The Supreme Guardian

– Seva, did you explain to him how to anchor it to the source? – the dragon whispered.

I looked at my companion in surprise. What a strange question. Why explain such elementary things?

– You know they only study anchoring in the third year?

That was a real blunder. What does it mean? He closed the loop? I stared wide-eyed at my satisfied roommate. Damn it! He not only transported us into a spatial pocket, but he also put a temporal loop on the castle!

– What have you done, you idiots?! – someone roared, bursting into the auditorium.

It was the dragon! Well, I mean, someone in the enchanter’s body, which was now taking on its true form of a huge reptile. And why was he yelling?

– Decided to stop me?! The great Vseslavsky himself?!

Oops! I was completely lost. So Kazimir was actually in the dragon’s body. But why then was he angry? He couldn’t possibly be the villain. As if hearing my thoughts, the director hurled some deadly filth at me. What was he doing? Why did he need all this? Where did all this power come from?! The questions remained unanswered. Kazimir’s spell reached its target. Jerking aside, I collapsed onto the floor like a broken doll. Before darkness completely engulfed my consciousness, I managed to see my friends also helplessly falling to the stone floor.

Outside the windows, darkness reigned. We stood near Zheka, who was seated in the center of the runic circle. Wait! We were just killed a moment ago! Or… I slapped myself on the forehead. A time loop. Good job, Zheka! Well done!

– He’s about to burst in! – I shouted to my bewildered friends. – Hide!

My call worked. Asya, Zheka, and I dashed to the oak tree, while the enchanter traditionally crawled under his table. Just in time, it must be said.

– What have you done, you idiots?! – Kazimir roared, bursting into the auditorium and transforming into a huge lizard on the move. – Decided to stop me?! The great Vseslavsky himself?!

Kazimir suddenly fell silent. Apparently, he did not expect to find his adversaries missing. And why is he repeating the same thing? Interesting… It seems the loop closed on me, Asya, Altair, and Zheka, as we were closest to the center of the ritual execution. Does that mean the time transfer activates when one of us dies?

– Why are you doing all this? – the enchanter unexpectedly yelled, peering out from under the table.

Strange. I hadn’t noticed any suicidal tendencies in him. Kazimir laughed with a roaring laughter.

– You think I didn’t know you were a dragon?! – he growled. – From the moment we met, I’ve been preparing this plan to seize your body! I’ve been accumulating power for many years and waiting for the right moment!

Now that was confusing. He seriously decided to unleash an apocalypse just to become a dragon? And they say I come up with complicated plans.

– I longed to gain the ancient power of the dragon! – the director continued his rant. – I sent the previous enchanter on maternity leave! I invited you to take her place! I shrouded the castle in the Veil of Despair! I framed the steward! I took your body! And I will destroy you all! Every one of you!

Kazimir laughed again, his laughter filled with madness. And power. We all knew that we couldn’t stand against a dragon. Or rather, I could have… if I were in my own body.

The director swung his clawed paw, sending another deadly weaving at Altair. The enchanter awkwardly jerked his green mohawk and ungracefully fell to the floor. I was ready to be thrown back in time again, but… nothing happened. Why? Ah, I get too distracted during battles. Another of Kazimir’s spells hit me in the chest. Well, at least it was painless this time.

Outside the windows, darkness reigned. Once again, we stood near Zheka, sitting in the center of the runic circle.

– Again? – Asya, stuck in the director’s body, was surprised.

– Yes, again, – I grimly confirmed, walked to the enchanter’s table and climbed on it with my feet. The rest of the company rushed to the oak tree, hoping to find shelter behind its mighty trunk again. So, the loop only triggers if all four of us die? Well, I’ve seen worse.

– What have you done, you idiots?! – Kazimir roared, bursting into the auditorium and transforming into a huge lizard on the move. – Decided to stop me?! The great Vseslavsky himself?!

– Yeah, – I calmly replied. – You wanted to seize the dragon’s body, gain power, and you slept with the enchanter. We all know that. Want some tea?

The director froze in place and looked at me bewildered.

– How do you know?! – he exclaimed, ignoring my question about tea. Too bad, we could have resolved everything peacefully over tea.

