A week has passed since Kanito recovered and now as Yuriel promised, they were heading to the training grounds.
On their way, they noticed that the chariots refused to give them a ride. The common chariots are the most prominent source of public transport in this archipelago country, Bakerheim is a major city too, so it was quite strange.
While they were in the agora, a sentence, a news, spread from lip to lip
"The King is in the city." was the news, which was blowing in the agora and then soon Kanito saw everyone bowing down, one by one like falling leaves, all the heads in the marketplace were lowered.
"Bow !" Yuriel said to Kanito.
A group of men mounted on horses came closer, one of them was wearing a shining blue cloak and a golden crown, his face was clumsy and wrinkled, he had long dark brown hair and beard, that was the the King of the nation, Sarstin Eurashio. Kanito bowed down when he caught a glimpse of the King.
"Subjects of Ashfelt, inhabitants of Bakerheim, how is your morning?" asked the King in a brazen tone.
The people didn't answer.
There was a woman on the streets wearing torn and ragged clothes. The King threw a few silver coins in her direction.
"It's twenty quasars, buy some decent attire." saying that, his lips curled up in pride.
"My Majesty, should we return to Tunicster? To the palace?"
"Yes, now we should. I am too tired anyway. Sirrah, pour wine."
A slave stood near the group of horse mounted men, his waist was tied in dark steel chains, he struggled to move but still somehow poured fresh wine into the King's glass. However while doing so, he dropped the jug of wine from his shaking hands.
The King looked furious and gave somekind of a signal to one of his officials, that official pulled out a whip and struck the slave, making his back bleed.
"Are you insane? These wines are imported exclusively from the beast kingdoms of the south, your entire bloodline won't make up for this loss !"
Kanito was enraged by this scene, he couldn't keep on watching this. He in his world, was a staunch supporter of human rights, he forgot that he is in an another world whose moral values are completely different.
He raised his head standing tall. The King's old eyes fell upon him. Kanito stood infront of the king with a stout face.
"You are in the presence of your King, don't you think you should bow, boy?" That official looked at Kanito. He had a thin face, blond hair and deep green eyes.
Kanito maintained a straight face as he remarked, "His Majesty is willing to trade blood for wine it seems. Wine will oxidize into vinegar, blood won't."
King Sarstin looked utterly confused, "Are you even sober ?" he asked vaguely.
"No my Majesty, he reached the drinking age so he wanted to celebrate. Please forgive him, I beg you." Yuriel interrupted the talk. His strategy of exaggerated words did earn them a pardon from King Sarstin. The King looked at Yuriel for a few seconds fastidiously and then murmured something to that official.
"Oh you? Your face is a known face now isn't it? You are Yuriel, tiny angel Yuriel, hollowed hero Yuriel, aren't you?" the official slowly said with a straight expression.
The words didn't waver Yuriel's resolve and he said with a bowed posture, "Yes my Lord, Yuriel is my name."
The official's mockery didn't end, he kept on belittling him with the same expression.
"Your rescue division only saved one person? But The National Refuge House and also The Central Municipal Hospital of Bakerheim informed us that even that lone person died due to extreme and irreversible injuries. We shouldn't have entrusted you with such a big mission, it was an international loss of prestige."
Kanito's fierce look changed into vague confusion. That lone person is dead? Kanito is that person and he is standing infront of them. He understood that there was a big misunderstanding so he kept quiet and waited for Yuriel's reply.
"I am sorry my Majesty, I will be more vigilant in my rescue missions that are yet to come." Yuriel spoke with much more reverence, ignoring the topic of that 'dead' lone refugee.
"Now that I have seen with my own eyes, you really look like an angel, a pair of wings is all you need. White hair, blue eyes, straight out of picture books. Not being rude but a social worker's job would suit you better. The Blue Branch? Paradise Society? In war-wrecked times, such organisations are proliferating globally. Humans will always find a way to exploit even the cruelest of events. Not to mention, they pay a decent salary." The official's lips accquired a disdaining smile as he said those words. Yuriel's pride was wavered, he became furious inside but maintained his calm.
"Ah enough Marcus, let's go."
The King gave Kanito a confused gaze followed by a threatning one from the official, Marcus and left. The heads slowly raised and everyone went back to their everyday work and the bronze chariots started again. However, some of them were a little joyous and festive for some reason.
"Why did you even pick a fight with them?" Yuriel inquired angrily.
"They tortured the slave, don't you think the other people should've done the same?" Kanito responded with hints of rage in his tone.
"The person behind the king was mocking and name-calling you, I thought your pride meant more than anything to you, why did you stay silent?" Kanito inquired as he caught glances of Yuriel's ashamed face. "That lone refugee is dead? What does that mean?" He further questioned.
Yuriel looked down, annoyed and walked towards the public vehicles. "Your life is worth my shame."
Yuriel and Kanito got onto an open roof chariot to reach the training grounds.
Kanito climbed on it and sat on a seat on the edges while Yuriel sat a seat away.
The chariot started but its speed decreased slowly as the oxes stopped moving. Infront of them was an influx of people in traditional white chitons with black trim.
