Athena stepped forward, ducking to avoid hitting her head. The protruding rocks hanging from the ceiling seemed to descend and reach out, trying to hit her and block her path. Her body ached, she felt that with every step something inside her was tearing and screaming in agony. Avoiding another hanging rock, she looked and reflected in a wall of water, which caused her to be pinned in place.

What is this? I reached out and touched the water with the tip of my index finger. The feeling was strange, as if I was touching liquid ice, which scalded my finger and at the same time showered me with cold waves. I had never experienced anything like this. The wall looked safe to me, so I poked my hand in, then pulled it back and looked at my fingers, were they dry?

My head throbbed and pain went down my neck, I felt like my body started to move on its own, as I took a step forward and closed my eyes, as soon as the tip of my nose touched the wall of water and my body slowly sank into the cool liquid. Pain, lightness, calm, tension, cold, heat, all of it flooded me, fighting and contradicting itself, filling my heart with a desire to sink and rise at the same time, as if I could split in two and every part of me felt what the other one couldn't, so they could merge afterwards and somehow exchange data from the experience.

The moment my body showed itself on the other side, one leg dangled in the air and I instinctively waved my arms to keep my balance and looking down I literally gasped out loud. A river of lava flowed beneath the severed cliff, on the edge of which I was currently standing, so short that my toes were sticking out. Burning, colored yellow, red, orange and light brown, bubbling, living lava!

I tried to turn back, but the wall of water behind me was gone, and in its place was only cold, wet, sticky rock. The attempt caused me to lose my balance, and with a scream I flew down, straight into the lava! Like a jet of air pierced my already bruised and injured body, and I just fell, screaming and hysterically waving my hands in front of my face, as if that would save me, fly or I don't know what.

I closed my eyes, feeling the tongues of flames already touching my skin, the scream stuck in my throat and seemed to try to suffocate me. I felt a violent jolt and opened my eyes to find myself face to face with a bubbling burning mass that stretched out as if gently caressing my face. My body was hanging inches from the lava, I felt its heat, the touch of its flames, but at the same time, peace, liberation and.... love?

To the sides of me, the lava stirred strangely and two columns of flame rose up, as if I was watching oriental dancers twisting their bodies smoothly, following the rhythm of prehistoric music that made my skin crawl and imagine the love dance of flame-enveloped birds ,flying and conquering the scorching skies.

But as soon as they saw me, the birds skittered and turned their flames towards me, their wings hiding the sky, and only a moment later, they both swooped down to meet me, screeching angrily. I closed my eyes again and hid my face with my hands. That didn't help, I felt how the flames engulfed and burned my skin, how they entered through my nostrils and throat, how my blood began to boil and flow bubbling, like lava under my body.

My body was burning, my mind was struggling with the sensation of the heat, and all I wanted was to be back there on the field the moment I turned on Kira and change my actions. How had I ever ended up in this painful hell, why was I here, what did the flames want from me? "I'm here" a deep rasping voice came through the flames and I opened my eyes. He was looking at me, his body was engulfed in lava, but his face was millimeters from mine, I could feel his breath on my lips.

His hand appeared from the lava and his burning fingers touched my cheek, I felt the flames engulfing my body and being subdue and return back to the burning hand, directed by his touch. His lips touched mine, the pain began to dissolve, his tongue entered my mouth and I surrendered to the relief he was causing me.

His kiss was soft and rough at the same time, absorbing my pain and giving me the strength I needed to fight back the flames that threatened to destroy me. I closed my eyes, surrendered to him and felt my body slowly descend, clinging to his, the lava receded and I stepped onto solid ground, rising on my toes, surrendering only to the sensation of his touch, his kiss, the taste of honey that his tongue lingered on mine. The flames enveloped us in a secure cocoon as he slid his hands up and down my body, soothing it, taking it over, healing me.

What am I doing in this man's arms, why does my body refuse to reject him, why was the feeling of him so good, so necessary? I couldn't and didn't want to pull away, even though my lungs were fighting for air, the only thing I wanted was to stay here and now, forever. I needed him, his touch and his lips, the force with which his body captivated mine, the warmth it made me feel, so different from the burning flames of a moment ago. I needed him, this strong, dark, silent stranger!

A solid warm feeling of security pulsed through her body even before Athena opened her eyes. The pain in her temples throbbed, reminding her that she was alive. The bed under her was moving, as if she was breathing, and she opened her eyes to find herself facing the calmly rising, hard, warm, tattooed chest of a man! She looked up uncertainly, trying not to move another part of her body so as not to wake him before she knew who it was, and her eyes widened in horror.

The man from the field! Instinct pushed her body and back against the wall at the sides of the bed. The man abruptly stood up and jumped off the bed on the other side, taking a fighting stance and his gaze nervously scanned the room before settling on her and the tension slowly melting away in his gaze and body.

He walked past the bed and stood in front of her, then dropped to one knee, propped his elbow on the other, and bowed his head as if bowing to her. "Guardian!" she gasped, but didn't do her part, and he raised his head, looking at her questioningly. This is how Miss Panaria and Coach Kosari found them. Jungkook started to feel uncomfortable, but he couldn't stand up without her accepting him and giving him permission. "Fuck the old traditions!" he thought as his gaze scanned the floor.

"Athena...?" she looked at Miss Panaria. "Let him get up,dear" Athena looked at the cowering man, his head humbly bowed, then back at the two tutors who were nodding approvingly and although she wasn't particularly aware of how and what exactly was happening, she at least knew what she had to do. Standing in front of him, she placed a hand on his head, lightly burying her fingers through the tangled curls. "Stand up, Knight, and take your seat." Jungkook stood up and stood on her right side, but behind her, as they both now looked at the tutors, who were smiling proudly.

Her wrists began to burn and she waved her hands in front of her eyes in confusion, startled at the two tattooed flame bracelets that once again glowed with a soft red light. "Red?" Red? I looked at the man behind me, my knight, he had the same one on his right shoulder, it was also shining. His gaze drifted down and the kiss from my dream flashed through my mind.

The desire to run, to hide, if you want to throw myself off the roof, took hold of my legs and, my God, I had never run faster. When I left the rooms that had been my home for the past two years, I could only hear Miss Panaria and Mr. Kosari calling my name. I could see how, running along the corridors, the passing students, guards and knights looked at me. Astonishment or fear could be read in their eyes and that alone was enough to keep me running.

Guardian? Me?! This was crazy, how did it even happen? Where have my powers been for the last two years, how did I not realize that I even had them? And how, after two years, let me explain, Guardians get their powers when they turn eighteen, I didn't know I had them at all, they suddenly appeared and what's even more interesting, what powers did I even have?

And that's how I ended up on the roof, staring at nothing, wondering if I should really jump, wrists burning in a soft reddish light and the question "why me" in my head. All my life, the only thing I've ever wanted was to be left alone, to live peacefully, doing whatever and whenever I want, not that I have any desires, and now all that would be practically and physically impossible.

"I don't think I like the thought of the whole campus looking at you like that..." I snapped and he chuckled, looking me up and down. What? I also looked at myself and yes, now was the time to jump, before I died of shame, standing in nothing but underwear and a t-shirt, on the edge of the campus roof, right above the practice field.