The dark guardian

C60

JAMES 

Ring Ring! 

The alarm sounded and I had already missed hearing that awful noise for the first time, I had returned home and waking up once again in my bed seemed incredible to me after all the paranormal things I had seen, seeing my room and all the things I had here I wasn't familiar with it yet, but this was my life, the life of any boy my age. 

I got up and went to the mirror, I noticed that my docile had changed, I was more marked and stronger, surely all the training I had there had helped me to be like that. 

—James—mom knocked on the door—breakfast is ready, come downstairs and please don't be late. 

" Yes , Mom, I'm down," I replied in a raised midtone. I missed my parents and my foolish sisters a lot, I couldn't tell them about the things that happened and it was better that way, that I had to spend vacations at Mike's grandparents' house. Besides , he wouldn't have wanted to put them in danger. 

I went downstairs and at the table were my sisters and my parents. They were waiting for me to be present to start with breakfast, here we had that custom that until we were all together we would start eating. 

"Good morning, James," my father greeted, "I see that you came more robust from the vacations of your friend's house." mike right? 

"That's right, dad, but it was where his grandfather was and why do you say that?" I frowned , I looked normal, like always. 

—I say this because of your arms—he squeezed them—just look at how solid they are—he nodded—I think I'll have to go too to get in shape—we laughed. 

—It's because of the farm, there I did all kinds of jobs and surely that put me a little more in shape. 

—well, it's an honor and a joy that you're back—mom spoke as she took a knife—we'll ask for the food before eating—we all lowered our heads in reverence. 

—The food was delicious mom, that was something I always missed here, from what I see I will have to learn all your recipes so as not to suffer when I am far away—I smiled—but I have to go or I will be late for university. See you mom—I hugged her tight, saying goodbye with a kiss on her forehead. 

"Hey, James," Harry was standing alone in the hall with another guy talking about things, "but what a change in you, man, have you been using steroids or what the fuck?" Because I see that you come very different- he nodded astonished by my change, which he still didn't know what was different. 

—Hello, Harry—I shook his hand—well, nothing, I wouldn't use those things on my body, as I've heard that those things even cause erectile dysfunction and you know...—point down there—I wouldn't want to suffer later—we smiled, I put my arm around his shoulder and we headed to the classroom. I missed these things, my friends and even the blessed university, but I suppose that was why I recently came here, but little by little everything will surely return to the same boredom, meanwhile I have to enjoy it yes . 

Inside the classroom they were already, Astrid, Mike and Mell with their bags talking about something. 

"Oh, here comes James," Mike said. "How have you been mate?" He shook my hand and then Harrys . 

"Hey, but you two come with more muscles than before, don't tell me you went to the same place" Harry watched us comparing one body with the other. 

"Yes... that's right," I replied to avoid so many questions, "we've become very good friends, haven't we, Mike ?" We saw paranormal things. 

—Yes, we were training together all this time in a gym that I have in my own house—he sounded a little crazy, but at least that had occurred to him. 

—Well, I can't deny that you look good— Mell said , giving me a look from head to toe—before you were thinner, good for you two—he nodded—and you? Astrid—he addressed her—how did you spend it? Because I see that your skin is getting more tanned or something—shit I just hope he doesn't say anything stupid or we'll be fried. 

— Yes , what happens is that I went to some relatives who live near the sea and since there isn't that here, I couldn't leave that coast every day, it was so beautiful, those colors, the waves and the sunsets... I finally had a great time, I feel like the vacations flew by—he lied perfectly. 

At that moment I realized something and it is that women were good with lies because if I had not been with her all this time I would have believed her too. We stared at each other and she just winked at me. 

—Apparently all of you had a good vacation, while I spent all this time locked up as an antisocial. How unfortunate for me .” Mell pouted. 

—Good morning, students—the teacher entered the classroom with his briefcase and his perfectly ironed uniform going to the desk—I need you to take a seat please, we will do a group project and I want everyone to be ready with their notebooks out and their pens.— he took out some documents that were inside his briefcase—there is no way to start the vacations with a group project, that way they talk more and have better ideas, don't you think it's great?—definitely the genius of the teacher did not coincide with my genius—but why I see there are no new faces in the students—I look at all of us, but we were still the same, no one had left, but neither had they joined. 

—Wait—I heard a voice I knew, but I didn't think it was real—I'm missing—the silhouette of a man walked through that door and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 

-Good Morning. Yes, come on in—the teacher greeted you showing you your place—tell us, what's your name?

— Jinsu , My name is Jinsu , sir—Mike, Astrid, Kai and I were surprised at what was happening, we had never seen anything like it. Let's rub my eyes trying that all this was an illusion, but no, Jinsu himself had come to earth. 

