What happened?
This can't be real.
What is going on?
Limbo's mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
His body refused to move.
He was lying on his stomach, one arm buried beneath him while the other trembled weakly against the ground.
Blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
He coughed.
"Kh... cough..."
Pain spread through his entire body.
He tried to breathe normally, but every breath felt as though something inside his chest had been torn apart.
His vision blurred.
For a moment, everything around him became nothing more than distorted shapes and colours.
Then his gaze slowly settled on Mora.
The little girl stood several steps away.
She was crying.
Not the kind of crying caused by fear alone.
She looked completely stunned.
As if she couldn't understand what had just happened.
Limbo stared at her.
His thoughts slowly began returning.
...This can't be real.
They were trying to kill me.
His eyes narrowed.
I'm sure of it.
That last attack...
It was aimed at me.
But why?
Why?
What had they done?
What was going on?
He remembered the moment just before everything changed.
The attack had suddenly shifted.
Something had been aimed toward Mora.
His body had reacted before his thoughts could catch up.
He had moved.
He had tried to block it.
He had poured almost everything he had into that single defence.
But the power behind the attack...
It was beyond him.
It had pierced through his defence as though it wasn't there.
And then—
Pain.
A violent impact.
And nothing.
Until now.
Limbo slowly clenched his teeth.
"Yeah..."
"I guess that's how it happened."
But something still didn't make sense.
"An attack like that..."
"It should have killed me instantly."
His breathing became uneven.
"So why am I still alive?"
He tried to move his hand.
Nothing.
His fingers barely twitched.
Then he noticed something beside him.
A small creature.
Limbo's eyes shifted toward it.
Who is that?
His vision blurred again.
Is it a cub...?
Or a black cat?
"Cough... cough..."
He couldn't think clearly anymore.
Then—
A familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
"Host Vitality Dropping"
"Critical Injury Detected"
Limbo's eyes widened slightly.
Another notification appeared.
"Emergency Recovery Protocol Recommended"
A faint mechanical sound followed.
"Emergency Recovery Protocol Activated"
Limbo waited.
Nothing happened.
Then—
"Recovery Attempt..."
"Failed"
His breathing became heavier.
"Recovery Attempt..."
"Failed"
Again.
"Failed"
Again.
"Failed"
Again.
"Failed"
The notifications began appearing faster.
"Failed"
"Failed"
"Failed"
"Failed"
For the first time, Limbo could feel something resembling fear.
Not fear of death.
Fear that the System itself didn't know what to do.
Then—
"Succ..."
The message flickered.
"Failed"
Limbo's eyes widened.
"What...?"
Another notification appeared.
"Vitals Dropping"
His vision darkened around the edges.
"Emergency Recovery Protocol: Failed"
"Unable to stabilize host"
Then—
"System Failure"
Limbo stared at the final message.
The System...
Had failed.
His consciousness began fading.
But before everything disappeared...
He heard something.
Not from the System.
Not from the battlefield.
Something else.
A voice.
The cat-like creature remained beside Limbo.
Its body was damaged.
Its breathing was faint.
Its once-powerful presence had almost completely disappeared.
The creature looked toward Limbo.
For a moment, its eyes carried disbelief.
What is this?
How can the mighty Guardian be reduced to such a state?
The thought came bitterly.
Why do I have to go through this?
How can I, a Guardian, be forced to protect this brat?
The creature's breathing became heavier.
It remembered.
The first time it had seen Limbo.
The boy had been isolated from the crowd.
He wasn't playing with anyone.
He had simply been sitting alone.
Playing by himself.
Watching the world around him with those strange eyes.
The Guardian had noticed him then.
It hadn't understood why.
It had simply...
Remembered him.
"That strange feeling..."
"I felt it the first time I saw him."
A faint memory surfaced.
The young Limbo.
Alone.
Unconcerned with the others.
Looking at things no one else could see.
The Guardian's expression softened.
"What a nostalgic memory..."
