Inverted Deck

Inverted Deck (Chapter 8)

Chapter 8

I swing open the side door of the open, instantly letting in a huge rush of air, blowing my hair back. I try to open my eyes, just to suddenly be met with the brazing light of the risen sun. I slowly reopen my eyes, to gaze upon the awestricken sight of the land before me. In the sky, huge floating boulders, glowing a bright hue of blue and green. Nobody knows how far up the boulders go, they start from the ground and trickle all the way up beyond the clouds. The most peculiar thing is that every day they're in a different position than the day before. Some say it's a gravitational anomaly of some sort. Others say a former Ace did that because he was bored, but who knows the truth of those bizarre rocks.

On the ground, lush trees of white leaves, bushes, grass, and a field of rainbow-colored flowers, appealing in the distance. A group of tall buildings in the back, sat upon the horizon, must be the capital. I look forward, as I prepare myself to swing around front to talk to Aylmer and see my district in the distance: Abiete, the 5th District.

In the Kingdom of Cor, as a whole, there consists of four Courts or Countries; Glacies, the Ice Court, Harena, the Sand Court, Saltu, the Jungle Court, and Urbs, the Capital Court, the Court I live in. This also where the Queen of all of Cor resides, the other Courts have Vassal Kings or Queens, these beings are rulers of land bestowed upon them by the Queen to rule under her.

Within the Urbs Court are five districts, the 1st district, where the Crown resides, the 2nd and 3rd districts are on both sides of the 1st, nobility lives there, the 4th district is above the 1st, acting as middleclass district, the 4th is located on the top coast of Cor, so they intercept travelers and cargo alike. Then there's my district the 5th district, the poorest of the districts. The 5th district as a whole possesses more plant life and fauna including the Sage forests, not to mention, than all the other districts, yet for some reason as of late, in the recent years, we've fallen more and more into financial depravity. I don't know this for sure, but something tells me, this is the reason why Finn became an adventurer in the first place.

I snap out of my daze, and swing around the front of the gold and red carriage. As I stand atop the wooden seats of the front, I see Aylmer, bandaged up, with broken glasses resting upon his face.

"Geez you look like crap man." I say as I begin to sit down.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Aylmer murmurs.

"Listen, I'm sorry about us failing the mission, I'll take full responsibility."

"That won't be necessary."

"And why is that?"

"You have... other things to worry about. I'll give my father the report."

"Other things?"

I take a pause to think about what he could mean. Does he know about me meeting Finn? The real one? Nah nah, he couldn't. Then what is he-

I think back to the last memory I have in the Sage Forest. Me, on the ground, with that black stuff covering me, leaking into my eye, and me passing out. And it came from-

"This!" I pull my right side off the carriage to show Aylmer, the dark crest on my stomach.

His eyes grow bigger in an instant, but not with a gaze of curiosity, it looks more so a gaze of... fear.

"You okay man? You know what this is?"

"I'm fine. And no... at least not yet, not fully, but trust me I fully intend to find out."

"Oh really, great! Thanks a lot, I'm pretty sure you can find out, quicker than me with that Nobility access you got, and what did you mean by fully?"