Adventures Beyond The Void (Season 1)

Chapter 15: The Meeting and The High Council

3RD POV

     King Asher: - Thank you once again for putting your duties aside, in order to be here today.

The king spoke up, sitting on the head of the table. Behind him, to his left stood Deren, as he too was requested to join them there. Meanwhile, all other seats were occupied by the 8 magic warrior squad captains.

     Aalto: - There is no need to thank us, your majesty! It is our duty to be here!

The cyan-haired mage spoke firmly, readjusting his glasses.

     Aella: - That's right. Just say the word and we'll be here the moment you request our presence.

The female captain of the wild tornadoes added from beside Aalto.

      King Asher: - Thank you, my friends. Now then, I'm sure you're all by now somewhat aware of the reason I called you, but before we proceed with the corpse...

He paused, taking in the confused glances everyone except him and Selin shared, then turned his gaze towards the black-haired woman.

       King Asher: - ..... Selin, would you be so kind to tell us what went down?

All eyes turned to her.

       Selin: - Two days ago, I was tasked to investigate the butterfly forest, after an increasing number of people being reported missing in the area. At first, I didn't find anything, but when I ventured deeper, I discovered a cave, carefully concealed under roots, mud and dead plants.

       Aurelius: - Ohhh, spooky. What did you find in there little moon?

       Selin: - The missing mages. Or rather.... What remained of them.

There were a few gasps around the table.
Leigong was furious, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he squeezed his fists.

       Leigong: - Those DAMN monsters!!

       Silas: - Despite your foul mouth, I beautifully agree with you, my not-so-beautiful comrade. What an unsightly spectacle it must have been.

The beast mage dramatically placed a hand on his forehead.

       Leigong: - And you didn't do anything to help them, huh?!

       Selin: - There was nothing I could do. They were long gone before I arrived.

The captains turned their heads towards the king, who exhaled loudly. Even though he already knew, he still felt horrible for the horrors these people, his people, had endured.

       King Asher: - How unfortunate indeed.

He gave a slight nod to Selin, urging her to continue.

       Selin: - The nightmare wasn't there, however. I assumed it had retrieved further inside the cave, but then I heard an explosion. So, I run as fast as I could, and thankfully managed to kill the thing before it killed the two boys. After that, I took them to the Moth Estate and treated their injuries. The following day I brought the remains of the monster here. Also....

She was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Her eyes met Aella's intense, yet conflicted gaze.

    Aella: - Forgive me for the interruption but I feel like I'm missing something. What do you mean by.... remains?

She had a confused frown on her face. And so did the rest of her colleagues. Everyone knew that when a nightmare was defeated, it exploded into smoke. So what did she mean? Selin did not reply. Instead, she locked eyes with the king. Sighing heavily, the king turned to Deren.