The party stepped inside the portal together. Desmond expected another pull or another weird sensation to engulf him and bounce him around, but none of it happened this time. Instead, they were all out of the portal as soon as they stepped in, leading them to another area that Desmond didn't even know existed. He lost his breath the very instant they stepped into the place, because it was as if he was back in another city.
Right in front of him was a welcoming banner saying "Welcome!", just the way there are welcoming banners above you in gardens and walking parks. The party walked through and Desmond couldn't stop looking around at the surroundings. He expected something very futuristic and very advanced to greet his eyes, but all he could see around was houses looking almost exactly like the ones at The Silverfields. In fact, this place was almost exactly like the cities in The Nation of Light. Nothing was really different. Neat lawns, clean and structured roads, maps at intersections, direction signs... there was nothing different from where he lived or worked.
"You guys have portals and magic and still all this is... normal?" Desmond asked, unable to hold himself back. The most surprising of all things was how normal the civilians looked. None of them looked weird or radiated magic the way he did when he was trying to use magic. None of them looked strange or had any special features. Heck, everyone was wearing normal clothes and they were all minding their own business, some out for night walks, some taking stuff home after some shopping, others eating in restaurants. Desmond felt as if he never left his place at all.
"What did you expect? We'll have flying cars or something?" Ralph asked.
"Considering the stuff you've been doing and showing this whole time, I did think so." Desmond admitted.
"We're humans, man. Do you think we're some sort of monsters?"
"Not really. But it's a lot different in the movies so-"
"STOP COMPARING US TO THE MOVIES!"
As the party walked on, a lot of the civilians kept greeting Ralph and his friends, and almost all of them smiled at Desmond brightly, as if he was one of them. He didn't know a single one of them, and they were already warm towards him, which to him was a bit shady.
"Why are they smiling at me? I don't even know them." he asked out of curiosity as the party kept walking.
"What do you mean? What's wrong with smiling?" Clara asked.
"I don't personally know them. Why would they smile at a complete stranger, especially in a place so hidden like this? You're not keeping yourself concealed for fun, are you? Why would you trust me?"
"Because we're the ones who brought you."
"What do you mean?"
"The civilians have great respect for the military here. Well, we don't use the term 'Military' here. There's governors who, as the name suggests, govern this city. There's fighters such as us who deal with defense, combat and related things. Then there's civilians, and you can see them around you." Misaki explained.
"That still doesn't explain why they trust me here."
"Basically, they have full faith in us. If they see us do something, they're sure it's for a purpose and that it won't endanger them."
"So they just... trust you?" Desmond asked, unable to hide his surprise.
"The problem with modern society is exactly this. You lot betray each other so much that mutual trust is actually priceless for you." Clara said, sighing as if disappointed. Desmond though, couldn't believe how very similar the entire city was to his own town.
"How is my town so similar to this place? It's almost like an exact replica!" Desmond exclaimed.
"Well, this place was part of the Nation of Light so..." Ralph let that sentence hang in the air.
"What do you mean this was part of the country? I've never heard of this place." Desmond admitted.
"Because this place was banished from the nation about 500 years ago." Clara said darkly.
"Why?"
"What did I say about asking questions?" Ralph asked, annoyed from all the queries.
"I forgot." Desmond replied. Meanwhile, they walked to the heart of the city and stopped right in front of a large gate. Inside the gate was a campus area with really big buildings. The place looked old and was as big and beautiful as the Palace of Versailles in France. There were several buildings inside, and the one in the center was the biggest. Instead of night lights however, the buildings had fire torches on their walls, which added to the mystery of the place (only the outer walls of the buildings had them - there were obviously electric lights in there). Even at night, there were people in official clothes walking around the campus holding documents.
"What is this place?" Desmond asked, curious.
"It's our town center. All the governance and maintenance planning things happen here." Clara replied.
"Okay. Well, why are we here?"
"It's also the headquarters of the Peacemakers."
"The what?"
"Peacemakers. The defense people, silly."
Desmond nodded, but he wasn't giving much attention to Clara. His eyes were on the way the people inside were carrying their files and documents. The papers and folders were literally floating in their arms, as if they were in space or something.
"How are they doing that?" Desmond asked.
"Magic, or as the people in the mainland would call it, Infection." Ralph said, emphasizing on the word 'infection'. That was when Desmond suddenly remembered something.
"Wait. I'm your prisoner, right? Why haven't you shackled me or anything? What if I try to run?" he asked.
"Okay first of all, you're not our prisoner. Secondly, you know you can't run. It won't take us seconds to bring you back." Clara replied, glaring at him.
"Then what am I?"
"Only fate and Thomas can tell us that." Misaki said.
"Who's Thomas?"
