Sir Gregory Van Luther walked inside the chief's room. He leisurely approached Sir Wilson, who was sitting on his table while reading a book. "This book contains the history of the Van Luther family, the most prominent lineage in our classified society," the chief said, and then he instantly closed the book. "I can't believe that one day we are going to write a mortifying story just to record your history, Sir Gregory Van Luther," Wilson added. Sir Gregory looked unhappy with what he heard, but he knew he was right. "Please have a seat; I know you're quite tired from meeting all five of us. What would you like? Coffee or tea? "The chief asked. "A glass of water will do," Gregory answered. "I see. Felix, would you mind? A cup of tea for me and a glass of water for our guess," Sir Wilson asked his assistant. "One moment, sir," Felix answered as he walked away from the two gentlemen.
While waiting for their drinks, Sir Wilson stood up and walked closely to the bookshelf. He was holding the book he was reading a minute ago. "Did you know the story of the two great generals? "The chief suddenly asked. "No, what about it? "Sir Van Luther answered. "Long ago, there were two great generals who swore to protect their king and the kingdom. They defeated all their enemies at war; they are unstoppable and invincible. The two generals were known as the Twin Dragons since, in every battle, they were inseparable and had each other's backs, winning every war side by side. When the war ended, the two generals were rewarded with lots of treasure and massive land to govern. Then the king got sick; he has no heir to the throne, so the palace got worried, but the king is a wise one; he knew that this would happen, so he made an arrangement to choose who would be next on the throne. The two generals are the candidates, but they must fight for it. Whoever wins will be the next king. The night before their battle, they decided to have a drink together, as brothers, for the last time. They poured each other's glasses and drank until they got drunk, but suddenly they collapsed; they were both poisoned. It turns out that the two of them intended to kill each other before their battle, resulting in their tragic ends. After losing the Twin Dragon and the king, the kingdom falls into the hands of the invaders. The end," the chief narrated as he kept on searching from the bookshelf. "Such a tragedy; if only they had talked about it, maybe the kingdom wouldn't fall," Gregory replied. "Indeed, so tell me, Sir Gregory, is there anyway I can convince you to change your proposal? You know that I can easily change your punishment if I want to, but since I highly respect your family, I have given you a chance. I thought you would give yourself lighter sentences, but I was wrong. You planned to commit suicide," Chief Wilson said. "It's not suicide; it's a rescue mission and an act to save the world," Sir Van Luther answered. "Then tell me, which will go first, saving your sister? Or saving the world? "Asked by the chief as he ambled back to his seat. Felix entered the room, and he served the gentlemen's drink. He then politely made a gesture, asking to leave, and the chief just nodded, granting permission. "I don't have to choose; I can accomplish both," Sir Van Luther responded. "The two generals have chosen the throne for their own sake. They were blinded by power and wealth. Did you think you wouldn't make the same mistake in the future? Your sister is the throne, and the kingdom is our world," Sir Wilson asked. "Perhaps you don't know how serious our problem is. How does a single book ruin entire humanity? ," the chief added. Sir Gregory didn't know what to say; he couldn't disagree since all the things the chief said could be further from the truth. He drank some of his water while thinking of a good response. "Maybe you can enlighten me on how crucial our situation is," Gregory said. "Well, maybe you've heard about the heroism of your great ancestor, Isaac Van Luther, right? How about the legacy he left behind? "The chief asked while taking a sip of his tea. "You mean those books, armor, weapons, and treasure preserved in our home? Sir Van Luther replied. "Those things have been passed down from previous generations, but Sir Isaac's true legacy was the book your family kept hidden for a long time," Sir Wilson responded as he put down his cup. "I'm aware of the importance of that book, but I don't know that it was from the greatest mage that saved the world once," Gregory replied. You can see from his face that he's quite surprised. "Now you know, and one more thing: that book is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. It was not just a book; it was a grimoire. It contains all the magic spells and invocations that Sir Isaac knew. Imagine if the witch queen wields it against mankind; the world might finally fall apart," the chief said. Hearing those words, Sir Gregory was filled with remorse and shame. "How about a deal, Sir Gregory? I will approve your suggestion if you will guarantee the book's retrieval. Whatever you do, you shouldn't let the witch queen have it," offered the chief. Gregory sighs; he hesitates to answer, then says an unaudible word. The chief smirked and said, "You're a brave one, Sir Gregory. I don't know how you would do this, but if you manage to pull it off, then we won't have a problem. Consider this a deal; see you tomorrow, Sir Van Luther." Both gentlemen stood up and shook each other's hands. When Gregory left the room, the chief sat down and said, "You're an interesting one, Sir Gregory; let's see how far you can go." Along the way, Gregory saw Felix and said, "Would you mind showing me the way to the guess room? "Sir Van Luther asked. "No, sir, please follow me," Felix answered. When they finally reached the guess room, Felix suddenly uttered, "All of the things you need are already in this room; please excuse me." Gregory just nodded, then he entered the room.
