While I was away

VIVIANE LAPIS

"Aether!?"

My voiced leaked at the sight of Aether falling down. His body was shaking violently. No, he was having fits.

"Help him!"

The other voices echoed.

Venti and Arthur scrambled to Aether and tried to wake him up. Nevera and Kathyln restrained him and tried to forcibly stop his fits but they couldn't stop him. He pushed them and struggled like a wild beast.

Eventually Cecilia and Lia joined them and restrained his legs, Nevera held his head while Venti and Arthur held down his right hand and Kathyln restrained his left.

"Help him!" I shouted once again.

The delusional man in front of me laughed and snapped his fingers. A bunch of people rushed into the room from all sides and restrained us.

We were taken into some sort of prison and locked up.

"Let us out!", Nevera banged the transparent wall that locked us all in.

We tried, for several hours, to break out but the wall didn't even budge.

As a final effort, I tried using Lapis arts. I launched a kick with all my strength.

"Krrrrk."

Cracks appeared in the transparent wall. The others looked at me with faces that asked 'What did you just do?'

"Lapis arts, I used Lapis arts. They seem to work."

"Let me try."

Nevera threw a punch, at first sight it looked like a regular punch but in reality, it was the 5th form of the Lapis art.

"Ground Breaking Fist."

The wall cracked even more, letting out a shrill sound. As he was about to throw another punch, an alarm blared.

"Crap, we've gotta hurry!", Sapphire launched a kick.

"Yeah, they're gonna come any moment come on break break break!", Venti threw consecutive punches.

The wall broke and we got out but then a smug looking young man stood in our way with an ominous grin.

Cedric. He blocked our way and already had over 15 men in uniforms behind him.

He came closer and leaned in, "Going somewhere?" he asked. The corners of his lips rose slightly.

"We're screwed."

∞

After getting caught once again, this time we were cuffed with mana seals and force seals. Our mouths were taped too and we were locked up in different cells.

I tried to think of different ways to try and escape from the current situation, but no possible method came to mind. (Should I give up?)

"muuumph!!!" My voice was muffled. Well of course it was, my mouth was taped after all.

I decided to resign to my fate and tried to sleep.

[About 8 hours later]

"Yaaawn" I stretched my hands up with my left eye closed and got up. I turned and stretched to loosen my joints.

"Krrack." My back made a very satisfying sound. I bent to my right then to my left, jumped a few times and then I was ready.

A man knocked on my cell, "Its time let's go."

He opened the cell and put on the cuffs again.

I followed him out of the cell and we walked to the control room. "Sleep well?", it was the smug man.

(This-! He locks us after beating us up, puts force cuffs AND MANA cuffs and then now he asks if we slept well!)

"Oh wait, you can't speak because of the tape! Hahahaha", he laughed like a maniac, put his palm on his forehead and shook his head.

"Aaah, well, leaving that aside,", his tone changed, "Welcome, to the Noble Kingdom of Perpetua."

[As the submarine rises, Perpetua appears like a glittering gemstone nestled against the shore when seen through the transparent hull of the submarine.

The kingdom's buildings are made of white marble, gleaming in the sunlight, with intricate blue and gold mosaics adorning their walls.

The city is surrounded by a high wall made of coral stone, with towers built at regular intervals, giving the impression of a fortress by the sea.

From the coast, the city's harbor is visible, filled with all manner of ships and boats, from small fishing vessels to grand galleons with billowing sails.

The harbor is protected by a series of breakwaters, and a lighthouse at the entrance ensures safe navigation for all ships entering and leaving the port.]

We docked at the port and the sign read 'Port Undine'. It was the largest port I'd ever seen.

(Not that I've seen many...)

We were brought out in a line, made to walk like shackled prisoners, the men in uniform followed behind us. They carried with them a large black duffelbag. It probably had Aether inside.

They finally removed the tape on our mouths. I opened my mouth and did some movements.

Moving my jaw to the left, then to the right, then front, closing and opening my lips, sucking in my cheeks etc until my mouth felt a bit relaxed.

[The city's streets and alleys come into view. They are narrow and winding, but well-paved, with colorful market stalls lining the sides. The buildings are adorned with balconies and awnings, providing shade for the people below.

The city itself seemed to be laid out in a circular pattern, with a large plaza in the center. The plaza is home to a beautiful fountain, with water cascading down from multiple tiers and spouts, creating a soothing sound that can be heard throughout the city.

Surrounding the plaza are the city's most important buildings: the royal palace, the grand library, and the main cathedral.]

"So beautiful...", the words escaped my mouth without my knowledge and it certainly wasn't a lie. The architecture was completely different from back home. Even the breeze that blew through the city had a warm and refreshing aroma.

[Beyond the city walls, the kingdom is dotted with small villages and hamlets, each with their own unique character and charm. Fields of wheat and barley stretch out as far as the eye can see, and orchards of fruit trees dot the landscape.]

A man wearing a gray blazer, a black undershirt and a red tie walked up to me.

'Cedric M Phoenixia'

He looked at me with a smile, "Overall, Perpetua is a kingdom of beauty and grandeur, situated by the sea and blessed with fertile lands. It is a place of prosperity and peace, where the people live in harmony with nature and each other."

