The Fallen Throne

Chapter 21.3 ✦ Rising Sun

KAI

Time seems to freeze. Ironic, considering the surroundings are actually chilly now with the sudden drastic drop of temperature, so odd that it's the second non-natural thing occurring after the haze suspended over the Kingdom of Theia.

Kai finds himself standing on a snowy mountain's peak... no, atop a snowy hill? Staring at his shoes that's buried in pure white snow, it's a fact that the blazing hot weather a moment ago has just disappeared within a blink of an eye and is suddenly replaced by some sort of blizzardy frost; yet at the same time the fact that he's still standing on the very same small hill overlooking Theia that he was yesterday and moments ago, where only the greenest and lushest of grasses and plants grow under the scorching sun overhead remains.

So why is it as if the place has just undergone an impossible transformation?

The Kingdom of Theia – still engulfed with the haze that seems to be growing thicker and darker which is not at all a good sign – still stands beyond the hill; and when Kai lifts his head, he is glared back by piercing sun rays.

It is undeniable that his senses aren't wrong or becoming haywire – but that only means the sense of cold is real and not merely an illusion or a figment of his imaginations.

A cold breeze brushes over his skin and caresses his hair, and his blood chills and nearly turns to ice. Kai shivers.

And, reluctantly, he finally builds up the courage to turn and face the source of the coldness – the source of his problem. As he turns, he releases his breath he doesn't even realise he's been holding in all this time, and finds that it's visible like how it should be in winter.

He never feels cold. But he does now, and the thought itself scares him.

He isn't alone.

When he turns on his heels, Kai comes face to face with a boy with pure white hair. His hair is so white – just like the snow in winter, the snow beneath Kai's shoes – and it's as if his hair is snow itself that Kai resists the urge to advance on him and touch it to see if it's real, to feel if it's as light and soft and unreal upon touch as snow.

"Good day, Sparks." He flashes a grin. "How's the weather?"

The boy stands so proudly, with his arms crossed and smiling so cockily that Kai wants to punch him. And he would have, only it's a dangerous move – because behind the boy, there are several other people – six to seven of them – of ages fifteen to around twenty, some of which are younger or obviously older than Kai. They stand scattered, some hanging in the branches of the trees playfully as if they're no threat, some leaning against the trees casually or just standing near the snowy-haired boy also with their arms crossed and their legs firmly stuck to the ground.

They all have distinct, odd looks which reminds Kai of himself – of his glowing amber eyes – and Rose who has gotten a weird green streak on her brown hair since she's disappeared into the mystic forest: apart from the boy with pure white hair, there's a girl with hair so long and seemingly alive that it'll strangle you and swallow you whole; a boy with a skin so pale you'd think he's dead or a walking corpse; a girl with a weird aura around her in the form of a dark mist so dense that just by looking at her sends you the creeps as if you're standing in the middle of a graveyard; and another girl that looks as if she's a pure shadow – you can't even make out her face properly.

Despite all their differences between one another – without taking into account of the fact they're very unique compared to other people – they all have one thing in common, and that's the fact that they're glaring at Kai with a deadly, piercing stare.

Kai feels as if his blood is frozen, like his surroundings. He is about to glance to Rose when a girl shrieks with a voice so shrill he almost has to shut his ears, "Only one! Neesha's only got one of them!"

Before Kai has a chance to comprehend what she meant, a dark, low voice like a growl grumbles, "Shut up, Klara! I can't get him; I think he burns." Despite the voice sounding so deep and like an animal, it's undeniably a female's.

The girl who seems to be made of shadows steps out of the shade of a towering tree, and even in the ray of sunshine she looks dark and shadowy. She stands beside the snowy-haired boy. "Watch out," she warns, before shadowy hands shoot out of no where straight at Kai.

It happens so fast Kai barely has the chance to react, but before the shadowy hands wrap and bind round him, it melts off him. The girl makes a frustrated noise and stomps her feet in annoyance.

"Stand still!" she barks.

Kai realises it's his heat that's keeping him from the bind. Heat, and possibly light – long story short, the fire within him is his lifesaver. That's when he finally snaps. But his blood chills again as he sees Rose – frozen next to him.

"Rose," he says softly.

"I can't move," she chokes. There's an unknown shadow other than Rose's on the ground, seemingly pulling her in like a blackhole.

Thinking fast, he summons a great wall of flames before him, blinding the teenagers. As he hears surprised yelps from behind the flames, he quickly sets a ring of fire around Rose in hopes of making the shadow dissipate. It works.

Taking the chance as the unknown kids are still perplexed and blocked by the flames, Kai grabs Rose by the hem of her shirt and yells, "Run!"

*****

LLOYD

Just as silence has fallen upon the Kingdom of Theia, the eerie mist engulfs them, blinding Lloyd's view of the podium.

Although he stands high up in the bell tower, the mist seems to gradually increase in altitude; anytime soon he'll be swallowed by the mysterious gas, too.

But that isn't his primary concern – at least, not yet. He is worried about Alaina and Lancaster below, the event, the rebellion, and the people. The sun is still up, unblocked by clouds – in fact, there isn't a single cloud however tiny and thin in the sky – and shining as brightly as ever. The mist isn't a natural occurrence.

It's bad enough that the mist or haze or whatever Lloyd is unable to make out is obscuring his view. The worst thing is, he isn't sure if it's dangerous.

But there's a weird odour – the pungent smell of sulphur, maybe, but with a mix of a pleasant smell, too. There is a weird scent of flowers or fresh plant, but Lloyd can't be too sure, and he doesn't want to be convinced by using his own senses as it might be toxic. It's like walking into a cloud of unknown, with an oddly intriguing charm that's drawing and luring you in yet at the same time probably killing you after. The deadliest of traps are decorated the most beautifully, after all.

So instead of scouting further, he covers his nose and mouth with the overly long sleeve of his robes.

And after failing to deduce anything at all, Lloyd seems to realise for the first time that he isn't the only one facing this problem.

"Trevor –"

But as he turns, he is hit by an impact to his head, and he falls to the old creaking floor of the bell tower, struggling to keep his vision steady while trying his best not to breathe too fast to avoid swallowing the weird haze or mist gradually creeping into the bell tower.