piratefiction Chapter 21: Departure
Chapter 21: Departure
Chapter 21: Departure
Mother, youre going to strangle me! The cloaks fine!
Auslen was currently within his bedroom, standing in front of a large mirror with frustration written all over his small face as Amabellas fussy hands flew around his body, repeatedly adjusting his already perfect clothing.
He was overly dressed in the elaborate, nonfunctional red robes that his mother loved to have him wear. Above the robes sat a long black and gold cloak, which, thanks to his loving mother, was nearly choking the life out of him.
Two silver earrings dangled from his earlobes, both looking quite different from the previous earring-type Mystic Artifact he typically wore. However, the dark-green ring that usually sat on his left ring finger was strangely nowhere to be seen.
Amabella ignored Auslens pleas and moved her hands to his head, making sure the dark red ribbon was secure and not a strand of hair was out of place.
Auslen just sighed as he subconsciously rubbed his stomach. Even though he knew his mothers actions were ridiculous, he could only let her continue in silence. It would be a very long time before they would be able to see each other once more, and this seemed to be her way of dealing with the anxiety that the thought of their prolonged separation produced.
Cedrick, who was leaning against a nearby wall, used his leg to slightly propel himself forwards before he walked towards the duo.
He spoke, Let Auslen alone, Amabella. We need to be leaving soon if we are to make it to the Sect Entrance Examination on time.
At Cedricks words, Amabellas eyes glistened and she wrapped Auslen in her arms tightly, seeming as if she had no intentions of letting him go within the near future.
Auslens muffled voice sounded within her embrace, Its okay, Mother. We can still talk to each other through our Voice Transmission Crystals. Ill come back and visit! I promise.
As if she had received what she really wanted to hear, Amabella pulled back with a beautiful smile on her face as she warned, You had better contact me often, Auslen. Otherwise, dont blame me for flying over to that Sect myself to embarrass you in front of all of your little friends!
While Auslen was rolling his eyes in his heart, knocking sounds came from the closed oak door. Cedrick reached out to open the door, showing Vincents surprised face.
After bowing hastily, he quickly stepped aside to reveal Aiden.
Grandfather and Uncle Jaime have arrived, Aiden announced before rotating his head to smile at Auslen.
Cedrick nodded silently and glanced at Amabella, who reached down to grab Auslens hand. Soon, the four members of the Royal Family were exiting the small palace. Vincents gray-robed figure was following closely behind, lugging a large leather bag on his backside.
Auslen!
Once Auslen alighted from the final step of the entryway with his mother, he was nearly tackled from the side by his enthusiastic cousin.
Auslen smiled slightly at Nathaniel before focusing his gaze behind the boy to the two men walking behind.
Tobias laughed with a deep, warm tone at the two children as he walked towards the group. He reached down to place his hand on Auslen's hair, but was quickly slapped away by Amabella.
"Oww!"
Tobias stared resentfully at his smiling daughter as he rubbed his hand in efforts to clear the stinging pain.
Ignoring the hint of mocking in Auslens laughter, he turned his gaze to Cedrick as he asked, Is everything prepared for departure?
While the two were discussing, the man that was previously standing beside Tobias beckoned towards Nathaniel.
Apparently unwilling to let Auslen go, Nathaniel dragged Auslen over to greet the tall man, with Vincent following behind from a distance.
Nathaniels excitement was obvious as he exclaimed, Dad, Im going to leave with Auslen now!
The handsome, young-looking man bent down slowly, allowing Auslen to get a clearer view of his uncle.
He was wearing a layered, deeply purple robe, with silver glasses framing his almond-colored eyes that matched his son's. His darker blonde hair was cut shoulder length, a style quite different to how it is normally worn in the Kingdom.
As Auslen was quietly observing the man, an incredibly gentle voice sounded from the mans lips.
I see. Im glad that you both have grown much closer during these past few months. It puts my heart at ease.
Reaching inside his purple robes, he took out a densely carved, foot-long wooden box and held it out towards Auslen.
Auslen lifted an eyebrow, taking the unexpected gift while he continued listening to the smiling Uncle Jaime.
Without any more words, Cedrick shot towards the sky, bringing the three boys along as they disappeared into a hatch that had opened on the side of the airship.
Wow!
Auslen calmly walked beside Vincent and Cedrick while watching his cousins restless figure running around the wide corridor, his head swinging around as he looked into every open room he could find.
Even Vincent looked starry-eyed as he peeked through the large porthole windows in wonder.
Auslen chuckled silently at the two before glancing through the porthole himself.
Surprisingly, Auslen couldnt help but stop in place as he gazed outside.
At some point during the mere moments they had arrived inside the airship, they had already bolted far away into the distance. In fact, Auslen could just barely see the outline of the Royal Palace before it instantly disappeared into the innumerable buildings that made up the Capital City.
He walked closer to the window to look downwards. The terrain below was not even clearly visible, only looking like the biggest and most vibrant abstract oil painting he had ever seen, colors constantly blending and bending in his perception due to their incredible speed.
I didnt even feel us taking off! Wheres the inertia? Or the sound generated from the massive amounts of air resistance that was surely affecting the airship?
After forcing himself to stopping thinking of questions he couldnt answer, Auslen rubbed his right hand across the wooden walls in appreciation of the remarkable engineering that went into constructing such a flying machine.
Abruptly, Vincents concerned voice interrupted his thoughts, Is your stomach feeling alright, Your Highness?
Auslen's golden eyes widened slightly as he lowered his head to notice his other hand subconsciously rubbing his stomach in soothing motions.
Oh.
Auslen placed his arm down by his side, smiling as he spoke in reassurance, Im fine, Vincent. I guess I ate a bit too much during breakfast.
Is it indigestion? I have some med
Hell be fine, Vincent.
Before Vincent could pull anything out of his leather bag, he was interrupted by Cedrick, who had already turned his eyes to face Auslens slightly accusing gaze.
Ignoring his sons expression, Cedrick said, We should catch up to your cousin before he gets himself lost. It wont be long before we reach our destination.
No way. We just left minutes prior, and we still have to cross hundreds of thousands of miles before we leave the
Auslens thoughts stilled as he glanced outside once more, nearly gasping aloud at the sight.
The buildings, people, and even the land were suddenly gone, replaced by sparse, blurry clouds and an endless expanse of a mystifying body of water.
Its water, while remarkably clear, did not carry the usual shades of blue, but rather, a crystalline yellow! At their unbelievable speeds, the body of water vaguely resembled an incomprehensibly large sheet of expensive yellow silk that glistened under the brilliant rays of the morning sun.
The Amber Sea? Weve traveled such an exaggerated distance already?
While Auslen wondered why his own silver boat wasnt nearly as travel-efficient, the group made it to an open area located at the bow of the ship, where they saw Nathaniel staring captivated in front of a huge window.
Auslen chuckled at his cousin's entranced expression, which drew Nathaniels attention towards him.
Auslen! Come look!
Auslen slowly walked next to the boy to gaze out the window, squinting slightly as he observed the scenery. After another moment, he understood what Nathaniel had been screaming about.
Through the clouds, he could see a humongous land mass in the rapidly approaching distance.
As they arrived above the land mass, Auslen could see majestic, sweeping hills of vegetation, presenting colors of bright reds, oranges, and yellows that continued to grow denser as every second passed. Continuous stretches of towering mountains loomed in every direction, quite unlike the flat lands of the Western Empyrean Continent.
Cedrick walked from behind to stand beside the two children and spoke in brief introduction.
Welcome to the Eastern Empyrean Continent, the land of the Heaven-Reaching Mountains.