"Ah, today is the day of Blissful Shadow isn't it?" Yuriel said lounging back on the seat.
"The naoi are always crowded on this day, as they should be." The charioteer replied.
Kanito saw a great temple with a purple tiled roof supported by white columns. People around it's ramp and it's long descending stylobate were gathering with flowers, flesh, wines, nectars and many other offerings in hand.
The charioteer raised a little from the driving seat, he looked at the acoterion and at the designs below the sloping cornice.
"Zeus's naos?" the charioteer asked.
"Yeah, those loosers !" Yuriel exclaimed with a sly smile, rolling his eyes away from the temple.
Yuriel then looked curious and asked, "But doesn't Bakerheim fall under the Prince's Zone?"
"No, not yet." replied the charioteer.
"It will be great if the prince gets this city under his administration, atleast these shrines will get demolished."
The charioteer looked at Yuriel with disappointment. "You don't always have to prove that you're an infidel." He gazed back at the gathering.
Kanito saw that the King who he encountered in the marketplace was also stopping by the temple, offering prayers and that same wine at the wide spread altar infront of the temple.
"Yeah, after what he did to that poor slave, he'll need a lot of prayer to atone for that sin." Kanito muttered.
The charioteer turned back and looked at Kanito, "Your bravery there was so inspiring, if I were one of those financially and socially stable people like you, I would've done the same."
Kanito thought he needs to win the favour of the people of this world inorder to survive, even if the person is a simple charioteer, an ally will always remain an ally, if impressed well.
"I merely endeavored to uphold the values that necessitate vigorous advocacy." Kanito replied, trying to sound as profound and moral as possible.
The charioteer gazed at him with wonder, "Good words and well-pronounced."
Suddenly Kanito's eyes drifted away from the ground and aimed towards the roof of the naos.
Three or four shadowy figures were sitting on the roof looking down at the boisterous crowd below.
Kanito founding it strange, made a worried face and craned his neck to focus his vision on them and then, he became terrified, he instructed loudly, "Veer the chariot, now !"
The charioteer with parted eyes of surprise turned and looked at Kanito. Yuriel too looked at him with doubt.
"What happened?"
"Veer it, quick !"
The charioteer understood that it wasn't a drill, he had to act now, he yanked the reins hard to the right and lurched the vehicle greatly, it's wheels, screeching, rotated immensely to the right.
The shadowy silhouettes took out some red glowing objects and stretched their arms infront.
"Are those explosives?" Kanito exclaimed in a horrified manner.
The goons dropped the explosives down, making them dive through the air but just before it could hit the ground, one of the royal guards attending the King shouted loudly, "Watch out !"
He launched himself towards the King, pushing himself and the King inside the temple while only fractions of a second later, a big blasting sound exploded the streets, shaking the temple, throwing everything into chaos and disarray.
The horses neighed heavily, smoke and dust rose, the altar was destroyed and the streets erupted in flames, massacring hundreds of devotees.
The silhouettes then with precise jumps landed on the ground, they were wearing pitch black trousers and shirts with a black cowl that covered their faces.
The charioteer raced towards the ruined street, some royal guards chased the creators of this madness and the fire brigade arrived after some time.
"Thank you, thank you so much !" Seeing the destruction, the charioteer grabbed Kanito's hands gratefully. with both of his hands and gave them a firm shake. He and his asset of business were saved because of him.
Other officials scurried inside the temple to check on their King, he was alive.
"My Majesty, are you alright?" One of his officials inquired with a concerned look.
Slowly people from other corners came closer to the temple, Kanito picked up a black cowl from the ground, it had a design of an alligator with silver shading on its outlines.
Marcus turned around and saw Kanito holding the cowl. Amidst this turbulence, he saw a prospect of ensnaring him, his lips curled attaining a vicious grin.
"My Majesty, look, he is the plotter of this chaos." Marcus yelled.
Kanito was stupefied, he stared inside the temple at the King with knitted brows.
"See, he is probably plotting something again."
The King was terrified by the sudden destructive events. He stood up with a bewildered look and watched Kanito standing with a confusion and fear mingled face.
"I just found it on the ground, are you insane?" Kanito shook off the fear and instead of running away or begging for mercy, protested strongly, he walked closer to the naos.
"Guards, take him away !" Marcus commanded.
Kanito's eyes squinted in part confusion and part worry, but he had to stick to his principles, a sense of justice and truth again crept into his heart, so he didn't stop defying the claims from Marcus and kept on protesting.
Yuriel was surprised and frustrated, visible in his agape mouth. He pushed through the crowd of people and grabbed Kanito's right arm to restrain him.
"This is not the Human World !" Yuriel with clenched teeth, whispered to him quickly.
"Run away !" He commanded.
"Huh? Why should I ?"
But it was too late to run as the King who valued his safety over everything, in a disorganized and clumsy manner ordered his guards to capture him. The guards looked a little reluctant, however, followed their king's instruction.
Four of them quickly stepped down from the stylobate of the naos and converged around Kanito and bound his arms in cold iron shackles, parting him from Yuriel's hold. Kanito only looked at their impassive faces, doubtfully.
