A statement that Cleus has never heard before.
An invitation that sounded impossible and nonsensical to the boy.
"A meal? Outside the palace?", Cleus spoke with his eyebrow raised, his tone sounding unconvinced.
"I thought you'd be more enthusiastic about it."
"Why would I be? Wait… Is this actually happening?", the boy questioned, his eyes widened with hope.
The man smiled and silently nodded in reply.
Sweat gathered in the child's palms. He found the news very exciting, but inside, he felt fear and doubt. He thought he'd be immediately ready when he was given a chance to get out of this place.
Pieter noticed the hesitation written all over the child's face. He has actually prepared everything for the child's departure. But it seems that the pressure has overwhelmed the young boy. To ease the tension that was slowly building up, the man knelt down and spoke to the child in a low, soft voice.
"How about this day will serve as a trial? You'll just explore the place and decide afterwards if you liked it."
Hearing that lightened the weight of the boy's thoughts, and Cleus nodded with a smile. However, another question came to his mind.
"Won't I… get caught? I mean… I'm not saying I am some influential person, but I do belong to a very influential family, and my family's unique Emerald eyes are very well known to the public.", Cleus reasoned, his voice slowly fading.
The young man laughed and reached down to his pockets, revealing a small velvet square box to the boy.
"Open it."
Cleus took the box from the man's hands and opened it. Inside was a ring, matte and black as ebony. It wasn't particularly eye-catching, but something in it seemed so extraordinary, and Cleus could sense it.
"This… What is this?"
"Put it on and you'll see."
Cleus took the ring from the box and inserted it into his middle finger. The ring was clearly too big, hanging loose with wide gaps. If he held his hand down, the ring would definitely fall off.
"I think this needs to be readjusted.", the child chuckled nervously.
"Wait for a while."
Suddenly, the ring suddenly molded itself around his finger and the ring tightened itself until it was the boy's perfect fit.
As someone who has never seen magic or the work of mana in his eyes, this was quite a spectacle. Cleus looked at Pieter and the ring on his finger multiple times while his mouth gaped in amazement.
"What in the world?! How-?!"
Pieter laughed when he saw the prince's reaction. Such an enthusiastic reaction for a creation he deemed to be just very simple magic.
"If you reacted like that from a mere ring adjustment, how much more if you saw yourself right now?"
"What do you mean by that?"
The man took out a mirror from his pocket and gave it to the boy. Unlike the box that was given to him, Cleus hesitated a few times to take the mirror from the man's hands.
With every slow bend of the mirror, his appearance slowly revealed itself. When he saw his reflection in its entirety, he fell silent and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes.
"Do y-you not like it? I'll try to change your appearance. It might take a while, but it is not impossible.", Pieter stuttered, fearing the child hated the outcome.
Cleus shook his head and looked up at the man with a bright smile, his eyes teary.
"No! I like it… I like it very much."
His silver-white hair was not there anymore; instead, hair as black as coal sat upon his head. And the green eyes that he always despised, as they were the only reason he could not get out of the palace, were now blue like the ocean. Though his face was still the same, he still felt like he had changed into a whole different person.
He felt that if he went as this, he could do anything.
Those green, emerald eyes felt like chains that always pulled him back from the freedom he wanted. Now, with this appearance, he can be anything.
"You… look like her.", the man whispered.
"Pardon?", the child responded, surprised.
"Nothing…", Pieter smiled.
Four words that could be so true. With his new black hair and blue eyes, Cleus couldn't deny it—he bore a striking resemblance to his mother. From that short whisper alone, questions began to stir in his mind. And when he looked into Pieter's eyes, it was as if the man was gazing through him, not at him, lost in the echo of a memory.
Did Pieter know his mother?
Was that the reason he helped him?
Who was he exactly?
Despite his curiosity, Cleus kept silent and chose never to ask about it. If the time comes, everything will be revealed to him.
"So! Now that you can get out of here with no problem, let's have a nice meal outside the palace!"
