"It's a treehouse?"
"I guess you could say that, but this would be one helluva treehouse," Sora laughed.
The creature descended, landing on the gargantuan cordate leaves of the tree that surprisingly were as sturdy as any normal flooring. Finally free of his ride through the skies, he felt his stomach settle as his head spun in circles.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to that," Sora gave him a reassuring smile before helping him off the back of the large titan ray.
"I don't think I will…" Ren kept his hand over his stomach as he remained hunched over.
Even though the flooring composed entirely of green leaves proved to be sturdy, hearing the crunch of the leaf under him each step of the way was still horrifying. His legs wobbled as he carefully took each step, watching as Sora nonchalantly strolled across the natural flooring.
"Fine, if it's like that…'' Ren muttered to himself, feeling challenged by Sora's confidence.
Mustering up whatever shallow reserves of courage he had left within himself, he sprinted across the green--hopping onto the doorstep.
"I don't understand you sometimes, man," Sora let out a confused sigh as he watched Ren's odd burst of speed.
"You've known me for like an hour," Ren retorted, catching himself before he slipped off of the small step of stairs.
The man playfully stuck his tongue out in response before stepping in front of the door. Watching Sora curiously, he finally noticed the odd crest engraved onto the door crafted out of some type of dark wood. Sora placed his hand in the center of the crest, causing it to illuminate with a flash of blue and red before the door then clicked as it became unlocked.
"Our leader is a bit paranoid," Sora commented as he noticed the confused look on Ren's face.
As the two entered the house, it was definitely a change of pace from the mansion of the nobleman.
There was a distinct lack of creeping paintings of old men and antiques that led to him watching every move he made. In place of such material items were weapons of all kinds: swords, battle-axes, spears, bows--the main room seemed more like an arsenal than a lounge.
Besides that, bookshelves composed of the same dark, almost black wood lined the walls, stocked full of books. A fireplace made of stone sat in the middle of the room next to the couches sat atop a fluffy snow carpet.
"Seems...cozy?" It was the only word that came to Ren's mind as he took in the new sight.
"That's what a home is meant to be," Sora laughed.
Ren felt stumped at that response as he looked around the lounge room, adjusting to the place that was likely to be his new home before noticing a figure looking down at him from the second floor.
"So you've actually returned," A masculine voice came from the figure.
The person stepped into view as the light eradicated the shadow hanging over them. He seemed to be similar in age to Sora with a much more slender build, roughly the same height from Ren's best guesstimate. Dark, navy hair combed to the side combined with the formal outfit composed of a dress shirt covered with a black cotton vest and tie and black tuxedo pants gave him both a formal and stuck-up look. He adjusted his round-rimmed glasses as his piercing hazel gaze switched to Ren, sending a shiver over his body.
"And you've brought a friend, I see," The man commented in a cold tone.
"You sound like you wanted me to die out there, Donatien," Sora stuck his lip out as if pouting.
"I wouldn't say "die", rather--" bruised and humbled by your own reckless behavior"," The man responded, leaning his hands on the amber railing.
The tension in the air rose as the two men stared daggers into each other. He felt like a child watching his mother and father fight, but in a world full of magic--he feared becoming collateral damage.
"Cut it out already, are you two actually children? Can a guy get some rest around here?" Another voice suddenly spoke up in a yawn.
Somehow Ren didn't notice the man lying across the black, leather couch. He had a head full of white hair devoid of any color with skin as pale as snow. The man opened his dreary eyes to reveal his irises that resembled beautiful amethyst, that had an almost ethereal quality about them.
"I don't think someone who sleeps three-quarters of the day should lecture anyone about acting like a child," Donatien responded to the freshly awoken man.
"For once, I agree," Sora added in.
A click resonated from the room, originating from the man on the couch. Looking over--Ren's eyes widened as he saw the man now holding a large magnum, composed of black metal. The look in the man's refined amethyst gaze quickly sharpened.
"Are you comparing me to a child?" He asked, spinning the chamber of the gun.
"That's exactly what you did first--!"Sora pointed at the man.
"Oh, you're right," The man scratched his head, flicking the gun away as it dissolved into bits of mana.
In only a few short minutes, he came to one conclusion about this new situation, about the home he was going to be staying in and the people that were there with him--
--I'm going to die!
Ren stood there motionless, not knowing in the slightest how to handle any of these eccentric men. As their childish banter settled down, Sora introduced everyone in the room.
"That twig of a man up there with a sour attitude is Donatien, out of all the Outlanders, he's the most knowledgeable about this world. Mostly because he stays tucked away in his room half the time, reading books," Sora pointed his thumb towards the man standing over the railing.
"It isn't much when compared to Sora, the man traded in his brain for brawn--how sad," Donatien commented with a fake frown, "anyways, it is a pleasure to meet you. We've all been looking forward to your arrival here--if you need anything, just ask."
Ren nodded his head shyly, watching as Sora attempted to introduce the other man before being abruptly stopped.
"Don't. I can introduce myself," The man stood up and stood in front of Ren, "the name's Tristan, I like silence, blondes, and long walks on the beach."
