The fog around the Sect's edges had thickened. Night in the Eastern Quadrant of Hollow Peak was no longer a time for rest but for awakening. The moon hung like a silver coin embedded in ink, casting cold light across the training grounds.
Aarav stood before the ancient Moon-Rooted Tree, its pale bark pulsing faintly, roots twined around forgotten graves. He'd had the grounds cleared earlier that day after a disciple collapsed near its base. Not from exhaustion. But from fear.
The disciple's soul had been touched.
And that meant only one thing: a Guardian had awakened.
---
It started subtly.
Faint whispers. Shadows stretching too far. The feeling that if you looked away, you'd see something behind your back. Aarav had dismissed it as another prank by Zhen or a ripple from a cultivator trying new techniques.
But then Xue Lan came to him.
"She's watching again," she whispered, kneeling before him. Her eyes trembled, though not from fear. From memory. "The one who hums in the tree. She knows I can hear her."
Aarav sat up straighter. "What does she say?"
"Nothing. Only hums… a lullaby. Then cries like a mother with empty arms."
He stared at the Moon-Rooted Tree. "We sealed that tree with six cleansing formations. It shouldn't still carry the echo of a Guardian."
Xue Lan shook her head. "It's not an echo. It's an invitation."
---
By midnight, they had gathered: Aarav, Xue Lan, Zhen the Trickster, Yi Feng the Quiet Iron, and little Miya, who clung to Xue's sleeve, her fox ears twitching with every breeze.
They stood around the tree, protective wards drawn, incense burning in black lotus bowls.
Aarav stepped forward, staff in hand, drawing a line across the ground with its tip. "This is voluntary," he said. "Whatever lies beneath this tree has bound itself in sorrow. If you step in, you're choosing to risk your mind and your heart."
Zhen grinned. "So, another Tuesday?"
Yi Feng chuckled softly. Xue said nothing.
They stepped across the line.
---
The moment they entered the tree's radius, the world tilted.
Snow. In summer.
Wind. From beneath the ground.
A sudden hush, so complete it rang in their bones.
Aarav could feel her now.
Not a demon. Not a soul fragment. A true Guardian, imprisoned not in hate, but in grief.
His system whispered: "Potential Guardian match found: Emotional resonance—Maternal Guilt. Trauma Tier: Crimson."
The ground cracked. The roots uncoiled, revealing a stone door beneath the tree—engraved with runes of abandonment.
Miya whimpered. "She's sad. So, so sad."
Aarav laid his palm against the door.
"I'll go," Xue Lan said suddenly.
"What?" Aarav turned.
"She… she called me by name. She said, 'Lan'er, don't cry alone like me.'"
Aarav searched her eyes. "You sure?"
Xue Lan nodded. "If she's stuck, maybe I can unstick her. I know what it's like to cry in silence."
The door opened.
---
Inside was not a tomb, but a nursery.
Cribs lined the walls, untouched by dust. Dolls lay where they'd been left centuries ago. The air was thick with sweet lavender, and sorrow.
In the center sat a woman made of moonlight and memory. She cradled an invisible child, rocking back and forth.
When she looked up, Aarav almost gasped.
She had Xue Lan's face.
Only older. And broken.
"You came," she said. "But not in time. None of them lived. Not even her."
Xue Lan stepped forward. "Who are you?"
"I was Mei. Sect Matron of the Hundred Cradle Peak. I died when war came. I protected the children. I took their pain. But I couldn't protect my daughter."
She looked at Miya, then at Aarav.
"Do you still raise disciples? Or only warriors?"
Aarav bowed. "We raise hearts."
"Then take mine."
She reached out a spectral hand. "Let me be Guardian again. Not of battle. But of healing."
System prompt blinked: "Guardian 'Mei of the Moon-Rooted Tree' requests soul contract. Accept?"
Xue Lan knelt. "I accept."
The room exploded in light.
When it cleared, Xue Lan stood alone. Her hair had turned silver at the tips. A cradle-shaped sigil glowed on her palm.
Aarav exhaled. "She's with you now."
Xue Lan smiled. For the first time, it reached her eyes.
---
They returned to the surface as dawn broke.
Zhen was already sketching out new training ideas.
Yi Feng offered incense.
Miya looked up. "Will we get more like her?"
Aarav looked at the sky. "Many more."
He thought of the upcoming Great Realm Break. Of the Guardians who still waited. Of the disciples who hadn't arrived yet.
And of the mountain he would one day build.
One peak at a time.
---
Comment Question for Readers:
If you could have a Guardian to protect one memory, one person, or one part of yourself… what would it be?
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End of Chapter 19