Hey everyone! Yes, you can go ahead and complain, "Hey BlueYusei, you made this new story, but you haven't updated your other stories! Please update those ones first!" Look guys, I'm very sorry about those. I really am, but I've been sidetracked. There, I said it. I'll explain what's happening...
So at Christmas Day 2020, my brother brought me Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom on PS4. Now...this game was on my 'interested but not urgent to play' list of games I needed to play and to be honest, I completely forgot that it existed. I knew about it over 5 years ago (ish) and I was like "Cool, thanks bro!" Then about the 2nd week of January, I started playing the game. On normal difficulty, I completed the main story in about a month. Overall, I really loved this game and my favourite character is Roland. Full stop.
So after playing that game, Persona 5 Strikers was just around the corner and I played that too. That one, didn't take as long to finish (over a week). I tried playing on normal difficulty, but Alice beat me every single time. So, me just wanting to know what happens story-wise, I switched the difficulty to easy and finished the game. I might consider replaying the game on normal if I have plenty of free time, plus if I'm in the mood to play Persona.
Then after that, being in love with Ni No Kuni 2, I have spent quite a bit of time looking up fan-art, fanfiction and any cool merchandise out there. One day, I saw this fan-art of Roland by Sogyo-kun on Deviantart, which displays Roland writing his adventure in a book with a bunch of higgledies around him. And I was commenting on it saying, "Aww...he's writing the story for his son, Will!" And Sogyo-kun replied with a comment along the lines of "There isn't many Roland fan-fics out there". After searching places, I have to agree. So I told Sogyo-kun, "Tell you what, I'll make this fan-fic real. I'll make it".
This is that fan-fic. As it sort of explains in the summary, this is mostly a novelisation of the Ni No Kuni 2 game. However, there is one small thing that is different. Roland's son, Will is reading the novelisation of the game. You'll understand once you read it. The reading of the book will be in italics and anytime Will says his thoughts out loud in between or before and after reading a chapter, it will be written 'like this' with line breaks. This will help you readers to not get lost on the story world and the real world.
I will be doing each chapter of the game as one chapter of this story. So this chapter is the prologue and chapter 1 of the game. Chapter 2 of the game will be the next chapter and so on. To help guide me on the dialogue of the game and help me make this story as accurate as possible, I am watching and pausing moments on NicoB's playthrough of the game.
I probably won't focus on any side quests or the kingdom building at all in this story. However, there is a certain side quest I want to do in detail for this story and any citizens that join the kingdom will probably get a slight mention. Any major constructions to the kingdom that give you a lot of influence, will probably have some detail like a certain square or the gardens etc. One last thing, any scenes in the game that Roland wasn't a part of will not get mentioned, such as the throne room scene where Vermine is talking to Mausinger in chapter 1 etc.
Please do enjoy, fav and review!
It has been six months since Roland left the other world. He looked the same as he did before arriving in Evan's world and any belongings he had in that world were nowhere to be found. No arms band, no guardsman coat either. All he had that belonged in that other world were his memories. He never forgot how he started his adventure, he never forgot about Evermore and its residents and he never forgot about Evan.
Using the memories and knowledge of what he had experienced in the other world, he decided to make an important document. A document that could unite the world. Roland had given his message to the worldwide public and in just a few days, two countries decided to join with Roland's country. Roland knew that it was going to be hard work and that it could take a long time to accomplish, but if him and Evan could unite the four major nations with Evermore, he could do the same with his world.
Even though Roland was currently on an important task, there was something else concerning him. He had a birthday for a relative coming soon, it was for his gravely-ill son Will. During his visits to the hospital, Will would always tell Roland of all of the adventure books he had read and with that, Roland had a perfect idea for a birthday present.
Using his spare time when he's not doing his presidential duties, he decided to write his own adventure story. But not just his own story, he decided to write his recent adventure in the form of a book. Roland wrote it all, when he saw the missle, arriving in Evan's bedroom, meeting Lofty, starting the construction of Evermore, all the way till saying goodbye to Evan. Roland didn't want to include him coming back to his world in the story, it's risky enough that he would be mentioned and Roland wanted his son to believe that it was a story that he himself was a main character, not make it a true story to Will's eyes.
After spending all of his spare time creating a draft on paper and retriving a blank book from one of his assistants, Roland filled the blank book with his story. He wrote a birthday message on the inside front cover and gave it one final look, before it was ready to be posted.
A few days later at a certain location...
A young boy around the age of 10 was watching the news on TV. The news had been talking about Roland's task of uniting the world. It is currently talking in detail of what countries were united so far and the young boy smiled at how proud he was for his father. The young boy hears the door in his ward opening, it is a young nurse who regually checks up on the young boy.
The nurse greeted the young boy with a smile. "Good morning Will". Will smiled back. "Morning, is it check-up time again?" The nurse shook her head. "No, that's later today. But there is something for you in the post, it might be a birthday present from your father". The nurse handed Will a light brown package. Will grabbed the package with excitement and opened it. The brown packaging got removed and inside is a wrapped present covered with bright-coloured wrapping paper.
Will ripped the wrapping paper and he was surprised by what's inside. Will studied the object with curiousity. It is a hardcover book with dark blue front and back covers, the frame of each side had a fancy white pattern and the banner is black in colour. Even though there is no title on the front cover, Will opened the book, excited to see what's inside. On the inside front cover, there is a message addressed to him written in silver. Will read the message out loud so that the nurse could hear.
"To my son Will, while I have been uniting the world, I have created a brand new adventure just for you. When I next come and visit you, let's talk about this adventure together. Happy birthday kiddo! From your father, President Roland Crane". Will looked at the nurse. "Dad made me a new story on my birthday!" The nurse smiled at Will. "How nice of him. I just came in to deliver that to you, so I'll see you later for your check-up, okay Will?"
Will nodded and the nurse left. The only noises left were the low volumed conversations coming from the TV. Will, too impatient to wait any longer, opened the book to see the contents page first. There are nine chapters including a prologue and Will started reading the prologue, eager to start the story.
On a clear night, four limosine cars were driving a relatively quick pace towards a city. They had reached the bridge connecting to the incoming city and were just minutes away from reaching it. Inside one of these limosine cars was a man in his late forties. He had a purple suit with a white collar shirt with turqouise pins, a light blue tie, polished brown shoes, lilac trousers and a black trimming on the suit. His hair had a few grey areas as well as a few light brown patches, but his hair was well groomed for an important event.
Someone in front of him spoke. "We'll be arriving shortly, Mr. President". The president nodded slowly, understanding the current situation. However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a singular light on his left side. He looked at the window and noticed that whatever that light was, it was heading towards the city. The president gasped in shock and got as close as he could to the window. "What in the world?" As he got a closer look, he recognised it immediately.
It's a nuclear missle and it was heading towards the city.
There is nothing anyone could do, no one could inform the defense force to stop the missle's path or evacuate the city in time. The city was doomed. The missle was just above the skyscrapers and its speed had slowed down until the flare disappeared. Then in just a half a second, there was a bright flash and following immediately after was a big mushroom cloud of smoke and fire that was overtalling all the buildings in the city. Like a swipe from a hand, the buildings shattered like they were made of paper. Along with the buildings, anything that is surrounding the city got blown away, including all of the limosines that were heading towards the city. The one that the president was in got flipped a couple of times and from his sight, everything became black.
