The school days passed quickly.
Marc, Jin, Elie and Nathanaël now formed a solid group. Chris and his group of friends just stared at them. But Chris seemed elsewhere. As if something had been on his mind all day long, made him completely forget that he was making fun of them three-quarters of the time.
Manon, on her side, simply avoided them. As if the curse had come from Marc. She was afraid of him.
Marc, on the other hand, was living his life quietly, forgetting about the man in black, forgetting about Zodric or Goagi, forgetting about all the problems that had accumulated so far. He didn't laugh, however, and rarely smiled. But the slightest of his smiles always delighted Elie, who began to smile too. Which lit up the whole room.
Elie had become a true ray of sunshine every time Marc smiled back at him. The room would instantly light up, and everyone would cover their faces so they wouldn't be blinded. Nevertheless, Elie's good humor was contagious, and everyone was in a good mood afterward.
"You're looking better Marc."
"You think so?"
One of Marc's favorite teachers was Monsieur Gorac, his chemistry teacher. Attending his class was a blessing for him because they were always doing an enormous amount of experimenting. Color explosions, temperature variations, crystallizations...
Marc loved the unexpected results every time, waiting for the result.
"You're gradually regaining your color. Make sure you're ready for what's coming next, I've got some heavy stuff in store for you."
"I'll be ready, sir. Don't worry."
"Good."
Marc watched his teacher leave.
Elie, sitting next to him, hadn't missed a crumb of the conversation.
"You like this teacher."
"He's nice and I like chemistry."
"That goes without saying."
They ended the course with an experiment he had called Robius's Star. For the experiment produced a blue vapor with the flicker of gold in the form of a star.
Marc had enjoyed the day, just like an ordinary day in his life—something he had missed so much.
But the vacations were fast approaching. It was time for them to visit the ruins of Orio church.
And the problem was telling their parents they were going to...
"The Zvenne Empire?"
David Zeymond pulled a face.
"Yes."
"That for a vacation."
"We'd like to go there for a week. "
"Why there? You know how strict they are. The only good thing is that they're tough these Zvennires. "
"I don't mind taking you. It'll give me a vacation too."
"Darling. You know how expensive it is."
Mary also weighed in on the discussion, knowing full well that this was no easy trip to organize, especially financially.
"But I know you want a vacation. It'll do you good."
"But..."
"I'll buy you three restaurants..."
"Kids, pack your bags, we're leaving tomorrow."
Her mother was like that. She liked restaurants.
Marc knew his father had managed. In fact, he winked at him as he left.
The Zvenne Empire was a powerful empire known for its strict rules. Although highly developed, there was no evidence that its inhabitants were happy. It was said that they were reduced to mere robots following the law. Several revolutions had already taken place to stop this powerful authoritarian system, but they all failed. The people didn't rise, but they didn't really suffer. They were all victims of the most powerful man in the world: Emperor Turcan.
Turcan was known as the most powerful and politically influential man in the world. His fame stemmed mainly from the fact that his surname was Turcan and that he was much stronger than the average man. It was rumored that he had been the victim of an assassination attempt at knifepoint, but had fended off his assailants himself.
"If what they say about this man and his empire is true, we're going to have a hard time finding the ruins."
On the way, Nathanael took the time to discuss a plan with their small group.
"Fortunately, they're still visible, but they're off-limits? We're going to have to make a bit of a ruckus."
Marc wasn't at all confident. His goal was to find the truth, not fight the world. Becoming the enemy of the Zvenne Empire meant becoming the enemy of the world. He had to find a way in undetected.
But to do that, they already had to arrive.
However, just as the journey was proceeding in complete calm, they came upon yet another roadblock that once again blocked their path.
"One more check."
David was the kind of person who was fairly calm. He rarely got upset and had a rather tender heart. But the Empire's checkpoints were one of the things he had never been able to stand.
In his view, going to Zvenne was like going to prison—but voluntarily.
