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A light flurry of snow had already started to fall. It was as if the land wanted to bury his existence, like it buries all the inhabitants in a blanket of white. If an outsider were to come unprepared into the harsh terrain of Ignasualt, they would die easily, however, even the locals have had a hard time surviving in the region with it steep hills and mountains, as well as dead lock valleys. In between places were the long stretches of vast plains.
It wouldn't be long for Nastius, as his destination would not be too far. Where he was heading to was an old teleportation pad, built by the Church expense for the Church's expense. Only used by the wealthy or powerful. It was tucked between a small village and mountain it stood, a testimony of time and patience. As everything around it withered away, it was there, clean and polished. A small temple ran by a hoary monk.
Nastius was pleased to have finally made it, the journey was almost halfway done. In the village he docked his horse at the nearest stable which was oddly still accessible due to the usual appearance of the clergy. With a handsome pay, the keeper of the stall took his steed with no further questioning.
Most of the people in the land liked to keep to themselves but always keep one ear open just in case. The village was few of working men and mostly women were seen about, and their kids were playing in the snow not too far away. Even so, he could feel their stares all over his body as he made his way into the sanctuary.
The inside had been carved directly into the mountain. It was well lit inside, as well as warm and felt rather hollow and he could hear his footsteps ringing deeper in. Nastius walked to the center which was surrounded by columns that shot high into rocky ceiling above. He passesd the rows of seats before noticing the teleportation spell engraved unto the tiles beneath him. He could feel the flow magic with each engraving but also its caretaker who came out of hiding.
"Where are you going, young Prince?" The monk appeared rom one of the many columns encircling the center, a lantern in hand, ambling towards him.
Unlike the rest of the disciples of the church, he wore a large yellow strapped scarf that cover most his vitals and thicker pants for the colder weather. He looked old and about ready to fall but his movements were decades younger than himself.
"Send me to the outskirts of the capital of Gailus." Nastius did not want to loiter around the place any longer than he had to.
"King Crux is letting you out?"
"This has nothing to do with the wishes of the King, monk." That shut up the geezer and he began the teleportation process, eyeing Nastius ever so often but stopped at the impatient gaze directed at him.
A beam of light shone as the monk pressed backwards, away from the pad.
Nastius could feel the course of pure and holy magic through his heavy clothes as his form started to disintegrate before disappearing. It was dark for a moment as he flew through a long dark tunnel. A sense of weightlessness overcame him, and he embraced a cold shiver that ran through his spine.
A bright light shone in the distance and before he knew it, he had materialized in another temple. Whispers of hymns resounded between the walls, it was mighty and heavy. A collective humming that stood the hair on his neck.
With uneasiness he walked past the kneeling clergies that positioned themselves to each respective column along the pad. The look of the place wasn't too different from the one back in Ignasualt and he opened the double doors to the view of the seaside cliff and the ringing of bells.
The sight was almost shattering. The salty smell of the sea engulfed his senses as he stepped upon the mossy cliff. To his front was the ever extent of the sea, which he only rarely seen. In the back was the bustling port city. With silent curiosity, Nastius traverse down the cliff towards the town, taking in how much livelier the people were compared with his own. Not too far below the fishermen casted out their nests and their children swam in the playful waves. Cheerfulness danced about neighbors all alike and he could make out their friendliness and virtue even from far.
It was true what they said about Gailus. About how good the rulers were and the peacefulness that stowed all over the country, but that wasn't the full truth.
~
"Here you go, your highness." A towel was always handed to him right after grueling training.
"Thank you."
Prometi was in the side courtyard, beathing heavily on the ground. His eyes daze upon the sky above him where the clouds rolled about languidly. Eventually he used the towel to wipe the sweat that had begun to sting his eyes.
"Your swings are good but let's focus more on close body fighting." His father stood ways off, lightly taking in the fresh air. Not at all phased by hard fighting from before.
Getting back up, Prometi twist his arms, getting ready for another round. A smile grew on his father face.
-
It was a big mistake. Phantom pains did laps around his body like no other as he walked back towards his room. No matter how much he trained it seemed like he was getting nowhere.
A group of servants walked by, smiling at him as he gave a small wave.
He couldn't help the rush of warmth that came to his body from the simple knowing that those around him were happy, but when everyone was out of sight, he would feel nothing again.
He loved the life he had now. The simpleness of it all and the atmosphere. Maybe it was the quietness or the shared looks between servants, but the feeling of uncertainty lingered on his tongue. For most of his life, he had never left the castle. Viewing the outside world through an open window wasn't enough anymore.
The white clay surfaces of the walls that kept him secure reminded him of the big heavy clouds above. By some means, they were able to stay afloat high above the rest. At times they grew dark and thunder, pouring down hefty rain from the heavens but still manage to go back to their pureness once again.
Prometi, stilled for a bit, feeling the lapping winds that whistle through the halls, carrying the scent of the far oceans, as well as someone else.
After some time, he slowly started to walk. A creeping presence was approaching him.
"BOO!!" A myriad of little voices chimed through the air.