All the president felt after that was a lot of pain. He lied on the hard ground and his body felt like it was on fire. He tried to move to see if the pain could be stopped, but it just made it worse. Unbeknownst to the president, his body glowed a light blue with small particles of light around him. It got dim at first, but it glowed brighter and brighter. The president felt like he was being pulled somewhere, but not only that, it felt like the feeling of being on fire was extinguishing. The blue glow enveloped the president so brightly for a second and it then died down to just a few light particles, until there was no blue light or glow left. The president was nowhere to be seen.
Will was shocked at what had happened while reading the prologue. "W-where did that president go? Is he okay?" Will, intrigued to know what has happened to this character, turns to the next page and continues reading.
Chapter 1
The Fall of the House of Tildrum
The president felt the pull for what felt like hours. He hoped that whatever was pulling him was putting him somewhere safe or that it wasn't harming him in some way. It seemed to be not harming him at all, in fact, it was doing the opposite. The fire felt pain was gradually extinguishing and his body felt comforting like being wrapped up in a blanket. The feeling of being pulled had stopped, but he still felt something strange, like he was floating in the air.
That feeling didn't last long though. Like a switch, the feeling of being lifted was gone and the president fell onto his hands and knees. The president opened his eyes a little and shook his head a bit, surveying his body. "Wh-!? What...happened...?" The president continued to check for any injuries, but found none. His eyes widened at the revelation. How did he heal up so fast? He looked left and right briefly, but a shaky voice made him look forward.
"I-I am Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. King of Ding Dong Dell! Wh-who are you!?" The voice belonged to a young boy who is holding a small dagger, pointing at the president. Evan has short blonde hair, blue eyes and is wearing a short aqua blue robe, tightened by a black belt with a golden buckle. The robe is also topped with a dark blue layer that has a tear-shaped zip and a pink collar. Evan has baggy shorts that matched the colour of his robes, along with white leggings and reddish-brown shoes.
But what surprised the president more was that Evan isn't fully human. On top of Evan's head is a pair of tabby cat ears and he could have sworn that he saw a cat tail aswell. Evan was nervous, but alert in case the intruder was going to attack him. The president slowly stood up, still looking at the floor. "Never mind 'who'..." The president held his head and once he stood up fully, he looked at his surroundings. "...the question is 'where'?"
The president is in a bedroom of some kind. On his left is a king-sized bed, folded neatly with bedside curtains at each corner and with a curtain top. On his right is a fireplace made of marble with a shelf above it and above the shelf, there is a tall mirror which reaches to the top of the room. Just beside the fireplace, there is a small table and chair with a china teapot and a teacup and saucer. The walls were dark blue in colour and in each corner of the room is a column of marble coloured the same as the fireplace. Behind the president is a tall, clear window, covered from the heavy rain outside and two bust statues of cats.
The president looked at the mirror as he noticed something off. "Huh?" He dashed towards it and held onto the shelf, staring at his reflection. He widened his eyes, very surprised by his current look. "Well, now...would you look at that". The president studied his reflection with both curiosity and wonder. The reflection staring back at him is much younger. The colour patches in his hair were gone. His hair is completely black and as he studies his face, he could see a long ponytail at the back of his head. The president had gone from a man in his late forties, to a young adult. He looked about twenty six.
The president started to get a headache and chinged a bit from the pain. He saw the door Evan was standing behind and dashed to it. He ignored Evan calling out. "S-stay where you are!" Evan backed away as the intruder got close. The intruder opened the door and held his head, then walked away, out of the room. Evan lowered the dagger, but kept a hold of it. He couldn't let the intruder get away. "Wait!"
The president who had left the room, held his head as his headache got worse. 'Ngh...my head...' He continued walking until the headache seemed to have loosened. His headache must have been quick and sudden. He wasn't sure how he got it. He retreived a small object from his inside suit pocket and turned it on. The screen of a mobile phone lit up and on top of the screen had the words 'No Signal' displayed. 'Huh. Guess it was kind of a long shot...' He turned off his phone, put it back in his suit pocket and thought back on what has happened so far.
'I was...I was on my way to the summit...so this...this has to be a dream...' He looked up a little at a realisation. 'That or I'm...' He wanted to continue with his thoughts on what had happened to him, but he heard heavy footsteps behind him. He turned around and sees the boy from before. Evan held the dagger close and pointed it at the president.
"Intruder! Somebody, arrest this man!" Evan was confused as to why nobody was in sight, he turned his head to the right towards the staircase. "Where is everybody? Nella! Nella, where are you? Oh...she must preparing for the ceremony..." Like a cat would do if they were scared or frightened, Evan's ears were folded down a little, scared on what this intruder was going to do. The president sighed. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to play, little guy".
Evan was offended by the intruder's attitude. "How dare you speak to me like that!? I told you-I am a king!" The president looked at Evan with a funny and confused look. "Heh. Sure you are. Hey, can I ask you something?" The president asked the dreading question that has been on his mind ever since Evan ran to him. "...Am I dead?" Evan didn't know why his intruder was asking such a question. "What!?"
Before any of them could say more, the castle shook, unbalancing the two. It didn't last long though and the president kept his legs far apart to avoid falling over. "Was that an explosion?" Evan looked at the stairs, also wondering what was going on, but then sharply looked at his intruder. "I-is this your doing!?" The president stood straight, his hand on his chin, analysing the current situation. 'All right, forget where you are for now...Let's just suppose for a second that what this kid said is true...'
The president looked Evan in the eye. "So you're the king around here, huh?" Evan growled. "Yes! How many times do I have to tell you!?" The president nodded. "All right, Your Majesty. I'm going to go take a look around. Can you be a good boy and wait here for me?" The president walked away from Evan and quickly went down the stairs. "D-don't you dare walk away from me!"
The president ignored Evan's order and quickly went down the staircase. As he stepped on the first landing, the president thought to himself, 'What the...? What's going on...?' He continued going down the stairs and once again, the castle shook. The president wobbled a little, but was steady on his feet. "Gah! Another one..." Once the spiral of stairs had ended, the president looked around him. "This place...It's some kind of a castle, but...not one I've ever seen before..." The president looked to his left and saw a door slightly opened.
He kept close to the door and peeked through the gap. He sees a new room, bigger than the bedroom and in that room, there are two guards wearing iron armour. The president wanted to have a closer look at them, he saw that they weren't human. He heard them talking to one another. "This is too easy!" The other guard replied, "Just have to take care of that little-"
The guard got interruped by the door fully opening as Evan dashed towards them. "Halt, intruder!" The president reached his arm to Evan, signaling him to stop. Evan didn't listen and stood behind the guards, who just looked at Evan. "You will go no further! Guards! Seize him!" Evan pointed his dagger at the president. Little did Evan know, the guards looked at each other, then the guard to the right got close to Evan, preparing to strike with his sword. The president saw that these guards were definiately not human. They were anthromorphic mice, human-like mice. He didn't think much of that for now. Right now, he knew something was up. The guards were against Evan and he had to stop them from hurting Evan.
