Birds chirped and small waves gently crashed at the rocky shore. Glib, who sat beside Lev, was about to answer every question that Lev asked.
"There are different varieties of races in our world. Elves, nymphs, giants, humans, dwarves, and much more. The Order of Fate is the order, or ranking, in the Kingdom.
"Commoners are the lowest in the order. They are common people who live their daily lives working, eating, and enjoying what Fate gave them.
"Next are the sycophants. We are the sidekicks or the wingman of the Defenders. But not all the defenders have one. Once you reach a certain rank, then you can contract one," Glib explained thoroughly.
"Are all sycophants the same? A cat that could transform?" Lev asked.
"No. Sycophants are animals that were blessed by Fate. There are also rare types of sycophants: Pegasus, Unicorns, Griffins, and even a Dragon! We have different forms, just like caterpillars evolve into a cocoon, and cocoon evolves into a butterfly, we sycophants have the control of our own metamorphosis. Take me for example, I can transform into a cat, a humanoid, and a half-human," Glib's tiny voice had a hint of pride in it.
"Then what transformation did you do last night? A half-human?"
"Nope. It's my humanoid. In this world, I can either transform myself into an animal form or a humanoid. But back in the Kingdom, I could transform in all 3 forms. But not every sycophant has 3 forms, some have 2, and some have only 1, but that doesn't mean that they are weak," Glib smiled.
"Oh. Okay. What are this 'Defenders' that you are talking about?" Lev was intrigued by everything that Glib was saying. It was just like the fantasy books that he was reading.
"The Defenders of Fate are the knights that defend the Kingdom. They have their own ranking too.
"The Guardian of Fate is the weakest. They are just plain knights without magic," Glib shrugged.
"The Protector of Fate is the same, but they have a basic understanding of the 4 Elements and they can wield weak-scaled magic.
"Next is the Vindicator of Fate. After years of weapon training and a deep understanding of the elements, they have the power to control and combine the elements in their surrounding. They are able to manipulate complex elements just like ice, lightning, nature, and a lot more. It all depends on your imagination on how you will use these elements to your advantage.
"And the highest of them all is the Champion of Fate. They are the least in the Defenders of Fate because this rank is reserved for the best of the best. They wield high-scale magic and their weapon mastery is just... amazing," Glib could not find the appropriate word to put at. "Not just that, they also manipulate the light element. Light element is the hardest to control out of all the elements. They are highly effective against the shadow and the darkness."
"And the highest ranking in the Order of Fate is the King of Fate. He is chosen by Fate to rule the Kingdom. There's a high possibility that he may not have magic, or what we call Elemental power, but Fate will always be in his favor," Glib sighed. He was tired of explaining everything to Lev.
"That's cool," Lev was amazed. "Where is this Kingdom?"
"It's different... domain."
"And how do you get there?"
"By Fate. If the temperature is perfect, and if this world is perfectly aligned in our world, then there's a possibility that you could be transported there?" Glib's voice was full of uncertainty and doubt.
"You don't know, huh?" Lev was somewhat disappointed. His eyelids covered the top-half of his eyes and sighed.
"Hey, last time we teleported here was by the help of the King and I don't know how he did that," Glib spat angrily at Lev.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. How about the shadows? How do you know about it?"
"It's my guess only, though," Glib itched his right ear using his right foot just like what a normal cat does. "I lived in the forest for 15 years, searching for the seed. And what I saw there were beasts that were possessed by dark shadows. It was my first time seeing one so I explored deeper into the forest and what I discovered was a huge nest of shadows that were feeding on maybe hundreds of wild beasts."
"Hey, isn't that dangerous? Won't they cause a threat to this village?" Lev anxiously asked.
"Yep, sooner or later they would," Glib replied like it was nothing. "That's why I need to find the seed at once and bring it back to the Kingdom."
"Then why do I feel like you're not taking it seriously," Lev sarcastically said.
"I am. It's just," Glib started to lick the back of his paw and wiped his eyes with it, "I don't like venturing alone. In that forest. Full of a dangerous beast."
"So you're telling me to come with you?"
"Sure. Why not?" Glib looked up at Lev's sour face.
"I think I'll pass," Lev rejected. "I choose life."
