Chapter 3: Chapter Three - Zenal
I don't think that I was ever going to get use to that. I had to rub my eyes a couple of times to finally be able to see. The least he should've done was supplied us with sunglasses.
"Here swallow this," Jade handed me a pill.
"What's this?" I asked as I grabbed it. The shape of it was an oval and it was probably no bigger than a grain of rice.
"A communication device. You have to understand that we're in another dimension. This translate whatever we say to their native tongue and whatever they say into our native tongue," she replied back as if it was obvious. "Oh and it also translate their writing."
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"Shadow told me while you were unconscious," she replied back. "Shadow had one. That's why we could understand him."
I swallowed it. I at least expected to feel a tingle but nothing happened. "This have no effect," I said. "Where's yours?"
"Took it while you were unconscious" she replied back. "Now let's go, there's a city near here, look!" She pointed in the distance.
I looked to see a huge wall—probably about 50ft tall, made out of what seem like granite stone. There were about ten tall buildings—almost as big as the ones in New York, looming over the gigantic wall. They looked like a stretched out house with very few windows.
We didn't even take a step forward before we seen two floating carts coming toward us at an alarming speed. It looked like there were people in it and from the look of it they were most likely soldiers.
One of the soldiers jumped out of the cart before it came to a complete halt. He landed five feet in front of us with what seem to be a spear in his hand.
The soldier was a tall man standing more than 6ft tall. He had on a red breastplate, a tan tunic, and a red cloak that seem to stop at his waist. His bulking arms looked like it can probably carried about two sumo wrestlers with ease.
He took stance and pointed his spear toward us. "Who are you?"
I was afraid to look him dead in his eyes. One of his eye was pure white and his face was full of scars. "Who are you?" he asked again. This time his voice sounded much more demanding and fearful. I could tell that he was probably the leader or something.
"Stop that Levi. Can't you see from the way they're dress that they might be the one the king told us to search for?" one of the men said.
He was about my height. He had a baby face that made him looked like he was probably in his early twenties. His black long hair was in a ponytail and slanged over his shoulders. He had on a red vest with no shirt under to reveal his six pack. He was wearing a burgundies harem pants with brown sandals, and on top of that he too had on a red cloak that stopped at his waist.
He stepped out of the cart and place his hand on the other guy shoulders; calming him down.
"Hey there!" he motioned his hands toward us offering a handshake. "I'm Clover, second-in-command of the Royal Army."
Jade reached in for a handshake. "Hey there I'm Jade."
He gave her a kind gentle smile. He then turned towards me offering a handshake. I refused it, he looked too cunning for me to trust. He had a kind face that most lady would probably fall for.
He smiled at me. "It's ok you're only being cautious."
"Come on get them in the cart!" Levi growled.
I looked at Jade, she nodded in response as if she could read my mind. We hopped in the now cramped cart. Clover managed to squeeze in near me, but he looked at Jade who was directly across from him. He was smiling at her and she started blushing like a little school girl. Levi and some of the other soldiers were standing up holding onto a railing.
These things were amazingly fast. They were going about 120mph and it didn't seem like it had any motors. In seconds we were already at the city gates. One of the guards yelled "open up the gates". It took a few seconds before the gate started to open.
The Cart stopped at the gates and we was told to get out. "The carts aren't made to go into the city" Clover said. "Now come on, the king wants to speak to you two. He said it was important and urgent."
"Why would he want to speak with us?" I asked a little concerned. We just arrived in this world. No one should've known we were here. I was suspicious and Clover could see it in my eyes.
"It's ok to be worry," Clover said as we walked into the deserted streets of the city. "We don't even know why we been ordered to find you, and we been searching for two days now."
Jade looked at me and I can tell that she felt the same way I did. She was scared and curious. What Clover said only raised more questions in my head. How did he know of us two days before it even happened? Why was he searching for us? The biggest question that was forming in my head was, who was Shadow and what's are his motive?
"I'm going tell you something that might help," he said. "All this sand never used to be here."
"What?" Jade asked a little too surprised.
"Yeah a year ago this land was covered with beautiful grass, trees, rivers and animals. Now it's just sand," he replied. "Before we even knew what happened it all vanished like it was never there."
I looked at the way he said it. He seemed to be looking in the distance as if we wasn't even here.
As we walked deeper into the city I started seeing kids playing on the streets. There was women doing their daily chores or just talking with each other. As for the men, there seemed to be none around. All the houses seem to be made out of either what looked like granite or a green material that seem to look like rocks.
"Hey what happened to the male population?" I asked Clover.
"This city is constantly in wars," he replied back. "That's what we get for being in the center of three empires that hate each other."
