Arcbound: Tale of The Guardians

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The man turned slowly, lowering his staff.

He had short, greying hair. A scar that ran from his temple to his jaw. His coat fluttered slightly, though there was no wind. His eyes—stormy and unreadable—landed on them one by one.

"You're not supposed to be using those yet," he said calmly.

The five stood frozen, breath heavy, energy drained.

Carl raised a shaky finger. "Okay. Back up. Who are you?"

The man took a step forward.

They flinched.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Wait—did you bring that thing?"

Natasha's hands flared, tiny embers dancing between her fingers.

Henry moved to the front. "If you did, we're not afraid to try again."

The man tilted his head. "You just did try. Didn't go so well."

Without warning, they attacked.

Nora launched a shard of ice.

Carl summoned a blast of wind.

Natasha hurled flame.

Kai charged.

Henry blurred forward like lightning.

And the man?

He moved. Not fast—but perfectly. Calm. Efficient.

He sidestepped Kai, tapped Henry with the end of his staff, and sent a gust of wind right back at Carl, knocking him into the bench he'd lifted earlier. With a wave of his hand, Natasha's flame fizzled mid-air. Nora's shard shattered before it even reached him.

In seconds, they were all down. Groaning. Confused.

Carl rolled over. "Okay. New question. How did an old man just beat the magic out of us?"

The man cracked his neck lightly. "I can change my appearance to blend in with the Guardians. I don't look like this all the time."

"I am the Arsi Fylakas," he said.

Carl squinted. "The Arsi what-now?"

Nora blinked. "It's Greek. It means… the Original Guardian."

"Wrong dialect," he said. "But a fair guess."

I'm not a Guardian. I am the Arsi Fylakas—the Guardian of the Guardians. I protect. I guide. I teach."

Henry sat up. "Wait… but how are you alive after all these years?"

The man's smile was faint. "Time doesn't move the same way for people like me. Especially when one is bound to the Arc."

Carl wiped dirt from his cheek. "Okay, but… I still don't get how you beat us all. I mean, we've got powers."

"Do you?" the man asked. "Because what I saw was a lot of flailing."

He pointed to each of them.

"You," he said to Henry, "think you have speed. But your power is lightning—fast, chaotic, and hard to hold."

He turned to Nora. "You believe it's ice. But you wield water—its colder form is just the beginning."

Kai stiffened as the man's gaze fell on him. "You assumed you're strong. But your element is earth. Power isn't just in muscles—it's in stability. Control."

He nodded toward Natasha and Carl. "You two? Fire and Wind. At least you got that part right."

Carl puffed up. "Knew I was the reliable one."

Natasha elbowed him. "Please."

Then—above them—their Shigamis descended.

The eagle flapped gently to the ground. The salamander floated like smoke.

"It's been centuries..." the eagle said, voice suddenly respectful.

"Didn't think we'd see you again," the salamander added, flicking its tail.

The man gave them a simple nod. "I wasn't supposed to wake… until the Arc gave power again."

He looked back at the five. "And now that it has… it means worse things are coming. That Shade Fiend you just fought?"

He raised a hand, fingers etched with glowing markings.

"That was the weakest version of its kind. A mere shadow of what's coming."

Silence fell.

Nora swallowed hard. "Then… what do we do now?"

The man stepped forward, his staff pulsing once like a heartbeat.

"Now?" he said, eyes glowing faintly. "Now… we train."

Carl, still nursing a bruised ego, asked, "So why can we see our Shigamis and the others can't?"

"We've been wondering the same thing," Nora added.

The man faced them again. "Because you three," he gestured to Carl, Natasha, and Nora, "have begun tapping into your original form. The true nature of your power."

"What does that even mean?" Kai asked.

"You are elemental," the Arsi Fylakas said. "But not in the way you think. What you've accessed so far is only a reflection. A shadow of the core element within you."

He stepped forward and motioned to Natasha. "You—your fire isn't just fire. It's Living Flame. Fire that thinks. Fire that chooses."

To Carl: "And you. Wind is only one part. You control Aether Currents—the breath between worlds."

To Nora: "Your ice is more than temperature. It is Crystalline Memory—ice that remembers and reflects."

Carl blinked. "Okay, that's… slightly terrifying but also kind of cool."

"Told you we were epic," the eagle muttered.

"Please don't feed his ego," the salamander sighed.

The Arsi Fylakas continued, "The reason the others can't summon their Shigami… is because they're not aligned with their true element yet. They're using fragments. Stray sparks. Not the core."

Henry stepped forward. "So what do we do?"

"You train," the man said. "Properly. Not the way you've been fumbling around. You learn to control the source, not the symptoms."