It slowly looked toward the sky.
"This is the first time..."
It paused.
"No..."
"The second time I've come out of the dome for something."
The thought carried a strange weight.
"And this time..."
The Guardian looked at its own weakened body.
"I don't think I'll be able to return."
A faint, tired smile appeared.
"What a life..."
The Guardian's gaze returned to Limbo.
"Sorry..."
"Lin..."
Its voice was barely audible.
"I didn't think I could hold on anymore."
The Guardian had already suffered.
It had already lost too much.
Its strength had been decreasing for a long time.
The balance itself demanded a price.
And now...
It had spent even more of what remained to protect this boy.
"I've already lost and suffered more than enough..."
"My power was already decreasing."
It looked toward Limbo.
"But this boy..."
A small smile appeared.
"Limbo is a nice one."
The Guardian closed its eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again.
There was determination within them.
"I have to save him."
"Sorry, my friend."
"I have to."
The creature gathered what little strength remained within its body.
Energy began to move.
Slowly.
Weakly.
But it moved.
Then—
A familiar system notification appeared.
"Emergency Recovery Protocol Activated"
The Guardian stared at the notification.
Its eyes narrowed.
"Recovery protocol?"
The System began processing.
"Recovery Protocol in Progress"
A faint light surrounded Limbo's body.
Nothing happened at first.
Then the blood around his wound began to tremble.
The Guardian watched carefully.
"Come on..."
"Don't fail."
The light intensified.
Limbo's breathing steadied for half a second.
Then his body suddenly trembled.
The Guardian's expression changed.
Something was wrong.
The recovery wasn't simply healing the wound.
It was searching.
Scanning.
Trying to understand something.
The Guardian stared at Limbo.
"What are you...?"
The light moved deeper.
Past the flesh.
Past the damaged organs.
Past the visible mana pathways.
Something within Limbo responded.
A faint silver-blue pulse.
The Guardian froze.
"That..."
Another pulse.
Stronger this time.
The Guardian's eyes widened.
It could feel something.
Something familiar.
But not exactly the same.
"No..."
The pulse spread through Limbo's body.
His blood stopped flowing from the wound as quickly as before.
His breathing stabilized slightly.
The Guardian watched in silence.
"So that's why..."
But the thought remained incomplete.
It didn't understand.
Not yet.
The recovery protocol continued.
"Recovery Protocol: In Progress"
"Host Vitality: Stabilizing"
For the first time since the attack...
The numbers stopped falling.
The Guardian released a slow breath.
"Good..."
Its body began weakening further.
The energy it had gathered was disappearing.
Its vision blurred.
The great Guardian that had once overwhelmed entire forests was now barely able to remain conscious.
Yet it didn't stop.
Not while Limbo was still breathing.
Not while that child was still alive.
The Guardian looked toward Mora.
The little girl remained frozen in place.
Then toward Adri.
She was still fighting.
And finally...
Back toward Limbo.
"You really are troublesome..."
A faint smile appeared.
"I don't know what you are..."
"I don't know why the world keeps dragging you toward these things..."
Its eyes slowly closed.
"But..."
"If you're going to walk this path..."
"Then at least..."
"Live long enough to find the answer yourself."
The recovery light continued spreading through Limbo's body.
And somewhere deep inside him...
Something responded.
Not the System.
Not mana.
Something else.
The Guardian's eyes suddenly opened.
For a brief moment...
It felt as though something had noticed them.
Something beyond the battlefield.
Something watching.
The Guardian stared into the darkness.
"...You?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Then the recovery protocol continued.
"Recovery Protocol in Progress"
"Host Vitality: Stabilized"
Limbo's breathing became slightly steadier.
But he remained unconscious.
The Guardian's strength finally reached its limit.
Its body collapsed beside him.
Yet even while falling...
Its gaze remained fixed upon Limbo.
The mighty Guardian had fallen.
But the boy it had chosen to protect...
Was still alive.
And the reason why...
Had only just begun to reveal itself.