The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm glow over the riverside town of Tombuza. A gentle breeze rolled through, rustling the leaves and carrying the distant laughter of children playing in the open fields. The scent of fresh grass and the faint aroma of cooking from nearby homes mixed in the air, giving the evening a peaceful, almost nostalgic feel.
I ran as fast as I could, my breath ragged, my legs burning. The riverbank stretched ahead, its gentle currents shimmering under the midday sun. A wooden fence ran along its edge, meant to keep reckless children from wandering too close. No matter how much I pushed myself, I couldn't close the distance. Astrea and Kai were already there—waiting.
Gasping, I finally stopped, bending over with my hands on my knees, struggling to catch my breath. Sweat dripped from my forehead, stinging my eyes. I was never the fastest, and after five whole minutes of running, my body was screaming at me to stop.
"Ardi!!"
A bright, familiar voice carried through the air. I forced myself to look up. There she was—Astrea—standing by an old oak tree, grinning from ear to ear as she waved at me. Her golden hair shone under the soft evening sunlight, swaying gently with the wind. Even from here, I could see the excitement dancing in her blue eyes.
Astrea and I had grown up together from the moment we were infants. There was never a day in my life when she wasn't there. And that oak tree—the one she stood beside now—was where we spent most of our days.
"Don't be so slow! Come here fast!" she called out, tapping her foot impatiently. Beside her, Kai stood with his arms crossed, giving me a slightly awkward smile. Unlike Astrea, he wasn't one to yell or rush me—he was calmer, more mature. At nine, he was older than both of us by three years, and that alone made him feel like a responsible older brother.
Kai is kind ,he always tends to think that it's his responsibility to keep us in check, as if we will go ahead and do something stupid if left alone
Well not to mention there was the time when I fell into the river when he was not here,
It was just me and Astrea, playing near the riverbank, and I—being the genius I was—decided that walking along the very edge was a perfectly safe idea. Astrea had told me not to, but I just shrugged her off.
"We'll be fine," I had said.
We were NOT fine.
The second my foot slipped, I plunged straight into the river, the cold water shocking me to my core. Panic surged through me as I flailed, my little limbs barely able to keep me afloat. My breath hitched, and water filled my mouth, my throat, my lungs—I was drowning.
And Astrea?
She had been five. Just five.
She couldn't swim. She couldn't even reach me.
But unlike me—who had arrogantly assumed we could take care of ourselves—she reacted.
She turned and ran.
As fast as her little legs could carry her, she sprinted straight back to town, screaming for help, her voice ringing through the air.
I don't remember much after that. Just the weightlessness of being dragged by the current, the hazy blur of the sky, and the sudden, crushing grip of strong hands pulling me out.
The next thing I knew, I was coughing up river water on solid ground, a bunch of adults hovering over me, their voices overlapping in panic and relief.
And Astrea?
She was out of breath, her tiny frame trembling, her face red from both exertion and frustration.
"Idiot," she had muttered between gasps. "You… you said we'd be fine!"
…Yeah. I did say that, didn't I?
When Kai found out, I expected him to be furious. And he was. But after scolding me half to death, after sighing and rubbing his temples like he was already too old for this—he just shook his head and placed a hand on top of mine and Astrea's.
"You two really can't be left alone."
"Well, it's not like that will ever happen again, right?
Kai's golden eyes carried their usual calmness and his black hair being swayed by the wind slightly, He wore simple summer clothes—an off-white tunic and dark brown shorts—perfect for the warm weather.
I groaned between breaths, still hunched over.
"I've… been running… all this time… You two… are just too fast… It's not fair…"
Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Then maybe you should train your stamina instead of whining about it."
Astrea huffed, folding her arms. "Stop complaining and come already!"
Yeah, she was definitely getting impatient. I forced my legs to move again, trudging toward them.
That oak tree stood proudly in the eastern part of Tombuza, near the path leading out of town. It was an old, sturdy thing—its branches stretching wide, offering shade from the sun, its roots weaving into the earth like veins.
Tombuza itself wasn't excessively advanced, but it wasn't backward either. The town had sturdy stone buildings, well-maintained roads, and houses built from a mix of wood and stone, their tiled roofs giving them a rustic charm. Life here was quiet. Predictable. Safe—at least on the surface.
At the centre of town stood a tall tower. Every town or city had one. It acted as a stabilizer—maintaining the local Lumina density. Even though Lumina had been sealed a decade ago, it hadn't vanished completely, it was partially sealed as it was impossible to contain it completely, though there has never been any lumina readings for as long as I remember, it has pretty much vanished
The tower also provided access to the Arcanet, a vast communication network that used refractive and diffractive crystal arrays to store and transmit data across regions. That tower kept us connected—to each other, and to the rest of the fractured world
As I reached the tree, my breathing was still uneven, but at least my legs weren't screaming anymore. That's when I noticed what Astrea was doing—she was carving something onto the bark with an old, rusted knife.
