chapter 3

Louis walked behind his elder brother carefully, on the ground there were obvious footprints that looked like they were meant to be hidden. 'Ryan knows this place a little too well.', Louis thought, this part was not introduced in the story because at once the original Louis collapsed due to exhaustion after the crisis was averted.

(-Switching from 3rd person POV to protagonists POV-)

'A clearing- finally!', I thought and sped up from behind Ryan to beside him and almost passing him if not for the strong hand he put in front to block my way. I stared him down for a minute and then raised an eyebrow at him questioning him, he held his finger to his mouth and stepped towards a tree with a marking on it. He knelt to the ground and signaled me to do the same, how I wish I knew what to do.... I hate being in the dark. I heard voices not too far away from where we were crouched at, 'We didn't do well, who knew the son of the count could fight like that-', the voices continued to chatter, and they got further and further from where we stood until I couldn't hear them again. Ryan and I locked eyes, and he got up then held out his hand, we locked hands, and he pulled me up. "Are there actually people you wanted to meet, or you tracked them down?", I asked him, and he smiled before turning away and walking back towards the castle. 'I can't wait to know your secrets, Ryan Bragi.'

The following days everyone who was there at the event and those who were not were given a letter of apology handwritten by Ryan, I feel bad for him and not only that but everyone who was there had investigators everywhere around them ordered by my father, the count. The days continued as normal with most people in the family avoiding me, I enjoyed it, but I had to make a conversation with Sheelah one of these days. The lights stopped shining outside my door and then the operation was in action, 'Operation: Talk to Sheelah about what she knows!', Braize screamed in my mind, and I held my head, 'Be quiet.', I screamed back to him in my mind. I got off my bed and stepped towards the door quietly, I opened the door and there stood the girl I was about to walk my ass off for. I grabbed her and pulled her in quickly then shut the door, "Welcome Sheelah. Don't fret, I won't do anything." I said and then walked to the matches on the table that I had and lit a match on the wall. "So, you know I know something, huh.", she said while watching me walk around my room, "What do you want to ask me?", she asked, and I stopped while patting the other side of the empty couch for her to sit. "Nothing much, just tell me all you know about the world because it's either you are a sword wielder, a magician or a prophet and you know a lot for just a normal servant of our territory.", she laughed at my words and sat down. She rolled up her left arm sleeve and showed me a writing that I couldn't interpret, "For one, I'll teach you this language and I'm a magician, glad you know your stuff. The day before my territory was brutally slaughtered, I transmigrated into the book. I read to volume three so when nothing was happening, I knew the plot of the system was waiting for some external interference and it just happened to be you.", she smiled at me and pointed at the letters in a way I would understand, 'a-n-w-a-n-s-i o-n-w-u', she read, "It means 'deaths magicians'" and she smiled once again but this time her eyes smile more than her mouth itself.

Now that I knew about this world a little, I could do something with Sheelah and try and fit Ryan into the plans.

It was time for breakfast, I walked to the food hall happily and moved to my seat without saying a word to them; I had not spoken to anyone other than Ryan and Sheelah.... Braize too. *cough* I looked up to my mother who seemed like she wanted to say something, "Mother, would you like to say something?" I'm just wondering if you're okay, you've been so distant from us", she answered quickly. I smiled at her and then got up, I had finished my food, "Mother, will you come with me for a short time?" she nodded and got up from her seat. I led her out of the hall to the stair and sat down on the bottom steps, she sat down beside me, "What is this about honey?" "I won't be around for a period that I can't tell the length, I'll be going with your maiden Sheelah and Ryan." She stared in shock at the sudden information, "What?!", I winced at her shout and moved my hands from up-to-down to calm her down. "You didn't tell me since, oh my- Sheelah!", she screamed for her maiden and the sound of a low heel clicked fast and she appeared "Yes, my lady", she bowed her head. "Come this way", she said in a too assuring voice and when Sheelah got to my mother she was struck on the head and pulled to sit on the stairs with us. I would've snickered if not for her gaze that never pulled apart for me. Now we were both seated and forced to answer her questions, "How do you know what you're doing?" "The people from the event the other day seemed to have harmful motive against the people of the territory.", I answered quickly, and she continued to ask questions while we swapped roles of answering her questions. "This is my last question, when did the both of you become so close?", she smiled after this one and I looked at Sheelah, we smiled and got up. We ran in different directions ignoring my mother's calls, she smiled and got up from the stairs and moved upstairs slowly.

