Chapter 98 - Sentient Guardian

Two weeks ago...

"Karen, can we talk for a moment?" Mari asked one afternoon, when everyone have just returned from their most recent mission.

"Eh? O-Okay," she replied, feeling extremely tired and listless from the journey. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #'t-have-any-abilities-!_12421071605419605/sentient-guardian_52146635513317070 for visiting.

After the two entered Karen's tent, Mari immediately headed straight into Karen's sleeping bag, as she herself was also feeling sleepy at that time.

"So...what do you want to talk about?"

"Karen..." pausing for a moment, Mari looked at her and asked, "do you...still have that bloodstained handkerchief with you?"

Hearing that question from her friend, Karen couldn't help but to gasp.

"Why are you asking me that? A-Are you also telling me to throw it away just like the others?" Karen's eyebrows frowned in suspicion.

After everyone in the class learned about her weird possession they all started to tell her to dispose of the object immediately, as it is unhygienic to keep a piece of cloth that already became caked with dried blood, unless she decides to wash it. Being a stickler for hygiene as she was, such an act was totally against her principles, but she couldn't push herself to wash the cloth, as she feared that doing so would 'wash away' the soul of a certain someone with the blood.

Somewhat expecting that kind of reaction from her, Mari shook her head and said, "Relax, I didn't came here for that."

"Then, what?"

"A vision," Mari quickly answered. "A vision solely for you, of all people..."

"For me?" Karen looked at her with eyes of disbelief. Such an occurrence was very rare, and when it does happen, it often signifies danger to the person in question.

Mari then immediately told her the things she saw in her visions. However, unlike her usual visions, where a potential future scenario was described clearly, the portents available for Karen were just a bunch of things that appear to be not correlated with each other: a broken sword, a butterfly net, a coffin, and the handkerchief which she often carried. Such imagery was very difficult to decipher even to Mari, hence she came to ask Karen about the thing in her possession—as she thought it's the most vital among the four objects she's seen.

"So, are you really telling me to throw it away or not? Because, knowing you and your power, you'll say that I'll be put into grave danger if I don't let go of it."

"Ugh, this girl..." Mari felt like her head's about to hurt really bad. "Listen, I'm not asking you to throw it away. Rather, I'm telling you to continue keeping it."

"R-Really...?"

"Nn. Until such time when I can give you a more detailed vision of the future, you must keep it with you all the time. By then, we can settle once and for all if what you're doing is beneficial to you and others, or just a waste of time."

Mari then turned her back and faced the wall of the tent, as she planned to rest inside her friend's sleeping bag. Karen didn't actually mind her using it, but she told her just in case to get her own sleeping bag first, so that they could have a sleepover later that night.

"Do you think what I'm doing is a stupid idea?"

"Whether it is stupid out not depends on your fate," Mari said to her. "But who knows, the things you hold dear might save your life someday."

Hearing her answer, her face formed a slight smile as she muttered:

"Nn. I think so too."

-----

"The...Fool?"

On the verge of death Karen thought for a moment that what happened was just her imagination—a dying person's fever dream—but the magic circle in front of her looked too real to be just a product of her mind.

"Unbelievable...totally unbelievable," still in shock after having one of his arm disintegrate, the entity spoke: "the Arcana I've been searching everywhere for hundreds of years...is just in the hands of a young woman all this time?! What are the chances, huh??"

Even Karen couldn't believe what just happened. Just how did she got hold of such a power? She tried to recall everything that happened so far but she couldn't remember touching anything strange, except for—

"This handkerchief..." her eyes looked down to see the object she been placing on her chest for a while now.

Indeed, the last thing she grabbed was the bloodstained handkerchief she's been keeping as her memento from Arteim. She looked closer into it, and noticed that the already brown-colored blotches of blood on the cloth has turned bright crimson, looking as fresh and moist as the day it was spilled.

"This blood...does this mean..."

"Give me [The Fool], young woman!" the entity suddenly interrupted her.

Facing the entity, she—

"No! I won't let you have it!"

