Guardians of The Damned-Chapter 28: From Yesterday

"We should retreat," I said, changing my mind.

"Of course we should! Especially after some guy just walked up to me and said we're all going to die!"

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"He looked weak, so I figured he was just bluffing. But after hearing that three of our guys died, I realized he wasn't just mouthing off."

"Dre, calm down. Did he have a blue sword and wear a black robe?"

"Yeah. Wait—how did you know?"

"Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah, but seriously, how did you know what he looked like?"

"Just answer the question," I urged him.

"He told me to withdraw my team or we'd be wiped out."

The same warning as that woman gave us. Could the two of them be working together? I rubbed my chin, thinking.

"So, what should we do?" Miem asked.

"We ask Eve."

I didn't waste time and called her through the watch.

"Eve—"

**[I've heard.]**

She cut me off before I could speak. Her voice was sharp and brief, but I could hear the buried anger—and sadness. I felt the same.

"What should we do?" My voice came out weaker than I expected. It surprised me.

**[Retreat.]** No hesitation.

I had braced for that answer, yet doubt still crept in. Was it the right decision? Sure, we lacked manpower, but if that device ends up in the wrong hands... would retreating really be the right call? What about the ones who had already died?

What was Goo Han's death for? Did he die for nothing? Like hell I could accept that. And yet, deep down, I knew I had to. We couldn't win. Not now.

**[I understand, Sunny. I know what you're thinking. If that device falls into the wrong hands, millions could die. But if we continue now, we'll die for nothing. Is that what you want?]**

Of course not. I was just testing you, I replied in my heart.

"Then what about their deaths? Are we just going to ignore them?" Hakku raised his voice slightly.

"Their deaths aren't meaningless. And we're not ignoring them. We'll win—just not today. Retreat isn't defeat; it's a strategic move."

Hakku's shoulders dropped a little. "Yeah, you're right."

I checked Eve's position. She was already moving toward the outskirts of the mist.

"Eve's pulled back. We need to go. Miem—hey, what's wrong?"

She was staring into the distance, unmoving. I followed her gaze—to the undead dragon. She hadn't banished it. Why?

Now that I thought about it, I hadn't let Puffy rest either. He'd been on my back the whole time.

"Miem, is something wrong with your dragon?"

"Sunny... what should I do? I can't dismiss it. Oh no. Not again..." Her voice trembled, panic tightening her features. She stepped back, clumsy, and fell.

Sweat rolled down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, calm down. What's going on?" I rushed to her side.

"This is why I hate dangerous missions!" she shouted. "I thought I was ready. I thought I'd grown stronger. But I haven't changed at all!"

She wasn't angry at us—only herself.

I looked at Dre for help. He just shrugged.

Then the dragon let out a deafening roar and unleashed a storm of flame. Its tail swung wildly, leveling buildings. Debris flew. Thick dust choked the air.

"This is bad!" Dre shouted. "If it keeps going, it'll destroy the whole district!"

"Miem, we need to stop it—and we need you. Tell us what to do. We'll deal with the rest later."

She didn't respond. She looked paralyzed, as if haunted by something old and painful.

Just when I was about to act without her, she inhaled sharply.

Her eyes lit up. She slapped her own cheek, hard. Something in her had reignited. Maybe she'd had a flashback, like those cliché scenes in fiction—but it worked.

"No need—I'll explain. I lose control of my undead creatures when I'm too stressed or emotionally unstable. The deaths earlier... they took a toll on me. I'm sorry, everyone."

"You don't need to apologize. Are you okay?" Hakku asked gently.

"I'm okay now. Really. I'm sorry for causing trouble."

"It's okay, Miem. Just tell us how to stop the dragon," Hakku said.

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"You guys..." She looked at us, her voice catching. We weren't mad. That made her smile. "Every time I summon a mythical beast, I need an anchor—a bone from the creature. I call it the Primal Bone. If we remove it, the beast disappears."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Its chest. But we have to hurry. Without my control, the dragon will regain consciousness and start to heal itself."

"Isn't it dead?"

"Yes—but when I summon it, a fragment of its soul descends into the body. Without that, it's just an empty shell."

If she lost control of the soul fragment, it would start repairing itself. I didn't know the full mechanics, but that had to be an insanely powerful soul.

I nodded. "How much time do we have?"

"Five minutes."

I grunted and turned to Dre. "Can you shoot it?"

"I don't know if it's strong enough to pull the bone out."

"Not strong enough?"

"Yeah. It just launches a giant arrow."

"Let me see."

Dre summoned it. An arrow formed, crackling with unfamiliar energy.

This energy...

It clicked. The guy who attacked me earlier had used the same kind of energy to summon swords—and those swords were *strong*. Why would Dre think this arrow was weak?