San Francisco, California.
"You still do not know how to get back to our world, do you? It's been one hundred and fifty years since we were cast down to this forsaken realm and you still have not given a single thought to how we can return to our world?! I am sick, frustrated, and tired of waiting! "You assured me that when we kill the girl and her parents, we would be able to return, and I did it. I did everything you asked of me to the letter and still, I find myself stuck here and there is nothing you are doing about it! Why are you so quiet, Master Faizar? Speak!" A man dressed in a spotless dark-blue suit yelled. He took an agitated puff of the Cao Gold cigar in his hand and exhaled it out slowly as he ran his fingers through his glossy honey-blond tresses. The person he was speaking to rolled his eyes in irritation. He hated being pressured into doing things. He preferred doing things at his own pace and in his own time. "Why wouldn't I be quiet when you have been complaining non-stop for over twenty minutes, Adryan?" Master Faizar asked as he rubbed his temples. Master Faizar was a handsome and brooding man in his early sixties. Shrewd and cunning, he evoked a certain command that made Adryan bow his head in respect almost instinctively as he spoke in a reverberating, though exasperated voice. His shoulder-length charcoal hair which was greying at the temples was swept to the side to reveal a chiseled face with piercing hazel eyes that seemed able to look into a person's soul with a mere glance and uncover their deepest secrets. Adryan's gaze remained fixated on the tiled floor of the spacious living room of the condo they had rented out anonymously as he remembered just who he was speaking to so brazenly. "Forgive me, Master for speaking out of line. I was merely angered by our…I mean, my failure," He said nervously, making sure to keep his gaze on the floor. He was a man in his late twenties and though his haunting green eyes, a deep scar that ran from his forehead to his left eyebrow, and mouth that was usually pulled up in a smirk or pulled down in a frown, made him appear threatening to anyone he encountered, he was nothing to Master Faizar. Only a mere servant. "You should know that patience is a virtue, Adryan. When things are done in haste, the quality of the outcome is always greatly diminished. I know what I am doing, boy. You will not question my plans and motives again, do you understand? Your only job is to do whatever I ask of you diligently, efficiently, and most important, quietly," Master Faizar hissed, his voice lowered to a dangerous tone that caused a shiver to run down Adryan's spine. "I understand, Master. But may I have your permission to ask something?" "Go ahead," Master Faizar nodded, reclining further into his plush leather armchair. Adryan licked his lips and swallowed anxiously. Finally, he gained the confidence to meet his master's expectant eyes. "The girl's lover, Victoria, is still out there? What do you command to be done to her? She is a liability and poses a great risk to your carefully formulated plot," He asked. Master Faizar thought for a moment. Victoria had been warned and threatened but with his vast wealth of experience, he knew that oftentimes, people do stupid things for the ones they love and he strongly believed that Victoria was one of those people who would go crazy because of love. However, he needn't silence her just yet. Perhaps she could turn out to be essential to his endeavors. After all, people in love were the easiest to manipulate. "Leave her alone. A child like her would not be able to do anything. And before you cut me off, I am not underestimating her. I know exactly what kind of a person she is and the risk she poses." "You know all this Master, and yet you do not want to eliminate her?" Adryan was perplexed. What in the world was going on in his master's head? "Yes," Master Faizar answered curtly. Adryan knew better than to argue with Faizar. "As you wish, Master Faizar," Adryan said in resignation. "You may leave now. Go back to Los Angeles and await further instructions, I have a manuscript to finish," Master Faizar said, dismissing Adryan with a wave of his hand. As Adryan took the private elevator, he wondered why Master Faizar was still writing about the history and cultures of their world. The previous works had already served their purpose so what was the need of writing more? Sometimes, he just could not figure out the maze that was Master Faizar's mind. After Adryan had left, Master Faizar rose from his favorite armchair and headed to his study. His current obsession would not be delayed any longer. … Asghavia, Volcaris. "Your Majesty, I believe your brother, Chief Kaius, would be honored to host the engagement feast at Estoria. It is your ancestral home as well," The master of sea travels, Chief Faustos of the Byzantius tribe in Nebulos, suggested during the latest council meeting. Emperor Vulcan contemplated the suggestion carefully. He had wanted to host the feet in Asghavia where he could keep a close eye on his son because he knew that Daegal could not be trusted to behave when in the presence of his cousins. "I have reservations about that, Chief Faustos. I feel it would be better to host it here," Emperor Vulcan said. "Your Majesty, Chief Faustos is absolutely right. You have not been to Estoria since your coronation. It would be best for the engagement feast to be hosted there and then the wedding feast would be hosted right here in Asghavia," Chief Topher said. Chief Topher did not care where the feasts would be held as long as the prince married his daughter. It could as well be hosted in any of the far cities across the Great Sea and he would not mind, but as Royal Minister, he had to do his job and choose