When they're eyes connected, even if it only for a single second, Johan felt as if he was being cooked alive, every cell in his body screamed to look away yet he felt compared to look at the man, as if he ruled by him in a sense.
At that moment Lucius showed up and laid a hand on the man's shoulder. Johan's eyes snapped out of the daze and turned to see the two walking away in pleasant conversation.
'What was that?'
Johan thought to himself before picking him up by the collar by Laureano:
"Come on, let's go."
Larry said as walked towards one of the fancy tables.
The room was like that of a ballroom in an old mansion. Golden walls and fancy patterns covered the area. It seemed too high up for it to be in the tunnel. Not only that, there were more people than vehicles outside by a significant amount.
Even if each car and motorbike carried its max number of passengers, it could cover half of the people here.
"What was that?"
Johan said without thinking as he tried to begin understanding what happened.
"If you're talking about looking at the red haired guy, then you just viewed someone who holds control under your nature. You're lucky he didn't want you to die, he could just think about your death and then you would die on the spot."
"That's–"
"Broken, I know, the feeling doesn't go away even when you advance. In fact it only gets worse. Unless you're of the same rank as them you never get rid of the feeling. Even once you get to the rank, the feeling never goes away in your mind."
He finished as he arrived at the table where the rest of the group was sitting and placed Johan in a seat before sitting down himself.
"So, what happened there?"
Edward asked Johan but he also hinted it to Laureano as he gave him a side eye.
"Not my area to tell."
Laureano replied to the early teen in front of Him.
"It's nothing important, well anyways why are we here?"
Johan said after some time.
Edward looked at Johan with closed eyes and a smile before looking at
Laureano with the same smile.
Laureano sighed before saying:
"He said 'It's nothing important and what are we here for?' and to answer your question Johan, we're here simply to have fun and eat. So eat up, enjoy yourself and turn not to fall asleep halfway through. Also stay close to us, or anyone you trust on the crew. We're in the domain of nobles, one mess up and it might get you killed."
Upon hearing that, Johan frowned before looking at the menu on the table.
Upon seeing, his face only grew more sorrowful:
'Ok, learning a new language must be number one on my list at this point.'
"Do you like lobster?"
Laureano asked.
"Yeah, is this a wedding or something?"
"No it's just a lot more common in the high class section."
Upon saying that, Laureano lifted up his hand and a waiter came by and was ready to write down the order.
"Two lobsters, two chicken alfredo, and what that guy over there is having."
Laureano said, pointing to Ryan eating a delicious meal of meat, rice, and beans. It looked simple, probably was, but man, did it small good and probably tasted even better.
"And what about the drinks, if any?"
The waiter said after he finished writing down the order in record time.
"I'll take a double irish coffee, the kids will probably get a soft drink or something and with her. Whatever you do, do give her alcohol of any kind. No matter how much she begs."
"What! You can't do that!?"
Sophia said as soon as she heard the words come out of Laureano's mouth.
"I think it might be for both mine and the good of others here."
The waiter said as he jolted down the info and was probably going to make a call to the other servers not to give Sophia any alcohol.
"Now you three, what drinks do you want?"
The waiter said after turning a page in the small notebook.
"A coke."
"Mountain dew."
"...Laureano help me."
"The kid wants sour pop."
"Alright."
The waiter said as he jolted the order before walking away.
In a small, candle lit chamber leading down to a dark abyss, set two men. Lucius and the red-haired man from earlier.
"May I ask why you asked me to enter your divine kingdom?"
"It's safer this way."
"I hope you're not intending to kill me, my death could cause a nation wide war. Plus I'm pretty sure the person most likely to replace Ryuzo Nakya would probably make it seem like you're trying to take hold of both natures, and we both know that's not possible."
"There are things in this world you could not even begin to comprehend. A world where fates coil and vanish like the air and smoke."
"..I'm sorry what?"
"As I said you couldn't understand even if you wanted to.
The main reason you're here is because I wanted to talk about the stunt you pulled earlier with my crew. Letting a child sense your presence at all, it doesn't seem very holy of you, does it."
"It wouldn't have killed, I don't indulge myself in killing, even when it's the wicked, death is sorrowful thing but oh is it equalizer of life."
"I simply wished to warn you not to target my crew or even attempt to harm them without just cause."
"Understandable but now what is the second you wished to talk about? In the ballroom you mentioned a second matter?"
"Ah yes, actually before that, what's up with the event?"
"What do you mean?"
"What kind of ball sets up tables for guests in case they don't want to dance and so many? It's like you didn't expect anyone to talk and mingle."
"That's cause I didn't."
"–Will I kinda expected you to beat around the bust but no you just went straight for it."
The red-head laid his back on the railing of the chamber's stairs as he continued the conversation:
"Why would I lie about such useless matters, in fact why would I lie at all, lying isn't an act of righteousness and the only way it's acceptable is from protecting someone who didn't deserve the punishment they're going to be delivered if I told the truth."
"True," Lucius replied, "Now the second matter. I simply wished to ask if you truly wished to advance to take the false god rank of the fire nature."
"Of course, honestly I would prefer not to, advancing is a hassle and takes pain and suffering plus the loss of morality and identity isn't worth it."
"But you are still going for it?"
"Yes, it's better me than Ricardo, with his "habits", it's best to place it in the hands of someone who is of God, no?"
"And how do you know you were of God?"
"I believe and do as the Bible says, doing what it says is doing what is good and avoiding what is evil. I may watch a show that contains sin but I never let it cause me too, and when it will, I get rid of it. But I guess the biggest show of this is–"
"Is what?"
