The Xanthos kingdom, Javier sneaked into the Royal castle and jumped up to a window at the side. He knocks twice
"Psst, Ethan". Javier lowly whispered
There was a low tumble coming from the inside and a young man of about 17 years rushed to open the window.
"Lord Javier-!"
Ethan couldn't finish his word when Javier punches him straight in the face. The youngster was sent flying across the room.
"Will you not change your mind!?" Javier barked at him
"No, I will not!" He held his face and whimpered
Javier simply sat by the window seal, "I understand your situation but-"
"No, you don't" He slowly stood up and ambled towards the window. "You don't understand my pain, Lord Javier"
"Look" He tried persuading him again
"I don't belong here". Ethan stated with conviction
"And what makes you think you belong among my Vassals?"
"It's better than the shitty life I'm living here" Ethan retorted. "Given my hair color, I'm not supposed to be here. Plus my mom refuses to send me to my real family's kingdom, my dad is dead, I'm just... It's really suffocating, this place"
Javier blinked. He was born into a family with blonde hair, but he had blue hair. Even if I understand his mother wouldn't want to give him up to the kingdom of Azraq (blue hair), why would she treat him like he isn't her son? Problem is, even he doesn't know.
"This is your last chance to change your mind. The problems you'll be facing with us at the frontlines will be way worse" Javier looks him in the eye and says coldly, "You won't know when you die"
"I'm good with swords too!"
Javier, "...Hm?" He was a bit confused, "Did you listen to what I just said? "
"Yeah, everyday is going to be thrilling right? No problem!" Ethan grinned. "Besides, you need a new Vassal, that's why you haven't straight out rejected me"
"I could flat out reject you if I want." Javier rolled his eyes. "You don't even have any abilities, how are you supposed to help at the frontlines"
"Like I said, I'm good with swords!". He grinned again, "While my other cousins practiced on their abilities, I honed my sword skills every single-"
Javier raised his eyebrow
"Three times a week!"
Javier sighed helplessly. "What do I do?" he was clearly exasperated. It is true that I'm missing a Vassal, ever since Del died.
"You know what, alright. But don't say I didn't warn you". Javier warned again
"Yeah, sure". Ethan said, grabbing his suitcase, "Let's go!"
He's even prepared a suitcase. "I'm going to have to tell your mom first-"
"No, don't". He turned cold, "There's a high chance she might try to stop me."
Javier looked on, "Write her a letter then"
"I've written one"
Javier, "..."
...
"I've given it to her, can we go now?"
Javier stands up from where he was sitting. He strode towards Ethan, grabbed his collar, opened a portal, and threw him inside. His eye landed on a picture of a woman with long dark blue hair similar to Ethan's. "She seems awfully familiar". Without giving it too much thought, he jumped into his portal, with it closing from behind.
It hadn't been long since Javier had thrown Ethan into his castle, but when he also came in through the portal, the scene before him was chaotic. "What's going on"
Nathan had tackled Ethan and was now holding him in a headlock. "It's an intruder!"
"Kill him! He's probably an agent of Ray's" Mathias grinds his teeth
"Burn him alive!" Kelvin said with a cute smile on her face, but madness in her eyes
"Calm down" An incoming Sebastian said
"We'll wait for Javier to come back" Reo sat by the window, disinterested.
"And where the hell is Felix!?" Nathan shouted
"He's dead!" Kelvin said with as much enthusiasm
"He's not dead!" Felix squints his eye as he walked towards the group
"We'll wait for Javier to come then." Nathan tightened his grip on Ethan's neck
"You're not even listening to me". Ethan was almost foaming in his mouth. "And who is this child?"
"I am not a child!!" Nathan squeezed his throat
"What are you doing?" Javier asked as he came out of the shadows
"Lord Javier!" Kelvin laughed and hugged him, she then proceeded to climb him like a tree until he gave her a piggyback.
"It's a Specter!" She said from behind
"What? That's clearly a human" Javier raised an eyebrow
Ethan was choking,
"Nathan, don't kill him"
"Hmph" He jumped down from Ethan's neck and sat on the floor. "Who is this?"
Javier looked at Nathan and then at the others. "If he doesn't die anytime soon" he pointed with his thumb. "That's going to be my seventh Vassal"
Of course this news was surprising, so they all looked at Javier with widened eyes and scrutinizing gazes.
