Chapter 19: The Days Until The Ball

Before Aine fell asleep, she looked out her window one last time. People outside were panicking and confused. Some of them could be seen kneeling and praying to the heavens. Aine only looked at them with a slight pity. She covered her window with the drapes and prepared to go to bed.

The next day rolled around, and the date for the ball had been announced. The ball will be held three days from now. It's venue will be the ruined castle under the Parthenon. The ruined castle was a leftover from the old kingdom that ruled here before Deimos. The castle was in terrible condition; however, apparently, it is where the sun is stored.

Aine woke up later than usual; Daegal had already left for his shop. Daegal left a message; however, there was a paper note that was slid under Aine's door.

It read the following : "Good morning, Aine; it's Daegal. I didn't dare wake you up from your sleep, which is why I'm writing this note. Come to the Humane Pawnbrokers today. Look around, and so Anton can contact his friend to get your dress sorted."

Aine put on her coat and packed her purse with all the essentials for the day. She exited her room to see the guard from yesterday standing by.

"Going out, milady?" Asked the guard.

"Yes, I am attending the ball, so I need to get my dress sorted out," said Aine.

"Then, allow me to escort you," said the guard.

"Thank you. Uh, do you have a name by any chance?" Asked Aine.

"Edward, at your service," said the guard.

"Alright, Edward, let's get going," said Aine.

Aine and Edward boarded the coach and headed for the Humane Pawnbrokers. The Humane Pawnbrokers was up and running, and customers were going in and out of the shop. Aine arrived. Edward stayed next to the coach while Aine walked into the shop.

Daegal and Anton could be seen talking to an old customer.

"Look, I don't know what world you live in, but this is not worth 80 fickens," said Daegal.

"Then you must be ill-informed. This is worth 80 at least!" Said the old customer.

"Look, sir, this is worth 45 at best," said Anton.

"I'll give you 30. We have to resell it anyway," said Daegal.

The old customer walked out, stomping his boots in anger. He was clearly not satisfied with Daegal's offer.

"It's quite alright, Boss. That lantern was not all that rare to begin with," said Anton.

Daegal saw Aine walk through the door and look around the store. Her signature outfit and violet-tinted hair make her stand out and easy to recognize.

"Hey, Aine, over here," called out Daegal.

Aine walked towards the counter.

"This place sure is bustling," said Aine.

"Yes, it is," said Anton.

"However, there seems to be no end to the idiots," said Daegal.

"Now, now, boss, not just anyone can be as wise as you. Anyways, Miss Aine, would you like to go to the tailor's now?" Asked Anton.

"Sure," replied Aine.

"You guys go; I'll stay here," said Daegal.

Aine and Anton left the shop and headed for the tailor's, where Anton mentioned he had a friend work there. The shop was some distance away, so they wanted to take the tram there. However, Edward insisted they rode on the coach.

They rode the coach to the tailor's. The tailor's shop was called 'The Grand Pulchra Boutique'. Beautiful dresses were being displayed, so they could be seen from the outside.

"Shall we go in?" Asked Anton.

"Yes, we shall," said Aine.

Aine and Anton headed inside the shop. There was a middle-aged man with long blonde hair, wearing spectacles, who was fitting a dress on a woman.

"Please, wait over there; I will be right with you," said the middle-aged man.

"Saville, it's been a while," said Anton.

"Do my ears deceive me? Antonius, is that you?" Asked the man.

"Yes, it's me. Still eccentric as always, are you, Saville?" Said Anton.

"Oh, but my eccentricity is the source of my genius. I'll be right with you in a second, my good man," said Saville.

Aine and Anton waited for Saville to finish fitting the other woman. Aine was looking around the boutique; all the dresses were mighty beautiful and looked incredibly expensive. Finally, the woman was finished, and Saville could move on to helping Aine and Anton.

"Anton, how's it been?" Said Saville as he went for a hug.

"It's been well, Saville," said Anton as he hugged Saville.

"So, what do you need help with today? Need a new tuxedo?" Asked Saville.

"No, no, my current one is fine. Miss Aine needs a dress for the ball," said Anton.