"–Have you loved someone before, not a goal or an idea, or a feeling, but rather a true love. Forgiving, patience, telling the truth to and not deceiving. Hating evil and loving good. And lastly, having no record of wrongs done against you. Ever since I advanced to this rank, I haven't been able to hate anyone, I may hate their actions and their sins. But the person behind such things I couldn't even bring myself to slap them on the cheek without a just cause. I feel no malice and honestly I feel free."
"I see, well i'll let you leave now let's go."
Lucius said as he walked up the stairs as the red-head followed.
Meanwhile, in the event, "You let your hubris deceive you, Obi-wan."
Sophia said as she looked at Laureano who was talking to a waiter, a different one from before.
"I didn't tell you guys not to give any alcohol?"
"We didn't, she stole it herself, she's a rogue man."
"Ah, yeah that makes more sense. Sorry for wasting your time."
Laureano took out a want of cash and handed it to the waiter before looking back at Sophia who was spinning in circles in the air, causing nearly everyone to look at her.
Some were angry, others confused, others just annoyed. But one thing in their minds was common in all of their thoughts, why was such a pretty lady a wasted drunkard.
At that moment, Sophia suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the arms of a warm looking man wearing a dark colored trench coat, a grey shirt, and black tie.
Dark colored suit pants and black boots. Lucius stared at Sophia for a few seconds before speaking:
"Why do you have to embarrass me in every event we go to?"
"What, what are you talking about?"
Sophia as she burped a bubble of yellowish liquid.
Both Lucius and the red-haired to his side, looked at it before the latter popped it.
After popping it, he spoke up:
"Was that a bubble of champagne?"
"Don't ask questions."
"I–I didn't even think that was possible."
"You're a controller, many things didn't seem possible until later on."
"True."
"What are we talking about?"
Sophia said as she looked innocently at Lucius
"Nothing, Lucius said before a dark flame surrounded Sophia before she disappeared.
"Well Florence, it was nice to talk with you."
"Same with you good sir."
The red head bowed slightly towards Lucius before standing straight and going to a table.
Johan, who was munching down on a piece of lobster, felt a chill run down his spine, as he looked back to see where it came from, all he saw was a tall shadowy figure wearing a clown mask looking down at him.
"Can I have some?"
Lucius's voice sounded from the mask.
"Um, sure."
Johan said instinctively.
After getting the go ahead, the figure cut a piece of the crustacean before taking it and disappearing.
A second later, Lucius grabbed a piece of lobster from his clone before taking a bite of it:
'This is nice, the juice is basically overflowing.'
Lucius thought to himself as he continued eating the piece of lobster he took from Johan.
As the hours passed, the party eventually ended.
Laureano walked out from the entrance at the tunnel carrying the Ha-yoon and Edward with Johan walked behind him.
"Hey, you know some help there?"
Sophia said from his car.
"W-when you were here?"
"Do you need help or not?"
"If you want to help, then open the door."
He said as he walked towards the car. Sophia did as she was told and opened both the passenger's seat and back.
Laureano placed Ha-yoon in "shotgun" and bucked her up before placing Edward in the back next to Johan.
As Laureano started up the car, he suddenly looked back at Johan and spoke gently:
"You're not tired?"
"No, not at all actually."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure though I probably won't be awake for long."
Upon saying that, Johan looked up at the moon, going to speak one last time, but he stopped himself. Both Laureano and Sophia noticed this but chose not to comment on it.
After that the group drove in and out of the tunnel until they reached a hotel.
The hotel was not special but something about it just kept getting Sophia's attention.
"You ok?"
Laureano asked Sophia as he walked towards the entrance holding Edward under his arm and Ha-yoon on his back.
Johan followed suit, holding his blade as a cane.
"Actually kid, I think it would be better if you hand it to Sophia, she could just make the thing disappear."
"I can?"
Laureano looked at her silently before she spoke once again,
"Oh yeah, spirit world. Hand me the sword Johan."
She gestured to him with a "give it here" motion of her right hand. Johan looked at his katana, then the hotel, then to Sophia before handing it to her and resumed walking towards the entrance with Laureano.
After getting a hold of the sword, strings that seemed like they came from the moon, wrapped around the sword and made it disappear into a bright flash of light.
As the three walked into the hotel, they were greeted by a figure covered in shadows, wearing a clone mask, it was one of Lucius's clones.
"Did you guys enjoy yourselves?"
It said as it looked at them.
"Very, why do you ask?"
"Can't a captain know if his crew is happy?"
All three looked at him as an awkward silence passed through the air.
"Ok fine, Laureano, I'm going to need to create a hundred to two hundred charms of the sun, moon, and fire natures, each.
Sophia I need to check the entire city and warn any crew members who are near danger and or in danger.
Johan you're going to learn how to not die here. You start tomorrow morning.
Upon saying that, the clone disappeared into the shadows leaving the three.
Both Laureano and Sophia let out a sigh before walking as if nothing had happened while Johan simply accepted the information and waited for the two to start walking so he could follow.
After a while, they entered their room and rested. Laureano placed Ed and Ha gently on a bed while he took a seat against the window.
Sophia pulled out a deck of cards and started stacking them in a tower, and Johan laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling.
After a while, Johan finally closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. He blinked a few times and when he opened his eyes again, he realized he was on a cliff, looking down at a dark kingdom where at the center, was a dark castle that seemed to move like fire.
"Hello there."
A voice from behind him said. He turned back to see Lucius sitting with his sword laying on his upper torso and shoulder.
"I'm guessing you're going to train me right now aren't you?"
Johan said upon seeing his captain in front of him, his question coming off as a fact then something asked out of confusion or interest.
"Yep."
Lucius said as he created an identical clone of Johan in front of him. You're fighting yourself now, have fun.