Jinsu sat next to me, he didn't explain to me what he was doing here. 

"Hey, Jinsu , " I whispered softly, "what are you doing here?" 

"It's something I want to explain to you outside here, not inside, silly," I whisper under my breath as well. 

—Mr . Brixt and the new young man who has just entered, would you be so kind as to share a bit of your entertaining conversation with us?— called our attention. 

—Excuse me, professor, what happened that he was asking me, where were the bathrooms? And I was just nice to give him the address, but according to him , he can't find it— I tried to lie to him.

—That's right, teacher, if you don't mind, I'd like him to help me—it was the dumbest lie we had ever thought of, but we had to come out of something. 

The professor stared at us for a moment debating something safe, but fortunately he gave us permission. 

—Now can you explain to me what you are doing here?— We had to go to the soccer field to talk calmly. 

—Well, they are orders from there, it seems that since Dante left the central palace everything has been running low in secret and the demons are still coming to this world. I see that you still wear the necklace that they gave you there—he pointed 

"That's right, and what's with that?" I took it. 

—Well, that necklace to begin with is not just any necklace, that necklace detects the presence of demons hovering nearby with small vibrations—immediately the necklace began to vibrate. 

Do you mean this?" I took it and it was still vibrating.

—That's right, watch out for something to appear at this moment—we were both waiting for a demon to appear and indeed. A portal opened and a giant bat-shaped demon came out of it . “ Well, it's your time to attack. 

I transformed in seconds and drew my sword to inflict a wound on him that cut him into two pieces, it hadn't cost me even the slightest effort, something that I used to really like to destroy him, as it turned out how much I trained there made me stronger than I thought. One of the advantages is that when I transformed I passed to the plane of the dead and for that reason the others around me could not detect me as well as the spirit that appreciates. 

"I find it a bit strange to be talking to you, Jinsu , but I recommend you not come to the university," I suggested. 

-but why? If there are even pretty girls in this place—he rubbed his hands together— come on, James, don't be selfish, I've never had a life like this and now that I have it, I don't want to waste it—he insisted. 

—don't be silly, you couldn't even behave like an ordinary human—I shook my head, it would be crazy—you would certainly be a problem and raise many suspicions, understand !

"Haven't they told you that sometimes you behave well when you're bitter?"

astrid

"Hey friend, tell me something. You know that I am very observant and I could see something when, James, appeared in the classroom, I don't know , I saw how your eyes shone or were they my ideas?—he stalked me with his gaze making me a little nervous, but I couldn't tell him what what was going on between him and me, that is, we liked each other and we even kissed a couple of times, but there was still nothing concrete, we were not official boyfriends and if I told him that I had done that with him, there would often be the talk of reflection that always gave me about men. 

—shine ?— I pretended to be innocent—not at all, surely what you saw was just the reflection of the sun hitting my face—I put my lips in a single row—I just like her very much, we had already talked about that, right ?

—yum! Be careful, you're lying to me because the truth always comes to light and I wouldn't want him to try to take advantage of that with you now, just because he's muscular, look at Andrews , he's a more handsome boy, from a better social class and you've seen that he stands out in everything . At least I would drool over him—he was in a kind of trance. 

I almost wrinkled my face when he mentioned that guy's name to me, he was a womanizer and all ugly compared to my boy who shook the ground and my whole body, but well, that's what people like, but not even so. They will remove the attraction I feel for James, and yes, I can't deny that now he looks much better than before, too bad he's not with me and we're not in a place with a lot of privacy either. 

"Astrid," he snapped his fingers in front of my face, "what are you thinking?" 

—no, nothing— I came out of the state I was in—what do you think if we go get something to eat?— I suggested making my stomach make a little strange noises. 

—Very good idea—he got up taking my arm—I heard that they were preparing some hamburgers with many potatoes that we could like. 

I had forgotten to try the junk food here, although the food there was good, but it doesn't compare to the food here. 

JAMES 

—good night, family—I came home and noticed that my sisters were in the living room watching horror movies—hey, you—I called them—don't watch those things or you will surely have nightmares at night, I don't want to be listening to their cries. 

—We're too old to be afraid, don't you think?— they heard sure of themselves. 

—As you wish—I smiled—it seems that time passed quickly and my sisters grew more and more, suddenly they would start calling me brother-in-law or something like that.— dad and mom, where are they?—I wanted to know since they didn't let them see those things .

—They're at our grandparents' house, they won't come until later that night or that's what they said when they were leaving. 

