When Kaida was young, she learned her duty was to protect the Ambrosia of Eternity. In the wrong hands, it could cause mass destruction. The Ambrosia gave the ability to give life. In the wrong hands, it could make a person too powerful. Her family had been chosen to be Guardians. The Guardian protected the recipe and kept its existence a secret. She had sworn when she was only 15 years old to never reveal the secrets of her role to anyone. In exchange, her family was blessed by the gods. Kaida has always felt honored to have such a responsibility. She loved it and reaped the benefits of the gods' blessings.

She spent most of her life learning the ingredients, and the rituals associated with creating it. She was trained to resist torture and keep secrets as well. She knew that if it came down to it, she would need to take her life to protect this secret.

Kaida finally understood the burden a Guardian carried. They carried a great secret and had nobody to share the burden with. The fate of the realm rested upon their shoulders. Especially against those searching for the Ambrosia.

The Skyward people had gone through all the surrounding towns. Kaida’s was the last one standing. She knew that meant they were next. Her people were out of resources and many had fled. The Skyward King had been on a hunt for the Ambrosia for years. He had soldiers go from town to town, in search of the secret. They pillaged, killed and tortured every single person without hesitation.

Kaida was panicked. Nobody had ever gotten this close before. None of her ancestors had faced such great destruction. She had been on edge for days. She was completely alone. Her father had passed last year. She was the only Guardian left.

Kaida spent the night tossing and turning. She finally gave up on the idea of sleep and got out of bed. She was almost out of time. She could run but her entire village would suffer. She walked out to the lake to think. The lake always provided her with peace and gave her the best ideas. She made the walk down to the lake in her nightgown and bare feet, her long dark hair blowing in the wind.

The moon was out and provided some light. She could see the horizon light peaking out. Kaida knew she only had a few hours to make a decision. She looked and saw the tall building in the middle of the lake. She could see the Chief and his advisors in heated discussions. They must have been making decisions about how to protect the village. Kaida’s heart ached. She could not reveal anything because of her duty. The Chief had no idea that the person they were hunting was a quiet village girl.

She watched the reflections in the water as she thought about what her father would do. He was so good at all of this. Kaida was naive and selfish to have thought this job would be easy. That she could lead a quiet life and reap the benefits of this job. She wished he were here so he could tell her what to do. She knew that he would be disappointed if she ran but what other options were there?

How could she save her people and keep the secret? She knew she would have to deter the Skywards somehow. It was too selfish to run. Tears ran down her cheeks. It was all too much pressure. It was unfair. No other Guardian had been so close to a threat. This was unprecedented. Why did she have to deal with this? Why did the gods make her go through this alone?

The wind was cold and bitter but it kept her mind sharp. Kaida drew in the sand with a stick she found. Tracing lines and symbols. She suddenly stood up remembering a ritual that may save everyone. The Guardian had the power to call upon the Dragons of the East. Dragons were loyal to the gods and with the ritual **would be loyal to her. To her knowledge, it had never been done before which is why she hadn’t thought of it. It was so rare **it was almost a legend. She knew that if she did this, everything would change. Dragons hadn’t roamed the earth with humans in years **and everyone would know who she was.

She ran back to her home and grabbed the necessary ingredients from her stash. She looked through her cabinets for the most important ingredient, Dawn’s Breath. This was something so rare, that it was typically passed down from generation to generation. The gods gave this to the first Guardian, just in case there was ever a need.

Kaida walked back outside, still in her nightgown. She ground sage and Himalayan salt. She opened up the final and most important ingredient, Dawn’s Breath. She poured it into each lantern. The ritual called for two lanterns to be lit and put in a place where the dragons should be drawn to. Kaida chanted the spell and poured the mixture into the two lanterns. She used her matches to light them. She smelled the spices strongly. The aroma was supposed to awaken the dragons and summon them to the area. She put the lanterns in the water and watched them float into the middle of the lake.

Kaida ran home and changed into her leathers. She prayed to the gods the ritual would work. She prayed the dragons would come and she would be ready. Kaida would need to leave her quiet life to fullfilll her destiny. She stood at the lake and waited for everything to change.