PHASE 25 - THE TWO LETTERS WHICH CAME FROM HELL

Gate Guardian for Dummies extended page 21. God or Goddess Core are special types of non-consumable Quintessences that are properly cultivated inside a heart of a Gate Guardian. These orbs of light can now only be used to transform to a random Mythical God and obtain their special abilities.

For example, Jeannette transforming to Freya will give her an excessive boost to charisma and surround her with aphrodisiac-like aroma because she’s the goddess of beauty and love. She also has the ability to spawn some future-tech gadgets because she’s also considered the goddess of war.

That aphrodisiac aroma explains why it’s hard to look away from those melon-like boobs. I’m not a pervert in the first place. Oh, you have to believe me!

<>

We’re now boarded in a bus to Myrrh City, the home of quality beaches. It is also the home of the Black Cross Legion, which is the head organization of Gate Guardians.

The bus engine has been emitting whirring noise, so we can’t hear our snacks and chips being massacred by the dead hungry shrine maiden.

Tiara’s seatmate is Helena who happens to have motion sickness. Helena doesn’t care about the snacks because she’s trying hard not to throw up. She’s even holding a plastic bag in front of her, just in case.

Unfortunately for me, I’m seated with my childhood friend Amy. I’ll call her by her old nickname from now on because well… the author is too lazy to type Jeannette all the time… Errr… It’s not like she has regained my trust! Well, maybe she regained our friendship a bit because she has tried selflessly saving my butt a couple of times.

Amy has been gazing out the window for a while now, and she’s not on her usual talkative self.

“Amy…” I said her nickname. I repeat, I finally said it.

“Y-Y-Yes?” Amy was really surprised upon hearing her old nickname.

“Something troubling you?”

The blonde loli-looking teenager heavily sighed. “Those Cursed Guardians are already on the move. There are multiple reports of their assaults against Gate Guardians.”

Amy presented me her phone which indicates records of the Cursed Guardians. She showed me the picture of the cloaked man that wears a skull of a wolf, and it has a title of Void Wolf.

“Void Wolf. That’s the codename of the Cursed Guardian who attacked us. Unfortunately, the one who appeared in the Kozukata Shrine; The Outsider, that guy doesn’t fit on any records.” She paused for several seconds, and then looked so serious at me. “But he seems to know you. A lot.”

I felt like she’s accusing me of being a traitor so I forced a smile and waved my hands to wipe off that atmosphere. “I-I don’t know him at all, believe me!” Then I sighed. “He appeared multiple times when I had a during my dream. He has been saying nonsense about our fate and something about the Frozen Soul.”

“Frozen Soul… “ Amy’s face was dead shocked.

“Why, what is it?”

“I feel like I’ve heard something about it, but I’m not so sure.” Amy now shifted to a jolly smile. “Don’t worry, there are scholars in the Black Cross Mansion. We’ll know some things about that Frozen Soul thing.”

Suddenly, I heard Tiara’s amazing voice. “Oh, the beach is so beautiful~”

All of us gazed upon the astounding view of the ocean. There are various resorts in a white sand, and colorful umbrellas gave joy to the scenery. And there were the blue seas, touching the horizon that seemingly wants to reach the sun. It’s the dawn of summer.

But our amazement went to disgust.

“Puwahuk!” Helena finally released all those evil substances from her stomach.

<>

From the bus terminal, we hired a cab to deliver us to the Black Cross Mansion.

I know that the Black Cross Legion is a big organization, but I didn’t imagine that their headquarters would be so large. They call it a mansion, but for me, it is a castle. There are tall thick castle walls surrounding the hundreds of hectares of land. After passing the main gate, there is this garden filled with colorful roses and weirdly shaped tulips.

We entered the great castle door and was astonished once more. The main hall is made for a royalty, where there are a wide red carpet and golden chandeliers. There are also portraits of the past Black Cross Legion masters. At the very center of the floor is their crest which is … surprise surprise… a sigil of a black cross.

Tiara is more awed since she’s a shut-in and it’s her first time seeing a lot of Gate Guardians together. There are shrine maidens, nuns, monks, Muslims, and men with suits. It feels like a convention center for mixed religious platforms. Maybe this is the only place where religions unite and fight a common enemy, which are the Eidolons.

An old butler assisted us until we reached the main office of the Legionmaster. There are bookshelves covering the walls of this room which makes the law office feel. There is a middle-aged nun seating on her desk, which has her name engraved on it. Sister Amanda Cryst, 1112th Legionmaster of the Black Cross.

“Greetings, Lord Freya.” the nun smiled. “I’m sorry that I summoned you in an unreasonable time.”

“It’s my honor to be of your service, your holiness.” Amy bowed. I’m surprised. I’ve never seen Amy so polite. She’s been seen as a renegade by her parents.

“You already know why I summoned you here. The Cursed Guardians are wreaking havoc and they have been active these past few weeks. It’s a very much alarming matter because we suspect that they are now well organized and they happen to follow a leader.”

The leader of the Black Cross revealed a stockpile of papers that look like a biodata. “Here is the list of the Gate Guardians that have fallen victim. We don’t know if they’re dead or corrupted as of this moment. Your team will be in charge of investigating the Cursed Guardians movements and know who is behind all of this.”

Amy took the papers and scanned the faces as if she was searching for some name. She then concluded that she knows none of them personally. But I saw that Helena irked. Is there something in the paper that made her surprised?

“I’ll also add a member for the team.” The holy nun said as she revealed two more biodatas.

The profile gives information about a white-haired 13-year-old girl named Key. Key only. No last name.

“You may be wondering why we included an underaged girl in your team. Key is an artificial human born with the perfect Gate Guardian capabilities. She was still a test tube baby when we rescued her during the Phoenix Incident. It will be a good experience for her to test her abilities. Just remember that she must stay away from the frontlines since she’s just a kid.”

“Your holiness… “ Amy voiced out. “It seems like my fellow High Guardian Helena Efilion has questions about the victims of the Cursed Guardians.”

“I know you would ask that.” The nun smiled. “I’m sorry I have to ask every person in this room to step out, except you and Helena.”

Tiara and I looked at Amy, and Amy gave a single nod. So we followed the orders and stepped outside the room. The butler assisted us to the main hall.

Suddenly, the very same butler gave out a letter for each of us. It was named for me and Tiara specifically. We both opened the envelopes and the message surprised us with a big handwritten font.

Mine says “I’ve been longing to see you, my friend. It’s been two long years! Meet me at the Black Cross Infirmary.”

This message ground my gears because of the sender. It says Kristoff Anderson, Amy’s ex-boyfriend. I’m pertaining to that fuckboy who stole the woman I loved two years ago. How dare him to act friendly to me!

“What’s yours?” I asked Tiara while trying to peek at her letter. She showed it conveniently for me to read. Actually, it was too easy to interpret because all letters are in caps.

‘YOU DUMBASS TIARA, WE HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WOMANIZING FUCKBOY FATHER!!! YOU HAVE TO TALK TO US YOU DAMN MONGREL!!! YOU BETTER SHOW YOUR ASS UP OR WE’LL KILL YOU!!! MEET US ON THE BAR ON THE LEFT WING. SMELL YOU LATER, WITCH!!!

From your beautiful half-sisters, Alice and Bella <3’

Tiara just made a sorry smile at me. I swear she’s hearing my blood pressure.