Adventures Beyond The Void (Season 1)

Chapter 29: Calm Days Before the Storm

3RD POV

The training hall of the castle trembled, as stone pillars rose and fell, obeying their master's will. King Asher stood at the center of it all, his robe set aside in favor of lighter training garments, sweat clinging to his brow. His feet were planted firmly on the floor. Around him, jagged pieces of earth followed the movements of his hands. Pebbles hovered in the air. He exhaled, and with it, the floating stones slammed into place with thunderous precision. One large chunk of stone remained floating in the air as brown-colored magic enveloped it. He took a deep breath, fingers twitching like he was trying to close them into a fist but couldn't. The boulder was visibly vibrating now, constantly being condensed.

    King Asher: - Come on.... come on....

BOOM!!

The rock exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. The mage sighed, frowning a bit. As a king, he already had much to worry about. And now he had even more. Four days ago, he assigned Selin and three of her squad members to deal with the bandit attacks near Nachtsen village. The mission weighed heavily on his mind even now, not just because of the danger they faced, but also because of the people involved. It's true, there were no casualties on their side. However, the situation had escalated much further than anticipated. Selin's report explained everything about the underground base, the missing children and the stolen treasures. He was also informed about the secret associate; a woman named Maren Roseberen. They'd have to be on the lookout for her. But what frightened him most, was that the two humans were involved. Due to unforeseen circumstances, they too were caught in the crossfire.

Tree-Troopers. So many of them. They were unbelievably lucky to have survived. It was only thanks to Sirius and his team, showing up at the last minute that the mission hadn't ended in tragedy. By the end of that day, they'd secured another hard-earned victory: the entire bandit settlement in that region had been destroyed, and hundreds of those wooden monstrosities were reduced to ash. It should've been cause for celebration, but the king wasn't relieved.

There were still too many unanswered questions. Chief among them was the anomaly: the small Tree-Trooper that had latched itself onto Nicholas. When the king heard about that, his reaction was anything but composed. His shout of disbelief was loud enough to nearly shatter the stained glass windows of the palace. Not to mention, he woke up the entire castle. What did it mean? Why him? Was it because he was human? Then why was Hunter attacked? Was it because he had magic?

     King Asher: - Nicholas....Hunter....

He was immensely grateful to Selin. Yet again, she had exceeded his expectations and because of that, the humans were able to survive. His train of thought slowly quieted down, when his eyes landed on the stone fragments; a small amount of smoke rising from them. His eyes widened. Could it be...?

      Deren: - My king. Are you in here?

Deren entered the training hall, carrying a bundle of scrolls in one arm and a tired expression on his face. His silver bob swayed slightly as he walked, and the sharp glint in his eyes remained as focused as ever. Honestly, the king sometimes wondered if the advisor's face was stuck like that.

       Deren: - Your Majesty, I've been looking everywhere for you.

       King Asher: - Apologies, but I really needed a break.

Deren sighed in exasperation and mild disappointment, adjusting the scrolls in his arm.

       Deren: - You can't run off like this without informing me! There are some serious matters you need to attend to!