Chapter 32: The Forgotten Pages – Secrets of the First Guardians
—Narrated by Eli Whitmore
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I couldn't sleep.
Not after what we saw in the stars.
A black hand reaching through a burning gate—something older than Nyxar.
Something worse.
The others were preparing, resting, sharpening their magic and skills. But I needed answers. Real ones.
So I found myself standing beneath the Academy's eastern tower—where no one dared go after dark. The Archive of Ages. The Ancient Library.
Most students didn't even know it existed.
Even fewer were allowed inside.
Except… I had the seal.
And tonight, it pulsed.
Thorne stepped beside me, hood pulled low, his eyes alert.
"You sure about this?" he asked quietly.
"No," I whispered. "But we need to know. If we're going to stop Nyxar… we need to understand who sealed him in the first place."
Thorne glanced at the old gate in front of us—its stone carved with runes I couldn't read, glowing faint violet. "I heard stories. That the first Guardians didn't just fight Nyxar—they sacrificed something to bind him."
I nodded slowly. "Let's find out what."
I pressed my hand to the gate. The seal shimmered.
And the door opened.
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The Ancient Library – Archive of Ages
The air was cold.
Not the natural kind of cold—but something ancient. Time didn't flow here normally. The deeper we walked, the heavier everything felt.
Books floated in the air. Scrolls whispered to themselves. Crystals hummed from the walls.
"Whoa…" Thorne muttered. "It's like this place is alive."
"It is," I said softly. "Headmaster Alaric once told me… this library remembers everything. Even the things the world tried to forget."
We walked past forgotten history:
The War of the Moon-Bloods
The Fall of the Elemental Thrones
The Rise of the Celestial Order
But one wall caught my attention.
A massive mural of fire and shadow—etched in obsidian glass. Seven figures stood in a circle, holding beams of light that sealed a writhing beast of darkness.
A familiar name was carved above the creature: Nyxar the Voidbringer
My heart pounded. "This is it…"
Thorne reached up, tracing one of the glowing runes near a tall armored figure. "This Guardian… he's like me. A Shadow Paladin."
"And this one," I said, touching a figure cloaked in stars, "he's a Gate Keeper."
Thorne blinked. "There was another before you?"
I nodded. "At least one. Maybe more. But this one… he must've been the first."
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Unveiling the Past
A silver orb hovered nearby. As I reached for it, it pulsed and opened into a vision.
The air around us shimmered—and suddenly, we were surrounded by echoes of the past.
An ancient battlefield.
The sky cracked open. Dark beasts spilled out like ink. Screaming. Devouring.
At the center: Nyxar, rising like a storm of fangs and wings.
Then, the Guardians appeared—seven of them.
The First Gate Keeper
The Fire Bearer
The Sea Warden
The Druid of Skywood
The Lunar Beast
The Oracle of Light
And the Shadow Paladin
Together, they cast their powers in a perfect weave. Light and shadow, flame and frost, water and stars.
It formed a chain—a prison—binding Nyxar beneath the Realms.
But one thing stood out.
Thorne gasped. "They didn't just bind him. They gave their powers to the seal."
I watched as one by one, the Guardians' bodies faded into light.
Their magic… became the chains.
Their lives… the lock.
"Sacrifice," I said hoarsely. "That's how it worked."
Thorne looked at me, eyes wide. "And if we have to do it again—"
"No," I said quickly. "There has to be another way. We have their knowledge now. We can use it."
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The Final Codex
The orb dropped a crystal tablet into my hands—engraved with a forgotten prophecy:
> "When the Final Gate opens, and the Void awakens, the heirs of light and shadow must rise. Bound not by sacrifice—but by unity.
Only together shall the realms survive."
I read it out loud.
The words glowed.
Unity.
Not death.
Thorne stepped closer. "This changes everything."
I nodded. "We don't have to repeat their end. We can create a new beginning."
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Returning with Truth
As we left the library, the gate closed silently behind us.
Outside, the moon hung high.
The others were waiting.
Luna sat cross-legged near the Moon Tree. Draven sharpened a blade that shimmered with runes. Felix and Ryker sparred under the starlight, their laughter quiet and tired.
I told them what we saw.
What we learned.
Felix's brows furrowed. "So the original Guardians died to seal Nyxar?"
"Yes," I said. "But the prophecy says we don't have to. Not if we stay united."
Ryker nodded. "Then that's what we do. Stay alive. Stay together."
Luna looked toward the stars. "The Void grows restless. But this time, it won't face scattered heroes."
Draven added quietly, "This time, it faces a family."
Thorne smiled faintly beside me. "And a very stubborn Gate Keeper."
I laughed softly. "That too."
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Whispers from the Void
But just as the laughter faded—my seal burned.
A voice coiled in my ears.
> "You search their past to change your fate, little Keeper…"
"But even unity has its price."
I stumbled slightly. Thorne caught me.
"What is it?"
I looked at him, heart racing.
"Nyxar. He's watching the memories too. He knows we've seen the truth."
Thorne's jaw clenched. "Then he'll come for you first."
"I'm ready."
I looked at my friends—my family—gathered under the stars.
We were ready.
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The Guardians of the past gave everything.
But we…
We will fight together.
And we will not fall.
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To be continued…