《Bladed Advent》 Chapter 1: The Halford Name The intense rays of sunlight that beamed through the window sill were enough to remind him that his sleep schedule was far beyond repair. He awoke with a sigh and shot a quick glance at the clock, before grabbing a toaster-pastry from the freezer and taking a seat in front of his massive television. Crumpled papers were scattered all across his kitchen table. Test scores and other assignments. He''d scored around ninety percent or higher on a majority of them, but no amount of A-pluses could make him return to that dreadful place. ¡°Jeez. . .it¡¯s almost evening.¡± He thought, not entirely convinced of it himself. It wasn¡¯t like he enjoyed missing out on large portions of the day, but staying up at ridiculous hours in isolation had it¡¯s price. ¡°Hmm. . .maybe I should take a break from this game¡±. And with that, he began to flicker through the plethora of channels he had access to. Naturally, he let the local news station sit. He groaned when he noticed that it was the usual redhead girl¡¯s segment. Her bubbly voice was too annoying for him to handle. ¡°It¡¯s Sara, live from Cygnus City! With these next few days, we¡¯re nearing the second turn of the year! There are sure to be all sorts of wonderful celebrations throughout the region in the coming weeks, so be sure to check them out! Stay safe! Now back to you Jaime!¡± In the background, a blurry figure with blue hair could be seen twirling his fingers, conjuring all sorts of magical sparks and explosions. The women that surrounded clapped and cheered endlessly, as a flicker of static concluded the segment. The focus switched to a younger man standing in front of a towering golden castle. ¡°It¡¯s been a rough six weeks since our very own Halford Kingdom has seemingly vanished from any sort of public activity. As of now, there are no official statements from our Majesty himself and no explanation as to why the Kingdom has suddenly ceased all functions. As another week passes, we see another twelve percent increase to the overall crime rate. Our Capital city continues to regress as criminals run rampant, taking full advantage of the situation. In the last seven days, eleven citizens have gone missing, and most direct communication with neighboring estates seem to have been terminated. We will continue to update you as the story develops.¡± A vibrant logo that read ¡°Grandolis Region News¡± appeared on the screen as the program went on commercial break. He sighed, and turned his head towards the pristine looking envelope that rested upon his kitchen counter. He¡¯d received it in the mail a while back, but had all the reason in the world to disregard it. He wished he hadn¡¯t let that news program eat up even a minute of his day. With dread, he picked the envelope up off the counter and gently sat down. He carefully peeled away the golden seal, and opened it up. The piece of paper that unfolded in his hands appeared to be rather worn, and ridden with coffee stains. Upon first glance he noticed it was unusually poorly written. ¡°Dear Prince Auric, With a heavby heart, it pains us deeply to inform you that your brother, King Preston, has passed as of Aaranth 19th,932. The cause of death is still unknomwn. We understand your requests and permissions granted in the past, but we regret 2 inform u that you will be taking over as the new King of Halford as of Juunth 24th, 932. We kindly request that you be preparefd, as this will be no eas task. PS: Don¡¯t bother trying to escape this. We know where you reside and WILL find you. :)¡± Amongst the whirlwind of emotions that rushed to his head. ¡°Fuck¡±, was the first thing that came to Auric¡¯s mind. ***************************************************************** Towering mounds of paper and folders were stacked around the cluttered room. In the middle sat Auric, who still refused to believe he was confined here. He tapped his pen in annoyance and looked over at the girl sitting on the other side of the room. ¡°You know. . .for a death notice, a spell check would¡¯ve been nice.¡± ¡°Oops¡±. She didn¡¯t even bother to turn her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t this your job anyways?¡± ¡°Technically.¡±, she replied with a yawn. ¡°Then why am I here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still the King¡¯s quarters. Plus you have nothing to do right now¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t even helping . . . ¡± She quickly spun her swivel chair around to face him, and leaned forwards. The girl wore what appeared to be some sort of gold and black secretary outfit. Her left shirt pocket was adorned with a prestigious looking name tag, which read ¡°Amie¡±. Amie,didn¡¯t particularly have any outstanding skills or talents, she wasn¡¯t friendly, and she was severely unmotivated to do anything. Auric came to the conclusion that the only reason his brother hired this girl and kept her around was because he found her attractive. ¡°Here¡¯s a hint: READ. You did learn how to read right? In that prestigious private school?¡± Once again she was facing her desk, switching through all sorts of tabs on her computer. A tall, slightly muscular man confidently stepped into the room. His golden hair framed his slim face and rested along his shoulders. With a gasp, his eyes widened. ¡°My god. . Amie still hasn¡¯t cleared any of this mess out?¡± Auric smirked. ¡°Hey Galavaine.¡± ¡°Lord Auric! I still can¡¯t express how deeply sorry I am for your loss. . .¡± ¡°Nah man, it¡¯s cool. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Auric hadn¡¯t really spent enough time with Preston to feel overly close to him. In the eleven years he lived in the kingdom, Preston was usually nowhere to be seen as he was being trained for kingship. Despite all of this, he was the one that permitted Auric to live outside of the kingdom once he was eleven and funded all his living expenses. ¡°We know you¡¯d rather not be doing this right now, but trust me, you will come to love it!¡± ¡°Well ,he was half right¡±, Auric thought. This was the last possible thing Auric wanted in his life, and a large bulk of the reason he abandoned the Kingdom in the first place. He assumed he was safe from being pushed into rule due to the age gap between him and Preston being relatively small. ¡°Ah yes, this coming Friday you will be making an appearance on G.R.N to make a speech and formally announce your position as King.¡± ¡°Nnnoooooooo I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you must. You realize our current situation is of great importance correct? Currently, even though the public is not aware, we have about as much power as a petty thieves guild. A new king will come as a shock to many. . . .and the fact that you are a teenager as well. . . .¡± ¡°If we¡¯re in such a dire position, then why do you have your new ¡°king¡± trapped in a room, drowning in papers?¡± ¡°I told Amie to take you on a tour of the castle. . . I don¡¯t know why she has you doing her work.¡± Auric placed his eyes on her desk only to find that she had fallen asleep at some point in the past few minutes. Galavaine sighed and stretched his right arm outwards. With great power, he opened his palm and in a gust of lights, two luxurious looking shields spun into existence. Each of them were trimmed with a majestic gold border, and engraved with a series of ancient patterns that Auric failed to understand. Their middles, bore a symbol that appeared to be something of a winged crystal-like object. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The two shields levitated, circling each other until Galavaine abruptly closed his palm. With immense force, they clashed, blasting the room with an explosive noise. As expected, Amie jolted upwards, knocking over her coffee in the process. ¡°What the hell!?¡±, she screamed, swatting at the mass of wet papers that clung to her desk. ¡°I thought I asked you to show Auric around the castle?¡± ¡°Oh for fucks sake, he¡¯s lived here before!¡± ¡°A lot can change in five years¡± ¡°If you want someone to show him around the castle, get Lola and Tayn to do it.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve considered that had you actually been doing something.¡± She glanced at Auric with an irate look, who responded with a beaming smile. Galavaine waved his hand, causing the shields to disappear, and took a seat on Amie¡¯s desk. ¡°Look, half of the reason this kingdom is such a mess right now is because you refuse to do what you¡¯re supposed to. I¡¯d rather not have Auric¡¯s growth as a king be hindered by such incompetence as yourself, so please. . .I kindly request that you clear out some of this. I can get Auric to help you later if you care that much. As if she had morphed into a mannequin, Amie¡¯s face was blank and speechless. It wasn¡¯t like she could argue with anything Galavaine had said. Seemingly satisfied with her response, he left the room. ¡°Auric, come with me¡±. The two slowly strolled through what was possibly the most draining hallway Auric had ever witnessed. It felt endless and the walls were covered in the paintings of ancestors he would never recognize. Galavaine went on for a while about how their utmost priority should be making their presence known again, and getting the city to function as usual. Until now, Auric hadn¡¯t taken into consideration what exactly the kingdom was supposed to do in a city. The word ¡°rule¡± could only mean so much to him, but this had become far more complicated than he could have imagined. ¡°There are still lots of thing we must go over in the coming weeks.¡± ¡°Yeah uh. . I kind of understood that from the moment I entered the castle¡± They came to end of the hallway, which opened up to dome-like area that split into a variety of much smaller corridors, each filled with rooms. Through the corridor facing them, the entire dining room could be seen. An enormous chandelier hung above and illuminated their surroundings. . A majority of the walls in the castle were painted a radiant gold. It was extremely hard on the eyes and he wondered why anyone would have thought it was a good idea. Galavaine took a sudden turn into the hallway on the right and Auric followed. The two found themselves in what appeared to be a fairly worn classroom. The chalkboards were filled with intricate diagrams of weaponry and most of the desks were pushed to the back of the room. Hundreds of thin scratches covered the wooden floor. On the teachers desk, rested a variety of tools. Rows of quality swords were mounted along the walls. ¡°Arrricckkk! It¡¯s been a while!¡± A sturdy looking man rose from beneath the table. Upon his face lay what seemed to be an awkward cross between a welding mask, and a pair of goggles. Judging by his thick voice, full of grit, Auric assumed the man still smoked like a chimney. ¡°Roggus, you¡¯re right, man.¡± ¡°Around five years! My god have you grown.¡± Since he was a child, Auric had always found Roggus a quirky figure. He was a friendly guy, but the mask, combed with his floral polo-shirt and shorts made it hard to take him seriously at times. Galavaine took a seat on the desk. Auric began to wonder if this happened frequently. ¡°I request that you craft the finest sword for our new Lord, Roggus.¡± ¡°Galavaine! Have you forgotten that the kid once lived here!? He eyed the wall to the far left, and began to examine the arrangement of swords. Amongst the grey atmosphere of the room, they glowed with beauty. ¡°Ahhh. Here it is!¡± Roggus plucked a thin looking sword with fine point from the wall. It¡¯s hilt of gold shined brighter the sun. A series of pale-blue jewels fastened the hilt to the blade, which was adorned with symbols that appeared more to have more history the Kingdom itself. In the center of the hilt sat a sky-blue orb, seemingly pulsing with energy. He smoothly tossed the sword to Auric, who barely managed to catch it. ¡°Remember this!?