Sir Van Luther locked the door and put his blade down on the bed. He took off his clothes and went for a shower. As he was cleaning himself, he heard a low noise coming from the bed. He put on a robe and went to look for the noise. He was surprised when he saw who was making the noise; it was the grave digger. "What are you doing here? "Gregory asked. "Oyoyoy, is that how you greet an old friend? "The grave digger replied while holding and rubbing Gregory's blade. "That blade is mine," Sir Van Luther angrily said as he grabbed the blade from the grave digger. "I'm not here to get it back; we just have an unfinished business, my friend," Dante responded. "Our pact is done right; what else do you want? "Asked by the confused Gregory. "Our pact? It's definitely done, but you and your blade? Not yet. You can't use it's full potential if you don't tame it," the grave digger explained. "Tame it? Like a wild animal? But how? "Gregory asked again. "Figures, my friend, what I'm saying is you need to awaken your weapon first, or you can't use it effectively against your enemies," explained again by Dante. "So what am I gonna do? "Gregory replied. "You need to get dressed first before we proceed," the grave digger answered. Gregory immediately wears his clothes and puts on his shoes. "I'm ready," Sir Van Luther said. The grave digger smiled and waved his hand. The whole room instantly filled with fog. Gregory couldn't see anything. "Where are you? What's happening here? "Sir Van Luther shouted. "Silence, and let the blade do the talking," Dante replied, but it seems like he was far away, and his voice is echoing all over the place. It was too late when he noticed that the blade he was holding was gone. He tried to search for it, but the fog was too thick. Then he heard the soft voice of a girl whispering in his ears and said, "Are you looking for me? "Gregory startled and looked around; she was laughing, teasing the confused man. "Who are you? "Gregory asked. In an instant, a part of the fog caught a mild wind, then a silhouette was formed, and a girl appeared. She has scarlet eyes, long black hair, and wore a long silver dress. "I am vengeance; if you want my power, you must prove it," the girl said. "What should I do? "Gregory asked. The girl came closer to him and whispered something. He was frightened by what he heard. He took a breath for a moment, then nodded. The girl understood that Gregory agreed with her condition. "To complete our pact, there's one last thing I must do," said the girl. Then she lifted one of her hands, and it turned into a blade. "We must kill your infirmity," she said, then quickly stabbed Gregory's heart. He felt an excruciating pain, causing him to fall down. Lots of memories flashed back to him, until he totally collapsed and lost consciousness. The fog gradually disappeared, and the room went back to normal. Gregory was lying on the bed like nothing happened, the grave digger was gone, and the night was quite like death.
The morning came, and everyone was prepared for the continuation of the trial. Henry decided to check on Gregory; he knocked several times, but no one was answering. He tried to ask Felix if he saw Sir Van Luther leaving his room, but he said he had never seen him since he entered the room last night. Henry got worried, so he asked Felix for the key. He used the key to open the door, and when they walked inside, they heard the shower open in the bathroom. "Sir Gregory? Are you here? "Henry shouted. The shower stopped, and the bathroom's door opened. They saw Sir Van Luther, half naked. "Sorry for our intrusion; Sir Henry got worried, so we walked inside to check on you," Felix said. "Why on earth, you're not answering?! "Henry asked annoyingly. "I'm sorry, you see, I'm in the shower," Gregory replied with a solemn voice. "Whatever, just prepare yourself; everyone is waiting for you," Henry responded, and then they both walked out of the room. As they walked away from the room, Felix said, "You worry too much, sir." Henry looked at him, then took a glance at Gregory's room. "Something was off about him," Henry said to himself.
