

Garta widened his eyes, Colth also showed his concern as he approached curiously.

—But that will end up suffocating her, or worse...

— Don't worry, it will be as easy as assembling an engine...

— Wait, — Garta worried to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat — what if you mess up and...

She felt the collar tighten around her neck a little more. She was about to give up and get up from the chair, but as soon as she decided to abandon it, she was surprised again.

— Ready. — Bertha will go ahead.

— Ready? — Colth continued worriedly.

The guardian felt her neck being freed from the metal collar. Even though she knew that the girl had incredible engineering skills, she couldn't help but be impressed.

- Like you...

— I only had to think for two seconds, it wasn't that difficult. Quite easy, actually. — the girl replied apathetically, almost with her head down. — I thought it would be a challenge. What a shame.

— What a shame? — She frowned. — Anyway, thanks. — Garta stood up with the feeling of her freedom returned.

— No need to thank me...— he sharpened his eyes — at least, not with words.

— What are you planning? — The guardian had already understood the message. She didn't seem completely excited about an obvious request that was coming, but she couldn't refuse, not after asking for a favor that literally saved her neck.

— I'm not planning anything. The Manager is. — Bertha spread her arms to avoid any responsibility. — I'm just following orders.

— Of course it is. So what?

— I need a 4mm valve. — she gestured with her hands to draw the silhouette of the object.

- What?

— You know you won't be able to understand, right? Do you really want me to explain it to you?

The girl's response might have seemed arrogant in Colth's eyes, but for Garta it was natural, she didn't show any opposition.

— No. Of course not. Just tell me where to get it.

— With old Frederic — concluded the little girl.

— No problem, I was already thinking about stopping by anyway. — Garta nodded seriously. — And Tera's guardian?

“After she had a fit, calling for a guy named Aldren, I put her to sleep.” Bertha turned back to her work on the workbench in the corner of the room. This time, she was interested in the metal collar that had just been removed from Garta’s neck. “She’s over there on the couch. It’ll be hard to wake her up, I used a pretty heavy dose of black leaves.”

“Did you drug her?” Colth asked irritably. He quickly walked to the center of the room and checked the couch. He wasn’t surprised; the girl was sleeping like a baby. Her light hair hid part of her serene face.

— ... Yes. — replied the engineer without understanding the reason for the question.

Colth gave her a disapproving look before continuing with his questions.

— Did she call for Aldren?

— That's what I said... — Bertha looked irritated. — Girl, could you go now, this friend of yours is getting in my way.

— He's not my friend — he replied at first.

— Okay, okay. Just go ahead. I have work to finish — the girl urged the two as she put on her safety glasses in preparation for the work to come, but before that, she threw the Sathsai stone she had just removed from her necklace for Garta to grab. — And take this too.

The guardian abdicated the answer with the stone in her hands.

“Come on, Colth,” she urged.

— Are you going to leave Celina here?

— She'll be fine. Come soon.

Colth agreed without argument. They walked out the door of the room while he remained suspicious.

— What's wrong? You're just passing through, don't think about getting attached to the things here — Garta said wickedly after receiving harsh looks from Colth in the narrow corridor.

— Whatever. — The boy did not hide his displeasure as he looked away in discomfort.

— Come. I already know where to get your ticket out of the Capital. — She handed the Sathsai stone to Colth so as to get rid of the scrap.

— Great. — Colth frowned to make it clear that he intended to leave as soon as possible. He grabbed the stone without any purpose or importance, just putting it in his pants pocket to get rid of it and keep his hands free.