The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (57) Loss ~

White Knight?

Arisa opened her eyes. Through the vast green field with several different trees placed around it, she saw the Red Guardian standing a meter away from her. His greatsword remained in his grip as the morning light flashed its silver and blue details.

As he remained silent for a second, Arisa realized that his gaze was trapped on someone by her side. She followed his gaze. Her heart sped at the sight of the figure standing beside her.

The Guardian looked really tall as she gazed at him from the grassy ground. His white armored figure brightened as the morning sun bathed it with its light. Looking closer at him, Arisa could see silver details placed in some parts of his suit.

"Libra," she said, relief calming her heart.

Libra glanced at her. Arisa's heart raced as she felt his gaze on her. Despite everything she had been through, she was glad to see him. If they survived Leo's threat, she wanted to talk to Libra and learn more about him. After all, he could be her older brother.

The thought of him being her older brother brought a smile to that sad moment.

"And I thought everyone was wrong about you," said Libra, shifting his view to Leo. "Aren't you ashamed? Lying to all of us?"

Arisa didn't drop her gaze at the White Guardian. It was the first time she heard him talk, yet she could sense a familiar tone in that altered voice.

"On top of that," continued Libra, "you're brave enough to kill her?"

Arisa glanced at Libra, then at Leo. Her brows touched, confused with his words.

"Lying?" said Leo, laughing. "You're one to talk, Libra—or should I call you...Kazuya?"

Arisa felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She wasn't sure if she misheard the Red Guardian or if he was trying to confuse them.

There certainly was a misunderstanding. Libra couldn't be Kazuya. After all, the star only chooses a member of the Royal Family to be a Guardian. It was impossible for Kazuya to be Libra.

"How did you find out?" asked Libra.

Arisa's eyes widened as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. His confirmation was like a sharp stone piercing her heart. As she felt down, confusion flooded her mind.

Kazuya is actually Libra? Her arms trembled at that thought.

The little hope within her shattered. In the end, her older brother didn't survive King Reiji's massacre. Disappointment grew within her, she was hopeful that at least one member of her biological family had survived.

As she fought to calm down, another painful weight hit her chest. She was familiar with this feeling; she was hurt.

"One of Gemini's abilities is to disguise themselves as anything they touch," replied Leo, slamming away Arisa's thoughts. "One of the twins disguised himself as a small animal and tracked you down. You should have been more careful, Kazuya."

For a few seconds, silence fell in the atmosphere.

"K-Ka..." Arisa tried to find her voice. "Li-Libra is Kazuya?"

Arisa stared at the White Guardian, her arms shaking.

"I'm sorry Arisa," said Kazuya. "I was planning to tell you the truth, once you became a Guardian."

Speechless, Arisa watched as his armor slowly disappeared. It was as if it was joining the light breeze that blew past them, revealing a white-haired boy looking at her with shame.