« 14 carries a sword in one hand, standing atop a building, and in his other hand, he tightly grips a chain, looking at 33-27, both of whom couldn't even turn to look at him. »
« ؟- soars while riding one of the creatures he trained, and he has sent a ball of 'compressed' air towards 14, sending it directly at him. »
« 43 was entering through the sewers, perhaps with the aim of taking whatever remains of the battle. »
Before 14 realized that the compressed airball was coming towards him, he placed the sword between 33 and 27 and said, « Where's the cube? One of you must know its location »
The compressed airball was advancing slowly, as '؟' wanted to know the cube's location.
33 looked at 27 and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, « Did you hide it? »
27 remained silent and said nothing. At that moment, both 26 and 30 appeared and began to shoot arrows at the house where the three of them were standing
« 14 saw both 26 and 30, along with the arrows they had launched and the compressed air ball, about to hit the place where he was standing above. He left the chain he was holding and quickly moved to another house. »
« When ؟ saw that 14 had escaped, he cancelled the power he had released, then descended to where 33 and 27 were. »
« 26 and 30 changed the direction of the arrows, as they hit the tower near where 14 was standing. »
« ؟- untied 27 and 33, at that moment a small cube appeared two meters away from their location. »
« 13 was observing everything from afar. After he saw that 43 had sneaked without anyone noticing, he struck the stick on the ground three times in a row. »
« Before 43 could grasp the cube, it began to glow and emit a loud sound. 43, 33, and 27 all felt that the atmosphere had become strange because of the cube, and in the blink of an eye, the three were pulled inside the cube. »
T - In another time and place...
In the public square of the city, where crowds flowed in from every corner to participate in the grand event, the sense of tension and anticipation was palpable, unyielding. This moment held significance in shaping the destiny of this town for years to come.
Thetwo youths stood amidst the crowds, observing intently the box around which theking's guards had gathered. One of them hesitated in his decision, carefullystudying the locked chest with anticipation in his eyes. He spoke with a blendof hesitation and excitement, 'I have awaited this day eagerly, yet I amhesitant to participate
His friend replied, 'There is not much time left, and the ceremonies are about to begin. You must decide now.'
Standingbehind them, a man overheard their conversation and said, 'If you intend toparticipate, there is no time for hesitation. However, the selection of twoindividuals by the box is an extremely rare occurrence, and every city in thekingdom wishes for one of their own to be chosen.'
But oneof the young men seemed unconvinced and asked curiously, 'Is it true thatwhoever is chosen by the box lives in the royal palace and the city receivesrewards?'
The man replied with a slight smile, 'Yes, that is true. Someone from our city was chosen several years ago, and it is said that they live in the royal palace. But what I am certain of is that our city has flourished economically due to rewards from the king.'
The young man who wished to participate said, "Hasn't that person come since then?"
The man replied, "That happened several years ago. I don't know if he returned or not, as I didn't know the man in the first place. All the information I've told you has been circulated by the city's residents, and no one knows the truth. As I mentioned before, what I am certain of is that our city has received rewards from the king."
Meanwhile, the people who wanted to participate began to approach the box and put their names in. The young man stood for a moment, looking at the paper with his name written on it. Then, he stepped forward to the box and placed his name inside.
After returning, his friend asked him, "Tell me now, do you wish for the box to choose you?"
The man who was with them replied, "Of course, he wishes for the box to choose him. I don't want to disappoint you, but I don't think the box will choose anyone from our city."
In those moments, the box began to tremble, astonishing everyone as this vibration indicated that the box had chosen someone. People watched eagerly, and suddenly the box spat out a paper, caught by one of the guards. He looked at the people of the city and said, "....."
TO BE CONTINUED
YOU ARE READING
Aetheris
Fantasy"Ne'er before hath thine eyes beheld such a work, nor shall they ever witness its like again."