"The Deimos Ball? She's attending? Well, I'll be; what an honor to have one of my dresses used in the ball," said Saville.

Saville seemed like a nice person. His body movements are a bit weird, though.

"So, what kind of dress do you need, milady?" Asked Saville.

"I-I don't really know; I rarely wear dresses. I was hoping for some recommendations," said Aine.

Saville let out a long sigh. He closed one of his eyes, made his hands into a rectangular shape, and looked through them, almost like he's picturing Aine in a dress.

"You seem to look really good in black," said Saville.

"H-huh?" said Aine, confused.

"An entirely black dress that reaches all the way down the floor and covers the legs. It exposes the shoulder while still having sleeves to cover the arms until the wrist. The dress itself made some of the finest cloth and the most extravagant patterns," said Saville.

Aine's jaw dropped, and she looked at Anton in awe.

"He's a genius," said Anton.

"It's almost scary," said Aine.

"Eureka! Now, all I have to do is get your measurements," said Saville as he pulled out a tape measure from his back pocket.

Saville approached Aine with the tape measure at hand while pushing her slowly to the back of the store.

"Uhh, I don't know about this," said Aine.

"Don't worry, he's a professional," said Anton.

Saville measured Aine's proportions and wrote them down in his notebook. Saville even asked Aine some questions about her preferences.

"Are you alright with wearing a corset?" Asked Saville.

"What's a corset?" Asked Aine.

"You'll be fine," said Saville.

Saville took out a piece of paper and began drawing the dress. His skills in drawing were unparalleled. He drew even the most minute details flawlessly.

"All right, the ball is 3 days away, correct?" Asked Saville as he was drawing.

"That would be correct," said Anton.

"I can get it done in 2 days if I really prioritize this. And by prioritize, I mean not doing anything else but eating, sleeping and making this dress and no other dress," said Saville.

"Can you really do that?" Asked Aine.

"Of course, I would also gladly do her make-up right before the ball. Just give yo' man a shout," said Saville.

Saville clearly wanted to help Aine; it's that or he really wants his dress to be worn by someone attending the most prestigious ball on the continent.

"Then, please, do that," said Aine.

"My pleasure," said Saville as he bowed.

"Then, I guess, we must pay him well," said Anton.

With Aine's dress sorted for the day before the ball, they headed back to the Humane Pawnbrokers. On the way back, a man with a big suitcase could be seen running. They didn't ride the coach this time.

He wore a tophat and a complete tuxedo. He rushed down the avenue carrying his suitcase, seemingly like he was trying to run away from something. He was so in a rush that he didn't see Aine walking with Anton and almost crashed into Aine.

Anton, reacting quickly, pushed Aine to the side, and the man hit Anton instead. Anton and the man fell to the ground. The suitcase bounced on the ground a few times. The crash loosened the suitcase's lock.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you imbecile," said Anton as he got up.

"I apologize; I am in a rush," said the man.

The man got back on his feet and picked up his suitcase. The loosened lock, however, gave out and the suitcase burst open and spilled out all its contents.

From the suitcase came four metallic cylinder capsules that rolled on the ground. The crowd around him paid no mind to his mishap. Aine decided to help the man out; he was frantically trying to stuff the capsules back in the suitcase.

"Hey, let me help out," said Aine as she picked up a capsule.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, kind lady. I'm so sorry for bumping into you," said the man.

Before Aine handed the capsule, she saw the label on the capsule. It said 'Bottled Sunlight.' A guard approached the man.

"What's the commotion here?" Asked the guard.

"Do not fret; it is just my client," said Edward, who was riding the coach.

Edward hopped out of the coach. The guard bowed, as Edward was of a higher rank than him.

"Milady, sorry, the coach wasn't there to pick you up," said Edward.

"No, it's fine, no harm done," said Aine.

"And what happened to this gentleman over here?" Asked Edward.

"He was running and crashed into us. That's pretty much it," said Anton.

"He also dropped his, uh, Bottled Sunlight," said Aine nonchalantly.

Everyone gasped. Edward was surprised to hear the words that came out of Aine's mouth. Isn't bottled sunlight illegal?

"I'm sorry, but did you say bottled sunlight?" Asked Edward.