"How? It's not that we can just casually walk out of here. Anyway, how did you get inside this palace?"
"I was permitted to… I got an invite from the emperor, you see."
Cleus' face changed from the most trusting individual to a deadpanned expression, attempting to remove his ring.
"Wait! Your Highness! What are you doing?!"
"I should've been smarter! You are one of my father's people!"
"No! I am the exact opposite of that! He is the last person I would follow… Anyway! You need not worry about me! I am not connected to your father in any friendly way."
The boy reattached the ring while his eyes were looking at the man suspiciously—a face that worried Pieter, but at the same time, found it quite amusing. The boy, realizing that all had been done, simply shrugged his shoulders and decided to trust the man again.
"Okay, how do we get out of here?"
Pieter took out a small scroll and held it between his fingers. The scroll was blood red, and it had ancient-looking writings written in what seemed to be white ink.
[Portal Open]
After a short incantation, Pieter threw the scroll, and it vanished into thin air. A sudden spark came out, and a gate that led to a mysterious abyss opened.
To Cleus, it was like a door to nowhere.
"So, before you get in, close your eyes and your mouth. That is an imperative rule. Got it?"
"Wait, we're getting in?"
"How else are we supposed to get out of here?", Pieter chuckled.
The child, despite having seen a series of strangeness consecutively, chose not to question the very suspicious door and just nodded. Anxiety was written all over his face, and it was very visible to Pieter.
"Don't worry, your highness. Just take a deep breath.", the man spoke, his hand placed on top of Cleus's shoulder.
The boy did as he was told—eyes shut and lips altogether. The boy took a deep breath as he slowly stepped in.
The feeling was nauseating. It was as if he was being churned up and put back altogether.
"Your highness… You can open your eyes now."
A dull light shone between his lashes. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a puddle underneath his feet, reflecting what seemed to be a very large structure.
Cleus lifted his eyes and was astonished to see an unbelievable sight right in front of him.
Standing a hundred and fifty feet high was one of the infamous walls of Dhara, erected a hundred years ago. The wall was smooth and was said to be strengthened with mana.
The Forts of Dhara.
There are Four Forts to be exact.
The First Fort was the wall that surrounded the emperor's property. It is the smallest fort in the entire capital. Palaces, such as the Black Palace where Cleus resided, are all found within the First Fort.
The Second Fort is where the nobility resides. Though the nobility has their own land outside the capital, they still have manors inside the capital. Most of the noble population chose to live within the capital for security and business reasons.
The Third Fort is where the commoners live. Where most of the businessmen reside. Where the nobles and the commoners meet. This is the business center of the capital. All transactions and trades go through here. Every block has at least 3 stores. It is the largest fort in the entirety of the capital.
And there's the last fort of the capital. It was once the business center of the capital, but is now known as the poorest area of the capital. The fort that the empire desperately hides. Despite being the last fort, where people can't avoid passing through whenever they enter the capital, the fort was well hidden inside the large walls, with the main entrance cleverly turned into a long tunnel. People, especially those who barely know the empire, would not know that outside the walls of the tunnel reside the poorest of the poor.
Other than that, it is the "business center" turned "pleasure center" of the capital. While most of its surroundings are squatter areas, the Fourth Fort is home to the most thriving businesses of the capital. The work that satisfies human desires. Where one's hidden secrets can be revealed.
Cleus had seen maps and books of the empire's geographical area, but was never aware that the Fourth Fort was such an area.
Thus, he was not aware of where he was.
Houses where roofs could barely hold against the rain and walls where holes were covered in cloth. People whose figures could be compared to bones. A smell that was almost similar to corpses.
Such a thing was not written in books.
The boy turned to the man with such a puzzled look on his face.
"Did you perhaps bring me to a place outside the empire? Did you not say just outside the palace?"
"Your highness… This is still in the capital."
"You jest…", Cleus uttered.
"I do not… Well, your highness… Welcome to the Fourth Fort."
.
.
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[The Fourth Fort, year 289]