All of the council members were already in their seats. Henry and Felix are the witnesses, and when Sir Gregory Van Luther finally entered the courtroom, the trial resumed. "We are the council, and we are here to announce our decisions regarding the verdict for Sir Gregory Van Luther's misdemeanor," Chief Wilson loudly pronounced. Everyone was quiet, waiting for what would happen in the courtroom. Gregory's face had no traces of tension or fear. "We will now begin voting for your punishment. Starting with me, I'm going to approve your suggestion," the chief said. Everyone was surprised. "How about you, Lady Cornswell? "The chief asked. "Well, for me, it was still an insane and impossible journey. I'm sorry, but I have to reject it," Stella said. The chief took a glance at Sir Mitchell, and then Luke said, "I admire your courage, Sir Gregory, but we can't afford to lose the last member of the Van Luther ancestry. I'm sorry about your sister, but I have to decline your proposal." The silence brought more tension for everyone in the room. "About my view on this matter, I believe Sir Gregory is capable of doing this. In fact, I've prepared a suitable suit for him. I'm honored to inform you, Sir Van Luther, that I, Owen Brooke, member of the coucil and commander of the hunting group, give you my approval for your otherworld expedition," Sir Owen loudly said. "I never imagined that we would have a tie; it's up to you, Sir Gilby, to break it," the chief said as he looked at Sir Alville. "I hate to admit it, but you are our only hope for retrieving the book; the fate of this world is in your hands. We can't let the witch queen sow terror once again. Therefore, I'm approving your proposal," Sir Gibly said, and the whole room was surprised by his decision. "You better not die there, you fool," Gilby added. "That concludes this trial, Sir Gregory; you've been given permission by this council to explore the otherworld. Now state your mission," the chief said. "I am Gregory Van Luther, the head of the Van Luther family, and I swear to accomplish my mission in the other world. I will kill the witch queen, retrieve the book, and save my sister," Sir Gregory shouted. Everybody was shocked by what they heard, while the chief was smirking. The trial ended with a deafening silence. Sir Gregory leaves the room, while the council members still cannot believe what happened. "Tell me, chief, are you the one who made that deal with Sir Gregory? "Asked by Luke while everyone was listening. "No, he is the one who volunteered. At first, I thought he was just bluffing about it, but when I saw him a while ago, I knew he had what it takes," answered the chief. "To kill the witch queen? That's ridiculous," Stella uttered in frustration. "It looks like I'm the one responsible for his death," Gilby said. "Don't say that; we all saw how determined he is. He can do this; just wait for it," Owen responded. The council members also leave the room one by one; Henry and Felix are the only ones left. "Tell me I am dreaming," said Henry. "No, sir, this is all real," Felix answered.
To finally start his journey, Gregory quickly packed his things. Felix and Henry accompanied him to the portal, which was located a couple of miles from the headquarters. While the three of them were leaving the council, Chief Wilson and Owen were watching them from the balcony. "He's not the Sir Gregory we've met yesterday, right? "asked by Owen. "He's still the same person, but with different reasons to fight for," the chief answered. When they no longer saw those three who had left, the two gentlemen walked inside the headquarters.
Upon arriving at the portal, Felix approaches Gregory and says, "Sir Owen wanted to give you this." He hands over a black leather jacket to Sir Van Luther. "Sir Brooke said it was made with durable leather but lightweight; you can be exceptionally agile wearing this," he added. "Thank you," Gregory replied. "Now this is goodbye, until next time, Sir Gregory," Henry said, then he inserted a glowing crystal on the portal's mechanism. The portal opened gradually, and Henry nodded to Gregory, implying that he could enter the portal now. Gregory slowly walks towards the portal until he is completely gone. When Henry confirms that Gregory is on the other side, he quickly removes the crystal. Felix and Henry took a breath for a while, then left and went back to the council.
Meanwhile, Gregory finally arrived in the other world. It was dark, like the sun never rises in this world. The air's different but still breathable for a human like him.