– I have my sources, – I waved my hand significantly. – Better tell me, why did you decide to conduct the ritual of forced evolution? Why change the structure of ley lines if you just want to steal a dragon’s body? Why all the complexity?

– I didn’t change anything! – Kazimir roared. – And I’m not planning any ritual! And besides, you’ve annoyed me, stupid girl!

Before I lost my life again, one single thought flashed through my mind – how is it that he’s not conducting the ritual?

Outside the windows, darkness still reigned. Once again, we stood near Zheka, seated in the center of the runic circle.

– I’m tired of this! – Asya shouted, and it seemed she started crying. I understood her, but I had no time for tears.

– If he’s not the one conducting the ritual, then who is? – I quickly asked the enchanter.

– I have no idea, – he shrugged, clearly upset. Yes, it’s not every day that old friends betray you by inhabiting your own body.

– What have you done, you idiots?! – Kazimir bellowed, bursting into the auditorium and again transforming into a huge lizard. – Decided to stop me?! The great Vseslavsky himself?!

– Shush! – I snapped. – Stop yelling. Better tell me, what role do I play in your plan?

Perhaps Kazimir didn’t even know that I was the Guardian. What if my admission to the academy was really just an accident? I don’t believe it! He could sense the true nature of a dragon, but not my power?

– And what do dragons usually do with beautiful girls? – The director laughed and grabbed me with his huge scaly paw. – They kidnap them! So, I will kidnap you. And marry you!

Wait a minute. Marry me? No, I disagree. And besides, I wanted to marry this body first! When it still belonged to Asya! And how, pray tell, am I supposed to fulfill my marital duties? I, for one, love girls, not huge reptiles.

However, my moral turmoil didn’t concern the director. Gripping my-Asya’s body tightly in his paws, he swiftly, as far as it was possible with his size, slipped out of the auditorium. Well, at least he clearly doesn’t know that I’m the Guardian.

I leaned against the cold, damp wall of my cell. So, it’s time to think. What do we have? I’m an adult man in the body of a young girl, locked in a dungeon guarded by a real dragon who wants to marry me. And the dungeon itself is in a castle hidden somewhere outside our reality and trapped in a time loop. Plus, I still don’t know who initiated this whole mess with shifting ley lines. Did I forget anything? Doesn’t seem like it. Well, I’ve seen worse.

Chapter 4: In the Power of Chaos

A spider was crawling up the wall. I wonder where it’s going? Isn’t it cold in this damp dungeon? Why hasn’t it escaped from here? I would have escaped… If I still had the strength. But the door is locked, there’s a dragon outside, and there are no secret passages in the cell. I’ve checked several times, all to no avail.

The most I could do now was maintain a small fire in the center of my tiny cell to avoid freezing to death. At the same time, I was developing the girl’s inner energy channels to make her a little stronger. All my hope was now on my friends. Or more precisely, on Altair. Zheka and Asya are good kids, but they lack experience.

Suddenly, the spider disappeared from sight, and the fire noticeably dimmed. The underground prison slowly filled with billowing darkness, and soon I couldn’t even make out my own hands. I’ve seen something like this before…

– It worked! – a voice exclaimed as the darkness began to recede.

– There she is! The beauty! – the enchanter practically shouted in my ear. – And you didn’t believe it!

The darkness finally dispersed, and I could finally see my surroundings. I was sitting in the middle of Altair’s office, with Zheka standing next to me, looking at me admiringly. I got it. The enchanter figured out how to use our experimental – from the real to the real – spell. Last time we used it to bring a huge oak tree into the academy, and now they pulled me out of the dungeon. Brilliant! Zheka, in my body, had tried to merge with my spirit, trapped in Asya’s body. Well done! But they could have figured it out sooner.

– Thank you, – I sincerely thanked my rescuers. – How are things going here?

– It’s complicated, – the enchanter didn’t hide it. – The castle is still in a time loop. We still haven’t found the organizer of the forced evolution ritual. And we still don’t know how to switch bodies back. We only figured out how to get you out.

– Well done. Confinement always does me good. I have a new plan, – I said cunningly and clapped my hands.

Yes, this gesture would have looked cooler in my own body, but I didn’t have a choice.

