Chapter 1 Scars

The towering figure dissipated into the clouds.

The wind was returning to calm, the smoke would take time to dissipate, and after the shadows receded, a scarred city-state remained.

"There are survivors here! It's a little girl!"

A slightly excited shout broke the silence of the cemetery. A Guardian warrior opened the door of the watchman's hut and found the girl huddled inside.

The cold wind blew into the hut from outside, mixed with the smell of gunpowder. Annie raised her head blankly, looking at the black-clad Guardian who appeared at the door. In a daze, she seemed to see another person behind the young warrior, a hunched figure with a gloomy look in his eyes.

She got up blankly, took a step forward subconsciously, and stumbled towards the door, trying to grab the hunched figure.

She lunged, missed, and lost her footing. Then she felt someone grab her collar from behind—the Guardian warrior had caught the girl who was trying to run past him but had almost fallen. He bent down to her: "Are you alright, little girl—what's your name? What are you doing in the cemetery?"

Annie, however, seemed not to hear the voice in her ear. She simply raised her head, slowly looking around, searching for the old man she had just seen.

The hunched old man was not far away. He had turned around, waved his hand towards her with his back facing her, and then slowly walked towards the path deep in the cemetery. At the end of that path, an unusually tall figure stood silently.

That figure was draped in a black robe reminiscent of the night sky. The body beneath the robe was wrapped in bandages, and in its hand, it held tightly a long staff that seemed to be carved from withered wood. Its appearance looked… just like the gatekeeper in front of the Bartók Gate described in church books.

The old man came to the gatekeeper. The two seemed to exchange a few words briefly, and then they disappeared like phantoms at the end of the path.

Annie stared blankly in that direction, standing quietly in the cold wind, neither crying nor moving.

The black-clad Guardian next to her was a little worried: "What's wrong? Little girl? What are you looking for?"

"She might be looking for this." Another voice suddenly came from the nearby path, accompanied by the sound of boots stepping on the snow.

Annie turned her head subconsciously.

A nun was walking towards them, holding two things in her hand—a staff that looked battered and worn, and a hunting rifle that looked somewhat familiar.

"Your protector is gone," the nun stopped in front of Annie, slowly crouching down, and placed the two items on the ground. "I'm sorry, we can't let you see him again—there's only ashes left at the scene."

Annie stared fixedly at the staff and hunting rifle on the ground. After a few seconds, she bent down, picked them up, and held them carefully in her arms.

"I know," she murmured softly, "Grandpa Gatekeeper went with the doorkeeper…"

"Don't touch the gun," the black-clad Guardian warrior subconsciously reached out to stop her. "It's dan..."

"There are no bullets left," the nun shook her head and said softly, "Let her hold them for a while, they might be acquaintances."

The Guardian warrior hesitated, withdrew his hand, and turned his head to survey the situation in the cemetery.

Filthy and dried black mud covered the area around the path, surrounding the gatekeeper's hut, and dirty snow mixed with the mud covered the entire cemetery.

How many monsters had tried to attack this place, and how much filth had been dumped in the snow here? Now that the shadows had receded, everything… seemed impossible to know.

A faint, cool sensation suddenly came. The Guardian raised his head and saw that fluttering snowflakes were slowly falling from the sky—not ashes, but real snowfall.

Accompanying these fluttering snowflakes was a glimmer of light in the sky. It was the light of the sun—the dark clouds blocked it, but that hazy ball of light still demonstrated its existence.

The sun was back.

The mechanical roar of a steam engine running grew closer from outside the cemetery. A steam car stopped outside the gate. A Guardian squad operating near the cemetery noticed the movement and approached the car, then saluted the person who got out of the car in astonishment and respect.

Footsteps approached the gatekeeper's hut. The young black-clad Guardian saw the person coming and immediately turned to salute, then opened his mouth with some confusion: "Doorkeeper, you're here…"

"I'm here to confirm the situation in the cemeteries."

Annie, who was staring blankly at the staff and hunting rifle in her arms, was finally awakened from her daze by the voice beside her. She raised her head subconsciously and looked in the direction of the voice.

A woman in a black clerical robe stood on the path.

Her skin was pale, and she was surrounded by a kind of quiet but cold aura—Annie couldn't yet understand what this aura was, but it reminded her of the cold fog at sea. At the same time, she noticed that the woman's exposed skin was almost covered with wounds of all sizes. There was no blood in the wounds, like… a cracked doll.

