The Arcane Guardians Chapter 49: Chapter 45: The Last Domino

Read chapter 49 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Fun Fact: Despite living in the modern age, the Magis of Surone value their traditional clothes highly. Robes are a common form of fashion and come in many variations. Battle robes, Company robes, School robes, Class robes, just to name a few. Casual attire, such as a shirt and pants, is usually reserved for home wear. It is considered rude and classless to dress in anything other than robes for almost any type of event. On the other hand, Metas are not expected to wear robes. Those who choose it as their fashion statement are viewed as disrespectful and socially inept. ~ ~ ~ Gaius felt eyes on him, although there was nothing but snow and rubble as far as the eye could see. Not like he cared, though. True Vision would give him sufficient warning if whoever those eyes belonged to were hostile. Orange lit his irises as he scanned the bunker in front of him. “I make about twenty people hiding in their nest,” he said, before glancing at a smoke vent. “And one other way in.” “Do you see Felix?” Kleopatra asked worriedly, hugging her coat closer to herself. “I can’t tell yet.” Energy charged in Gaius’s feet, propelling the boy to the vent in a single bound. Kleopatra landed a moment later, accompanied by the sound of a retracting grappling hook. Gaius ripped open the freezing metal grille and crawled into the air vent. The duo got through the small tunnel quickly enough. Gaius wasted no time, slamming a fully powered energy ball into the face of a solitary woman right after he landed. She collapsed to the ground immediately, blood leaking from her nose. “Is… is she dead?” Kleopatra’s voice trembled as she bent over to inspect the body. “Don’t know, don’t care.” Gaius looked around. A few pans hung sloppily from the walls, and the counter was smeared with brownish stains of unwiped cooking oil. Of course that smoke vent was connected to a kitchen, not an armoury. He sighed in frustration. It was times like these that he wished True Vision still showed him possible outcomes. The door opened without warning. A ball of ice flew towards the man entering the kitchen. Scalding oil followed it closely. Muffled groans punctuated the air as he tried to scream in pain, but the ice had already sealed his mouth shut. A fist swung his way, cracking his left cheekbone. Another hit slammed into his chin, knocking him back. And another. And another. And another— “Gaius, stop! He’s already down!” Kleopatra pulled her friend back. The man slumped to the floor, blood smearing all over his badly swollen face. “What’s going on with you?” she exclaimed. “You’re being uncharacteristically violent lately. That’s not the Gaius I know—” A yelp escaped her lips as the boy slammed her into a nearby wall, pinning her wrist above her head. “Don’t get familiar, Vulcan,” Gaius growled, his voice sounding more demonic by the second. “You’re only in the Guardian Council because you’re Daddy’s little girl. I’m the hero here, not you. Do not question my methods again.” Kleopatra’s lips quivered, but she pursed them into a thin line. “You’re not yourself, Gaius. You’ve always sought to help people, even at the expense of yourself. Can’t you see something is changing you?” Gaius let go of her, although orange flickered threateningly in his eyes. “Change? What’s wrong with that? What are you trying to do here, save me?” he scoffed. “Nobody cares. Heroes don’t get saved. This world deserves a new class of heroes, even if we have to force them.” His voice dropped to a guttural growl. “ Or it should be destroyed. ” “Those aren’t your words!” Kleopatra rushed forward, pulling him into a hug. “Please, something’s wrong with you. Let me help you; I care!” “No, you don’t …” Orange tendrils wedged themselves between the two of them as Gaius tried to push her away, but Kleopatra held on tight. “Let me go, Kleo. I don’t deserve any of this. Stop wasting time on me—” “I fell for you, dammit!” They froze. “I like you, Gaius. I’ve fancied you for a while,” Kleopatra mumbled. “I just…