We kept on walking forward deeper into the city. The structure of the buildings looked no different than the ones in our world. Some of the buildings were as tall as the skyscrapers in New York. The city was pretty nice but the people in it looked gloomy and depressed.
"You see that building over there!" Clover pointed at a green looking skyscraper. "That's the Royal Army headquarters and where our king lives."
We walked inside of the building. For some reason even though I could see or hear no air conditioner, the room was insanely cool to the touch. It was just a huge brown room covered with paintings and a display of weapons hanging from the wall.
Clover led us to a door that leads to a spiral staircase. We walked flights of stairs for what seem to be like a good five minutes. Half of the soldiers that came with us stopped a couple of flights ago.
"It is I," Clover said as he knocked the huge brass red door. For a minute there was no response. Clover knocked again and repeated the same word. "It is I". Suddenly we began to hear footsteps and the door opened. Behind it was a guard wearing the same armor as them.
"Come in," he answered. Clover nodded and wavered for us to follow behind. The room was a big circular shape. There was an old man sitting behind a large marble desk. His face lightened up when he seen that we had arrive. The room seem to be full of guards with spears and swords by their side.
"We found them," Clover said as he pointed his finger toward us. Jade took a few steps closer to me and held my arm like she does when we was little.
"Yes you have," the king spoke. He sounded very ill and tired. I could see the bangs under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in days. He stood up and walked toward us eyeing us every step of the way. Jade squeezed my arm as he got closer making me feel uneasy. For some reason I felt like I was going knock the lights out of this old man if he came any closer. "What strange clothing. Yes you guys may very well be the one." He said.
"What are you talking about?" I replied back.
He seemed startled. "Ah I didn't know you knew our native tongue," he said. "Well I think it's time I give you a proper introduction."
"Welcome to the City of Zenal and I am its king Arpo!" he stretched out his arms. "Yes I'm sure you seen the town already and what lies outside. This city used to be the most prettiest in the world. Now it's like a barren waste land!"
"So what does that have to do with us?" I asked.
He stared at me then started laughing. "You're quiet the impatient one aren't you. Well this happened a year ago and right after that happened, our three neighboring empires began to war with one another over a mysterious object that people say can grant any wish."
"Get to the point" I said. The soldiers looked at me as if they was going come forward and kill me any second now for disrespecting their king. The king on the other hand only managed to laugh.
"Well I have very strong reasons to believe that thing is the cost for this sand coming out of nowhere and also the reason why you're here today," Arpo said. He went back into his seat and sat down.
"Wait how do you know about us and what we're looking for?" I took a step closer. All the guards' weapons was already in place ready to stab me to death or cut me in pieces.
Calm down," Arpo ordered his men. He went back to his seat and just stared at us. "Let's just say a shadowy figure told me."
I knew there was something off about that shadow. He didn't even tell us a single thing about himself and yet he wanted us to trust him! I was completely mad now. I looked at Jade and she looked almost as confuse as I did. She opened her mouth as if she was about to speak then closed it.
"Excuse me King Arpo" Clover said to break the silence. "How can we be sure that they're the ones? They are just kids who don't seem to know anything. If they are truly the chosen ones then shouldn't they be strong and powerful?" he said.
The King thought of this for a moment. "Clover you are my right hand man and the leader of the Royal Army, what do you supposed I should do?"
"Well it's simple," Clover said. "A year ago we was known as the strongest nation. And anyone that wanted to join the Royal Army had to pass the test. If they are who they say they are, then passing the test shouldn't be difficult."
Test? What in the world was Clover talking about? I never liked that guy and it always look like he was planning something with his fake smile.
The King rose up and cleared his throat, "very well then. They should take the admission test. If they pass they will be a member of the Royal Army and be known as the chosen ones, but if they fail." He took a long pause. "They die!"
"Wait what?" Jade panicked, she squeezed my arm harder this time. "We never said we were the chosen ones. You did!"
From the look in her eye she was probably scared and confuse. For some reason I was completely mad now. Was it because Jade was scared and I couldn't stand the sight of it? Or was it my anger toward the confusion that was going on in my head at that time? No, I was mostly mad because shadow brought us to this strange place when he could've just brought us outside of the school or somewhere in our world. I was also mad at this ridiculous king and that idiotic pretty boy Clover.
I put my hand into a fist and was about to knock one of them out. I just couldn't pick who to choose.
"Don't worry," the King said. "I'm sure you'll pass." Yeah as if that was any convincing.
"Shall I take them to the arena for the testing?" Clover asked the King.
"Yeah," he said. "But we shall go together. I don't want to miss this!"
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