"Yeah, there was a label for it on the capsule. Why? Did I say something wrong?" Asked Aine.

"No, you did not, milady," said Edward.

"You are under arrest!" Shouted the guard to the man as he unsheathed his blade.

The man panicked and tried to run. The guard shouted, "Hey, get back here." Anton built up ice on his fingers and fired it at the man's suitcase. The suitcase fell from his hands. Edward rushed in with his sword as well.

"You have contraband! Surrender, or face the might of guards," shouted Edward as they surrounded the man.

"Resistance is futile," said the other guard.

The man tried to run once more; he swerved past Edward's slash and tried to get to his suitcase. The other guard's slash only damaged his top hat. As the man was about to pick up the suitcase, Anton fired a follow-up shot that froze his feet to the ground.

The man stumbled and fell. The guard grabbed the suitcase and secured it. Edward pointed his blade at the man. More guards then arrived at the scene and locked the man up.

"Thank you, fine sir, for your assistance during that commotion," said the guard who accompanied Edward in that fight.

"It's no problem; just doing the right thing," said Anton.

"Your might in ice magic was truly divine. I, on behalf of the guards, thank you," said the guard as he bowed.

The crowd began to gather. But a familiar face would silence the crowd.

"That's enough, all of you. Please go back to your daily lives," said Abaddon as he walked towards the scene.

The sunlight smuggler had both his hands tied together. Two guards held his shoulders. He was forced to look at Abaddon, who was approaching him. The man looked Abaddon straight in the eyes.

"Show some shame!" Shouted Abaddon as he punched the man's face. He fell to the ground, now with a bruised left eye. The guards took him away, and the crowd began to move on.

Abaddon then saw Aine and Anton amidst the crowd.

"Aine? You're outside?" Abaddon said, confused and surprised.

"Oh, hi, yes, I am," said Aine.

"That's amazing news! Anyway, I'm only here to defuse the situation. The days leading up to the ball are always especially busy, so there's not a lot of free time for me," said Abaddon.

"That's alright; I'll see you at the ball then," said Aine.

"It's good to know you're attending; I'll see you there," said Abaddon.

Abaddon left in quite a hurry; it looks like he wasn't kidding about the lack of free time. Aine and Anton boarded the coach, but before the coach began to move, Abaddon rushed back to Aine.

"Aine, I almost forgot; here you go," said Abaddon as he handed Aine a sort of ornament through the coach window.

"Ooh, what is it?" Asked Aine.

"It's your very own magician's brooch," answered Abaddon.

"No way!" shouted Aine happily.

"You're now registered as my apprentice. Heralds are usually allowed to have apprentices, but I made a few tweaks to the rules," said Abaddon.

"Thank you so much," said Aine.

"No problem; I should be going now," said Abaddon as he left in a hurry.

Aine's coach began to move; it was headed to the Humane Pawnbrokers. In the coach, Aine gripped her brooch tightly, as if it were the most valuable item in her person. The brooch was shaped like an upside-down crescent moon, but it had two tiny gems hanging from it. One of the gems was red, while the other was purple. Her name was written in the back, along with Abaddon's name under it.

"You should hang it in your jacket," said Anton.

Anton helped Aine fix the brooch on the left side of her jacket. The silver color complemented her coat nicely. After a few more minutes, they arrived back at Daegal's shop. Daegal was at the counter talking to some customers.

"I'll sell this for 60," offered Daegal.

"69? Done! I'll buy it for 69," said the customer.

"Uh, sure, 69," said Daegal, confused as he began writing a check.

The customer left, and Aine and Anton entered the shop.

"We're back, boss," said Anton.

"Anton! Aine! I'm assuming the dress went well," said Daegal.

"It did; we'll get it the day before the ball. He even offered to do my make-up," said Aine.

"That's great. Anyways, I heard about some collusion on one of the avenues you passed; was everything okay?" Asked Daegal.

"About that..." said Anton.

Anton recapped the whole story of what happened.

"Bottled Sunlight, eh? Abaddon told me about that," said Daegal.

"It was stored in some form of a cylinder capsule," said Anton.

"It didn't pop open, did it?" Asked Daegal.

