A burst of light drew a line between you and Tobio, and the light dispersed, revealing your scythe. The scythe's handle grinded into your hands as you pushed against Tobio, struggling to hold him back. You gritted your teeth together and you pushed all of your being into your defence. A sense of fear then built up inside of you and tears streamed down your cheeks as Tobio's sword drove you down to the ground.
"Please stop this! I don't want to fight you!" You cried. Tobio ignored your pleas and he took a step forwards, further gaining the advantage.
"I let you run around for too long. Now is my only chance, I absolutely cannot fail!" He yelled. Your eyes widened as your heart pounded with fear. 'I don't get it, why did he say he was there at the scene two hundred years ago? Did he time travel?' As you looked more closely at him, you grunted and you kneeled down. 'N-No, there's something more. But I can't focus on that right now, I have to-'
Tobio took a step back and he aimed his blade at your chest. Your eyes widened as you fell forwards and he thrusted his sword towards you. His blade barely missed you by the hair and you fell flat on your face as he stood over you with his arm stretched out. Your head was in a dizzying state as the fear and anxiety clouded your heart.
Tobio's foot clapped beside your head and you rolled onto your side just as he drove his sword into the ground. You jumped to your feet and you barely dodged his next attack. His sword nicked you by the arm, drawing a line of blood. Your heart pounded through your ears and you gripped your arm tightly as you doubled back.
'He's really going to kill me!' As you came to this realisation, your eyes widened and your chest heaved up and down. Tobio held his hand out and two blinding lights appeared on either side of you. You whipped your head in both directions and you gasped. The lights then exploded, throwing you back against the wall.
A scream tore through your throat as you were blinded with pain, and you fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Tobio steadily approached you as you laid on your side with gritted teeth. You forced your head to look up at Tobio and you glared at him.
"You're the worst...!" You spat and you slowly pushed yourself into a sitting position. Tobio tapped his sword against his shoulder and he rested a cocky hand onto his hip.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you joined me. I can't let the pendant be wasted on you." You raised your scythe and you fell back as Tobio threw his sword down on you. Your eyes were wide with fright and you couldn't fight against his strength. 'I'm going to die!'
"ASTRO!" You screamed, desperately hoping he would come to save you. Tobio's eyes widened for a moment.
"He's not coming. Nobody can hear you down here. You're all alone." You felt your heart stop. 'Is this how she felt? Dying all alone like this? Wait, but....' Your lips parted and you stared ahead of you with a frozen look of shock. 'How did I die?'
Tobio hooked his sword under your scythe and he tore it from your grasp, making you cry out. Your scythe skidded across the room and it disappeared as it hit the wall. A burst of chains then appeared around your feet, making Tobio jump back. He stared down at the chains with an agitated look and he held his sword up in a defensive position. Your brain had gone into overdrive as you backed away from him. You then tripped over one of your chains and you fell to the floor. You looked down desperately at your hands.
"Why can't I control them? Come on, focus!" You shouted to yourself. Tobio breathed out and he quickly regained his composure.
"You really had me there for a moment." He admitted as he stepped towards you. A dangerous glint then flashed through his gaze and he glared down at you. "This is goodbye, for good this time." Your head snapped up and you gasped as he brought his sword down on you.
Tobio's sword stopped millimetres from your face. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of your head as you breathed out. Tobio's hands shook as a struggled look appeared on his face. What was he doing? You watched him in confusion as he backed himself away from you, his face turning red from the struggle alone.
"N-No...! I...won't let you....take her....!" He gritted out, shocking you. You carefully move to your feet and you back away from him as he drops the sword.
"Tobio, is that you?" You asked with a hopeful tone. Tobio forced out an apologetic smile and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Y-You need to run, I can't...hold him back!" He then began to cry and he cried out to you. "Please, don't let me kill you!" Just as these words left his mouth, the pendant lifted off his chest and he clenched his eyes shut almost painfully. He let out a loud scream as wisps of light surrounded his body. You pressed yourself against the wall and you cowered in fear. You wanted to help him so badly, but you couldn't!
Tobio's hair turned a shade of white and he soon relaxed his body. His lips twisted into a victorious grin and he bursted out with laughter.
"I finally have full control! That stupid curse won't wear me down any longer!" He exclaimed. You swallowed hard, too afraid to ask what kind of curse had fallen upon him. Tobio then calmed himself, and he looked up at you. "If you ever hope of beating me, you need your old memories back. I'd gladly give them back to you, but can you survive while fighting both me and yourself?"