'Never, never will I lose something of great importance to me again!' she affirmed to herself. Now that she knew the answer to the question she asked to Mari before, she'll do everything just to protect the object in her hands.

"You still don't get it, do you?" the entity's voice cracked with anger. "I need that power, I need it more than you. Give it to me, and I'll let you out of this place safe, you and the Hero over there."

"Karen!"

Kai, who just had the effects of [Atrophy] in his body wore off, quickly rushed to her side. Having heard their conversation, he said to her: "whatever that thing is, don't give it to him. It is better for us to be trapped here than to be free, knowing that this bastard has got something that will endanger us humans even more."

"Ah, so you prefer it that way huh?" the entity said in a threatening tone. "You really want me to forcefully take it from you, young lady?"

"Yes. It's better that way than buying our freedom with this Arcana," Karen replied with a straight look on her face.

Impressed with her stubbornness, the entity said: "Well I don't care, since I'll have it whether you like it or not! [Atrophy]!"

'That weird spell again?!'

Now that they know the spell does to their bodies, Karen and Kai reflexively retreated, but—

"His spell, it's being blocked by [The Fool]...?!"

Just like his arm, the entity's spell couldn't make it past the magic circle's defenses. He tried using another spell from his Arcana, and another, and another—but all of them didn't work.

"Damn it! That Arcana really is no joke!" he stomped his foot many times in anger.

Having only a tiny fragment of [The Death] Arcana with him, he has no chance of penetrating [The Fool]'s power at its current state. Such thoughts made him extremely envious, as he felt like the Arcana he got was very weak.

"This is our opportunity to attack now!" Kai said, invigorated after seeing the entity's failed attempts to break through the barrier set by [The Fool]. "Karen, continue using it; we might be able to finish him!"

"E-Eh?!" Karen gasped at his words. "But Kai, that's..."

A tall order, considering that the Arcana doesn't belong to her. Unlike all the magic she has ever seen, the Arcana is sentient, and she feared that it might stop protecting them if they were to rub it the wrong way.

"Do you think you can beat me just because you have the Arcana?!" the entity roared at them, unable to hold himself from raging too hard.

"At this point? Yes, yes we can," Kai answered c.o.c.kily.

"I'm not talking to you, Hero! This is only between me and the young lady," he yelled.

"Tch," Kai couldn't believe what he just heard from the entity. When they meet for the first time, he told them that he's been eager to face him. After discovering that Karen was hiding a very powerful and ancient magic, the entity's impression of him fell down sharply.

'This is stupid. I'm the Hero, and yet...'

"What's the matter young lady, have you lost your tongue all of a sudden?" knowing that his attacks were useless against Karen, he resorted instead to psychological warfare. "Are you afraid that the Arcana will disappear? Well I can't blame you, since it is known that it can't survive on its own without its real owner for too long. From the looks of it, that magic circle will only last about a minute more or so."

"N-No way?!" Karen started to panic as she looked at the Arcana in front of her. The magic circle, the symbol of [The Fool], has been left some for too long and was already showing signs of deterioration and damage. Its white glow also dimmed significantly, turning more and more gray with each passing second.

Laughing wildly, the entity continued: "It's not the end for me yet! Less than a minute from now, and [The Fool] which you trusted for a while now will be gone! With nothing left to protect you against my Arcana, I'll be able to exact revenge for the humiliation you've given to me!"

The entity thought, it's better that no one will get it than letting them use it against him. He's disappointed nonetheless as he doesn't have enough time left to wait another millennia for another person that has [The Fool] Arcana to come inside his abyss, due to the fact that his life force was slowly being eaten by [The Death]. At his current state, he only has about 900 years left to live.

At least, he won't die in shame.

"This is bad..." Kai gritted his teeth in despair as he watched things unfold around him.

At the same time Karen, who was desperately trying to coax the Arcana to hold on for a little longer, almost gave out on her strength. With time running out, and with no certain way to convey her feelings to the magic circle, was there anything else she can do at this point?

"Please, please..."

