The Prince and the Paladin - Akitoya

Chapter 2: Interesting Similarities

The train ride home was as eventful as a train ride could be, and Toya made it home before he knew it. He bid his farewells to the Tenmas as he stepped through the door of his home, gently holding his new book at his side. He quickly kicked off his shoes, announced of his arrival to his father, and snuck away to his room, flicking on the light. He flopped onto his well made bed, laying for a moment before he adjusted his pillows so he could comfortably lay down as he read. 

When he opened the cover, he was met with a perfect replication of the title on printed paper. There was no copyright printed on any of the first pages like usual. He didn't linger on the thought for long as he flipped past the title page and the table of contents to begin reading. 

It was easy for Toya to get lost in the pages encased in the gorgeous leather. The story explored a realm known as Iropera, a land known for its magic and the belief in destiny. In the kingdom of Pamoth, the main character, the Paladin, was introduced. He was described as a handsome young man with flame orange hair and forest green eyes, and he dressed in brilliant white in allegiance for the kingdom of light, adorning a chain on his left ear

He continued reading, brushing off the odd comparison between the Paladin and the stranger who worked at the bookstore. There were lots of cliches, though Toya supposed that was typical for a fantasy novel.

The light of the sunset streamed through his window soon after he finished the third chapter, and he took it as a sign to find a stopping place for the day. He had found the premise of the story interesting, but the lack of named characters had begun to irritate him. All that happened up to the point he read was a bit of world building and an introduction of a few characters: the King, the Prince, the Paladin, and the Duchess. 

The story described the King as a young man, not much older than the Paladin, with passionate orange eyes. He was an incredibly flamboyant character, full of aspirations for himself and his kingdom. Any time he had the chance, he told the Paladin stories about his work as ruler, to which the Paladin seemed unamused as he was only there to receive an assignment. The Duchess had sat next to the King in the throne room, reading. She was described as having hair as yellow and sweet as honey. 

The Paladin had been performing heroic duties around town before receiving a magical letter from the King, asking him to come to the castle for very important business. This was when the King had told the Paladin that the Prince of Pamoth had gone missing, and it was his task to find him.

Toya shut the book softly, content with all he read, and placed it on his nightstand. He checked his phone to see a message from Tsukasa.

Tsukasa: how's that new book treating you????

Toya: It's pretty good, Tsukasa. Though, the characters don't have names.

Tsukasa: well that's interesting, isn't it? adds to the charm? i know in a couple of my shows, some of my roles don't have names

Toya: I guess. I think if the characters did have names, they would feel too real to be comfortable.

Tsukasa: why do you say that, dear brother?

Toya: It has lots of weird similarities to real life.

Tsukasa: well of course! fiction is just a reflection of the nonfiction

Toya's lip twisted to the side as he read Tsukasa's last message. Then he typed:

Toya: How would you feel about being a king?

Near immediately, Tsukasa responded.

Tsukasa: i'm already a king, toya! and you seem pretty royal yourself :)

~~~~~

The sun passed the horizon line, blanketing the sky it a comfortable darkness. Toya laid in silence as he stared at the ceiling. He thought about all that happened today and the events in his book. Who was the Prince? Why would he have gone missing? Why did the characters seem so familiar?

He rolled onto his side to look at the book on his nightstand, the gold lettering reflecting the moonlight as if they were glowing. Feeling restless, he flicked on his lamp and grabbed the novel, returning to where he placed his bookmark.

When he opened it, though, the pages were blank.

Confused, he flipped back and forth a few pages. Nothing was to be found anywhere. Even the pages he had already read were entirely white, painted in light blue and warm yellow from the conflicting lights of the moon and his lamp hitting the pages.

Toya let the pages flutter, each empty.

Then, he noticed sudden colors, turning back to examine what had looked like a blur. He stopped on a page and was met with a black and white image of a forest, both as real as a photograph and as stylistic as a drawing. The image took up a spread of 2 pages, following a river, and in the distance, the brilliant castle of Pamoth. The trees were lively as the book took place at the end of spring, flowers of all colors budding near the banks of the water. 

The longer Toya stared at the image, the harder it was for him to look away. For a moment, he thought he saw the water move. He blinked. It was still. Maybe he needed sleep, all of this was probably because he was tired.

He shut the book sharply and tossed it at the foot of his bed. It fell shut, the title falling under a beam of moonlight. 

But then, the pages started to move on their own, each now displaying the image Toya was so familiar with. As they rapidly flipped from beginning to end, the images acted like frames in stop motion, each page displaying a part of a movie.

The river felt so alive, the stream rushing towards the castle. A breeze went through the trees, making the leaves bristle together. On the edge of the page, he could have sworn he saw the head of a horse beginning to enter the area.

There was no noise in the room except for the movement of the book. He slowly stood from his bed, not taking his eyes away from the book, when suddenly the pages stop turning. It was back onto the original image.

He picked up the book and examined the page it landed on. He held the book like he had when he was reading when a dazzling light emitted from it. Near blinding, Toya shut his eyes tightly and he felt his hands lose grip of the book. No, not lose grip. It felt as if it was never in his hands in the first place.

Even with his eyes screwed shut, his vision was entirely white. Then, the rush of water.

It was a sudden sound, loud and violent, jolting Toya into attention. When he opened his eyes, he was blinded again but this time with the light of the sun. Wasn't it just night time? Where did he go?

He was sat in a bed of grass, wildflowers in all shades of blue and orange welcomed him. He scrambled to his feet, gasping for air. Where the hell was here?

Behind him, the bushes shook. He turned quickly, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. He looked cautiously into the forest, when a man dressed in white erupted from the bushes that had shaken moments ago. He stumbled slightly, brushing off his jacket with gloved hands as he straightened himself. He hadn't noticed Toya, scanning the river before retreating back into the woods to retrieve his horse. 

The Paladin, Toya assumed, guided his beautiful white horse to the river, allowing it to take a drink.

How in the world was this possible?