Cataphrania's streets bustle with life, filled with the almost overwhelming volume of sounds consisting of street vendors, store fronts, and crowd chattering. The trio of newly acquainted party members shuffle their way out of one of the alleyways, back into the light of the kingdom's arteries.
[Lucille]: "I think our first decision when we arrive back home is to get you out of those ridiculous clothes, you stick out like a drake in a flock of sheep."
[Julius]: "Oh, right... Although, I don't exactly understand what that means, I think it's for the best."
Lucille keeps her gaze ahead, not even giving him a look as she speaks, still carrying the creaky wooden box in her arms effortlessly, filled to its brim with paper, ink, and several sacks that emit a clinking sound with every sudden shift in movement.
[Julius]: "Lisa, what can your mother do to help me once we're at the manor? I mean, I have nothing helpful to say about how I got in that alley, or why I can't remember anything before that."
[Lisa]: "It's fine, you probably just hit your head really, really hard or somethin'. A little memory loss is mo biggie, I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually. In the meantime! We can keep you at the manor with us, I'm sure mom wont mind, she's really nice you know. Plus, she knows all about the different continents and stuff, I'm sure she'll know where you're from."
Julius gulps almost audibly, keeping his gaze down as he follows closely beside Lucille, his face painted with an expression of worry. He had always been the kind of person to feel anxious about everything and anything, but the promise of aid for his situation kept his legs moving-- at least for now.
[Julius]: "Feels like we haven't even moved all that far from the alley we came out of, this kingdom is huge."
[Lisa]: "Mmhm! Cataphrania is the biggest kingdom in the world, I always love coming with Lucille on these trips, especially to the sorcerer district, I love how sparkly everything is there."
Lisa closes her eyes with her hands to her cheek, savoring the picture in her mind of the kingdom's inner sections, humming blissfully.
[Julius]: "The Sorcerer district?"
[Lisa]: "Yep! Cataphrania is split into several rings, and each one has its own purpose and function. One of them being, the sorcerer district!"
[Julius]: "Rings? How does that work?"
[Lisa]: "Well, first there's the inner palace, it's home to the royal family, and the very special squad of knights that protect them, known as the royal guard."
He listens intently as they traverse through the crowds, the mere thought of anyone that resides within the palace making him shiver.
[Julius]: "I see... And the rest of the kingdom?"
[Lisa]: "After the palace, is the sorcerer district, my favorite! I'm sure you could guess from its name, but that's where most of the sorcerers live, and all the stores there sell the really really cool stuff."
[Julius]: "I've heard the word sorcerer before, and the way you describe it makes it seem like a really cool place. Hey Lisa... In Cataphrania, what is a sorcerer?"
Lisa points her finger up as she speaks with a proud tone, taking a somewhat strange joy in explaining common knowledge to someone dumber than her, or at least, that is how she perceives it.
[Lisa]: "A sorcerer is someone that can use magic, putting it simply. Everyone is born with the potential to use magic, but only a small fraction of people can, since it can be pretty demanding on their body. Those small amount of people, are sorcerers."
[Julius]: "Eh, sorry, I'm a bit lost still. Everyone can do it, but only a small amount of people actually do?"
[Lisa]: "Think of it like this! Imagine everyone is born with a fire inside them, some have large, roaring flames, while others only have small, weak sparks. Lawrence tells me that there's a lot of things that determine if you have a big fire, or a small one, but ignoring them for now, the people who have those giant flames will be naturally better at magic, and their body can handle it, while the ones with small flames would be extinguished if they tried too hard."
[Lucille]: "That's... Not a very good way to explain it."
[Julius]: "Actually, I think I get it... Somewhat."
Lisa crosses her arms defensively, pouting as she quickly swishes her head side to side, her blonde hair swaying across her features as she does.
[Lisa]: "I tried my best, that's all that matters to me. I'm sure Lawrence will teach you once we're home, but for now, that's all you're gettin' outta me."
[Julius]: "Ah, it's fine, I think I get it for now."
Julius keeps his hands close to his chest as he thinks about her confusing analogy for magic, scratching his head as he tries to picture it as clear as he can.