The guard took out his sword and held it high, ready to strike the king. But the guard didn't get a chance, he grunted and dropped to the ground, along with his sword. Evan looked at the guard shocked and at where the noise of a gunshot came from. It came from the president who held a revolver with both hands. He held the revolver down to the lower leg area, then pointed it at the other guard. The president stared at the door to his left and heard voices of more guards incoming. "What was that noise!?" Followed by, "In there!"
The president looked at the guard, muttering to himself, "That'll teach me to get trigger happy". The president put away his revolver and pushed Evan to the side, making sure that he was safe behind him. Two guards came in through the door. "They're not here to protect you! Get back!" The president picked up the sword the guard dropped and held it with both hands, ready to slay the guards. The president knew how to use swords, but it had been a while since he wielded one.
"Who the heck are you!?" Another guard replied, "We can worry about the boy in a minute! Let's deal with this one first!" The president managed to use the sword efficiently to take out the guards. 'Not much ammo left...better be careful on how I use it...' The president took down the last guard and took a deep breath. He walked up to Evan. "Are you okay?" Evan was scared, the intruder took down all of his guards and he hoped he wasn't next. "D-don't come any closer! Somebody! Arrest this man! Don't let him get away!"
The president sighed. This young king has no idea what's going on. "Open your eyes. Nobody's coming. Nobody good, at any rate. It looks to me like we both need to get out of here". Evan had no clue what this intruder was on about. "...Wh-what are you talking about?" The president answered, "Can't you see? It's a coup!"
"What!? A coup...? ...Here...?" Evan was thinking on how and why a coup would be happening in Ding Dong Dell, while the president turned to the furthest door. "Have you found the boy?" A voice replied, "No sir! The men should be reporting in shortly!" With those responses, the president knew that more soldiers would be coming shortly. He looked at Evan. "Come on, we're getting out of here". Evan looked up to the president's face. "B-but..." The president walked away, hoping that Evan would follow him. Luckily for him, he did. "A-all right..."
The president led the young king away from any incoming soldiers, by going through certain doors that were more quiet. After passing through a couple of hallways, they were in a certain hallway that looked more devastated than the rest. Parts of the wall have been blasted and the bricks that constructed that wall were scattered all over the floor and carpet rug. A couple of cat-like human soldiers were lying on the ground, not moving. There was one cat-like soldier still breathing on the other end of the hallway, however, he sat, kneeling against the wall, resting on his injuries.
"No..." Evan was in disbelief on what was happening. "I guess this was the explosion we heard". The president had his left hand on his hip, staring at the damage, then looked at Evan. "Hey, you said your name was Evan, right? I'm Roland".
As Will read the sentence that Roland introduced himself to Evan, Will's eyes widened. "D-dad? You're the president in this story? Did he really get sent to another world?" Will looked down at the book. "Maybe I should ask him as soon as I can". Will smiled and continued with where he left off.
"No..." Evan was in disbelief on what was happening. "I guess this was the explosion we heard". The president had his left hand on his hip, staring at the damage, then looked at Evan. "Hey, you said your name was Evan, right? I'm Roland. And you're the king? King Evan?" Evan looked upset, but answered Roland's question. "Yes. At least, I was...I don't quite understand what's going on...Ding Dong Dell has been at peace for generations". Roland looked back at the hallway. "I'm sure it has. But still waters run deep". Evan looked at Roland, wondering what he meant. "Hm?" Roland added, "I should know. I run a country myself". They were both silent after that. They stared at the hallway a little, until Roland made a plan. "We have to move. You need to get out of the castle, and fast".
Evan nodded and followed Roland. They left the devastated hallway and continued on, however a few guards were blocking the way. "He's here! And the other one, too! Get them!" Roland had done a good job in defending Evan, but warned him. "Dammit! Evan-stay back!" Evan hid in the corner, away from the danger and the guards were easily taken care of as Roland knocked them out one-by-one. Once the coast was clear, Evan ran close to Roland. "So...were you sent here to help me, Roland?" Roland smiled at Evan a little. "Heh, your guess is as good as mine..."
After opening the doors to exit out of the hallway, they were met with another hallway that is much shorter and the exit lead them to an outdoor path of the castle. Evan stopped Roland from going any further. "Roland, wait!" Roland stopped as he was told and let Evan continue, wondering why he stopped him. "The soldiers up ahead!" Roland sideglanced at Evan. "What about them?" Evan explained. "The red uniforms-those mean that they are elite guardsmen". Roland understood. "Which means we don't want to mess with them, right?"
Evan looked at the ground. "Well, perhaps if Nella were here, but..." Roland looked at Evan, wondering about the name. "Nella?" Evan looked at Roland with a smile. "Yes! She's ever so strong! And awfully kind! And she knows everything about everything! If she were here, we would have nothing to fear from the likes of them!" Roland smiled. "She sounds like quite a woman. But for now, it's just the two of us. Which means we'll need to take a different approach..."
Roland took a peek to make sure no guards saw them and quietly sneaked to the right, hiding in the bushes. Evan followed him closely behind. Once they were hidden enough, Evan asked, "D-do you really think we can do this?" Roland whispered loudly back to Evan, "Shh! Stick to the bushes, and move quickly and quietly!" And true to that, Roland took slow steps forward with Evan following closely behind him. Roland looked to the side when there is an open gap, making sure no guards can see them. "Not much further now..." They were a couple of bushes away from the door and Roland stopped Evan as he sees a guard almost seeing them. "Must be my imagination..." The guard turned around, giving Roland and Evan the chance to escape.
"Phew, we made it!" The door they entered led them to a new staircase. Roland looked around, noticing something. "This place is a maze. These corridors look just the same as all the others..." Evan nodded. "Nella says it's to confuse attackers". Roland nodded. "Guess that makes sense-if you're being attacked by outsiders". Roland turned and went down the stairs, as it seems that it was their only option. As they went through the doors to a new room, similiar to the one closest to Evan's bedroom, the doors shut by themselves. "Oh no!" Roland grunted. "Trapped".
There were a few more guards in this room, but they were easily taken care of. Evan was about to get close, but he heard more guards incoming, as well as a new female voice. "There they are!" One of the soldiers added, "Seize them!" Roland narrowed his eyes at them. "Gah! Reinforcements!" The female voice had a long robe on and a hood that covered most of her face. There were more soldiers this time which became a struggle for Roland.
He managed to take down two of the guards and is in close range with another. Evan, seeing that Roland was struggling, got close to help him out. Roland pushed the guard back and the sorceress launched a fireball towards Evan. Roland looked behind him and quickly pushed Evan down, with the fireball avoiding them both. Roland looked back with his revolver in hand, targeting the mage and shot twice. The sorceress conjured a magic green shield that absorbed the bullets. The shield disappeared and with a wave of the hand, two skeletal figures emerged from the ground, each side from the sorceress. "Rise!"
The sorceress held her wand close and chanted to it, recreating a fireball slowly. Roland and Evan were surrounded, many guards circled them. Roland looked at his gun and saw that he had run out of ammo. He kept hold of it to intimitate the guards, but he knew there was not much he can do. "Looks like the end of the road". The sorceress stopped chanting and was halfway on creating the fireball, but she grunted and fell to the floor, distinguishing the spell. In her place was a human woman holding a small dagger, similiar to Evan's.
