The area around the portal was strictly regulated by the imperial guards and Knights of House Bloodcrest. They had been given explicit permission to bar anyone from entering the portal, except those who had the status of a noble. Even then, the only one's allowed without permission were Dukes and Counts. So, technically Karl had full authority for making use of the portal. The only problem was he couldn't.
Should karl have asked for passage upfront, Aamon's men would've asked for the permit or something. If he had called for his rights, he would be labelled as a man who stole from his people, and the King would receive the report where he supposedly tried to forcefully have his way. It was bullshit, but that was just how things worked in Night Realm.
By letting Edward lead the way, he could sidestep any of the dramas associated with Aamon. This posed its own set of problems, like being called to the capital to state his purpose of leaving the Realm. It didn't help the matters that Vampires were hostile of mages, and any association would only inflame the situation.
It wasn't that Karl hadn't thought of all this beforehand, but more like it wouldn't matter in case of the alternative. If the Crimson Vale was held accountable for illegal trespass, they could at least try to do something about it, but if there was no Crimson Vale to punish, it mattered not if you were labelled a criminal.
That was considering the narrative could be spun in such direction. Even with stacked odds, Karl was sure the King wouldn't do something so stupid. At best he would asked for some remunerations, which he would be glad to pay.
When the trio arrived near the portal, Karl beheld the sight for the second time in his life. It was a glaring circle of energy, with a hole in reality right in the middle. There was nothing but darkness to gaze at, and lingering at the sight only served to draw you in. It was hypnotizing, and dangerously beautiful. And it could've been his, had he not lacked the strength.
Keeping hold of his emotions to stop his body from trembling in rage, Karl followed a few paces behind Edward alongside Aurelia. Their faces were hidden by the cowls on their head, and they held their gazes down.
"Halt." The guard raised a hand. "Show a proof of your identity and state your business."
Edward stepped forward. "Good evening, gentleman." He bowed slightly. "My name is Edward, and I come from the Guild of Light. I have received explicit permission to cross the portal and you're free to check my authorization." Saying so, he pulled out a badge alongside a stack of documents.
The man glanced at the badge and then looked through the documents. He nodded to himself and then looked behind the mage at the two figures. "And who are these?"
Karl stepped forth. "Arthur, Sir, and this is my sister Lucia." He pointed to Aurelia. "We're Lord Magus' assistants."
The guard frowned and turned back with a holler. "Morgan, check these mages out!"
For a tense few seconds nothing happened, then they heard the tottering of steps marching their way. Karl frowned as he felt the presence of another mage, but on some further thought, it did make sense. He was sure the other side also held a vampire on duty.
"Hmm." Karl couldn't make out the man, his head being held low, but he could tell from the smell the man reeked of that he was an alcoholic. "Nothing wrong with them, let them go."
As the words were said, he felt relief wash over him. Usually a mage had higher sensitivity to mana, and could tell if someone was impersonating as of another race. It finally clicked when he recalled the arrangements Edward had supposedly made. He scoffed inwardly.
"You're free to go." The guard said and the trio marched forward. Karl felt anticipation bloom within him as he neared the portal, the thick mana raging from the portal made him take a deep breath. Then he took another step and world lost its shape.
The space bubbled and weaved all at the same time, the ground lost its meaning, and so did the direction. Up was down and down was up. His enhanced perception allowed him to feel each change that took place, and then it was over.
Karl stood atop a concrete block alongside Edward and Aurelia. There was another man beside them who hurried off to the left, probably to relay a message from the other side. Regarding them? He honestly didn't care enough, because what he saw was a giant dome overhead dotted with glowing rocks. There was a sense of organization from the place, and it took him a moment to orient himself and follow Edward, who was already making strides toward a thick metal door.
After showing the same badge to the guard, the man nodded and shouted toward the other guy. There was a click followed by the sound of cogs whirling and hinges creaking. The door swung open to usher the trio into a corridor. Edward moved forward without a word.
"You're free to take off your robes, now." The mage spoke. "Starting from here, the domain belongs to the Guild of Light."
Karl shared a look with Aurelia and shrugged off the cloak. "What is this place?" He asked.
"A facility meant to secure the portal." He replied. "It belongs to the guild."
"This place is fascinating." Aurelia commented. "I have never seen such architecture before."
Edward chuckled at that.
"Is there something funny?" Karl couldn't help but ask.
"You might not believe it, but it could all be attributed to these humans."
"Humans?" Aurelia raised a brow.
"They look similar to us," said Edward, "but lack a mana core, or even any sensitivity to mana. Basically they are mundane."
"Intriguing." Karl voiced. "The fact that they could build an architecture of such make without the use of magic."
Aurelia nodded in agreement, but Edward burst into laughter.
"Alright, what is it this time?" The vampire count glared.
"I'm afraid you haven't seen tip of it." He looked back at the duo. "But you are about to."
The trio had arrived near the end of the corridor where a pair of glass doors stood. As Edward strode through, Karl followed behind alongside his cousin. Just as he stepped foot outside, his gaze was caught by a rush of traffic.
Right before him just past the square, were roads. But these were unlike anything he had ever come across. Karl did not know of asphalt, but more importantly he did not understand the speeding contraptions riding—or rolling?—through this road.
These roads were marked by thin metal posts that provided illumination at this time of the night. Because night it was, in spite what the lights might suggest. His sharp eyes could make out the celestial bodies that were so rare to watch in Night Realm.
And then there were the buildings. They rose as high as some of the tallest towers back home, and they seemed to be made entirely of glass. Some of them at least, as some exhibited artistic expressions in the form of reliefs, glyphs and even paintings of vivid clarity. Hmm? Those paintings seem to be be moving, he thought.
"Stunning, isn't it?" Edward grinned at them as he asked. "Believe me, I have watched the same expression play out many times before and I have never grown tired of it."
"How could they have developed so much without the help of magic?" Aurelia couldn't help but ask.
"They called it science, my Lady," he replied. "And there's our car waiting for us."
He pointed to a black contraption similar to the one Karl had seen on the road. This one though was sleeker, longer and overall better looking. "Car as in carriage?" He asked.
"Hmm." Edward put a thoughtful expression on his face. "Actually yes, you can consider them as carriage. Thought it's better to call them cars."
A man wearing a plain black suit stepped forward to open the door. Inside karl could make out comfortable looking seats and as he watched Edward climb inside, he followed.
As Aurelia took her seat beside him, the door was closed and the man vanished from their view through the window.
"How does this work?" Aurelia twirled mana bands around her fingers as she asked.
"Not on magic, I can tell you." Edward replied with a chuckle. Karl could tell he was enjoying their reaction immensely. Like ignorant children. "While I understand you have a ton of questions you wish to ask, and as much as I would like to enlighten you to these mundane inventions, I believe we have a much more important business to discuss."
Karl nodded and Edward continued. "Though before any of that. You need to understand that humans are unaware of our existence."
"Mages?" Aurelia asked.
"Supernatural." He replied, but when the red eyed girl gave him an inquiring look, he elaborated. "Basically anything that goes bump in the night—in their own wording. Mages, Vampires, Werewolves. And I want you to take extra care in not revealing your origins or doing anything that might push into the boundaries of supernatural in public."
"I believe a change of ensemble is in order." Karl remarked.
"Not just clothes," said Edward. He reached into his pockets to pull out two medallions. "As you already know, our Guild specializes in illusions among other aspects. And since your eyes will definitely make you stand out, you will wear these to mask your identity." He handed one each.
"Since it's already late, we will drop you off at the hotel and you can take some rest." He added. "I will come fetch you tomorrow."