Adventures beyond the void

Chapter 14: A Talk About Worlds

3RD POV

It wasn't long before they arrived at the west wing of the castle. About three or four minutes had passed since they left the meeting room where the captains had been, yet despite the short distance they crossed, the walk was anything but pleasant. The entire time, the atmosphere was so tense, almost suffocating from Nicholas' perspective.

The two princes that led them to their destination did not bother to interact with them at all. Both were moving silently forward, however, even the most oblivious of them all, could understand that trying to approach them in any way right now, would not be a good idea. Nicholas recalled how Thalor's eye twitched, the moment the king's words left his mouth. He looked angry.

Eliric showed no reaction, not even the slightest grimace was visible on his face. The only form of acknowledgement was a simple nod he gave, before turning around and leading them to their destination. The young protagonist, despite the fact that he couldn't detect any anger from the quiet man, he was still able to feel the unwelcoming aura emanating from him.

It also didn't help that Zana had left to attend to her magic-warrior duties. The girl's presence was capable of somehow calming Nicholas' nerves, for what reason, the small teen didn't know. And as if the whole situation wasn't stressful enough, they had to deal with the constant glares and whispers that came their way. All of which, were directed towards Selin and the two disguised humans.

Nicholas was barely able to contain his anxiety, but Hunter on the other hand looked more annoyed than ever. He didn't fail to return every glare coming his way, with a more menacing one of his own, causing others to flinch when meeting his fiery gaze. Unlike him, Hunter wasn't afraid to stand up for himself. To him, it didn't matter who it was. What mattered was to not be looked down upon.

And that's something Nicholas admired about him, though he would never admit it out loud. Opening the single door, they entered the west wing, which turned out to be an office of some kind. Thalor then turned his head and faced the three he was tasked to accompany.

     Thalor: - You are to wait here until the king arrives. And you better not touch or damage anything, unless you want to be executed.

His tone changed now. His voice sounding angry.

     Thalor: - I don't understand why he wants you here. People like you are nothing but trash! Manaless commoners like you two, should have stayed to whatever backwater village you were born in, and YOU shouldn't even be allowed to exist!!

He screamed the last part, an accusing finger pointing at Selin, his eyes glowing ever so slightly. Hunter was about to shout something back at the man, but was silenced by the red-eyed woman. Her reply was simple. Her usual apathetic and calm voice never wavered.

     Selin: - Since the king has allowed us to be here, it means that we have much more worth than you give us credit for, my prince.

Thalor did not seem pleased with her response. The intensity of his glare increased, as veins started to become visible on his face. Honestly, it looked like he was seconds away from attacking Selin, but was thankfully snapped out of his murderous trance when Eliric placed a hand on his shoulder. Apparently, that calmed the taller prince down a bit. At least, enough so that he wouldn't act out of line.

Eliric did not wish to waste any more of his time being here, now that he had fulfilled his father's wishes, so he headed towards the door, followed by his brother shortly after. The two young adults confused Nicholas greatly. Their behavior towards them was extremely cruel and harsh. Although, that could easily be explained by what Selin had told them before entering the castle. If status and magic were everything in this world, then being a commoner with no magic at all, would certainly be a reason to be looked down upon.