The woman sprinted towards one of the guards and blocked his attacks hard, hard enough for him to fall backwards. Another guard ran to her from behind, but she expected it as she jumped and used her dagger to slash the guard's back. She looked at Roland and Evan. "Sorry, Evan. I came as quickly as I could". The woman looked around Roland's current age. She has dark green eyes and hair, her hair is tied with a ponytail and is wearing hanging earrings that are shaped like fish. She is wearing a violet and light pink dress with violet plumps.
She rushed to Evan's side, concerned of his safety. "Nella!" The woman smiled at Evan. "Evan! Thanks goodness you're all right!" Evan looked at Roland with a smile. "Yes. Thanks to Roland here". The woman narrowed her eyes at Roland, suspicious of him. "Roland?" Roland added, "Let's save the introductions until after we've dealt with these guys".
With that, the pair worked together to clear out the room. Roland was fighting one of the skeletal monsters that the sorceress summoned. "What in the heck are those weird skeletons, anyhow?" The woman looked at Roland, questioningly. "You've never seen a skeleplasm before? They're one of the most commonest monsters in the land". Roland looked at the skeleplasm both with curiosity and worry. "Monsters!?" Thanks to the newcomer's help, the guards were easily taken care of.
Once the coast was clear for them to talk, they gathered together. "Thanks. We're lucky you found us when you did". Evan became super happy to see her. "Yes! Thank you so much, Nella!" The woman bowed her head. "I don't deserve your thanks. I should have reached you sooner...But...today of all days? How could they?" She looked at Roland. "Who exactly are you? And how did you get into the castle undetected?" Roland answered, "I'm Roland, and...I'm as curious as to how I got here as you are..."
Evan nodded and explained to the woman. "Roland helped me. He saved my life". Roland smiled, happy to see Evan is accepting him as an ally, not an enemy. "Heh. Finally beginning to see reason, huh?" The woman nodded a little. "Very well. If His Majesty count you as an ally, then so do I. Forgive my suspicion. I am merely doing my duty. My name is Aranella, and I have served as Evan's governess since his birth". Roland analysed Aranella. "You're not just a governess though-you're a bodyguard, too". Aranella nodded. "I suppose you could say that, yes. Although I never had to prove it until today..."
Evan wanted an explanation from someone he knew. "What's going on, Nella?" Aranella looked serious as she explained the situation. "Chancellor Mausinger has started a rebellion. He means to kill you". Evan became shocked, eyes widened. "What? Mausinger? But he was my father's most trusted advisor...I must speak with him! I must make him see reason!" Roland disagreed. "No. It won't work. This is no spur-of-the-moment uprising. This thing was planned. If he says he wants you dead, he means it". Evan looked a little upset. "B-but...we can't just..."
Aranella had a hand on her chin, thinking of a plan. "Aranella-do you know a safe way out of here?" Aranella nodded and explained. "There is a hidden passage that leads to the sewers. I doubt many in the castle know of its existence..." She turned and faced the door behind her. "That door will lead us there".
Following Aranella's directions, the group went through the doors which led to a small set of stairs. At the bottom of them stood a feminine cat-like person, looking down at the ground. As they approach this person, the cat-like person gasped at seeing the king. "Your Majesty! You're all right!" The cat-like person smiled as Evan replied, "Yes, thanks to Nella and Roland". Roland looked at the room around him. There are a couple of humans and cat-like soldiers, some injured and some talking to one another.
"No signs of fighting around here". The cat-like person explained. "Mausinger's main target appears to have been His Majesty. This part of the castle is far enough away from the royal chambers to have escaped his attention. Those of us who are injured or unable to fight have been gathered here for safety. I think the soldiers probably know we're here but there's no way out, so they have us where they want us regardless. We're as good as prisoners".
Evan looked down, sad that couldn't help them without endangering everyone. "Then I mustn't stay long. If I do, I'll be putting you all in danger..." Aranella liked how noble Evan had been and muttered, "Your Majesty..." The cat-like woman got close to Evan. "I don't know if these would be any use to you, but I'd like you to have them". She gathered from her left pocket a couple of two-leaved plants and gave them to Evan. "These are Soreaways, they can heal any injuries you have".
Roland's mouth opened a little in surprise. He never would have thought that there would be a plant that could heal any injury, they would be very useful back in his own world. "Thank you very much". He nodded to the lady and added, "We have to keep going, let's go". Evan and Aranella nodded and followed Roland out of the room. They were in a new hallway and to the right is the way towards the main hall of the castle. Before they could enter the main hall, Aranella stopped them "...What's that?" She turned to Evan and Roland and added, "Hide! Quickly!"
Roland sees a door to his left and quickly opens it. Evan and Aranella followed him in and peeked at their exit. A knight, covered head-to-toe with dark purple armour with a dark purple cape, stepped at their only way out. The knight is carrying a sword and a shield and the knight turned to the hallway, showing his masked face. The red lenses glowed a little, but quickly got back to its normal shine. The knight turned away and walked out of view. Evan sidestepped to see more of the knight. "Who was that, Nella?" Aranella shushed Evan and whispered, "That was the Black Knight".
Without making any sounds, the group entered the room and closed the doors behind them. In the room, there is a wardrobe with a couple of coats and uniforms, hanged up inside with a few pairs of boots. There is also, like in Evan's room, a fireplace with a shelf above and a mirror. Just behind them, there is a small stone, glowing bright blue with a pattern. Roland became curious as he stared at the stone, thinking back to that same glow that brought him to this castle. However, Aranella distracted him by explaining what to do next.
"If he's on the prowl, we can't very well go running blindly around the place. We'll have to stay here awhile and keep watch". Evan tilted his head. "But...who exactly is the Black Knight...?" Roland added, "Whoever he is, I don't much like the look of him..." Aranella answered Evan's question. "He is Mausinger's most trusted-most seldom seen underling. Very little is known about him, but it's rumored that he gained great power through the use of forbidden magics. Whatever the truth of such tales, one thing is certain-if we face him, we will die".
"You mean not even you can beat him, Nella?" Roland added, "Then we'll need to be doubtly careful to not draw his attention". Aranella nodded. "Yes. Yes we will..." She then turned to Roland, having a quick glance at his suit. "We can start by making you a little less conspicuous..." Roland looked at Aranella. "Huh?" Aranella went to the wardrobe and opened it, revealing its contents. "What shirt size are you?" Roland looked at the coats, understanding what Aranella meant before. He's changing clothes to blend in.
Roland answered Aranella's earlier question and gave his measurements. Aranella looked through each of the coats and see if the given measurements matched with any of them. Luckily, only one of the four coats matched. She picked a pair of boots, along with the coat and gave them to Roland. "Try this on, we'll turn around". Giving Roland some privacy, both Evan and Aranella turned to look at the wall, while Roland changed out of his suit and put the new coat on, then removed his shoes and put on the new boots.
