The Authority of the Void – Fragment I
Silence thickened around Ryo.
Every step he took on the glowing ground seemed to echo across another world.
The trees — ancient and towering — bent slightly, as if watching the intruder who had just crossed the invisible barrier.
> "Gabriel… this energy. It's ancient. Very ancient," Ryo murmured.
The voice echoed softly in his mind, calm but slightly unsettled.
> "Yes… I don't recognize this flow. It's not human magic."
A brief pause.
"Wait… these symbols carry a draconic signature."
Ryo frowned.
Dragons?
Those creatures were nothing more than myths — even in the oldest stories he'd ever heard.
He walked deeper, studying the cracked stones etched with faint glyphs.
But before he could take another step, the air folded in on itself.
Two figures appeared from the emptiness — or perhaps they had been there all along, hidden in the light.
One wore a dull silver armor, the other a dark mantle adorned with glowing symbols.
Their very presence made the forest tremble.
> "Stranger," said the first in a deep, measured tone.
"You stand upon sacred ground. No mortal may tread the soil of Ashen."
Ryo stood still.
His gaze drifted slowly from one guardian to the other.
> "I don't mean to desecrate anything. I didn't even know this place existed."
The second, the one in the black mantle, narrowed his eyes.
His aura grew denser — sharper.
> "Liars do not cross our barriers. Leave this place. Now."
Ryo hesitated.
Instinct told him that retreating would change nothing — they wouldn't let him go.
So he took one step forward.
> "Just tell me why. What are you protecting here?"
A low growl answered him.
The dark-robed Guardian leapt forward, his hands blazing with crimson light.
The air compressed — the ground shattered beneath the strike.
Ryo dodged, almost by reflex.
His movement was fluid — almost too natural.
An invisible pulse swept the dust away, throwing the Guardian back.
For a heartbeat, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
The first Guardian stepped forward but raised a hand, halting his comrade.
His eyes met Ryo's — sharp, wary, yet faintly curious.
> "That power… you're not human."
Ryo shook his head slowly.
> "I don't want to harm you. I don't even understand what this place is — or why it rejects me. But I won't destroy it."
A silence fell.
Then, the silver Guardian lowered his weapon slightly.
> "Leave this forest before the Ancients sense your presence."
He turned away.
"If they do… even we won't be able to protect you."
Gabriel's voice whispered faintly within Ryo's mind:
> "Ryo… these beings… they aren't made of flesh. Their essence is… draconic."
Ryo clenched his fists, staring at the golden light filtering through the branches.
> "So… the Dragon Kingdom is real."
But in his eyes, there was no fear — only calm certainty.
His journey had crossed a threshold no man had ever reached before.
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