***

You devise a plan, set everything up, and then you end up being the bait. Why do they treat me like this? Monsters. Just got out of the dungeon, didn’t even have time to warm up, and now I have to go back already. The gloomy stone corridor stretched far down into the darkness. As I recalled, there should be a large hall at the end. Oh, it’s so far from the sorcerer’s office! Why didn’t I think of setting up an ambush somewhere closer? I just hope Asya’s physical form is up to the task, otherwise… I don’t even want to think about what might happen.

Here, I need to turn and… yes, there it is. A huge black dragon lay in the middle of the large hall, peacefully reading a book by the light of the sparse torches. Quite a sight, I must admit. But there was no time to admire, it was time to act. And boy, was I scared!

– Hey, you! Overgrown lizard! I’m talking to you! You’re a fake, not a dragon! Can’t even keep hold of a girl!

Seems like he finally noticed me. And got very angry! Very angry indeed! Okay, now to run! Run and don’t look back, shedding adrenaline by the handful!

I tried to encourage myself as best I could. But in a situation where a gigantic fire-breathing lizard is chasing you, it’s hard to focus on anything. I think I just ran past the right turn… No, here it is!

Bursting into the sorcerer’s office, I stopped opposite the colorful tapestry, honestly stolen from the director’s bedroom. To hang this artwork, Altair even had to get rid of several bookshelves. Why did we need the tapestry? Its purpose was quite obvious – it covered a huge hole in the wall.

As soon as I stopped, my friends took positions around me. Unfortunately, the dragon was not far behind, and I didn’t even have time to catch my breath.

– Tsk-tsk-tsk, – hissed Zheka. – Come here, my little bird!

Yes, this guy could get on anyone’s nerves. Roaring, the dragon lunged at us, forgetting all about magic. Well, his loss.

The portal to the spirit world, hidden under the tapestry, received us very gently, as if we had landed in the arms of a loving aunt. This kind of transition worked with completely different substances of our universe, so the veil of despair was no barrier to it. This step was a Last Chance, we took it out of desperation. The chances of returning from the spirit world were very slim. Especially for a dragon.

However, there were certain pluses to such a transition.

– Hooray! – someone shouted to my right as the portal fog cleared. – I’m back in my own body!

And there’s the first plus. Crossing the threshold of reality removed all spells cast on a person. And I must admit, being back in my own body felt great. I could feel the strength again, sense the energy flows, catch the whispers of magic. And judging by the happy exclamations around, my friends were also happy with the astral return.

– And who are you? – Zheka suddenly yelled, staring at me suspiciously.

Ah yes, crossing the threshold removes absolutely all spells. Including illusion magic. How did I not think of that!

– Vsevolod. A high-category mage, master of the Order of the Guardians of Secret Knowledge, and your classmate, – I introduced myself modestly. – I came to the academy to prevent an impending disaster. Just having some trouble with illusion magic right now.

– Seva? – Asya asked in surprise. – You’re quite handsome!

So I was ugly before? Thanks!

– And by the way, – the girl continued, her eyes twinkling mischievously, – after what you’ve seen and done, – she meaningfully ran her hand over her body, pausing briefly over her chest, – you simply have to marry me!

Indeed. How else? Especially since she’s offering herself, so I should take the opportunity before she changes her mind.

– Agreed, – I nodded seriously. – As soon as we get out of the spirit world and deal with the end of the world, we’ll get married. I promise.

– Relax, I was just joking, – the student smiled.

– Too late, young lady, – the sorcerer laughed, having also successfully restored his body. – You just made a magical contract. You should think before saying something to a Guardian. Asya snorted and turned away, not believing the teacher. No matter, she’ll have time to come to terms with being my bride. For now, we should look around. Where have we ended up? And where, by the way, is Kazimir?

The place we found ourselves in resembled someone’s living house from our world. High ceilings, expensive carpets on wooden floors, crystal chandeliers, paintings on the walls, and luxurious leather furniture. You wouldn’t immediately say it’s a completely different world.

– Be careful, – I warned. – The world of spirits lives by different rules. Our magic doesn’t work here, and even physics is different. I hope they understood me. We walked through the spacious hall but found nothing interesting. The sorcerer suggested splitting up, checking the whole house, and then regrouping. Well, said and done.

I took Asya by the arm and pulled her towards the staircase leading to the second floor. Now that she’s my bride, we need to spend time together. But seriously, I was just worried about her. After all, her body had become almost as familiar as my own over the past week.