the most suitable and beneficial location for the feast. "I am aware of all that, Chief Topher, but I still feel that it would be wiser to host both ceremonies here." Emperor Vulcan refused to budge. "Your Majesty, I can understand where your reservations are coming from but duty and diplomacy must come before all else. Hosting this feast in Estoria would deepen the bonds between Nebulos and Asghavia. In addition, it would bring you and your brother closer and help ease the tension between you," Chief Topher advised. Growing up, Emperor Vulcan and his brother, Chief Kaius used to be very close to each other. As boys, they were often mistaken to be twins because of how they shared similar features from the same dark brown hair and pitch-black eyes to their speech and mannerisms, however, Kaius was older by three years. In the correct order of succession, Kaius was to be crowned as Emperor of the continent while Vulcan would be Chief of Estoria and Paramount Chief of Nebulos as their uncle, the reigning Paramount Chief of Nebulos, had passed away and left no heirs. Despite this, their father, Emperor Numa decided to name Vulcan the future Emperor because he believed that he was more in control of his actions, accountable for his mistakes, and more skilled in the mastery of magic and the art of war, and diplomacy; better than his older brother, Kaius. This infuriated Kaius so much that after Emperor Numa's death and Vulcan's subsequent coronation as Emperor, he refused to speak to Vulcan or even entertain the thought of seeing him. He remained loyal to the throne though as his duty to the continent mattered more than his emotions. Emperor Vulcan missed his brother terribly but had been too afraid of rejection to reach out to him in the years that had passed. "Perhaps, this would be a great opportunity to try and re-ignite the brotherly bond between us that we had shared as children," He mused. "Fine. Send a message to my brother that the location for the engagement feast has been changed and he is to immediately begin the preparations to host the members of the court of all the five kingdoms," Emperor Vulcan commanded. "At once, Your Majesty." Chief Topher nodded at one of the guards around the chambers and he understood the signal. He bowed and saluted the emperor before leaving the chambers to prepare and deliver the message. "Now that that is settled, Emperor, there are growing riots in Alsayf. Most of the cities there are brewing plots against you and—" "Father, I want to speak to you alone." Before the Master of Spies and Information, Chief Davit of the Avraham tribe of Hamvra in Aesos could complete his report, Prince Daegal strode into the council chambers bearing a stormy expression. "If you made out the time to attend the council meetings instead of flying around all day on that dragon of yours, you would be able to voice out your complaints without disrupting the flow of the meeting, Prince Daegal," Emperor Vulcan said, fastening a rein on his temper. "I do not require a lecture now, Your Majesty. I demand an immediate private audience with you. It is a matter of great urgency," Daegal said firmly, refusing to back down. Emperor Vulcan sighed heavily. Nowadays, Daegal always managed to find ways to give him a splitting headache. "My Chiefs, please excuse my son. We shall discuss the matter of Alsayf at length tomorrow," Emperor Vulcan said, dismissing the Chiefs. One by one, they all saluted the emperor and Prince Daegal before exiting the chambers. "Now, what is it?" Emperor Vulcan asked as Daegal took a seat at the chair closest to his father's right. "This marriage cannot hold."It seemed to be a pleasant enough afternoon for the citizens of Asghavia but for Prince Daegal, it was anything but. He had risen that morning with the same disturbing thoughts that had been on his mind ever since his father, the emperor Vulcan arranged his marriage to Lolo Nerina of Sejukgheim. He could not shake off the feeling that something was very wrong with her. Every night since the betrothal banquet, her intense blue eyes tormented his dreams. She looked innocent enough that evening but in her eyes was something sinister that he couldn't comprehend. Initially, he believed that the uneasiness he felt when he looked into her eyes was just him looking for an excuse not to get married to her. However, after he kept having those dreams ceaselessly, he realized that there was more to her than meets the eyes. He could not let himself be trapped in a marriage with her, a person he could not trust; a person whose true intentions he could not fathom. "This marriage cannot hold," He
Naomi had been walking endlessly through the vast forest without coming across a single soul. She was exhausted; her legs felt like lead and her arms weighed her down. She did not know how much longer she could go on. "Is there no end to this godforsaken place?" She groaned in frustration. She was thirsty again as the water she had drunk back at the pond had evaporated from her body due to the intense heat. She could feel her skin reddening furiously from the harshness of the sun. However, just as she was about to give up all hope and resign herself to the hands of fate, she sighted smoke in the distance. From her knowledge of books, movies, and series, smoke usually meant that there was life around. Effectively energized, she pushed her new body once more. A long and winding jog later, she arrived at the source of the smoke. The place was the answer to all of her prayers. It was a small cottage, very ordinary-looking but it had what she needed urgently; an already saddled horse wi