In the midst of her plight, she—

"Hmm?" the entity, who was eagerly waiting for [The Fool] to disappear, noticed that Karen was acting strangely. Kai also noticed her sudden change in behavior, and he quickly became worried.

"What's wrong, young lady? Are you finally accepting your fate? Hah, that's what you get for being too complacent..."

Karen on the other hand, didn't show any reaction to his taunt, as she seem to be in her own world. Instead, with her eyes closed she pointed her staff towards the middle of the fading magic circle, which was facing the entity.

"Oh-ho-ho, looks like you're trying to do something one last time," the entity chuckled as he watched her actions. "Very well, looks like I have to do something too."

"K-Karen...!"

Just as when Kai was about to head towards her side, Karen's body became covered with a bright white haze, which, combined with her mana leaking out, made her look like a saint.

"Go on, do it! Let's see what you can do with that Arcana!" the entity yelled at her.

Stretching his lone arm he created a huge, black magic circle using [The Death], then used his life force to make it even bigger. Despite having only a small amount of [The Death]'s power, he can make it stronger by having it feed more on his life.

"This is it, young lady!!! Taste the full extent of my powerrrr!!!!!"

Pppsssssssssshhhhhiiiiiiiwwwwwwww!!!!!!!

At his word, a dark, ominous beam of death came surging forth from his magic circle, heading straight towards Karen.

"Karen! Watch out!!!"

As if heeding Kai's last minute warning, Karen—

BUUUUUGGGGGSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

A white beam of light several times larger than the one the entity has created came out of [The Fool]'s magic circle, completely drowning the opposing beam of darkness with its sheer size and power. Having his ultimate attack get nullified by the blinding light, the entity tried to escape, but his entire body got vaporized before he could even lift his arm.

Meanwhile—

"So this is...the power of a god..."

Kai's jaw dropped as he watched the scene from the sidelines. What shocked him even more though, was the fact that Karen was able to utilize such tremendous power: the beam, which destroyed the entity, created a large hole on the wall of the abyss that will go on for who knows how long. Nevertheless, he still managed to catch Karen, who collapsed right after the attack.

"Karen, can you hear me? Hey, Karen..."

Holding her on his arms, Kai lightly tapped her cheeks. Karen, who was in a trance until now, opened her eyes and...

"Kai? What...what happened? I--"

"It's okay, it's all over now," he replied to her. "That guy, he's now gone."

Hearing that, Karen felt relieved for a moment, then—

"What about...the Arcana?"

"A-About that..."

When they glanced to their side, they saw that the magic circle has already began forming cracks and shortly afterwards, exploded into millions of white, glowing dust. As if miraculously regaining her strength, Karen quickly got up to catch the floating remains of the Arcana with her hands, but she was too late.

"The handkerchief, yes, that's right! As long as I have his blood, I can..."

But with the Arcana in it gone, Ren's blood—which she has kept for a long time—also started to lose its form and disappear. From each blotch on the cloth came out red ethereal butterflies, fluttering gracefully around Karen before they continue on their journey, like life fading away.

Behind her, Kai spoke: "Karen."

When he placed his hand on her shoulder, Karen didn't react. She remained kneeling on the ground, unmoved, unmotivated to move.

"Karen, it's time for us to go now."

Still, Karen didn't move even an inch. Her eyes kept on looking at the vast darkness in front of her, which reflected the melancholy deep within her heart.

"It's no use, he's long gone and we can't do anything about it anymore. Why do you keep on hurting yourself like this?"

Just as when Kai said those words, Karen saw a small red butterfly coming out from under her handkerchief. Fluttering its small wings, it landed on her finger, where it stayed for a few seconds before also following the trail made by its many companions.

"You're right. Why am I hurting myself all this time?" Karen asked to herself.

"See? Everyone's been asking you to move on, yet you..."

"Why am I feeling hurt, when there is no reason for me to feel hurt at all?"

"Karen?!"

She stood up, and looked at him. Far from what he expected, Karen's face showed a warm smile, as if all the sadness she's shown so far were just nothing.

"Alright. Let's go on, shall we?"