¡± A smile crawled it¡¯s way onto Auric¡¯s exhausted face. ¡°Of course! Cervielle!¡± Roggus then proceeded to search for a weapon of his own. Within seconds, a massive axe came towering down on Auric, who narrowly sidestepped it and slashed forwards. His blade fiercely bounded off the axe¡¯s handle. ¡°Heh, man. Are you forgetting I was trained in this kind of stuff as a kid?¡± ¡°Hell no! It was I who made you that sword, after all!¡± Roggus rested the axe on the table next to him and opened one of the cabinets behind his desk. He rummaged through it for a few minutes before grabbing another axe, much grander in size and appearance than the one he''d held just moments ago. ¡°Glad to see your skills have not diminished after doing nothing for five years, but I bet they haven''t grown much either!" Wielding the handle in his two meaty hands, he swiped for Auric''s head. The axes head swept through the air. forcing Auric to swiftly roll to floor. The blades silver finish scraped against the side of the wall as Roggus pulled it back towards him. He ferociously chopped down as Auric hurriedly spun to the side, and flipped to his feet. Despite spending half a decade doing next to nothing, his body remained fit, and it seemed to perform all the right actions on instinct. He jumped and bounded off of the chalkboard. Leaping forward, he shoved his sword ahead aiming for Roggus'' shoulder. Evading the attack, Roggus stepped aside and maneuvered behind Auric. He dropped the axe and delivered a destructive punch to the back of his head, violently toppling him over. "Not bad! But lad, you need practice." Auric rolled over and groaned, giving Roggus a thumbs up. Galavaine. Have you taken him to see Grecia yet?¡± ¡°Soon.¡± ¡± Isn¡¯t Grecia that famous Exiscian? Waaittt a second, I¡¯m king now. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Auric felt like the amount of ¡°bad news¡± he¡¯d experienced in the past few days was torture. He knew he¡¯d eventually have to deal with being a king. . . .but seeing an Exiscian? No. That was probably one of the most irreversible things he could do. ¡°Once again, you have no choice. It is a simple requirement of being a King I¡¯m afraid. You really won¡¯t be able to rule this city, let alone our entire region without some sort of power. Plus, you¡¯re only sixteen. Anything that can help you out at this point is needed.¡± Auric smirked and twirled his blade. ¡°Dude. You saw my swordplay¡± ¡°Pfffftt. My lord. . . do you really believe that everything that inhabits this world can be slain by an elongated piece of metal? Naturally, there are numerous terrors out there that would laugh at the idea.¡± ¡°Fuck¡± Was once again, the first thing that came to Auric¡¯s unlearned mind. Chapter 2: Incompetent Kingdom ¡°Dinner is ssserved!¡± Lola circled the table leaving ornate plates in front of every seat. Tayn followed soon after with containers that held all sorts of luxurious delicacies. An unfamiliar, colorful striped fish occupied Auric¡¯s plate, prepared like something he would¡¯ve seen on a cooking show. He felt bad knowing the amount of effort that was put into it. ¡°Lola. . . .Tayn. . . .I would¡¯ve been fine with a Toaster-Pop or something. You guys didn¡¯t have to go this far.¡± The two servants looked rather surprised. Lola carefully poured Galavaine a glass of water and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s ok! It really is! Trust me! We don¡¯t really have anything else to do, but cooking is super fun!¡± Tayn¡¯s emerald green eyes rolled in their sockets. ¡°Speak for yourself. . . and can we get permission to wear something else? These maid outfits aren¡¯t really good for the whole self-esteem thing.¡± Jumping at the chance to outwit her fellow coworker, Amie cut in. ¡°That¡¯s a butler outfit, not a maid outfit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thi¡ª¡± Auric laughed and cut Tayn off. ¡°You guys think I care what you wear? What, did Preston make you wear these?¡± Lola quickly made her way to the kitchen, her hazel hair dancing behind her petite figure. ¡°Yeah. . . .he did. When Lola gets back give us something to do please. I¡¯m bored.¡±, said Tayn The group of them ate and merrily conversed. The chandelier above twinkled brightly, refracting the gold of the walls in all directions, which reminded Auric of something. ¡°Oh, you guys should totally repaint the walls. I swear, I¡¯ve had a headache since I got here.¡± ¡°You want us to repaint every single wall? Ugh. Should keep me occupied for long enough I guess¡±, Tayn muttered ¡°Sure! We¡¯d be glad to! What color?¡± ¡°Honestly, anything¡¯s fine. Just make sure it¡¯s not something that destroys my eyes.¡± Once the group of them were finished with their plates, Lola and Tayn once again went around clearing out the table. ¡°Say, the castle feels kind of empty. Where did Roggus go? Galavaine took a sip of his water and looked at Auric. ¡°He¡¯s attending a meeting in Cygnus. More importantly, how is your speech coming along?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh . . coming.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he believed him, but Galavaine didn¡¯t pry any further. ¡°Just make sure you at least have something. Please.¡± And with that, he walked off into the corridor and eventually faded out of view. Amie put her glasses back on and got out of her seat. ¡°Tomorrow morning you¡¯re helping me fix that paper mess upstairs.¡± ¡°Are you actually going to do something this time?¡±, said Auric ¡°Probably.¡± With everyone out of sight, Auric figured it¡¯d be best to retire for the night as well. The weak light of the morning sun brightened the messy room. A vast arrangement of birds chirped on and off in song, to Auric¡¯s annoyance. No amount of coffee could¡¯ve prepared him for the day that was to come. ¡°Knight Applications. . . . Complaints From Citizens. . . . City Affairs.. . .Amie are you fucking serious?¡± ¡°Oops¡± ¡°There¡¯s like eight hundred applications in this folder! And the complaints one has far too much go through right now. When was the last time you checked these?!¡± ¡°A while ago.¡± ¡°This folder dates back to Decanthe!¡± ¡°Hey, that was only a few months ago.¡± ¡°It would do you good to go through those Knight Applications.¡± Auric turned his head to find Galavaine sitting on Amie¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m currently the only knight left from Preston¡¯s rule.¡± Galavaine smiled proudly. ¡°What happened to the others?¡± Auric was puzzled at how his Kingdom was operating on only one knight. ¡°When someone is permitted to serve under the kingdom, they must sign somewhat of a king¡¯s Contract that prevents them from leaving their position. This contract shares it length with the reign of the respective King¡± ¡°Oh so. . .¡± ¡°Precisely. The moment we determined that your brother was dead, nearly every last soul in the kingdom fled.¡± Auric smiled. ¡°We can hold a tournament to select the applicants when we get this other stuff sorted out. That sounds like it''d be fun t to watch. Heh, was my brother that bad of a ruler?¡± ¡°The last few weeks of his rule were . . . interesting to say the least. He was an astounding King however and I have no regrets serving him. Not only was he my king, he was also my most cherished friend." Auric pondered that statement for second. Now that Galavaine mentioned it, in the few times he¡¯d seen his brother back then, the two were usually together. It was only natural that Galavaine became a knight alongside his best friend, the prince. Galavaine¡¯s eyes rested on the framed picture of Preston that hung from the wall. He examined the cocky smile, cobalt eyes, and wispy blonde hair before letting out a sigh. Curious to see what could be such a great distraction to the knight, Amie averted her attention to the wall as well. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Damn, he looks exactly like Preston.¡± ¡°Indeed, but perhaps that is a good sign.¡± Galavaine laughed. The more papers he flipped through, the more Auric understood the relevance of his presence. ¡°Some of these issues seem kind of major. . . .did these all just pop up in Preston¡¯s absence?¡±, he said. ¡°Remember, this is Amie that was supposed to be looking over these matters. I¡¯m under the impression that some of these existed in Preston¡¯s reign and he just wasn¡¯t aware.¡±, Galavaine said. Auric didn¡¯t even know where he should start with this. What issues had priority? What was tainting his city the most? ¡°Thirty-two of these reports mention women being found dead in their homes dating back to late Novanthe. I think this may be what the G.R.N was talking about a few weeks ago.¡± Amie began to roll with laughter ¡°You watch G.R.N? What the hell?¡± ¡°What? A shut-in needs to stay informed sometimes.¡± ¡°Anyways, those are probably related to the break-ins I skimmed over earlier.¡± Amie tossed a group of papers towards Auric. Upon reading them, he decided that this would be the case the Kingdom dealt with first. ¡°A lot of these break-ins were reported by stores and homes. Sounds about right. In these cases, doors were never opened so alarms didn¡¯t go off. The only reason they noticed was because of things going missing or murder.¡±, said Auric. Galavaine extended his arm to Auric, handing him a folder. ¡°These mention missing persons, almost all of them were teenage girls and some of these were filed nearly a year ago.¡± The two shot a fierce glance at Amie. She felt as if her face would melt right off. ****************************************************************** The sun merely hovered over the horizon, blanketing the city of Halford in a pale, orange light. Hundreds of citizens paced the streets, scattered about, anticipating the Kingdom¡¯s return to the public eye. The news had been hyping it all week, sticking fliers anywhere there was room, broadcasting that there was to be a ¡°special announcement¡± regarding the Kingdom this coming weekend. Auric sat in the middle of the largest park in the city: Trysa Park. Among that dozens of streetlights that were littered about, towering statues of angelic figures glowed in the evening light. Auric noticed that citizens were beginning to occupy the multiple stone paths that curved throughout the area. He could only imagine the thoughts going through their heads. Were they here because they were angry? Were they here because they were curious? Were they here because they had nothing better to spend their night doing? ¡°Heyyyyy! You¡¯re up in about thirty minutes!? Do you have everything ready?¡± Auric turned around, and wasn¡¯t surprised to see that the horrid voice was coming from Sara. The redhead that was hosting tonight¡¯s segment. ¡°Yeah . . . I guess.¡± He felt a warm hand land on his shoulder. He looked up to find Galavaine smiling down on him. ¡°Excited?¡± Auric laughed. He dreaded the thought of making a public appearance, but assumed it would be something he¡¯d have to get used to. ¡°Not remotely.¡± He could see a group of people, maybe in their mid-twenties setting up an arrangement of wires and projectors, among lighting and other things. Amie seemed to be bossing them around. There really was no getting out of this. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time¡± Sara handed Auric a microphone and guided him up a short staircase, leading to an spacious stage. Beneath him stood an immeasurable sea of people. The first obvious thing he noticed was that the audience didn¡¯t exactly consist entirely of humans as he would¡¯ve expected . Among them he spotted quite a few skeletons, fully clothed, with eye sockets that led to nowhere. He noticed a short girl, with pale blue skin and gills on her cheeks. She wore a blue hoodie with text that read ¡°Water you looking at?