"Riley, is this really our best course of action?"
"It is our only course of action, Katherine."
"..."
It was a gigantic door. Not a gate, but a door. A door that stood dozens of meters tall; students from the Mega Academy back on Earth would not even laugh if you try to compare the colossal door that was in front of Riley and Katherine right now to the gates of the academy.
It was weird, out of all the things they have seen so far on this foreign planet, this door was probably the most alien one. Finally, an infrastructure that just shouts that they weren't actually just back on Earth.
The door was laced with some sort of gold material, but at first sight, its color was entirely different. When Riley and Katherin were just approaching this door, it was ebony in color. Perhaps it was some sort of technology or just the nature of its material, but it was different.
That is the case with most of Themarian technology—their devices were all in weird shapes. Their 'smartphones', which they rarely use, are spherical in shape; Katherine has seen some of the students typing on them as all sorts of holograms are produced from them.
She wouldn't have been surprised if everything else reflected their technology, but no. The clothes they wore were closer to that of the clothes being worn during the Victorian Era back on Earth.
Lots of frills and unnecessary details.
"..." Katherine took in a deep breath as the corset she was wearing was starting to rub on her skin; she would have probably already taken this off if they were in any other circumstance, but no.
They were meeting the king that rules half the entire planet.
"I suppose you are wondering why I don't just fly to Theran and declare my intentions, Katherine?"
"That is what I'm used to, yes," Katherine then slightly pulled her corset as she leaned closer to Riley to whisper, "You usually always have a plan."
"I would have already done it if I was alone, Katherine," Riley answered; not bothering to whisper even though Varoif's monarch was probably already on the other side of the colossal door,
"I am being careful."
"You're… being careful?" Katherine's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she heard Riley's words, "But… you just killed a dozen themarians as soon as you arrived on the planet, Riley."
"They were criminals, Katherine."
"What about that guy called Fionn?"
"He attacked me first," Riley glanced at Katherine, "I am not showing it, Katherine, but themarians are… scary creatures."
"You're scared?" Katherine's eyes started to widen.
"No, I said they were scary," Riley shook his head, "They can flick their fingers, and you will die. Unlike me, you only have a single life, Katherine."
"...You care for me?"
"I do, Katherine. You're my First Subordinate, after all," Riley shrugged, "You can't die a senseless death. Death is not taken seriously in this place; they see it as a choice—and they have the choice to end your lives on impulse and I might be too late to stop it."
"Ri—"
"I was also making an example," Riley nodded, "My sister would also die. Metaphorically, it feels like I am currently holding an already cracked egg while running on a rocky path with higher gravity than normal."
"..."
"If all of you were not here, then I would have already bathed this planet with my blood and the blood of its inhabitants."
"My daughter tells me you're different. Now I see why."
And before Katherine could even think of something else to say, the colossal door finally started to slide open; and as soon as it did so, a loud rumbling voice seeped from the inside. The voice was deep, deep enough to cause the floors that Katherine and Riley stood on to tremble.
And as the door continued to open, a rainbow of lights started to glimmer and reflect on Katherine's eyes; they weren't bright, however, as Katherine did not even need to squint. It was not bright because the rainbow was not actually light at all, but rather just an abundant foliage that filled the entire hall in front of her.
"Riley Ross and Katherine Read from the Unknown, please enter the throne hall!"
"..." Katherine turned to look at Riley for a few seconds waiting for her to step inside, but Riley just slightly pointed his elbow at her. Katherine was confused at first as to what Riley was doing, but after a few more breaths, she took in a small gasp and held his arm.
And as soon as she did so, Riley finally walked forward; his long white hair, flowing with the red cape that Princess Esme provided for him to wear.
Katherine didn't really know where to look as she just turned to look at the colorful foliage that littered the throne hall—-once again, Theran does something unexpected.
The throne hall which Katherine expected to be grand, looked more akin to a garden. Even the hallways of the Supreme College of Varoif were more luxurious; the only light that could be seen in the throne hall was the long strip of light on the floor… but even that was just a reflection of the sun that seeped from the clear roof above.
