Amaris slowly descended as a cold chill entered the air of Novius' room.
"I came to visit you three hooligans just two hours ago, and Novius told me you were missing after you put on a suit that could turn you invisible. I know a little bit about how Novius accomplished what he did due to an acquaintance of mine, so I was able to see the disappearance of light that flew by my eyes. Also, from the looks of it, you are at the bright red core stage."
Elijah kept backing up in confusion as it felt like he was being hunted. The words of his small upgrade in power whizzed by him like nothing.
"Haha, I just wanted to make sure it was you, and that you were safe. I suggest you get cleaned up and make your way to the Grand Park. Important stuff is about to happen…"
A cold chill blew the hair of Elijah back as he watched a brilliant blue ice path be created in front of his eyes. The sight of a special type of magic will always brighten his mood.
Elijah ran to his room, carefully took off the suit, quickly put on his nice clothes and casually jumped off the third floor balcony of the terrace. His clothes flapped in the wind as he slowed his fall onto the hard neatly paved stone. Crowds of people were gathered around not just the Grand park, but in front of the government and guild buildings in the second band. The possibility of being able to find a good place to hear what was being said was near zero.
Elijah decided to be an ass and push through the crowd while saying, "excuse me, I need to find my family."
Heinous shouts were thrown at Elijah as he slightly used his flight ability to swiftly traverse the crowd at a faster speed. Embarrassment was all over his face, however, not everyone was mean. Who in their right mind would tell a kid not to find his family? Ten minutes passed as Elijah made it substantially closer to the front of the crowd. However, not a single familiar person was seen.
"Hello, and who might you be?" Asked a middle-aged lady in a white gown.
"Uhh, I am Elijah."
"What is your family name, young one?" The lady asked again.
Elijah understood what was happening, and responded soundly. "Veran, but I have been staying with the Weltor's ever since the fall of the wall. I lost them on the way here."
"Ohh, I see. Well we are the Vandenburg's, friends of the Weltor's, so I can make sure you find them after the gathering. Is that okay?" The lady seemed to have a pure heart, and later introduced her sons and daughters to me. "My name is Bria, and these are my sons and daughters. Cam who is thirteen years old, Isla who is eleven, and Theon and Raylen, who just recently turned ten years old. How old are you Elijah?"
With a smile on his face, Elijah responded. "I am almost nine years old, miss."
"How delightful! You three should get to know each other after the gathering!"
Theon, Raylen, and Elijah all looked at each other with awkward smiles. The anti-social part of his childhood was creeping back on him as Elijah lost himself in his new body.
BONG!
A loud metal bell resounded and reverberated through the ears of the people, and instantly sent everyone into silence. After conversing with his acquaintances, the King was ready to speak.
The King lifted his hand into the air to applaud the crowd of worried citizens. "Welcome everyone to the gathering of the decade! I, King Astraea, am holding this gathering for three reasons. Tonight, well, honestly I have no idea what time of day it is, we will talk about the status of the kingdom, the plan to return the light, the plan to retake the outer region, and to listen to the questions of the people!"
King Astraea stepped forward with five people by his side. "Firstly, I want to introduce you all to my family, who have been affected just as much as any one of you here. Elizabeth, my beautiful wife, has lost a dear friend. Ameer, my oldest, has lost his uncle. Morgan, my second oldest, has lost her uncle. Theya, my youngest daughter, has lost her uncle. And Emmanuel, my youngest son, has lost his uncle. This is without mentioning anyone not in the Astraea family!"
King Astraea walked to the end of the bridge that led to a high platform above the heads of the people. Using a sound magical rune, the King's voice was being transmitted all over the entirety of Centerpool. A feat that took many days to set up. "Our Kingdom is in dismay! The calamity that shot rocks and ash on top of our kingdom has broken the walls of the outer region, and blocked the light from reaching our eyes. Crime has somehow made its way into our kingdom due to the madness that came without light. However, we are not prosecuting anyone out of the goodness of our hearts. Our food storages will last us six months, and there are currently Judges and Hunters working all day and night to preserve and protect the land we have left in the southeast region. I say this with utmost confidence, we will restore our Kingdom to its peak, and do so with haste! Starting tomorrow, everyone will start to see light seeping through the magical barrier. All we have been doing is investigating everything around the kingdom to determine the most efficient way at dealing with our many problems. Within three days, the light will return. And within 3 months, the outer regions will be free to travel to."
A group of 16 well dressed men and women were seen walking from the King's castle. "The top eight Judges and Hunter Captains will be taking the lead underneath The Council for the revitalization of the kingdom! Take a good look at their faces, as you should remember them for their deeds! After the light comes back, these sixteen men and women will take their own platoon of hunters to kill and push back the beasts while in cooperation with the best of the architecture guild to repair the wall when it is safe. Since we are all about nurturing the young talents of the generations to come, Junior Hunters will also have a chance at joining the fight as long as they prove themselves worthy of the challenge. Now, it is time for any questions that have stayed in your mind, or risen due to the new information you have just received. Balal, my right hand, will call on the first people he sees with their hands high up in the sky. Please, let's keep this punctual, so no shouting. Trust me, we will get to everyone."
The King took a couple steps back and calmly said, "you may start." Balal had chosen his first questionnaire, and it drove fear into the spines of the citizens.
"What happens if you fail?" Such a broad and sinister question to be asked first. The King hid his expression, but sighed at the stupidity of the lesser who asked this ridiculous question.
"WE DIE. WE CUT BACK ON FOOD. WE EAT THE MAGICAL BEASTS WHO ARE CAUSING THIS TRAVESTY. WE DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO RETAKE OUR KINGDOM, EVEN IF IT KILLS US!"