You swallowed hard and you narrowed your eyes at him. You had to think, it was impossible to beat Tobio, a fully realised guardian. So you had to think smart. 'Get back my memories? There's no way that I can-' you stopped yourself short as a voice cried out to you. You whipped your head in all directions. 'Wait, I recognise this voice...' you looked down at the pendant on your chest and you held your breath as its glow intensified.
"Stop...Tobio!" Your eyes widened and you clenched it tightly. This voice, it was the same one that spoke out to you when you woke Tobio. Now that it spoke to you more clearly, this voice sounded much like your own. "RUN!"
You looked up and gasped as Tobio jumped at you with his sword raised high into the air. Two orbs of light hung behind him, and you instantly recognised those weapons of his. You turned on your heel and you raced towards the door as Tobio caught himself on the wall. He whipped his head towards you just as you left the room.
"I can't let you leave alive, I need you gone NOW!" His voice boomed behind you. Your breathing was heavy and your mind had gone to static. You couldn't see what was ahead of you, and it began to hurt. You cradled your head in your hands and you began to whimper.
"Someone, please help me!" You cried out. Why was there nobody here? Why did you feel so alone? Behind you, you could hear Tobio's footsteps following after you. You began to panic as his footsteps steadily began to catch up to you.
"You can't get away!" He shouted to you. 'I can't let her reach Astro. He will most definitely be on her side, unlike last time.' Just the thought of Astro's prowess in strength, terrified him. He pushed his fear to the back of his mind and he saw you turn a corner, making him frown.
You ripped open the nearest door and you slammed it behind you. Your chest heaved up and down and you looked across the room for a place to hide. This was probably one of the worst decisions you could have made, but you needed to lose him. 'I don't even know where I am. Why is this castle so big?' You bit down on your lip and you spied a chest in the corner of the room.
Tobio kicked the door open and he marched into the room with his sword ready. The room itself was only a storage room, so there were plenty of places you could have chosen to hide in. He started to pull back old boxes and he searched through the small spaces in between large objects. The room itself was dusty and he hated it.
"Where is she?" He mumbled to himself and he looked across the room. He then spied a chest in the corner of the room, and he set his sights onto it. The chest looked big enough for a person to fit inside. With a careful grip on his blade, Tobio crept over to the chest and he kneeled down to it. With a gentle tug, he found that it was locked. Tobio pressed his lips together and he raised his sword above the chest's lid. With a weighted breath, he struck the chest, stabbing whatever was inside it.
He gently pulled out his sword and he looked over his clean blade. Not a speck of blood. 'So she wasn't in there. She must have gone into another room.' Tobio turned his back to the chest and he left through the open door. He spared one last look at the room, before walking down the hallway.
From inside the chest, you clung to the back of the chest with a still breath. Your face held a pale white complexion to it and you breathed heavily. Lines of your hair sat on the floor from where Tobio had cut you. You held a calming hand over your racing heart and you swallowed hard. You then looked over at the chain holding the lock together, and you quickly dispersed it with a wave of your finger.
You popped the chest lid open and you climbed outside of it. You didn't bother shutting the lid as you crept towards the open door. Your vision turned to static and you fell against the wall. You stared ahead of you with wide eyes as the pendant glowed on your chest. What was it doing? You clenched your eyes shut and you shook your head.
"No, this isn't the time. I have to get out of here." You whispered and you forced your eyes open. Thankfully, you could see again. You poked your head into the hallway and you looked from left to right. No signs of Tobio. Good. You carefully shut the door behind you and you turned right. You arrived back onto the main hallway where Tobio had previously chased you down and you looked in both directions.
'Okay, I came from the left. So I should go...'
"No, go back. I need you to remember, we need to remember!" Your eyes widened and you smacked your hand onto your ear.
"Who are you?" You questioned. The voice wouldn't respond. You picked up the black onyx pendant and you looked down at it in desperation. "Please, I need to know. Are you my past life? What happened two hundred years ago?" Not a single word. You gripped onto the pendant tightly and you almost threw it in frustration.
One of the doors slammed in the hallway you had just left, and you fell deathly silent. You quickly moved down the left corridor and you looked down at the pendant with pressed lips. 'Fine, I trust you. Just please,' you pressed the pendant to your forehead and you closed your eyes. 'Keep me safe.'
