"Here. Chew on this and apply it over your wound." Mira tossed a tiny case of saffron petals to Junas, her face filled with worry for him. As Mira looked at Junas —who was rubbing his ankle in pain—a sense of helplessness filled her.
Mira was Junas' long-time friend and rival, having completed their education at the same institute. The only difference was that Junas was always the first, and Mira was forever second place in their batch.
But that was not what they were concerned about right now.
The only thing they wanted was to get out of this damned place.
"I'm sorry....I...I shouldn't have involved you in this mess of mine." Spoke Junas, gritting his teeth and shivering from the pain of his injured ankle.
"Don't worry about all that. I'm sure the rescue will come soon." Still worried for Junas, Mira took it upon herself to massage his ankle.
"I hope so." There was a look of slight fear in his eyes.
All of this started two weeks before:-
**
"Mira, come and look at this." Junas beckoned to Mira, who was busy exploring the relics of the ancient past and lost in the feeling of wonder and excitement.
"Hmm, what is it? Can't it wait?" It looked like even a call from her best friend was not enough to put a break to her adventure. Just like a kid in a garden chasing butterflies, she hopped from one spot to another, looking at the stone statues, ancient manuscripts, and whatnot in Junas' office.
Historical relics and artefacts always filled her with a beautiful feeling. Words weren't enough to describe how she felt.
It was understandable for Junas; he was the same. He felt that understanding history would, in turn, let him understand how this fascinating world developed.
He wanted to find the juncture, the period in time, that led to the civilization of Araxis being phenomenally similar to Earth's. But that was not something just anyone could do. Not even Junas, he knew that.
But weren't dreams meant to be tall?
"Hey, you idiot! Look at this. You're a Philologist, aren't you? Then do the work you're getting paid for, and stop fooling around like a ten-year-old girl!" Junas was annoyed.
Though most of the time, he enjoyed her antiques, that was most of the time and not the time right now. He was the all-serious type when doing his job. Not just his work--anything he did was with his best effort.
"Ahem, a philologist-in making. Not everyone is a freaking monster like you are." Perhaps she felt it wasn't right of her to fool around when working or was frightened by the face Junas was making, but she decided to become serious.
A change welcomed by Mr Oh-So-Serious-Curator. "Look at this. It's the artefact the archaeology team excavated from the ruins of a supposedly thousand years old civilization."
"Hmm...these characters, you want me to decipher them, right?" Mira touched the stone artefact. It was a mural. She traced the character etched on the surface, and a pondering look settled on her face.
"Hey, pinpoint the location of the ruins on a map. These words aren't from any language I know, but they are similar. I think my teacher can help us better. But I think he would need the origin of the ruins. You know how geography affects the way of communication, right?"
"Right. You're right. So, can you ask your teacher if he'd cooperate with us? The talk of fees is negotiable, of course." Junas pretended to know about that, which he didn't.
"Money isn't a problem for him, my dear Juny. He is as rich as they get. Most probably, he would want some 'particular things." There was a dreamy look on her face when talking about her teacher.
Junas ignored that. "Okay, as long he is up to the task. It is an important project. The Home Minister and Ministry of Culture are also supervising it."
While chatting with Mira, Junas had already prepared the documents and maps needed and handed them over to Mira.
Mira was getting out of Junas' office when a thought suddenly struck her and asked, "You wanna come with me?"
"Well, I could if you want me to."
"Okay, then. It's a date. You're paying."
Sometimes Junas wondered how this girl could be so free-spirited when she was a daughter of a noble house. Though nobles weren't much different in front of the Law, they still had some privileges.
Junas quickly cleaned his messy office room and headed out with Mira.
When they were getting out of the building, a man approached them.
He wore a cheque suit and trousers. Adding a cool touch to his attire was a black overcoat and thin black gloves worn by him.
A messy pompadour adorned his diamond-shaped face, making him look like a playboy.
Mira let out an inaudible gasp when she saw him. "Father, what are you doing here?" She quickly let go of Junas arm and hugged the man just like a kid.
Watching this scene, Junas was dumbstruck. Father? Is that man your father? How could he be so handsome? Junas knew Nobles married young.
But never could he have guessed that they also had elixirs to keep themselves young.
"H-Hello, sir. I'm Junas. Mira's friend." He offered his hand for a handshake nervously. Is this what a beta male feels?
"Ah! The one they call 'The Professor'. You certainly are young as the rumours say."
"Ah...yes, sir."
"No need to be nervous, young man. I'm not going to eat you. Or do you think I'm?"
"No, no, sir," Junas replied dumbly. It was hilarious how he behaved. Most of it was because of the surprise just earlier.
"Ah! I came here to visit sir Viscount Gregory on his invitation. Could you tell me to his office?"
"Certainly, sir..."
"Call me James, boy. Or you could call me Mr Flayton. Whatever suits you best."
"Yes, sir Flayton. This way. The director has been researching the ancient manuscripts of the Laurian dynasty. He seldom meets with others- you must be close with him, sir."
"Haha, yes. Viscount and I are childhood friends."
Junas led Mr Flayton to the director's office and immediately ran off to the lady standing outside the building.
They then went together to a famous restaurant and had a delicious dinner.
When they finished, it was midnight. The moon shone brightly in the sky, and a red hue encompassed the Earth. It was eerie and somewhat romantic at the same time.