[Lisa]: "Then after that, is where we are now, the commerce district. It's the biggest part of the kingdom, and where most of its population resides. It's also where almost all the merchant guilds are, and home to all the stores. It's the most lively of all the districts!"
[Julius]: "I can definitely see the lively part of that, there's so many people around here."
[Lisa]: "Even at night, it's streets are still packed full, but it's mostly just people going to the places my mom wont let me see."
[Lucille]: "You're not old enough for those places, it's just bars filled with drunks and lowlifes, you're not missing out on anything."
Lisa chuckles slightly, followed by a smile from Julius at her stern description of the kingdoms taverns scattered around the commerce district in high numbers.
[Lisa]: "Then I guess all that's left is the outer ring, the slum district."
[Julius]: "The slum?"
[Lucille]: "Not everyone is as fortunate as most, it's filled with poverty stricken families, and littered with crime, it's practically a war zone of its own."
[Julius]: "Ah... Right..."
While zoned out, he doesn't notice that Lucille has stopped walking, and he walks into her solid form, stumbling back.
[Lucille]: "Watch where you're going!"
[Julius]: "Ow! S-sorry, W-why... Why have we stopped?"
[Lucille]: "There's a huge crowd ahead, I don't see a way around it."
[Lisa]: "Woah, there's so many people, whatta you think they're gathering around for?"
The three inch closer as Julius tries to look over the mass of people, all cheering and shouting excitedly, the large number of the kingdoms inhabitants is daunting, almost overwhelming, and reminds Julius of his rough treatment since waking up.
"It's him!"
"Let me see!"
"He's out here in the commerce district? We need to get a closer look!"
[Julius]: "What's going on?"
[Lucille]: "I can't see past all these people, but it looks like we'll have to push through it."
Lucille brings Lisa closer, holding her hand tight to keep her close as they reach the dense crowd, producing a loud mix of sounds that borders on painful as Julius follows closely behind them, pushing through the people.
Inching closer and closer, the center of attention finally becomes clear enough to see through the gaps of the masses, and both Lisa and Lucille now share the same shocked look, a rare expression for the always serious maid.
[Julius]: "Who is it? I can't quite see."
Julius struggles to stay close due to the countless people shoving and shuffling against him, but due to his height, he can see over most of them, now catching small glances at two individuals that reside in the middle.
[???]: "Hahahaha! You people at least have to give me a pen if you want me to sign anything! There, who's next!? Why are you so gloomy, this is great!"
One of them shouts with every word, loud and casual as if every sound that leaves his mouth is incapable of being quiet. He's stands at an average height, and wears loose, white robes akin to a kimono, tied together with a red rope tight around his waist, likely the only thing keeping his clothes on.
His most notable features though, come from his face. The man's skin is pale, his hair is a bright blue, matching his eyes, and sways loosely over his face with crossed bangs. His teeth are all sharp and intimidating, and he looks rough and unkempt, more of a rabid animal than a human.
[???]: "Stop signing stuff, we're out here for a reason, we don't have time for all this sappy publicity. I hate being the center of attention."
The second man, the one people seem to craze about more, and definitely the one that stands out the most in the whole crowd, maybe even the whole district right now.
A soft cluttering sound echoes through the air with every movement he makes, produced by the armor clinging to his body, a bright silver metal adorned with a crest on the front chest plate. Julius noticed the crest on several banners around the kingdom already, assuming it must be Cataphrania's personal symbol.
His dark, black hair is straight, parts at the middle and flows down his shoulders, cascading down his back over the red cloak. His eyes are sharp, and glow with a deep red hue. Red eyes aren't incredibly rare in the kingdom, but still, the knight let off an eerie aura, shooting a feeling of melancholy into Julius, who clutches at his gown on his chest, breathing heavily and producing a light sweat.
[Julius]: {What's going on? I feel sick, I feel like, for some reason... I should run.}
His breathing only grows heavier, his grip tightening on his chest where his heart resides, and he stares ahead at the knight who seemingly only gets more and more irritated with the crowd blocking his path.
[Julius]: "Who... Who is that guy."
