You groaned in pain and you forced your eyes open. Once you had your bearings, your eyes snapped open and you shot upright in your bed. Seated by your side, Alejo jumped in surprise and he turned towards you with wide eyes.
"Y/n, you're awake!" He exclaimed and he dove for you. You stared ahead of you with a perplexed gaze whilst Alejo hugged you tightly.
"What...happened?" You uttered. Alejo pulled himself away from you and he grasped you by the shoulders with a tight grip.
"I should be the one asking you that!" You turned your head up to him and you swallowed hard.
"T-The exam, what happened with the exam?" Alejo held his breath, and he furrowed his brows together.
"Um," by his hesitation, you could already guess what had happened. Your eyes welled up with tears and you dug your nails into your palms. You dropped your head and you stared into your lap with a frustrated smile.
"Did you pass at least?" You whispered in a barely audible voice. Alejo had almost missed your question you were that quiet. He felt incredibly sorry for you, and he wanted to hide the truth. 'But if I did that, she'd definitely get mad.' Alejo thought to himself. He then let in a deep breath, and he smiled sadly at you.
"I passed with flying colours." You nodded your head and you felt yourself calm down.
"That's good." Alejo bit his lip, and he reached for you. He then gasped and he grabbed you by the shoulder once more.
"A-Actually, there's another problem." You looked up at him with a visible look of confusion clearly written across your face.
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You and Alejo rushed into the living room where you saw Astro sitting on the couch with Kia, happily conversing with each other while drinking tea. Astro laughed at Kia's words. He then spotted you and Alejo standing by the hallway out of the corner of his eye, and his face lit up with a smile.
"So you're finally awake." He spoke. Your mouth hung open agape, and now it was Alejo's turn to be asking you questions.
"What did you do!? Why is the captain of the white diamond knights here!? Do you know how scared I was when he showed up out of nowhere!?" Alejo cried out and he shook you back and forth. You had blocked out his words and you could only stare fixatedly at Astro. Here he was, such an important person, sitting in Kia's home. And it looked like he had been waiting for you.
Astro stood up from the couch, leaving his untouched cup of tea the way it was, before walking over to you.
"Your name is Y/n, right?" He asked and offered a hand to you. Your arms were glued to your sides as you continued to stare at him with a wavering gaze of admiration. You were knocked out of your thoughts by a sharp jab to the side, and you looked over to Alejo who gave you a scolding look, silently urging you to respond.
"Um, yes! I'm Y/n.... A-And you're..." you trailed off, unsure of whether to speak his name or not. Astro closed his mouth in an attempt to muffle his laughter, and he gave you a kind smile. He then reached forwards and he grasped your hands in his. You began to freak out internally as he held them with a tight grip.
"My name is Astro, and I'm the stand in captain of the white diamond knights. I've come here for a very special reason. I'm glad to see that you're alright." You dumbfoundedly nodded your head and you stood nervously before his presence. You then watched him carefully as he reached down and grabbed the pendant from his neck.
Everyone's eyes widened when he held the pendant to your chest, and the pendant let out a soft glow. You blinked in confusion while Astro held an accomplished smile on his face. He then took back the pendant. "Y/n, I've been searching for you for a very long time." You looked at Astro with wide eyes.
"W-what?" Astro glanced down at the pendant and he clenched it tightly.
"You see this pendant?" You looked down at it and nodded. "This is the black onyx pendant. The guardian of this pendant hasn't appeared in over 200 years. My duty was to search for the guardian of this pendant while Tobio slept." Astro then looked up at you. "This pendant will only react to its master. You are the guardian of the black onyx pendant." He revealed.
Your eyes widened as well as Alejo's. Kia smiled knowingly. Astro's hold on your hands tightened, and he held an immense look of regret on his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you sooner, but seeing you fight like that just amazed me. I couldn't take my eyes off you." Astro whispered and he smiled excitedly at you. Your cheeks turned a light pink from the praise you had received from him.
"H-Hold on, what's this about the black onyx guardian? And a pendant? Are you saying that Y/n really is..." Alejo spoke up. Astro happily nodded your head while you were struggling to process his words. Astro then brought your hands to his chest and he leaned towards you.
"Come with me to the capital, Dr Tenma needs to see you." He said with a hint of excitement in his tone. Your eyes widened in pure disbelief. The capital!? Your lips parted slightly, as if you wanted to say something. You then shook your head and you took back your hands from his.
"Sorry, but I think you might have the wrong person. I'm not anyone that great, I'm just...nobody." Astro's eyes widened. He then frowned.
"Y/n, I assure you that you are someone special. If you weren't, then I wouldn't be as drawn to you, and neither would the pendant." You looked up at Astro. Alejo then spoke up, making you turn towards him.
"Don't act like you're nothing out of the ordinary, you came from the OUTLANDS. Do you really think any ordinary person would live in such a dangerous area and NOT be special?" Astro's eyes widened and he turned towards you in astonishment.
"You're from the outlands?" You nervously nodded your head. Astro's mouth hung open before he quickly regained his composure. "So that's why I couldn't find you." You felt incredibly freaked out and all you wanted to do was sleep. 'I'm tired, maybe I should have stayed in my room.' You thought glumly to yourself. Alejo had been eyeing you for a long while now, and it was at this moment he decided to speak his mind.
"Come on Y/n, if he says that you're the guardian of the black onyx, then you are, aren't you? Don't be so stubborn! You should be happy!" You looked to the side. Kia stood from the sidelines and she watched Astro and Alejo practically pester you about being the black onyx guardian. She then closed her eyes and decidedly stepped in.
"That's enough, you two. She has just come back from a very painful experience. I'd suggest that you give her some time to take in this information." She spoke wise words to them, making their eyes widen.
"I-I didn't mean to-" Alejo stopped himself short, and he gave you an apologetic look. "Sorry." You shook your head and you gave him a small smile.
"It's okay. Um..." you looked over at Astro and you fiddled with your fingers. Astro saw your hesitation. Now he felt bad about pressuring you to be the black onyx guardian. Despite his feelings, he couldn't let you go.
"I won't force you, and I know that you've been through a lot, but please think it over. I'll come back in three days for your answer." Astro then handed you the pendant, making you gasp. He used his hands to close your fingers over the pendant and he gripped them tightly. "If you don't decide to be the onyx guardian, then I'll take the pendant back. But if you do, then we'll go to the capital." Astro then released your hands and he stepped back. You looked at the pendant with a frozen look of shock on your face. You then stepped forwards and called out to him.
"W-Wait, I can't take this! I-Isn't this important!?" You cried out. Astro smiled kindly at you. He then stepped back and nodded his head respectfully to Kia. You felt rushed and this situation was very stressful. You let out a frustrated breath and you chased after him. "Hold on a minute!"
Astro stepped onto the pavement and you came stumbling after him. You breathed out a panicked breath and you looked up at him with gritted teeth.
"Please take this back. I've made my decision now! I can't become something I'm not, I-"
"Then why did you take the exam if you weren't ready to become a knight?" Astro spoke, and he turned towards you. You looked at him with wide eyes. His eyes were searching and judging you at the same time. What was it that he was looking for? Astro turned his back to you and he took off to the skies, leaving you with that question. You watched him disappear in the sky, and you unknowingly clutched the pendant to your chest.
Alejo rushed outside and he skidded to a stop beside you, eyeing you with excitement.
"Y/n, if you become the black onyx guardian, won't you be able to attend the knights academy? You can become a guard, Y/n! A very high ranked one!" He exclaimed. You stared ahead of you. He was right. If you accepted this position, 'I can become a knight.' You looked down at the pendant with searching eyes as it rested in your hands, glowing.