"From this point onward, that's not your choice to make, kid!" declared one of the dozen guards as they stormed into the meeting room, encircling Talon and pointing their halberds at him.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? I never asked for any of this! What did I ever do to you?!" shouted Talon, waving the torn arms of the huntsman, Striker.
"Silence, you goddamn freak! You better stand down, or we will cut you down without a second thought!" shouted back one of the guards, poking him with his halberd, injuring Talon.
"Just try it again, you bastard!" growled Talon, and the mist thickened in the room, empowering him. However, as the mist swirled, his control over emotions lessened, and his feelings went haywire.
"What are you idiots waiting for, this kid is obviously dangerous, kill h—!" Archer cried out to the guards in her frustration. But she was interrupted by the blade drawing closer to her throat, drawing a bit of blood from her neck.
"I would advise you to shut your mouth, Archer," silently growled Paul to the huntsman before turning to the guards with a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well, it seems like quite a predicament. If you boys do anything to that dumb kid, I will slit the throat of your boss. I figured that you lovely lads would do the same, so why don't we slowly back down and talk this down like civilized folks?"
While Paul's words were coated with honey, his sword pressed just a bit deeper into Archer's neck.
"We've all had enough of your shit, Paul! We let you into the headquarters and gave you the title of an adviser, so you think you hold even a tiny bit of power. If not for his majesty, both of you would burn on a stake. Never forget, Paul, you're just one of these rats, nothing more, nothing less. But you really just had to step out of your line you filthy rat!?" screamed Striker in agony while lying on the ground, holding his bloody stump.
"I think that it's quite enough, all of you act high and mighty, that we are filth or bugs that need to be squashed. But, do you know what's so funny about this?" Asked Damian, but his question was rhetorical, as he didn't wait for an answer before he continued. "The prey tries to threaten the predators."
The temperature of the room has dropped several degrees as Damian readied himself to unleash the full power of his gift.
"I apologize for interrupting this meeting, but His Majesty the King calls for Paul Stargazer, Damian Frost, and one of the four catastrophes, if I'm not mistaken, Talon, is that correct?" inquired a mysterious man who appeared abruptly ignoring the chaos unfolding within the meeting room.
His aura was imposing and elegant, the way he carried himself suggesting the nobility of a knight.
Clad in heavy armor with gray and blue hues, he bore the insignia of Rondor, a massive obsidian serpent enclosed within the emblem. His hazel eyes and brown hair framed a face that exuded authority, his muscular body couldn't be hidden, even behind the heavy armor.
The man's sudden appearance snapped Talon out of his trance, and the mist that had filled the whole room started to fade. The boy meekly nodded in acknowledgment to the man.
"Cedric!" exclaimed Damian in joy, jumping at the knight named Cedric, and attempting to hug him. To his dejection, Cedric masterfully dodged Damian's attempt, leaving him hugging nothing but air.
"Is this how you greet a friend, you cold bastard?" complained Damian.
"I say this for the last time, Damian, we are not friends," declared Cedric with a monotonous tone.
"Well… not with this attitude, you mean bastard," complained Damian.
"I have no time for your idiocy, Damian! His Majesty awaits all of your attendance in his court, especially the catastrophes…" Sir Cedric paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "We don't have time, I apologize to the four huntsman, but we have to go."
"Are you kidding me?! This monster tore my arm off, and now you just want to take him away without punishing him? No, forget punishing him, he is just too dangerous to keep alive!" Striker screamed from the ground, his fury knowing no bounds at this point.
'Again with these… it's not like I remember doing that… No! Why should I even feel apologetic, that bastard attacked me out of nowhere and suddenly he is the victim. Why do I have to suffer from this, why can't I have peace for just a little bit… Why?!' Screamed Talon inside his own mind, not showing the anger he felt on his face.
"That will be decided by His Majesty. Are you implying that your words hold more weight than his?" questioned Cedric. His monotonous voice took on a threatening tone, "Such a claim could be deemed treasonous." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Of course, I wouldn't go against His Majesty's words..." Striker muttered through gritted teeth.
"Then it's time to go, we shouldn't keep His Majesty waiting," said Paul as he sheathed his sword, no longer posing a threat to Archer's life. Despite his efforts to conceal it, a faint smile lingered on his face.
Paul slowly walked to Talon's side and tapped his shoulder. "Shouldn't you drop that arm already?"
Upon realizing that he still held the torn arm in his hands, Talon screamed in terror and dropped it to the floor. A chuckle escaped Damian as he walked to Talon's side and picked up the severed limb.
"We shouldn't make this ring go to waste," Said Damian, while removing the ring from the torn arm, then tossed it to Talon.
"You will make good use of this ring in the future, and it's better for you to use it than these bastards," stated Damian. As he began to walk towards the door, he gave a simple wave of his hand, indicating for Talon to follow him. Naturally, Paul joined them, and the three followed Cedric.
Before leaving the meeting room, Damian waved goodbye to the four huntsmen with a wide grin on his face, not bothering to hide it.
Striker stared back at him with a murderous look through gritted teeth, Archer mimicked his expression, while Aegis couldn't even do that as he was still frozen solid to the wall. The only one who waved back was Lance, still sitting in his chair, he offered them a friendly wave before they left.
After leaving the meeting hall, the knight named Cedric led the three outside of the headquarters. A golden-decorated carriage awaited them, carried by two muscular white stallions.
Cedric opened the carriage door and assisted Talon in boarding. The inside of the carriage had velvet cushioning, offering comfort to the three while traveling to the heart of the capital, the king's palace.
They did not have to wait for long. After the three of them boarded, Cedric mounted his horse and rode to the front of the caravan, which was escorted by members of the royal guard.
"Paul—" Talon attempted to ask a question, but he was interrupted. "I've told you countless times, that it's Sir Paul for you, or at the very least, Mr. Paul." Said Paul, while his blood pressure began to rise.
"Paul, can I ask something?" Talon ignored Paul's earlier remark, but upon hearing the meekness in his voice, Paul chose to overlook his disrespectful behavior once again.
"What is it, brat?"
"What… What am I?" Talon gave an almost teary look to Paul.
"You are gifted, just like us, but the potential inside of you is far greater than any of us. That doesn't make you a monster. You have nothing to worry about," Paul tried to reassure the boy. However, he couldn't shake off his mixed feelings, the doubt, the anger, the fear—these emotions still lingered. Yet he still had unanswered questions, so he meekly asked.
"All of you said that I'm one of the four catastrophes… but what are these catastrophes exactly? And if you knew about me because of your Foresight, what do you know of the other three?"
Paul took a deep breath before responding to Talon. "They are called the Catastrophes, but they are just gifted… gifted that will cause destruction on a scale never seen before. They will be the first four in the history of our continent to be rated Black among the gifted.
We don't know a lot about their gift, yours is a mystery as well. We only know that it's based on some kind of mist."
Paul paused his explanation for a bit before he continued. "We really don't know a lot, but we managed to unveil the names of the future Catastrophes and their current locations. You were easy to find, the others are too vague, so it was impossible for us."
"The Catastrophe that currently resides in Edoran is called the Catastrophe of Plagues. In the Roan kingdom, the one named Legion is present. Meanwhile, in Avaron, the one called Ruler resides. As for the last of the Catastrophes, you... you will be feared by all as the Catastrophe of Fog."