Chapter 11
"Game Of Gold"
Adrian knocked on the door, looking at it with a smile. With the sound of an opening door, the wooden entrance opened with a slow motion. A voice of man instantly pierced Adrian's ears…
"Who's there-...."
Thyatis glared at Adrian in bafflement, his gaze soon turned to Lymus, shocking him more.
"Sir Cadeyrn? Why are you here? And why did you bring Lymus here?" Thyatis said, looking at Lymus who was cutely waving at him.
Adrian then landed him a smile, before eventually replying to his question, "Well… yesterday, I'm experiencing something odd, and maybe you could explain it?"
Thyatis held the question, trying to comprehend Adrian's reply. After a few seconds, he responded to him lightly, "You felt something odd yesterday? Well, don't explain it here, come on in!"
When Adrian and Lymus stepped into Thyatis' house, Adrian felt that his room was quite dark and the lantern's light was dim.
"Why is it so dark?" Adrian mumbled, asking at Thyatis in bewilderment.
"Oh! Sorry, Sir Cadeyrn. I forgot to open the curtains." Thyatis laughed quietly, he drew the red-curtains down, allowing the light from the outside to come in.
Inside the room, there was a sofa in the color of brownish on Adrian's left. As he took further steps, he was able to see a wooden table—on top of it, there was a stack of paper and an unlit candle beside the paper.
"Have a seat, Sir Cadeyrn, you must be tired." Thyatis went to his wooden table, then sat on his wooden chair.
"Ah! Thank you!" Adrian replied simply, he sat on the sofa with Lymus after. He then took off his shoulder bag, putting it on the sofa.
Adrian also noticed a bookshelf on the left side of the sofa, a bookshelf with many books with different cover's colors. Adrian as well spotted a strange calendar, an unknown dating system and different from his world.
1695 Twisted Era? It has twelve months like the Gregorian calendar? Oddly, it has 35 to 36 days in each month? So cool! Adrian looked at the strange calendar in confusion, yet he was also amazed by the dating system from this world.
Adrian then immediately questioned Thyatis, looking for an answer that would perhaps satisfy himself, "Thyatis? What's that? It looks so cool, I guess…."
"Hm? You don't have a calendar in your home? Or maybe you didn't notice it?" Thyatis shook his head, laughing quietly as he looked at Adrian with a little weirdness.
"It's a Maernoth Calendar, invented by Maer Elibus in the beginning of Age of Vow. Are you satisfied, young prince? And it seems your curiosity increases as the day goes on." Thyatis chuckled, looking at Adrian with a smile after.
As Lymus was swaying his legs, Adrian then proceeded to talk about the strangeness he had experienced yesterday.
"So, I have so many questions about this… book." Adrian took out the strange book from his shoulder bag, he firmly showed the book at Thyatis with his golden-eyes locked unwavering.
Thyatis then gazed at the book, observing it without missing a detail. He finally identified the book, and then replied to Adrian, "Oh! It's a divine book named 'the Light,' and what's wrong with the book?"
Adrian laid the book on his lap, he then glared at Thyatis with a little fear, "After I'm chanting a prayer, the walls of my room looked like it were getting pulled outward. After that, I went into an unknown place I didn't even know, and before me… there was a giant object, shining with luminous golden light."
"Do you know about that?"
The calm man who was leaning against his wooden chair suddenly positioned himself in a firm position after hearing that. His look was unfaltering, with his smile beginning to fade.
"Are you sure about that, Sir Cadeyrn?..." Thyatis questioned, glancing at the book in both curiosity and a little dread.
Adrian nodded silently, standing up and giving the terrifying book to Thyatis. Adrian then sat back, and also noticed Thyatis' serious face.
"I honestly didn't know about that, but the strange behavior after you chant this prayer is quite horrible…" Thyatis pointed at the first page, sliding another page with curiosity.
"Supposedly nothing would happen, but the experience you've gone through is… odd, and unpredictable." Thyatis added, finding himself in confusion.
Adrian tilted his head, a sense of horror flowing through his vessels. Soon he asked Thyatis furthermore, "Um… does that mean good?"
