Flush!
Step. Step. Step.
We continued walking, but Emilia suddenly stopped, as if sensing sothing. She raised her arm.
"What’s this?" Emilia asked, looking forward to the royal castle now. "Why can’t I see my arm?"
Renji began walking, "A simple barrier, cast by a powerful magician." He replied, putting his body fully through.
Then, suddenly, Renji disappeared, right into what he said, ’a barrier.’
"Alright!" Emilia replied, fully walking in.
Both Renji and Emilia disappeared when they were just in front.
So this barrier... is it supposed to take us to another world? Nobody’s standing outside. The sun has fully set, yet only the three of us remain.
I started to walk, placing my full body inside-
So, the barrier does teleport to a new world, but... where did all these people co from?!
"Hey, you heard what’s happening?" A group to the left of began whispering.
"No, idiot, co on, let’s go." Soone added, leading that group to the front.
Emilia and Renji stood in front.
"So, this is what a barrier does... it makes people disappear from the outside, even changing where we stand," I whispered, looking at Renji, as he nodded back to .
When I pressed my hand to the barrier. It felt cool and smooth, like wet glass.
One step forward and everything changed.
Gray stone walls stretch so high they swallow the sky. The air is damp and tastes like iron. My heartbeat pounds in my ears.
Light flares. Torches line every wall and pillar, flas of blue and gold sparking to life one after another until the whole chamber glows. Shadows leap and twist across the stone.
Figures appear as the light spreads. Cleaners... hundreds of them, march into view. Their outfit is just like the three of our policen’s navy blue ones that we currently have on right now.
Their outfit looks almost black in the torchlight, silver trim along the seams, brass buttons bright as coins, a ’Cleaner’ crest over each chest. Their boots strike the floor in a single heavy rhythm that makes the ground slightly shake.
I glance back. The world outside is gone. Only this torchlit cavern exists now.
Ahead, a broad staircase rises to a stage carved from the sa gray stone. Torches burn along every step, throwing more light onto the path. A lower landing juts out halfway up, perfect for a running jump. The final ledge is rough enough to grip. I could sprint, leap, and haul myself onto the platform if I had to.
At the center of the stage waits a tall black chair, the color of wet charcoal. Its high back and hard edges catch the torchlight like dull steel. It isn’t jeweled, but it radiates command, a throne ant for a king.
The darkness behind it stirs.
Soone steps forward, slow and certain. The Cleaners fall silent. My breath catches, and I feel the muscles in my legs coil. If I need to, I can reach that stage.
"Where do we go now?" Emilia asked politely, standing between both Renji and .
"Wait-"
"Attention!" A loud voice cut Renji, "Firstly, I shall welco all who’ve endured the arrival to this Royal Palace!" The figure stepped just in front of the chair, revealing himself to everyone.
Every Whisper went to silence, all argunts went to peace, everything... I an EVERYTHING went silent.
A man steps into the torchlight, and the hall seems to shrink around him. He is tall, maybe six foot two, and broad, his shoulders filling a dark blue coat that falls to his knees. Silver stitching runs along the edges and catches the firelight with every slow move. A heavy cape hangs from his back, black on the outside and lined with deep red, the fabric thick enough to drag across the stone.
A crest glints on the chest of his black armor, silver and red in the shape of a crown inside a circle. His hair is mostly black with thin streaks of gray that give it a stormy look. It is a little wild, pushed back as if he never bothered to ta it.
Scars cross his face and hands. A narrow line cuts down his left cheek,k and another runs from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. Faint marks trace his knuckles and the back of his fingers, pale reminders of old fights.
His eyes are dark and sharp like polished steel. He does not need a weapon in his grip. The way he stands tells he has already survived more battles than I can imagine.
"Now that I have acquired every cleaner’s attention!" He’s talking loudly while whispering; it has to be so type of magic. "I hereby advise everyone, standing here, to join us in the next..." He paused, panic erupted in the room like they knew sothing bad was about to happen...
"War!" He said calmly, whispers erupted in the room, noise started-
"I said Silence!" He scread as everyone went quiet. "Dare I not say, I’m the King! King Neal Alsterious! You can not decline! Join in war, with the awakened, the elves, and many more with whom we have been contracted!
He paused, smirking. "Is that a yes-"
"How!" Sobody from the front of the crowd cut him off, "How can you take away our freedom! What happened to the all-powerful awakened! That’s their job! That’s why they get paid so much!" He punched a hand in the air, as everyone from the crowd began whispering-
"Yeah..." So other girl paused, "Yeah, he’s right!"
"Yeah!" The crowd murmured, nodding in agreent.
"Let them handle it, not us!"
"You will not take away our freedom!"
This led to people screaming, their yells filling the air with echoes inside the dungeon.
