One-Eyed Monster

Kevin’s thoughts were entirely on Grey Eagle Peak, wondering what disaster had occurred there to cause Simon and the other three to be defeated.

Kevin didn’t believe anyone in this world could be so powerful as to defeat the Golden Seats of the Alchemy Workshop, vanquish the Sages of the Wizard Alliance, and severely wound the Empire’s Seven Knights, its former glory.

No one of such strength should exist in this world, Kevin thought. No one could deal with three or four such powerhouses at once. That goes against all common sense.

”Kevin, won’t you say something? Can’t we really help guard this mountain?” Kadi kept babbling, his questions disturbing Kevin’s thoughts.

If Kevin continued to yell or reprimand him, Kadi might not stop his questioning. Kevin understood this little fellow; he had a tenacious heart and wouldn’t rest until he got a complete answer. He would keep asking and asking; the more one tried to avoid him, the more persistent he became. The more one ignored him, the more he would pester.

So, the only way to save time was to dispel Kadi’s notions. Everything else was futile; this little fellow was truly tenacious.

Kevin thought for a bit but couldn’t come up with a good plan. It was so difficult to make Kadi abandon his questions, and strategy wasn’t his forte. That was Xiso’s domain, not his.

He couldn’t just point at Kadi and say, ”You’re useless, a weakling, so you have to hide in the safe house.” He also couldn’t say, ”The enemy is too powerful, we need to figure out how to deal with them slowly, and you’d be in the way, so we’re locking you in the safe house.” He certainly couldn’t say, ”You need protection and care just like the injured, so we’re putting you in the safe house so everyone else can focus...”

The truth is often ugly and hard to bear. Only those with immense mental fortitude can accept it. It was best to be gentle with a soft-hearted little fellow like Kadi, who would be heartbroken for ages even from being confined to the Slumber Room once. If you told him directly he was weak and useless, he might become so distraught he’d stop talking and eating. Kevin couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. Kadi was the one he cared about most; he couldn’t hurt someone so precious to him. That would be utterly foolish.

However, Kevin felt he wasn’t much different from an idiot right now. He couldn’t even handle Kadi; how could he possibly help those at Grey Eagle Peak? What a joke! Dealing with Kadi didn’t require force, but the boy was currently making him extremely agitated. How could he fight the enemy when his mind was in turmoil? It was like losing his composure before the battle even began—a critical mistake!

Kevin shook his head hard, trying to shake off Kadi’s incessant chatter from beside him, but those words were like runes inscribed by a Wizard, clinging to him, impossible to dislodge.

What should I do? he wondered. Should I really scold this little rascal? Or just tell the little fellow the truth, let him abandon all hope, and resign himself to a life of mediocrity on this mountain?

Kevin shook his head again. He couldn’t imagine what a person without dreams would be like, especially Kadi. What would he become if he lost his dreams? Would he turn into a salted fish? He had seen a disappointed Kadi before. At that time, the little fellow had been completely listless, not much different from the dried fish Great Mentor often left out in the sun.

”Why do you keep shaking your head, Kevin?” Kadi’s confusion grew. Unsurprisingly, he would likely have another outburst soon. Such outbursts might be routine for Kadi—just a few more ’whys’—but for Kevin, it could be a devastating blow.

”Ka... Kadi...” Joseph, who was being supported by Igor, suddenly uttered. He seemed to foresee the impending disaster; if he didn’t intervene to help Kevin now, they might not even reach the safe house.

Joseph had seen Kevin lose his temper, and of course, he had seen Kadi endlessly asking ”why.” The consequences of both were equally catastrophic.

Kadi’s barrage of ’whys’ was enough to make them collapse, while Kevin’s furious roars could definitely shatter eardrums. How wonderful it would be if such a devastating impact could be directed at the enemy! Unfortunately, even Xiso, Guru Mountain’s great strategist, hadn’t figured out the pattern behind these episodes, let alone their own less remarkable minds.

To avert disaster, Joseph had no choice but to reluctantly straighten his back. His injuries were not light, but to prevent Kevin, Guru Mountain’s foremost fighter, from losing control, Joseph gritted his teeth, summoned his courage, and took on Kadi’s barrage of ’whys.’

”Kadi...” Joseph raised his voice, afraid Kadi wouldn’t hear. ”Kadi, your role in the safe house is to protect us.”

”Huh?” Hearing Joseph’s words, Kadi turned and looked blankly at the man beside Igor. The man’s wings seemed mangled, and he looked gravely injured.

”Your duty is very important, Kadi,” Joseph continued. ”We’re injured and can no longer do anything for this mountain. We can’t fulfill our roles as Guardians of Guru Mountain anymore. But you, Kadi, you’re different. You need to protect us, the wounded, and wait for us to recover. Then, you will guard Guru Mountain once more.” Joseph himself wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying, but he knew that making Kadi feel needed was the only way to break this impasse.

The bait indeed worked. Kadi trotted over from Kevin’s side to Joseph’s, though the puzzled look on his face hadn’t changed a bit.

Having relieved Kevin, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. Now, all he had to do was answer Kadi’s inevitable ’whys.’

”Joseph, do you mean I need to stand guard while you all recover?”

”Yes.” Joseph sighed in relief again. He noticed the shift in Kadi’s puzzled expression. Indeed, making Kadi feel needed could solve many problems. Xiso’s words were true; a strategist truly is a strategist.

”But why are you injured? Was the enemy stronger than you?” Kadi asked, finding it incredible that the guardians of Grey Eagle Peak could be so thoroughly beaten.

It’s not that the enemy is too strong, Joseph thought, his mind returning to the earlier confrontation, but that they understand us too well. They were in the shadows while we were exposed; that was the crucial factor. It was impossible for him to admit the enemy was superior.

But victory and defeat determine everything. They, the guardians, had ultimately lost. Having been defeated, they had no way of knowing the enemy’s true identity.

What an irony, Joseph mused. The esteemed Guardians of Guru Mountain didn’t even know the origins of their invaders.

”I also want to know, why did only you two escape? What about the others? Were they all captured by the enemy?” Kadi pressed on. This question was no simpler than the last.

This question also pulled Joseph’s mind back to Grey Eagle Peak, to that battle not long ago... it hadn’t lasted very long...