– It’s beautiful here, – she whispered in awe. Before us was a spacious, bright room with a huge panoramic window and a white grand piano near it. Along the walls were sturdy leather sofas and beautiful live flowers. There was even a neatly arranged fireplace! And the windows offered a view of a well-kept garden with emerald-green trees. It was indeed very beautiful. Someday I’ll build myself a mansion and have a room like this for music.

Asya approached the piano, carefully opened the lid, and ran her delicate fingers over the keys. A beautiful musical ripple sounded, and several glowing lights appeared in the room.

– Oh! – the girl exclaimed. – What’s that?

– Those are spirits, – I shrugged. – Everything in this world is under their control. Music, physics, magic. I flicked the light switch, lighting the chandelier. Miraculously, the room filled with myriads of tiny glowing dots.

– These, for example, are spirits of light, – I continued explaining. – And those you summoned are spirits of music. Don’t try to understand this world; just accept its rules. We’re just guests here.

– They’re beautiful! – my bride exclaimed, looking at the glowing dots, each a separate spirit with a beautiful face and translucent wings. – Can you show me something else? Easy. It’s hard not to find a spirit in the world of spirits. I approached the fireplace, took a box of matches from the shelf, struck one, and threw it onto the logs. The wood blazed brightly, forming a red fiery creature resembling a small human.

– That’s a fire spirit, – I said. – Quite dangerous, but only if you feed it. Wood, for example.

– Can you talk to them? – Asya asked curiously.

– Theoretically, yes. But only shamans can do that, – I nodded. – Unfortunately, I don’t have that specialization. These are just lower spirits, something like our insects. But there are higher ones – they are quite intelligent beings.

– What about technology? Internet, television, phones, social networks? Do they exist here? – the girl asked, genuinely interested.

– Everything exists here, – I smiled. I liked her childlike curiosity, and I was more than willing to satisfy it. – It’s just that everything works differently. Phones are replaced by spirit-brothers. They always feel each other and can instantly transmit messages over any distance. The Internet is replaced by spirit-librarians. They communicate with the spirits of books and can find almost any information. Television is spirit-actors. They give mini-performances, play out whole movies, organize concerts… All live. And there are no social networks here, by the way. But there is an equivalent to email: spirit-postmen can deliver a message to any part of the world in just minutes.

– Amazing! – Asya breathed excitedly. – I want to see all this!

I shook my head.

– You can’t. There are not only nice and kind spirits here but also very dangerous ones. And our magic doesn’t work here. We need to get out of this world as soon as possible.

At that moment, a blood-curdling scream came from below. Asya and I exchanged glances and rushed to the first floor. I don’t know what my bride was thinking, but my mind was occupied by only one thought – I hope we haven’t disturbed the spirits of ancient chaos.

Have you ever been afraid? Felt that nasty, vile, sticky fear wrapping around your soul? Experienced the crowds of goosebumps running down your back, making the hair on your head move?

Kazimir was afraid right now. And how could he not be, with something human-like but with scales, claws, and fangs approaching him? Yes, it was just a transitional form of the dragon’s transformation, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. Apparently, the sorcerer had finally found his traitorous friend who had taken his body and now craved revenge. The director himself cowered under a coffee table, covering his head with his hands and screaming hysterically. Well, fine. The main thing was that these weren’t spirits of ancient chaos.

– Are you just going to stand there and watch? – Asya yelled in my ear. – He’s going to kill him! So what? Kazimir had killed us three times. Each one of us! And who am I to interfere in the affairs of old friends? But you can’t show weakness in front of your fiancée. And let’s not forget, we are in a foreign world.

– Calm down, – I said to Altair. – Don’t you dare spill blood in the world of spirits. Once we get out of here, you can even eat him. Asya elbowed me unpleasantly in the ribs. Well, it could’ve been worse… but it still hurt. There’ll definitely be a bruise.

To my surprise, the sorcerer listened to me and without argument took on a human form. Apparently, he was familiar with the customs of the spirit world.

– I don’t eat that, – the sorcerer grimaced in disgust. – We can just leave him here. Let him survive as he wishes. Kazimir, hearing his fate, jerked and hit his head on the tabletop. How did he even become the director of the magic academy? Yelling in pain, Vseslavsky began massaging the injured spot, smearing thick blood on his bald crown. Well, that’s what he deserves. Wait. What do you mean, blood?

