Stirred into action by the unfamiliar man's words, Theo once again struggled against his captors.
"Don't! Don't touch her!" he demanded.
The armored men reacted instantly. Their grips tightened, and the metal of their steel gauntlets bit into his arms as they held him in back. His eyes burned with fury as he watched a number of the unarmored individuals step past him. They knelt beside Maria without hesitation. One slid an arm beneath her shoulders, the other supporting her legs. The sight of their hands touching her damaged and charred skin nearly drove him into a frenzy.
"Again, please calm yourself."
Turning to the man again with a rabid expression and eyes burning with unrestrained rage, he asked.
"What the hell do you people even want with us?"
The man raised a brow, his auburn eyes portraying no hint of deception.
"I don't understand."
Theo continued to struggle as he watched Maria be carried out of the room.
"What the hell do you mean you don't understand, you kidnapping bastards!"
The elderly man stared at Theo for a few moments, silently studying him. Around them, the room seemed to hold its breath. After a while, he opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again and said.
"Kidnapping?"
Theo stared scornfully.
"Isn't that what you call a bunch of bastards like you who abduct people against their will!?"
Again, the man stared at Theo, utterly perplexed.
"That is… curious. So right now, you think we, the people here, have taken you and Lady Maria against your will?"
Theo snarled, muscles straining uselessly against iron restraint. "You drag us into this place, surround me with armed thugs, take her away while she's dying, and you're asking me that daft question?"
The man chuckled.
"I'm sorry, but I think you're confused."
"What is there to be confused about?"
The man's brow creased in mild surprise. "You truly believe this was an act of malice."
"I don't believe," Theo shot back. "I know."
A moment of silence stretched between them, broken only by the man's husky voice.
"Now, I understand you must be a little confused by all this..."
"A little?" Theo interjected. "A little can't even begin to describe how ridiculous this whole thing is! "
A heavy silence followed his outburst. Theo's chest heaved, his breath coming in ragged bursts. And his heart racing faster than he had ever felt. For a moment, no one spoke. The armored men did not loosen their grips, but neither did they tighten them further. The unfamiliar man simply watched him, expression unreadable.
"Alright," he said through clenched teeth. "Alright… let's say I am confused." The man's eyes sharpened slightly, attentive now. "If you're not our enemies," Theo continued, fighting the tremor in his voice, "then prove it, old man. Tell me where you're taking her."
Locking eyes with Theo, the man took a moment staring into them as if searching for something within them. Feeling a strange sensation crawl into his mind, he flinched back.
'What the hell was that?'
"And if I don't want to, young man?"
Theo stiffened. The strange pressure behind his eyes intensified for a split second—like fingers brushing the inside of his skull—before vanishing as suddenly as it had come.
Looking away, he exhaled slowly, turned to the armored men and nodded, then said with an exhausted tone.
"Release him."
The men looked between themselves, then back to the elderly man. A few moments later, they released their grasp on him. Without wasting a moment, he put all his strength into his legs and pushed himself off the floor. Stepping into the man and pulling his arm back, he was poised to throw a punch bearing the weight of all his strength.
Any sane person would have stepped aside, avoiding the blow. Or even blocked when seeing the amount of force behind that simple movement. But as he was about to learn, the man in front of him was neither sane nor a person. He did not raise his hands. He did not brace himself. He simply moved—one smooth, almost casual step that closed the distance between them.
Theo's eyes widened, and that moment of shock was enough to make him falter. He tripped over his own foot and went tumbling to the ground.
'Is this guy insane?'
Groaning as he opened his eyes to look up at the man, he chuckled, then said through gritted teeth.
"Good evening, sir, awakened."
The man grinned.
"That is, sir, transcended to you, young man!"
***
Minutes later, or what felt like minutes, Theo found himself being led by the strange old transcended man through a maze of corridors. On either side of him, despite being granted his freedom, the armored men stood ready to engage at the slightest sign of, unnecessary movement.
As they travelled through the halls, they, or more precisely the strange man leading him forward, was greeted by numerous respectful bows. The people ranged from those wearing armor like those at his side, to those of a more mundane appearance. Theo had no idea where he was being led, where he was, or who these people were. But one thing was for sure though, despite how they seemed, he was sure that every one of them, was a herald.
Shifting his gaze from the passerby's, he asked the old man in a neutral voice.
"What the hel... I mean... where are we right now? A citadel?"
The man answered without turning back.
"No, we aren't in a citadel. Citadels only exist in the otherworld."
"So... Yggdrasil? or whatever it's called?"
"Yes."
'So we aren't in Yggdrasil? So why are there so many heralds here? Where are we?'
They turned a corner into a corridor that widened into a vast hall lined with tall pillars. At the end of the hall, they reached a door with a number of faintly glowing runes etched into its frame. Theo suddenly felt the air grow heavier and staggered. Pushing the door open, the strange old man began descending a flight of stairs, and he soon followed.
The deeper he delved into the recesses of, wherever he was, the more the air seemed to press against his skin. Theo found the sensation strange. Almost reminiscent of what he felt when a ring of light appeared just before they were whisked away from their home. Engulfed in its embrace, he had felt something within him stirring, but now, it felt like that thing within him was pulling something in.
'What the heck is happening to me?'
Just then, he heard a ring echo and a vibration on his wrist. Raising his hand, he looked to his wrist, and what he saw, made his blood curl. On the device given to him, the data shown read.
[Ether core- Dormant]
[Core rank- None]
[Core Saturation- 79%]
Theo's eyes widened.