GUARDIANS OF THE REALM

Xian's P.O.V I found myself surrounded by darkness, unable to move, with menacing noises echoing around me. A sense of dread washed over me as I questioned if I had crossed over to the afterlife. Gasping for air and with my vision fading, a pillar of light suddenly appeared before me. In that light, I heard a reassuring voice saying, "Xian, don't worry, I'll save you." An indistinct figure emerged from the radiant pillar, but I couldn't see his face clearly. As I reached out towards him, my vision blacked out. *** CLOCK'S RANG.....*** The piercing sound of my alarm clock jolted me awake, with tears streaming down my face. Confusion clouded my mind as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. "Ugh, my head hurts. That dream again..." I groaned as I rose from bed. The recurring nightmare had been haunting me for nearly three weeks. "Is this a nightmare?" I pondered, rubbing my temples. "Who is that guy? His voice is so familiar," I mused, grappling with unanswered questions. I picked up my phone and was shocked to see 20 missed calls from my boss, Mr. Yin. "Ohh my gosh , so many missed calls from Sir Yin ..... I'm in big trouble", I muttered. Checking the time, I was shocked to see that it was already 9:00 in the morning, when I was supposed to be at the company by 7 am. In a rush, I hurriedly bathed, skipped breakfast, and grabbed only a cup of coffee before heading out. I hailed a taxi, and I checked the time, it had been 20 minutes since I woke up. Leaving me anxious about facing Sir Yin's wrath upon my arrival. Finally I've arrived, I dashed through the entrance , my heart pounding. In my haste, I accidentally collided with a man, causing us both to tumble to the floor. "Ouch! Sorry, I'm in a rush..." I exclaimed breathlessly. "No problem at all. Need a hand?" the man offered, flashing a charming smile. "Um, thanks," I replied with a smile, quickly rushed off , unaware that I had dropped my ID during the collision. ***AT THE OFFICE*** "Good morning, Sir," I greeted politely as I entered his office. "What's good about the morning!!?" he barked sharply. "Uh...um...sorry I'm late, Sir Yin," I responded nervously. "Sorry?! Do you even know what time it is, huh?!" he exclaimed, advancing towards me. Feeling the weight of his anger, my body trembled, and I wished the ground would swallow me whole. I kept my gaze lowered as Sir Yin continued to reprimand me. "I'm truly sorry, Sir Yin. It won't happen again," I murmured sadly, still avoiding his gaze. "Let's go. You've really ruined my day," he said brusquely, turning to grab his briefcase. As he turned away, I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears, attempting to compose myself. *** IN THE ELEVATOR *** Lost in thoughts I wondered about that strange dream that plagued me . I whispered to myself, "Gosh, when will you leave me, stupid dream," while gently patting my head. Without knowing , Sir Yin was observing my behavior intently. "What are you doing? Is something bothering you?" he demanded sternly. "Um...nothing, Sir. I'm totally fine," I responded, trying to mask my inner turmoil. "Good. Make sure you're prepared for the presentation later," he instructed, checking his watch. As the elevator doors slid open, we hurriedly stepped out, only for me to bump into the same guy from earlier. "Oh, sorry, I'm really sorry," I apologized, hastily collecting the papers scattered on the floor. "Wait, you're Xian, right?" the man asked. "Yes, I am. Why?" I replied, feeling confused. "You dropped your ID when we bumped earlier," he pointed out, handing me my ID. "By the way, I'm Mark," he introduced himself with a friendly smile. "Xian! What took you so long? Let's go, we're running late," Sir Yin exclaimed impatiently. "Yes, Sir, I'm really sorry, but I have to go," I rushed off, feeling flustered by the series of events. And as we traveled, there was a huge traffic jam, and because of that, my boss started to murmur again. "Stupid day... Stupid road!!!" he muttered while continuously pressing the horn of the car. "Stay calm, sir... I know it's my fault, and I'm really sorry," I said. "Stay calm!! Really!! It's already 9:40 am, and the meeting will start at 10 am, and we're going to be late because of this stupid traffic," he said frustratedly. My phone rang, and I checked to see who was calling. It was my mom. "Hello, Mom. I miss you," I said joyfully. "Oh, hello, sweetie. I miss you too. Anyway, how was your day?" my mom cheerfully asked. "Well, it's been great, Mom," I responded. "How about your boss? Is he treating you nicely?" my mom asked. "Yes, Mom, he's totally good and a nice person, so there's no need for you to worry," I replied. "Wow, that's good. Can I talk to him?" she asked. "Um, maybe some other time, Mom, because we urgently have a meeting today," I responded. "Oh, I'm really sorry, sweetie," she sadly said. "No, it's okay, Mom. Mom, always remember I love you so much and take care always, " I said as tears fell down. "Mom will always love you, sweetie, and take care always. I don't want anything bad to happen to you," she worriedly responded. "No worries, Mom. Bye, love you," I said sweetly. I didn't notice that my boss was listening to me, and he handed me a handkerchief. "Here, wipe up your tears," he said. "Thank you, sir," I responded as I wiped my tears. "Why did you lie that you're okay and why did you lie that I'm a good boss?" he guiltily asked. "I just don't want my mother to worry because she has a heart disease. I don't want to lose her because I already lost my dad when I was young," I sadly said. "Sorry about that..." he sadly said as he looked at me. A couple of minutes later, an explosion occurred, causing the bridge to collapse. The cars collided due to the impact of the strong explosion and the subsequent collapse. Amidst the chaos, a large vehicle crashed into ours, causing us to stumble, and my head struck the car's dashboard. As my hearing began to fade, I watched as people scrambled in fear. "Xian...Xian...hey, are you okay?" Sir Yin asked, his voice filled with concern. "Yes, sir, I'm okay," I replied. As I touched my head, I felt blood on my hand, sending shock through me. "Oh no, your head is bleeding," Sir Yin exclaimed in shock, using his handkerchief to stem the blood. With the explosion closing in on us, we tried to open the door to escape, but it was blocked by other cars and debris. "We're trapped," Sir Yin exclaimed in frustration. "Wait, we can use the briefcase to break the front glass of the car," I suggested, grabbing the briefcase. "Bright idea," he replied. Sir Yin managed to break the front part of the car, giving us a glimmer of hope to escape. However, I realized that my feet were stuck due to the collapse. "I can't move, I'm stuck," I cried as tears streamed down my face. "I can't leave you alone," Sir Yin responded, attempting to free my trapped feet despite the pain it caused me. "It hurts so badly. You need to go, Sir; the explosion is too close," I urged. "No, I won't leave you. I can't bear the thought of your mother losing her precious son," Sir Yin said sadly. "Please, tell my mom that I love her dearly and apologize for not taking better care of myself," I sobbed. "No, I won't leave you. We can still make it out together," Sir Yin assured me, tears running down his face. As the explosion intensified and grew nearer, we felt the extreme heat towards our skin. Amidst the chaos, Sir Yin embraced me tightly, and as I closed my eyes, the intense pain and heat consumed us both.