Soon tiny little hands clawed over his legs, pulling and tugging at his clothes. He turned around to find Rita, Augustus and Julius, his younger siblings dangling about his legs. They gave him their best watery doe eyes and pouty lips.
"Play with us Prometi." Julius wrangled.
"You never come to play anymore." Rita begged with her big watery eyes.
"Yeah!!" Agustus joined in.
Together they were an unstoppable force of cuteness that he couldn't deny.
With one big swoop he lifted all three of them.
"How can I say no? Who wants to play hide and seek??"
~
The school was like the brightest star to ever shine in the day, apart from the actual sun. It overlooked even the churches around it with a slim structure that pierced the heavens. Facing west of the capital and into a small, wooded landscape was its domain. It was built with the most extravagant of materials that even the emperor could not get. The school was College of Alexandraite and it was crafted to be the pinnacle of all human knowledge.
More like a waste of space and money.
Only nobles and the wealthy children ever got to see the inside. Many donations were made frequently to the school, although he could only guess why. Still, there was an entrance exam for the poorer populous to gain a place inside, if they could pay the fee of course.
Outis was far from the gates, not wanting to get noticed by anything but the very fact he looked remotely cheap did not help much and he was instantly ostracized.
"Hey kid, why don't you stop standing at a prize you will never reach and go lick the mud off someone's boots."
Naturally, it was one of the over-stuffed, tiny-brained students coming back from a trip in the city. Outis could not care enough to even try to defy them and kept on moving but their sniggering did not help much.
It keeps on getting better.
However, Outis simply turned around to leave. He did not want to ruin his chances but there was something about them that was really ticking him off. Maybe it that their scatter-brained loose lips that kept on going like headless newt. They just make him want t-
"HA! Look at him go. More guards should be around here to keep these bottom feeders out of our city."
He really shouldn't get involve in a situation like this. At least not for someone younger than himself.
"Just like those musicians downtown. With their lousy songs. Can't even play right." They burst out in laughter.
They were making it harder not do some cruel trick on them, but the mention of the performers from before really cleared up his mind. It gave him motivation to hurry back to the store.
He had never heard of the power of music to woo anyone apart from the sprites that were thrown out of the continent centuries ago, but even then, it was the sprites who were entranced by music and not the other way around. Unexpectedly though, remnants of them still exist in Einshire, roaming the unexplored and places that were rarely traveled. Nonetheless, they have never shown up so publicly, only when forced to or enslaved.
Either way, Outis silently retraced his steps until he was standing at the carved oak door of his store. He unlocked it with a creek, a signal of his presence and softly closed it back. He took off his cloak, shaking off all previous thought.
He found Basil and Sage in the kitchen, making up lunch. With some time on his hands, he figured it was enough to let his mind go. In the back Outis checked in on the potions, they were still not complete yet. There was another room, next to the backroom and he opened it.
Inside was lined, wall to wall with scrap book ideas and metal gears. A desk and chair were off to the side and on it was his latest of his tinkering. A device to emphasize loud sounds. He sat down with a relief sigh, stretching out the day stress.
The miniature project was almost done with, but he was having a hard time deciding on the name. He reached for a hidden drawer underneath the table and pulled out a leather notebook.
"Prototype: 078. Name: Unknown. Function: Sound amplification." He scribbled down some bits before closing the notebook.
The device was rather small and shaped like a brooch with a rotating centrical power source. To turn it on was simple and all that was needed was to spin the revolving arms.
"Hello." He tested it out.
Soon his own voice blared in the closed room, louder than ever.
Ouch.
It would need some more working out for the volume level.
Knock. Knock.
"Master. There is someone at the front door. I feel an unfamiliar presence, again." Basil hesitated on the last note.
Usually, he would chide her for calling him something so unnecessary but could feel her anxiousness through the door.
"You and Sage should stay back here." Outis stepped out of the room, scanning the area for Sage but found him standing right behind his brother.
Despite what the twins said, he couldn't feel anything as he walked over to the front entrance, it was rather tranquil. There was nothing, not even a soul but when he looked down, he saw shadows. It almost stroked a nerve in him.
Then there was a rapping at the door again and it didn't stop. Outis felt like standing there for hours but after a couple of minutes, the constant noise was getting overly annoying, as the door was the only place he did not soundproof.
"WHAT!!" He almost yanked the door od it hinges.
He surprised by the pestering visitors. It was the performers. The blonde was midway into a knock but stopped frozen. In fact, they were both frozen for an inordinate amount of time. So long that he just slammed the door in their faces.
Everyone here is insane.
However, the knocking came back, harder.
Outis groaned inwardly before opening the door again. Not a surprised by the same masked faces again. He might as well just kick them out of the street jus-
"Act one: scene six, no, seven? Eight? Whatever. A young unknown genius meets a pair of unique strangers." The blonde let out an awkward laugh that shook the wavy curls of her hair.
He was shocked by hearing her voice and the sound was just as captivating as their performance hours ago. It was so silent after that and no one would've believed what happened until the brunette like out a pleading sigh, shaking her head in disapproval.
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