{JAY'S POV}
I woke up to the faint whispers of voices and the soft hum of machinery. My eyelids felt heavy, and I struggled to open them. As the world around me gradually came into focus, I realized I was lying in a soft bed, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
"Jay!" someone exclaimed, and suddenly, my mother was there, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged me tightly.
"Oh, my sweet boy, you're awake!"
I was disoriented, my memories hazy and fragmented.
"What happened?" I managed to croak, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You've been unconscious for three days," my father replied, his voice filled with relief as he embraced me. "We were so worried, Jay."
I tried to piece together the events leading up to my current situation. I remembered the rock, the girl, and the excruciating pain in my right eye. But the details were murky, like a dream I couldn't quite grasp.
Deryl, the King, appeared in the doorway, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity.
"Jay, I need to talk to you about what happened," he said, approaching my bedside.
I nodded weakly, still trying to make sense of it all.
Deryl explained how the news of my awakening had spread throughout the palace and beyond. My arrival with the Basilisk girl had caused quite a stir, and people were eager to hear the details of our mysterious appearance from a shattered rock.
"Basilisk?....at first I thought I heard it wrongly, but it was certain, his expression was calm.
I sighed and recounted what I could remember.
"It was like... like she was falling from the sky," I began, my voice steadier now.
"She was engulfed in flames, descending like a shooting star. I don't know how, but my body reacted instinctively. I caught her and surrounded us with a protective barrier of rock."
Deryl listened intently, his brow furrowing as he absorbed the information.
"It's as if everything happened in slow motion," I added, a shiver running down my spine at the memory.
Deryl nodded thoughtfully. "Jay, you've been through something extraordinary. We need to meet this girl, and find out more about her and what brought her here."
My parents kissed me on the forehead before leaving the room, giving me time to rest. As I lay there, trying to process everything, Aria, Deryl and Eleanor, approached cautiously.
Aria's eyes were filled with a mix of emotions—relief, worry, and something else I couldn't quite place. Without warning, she lunged at me, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. Tears of relief welled up in her eyes as she squeezed me.
"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I hugged her back, my own emotions welling up. "I'm here, Aria. I'm okay now."
"Wow, wasn't expecting this from her, she's normally composed and doesn't care that much,
Guess my charms really are something else in this world,"I thought smirking.
She pulled away slightly, looking at me with a somber expression.
"Jay, while you were unconscious, something terrible happened."
I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Aria took a deep breath before continuing.
"A disease, unknown to the Sentient Continent, erupted.
It's unlike anything we've ever seen before. It hardens your mana core, causing it to implode. The result is... spikes coming out of your body."
My eyes widened in shock as I tried to process the horrifying description. "Spikes... coming out of your body? "
"That guard…..from the other day…,"I muttered under my breath.
Aria nodded solemnly. "It's spreading rapidly, and people are terrified. The guard from the other day—he was a victim of this disease."
I felt a lump in my throat, realizing the gravity of the situation. The world had changed in the three days I'd been unconscious, and it was far from the peaceful place I once knew.
"Things were beginning to take unexpected turns, and all of the events leading upto now, are completely foreign to us…" I thought to myself.
Aria left the room saying, "Take your time to rest and recover the lost energy, you'll need it."
I sat up in my bed, my mind racing with the recent revelations. The memories of the dark void and the excruciating pain in my right eye were still fresh in my mind.
Gingerly, I touched my right eye, half expecting to feel some lingering discomfort, but to my surprise, it felt perfectly normal. Whatever had happened in that void, it seemed to have left no physical traces.
"I don't feel anything different," I murmured to myself, my fingers still gently caressing my right eye.
"That... bastard, put me through excruciating pain, but now it's gone."
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. As I walked over to the nearby mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
My reflection stared back at me—white-grey hair, the familiar light brown skin tone, and those piercing purple eyes. But there was something different, something I hadn't noticed before.
My gaze locked onto my right eye, and I leaned closer to the mirror, my heart racing. There, at the center of my right eye, where the pupil should have been, was a distinct symbol—a triangle and a circle embedded together. It looked as if it were permanently etched onto my eye, a mark that was both alien and inexplicable.
I blinked several times, hoping that the symbol would vanish or that my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it remained, a constant reminder of the mysterious events that had transpired in that dark void.
"Why didn't anyone notice... not even my parents?" I muttered to myself, my voice tinged with frustration and confusion.