This place had always been ours, a quiet corner of the world where we spent most of our time.
Kai stood beside her, his brows furrowed. He looked half-annoyed and half-worried, probably because she was waving the blade around too recklessly. Knowing him, he was probably resisting the urge to snatch it away before she hurt herself.
Kai had always looked out for us, especially me. I wasn't brave—I cried too easily, got scared too fast. So, in a way, Kai and Astrea weren't just my friends. They were my babysitters.
I took a step closer, trying to make sense of the carving. The lines weren't perfect—crooked and uneven—but I could still make out what it was. A circular crest, with words etched around the circumference. I squinted.
"…Va..ngu..ard?" I muttered.
The symbol had lines stretching outward, connecting to her name that Astrea was currently carving, linking it to the crest with a curving line. She stepped back, examining her handiwork, then turned to Kai with an expectant smile.
"Your turn," she said. Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes!"
Kai glanced at me, then at the carving, before letting out a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine…" He took the knife from her and, with a lot more precision, carved his name next to hers.
Then they both turned to me. "Your turn, Ardi," Astrea said, holding the knife out to me. I hesitated. The blade looked old and worn out, but I wasn't worried about that. I just… wasn't sure if I should.
But the way they were both staring at me—waiting, expecting—I couldn't just refuse. I took the knife. My hands weren't as steady as Kai's, and when I started carving my name, I messed up the last letter. The blade slipped slightly, creating a faint scratch below it.
I winced, hoping they wouldn't notice. Kai tilted his head. "…Not bad." I let out a quiet breath of relief.
Then he finally asked, "What is this Vanguard, anyway?"
Astrea beamed, her excitement returning in full force. "It's us!" she declared. Kai raised an eyebrow. "Us?" She nodded eagerly. "This crest means that we'll always be there for each other—no matter what!"
"And We will always help anyone who needs it" she continued
I frowned, staring at the messy carving.
"Asi… what can we even do? We can't even take care of ourselves."
She placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest. "We'll figure it out somehow. No use thinking about that now!" Her confidence was unshakable, like she had already made up her mind about it.
I glanced at Kai, expecting him to argue, but he just sighed and shook his head with a small smile. I looked back at the carving. "Vanguard… huh?"
For some reason, I didn't hate the sound of it.
Before I could say anything else, I saw Astrea's head snap toward the road leading out of town. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone—sprinting past me and Kai without a second thought.
"H-Hey, Asi—" My words barely left my mouth before she was already halfway there, her excitement radiating off her like a wildfire.
Following her gaze, I spotted the person she was running toward—a tall man walking down the dirt road, his strides steady, his expression unreadable. Silas
The moment Astrea reached him, she practically crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Dad!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a kind of joy that neither I nor Kai could ever hope to pull out of her.
Silas paused for a second before letting out a quiet chuckle, his cold expression softening as he ruffled her hair. "You missed me that much?"
"Obviously!" she said, looking up at him with an exaggerated pout. "You were gone for a whole week! A week, Dad! That's forever!"
Kai and I walked over, though walked might be an overstatement—it was more of an awkward, reluctant shuffle. I mean, it wasn't like we had much of a choice. Astrea had completely forgotten we existed.
Silas Caldrein wasn't really the expressive type. He was the kind of guy who always kept his emotions locked away, never saying more than necessary. He had this calm, collected presence that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.
But when it came to us kids, well… he was different. He smiled around us. He joked around—at least in his own dry, quiet way. And despite how reserved he was, I never once felt uncomfortable around him. If anything, I always kind of… respected him.
I don't know why. Maybe it was the way he carried himself. Maybe it was the way he always seemed like he knew what to do. Either way, something inside me just knew—this man was capable.
Astrea let go of him just enough to peer up at his face, her brows furrowing slightly. "You're not hurt or anything, right?"
Silas blinked, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Then, with a faint smirk, he knelt slightly so they were at eye level. "Do I look hurt?"
Astrea puffed her cheeks. "That's not an answer."
He chuckled, smirk widening just a little before he finally reassured her. "I'm fine. Heista wasn't that dangerous."
Astrea huffed. "You say that, but—"
"She worried about you the whole time," I cut in, crossing my arms. "Seriously, I think she mentioned it, like, fifty times a day."
Silas raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Fifty times?"
Astrea went stiff. "I—I did not!"
Kai snorted. "You did."
Her face turned slightly red as she stomped her foot. "Shut up, both of you!"
Silas let out a quiet chuckle before shifting his gaze toward me. His sharp eyes still carried their usual weight, but there was a faint glint of amusement in them. "So, how much trouble have you and Astrea caused this time?"
