Alaric looked to the entrance with silent anticipation as it slowly grew closer with each passing second. The excited sounds from the spirits and living beings that had come to attend the Ceremony faded into the background as he looked on forward.

What were the odds that he wasn’t here by some freak accident? He wondered…

‘I want you guys to be there,’ Aiden had said. Something about the way he said it betrayed Alaric’s image of him. His original thoughts on the ceremony were that being there would make Aiden too embarrassed to go through with it… and yet, he wanted them to watch the dance.

Alaric’s heart skipped a beat as he thought more about the matter. What kind of dance was it anyway?

He’d resolved to take it easy and not hunt for answers that would lead him to know more questions… but with the revelation that there was more to this Ceremony than meets the eye came an unending thirst for the truth.

Not to mention the high degree of respect he was being awarded at this event.

What were the odds that there was some big reason the spirits referred to him as Lord? What were the odds that there was a reason he was being treated so well by everyone in Jack’s Fall?

The boy mentally cried [Alia.]

[Yes, Alaric,] the guardian replied.

[You’re not telling me something] Alaric commented.

[That’s obvious] the guardian replied with a shrug. Before the boy could clench his fists though, she added, [You’ll be fine though. You don’t feel troubled, do you?]

There was a moment of silence before he replied, [No.]

[Then we’ll be fine] the guardian replied.

“Alaric? Are you okay?” Darla asked the quiet boy.

“Yeah… I was just… thinking. Green’s not my colour, don’t you think?” Alaric smiled; a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Well, of course, it’s not. You look horrible in green. Even a vomiting Finn looks better,” Darla nodded.

Finn, who’d been listening, opened his mouth to speak… then closed it, “I know there is an insult in there somewhere.”

Darla chuckled, “You’re a terrible liar, Alaric. You look great in green. It matches your eyes. Just stay with us and we’ll be fine. You feel like leaving the Ceremony at any time and we’ll be out of there immediately, okay?”

Alaric nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be fine… We’ll be fine.”

Why was he so worried? Jack’s Fall was throwing him off. Yes, the entire town was throwing him off. First of all, Alaric didn’t feel the need to defend himself or at least keep wary of potential dangers and that, in and of itself, was disorienting.

Darla noticed his rugged breathing and held his hand. He relaxed under the warmth of her hand and tried his best to act normal. ‘This is pathetic. Who gets frightened by safety?’ he sobbed inwardly.

Jack’s Fall was perhaps the safest place he’d ever been… and he didn’t even know why that was or why he was so sure of it.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

With his hand in Darla’s, the three children walked into the cathedral. A man standing at the entrance with a pad glanced at them for only a moment before bowing, “Lord Alaric.”

Alaric passed with his friends, nodding with a tight-lipped smile.

The hall that led them in was short, giving the right amount of pause before opening up to a sight unlike anything they could have expected.

Shooting up in all directions was a gargantuan colosseum. Rows of seats filled with hundreds of spirits and people all talking amongst themselves in a meshed cacophony of excitement.

A large bell floated above the giant arena that had been repurposed into a very wide podium fitted with floating amber lights, probably for the dancers that night.

No part of the Colosseum was obscured by the darkness of night as the light of the full moon tore through the dark veil and illuminated every corner of the arena.

A gentle breeze blew through the bleachers every once in a while keeping everyone cool and yet not too cold.

Alaric wasn’t sure what to make of this especially since his gaze was arrested by the colosseum’s open top, revealing a beautiful sky littered with countless shimmering stars.

“I thought this was a cathedral,” Finn breathed.

“You can never be sure with magic, I guess,” Alaric responded.

“Lord Alaric, I’m glad you could make it,” a man suddenly approached Alaric.

From the paleness of his skin, Alaric could immediately tell that he was a spirit. However, nothing about him being a spirit diminished his stunning looks.

His skin was smoother than anything Alaric had ever seen. His beautiful eyes seemed to contain the tapestry of the nightsky, glittering with countless stars. His hair was like a river of rich silk while his voice was utterly enchanting.

The man gently held Alaric’s hand and gave it a light kiss.

Alaric’s eyes widened when the man started floating upwards, and his heart started beating fast when his feet left the ground as well, all while the man maintained the gesture of greeting with his hand.

He winked, flashing a set of mesmerizing pearly whites, “We’ve all been excitedly awaiting your arrival. You took your time.”

Alaric was panicking now. He wanted to reply but the words got caught in his mouth, “I… uh… my friends.”

“Oh, don’t worry. They will be fine,” the spirit spoke.

“No, I’m going to sit with…”

“Hey, put him down,” a feminine voice suddenly boomed through the Colosseum. The spirit’s beautiful captivating face lost focus for a moment and turned to the source of the voice.

Standing stern before him was none other than Darla. The girl was looking up with a look of annoyance that sent shivers down Alaric’s spine… and he wasn’t even the target.

“Oh, she’s a feisty one! Know your place, little one,” the spirit replied dismissively.

The space beside Darla shimmered and from it stepped a fairy-like man adorned with feathery wings. He was dressed in an elegant suit and his presence pulsed with a wave of aether that blew a gust of wind through the entire colosseum silencing everything and everyone in the vicinity.

Now that everyone’s attention had been drawn to the spectacle, Darla spoke again, her voice calm but deadly, “I will say this one more time. Put him down…”

“My! Oh my! The Guardian of Concept…” the spirit cooed.

“Long time no see, Jack,” the guardian flying beside Darla’s shoulders waved.

“Hello, Apollo,” the spirit replied with a sigh, “I’d like to invite Lord Alaric and his friends to sit with Jill.”

“Liar,” Apollo scoffed.

“Fine, I wanted to snatch him up and have fun in the VIP section of spirits. Can you blame me for wanting a celebrity all to myself?” the spirit whined. As he did, however, he brought Alaric down and placed him on the ground, “Apologies if I was too forward with you, Lord Alaric. I lost my composure.”

“Lost your composure?! I’ve never seen you act so out of character, Great Ancestor,” a new voice stepped into the conversation. Alaric turned to see Master Jill walking up to them in a faded silk gown much like the one he’d seen in a portrait of his younger self.

“Oh, don’t judge, Jill. It’s been… a very long time. Let him sit with you in the VIP section. Take his friends with you too… Also, we’ll talk later about why you haven’t extended the same privileges you awarded Lord Alaric to his friends as well,” with that, the spirit straightened out his gown and floated up to a parlour of spirits seated much higher.

A bunch of feminine and boisterous male giggles could be heard coming from the spirits that had just watched the spectacle. Alaric could have sworn he saw Master Jack’s cheeks turn a slight shade of red.

Master Jill rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, “Why did he do that? Now he’s going to sulk for getting rejected.”

“Rejected?” Darla asked.

“Yes… Alaric rejected him. No one rejects my Great Ancestor Jack. Now then, tuck that guardian away. You’re scaring the masses. Let’s take our seats. The Ceremony is about to start.”