Black cloth was wrapped around the woman's eyes.

The woman seemed to be blind, but Annie felt that the other person's "gaze" was falling on her. It was a quiet and gentle gaze that passed through the thick black cloth and was watching her.

It took Annie a long time to recognize the woman.

But the woman had obviously recognized her from the beginning.

"I know you're called Annie," Agatha bent down, gently ruffled Annie's hair, then her gaze fell on the hunting rifle and staff in the girl's hands. She was silent for two seconds, then stood up and said to the clergyman accompanying her, "The areas around the mines were the first to be invaded. These cemeteries surrounding the Upper City mine area blocked a large number of monsters from flooding into the surrounding streets."

"Almost all of the gravediggers and Guardians stationed around the cemeteries died in battle," the nun said slowly. "The city-state guard in this area also suffered heavy losses."

Agatha listened in silence, then prayed silently.

"Doorkeeper," the black-clad Guardian next to her couldn't help but speak, "There are many casualties in the city-state now, and we need to be vigilant about secondary disasters in the areas of death, fear, and obsession. We may need several large-scale Requiem ceremonies, but the cathedral doesn't have any yet…"

"I am temporarily taking over the duties of the Archbishop. You don't need to worry about the Requiem ceremonies," Agatha said calmly. "Archbishop Ivan has left. He has a new journey."

The black-clad Guardian paused. A shocked and unacceptable expression flashed briefly in his eyes, and it seemed that only at this moment did he notice the change in Agatha's attire—

The Doorkeeper had taken off her black coat representing military power and replaced it with a robe more symbolic of a clergyman.

This symbolized the change in her current identity and responsibilities.

"Don't worry, I still bear the responsibility of the Doorkeeper, and the Guardian forces are still under my command, until the church headquarters selects a new Archbishop, or a new Doorkeeper replaces my position. At that time, I may become the official bishop of this city-state," Agatha, despite losing her eyes, seemed to still have keen insight. She noticed the reaction of the subordinates around her and explained patiently, "At this stage, maintaining the order of the city-state is above everything else."

"Yes… Doorkeeper."

The young black-clad Guardian lowered his head, hesitated briefly, and still chose to call his superior by the familiar name "Doorkeeper."

Agatha didn't care about these trivial matters. She turned her gaze, her "eyes" falling on Annie again.

"Go home," she said gently, "Your mother is safe. She's waiting for you."

Annie hesitated for a moment at first, but after Agatha mentioned her mother, she nodded immediately.

But just as she was about to leave with the Guardians, she suddenly stopped again.

"Grandpa Gatekeeper… just left with the doorkeeper," she raised her head and looked at Agatha, "Ah, I mean the doorkeeper from 'the other side' in the books."

Agatha frowned slightly.

Annie thought the other person didn't believe her, and quickly raised her hand, pointing to the path deep in the cemetery: "He left from there…"

Agatha raised her head and looked thoughtfully in the direction Annie was pointing.

In the position of her eyes covered by black cloth, a faint green light seemed to flash.

After a moment, she lowered her head and looked into Annie's eyes.

"You… would you like to become a Guardian?"

Annie was a little dazed, seeming not to quite understand what this meant.

But after a few seconds, she seemed to vaguely react: "Is it like you or Grandpa Gatekeeper?"

"That might take many years," a smile seemed to appear on Agatha's face, then she shook her head gently, "Don't think about it so much yet. It seems a little early for me to tell you this now—go home first. If you really want to become a Guardian, you must at least be able to pass the entrance exam for the most basic church school."

Annie seemed to understand, but then reluctantly handed the hunting rifle and staff in her hands to the black-clad Guardian next to her.

“…If I become a Guardian, can you give me Grandpa Gatekeeper's hunting rifle and staff?”

She suddenly turned her head and looked at Agatha very seriously.

After a moment, Agatha nodded gently: “…If you still think so in three years, I agree.”

Annie left.

The cemetery was once again quiet.

“…Are you serious? That child is too young, and we can't see any potential in her yet. Inheriting the old soldier's staff requires more than just graduating from the Guardian's regular training…”

"She can see the guide to the world of the dead," Agatha stared calmly at the path at the end of the cemetery and said slowly, "Just like I did back then."

The young black-clad Guardian stopped speaking.

The nun on the other side hesitated again and again, and still couldn't help but look at Agatha with some worry: "Your body, what exactly..."

"It's alright," Agatha shook her head and said softly, "Something happened and this shell was damaged, that's all."