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My Guardian BeastDreams of his homeland had guided Akruul back to the north. Longing had found its way into his heart, which eventually led to him making the decision to visit his hometown. Years had passed when he walked out of the little settlement, turning his back to the place that held his roots. How long had it been, maybe even ten years? It was about time for Akruul to return and see how the town was doing nowadays. He had left it in hopes of adventure and becoming a heroic warrior. Now he had seen many corners of the world and had grown quite a swordsman, slaying monsters. He had achieved all he had dreamed of, and maybe that was one more reason for him to return to his hometown, just so he could share his success and stories with the people that had belonged to his childhood. Winter had come early in the north, Akruul noticed as he slowly moved through the lands. It almost felt like in one moment there was a green and lush world around him, but suddenly everything got covered in pure white snow. But growing up in these parts, Akruul knew it was nothing unusual for the winter to sneakily arrive ahead of time. As he wandered through the snowy landscape, he felt a strange warmth in his heart. Perhaps it was because he was getting close to his old home and was feeling sentimental already. It was alright, however, and even though he was an experienced warrior honed by many battles, he allowed himself to feel soft emotions. And so Akruul smiled slightly as he walked on the path that had recently formed into the snow; now, there had never been too many foreigners visiting this northern land, but sometimes merchant caravans remembered the existence of the settlement and would come to pay a visit there. It seemed like this was the case right now as there were multiple tracks in snow. Well, at least it would make Akruul's travel a little easier, although the heaviest snow blanket was still yet to come. It took Akruul a couple of days traversing in the snow before he reached his destination. Surrounded by a silent white forest, Akruul climbed on the hill and from there, he could see the little town. He stopped for a moment and observed the settlement that had formed downhill, right by a black tall rock. It was like nothing had changed during these years he had been away; everything looked exactly the same when he had last seen the town. Smoke was coming out from most of the chimneys, rising higher into the air, giving a sign that there was still life bustling under the snow-covered roofs. The exterior of the town seemed the same, but how were the people? To get an answer for this question, Akruul began to walk down the hill, and there wasn't much distance left between him and his old hometown. As Akruul stepped on the grounds of the town, he almost felt like he had walked back to his childhood. His sentimental feelings were growing stronger now as he strolled among the little buildings, the cozy homes of the townsfolk. He hadn't encountered anyone yet, but he wasn't worried; anyone would rather be sheltered in the warmth of their homes rather than being out in the cold. Though he remembered the people being resilient, it was needed in these rather harsh conditions. Snow, ice and cold were something that didn't discourage the townsfolk, they still were able to thrive. So, as Akruul made his way further into the town, he started to get an odd feeling when there was no one around. Until he finally spotted someone. In the fading daylight a hunched figure came to his view, a thick coat covering their body, like one would expect. It was an old woman and Akruul actually recognized her; she was the lady Imasan, one of the village elders and a known storyteller, Akruul and other children had enjoyed her stories back in the day. “Imasan!” Akruul said loudly to get the old woman's attention, rushing towards her. She turned to face him after hearing her name and for a brief moment she was squinting her eyes as she tried to figure out who was talking to her. Eventually she did recognize the man and a joyful expression spread on her old wrinkled face. “Akruul! My goodness, you have grown into such a handsome young man! It's been so long since the last time I saw you, how are you doing?” “I've been doing good, thank you”, Akruul replied as he stepped closer to the old woman. “Where is everyone? It's not that much of a cold day.” A shade appeared on old Imasan's face and she shook her head. “Well, things have changed a little after you left… You see, a beast has been plaguing our lives for about ten years. It's time for our annual winter celebration, but ever since the beast appeared, we haven't really been able to celebrate… It's almost like it loathes the festivities, attacking our village in frenzy if we gather around and rejoice together. So now the folks celebrate indoors and only with their families. It's a sad thing, really… It does come to the village other times too, but especially when we join together to have a good time.” “Oh, I almost forgot the winter celebration”, Akruul said and glimpses of childhood memories quickly flashed in his mind. “Do you know where the beast makes its lair? I can try to slay it.” “Well, you certainly look strong”, Imasan responded and there was a little trace of a smile visiting her otherwise worried face. “We don't know exactly where its nest is, but it always comes from the north. I'm sorry, but that's all I know.” “It's alright, Imasan”, Akruul replied and tried to assure her with a smile. “I can track it down. I'll come back soon.” “Good luck, my dear boy”, the old woman said and for a second she grasped Akruul's hand firmly. The man nodded and he squeezed her hand. They both let go and Akruul walked past her, heading to the north. The old woman watched him go, keeping her eyes on him for as long as she could. At that moment, snow began to gently and softly fall and it didn't take long before Akruul had disappeared behind this white curtain. Imasan tried to send good luck to Akruul through her heart and then she waddled away, heading home, her hope on the young man. Akruul walked across the snowy lands like a lone spirit. The world around him was completely silent and there was nothing but pure whiteness all around him. It was almost like he was wandering through a dream world, completely detached from reality. The snowfall was hindering his movements a little bit and if it was going to last for long, then it would make it really hard to push through all that freshly fallen snow. It would also hide all the possible trails made by the beast. However, there were many other ways to track a monster or an animal, you just had to keep your eyes and ears open on your surroundings. Akruul had learned a few things during his travels and developed keen senses. He let his gaze wander in the surrounding trees, monsters often left claw marks on them or if they had the ability to fly, there would be lots of broken branches on top of the trees. So far he hadn't noticed anything, though. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, observing his every move through the snowy woodlands. Perhaps it was the beast he was hunting. The problem was, he didn't see anything abnormal around him, just complete whiteness. He tried to focus on hearing, but there was nothing but silence. The feeling was almost haunting, like he got trapped in a dimension where there were only him and the beast, hunting each other. Akruul didn't like it at all. But he could only move forward. A sudden roar tore apart the silence of the white world, resonating in the winter air. It was a fierce and powerful roar, Akruul hadn't heard anything like it before. He felt a strange familiarity with it, which confused him. He pushed this bewilderment aside, however, and focused on locating the beast. It didn't seem like the roar had come from far away. Before Akruul was even able to begin this part of the hunt, he saw something in the distance, a creature of some kind that was looking at him among the trees. It was weird. This thing wanted to be found. But it didn't appear hostile, not yet at least. Akruul stopped for a moment to stare at the beast. It was quadruped and mostly white, so no wonder it could blend in with the snow. It had cerulean stripes decorating its body, like the ones of a tiger. The strangest part was that it appeared to have three heads: one of a tiger, one of a horse and one of a dragon. The being was a weird mix match of various creatures. But to Akruul, a beast is a beast, no matter what it looks like. The man was ready to draw his sword while still maintaining eye contact with the monster. He slowly got his trusty weapon out, but the beast wasn't really reacting at all. It continued to watch him for a moment, but then it leisurely turned around and started to walk away, but its horse head made a movement that signaled him to follow. Akruul was greatly baffled by this, but also extremely curious. He lowered his weapon, but didn't put it back to sheath, just in case he would need it. He decided to do what the beast wanted and started to follow it. Maybe this was a trap. Maybe he should just turn around. But he wanted to figure out what was going on with this creature. Perhaps he could find out why it has been attacking the village. Akruul maintained a safe distance while tailing the beast, just in case, although it still hadn't shown signs of aggression towards him. It kept going straight forward for a good while before it decided to take a turn to the left, starting to climb uphill. Akruul was sort of grateful for the beast to show him the way, because the trail it left on the snow made it easier for him to move. Occasionally he was left behind a little bit, but he noted that the beast would keep an eye on him and it would stop just so he could catch up. Where was it leading him? Akruul had no idea. It was such a tiring task to walk uphill that Akruul was grateful when they were traveling on an even surface again. They pushed through the snowy woodlands for a while before a tall black rock suddenly came into view; it was almost like it had just emerged from the ground, thrusting towards the sky. The beast started to circle around it, like it was looking for something. Then Akruul noticed a mouth of a cavern in the rock, which was probably what the beast was searching for. His hunch turned out to be right as the monster disappeared inside it. Akruul stopped at the entrance and hesitated. Why had the beast led him here? What could possibly lurk in this cave? He still had the chance to turn around. But he would never get answers to his questions if he didn't enter. His grasp on the hilt of his weapon tightened and he stepped inside the cold and dark cave. He walked through a tunnel for a while, almost in total darkness, but then a blue light appeared in the distance. It was an eerie light, but it also became his guide. He could see the figure of the beast standing in the far end of the tunnel, right by the chamber where the light was coming from. It followed the man with its gaze, all three heads staring at him. It was rather unsettling, but Akruul walked closer until he finally reached the chamber. Akruul wasn't sure what he had expected to find from there. Maybe a treasure of some kind. Maybe a litter of similar beasts or some kind of other creature this monster was taking care of. Maybe even a human. The last part turned out to be right, but in a way that confused Akruul the most. He was staring at himself. Not exactly who he was now, but a child version of him. Akruul didn't know how to respond to this and just stared at the little boy whom he had once been. The same black hair, the same blue eyes. Akruul was so baffled by this that he almost lost the grip of his sword. “What the hell is this…?” Akruul muttered. His younger self didn't say anything. The beast, on the other hand, stepped closer to the man and gently pushed him in the back with its dragon head, guiding him towards the little boy. All of this was so strange and Akruul glanced at the beast that just nodded to him. It wanted him to get closer to the little boy for some reason. He shifted his gaze back at his younger self. How was this possible? Was this some magic trick? The boy didn't move or show any emotion, which made Akruul a little terrified. But he wanted to know whether the boy was a real living thing or just a mirage, so he reached for the child, touching him to the shoulder. A flood of memories and sensations filled Akruul's head, it was like they had been locked away – or maybe even erased – from his mind. But now, he was reliving the most horrible years of his life. How his parents had fallen into ice, swallowed by the dark freezing waters, just because Akruul had forgotten his favorite fishing rod on the ice. How his big brother became resentful toward him because of this, blaming him for the demise of their parents, and hated that he had to take care of him now. How the brother started to spread venomous lies about him so all the other children would exclude him from everything and remind him that it was his fault that his parents had died. How the winter celebration he had loved to spend with his family became just utterly miserable to him, because his brother neglected him. All the hatred and grudge were coming back to him, something that had been sealed away for ten years, because he had split himself into two entities; one was the child filled by hate and the other one was the heroic warrior he had dreamed of becoming. All the horrible memories were carried by the child, while the adult Akruul remained completely oblivious to what he had experienced in his younger years. But now, it was time for them to merge, to become one. Akruul opened up his heart and took in all the horrendous memories, all the hatred and grudge. The child version of him turned into an entity of white blinding light and this light sunk into Akruul's chest, disappearing inside him. He understood it all now. Why the beast was attacking the village, what its role was. It had simply taken care of the part of him no one else wanted. Akruul turned to face the beast. With his hand, he reached for the dragon head and petted it tenderly. “Thank you for showing me the truth”, Akruul said. It was time to raid the village one last time. Akruul hoped that his brother was still alive.

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