A ship arrived at the Serpence port of Decericorn. The ship had stopped at two places in its path but was able to reach it's destination in a month and half at the speed of 9-10 knots. Nier, Len, Renley, Diana, Kyber, Traicion, Cecilia and Luna stepped down the ship and were subjected to checks. They all had to vow in the name of mana, not to harm the nation and it's innocent inhabitants willingly or maliciously. Nier, Luna and Cecelia didn't take the vow as they could not use mana but weren't needed to do so.
Nier thought back to the journey.
The sea route hadn't been really harsh and was generally safe but he did hear that pirates had almost caught up. Aside from that, it was a fun ride for him. The image of the seemingly infinite ocean had been etched into his brain and the aquatic beasts that would often passby were beautiful. One thing that wasn't perfect however was Renley and Luna's seasickness. Especially Luna. It was sometimes annoying.
And Cecilia. She was getting weird. She would go red whenever he was there. Nier didn't really know what to say. She had also began coughing sometimes which Nier chalked up to being seasick.
Looking at the large building he was standing in. Nier smiled. It refreshing to see buildings other than the wood houses in Duwey. He currently stood in a line with Renley in front of him. Renley was talking to a man wearing a brown uniform that consisted of brown pants and shirt with black shoes and a black cap that had the sigil of a mountain peak with the sun rising behind it. Speaking of which, Nier was surprised to see the people wearing such different clothes than what he had seen before.
The native men were wearing trousers, shirts with vests and four buttoned coat over it. Many of them had hats and bushy mustaches along with sideburns while the ladies wore dresses with mutton leg sleeves and skirts that reached the top of high buttoned boots. Nier himself had only seen much more casual dresses such as shirts, pants and pajamas.
The line ended as they exoted the building and Nier was surprised to find horses and carriages standing by waiting for passengers. One such carriage reached them and the owner conversed with Len and Renley. He seemed to have been declined because he retreated dejectedly. After sometime, another one came and was accepted as Nier sat in the carriage.
"That's my first-time seeing such a breed" Kyber muttered looking at the horse pulling the carriage. It was black in colour and had a large silky mane. The most catching feature however was it's leg which seemed to be covered in gritty stones yet they would make the normal sound of the usual horses.
"I suppose you are new to Decericorn?" The driver asked with a smile. He spoke Zalnese so even Nier could understand
"Indeed" Renley answered calmly
"Well, this one can only be found here in Decericorn. These good boys can feel vibrations from miles away thus avoiding danger." The driver pointed his chin at the dark horse pulling the carriage.
Kyber raised his brows impressed and nodded. Nier looked at him and realised he was probably a horse enthusiast.
"Oh by the way...You guys have to be careful. The people here are relatively civilized but you can always find some piece of shit who let's say... doesn't appreciate outsiders."
"Thank you for the heads up" Renley said neutrally.
The driver nodded. Twenty-thirty minutes later, the carriage reached a dome that stood silently in the middle of nowhere yet filled with abundant humans. The group exited the carriage as Renley gave the carriage owner his money. Nier realised it was his first time seeing that currency but didn't put much mind to it.
"Woah..." Luna gawked at the giant dome, her first time seeing a building so big. Nier smiled at her but didn't feel too wonderstruck because even though the dome was bigger. The Unworldly's final base wasn't too small comparatively. Immediately, the group got attention. Most people were glancing there way even though most pretended not to. Nier in particular got the most attention after which it was Diana.
Nier didn't really understand why they were looking at Diana but he knew why they looked at him. He didn't really like it but it wasn't to the point where he felt he needed to hide or something.
Entering the dome, everyone other than the adults were in awe at the interior design of the building. It was amazing. Looking around, there were many counters with different purposes in a circle but Nier payed attention only to the one in the centre of the dome. It was another dome. A smaller done shaped room surrounded by a visible forcefield. Inside the force field stood men and women wearing a blue uniform attending to a long line of people. One by one, people went inside the dome but they didn't come inside. On the other side of the room was another line but it consisted of people exiting the inner dome.
Time passed as Nier entered the dome along with Renley. Inside the inner dome was a circular stage a feet above the ground with many complicated symbols spread all around the room.
"Hold tight and don't panic. It will be like what Diana does but on a different scale." Renley warned everyone standing above the stage. Everyone stood above as Nier suddenly felt a sinking feeling. It was as though his guts were falling. It was the same feeling like when he was falling in a dream but that woke him in the real world.
A transparent greyish veil of mana erupted from the stage constantly swirling with silvery strands flowing here and there. Nier closed his eye for a moment and opened it. He almost wanted to vomit but waited for the stage to do it's thing.
"Alright. Let's go" Renley suddenly said waking him out of his reverie.