I began walking to the front, leaving Emilia and Renji behind.
"It’s like they don’t hear a word he says..." I whispered, looking downwards, "He said... it’s war-"
"Listen!" Even that one word captured the audience’s attention to silence, "Fine!" He breathed into the mic deeply, "Go ahead, you will not die, but that freedom that you’ve built..." He paused, almost as if he was getting ready to scream-
"Will vanish!" He scread at the top of his lungs, and everyone’s expressions began turning into fear.
"Sorry," I said, bumping into soone, trying to reach the front.
"Excuse ," I continued walking, the crowd blocking my view.
"Coming through."
Finally. I reached towards the third row from the front. A clear view of the man standing above on the stage.
"Here goes nothing..." I whispered, as the whole room was still, yet to say a word in reply.
"Hey!" I scread as everyone in the room turned their attention towards . "I’m here, dang it, I get it, I’m not the tallest, but I’m here!" I finished my chatter so that people can dictate my exact position.
Even the king, Neal Asterious, started to look at , but he grinned as everyone else in the crowd had faces of curiosity.
"Wait!" I scread even louder, now going closer to the front. "There’s just too much arousing suspicion. You can’t expect us to believe you with no evidence!" I finished, reaching the front of the crowd, and everyone made way for .
Shook.
"He’s right!" Soone from behind yelled.
I began climbing to the top of the stage, placing my hands on the top, lifting my body, and using my balance to jump forward.
Bam!
I reached the top, crouched, and then pushed myself into a full standing posture. Neal didn’t look like he cared; he’s...
Loving it.
"Where’s the proof!" A woman added from the front row.
"Proof, huh... It’s instinct! No need for proof!" Neal scread, turning his attention from to the crowd.
No one in the crowd showed a slight sign of agreent. Nobody bothered to accept. I didn’t either. Why should I accept without any proof? At that point, the source is literally just, ’trust , bro.’
He slowly raised his hands, "Listen, all Cleaners from Areanthia!" I spotted Renji and Emilia all the way in the back as he continued to look forward.
Renji smirked, while Emilia... worried. Yeah, she looks worried.
King Neal began marching to the front of the stage, the floor thudding under every step. Heat surges up my chest. I throw my arms higher.
"But..." I paused in thought, "What’s this war for?!" I looked to the king as he stared back, smiling.
"This war..." Neal whispered as the crowd’s silence grew louder, "It’ll help you create a better living for your family! The better you do, the more money you earn!" He finished, while I wanted to utter one more thing...
"So then, where will we be fighting?!" I yelled, intrigued.
"The environnt..." He responded quickly, facing the crowd, "We’ll try to limit it to the outskirts of Aeranthia! But if they breach our barrier..." He paused, tapping the tip of his jaw, "You’ll be there for protection!"
His voice cracked through the hall like a bolt of thunder. The boards shook. Faces in the crowd jerked back.
"I say..." I whispered, pondering the thought further, "I’m hesitating."
The words burned as they left , very subtle ones.
"But!" A male’s voice echoed from the back row, "We can’t access Amora! We’re just normal humans!" She scread in worry, like she wants to do it, but just doesn’t have the power to convince herself to.
I honestly don’t know... what would we do? The beasts in this world-
"No worries!" The king stepped forward, raising a finger towards the crowd, "We’ll enroll you all in a private royal academy! Away from the rest of the world! Granting everyone an Amis! A tool infested with Amora is dependent on the user. It’ll shape into the weapon through the user’s personality!"
"How about our families?!" More yells erupted from the middle.
"They’ll be fine!" The king replied, "We have already sent each one of your families a notice! Now, join us! Help us fend off this war to protect the ones you love!"
"I’m..." I whispered towards myself, knowing I’ll never get an opportunity like this ever again. "I just don’t know."
"But how will we get money during the academy?!" The Cleaners continued to cause chaos.
Confusion grew as silence beca noise.
"Earlier, I said depending on how well you do, you’ll be given money accordingly..." He smirked, "Much more than you can ever imagine as a Cleaner."
He’s not done talking, I can tell...
"Who said that’s only strictly based on the war? You can also gain through your academics, workmanship, and achievents at the academy." He finished, almost... "Well then... whoever wants to leave can exit, whoever can stay... Stay!" He scread, hoping others would join him.
"I’m out... Not enough proof!" Soone yelled, walking back where the barrier started.
More and more Cleaners followed a long.
"Yeah... he’s right, I’m out!"
"Good luck at death!"
"Hahahah! All you really believe this?! This royal capital has always been shady!
Even amongst the king’s efforts, nobody wanted to do it... It was all lost.
The country he once loved and cared for beca a country of independence that not even he can control.
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