The Raphael Cup (Book One Of The Mehan Trilogy)

VIII

Jason got up from the table. His eyes revealed a dark, blood-red colour. The red in his eyes gradually turned black.

"What happened to me," spoke Jason.

"Relax kid," spoke Liam.

"I am Liam Hemsworth," he said.

"I'm Jason. Jason Marksmen," said Jason.

The table on which he was laying seemed to float. There wasn't any support to keep it up. In front of him, there was a big window from where one could see a big city. All the buildings were black except for one at the centre, which was white. To his left were some guards who wore a black-red uniform. To his right was a big door made of black, sharp cobblestones with a golden handle. The floor was made of granite and was polished. The place looked pretty neat.

"Ok, so where am I exactly?" asked Jason. A long silence.

Liam answered slowly, "You are not on Earth anymore. You are in the second world."

"You are in the Empire Of Bloodreapers."

"What's a handler," asked Zhavia.

"A handler is the one who takes care of a Cretonian. It works in a pair. As the relationship and trust between the two increases, they both become caretakers of each other. This relationship is somewhat like the 'parabatai' relationship. But here it is called 'Beziehung' which is, FYI, a german word. We, Cretonians, have adopted most of the words from Germany or France. The reason for it is unknown.

To make it more intelligible for you, here's an example. I am your handler. But since we trust each other, our bond is Beziehung."

"Everyone, please come to the Pisces hall for the house distribution. I repeat, everyone, please come to the Pisces hall for the house distribution."

"Now what's a house distribution," asked Zhavia in frustration.

"It's just a ceremony which happens every year. In Sintale, there are four houses viz (namely); The Raphael House, The Noah House, The Jace House, and The Gaius House. There is also a leader for every group."

"Come on, You'll see it by yourself."

"Good morning everyone," spoke an aged man.

"We assemble here for the house distribution ceremony. First, we'll start with the Raphael House."

The crowd cheered and applauded. Clementine felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Oh, my phone. I almost forgot it was with me," she muttered to herself. She took out her phone. The call was from Zhavia.

She was about to pick it up when Elliana said, "No phones in a ceremony." Clementine closed her phone and put it into her pocket.

The speaker continued,

"Draco Sensky, Lucy Mildy,............................, Clementine Linden, Elliana Marksmen,.............., Hercules Georgiou are selected for the Raphael House."

"Margaret Stone,..........................., Drew Melvin, Ethan Thompson.............are selected for the Noah House."

"Falkoy Kevin, Zhavia Arzia,........................, Joseph Mathews are selected for the Jace House."

"Beverley Oliver, Sasha Theodore,..................................are selected for the Gaius House."

"Now, the leaders will be declared. I request the leaders to come on the stage and wear their badges. So, for the Raphael House, the leader is Elliana Marksmen. For the Noah House, the leader is Drew Melvin. For the Jace House, the leader is Joseph Mathews. For the Gaius House, the leader is Sasha Theodore."

The four leaders stood up and walked onto the stage. A young man who was sitting in the front row walked onto the stage and started awarding the leaders their badges while the crowd applauded.

Zhavia looked around for Clementine. The number of people present was meagre. She pulled out her phone and called Clementine. An attractive, tall, muscular guy who was sitting beside her spoke, "Switch off your phone in ceremonies."

"Sorry," replied Zhavia, keeping her phone in silent mode.

The new leaders reverted to their seats. "Congrats," said Zhavia as Joseph sat beside her. "Thanks," he replied, giving her a swift kiss.

"Being a leader is a big thing. Congrats," said Clementine.

"Well, If you are a leader for five years, then it's not a big thing," said Elliana.

"Everyone, please return to your assigned houses. Be safe. Thank You" spoke the old man. Everyone stood up and walked away to their houses.

"Always, remember, that the Raphael House is in the north," said Elliana pointing towards the north door above which 'Pisces Hall' was written.

As they both walked forward, someone shouted, "Clementine."

Clementine turned around and saw two figures running towards her. As the sharpness of their faces increased, she saw Zhavia and Joseph.