"But.", the smile on his face faded and he continued, "This kingdom had never faced demons before. It was a kingdom of purely humans. No other races or subspecies, only humans lived here" he paused and sighed before continuing, "That is until 500 years ago. Even though Auroraeum was invaded by Otherworlders and demons, this kingdom remained a safe haven."

(How? how is that possible when even my home was attacked and...)

He looked at me as if he read my thoughts and spoke, "Because of a descender."

(A descender protecting a single kingdom?)

He continued walking beside me and spoke.

"Surely you know of about the descenders and their weapons."

I nodded and the others continued listening. We were talking about all this while walking towards a large structure, something that I could confidently claim to be the royal palace of this land.

"Everyone knows that there were 15 descenders out of which 7 were gods and 7 were beasts and the one that remained was none of them."

"The descender of Auroraem was Arcturus and he wielded Stella Ignis. A volcanic claymore that could cleave through seas with ease. In the past the sea level here was a lot higher which made it difficult for the people to live during the monsoons due to the sea water breaching their houses, after hearing the people's plight he swung his claymore and vaporised the water."

"It is because of that act that a large port could be made and corals could be harvested."

"We're here. Inside the royal palace you will be able to see Arcturus for yourself, legends of him are carved on the walls and ceilings."

We entered the royal palace, with the cuffs still on our hands. The men in uniforms beside us saluted the royal guards.

The royal guards were wearing white capes and breast plates, white boots and pants. Their hair was a rich golden blonde and they carried shiny rapiers on their waists.

The smell of the royal palace was musty as if opposing the fresh sea breeze of the outside and serving as testimony of the history of these lands.

"Welcome to 'Royal Palace of the Dawn'."

A wall inside had a name written on it 'Aurorium Regalis'.

(Is that the true name of this palace?)

Once again as if reading my thoughts Cedric said, "Yes, the real name of this place is 'Aurorium Regalis' but in simple terms it means 'Royal Palace of the Dawn'."

[The royal palace of Perpetua is a sprawling edifice of white marble, towering above the surrounding city like a beacon of power and elegance.

The palace is situated on a hill near the Central Plaza, overlooking the sea, and its wide terraces afford breathtaking views of the coastline and the shimmering waters beyond.

As they enter the palace, they are greeted by a vast entrance hall with men dressed in complete white standing guard, its walls and ceiling adorned with intricate mosaics depicting scenes from the legend of Arcturus.

The hero's image appears in countless places throughout the palace, from the soaring archways of the main hall to the frescoes of the royal chambers.

The throne room is perhaps the most magnificent space in the palace, with its soaring ceilings and massive columns of polished marble.

The walls of the throne room are lined with tapestries and paintings depicting the history of the kingdom, including the exploits of Arcturus and his legendary claymore, Stella Ignis.

Beyond the throne room lies a labyrinth of halls and chambers, each more sumptuous than the last. The banquet hall is a vast space, with soaring ceilings and long tables laden with the finest foods and wines from across the land.

The royal bedchamber is a place of quiet elegance, its walls hung with silk tapestries and its floors covered in plush carpets. And the royal library is a treasure trove of knowledge, with rare tomes and ancient scrolls that cannot be found in the main library lining its shelves.

Throughout the palace, the legend of Arcturus is inscribed on every surface, a testament to the hero's valor and the enduring spirit of Perpetua. The shackled prisoners cannot help but be awed by the palace's grandeur and the weight of history that hangs heavy in every room.]

"That…was unlike anything I've ever seen..." Cynthia was the first to express her disbelief and astonishment.

It was nothing like our settlement back at the Mystic Mountains, and as the Princess of that land, I felt that our lands were inferior in every possible aspect. From the buildings, to the servants, the art galleries and even the mesmerizing structures.

My father would always boast about how great our land was but after witnessing this…I felt like he had not seen anything beyond those snow-capped mountains.

Even the Central Dominion which was a lot more advanced than this place looked bland and unappealing to the eye when met with the sight of this palace.

Sure, it had technology of the future and was a lot more structurally efficient, but the beauty of this palace overshadowed the advanced city of the Central Dominion.

We had now finished looking around, the thought of what might happen to us next hit me.

(Anytime now sightseeing will be over and we'll be made slaves, we have to escape before that!)

"Um I need to go to the toilet, could you uncuff me?" I asked, taking the first step of my hastily made plan.

"No hold it in."

(w...h…a...t…?)

Cedric came up to me and smiled. "Hold it in."

"How can you say that to a woman!? Don't you have some courtesy?" I continued the act.

"I do, but not for women who lie."

His smile is so annoying!

"W-what are you talking about? I just want to go to the toilet!", he wasn't buying it!

"I wanna go too!"

Yes! yes! thank you Sapphire!

"Actually, we'd like to go too…", the boys too?!

(Looks like they've caught on.)

"Huh? Really? I guess its fine then. You can go uncuffed but you will be escorted by guards."

We walked out of the grand palace and just before exiting, I decided to bow once before leaving.

To pay respects to the hero. His acts of heroism inscribed within were no lies. Arcturus was truly a great hero.

"Hmm?"