Thyatis then immediately replied, trying to convince him that nothing bad would happen, "I don't know either, but you don't have to be afraid of. I think it's a side effect from your faintness, Sir Cadeyrn."
"Is that a ghost?" Lymus quietly asked, swaying his legs in curiosity.
"I think it's not a ghost… but rather a god." Thyatis mumbled, looking at Adrian with a solemn face.
Adrian immediately made a frightened face, he fixed his eyes on Thyatis while a sense of eeriness wreathed him. Seeing Adrian's serious face, Thyatis right away chuckled at his reaction.
Adrian was snapped, feeling bewildered. He soon landed him a question, "What? Is there anything wrong?"
"The prince is fooled!... Don't be that scared, Sir Cadeyrn, I'm just joking." Thyatis laughed faintly, as he began to stop it. He then stood up, stepped toward Adrian, handing back the book to him.
Soon Lymus laughed quietly, while Adrian felt embarrassed—his face reddened.
…
After obtaining enough information, Adrian and Lymus then left Thyatis' house and, of course, they were driven to the brink of boredom.
But before they were able to turn left, Adrian's gaze suddenly locked to someone… Allie? Indeed. The sheepish girl was walking with her friends, following behind.
Adrian immediately shouted at her with an intense excitement, Allie quickly glared at Adrian in surprise. Her friends also glanced at him, feeling puzzled.
Without wasting time, Adrian immediately ran toward them in bliss. His crimson scarf was cascading through the air, a pure smile displayed over his face. Soon Lymus followed after, unknowing what Cadeyrn was doing.
"C-Cadeyrn?" Allie murmured, glaring at him in delight also with surprise.
One of her friends soon asked Allie in disbelief, that a commoner like her was able to befriend a famed prince, "Allie, h-how Cadeyrn knows you?"
"Um… yes, I met Cadeyrn when I accidentally bumped with him… he's also a kind person…" Allie whispered quietly to her friend.
Hearing that, Allie's friend seemed bewildered by her answer—contradicting Cadeyrn's true nature.
"Um… Cadeyrn, you know Allie?" She asked softly, looking at the prince's eyes undoubtedly.
"Oh!... Y-yes! I met Allie a few days ago, is there anything wrong?" Adrian questioned back, the situation was kinda… awkward.
"Sorry if I'm annoying your strolling…" Adrian said without waiting for an answer from Allie's friend, while trying to smile.
As they felt the foreboding of oddness, another Allie's friend then spoke and so followed with a smile, "Good to see you, Cadeyrn. I thought you annoyed Allie, but we're wrong."
F##k. My reputation is so bad. Adrian smiled at them, before he asked curiously, "May I know your name?"
That Allie's friend then raised his eyebrows and curled his lips, before replying, "I'm Helmond, nice to meet you, Cadeyrn!"
Allie's other friend then also introduced herself, "Well, my name is Tyva! It's a pleasure to meet ya!"
Tyva then pointed to Allie's other friend, the last one, of course. Her fervorous voice instantly entered Adrian's ears without warning, "And this is Derron! Introduce yourself, boy!"
"Hello, Cadeyrn! I'm Derron, actually, I don't know how to introduce myself."
Derron was depicted as a boy who wore a black clothes and a white coat, and also black trousers. His dark blue eyes were as deep as the ocean's depth, and his darkish wavy hair was flowing through the air. His facial features were rather… dazzling, he also wore rimless-type glasses and perhaps boosted up his enchantment. Quite unique, indeed.
The zealous girl named Tyva was portrayed as a girl who wore a white off-shoulder clothing, she also wore a pale red checkered skirt to emphasize her passion. Her hair was short, colored pale orange as amber. Her eyes were ablaze in light orange color. Her facial features were perhaps perfect, indeed.
And last, Helmond was described as a boy who had the same personality like Tyva—a vigorous boy. He wore gray clothes and a brownish long-coat. He also wore grayish trousers too. His wavy hair was colored white, like a milk or purity that perhaps had been abandoned. His eyes would sharply stare at everyone with crimson color, like blood of the fallen.