The knight starts to move, an annoyed look on his face as his partner reluctantly stops signing the parchments that the crowd keeps shoving in his face, and as the two prepare to keep moving, the black haired knight locks eyes with Julius, and the boy's breathing stops, a terrified look on his face with his mouth agape.
Time seems to stop for Julius, and the crowd's cheering fades away in his mind, despite him being already surrounded by it. The only feeling clear to him right now... is an overwhelming sense of dread.
[Lisa]: "Alcard Castellan. The magic king's grandson, and..."
[Lucille]: "The strongest sorcerer of the modern age."
-
[Julius]: {Run. I need to run. I can't move, he's looking right at me, he'll kill me, I need to run... I can't breath.}
Julius feels powerless, as if the man before him were god himself, a being unfathomable by Julius, or anyone from his world, all ants to the man just mere meters away. His strong presence has a clear effect on Julius's weak body. His vision starts to fade, and he's on the verge of passing out, but just as fast as the feeling came, it disappeared as the knight took his eyes off Julius, and started to walk away.
[Julius]: "HAHHH..."
He takes a deep breath, as if he hadn't been able to breath his whole life, now given oxygen for the first time.
[Lisa]: "Julius?! What's wrong?"
[Alcard]: "EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!"
The crowd snaps silent, and they all pause for a moment, shocked by an overwhelming feeling that no one can quite put their finger on, and after a short moment, the mass slowly parts, opening the way for him to walk out of.
[Alcard]: "Nakada. Come on, we still have places to be today."
[Nakada]: "Jeez, ya' didn't have to yell."
[Alcard]: "Tch."
Lisa turns her attention to Julius, who's still recovering from his sudden panic attack, barely able to stay standing on his own. Lucille glances back at him, still in awe of the very rare event that just occurred, a sighting of two enigmatic figures, two of the four royal guard.
Lisa keeps Julius upright as he coughs violently, slowly regaining consciousness, and she holds him with worry and concern.
[Julius]: "The king's grandson? Just locking eyes with him nearly made me pass out."
[Lucille]: "He's the head of the royal guard, it's completely understandable that you'd be scared of him. But why was he out here in the commerce district? The royal guard usually don't step foot out this far unless they're leaving the kingdom."
[Lisa]: "We gotta tell mom! She'd be so excited to hear about him!"
[Lucille]: "I'm sure she'd be happy to hear about it. Miss Astoria used to work close with him, but he was only a kid when she resided in the palace."
Julius eases back onto his feet, standing up straight and releasing the grip on his chest, still heaving with each breath.
[Julius]: "Your mother... Your mother used to work in the palace?"
[Lisa]: "Mmhm! I was only a baby, so unfortunately I don't remember what it's like in there, but since she oversees all of Cataphrania's trade routes, she's a really big deal!"
[Julius]: "The more I hear about her, the more impressed I get."
Lisa beams proudly, shooting a thumbs up at him as they start to walk again, the two knights already gone.
[Lucille]: "Can you walk? I'd hate to have to carry you, although you don't look very heavy. Are you malnourished?"
[Julius]: "W-What!? No! I mean..."
He brings his hand to the back of his head, rubbing the spot at the corner as he looks down slightly with a saddened look, shifting his weight from foot to foot to test his ability to stand.
[Julius]: "I guess it's just... Something like that."
She holds her expressionless glance to him for a few moments more before looking back ahead, letting out a soft hmph sound, not paying much mind to his answer.
The walk out of the kingdom feels like an eternity, but they finally reach the border, the giant gate that separates the commerce district from the slum district. Walking closer to the gate, Julius spots a man leaning against the solid stone wall, looking up at the palace until he sets eyes on the group, and his expression lights up.
[???]: "Heeeey~! Over here~. Man, I've been waitin' ages for you to finish your trip."
He shouts shamelessly down the street to them, now standing up straight and waving at them, his arm high above him as he smiles.
[Lisa]: "Does he really just sit at the gate until we come back? That's so... Boring."
[???]: "Heeeeyy~! Oh, who's that with you?"
Lucille sighs as they get close enough for him to not have to shout anymore, and Julius gets a better look at him.
The man is short and wears several layers of leather clothes and cloaks. His hair is long and brown, the back half tied up as the rest flows down the sides of his face, pronounced further by his bright green eyes. Julius can't help but notice how feminine he looks for a man, and that even his voice is higher pitched than average.