"No, it didn't," said Aine.

"Good, because I don't know what would become of us if we saw sunlight," said Daegal.

"That's true; we are adapted to the darkness. Sunlight could cause unforeseen side-effects," said Anton.

It almost seemed like Daegal and Anton were more scared of the sunlight than actually happy to bask in it. But Anton is right, life in this world has adapted without the sun; seeing the sun now would honestly be quite dangerous. Aine then realized something.

"Isn't the sun going to be displayed during the ball?" Asked Aine.

"Yes, but I'm assuming it's only a fraction of the sun's true power," said Anton.

"There's also got to be some kind of shield between you and the sun. No way they let you just walk in there unprotected," said Daegal.

"We'll know for sure when we attend," said Aine.

The day went along like normal. Daegal's business was flourishing, and loads of customers were going in and out of the shop, whether it be to buy something, pawn off something or just to look around. The endorsement of a herald really does go a long way when it comes to business in this world.

It was getting late, so Aine and Daegal headed back to the mansion for a good night's rest. Meanwhile, at the Parthenon, Deimos was floating down under the floating Parthenon. There was a seal of some sort under the Parthenon, hiding something. The seal was clearly camouflaging something. With a single incantation, the seal began to unravel.

"T is nice to seeth thee again, broth'r," Deimos said as he unlocked the seal.

The seal revealed an old, almost broken down castle. The ripped banner on its wall shows a symbol from an age long past. Deimos landed in the courtyard of the castle. The flowers rotted and the grass was dead; it looked nothing like a royal courtyard.

"Bewray yourself, mine own Sun," said Deimos.

The ground began to shake as Deimos walked into the castle. The main hall of the castle was still in decent condition. The throne where the king and queen were supposed to be seated began to tremble more violently. The roof of the castle collapsed, and it opened the interior to the open air.

The Parthenon and all the floating rocks and islands around it flew out of the way. The castle is now directly under the dark sky, with nothing over it. A stone pillar with runes rose up from the ground where the thrones used to stand. The thrones got pushed out of the way as the writings and runes on the stone pillar began to glow.

It glowed red and shot a beam of light into the sky. The beam was so violently bright that it began causing rifts in the sky, tearing it apart.

Aine and Daegal were still on their way back to the mansion when they saw the sky lit up a violent red. Aine and Daegal jumped out of the coach to witness the bloodbath in the sky.

"Daegal, what is that?" Asked Aine,

"I-I don't know," answered Daegal.

The entire continent began to panic, whether it was Pulchra or Pauperis. The sky that was once eternally black turned blood red.

"This has never happened before; the ball isn't usually like this," said Edward.

"The ball? That is for the ball?" Asked Daegal.

"There have been rumors that Lord Deimos wanted to go big this year. But ripping the sky and painting it red was not on my bingo card," said Edward.

Everyone's sky turned red, even the ones back in Moon Village. An old lady walked out of her old house, only to be greeted by the sky crying blood.

"Oh dear, now that is quite peculiar," said Martha.

In the town square, a boy was pushing a cart filled with consumer goods. He looked up at the menacingly red sky that showed the silhouette of the clouds for the first time.

"The Sun?" Said Paxton to himself.

"No, boy, that is not the sun," said the short Fabblestabble.

A receptionist at the local adventurer's guild walked out to see what the commotion was about. She looked at the sky, and a chill was sent down her spine.

"Why did this have to happen when the guildmaster is away?" said the receptionist.

An 'X' began to form where the beam shot the sky. The sky slowly began darkening once more. The 'X' was a rip in the sky; through it, you could see the beautiful white stars in a red space with yellow nebulas. A yellow light splashed down from the 'X' shaped rip and spotlighted the broken castle.

The once dark night sky turned a slight purple. The quake around the castle stopped. Everyone looked to the sky; fear was spreading rampantly.

In the broken castle, the spotlight from the rip in the sky caused the once broken castle to be repaired. Although the roof wasn't reattached or repaired, the banners, the wallpaper and the furniture were all repaired.

"Yond shall doth nicely," said Deimos as he walked out of the castle grounds.

