The bell chimed as the door closed behind them, and the kingdom’s busy main street appeared in their view after turning a few corners. The hundreds of bright, artificial lights of the lamp posts illuminated the road with a beautiful yellowish hue.
Elena held Kai’s hand as they passed the dozens of stalls, filled to the brim with food, toys, and entertainment. The music of a few bards echoed in the air, which, accompanied by the infatuating smell of freshly grilled meat and vegetables, created a lively atmosphere in the bleak kingdom.
As they wandered through the long street, passing numerous people of different races, a question lingered in his mind: Just who was that old man? He was able to tell my rank at a glance, and he was really friendly with my parents… should I ask them?
Ray noticed Kai’s troubled expression, and his lips parted as he asked “What is it? Are you hungry? Do you want some fried dragonyte wings?”
Kai shook his head and halted his footsteps, and asked meeting his father’s gaze “Who was that old shopkeeper? How come you know him?”
His dad scratched the back of his head and sighed, kneeling in front of Kai. He ruffled his hair and said with a hint of melancholy, “That old man, he’s someone who has helped us when we were in danger. If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure we’d be here right now.”
“Don’t worry Kai,” his mother added “He’s a good person, you can treat him as your own grandfather. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to tell him about you just yet… we had our reasons, please understand.”
That’s weird… Why couldn’t they tell him about me? Whatever, as long as my parents trust him, then I will as well… He didn’t voice his thoughts and instead continued strolling through the city. It’s my first time in the kingdom itself as well… are my parents some sort of criminals?
He excitedly observed the products as they walked past the stalls, his eyes widening at the large assortment of goods, including those that he’d never seen before in both lifetimes.
However, one stall had some things Kai recognized - objects from his old world, or at least, similar in nature and looks. A few plushes in the shape of horned rabbits and wyverns, wooden puppets tied to strings, and exquisitely crafted wooden boats that had their name - ‘Titanic’ - engraved on the side.
Must be a coincidence… He thought as he glanced at the vendor - a middle-aged human, who raised his eyebrow upon noticing Kai. A faint smile formed on his face as he let out a light scoff, and he asked “Watcha looking at, kid?”
“I’m looking at you, shithead!”
Kai stepped back as he blurted out involuntarily, shocking his parents and himself. The human burst out in laughter, unbothered by the reply. He watched Kai get dragged away by the ear while his mother apologized. “Haha, don’t worry, it was fun meeting you.”
The noisy street grew louder and louder toward the center, where a small square was located. In the middle of it was a small stage, large enough for three people to comfortably move about. Surrounding it were a few crystals, sparkling with different colors as they rotated around it.
Next to it, a group of dark-skinned men was singing an upbeat song on drums and string instruments, their pleasant music filling the square with a festive atmosphere.
Atop the stage, three enchanting women moved in a mesmerizing dance, their bodies melting into the pulsating lights. Adorned with ebony skin, their alluring figures were accentuated by the multiple red lines etched across their bodies.
Their luscious dark hair perfectly swayed with their graceful movements. With stunning yellow eyes and bewitching smiles, they captivated the audience, casting a spell on all who beheld their beauty.
A few dozen people, mostly men, of varying races, surrounded them, cheering in unison as the three performed their number, their eyes sparkling with a faint light that glowed rhythmically with their audience’s.
“Demons…” Ray muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper, but carrying a hint of deep-seated hatred. Kai turned toward his father with a bewildered expression, but Elena didn’t let them linger as she pulled Ray away from the stage, walking toward the outskirts of the square, where a flavourful, irresistible smell inundated their nostrils.
A few barbeque stands were lined up one after the other, manned by both men and women of the lizardfolk and human race. The sizzling meat of rabbits and poarks, finely seasoned with the best condiments their kind had to offer, attracted many customers, patiently waiting in long lines.
Kai's senses were completely overwhelmed by the cacophony of voices and the amalgamation of a dozen different smells, despite their individually pleasant flavors. His head went blank as a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to slightly lose balance.