¡± He considered approaching her after he was finished, to ask her where she bought it so he could shut the store down. To her far left he noticed a group of green haired teenagers, wrapped head to toe in light brown robes, with miniature images of trees and other plants patched all over, huddled around a blanket that spanned quite the distance. Atop it sat baskets, filled with sandwiches and drinks of all kind. He shook his head. ¡°Are they having a fucking picnic?¡± he thought. ¡°It¡¯s the night you¡¯ve all been waiting for! All your questions, your fears, addressed right here, right now! This is Grandolis Region News Tonight, and I¡¯m your host Sara!¡± In a sudden rain of extravagant lights, the stage glowed brightly beneath the evening sky. The crowd began to cheer and the sound of upbeat electronic music began to sweep through the park. ¡°I thought this was a speech, not a fucking rave¡±. Auric could already feel the headache starting to set in. ¡°Relax, It¡¯s just an introduction¡± Galavaine reassured. ¡°Brace yourselves! For the introduction of your new king!¡± Sara passed the microphone onto Auric, the music came to an abrupt stop, and within seconds the crowd went silent. Chapter 3: Friendly And Approachable ¡°Hey. . . . ¡± Back and forth, Auric nervously paced the stage in an awkward loop. A pathetic smile spread across his face as he continued to speak. ¡°Soooo. . . . .What¡¯s up? I¡¯m your new king. Preston is dead.¡± Right away, he got the impression that he probably would¡¯ve been better off starting with something else. The crowd instantly erupted, beating him down with a variety of noises. He couldn¡¯t even recognize some of the words that were being shouted at him. A light tap on the back prompted him to turn around, only to see Galavaine and Amie staring at him. Galavaine had a fairly stern, tight-lipped look that read ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡±, while Amie simply rolled her eyes and proceeded to bury her face in her palms. From somewhere in the middle of the audience, Auric heard the ear shattering shout of an obviously displeased citizen. ¡°¡®Da hell you mean King Preston is dead?¡± Auric questioned the intelligence of his city¡¯s inhabitants. ¡°I mean . . . .he¡¯s dead. Gone. Not here anymore. No longer your king¡°. A woman¡¯s voice could be heard from the far right. ¡°Well how did he die? We¡¯re in the dark on everything you know. The Kingdom hasn¡¯t kept us informed at all!¡± Auric thought about it for a second. ¡°That¡¯s actually a very good question, Miss.¡± He¡¯d learned his brother was gone, for weeks now, but he hadn¡¯t questioned it once. Perhaps the pressure of taking rule had clouded his thoughts, and prevented him from dealing with the things that mattered the most. Maybe he didn¡¯t truly want to believe Preston was dead. No. That wasn¡¯t right. He¡¯d only started to warm up to Preston in their later years, but prior to that, Preston was the sole reason their parents never gave Auric a second look. He once again faced Galavaine, beckoning him forwards. ¡°Yeah. How did King Preston die?¡± Galavaine felt the weight of hundreds eying him down. ¡°That is information we cannot disclose to the public at this given moment.¡± As if on cue, the crowd burst into ferocity once again. Various shouts from all directions made their way to the stage. ¡°Oh shut up! Is there anything you can tell us!?¡± Almost apologetically, Auric looked at Galavaine and motioned him towards the back of the stage. ¡°Anyways! Moving On-¡± This was going to be harder than he thought. More voices lashed out at him mid-sentence. ¡°No! Fuck you! Who even are you?! Why are you suddenly King!?¡± Others began to nod in agreement and examine him. ¡°I¡¯m Preston¡¯s younger brother.¡± As he expected, numerous retorts and statements were thrown at the stage. ¡°We¡¯ve never heard of this!¡± ¡°Preston didn¡¯t have a brother!¡± ¡°I swear to god I only remember the King and Queen having one kid!¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The microphone that had grown comfortable in Auric¡¯s hand was quickly snatched away. Galavaine appeared to be more irritated than Auric had ever seen him. Whether or not this was a good thing had yet to be decided. ¡°He¡¯s serious. Now start acting more like an audience and less like a jury.¡± With a nod, he returned the mic and walked off. ¡°Alriighhttt so since you guys are so fucking intent on detail. . . Hi! I¡¯m Auric. I¡¯m sixteen years old and I like to play video games and eat toaster pops! You probably haven¡¯t heard of me because as a kid, I chose to distance myself from the mess of a Kingdom you guys look up to! But guess what! Thanks to that dumbass brother of mine, look where I ended up! If you don¡¯t like me based of the ten minutes we¡¯ve spent talking . . . well that sucks ¡¯cause I¡¯m the guy you¡¯ll be bowing down to for years to come!¡± Nearly the entire park was staring at him with eyes wider than the sea. ¡°Now, any questions?¡± Hands everywhere jolted upwards. Auric pointed at a hefty middle aged man standing towards the front of the audience. ¡°King! My wife has been missing since last week! I have sent in a report but have not heard back! Numerous others are facing the problem of missing loved ones as well!¡± He laughed a bit before clearing his throat and addressing the man. ¡°Dude have you even been listening to any of this? You haven¡¯t heard back because well. . . yeah. . . it doesn¡¯t take a king to realize your wife¡¯s probably dead. Oh, and before any of you come at me for that- ¡± Swiftly pointing at Amie, he continued, ¡°That¡¯s one hundred percent her fault. It¡¯s her job to keep track of that stuff and I have nothing to do with it. She¡¯s also been around here longer than I have.¡± Amie¡¯s jaw nearly collided with the ground. She gawked at him and left the stage from the back. The crowd simultaneously broke out into anger and amidst the chaos, Sara jumped back into the spotlight. ¡°Well. . . we hope you enjoyed the debut of our new King! That¡¯s all for tonight!¡± After her pitiful closing statement, she gave Auric permission to leave and called the cleanup crew. It was going to be a pain to clear out the park tonight. While citizens began to pour out, two peculiar figures remained in place, eying the massive stage that stood before them. ¡°Man. And here I thought we¡¯d have to tone things down when the city returned to order. This kid¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ tool.¡± ¡°Kid? He¡¯s around the same age you. I¡¯m kinda¡¯ feelin¡¯ like that cute redhead¡¯s our next target¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not gettin¡¯ the same vibe but. . . .we¡¯ve already screwed up like forty times. At this point I don¡¯t think it matters who we kill. This chick keeps herself hidden. Let¡¯s check out the amusement park later.¡± The stars that danced in the night sky watched over the city of Halford. Not even they, had an idea of the storm that was to come. Chapter 4- Existence Suffocated by the blistering summer heart, the duo trudged through the halls of Halford Castle. Auric was beginning to feel like he would melt under the tight, black and gold tux that Galavaine had forced him to wear today. Stifled by his necktie, he managed to choke out a few words. ¡°Hmph. Making me walk around like this while you¡¯re wearing a V-neck. Not cool¡± ¡°Heh , you¡¯re the king, not me. Plus, I¡¯m not the one seeing the Exicsian today!¡± "Y''know Galavaine. . . .I haven''t forgotten what you said the other day. The whole we can''t disclose this information to the public bullshit may work on the citizens, but I''m not an idiot. Why can''t you just---" "Look, my lord. I understand that you should at least know how your brother passed, even if you didn''t care about him all that much, but it''s a situation that''s too complex to deal with right now. I''m not going to make things harder for you when they don''t need to be." Auric rolled his eyes and continued walking. He¡¯d been teased about the whole Exiscian thing for the past few days. Ever since the wonderful display he put on at the park, he¡¯d been pressured by his subordinates to get this dreaded task over with. As they progressed further towards the castle exit, Auric began to notice something major: his eyes didn¡¯t feel like they were going to burn out anymore. He surveyed the area and saw that large portions of the blinding gold paint, had now been replaced with a far more subtle shade of dark-bronze. Some of the hallways in the distance, were now covered in soothing shades of blue. Pleased with design choices of Lola and Tayn, he progressed towards the castle gates. Upon stepping outside, the warmth of the sun hit him like a meteor. Galavaine guided him down the long stone path. The royal garden was truly a sight to behold, where all sorts of exotic plants and vines intertwined, governing the entire area. Rows of colossal oak trees bordered the wide end of the path. As they approached the imposing golden gates, the eerie presence of a nearby figure caught Auric¡¯s attention. It paced through the sea of plants, with a watering can dangling from its skeletal grip . The combination of a cage-like mask and a baggy hood shrouded his face, while gauze-like tattered rags were draped over the rest of his body. Laughing, Galavaine reassured Auric that there was no reason to be alarmed. ¡°Oh that¡¯s just Chance, the Royal Gardener. Don¡¯t worry about him. He may appear quite dubious, but as you can see, he does his job well.¡± ¡°I . . . see.¡± The two were now facing the gates that separated them from the vast city. A giant lock levitated inches away from the gate. Galavaine placed his palm to the keyhole, and it began to spin rapidly. Suddenly, the gates began to slowly spread apart, causing somewhat of an earthquake to spread throughout the area. Praying he wouldn¡¯t have to walk more than a couple blocks, he stepped into the city of Halford. The aged sidewalk crunched underneath his feet with each step he took. They passed the shopping district not too long ago and now found themselves entering the social district. Buildings could be seen on each side of the street, stretching to the sky. Dozens of extravagant signs and billboards advertised the many bars and nightclubs that occupied the area. Auric could only imagine what this place looked like at night. Everywhere he went, he¡¯d received a wide variety of looks from passing citizens. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we just take a car, or a carriage or something?¡± ¡°In the five, unproductive years you spent away from the Kingdom, not once had you set foot outside. Sightseeing is good my lord. It¡¯s best of you to familiarize yourself with your domain.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡± In the twenty minutes they spent walking, Galavaine was already starting to acquaint Auric with the structure of the city, and how things worked around here. Looking at a map, he noticed the city was shaped like a star, with six major districts spread about. In the center, rested the Kingdom, the ¡°central point¡± , as Galavaine liked to call it. Stemming outwards were the shopping district, social district, business district, and the schooling district. The housing district, was split into tiny bits across the other locations. Galavaine hadn¡¯t gone into great detail, but Auric figured it was due to the nature of it all being self explanatory. Galavaine disappeared into a nearby alleyway, and began to weave through a series of sketchy backstreets until the two of them found themselves standing before a garage. The area seemed like it was located behind one of the bars they passed earlier. An elegant painting of a blue star, tilted to the side with a line through it was painted onto the shiny steel of the garage door. In his mind, Auric debated whether it was graffiti, or intentional. Galavaine knocked and almost immediately, a voice from within followed. