Yue stared at the face that was too close to hers and took a step back. The tips of her ears turned red because Kyle had been behaving too differently from before.
Yet, she couldn't help but notice the smile on his lips and let out a smile as well. She had not smiled since her father passed away, but his presence alone brought a smile to her face. She flinched a little when Kyle took a step forward and held out his hand.
"Give me a new communication crystal so we can stay in touch."
Yue blinked and took out a communication crystal from her storage ring before placing it in his hand. Kyle tossed the crystal in his mind space, then suddenly raised his hand and touched her nose with his finger. Her skin felt warm, just as always, and he had to say that he didn't dislike the feeling.
"Okay, I am leaving for now..."
He wanted to say more, but well, he wasn't much of a talker to begin with, so he just stopped there. His body hovered in the room, and after glancing at Yue one last time, he vanished from the room.
Yue blinked and stared at the place where he vanished. She would be lying if she said she wasn't caught off guard when he suddenly touched her nose out of nowhere.
'Did he just smile at me before leaving? It seems like he's finally ready to take a step forward toward me...'
But her smile faded as she thought about the place she had to leave for soon.
'Ah... now that he's ready, I can't stay. I want to tell him, but the words just won't come out. What if that woman who wants me to go with her harmed him?'
Yue waved her hand and placed the vials and flowers on the table into her storage ring. Anlee approached her, the man wasn't able to hear what the two of them talked about after Kyle built the barrier, but he noticed the flowers and vials.
But instead of responding, Yue started to float. She looked at the elves, her previous soft expression turning distant.
"I'm leaving for a bit. Make sure to protect the people from the monsters while I'm away."
Anlee wanted to know more, but she left without saying anything else.
.....
However, even before Yue could tell the others about Kyle, news of a powerful grey-haired and green-eyed man mercilessly killing hundreds of people within just a few minutes spread like wildfire in the newly built human Kingdom. This was thanks to the few humans that Kyle had saved.
The humans described the details of the grey-haired man to the two guards stationed in front of the royal castle, where Kyle was supposed to be lying unconscious. The guards were stunned, and the one who called Kyle the supreme being instantly rushed into the royal castle and checked the icy room, only to find it empty. The guard took a deep breath and shouted.
"The supreme being has woken up!"
He immediately took out a communication crystal to contact Jian. After all, the young guardian had strictly asked to be informed the moment there was any sign of movement inside the castle. And now, the person he was supposed to keep an eye on had vanished completely.
....
Jian sat atop a boulder, observing the numerous youngsters standing in neat rows before him. He wasn't the only one looking at them, though. Several elderly individuals, including King Istalian, Alec, Lara, and Carcel, floated behind him. Jian, Alec, Carcel, Lara, and Istalian had arrived here after yet another failed attempt to summon the guardians of the tower of opportunity for assistance.
Now, after selecting countless capable individuals who will undergo intense training under the guidance of powerful elders from each race, they were all giving words of encouragement to the youngsters.
Jian wore an annoyed expression on his face. He could never comprehend the mindset of the older generation. Despite the dangerous circumstances they found themselves in, the elders insisted on nurturing new talents.
He scoffed inwardly.
'I feel like the planet would be no more when these young people actually reach a high enough rank to fight alongside us...'
Jian's mood soured with each passing second, prompting Alec to shoot him a glare. The blue-haired man secretly gestured for him to stand up and offer some words of encouragement to the youngsters. After all, Jian was among the people who were crowned as the guardians of the new Continent Coexis.
Reluctantly, Jian rose to his feet and cast his gaze over the countless youngsters, including elves, dwarfs, demi-humans, and humans, standing before him. He then turned his attention to the setting sun, before looking at the wooden walls encircling the vast grassy field.
Jian took his sweet time to float in front of the countless youngsters, who all looked up to him with awe and respect. Alec grumbled a bit and shot him a glare, hoping he would just wrap up his part without any more drama. But the red-haired man brushed off his glare and cleared his throat.
"So, I believe you all know I'm Jian. The most powerful person in this Continent."
Alec and Carcel rolled their eyes. The duo almost wanted to say they had no relationship with this shameless man.
However, amidst the speechless looks he was getting, Jian didn't even flinch and continued with thick skin.
"I'm the guardian who has not placed any hope on you all... after all-!"
His sentence got interrupted when something buzzed in his storage ring.
"Jeez, who is it now? Don't they know I'm a busy person and my time is precious?"
He waved at the rows of people standing in front of him.
"Hold on a sec, kids. Let me check who's contacting me first."
Alec was about to go and knock some sense into him, but Jian ignored everyone and took out the communication crystal.
He listened to the voice that came from the communication crystal, and after a minute, his eyes widened with shock. But the shock quickly turned into a boisterous laughter that echoed in all directions. Alec and everyone around Jian looked at him with surprise. It's been a while since they've seen Jian smile so happily. But before anyone could ask him what happened, Jian raised his fist with a wide grin.
"I declare today a holiday because the only person stronger than me has woken up!"
