Ana's resolve

The Female Guardian appeared before Ana, her sword poised inches from Ana's face.

"She's fast!" Ana exclaimed, deftly deflecting the blade's trajectory with her small knife.

Ana leaped back, taking necessary precautions. She didn't know the Guardian's strengths or weaknesses, but one thing was certain: her speed was formidable. As Ana analyzed the situation, she noticed the Male Guardian comfortably sipping tea at the other end of the arena. 'What's his deal?' she wondered.

Unbeknownst to Ana, the Female Guardian was already upon her again. "Always focus on the enemy in front of you!" she admonished, swinging her sword in a beheading arc. Ana quickly bent backward to dodge the slash, then threw her chained knife, wrapping it around the Guardian's sword to disarm her. Realizing her mistake after several tugs, Ana swiftly unwrapped the chain and leaped back.

This time, however, the Female Guardian was determined not to let Ana escape. She rushed forward, executing an upward slash. Ana managed to dodge slightly but received a cut on her cheek.

"This is rough," Ana cursed, panting. Beads of sweat dotted her face as she neared her limit. The Guardian before her was no ordinary opponent. "An Awaken," Ana noted, judging by her strength and speed.

"You! You are no ordinary villager…" the Female Guardian stated, glancing at a small cut on her wrist. 'If I was a second late, I would have lost my hand,' she thought, fixing her gaze on Ana. "Who are you?"

"Huh… who knows," Ana replied with a grin.

"I'm going to wipe that smile off your face!" The Female Guardian rushed at Ana, engaging her in a fierce sword clash.

The sound of clashing swords reverberated through the area. Nearby soldiers were surprised to see someone holding their ground against the Female Guardian. But with each collision, Ana grew weaker.

Seeing the battle take a different turn, Ana switched to defense, dodging every slash. Her relentless evasion made the Female Guardian increasingly frustrated, leading to wild, uncalculated swings. Ana patiently waited for her opponent to tire. No one, regardless of skill, could maintain such a frenzied pace and retain their stamina.

Following Ana's plan, the Female Guardian eventually embedded her sword in the ground. "Now's my chance," Ana thought, jumping back and retrieving eight small knives from her dress. She hurled them at the Guardian. Though the Guardian dodged five, three struck her. Ana didn't stop there. She charged, swinging her chained knife at the Guardian's face. The Guardian bent backward to dodge, but Ana quickly swung another knife at her leg. The blade impaled the Guardian, though it stuck in her skin. Smiling, the Guardian pulled the knife from her leg and used it to drag Ana closer. She then retrieved a small knife from her pouch and plunged it into Ana's stomach.

Ana stumbled backward, staring at her bloodied stomach in shock, unable to process her thoughts.

The Female Guardian, her body also covered in blood, seemed unbothered by her injuries. Unlike Ana's, none of her wounds were vital. The Guardian retrieved her sword from the ground and performed a precise downward slash, cutting Ana from shoulder to waist. Blood sprayed through the air as Ana fell to her knees, staring at the Guardian's sinister smile.

'Damn it! Your ugly face just had to be the last thing I see,' Ana thought, feeling a fleeting sense of peace before her passing. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

"Sis!!"

"Dan?" Ana turned her head and saw Dan, unharmed, as if he had been hiding.

"Oh? Is that your brother? I guess I'll just have to kill him too…" The Female Guardian coughed up a mouthful of blood, her eyes red and swollen.

"Wh–What's this?" she questioned, looking at the blood in her palm.

"Took long enough," Ana smiled.

"What did you do, whore?!" the Female Guardian screamed at the top of her voice, sending shivers down the spines of the soldiers around her. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. Dan rushed to Ana and lifted her, supporting her with his shoulder as they hurriedly left the scene.

"I'll kill that whore with my own hands! I'll rip her apart limb by limb and feed her to the pigs!" the Female Guardian raged, losing control. An intense amount of ryo began escaping from her body rapidly.

"Senior!!" the Male Guardian intervened, a bronze amulet on his left arm. "This is a bronze plate mission; don't do anything stupid," he said, his voice shaking and incoherent, as though he too was afraid of her.

"Tsk…" The Female Guardian snapped back to her senses. Seeing the soldiers still staring at her, she yelled, "What are you pigs still doing here? Go get me that whore—"

"I'll take it from here," the Male Guardian interrupted, removing his cloak.

Dan and Ana ran through several buildings, but their efforts were in vain as the trail of Ana's blood still revealed their location. "Let's stop here," Ana whispered. Her face was pale; she had lost a lot of blood. Dan couldn't see what was happening, but he knew something was definitely wrong. Ana's ryo kept disappearing at an alarming rate.

"Sis, what's going on?!" Dan asked, panicking. Ana looked into Dan's eyes and remembered he was blind. She smiled weakly and spotted a barrel beside her. "First off, enter this," she instructed. Dan followed her ryo to the direction she pointed, feeling the wooden barrel. "Enter it, and I'll explain," Ana said.

"But sis—"

"Just enter the damn thing, you annoying brat," Ana forced out. Dan hesitated for a moment before opening the barrel. Surprisingly, it was spacious enough even when he entered. "Have you covered it?" Ana asked.

"Yeah…" Dan replied as tears began to roll down his eyes. Even though he couldn't see, he sensed Ana fading away.

"Daniel, listen to me carefully. You need to survive no matter what. Go to the capital and find Mom; she is alive…" Dan's eyes widened at his sister's final words. "When you meet her, you'll learn everything you need to know and, hopefully, achieve our dream." Ana coughed up blood, nearing the end of her time. "I'm sorry, Dan. I wasn't able to be your ideal sister. I couldn't cook the food you loved like Mom did. I know I can't replace her, but if only… if only I could go back, I would have never…" Ana's voice trailed off as she passed away.

Dan could no longer sense Ana's presence. His eyes filled with tears, but he couldn't cry out, knowing that if he did, his sister's effort to hide him would be in vain.

A while later, the Male Guardian followed the trail of blood and arrived at their location. He found Ana's lifeless body resting against the wall of a burnt house. He laid her body on the ground, placing her hands on her chest, and said some prayers. Then, he noticed the barrel beside him.

"What's the point of hiding if you continue to give off such killing intent?" he remarked and was about to leave. "Survive, young one. At a young age, you have seen the world's repulsive side, but amidst such hardship, one must persevere. That's what life is about." With that, the Male Guardian departed.