In response to that, Ralph pushed him forward as the party entered the grounds of the Town Center.
"Less questions, more cooperation. Please." Ralph said, a bit annoyed. Desmond grunted, but walked on with the rest of them. Many of the workers greeted them, though this time, Desmond was looked at with an eye of suspicion. Clearly, the officials weren't very pleased to have him around, and did not show even half the amount of hospitality that the civilians were showing him. To Desmond, they were almost being wary of him. As they entered the building, Desmond's mouth flew open instantly.
"What a structure..." was the only thing he could manage out of his mouth. The ceiling under which they were walking was polished so hard that it clearly reflected his face back. The walls were adorned with shiny stones that looked suspiciously similar to gemstones. The pillars didn't have a single speck of dust on them, and were polished perfectly. The doors to each room was coffee black in color, and the handles were golden in color. The window frames were carved in unique patterns and the glass had different colors in different rooms. In short, the building looked every bit like a medieval castle of a very rich royal family.
"How did you afford this kind of... palace?" Desmond asked, dumbstruck.
"We didn't build it. We just repaired it and restored it back to what it actually was." Mike said, laughing at Desmond's awe. As they walked on, only one thought crossed Desmond's mind...
"This is one heck of a field trip..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a few minutes of walking through the palace, they got into a room with black walls and a white ceiling. The ceiling had a big chandelier hanging from it, and the wall in front of the party was filled with computer screens. Desmond looked at them and saw that the screens were relaying CCTV footage of the entire premises. From the gardens to the interior of rooms - everything was being covered. Three men were sitting in front of the screen, wearing an uniform that was very much like a security guard's outfit.
"Did you scan him?" Clara asked one of the guards.
"Completely clean. Except..." the guard hesitated to say the rest, as if it was a very unusual event.
"What is it?!" Clara demanded.
"Well, whenever he came up on the screen, the footage kept flickering and buzzing. A lot of static would suddenly come up whenever he was in a camera's sights. The scans are one hundred percent accurate, but... well, you've caught a big fish this time, Commander."
Desmond had no idea what they were talking about, but he could feel Misaki's piercing stare on his back. Mike just shrugged when he heard that, but for some reason, a smile spread on Ralph's face.
"You're gonna be really hard to train." he told Desmond as he smiled even more. Desmond's eyebrows rose instantly.
"What do you mean, train?! How would I meet my wife and kid, then?!" he asked fiercely.
Ralph ignored that question as they walked out of the room. Desmond however, was not going to let that question slide.
"Hey! You don't mean to keep me here forever, do you?" he asked again.
"Not really. But you could be here for quite some time." Clara said.
"How much is 'some time'?"
"Uhhh... maybe a few months."
Desmond stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he heard that.
"A FEW MONTHS??!!" he shouted.
"I mean, we can get your wife here if you want to."
"DO YOU THINK SHE IS SOME SORT OF PASSABLE OBJECT?!"
Before Desmond or anyone else could say anything else, 2 guards walked up to them and one of them spoke up.
"Desmond Hunt. On behalf of The Honored One, I request you to accompany me to the Head Office. That applies to you and your comrades as well, Commander Clara." he said. Desmond looked into the guard's eyes but couldn't read him at all. The guy was Scottish and it was very much apparent from his accent. He had a brown mustache, a bald head and was very fair. The other guy was dark skinned but really muscular. He was no herald, but he looked like the guy you would send to contain serious military threats.
"This guy must be some sort of elite dude." he thought to himself.
"Very well, McMillan. Lead the way."
The two guards nodded and turned away, walking ahead of the party as they followed.
"Who is The Honored One?" Desmond asked.
"You'll see." Mike replied. Desmond hated being left in the dark, but decided to leave it for the moment. The stopped in front of a room not very far from the one they left, but the door of this room was really plain. There was nothing special about the door. In fact, it was too normal to exist inside a castle so grand.
"We will stand outside. Please enter the office." the Scottish guard said as they both stepped aside in opposite directions, giving way for the party to enter inside. The doors opened inwards, and they all entered inside, Desmond expecting something grand again. However, as soon as they entered, all of his excitement drained away.
"You people are the weirdest I've ever met." he said sullenly. The office was nothing like the grand rooms he had seen before. In fact, the office wasn't very different from his own boss's cubicle, except from the fact that the shelves in this office carried a lot of books and other exotic items that he had never laid eyes on before. There was also a table in the room, behind which sat a man in his early forties. He was dark skinned and looked pretty frail. His hair was a bit messy and he had round spectacles through which he squinted at the people entering his office. He was wearing a blue blazer and a white shirt, and he exuded an aura of authority and order that felt very powerful in spite of his frail appearance. But when he smiled, it didn't feel like he was there to rule over them. He seemed like a very ordinary man.