"Sir, he didn't do anything." Yuriel intervened, his hands again clasped Kanito's upper arm, trying to release him from the guard's grip.
Yuriel then turned around swiftly to look at the King who managed to revert to his confident and cruel look. The public who gathered around, alongside the devotees witnessed this scene.
"My Majesty, there's a big misinterpretation. He is still a kid, he didn't do it. Perhaps To show heroism, he picked up the cowl, but he is no goon." Yuriel's words weren't enough to eschew or downplay a critical moment like this.
The King was hesitant, he didn't asses the situation for himself, nor did he act on his will, rather believed his trusted chamberlain, Marcus's words.
"Caution is wise my Majesty. Examine this young man, don't be decived by his unique and charming appearnace. Isn't he the same person who interrupted your walk around the city earlier this morning ? I saw through my own eyes that he didn't run away so that he can pick up his dear cowl." Marcus crafted another lie.
When the blast occured, the people were too devastated to think of anything other than themselves, so it was obvious that the public will neither be able to jeopardize nor save Kanito.
Kanito was being taken away by the guards as Marcus further signaled them not to wait and do what they have to.
The shackles which bound his fists felt like they were draining his soul. Kanito was never this frustrated and distressed. He couldn't believe that such emotions would ever take over him.
He considered himself a calm and composed, polite person, who would stand for what is right and acted that way, but he inwardly cursed himself for it.
Kanito looked down with a shattered heart, he was screaming and yelling in anguish. Small blobs of tears appeared near his eyes as he felt ashamed for showcasing such emotions in public.
With rage and vengeance, he enquired Marcus "What is your name, even?"
The public looked at him strangely, it is considered rude to openly ask for a dignitary's name and he was asking it in a moment like this? It was unthinkable !
Marcus was jolted, but he quickly stabilized his senses and said with a witty smile,
"I am Marcus Nephnis, the Chamberlain of Eurashio family." loud and clear to reach Kanito's ears.
Kanito heard the name and the affiliation closely, repeating it thrice in his mind.
He was put in a black carraige, the four guards tossed him inside the vehicle and then drove away with speed.
-----
The carriage entered an isolated location, it crossed a bridge and reached a large building like place enclosed with brick walls, surrounded by dense trees. It was Bakerheim Central Prison, the huge gates of the buildings opened.
Kanito stepped down the carraige with his rusty shackles held tightly by a guard, they entered the building, Kanito looked at the interiors, frustrated. It had a round cloister which lead to different cells.
"Criminals of your level won't have the luxury to stay there." the guard said, scoffing at him.
"Instead, criminals like you stay here,"
Another guard lowered towards a few planks on the ground which were loosely arranged together with nails.
Two guards pushed the planks, opening it like a lid, revealing a dark blue underground dungeon with stone paved steps leading below.
Three of them slowly headed down the steps while the guard who held the shackles pinched Kanito, indirectly telling him to walk down.
Kanito walked down and as he expected, the place looked suffocating, dark and mysterious, only dim firesticks were embedded on every exterior walls, which seperated cells.
As he stood close to the newel, different pairs of eyes looked upon him, those gazes were from other captured prisoners, it was a macabre scene. It made Kanito abhorrent and repugnant. Kanito's heart beats quickened and he squared his shoulders inorder to appear confident.
One of the guards then turned and gave out a call, a jailor came out from the path adjacent to the cells,
"New criminal?" The jailor said in a lousy way.
The jailor pulled out the keys for the first cell and went closer to them, "And he is this young?"
The jailor first looked surprised but then, he burst out laughing. "My oh my, it's a bliss to be born in this stupid archipelago."
"Did you even pass the drinking age? How old are you? Fifteen?"
"Sixteen." Kanito said through his gritted teeth. But Kanito's anger amused the jailor even more.
"Oh, so one more year to go before you can pop beer bottles."
The jailor walked carelessly, bumping Kanito's shoulders on purpose, and opened the dark portcullis of the cell and pushed Kanito inside.
Kanito entered the dark cell room, tumbling, but somehow managed to stand on his feet. He turned around slightly to catch a glimpse of the jailor.
'Marcus Nephnis, Chamberlain of Eurashio Royal family.'
"And, what is your name?" Kanito asked in a low voice.
The jailor looked gained back the jeering grin, "Whose name? Mine? If mine, then it's Poker, Poker Lope, an evil jailor for evil criminals." his grin widened.
"But I still can't digest the fact, I mean, he didn't even grow a beard" The jailor spread his hands behind the portcullis and tried to pinch Kanito's cheeks, but Kanito immediately retracted. Poker laughed and strolled away.
The royal guards then scurried above the steps leaving Kanito behind the barriers with a face colder than this dungeon, laced with negativity and enormous hatred for this world, for it's inhabitants and for his own fate.
He wanted to cling on to his morals but also wanted to let go of them at the same time so that atleast he could feel bad for himself.
He slowly descended to the floor and imagined about good food, good perfumes, nice attire and beautiful women. He thought of his parents, distant siblings and friends. The image of the blue planet flashed upon his inward eyes repeatedly as he awoke to the realization that he was in a country, a world, he hadn't even seen the map of.