How could something so unusual go unnoticed by everyone around me?
The memory of the woman dressed in all white, her cryptic words echoing in my mind, resurfaced.
"EACH LIFE CARRIES THE RIDDLE OF EVENTUAL DEPARTURE," she had said.
What did she mean by that? What was the significance of the symbol in my eye?
I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story, that I had been thrust into a world filled with secrets and mysteries beyond my comprehension.
"This is isn't how my peaceful second life should have turned out….Dammit
With a sigh, I knew that I needed answers, and I was determined to uncover the truth, no matter how elusive it might be.
I took a moment to freshen up and change into a clean set of clothes. A white long-sleeved shirt with the left sleeve neatly folded up, black pants, socks, and sturdy boots completed my attire.
Ready to face the day, I headed out of my room, passing by the partially demolished Throne room and hallway. Construction workers were hard at work, their muscles bulging as they repaired and remodeled the damaged sections. It was remarkable how quickly they were restoring the palace to its former glory.
As I continued walking, my thoughts lingered on the events of the past few days. The mysterious girl, and the strange symbol in my right eye weighed heavily on my mind. It was a lot to process, and I couldn't help but wonder about the significance of it all.
I reached the edge of the crater where Deryl was waiting. He looked at me with a concerned expression. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, offering him a reassuring smile. "But my mana is gradually taking its time to replenish."
Deryl nodded in understanding. "That's okay," he said. "You just need to spend some time meditating and gathering enough of it. It'll come back."
I appreciated his words of encouragement. "So, are you ready to meet the girl?" he asked.
Without hesitation, I nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Her name is Siena Claris, hailing from the Claris Basilisk clan," Deryl began explaining as we strolled through the garden, heading towards the Medical Sanctuary. "However, she appears to have significant gaps in her memory, as if her recollections are scattered and in need of proper arrangement. Her past and present seem to intertwine in perplexing ways."
Upon reaching the Medical Sanctuary, we made our way to the room where Siena was staying. Deryl continued, "We've engaged in discussions with the Council, and the consensus is to provide her with our care and support. We're also diligently working to maintain a sense of calm among the citizens, despite the presence of numerous Beastkin from the Fiend Continent in our midst."
I came to understand that individuals from the Demon Continent, much like humans, possess the ability to travel freely between realms. As for the Beastkin population, it's primarily concentrated in the city of Emberwood, situated to the west of Aldevia.
As we entered the room, I couldn't help but be captivated by her presence. She was seated on the bed, her blonde hair cascading gracefully around her. Her skin had a soft, gentle tone, which the sunlight highlighted beautifully.
However, what truly caught my attention were her stunning, fiery red eyes, gleaming like precious gems in the sunlight.
The unmistakable mark of her Basilisk bloodline was the singular dark horn with a subtle hint of red, curving forward elegantly. She was undeniably beautiful, and I couldn't help but think that her beauty surpassed even that of Aria. My thoughts raced, but I reminded myself that her father was present.
With a friendly smile, I introduced myself as Jay Ayden.
She introduced herself as Siena Claris, proudly proclaiming her lineage as a Basilisk. The entire afternoon was spent engrossed in conversation with Siena.
She recounted the bewildering circumstances of her arrival on the Sentient Continent. Siena explained that she had been suspended in mid-air, with no solid ground in sight, her clothes incinerating from the intense heat generated by her fiery descent.
"Just like that, I was airborne," Siena said.
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle and whispered to myself, "I thought all Basilisks roamed the streets in the buff," a hint of a teasing smile playing on my lips.
Siena responded with an awkward smile, clearly amused by my comment.
As we continued to talk, Siena revealed the grim truth about her homeland. It had been plunged into a vicious civil war, with a power-hungry usurper dethroning their rightful king. Siena and her mother were among the survivors of this upheaval, but the traumatic events had left her with a fragmented memory. She could recall being with her mother, but everything beyond that point was a blank canvas.
Our discussion took a somber turn as Siena expressed her concerns. She speculated that the Basilisks might eventually descend upon the Sentient Continent, viewing humans as nothing more than insignificant ants. The very terms "Sentient Continent" and "Abyssal Continent" were referred to as "Linear Beings," a designation that held a certain weight and mystique.
//// NEXT CHAPTER: SPIRECORE ////
Edited by: JJ