"And what makes you think he won't die like the previous ones?" Nathan frowned
"No, I won't". Ethan raised a finger and protested from where he was laying.
"Shut up". Nathan kicked him by the side
"Ow".
"I... Won't let that happen". Javier had a bit of regret in his tone. He walked with lethargy into his room to retire for the night. "Nathan, show Ethan to his room. Yeah, his name is Ethan"
'Nathan, Ethan'
All eyes fell on Ethan, and then Nathan. They made mocking signs at him but Nathan could only cover his face in shame.
Why were their names so similar...!
...
It was morning, and things were pretty lively at the castle.
Nathan was chasing Mathias with fire in his palms, Kelvin, believing she was 'one' with the air crossed her arms and threw herself out the window while Reo rushed to her aid. Sebastian was dozing off in the kitchen as the food he was cooking continued to burn.
Meanwhile, Felix and Ethan sat down by the dining table chatting.
"Really?" Ethan was amused
"Yeah!" Felix laughed at him
Nathan, who was getting tired, came around and saw them talking.
Curious, he asked. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Girls! Sir Felix just told me that-" Ethan tried to explain but Felix just slapped his mouth shut
"Nothing, I'm just teaching this clueless kid things" He smiled
Nathan, who knew Felix all too well, squints his eyes in disgust. "Cringe bastard"
"Now, that's pretty rude." Felix looked him in the eye. "My son"
"I'll murder you!" Nathan, infuriated, rushed at Felix with a large ball of fire in his palms while Felix stood up and attempted countering with his ice ability.
"Stop" Javier came in, "It's too early to start fighting"
"He called me his son!" Nathan reported at the verge of tears
Javier squints his eyes in cringe also. "Continue"
While Nathan and Felix continued their fight, Ethan ran to Javier's side.
"Lord Javier, is this what everyday life is like in your castle?" He shielded himself from falling shards of ice.
"Yeah, pretty much". Javier slid his arm into his portal and grabbed a slice of bread on the table a few feet away and pulled his arm back out. As he munched on the bread with his other hand in his pocket, he said. "If they're not like this, then something is wrong."
"But when I see your Vassals or Agents, they're always calm and composed". Ethan was really in wonder
"Calm? Composed?". Javier laughed out loud, "Don't make me laugh! "
"You just did". Ethan muttered under his breath
"Whenever we're home, they're..." Javier chewed on his bread, "Disrespectful sons of b*tches"
"Really?" Ethan looked about to see the Vassals he respected so much he wanted to be just like them. Acting like children...? Is that the correct way to put it?
Sebastian exited the kitchen and into the dining hall. "Kelvin, come help me serve"
"Oh, alright!" Kelvin, who still had twigs and leaves in her hair, ran to help Sebastian.
"Felix, Nathan, sit". Javier sat down on a chair
"You insignificant-". Nathan and Felix kept on fighting without paying attention to him.
"I'm tired". Javier dropped his head on the table.
"Food is served!".
The rest came around and took their seats.
Kelvin smilingly set down the plates and served everyone. "Omelet rice! A popular Japanese dish from the 21st, or 20th century whichever had the most technology then"
Everyone silently said their prayers and took one spoon before- cough! Sorry, ahem
In resonance, all their spoons clattered on their plates as they dropped it one after the other.
Javier put his hands down and looked about for a while before turning to face the blonde who had been in the kitchen since forever.
"Sebastian, are you trying to kill us?" He asked softly
"No, I would have done that a long time ago". Even he couldn't eat the absurd masterpiece he created. The outside was bright and radiant, while the inside was blackened and burnt it charred their tongues.
"You just might be wrong blondy". Felix looked down at the ominous energy coming from the inside of the dish.
"Yeah, this can kill a healthy person". Mathias pitched in
"You should get arrested for this" Nathan raised an eyebrow
"Ugh". Sebas groaned in annoyance, "I'm not cooking next time. I won't"
"Yeah, you do that" Felix conceded at his declaration
"This is why we need a girl in the house". Mathias nearly cried as he tapped his spoon on his plate.
Javier dropped his head on the table again.
"Why don't I go make something for all of us!" Kelvin smiled angelically
"Kelvin~". Mathis wiped fake tears
"That's my girl" Javier said wryly
"Don't destroy the kitchen" Nathan said from the side, "That's Sebastian's job"
"No problem!" Kelvin enthusiastically ran outside
An hour and thirty minutes had passed by and Kelvin was not yet back from the kitchen.
