3: Defeating the guardians

“Welcome to our world, Max,” the most imposing figure among them said to the boy, she is a tall, thin woman with silver hair that fell to her waist. Her hair is straight, and her eyes are sky blue, these were the most beautiful eyes Max had ever seen in his life.  “I am Lyra, the lead guardian of the Temple of the Ancestors, honestly, we have been waiting for your arrival for a long time. But finally, the moment we have longed for has arrived.

Max felt a lump form in his throat, he became nervous, and no wonder, he was faced with something unknown about his reality.

“Thanks… I guess,” he murmured, impressed by the commanding presence of Lyra and her companion. All of them exuded quite a strong aura and power.

“This is the first step of your training,” Lyra continued, pointing towards the center of the training field which is a flat surface, and then, towers of rock began to rise from the ground one after another, all looking different sizes.

Max watched that event with great surprise, eager to know what he had to do now to demonstrate to these beings that he is a warrior and not weak as people in real life believed.

“Here you will learn to master the skill of defense, dexterity and strength to know how to fight in a fight to the death without dying on the first attempt… Magic in Atería is not just a power, it is an extension of yourself that, little by little, you should know about yourself. You will learn how to control your powers, and use them wisely,” Lyra continued.

Soon, the guardians appeared in the blink of an eye right above the rock towers that remain motionless beneath their feet. Max never saw how these enigmatic beings moved from one place to the other so quickly. From above, the guardians looked at Max, critical but expectant that he could live up to their expectations.

“Okay, Max. The guardians and I consider your training to begin from this moment on,” Lyra announced. Her voice resonates in the air like a kind of invisible echo. “You must show us your ability to defend yourself and face challenges that will test your strength and bravery.”

Before Max could finish processing all the information, the guardians took advantage, beginning to conjure his powers. Beams of light of various colors with great magical and perceptible energy emerged from his hands, heading towards the boy with lethal precision. Max felt a wave of panic and, without thinking twice, he started running in circles all over the place, not knowing exactly where he was going to hide to protect himself because the truth is that at that moment, Max had no idea what he was going to do how to defend yourself against those wonderful and dangerous attacks.

But the rock towers made the terrain where they were located weak, they did not offer any type of shelter for an ordinary human being. The ground beneath Max's feet shook as if an earthquake was about to occur and swallow everything. Max moved quickly, preventing the dancing floor from trying to knock him to the ground, however, it was an almost impossible task to achieve. As much as he wanted it, it was impossible not to fall to the ground.

"Don't run away, Max! Remember to use the energy of the ring you're wearing to become that warrior we need," Lyra shouted, she and the other guardians continued to launch their powers against Max, seeking to attack him, but without reaching the brink of death. .

When he had gotten back to his feet, Max stumbled and fell to the ground as he dodged a dark beam of light coming from Lyra's hands. Lyra is the only one who had the power of her as dark as her fellow guardians were powerful and brave.

Max knew that he had to stop running and that it was time to start fighting. She had to be able to show that he is brave, that he is strong, and that he is worthy of all that power that the ring he wore is his alone. No one else's.

The boy stopped running, stopped in his place, yet the ground continued to move under his feet. Max gathered his courage, and prepared to feel how the magic of his ring took over his entire body like a kind of tickling. Then, the magical energy of the ring warned of its beginning to be released. With a cry of determination, Max raised his hands, first raising them towards the sky, and then, a flash of red light emanated from his hands in the direction of the guardians.

Immediately, the red light hit the guardians with such force that he sent them to the ground with a slight push, regardless of whether they were more powerful. All the guardians fell to the ground, the rock towers vanished before Max's eyes, just as the ground stopped shaking and remained stable.

As the guardians stood up, Max looked at them, now, he felt confident in himself, capable of winning every battle without anyone being able to defeat him. Max smiled at the guards.

“Well done, Max,” Lyra said proudly. “That's what we wanted to try; that you were worthy of deserving the power that takes refuge inside that ring. Although you have not followed a line of training, the guardians and I are satisfied that you have managed to master it without our guidance.”

“Thank you very much, Lyra. To you, and to the other guardians, I promise that I will not fail you. I will be a good follower of his teachings. I will not let you down in each of my battles. If necessary, I will defend our world even with my life if necessary,” Max responded with self-confidence, without taking his eyes off the guardians.

“Come, Max. Let's stop with the cardinalities, and join us inside for dinner,” Guardian Aldrich offered to Max kindly.

"Yes of course. "I'm dying of hunger, what's for dinner?" Max answered, walking towards the guardians to join them and go inside the temple.

Instead of being bothered by Max's confidence, the guardians laughed at his comment, and as a group, they entered the temple.