"You've got nothing to lose if you left this place, right? That lady, which you live with, is a total goner. She is fully consumed by the shadows, and sooner or later, this world will be too," Glib was serious this time.
"I don't know. I'm not sure about this. What if it's all not real? What if all of this is just my imagination? What if you're just part of my imagination?" Lev retorted.
Glib was hurt by what Lev said. He looked like an injured animal which made Lev feel guilty on what he said.
" Sorry. I can't just make myself believe in all of this," Lev patted Glib's head.
"I understand. I know that everything I say seems unreal, but trust me they are real," Glib purred.
"What about the lady that we saw yesterday?" Lev remembered the strange lady that they met on the Vale of Före.
"She was one of the accomplice of Rogath, a powerful one I might add," Glib grunted.
"Rogath?"
"He was the one who betrayed the Kingdom. Her being here means that Rogath is slowly getting back in power and he is one step closer finding the seed," Glib was starting to become worried as he started to notice the strange events that were building up.
A small growl came from Glib's stomach. "I'm hungry," His wide blue eyes started to become watery. All the stress and pressure that was being pressed on him made him hungry.
Lev felt sorry for him. How could such a small and vulnerable creature bear the weight of the fate of his world? He looked at those pitiful eyes and sad face. The once smiling face was now inverted.
"Come here," Lev sighed. He carried the cat and said, "Let's eat the bread that Lola left for us."
"Speaking of bread," Glib's happy face was back again, "I helped you yesterday when you were hungry at the café."
"Oh yeah? How so?"
"I temporarily possessed the employee and called your name to give you some delicious food," Glib raised his chin and boasted.
"And you were the one who ate half of my cake and my chocolate drink!" Lev realized all the weird things that happened in that café.
Glib giggled. It was cute when Glib smiled. His mouth stretched and his 2 canines were exposed while his eyes closed as he did that little mischievous laugh. Lev couldn't find himself getting angry at what Glib did. Actually, he felt happy that because of Glib, his life became a little bit better. He found friendship with someone he never expected.
.....
3:00 p.m.
Lev and Glib decided to stay in the house after eating the bread as their lunch. Although it was not satisfying, they were content with it. They took a nap on the porch to let time slip away. By then, Lev heard a familiar sound. It was a low humming of the engine.
Kaz! Lev excitedly thought. Only one vehicle would go this far to visit that village and he was sure that it was Kaz. He could see a car parked above the valley, and coming out of the back door of the blue car was a boy with nut-brown hair and hazelnut eyes. It was indeed Kaz.
"Lev!" Kaz yelled. He waved his hand while wearing a gleaming smile on his face.
Lev waved back.
"So that's Kaz," Glib yawned, showing his pink tongue and sharp sets of teeth.
Kaz quickly ran down the hill carrying a plastic bag. He held both his hands out and hugged Lev.
"Hey, this is embarrassing," Lev pushed him away.
"Hahahaha. You're still the same old Lev. Good to know," Kaz patted Lev's shoulder while laughing.
"It's only just been three days," Lev stated.
"Here, I've brought food," Kaz reached out the plastic bag to Lev.
"What is it?"
"My cooking," Kaz answered.
"That's new," Lev opened the plastic bag to see what's inside. Inside was a transparent Tupperware that exhibited a cooked chicken that was golden colored.
"Also," Kaz reached into his pocket and brought out a small black box, "I have a gift."
"This is already too much," Lev declined the box.
"Oh, come on. It's my gift," Kaz insisted, pushing the box to Lev's chest.
Lev sighed and took the box. "I'll check it later."
"I see you boys are having fun," Honey smiled. Her pretty face clearly indicated that she was on her prime.
"Yes," Kaz agreed. He looked back and saw Paul leaving with the car. "Where is dad going?"
"There was an emergency and he needed to go back. He'll pick us up tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we'll sleep in a motel in the village," Honey started to walk towards the village.
"Can Lev sleep with us?" Kaz hurriedly asked.
"Of course, dear. I'll just leave a letter to my sister that I'll be borrowing Lev from her for one night."
The afternoon sky started to bleed and thick black fog started to cover the village. The visibility was quite low but everything was still apparent. The three started to make their way into the motel and booked a room. Honey left a letter on the table where Lola could easily see it and returned back to the motel.
Glib disappeared that afternoon.