The coat is mostly azure blue in colour with dark blue patches on the side, with white seamings and buttons. The dark blue patches stretch to the back, from the middle of his back to the bottom of the coat. The coat reaches down to just below his knees and the neck collar is flapped and wide, with it tightened by a brown belt with a gold buckle. Underneath the coat is a pair of light grey-brown trousers and a black jumper. The boots that Roland wore are deep brown in colour and they end just below the knees.
Roland tightened his collar and asked, "How do I look?" Both Evan and Aranella turned around to see Roland. Evan gave his compliment. "Oh yes! It suits you very well!" Aranella agreed with a smile. "You should count yourself lucky there was something in your size. Oh, and you'll be needing this. I notice that you don't have one already". She handed Roland a golden bangle with three coloured jewels.
"What is it?" Roland studied the object as Aranella explained. "It's called an arms band. It's for storing and transporting weapons. It allows the wearer to carry a variety of weapons with them, and to call on any special skills with which they are imbued". Roland looked at Aranella surprised. "Wow, this little thing does all that?" Aranella nodded. "That sword of yours-unless you equip to your arms band, you won't be able to call out its full potential. I'm going to hand you a new one. You'll need to equip that as well".
Aranella gave Roland a sword she found hanging on the wall, close to the wardrobe. "All right...so both swords need to be equipped to the arms band. Got it". Aranella asked, "Do you have any other weapons?" Roland shook his head. "Well, there's my pistol. But I'm pretty much out of ammo..." Aranella smiled. "Not to worry-weapons equipped to the arms band will have their ammunition replenished automatically". Roland widened his eyes in surprise. "They...they will? But...wow". Roland couldn't say more. If there were plants that could heal any type of physical injury or some sort of device that can switch swords and automatically fill guns with ammunition, then he was definately not in his world.
"Very good. I would suggest you equip your swords and pistol to your arms band right away". Evan nodded, agreeing with Aranella's suggestion. Roland looked at his presidential suit and asked Aranella while showing the arms band, "Can I store my suit with this?" Aranella looked at Roland's suit that was folded neatly next to him. "I believe so, yes. Along with any items you find". Roland grabbed his suit and held it close to the jewels of the arms band. The suit glowed dimly white and shrinked into the arms band. He did the same for his current sword, the sword he was given, his revolver and the soreaway plants. Roland practiced on concentrating on the weapons and summoning them to his hand, it felt strange to him at first, but he knew that practice makes perfect and they were in a hurry to get to safety. He'll have to practice along the way.
Once Roland was ready, he talked to Aranella. "What's that blue stone, over there?" Roland pointed to the glowing stone. Aranella gave some form of an answer. "That is a waystone. If you touch them, they heal you and anyone around them. I have no idea on the history behind them though". Roland nodded and said, "Interesting...anyway, I have everything equipped now". Aranella nodded. "Equipping multiple weapons to the band will allow you to switch between them quickly and easily, even in the middle of battle. So if you happen to come across any more, be sure to put them on there".
Roland nodded with a smile. "Thanks. I will". Aranella turned to Evan. "Evan-this is for you". She handed Evan a bag. "What is it, Nella?" Aranella answered, "It's not exactly the best quality, but it's all I could throw together at such short notice. It should be enough to help you get by for now. I put an arms band in there for you, too. As long as I'm with you, I'll try to see that you don't need to use it. But if anything does happen, I want you to promise me that you'll stand up for yourself". She knelt down to Evan's eye level. "You cannot give up. Do you hear me?" Evan understood Aranella's promise. "O-of course, Nella..."
Everyone turned to the door, while Roland said, "The Black Knight may be dangerous, but we're not safe here either. We need to move". Roland opened the doors and checked the exit. There is no one blocking the way, however in the main hall, there were a large number of soldiers patrolling. "Where is he?" Aranella sighed in relief. "Not here, luckily. Now's our chance". Evan stepped back. "But look at all those soldiers..." Roland added, "No surprises there-covering the exits is standard procedure in a situation like this". Aranella pointed to the door on the other side, but hid it enough so that the soldiers didn't notice. "The entrance to the sewers is down the corridor on the far side of the courtyard". Roland nodded. "All right, we'll need to sneak through".
It became a bit harder this time round. The corridor is much wider and clearer, with not much obstacles to hide for cover. With quiet gestures from the group, they all made it to the entrance. "The entrance to the sewer is in that room". Aranella pointed to the opened doors on the left. They all entered a room, similiar to before. The only difference was that instead of a wardrobe, there is a bookcase, partly stacked with books. "It's just an ordinary room..." Aranella added, "An ordinary room with a secret door-there's a switch around here somewhere".
She walked to the front of the bookcase. "I've never used it myself, but I believe it's hidden in the bookcase..." Aranella moved a couple of books around and she peeked between them. She smirked a little when she found it, picking a corner of a single book and pulling it towards her. Aranella stepped back as the bookcase moved to the right like some form of machine mechanism, revealing a new entryway. "Gosh! Look at that!" Roland smiled at the familiar effect. "Heh. This is like something out of a movie..." It reminded Roland of the spy and action movies he watched in the past, always heading to secret entrances like this one.
"All right, let's get moving". Roland entered the passage, followed by Aranella, then Evan. The walls were much darker and damper with hardly any light to guide them. As they rounded a couple of corners, Evan stopped to ask a question. "Nella...why would Mausinger start a rebellion? Is...is it because I became king?" Roland gave a suggestion. "I doubt it. In my experience, these things are never quite that simple". Roland turned to look at Aranella. "Aranella-I couldn't help noticing a certain...species divide between the two sides of this conflict". Aranella explained. "Yes...relations between the grimalkin and the mice have never been entirely civil. King Leonhart did his best to heal the long-standing rift between the two, but..."
"Let me guess-things didn't go so well?" Aranella nodded and Evan looked down on the ground. "Father..." Evan sighed with sadness. Aranella added, "You'll have to forgive him...it's all still very raw..." Roland understood Evan's condolences. "I can imagine..." Aranella had to make a confession to Evan. "By the way, Evan...there's...something I have to tell you...it's about your father...Chancellor Mausinger poisoned him". Evan became shocked by the news. "What?! Poisoned him? No, he died of an illness, Nella! A rare, untreatable illness!"
Aranella shook her head. "Not according to Mausinger's bodyguards. I...convinced one of them to talk. They put it in his food. A little at a time, so no one would suspect". Roland understood why. "To make it look like he was sick, huh? They must have been planning this for some time..." Evan stuttered his breath as he looked down on the ground, saddened by the news. "How could he...?" They all had a short moment of silence, but they couldn't stay here. They had someplace to be. "I know this must be hard, Evan, but we have to keep moving. Come on".
They continued through the damp, dark corridor until they reached a stone door. The door lifted up, revealing a wide canal-like tunnel inside. The smell was horrible, but not unbearable to be in for long. There were gleen blobs moving near the sewer water, they were about half the size as Evan and they were slow when moving. "More weird creatures..." Roland practiced his fighting skills on the green blobs and Aranella explained what they are. "Those are goos. They like to gather in damp places". Roland added, "Well, guess I'd rather be fighting them than trained soldiers..." The goos were easily defeated and the group continued forward. They stopped by a nearby waystone and noticed how massive these sewers were. It was an easy place to get lost in.