There were no guards, there was no entourage, or even a crowd of audience—there was just the presence of a king sitting on a simple wooden chair on top of some stairs.
There were other people standing behind him, including Princess Esme; but their presence was almost non-existent compared to the man sitting in front of them. From how tall Esme was, one would expect the king of Varoif to be gigantic, but no. It wasn't only him, Esme towered over everyone else she was with.
If it wasn't for the crown on his head, one would just mistake him as a simple old man; no, he wasn't even that old, it was only the thick graying beard that made him look like so. His skin that was slightly darker than Esme's showed not a single wrinkle at all.
He looked simple, but there was something about his eyes that seemed as if he was bigger than the universe itself… Katherine almost found herself not even being able to breathe.
"Greetings to you, King Kaiden."
Riley then bowed his head, while Katherine immediately imitated the way Esme curtsied.
"There's no need for that," King Kaiden just slightly waved his hand as he spoke, "Do you know that Esme, out of all my 12 children, is the only one that has not asked, even once, to seek an audience with me?"
"..." Esme did not really seem to mind being mentioned by the king; his siblings, however, were obviously glaring at her with different intentions.
"My other children always want my approval, they always want to show off," King Kaiden let out a small sigh, but even that caused the plants inside the throne hall to shake and bustle, "But not Esme, Esme does not care what I think about her and I could even say she values the opinion of a stranger like you more."
"That is true, King Kaiden," Riley answered without any hesitation. One of the King's children was about to step forward, but King Kaiden raised hand.
"Did I say that you can move?"
There was only a slight change in the King's tone, but his children all quickly turned their heads down and even took a step back; well, all of them except Esme.
"I suppose I am dallying," King Kaiden then shook his head as he looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Speak, why are you here?"
"I believe you can make it possible for me to formally meet the royal family of Hel, King Kaiden."
"Then why are you here? Why not just go to the other nation and request to meet them on your own?" King Kaiden then rested her cheek on his fist as he leaned back, "I know what you are, Riley Ross. As a King, even if the rest of the planet takes no interest in what is happening outside, I make it a passion to know things."
"..."
"As we speak, one of your clones is being held personally by the Elders to prevent it from destroying any more worlds. You are a harbinger of destruction, you do as you please. Why not do the same in Hel?"
"You have heard my reason, King Kaiden."
"You are protecting the people around you?"
"I am preventing them from being hurt."
"Why bring them here in the first place?" King Kaiden breathed out, "I know why you are here, and you do not need these many people around you…
…Are you not just afraid to be alone, Riley Ross?"
"..."
"..."
"Well, you don't have to answer," King Kaiden then suddenly burst out in laughter as he stood up from his chair, "Just treat it as an old man's senseless banter. I will grant your request for my daughter—I will send you in the guise of an envoy conveying my Kingdom's deep condolences for the loss of their Princess. I swear, the people from Hel can be quite barbaric at times, I can never imagine sacrificing any of my children to serve as a reminder that we are prisoners of our own planet."
"..." Riley just looked at the King for a few breaths, before letting out a small sigh and bowing his head, "You have my gratitude, King Kaiden."
"Well, not just yet—I do this for you, and you do something for me in return," King Kaiden then sat back on his chair; his eyes, however, did not leave Riley's even for a single bit,
"I know you are going to create chaos once you are there. My only request is that you cause even more."
"..."
"Theran has become stagnant for almost a million years," a small smile then appeared on the King's face, "Caitlain'Ur brought you here for a reason."
"You know my adoptive mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times.
"Oh, I do," Kaiden then let out a long and very deep sigh,
"And that woman has always strived to destroy this frozen world, and she is back after a very long time. And if there is one thing you should know about your mother…
…she can be quite stubborn with her plans."
***
"Where is she!? Where's Caitlain'Ur!?"
"We were just guarding her! She should be here!"
Somewhere on Theran, there were dozens of people wearing the uniform of the Grand Militia; none of them, however, could be described as keeping peace and order.
All of them were just flying around; their voices filled with only panic and dread as the person they are supposed to be guarding suddenly disappeared without even a single trace.
"No… no… Find her…
…Find her now!"
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