Aine and Daegal made it back to the mansion. The mansion was situated almost right under the rip in the sky. Aine and Daegal entered the mansion, only to find the staff in a state of panic. Some staff were even praying in the corner of the room.

"Aine, you can go to your room," said Daegal.

"Wait, why? Where are you going?" Asked Aine.

"I need to check in on Anton and Orphelin," said Daegal as he left the mansion and headed back to the Humane Pawnbrokers.

Aine entered her room. She looked out of the window to see the violet sky. The world was not as dark as it was; this was probably the closest thing this world has had to daytime in centuries. Aine closed her window and began preparing for bed.

Meanwhile, Daegal just reached the Humane Pawnbrokers. Anton and Orphelin were outside of the shop, looking up into the sky.

"Thank God you guys are alright," said Daegal as he approached them.

"Oh, boss, good evening," greeted Anton.

"Do you see that? Look at that thing in the sky!" Orphelin said as she pointed to the 'X' in the sky.

"I know, it's kinda fucked," said Daegal.

"This is most likely the work of Lord Deimos," said Anton.

The whole continent was having a sleepless night. Mass panic has spread, and no one feels safe. However, life must continue and so the next day rolled around. A rift in the sky can't stop business.

Daegal left the mansion for the Humane Pawnbrokers. As Daegal rode the coach to his shop, however, the streets were particularly busy today. People were filling the roads, causing massive road blockages. The crowd was on the brink of mass hysteria as a result of the rift in the sky.

Daegal looked out of the coach window to see the crowd congregating while looking into the sky. More guards are stationed on the streets than usual. With two days until the ball, it seems the extra guards are a response for the panicked citizens and to welcome the guests of the ball.

Daegal arrived at the Humane Pawnbrokers. The street in front of Daegal's shop was crowded, not with customers, but with panicked citizens. The shop was still locked from the inside. Daegal quickly unlocked the door with his key. Anton and Orphelin were inside guarding the door.

"It's the boss, let him in," said Anton.

There was a chair that was leaning against the door that locked the door handle in place. Orphelin promptly removed the chair and let Daegal in.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Daegal.

"We are fine, boss. It's just that we can't be letting anyone in the shop right now," said Anton.

"We got a notice from the herald," said Orphelin as she handed an envelope.

Daegal opened the envelope to see a message written by Abaddon. It reads: "Hello Daegal and the staff of the Humane Pawnbrokers, please refrain from opening the shop until after the ball. That rift in the sky was indeed created by Deimos and it's been causing mass hysteria in both Pulchra and Pauperis. This is for your safety, please keep the shop closed. I will update you after the ball on how your business should proceed. Best, Abaddon."

"It seems like people aren't taking too kindly to that mysterious rift in the sky," said Anton.

"The herald didn't even tell what the rift was about," said Orphelin.

"Well, I doubt he would know what Deimos is cooking," said Daegal, "Let's just listen to him and take a few days off."

They looked out the window to see people panicking outside. They were screaming, praying and some even raising their voices. Daegal understood the panic, but he didn't understand the people who were rioting.

"Why are some of them rioting?" Asked Daegal.

"Their mind is clouded, is all," said Anton.

"Yeah, they probably are too gullible to actually listen to some old myths," said Orphelin.

"What myth?" Asked Daegal.

"According to that myth, Deimos overthrew the old kingdom and crowned himself the new ruler. The myth also said that Deimos was once the Royal Archwizard of the old kingdom," said Anton.

"So, now, they feel like it's their time to make their voice heard," said Orphelin.

"They feel lied to, they just want an answer from Deimos," said Anton.

"I've heard of that story. So, there was a kingdom?" Asked Daegal.

"Allegedly," said Anton.

It seemed what Daegal thought was a mere folktale had riled up people to this extreme. Daegal recalled the time back in the Forest of Dreams when he told Aine that story; little did he know that it was actually somewhat true.

Daegal decided to stay inside the shop for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, Aine was looking back at the riot at the mansion. Tomorrow is the day Aine's dress should be ready. Aine can't wait to see how her dress turns out. The day comes to an end as more and more guards are stationed in every street of Pulchra.

"She's beginning to wake up."