“Sora-sama?” The Abbe waived his hand in front of his master who looked completely blanked out.

Maylon and Gustav were curious as well. They knew he was fine….but why did he just conk off like that?

The Abbe gently touched his master by the shoulder and asked again, “Sora-sama is everything alright?”

Sora regained his composure and then looked at the Abbe with painfully. He simply said, “It must be painful to live forever….”

The Abbe was at a loss of words. Never in his life had he met a person who didn’t want to live forever. All of his previous masters were enthusiastic and did their best to live longer….sadly none of them reached even half of the Abbe’s current age. All of them were killed by the ways of this torturous world….was his master suicidal? Abbe shook his head, he knew Sora better. There was a deeper meaning behind Sora’s words; not to live forever did not mean the same as not wanting to live at all. Then who were these raw painful emotions directed to? Enma. The old Templar looked at Sora in disbelief, could this person really be feeling pity Enma? The Immortal God?

“Master….” Abbe tried to console. “The immortal god….doesn’t deserve any sympathy…”

Sora looked at the Abbe as if he didn’t have a clue what the Abbe was talking about.

“You are speaking about him and his longevity?”

“Heck no!” Sora exclaimed. “I am worrying about myself…

“Oh..” The Abbe was at a loss of words. He never really fully comprehended his master. This was definitely the most fickle master he had ever had.

“I hoped to be done with this game soon…” Sora added as he looked around the park.

The Abbe was stunned with the last remark. ‘Done with the game?’ – Is this a game to him?

The Abbe wondered what really went in Sora’s mind. He sometimes behaved very intelligent like a genius but then his actions never matched his words….and would come across like a fool. Even when he first met his master, the Abbe was sure like all the other adventurers Sora would ask him hundreds of questions about this world….but all he was interested in was the Abbe’s technique Glow Finger Scripture….one of the most useless skills and a completely irrelevant topic.. even now he seems to be hardly interested in one topic. The Abbe looked at his master and waited impatiently for him to return to his normal demeanour, they needed a plan of action….any plan to decide where would they go from here...however Sora was not interested any more in the talk about Feladonia or Enma, he seemed to be looking around…

“Master is everything alright?” The Abbe asked sensing something was wrong.

“We have company, they don’t seem to be interested in harming us but they are tailing us…” Sora said as he looked back the Abbe. “Are they friends of yours?”

The Abbe quickly expanded his presence and he noticed a faint but subtle presence of others watching him. When he looked in the direction of the presence he could see ordinary people in the distance having a picnic. The Abbe frowned.

“Secret Police?” Sora asked.

The Abbe looked at his master with eyes wide open. How did he know that? It bothered the Abbe not knowing his master’s true strength; not that Sora was physically strong or a genius but although he acted aloof he was already thinking several steps ahead….or at least the Abbe thought he did. Most adventurers have a normal body and only few go as far as to modify it to the extent Sora did….but when the Abbe noticed the cruel weaknesses his master’s body carried he wondered if Sora would even survive the desert? The Abbe knew his existence was crucial for his master’s survival…he didn’t believe that Sora would have survived without him….and then what happened a few days completely stupefied…when his master lost his mind he became a powerful master which took all of the Abbe’s strength to suppress. The Abbe wondered was it a calculated move to have such a body or simple luck?

“So are they friends of yours?” Sora asked again.

“No, they are no friends of mine.”

“Then, we have a problem, if you haven’t invited them why are they tailing us?” Sora asked with a stern tone.

“Sora-sama, are you accusing me of betraying you?” The Abbe asked in shock. He couldn’t believe his master thought him to be a traitor.

“It is a likely possibility.” Sora said calmly. “I know very little about guardians and can only make a guess about the conditions put forth by the Oath of Loyalty.”

“Grandfather is no traitor!” Maylon defended her grandfather angrily.

“Master, no guardian can ever betray his master….” The Abbe tried to clarify.

Sora pouted for a moment and then said, “Don’t tell me your bible is written by Issac Asimov?”

The Abbe and Maylon looked at their master as if they didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

“You know, to never harm a master or let a master come to harm, to always obey humans unless this violates the First Law, and to protect its own existence unless this violates the First or Second Laws. Something like that?” Sora asked casually.

The Abbe and Maylon both had their mouths dangling open.

