Chapter 76 - Silver Dew

Eli was startled, 'Who is this man?'

However, before she opened her mouth to ask, a scrawny five year old child was excitedly running towards the young ethereal man. 

In his thin dusty hands were a bunch of colorful flowers, his bright dark eyes smiled as he waved his hands towards the young man happily. 

"Oh you brought me colors again!" The young man tenderly patted the child's black hair. 

Filled with delight, the little boy rested his body beside the man as he inquisitively pointed towards the colors of the flower. 

The young man gently conversed with him, patiently teaching him what the color of the flower the boy was pointing was. 

Eli soon noticed that the boy was mute.

However, his eyes were so lovely and cheery, that even with his scrawny body, one would have an impression that the boy had a positive outlook in life. 

The sun had dimmed as it was about to rest for the day. 

The ethereal man then told the little boy, "Child, it's getting late, go home and take this." 

A set of fruits appeared in the young man's hands, he gently handed it out to the little boy. 

The boy looked so happy as he alternately pointed out the color of the flower against the color of the fruits that the young man gave him. It was the same set of colors.

"Uhn! Go on. Thank you for bringing me colors for today.." The ethereal man replied, brushing the little boy's head one more time.

It's the moon's turn to do its job in guarding the night. When the moonlight gently kissed the ethereal man's skin, sparkles of silver light were born, freely flying up like dandelions in the wind. 

Not long after the ethereal looking man longingly looked up in the bright moon, a dark shadow stealthily approached him from behind.

He was carrying a knife, pointing at the ethereal man's back!

"Watch out!" Eli cried in surprise. She ran to warn the young man who was just a few steps away from her however, no matter how she ran, she stayed in the same distance.

Eli stood there in in shock, the scene was just unraveling in front of her. 'It seemed like I was transported yet again to a memory…' She deduced.

It was the second time that she had experienced this phenomena, the first one was during her witnessing of Elise's life. Unwilingly stopping her effort to warn the man, she let out a sigh of regret.

The figure speedily approached the ethereal man, who was still oblivious of the danger behind him. 

However, a small figure ran from Eli's direction. It was the scrawny little boy earlier, he ran as fast as he could, reaching in just time…

To shield the ethereal man from the sinister blade.

Ssssk!

The ethereal man noticed the rushing figure too late. The moment he turned around to see what's behind him was the time that the blade had mercilessly pierced the tiny chest of the little boy. 

Crimson blood splashed to the ethereal man's beautiful face and his pure white robe. His right hand had swiftly scooped the little boy in his arms while he waved his left hand to punish the assailant.

A large wound appeared on the chest of the assailant. But instead of crying out in pain, he laughed sinisterly, 

"Foolish guardian! How come you've become so weak?! Don't tell me you are now wearing a mortal body?! Hahahaha! Too bad, I was not able to confirm it with my knife!" An eerie voice came out from the man's body. 

His voice was far beyond what Eli would expect to hear from the man. The voice was so malevolent and ancient. 

'Is the assailant possessed?' She wondered.

The ethereal man didn't bother to bicker in the figure. As if knowing who the being possessing the man was, he knew that the vessel it was using would no longer move and was on the verge of dying.

He instead focused his attention to the scrawny little boy, who was convulsing in pain.

Every little tremble he could feel from the little boy's body, the ethereal man's soul would cry, especially when he saw what were the objects, the little boy held desperately. 

It was a piece of stale bread and another bunch of colorful flowers.

"Child, it's alright, it's alright…" He tried to comfort the little child. Scooping him securely in his arms.

Tears kept falling from the little child's eyes, however he let out a struggling smile. With his remaining strength, the little boy forced himself to lift his fingers and gently point to the moon. 

The boy looked up towards the moon with a smile. 

His smile, along with the tears in his face and his trembling body was so painful to see. Eli couldn't help but shiver in deep emotions.

Who would want to see a little child die like this?! An innocent child!

After the little child pointed his shivering finger to the moon, he let out another smile and gently wiped the tears just about to roll down from the ethereal man's eyes.

"Yes.. the moon and my eyes are both silver in color…" The ethereal man's voice trembled in heartbreak. 

As soon as he mentioned the color of the moon and his eyes, he saw the boy's weak fingers fall on the ground. 

His short life wass already gone… Silver tears fell into his scrawny little face. 

"Tears? Hahahaha! The Foolish Guardian was already a mortal! Hahahaha!!" The voice from the dying body of the assailant laughed triumphantly. 

As if it had achieved its objective, the mysterious being possessing the assailant's body fled from the assailant's wounded heart.