He runs up to the group, immediately focusing on Julius, forcibly taking his hand to shake it.
[Julius]: {Mh... His hands... Are so soft.}
[???]: "Hey! I'm Yuri, are you with them?"
[Julius]: "Ah, um... Yeah, I'm... Julius. Lisa said her mom could help me, so..."
[Yuri]: "Gotcha, gotcha. Well, I'm Muriel's personal carriage driver, I've worked for her for a very long time now, I'll be taking you outta the kingdom. If you're with Muriel, then please feel free to call me anytime to take you anywhere!"
[Julius]: "T-Thank you, I'll keep that in mind..."
He finally stops shaking Julius's hand, letting go of it and turning to face Lucille and Lisa, taking note of the large crate in the maid's arms.
[Yuri]: "Got everything you need? That looks heavy, want me to take that crate off your hands?"
[Lucille]: "No need, I've got it just fine. Let's go."
[Yuri]: "Ah... Gotcha!"
Now reunited with Yuri, the group moves on past the gate into the slum district, headed out of the kingdom. As they exit the short tunnel through the wall, the bright light gives way to a despairing image.
Beyond the luxurious gates of the commerce district, is a desolate and barely held together city of rubble and dirt. Every house was made of wood and scrap metal, held together by rope and cloth, some groups of people even taking residence in make shift tents. A structure made of stone was rare, and constantly fought over, and even the path through the slums was just a dirt road, with its sides carved down, filled with muddy water.
The slum's inhabitants were mostly victims of poverty, and lived a hard life, fighting just for a meal most nights, the main food source often being stale bread.
[Julius]: "It's so different out here. It's cruel."
[Lucille]: "This is what happens if you're poor in Cataphrania. Most of these people used to live within the walls, but they either gambled all their money away, or got their lives ruined by loan sharks, failed marriages, and some of them, just streaks of bad luck. Don't bother offering your sympathy, most of them deserve to be here."
Lucille leads the group of four down the dirt path, walking past poor families and dirt covered people sleeping under the shade of rusted metal sheets. The individuals were vast and diverse. There was a lot of demi-humans, beings that shared heavy animal-like qualities that Julius couldn't help but keep his eye on.
In the distance, Julius saw the lively activity of the slums, people building their homes out of scraps, kids chasing each other as they played with deflated soccer balls, and the various beggars along the dirt road they walked on.
At the end of the road, just an arm's reach away from the slums, is a pristine and ornate carriage with a large roofed space in the back to store its cargo, and can even fit a number of people inside with little to no discomfort despite its entirely wooden composition.
[Julius]: "Is that yours? It's so fancy."
[Yuri]: 'Yup! She's real beautiful, don't you think? I try to keep her maintained of course."
Yuri points at himself with his thumb, radiating nothing but nonchalant pride at owning such a regal vehicle.
As the group approaches closer, the wind takes a husky smell, one akin to alcohol and rust. The source of which is clear, three men dressed in torn clothes that would be better described as rags and scraps of cloth.
[Julius]: "Are they with you too?"
Lucille takes a deep breath, followed by a sigh emanating with disapproval as she slumps forwards, her eyes closing. When they open, they instantly lock onto Yuri.
[Lucille]: "No... No they are not. Yuri, you didn't park the carriage a meter from the most crime ridden place in Cataphrania and just left it there, right?"
[Yuri]: "Don't blame me! I told Rauthen to guard it..."
[Lucille]: "The bird!?"
Lucille speeds up with her mocking statement, although frustration is still dripping from her words. Yuri sinks back with guilt as he whispers out a nervous breath, slowly waving his hand at her.
[Yuri]: "I thought he looked pretty intimidating, heh..."
The three men continue to rummage through the back of the cart, each movement causing an individual twitch of Lucille's eye. The thought of their filthy hands over Muriel's possessions filling her with an overwhelming sensation of disgust and rage.
[Lucille]: "Hey, pigs. The hell do you think you're doing? That's our shit your dirtying up."
