SHIRO
With Mister Arano's suggestion, we all walked quietly through the deserted streets of Wset City. The man offered his humble abode for us to take shelter while we thought of a plan on how to resolve this crisis terrorizing the city.
"I have to apologize in advance if I won't be able to accommodate you well," the man embarrassingly confessed.
"We fully understand your situation, mister, so don't bother. We'll just need a safe place to rest and spend the nights while we stay here," Mister Riku replied.
"I don't think we introduced each other yet," Mister Arano pointed out. "I'm Arano. This is our party leader, Keiro, and that's Riku. This kid right here is Shiro, and the man who just healed you is Daku."
"My name's Grancis of the House of Ploena— I mean, just Grancis. The title is no longer applicable. It is worthless now."
Given that he had a title, we could safely assume that this man was once a wealthy man. Rich people often had titles after their names to announce the family they belonged to.
But I disagreed with his statement that his title no longer held value. As long as that name wasn't tainted with malice and still existed, that title held the most priceless value. Because that title signified belongingness— that one belonged to a family... something that we, orphans, didn't have. Or should I say, once had.
"We're here," Mister Grancis announced after stopping in front of a worn-out and disheveled manor.
And I was not mistaken to assume that Mister Grancis was once a wealthy man because of the size of his residence. Remove the imperfections and imagine its vibrant color— one could tell that this manor once had honor and glory.
The gate before us, now rusted in deep maroon, still stood. And above it were the words made of steel that were bent and mended to state a phrase, "House of Ploena." Mister Grancis didn't bother to push the gate further because the gap was enough for each of us to pass through.
It was not just the house itself that was huge, but the lawn as well. The front lawn, which I believed was once abundant in greens and vibrant flowers, now resembled a spooky cemetery. Dead bushes and trees were left standing and scattered throughout the area, adding a more horrifying effect.
The pavement that led to the manor itself didn't escape the ruthlessness of time. Mosses, algae, and dirt were deposited on it, creating bumps and making the pavement slippery. The dried leaves served as its blanket. Each step crackled as our feet made contact with them.
Mister Grancis led us toward the entrance of his mansion. The door instantly let out a creepy creak when he pushed it open. With his frail body, he could only manage to make a gap enough for us to pass through.
When we stepped inside, the spookiness intensified. I felt like we entered a haunted house. But compared to the scene outside, I preferred the view here.
There were no lights, and it looked like Mister Grancis had no problem with it as he continued walking through the darkness. I wasn't that surprised. For someone who spent their entire life in this place, navigating this house was like tracing the veins at the back of his hands.
But we were not Mister Grancis, and this darkness was too... dark for our ordinary eyes to see. So, Mister Riku conjured a ball of light— the same light he used when we traversed the murky waters of the Paple Swamp to drive off the hungry water-dwelling predators.
With the brilliance provided by Mister Riku's magic, we were able to see clearly the interior of the house. Even Mister Grancis stopped moving just to look at the walls, ceilings, and ornaments.
"It's been a while since I looked at this place with light at night," Mister Grancis mumbled. "It's only been five years, and yet it feels like decades have passed. Ahem... Sorry for the sudden sentimentality."
"It's fine, Mister Grancis. Since it's dinner time already, shall we head first to the kitchen and prepare some food?" Mister Riku suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea. I bet Mister Grancis is starving as well. I'll prep the ingredients," Mister Arano volunteered.
I didn't hesitate to lend a hand as well. "I'll help, Mister Arano."
"Then, I'll go start a fire. I'm sure you have a fire stove that we can use, Mister Grancis?"
"Yes, and don't bother asking for my permission to use the kitchen. Use everything in it. In fact, use the entire house to your liking," Mister Grancis joked, earning a soft chuckle from Mister Riku.
"You're exaggerating, Mister Grancis. This is still your house, and you should still treat it as yours as well," said Mister Riku, earning a bashful nod from Mister Grancis. "How about you, Keiro? What are you gonna do?"
"Not sure. Probably gonna roam around the house to look for potential danger."
"Typical protective Keiro. Very dependable indeed," Mister Arano teased.
"Stop it, Arano!"
Before we even knew it, the entire manor was filled with loud laughter from the three. And I caught Mister Grancis curve his lips into a smile. Who knows how long since he last smiled or heard a genuine laugh. Probably five years ago.