You found yourself back at the coronation room and you eyed the burn marks on the floor almost hauntingly. You forced yourself to ignore those marks and you walked up to the statue. As you approached it, the statue itself became more life like. A flash of colour appeared over her spear, making you gasp. Your head pounded with an overload of information, and the pain had become overwhelming for you. You held yourself upright as your vision gave out on you and your heart pounded through your ears.
"What...is...?"
A calming wind brushed passed you as you stood on the outer wall surrounding the palace. You stared ahead of you, gazing down at the inner layer of town. The fields surrounding it were so great, you couldn't even see the other layer. 'Wait, that's because there is no layer. Where am I?' You thought to yourself as the setting sun cast the land in a golden glow. Chains clanked together beside you, making you look over.
You almost fell back as an older woman garbed in all black stood by your side. Clasped in her hand was a silver spear with a black handle. Black onyx gems were imbedded onto the hilt of the spear, adding onto its beauty. Your mouth opened in awe as you admired the woman standing before you. 'Is this...me? Woah, her spear looks so beautiful, while mine looks so plain.' You thought to yourself as you looked down at the scythe in your hands. You then jumped with surprise.
"Wait, when did this- oh," you trailed off as you looked over at the woman standing next to you. She was looking passed the city, almost like she was lost in thought. You pressed your lips into a thin line and you swallowed hard. You shifted uncomfortably on the spot and you clutched your scythe tightly to your chest. "Um, excuse me-"
"Your grace." Your heart skipped a beat and you whipped your head towards the voice, and your eyes widened as Astro stood before the black onyx guardian with almost no expression on his face. She let out a heavy sigh and she looked back at the young boy.
"Is the white diamond guardian looking for me again?" She spoke. You felt that a heavy weight had gone onto your chest. Her voice sounded so much like yours, except it was deeper and more feminine. Astro merely nodded his head. She looked quite bothered by this fact, but nonetheless she followed the young robot down the steps from the wall. Without even needing to, your body followed along with their movements.
As the three of you walked down the hallways, you looked up at your past self curiously. 'Does she not like the white diamond guardian?' The more you thought about it, you crossed your arms over your chest and frowned. 'To be fair, neither would I.'
"For a robot who's supposed to be mine, you sure do follow Tobio around a lot." She suddenly spoke, making you look up at her in surprise. 'So Tobio and the white diamond guardian share the same name. I wonder what her name is...?' Astro only responded with silence.
As you followed the pair silently, you took in your surroundings. The palace looked so different compared to the future. The hallway you were walking down looked busy, and everyone was rushing to perform their duties. However, the moment the black onyx guardian walked in their presence, they bowed their heads respectively to her.
Her spear clanked with movement as she strode down the hallway with Astro stuck to her side. You jogged up to the pair and you began to compare your height with his. You were just a head taller than him, which made you smile.
You stopped just behind Astro as a pair of VERY familiar doors sat before you. You stared at the wooden doors leading into the coronation room with wide frightful eyes. As your past self reached for the handle, Tobio's story from earlier came back to you.
"W-Wait!" You cried out, but as you tried to pull her back, your hand simply went through her. As the doors were pushed open, you found yourself looking through her eyes. Astro shut the doors behind her as she strode into the room and she tapped her spear almost impatiently on the ground.
"Tobio, can you please stop using my robot for your senseless tasks?" She barked. A man looked back at her, and he bore a striking resemblance to Tobio. He gave her an almost apologetic smile as Astro bounced towards him.
"Sorry, Y/n. I can't help it if the little guy likes me. He's practically my double after all." He said and he began to stroke Astro on the head. Y/n narrowed her eyes at the pair whilst Astro visibly enjoyed Tobio's touch. She then let out a long sigh and she beckoned him over. Rather reluctantly, Astro returned to her side and he hung behind her as she spoke to Tobio.
"So why did you call me here? Was there something you needed?" Tobio turned towards the window and he held kept a tight grip on the hilt of his sword.
"I'm glad we won the war, but our fighting isn't finished yet. The southern armies are planning an attack against Metro, and we've been ordered by the king to stop it." He revealed, putting a frown on Y/n's face.
"But we've already lost so many." She uttered and she looked off to the side woefully, remembering all of the lost lives. Tobio held his chin thoughtfully and he met Y/n in the middle of the room.
