Enthralled

I woke up, feeling not a single inch of dread that seeped my bones the night prior. I was relatively fine- As far as I knew. Physically, it seems I was okay. Mentally, it doesn't seem like it.....

But that's about as much as I would have expected. The existential question of why I was here, and the fact that this'll be my new home for the remainder of my life until I can find a way back home lingered in my mind always. Hanging above me like the Sword of Damocles it is. Waiting for the day it'll strike me and cause me to go insane.

But, besides that, I did the daily things Nicholas did in order to seem rather normal. I got out of bed, aired out the mattress bedding and blankets. Cleaned myself up with a cold bath, changed into the appropriate attire. And waited for my younger brother Karl to come in and send me off.

I listened to the chiming of the Great Bell.... 6 o'clock, just as I expected. Homa Kingdom ran on Xenian time. Xenia was the name of the empire that had Homa as a subsidiary kingdom. The Xenian Empire is the true power behind the Nation of Hospitality. However, the capital Homa was where the Grand Hearth Cathedral was situated. As such, the kingdom was more or less considered the unofficial heart of the nation.

Out of all the nations, the Nation of Warmth was likely the most accommodating to others. I was not as sure of the others after all, but one thing I did notice. Each of the Nations embodies an ideal.

For us, that was hospitality. For the Nation of Water; that was the pursuit of knowledge. There were other Nations; but I was unfamiliar with their ideals as I was blanking on the associated memories. I am sure they will come to me in time though.

The moment the bell strikes 7, Karl will be here. I had another hour and perhaps a few more minutes before he arrived.

For now, I should just focus on getting my agendas straight today. What did I have to do? Or, more rather, what would Nicholas Lei do?

Firstly, I should just calm down.

Secondly, I need to restock my pantry with more food for the week. My predecessor was meant to do so yesterday, but hasn't.

How much do I have now? I have nearly a hundred hads. So, if I count all that up I have; 80 hads and a few plutons; 100 plutons equal a single had. A hundred hads equals one Hade, and ten of such a denomination is equivalent to a single Tellum, the highest denomination across the Fourteen Nations.

The Fourteen Nations has a united currency system that originated from the Nation of Wealth; Souterrain.

Which is mighty convenient for me. Though, the island countries are a different matter altogether.

With this much saved by the previous Nicholas, I guess I could take 20 hads and a few plutons with me and still have some left over for any extra purchases.

Though I'm not particularly much of a scrooge, that also didn't mean I'd waste money meaninglessly. I'd only consider such an option if I was a millionaire.

Speaking of which, I wonder if I can become a Luminary, could I use it to earn money?

No. Hold on. I have to learn more about them first before making such a rash decision. The agenda today is, first meeting up with Karl, then out to town and then seeing if I can gather any noteworthy information.

Right! With that in mind, I should do some light reading. There might be something in these books that Nicholas left behind....

....

In the narrow alleys of Kiwi City, where the scents of feasting swelled and combined with the stench of trash.

Between the narrow space of two buildings, of a restaurant and a café residing close to each other, the shadows within the emptiness in between began to deform and melt with the dampness of the walls.

Drip!

Drip!

Drip!

Rats scurried across the dirtied surface ground, jumping into puddles of rainwater collected into widened cracks in the pavement. Taking their first of many continuous baths along the way.

PSHA!

The dampness slowly began to thicken.

Drip.

The dripping slowed. It softened. The shadows hiding amongst the trash began to melt even more. Creeping up the walls as the moisture coalesced into the darkness.

The dripping stopped, but the sound of viscosity could be heard.

It was heavy. So heavy. Like it had its own gravity.

But there was no rumble. No shake. Not a single tremble amplified by the weight of the viscous substance.... Only silence.

And yet, as the silence filled into the abyss; there was something about it. A strange thing, something old... Worn. Sad.

The shadows closed into the light. The dampness moving with it.

"Well, if it isn't a Thrall.... And what an odd one too." But then, a voice spoke aloud.

It pierced through the emptiness, clear and strong. The voice rendered the substance into immobility. Halting it in its tracks. It squirmed and moved and attempted to free itself.

"No need for that. This is a Curse from a Talisman made by an Arbitrator. They're of a higher rank than you are for sure, so don't get any ideas now." The voice sighed. There was no need for them to be there, any one of their colleagues could have defeated such a Thrall.

The only reason why they were dealing with it instead of anyone else, was that they were in close proximity to the location of the Thrall's estimated appearance range.

The other reason was... They were far more familiar with the powers of this particular Thrall than any of their colleagues.

"A Luminary of an already annoying Path using equipment crafted by an annoying criminal Orthodox Path Luminary, and Enthralled no less. How troublesome."

And as if to make a point, the melted shadows and heavy dampness began to roil and twist into complex shapes. Forms of humans, animals, mystical creatures; even the shape of a polyhedron.

The inky darkness then began to take the hue of mud. Rich and deep as the earth....

The mud-form began to grow and grow into an ever-changing cyclone. Taking its hunter for a spin. Until.... It stopped.

And as if gravity began to act at a moment's reflex, the mud suddenly fell with a tremendous sound. The force suddenly cracked the pavement itself.

"Shit!" The voice said in response to the mess made, his voice already fading from existence. As if he never was there in the first place.

In his sudden disappearance, tree roots crowded the walls and across the pavement. Small vines and roots formed in between the cracks and mended them together. And in a singular green flash, all traces of a battle were gone.

Not even trash remained. Temporarily making it a mysteriously clean alleyway, the most clean out of all in the square.

.....

As expected. Karl was being overwhelming again. He acts like I'm a child even though I'm the elder out of the two of us.

"...Down in Pallis Square, because they sell the better quality stuff. I know! You don't have to remind me that every five minutes." I exclaimed while checking my brass pocket watch.

7:25.... I can't believe I spent fifteen minutes not just talking with Karl, but also half of it felt more like a lecture than a proper conversation.

"By the Flame. You know exactly why I must be clear with you what you must do." Karl retorted sternly.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was going to give me the usual lecture. So I said it along with him to let him know that I understood.

"...Last time you managed to get the wrong cut of meat. The previous time before that, you managed to lose the cut to a rabid dog because of your fear of them and lastly; you left it with Oliver even though you knew he was a horrible cook."

I learnt all these words by heart so that I could predict which events he would bring up. And, just as I expected, he was frustrated.

"Agh! This is why you lack a partner; man or woman, neither can deal with you."

I gave a gasp at his insolence and shrugged, then realised he wasn't exactly wrong to say so.

"Well.... At least I can say that I can confidently court another sir or madam, unlike you, who clearly lacks the courage to even speak up to a lady."

With that, Karl harrumphed and stormed off while yelling at me to get the right cut of meat.

As he went out the door, I returned to reading anecdotes on my books until I heard footsteps returning.

"Oh ! By the way, be careful around Pallis Square. I heard that there's been mysterious disappearances there recently. Suspected murders. And strange supposed supernatural events. I remember you had a proclivity for mysteries, so I'm warning you now to back away from this one."

And with that, he stormed off down the stairs.

He just dumped some rather intriguing information though, so no matter how much he hurt me mentally with that scathing remark earlier, I think this makes up for it.

If I'm not wrong, there's a likely chance that this has to do with Luminaries. And when it comes to Luminaries..... I should probably stay away from them right now. So his warning was welcome.