"It seems you have successfully completed your mission, Clara. Another good job." he said with an air of pride. Clara bowed in humble gratitude.
"Always honored to serve the greater good, Sir." she said as she knelt down to her knees. The rest of her squad followed suit, leaving only Desmond standing on his feet. The guy's eyes fell on him and his smile became more warm.
"You must be Desmond Hunt, and you must be confused about all of this." he said as if nothing had happened.
"Who are you?" Desmond asked, still standing, still staring.
"I am Thomas Carver." the guy said, the smile still on his face.
"And?"
"Well, I have the post of The Honored One here."
"Okay?"
Clara's hands were shaking out of pure panic. Desmond was not showing a drop of respect or courtesy. Thomas however, seemed to notice Clara's anxiety.
"Come on, Clara. I'm not the violent and ill-tempered kind. You know that." he said kindly. Then he turned to Desmond, whose curious eyes were still searching for answers.
"Did you see them use their powers? Or a better question, did you use them yourself?"
"Yes, but I still have no idea why I have it in the first place!" Desmond said, confused.
"You are a descendant of Corbin Cross. Ever heard of that name?"
"No."
"Okay. Have you heard of He Who Prevails?"
"I heard both of these names from these four kidnappers."
Ralph looked like he wanted to kill Desmond, but Thomas just laughed aloud.
"I assure you, young man. We're not gonna harm you or anything." he said, still laughing.
"Then why have you brought me here?"
Thomas smiled at Desmond again, but this time, he didn't seem very friendly. Quite the contrary, Desmond felt a bit threatened by him now.
"Conjure a ball of energy." he said. Desmond closed his eyes and imagined a ball of red and black energy similar to Ralph's form in his hand. Clara and her comrades looked on as the same aura of shadows started coming off him again. The small items on the table started shaking, and the lights in the room started flickering ON and OFF. Somehow, this made Thomas grin in joy as if this was exactly what he wanted. Misaki however, was still pretty suspicious about it all.
"Commander. He shouldn't be able to conjure this much power in such a short period of time. There's absolutely no way it should be possible." she whispered in Clara's ear.
"That's just raw power. Look at the control. It's really horrible." she replied, prompting Misaki to look at the ball of energy formed in Desmond's hand. Sure enough, the sphere in his hand was vibrating uncontrollably. Desmond was trying to stabilize it, but it just wasn't working (he didn't know how to).
"Judging from the panic on your face, I'm assuming that you don't know how to control it." Thomas noted, though the grin never faded away from his face.
"I don't know how to." Desmond replied. Suddenly, his hand started burning and it felt really hot.
"OUCH!" he screamed as he shook his hand, throwing the energy ball away. The ball shot off his hand and flew towards Thomas's face.
"SIR LOOK OUT!" Clara screamed. But Thomas just stretched out his palm towards the energy ball coming at him. Almost immediately, a rectangular cuboid made out of red lasers shout out of his hand and encased the ball. In an instant, the cuboid crushed the energy ball into nothing, making all the energy dissipate into the surroundings.
"Impressive power level. I almost tried." Thomas said, smiling. Desmond looked at the guy as if he had thrown rocks at people.
"Now you know why you must stay and train. The way you are right now? Even the weakest of fighters would just walk through you. That mask won't save you for long." Thomas said.
"But how do I control all that? I mean, I couldn't even control a ball of power. I don't get it." Desmond admitted.
"Before you understand all that, do you know what you are?"
"A human."
"Yes, but you're no ordinary human, are you? You should now very well know what kind of human you are?"
"What? Am I supposed to be an Infected?"
"Very much. In fact, you might be more Infected here than any of us."
Desmond's eyes narrowed at that statement, but the smile never faded away from Thomas's face.
"You're saying the same things that these people were telling me." Desmond said, frowning at Thomas.
"That's proof that they're right, because I am never wrong." Thomas replied. The others now rose behind Desmond, standing up on their feet.
"Since you're here right now, let me go ahead and show you something. You've been left in the dark for too long now. You should know who you are and what you represent." Thomas said.
"What do I represent? What do you mean?" Desmond asked, confused.
"All your questions will be answered in due time. Clara, take him to the Hall of Heroes."
Clara nodded and laid a hand on Desmond's shoulder.
"Come on. Let's get going." she prompted. Desmond had a lot of questions in his head, but he decided to cooperate. Together, the whole party turned back towards the door, preparing to walk out of the room.
"May fate be with you, Desmond Hunt! You're about to experience things you've never imagined before." Thomas said as Desmond reached the door. He turned back and found Thomas smiling as he said...
"Your perspective of how the world works is about to take a nasty turn."