Yun stood silently on the watchtower, eyes fixed on the forest that lay beyond the gate. The twilight sky cast long shadows across the ground, and the cold breeze whispered secrets that only the wind seemed to understand. Days had passed since the attack, yet the tension in the air hadn't faded. He could still feel the weight of unseen eyes watching from the woods.
The gate remained closed, as always—but Yun knew that wasn't a guarantee of safety. The silence was deceptive.
"Still standing guard?" came a familiar voice.
Yun turned to see Mura approaching, her armor lightly dusted with ash and her hand resting on her sword hilt.
"It's my job, isn't it?" he replied, his tone neutral.
She leaned on the railing beside him. "It's more than that now. You know it too."
Yun didn't respond immediately. He thought of the things he had seen—monsters moving in unnatural formations, signals in the sky, and eyes that glowed with ancient hatred. He was starting to piece together the truth, and it frightened him.
"I wasn't supposed to matter," Yun muttered. "I was just the gatekeeper. I was meant to be invisible."
"But you're not," Mura said gently. "You're seeing things the rest of us missed."
"That's what scares me," Yun admitted. "Because if I can see it, why haven't the others? Why is the council ignoring the signs?"
Mura hesitated before answering. "Because they don't want to believe the old prophecies. Because it's easier to cling to ignorance than prepare for war."
Yun's fists clenched around the railing. He was starting to understand what the old Guardian meant when he said this post wasn't about standing still—it was about seeing everything and carrying the burden alone.
That night, Yun returned to the barracks to find a sealed letter on his bed. The wax bore the insignia of the Shadow Division—an organization that officially didn't exist. He opened it cautiously, and as his eyes scanned the contents, a chill ran through him.
"Yun of the Outer Gate,You are hereby summoned by the Watcher's Hand. The enemy walks among us, and you've seen their steps.Meet at the Black Wall by the third moon. Burn this after reading."
He stared at the words, heart pounding. The Watcher's Hand—rumors claimed they were the real protectors of the realm, hidden from public knowledge, guiding events from the shadows. If they had found him, it meant he was truly no longer just a gatekeeper.
He burned the letter and sat in silence, watching the embers curl in the darkness. He felt the invisible chains tightening around him—not chains of captivity, but of duty. The kind that couldn't be broken.
He wasn't ready. But maybe he would never be. The storm was coming, and the time for hiding behind the gate was over.
Yun stood, grabbed his blade, and whispered to himself,"I was just the gatekeeper. But now, I must become the Guardian."