"I thought it would be a straight run for the exit once we made it down to the sewers. Seems things won't be quite that simple..." Aranella added to what Roland had said. "I'm afraid not. We may no longer be in danger from the soldiers, but with all these monsters around, we'll need to stay on our guard. You took to the arms band quickly enough, Roland. Why don't we see how you do with some simple skills?" Roland raised an eyebrow. "'Skills'? What do you mean?" Aranella instructed Roland. "If you'd like to close your eyes for me".
Roland did as Aranella instructed. He closed his eyes and Aranella waved her arm, giving Roland some kind of enchantment. Like casting a spell. Roland's body gave a brief glow and sparkle and Roland felt a little different. But not in a bad way. He opened his eyes and looked at his left arm, feeling some sort of power there. "Woah...Wh-what did you just do?" Aranella explained what happened. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of casting a spell on you that will...loosen up a certain potential that lies within all of us. Now you'll be able to use any skills your weapons might have, which should make things a good deal easier for you in battle". Roland nodded with a smile. "I see...interesting". Aranella smiled back. "You seem to have a head for combat. Get a few more battles under your belt, and you'll learn any new skills soon enough. But for now, let's try out what you got on some of these monsters, shall we?"
Roland sticked with Aranella's advice. He practiced his fighting skills on any skeleplasm and goo that was in everyone's way. He even tried using his skills, which from observing his weapons, he noticed that when the swords gave out a orangey-red glow, the skill got boosted and dealt more damage to the monsters. Roland was a quick learner as he became fluent in using skills when necessary. Even without Aranella's help, Roland could hit a lot of the monsters pretty quickly.
Everyone reached to the far end of the sewer. The path curved to the right and they would cross the bridge that leads to the exit. However, there was a problem. The bridge was destroyed, destroyed enough that they couldn't jump to the other side. The destruction was pretty recent as there is still smoke ising from it, like an explosion had been set off here. "Nella! The bridge!" Aranella groaned. "But how could this have happened?" Roland looked at the bridge, studying the damage. "Looks deliberate to me. Which means they knew we'd come this way..." Everyone heard laughter nearby. Everyone turned to where they heard it and were both shocked and surprised to see who it was.
It was Chancellor Mausinger. And he was not alone.
Along with Mausinger, there were two skeleplasms, the Black Knight, a soldier and another mouse fellow. Mausinger looked more like a furret than he did a mouse. He wore a pale green and gold robe that almost reached to the floor. Overlaying the robe, he wore a dark green cape with a high collar that also reached the floor, matching the height of the robe. His fur is light brown with a cream fur underbelly and his facial hair such as eyebrows, a small goatee and his hair that reached the back of his head were dull gold in colour. There were two certain features that made him more of a mouse than a furret. One of them is that he had two buck teeth and the other is his ears were round like a mouse.
"There you are, Your Majesty. Much as it pains me, I'm afraid that I must ask you to relinquish your life". They stopped walking till they reached a certain step. "Mausinger..." Roland looked at Evan, as he identified the tall figure. 'This is Mausinger...' Mausinger stroked his goatee. "It is terribly unfortunate I concede, but your illustrious line ends here. Today". Mausinger motioned his head, giving the Black Knight the sign to go ahead. The Black Knight stomped his way down towards them.
"There is nowhere to run. Come quietly, and you shall not suffer long". Both Aranella and Roland went close to each other, standing in front of Evan to protect him. Aranella turned to Evan and gave a order. "I'll hold him off for as long as I can. Get out of here! Go! Now!" Evan didn't want to leave without her. "But Nella-" Aranella gently grabbed Evan's shoulders. "Just go. You are the kingdom's last hope, Evan. You cannot die here". She turned back to the Black Knight, who was getting close to the group. Purple flames surrounded the knight and was almost at striking level.
Roland nodded at Aranella, knowing what to do. If Evan couldn't do what Aranella told him to do, he was going to force it to happen. He ran to Evan and grabbed him, jumping off the bridge. Evan gasped, widening his eyes and reaching out to Aranella. But it was no use. They were too far to reach her. The young king cried out, "Nellaaa!" Roland held Evan close and made sure he wasn't hurt. He covered most of Evan's body with his own till they reached the water down below. They safely splashed down the bottom.
Evan wasn't a good swimmer, so Roland had to help him out by swimming to the nearest bit of land. Luckily for them, it was pretty close. They had a moment to catch their breath. "We made it...just..." Evan took a little longer to catch his breath than Roland did. He suddenly remembered. "N-nella! We have to go back! We can still-" Roland interrupted him. "Calm down. If we go back, we'll be captured for sure-and she'll have given her life for nothing". Roland stood up as Evan asked, "'Given her'...? You mean she's...?"
Roland answered, "I..." but then hesitated, trying not to think of the worst case scenario. "I think we have to assume that". Roland looked at the water flowing down. Their only way forward was to go to the exit behind them. "Come on. We need to keep moving". Roland turned behind him and they both left the area. "If only I were stronger...perhaps...perhaps I could have saved her..." Roland felt bad for Evan, but he knew it was more important to keep Evan safe, even if it meant losing someone along the way. "We all have our roles to play, Evan. Yours wasn't to fight. It was to escape. You have to survive this. Your kingdom needs you".
After fighting a few skeleplasms that were in the way, there was a bendy pathway that led them to a new room. "You feel that breeze? The way out must be just up ahead". Roland and Evan, sensing the exit out of the castle is really close, ran for it. But then suddenly, massive purple flames blocked their path. "What in the...?" They quickly looked left to right, seeing if there is a gap to escape to. But then heard heavy footsteps behind them. They turned sharply behind them to see the Black Knight. The knight heaved his breaths and got ready to fight. "I have you now..."
Roland gave an order for Evan to get far away from the Black Knight as he could, without going near the flames. "Dammit! How did he get here so fast!?" Evan went close to a wall that wasn't covered in purple flames. He was safe for now. "If he's here, does that mean Nella is-th-that she's..." Evan couldn't say more. He continued to believe that Aranella is still alive. Roland had used his sword fighting skills to the fullest. "This guy looks pretty tough. Better make the most of those skills Aranella taught me..."
The Black Knight created the purple flames onto his sword and built the energy up, till it was at its full power. He did an arc slash with his sword, creating a wide purple flame slice. Roland dodge-rolled out of the way and slashed him a couple more times. The Black Knight seemed to have stopped. "Is he done...?" But Roland was dead wrong. The Black Knight's entire being got covered in purple flames. He dropped his sword and shield, not needing them anymore and began to transform into something bigger. When the transformation was finished, the flames dispersed showing very little armour, but now instead of a two-footed figure, it was a creature. A mix between a centaur and a rat, however, this creature had two arms and hands as well as four legs and feet.
The newly-formed Black Knight roared and charged towards Roland. "How did he...?" The Black Knight was too fast for Roland to dodge in time. He punched Roland hard to the right. It knocked some wind out of him, but he got back up before he took another hit. "The forbidden magics...! Nella warned us about this! Be careful, Roland!" The Black Knight continued punching side-to-side, with Roland predicting where he was going to hit and dodging them by rolling away. The Black Knight, with purple and light blue flames in his mouth, tilted his head and like a fire-breathing dragon, he breathed fire onto Roland, then quickly travelled towards Evan.