"Actually, I do have an idea. There's a way to stop all this fighting, but I'll need your help." Y/n's eyes lit up in delight and she nodded along with his leading words.
"Go on, what do you have in mind?" Tobio smiled gleefully at her and he rested his hands on his hips.
"I've been doing a bit of research with my powers, and I've found something very interesting." This prompted Y/n to raise a curious brow at him. "I don't approve of the kingdom abusing our power for their own benefit. It just isn't right." Y/n gave him a stern look.
"The kingdom is not abusing it. We were literally hired for this role, so there's no point complaining now." She spoke. The smile on Tobio's face disappeared completely and he gave her an exasperated sigh.
"You really don't think enough for yourself. Look, I- I've been really thinking about this." Y/n's face scrunched together and she leaned on her spear.
"Go on." Tobio looked almost hesitant, afraid of her almost. Behind her, Astro gave him an encouraging nod. Tobio breathed in, and he stood headstrong.
"I was thinking, our universe is constantly surrounded by war. But I've been looking into the other universes. Their worlds are much more peaceful than ours." The moment Tobio started to speak about other universes, Y/n had already guessed where he was going with this conversation.
Y/n carefully adjusted her position as Tobio looked her right in the eye. The hallways had grown silent and it was now just the two of them.
"There might be a few personal feelings mixed into this. As it turns out, I die in those seperate timelines. But in this one, I live. The only thing is that we're both bound to our roles as guardians. Haven't you ever wanted to be a normal person?" Tobio promptly asked as he stepped up to her. Y/n's grip tightened on her spear.
"What are you planning?" She whispered. Tobio's smile widened and he began to circle around her.
"With our powers, what if we combined the universes into one? That way, you and I can live normal lives and the world will be at peace!" Tobio exclaimed while throwing his hands into the air. Y/n's eyes widened and her spear slipped through her fingers. Astro caught her weapon and he kept it in his grasp while Y/n eyed Tobio in bewilderment. Tobio offered her a hand. "So? What do you say?"
Y/n stared down at Tobio's hand with a frozen look of shock. She then shook her head ferociously.
"No, absolutely not. The universe will be thrown out of balance if we use our powers for the wrong purposes. So get that idea out of your head." She snapped, shooting down his idea. An angry look appeared on Tobio's face and he took a step towards her.
"Y/n, with our power we can change the world! It's our job to uphold the balance, and we'll watch over this new world as the main monarchs! This plan will work, trust me!" Y/n narrowed her eyes and she she reached out for her spear.
"The king and queen have their duties, and we have ours. It's not our job to play god. Just like our ancestors, we are going to protect this world, even if it means costing us our lives." Just as her fingers grazed her weapon, Astro took a step back, making her look back at him questioningly. Tobio's bangs covered his eyes as he glared angrily at the ground, frustrated with your stubbornness.
"You really are a fool. You're so loyal to them that you're blind to what you really want. I knew this would happen. It looks like you and I can't see eye to eye." He muttered. His gaze then snapped up to yours and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Astro, do it." Y/n's eyes widened in shock and before she could react, Astro raced forwards with her spear in his hands and he pierced her through the back, dealing her a fatal blow.
You felt your heart ache as you watched yourself fall to the ground. The betrayal in your heart wounded you both emotionally and physically. A pool of your own blood surrounded you, and a flood of anger washed over you as Astro kept his hold on the spear embedded into your body.
Y/n stared ahead of her, frozen with shock. 'What...just happened...?' As she turned her head towards Astro, her eyes flashed a dangerous red, freezing him on the spot. He was too afraid to move. She then raised a trembling hand to the air and two chains struck Tobio in the chest, making Astro cry out.
"TOBIO!"
"N-Ngh...." Tobio fell to his knees as a line of blood dribbled down his chin and onto the marble floor.
"Tobio, your intentions have cost us our lives.... I'll end...this..." With what little power she had left, Y/n kissed the pendant and she whispered an incantation. Tobio collapsed against the wall and he fell into a state of panic as she whispered the incantations to the pendant. He then raised his blade into the air and it shone a bright white light.
"I curse thee to an eternal death!"
"I curse thee to an eternal afterlife."
Astro stumbled back as the pair were engulfed by their powers, and he gasped. Y/n's spear disappeared from his hands and he reached out for them.
