*Click*
Did Valeria just open the closet?
Zorro's massive stature concealed the closet from my view. He was looking at the cupboard too. Just as I began to wonder about Valeria's actions, Zorro reached for the door handle, his fingers grazing the cool metal.
I blurted out, "Zorro, wait! There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that sound." He turned to me, his eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Oh really? I can't wait to hear this."
I cleared my throat, trying to sound calm. "You see, this castle is old, and sometimes the locks get a bit... quirky. They tend to make random clicking sounds without any real reason."
Zorro's expression changed from suspicion to disbelief. "Quirky locks that make clicking sounds? Is that your official explanation, Ed?"
I nodded desperately. "Absolutely, Zorro. It's a well-known quirk of the castle's architecture."
He sighed, a mix of amusement and tiredness in his eyes. "You really think I'm going to buy that, don't you?" I shrugged, attempting to look innocent. "Well, it's the truth."
As Zorro swung the door open, there was nothing there. I let out a sigh of relief as all Zorro saw was a bunch of messed up clothes.
Just then, a familiar raspy voice beckoned to us from behind. "Guys, what are you up to? I just got informed of the Astral nexus alignment ceremony, and I thought I'd discuss what to do about it with you two, and well, this is super convenient." It was Hagen, who opened the door, walked in and made himself comfortable on my bed.
Zorro and I promptly sat down in chairs too, eager to see what he has to hear.
"I read the invite that was sent by Mythria. They wanted us to attend along with the Queen, but we don't have a Queen with us right now so.. what do we do?" Hagen asked the two of us sitting across him, laying down on his side with his hand propping his head up.
We exchanged strained glances with each other, knowing the gravity of the situation thrust upon us.
"What do you think we can do, Hagen?" Zorro inquired, looking to pry into my younger brother's mind.
"Well.. I honestly don't know. Not even a soul outside the royal guard know the queen is missing, and I'm trying my absolute hardest to make sure this news doesn't reach the outside world."
I began to realize the fragility of our position. If people outside the royal guard start to know that the queen is missing, bad actors who were in hiding because of the queen's iron grip on the kingdom will step out of the shadows.
"This is a dangerous game we're playing." Zorro said, with a serious voice. "Yeah, this is indeed dangerous. The first order of business is to actually try and identify who the mysterious intruders are."
"Speaking of identification, why don't we give the Resonant Chronicles Citadel a try?" Hagen piped up, and Zorro and I instantly looked at each other in shock.
I stood up from my seat. Fuck, I had totally forgotten about the Chronicles citadel. "The citadel would have a record of them entering or leaving the empire right?" I asked , my tone impatient.
Zorro tapped his hand on the table, and responded "yes, it should, and we should go and read it to find out more.
Hagen sat up from his sleeping position, and raised his hand, asking permission to speak the formal way. That is how nobility converse with each other here in Heraklion, asking each other for turns to speak. I immediately obliged, and sat down and focused on what Hagen had to say.
"Ed, can you go and check the citadel to see what sort of information you can get on Gelidra, and Zorro and I in the meantime will come up with something as a response to the invitation to the nexus." Hagen gave his take on the situation, and to be honest, it isn't a bad one.
Zorro added on to it "Yeah, and maybe take your moonshadow along with you--"
The closet door swung open, and a stylishly dressed Valeria stepped out.
"I am NOT his moonshadow!"
Zorro and I turned our heads in surprise to see Valeria, looking more spirited than ever.
Hagen burst into laughter, a mischievous grin on his face. "Well, well, well, Valeria, if you're not his moonshadow, what are you doing hiding in there?"
Valeria's eyes widened, and then realization dawned on her. She rolled her eyes dramatically, putting a hand on her hip. "Oh, you've caught me. I was just having a tea party with the closet ghosts. They have quite the gossip, you know?"
Zorro chuckled "I always knew that you had a way with spirits, Valeria."
"Well, the closet's loss is our gain!" Hagen said, adding insult to injury, and Valeria's presence slowly started to shrivel.
"Valeria, you heard us. Wanna make haste now?" Zorro said in a more commanding tone.
Valeria was uncomfortable, but seeing Zorro's grin, she finally let out a small grin, and gave a salute.
"Your wish is my command, sir."
With that exchange, all of us quickly went our own ways.
I immediately hopped into another set of formal attire, and I took on the Identity of Mr. James again.
To say that the Citadel was a magical marvel would be an understatement. This citadel was initially constructed by the founding fathers of the Heraklion Empire, and it was imbued with a special Nexal spell that will grab basic information of any person entering or exiting the kingdom like name, race, class , and age
It then has a fully automated bookkeeping system, where astral magic is used to perpetually power the records as they write down each and every bit of info, and they get alphabetically stored in the archives of the citadel.
Valeria and I made our way through the bustling streets of Heraklion, our steps hastened by a sense of urgency. The sun's golden rays bathed the city in a warm glow, reflecting off the polished stones of the buildings and casting long shadows along the cobblestone pathways. The people of Heraklion were already going about their daily routines, but today was anything but ordinary for us.
As we approached the towering entrance of the Chronicles Citadel, a hushed awe settled over us. The citadel's grand archway was adorned with intricate carvings that depicted scenes of historical significance – battles, alliances, and moments of triumph. The doors themselves were made of a smooth, iridescent material that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly glow.
Valeria and I exchanged a glance, both of us sharing the same feeling of reverence for this ancient place. The bustling noise of the city seemed to fade away as we stepped into the citadel's foyer. The interior was even more breathtaking. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of leather-bound tomes, scrolls, and manuscripts. The air was heavy with the scent of aged parchment and the faint trace of magic.
A large circular desk stood in the center of the room, where a young man with spectacles perched on his nose was busy transcribing information from a stack of documents onto a massive tome. The flickering candles around him provided an almost ethereal illumination.
Valeria and I approached the desk, and the young scribe looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Welcome to the Chronicles Citadel. How may I assist you?"
I cleared my throat, trying to sound composed. "We're here to access the records regarding a certain individual's entrance and exit from the kingdom."