He staggered backward, barely managing to regain his footing just in time to avoid falling down.
“Kai, what’s wrong?” His father placed a hand on his shoulder to help him stand straight. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Uh, yeah… just a bit overwhelmed by everything, I’ll be fine…” he answered, his head still aching in pain. “I just need to sit down for a bit.”
Elena picked Kai up as they quickly left the square, the smells gradually fading away as the bustling street got quieter. A warm sensation ran through his scalp as his mother used healing magic to calm his headache. He closed his eyes and leaned on her chest, breathing softly as he yawned.
“Oh? Are you tired?” His mother tenderly caressed his face, only getting a small nod in response.
“Well, it is quite late already, we should be heading home.” Ray walked alongside Elena, glancing at Kai’s tired figure as he cuddled and got more comfortable. “Isn’t he heavy?”
Elena shook her head, a faint smile appearing on her face as her loving gaze rested on Kai “Not at all, I feel like he’s too light, I should prepare him more food…” a melodious chuckle escaped her lips, with Ray joining in and adding
“Indeed, I think I’m a bit light too,” he joked as he patted his belly.
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They walked silently, the sound of their footsteps accompanying them on the gradually empty street. Very few stalls were open this far out, and those that were had little clientele.
The houses were derelict - cracks covered the walls and open roofs, and the broken windows, and doors made way for the chilly air to penetrate the empty rooms.
They were inhabited by a few, grotesque-looking people - their skin was stuck to their bones, and their faces were so white they looked as if they had rolled in flour. Their hungry red eyes glowed as they peeked at the couple through the destroyed buildings.
Drool flowed down their oversized shirts as their fangs grew and shrunk rapidly, but none dared approach Kai and his parents, slowly hiding away in the shadows as they passed by.
“The situation is worse… last time there weren’t as many.” Ray said as he quickened his pace “I fear things will go out of control in a few years…”
Elena nodded as she hurried as well “Haniard… that bastard, what is he doing?” Her voice carried a hint of repressed anger and hatred, her lower lip trembled as she bit down on it, small amounts of blood dripping down her face.
Ray wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her body closer to his. “I… I’m sorry” he said shakily “If I knew what would happen…”
“Stop! We already went over this, it’s not your fault, end of discussion.” She quickly cut his speech short with an annoyed tone. “We can’t change the past, we must look into the future and protect the present…” a sigh escaped her lips, her eyes unconsciously drifting toward Kai, his soft pants sending warmth throughout her whole body.
Ray agreed silently, vigilantly watching the owners of the shabby stalls and the sickly figures observing from the shadows. “We should hurry,” he nudged Elena as they approached the city’s exit.
An aromatic smell lingered in the air as they passed a few barbecue stalls, a fragrance in particular was unlike any other. It was blander, less sharp, and hypnotic but it carried a simplicity rarely found anywhere.
Kai unconsciously sniffed the air, and his eyes snapped open. He broke free from his mother’s grasp, the enticing smell leading him to walk toward it like a zombie. This smell seems familiar, like something from my old world… from home…
His parents followed closely behind him, curious and perplexed by his sudden behavior. Usually, he’s very reserved, what could be making him act like this? Elena giggled inwardly as she and Ray vigilantly watched over him.
Eventually, he reached his destination - a small stand manned by a short, bald and muscular man that sold grilled skewers. The man looked at Kai with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything, only watching him with an amused expression in his eyes.
He snapped out of his trance, dumbstruck by the object that made him act like a mindless zombie searching for brains - Grilled skewers - normal skewers, albeit the meat is of poorer quality, and is a bit different than what he saw thus far, but it was still poark, rabbits and dragonyte.
What…? How could some simple skewers make me act like this? It's true that I used to eat a lot of those when I went out with Nevan but… did I miss them to this extent?
Don’t tell me… magic skewers? It was the only hypothesis he could come up with that would explain his behavior.
His parents looked in confusion at their child and the short man, then at the skewers sizzling on the hot grill. “We passed by so many skewer stalls on our way here,” Elena whispered to Ray “why did he choose this one? Do you think this means anything?”
