Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1510: The guard

*Huff... Huff...* A small boy, barely ten years old, darted across the dusty field. His feet, quick and nimble, drove a ball nearly half his size forward with remarkable control. Each kick was sharp, each step purposeful, as though this simple game was not play, but battle.

”Look at him go! Look at him charge forward!” The girls on the sidelines clapped with delight, their small hands striking together with fervor. Their eyes glistened with admiration as they watched.

His face, sharp for his age, bore the marks of someone who had fought through hardship. His grin was wild, defiant. Scars traced faint lines across his arms and legs, each one a story, each one a mark of survival. Though he was young, he carried the presence of someone far older.

”Stop right there!!” Three boys from the rival team burst forward, spreading out to block his path. But the boy only narrowed his eyes, determination blazing.

”Hyaaaaa!!” He kicked the ground and soared—soared like no child his age should have been able to. His body lifted high, clearing their heads entirely, as if the earth itself could not hold him down. He landed with balance unshaken, his legs pumping with relentless strength as he barreled forward.

With one last kick, the enormous ball spun through the air and slammed into the raised hoop. The boy threw both arms skyward, flexing what little muscle he had with theatrical pride.

”Hahaha! I win! I win again!!”

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

Dozens of children broke into cheers. The boys shouted in awe, the girls laughed with admiration. Tiny fists shot into the air. The little champion had triumphed again.

”Now pay up!” the boy barked with exaggerated authority. He stomped toward his three opponents, holding out his small but steady hands. ”Three shards of energy stones each, plus a bundle of bread. Don’t think I forgot the wager!”

”Grrr... this isn’t over,” the fattest of the three muttered, shoving the boy lightly before storming away.

”Yeah! It’s not over yet!!” the other two snapped, scurrying after him.

”Hehehe, come back any time~” The boy tossed the energy shards into the air, laughing heartily as he caught them again. Lately, this silly game had become more than fun. It had become a lifeline, a way to bring food and a little wealth back to his struggling family.

”There he is!!” Four older teenagers appeared, their faces twisted with anger, their fists cracking as they slammed them together. ”No escape this time, brat!”

The boy’s heart lurched. ”This is bad!!” He recognized them instantly—the older brothers of the boys he had tricked in a card game just days ago. Panic flared in his chest. Quickly, he shoved the energy shards into his pockets, stuffed the bread bundles into his pants, and spun around to bolt.

”You fool! Why’d you yell at him?! Now we’ll never catch him!!” one of the four cursed loudly, panic flashing across his face. Everyone knew the truth. Once this boy started running, he was untouchable. He was like the wind.

Even teenagers who had advanced to energy foundation levels 7–10 would struggle to keep pace. He was a phantom when he ran. But then—fate intervened.

*Boff!* The boy collided headfirst into something solid. No—*someone.* He tumbled back, crashing to the ground. Gasping, he scrambled to cover his face with both arms. ”Ahh! Not the face, not the face!!”

But no blows came. No fists. No kicks. Instead, a low chuckle. Gentle, but firm. ”Get up, boy. We are from Sky Opening City. We heard rumors that you may carry a special affinity... and we have come to see for ourselves.”

”Huh?” The boy lowered one hand, peeking nervously. His eyes widened. A group of strangers stood before him, clad in magnificent, uniform garb that shimmered with wealth and prestige. Their stance was disciplined, their presence commanding, ”You’re... really from...?”

”This... can’t be...” Even the four angry teenagers froze, their bravado shattering.

The other children, who moments ago had been cheering, fell silent, stepping back in awe. Everyone knew the reputation of Sky Opening City, the strength it represented, the unreachable height it stood upon.

”Hold still, just for a moment.” The elder at the front stepped forward. His movements were calm, deliberate. He bent respectfully toward the boy, surprising all who watched, and gently pressed a peculiar device to the child’s forehead. The artifact pulsed once. Twice. Then fell silent.

The elder’s smile vanished. His lips tightened. His eyes narrowed. Slowly, he straightened, his back rigid, and turned to show his companions the reading. Whispers spread quickly among them. Their expressions darkened, some with shock, others with awe. After a few moments of quiet exchange, the elder faced the boy once more. His expression softened, but his voice carried weight. He extended his hand, palm open. ”I extend to you a formal invitation. Come with us—to Sky Opening City.”

*Gasps!* Dozens of children covered their mouths in disbelief. Their eyes were wide, unblinking. This... this was every child’s dream. Normally, one had to train for years, travel to academies, and beg for the smallest chance of being noticed. Most went their whole lives unseen. But here... the envoys themselves had come.

”...” The boy turned his head slowly. His eyes lingered on the four teenagers who had been chasing him. Then on the bread bundles, still stuffed awkwardly in his clothes. Then at last, on the resplendent envoys standing before him. His lip quivered, his fists clenched. ”What about my family? What will happen to them?”

