บท 18: UNFORESEEN ENCOUNTER III
{MICHAEL'S POV}
In the dimly lit Palace Alchemy workshop, I was deeply engrossed in my work. My hands delicately handled vials and ingredients as I conducted experiments, attempting to unlock the secrets of alchemical transmutation. Each moment spent in this place brought me closer to understanding the intricate dance of elements and energies that surrounded us all.
But then, it happened. A deafening boom shattered the serenity of the workshop. I felt the ground tremble beneath my feet, and my heart raced as if trying to escape my chest. With trembling hands, I placed the vial I had been examining back onto the cluttered table. The liquid inside sloshed, leaving a small stain.
Without hesitation, I rushed to the workshop's exit and flung open the door. The sight that met my eyes was one of chaos and devastation.
A plume of dust and debris hung heavily in the air, obscuring my vision as I strained to make sense of the scene before me. I could hear distant voices, shouts, and frantic footsteps echoing through the palace. Dread clawed at my insides, and an unsettling feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
I quickened my pace, determined to reach the source of the commotion. As I turned a corner and entered the grand hallway, the scale of the disaster became painfully evident. The once-majestic throne room lay in ruins, and the corridor leading to it was a warzone.
A gaping hole in the ceiling allowed shards of sunlight to pierce through, casting eerie beams of light that played across the destruction below. The entire area was littered with rubble and debris, as if some titanic force had torn through the palace, leaving destruction in its wake.
My heart clenched with worry and fear as I scanned the chaotic scene, desperately searching for any sign of my loved ones. The distant sound of voices reached my ears, and I followed the cacophony, hoping to find some answers.
There, amidst the chaos and devastation, I saw them.
Crystal, my beloved wife, knelt on the floor. Her eyes, usually filled with warmth and kindness, now held a vacant, lifeless stare. Eleanor, our dear friend and queen, stood nearby, her fingers pressed to her palm, almost frozen in time. A barrier of ice, partially shattered and dripping with blood, surrounded them both.
I rushed to Crystal's side, my heart aching with worry. I enveloped her in my arms, holding her close.
"Crystal, are you alright? What happened?" I whispered, my voice filled with concern.
She didn't respond, her eyes still wide and distant. It was as if she had been present but not truly aware of her surroundings.
Eleanor stood there, her face bearing small, embedded ice crystals, evidence of the immense strain she had endured to protect Crystal. I exchanged a worried glance with Deryl, who had arrived beside his wife.
"Deryl, do you know what happened here?" I asked, my voice tinged with desperation.
Deryl shook his head, his expression mirroring my concern. "I have no idea, Michael. But we must find Jay."
My heart sank further as I heard the name of our beloved son. "Where is Jay?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.
"I….I…I didn't mean to let him go out, he just wanted to take a stop by Aldevia….and…and…,"Crystal stammered before proceeding.
"Why would you let him go out?"I said.
"I did not think anything would happen….."
"Of course you didn't, you never think things through," I retorted, my words dripping with sarcasm.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just tell me where JAY IS!"
Crystal's eyes, still fixed in that vacant stare, shifted slightly, and she hesitated before pointing downward, her gaze locked on a massive crater that had formed amidst the destruction.
I followed her gaze, and my blood ran cold. A massive rock, dark in color with ominous purple glowing cracks, lay at the center of the crater. Fear and sympathy welled up within me as I realized the terrible truth.
Our one and only son, Jay, was somewhere beneath that rock.
I wasted no time. Ignoring the pleas of Crystal, I slid down the side of the crater, my hands frantically searching for any opening that could lead me to Jay. I pounded on the rock with my fists, desperation lending me strength. But there was no response, no sign of life from beneath that monstrous stone.
I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white, and unleashed a barrage of punches upon the rock's surface. Blood began to trickle from my battered hands as I struck again and again, my cries of anguish filling the air.
Crystal ran down into the crater, her voice trembling with fear and sorrow as she tried to stop me. But I couldn't relent, couldn't let the overwhelming despair consume me.
I was readying myself for another desperate blow when Deryl's hand reached out and clasped my fist, halting my assault. His grip was firm, unyielding, as if he possessed an otherworldly strength.
