The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (18) Train ~

The white moon shyly peeked behind the fluffy and heavy clouds, barely illuminating the land below it.

After the acidic rain stopped, the team walked away from the forest that only seared them with horrible memories. With their guard raised up, the team explored the land beyond the forest, in search of an appropriate place to spend the long night.

Walking through the grass that reached their hips and passing several trees that were randomly scattered around the vast land, the team finally found a small cave on the rocky side of a high hill.

As they entered the cave, although it wasn't very deep, it was large enough to let them spend the night away from the chilly weather that filled the tragic night.

The team tried to eat before they could sleep. Arisa used her magic to reveal the meal her grandmother had stored in one of her cards. She noticed that her three Earthling comrades used some kind of device to summon their food.

They each held a flip-top device with a central round lens. As her comrades typed and swiped through it, the lens glowed; illuminating the area in front of them. When the device brightened the sandy ground, it formed an image of a tray loaded with food and a bottle. The hologram then materialized into a warm dish and fresh water.

Arisa blinked, wondering if that was magic or some kind of Earthling trick.

As the team had their dinner, they attempted to lighten the mood by teasing and laughing at Arisa's reaction towards the Earthlings' tricks.

Thelma then explained that it was a technology inspired by the Celestian's store and release magic. She added that scientists took decades to perfect the device, it was still a new thing in their world.

As time went by, Nina lay on her sleeping bag and fell asleep. Soon after she fell asleep, Arisa noticed that she was restless, trembling and crying.

"Calm down, Nina," said Bastian, caressing Nina's red head. "We're here. Everything will be all right."

As his calming and quiet voice reached her, Nina slept peacefully.

"Poor girl," he said, joining them around the lantern that displayed white light. "She's not used to being in a dangerous zone. She believed that the Guardians were good people; tonight's events must have shocked her."

Thelma leaned her back on the wall. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a person who comes from utopia."

"Utopia?" asked Arisa, her brows raising.

"Her country is seen as a utopian place since the attacks there have been rare in the last ten years," Thelma replied.

Arisa's eyes widened. "Her country? I thought you three were from there since you act so close to each other."

"No," replied Thelma, laughing quietly. "I was born in a small African country known as Tanzania. I've been living in London since I was eight. Bastian here is from Germany."

"I see." Arisa nodded.

"We met each other during the trip to these lands," said Bastian. "Nina is such a friendly person, she added us to her friend list quickly. Although sometimes she can be annoying, her friendly personality is the reason we made some trustworthy allies."

Arisa set her gaze on the person sleeping not far from her. The lantern's light barely reached the area where Nina was sleeping.

"Nina is from Washington, one of the many states of the North American Empire," said Thelma. "That Empire is considered one of the safest places on Earth since their Emperor is a Guardian, and is always there to protect his people."