—I understand—I went up to my room, I took off the clothes that I was changing for a looser one. I was wondering what things Katsuro might be doing right now, he had still left a void in the room, but I hoped to see him one day. 

astrid 

I was in a room trying to perfect my powers, because the truth is I felt frustrated when I went to the central dimension and I was a great help, on the contrary, I was a burden for all of them, if only I had been stronger than something I would have served, but it was not like that, what a pity with James who also gave his life for me , but I have promised myself that I will wrap myself tighter and this time I will be able to help the boys. 

"What are you doing?" Mom came to the room in surprise, I immediately pretended I was doing something else. 

"I just tidied up this room, mom, nobody's been here for a long time and I wanted to remove some of its dust, but since the temperature is quite hot I think it's made me sweat a lot" I put my lips in a single line, apparently he believed me . 

"Okay, but come down soon because dinner will be served." He closed the door. 

Whoops ! _ That was close... 

JINSU 

—wake up James—I shook his body—stop lazing around, there's no mascara to lose—I kept moving his body. 

—What's wrong with you, Jinsu ? —He opened his eyes and noticed that it was still night—what's the reason for your foolishness? Look at the time you look alike—he was angry. 

—hey, if I come here it's not to see your face all drooling on that pillow. Don't you feel that power? 

"Yes," he concentrated, " Astrid!" he snapped, "why the hell didn't you say before?" He quickly dressed. 

A dark force was moving in that direction and we had to intercept it before it reached Astrid. 

astrid 

I had had a nightmare with my best friend who had passed away for many years where I witnessed his death, it was horrible even in a dream. I woke up suddenly and I was glad that everything had been that, I took a look to the side on my nightstand and my glass of water had finished so I decided to go to the living room to drink some more. When I was in the kitchen I heard footsteps coming towards me and I noticed a large silhouette. 

A scare ran through my whole body, it paralyzed me immediately. But he kept walking until the light from the kitchen hit his face, incredibly it was my friend with whom he had had that nightmare. 

"Hello, Astrid," he extended his hand to greet me, still not believing that he was alive after so many years. 

"You..." I pointed at him with my trembling index finger.

—I'm not dead, don't worry, I just came to talk a little, we haven't talked for a long time and I'd like to tell you about things I did while I was away. 

At that moment I remembered the things that I had lived in the central dimension and they made me distrust him a bit , but his face said something else, he looked friendly so I trusted him at that moment. 

—come—I took him to a table so that we could have a good conversation—tell me, how did you spend it? Everyone here thought you were dead, but I see that somehow you managed to come back. 

- Yes , what happens is that I suffered a process that cost me a lot, but here I am and that's the important thing, but you know, now that I think about it better I want to show you something - he stood up, took my hand and took me out of the home—I'll show you a place you've never seen. 

JAMES

"Damn, what is that ?" I pointed out and a giant flash near Astrid's house was seen "let's hurry up Jinsu , something bad is about to happen. " 

When we arrived at the place there was a hurricane wind that absorbed everything in its path and I noticed that Astrid was next to another guy I didn't know. 

—Astrid ! —I yelled desperately and with bad luck she didn't listen to me—Astrid!—I tried again and looked towards me . 

" James!" he yelled loudly waving his hand. 

"This can't be true," Jinsu said instantly a portal was formed with a very creepy entrance, there were two demons with large horns on each side guarding that portal. " James!" he shouted into the void, "save Astrid, those are the doors. " to the underworld, we are not prepared to enter that dimension. 

Instantly I saw how that strange guy grabbed Astrid by the waist heading for that portal. 

" No!" I extended my hand as I struggled against that hurricane wind. 

" James!" Astrid's tears could be seen as the wind carried them "please don't leave me." 

I transformed and fought against the current but that guy activated a shield which couldn't go any further, I unsheathed my sword, but it was useless, he smiled as he went deeper and deeper. To the point that I was losing sight of him, I just watched Astrid's hand vanish along with him . 

—No !— I screamed with a lot of pain falling to my knees—it can't be—I hit the ground again and again—I'm to blame for this happening, it's my damn fault—my tears rolled down my cheeks, defeated for having snatched me away from him. Which I love most. 

"Calm down, James," Jinsu came to comfort me, "this is not your fault or mine, things happen and something has to be done now with what just happened, even I didn't know anything about this, come on, get up, I don't like to see you like this, you look bad and like this we will not be able to think well. 

-And what do you want me to do? If all this is my fault, if I had been with her nothing would happen, first it was with Katsuro and now with the woman I love, you don't understand anything about these things—I freed myself from his grip. 

It was wrong, I was looking at the moon and the stars with my broken heart.