AFTERLAND and The Cryptic Prophecy

14: The Lightcaster of Chalcedon

I looked at Harris and saw a perfect smile drawn on his face. Talking to myself, I said, "Finally, we found her!"

"You are the grand lady?" my companion asked to clarify.

"Yes, I am," said the woman, who introduced herself as the grand lady of Chalcedon.

Not long enough, the watchmen came. There were twenty to thirty of them. As if they're going to catch two wild beasts.

"Hey! Stop right there! Don't move any closer to the grand lady!" shouted one of them, wearing a head armor bigger than his companions' helmet. He took his laser gun from his waist pocket and pointed it at us.

"Arrest them!" He ordered.

The heat of his gaze made my heart thumped heavily with each breath. Watchmen who looked ugly than zombies ran towards us.

"Just a moment! We need to talk to her," I pleaded, but the watchmen continued grabbing us. Grand Lady Adela's face showed no interest at all.

"My apologies, your highness," said the one with a bigger head armor, perhaps the head of security.

"Grand lady, please hear us. We need to talk to you!" demanded Harris. He shouldn't be begging like that because it's not his parents who were missing, but he did it anyway, making me realize I hadn't made any contribution to our quest yet.

The watchmen didn't mind him and grabbed us against our will, as if they were arresting us for doing a horrible crime. Still, the grand lady had a blank face. I hated the thought we searched and climbed every part of the Chalcedon Guild just to be ignored and experience humiliation from her. Anger and fury took over my mind and body.

"Hey you!!!" I fired off. Yep, I yelled at her. Everyone was in shock, including Harris, who almost dropped his eyes on the floor.

"Just so you know! We almost killed ourselves running and climbing this tall tower to search for you, because we thought you could help us save our parents! You don't even have elevators and escalators here! Then this is all we can get?!" I snatched my hands away from the watchmen. "I understand now why my parents left this world. People here are horrible and very inconsiderate!"

I knew I sounded rude to talk to her like that, but I was already on the verge of desperation. Everyone's eyes widened in horror at my way of speaking to the leader of Chalcedon Guild. However, the grand lady remained serene with her eyes on me.

"Tell me, who are your parents?" she asked in a calm manner.

"I'm Charlie Amberstar, the daughter of Belinda. Korra said she was from Adamus Guild and we-" I wasn't able to finish my words because she interrupted me.

"Your mother is Belinda of Adamus Guild?" she asked, placing her both hands on her chest.

"Yes," I answered shortly, feeling odd for her reaction.

Silence fell and the only thing I could hear was the wall clock's swinging pendulum. The mood on the grand lady's face changed. Calmness turned into a confused but surprised one.

"Let them go," she said.

The watchmen gripping our arms came to a halt. Then the most weird and unexpected thing in my entire life followed. All watchmen on the eighteenth floor bowed before us, placing their right arms on their chests. I was deluged with awe, seeing adults paying respect to me. I didn't expect to receive this kind of consequence for entering the world of Afterland.

"Call my servants and tell them we have important guests."

The grand lady's stares and smile made my pulse a little relaxed. My mind seemed to spin at the speed of the incident.