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡± As an obtrusive screeching began to pierce Auric¡¯s ears, the door began to slowly rise, revealing a surprisingly large area with a tiny wooden table in the centre. Behind it, sat a slender woman cloaked in a colorful garb. The same fabric covered the top half of her face, her eyes nowhere in sight. She rested two hands on the table, her fingernails painted in a multitude of colors. Each nail was marked with the symbols of a language long forgotten. She tilted her head towards Galavaine and grinned. ¡°Galavaine, your hair¡¯s almost gotten longer than mine. You should see Tarea and get it cut. Beautiful, is not a description fit for a man.¡± Galavaine nervously laughed while slightly turning his attention away. Over the course of the past few weeks, Auric came to realize that it meant he was offended but didn¡¯t want to speak out and start to scene. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°And Auric. . . . .the 11th King of Halford. You mirror Preston in appearance, but are you truly the same as him down to every last bone?¡± Before he got a chance to respond, Galavaine interrupted. ¡°This, is Grescia, one of the few Exiscians that reside in our city. Today she¡¯s going to decipher your fate, and ultimately give you the power you need to command our Kingdom.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be. . . .painful is it?¡±, Auric said Grescia giggled. ¡°Not physically at least. By undergoing this process, it¡¯s possible that future events in your life will be revealed, and old memories resurface. I am collectively reading your existence, and everything it¡¯s stood for from the moment you were brought into this world. Any sort of frequent emotions and experiences from your past may influence this as well.¡± A deafening blast suddenly shook the room, causing Auric to nearly fall out of his seat. Two familiar shields twirled around them, leaving sparks behind with each passing second. Galavaine displayed a look of triumph. ¡°Years ago, I sat in that very chair, and learned of my purpose in this world. Grescia granted me the Savior¡¯s Exis, which allows me to call upon the twin shields, Promise and Prospect. From that day forward, I put aside my life to safeguard another. I am forever indebted to what your family has done for me and will continue to serve until my soul meets it¡¯s very end.¡± The markings on Grescia¡¯s fingernails began to glow brightly, and the nails themselves suddenly began warp and twist into the shape of a chalice. In its center, a ball of luminous white fog began to gather. At that moment, Auric¡¯s headache worsened tenfold, and Grescia opened her purple-stained lips. ¡°To the force that courses through our very world, and to the force that moves existence¡± Instantaneously, the ball of mist dispersed and Auric felt a sudden burst of energy flow through him. Memories from his sixteen years of life began to flood through his head. Cold memories of him wandering the castle halls as a child, of him being educated by faces that were long gone, of clashing with his parents, of being neglected. Pleasant memories of his brother standing up for him, saving him. Memories of the day he left, memories of the day he was told he would never see his parents again, memories of five, lonely, boring years of his life that came and went like the morning sun. An excess of doors, sucking each memory in and fading to black. Silver keys, wandering the blank space in his head and inserting themselves where they see fit. A golden staircase, forming in the horizon. Arrangements of new doors began to line the path, slamming open and swinging shut. The abstract scene was interrupted by the porcelain face of Grescia bursting back into view. The mist began to gather once again in the center of the chalice, but this time it glowed with the colors of the rainbow, swirling about. ¡°The way the world works, the wheels that turn history, the gears that move fate, I accept it. Through acceptance comes growth, and through growth comes life. I pronounce Auric Halford, holder of the Devourer¡¯s Exis.¡± Her nails retracted and the luminous ball of color flew itself at Auric. He felt weak for a second, and rejuvenated the next. The silence that followed the next few moments was broken by Grescia. ¡°Devourer. . . . . that¡¯s rather strange. Oh right, I guess I¡¯m supposed to lecture you on that now.¡± She looked at the clock behind them and groaned. ¡°My shift starts in a few minutes so let¡¯s make this quick. As I¡¯ve been told by our worlds many forces, you¡¯ve been granted the fate of the Devourer. From this day forward, it is in your life path to consume. By slaying others, you¡¯ll begin to craft a road of your own, that will inevitably lead you to great heights. Looking at you. . . . that doesn¡¯t exactly seem fitting. I must admit, I am curious as to how things ended up this way. I¡¯m going to assume you¡¯ve never killed anyone before, so perhaps this is the world¡¯s way of calling you greedy? ¡° She laughed and continued ¡°I don¡¯t know enough about you to judge, but anyways. As far as Exiscians like us know, Exis¡¯ have three stages of power. Most of the time, you¡¯re only granted one. If you happen to see one of us at a time where enough has happened in your life, you may start at a later stage. Each successive stage will grant you more and more, but with cost. These often come with life changing events. I don¡¯t know. If I knew every secret about the way things work, I probably wouldn¡¯t be here, everything I¡¯ve said so far is just a highly educated guess, but that¡¯s aside the point. You look kind of shaken, don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s natural.¡± Auric¡¯s eyes were growing bored of staring at the ground, and despite the process being over with, he still felt sick in his stomach. ¡°You¡¯re saying. . . . . I need to kill people for this thing to take effect?¡± His face was pale a ghost. Grescia stood up and snapped a finger. Her nails began to give off a purple glow and in an instant, her exotic, mystic cloth outfit was gone and replaced with an apron. Her purple hair reached her shoulders. ¡°A king without a fate, is a king without purpose. Ambition works itself into the strangest of places. If success is what you seek, you¡¯re going to have to use this someday. See ya''¡± She waved a hand and walked through door on the other side of the room. Galavaine, sitting on the table began to laugh and clap his hands. Auric clenched his fist and viciously kicked the chair beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It seems grave but you¡¯ll find yourself ridding this land of the worst of people. Do you have an interest in ice cream? Chapter 5- Foreigners All evening he¡¯d received a variety of looks from passing strangers, mostly teenagers around his age who were probably here trying to find a way to soothe away the pain of early week classes. Impatiently drumming his fingers along the escalator railing, he slowly ascended the fourth floor. After today¡¯s events, it¡¯d be nice to go back to his quarters and sleep. Auric honestly didn¡¯t care much for frozen treats, but Galavaine¡¯s excitement was too much to neglect. With a smile, Galavaine reassured Auric for the ninth time this hour they were almost at their destination. As they rose higher and higher, the shoppers on the lower stories began to appear as dots. ¡°Well, it is the central mall of the most grand city in the best continent. We¡¯re approaching it, It¡¯s on floor seven.¡± Auric quickly glanced over the escalator railing and groaned. Being terrified of heights brought forth a slight anxiety in the tower-like mall. Despite being severely irritated, he did find happiness in one thing. The coolness of the air conditioning was saving him from slipping into insanity. No longer did his head feel like it was going to split apart from the overwhelming heat. He¡¯d found his only solution to not feeling like trash about earlier, was to just try to ignore what happened. If it never happened, then it was no big deal right? Arriving at the seventh floor, Galavaine stepped off the escalator with a huge smile on his face. The escalator opened into a vast area, with all sorts of stores, stands, and booths littered about. The space ahead of them was taken up by a large fountain, surrounded by benches. Groups of high school students hung around, teasing each other and gossiping. Auric looked up and saw that there were still about two more floors above. From the ceiling hung numerous spherical ornaments of various vibrant colors.. He followed Galavaine through crowds of shoppers and encountered a small flight of stairs. Next to it was a slope, presumably for the disabled, or just lazy. Finally, they found themselves in front of a massive sign that read ¡°Frozen Paradise¡±. A mind-numbingly cheesy picture of a snowman decked in sunshades and swimming trunks was positioned near the text, causing Auric to notice a life sized replica of it standing to the side of the designated eating area. A vast arrangement of tables and chairs were positioned all around, resting in the shade of the small umbrellas and cheap plastic trees that were scattered about . He shrugged and eyed the ice cream shop with curiosity, reluctant to meet whatever nutcase designed this joke of a place. The line snaked throughout most of the floor, filled with hungry commoners anticipating their sugar fix. Being at the very back was dreadful, but Galavaine repeatedly mentioned that it would be worth it. One by one, the fortunate ones ahead of them began to turn back and shoot looks at Auric. Whispers soon followed. He sighed and continued to let himself be a spectacle. ¡°Oh my god It¡¯s the king!¡± ¡°Hey, he¡¯s kinda¡¯ cute. . . ¡° ¡°Think he¡¯ll give me his autograph? ¡°That¡¯s the king? What a faggot.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be doing something other than buying ice cream?¡± A short, stubby woman weaved through the line, squeezing past the impatient customers. Auric had to rub his eyes for a second to make sure what he just witnessed was real .Nearly every inch of her body was plastered in a snowman outfit that looked like it¡¯s time was nearly up. Deep cracks extended through the white plastic. Her brown eyes and spiked hair poked through an opening in the face of the costume. ¡°King Auric!? Whoah! We usually get celebrities around here but this is still a big deal! Want to cut the front of the line?¡± ¡°I gue¡ª¡± Galavaine, who couldn¡¯t be happier, interrupted him nearly instantly. ¡°Yes! Absolutely!¡± As the chubby snow-woman escorted the duo to the counter, the looks that fell upon them quickly became hostile, and envious. Hiding the camera flash of her 5.0 megapixel cell phone wasn¡¯t a priority as Auric noticed. Every few seconds a sudden light caught his eyes, while the obnoxious noise of the photo being taken reached his ears. Stolen novel; please report.The gleaming atmosphere that Galavaine began to exude was almost enough to absolve Auric of his mood. The young man that stood across the counter appeared excited to see them. ¡°Galavaine! It¡¯s been a while¡± ¡°Ah yes. . .well it¡¯s been pretty busy at the Castle for the past while.¡± The man turned to Auric and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard. By the way, magnificent performance the other day, kid¡± ¡°So Galavaine, the usual?¡± ¡°Indeed. To be honest, I¡¯m rather surprised you remember my usual order¡± ¡°No . . . you¡¯re pretty much one of the only regulars that orders this.¡± While the two were conversing, the teenagers at next counter over caught Auric¡¯s attention. Perhaps it was the fact that one of them was cloaked in a long, unzipped black winter coat, each sleeve lined with worn looking fur, contrasting his jeans, which were so tight they nearly looked painted onto his legs. An array of chains sagged through each belt loop. His pale, sullen face was mostly hidden by black hair that varied in lengths. He grabbed his milkshake from the counter and with an icy glare, cast his attention to Auric. ¡°Look at me like that again and I may have to rip your eyes out¡± He winced as the elbow of his friend met his ribs. ¡°That¡¯s the king!, relax!