One of them glance back, his eyes barely visible from his unkempt hair and beard. With a small hop, he jumps down from the carriage as the other men pay no attention to the maid, still sifting through the various sacks and crates that rest disturbed in the carriage.
The bearded man speaks with a slight lisp, the uncontrollable result of him missing a few teeth, and likely to be followed by the rest given their dark color. His face is smug and carefree, matching his voice.
[Man1]: "Whatta' ya' talkin' about? We were here first, fuck aff'."
To emphasize his words, he pulls a knife from the back of his waist, but its blade is chipped and rusted, clearly neglected over a long number of years.
This casual threat and his toothy smile only fill Lucille with more annoyance, something blatantly obvious in her death stare.
[Man1]: "Oooh, what a scary look. Hey P, come out here and looka' this shit. Little noble girl here thinks she's toppa' the world!"
[Man2]: "The hell are ya' on about? Just get em' to go away."
[Man3]: "Wait a minute, what 's in that crate yer' holdin'?"
All three men now step foot back on the dirt and turn their attention to the full crate of supplies Lucille holds in her arms. As the two jump down, their own small knives can be clearly seen tucked into their pants.
Lisa tightens her grip on Lucille's dress as the situation grows more dangerous, peeking out from behind the maid while Julius and Yuri sit back just a few feet from the two, both equally as scared as the other.
Lucille turns her back to the disheveled men, all of which now wielding their own matching rusted blades with their eyes locked onto the crate like flies to a corpse. She takes a few steps to Julius, still with the usual distaste in her eyes.
[Lucille]: "I thought men were supposed to be brave, here you two are leaving the two girls in front."
Julius takes a silent gasp as she mocks them, his mouth open as if about to speak until he's cut off by the maid.
[Lucille]: "Calm down, just hold this."
Julius shakes his head silently as he reaches out to take the crate from her. The second she lets go of the wooden box, it drops to the ground along with the entirety of Julius's body, causing a heavy thud to fill the smoky air, followed quickly by a surprised yelp from him as he struggles to lift it off the ground.
[Julius]: "Gyahhh! S-So heavy... How was she lifting this!?"
With her hands now free, Lucille turns back around and steps forwards, her eyes squinted with non-expressive hatred.
[Man1]: "Looks heavy, must be pretty valuable then, right? Come on~, just gimme' that crate and leave so no one gets hurt."
[Lucille]: "You'd really point knives at us? We have a kid here, animals. You're all pigs, disgusting thugs with no purpose or use. Drop all you took with your filthy hands and fuck off."
Her words are met with disapproving stares, their smiles dropped in an instant the second her words leave her mouth, each one dripping with a strong venom in her tone.
[Man2]: "The fuck yer' just say to us?"
[Man3]: "Said we was thugs with no use. I say we just kill er', come on, just take the fuckin' crate already."
Lucille slowly strides forth, her stance casual and unguarded, clearly showing no real worry about their threats.
The man in front steps closer with his dusty grin, and points the knife forwards in a last act of intimidation... But she bears no signs of stopping her slow approach.
[Julius]: "My hands are trapped, I should help somehow. Lucille! Please don't!"
Julius stops his panicked shouts when he feels a hand on his shoulder, his eyes shooting up to see Yuri, a confident smile on his face.
[Yuri]: "It's fine, Julius, trust me. Let me help you with this crate, here we go."
As Yuri also struggles an embarrassing amount to free Julius's hands, Lucille reaches a dangerous range to the man, and his smile fades.
[Lucille]: "If you're gonna stab me, do it... Filthy piece of shit."
[Man1]: "Don't... Fuckin' call me that!"
The man thrusts his knife forwards, aiming directly for her core. All three of the men are taller and built heavier than Lucille, in any other means, this situation would end direly, that's what Julius knows for sure, but the calm demeanor of Lisa and Yuri that stand on either side of him stops him from moving, only left to observe next to the crate.
A single thrust towards the maid's stomach, a fast lunge that would lead to death if struck--
But it didn't hit at all.
Lucille stepped aside from his lunge like he wasn't even there, yet her eyes still locked with his, radiating disgust, as if the only reason she dodged his knife was to maintain a distance between her pristine self from his filthy condition.
