The Guardian stepped forward, then suddenly launched himself into the sky. I watched, wide-eyed, as he and his opponent exchanged blows. Each time their fists collided, a massive explosion rocked the sky above me. Flames spread across the clouds, and the gusts of wind caused by their impact were so intense I had to shut my eyes.
When the wind finally died down, I looked up.
Our Angel now stood alone, smoke curling around his hands, ashes swirling in the air.His opponent was gone—reduced to charcoal and dust.
"Akina!" Nacina cried out as she ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "Thank goodness you're okay!"
I could feel her shaking. I hugged her back, trying to calm her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry," I said softly.Maybe I'm wrong for this, but part of me was happy she cared so much.
Just as I was basking in that small warmth, Nacina slapped me—hard, knocking the taste right out of my mouth.
"Don't you ever do something that dangerous again!" she shouted.
I clutched my cheek and nodded, afraid she might slap me again—but it seemed once was enough. She sighed and hugged me a second time.
"You're my best friend. I couldn't handle losing you," she whispered.
My heart tingled with warmth at her concern...But my cheek still stung.
"I'm glad that's over," a voice from above said. I looked up to see the Angel descending toward us.
"No one was hurt, right?" he asked, scanning his eyes over us and the crowd that had gathered to witness the battle. His gaze didn't linger on any one person—it felt like he was skimming through textbook pages he had no real interest in.
"We're fine!" a man shouted.
"You were awesome!" a group of girls squealed.
The crowd's voices soon blended into a mess of praise and excitement.
"Sorry for letting the fight get so close to the city," the Angel said with a touch of regret.
"It's fine!" several people responded in unison.
"Thank you for protecting us!" another group called out.
"Thanks, everyone," he shouted back.
Then his eyes shifted toward me.Why is he looking at me? Did I do something wrong?
He lifted a hand in my direction, and a sound filled the air—like rocks grinding and tumbling over each other. I followed the noise and saw that the crater in the road had completely repaired itself.
Oh… of course.He wasn't looking at me.
After restoring the road, he vanished.Just like that—gone, as if he were never there at all.
"We saw the Guardian up close! We're so lucky!" some girls screamed excitedly.
All around me, similar conversations erupted. That's when Nacina grabbed my wrist and yanked me down the street.
"We're going to be late for class!"
Her voice jolted me back to reality.
"Oh yeah… wouldn't want that," I muttered with a hint of sarcasm.
"You're not allowed to make jokes. I'm still mad at you," she said flatly.
When we reached the school gates, we split up. Nacina headed to the musical education wing while I trudged toward general education. Our school has many divisions tailored to students' passions and future careers.
I have no passion—so I'm stuck with the basics: math, science, and so on.
As soon as I entered my first-period class, Ms. Smith stopped me at the door.
"You're late," she said coolly.
I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off.
"No excuses. You know the rules."
With a groan, I dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups.
"You have one minute to complete fifty—or it's detention," Ms. Smith said, not a shred of mercy in her voice.
Today is just not my day…
In my city—Liliona—this was a normal day.Well, not for me personally. I was in more immediate danger than I've ever been in before. But aside from that, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Everyone calls our city's Guardian the Angel. Even outside of Liliona, he's famous. He's protected a 900-kilometer radius, completely alone, for about a century. People have to wait months just to move into our city.
And I am grateful for that. But…
His presence never felt so real until today.
The Afarions are alien invaders who abduct humans because their own population is dwindling. They take us as servants, slaves… sometimes even food. The only thing that stops them is a competent Guardian.
That's why living here is considered such a privilege.
As I kept pushing through my set, I tried to stay focused on that thought.Sure, I'm late. Sure, I'm being punished publicly. But…
There's no telling what would've happened if our Angel hadn't been there.