Ray shrugged and said, his voice barely a whisper “Must be the ingredients or the way this man cooks them…”
She nodded in agreement and handed Kai one silver coin, “Go on, buy as many as you want.” He accepted the silver coin and inspected it for a bit. So this is what their money looks like…
The coin was about two centimeters in diameter - about the size of a nickel. The engravings on it depicted the face of a man unknown to Kai, with short hair and a piercing gaze. The letters on it were almost evenly spread around its circumference, spelling a simple yet imposing name The King…
I bet their current system is like that of those old-school MMORPGs… how original he rolled his eyes before handing the coin to the shopkeeper “As many as this can buy, please.”
The man accepted the coin and handed him five skewers filled to the brim with meat, one piece almost falling off the stick. “Thank you,” he said before he began devouring the skewers like a dog that hadn’t eaten in days.
Ray looked at his son eating with such appetite and couldn’t help but swallow. “You’re not going to give one to your old man?” he reached for one as he asked Kai, who paused briefly, his mouth still full of skewers.
“No,” he said, quickly turning around.
Elena let out a soft giggle as his father’s mouth was wide open in shock. He quickly rummaged through his pockets and pulled out two silver coins, handing them over to the bald man. “Another ten skewers please!”
“What?!” Kai gasped, having yet to swallow the food in his mouth as he protested “No fair!” But, he was dirt poor, so he couldn’t compete with his dad.
Elena’s hand flew to her mouth as she did her best to hide her laughter, and even the stone-faced short man let out a small chuckle at the sight of the comedic duo.
Ray handed one skewer over to Elena and started devouring the skewers right in front of Kai, the grease and sauces spilling in his thick beard, much to his son’s envy. “Bully!” However, their moment didn’t last long…
A sudden explosion reverberated through the air, jolting the group up, their eyes snapping toward the source - Far into the distance, a huge cloud of dust rose from the ground, sending debris, food, and liquids everywhere.
A grotesque creature dashed out of the cloud, running away from a tall man dressed in a military uniform. The beast held another man wearing a similar uniform to the one chasing him, with a little less decorum.
His eyes pleaded for help, and he weakly swayed his arms as he tried to lessen the beast’s grip. Blood gushed out of his mouth as the creature’s long, bony fingers gripped him tightly by the waist, every step it took shook the cobblestone pavement, and it rammed through a dozen stalls before slowing down.
It brought the man up to its mouth, which was filled with razor-sharp teeth and two, sharp, protruding fangs, as long as the blade of a sword. It bit into the terrified vampire, ripping his arm clean off before chewing on it, the sound of crunching bones accompanied by the man’s painful scream grimly echoed on the street.
“Stop it!” A deep voice resounded loudly in the air, signaling a few guards that were stationed nearby in case discord were to break out.
The creature ran straight toward them, its gigantesque, humanoid form sent shivers down their spine, their pupils widening upon seeing the skin stuck to its bones, and its glowing, blood-red eyes stared them down as its bloody lips parted, letting out a primal roar.
The two guards stood shoulder to shoulder with their spears braced to meet its charge. This enraged the monster, and it tightened its grip around the man, using his body as a club it sent both of the guards sprawling in the derelict houses.
It looked around, its almost non-existent nose sniffing the air, seemingly looking for something. Its eyes widened and snapped toward Kai’s direction, immediately rushing toward him.
His food got stuck in his throat as his entire body trembled upon seeing the immense, bloodthirsty creature run toward him, his heart jumped a few beats, his limbs went soft and the skewers hit the ground with a soft thud.
Cold sweat ran down his back, and his pupils widened as images from more than seven years ago flashed in his head, his gruesome and painful death. His mind turned blank, and his breathing ragged as he struggled to inhale.
The creature’s malicious aura spread over to him long before it actually arrived, and he fell to his knees as fear took over his body, his pupils dilated as he stared at the beast… his consciousness slowly fading away.