Legend LXXXV – The Guardian Between the Doors

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There are places where the world doesn't end, but pauses, as if deciding which direction to breathe in. One such place lies beyond all maps, where paths suddenly appear out of nowhere and just as abruptly end. A narrow path of ancient stones leads across a void that is neither sky nor abyss, and on this path stands the Guardian Between the Doors. He appears only at night, when the moon hangs in the sky like a broken blade, its light not illuminating things, but exposing them. On either side of the path, doors jut out of the darkness, weathered wood, splintered, riddled with cracks as if countless hands had pulled at them. They stand open, but behind them lies not space, but abyss, mist, possibility. Some say each of these doors leads to a different version of the world; others claim they lead only to what one carries within oneself. Between them stands the Guardian, motionless, heavy, inescapable. His body is immense, muscular as if hewn from stone, covered in scars, notches, and marks not made by weapons, but by transitions. His skin appears gray and cracked, as if exposed to moonlight for too long, and something dark seems to rest in these cracks, as if night itself has taken up residence there. A skull hangs from a heavy chain on his chest, polished smooth by touch, not as a trophy, but as a reminder of a former self. His eyes burn both empty and bright, and when he opens his mouth, there is no scream, but a silent judgment. Bats circle him, not out of fear, but out of habit, as if he has belonged to the night since the beginning. No one knows how long he has stood there. Some legends claim he was once a man, a warrior or judge, caught too often between wrong choices. Others say he was born from the first stone ever laid between two worlds, created not of flesh, but of necessity. The only certainty is that he does not kill to punish, nor does he test to save. Whoever enters the path initially hears only their own blood in their ears. Then the doors begin to work. One reveals what they have lost and never overcome, the other what they could have become had they chosen differently. Voices whisper, images intrude, memories distort until they become alluring or unbearable. The guardian does not intervene as long as one hesitates. Only when a step is taken does he raise his hand. His touch is heavy, grounding, inescapable, and it compels remembrance. Not of what one believes oneself to be, but of what one has done. Many break under the strain. Some collapse in on themselves, as if they had carried too many lives at once. Others dissolve like dust, having long since become nothing more than decisions. Only a few pass the test.