The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 4: The Seven Princes

Alexander stared at his watch as he rapidly bounced his leg on the floor. Apparently, he had a meeting with Archibald and the other Virtues today. Soon, in fact.

But that was all he knew. That was all he was told.

He didn't know where or how he would arrive. All he knew was that it was soon.

That lack of information made him anxious as he silently and impatiently waited in his living room.

Beside him was his sister.

Emilia groaned.

Alexander stared at her. She was laying down upside down on the couch, grumbling to herself.

Their eyes met.

"What?" she asked.

"Why are you sitting like that? And groaning? You've been doing that for like ten minutes."

"I just realized. I met Charles Archibald twice!" she said, holding up a pair of fingers. "Twice, Alexander. And I never even took a picture or anything!"

"I'm actually gonna meet him soon," Alexander said, glancing at his watch. "Want me to ask him for an autograph or something?" he joked.

Emilia sighed. "You're such a whore."

"I-" Alexander took in a sharp breath. "Sure."

Alexander patted his pockets. He dug his hands into his jacket. "Damn, I forgot my charger," he said, before standing up.

She looked up at him. "What do you need a charger for?"

"I don't know, just in case."

"But why?"

"You never know," he said, racing up the stairs.

Alexander continued running to his room with haste. He didn't want to be late. Still, he had no idea how to get to wherever he was supposed to go.

He opened his bedroom door. And the room behind it wasn't his own.

Alexander swallowed his saliva as he realized he stood in an office. Archibald's office, probably, since he was the only one in the room.

The Paladin smiled and waved at him.

Alexander turned around. Behind him was still his home.

It seems his worries were reduced to naught.

He stared back at the seated Paladin. Archibald was wearing pretty much the exact same thing he had worn when they had first met.

"Well, you're early," Archibald said.

"How..." Alexander began. "But why... And... Like, why? And how? For what?" he stammered, confused as he kept turning his head to face both spaces he stood between.

"Just shut the door, the air's getting out," Archibald said.

"This is the meeting?" he asked, pointing at the ground.

Archibald nodded.

Alexander stared at the floor. The border between wherever he was and his own home. The floor of the door frame was distorted and contorted with different colors. That just seemed to be what spatial magic can do.

Alexander took in a confused breath, before shutting the door behind him. "So, uh... Where are we?" Alexander asked, his eyes scanning over the walls.

Archibald sat in the room's singular chair. What sat before him was a wooden coffee table and grand sofa, capable of holding more than half a dozen people, Alexander guessed.