章節 12: • Far Away From Oldracken
It was Spheris's first time in a caravel — carriages made of steel with wheels that moved on their own, using a magical element known as Spellforce for fuel.
The caravel had taken them away from the streets of Oldracken that he could recognise, in fact he wasn't even sure he was still in Oldracken. There were very few houses in the streets, and bergvel trees with weird thorny shapes were at every corner which they passed.
Spheris would see a strange house once in a while, and wonder who would even want to live in a place as eerie as this. Duke Bellunder had said he was to be taken to Endswatch, but where the hell was this Endswatch place?
He had spent the last hour worrying about his mother and how his plan could have worked if he had never shown compassion.
Now that the thoughts had finally left his head, he didn't know what else to think about to pass the time. He sighed resentfully and folded his arms, regretting all of the decisions he had made that led him here.
"You have given us the greatest disgrace," Mage Anduris who was sitting opposite him in the caravel said.
Spheris side-eyed him. 'Is that so, baldie?' he said in his thoughts.
"A Heathian, scum of the earth, and even worse... a thief, being our Representative for the Convergence Ceremony. What bigger disgrace could there be to the First Wing?"
Spheris refused to engage with the Mage, he took his eyes away and returned them to the window, watching the bergvel trees.
"May my Lord Obsidian forgive me but I hope that you are the first to die in The Abyss. You do not deserve to embody a Celestial's powers."
The hatred from the Gentlefolks never ceased to amaze Spheris. This Mage would rather Spheris die than actually win the Convergence for his Wing. That was top tier repugnance.
The Mage spat. "You can ignore me all you want, Heathian scum. But you do not belong here. You don't even have an idea of the power that you have stolen, the honor it is to be a Temple for a Celestial.
"We had to hide you from Bastopher, because we feared he might kill you... for stealing the Essence which was meant for him. You hijacked his opportunity, his dream to represent his father's Wing and win the Ceremony. And then you Heathians wonder why we loathe you so much."
The caravel finally came to a stop, and Spheris who had been silent and still, shot the Mage an insulting glance before peering through the window to see where they were.
He could only make out the roof of a giant old building from afar and a tall scrawny metal gate. The wheelman then came down from the caravel and opened the door for the Mage and the Thief.
'What the hell is this place?' Spheris thought. The building was almost a relic of time, an ancient mansion made of heedberry stones and grave cement. It also had the biggest bergvel tree he had seen so far. The tree dominated the dark spacious garden, its branches stretching like skeletal fingers towards the haunted mansion's roof.
There were so many grim windows, staring out like vacant eyes. The air carried a strong stench of magic, swirling around the ancient mansion as leaves scampered on the ground.
Mage Anduris was surprisingly quiet now as they approached the gate. There was a tall muscly man standing in guard, a fancy metallic helmet on his head. "Is this the boy?" he asked.
"Yes," Anduris answered. "Unfortunately."
The guard approached and scrutinized Spheris with direct keenness, his blue eyes studying him. "With quality clothes like that one might not know that you're Heathian. But I can still smell it in you."
Anduris was greatly pleased by this statement from the guard and gave Spheris a disdainful glare. "The Celestials have truly cursed us, giving someone like him to us as a Representative."
The guard did not reply to that, he walked back to the imposing metal gate which made an ominous creak as he pulled it open. "You have fulfilled your part, Mage Anduris. I will take the boy to Grengo."
Anduris then slowly turned away and retraced his steps towards the caravel, while Spheris followed the guard into the dark mansion. Spheris intentionally trailed behind him, his eyes taking in the desolate surroundings.
There just seemed to be a ghastliness in the mansion grounds, even the clouds were dark and it was supposed to be morning.
Approaching the mansion's entrance, the guard halted abruptly, pivoting to face Spheris who was half-worried that he was about to be slapped for the second time that day.
"Do not mind the Mage, Anduris," the guard said. "He is a mere Messenger Mage, nothing more."
Spheris was surprised at this, a brow raised at the guard. "You called me a Heathian."
"I did," the guard maintained. "What? Is that not what you are? If I had called you a boy would you have been offended?"
"No," Spheris replied thoughtfully.
"Of course not, because that is what you are. You are a Heathian as well, and if you accept it and never let it slip your mind, then it's no longer a weapon. It's just a fact." The guard's bright blue eyes almost seemed to be gazing into Spheris's soul. "Same way you are a boy, you are also Heathian."
Accepting the guard's words, Spheris felt a subtle shift within himself. He felt motivated. "I am Heathian," he said.
"Good," the guard nodded. "Now, come meet your fellow Avatars."
He led Spheris through the foreboding entrance of the mansion, and the interior was much brighter than he expected. The light seemed to be powered by the same Spellforce which the caravel and the bastion used.
But even with the light, the decorations were truly an eerie wonder. The corridors revealed themselves with a light that casted unsettling shadows dancing strangely on the walls. There was a crooked old stairs that led so far above that Spheris didn't even bother to look.
The guard guided Spheris towards a hallway on the left where he could hear the muffled hum of conversation. He pushed open a creaky door and revealed a spacious room that reminded Spheris a lot about the study schools in Gullersville.
There were chairs arranged with ornate desks and bookshelves lined the walls, laden with ancient tomes. The four people who were in the room stopped talking and turned around to the Spheris and the guard.
They were all kids his age, adorning different styles of clothing. Spheris could easily tell they were all Gentlefolks, and Royal Gentlefolks for that matter. Sons and daughters of the Dukes of each Wing.
"Is that him?" the tall muscly one with white spiky hair asked. Spheris looked away from him to the person he was talking to, and seeing who she was, his eyes burned with surprise and hate.
He recognized her instantly. The blonde long hair, the oval face and the big blue eyes. It was the same girl he had seen in the bastion. The one who was the reason he had got caught. The act of compassion that led to his downfall.
She gazed at Spheris, also having the same anger in her eyes as she replied to the white-haired boy, "Yes it is."
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