”They will be cared for,” the elder said with certainty, his voice kind but unwavering. ”You have my word. Now, tell me, child—what is your name?”

”...” The boy hesitated, his mind racing. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, with resolve hardening in his young eyes, he reached out, gripping the elder’s hand as he rose to his feet. ”...Wade.”

~~~~~~

”Eeeeeeeeeehhhhhh?!” Wade staggered back several steps, his eyes wide, his face twisted with disbelief and rising panic. His voice cracked with both shock and fear as he stammered, ”Imperial Guard? Me? You’re saying *I* will be a guard for His Majesty, the Almighty Emperor?!”

He slapped his small chest with both hands, the sound echoing in the chamber. ”His Majesty has fought aliens and subdued entire empires! His Majesty doesn’t need food, doesn’t even need to relieve himself! His Majesty can unleash beams from his eyes that obliterate planets! And I... I’m supposed to guard him?!”

Before the astonished child stood a woman draped in the robes of Sky Opening City, Zara. Her smile was calm, almost gentle, but her tone carried weight. ”You are the one with the strongest natural affinity toward the Path of Space. With the right guidance, with training and discipline, you *will* one day be capable of protecting His Majesty. It is not a question of possibility, but of inevitability.”

”...Maybe I can think of it like I’m just guarding a building or something,” Little Wade muttered, scratching his head awkwardly, his eyes darting away. ”So... when does the training end?”

Zara’s smile faded into solemnity. ”The training will *never* end. And you will likely never return to your family again. Guarding His Majesty is not a seasonal job that can be set aside for a visit home. It is a lifelong oath.” Then her expression softened again, as though offering a hand to a drowning boy. ”In exchange for your service, the Empire will care for your family. They will be relocated to a fortified city. They will receive a steady income and their own trade. Your siblings will be given priority to enter the academies under the Emperor’s banner. And you—”

she leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming—”you will rise to stand among the wealthy of the Empire. You will wield the finest techniques, wear the strongest armors, ride the greatest mounts. Everything you ever dreamed of, everything you never dared hope for... will be beneath your feet.” Her hands pressed against the desk, her tone final. ”So tell me, child... do you accept this contract?”

”...Will I...” Wade’s voice was small, trembling with a mix of fear and wonder, ”...will I be able to see His Majesty up close? With my own eyes?”

”Of course.”

”Where do I sign?”

~~~~

Years later...

The street boy was gone. Wade stood taller now, his frame hardened and lean with muscle. The constant mischief once painted across his features had been burned away, replaced with a sharp edge of seriousness.

The half-smiles of a young trickster had given way to the stern eyes of a warrior in the making. His aura, once playful, now carried the weight of someone tested by fire. And yet, perhaps that gravity was sharpened further by the mountain of a man looming before him.

*ROOOOOOOAAARRRRR--!!*

Holak, the training commander, crossed his massive arms, his chest broad as a fortress wall. His voice shook the ground beneath them, booming like thunder rolling across mountains. ”Behind me lies the Valley of the Thousand Beasts! And to call it that is an insult, for in truth, every single cave in that cursed valley may harbor a thousand insect-class beast!”

He raised a colossal hand and pointed forward, his finger like a spear aimed at destiny. ”This will be your home, your prison, your battlefield, and your grave for the next five years—or until you bring me ten thousand beast cores!”

”Five years?!” gasps rippled. ”Ten thousand...!!”

The ranks of several thousand trainees quivered, their skins paling, their breaths cutting short. The weight of the command pressed down like chains of iron. ”

The most important lesson in this trial,” Holak thundered, his eyes blazing like molten fire, ”is your ability to *survive.* A guard who cannot survive in the jaws of danger is worthless. Your mission as guards is not to hide behind shields. It is to stand in the deadliest of moments, to *cling to life,* and to shield His Majesty with your very existence! Do you understand?!”

”UNDERSTOOD!” the chorus of voices roared back, trembling yet fierce.

”And for you fighting below!” Holak bellowed again, his words cracking like whips, ”Focus on evasion! Focus on striking first! Being a guard does not mean waiting passively for doom to fall—it means erasing the threat before it strikes! In my school, guards do not guard—they destroy. They hunt. They kill the enemy before he even thinks of lifting his hand! That is what it means to bear this duty!”

He took a step forward, his presence pressing down on every heart like a mountain sliding from the sky. ”The Empire has spent fortunes upon you! Blood, resources, treasures!” his voice dropped low, rumbling with a threat colder than death, ”If one of you died down there, I WILL KILL HIM. Do you understand me?!”

”UNDERSTOOD!!”

”Good.” Holak gave a single nod, then, in a flash, his enormous hand shot out like a striking hawk. His fingers wrapped around Waid’s neck, and before the boy could even react— *WHOOSH!*

Holak hurled him like a leather ball, his body flung high through the air toward the abyss of the valley, ”Good luck, boy.”

”Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~~!!!”

Waid’s scream echoed, fading as he plummeted into the Valley of Beasts.