The Guardian

"What is this item you speak of?" Vorbuk took a step forward as he glared up at her. He could hear the clear pain in the panther's voice. The amount of exhaustion in her was obvious to anyone who saw the way she carried herself and spoke. It was almost as though she had given up on everything except for her late master's dying wish.

"Who are you?" She asked him in a calm and curious tone.

"Vorbuk."

"What are you doing here?" She asked him another question. He felt like she was trying to study him.

"I am wandering the world to learn more about this place. I was only passing through with someone when I felt something from this place call out to me. That is all..."

"There feels like there is something different from you then the usual companion creatures of this realm. You're not from here are you?" She squinted her eyes as if she was trying to calculate something as she stared him down.

"Not from this realm?" Vorbuk jumped slightly and lowered his tail. He was not sure how to respond to her question.

"No need to worry, young one. I have been alive long enough to know in this world that some times others cross into this realm from other realms. I can sense it from your soul. You're from another realm... whether by accident or by other means, it does happen. It is rare, though, so very few alive are aware of the cross travelers."

"By your knowledge I assume you were someone like me?" His ears went straight up at the thought.

"Correct... During the time I was alive I was from anther realm. I died and found myself here as a shadow panther. I was known as the The Guardian of my time. That is the thing about us shadow creatures, the humans have come to see us as deities. If we were to live long enough, we could gain power enough to topple the world itself. Though there has not been one of us reach that level in thousands of years, because there are those who will seek to end us before we can get that strong. You must be careful, young one. When they realize what you are you will be hunted just as I was with my own master. To some we are heroes, to others we symbolize the end of the world itself."

"I'm going to be hunted..?" He pondered the thought for a moment.

"hmm.." The panther watched him for a moment before slowly gliding her spirit down to him and circling him as her eyes studied him. She could sense the power within Vorbuk's soul and seemed as though she was contemplating heavily.

"What are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"Young one, you seem to carry a very pure soul. It is among the strongest I have seen in my time. I am going to gift you with what I have been entrusted with. You will become the new Guardian of this realm. I know you do not have an official master yet like I once had... but from your soul I assume whoever you one day bind yourself to will become a great mortal themselves. With this I will finally be able to rest..."

He was not sure what was going on, but he could hear clear joy in her tired voice as she spoke her final words. Her body slowly merged into his own. He could feel his entire form heating up with a feeling like he was going to burst into flames. His dark grey fur started to form red markings on it that traveled up his front legs to his chest. A deep growl escaped his muzzle from the pain as his eyes glowed during the whole process. A red crystal started to emerge from his forehead.

[ Item obtained would you like to view it ? ]

"Yes..." He panted out the response to the Gods Voice in his head. He was not sure what the panther had done, but it seemed her spirit was gone from the place and he could no longer sense her. He could feel the weird crystal that was embedded in his forehead and the red markings on his legs seemed to be permanent design to his fur now.

[ Item: The Guardians Mark

+ 100 Mana

+ 15 Agillity

Description: The one chosen to be embedded with The Guardians Mark is known to be the protector of the realm. ]

"What?! Did she just seriously choose to mark me as the protector of the realm without my knowledge?!" He growled out in frustration. The only thing he could think of was how heavy the title itself was for him to carry. If he was going to be targeted for being a Shadow Wolf than he felt the title of Protector of the Realm itself was something that would add even more targets to his back!

"I feel like I just got played and forced into a role without a choice!" he scoffed at the panther that had just marked him with a heavy title and left him in the dust so she could just let her spirit sleep in the afterlife.

That night Vorbuk spent his time wandering the streets as he contemplated over his new title the panther had given him. It was a long night for him as there were so many things he had to consider and decide. The only thing that he felt he had chosen on his own in the entirety of him being in this world was the fact that he willingly decided to travel with Leo. That thought itself was enough to cause him to have a headache. The crown prince after all did annoy him half the time, but he felt there was nothing wrong with the man. He just needed to learn more about how to not be a stubborn man. The thought itself made him want to laugh.

His life was beginning to feel like a bad joke as he thought about everything that had happened to him since he had came into this world. From the moment he realized he was a companion that could be bound to someone to the fact that he had been chosen as a realm protector by some stubborn panther spirit that just wanted to sleep. It all felt annoying and tiresome. The world seemed so fascinating to him, but everything he was going through felt heavy and bothersome so he hardly got to enjoy anything. At least that was how he felt.