Chapter 216 - 211 — The Guardians of the Legacy
The red lights in the darkness multiplied.
One became three.
Three became six.
Then more appeared behind them.
John stood at the front of the group, his eyes fixed on the approaching shapes.
The mechanical sound grew louder.
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
Each step echoed through the mine.
Lythriel moved beside John, spear ready.
"How many?"
John focused his senses.
"At least ten."
Darius tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Ten monsters?"
John shook his head.
"Not monsters."
The stranger stepped backward.
"They’re guardians."
John glanced at him.
"Guardians of what?"
"The Legacy."
The answer made John look toward the golden chamber behind him.
The second fragment was still inside.
"So they protect the fragments?"
"They were created to."
A metallic figure finally stepped into the light.
It was nearly three meters tall.
Its body was made from dark metal covered in old scratches. Four long limbs supported its heavy frame, and a red crystal burned in the center of its chest.
It didn’t have a face.
Only a narrow red light where its eyes should have been.
John stared at it.
His System activated.
**[Unknown Construct]**
**[Classification: Legacy Guardian]**
**[Threat Level: Tier 9]**
**[Core: Ancient Mana Engine]**
John’s expression didn’t change.
Tier 9.
Not something he couldn’t handle.
But there were more behind it.
And he wasn’t interested in destroying them unless necessary.
The construct raised one arm.
A blade extended from its wrist.
Lythriel took a step forward.
John stopped her with one hand.
"Wait."
The guardian didn’t attack.
Instead, the red crystal in its chest began glowing brighter.
A voice came from inside the machine.
**"Legacy bearer identified."**
Everyone became silent.
The stranger looked stunned.
"It hasn’t spoken in centuries."
John raised an eyebrow.
"You’ve seen these things before?"
The stranger nodded slowly.
"Only from a distance."
The guardian continued.
**"Second fragment awakened."**
Its head turned slightly.
**"Unauthorized entities detected."**
The red lights behind it brightened.
John glanced at his companions.
"They’re not talking about me."
The stranger swallowed.
"No."
The guardians suddenly moved.
But they didn’t attack John.
They turned toward the stranger.
Lythriel’s eyes widened.
"They’re targeting him."
The stranger immediately drew a sword.
"I knew this was going to happen."
John looked at him.
"You brought us here."
"I didn’t!"
The first guardian charged.
Its enormous blade came down.
The stranger barely blocked it.
The impact threw him backward across the stone floor.
Darius moved instinctively, but John raised his arm.
"Don’t."
Darius stopped.
"Why?"
"Watch."
The stranger rolled away as another guardian attacked.
He was fast.
Much faster than an ordinary human.
He avoided the next strike and drove his sword into a joint in the guardian’s leg.
The blade pierced the metal.
The construct staggered.
The stranger pulled his sword free.
John narrowed his eyes.
"He’s stronger than he looks."
Lythriel nodded.
"Who is that man?"
"I don’t know."
The stranger suddenly shouted.
"John!"
John looked at him.
"Help me!"
John didn’t move.
The stranger barely avoided another attack.
"Seriously?!"
John sighed.
"You said you weren’t here to fight us."
"I’m not!"
"Then why are they attacking you?"
"I already told you!"
The stranger blocked another strike.
"They don’t want anyone who isn’t recognized by the Legacy!"
John looked at the guardians.
Then at the golden chamber.
Something clicked.
"Everyone move back."
Lythriel looked at him.
"What are you doing?"
"I’m testing something."
John walked forward.
The guardians stopped.
Every red eye turned toward him.
The stranger stared.
John continued walking.
One guardian stepped toward him.
John didn’t move.
The construct raised its blade.
Lythriel shouted.
"John!"
The blade stopped inches from his face.
John looked at it calmly.
The red crystal in its chest flickered.
Then the guardian lowered its weapon.
**"Bearer recognized."**
John glanced at the stranger.
The man’s expression had gone pale.
"That’s impossible."
John turned toward him.
"Apparently not."
The remaining guardians moved aside.
A clear path opened toward the golden chamber.
John walked through.
His companions followed.
The stranger hesitated.
The guardians immediately raised their weapons.
He froze.
John looked over his shoulder.
"Looks like you’re staying there."
"John!"
"You wanted to see the Legacy."
"I do."
"Then wait until it decides you’re allowed to."
The stranger clenched his jaw.
For a moment, John thought he would attack.
Instead, he slowly lowered his sword.
"Fine."
John turned away.
As they entered the chamber, Lythriel whispered.
"You trust him?"
"No."
"Then why leave him alive?"
"Because if those guardians wanted him dead, he’d already be dead."
Lythriel considered that.
"Fair."
John stopped beside the second fragment.
The golden crystal was still floating above its pedestal.
But now something had changed.
The crystal was brighter.
The guardians outside had awakened because of it.
John looked at the System.
**[Great Dragon Legacy — Second Fragment]**
**[Resonance: Active]**
**[Synchronization: Locked]**
**[Legacy Synchronization: 9%]**
Nothing else appeared.
