A Kingdom Ablaze: Last Man Standing

III

I have not known of Mr. Eldritch before, however being the kind guy that I am, I decided to attend his funeral. I told John that. We were both dressed in mourning suits. My pocket watch reads noon. I still have 2 hours to wait.

1.55 pm...

We left his home to find that there was a funeral cortege right outside. We were the last two people to take their places in the cortege. After that, the cortege moved off to the sound of familiar funeral marches. During this time, I noticed a lot of people came to attend. Like a hundred people or more.

20 minutes into the walk, we all heard it. A bell has rung out so loud it sounded like it can be heard from towns away. They rang every minute. After another 10 minutes of walking, the cortege came to a stop.

We had also arrived at the source of the rings. A glamorous building with a big entranceway. On top of the entranceway sits these letters: "GREAT SILVYR".

This is Great Silvyr Cathedral.

Once Mr. Eldritch's coffin entered the cathedral, we all headed inside. Searching for a seat, I noticed that some members of the Royal Family are there. Our Queen Ciara is absent. I wonder why.

More than an hour later...

Exiting the cathedral, I learned a lot about Mr. Eldritch's life. His loyalty to the blighters will always be remembered. That's what I told my friend, John. He then pulled me aside from the crowd of hundreds.

"Why, friend?"

"You're here for a reason. I want you to know that."

"I don't understand any of this."

"You don't need to understand. All you need to do is know."

He then told me a very strange request. He wanted me to sleep as soon as we got home and wake up at 10.00 pm. He didn't state a reason. Once I accepted his request, we parted ways.

Several minutes later...

I return to John's home. The first thing I noticed is that everything is messy. The kitchen, the dining room, his bedroom were all messy. I rushed upstairs to my bedroom. I found it... clean? Out of all the rooms in the house, only mine is cleaned. Maybe John was courteous enough to clean my room but ran out of time.

Anyways, I rushed downstairs to the kitchen. All I needed was a glass of water. Once I got my glass, I began drinking. However, I can't shake this uneasy feeling. It feels like something, or someone was watching me. From the shadows? From the bushes, I see from a window. Behind me? I'm just joking.

Still, I can't shake off this feeling. Either someone is with me right now or I'm just really sad. I don't know why but my eyes took my attention to the bookshelf beside the stairs. It feels like there's something on this bookshelf that I need to look at.

So, I put down my glass and walked over to it. Can't help but take in all the knowledge I can have from all of these books. I also can't help that I take interest in one particular book. It's dark blue and has gold lines on its spine. I wanted to grab it.

However, before I can lay my hands on it, this cold feeling rushed through my body. The next thing I know, I get knocked to the ground by black smoke and bloodcurdling screams. I rushed upstairs and to my bedroom. I locked the door, and I hid under the bed.

I stayed there until I can no longer hear any noise. Then I remembered John's request. I should have heeded. I got out from under the bed and lay on the bed. I didn't have to wait long to fall asleep.

A few hours later...

John woke me up. He's telling me it's 10 o'clock at night. He's telling me to stay quiet as possible. So, I followed. I wore my shoes without socks. No need for socks. I started walking with John as I follow the light of his lantern, which was emitting a green flame.

He also told me to keep the lights off for they might see us. Who?

He led me downstairs and into one particular spot: the bookshelf beside the stairs.

"What is this all about?", I whispered to John.

"You'll know when you see it.", he whispers back.

He then looks for a particular book and he finds it. It's a familiar dark blue book with gold lines on its spine. He pulled on the book, and something happened. Something which I was not expecting. The bookshelf made way like a door opening. It revealed a whole new passage.

He has never told me of this secret area. My interest grew further as we walked down its stairs. It opens to a very long hallway. Green decorates its walls. Its floor is lined with stone, and so as its ceiling. It's also a big hallway.

It's a bit dark, save for some wall torches. As soon as we started walking down the hallway, John started to whisper something.

"You're probably wondering why I brought you here."

"Why is that?"

"I need your help. The whole kingdom needs your help."

At this point, I don't know what to feel. Should I be scared? Not scared? What danger is my friend dragging me into? It wasn't long until my thoughts were interrupted by John.

"You see, we have discovered that the Queen is not what she looks like. Beautiful but dangerous. Someone has read her mind and it was full of bad intentions. She plans to be immortal with a certain drink. She is planning to lead this kingdom with all the power hers."

"I have always known our queen is not who she is. Wait... did you say, someone?"

"Look over there", John replies. He then pointed my face to the wall where it lies a portrait. I was looking down the whole time. I wasn't paying attention to the hallway's decorations.

"That, my friend, is our leader. Mister Walter Kingston. Leader of the Blighters of Darkness. Our Master Blighter was the first person to see through the Queen's looks and find her true intentions. Did you know his birthday is after yours?"

"Second day of January?"

"Correct."

I felt glad to share a birthday month with someone. I inspected his portrait. He appears to be a man whose wrinkles speak for his experience. He has a mustache and is bald. He is wearing all dark blue, even his hat. He seems to be a presentable man to lead.

"Next, this is Octavius Collins. He is our friend who brews potions. You could tell because of that belt he always wears."

He appears to have glasses on. I switch to the next portrait.

"This is our friend Artemia Roberts. She specializes in combat, especially in mapping out places."

She appears to have a serious face, serious in her role. Wearing an all-red dress makes her even more serious. Next portrait.

"This is William Eldritch. He specializes in charms and giving our group protection through talks."

William Eldritch. It clicked in my head. That's the same man I've seen in my previous visions. Brown coat, but the rest of his suit, pants, and shirt, are black.

"And this is me. I specialize in training our group in how to use weapons and defense."

"I always knew there was something else in you besides your love of horses."

Looking at my friend's portrait, he appears to be wearing the same suit as my friend right now. All black and with a golden monocle.

"Lastly, here is Laura Anne Stevens. She specializes in predicting events. Just like our Louis."

She seems like a good lady. Her suit colour is all grey. She also wears glasses.

"You know, I am impressed with your group here."

"It's not just us six. There's also hundreds of other people working for us just to become stronger in fighting the problem in our kingdom today."

We stopped our movements when we heard something. Something which will lead me into a serious situation.