¡± His almost-chubby friend looked equally out of place, with a brown coat even thicker. His hands rested in his pockets, covered in large wool mittens. Words nearly escaped his mouth, but Auric was hesitant to make yet another scene. He¡¯d been done with the day hours ago. The feeling the two boys gave off didn¡¯t rub him the right way, but. . . . .¡±whatever¡±, he thought. Judging from their thick accents, they weren¡¯t from around here. He chose to not dwell on it further, seeing as Preston had messed with the immigration laws far beyond comprehension. As the two foreigners walked past, their conversation carried on, only quieter. ¡°You really got to watch what you say around here alright? You were the one talking about how you wanted to avoid drawing much attention!.¡± ¡°My apologies. . . .It was just so hard to resist in the heat of the moment¡± ¡°What heat? What moment? You were buying a bloody milkshake!¡± ¡°Did you see the way he looked at us?¡± ¡°Absolute coincidence!. I wouldn¡¯t dwell on it too much.¡± By the time Galavaine found them a table to rest at, Auric was about four spoonfuls into his vanilla twister treat. Across from him, Galavaine was deeply indulged in his roenut soft serve. The only noise he¡¯d made since they sat down was a loud crunching. Auric¡¯s admiration of his sweet dessert was cut short when his ears tuned in to the horrid pop song that was playing on the mall P.A system. Galavaine pulled out his cell phone and tapped the ¡°talk¡± button. Suddenly the music stopped. ¡°Oh¡±. Auric didn¡¯t have to listen hard to guess who was on the other line. He continued to wolf down his treat and listened to Galavaine¡¯s phone call. Most of the shoppers passing by didn¡¯t hesitate to stare. Grasping the white handle of the umbrella next to their table, he repositioned it to block their view. ¡°What? I¡¯m with Auric at the mall. We bought ice cream. It¡¯s quite good.¡± ¡°No. There are no televisions in the food court. . .¡± In just a matter of seconds the knight¡¯s expression switched from curiosity, to panic. ¡°What!? No! How is that possible!?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Slamming his phone on the table, he inhaled what was left of his ice cream and looked directly at Auric. ¡°Relaxing at the castle will have to wait. Someone¡¯s set fire to Preston Park.¡± Chapter 6- Terror At Preston Park ( + Authors Notes) The two found themselves sprinting out of the mall and onto the lively streets that connected the shopping district to the social district. Auric was plagued with second-hand embarrassment from the existence of Preston Park. To think his brother had the ego to have an amusement park created after himself was absolutely insane . . . but it happened. ¡°That was Amie just now. Apparently there¡¯s been a disaster at the amusement park. I¡¯ve been informed that some have been found dead.¡± ¡°Disaster? What the hell?¡± ¡°All she told me was that it was on fire and that there were deaths. There isn¡¯t much to go off of yet. She said it was on the news, and some people are starting to call in as well.¡± Nearly out of breath, Auric breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the mountain range-like bundle of roller coasters appear in the distance. Some of them were covered in ominous flames of black and green. ¡°We have no time to stare Auric, come on!¡± Galavaine yanked him by the arm as he continued to dash onwards. As they sped through the parking lot, frenzied citizens ran amok as if they were ants. The panic had set in full force. Through the chaos Auric spotted a variety of posters and billboards set up, each with photographs and artwork of Preston stylized differently. A giant sign was hung ahead that read ¡°Preston Park¡±. The two of them somehow managed to squeeze past the flood of people pouring out of the admission booths, and entered the park. Right away, Auric noticed something unsettling. Despite the mass of flame that spread throughout the area, he didn¡¯t feel any heat. The smoke was missing as well ¡°Galavaine, something¡¯s off. This isn¡¯t your average act of arson.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Galavaine hastily looked around for someone to get information out of, but realized that it wasn¡¯t going to be possible. Fear had driven everyone mad, with their only intent being to escape the park in one piece. ¡°Follow, we''ll find the source of this madness.¡± Unable to run due to the sheer amount of people flailing about, they progressed a bit further into the park. Plenty of gift shops populated the grounds, which split into multiple paths that each lead to different sections of the park. In between the paths rested unoccupied food stands and carnival game booths. Corpses were strewn about, motionless and mangled. Some were littered around the ground, while others hung over the various railings and signposts that directed crowds. Out of the corner of his eye Auric spotted two somewhat-familiar faces. Standing at a row of vending machines to his far left were the foreigners he¡¯d run into this morning. The one in black wore a look of amusement while his friend¡¯s eyes were wide with disbelief. ¡°Galavaine It¡¯s them. I¡¯m sure of it!¡± He nodded in their direction ¡°The people we ran into earlier? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m sure! They look sketchy as hell! Plus what else would they be doing here?!¡± ¡°Auric. . . if they¡¯re from another region there could be a lot of reasons they¡¯re here. Also, I¡¯m fairly certain they were still in the mall around the time I received a phone call from Amie. ¡° Ignoring him, Auric rushed off to confront the two. He had to back away for a second to avoid being run over by Sara and her camera crew, who were still filming the catastrophe. ¡°I¡¯m taking you guys into the castle! Stop this immediately!¡± The pale-skinned guy in the black coat took a sip from his milkshake and shifted his eyes towards Auric. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m going to have to decline that invitation. I¡¯m rather entertained watching this chaos unfold.¡± Sass? Taking a deep breath, Auric kicked at the ground in anger. ¡°I MEANT YOU¡¯RE UNDER ARREST!¡± He nearly choked on his milkshake. ¡°Mate what!? We¡¯re just trying to have a fine time!¡± ¡°FIX THIS NOW AND EXPLAIN!¡±, Auric commanded, now severely stressed out If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I swear it¡¯s not us! How could it be us! You SAW us at the mall like twenty minutes ago!¡± ¡°Then how did you get here so fast!?¡± The teenager took another sip of his milkshake and looked away nervously His friend began to look just as anxious. He opened his mouth, hoping to pitch a reasonable excuse. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Galavaine caught up to Auric and intervened ¡°Auric it¡¯s not them¡± Auric waved Galavaine away, as his immense wit began to take effect. He truly understood what was going on. The disappearances and murders in the city, the break-ins, the pale skin, eyeliner, and black jeans. He was amazed it took him so long to catch on. ¡°You guys are vampires aren¡¯t you!¡± The one in the brown coat wasn¡¯t really sure what to make of the accusation, but his friend simply looked over at him and began to laugh hysterically, spitting out his milkshake in the process. ¡°He, he thinks we¡¯re fucking vampires! Oh my god! Don''t kill me!¡± In no condition to speak, he simply exchanged glances with his friend and continued to roll with laughter. ¡°A vampire wouldn¡¯t be able to do this¡± He quickly opened his palm, which drew a nasty glare from his friend in the brown coat. ¡°Matt, seriously! ¡± he shouted. Galavaine let out a heavy sigh, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head. ¡°Lord Auric. . .vampires don¡¯t exist. Now quit messing with these guys and look.¡± He pointed towards one of the roller coasters nearby. Like a glow stick mangled by a child, it spiraled into incomprehensible shapes with an equally confusing neon blue paint job. The ¡°Royal Twist¡±. Endless commercials familiarized Auric with the ride, perhaps a bit too much. On a wooden bench near where the lineup would be, sat two boys that looked around Auric¡¯s age. One wore an oversized black T-shirt, with his arms wrapped in dingy bandages. A threatening stare could be seen from underneath his black bangs. The boy next to him sat cross legged, in a white hoodie patterned with green swirls. Lime hair flowed out from underneath the hood that covered most of his head. He looked to the sky and stretched his arms out of boredom. ¡°Well my Lord, how¡¯s that for sketchy?¡± said Galavaine. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Authors Notes: First off, thanks so much for reading up until this point! I really am grateful. I understand the story has been rather slow up until this point, due to it''s slice of life-esque nature. Even as I was writing some of these chapters months ago, I thought to myself "Man, this is pretty boring. Are people even going to like this?" but in the end, I decided to keep the humor and mindlessness of everything the main focus of the early chapters. It does feel kind of weird doing this when we''re only at chapter six, but from here on out the story is going to begin to shift it''s tone. This chapter marks the start of the first major arc of the series, and while the humor and everything will be still present, don''t worry. Thing''s are actually going to start happening now (haha). A lot of details from previous chapters are left intentionally vague, but that''s intentional. I plan on explaining certain things that may be unclear as they become relevant to the plot. Once again, I just want to thank whoever is reading this for keeping with the story through it''s slow start. Look forward to the next chapters! This is a high fantasy story, and it''ll begin to show more and more as we get further into the arc. If the comedic, non-serious approach is something you don''t enjoy, I''ll be posting another series I''ve been working on for a while now fairly soon, which is drastically different than Bladed Advent, so look forward to that too! Chapter 7- Lacerating Winds The boy in the white hoodie rose off of the bench, and began to approach the group, passing by the series of lampposts that were lined up around them. ¡°Ayyyy! ¡®Sup King!¡±, he said. At that moment, Galavaine summoned his twin shields, his eyes blazing with rage. They hovered around him, as if waiting for a chance to strike. ¡°You are responsible for this! Tell me, is it you that killed our city¡¯s innocents as well?!¡± ¡°Ehhh, Sorta¡¯? We''re not behind all of the killings. If that¡¯s what¡¯s gotcha¡¯ so riled up, my bud Penn back there¡¯s who you¡¯re trying to get at. I¡¯m just taggin¡¯ along for the ride.¡± Galavaine¡¯s shields briefly darted around, before one of them circled around the bench, and flew at the boy in the black shirt from behind. Savagely knocking him off, he tumbled through the crowd of people that ran about the park grounds. The impact of the collision caused the wooden bench to burst into pieces. Spitting blood to the ground, he got to his feet and faced Galavaine. ¡°Ouch. I didn¡¯t think ya¡¯ kingdom was the violent type.¡± ¡°You have five seconds to explain yourself before you taste Promise and Prospect once again¡± He exchanged looks with his partner, and took a few steps back. ¡°To be honest we¡¯re just lookin¡¯ for the redhead babe that works for G.R.N¡± Penn said. Auric observed the chaos around them, and stared at the two in disbelief. ¡°You destroyed an entire amusement park. . . FOR ONE GIRL!?¡± ¡°She works for the news right? We hadta¡¯ do something to get media attention!