John frowned.
"So what am I supposed to do?"
The crystal began moving.
Slowly, it floated toward him.
John held out his hand.
The fragment touched his palm.
A wave of energy passed through his body.
His Dragon Core reacted immediately.
For a moment, his vision went completely white.
Then he heard a voice.
Not the voice from the chamber.
Something much older.
**"Two fragments have found their bearer."**
John’s eyes widened.
Another voice answered.
**"But the bearer remains incomplete."**
John clenched his fist.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then:
**"Not yet."**
The connection vanished.
John opened his eyes.
Lythriel was staring at him.
"What happened?"
John looked down at his hand.
The fragment was gone.
Not destroyed.
Absorbed.
But his System hadn’t changed.
No new skill.
No level increase.
Nothing.
"Nothing useful."
Darius frowned.
"That’s a strange way to describe something that just disappeared into your hand."
John looked at him.
"I didn’t say it disappeared."
He closed his fist.
"I think it went somewhere inside the Legacy."
Sylvara stepped closer.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
John checked his Dragon Core.
Stable.
The resonance had increased, but not enough to trigger synchronization.
Then he felt something else.
A faint connection.
The first fragment.
And now the second.
For the first time, he could sense them simultaneously.
They weren’t identical.
The first felt like nature.
Life.
Growth.
The second felt different.
Not death.
Not destruction.
Something closer to memory.
Knowledge.
Preservation.
John slowly understood.
The fragments weren’t simply pieces of power.
Each one represented something.
And there were more.
He looked toward the chamber entrance.
The stranger was still standing outside.
The guardians had lowered their weapons, but they continued watching him.
John walked back.
The stranger looked at him.
"Did you get it?"
"Yes."
"What did you learn?"
John studied him.
"That you’re hiding something."
The man’s expression changed.
John continued.
"You knew the guardians would react to you."
"I suspected."
"That’s not the same thing."
The stranger looked away.
John stepped closer.
"Tell me the truth."
The man remained silent.
Lythriel crossed her arms.
"He’s right."
Aerion nodded.
"You’ve been following us, you know about the fragments, and now these guardians recognize John but attack you."
Darius added, "That’s a lot of things you haven’t explained."
The stranger finally sighed.
"My name is Cael."
John waited.
Cael looked at him.
"My family wasn’t searching for the Legacy."
John’s eyes narrowed.
"Then what were they doing?"
"Guarding it."
Silence filled the chamber.
Cael continued.
"My ancestors were given a duty. They were supposed to make sure the fragments remained hidden until the proper bearer appeared."
John looked toward the golden chamber.
"And you failed."
Cael didn’t argue.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because someone found the first fragment before you."
John’s expression hardened.
"Who?"
Cael shook his head.
"I don’t know their name."
"Then how do you know they found it?"
"Because they weren’t the only ones who survived."
John stared at him.
"What happened?"
Cael looked toward the darkness above.
"My family spent generations trying to repair the damage they caused."
He paused.
"And now you’ve awakened the second fragment."
John understood what that meant.
Whatever had happened in the past wasn’t completely over.
The mountain shook.
Everyone looked up.
This time, the sound didn’t come from the guardians.
It came from somewhere far away.
A deep rumble traveled through the tunnels.
Cael’s face changed.
"No."
John looked at him.
"What?"
Cael turned toward the entrance.
"They shouldn’t be able to sense it this quickly."
John’s eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Cael looked at him.
"The people who have been searching for the fragments."
A distant roar echoed through the mountain.
John’s expression became serious.
"How many?"
Cael shook his head.
"I don’t know."
Another roar followed.
Then another.
John looked toward the tunnel.
His Dragon Core pulsed.
The second fragment responded.
Not with fear.
With recognition.
John slowly smiled.
"Then I guess we’ll find out."
He stepped toward the exit.
Lythriel followed immediately.
"You’re going after them?"
John shook his head.
"No."
He glanced back at the golden chamber.
"We’re leaving."
Aerion looked surprised.
"Really?"
"We found what we came for."
John looked toward the mine entrance.
"And whoever is coming doesn’t need to know exactly what we found."
Cael stared at him.
"You’re planning to hide the fragment?"
"For now."
John looked at his companions.
"We don’t know how many people are involved, what they can do, or what they’re actually after."
He turned toward the tunnel.
"So there’s no reason to give them a fight they want."
Lythriel smiled slightly.
"Finally, a sensible decision."
John gave her a look.
"I make sensible decisions."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes."
John sighed.
"Let’s go."
They began walking toward the surface.
Behind them, the guardians remained in place.
But as John passed the final one, its red eyes briefly changed.
For less than a second, the machine’s chest crystal turned gold.
Then it returned to red.
John didn’t notice.
Cael did.
His face became pale.
Because he had seen that color before.
And it was something his family had spent generations fearing.
**The Legacy wasn’t simply recognizing John anymore.**
It was beginning to awaken.
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