Sora looked at them and wondered did he hit jackpot. After he heard what the Abbe said about not betraying he figured it was something like ‘I Robot’ …since this game was really into copy right infringements, he guessed the rules for Guardians would be similar.

The Abbe regained his composure and looked at Sora suspiciously. He had no clue whether Sora was genius or average whatever the case maybe he decided he needed to fill in the gaps for Sora before he reached the wrong conclusion.

“Sora-sama, please let me explain. Forgive me for not explaining everything sooner….it has just been exhausting….not many traverse through the Great Arid Desert as we did..”

“Go on….I am really interested in what you have to say….especially since you ignored me for so long already…”

“Please let me assure neither Maylon, Gustav or I, are capable of betraying you.”

“…” Sora didn’t buy it but he listened to what the old man had to say.

“You are right Guardians are bound by the Oath of Loyalty and what you described are truly some of the more important rules laid down for Guardians…”

“Why can vampires kill their own masters?”

The Abbe could see that Sora was being fickle again. He never really stuck to one topic.

“It is a matter of attribute. Those on the path of righteousness and the holy are strictly bound to the Oath however for those belonging to or sworn into or even born with the blood of Darkness are not governed by the Oath…..” The Abbe wondered if Sora understood him.

“But if the master is stronger they will obey?” Sora asked.

“That applies to everyone in this world, Sora-sama. The weak obey the strong. It has nothing to do with the Oath.”

“But Gustav never really obeys me…”

Gustav flinched slightly as he heard that.

“Gustav is a Garzala. The tribe of Garzal has an inkling of darkness, as long as it resides in his blood he is never completely bound by it…”

“But Maylon and you are?” The Sora shot back.

“Yes we are…a holy Templar like myself is completely bound by it and Maylon by lineage must obey as well…”

Sora seemed to be satisfied with the explanation. “So go on, tell me more about these rules.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot.” The Abbe said while hiding his face. All his explanations about being honest would likely be re-examined the Abbe thought.

“I understand, it is a rule that you cannot explain the rules of being a Guardian?” Sora asked without doubting the Abbe.

“Yes…I can only speak about rules which you have discovered…”

“…”

“As you know, the rules are;

A Guardian must never harm or knowingly bring harm to its master.

A Guardian must never disobey its master.

Lastly, a Guardian must protect its own existence in accordance with the above set rules.” The Abbe explained.

Sora thought for a while an spoke, “A Guardian must never lie must be there somewhere in between and….I am guessing a Guardian dies when it breaks the above rules or is freed when its master dies?”

The Abbe at this point just accepted Sora’s intellect as he saw it. He wasn’t a genius but he wasn’t a fool either…

The Abbe nodded. “Yes, however if I may add we are never truly free.”

“Is that why you were chains when I met you?” Sora asked.

“Yes…freedom is only temporary, once our master dies we are returned to prisons.”

“Can you ever truly be free?” Sora asked with a darkened expression.

“It is possible…” The Abbe said while being reserved about the topic.

Sora looked around and noticed Maylon was seriously interested in this topic. Even Gustav who normally was never interested in conversations seemed to be interested.

“It is alright, now that they know this much they will surely find out about it sooner or later…” Sora said looking at their eager eyes. “I rather have them know in front of me than behind my back and plot something dastardly.”

The Abbe nodded, “The rules prevent me from speaking to you however I can tell them.”

Sora frowned. “Could you write it?”

The Abbe nodded side-ways.

“Then don’t tell them.”

Both Maylon and Gustav looked at Sora angrily.

“Sora-sama…” The Abbe began this time.

“Yes?”

“I have one question…maybe more…”

Sora paused for a second. “I’ll only answer one.”

“How did you know they were Secret Police?”

Sora smiled, “Because if had created this city, I would have had Secret Police tail those I am suspicious of.”

“Then you were never really suspicious of me?” The Abbe asked with surprised expression.

“Not really, you implied it yourself and I just went along with it….if you really had to betray me why not do it in the Arid Desert…unless of course it is something that can only be done in the city….either ways I don’t doubt you because I never really trusted you…” Sora said peacefully.

Gustav had no idea what Sora said so quickly but he understood it must have been something big since both Maylon and the Abbe had their jaws dangling down again.

“Oh and when I said were they your friends, I really meant it, since they seem to be staring at you more than me…the one who is suspiciously dressed.”