I slowly turned my gaze to the sorcerer. Though I wish I hadn’t. Seeing fear on the face of a powerful ancient dragon is a bad sign. A very bad sign. But maybe we’ll be lucky?

The house shook. There was a rumble and the sound of breaking dishes from above. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky.

– Should we run? – Asya whispered fearfully, clutching my arm. I exhaled wearily and shook my head. It was too late to run. And you can’t escape from spirits in their world. Especially from the spirits of ancient chaos, who had been offended by blood.

The surroundings began to change rapidly. The bright hall on the first floor gradually turned into ruins. The expensive furniture crumbled into chips, the wallpaper faded and peeled off the walls, beautiful paintings transformed into messy smudges, and bright carpets became worn and stained… Everything around us descended into chaos.

We stood frozen in the center of the room, back to back. Even Kazimir took his rightful place in our ranks. After all, a grudge is a grudge, but it’s better to fight together. The room began to fill with a cold, nasty fog. Our clothes instantly got soaked, and clinging to each other became downright unpleasant.

– Everyone close your eyes! – I shouted, hoping my friends would listen. – Stand still and don’t move!

One must not look upon the spirits of ancient chaos. The human psyche is unprepared for such a shock. I heard once a Guardian survived after looking into the eyes of a chaos spirit. But upon returning home, he used pliers to pull out all his teeth, made a necklace from them, and gifted it to his beloved, smiling toothlessly with joy. Better to keep the eyes closed… better safe than sorry.

– How dare you disturb the spirits of chaos with human blood? – boomed a voice above us.

Yes, the spirits of chaos and their phrases are always disordered. Still, I wonder what they look like. Maybe just a peek? No, I mustn’t. Must concentrate and pull myself together. Am I a Guardian or what?

– We didn’t mean to disturb you! – I shouted. – We’re lost souls! Guests in your world! We just need to return!

– And how do you wish to leave? – the spirits laughed heartily. – Your magic doesn’t work here!

Of course, they’re right. Our magic doesn’t work here, and we can’t open a portal. But there are other ways – secret paths of the spirits, for example. But how to ask them to guide us? Chaos is a very poor helper. But what if…

– You’re right! – I took a risk. – We want to stay in the world of spirits!

– What?! – It seemed both the spirits and my friends shouted simultaneously. Well, I do know how to surprise.

– For your audacity, back to your world you shall be sent! – thundered the voice above us. I must be a genius. Good thing the spirits of chaos love to do everything backwards and aren’t particularly smart. – And you’ll be stripped of your minds too!

That, I hadn’t accounted for. Thousands of quiet whispers began to sound from all sides, merging into an unpleasant mush of hissing sounds. The mind tried to analyze the information, but the meaning of the words kept slipping away, scrambling thoughts in my head. Why do I always miss some detail when I make brilliant plans? How could I forget the spirits of chaos’ ability to affect people through the auditory sensory system?

– Everyone, think of something good! – I yelled, hoping to drown out the chorus of ghostly whispers. – Distract yourselves! Remember the best moments of your life!

The worst part was that it was impossible to shield oneself from the spirits’ influence by simply plugging ears. The voices sounded inside the head, distracting and confusing. Gathering all my willpower, I tried to relax and remember the best day of my life. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Either because memories kept slipping away, or because I simply had nothing to remember.

Stop! There it is! When was it? Probably five years ago. I was standing on a small cliff, and beneath my feet stretched an endless sea. I watched as the sun slowly sank below the horizon, painting the sky in a gentle pink hue and leaving a bright sunset path on the dark water. A light breeze picked up the spray of the waves crashing against the rocks and threw it in my face, like a kiss. Somewhere in the distance, I could see the white sail of a magnificent yacht. It didn’t disturb the moment… on the contrary, it completed the picture, making it whole, real. What did I need on that cliff? I don’t remember. Seemed like I was hiding some ancient artifact. Successfully? That’s not important now. At that moment, I found something greater – inner peace.

The voices in my head quieted down, and the noisy spirits of chaos were no longer heard. Did it work? I should check… but I’m a bit scared to open my eyes.