"Someone should go help Kelvin" Javier said, his head still on the table
Whoosh!
Kelvin swung the door open and pushed in an utility cart with several lavish food and drinks loaded on it.
"Kelvin, it's supposed to be breakfast" Javier just stared blankly
"It looks like breakfast to me". At this point, Reo could eat anything
"Breakfast is served!" She beamed happily as she swayed over to the dining table to serve them.
"She came from heaven". Ethan almost had his soul leave him
"She's an angel." Mathias continued with his tears
"It looks yummy". Nathan couldn't help saying. "It's a mistake compliment" he quickly said right after, "Actually it's not a compliment"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm glad you like it". Kelvin smirked
"I didn't say I did!" Nathan slammed his palms on the table
"It smells good". Felix drooled
As soon as she served them, they all dug in without any hesitation.
And once again, they set their spoons and forks down. One looked at the other with dreaded eyes, while the other would look back at him with sympathetic gazes.
Ethan just fell silent, deep in thought of the unknown.
"What's wrong? Why's everyone not eating?" Kelvin asks
"Nothing, it's good Kelvin. Thanks for the meal". Javier smiled at her
"No, it's gross". Felix bluntly stuck out his tongue
Kelvin kept her head down sniffing.
"Well, I think it's wonderful. I still don't know what the problem is with it that it just can't seem to come down your throat" Reo was confused, "But it's good, you can do better next time"
"Hehe, thank you Reo". Kelvin blushed
"Not to mention it's salty" Nathan sipped on a cup of water
"And too sweet" Ethan chipped in
"But at the same time, bitter" Sebastian folded his arms at such wonders
"It's overcooked" Felix said again
"And undercooked" Mathias laughed
"Well, it's that overcooked but undercooked salty, bitter sweet meal you're eating this morning so get to it". Javier urged them
They looked at the food in front of them with cringy eyes as they slowly put in their mouths spoon after spoon with consecutive intervals in between.
"I'm ganna puke"
Just when they thought things couldn't go any more wrong, they felt unimaginable shivers down their body that momentary pauses were unavoidable.
Ethan was shocked to see them like that, one minute they were eating in contemplation, the other they were breaking sweats in eerie silence.
"What's wrong?" Ethan choose his words carefully
No one replied, they all dropped their cutleries, wiped their mouths, and proceeded to roll up their sleeves while others got up to take weapons.
Felix, who was beside him, created ice and began to shape it in the form of a sword, while Kelvin went upstairs to her room only to come back with her short brown staff In hand. Reo, who had also unknowingly disappeared came back to the dining hall with a changed outfit and six daggers which he proceeded to tuck into his clothes and boots. Mathias on the other hand seemed unperturbed as he fiddled with his fingers. It was something that had to do with his abilities, Ethan thought. Sebastian and Nathan sat still.
"You ready?" Javier, with his arms folded asks
"Yes" His Vassals replied almost immediately with no traces of emotion on their faces.
"Alright then" Javier stood up, "Let's go."
They all headed to the back window where they could see the view of what was usually a never ending barren land now we're filled to the brim with black masses.
"What's going on?" Ethan whispered to Nathan
"Those creatures that manifest from human fears and hunt those who fear them. What are they called? Ethan" Nathan asks Ethan
"They're Spectres right?" Ethan couldn't get where this was coming from
"Then what do you call a group of Spectres? "Nathan asks again
"Shadowfalls". Ethan replied as he followed behind him closely
"Now you're going to see what Emperors and we Vassals fight against. This dreaded position you ever so gratefully accepted like it was some walk in the park. Well, just take a look yourself" Nathan gestured for Ethan to take the lead and when he did, he was faced with the sight of humanoid beings made from formed black mists with bodies which seemed to swoosh and flicker like shadows.
"Aren't these tens of- no, hundreds of thousands!" Ethan widened his eyes in awe. He squirmed under the sheer numbers of the Spectres
"And it's this hundreds of thousands of Shadowfalls we see two to three times a month" Nathan stared numbly at the approaching mass
"What do you suppose we call that?" Javier snickered as he watched Ethan's amused expression
Ethan paused for a few minutes as he internally strengthened his resolve. ''Shadowfall Invasion".