"Michael, you must calm down," Deryl urged, his voice a calming presence in the midst of my turmoil.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I met Deryl's gaze, and I nodded, allowing him to guide me away from the rock. We both stared at the massive stone, our hearts heavy with dread and uncertainty.
Just then, as if in response to our presence, the rock began to crack. The ground beneath us rumbled, and the rock shattered into countless pieces. Chunks of stone scattered in all directions, and I watched in disbelief as Eleanor conjured up another ice barrier, protecting the maids, guards, and everyone nearby from the flying debris.
The dust and echoes of
destruction slowly settled, revealing the aftermath of the shattered rock. What we saw left us in shock and awe, and the true extent of the peril that had befallen our son became painfully clear.
{DERYL'S POV}
The moment was surreal. The deafening cacophony that had filled the throne room and hallway had settled into an eerie silence, broken only by the soft rustle of dust settling and our own anxious breaths. Our eyes remained locked on the scene unfolding before us.
The massive rock had indeed cracked, revealing a strange figure emerging from its shattered remains. It was as if the fabric of reality itself had torn open, allowing this enigmatic being to step forth into our world. But it was not just the figure's emergence that left us all bewildered; it was what it held in its arms.
Nestled securely within the figure's grasp was the limp form of another individual—a female by the looks of it. Her body possessed all the contours and proportions of the feminine form, her long, silky hair cascading down and almost brushing against the strange figure's feet. But what was utterly perplexing, beyond all reasonable explanation, was the complete absence of clothing adorning her. She was utterly, unabashedly naked.
The juxtaposition of her exposed form against the solemnity of the moment was enough to send a ripple of discomfort through the gathered onlookers. It was not a sight we had expected to witness, especially given the gravity of the situation.
As the figure drew closer to the welcoming embrace of sunlight, the identity of the person in its arms became unmistakable.
I couldn't help but mutter under my breath, my voice filled with a mixture of amazement, incredulity, and a hint of admiration, "This boy really is something else."
The sight before me was nothing short of extraordinary and perplexing. Jay had emerged from the shattered rock, cradling a naked, feminine figure in his arms. As the two of them drew closer to the sunlight, I could hardly believe my eyes.
Jay, with his flowing white-grey hair and light purple eyes, looked like an ethereal being bathed in the sun's rays. His right eye, which had glowed mysteriously in the shadows, now revealed a unique symbol, forming a triangle-like pattern. It was as if he carried a piece of otherworldly knowledge within him.
The moment was majestic, as if an angel had descended from the heavens. But then, without warning, Jay collapsed to the ground, his strength depleted, and his body utterly drained.
Crystal's anguished cry pierced the air as she rushed to her son's side, her maternal instincts overriding her fear.
"JAAAAAAYYYYY!"
She screamed Jay's name, her sorrow palpable to all who witnessed the scene. I saw Aria, standing at a distance, her concern for Jay hidden beneath a facade of strength. Guards surrounded her, protecting her from the chaos below, but a single teardrop betrayed her true emotions.
Michael, undeterred by the shock and confusion that gripped the throne room, scooped Jay into his arms. He called out urgently to his Alchemist assistants, instructing them to prepare the Medical Sanctuary for his son's arrival. With determination etched across his face, he swiftly departed the scene, followed by his assistants and a handful of maids.
I, on the other hand, knelt down beside the feminine figure that Jay had brought with him. Her appearance was equally astonishing, yet perplexing. She appeared to be around the same age as my daughter Aria but slightly older. With her silky blonde hair and fair skin, she looked like a character from a fantastical tale.
My sense of duty and propriety compelled me to remove my coat and gently drape it over her body. It was not right for her to be exposed in this manner, especially given the circumstances of her arrival.
As I covered her, my heart raced, and I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow.
"It's just like the drawn illustration."
The girl bore an unmistakable feature—a single, dark-red horn curving forward from her head. It was an attribute of the Basilisk bloodline, and the intensity of mana radiating from her body left no doubt that she was not human.
"B-A-S-I-L-I-S-K," I heard my Royal Advisor mutter, his voice trembling with fear.
I shared his apprehension, for the arrival of someone with Basilisk lineage could only signify a profound shift in the world as we knew it.
//// NEXT CHAPTER: SIENA CLARIS ////
Edited by: JJ
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