Adrian was astonished by their appearances, their clothes, their personalities… After all, he still loved himself.
Tyva then suddenly had an idea, an idea what must to do next. She grinned, before eventually saying, "Fellows! How about we play a game? It's so boring, ya know!"
"What kind of game? Don't disappoint us," Helmond asked curiously, he looked at the vigorous girl who was smiling in a sinister way.
"Ah! Just follow me, and you'll find something interesting!" Tyva responded to Helmond, leading them to somewhere.
…
The group then arrived at Tyva's uncle's house, a house of a retired high-rank sorcerer who enjoyed his retirement days in his forties.
Derron then asked Tyva, he raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Tyva, why did you bring us to your uncle's house? Where is the game you've been promising?"
"Close your mouth tightly, Derron. Because we'll have a game that would probably shatter our minds!" Tyva immediately replied without hesitation.
That girl is so enthusiastic… Adrian looked at Tyva with a faint smile, before turning his gaze at Lymus who was curious about the promised game.
As Tyva stepped in, she found her uncle was sitting on a sofa while eating various fruits and other vegetables. Her uncle was immediately surprised by her sudden arrival, and soon asked her, "Tyva! When did you come here? A-and… why did you bring your friends here?"
"I would like for Uncle Zavan to perform your magic! We wish to play the Game of Gold!" She commanded boldly, with her uncle baffled.
"Okay, okay, Tyva. I will do it…" Uncle Zavan sighed, he then stood up and went to the kitchen.
"Fellows! Come on in!" Tyva insisted. Uncle Zavan then came back with a sphere made from crystal-like material, in his hands there were five unique cards!
Uncle Zavan then was surprised by the appearance of Cadeyrn and Lymus, he then directly questioned them, "Huh? Sir Cadeyrn? Are you captured by this crazy girl?"
Tyva only stared at her uncle, and so the silence could tell what was inside her heart. Uncle Zavan sat down, he quietly observed Lymus as he sat down too. He soon told the youngest prince honestly, "Forgive me, Lymus, you can't play this game."
Soon Tyva intervened Uncle Zavan's claim, she tried to assure Lymus and spoke to him, "Don't worry, Lymus. You will be able to play this game if you're old enough, also, don't mind that monster."
Uncle Zavan then shuffled the cards, he shuffled five times for an equitable game. He then asked Tyva to take it first, then Helmond, after him it was Derron, Allie, and last was Adrian.
"Check your card." Uncle Zavan ordered, followed by them slowly checking their cards.
"Aha! I got… 'the Felon' card! This is going to be fun!" Tyva shouted excitedly, showing her card to the others.
Helmond then checked his card and spoke, "This is hell. I got 'the Felon' card, and so that meant… I'll be your teammate, Tyva…."
Derron then slowly turned his card and said, "Hm! I got a 'Secondary Star' card, what about you, Allie?"
"I-I got… Secondary Star card too, I think I'll be your teammate…." Allie lightly replied, all their gaze instantly locked at Adrian who still didn't show his card.
"How about you, Cadeyrn?" Tyva asked, her curiosity was rocketing to the atmosphere.
Adrian then slowly turned his card and mumbled nervously, "I got… 'the Star' card. What does that mean?"
Their faces instantly turned to surprise, even after Uncle Zavan shuffled five times, Adrian still got 'the Star' card in his first game. Without caring about their surprises, Uncle Zavan then immediately put down the crystal sphere before them. He then chanted something, and so, the sphere began to glow in blue color.
"Touch the sphere, and the game will begin." Uncle Zavan commanded coldly, he sharply glared at them.
As Tyva touched the glowing sphere, her body began to fade and vanished somewhere. One after another then followed suit, leaving Adrian there. He then touched the sphere hesitantly, before encouraging himself and fully touched it.
Lymus and Uncle Zavan were the only ones who were there, and the man gently asked, "Lymus, do you want this fruit?"
After all, the group was transported into a world beyond definition. An Imaginary World!