White… was the only word that came to Orion's mind as opened his eyes. From the floor to the sky and the never ending space surrounding him, every single thing was white.
'Where am I?'
As if on cue, the whiteness of this… 'World' dimmed, and from that, a figure could be seen. It was that of a man, who looked quite young, yet, this man was undoubtedly someone to be cautious of. That was a conclusion Orion made as his gaze slowly landed on the man's ears. They were pointy and longer towards the upper ends.
The Elf approached Orion step by step until he finally stood a couple of feet away.
"Hello. Please take a seat."
Just as the Elf finished his greeting, a simple wooden chair appeared right behind Orion. Hesitantly, Orion stepped back and lowered himself into the chair. After he did so, another chair appeared out of thin air and the Elf took seat opposite of him.
"So, may I know your name mister intruder?"
Orion stayed silent for a while, letting the silence stretch before eventually answering tensely.
"My name is Orion Blake."
"Hm? Don't remember ever hearing the name. And where are you from, boy?"
Instead of answering, Orion simply stared at the elf. The elf's hair was light golden and his features were… magnificent to say the least. He was probably one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. And paired with his green eyes, the Elf was what one could describe as a ladykiller.
Orion dodged the question completely and instead asked one of his own.
"Who are you?"
The Elf tilted his head to the side, sightly stunned by Orion's demeanor.
"Name's Ruven, and as you may have guessed, I am an Inquisitor tasked to extract information."
Hearing this, Orion remained stoic and simply stared, waiting for Ruven to talk.
"So, as I said, where are you from Orion?"
"I am from the… Outer World. But… I was born in the Solas Empire."
Ruven's arched an eyebrow and leaned back on his chair as he continued.
"Hm? Are you a spy?"
"No." Orion replied almost instantly.
'He must have a lie detection skill or artefact.' Orion could not help but think of this as he observed the inquisitor grabbing his chin and thinking.
"That so? Then how did you get here? From what I learned, you were captured in a forest East of Valaquen. And I heard you survived there for a year, right? Not only that but, you were somehow a few kilometers away from the Royal Garden." Ruven paused a second before elaborating, noticing Orion's slight confusion. "The Royal Garden is more than a Garden. Its scale could be compared to a forest. In it are various animals, plants and even awakened creatures. Its ecosystem is sacred. So, please understand that when hearing that an unidentified human has been living—or rather surviving there for a whole year, suspicions arose."
When Orion heard 'Royal', he was utterly dumbfounded. Just where the hell had his Uncle sent him to train. Just then, when thinking about his uncle, he could not help but feel a slight pain in his heart. Graves Blade was the second-closest person in his life. And that person is…
Ruven frowned as he saw something in Orion shift. Something beneath the surface. And upon this disturbance, arose a surge of emotions that changed the white world entirely.
The white ceiling seemed to twist and from there emerged clouds. Dark and dense clouds which condensed into rain. Alongside the rain, dark red lighting erupted from the clouds as if though heavens itself was striking the mortal realm.
Beneath all that, Ruven sat perfectly composed, with the sole exception of a blatant curiosity that he did not hide to Orion. As for Orion, he was stunned. Dozens of questions sprouted inside that mending mind of his.
"Hm? Tell me Orion, How did the information of where you were captured bring you sadness."
At that question, Orion felt a sudden pain in his throat. It was light and ticklish. However, as the seconds of silence stretched, the pain worsened, making Orion realize that it was to make him answer. And from that answer, Ruven could then decipher if said answer given was a truth or a lie.
"M-my Uncle died. He was the one who brought me to that forest."
Ruven nodded as he continued his questioning, "And who is your uncle?"
Orion, having no other choice as he did not wish to be tortured, replied with the strict truth.
"Graves Blade. Head of Great House Blade of the Solas Ki— I mean, Empire"
***
Atop the White Tower of the Royal Palace of Valaquen stood a woman, an elf with unparalleled beauty. Her hair was long and lustrous, a few of her platinum locks were tied into a braid, held by a blue clip on the side of her head. She wore a casual white robe, simple and comfortable.
Despite her soft appearance, she held a presence that left anyone who had the privilege of basking in it to undoubted feel utter reverence. After all, she was the Queen of Elendorm, a being of the Sixth Rank—someone who could reshape landscapes with mere Basic Level Spells.
She watched the serene landscape and beauty of Valaquen through her office window silently, until the sound of knocks interrupted her thoughts. She turned and said in an aloof voice.
"Enter."
Following her words, Eryndor, Elder of the Council, entered and immediately bowed deeply before the Queen. Suddenly, a sudden tension enveloped the entire office.
"The order was clear. 'Do not disturb me unless it's important.' So, what is it?"
Eryndor's gaze remained towards the walnut floor as he answered in an aloof voice.
"My Queen, an intruder was caught near the Royal Garden. He had allegedly been living there for a whole year. And he is human."
Eleanor sighed as she said in a somewhat thundering voice, "And? In how is that important?"
"That human's name is Orion Blade. He is apparently the son of King Toren and nephew of Graves Blade."
Hearing this, Eleanor froze entirely. After all, unbeknownst to the public, Great House Blade were extremely close towards the elves. And this bond went beyond simple politics.
Immediately, a sudden sense of dread drowned Eleanor. "Is… Is he okay?"
"He was tortured physically and mentally by our inquisitors. After failing to obtain answers, memories of the torture were erased, and we used the Legendary Grade artefact— Pearl of Truth."
A sudden chill raced down Eryndor's spine as he came across the overwhelming Aura of Eleanor. His breaths hastened, and sweat poured down his forehead. Despite all of this, the Queen's voice was still somehow soothing.
"Fix it. And bring him here."