""Huh?"" The children aside from Kyber had the same reaction as they looked around. The room seemed the same but the guard had changed. Something they didn't notice after closing their eyes.
"We are in 'Weathollow' or rather the 'Weathollow' now" Len said smiling as he exited the room. Everyone followed soon as Nier realised that although the building was similar, it had some differences and the people were different as well.
He looked towards Renley for an explanation and wasn't disappointed.
"What you experienced was a teleportation stand. It's a device that allows one to travel between places instantaneously. Of course, only in large kingdoms like Maya can you find so many teleportation points.
They are device that can only be built by space element users who are even rarer than celestial stones and even then, not every space element sorcerer could build such an artifact.
In the past, there was a great sorcerer who travelled through lands setting up these devices to link various places allowing anyone to travel quickly but it takes high maintenance to work."
Nier's brows perked up hearing 'space'. He had learnt that while there were four basic elements that most people had, there many sorcerers with sub-elements like metal, lightning, wood, poison etcetera. Above them were the supreme elements such as Light, Dark, Death, Life and Space. Nier hadn't seen a mention of time but he thought of it as a supreme element.
Taking another carriage, the group of travelers reached their destination amongst the mountains. Despite being completely different, Nier felt a sense of familiarity with the place because he had been living in a mountainous environment for some time now.
"Duwey was a solitary place that stood on the periphery of a country, not to mention that the country itself cannot be compared to Maya. The point is, although we'll staying in a rather isolated area, it would still be near a bustling city where many people live and work, Decericorn is a completely different environment than Duwey or even Janmini. So, don't be nervousness and keep your cool when facing a new environment. Humans are creatures who survived so long due to their adaptivity." Diana gave her wisdom while walking an upwards slope with Cecilia in her arms. Renley carries Lina who always pulled his small facial hair and Len walked freely. Nier walked on his own as he didn't feel tired at all and Kyber just wanted to tamper himself. Traicion didn't want to be left behind so he refused to be carried.
On the way to their destination, the group suddenly saw a flock of armored people walking away in a distance.
"Who are they?" Kyber asked curiously.
"I have no idea" Renley said.
"Decericorn is a place where it's hard to come by information of the outside world and the reverse is true, you don't get much news about it if you are outside the kingdom. You might not have noticed but all the places we passed by had sorcerers eyeing us and scrutinizing every action we took. In terms of defence, it is one of- if not the strongest kingdom" Len chimed in.
"That's right, if we didn't have a seal of approval from Elder Kasmir than we would be under heavy checking right now." Renley said.
'The Golden League has large connections' Nier thought absentmindedly as Librune and Decericorn were on opposite sides of the continent.
Walking up the stony path, they eventually reached a large building that was surrounded by a white wall.
Just as they walked closer to the gates, a guard that stood there looked at them with one of his brow raised, demanding an explanation.
"Call Madame Olseworth, she knows us" Len said calmly
The guard nodded and walked back inside his mini office that was built aside the gates.
"Umm... Can't anyone just break in?" Traicion asked looking at the building.
"It's a place guarded by a strong formation. One that could withstand even a master sorcerer"
'Weren't Fourth orders- master sorcerer? Renzy and Uncle Len's level' Nier thought.
"This seems like a remote area...who built the formation and how did they pay for it?" Diana asked curiously.
"You'd have to ask that to Belle"
Diana nodded as the glass doors of the large building opened as a woman wearing a whiter skirt that reached her ankles walked out.
"Welcome to our humble abode, I hope your trip was safe and sound" She said in a pleasant bell like voice.
"It's good to see you again Belle" Renley said smiling.
"Likewise. Renley"
Belle Olseworth signalled the guard to open the gate.
*Creak
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*Creak
A white haired youth opened the gate to his lodge room and exited. He had just dreamt of the past again.
Walking past the corridor, he reached the stairs and descended.
*Tap
*Tap
Lonely footsteps echoed as he finally reached the ground floor. A smell of tobacco reached his nostrils causing his face to twist in a frown but he quickly hid it. The smoking receptionist glanced at him for a moment before continuing to read the book in hands.
The white-haired man exited the building. The blindfold he wore was completely black but it was semi-see-through so he could see his surroundings. The sun had yet to rise and the sky was cold blue. Buildings stood in lines as few people could be seen here and there. A feint fog blurred the world and it was chilling cold but the youth was unfazed as he tightened the black cloak wraped around him.
*Woosh
The winds of the city fluttered his clock and hair. Cold they were yet it brought peace. The calm dim blue sky, the lonely streets and the chill of morning were all things to enjoy.
*Clink
The sound of a curved blade unsheathing reached the wind as the youth held the weapon in his hands.
"I can't give up right now...just...not now." He muttered to himself. The memories of the past were a burden he must carry...and be crushed by them.
*clink
The blade was sheathed