"Little child, I'm sorry I no longer have the power to heal you…" He said with sorrow in his whole appearance.

"All I can do right now in this state is to secure your soul and send it to the Creator." He said as he held the staff beside him and activated it. 

A little white ball appeared from the little boy's body. It was weak as it kept on struggling to shine with all its might. However, the dark miasma was emitting from a wound in its surface. 

Hopelessness flashed through the ethereal man's eyes, "Ahhh, it seemed that 'he' was all out to bring chaos in every world!" He lamented. 

He brushed his head in despair as he uttered in tears, "It seemed that I have weakened so well that I couldn't even cleanse your wounded soul!" 

He looked at the staff with a look of surrender, "Then I have no choice…" 

He held his staff, cupped the little boy's wounded soul in his other hand and closed his eyes. 

Light shined from his heart and flowed through the hand that was holding the little soul. 

Eli could see that his beautiful face turned pale and colorless. His vitality was slowly draining. 

Pain could be seen in his eyes as he forced himself to transfer his remaining life to secure the little boy's soul. 

Eli then saw that his body collapsed on the ground without a strength to even hold his wand. However he still held the little soul, which now looked like a silk cocoon. 

"This is the least I can do." He said as drowsiness made his eyes droop weakly, his breaths became heavier as time went by. 

While he was on the verge of eternal sleep, two balls of light appeared, one in green and one in yellow. 

Then Eli heard a familiar worried voice call out to the ethereal man,

"Asa!" 

The panicked voices came out from the orbs. 

Soon, two beings materialized into a figure Eli knew very well. It was Celeste and Sylvain, with their faces full of grief and sorrow.

"Why did it come to this? Why didn't you shout for help?" They asked in distress.

"I can't… My body could no longer access the guardian realm." the dying ethereal man, Asa, replied weakly. 

However, he still squeezed out whatever strength remained in his body and gave the silky cocoon to the two guardians. 

"It's a little boy's soul, it was wounded by the fallen being. I managed to injure him with the last of my divine power and he will surely lay low for a while." he said in a weak voice.

"He is out there, he will never stop creating chaos… Celeste, Sylvain, the mortals are in great danger…" He continued with his remaining few breaths. 

The two bore a devastated expression however, they couldn't shed a tear.

"Ah, brother Sylvain, will you let me rest in a place full of colors?" he requested in a gentle smile, while his other hands reached out to the little boy's cold body. 

"Uhn.. Anything you like." Sylvain replied with a hoarse voice. 

As soon as Sylvain gave his word, the Asa smiled, closing his eyes in peace.

Celeste gently secured the cocoon as if it was the only thing that her comrade Asa left behind. 

It was the first time Eli saw the reserved Celeste in such an emotional state.

"Silvain, what do you think will happen to Asa's spirit?" she said worriedly.

Sylvain shook his head sorrowfully, "We were guardians to begin with, we are spiritual beings. Him turning into mortal was already out of our nature. If any, let us hope that the Overseer tells us the answer.."

Sylvain didn't delay any further. Raising his hand up in the sky, a gentle green light emitted from his whole body. 

It spread on the ground and expanded to his surroundings, until it reached to where Eli stood and watched, then far beyond what her eyes could ever see. 

Then she saw that wherever the light expands, vitality spreads, covering the desolate and dark forest. 

The barren trees were now full of lush leaves and expansive branches, the grass and shrubs grew so full and healthy. 

The trees formed a circle, with the guardians at the center. Soon beautiful and colorful flowers grew as they filled the open space made by the circle of trees abundantly. 

"Buddy, I hope you liked this place of rest. Soon, I will call upon my subjects to accompany and guard you here." Sylvain uttered gently as he looked towards Asa one last time.

Celeste clenched her heart in pain. Although they were guardians, they have feelings, and right now, it was an unbearable pain that they were experiencing.

Asa's lifeless body who was still holding the little boy's hands, slowly descended into the bed of flowers. 

As if they have life, the flowers crawled all over their bodies and buried them gently underneath, until all Celeste, Sylvain and Eli could only see a large flowerfield.

Sylvain took the staff that fell in the ground and placed it upright to the very place Asa was resting. 

As soon as it was placed upright, the staff shined bright in white light, just like what happened during the renewal of the treaty. 

Eli then again covered her eyes from the blinding light. 

Few moments have passed, she found herself kneeling at the center of the flowerfield, her heart full of sorrows, her face crying rivers of tears.

"Eli!" A worried voice awakened her from her emotional state. She slowly turned her head towards the direction of the frantic voice.

It was Leon, covered in sweat, his face full of worry and fear.

He ran towards Eli and gently covered her shivering body in his warm embrace.