Roland protected what could have been a bonfire coming towards him using his sword to deflect, but then looked at the flames. They were heading towards Evan. And he was too slow to reach Evan in time. "Look out!" Evan stood still, frozen in fear. If he ran now, he would still be burned by the flames. However, just before the flames were going to hit Evan, someone ran towards him and shoved Evan to the side. The one who took his place was Aranella. She spread her arms out, minimising any damage to Evan.
"Nella!" All Evan could see was Aranella's silhouette, covered by the flames. "No!" Roland called his revolver with his arms band and shot the Black Knight in the eye. The flames cancelled out from his mouth and he stepped back from the pain. He stepped back enough to fall into a hole, a hole deep enough that you couldn't see the bottom. The purple flames around them dispersed and the Black Knight fell, never to be seen again. Roland lowered his gun, glad that no more damage can be done. "Nella!" Roland turned to see Evan running up to Aranella, and crouching down, seeing if she was okay. "Dammit!"
Roland ran to Evan and Aranella. He too, looked to see how much damage had been made. It didn't look good. "I'll carry her out of here. If the Black Knight got here pretty quickly, Mausinger and his soldiers won't be far off. We have to keep moving". Evan nodded and Roland picked Aranella up bridal style. They ran out of the damp room and they found a new tunnel that was getting brighter by the second. As they were mere meters to the wide open space, Aranella muttered something that only Roland could hear. "I...n-need to talk t-to Evan".
Roland didn't let her speak anymore and respected her wishes. It was best to get her comfortable by laying her next to the wall. Roland gently placed her down next to the stone wall, so that she sat down with the wall as support. "Wake up, Nella...please wake up..." Aranella slowly opened her eyes and looked at Evan with a smile. "Evan...you'll be a wonderful king..." Evan interrupted her with a 'but', but Aranella continued. "No one could ever replace your mother...but...in our time together...I have...I've come to think of you as..."
Evan knew what she was going to say. "I know, Nella...I know..." Aranella smiled, happy to know Evan thought the same as what she was thinking. She was happy to be like a mother to him. "I had hoped...I would live to see it...to see you grow into the ruler...I know you will be". Evan never felt so alone. The only family he had left was dying in front of him. He couldn't be a ruler if he was alone. "But I can't! I can't do it! Not without you...I just...I can't!" Evan had water dropplets forming from his eyes. It was too hard to hold his emotions and he cried, letting lots of teardrops fall down his face.
Aranella slowly reached her hand to touch one of Evan's teardrops. "Of course you can...you have a good heart, Evan. I can see it...you'll be the kindest king...with the happiest subjects that have ever been". Evan grabbed Aranella's hand with both of his hands. "Aranella!" Evan felt that Aranella didn't have much strength left, he didn't want her to go. "You have to be strong, Evan...you have to...build a kingdom...where everyone...can live happily ever after..."
She stuttered her last word like it was her last breath. Her head moved slightly to the right and her chest had stopped rising. This meant only one thing. She had stopped breathing. Aranella died protecting the one she cared for all her life. Evan shook her lightly, hoping she was only sleeping. "No! Nella! Don't leave me! Nella...NELLA!" Evan cried out her name, mourning for her loss and he cried onto Aranella's body. Roland looked down, also mourning for Evan's loss. He gave his condolences through silence, closing his eyes and remembering how much she had done for them.
"Nella..." Evan sniffled, but still cried for his loss. They were like this for what felt like an hour, but it was mere minutes. However, Roland turned around as he heard numerous voices coming from inside the tunnel. "I hear something! This way!" And "Is it them?" The soldiers were coming fast and they couldn't stay long. Roland hated to do this, he didn't want to interrupt a personal matter such as this. But he knew one thing, Aranella sacrificed herself to make sure Evan was safe. Now it was Roland's turn to do so.
"Evan, we have to leave!" He grabbed Evan's arm and pulled him away from Aranella's body. "Nella..." He pulled away from Roland's arm. He really wanted to be with Aranella some more. It is becoming too painful to leave her each second. But he knew he had to leave and be strong. He closed his eyes, escaping his emotions. He couldn't look anymore, he would be staying with her if he kept looking at her. He turned around and followed Roland out to make their escape.
It was dusk when they started running away from the sewer exit. They had been running for hours, passing by rivers, plains, fields of plants and flowers, cliffs and mountain passes. There were all sorts of monsters roaming the fields, so Evan kept close to Roland at all times. Roland found a perfect place to hide and sleep for the night. They had to sleep outside, but they would be safe from soldiers and out of view from anyone else. They reached their destination before the sky became black, signifying the start of the night.
"This place will do for now, let us rest here". Evan was quiet the whole trip and it was then that Evan cried out and hugged Roland, wanting some comfort. Roland jumped a little at the sudden hug, but he hugged Evan back, comforting him from his sorrows. After giving Evan a few minutes of comfort, Roland let go of the hug and said, "I'm going to gather some wood for a fire...will you be okay, here?" Evan looked down, but sniffled and nodded. He sat on a rock, hugging himself to keep warm from the cool air. It also didn't help Evan when he got wet earlier from the fall of the bridge.
'Poor kid, he's still soaked from the fall and this chilly air isn't helping...' Roland called from his arms band the suit he wasn't wearing currently. He gave the suit to Evan. Evan was confused as to why Roland gave his suit to him. Roland explained why. "If you undo the buttons, you can use that as a blanket". Evan was quite touched by the offer. "But Roland...your suit..." Roland gave a slight smile. "It's okay, Evan. I don't mind my suit getting a little wet. You'll need it more than I do". Evan gave a smile, despite the sadness he was feeling. "Roland..."
Roland left without saying anything, giving Evan some space. He gathered many tree branches and placed them near Evan. He smiled, seeing that Evan took his advice at using his suit as a blanket. It just about wrapped around Evan's upper body, leaving the arms sleeves loose. He then gathered some stones to make a wall, so that the fire didn't spread. He gathered the branches in a pile, then made a stone circle around them. Roland used two sharp stones to create a spark of flame. He wished he brought a lighter with him to make that task easier, it took a while to do it with two sharp stones.
Roland also called from his arms band a small loaf of bread, that he found in a chest earlier when they were in the sewers. He tore the loaf in half and offered one of the halves to Evan. "Here. You'll need your strength". Evan grabbed his piece and took small bites out of it. Roland didn't mind the lack of manners. Evan had a very rough day and thought it was best not to say much. They both ate their share of food in silence, with Evan looking down, still with tears in his eyes. Evan ate his share of bread at a normal pace, while Roland was much hungrier than he thought, as he ate that piece of bread pretty quickly.
"Why don't you get some rest, Evan? I'll keep watch for you, I'm not that tired at the moment". Evan was really concerned for Roland. He had been risking his life, using so much of his energy to protect him and escape the castle. "W-what about you?" Roland shook his head. "I'll be fine. I've been up for longer nights than this. It's a part of my work". Evan became curious from this. "What do you do for work, Roland?" Roland looked to the side, thinking back to what happened before arriving in this world. He looked back at Evan and said, "I'll...tell you later. Go ahead and get some rest". Evan sighed. "O-okay...it will probably be hard not to...but...I'll try".