After exchanging giggles, we proceeded with our tasks. Mister Arano and I prepped the ingredients needed for the recipe, while Mister Riku magically started a fire on the stove. When the food was cooked, Mister Keiro arrived from patrolling the vicinity and reported that the surrounding areas were safe.
The six of us sat around the table in front of the steaming, freshly cooked vegetable stew. Using the plates and utensils in Mister Grancis' kitchen, we all devoured our food.
"So, tell us, Mister Grancis, what really happened here? What we heard were just rumors and gossip," Mister Arano began, and everyone's attention focused on Mister Grancis.
"It started when a group of cultists came to our kingdom asking us to join their purpose..." When Mister Grancis mentioned the word "cultists," only one thing came to mind. "They called themselves the Dark Order, and their mission was to revive the God of Darkness.
"Of course, no one wanted to join them, much less help the revival of an evil god. At first, they ignored our disobedience, but it only lasted for months.
"They got impatient and suddenly started asking us for the location of an artifact. No one knew what that artifact was, and since no one had any idea about it, no one could pinpoint its location.
"This made them angry, and then one day, they vanished. We thought they left for good knowing that they couldn't get decent help from us, but we were wrong. The day after their disappearance, people started disappearing as well. It persisted 'til today," ended Mister Grancis.
"But why didn't you just leave the moment they made known their agenda?" Mister Keiro irritably asked.
"We tried, but we couldn't," Mister Grancis answered.
Our brows furrowed in wonder, and even if Mister Daku couldn't express his emotion through his face, I knew deep inside him he was wondering too about Mister Grancis' statement.
"What do you mean 'you couldn't'?"
"The day the Dark Order came, they placed a one-way barrier in the entire city," Mister Grancis continued, and I didn't like the sound of it. "Anyone could enter, but once inside, you will be forced to stay, because the moment you step out of the barrier, death follows. Several have tried to bypass the barrier, but none of them worked. Every trial is a sacrifice, and every sacrifice is a reminder that we are trapped in here forever."
Hearing Mister Grancis' statement about the barrier invoked the awakening of the slumbering fear and horror inside me. It spread throughout my body, sending chills down my spine and irregular beats to my heart.
"So, there's no other choice for us but to remove the barrier if we want to leave this place alive," Mister Keiro speculated. "I knew going here was a bad idea. No. The word 'bad' is an understatement. It's terrible. Good for you, kid— at least you won't die alone."
"Keiro! That's too much! If you are going to blame someone here, blame me. I'm the one who convinced you to help Shiro and Daku. Leave the kid alone," Mister Arano growled.
My fingers clenched into a fist before I spoke up, "Mister Daku and I still have a part to be blamed. We contributed to your decision in helping us."
"I disagree," Mister Riku protested. "You did contribute when we made the decision, but the final say was on us. We could've decided not to help, but yet we still did."
"And we could've declined your help, and yet, we didn't."
"Enough of this finger-pointing," Mister Arano interjected. "Why do we care about who's to be blamed? At the end of the day, all of us are victims of our own decisions. What we should be talking about now is how to deal with this problem in front of us."
Mister Riku heaved a sigh before saying, "One of the basic principles in spell casting is that the magic persists when the caster is near and alive, or if not in close proximity, a medium charged with magic spells is used. For it to still be working for five years, and with the scale this big, it would take several mediums for magic like this to properly work.
"And did I mention that these mediums must be charged? The longest time a charged medium would last is six months. For it to work again, it should be charged by the same caster. Also, a single caster couldn't possibly charge several mediums by himself or herself, given the fact that all of us have a limited amount of mana. So, I don't think they used mediums for this spell.
"It is most likely that the caster is nearby and constantly supplying the barrier with magical energy," Mister Riku concluded.
"But you said it yourself that for a barrier this big to work, a single caster couldn't possibly supply a constant stream of magic, and we're talking about something that has been going on for five years," Mister Arano pointed out.
"That is indeed true, but you missed something to include. We are dealing with the Dark Order. The possibility of the caster being a Dark Orb Wielder is not zero. Not even below fifty percent. We all know that the Dark Orbs give them unimaginable strength and power. It could even change the nature of their magic, which further explains and supports this very barrier— because no ordinary barrier has this kind of nature, unless it is made with the influence of a Dark Orb."