"NO!" As the light dispersed, Y/n and Tobio both laid unmoving on the ground, dead. Astro stared down at the pair in despair as he trembled uncontrollably. He then let out a wailing cry of anguish, his voice shaking the very room itself.
You awoke with a start and you found yourself laying beside the statue. Tears stained the corners of your eyes as you stared up at the roof. You pushed yourself into a sitting position and you stared down at the ground with wide eyes, horrified with what you had just witnessed.
A pair of footsteps stopped by the entrance, and you didn't dare look up.
"Why did Astro betray me...?" You uttered, too shocked to even acknowledge him. Tobio stood in silence.
"So, you finally remember." The past overwhelmed you greatly, and your hands flew to your heaving chest in an attempt to calm yourself. You then fired an angry glare his way.
"You monster...! You're not Tobio, you're....you're from back then!" Tobio laughed as if it was pretty obvious.
"Due to the curse you placed on me, my consciousness was locked away in the white diamond pendant for a very long time. As for you, you were never meant to reincarnate ever again. Look at us now, we both broke out of our curses." You growled at him. Tobio began to approach you with his sword ready.
"The moment you were born, I gained awareness. But I couldn't do a single thing. I had to wait for the next guardian to appear. It's all thanks to you that I'm standing here right now." You rose to your feet, still shaken by today's events. 'Things are different this time. I now have more control than ever over my powers. Tobio will be stopped.' You reached up and you gripped your pendant tightly.
"You're not him, give back the Tobio we all know and love!" Tobio smirked at you.
"It's too late, he's already gone." Your eyes flashed a dangerous red, making Tobio smile. "Aw, are you mad?"
"Of course I'm mad! You have done unforgivable things to me! I'll do everything in my power to save Tobio, and to stop YOU!" Tobio's eyes widened as black markings appeared around your body, filling you with power. 'Wait, I recognise those markings-!' You raised your pendant into the air and a bright light surrounded you. Tobio gasped and he rushed after you just as you disappeared.
"WAIT! Damn it! She remembers how to travel through the spacial lines. I can't let her leave!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Astro heaved out the biggest sigh of his life whilst his subordinates heavily scolded the group of rowdy children carrying fireworks as they bowed their heads apologetically to them.
"I can't believe we were called out for no reason just for some stupid prank." Astro grumbled under his breath, and his second in command rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm sorry for calling you out here unnecessarily." He apologised. Astro waved him off and he smiled.
"It's nothing. I'm glad there wasn't actually a bomb. This is a much better turn out then I could have hoped for." His subordinate felt pleased by his words. A bright light then appeared above everyone, and they looked up in surprise as you appeared out of the sky. Astro's eyes widened as you fell, and he raced out to catch you.
Astro skidded along the ground as he successfully caught you in his arms. He then looked down at you in astonishment.
"What on earth-" your eyes snapped open and you looked around you in alarm. As your eyes met Astro's shocked ones, relief flooded your systems and you broke down into tears.
"Astro, is that you?" You breathed as you cupped both his cheeks. Astro's carefully nodded his head, and he sat down with you on the ground. Your chest heaved up and you chuckled. You then bit down on your lip before throwing your arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. "You're really mine..." Astro's whole body stiffened as you said this. Everyone compared his face to a tomato's as he sat on the floor with you in his arms.
"Look!" One of the children cried out as they pointed towards the castle. Everyone looked up at the Metro Palace, including you and Astro, and you let out a horrified gasp as a barrier made of light formed around the castle, trapping everyone inside of it.
"Oh no..." you uttered and you held your hands over your mouth. As Astro looked down at you, he noticed the cuts and bruises on your body, making his eyes widen.
"Y/n, what happened at the palace? Why did you come out of the sky?" Astro began to question you as he grabbed you by the shoulders. You shook lightly in his grasp, before you slowly turned your head towards him.
"I-I..." all of your exhaustion then caught up with you, and you passed out in his arms. Astro gasped and he cradled you against his chest.
"Y/n!"
"Captain, we should retreat." One of Astro's subordinates piped in. Astro frowned heavily at the castle. He then stood to his feet with you in his arms and he nodded to them.
"We'll go to the school. Hopefully we can contact someone in the palace from there."
"Yes sir!" With one soldier guiding the children back home, Astro quickly travelled back to the academy with his subordinate not too far behind him.