The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 11

Astral blasted a hole in the cement with his lightning to bury the cat in. It wasn't a big funeral; just throwing her in the ground and tossing the debris in. She wouldn't be missed.

Then, the ceiling gave way violently with series of crumbles and loud snaps of the things holding them together coming apart. The two made their way to the table for protection, but a huge chunk of ceiling crashed into it.

"We have no choice but to resurface!" Astral shouted over the noise. He plugged his sensitive ears with his fingers to block the majority of the noise.

"Alright!" Yuma scanned the breaking room desperately for an exit, but alas, there was no visible exits. "I can't find any exits!"

Astral cursed in his language and searched for an alternative. If they couldn't go through to the outside world, they would have to huddle into a crevice or under a piece of rubble. If they did that, however, there was a high chance that they would be buried in there. Still, if there was no way out, then they would have to take that chance.

His mismatched eyes scanned the crumbling place thoroughly. There was nothing for a while, then a crevice with two slabs of cement acting as shields from the falling debris. It would keep them safe and covered.

"Yuma! Over here!" He waved the boy over quickly and made his way to the crevice, expecting the boy to follow, which he did.

Astral waited impatiently for him, tapping his hand against his thigh like someone would tap their foot against the ground. Finally, Yuma made it to the place, and they both slipped into the wide crevice. From in there, Astral scanned their surroundings for any flaws in this place. Lucky for them, this spot was perfect. The two giant slabs were lodged so tightly against each other that it would take something heavy to break them apart! Sure, there would be little specks of dust showering onto them every now and then, but other than that, all was good.

There was still the problem of the bombs breaking their barrier. Sure, falling objects would have no effect on them, but the bombs of THEM were made to break literally anything. They would need to reinforce them with his magic. So, he waved his hands in a specific, fluent sequence, and as a result, a clear barrier-like jelly substance surrounded the cement. There. Now, it wouldn't matter how much they bombed; those things would hold.

"We should be safe, now," Astral hissed. The best part about this spot was that almost all sound from the outside was muted! "Nothing can break the barriers around us."

"So, we can stay here until everything's quiet," Yuma concluded in the same tone. "It's not a bad idea."

Astral smiled. "When we were young, Father would always train my mental stability and my strategic thinking. As a result, I can tell what to do in situations like these."

"Cool."

An awkward silence settled between them as they realized that they were in a close space, pressed close together again. They were both turning red in the face, but due to the darkness and Astral's dimming light for camouflage, neither of them noticed the other's blush. It was good for the both of them. Astral didn't have to worry about his slowly shredding pride, and Yuma could hide the fact that he may be developing feelings for the prince, which was odd since he was a guy!

Astral leaned against Yuma again because when he first did that, it was rather calming to hear his steady breathing. Yuma was surprised by this sudden action, but he didn't really mind it.

That awkward silence turned into a calm air. They waited out the bombing close to each other with really nothing to do except talk.

"Astral, have you ever had anyone you really cared about?" Yuma asked.

"You are to address me as 'Prince Astral,' and yes. My brother, my father, and my mother. Seeing as my parents are now gone, all I have is my brother," Astral sighed.

Yuma laughed and poked his nose. "You're not in the castle anymore, silly!"

Astral pouted with a small huff. "Whatever." He looked up at Yuma. "What about you?"

Yuma looked into Astral's curious eyes. "Me? I have my sister, my grandma, my parents, and all my friends."

"Friends? I remember having those back in my world." He smiled ruefully. "If not for THEM, they would have stayed with me."

Yuma nodded, feeling a twinge of sympathy. He couldn't imagine life without his friends by his side. Then, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, Astral, how would you like me to teach you how to duel?" he offered.

"Duel?" Astral scoffed with a "no duh!" tone. "I already know how to do that."

"With cards?"

"Hmm?" Astral scrunched his nose. "Cards? How are those supposed to win any battles?"

Yuma laughed again at his ignorance. "When all this is over, I'll teach you!"

Astral thought this over. How was it possible to battle with cards? Well, he had a feeling that he would not want to miss this chance. He grinned. "Okay. Let's see what these cards can do."

Yuma nodded. "Alright. When this is all over, we can do it!"

~.~.~

After a few more hours, silence seemed to fall over the land above. After some arguing, they decided to check it out.

"I'll go first," Yuma offered. Without waiting for the prince's response, he jumped up and climbed out with the footholds and handholds to the surface.

The boy scanned his surroundings. As far as he could see, no more bombing was taking place, and they weren't harmed. He dropped down.

"It's all good," he said.

Astral nodded. "Shall we go, then? I would rather not stay here any longer and waste time."

Yuma nodded. "Climb on my back. You're in no condition to be going up by yourself."

"Neither are you with your wounded leg. I will be fine."

He had a point there. The human boy smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

They climbed out of the hole and continued on their journey.