"I told you he was strict. We should have spent our vacation in Igrir, it was quieter. Why do you necessarily want to go to Orio?"
"For the history."
"History? What history? Orio is a ruined town. The only history you might find there is the legend of the massacre. You won't see anything else."
"At least they have beautiful scenery."
"That much is clear. That's the only reason I'm letting you go out there."
Marc understood that his mother was letting them go to Orio because she herself could enjoy it.
For his father, on the other hand, it was simply because he wanted a vacation, too. He had heard his son suggest something and had unconsciously jumped at the chance.
"Orio is a beautiful town. The places of the so-called massacre are strongly present, but if you don't stay there, you soon forget."
At that moment, it was certain. There had to be a remnant of a dark aura about the place. Dark for more than ten thousand years.
*
They approached the city after more than five hours' driving.
The Zvenne Empire was immense and the great cities built to touch the sky left Elie speechless.
A golden city from another world. The cobblestone streets were illuminated by a liquid golden light streaming down from a dazzling white sky. The buildings bore a strange resemblance to medieval architecture, but their proportions were subtly impossible: windows set too high, towers out of scale, arches that faded into the light.
Then there were the people. Residents wandering the streets expressionless, their eyes vacant, as if all emotion had long since vanished. The silence seemed unreal despite the presence of the inhabitants.
A luminous mist filled every alleyway and obscured what little of the horizon was visible.
On top of that, the city possessed a beauty that was both sacred and frightening. An atmosphere of divine dreams, a forgotten civilization, and elegant cosmic fantasy, which immediately plunged the six people in the car into a dreamlike world.
"It's sad to see, such a beautiful city for such gloomy inhabitants."
"It's because of the law they're like that. Damn Turcan."
Marc saw these people too. He also saw cities. For him, everything was in order. Far too much in order.
"We've arrived."
The town of Orio was indeed beautiful, with it's ancient style. The Turcan Emperor didn't want to touch it, because for him, the old should sometimes remain the old. All the ruins were therefore preserved without maintenance.
"Magnificent."
Nathanaël saw on his left a carriage driven by two magnificent white horses.
"It's downright rubbish."
There were houses that seemed to date back to the old days. The inhabitants were not dressed in the same way as those outside the city. It was easy to distinguish who the tourists were. They were dressed elegantly, but in the style of days gone by. Many women wore long dresses—not necessarily very elegant or expensive, as the nobility did, but enough to distinguish a resident of Orio from an outsider. Meanwhile, most of the men and young boys wore overalls or three-piece suits, which they strutted around in as if they were all rich.
The sun was beaming down on the houses, making them even more beautiful. But to enter the city, they had to pass a final check.
An officer in a blue uniform then leaned toward the driver's window. Even they had the right to dress with class. He looked more like a decorated army captain than a mere officer. Yet from his cap to his shoes, nothing suggested that he was a mere officer.
"Hello sir, can we see your papers? And can you tell us why you have come to the city of Orio?"
The world language was Zvennese and Marc's father spoke the language very well.
"Even here, you ask for the papers."
"That's the procedure."
All giving his papers, he replied.
"We're here for a stay."
"You picked the wrong time to come to Orio. Security must have been stepped up here."
"Why?"
"We can't tell you sir, but the Emperor was very clear. Please be careful."
The car passed between the two guards, when, all of a sudden, after their conversation, the tension had just risen slightly.
As they drove past them, The blue of their clothes emitted a small light that reflected in Marc's eyes.
"They're stylish."
"Are you sure you want to stay here?"
The four young looked at each other, then all answered in unison.
"Yes."
Marc's eyes reflected the city that flashed before his eyes. Despite its bright colors of gold and white, he could see it very clearly...
the aura that hung over the city.
"Head for the church."
*
Arriving at the hotel, the little family and friends were all shocked by the place.
Everything was made of marble. If they'd walked in without knowing what it was, they'd have thought it was a palace. The entrance hall consisted of a reception desk at the far end of the room. To its left and right were two golden staircases winding up to the second floor, forming an arc. The floor was as gleaming as the walls. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Antique paintings hung on the walls. White armchairs sat on both sides of the room.
