AFTERLAND and The Cryptic Prophecy

16: The Mirror on The Round Table

Just a minute after I closed my eyes, I started seeing things again. I was dreaming. A dream about the second moon with the golden ring, which I saw the night of my seventh birthday.

There was a long golden stairs in front of me, so long that it could reach the second moon. I took the first step, but after the second step, I was already standing in front of a portcullis made of silver and zircon. It moved upward and a red carpet revealed. I followed where the carpet would lead me, and a rectangular stone like a casket appeared before me. I was about to open it, but a powerful light overcast my eyes that made me awake.

They said dream was an interpretation of unspoken words by an unknown person, but for me, dream was a chance to escape from reality.

The next morning, my friends and I had our breakfast on the balcony with Grand Lady Adela and Khurl. We enjoyed eating at the highest deck of the guild, where we could see the entire region of Chalcedon.

I had an interesting discovery. Elevators incorporated the guild. We didn't see it last night because only Khurl, the grand lady, the servants, and the watchmen knew about it. It was hidden in the lobby of every floor. To make it appear, you needed to recite the magic word "rakhaza".

I could smell the splendid aroma of the Tanzanian peaberry coffee. Berry yogurt bowl, buttermilk pancakes, and apple jam were also present in front of us. It was a typical breakfast table for royalties.

The beauty of Chalcedon Region was even more beautiful with the blazing sun making every detail of its terrain visible. I could also see the hill where we landed, the Express Afar Terminal. I spotted the Woods of Hangret that made me remember of Korra Albertine, hoping she was fine after the attack of those red people.

"What's wrong, Charlie?" asked the grand lady.

"Nothing, your highness." I tried to smile and dodged her stare.

"Are you thinking about your mom?" she asked and put her cup on the table covered with white silk cloth.

"I can't even get her out of my head since the night she disappeared," I answered, to hide my real thoughts about Korra.

"I know what you feel, that's what I felt when Leona left long ago." She stared at Diordin. "But I'm delighted I was able to meet her daughter."

The two exchanged smiles. They looked more comfortable with each other. Unlike last night, we had an extremely awkward atmosphere. Maybe sleeping in a bed with a canopy helped.

"I'm delighted as well, because finally, I met my future wife," Khurl said and placed a strawberry cupcake on Diordin's plate.

The grand lady shook her head gradually while touching her forehead. I could tell she was in a deep shame for her son's behavior. The smallest of awkward smiles tugged at the corner of Diordin's lips. If I was in her position, I would be uncomfortable as well.

Khurl's moment with my friend was broken when a small parcel dropped on the table, in front of the grand lady. Everyone looked up, and there, we saw a flying creature with a set of prism butterfly wings.

"A cat?" I blinked twice. "With butterfly wings?"

I almost dropped the marble tea cup I was holding.

"Is that a Postalfur?" Harris asked.

"Yes. There are many of them, especially in the Capitol," said Grand Lady Adela while opening the parcel. "They serve as messengers and package couriers here in Afterland."

The winged cat with golden brown fur and emerald eyes waved at us and flew away. I recalled I saw a similar cat in our living room before, watching Guardians of the Galaxy, but I didn't notice its wings back then.