Under the Weight of Decisions

**(Kael's Point of View) **

The air still trembled with the energy released by the guardian. Every time it moved, the ground beneath my feet reverberated, as if the very planet were warning us: there’s no turning back. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Lena. Something in her had changed.

“She’s either going to save us… or destroy us.” This thought hammered in my mind, but I didn’t share it with anyone, not even Thorne.

I wanted to protect her. I always did. But now, seeing her so connected to that colossal being, it felt like she was drifting away, becoming something I couldn’t comprehend — and that terrified me more than any enemy.

“Kael!” Thorne called, pulling me back to reality. He always knew when my thoughts began to wander. “Focus. The rebels are coming, and we need to be ready.”

I shot him a glance and nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. Thorne was always in control, always knowing what to do. But now? Even he didn’t seem sure.

“Do you think we can make it?” I asked, adjusting my sword.

He looked at the guardian for a long moment before answering. “We have no choice.”

As we prepared for the inevitable attack, I tried to push away the feeling of helplessness that threatened to consume me. The guardian was there, but I couldn’t see that giant being as a guarantee of victory. It was an unknown, unpredictable force.

“Lena, stay behind me when the fight starts,” I said, moving closer to her.

She gave me a look that made me hesitate. It wasn’t fear — it was determination, a light I had never seen before. “I know what I need to do, Kael,” she replied calmly.

Those words left me uneasy. It wasn’t just the guardian that had awakened — something inside her had changed too.

The sound of hooves and the voices of the rebels sliced through the silence, coming from beyond the hill. They were close. The guardian rose, its rocky form radiating light, as if the very earth were preparing to fight alongside us.

But then I saw him: the rebel leader, the man who stood out among them all. His cold, calculating eyes met mine for a moment. A cruel smile spread across his face as he raised his hand, gathering dark energy that seemed to feed off the very earth.

“No… that’s not possible.” Understanding hit me like a blade. He was manipulating the same force as the guardian.

“Lena!” I shouted, drawing my sword. “He’s trying to corrupt him!”

The guardian hesitated for a moment, as if caught in an internal conflict. The energy around him fluctuated, sometimes bright, sometimes darkening. Lena rushed to approach the creature, her expression filled with concentration, trying to maintain the connection intact.

“I can do this,” she murmured, more to herself than to me.

But I knew it wasn’t that simple. That dark energy… it was too dangerous. And if Lena tried to control it, there was a real chance of losing her forever.

“No, Lena! It’s too risky!”

“Kael, we need him!” she retorted. “Without the guardian, we’re lost.”

My mind spun with possibilities. If she failed, everything would be over. But if we didn’t try… well, maybe we were already lost anyway.

Thorne took his position at the front, ready to face the first advancing rebels. I knew he was counting on me to protect Lena — as always.

But this time, it wasn’t just about wielding a sword. It was something beyond what I could fight physically.

“I’m with you,” I whispered to Lena, more a promise than a strategy.

She cast me a brief glance — gratitude mixed with something deeper, something I couldn’t decipher.

Then, with one last breath, she turned to the guardian and extended her hand, trying to stabilize the connection before the corruption took root completely.

And it was in that moment that everything changed.

A wave of energy coursed through the field, and the guardian let out a roar that echoed through the mountains. Light and darkness fought for control of its essence, like two tides violently colliding.

The rebel leader smiled as if he had already won. “You don’t understand… He was always mine.”

Lena screamed, the energy flowing through her with devastating intensity. I watched as her expression of determination transformed into despair. “Kael…” was the last word I could hear before her consciousness abandoned her.

She collapsed, crumbling under the weight of the energy she had tried to control. The world around me seemed to spin. The guardian hesitated, its rocky forms oscillating between light and darkness.

“Lena!” I shouted, desperate, as I rushed to her side. What now? She, the key to our victory, was unconscious, and everything depended on what remained of the guardian.

Thorne, beside me, seemed more concerned about the approaching battle. “We need to focus on the rebels. She’s not our priority right now.”

“How can you say that?” I retorted, feeling frustration swell. “She’s the only one who can control the guardian! If we lose that connection, we’re finished!”

Thorne shot me a contemptuous look. “The world won’t stop just because she’s unconscious. We need to act quickly before they attack.”

“You don’t understand! If we don’t help her, we risk losing our only chance!” I knew the pressure was mounting, but I couldn’t leave Lena behind.

He hesitated for a moment, the tension between us growing. “You can go to her, but it won’t change the situation. The battle is coming.”

Determination grew inside me. “I won’t leave her here. If I have to fight, I’ll do it by her side.”

With that, I ignored Thorne’s disapproving look and turned to Lena, trying to feel what I could do to bring her back.