[Man1]: "That look doesn't suit a pretty girl like yourself."
The thug moves for a second attack, a swing at her head, thrown with all his might, an attempt to kill that Julius tenses up for, wanting to close his eyes to not witness his newly acquired companion's death.
The only resistance he feels when he slices his rusty blade is the drag of the air... Another dodge, leaning back and out of reach.
[Man2]: "You're embarrassing us, just fuckin' hit er' already!."
He grits his teeth as his friends laugh at his pitiful display, and he goes into a rage, swinging and thrusting rapidly.
Every lunge.
Every swing.
All met with nothing but the dust in the air as she continued to humiliate the man. Lucille was not just fast, she was professional, each movement a testament to her skills as no ordinary maid.
Julius's body trembled and tensed up with every sharp whoosh that resonated through the air from the knife's movements, until eventually, Lucille finally struck back.
A sudden punch to the man's chest that had its own caliber of shockwave and force, far outclassing any person from Julius's world, emitting a powerful cracking noise, easily shattering the man's ribs and sending him crashing down.
[Man1]: "AGHH! AHHHHHHHH!!"
The knife rolls to the ground towards Julius, and the other two thugs take a step back, witnessing their friend suffer an almost fatal blow in such a short period of time.
When the man drops to the ground and writhes in agony, she turns her gaze to the others, and their internal instincts scream only one thing, to run.
[Man3]: "Wyahh! We're... We're sorry!"
Julius shoots his head up, watching several masses of molten embers swirl together and form into small orbs around Lisa, his eyes widening at the sight of something purely fantasy. The hot embers float past his starstruck form, as if time itself had slowed for him, his lips parted slightly as he focuses on the flames up close.
Fire. Something so destructive and powerful that it is seen as a threat of its own, now wielded by the nicest and most innocent person he has met in this new world, yet her kindness remains, even for lowlife thugs like them, as she doesn't aim directly at the targets.
Lisa jumps forwards and thrusts her arms straight out, causing Julius to duck his head as the air around her heats up at record speed. The men's weak attempt to run is instantly put to a halt as several bright projectiles fly down and blow up in front of them, setting ablaze a small wall of flames that knocks them back onto their asses.
[Man2]: "AGGHH!"
[Lisa]: "You took something! In your pocket, my mothers pendant!"
The two men grovel back, but the distance they can crawl is uselessly small until their backs hit the flames.
[Man3]: "A sorcerer? You're kidding..."
The second thug, equally as disheveled as the other two, quickly dives his hand into his pocket in a panic, throwing out a golden pendant into the air towards Lisa, which she quickly dives to catch before it hits the dirt.
The flames dissipate quicker than normal fire ever would, and the two make their escape, or rather, they were allowed to get away.
[Julius]: "W-woah... Hn-, ah!"
Julius jumps at the sudden movement of the crate, Lucille picking it back up effortlessly, sighing once more as she glances lazily at Lisa who dusts off the dirty fingerprints from the pendant's green gem.
[Yuri]: "Not often we get to see you fight, Lucille. That was quite satisfying."
[Lucille]: "Shut up."
Her words hurt more than they should have, a genuine threat that conveys her distaste for combat of any degree. Yuri acts over-dramatically hurt, even pretending to sniffle until he hears a whining noise, and the ruffling of feathers.
[Yuri]: "Rauthen! my poor baby must be so riled up after all that noise."
Lisa and Julius follow behind Yuri as he rushes towards the front of the cart, whispering words that put a stop to the squawking noise and commotion.
The second Julius turns the corner to the front of the carriage, he stops and falls back onto the ground as a large creature shoves its face towards him.
[Julius]: "Gyahhh!"
The animal that wears a harness, connected to the carriage looks completely alien to him, a large, dinosaur-like bird with tiny winged arms towers over him, its red eyes starring down with curiosity.
[Lisa]: "Heehee, this is Rauthen, our drake!"
[Julius]: "I thought you said he was a bird!"
Julius gets pulled up by Lisa and Yuri, and he takes another step back as the creature stands tall, humming and chirping softly as it leans in closer to smell him.
Julius holds his hand to his chest in a protective stance, but Yuri slowly takes his wrist and guides it towards the creatures neck.