Lying was a skill that came easily to Naomi. Inherently, she was not a pathological liar—she spoke truthfully most times but there were situations; situations such as this that required her to lie through her teeth. In her line of work, she often had to deceive and manipulate people into revealing information that they would never disclose under any circumstances. She did not want to hoodwink the nice shopkeeper but she was in a position where any wrong move could turn out to be detrimental. From her reading of the Heart of the continent, she knew that the citizens of the continent could never be completely trusted; especially the common folk. Anybody from the Great Houses could be the most powerful emperor or Chief but once the common people turn against their reign, that rule becomes considerably threatened. That was one of the major turning points in the novel in which the reigning emperor of the continent, Ishaq was forcefully dethroned. Clearing her throat, she put on her mos
"I do not know what you are talking about. I am no thief!" Naomi retorted defensively, putting on an astonished and offended look. The four men burst into laughter in perfect unison, their voices a deep rumble. Then, they began to speak in a language that was alien to Naomi's ears.Perhaps it was their native tongue. In the heart of the continent, every kingdom had languages that were peculiar to them but they all spoke a common tongue when inter-communicating with one another. She stared at them confused as they continued discussing in their native tongue. She wondered why she had to get into trouble just when she was about to get answers to why she had migrated here. If Nerina was getting married to the prince of the continent, then she needed to get to Nebulos as soon as possible and find out more about Nerina and how she was connected to her. As if that wasn't a daunting task on its own, she would also have to accomplish her aim before she would be made to marry some fictional
"Pastries?" The woman chuckled, mirth bubbling within in. Upon first glance at the tall, pale-skinned maiden in front of her, she would never have suspected her of any crime which was why she had stepped up immediately on seeing those brutes trying to sever her hands. "It was not the best thing to do, I admit but I was in a precarious situation! I did not want to steal at all but I had no other option. I guess I should return them…" Naomi sighed heavily, her stomach grumbling furiously. The apple and dried meat she had eaten back in the forest had all but disappeared from her stomach. "There would be no need for that. Come with me." She gave Naomi a small smile as she turned and began heading in the direction of the main harbor and the shops. Not of her own volition, Naomi followed her. The woman was nothing to her but a stranger; she could not understand why she felt such an indescribable pull toward her. She had no reason to trust the woman asides from the fact that she had saved
"Bllergh! Oh God, why?" Naomi moaned as she emptied the contents of her bowels into a small, wooden bucket. Within two weeks of the sea voyage, she had vomited at least forty times and could barely keep any food down without feeling nauseous. She usually found peace in the ocean and loved being at the beach so she thought she would also enjoy being at sea on a free ship voyage. She was greatly mistaken, and she still had to endure three more weeks of the torturous journey before she would arrive at Nebulos. "There, there. You'll be alright. Easy," Nezetta cooed as she held Naomi's long hair which was dampened with sweat, away from her face. She had made sure to hold in her laughter at the sight of Naomi's Sea sickness so that she would not feel bad. It was difficult to do so because it was weird to see someone so disturbed by the churning of the waves to the point of not being able to keep food down. Nezetta mostly felt awful though on seeing Naomi suffer. She did not kn
"You're next, Naomi," An eerie voice declared. The malicious tone was the trigger that jolted Naomi from the nightmare she was in. Panting and disturbed, she clutched her head in her hands, willing the remnants of the nightmare to be gone. Tears seeped from her eyes as she was forced to relive the horrible death of her parents again, but this time was different. Back in her world, she usually woke from the nightmares before she could figure out exactly how they had died and why she was spared even though she was within the same vicinity as her parents. They always remained unclear even after therapy. When they had returned years after and Victoria had helped her through them, they were still vague; unambiguous but still horrific enough to leave her in a cold sweat. However, as she neared the kingdom of Nebulos, the nightmares became clearer… as if Nebulos held an attachment to her and her increasing nearness to it was unraveling the bond and acting as a medium to help her figure o
"Welcome, Emperor. The kingdom is yours, Your Majesty." Chief Kaius, brother to Emperor Vulcan and Paramount Chief of the kingdom of Nebulos, bowed deeply though his tone was cold and unfriendly. "Thank you… Brother. It is wonderful to be home after all these years." Emperor Vulcan managed to muster a weak smile. His love for his brother had not waned over the years but he could still sense his brother's feelings of disdain hidden under the cloak of respect and duty. Emperor Vulcan had been reluctant to host the engagement ceremony in Nebulos but with the urging of his advisors, he had relented. Now, his main goal was to try to heal the enormous wound in their relationship that had been festering for years. "Uncle," Daegal inclined his head downwards in greeting. "My Prince." An awkward silence reigned in the courtyard of the Star Castle till it was broken by Chief Kaius's steward. "Your Majesty, My Prince, you must be tired after your long and stressful journey. Come, I shall