I straightened up slightly, crossing my arms. "Hey, we haven't done anything crazy… today."
Silas raised an eyebrow while crouching, clearly not buying it. "What do you mean by TODAY"
Kai, who had been silent until now, let out a dramatic sigh. "I tried to stop them."
Silas smirked, glancing at him. "Oh God! What have they done now?"
Kai, let out a long, suffering sigh. "Just the other day, they let the cows loose—again. And Astrea… well, she decided a duck would look better with a fresh coat of paint, so she chased it down and forced it to sit still."
Silas blinked, then slowly dragged a hand down his face. "Tell me she at least used normal paint."
Kai shook his head. "It was some weird mix of berries and soot. The duck was blue and red for a whole day before it finally got washed off."
Silas groaned. "And the cows?"
I shrugged. "They came back. Eventually."
"They trampled old man Myron's vegetable patch first," Kai muttered.
I winced. "Yeah… that part wasn't ideal."
Silas let out a slow exhale, shaking his head. "You two are a menace. If I don't start keeping a closer eye on you, the whole town might go up in flames next."
Kai crossed his arms, nodding sagely. "Told you I tried to stop them."
Silas patted his shoulder. "Then you did your part. No one's ever managed to keep those two from running headfirst into trouble anyway."
Kai puffed up a little at that, and I rolled my eyes. "We're not that bad."
"Oh, and before I forget," Silas said, reaching into the worn leather satchel slung at his side. The buckles clicked softly as he unfastened it.
"During my stay, a few things caught my eye."
Astrea leaned in, practically bouncing. "Is it a sword? A dagger? A–a mini ballista?!"
Silas raised an eyebrow, genuinely concerned by his daughter's excitement. "Why would I give a mini ballista to a child? And why are all your guesses just weapons?"
"Boo," Astrea pouted, sticking out her tongue like a mischievous sprite. "You're no fun at all."
While she was busy teasing him, Silas reached out and gently tucked something into her hair. My eyes caught on the delicate glint—a beautiful flower brooch.
He then lifted a small mirror toward Astrea's face.
She stared at her own reflection, eyes narrowing slightly as if searching for what was different before realization flickered across her features.
Her lips curved slowly, warmth blooming in her cheeks, and with a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "It's… pretty."
Then, without hesitation, she threw her arms around Silas in a tight hug, her happiness shining bright in her blue eyes. "I love it—more than anyyyyyyyything!"
"Come here, Arden," Uncle Silas said, flicking his hand toward me in that usual, casual way of his.
I stepped closer, curious.
He took my hand gently, turning the palm up—and then placed something in it.
Cold. Smooth. Circular.
I looked down.
"A… compass?" I asked, brow furrowed, turning it over in my hand.
"You're always worried about getting lost when you wander too far from town, aren't you?" Silas said, that ever-knowing look in his eyes. "I figured… if you had this with you, maybe you'd be able to relax a bit."
"But, Uncle Silas," I frowned, "how will a compass help if I'm actually lost?"
He smiled softly—like he'd been waiting for me to ask that exact question—and gently traced a finger along the circular ring embedded at the center of the compass.
The moment he did, a faint whirr hummed from within. Then—flick!—a soft light bloomed above it.
"WOAH!" I gasped, eyes wide with wonder. I hadn't been expecting that.
A hologram popped up, hovering just above the compass. A three-dimensional map formed mid-air, flickering gently in pale blue. It showed the outskirts of our town—the very place we were standing—marked clearly with a blinking pin right where we were.
Directional markers spun around us, with North and South clearly labelled in glowing text.
"You see this little dot?" Silas asked, pointing toward the small blinking mark at the center of the map.
I leaned in, squinting slightly. It was tiny—just a pale point pulsing every few seconds.
"That's the current location of the compass," he explained. "And if we do this—"
He swiped gently across the hologram with his finger, shifting the map. The image zoomed out, gliding smoothly until he tapped on a different location nearby.
A label appeared above the map, hovering mid-air:
Tombuza
And beneath it, a glowing line of text:
Distance: 60 meters
Below that, small translucent renderings of buildings flickered into view—tiny holographic homes lining narrow paths
"This is our town," Silas said, tapping the floating label. "And down here—see?—that's how far we are from it right now."
I nodded slowly, still trying to keep up.
"Now, look closely," he added.
Kai was looking just as intentely as I was ,while I Astrea was still lost in the pretty flower broach she just got
He touched the hovering Tombuza text. Instantly, a translucent menu appeared beside it, listing several options: Mark, Track, Set as Default, and a few others I couldn't quite catch.
Silas tapped Mark, then Track, and finally selected Register as Default Location.
It was a little hard to follow—his fingers moved quickly, and the menu flickered when he tapped—but I got the gist of it.