¡±, said the boy in the white hoodie, seemingly proud of himself. ¡°Then you guys could¡¯ve just gone to their building! Aw man this is insane!¡± The delinquents once again looked at each other as if they¡¯d come to a sudden realization. ¡°Damn bro he¡¯s right. That woulda¡¯ been so much easier¡± The two shields cut through the air of the park and returned to Galavaine¡¯s side, still floating. ¡°Before I further condemn you, I must ask. Why her? You may have been able to get away with it if you kept to your silent methods.¡± ¡°Ehhh we were just playing it safe up until now just in case. When we saw how lame your new king was, we didn¡¯t feel any reason to continue hiding!¡± ¡°Vant, I¡¯ll text ya¡¯ when I find her¡±, said Penn. Taking advantage of the brief conversation he turned around and bolted away, eager to find today¡¯s victim. Within seconds he disappeared into the crowd of commoners still trying to escape. Auric spent a few seconds reflecting upon the current situation, and turned to Galavaine. ¡°I mean. . . . it¡¯s just Sara. . . .¡± ¡°Auric! We¡¯re still responsible for her life! She¡¯s a citizen of your city!¡± ¡°Maybe if we let them have her they¡¯ll stop. Problem Solved.¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Fine. Chase after him then. He¡¯s obviously going to kill her when he gets to her.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Vant looked to the sky and smiled. ¡°Ehh she¡¯s a bit too much of a babe to kill right away.¡± ¡°I cannot leave you alone in a place like this, Lord.¡± ¡°Go. I¡¯ll be fine¡±, Auric said Rolling up his sleeves, he grinned and began to approach Vant. ¡°You¡¯ve made my day so much harder than it needed to be¡± Vant threw his right arm forwards and erupted with laughter. A massive gust of wind tore through the park, lifting citizens off of the cement ground and tossing them about like ragdolls. Some collided with the numerous billboards that were on display while others crashed to the ground, pale and limp. The harsh sound of crunching bones resonated throughout the park. His white hoodie and khaki shorts rippled in the wind. The force swept Auric off his feet, throwing him backwards. With a loud thud, he collided with one of the vending machines that remained standing. He couldn¡¯t have imagined a lowly criminal like this to have such extreme power. The relevance of an Exis was becoming clear to him. He watched in horror as Vant got closer and closer, creating all sorts of strong winds that ripped through their surroundings. The two foreigners nervously watched the catastrophe unfold, unsure of what actions to take. Matt took a sip of his milkshake and continued to enjoy the scene. ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about seeing a movie later at least.¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been trying to make sure you keep a low profile . . . but can we really just stand by and watch this?¡± The wind calmed down as Vant roughly grabbed Auric by the neck, lifted him to his feet, and slammed him into the vending machine. In the distance, Auric witnessed corpses scattered around the park grounds. There were carts full of motionless bodies suspended in midair on some of the roller coaster tracks, consumed by flames. ¡± Yeahhh my winds can get pretty crazy. Not so high and mighty now are ya¡¯? Who¡¯da thought for a king you¡¯d be so fuckin¡¯ weak!¡± He snickered and tossed Auric aside. Covered in cuts in bruises, Auric desperately tried to crawl away. The rough surface of the ground scraped his bleeding palms. ¡°Alright you wanna die in the sky, or down here? I¡¯m counting like seven different ways to kill you right now.¡± He positioned his hands towards Auric, revealing an ornate looking silver ring on his index finger, and took aim for whatever devastating act he was about to perform. Suddenly, a thick black mist began to trickle through the area. ¡°I¡¯m counting around eleven different ways to kill you, and I¡¯m not even feeling that creative today.¡± In the cloud of mist behind Vant appeared Matt, who was savoring the last bit of his strawberry milkshake. Chapter 8- A Searing Hatred Dashing Along the stone paths of the park, Galavaine frantically turned his attention side to side, searching for Sara. In the ten minutes that had passed since he''d left Auric, he''d checked nearly every restaurant, shop, and attraction in sight. He passed through the many carnival game booths set up and continued to move forward. Off to his far left he noticed a group of people sitting at a large patio. Amongst the people in chairs sat a thin girl, her scarlet hair blowing in the wind. Camera equipment littered the area around them. Galavaine hastily approached them. "Sara, we must leave now!" "Hey, you''re the King''s right hand man! Hello!", she replied. Suddenly, Penn came crashing down on one of the tables nearby with an audible thud. Hunched over, he moved his eyes towards Sara. "You''re even hotter in person!" he said, as he leaped forwards, clawing at her face. Backing away, she let out an intense shriek that echoed throughout their surroundings. Galavaine ran forward, and ferociously swung his fist. It collided with the side of Penn''s face, and sent him spinning to the ground. Sara stood frozen in space, her eyes wide with shock. Her colleagues scattered about, stumbling over fallen chairs and debris. "Sara, you''re being targeted, you need to come with me!" , Galavaine said. She trembled in response, speechless.Still lying on his back, a cruel grin stretched across Penn''s face as he raised his arm and flicked his wrist.Tiny green sparks began to materialize in the air around the disoriented camera crew. The sparks flared up into stygian flames, and rained over the group. Some of them gripped their faces in agony and screamed, while others fell to their knees, silent. "Damn it I can''t see!" "My face!" "WHERE AM I!?" As if they''d their minds had gone blank, they collapsed to the ground, mumbling gibberish and shaking violently. The ominous fire continued to illuminate the hazy area.Sara stared, still glued to the floor. Tears streamed down her colorless face, and wetted the fabric of her torn floral dress. Pushing himself off the ground, Penn snickered and patted his palms against his khaki shorts. "That''s what I''d like to call a. . . .Pennta-kill!" Ahahahahahah!" he exclaimed Galavaine shouted, commanding a shield to hover around Sara. He sent the other, rocketing towards Penn, who swiftly avoided it by flipping to the side. He spawned a series of green sparks which combusted into a hellish blaze. They licked the front side of Galavaine''s shield as it speedily returned to him. Catching him off guard, Galavaine''s foot sprang off the ground as he advanced to deliver an explosive punch. It connected with Penn''s lower jaw, instantly twisting it aside as he flew backwards. Rolling back to his feet he threw some more sparks towards his opponent. Galavaine sent his shield forwards, it''s golden frame deflecting the flames. It smashed against Penn''s rib cage, flattening him to the ground and leaving him breathless. " I''m clueless as what kind of inferno this is. . . but by order of the Halford Kingdom, I command you to get rid of all flames at once!" "Heh, they''re real but the only thing they burn is the sanity and senses of sheep like ya''selves!" He howled in pain as Galavaine stomped on his wrist, crushing it. "You never answered my question from earlier. Why are you hunting a news reporter?" he said "We''re looking for the Seventhile Witch Exiscian, Sayella! Of course, ya'' wouldn''ta heard of her because the bitch''s been in hiding!" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "There is no way this woman is a witch in hiding. And what do low lives like you want with an apparently important Exiscian?" "None of ya'' fuckin'' business!"The edge of the shield slowly pressed against Penn''s neck, as he began to cower in fear. "Okay! An Exiscian from our town told me that if I killed her it would unlock the second chapter of my exis! It''s the only way! Just fuckin'' let me kill her!" "All this havoc. . . .this past few months of ruin, for personal gain?!" "It''s legit! It''s understandable and it''s the only fuckin'' way! Don''t look down on me you Halford scum! You people of this kingdom have it the easiest so what''s a few fuckin'' months of damage going to do! It''s your fault you left the place in such a trash state anyways! I''ll kill all of ya''!" ****************************************************************************************** Gripping the cold steel of the staircase railing, Vant limped away, his knees repeatedly buckling under the weight of his body. He''d come quite a distance since his confrontation with Auric and Matt. Whatever took place moments ago would forever scar his mind. Being robbed of his victory against the King Of Halford by that horrific being enraged him more than anything, but his body was in no condition to pursue the fight any longer. In the short time they''d brawled, cameramen from all over stormed through the park, intricately filming everything of importance. He urgently needed to find Penn, and immediately retreat if they wanted another shot at this in the future. He phased through numerous walls and objects, quickening the search for his friend. Still pinned to the ground, Penn shouted at Galavaine, and pelted him with a steady flow of insults. Shrugging them off, Galavaine continued to unsuccessfully interrogate the boy. Sara had somewhat recovered, and was resting on a chair close by, still protected by Galavaine''s shield. More workers from the G.R.N had arrived and were filming every interaction they could, while medics began to clear out and assist those that had fallen earlier. The doors of the restaurant ahead of them swung open as Vant emerged from within. Still limping, he trudged forwards. "You! What have you done to Lord Auric!" Galavaine said. "He''s around. . . " Vant said. His hood had blown off, and the lush hair the flowed to his shoulders was now a mess.What was once a cleanly white sweater was shredded beyond repair. After a few tries, he raised his palm towards Galavaine, once again revealing his silver ring. It was exquisitely crafted, and displayed arrays of delicate patterns. Into it, was engraved the letter "S". A mighty torrent of air blasted Galavaine into a lamppost located behind them. Vant shook more with each step he took towards his close friend, who was in an even worse condition. His hand seized the bruised flesh of Penn. They quickly sank through the rugged ground, and disappeared from sight. Galavaine stared awestruck. ****************************************************************** The space around her shelved hundreds of books with damaged spines and torn pages, perhaps spanning centuries in content. In her lap sat a scalpel which pressed against the fabric of her torn lab coat. She was fixated on the flat-screen television that was mounted on the wall a head. At the same table sat a boy, joining her in spectating the events that took place at Preston Park. He fidgeted with his silky blue tie. Behind one of the aged shelves, a young woman rapidly sifted through numerous encyclopedias, forming clouds of dust in the process. Books from all around toppled over as she groaned in annoyance. "Well, at least we know what happened to my ring. . . ." she said. Chapter 9- Downtime Quick Author''s note: I''ve gone back and fixed some errors in chapter 8! Mainly just typo''s, but there was a pretty massive error that I''ve fixed. I apologize for the delay in chapter uploads recently, but expect around 2-3 chapters a week starting soon-ish. Once again, thank''s for reading,and if you enjoy the story, please remember to follow it and vote! Let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments. Auric could get used to the caressing warmth of his cotton mattress. His body ached all over, and he felt