He couldn't tell if the man was joking--what he said definitely had to be a joke, but his tone sounded like the incarnation of paint drying on a wall. Either way, he accepted the man's handshake. Tristan's silver trench coat reeked of cigarettes but at the same time, his white vest somehow gave off an aroma of cologne. The man was a complete enigma to Ren.
"I'm joking, by the way, I hate beaches," Tristan added in as he let go of Ren's hand.
"Right…" Ren gave him a nervous smile and nodded his head.
The room fell silent for a moment before Sora unleashed a slap against his back, echoing through his bones as he believed lightning itself struck him.
"Are you a caveman or something? Introduce yourself," Sora teased.
"You know I'm still grieving over the deaths of everyone I knew in this world--! Whatever, I'm Ren Nakamura--I've been in this world for about a month now. As for my interests...urr, I like games and anime...not anymore, I guess," Ren rubbed his head nervously.
He expected laughs or judgemental gazes but received none of that, only the welcoming smiles of the three around him.
"Well, that's that. Well, there are twelve of us in total so you've got some more people to meet but that can be saved for later. There is somebody else you really need to talk to, like right now--like, five minutes ago!"Sora began to sweat as if remembering something.
The man dragged him up the stairs and down a grand hallway that led to a single door at the end of the lonely corridor.
"Oh, you're going to meet Beatrice? Tell her I'm sorry for shooting Buba, it was an accident--!" Tristan called out from downstairs.
--Beatrice? Buba? Now isn't the time to ask for favors! Ren thought to himself.
"You can stop dragging me, you know," Ren crossed his arms as his shoes dragged across the squeaky wooden floors.
"Oh, my bad--" Sora laughed nervously, setting Ren up straight.
In his short time knowing the boisterous red-haired linebacker, seeing him nervous like this definitely felt unnatural. His smooth skin was now drenched with sweat as he constantly swung his gaze around. Whoever it was that he was bringing him to meet, they definitely were a frightening entity.
"It's fine...who is it I'm meeting anyways? I'm guessing this is their room?" Ren asked, looking at the tall door.
The red door displayed a small silver statue of a dragon in the form of a handle. It definitely felt like a room belonging to some type of boss.
"Just...mind your manners in front of her, would you?"Sora gave him a smile before knocking on the door.
A harrowing silence followed, listening to each drop of sweat fall from Sora's anxiety-fueled skin before finally, a voice responded from beyond the door.
"Come in," spoke a feminine voice.
The door opened on its own, letting out a drawn-out creak before revealing the room it kept behind it. Only a sample of light made its way past the slightly parted black curtains. However, just that small bit of light managed to keep the solemn room illuminated, it seemed almost everything was black in that room. The bedsheets, drawers, even the wood used for the floorboards were of a charcoal color. Besides the gloomy appearance of the room, it was large enough to be compared to a room befit for royalty, probably even larger than his entire house back on Earth.
Sitting at a silver table, a woman sat with a teacup in hand. She wore an all-black gown with silver lines running across the entirety of the dress. Almost in complete contrast to both her room and dress, she had angelic platinum locks that almost seemed to shift into a slight pink when looked at from a different angle. She caressed the porcelain cup with her pale, slender fingers before looking up at him with irises that resembled the depths of space, glimmering with the stars that watched the birth of humanity.
It was hard to call such an otherworldly beauty possible, but there she was, sitting just in front of him.
"I know I'm late but--" Sora began to explain but quickly stopped himself upon exchanging a single glance with the woman.
"It's alright--now leave, child," The woman gestured her hand for him to exit through the door.
A face as fair as they come, one would be easily forgiven for mistaking her for a princess or even a queen. Not a single blemish fell upon her smooth skin, the likes of which he knew girls would die to have. The maiden held a welcoming smile, lifting the teacup to her lips before taking a long sip.
--"Child", she doesn't look a day older than him. Ren thought to himself, studying the woman's facial features, as well as the other more--"voluptuous"--features she had.
Sora silently nodded his head in compliance, leaving and closing the door behind him. As just the two of them now occupied the room, he felt his heartbeat begin to pick up in pace--not used to the prospect of being alone with a woman.
"Do you prefer to stand? Or are you scared I'll bite?" The woman looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
He quickly shook his head in response before nervously seating himself in the chair across from her. Being in her presence was both passive breathtaking and unnerving--the way the woman held herself with an air of mystery and regality made her a complete enigma to him.
"Good," She smiled as she watched him sit down.
The mysterious maiden took another sip of her tea, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. He felt himself almost shrink under her beautiful yet terrifying gaze before she let out a satisfied sigh, moving the rim of the cup away from her lips. Her tongue slid across her lips sensually before she let out a quiet giggle at his obvious meekness.
"Ren Nakamura," She set the teacup down with a smile, "I've been waiting to meet you."
"Me…?" Ren kept his hands on his lap as he tried to keep his eyes down.
"Yes, because I summoned you into this world. Oh, you may call me Beatrice, by the way."
Just like that, he felt both the air around him and his heart grow cold, looking up slowly as he met her gaze. He didn't have the slightest clue about how what she said fit into what he knew, but it left him in an even further state of confusion than what he was in.