Evan found a smooth rock to lay his head on. He kept the suit to cover himself with and now used it like a duvet sheet for a bed. Roland smiled a little at the sight. He was very glad the suit came in handy, because from what he knew, they hardly had many essentials to survive more than one night and they needed to gather some more food and drink tomorrow. Roland looked away from Evan and kept quiet to let Evan sleep. Roland had a lot on his mind, ever since he arrived in this world.
'What am I going to do? I need to get back to my world somehow...but, back then...' He closed his eyes tight, remembering the dreading end the city had become. He didn't know if there was anything left to go back to. 'I still don't understand how I got here or why I look this way...but one thing is for certain...this is definitely no dream. I wouldn't have felt pain like that, if it was one. Maybe...maybe I was sent here for a purpose...' His eyes travelled to the sleeping Evan, who wasn't surprisingly crying in his sleep. 'Was...was my purpose...to protect Evan?'
Roland clenched his left hand, filled with determination. 'I have to help Evan every way that I can. I'll think about this all later...one thing at a time". True to Roland's word to Evan, he kept watch in case a monster or a soldier dared to venture the night to find them. The fire helped the both of them warm up their bodies, drying up their damp clothes and giving them some light.
Roland didn't see anything coming their way as two hours went by. And it was good timing too as Roland drifted off, closing his eyes slowly, then opening them quick to stay awake. But he knew it was no use. He needed his sleep. Roland sighed. 'Just a few hours...then I'll check on Evan...' He closed his eyes and gently placed his head on the stone wall. He slept the night away.
When he awoke, he looked left and right, checking if anything has changed. It didn't seem to be that way. The only change that happened was the fire going out, it didn't look recent so he concluded that it was put out hours ago. He looked up at the sky, it was still pretty dark out and he couldn't tell what time it was. He looked at Evan, who was a little fidgety in his sleep. 'Is he having a nightmare?' Evan stopped fidgeting and groaned a little. He opened his eyes to see Roland watching him. Roland smiled a little. "Finally awake, huh?"
Evan nodded a little. "I had a...very strange dream..." Roland asked, "Not a nightmare, I hope?" Evan didn't say. But studying him, Roland didn't think he had one. He stood up. "Alrighty..." Evan looked up. "Where are you going?" Roland crossed his arms. "To clear my head. I need to feel the wind on my face. Come on, let's have a little talk". Evan nodded. "A-all right". He stood up and Roland walked up a stony pathway up to the top of a cliff. Evan walked behind him and they stood side-by-side, staring at the wonderful and beautiful view. There were mountains far off in the distance and stone structures that were shaped differently to Roland's eyes. It was still pretty dark, but not far off to see the sunrise.
Roland said his thoughts out loud. "So I really am in another world...there's no Ding Dong Dell where I'm from. And no view like this either..." Evan looked at Roland facinated. He asked the question before, but didn't get an answer. "Gosh...what's it like, where you're from?" Roland thought about his answer for a short moment, then answered with his arms folded. "Hm. I guess it's...ahead of this world in some ways, and...behind in others..." Evan had a hand on his chin, as he thought of something long ago.
"Nella used to tell me a story, you know. When I was little..." Roland became interested, as he looked at Evan and let him continue. "It was about another world. One very closely connected to our own..." Evan looked at Roland with a smile. "I always imagined it was just a fairy tale, but...I suppose there must have been some truth to it after all..." Roland gave a gentle nod. 'Makes sense...' Roland added, "So I got...lost between these two worlds and wound up here...? Does that mean...there's no way home...?"
Roland had feared the worst. He may be stuck here forever, unless there is some information about a way to get back. "...What did do there? In your world?" Roland stared at the scenery once more. "I was...a king". Evan took a step back in shock. "What!?" Roland specified his answer. "Well, a president. It's kind of the same thing. Which means I have a little experience when it comes to running a country". He looked back at Evan, who is smiling back at him.
"Really? Then perhaps you might be kind enough to share some of it with me? Things may not be quite the same here as in your world, but still..." Roland looked back at the scenery. He wanted to know what Evan was going to do next as it effects what he wants to do. "What exactly are you planning? A quiet life in the mountains might not be such a bad idea, you know".
Evan closed his eyes. "No, I've made up my mind...I'm...I'm going to keep my promise to Nella. I'm going to build a kingdom where everyone can live happily ever after". Evan looked at the scenery, serious and determined to fufill that promise. Roland looked at Evan. He was very proud at Evan for doing something respectful, even if it was going to be hard work. And not only that, he already sounded like a king. A king with a plan. "You are, huh?"
Roland hummed. "Good for you. I've made my mind up too..." Roland closed his eyes and made his decision. "I'm staying here, in this world". He looked at Evan with a smile as he added, "With you, Evan". Evan became overjoyed. He couldn't believe that Roland was here to stay. "You are?" The sunrise peaked over the mountains, brightening the sky and landscape. Evan gave Roland a big hug. He looked up at Roland with a big grin on his face. "Thank you, Roland!" Roland wrapped one of his arms around Evan, enjoying the view of the sunrise and the hug he was receieving. "You're very welcome, Evan".
And thus young Evan, though heavy of heart, resolved to honor the dying wish of his dearest friend by becoming a king once more. And Roland, sensing something special in his youthful companion, decided to join him in his journey...
Will read the last sentence of chapter one and closed the book slowly. He was shocked by the events of the chapter. "Poor Evan...he lost everything. But still...did Dad really get sent to another world? Did he really stay in that world with Evan?" He had so many questions to ask his dad and he didn't know when he would next be free. "Should I call him?" Will wanted to call him as soon as possible, he dialled Roland's number, hoping to get an answer.
Not to Will's surprise, the call went straight to voicemail. "Hey Dad, it's me Will. I got my birthday present you sent me and I read the prologue and chapter one. I have a lot of questions to ask about the book, so could you call me as soon as you can, please? Thanks". Will ended the call and decided to wait for Roland to call him back. Will can wait for answers, even if takes Roland weeks to get some free time to see him.
This... has been the longest chapter I have ever done on this site...ever! And I thought that Roxas in GX chapter (chapter 5) was too long...jeez... Anyways, I really hoped that you all enjoyed that. I really wanted to capture the emotional scenes of Aranella's death and I really wanted to add more Roland and Evan moments, with Roland giving his suit to Evan to warm up with and Evan hugging Roland at the end there. I made the arms band into an infinite storage device, since you never see any of the group wearing bags or containers keeping their items in, hope that's okay.
I don't know if there's more I can do to Will's POV here. I can add more conversation with Roland and Will in the next chapter, since I made it look like Roland is busy at the moment. I probably have to do a jumpcut to either later in the day or a couple of days later. I don't know.
So please, can everyone review this so I can get some feedback? Should I give Will some more moments? Is there any spelling mistakes or grammar errors? Please tell me your thoughts. I will be happy to change some things if you don't like it.
BlueYusei :D
Advocate from the Ministry of Joy :)