like he was going to fall apart. The nurse drew a pair of gloves from the pocket of her white coat, and briefly muttered a few incantations. Her hands began to emit a bright blue. She gracefully chained hand motions back to back in a painterly fashion, then held her hands over Auric''s chest. "A few cracked ribs, nothing too serious, and nothing I can''t fix", she said. Her palms came together in a clapping motion and for a brief moment, a high-pitched chirping noise filled the room. It was harmonious, like a birdsong. Aurics felt his chest tighten then go numb. After a short coughing fit, he felt good as new and thanked the nurse for her treatment. She was promptly escorted out of his chamber by Galavaine while Amie sat with Lola and Tayn. The room was illuminated by the chandelier above. It was wide, shaped similar to a crown, and much like everything else in the Halford Castle, bore rows of exotic jewels from faraway lands. Every curtain in the room was closed shut, telling Auric it was probably night time. The once- golden walls were now replaced with shades of a lax creme colour. The room would''ve felt spacious, if it wasn''t for the dozens of game consoles, and cases scattered across the floor. Tayn scanned through them before picking up one that looked recently used. The cover consisted of numerous men that looked like they''d eaten steroids for breakfast. In bold yellow letters, it was titled "Avenue Brawler 9: Ultra Remix Turbo: Fourth Edition: Two." "What the hell man. . ." he said, tossing the case aside. His eyes wandered around the room. Not passing up a moment to pester the king, Amie spoke. "You do realize how screwed you are if the part where you got your ass kicked was broadcast right? LIterally everyone in Grandolis is going to see that and think that they have a shot at your throne." Auric groaned and rose from underneath his bed sheets. "I don''t care about t hat. . .I need to worry about how people are going to react to the massacre at Preston Park . . . We didn''t even catch the guys responsible. Damage control won''t do any good. Our people degenerate into animals when this kind of stuff stirs up . . ." "Oh if you think the citizens are going to react poorly. . ." Amie paused and began to laugh hysterically. Auric really didn''t want to hear what she had to say next. "Let''s see what the other Kings and Queens have to say about it this weekend!" She continued her uncontrollable laughter as Auric''s eyes widened with panic. "Um . . .what!?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you? On the second turn of every year there''s a gathering held for the Rulers of all the regions. It acts as a conference and a party. This year, it''s being held at our Kingdom!" "Are you kidding me? That gives us like. . .two days to prepare while we still have that business going with those criminals! Damn it!" He felt the headache come in like a wrecking ball. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.Ecstatic, Lola rose out of her chair. Her face was lit with joy. Tayn sighed, knowing whatever she was about to say was going to result in more work for him. "Is it really Duodem this weekend, already? Time sure flies doesn''t it! Don''t worry, Tayn and I will be sure to fix this place up! In fact, let''s decorate the entire city as well! I''m sure it''ll be lots of fun!" She grabbed Tayn and danced out of the room, eager to once again bring a new look to the Kingdom. For a while Auric remained in his bed, wishing he could sleep through the entirety of the chaos, while Amie sat aside, her fingers tapping away at the keys of her laptop. Galavaine returned shortly after, and the three discussed the situation in great detail. He shared the details he''d learned of Penn searching for an Exiscian in hiding, and the details of their strange powers. He concluded by letting Auric know that Penn and Van''t weren''t the only killers in the city they had to be wary of. Amie furiously typed away, recording any information that seemed of use. "You mentioned the two foreigners you were with intervened and saved you. What happened?" , Galavaine asked. "I dunno. I was barely conscious for most of that. I didn''t really have a good view from the pavement. I guess they just sort of curbstomped the dude and left." "It is truly a shame. If what you say is true, we could really use them for now. "It''s fine. I have a feeling we''ll see them again. In fact, next time we''re out in the city let''s look for them." "We won''t find them. They gave me the feeling they weren''t trying to be noticed. I doubt they will let themselves be seen again, especially by the King. Plus, there is no way you''re leaving this room until you''ve recovered." "Honestly. . . that''s awesome! Haha But wait. .. I''m fine. That nurse chick just healed me!" "We''re not going to risk it. Exis'' don''t always work perfectly" Auric eagerly grabbed a game controller off of his bedside and breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be such a nice change of past from these past few weeks, and he couldn''t be more excited. Galavaine however, was not off the hook. If the two guys from yesterday were able to take out those delinquents, there was no way they were ordinary tourists. They saved Auric but if there were more people in addition to Penn and Vant responsible for the killings, their display of power made them entirely plausible suspects, and that changed things drastically. On top of that, he look at look into a possible Cult that had managed to remain under wraps for all these years? And where was Roggus? At this point he''d been gone far too long. Something had to be up. That situation however, would have to wait. There was nobody to send searching and if he went himself, that would put the Kingdom at a severe disadvantage. So what next? Track down Penn and Vant? Lock them up? Kill them? Search for the foreigners and find out if they were guilty? If they weren''t, ask them to join the Halford Kingdom? There was also the conference to worry about. Auric was still young and inexperienced at. . . . just about everything. He botched publicly speaking towards his own citizens, who knew how he''d act in front of the other Region''s Kings and Queens? Galavaine pulled at his hair and let out an aggravated sigh. "Don''t leave this room", he said. And with that, he took his leave. Chapter 10- Fourteen-faced The sun was setting, and the city of Halford was beginning to spark to life. The streets of the social district buzzed will all sorts of eager partygoers, mischievous teenagers, and people who¡¯d just got off work. Nate strolled along the city sidewalk, whistling, his blue tie blowing in the wind. An abundance of lights rain downed on him, radiating out of the nightclubs and other recreational areas that made this street their home. Despite the sky being pitch black, the outside didn¡¯t feel dark. His favourite thing about this city was the luminosity it gave off at night. It had a certain glow to it that he¡¯d loved ever since he set foot in this land, years ago. However, even the bright city lights couldn¡¯t take his mind off of what was awaiting him at home. He turned a few corners, anxiously speeding up every now and then, and before he knew it, there it was. The Grand Halford Library. Just a block away. It dwarfed every single building in the district. It had a rather majestic, imposing feel to it, which stuck out like sore thumb in a district full of partying and simple fun. A colossal building, made with a combination of stone and gold. It¡¯s architecture was intricate, with numerous arches and curves making up the majority of the places design. Atop it was a clock tower that was brightly lit. It fought against the blackness of the night sky. Nate groaned as he passed through the entrance garden, slowly moving along the aged stone pathway. Benches and trees were positioned all across the lush lawn, with rows of flowers lined up next to the entrance gate. Nate hesitantly rang the doorbell, and after a minute, the gate rose. He entered. As usual, the first thing he saw when he came in was a sea of shelves taking up most of the floor space, with a little t.v area located at the back corner, and a spiral staircase on the opposite side of. At the front desk sat Sayella. She only looked the age of twenty-three, but something told Nate she was much, much older than that. She wore her black hair tied back in a ponytail, with bangs that reached down to jaw bone. She was wearing the same black dress she always wore while working. The place was surprisingly empty compared to other nights. ¡°How¡¯d it go tonight? Success?¡± she asked. ¡°Unfortunately no¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s no good. Gail¡¯s going to kill you, or worse.¡± ¡°Ugh. . .I know. Come on, can¡¯t you say something, please!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cover for you when the situation is important enough. Good luck. There¡¯s food in the back, because somehow I doubt you¡¯ve eaten.¡± Nate thanked her, and made his way to the spiral staircase. He descended into the dark basement of the library. Instead of bookcases all around, what surrounded him here was desks, cluttered with all sorts of vials, books, potions, and strange devices. The place would have been pitch black had it not been for the few candle lights set up.There were three vacant stretchers in the middle of the floor. A thin woman emerged from the closet in the back. She wore a tattered lab coat, stained with a spectrum of colors. Her hair was dyed green and cut short. To Nate, it looked like wet grass that was patted down. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you came home empty handed.¡± Nate shrugged and backed away. ¡°Nate, what the fuck!. It¡¯s been weeks!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry¡±, he muttered ¡°Go. Now. Don¡¯t come back till you find someone. We can¡¯t keep doing this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back out again!¡± ¡°What is it? You used to be able to bring people back all the time, what happened!?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t know. . It¡¯s the same as always. Everything is going fine, but the moment I ask if they want to come back to my place they say no and leave. . .¡± ¡°People are probably on edge thanks to those two killers on the loose. . .damn it.¡± Gail furiously kicked the table next to her, knocking it over,causing the sound of breaking glass and liquids fizzing to fill the room. ¡°It may just not be that. . .I¡¯ve been flat out rejected a few times too. . .¡± ¡°Are you saying my work isn¡¯t adequate enough for you? That¡¯s like the fourteenth face I''ve made for you! I spent hours on that one!¡± ¡°N-no my face is fine, I don¡¯t know what it is , really.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m giving you a week. If you don¡¯t bring me at least one catch, I¡¯m going to strap you to that stretcher and. . . rebuild you from scratch. It¡¯d be a shame really. You¡¯re one of my most successful projects.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I understand. I won¡¯t let you down, I promise.¡± I promise A radiant moon peaked over the sea of rooftops, it¡¯s light beaming through the black sky. The serene sound of chirping cicadas could be heard across the district. Nate¡¯s foot slammed against the brick wall as he repeatedly kicked it in frustration. He¡¯d gone to the same spot he always went to when stuff like this happened, a small alley located behind the library. I promise? Why did he say that? If he wasn¡¯t having any success recently, there was no way he could guarantee he¡¯d be able to kidnap someone by next week. He¡¯d grown comfortable with his current appearance, and it would pain him to lose it. He¡¯d miss the green eyes, prominent cheekbones, and the straight nose. He began to exit the alleyway when he heard footsteps emerge behind him. ¡°Failed again I presume?