"I've set Tombuza as your anchor," he said, glancing at me. "No matter where you are, it'll always guide you back here."
"But… what if I want to head somewhere else?" I asked, tilting my head.
"It records every place you've been to," he explained, "And you can always search for where you want to go. Simple enough even for a scatterbrained kid like you."
He ruffled my hair, grinning.
"A perfect piece of equipment for kids like you," he said with a wink.
Then he leaned forward just a little and asked, "So… what do you think? Did you like it?"
"Yes! It's so cool—thank you, Uncle Silas!" I beamed, already fiddling with the compass, tapping the glowing interface.
It was exciting. I was definitely going to play with it for a while.
As I got completely absorbed in my new toy, Uncle Silas turned to Kai.
"Kai, come here, child," he called, motioning him over.
Kai stepped forward curiously.
"You love birdwatching, don't you?" Silas asked, a knowing glint in his eyes.
Kai's face lit up like the sun. "Yes! Birds are so cool!"
"You know, during mating season, male greater sage-grouse gather at leks to show off—puffing out their yellow air sacs and making weird popping sounds. Crazy, right?" Silas said with a chuckle.
That was all it took—Kai immediately launched into full lecture mode, eyes sparkling.
"They also do this shuffle-step thing while inflating their chest! And some hummingbirds beat their wings eighty times a second, eighty! That's faster than—"
"You're really nerdy for such a young kid, you know that?" Silas said, laughing awkwardly and scratching his cheek with one finger. "Where are you even learning all this?"
Kai just grinned.
"Well," Silas continued, shaking his head fondly, "not like I'm one to talk…"
He trailed off, something almost wistful passing through his expression—like a memory brushing past.
"And hey, you did ace the admission test, so—"
Silas pulled out something wrapped in soft velvet, and with a little flourish, tossed it toward Kai.
Kai caught it midair, and the moment his fingers brushed the lacquered surface, he froze.
Red casing. Gold trim. Smooth grip. Lenses so clear they looked like frozen starlight.
He stared at them like he'd just been handed Excalibur.
His voice trembled. "Is… is this… is this made by Trevahn Darrel?"
Silas blinked. "Huh. You know the name?"
"Know of him?!" Kai nearly shouted. "He's the greatest lenscrafter to ever live! These… these are from the Crimson Warden series—crafted in his last years before he disappeared! There were only nine confirmed pairs in the world!"
"Each one costs more than a small airship. Some nobles trade entire manors for them—just to own one."
He looked up at Silas, disbelief in every inch of his face. "Uncle Silas… this is priceless. Where did you even get these?"
Silas just shrugged, resting an arm lazily on his satchel. "Bought 'em."
Kai gawked. "You bought them?! How much did you even spend?!"
Silas smiled—not the smug kind, not the teasing kind, but that rare, quiet curve of the lips he only used when he was being dead serious.
"Not more than the smiles of you all," he said simply.
Kai blinked.
"You three are the only treasures I give a damn about," Silas added, softer now. "Anything that makes you happy is worth it."
"Well, that does not matter right now," he quickly followed, waving a hand like he was brushing away his own sentimentality.
Silas waved a hand dismissively. "Point is—they're yours. You can spot birds from up to a kilometer away, even in fog. Might help you finally figure out where those dratted sun-billed thrushes keep nesting."
Kai looked like he might actually cry from joy. "I'm going to name them."
"You're going to name… the binoculars?" I asked, deadpan.
"Yes," Kai said solemnly, hugging them like they were a newborn puppy. "This is the greatest day of my life."
Astrea leaned in, arms crossed, still admiring her brooch. "Tch. Nerd."
"You painted a duck," Kai replied flatly.
"I enhanced the duck," Astrea shot back.
Silas just stood there, chuckling softly, eyes taking us all in like he was trying to burn the moment into memory. "You three… I swear, you'll be the end of me."
He paused. Then added, under his breath, "Though honestly, you'd be the best ending I could ask for."
"Heh… wouldn't be the first time, either." His hand drifted absently to his chest, fingers brushing over a spot below his collarbone
I blinked. "Did you say something?"
He shook his head slowly, his face unreadable. "Nothing important."
But I could've sworn I heard something. Or maybe… maybe I just imagined it.
Then he glanced at the sky. The sun was dipping low, bleeding orange into the horizon.
"Well, it's getting late," he said, voice shifting back to that calm, responsible tone he always carried.
"It'll be dark soon, and the barrier gets weaker around then."
He turned to Astrea, gently taking her hand in his.
"You both should head back too," he said to me and Kai, with a nod.
Then, with Astrea's hand still in his, he started walking toward the hill path that led home.
She turned, gave a little wave—fingers wiggling in that playful, mischievous way of hers.
I waved back, standing there for a moment longer as their silhouettes melted into the golden light.