(-Switching from protagonists POV to 3rd person POV-)

The next day arrived, and Louis had started gathering his plans and writing them down in his native language, turns out they don't speak English here and have their own language in the world. He heard a knock on his door, "Come in!" and the person came in, it was Sheelah, "Ryan finally got our request. Let's go." They moved quickly downstairs to Ryans new office/bedroom and knocked on the door, "Come in!" They opened the door and quickly stepped in, shutting it behind them. "What's the rush guys?", Ryan asked while they both sat down in front of him, "Remember the attack-", his smile faded slowly and he interrupted, "You guys have a plan, right?", Sheelah nodded. Louis started to speak, "The people who attacked didn't look like they're from our territory or any other territory that was invited for that matter, they could be from across the border.", he looked up and met his brothers shocked gaze "But we should tell the actual count, I'm not the count, I'm becoming count in two years- no", Ryan got up but was quickly pushed down back by Louis. "I've informed mother and what will father do, huh", Louis was getting worked up and Ryan could tell and taking a deep breath said, "Okay, what do I have to do?" Louis and Sheelah looked at each other and smiled celebrating in their minds even Braize was cheering in Louis' mind. Sheelah explained the rest of the plan to Ryan and Louis chirped in once or twice to adjust and tweak. Their meeting had almost come to an end when *slam* a guard burst through the doors, "Please, move into the underground dungeon for safety!" Louis honestly would have sat back down after the guard left if not for his brother who was currently dragging him out the door by the arm. "Can we calm down; it might not be that-", he jinxed himself terribly and he faced the consequences. An arrow flew past his and Ryans head swiftly and Ryan ran faster, he let go of Louis so he can run by himself down the stairs to the dungeon. The last person entered the dungeon and was handed a key to lock the door, the dungeon was gigantic and dark with only a few torches lighting up the room. "Louis, Ryan come over here!" They looked over to the voice; it was their mother and Louis was once again pulled by Ryan towards somewhere. "You guys are okay, right?" "We're okay mother, no need to worry", Louis' answer was quick and simple. Louis brought his attention to the door, 'Braize, can you be like a ghost and check who's in here', 'I already have, it's the same group of people from the event attack and one of them is a magic wielder or whatever you call it in this age, they want to break down the door with magic.' 'It can't break down or everyone here will be in danger, we need a better idea-! we have a magician here too', he thinks, "Sheelah, come here!" he shouted, people's heads turned but he didn't care*boom* the door shook, and the people in the room screamed. It distracted them at least, "Sheelah, can you break the wall on the north side of the dungeon, we should be able to dig out of here slowly but surely.", she nodded, and didn't waste any time moving to the north of the dungeon with Louis behind her. "IKWUSI!", she shouted getting people's attention again and they stared in awe as the wall crumbled, "Guards please use your swords as a shovel for now, anyone else with a suitable item for the job should please put hands.", Louis said and gestured to the already great hole in the wall. People moved quickly at his words, and he smiled turning to look at Sheelah. Ryan walked up to them smiling, "Are you sure you don't want to be count in the future Louis because you've been doing amazing things ever since I became.... well-almost count.", there was no answer from Louis but there was a light chuckle. The guards dug as fast as the hilt of a sword can go but at the same time, the attackers outside the door were getting fiercer, 'We have to be quick, Braize!', 'On it.', the spirit answered hastily. The guards were clearly showing a change in pace now, which was relatively good, Louis turned in the direction of the locked door and in all honesty wanted to walk towards the door but was stopped by a tight tug on his arm from Caspian. He didn't dare go afterwards, 'Vicious.'

The digging continued until there was a light poking through, although the guards weren't the ones really controlling their fast movements from before, it was clear they were tired. The knights flipped their sword once again and now they were striking the walls with the blade as hard as they can, 'Those vicious people from outside haven't struck the door since, what's happ-', Louis thought, and the door was hit by a powerful blast of magic. The door flew open and hit a wall nearly hitting a group of maidens, "You can't leave...", *click-clack* a woman walked in in the same attire from that day, but she didn't have her face covered. She had jet black hair and make-up on, but she was still very pretty, there was a slit in her dress at the leg exposing from her right thigh down and behind her were 2 people wearing the same theme but were clearly males. People were shaking in the room, some of the guards continued clawing their way with the door and some came Infront to protect the people.