"So much for a hotel."
Opposite the reception desk, the lady behind it, who didn't even seem to notice their arrival, smiled at them immediately.
"Hello and welcome to Orio."
Marc's father dropped his sunglasses.
"It was the cheapest in town. There were no pictures."
"How much did you spend on all this, darling?"
"Nothing. Almost nothing."
As everyone stood in awe of the magnificent sight. The receptionist repeated.
"Hello and welcome to Orio. May I ask what name you booked Orio-bas under?"
Orio-bas was the name of the company he'd rented from.
Still mesmerized by the decor, it took David a while to realize that he had actually made his way to the reception area and that someone was talking to him.
"Ah yes. Excuse me. David Zeymond."
"I see. You've reserved three rooms. Here are the keys. They're rooms 208, 211 and 212. Enjoy your stay."
"Thank you."
After receiving the keys, they all went straight to their rooms. And as agreed, their surprise was justified. The room, too, was all white and gold.
It looked like something out of a movie. The velvet of the beds, the view of the city, the giant screens. Everything was perfect.
Marc stared at the city for a long time. Especially the ruins he could see from his room. The sun illuminated them as well as in the photos.
"We're on our way."
But as expected, when they went there less than an hour later, the place was closed. And they found themselves in a scuffle with a guard right in front of them.
"What do you mean, closed?"
"Off-limits to everyone."
"Why?"
"Why would we tell you brats. It's forbidden, that's all."
"Marc, come here for two minutes."
Nathanaël took him aside.
"You know very well that if we get into trouble in this town, it won't do."
"I know, but we can't just give up. You see it well. The aura of that ruin is powerful."
"I know. But maybe the reason they closed the ruins was because something bad was happening there. You can see that even though there's a huge amount of aura, it's super dark and creepy."
Indeed, the ruin's aura was sickening. Marc found it hard to stay put, and the guards changed every ten minutes.
Some were even fainting on the ground.
"The heightened security, that's why."
Marc hesitated. There was nothing he could do against the Zvenne Empire. It was a stupid idea just to think about it. The last thing he wanted was to get into trouble in both worlds.
"But we can test something."
Marc looked at Nathanaël thoughtfully. What idea could this intellectual genius possibly have.
"I'll try something, but the results probably won't come right away."
"How soon?"
"I don't know."
"I think I know what you mean. But if it doesn't work, we'll force our way in."
"You'll do it yourself. I don't want any trouble."
Nathanaël moved towards the guards whom Elie and Jin were still harassing.
"Are you deaf or something? You can't go in there. "
"But since I'm telling you I'm stronger than you and so is he. We're safe."
"I don't care."
"I'm going to hit him. For the master."
"Stop it, Jin. That's the Zvenne Empire there."
Suddenly, Nathanaël interjects into the conversation.
"Excuse me. But you tell your Emperor that the aura of this ruin is restless and something is going on. If he knows what to do, let him do it quickly. I suppose he's not stupid enough to let the aura spread like that."
The soldier's head shot up as these were the most insolent words he'd ever heard against his Emperor. As his shock and fury mounted, he was about to draw his sword.
"In view of Article 3 of the Imperial Code, which stipulates..."
But Nathanael cried out.
"Flee!"
And he was the first to flee.
Elie and Jin looked at him as if he were a coward who couldn't back up his words. The disappointment on their faces, however, was far less pronounced than the shock they had shown at the same time as the guard. Their expressions remained frozen somewhere between the two. They didn't know whether to bury themselves alive out of shame or out of fear that the Emperor would have them executed.
But when they saw that Marc had disappeared too, they ran as fast as they could.
"Hey, come back. How is this possible?"
The guard couldn't believe it. They hadn't just run away, they'd almost disappeared. He'd seen them start and then disappear. As if their speed wasn't of this world and he'd never seen them.
"But what happens in this town in the end?"