Kai frowned. "And you're going to teach us?"

"I am your guide. I answer to the Shigami Lords—those who gifted your spirits to begin with. And if I hadn't stepped in tonight..." His gaze darkened. "None of you would be standing here."

They all fell silent.

Natasha looked at the Shigamis. "Why didn't you tell us any of this?"

The salamander yawned.

"We were getting there. You just… move slow."

"It's not like we can throw lightning bolts to explain things," the eagle added. "Actually—wait, maybe I can…"

The Arsi Fylakas stepped onto the courtyard platform and turned. "Training begins tomorrow. You will return here at dawn. No excuses. No distractions. The world won't wait for you to be ready."

He began to walk away—then paused.

"One more thing," he said without looking back. "Tell no one about the Shade Fiends. Not your friends. Not your teachers. Not even your family when you're alone."

The Arsi Fylakas turned to them, his expression suddenly sharper, more serious.

"Where is the Arc?" he asked.

They blinked.

"The... what now?" Carl said.

"The Arc," the man repeated, slower. "The ancient relic that appeared when you first awakened your powers. The very core of your connection."

Kai scratched his head. "We haven't seen it since that night. It just… disappeared."

The man's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Then it has chosen."

"Chosen?" Natasha echoed.

"Yes," he said. "The Arc never vanishes. It shifts. It senses its guardians—and then it anchors itself to the one it deems most stable. Among you, it has already made that choice."

The group exchanged glances, then practically scattered in five directions.

"We're checking our rooms," Kai said quickly.

"I call dibs on not checking the creepy basement lounge," Carl added.

Nora raised an eyebrow. "No one asked you to."

They sprinted off, calling quick goodbyes behind them.

In the Dorms

They tore through drawers, flung bags open, rummaged under beds.

Kai checked under the mini-fridge.

Carl looked inside his sock drawer.

Henry examined his shelves, knocking over a stack of books in the process.

Then—suddenly—a voice from behind them.

"Mind if I join?"

They turned sharply.

Standing in the hallway, casually leaning against the doorframe, was a boy.

Student uniform. Same school colors. Messy black hair. A satchel slung across his shoulder.

But the mark—faint and glowing—still shimmered just beneath his hairline, near his temple.

Carl gawked. "Wait… what?"

Henry pointed. "That's him, right?! That's definitely him."

"You—changed," Nora said slowly.

The boy—still clearly the Arsi Fylakas—smirked. "Told you I could shift appearance. Helps me blend in with new generations. Makes things… easier."

Carl squinted. "But that mark on your head?"

"It's how Guardians know it's me," he said. "Only you can see it."

Kai muttered, "Creepy. But also kinda awesome."

Carl waved his arms. "Okay but can we talk about how your name is impossible to say? Arsi Fylaxis? Arzi Flip-kicks? Arse Fuzzy-cakes?"

The man blinked. Slowly.

Natasha groaned.

Nora facepalmed.

"I've had many names through the centuries," he said dryly. "None of them simple enough, it seems."

Carl grinned. "Then let us name you. Like… for our era."

"Yeah," Henry agreed. "Something that doesn't sound like a spell."

They tossed around suggestions.

"Max?"

"No, too basic."

"Storm?"

"Too edgy."

"Professor Z?"

"Too cartoon."

Eventually, they landed on one.

"Jay," Kai said. "It fits. Cool. Simple. Mysterious."

Everyone nodded.

The man—now Jay—arched a brow. "Jay. Short for?"

"Just Jay," Carl said confidently. "You're welcome."

Jay gave a faint smile. "Very well. Jay it is."

Back at Nora's Room

They gathered again, just as Nora stepped into the hallway, holding her bag like it had exploded.

"Guys," she said slowly. "I found something."

They all leaned in as she pulled out the object.

It pulsed faintly, wrapped in cloth—the Arc. Still glowing with quiet power.

Even Nora looked confused. "I… didn't even know this was in here."

Jay stepped forward, looking down at the object, then at her.

"The Arc has chosen. And it chose wisely," he said. "You may not be the strongest, Nora. But your instinct, your intuition… your mind… they are balanced."

Carl smirked. "Knew it. Nerds win."

Jay added, "Every generation has one—the anchor. The Arc reveals itself to the one most able to keep the group grounded. And Nora, knowingly or not, you've already begun doing that."

Nora blinked, unsure what to say.

Jay looked at the rest of them. "The Arc is essential to your training. It's the beacon, the catalyst. Without it, your progress would've remained incomplete. Now that we have it..."

He placed a hand over the Arc.

It pulsed once, brighter.

"Now," he said, "your real training begins."

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