Anya looked at Arthur.
"So, are you ready?" She asked him.
He sighed, "Yeah. Let's go."
Taking her hand, he stood up, preparing to explore this new world.
***
In a shadowy room devoid of light, 4 figures sat upon earth pillars in the shapes of thrones.
[....Did you all sense it?]
[Yes. The dark energy, that of the Dark King.]
A chuckle sounded, and a mighty voice in the center of the thrones spoke up:
[It must be him. The Dark King's Heir. Since the last few days, I sensed an imbalance in the structure of things, now It's confirmed I was right.]
[Why are we sitting idly? Shouldn't we be trying to go find and kill whoever it is that possesses the will of the Dark King?]
[It's no use, he's already hidden his presence. I am impressed though, to be able to hide from the likes of us who stand at the peak of the underworld, I wonder just who he is.]
[In due time we'll find out, and strike when the time is right. He must be weak as of now, so we might need to speed up the process as well.]
-
-
..
"Uhm Anya, what is it this place?"
"Don't worry, just relax and try not to stare much. Get used to people not looking as you expect."
Arthur tried to follow her advice, but he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the otherworldly-looking people in the dim-lit run-down-looking restaurant.
'That guy has fangs and horns, oh! And that girl has black eyes and sharp nails, and that guy is a dwarf...wow, this is like a fever dream.'
As he looked around while being led by Anya, he was stopped in his tracks when his face met the torso of a seemingly burly man.
"Ay, kid. Watch where the hell yer' going."
"O-Oh...sorry, sir! I was just, admiring the people."
"...? You're acting like it's your first time around this place. These people are here all the time."
"Well, It-"
A hand was wrapped around his mouth from behind, a bit shaken, Arthur turned to see Anya with sweat beading down her forehead.
She then spoke for him as she continued to hold him back:
"We are not new around here! We know the ends and outs, me and him both. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to hurry on!"
Arthur was dragged away by his hand as he continued to look at the man with an awkward smile and wave.
"See ya..."
After getting about 5 meters away from the man, Arthur quickly snapped his neck to look at Anya. He was ready to question her about her actions back there.
"Hey, what was that about? Why did you suddenly stop me from talking back there?"
Anya let out a sigh of irritation.
"Because it's dangerous."
"But, why is it dangerous? You have to fill me in on this stuff, you know that I'm a newbie here."
"You're right, that's my fault, I should have informed you. Firstly, newcomers aren't welcome much and are looked down upon by all. It's to the point where it's illegal, and if the 4 Kings find out you're a newcomer, they will lock you up and not let you see the sun ever again."
"I understand, but why? Why would they lock me up? Are they scared of newcomers?"
"Yes, and no. Long ago, a man found himself in the underworld by pure chance. This man was a scourge, not a single person in the underworld was on his side, yet he became so powerful they couldn't stop him. You see, In the underworld, getting stronger is hell. It can take your entire lifespan just to reach the level of a King's guard. Yet every newcomer in history, that found themselves here always ended up achieving great power that forced even the kings to submit. And it didn't take their lifespan or even a multitude of years, it happened in just a single year in this realm. To the king's that is nothing but a minute for them, and yet even they couldn't stop him."
"Wow. That's...a lot. So, let me digest this... newcomers are like troublemakers, they come, break the laws of physics here, get immense strength, and make even the 4 Kings who are seen as gods in this realm bend the knee?"
"In a sense, yes," Anya replied.
Feeling curious, Arthur asked:
"So, who was this guy? I mean, where did he go? If he was strong, wouldn't he still be around?"
"You know him very well. Because he is the man that has chosen you as his successor."
'Does she mean...?'
"The Dark King?"
Anya nods, seeing the realization in Arthur's eyes.
"I guess the Dark King messed it up for everybody huh? So if I would have revealed I was new to the underworld to that man back there, the 4 Kings would have found me somehow, and locked me away to prevent me from growing? Nipping it in the bud."
"You also asked me where he is, right? The Dark King." Anya asked him.
"Yeah, I'm curious, if he's so strong, why didn't he just kill them?"
"To tell you the truth, I do not know. Rumors exist of his whereabouts, but none are confirmed. My memories are also scribbled up, I'm a bit confused about why I am a fragment of his true power in the first place."
Anya and Arthur now stood before a steel door. It was behind a hidden wall in the dim-lit restaurant that they made it to after walking past all the seated customers.
"It's so odd, I mean people just live normally as humans do. But, that's beside the point. Why are we here?"
Arthur felt the cold steel of the thick door.
"To meet someone," Anya told him.
Anya walked up, knocked three times, and said a weird jumble of words in a whisper.
Arthur made a weird face after seeing the act.
'The hell was that?..'
The door swung open, a cold breeze being released upon its opening.
"Ooh..spooky."
"You're so unserious," Anya said with a smile.
Looking in, it was made of old and thick concrete bricks that led down a spiraling staircase made from the same material.
"Follow me."
Anya said as she entered. Wasting no time, Arthur followed, shutting the door behind him.
They walked down the steps, Anya kept a straight face, while the curious Arthur touched everything he saw. From the firesticks on the walls to the moss growing in between the brick crevices.
Finally, they reached an end.
For a second, it was a blinding light, but as Arthur adjusted his eyes, he saw a beautiful library.
Rows and rows of tall bookshelves on the top and bottom stories of the library, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with bright and beautiful lighting, the patterned carpet that stretched to the ends and beginning of each wall, truly a mythical existence.
"This is jaw-dropping. There was such a place under this crappy-looking restaurant?"
"And who just might that be entering?"
A voice echoed throughout the library and entered both Arthur and Anya's ears.
A man with long dark hair, pale skin, crimson irises, and sharp fangs slid down the rails of the beautiful staircase leading up to the second story of the library.
He was visibly well-built and could be called handsome with no doubt in mind. Anya walked up to the vampiric-looking man, she then held her hand out, and as the man looked down at her hand his eyes widened, turning to look at Arthur.
"...!"
"Arthur, this is Agoth. From his appearance, I'm sure you can tell just what he is."
"A vampire..." Arthur mumbled.
The man bowed as a showman would after a performance, "It is nice to meet you, Dark Prince."
Arthur was perplexed being addressed in such a manner.
"Uhh...you don't have to call me that, just call me Arthur."
"But I have to! I must! You are the successor of our king, our lord! I must show my utmost respect for you young master!"
Arthur chuckled at the formalities being used, "Well if it's your will...I suppose it's fine."
'I'll just get used to it.' He thought scratching his cheek.
"So Anya, what are we here for in the first place? Did you bring me here to read books?"
Anya squinted her eyes, her lips curling into a sly smirk.
"Why else? To be beaten up!"
"W-What! Wait. What do you mean?" Arthur carried his gaze between Agoth and Anya quickly.
"Calm down, young master! She is just teasing you. Well, I can't say she's lying though."
"Not you too! Explain!"
"You're gonna be training with him for a bit."
"Then why didn't you just say that?"
"Because, rather than just being taught, it's gonna be more like getting broken into pieces."
Arthur slumped over.
"Agh man...and how long will this be?"
"Until Agoth feels you've had enough."
'An hour here is equivalent to a minute on regular earth...meaning, 10 hours is 10 minutes back home. No! Why did I think of that now? That's gonna make things feel even slower!"
"Well, are you ready young master?" Agoth said with a smirk.
"...Not at all."