¡± ugh. It was Ceaus. The square shaped sunshades, gelled brown hair, and leather jacket were among a long list of things Nate hated about him. A cocky smirk always found a home on the man¡¯s face and it made Nate want to bash his head in. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what Ceaus¡¯ role within the ¡°library¡± was, but he was grateful that whatever it was kept the man away for long periods of time. ¡°Piss off, it¡¯s not a good time.¡± ¡°Well obviously. Your life sucks. When is there ever a good time?¡± He chuckled and came forward, moving past the enormous dumpster and making his way towards Nate. He grabbed him by the collar of his sky-blue colored dress shirt and held him against the wall. ¡°Look kid, if you¡¯re gonna¡¯ call this place your home, you put in work. You hear me? Do you fucking understand?¡± Nate felt a hard fist connect with his lower stomach. Ceaus punched again and again, his brass knuckles leaving Nate gasping for air. He coughed up blood as Ceaus let him drop to the ground. He stomped on Nate¡¯s ankle and walked away. His face lay against the asphalt as he grabbed at his stomach in pain. He knew he had to act fast, otherwise things would only get worse. Chapter 11- Eventful Night Auric¡¯s bedroom had become sanctuary to him over the course of the past day. He was beginning to miss his former lifestyle being able to get away with doing absolutely nothing. The room was dark, with the only light coming from the glow of his television. He pulled his bedsheets up, rustling the various candy wrappers that were littered across his bed. An epic car-chase ensued on his HD television as he reached for his bowl of popcorn. Duodem was tomorrow, which meant he¡¯d be meeting the other Kings and Queens of just about every region at the conference.. This had stress written all over it, yet he felt great. Duodem wasn¡¯t his favourite holiday, but it was still a fun time. The bright lights, massive feasts, and festive atmosphere was something he¡¯d loved experiencing every year. Even on the night before the conference, he still remained severely uninformed. He had no idea what he was expected to talk about or what he was supposed to say, but even that didn¡¯t phase him. Tomorrow was going to be a good day. He picked up the remote and flipped through channels, searching for another movie as he heard a knock on his door. Before he could get up to answer it, Galavaine barged in stumbling over. His face was unusually red and he wore a large, gaping smile. ¡°Aurrricccc! C¡¯mon we¡¯re going to the Lionsmouth tonight!¡± ¡° As in, the nightclub? Galavaine. . . what the hell, are you drunk?¡± ¡° Nawwww! We¡¯ve just been having some pre-Duodem fun haha! Come on!¡± Auric shortly found himself wandering the streets of the social district alongside Galavaine. Tayn, Lola, with Amie trailing behind them. Ribbons of all colors wrapped around the streetlights, while grande looking banners and sparkling lights adorned building sides and billboards. Numerous balloons were tied to nearly every structure in sight. Auric assumed when Galavaine said ¡°we¡¯ve¡±, he actually meant ¡°I¡¯ve¡±, because the others seemed completely fine. ¡°Lola, Tayn, how did you do all this in one day!?¡±, Auric asked Lola snapped her fingers, and a transparent cube appeared in front of her. It glowed a bright blue, and seemed to momentarily flicker in and out of existence. Suddenly,within the cube appeared a lamppost, and the next second, a statue-fountain. Lola continued to cycle through the various objects before she decided on a giant billboard that read ¡°Happy Duodem!¡±. She then looked around, and set her sights on a restaurant across the street. The cube rapidly shifted in a grid-like movement, before eventually sliding onto the side of the restaurant building. Lola twirled her fingers once again and the cube disappeared, leaving behind the colorful billboard. ¡°It¡¯s the Artisian¡¯s Exis! I love it so much, isn¡¯t it great!?¡± ¡°Oh. So that¡¯s how you¡¯ve been doing everything. That¡¯s quite . . .convenient.¡± This had been the most populated Auric had ever seen the Social District. Hundreds of people were walking the streets, and coming in and out of restaurants and clubs. The city had an uplifting feel to it tonight, which was something Auric wasn¡¯t used to. He smiled in enjoyment, and pondered if it was perhaps an achievable feat to have the spirits of his people like this every night. It was only five minutes later Auric had found himself at the entrance of the famed club. The Lionsmouth. It was the largest and most popular in the city of Halford, and was even more packed than usual. Upon entrance Auric was instantly blasted by the blaring dance music and the rainbow lights. The space was large with a massive dancefloor in the middle, and numerous bars and tables divided throughout the area. Lola grabbed Amie, and within seconds they¡¯d disappeared into the crowd of people. Galavaine guided Auric and Tayn to the nearest bar. They took their seats and Tayn let out an excessive sigh. ¡°What¡¯s even the point of me being here? I don¡¯t even drink. You should¡¯ve just let me stay at the castle. . . ¡° Galavaine began to laugh and put his arm around Tayn, who grew noticeably uncomfortable. ¡°Tayn my friend! I don¡¯t care if you drink apple juice! Just relax and have a good time! That¡¯s all that matters tonight!¡± Galavaine eagerly ordered drinks for the three of them and moments later, the bartender returned. He placed a large glass that contained a reddish-orange liquid in front of Galavaine, and plopped a glass of apple juice down in front of Tayn. The man handed Auric a glass filled with an unrecognizable bright-blue concoction. ¡°Even the King huh? How¡¯re you guys doing tonight?¡± Galavaine engaged in small talk with the bartender and the two exchanged laughs. The man was burly, with a hardened face full of scars and scratches, A large beard occupied the lower half of his face and atop his head rested a brown bandanna. ¡°You do understand how important tomorrow is for you right?¡±, Tayn said to Auric. Auric gazed towards the ceiling, and pondered the question for a moment. ¡°It may not seem like it, but I do.¡± ¡°Then how are you able to be so relaxed? So carefree? That conference could change our City, man. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s your fault but we¡¯re still not in a good place right now. The city¡¯s in the same state as it was months ago when Preston went M.I.A.¡± ¡°Jeez man, you seem to care about this more than I do. I¡¯m relaxed ¡®because I know things will work out when they need to. This city''s been here for decades, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s seen far worse. Times of war and bloodshed, in an era where people didn¡¯t have the luxuries we do. Up¡¯s and down¡¯s have their place in well, everything. Look around man. See that? Despite this city being the way it is, in this state. . .. people are still able to keep good vibes and enjoy themselves on a night like this. It¡¯s almost magical. ¡± Auric took a sip of the mysterious liquid that occupied his glass.. Far off across the dancefloor, sat Amie, with a mug of coffee, and Lola, who opted for a glass of water. Amidst the storm of pulsating lights and the sea of people, they¡¯d somehow found a table for themselves. It was hard to converse due to ear-shattering music erupting from the stacks of speakers nearby, so the two had to yell. Despite not speaking to each other very often, the two felt close being the only women that currently worked under the Kingdom. Amie found that Lola¡¯s over the top, bubbly personality exhausted her, but she was friendly and entertaining to speak to. That alone made her worth having as a friend. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Among the dozens of people walking about, Amie spotted an exceptionally handsome man begin to approach. He grabbed a wooden chair from another table and sat across her. He adjusted his blue tie, and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. With emerald eyes he looked at Amie and smiled. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Nate. Nice to meet you!¡± Lola suddenly rose up and giggled ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to go dance for a bit! See you in a bit!¡± Amie thanked Lola in her mind, and introduced herself to the man. ¡°Great night huh?¡±, he asked. He shifted over a few chairs until he was next to her. Tayn and Auric stared at Galavaine, who didn¡¯t really seem like Galavaine at the moment. ¡°Auricccc man. Did¡¯ja know Preston had a girlfriend a while back? Yeah, that¡¯s right. He did. She was realllyyyyy hot. Being a king sure gets you anything am I right?¡± He slapped his knees and buckled over, Hysterical. ¡°Yeahh he¡¯s being cut off for the night¡±, said the bartender. He collected their glasses and briefly left. Auric felt a little guilty, as it¡¯d been an hour since he took his first sip of whatever was ordered forhim. He never touched the drink after that. To Auric¡¯s surprised, Tayn smiled. ¡°Hey well, at least this doesn¡¯t happen often right?¡± The two laughed with each other. They¡¯d connected over the course of the past hour and Auric was grateful to have another someone he could call friend. He spun his barstool 180-degrees and glanced about their surroundings. In the distance he spotted Amie, who looked unusually happy. Next to her was. . .a guy? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn¡¯t under a spell or in a dream before grabbing Tayn¡¯s attention. ¡°Dude, check that out! ¡°Whoah¡±, Tayn said, unable to think of another suitable response. ¡°Well, to be fair, that guy¡¯s probably only known her for like ten minutes or something.¡± ¡°Yeahh must be¡±. ****************************************************************************************************** Nate was proud of himself tonight. If he had the extra arms, he¡¯d give himself a pat on the back, or even a hug. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how he did it, but he¡¯d stolen this young woman¡¯s heart. Captivated her. He¡¯d get to keep his face tonight. Thoughts of the praise he¡¯d receive when he brought her back swirled about his head. He let out a pleasant smile and decided to seal the deal. ¡°So, want to head back to my place? It¡¯ll be fun.¡± Amie cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. ¡°To. . .do what?¡± ¡°Ah you know, just. . . hang out. Maybe watch a movie or something.¡± She considered it. It wasn''t often she had the opportunity to be in the presence of graceful guys like this. However, tomorrow was Duodem, and there was the conference.. She¡¯d receive a lot of heat from the others if she were a no show, and she was certain there was still work to be done. ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I¡¯ll have to pass. Give me your number and maybe some other time?¡± ¡°Haha. . . . the funny thing is. . . .it has to be tonight.¡± What am I saying? Why did I say that? ¡°Um. . . why is tonight so important?¡± ¡°Ah, well. The night just feels. . .right, for this kind of thing, you know what I mean?¡± ¡°For what kind of thing. . .?¡± Amie¡¯s infatuated, carefree persona and quickly defaulted back to her bitchy and defensive self. This was free!. What the hell? Why? I totally had this. God damn it. She was into me right? RIGHT? SO WHAT HAPPENED? ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Sorry I¡¯m going to go. I had a great time talking to you though! Happy Holidays.¡± Amie quickly stood up and turned to leave, when she felt a cold hand tightly grip her wrist and pull her back. ¡°Sorry babe, you don¡¯t have a choice..¡± Man,what is wrong with me. . . Nate briefly flashed a knife, and nervously smiled. ¡°Hey Tayn, looks like they¡¯re leaving!¡±, said Auric ¡°Gross¡± Galavaine erupted with laughter and jumped off of his barstool, nearly falling over. ¡°Guysss. Let¡¯s follow them!¡±