[Yuri]: "It's okay, they're friendly. have you never seen one in real life before?"
[Julius]: "I've never seen one at all before..."
His hand shakes with fear, but it slowly fades away as the creature chirps happily and leans into his hand, almost like a cat. His uncertain hand slowly morphs into soft scratches and pets as the creature proves its innocence.
[Lisa]: "He likes you, isn't he so cool. He's bigger than most Drakes too."
[Julius]: "A Drake? That's what this is?"
[Lisa]: "Mmhm!"
A Drake. Creatures that Julius associated with dragons from books and movies in his own world, yet this living, breathing Drake before him matched description more akin to dinosaurs than dragons-- Like a large raptor.
[Yuri]: "Right then, let's make sure everything is still sorted back there and head off, it's gonna be around sundown when we arrive."
[Julius]: "Sundown? The manor's that far away?"
[Yuri]: "Rauthen's a fast fella, but pulling a cart of this size and weight, we ain't gonna pick up a lot of speed."
[Julius]: "Oh... R-Right."
Lisa takes Julius around to the cart's backside, his eyes remaining still on Rauthen until he's out of view, Yuri taking his seat at the front.
The cart visibly shifts down a few millimeters as Lucille sets the crate down, a heavy wooden thud filling their ears. Julius watches with awe at yet another display of raw strength from the maid, now having experienced the crates weight with his own hands, or rather, survived it.
Lisa nimbly hops over the carts edge, followed by Julius as he climbs in slowly. The maid finds rest atop one of the closed crates, leaning her back against the wall, closing her eyes with an exaggerated sigh as she relaxes.
Lisa and Julius sit next to each other on the wooden floor, their backs against the wall opposite Lucille, and the carriage starts to move, preceded by Rauthen's happy squawk.
[Julius]: "Do you think I could see that fire again? I've never seen anything like that before..."
[Lisa]: "Really? Fire magic is pretty common though."
Julius looks back down at his lap, rubbing his neck as he struggles to come up with an answer to her words.
[Lisa]: "If you don't have magic where you came from, it must be from really~ far away then. Here, look at this!"
Julius looks down at her hand that she holds palm up in between them. The air distorts from heat above her palm, and Julius's eyes slowly shift further open as embers form from nothing, swirling together until emitting a small, fiery burst that turns into a bright flame, floating still just above her hand.
[Julius]: "That's... So cool. But, also really hot, it's burning my face a bit."
The two chuckle slightly as she holds the flame a bit further from him, smiling proudly at her effortless creation of fire.
[Yuri]: "Hey! I told you, no fire in my cart THAT'S MADE OF WOOD please!"
[Lisa]: "Eek!"
Lisa jumps slightly, startled by Yuri shouting back through a small window from the front, causing the flame to quickly disperse back into air, yet some of its heat still remained.
After he turned back around, the two laughed, a sign of growing familiarity with a power that Julius once only believed to be nothing but fiction.
He turned back, looking out towards the kingdom, now in full view from the cart's open rear. The palace in the middle almost reached the clouds, larger vertically than horizontally, its white bricks shining the golden setting sunlight like the gates of heaven opening for him.
[Julius]: "It's hard not to look at. How long did it take to even build this kingdom."
[Lisa]: "It was built generations ago, but my mom tells me that there used to be a large faction of sorcerers wielding earth magic that built most of it."
[Julius]: "Earth magic... They used magic to build?"
[Lisa]: "It's not primarily used to fight, you know."
[Julius]: "I guess I should have thought about that more. That is very interesting though, I'd love to have seen it."
Julius turns his eyes away from the kingdom, back into the comfortable space of the carriage. The wood creaked with every bump of the dirt path, creating a subtle, and surprisingly relaxing rocking sensation, one that had already claimed Lucille as she slept against the wall.
[Julius]: {I can finally meet this Muriel woman, I hope she has the answers Lisa says she does. I'm kind of... Excited though, I've never been in a manor before.}
The kingdom slowly fades out of view as the mountains and trees obscure the sight, and Julius looks up at the carriage's cloth lined roof, his eyes sparkling with hope--
--Ready to find answers.
---