Red couldn't help but gape at the corpse that was sprawled at his feet. He hadn't known much about the powerful gearborn except what Iris had told them. All he knew was that the robot had been strong, stronger than Zara even. Now, in the blink of an eye, it was dead.
His gaze slowly fell across the remains of the creature. It was split cleanly in two down the center. Wires spilled out of the cut, as well as a strange black liquid that seemed to be some combination of oil and blood. Red grimaced as the pool reached his feet, and he quickly stepped to the side to avoid the strange concoction.
It was then that his brain finally caught up with the present circumstances. His gaze flicked upwards, and he stumbled back in surprise. A massive hulking figure loomed in front of him. For a moment, Red thought that it was Silas's golem. However, this creature was not a hobbled-together golem. Its body was carved from stone, with intricate patterns across its flesh. Its form resembled a human far more than Silas's golem ever could.
In its hand was a massive great axe that was also carved of stone. The weapon must have weighed a ton, and yet, the creature held it over its shoulder like a stick. The blade dripped the same black oil that was currently staining the ground.
Red opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say to a creature such as this? It had taken him a moment to register what he was seeing fully and for his mind to clear from another near-death experience. When it did, he realized that he recognized the rock creature. It had appeared in the nightmare he had after killing the pirate. Red wasn't sure how he knew that when most of the nightmare had faded away, but he did.
When he realized that, a whole slew of realizations also reached his mind. Words echoed in his head that shouldn't have been there. Strange pulls that caused him to change his plans. They were all connected to the figure that stood before him.
A voice echoed in Red's mind at that realization: "It took you long enough."
Red flinched slightly as he understood what this meant. It meant that everything Derrin had been telling him was true. The figure before him was Guardian, or at least some semblance of Guardian.
Speaking of Derrin, Red glanced past Guardian, trying to catch sight of his friend in the chaos. He spotted Derrin on the other side of the cavern engaged with the enemy. Or his friend would have been engaged with the enemy, had they been moving. Derrin appeared to be completely frozen in place, as did the other robots.
"What? How is that possible?" Red gaped.
Guardian turned and surveyed the frozen battlefield. "A simple trick, really. Time is not frozen as you may think it is. This conversation we are having is taking place within your mind. Your mind is able to speed up enough to make our conversation seem almost instant. However, there is not much time before I must release you, lest you face the consequences."
Red glared at the rock guardian. "So, you sped up my perception so you could have a chat with me, but you couldn't bother to be of any help to us while we're here."
"You humans always get the wrong ideas."
"Is that so? Then do explain why haven't you done anything to help us? Zara at least was trying to protect you, isn't that like one of your central tenets or something?"
Guardian chuckled slightly. "For a human to talk to me like this, it has certainly been a while."
Red flinched slightly. His mind seemed to have been put at ease. That ease allowed him to forget who he was talking to. If this being wished, Red could be dead any moment. There was nothing he could do or try that would save him. After the way the Guardian slew the gearborn, Red knew it was a useless proposition. And he had the gall to speak so callously. He really needed to watch his tongue.
"It is quite alright, Redwynn. I am sure you are just now realizing that you spoke rashly. I will not punish you for that. None of my kind would. It proves strength of will and courage. In fact, she might quite like to hear about that…" Guardian seemed to contemplate something for a moment.
"Who?"
Shaking his head, Guardian refocused on Red. "It is of no concern at the moment. You have far more pressing matters, in case you have forgotten. Your friends are in danger, as is the entire island."
"Then why are you still holding me here? I need to get out there and fight."
"Of course you do. However, this conversation is far more important to your success than you think. You have gained the interest of a sea heart after all. It is rare for people of our interest, and least of all, those so young. However, you seem to have done far more for progressing my goals than any other of your age."
"What does that even mean? Derrin explained some, but I still don't understand. Does this mean I will unlock my first heart layer?"
Guardian smiled, which looked strangely human on his alien face. "You are just getting started, boy. In order to complete any sea, you must gain the regard of a sea heart. It is easier than most think, just time-consuming. That is only the first step, though. You have exceeded expectations in that regard, but it is still only the first step."
"So, you're saying that I won't gain any extra credit for doing better than anticipated?"
"I didn't say that. I have a reward that I think you appreciate. The process to obtain the full layer is much deeper, though. It doesn't just involve the mind, but the soul and spirit as well. You still have much work to do, Redwynn."
"It's always work, isn't it?" Red grimaced slightly.
His mind had started to grow slightly hazy. He realized immediately that whatever strange time manipulation Guardian had instilled in him was wearing on him. He already felt the beginnings of a headache forming. It was a headache that seemed to strike at every point in his mind at once. There wasn't much time, he knew.
Guardian frowned. "Our time runs short. When I release you, it will be up to you to save your friends and the island."
"Up to me?" Red frowned. "How am I supposed to do that? And also, aren't you a Guardian? I saw what you did to that robot. Why don't you just do that to the rest of them? It would be easy enough, plus it seems to fit right under your purview."
"My permissions to act are far tighter than you would accept. The reason I acted to save you was that you were already in conversation with me. Once I end the conversation, I can no longer act directly. I may be Guardian, but that doesn't mean I can guard in such a straightforward manner."
"Which is why…" Guardian's eyes focused on him. "I have someone else to perform the duty instead."
He scoffed, "Me? I can't do anything against that many Gearborn. How am I even…"
Guardian raised a finger, causing Red to sputter to a stop. "Did I not say I had a reward for you?"
Red felt a glowing energy take hold of his body. His entire being seemed to light up with a golden glow. Looking down at his hands, he could see the faint shimmer glinting across his skin. Had he been able to see himself, he would have seen his pupils turn golden as well.
"This is only a taste of my true power. It is my blessing to you. It will only last one minute before the effects fade, lest they tear your body apart. You must act at that time, or all hope will be lost."
Red couldn't even speak. He was in awe of the glow suffusing his entire being. Slowly looking up, Red met the deity's eyes. His body thrummed with power waiting to be activated. His muscles tightened as if preparing to pounce. He felt stronger, faster, and smarter than he did before. If he didn't need to fight, he would have taken the intelligence to try and come up with improvements to his shielding design.
With that not being an option, he knew he would have to just make use of the golden power as best as he could. His head suddenly pulsed as he felt a spike of pain lancing through it. The power did little to combat the effect as it raged in his mind.
"We seem to be out of time. You must fight, Redwynn. Make use of my blessing. The blessing of Guardian. Guardian's blessing. Your faculties are all enhanced, and you should make use of your mistweapon during this time. It'll likely be the only time in a while you'll be able to experience what a true mistweapon does."
"Now go!"
"Be true!"
"Fight strong!"
"BE A GUARDIAN!"
The time stop ended.