Arthur and Grey were about a week's journey away from the kingdom of Thravos. And while they were heading there, on top of magic and combat lessons, Arthur was teaching him about other essential things he believed Grey needed to know. "Thravos is the Northernmost part of Greenseal. The central area is Dornis. The East of the country is where the most renowned magic Academy is, along with a kingdom that was… Lost several centuries ago. It's name was Etheria."
"What do you mean, 'lost?'" Grey looked at Arthur while chewing on some grilled fish that him and Arthur had caught earlier in the river. "Got destroyed, or something?"
Arthur shook his head, running a hand through his golden hair as they walked. "No, actually. It's… Really strange. Etheria used to be a thriving kingdom, around five or six hundred years ago. Then…" He turned to look at Grey. "All the people disappeared in the span of a month. The entire kingdom is still there, just silent. Dead. Not even witches go near that place, saying it's bad luck."
"And the Academy's right next to it?" Grey asked, suddenly being reminded of Jackson, who had apparently said that he felt he had to go to that place. He wondered if maybe he was connected to the dead kingdom in some way.
"Yes, the Academy of Etheria. They teach advanced magic, from ten years old, to twenty five. They were actually founded while the kingdom was still thriving. It's the last surviving remnant of a forgotten era."
"What do you think did it?"
"Huh?"
"Wiped out that kingdom? What do you think happened?"
Arthur sighed. "Well, I wasn't exactly alive back then. Even if I was, I probably would have also vanished along with all the other citizens of Etheria."
Grey continued walking. "So… Keep talking. What about the West? The South?" He was genuinely curious. Although being in a new world was daunting, learning about the supernatural that seemed to be normal here was incredibly intriguing.
Arthur thought for a bit, wondering how to describe it to him. "The South in this country is the Beastlands. It's only a small portion of Greenseal, but there are beasts, and animals from species that were there during the ancient times." Arthur brushed some of his golden locks out of his eyes, which were strangely the same color. "The entirety of Greenseal would have these beasts roaming our lands, but thousands of years back, they were slowly killed, when humans learned magic. The Beastlands are the only place left in Greenseal that have them."
Hearing about this, Grey was… Obviously surprised. Hearing that such a strange place exists, where creatures that sounded like they were from fairytales roamed the lands freely, it blew his mind. Then, he thought that Jackson was in the right place. He knew his friend was almost obsessive over things such as magic, and high fantasy stories. And he was going to the Academy, where he could only learn more about this world. "And the West?" He asked Arthur.
"The West is the trade and travel capital. Athom. Redseal is… According to the locals, 'Hell on Thyrn,'" Arthur said, making a sarcastic gesture with his hands. "But, in reality, I believe it's just another country with people. Though there certainly is… A lot more things to be fearing in that place, it does make for good trade." Arthur justified. "Plants and foods that normally wouldn't be found here, such as Pokal, can be grown in Greenseal because we made trade between Greenseal and Redseal possible." He looked at Grey. "The West of Greenseal is mostly train stations, and villages near the shores, where there are many boat docks."
'So that's where Nav and Liz are going,' Grey thought, knowing that they had chosen to go to Redseal, and the only easy way for them is to go to the Western region. Then, he realized something. "Oh, yeah." He looked at Arthur. "When I was in that bar where I met you, everyone in there seemed to hate anything and everything about Redseal. Besides the obvious dangers… Why are people so scared of it?"
Arthur paused. Then, he sighed. "The religion that we follow here on Greenseal, has highlighted many virtues, and many sins that a person may or may not commit. And of course, there are the major sins."
Grey looked at him. "Uh… Lust, Pride, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and… Wrath?"
Arthur looked slightly surprised. "Ah, you know them. It must be the same back on your world… Well. Redseal is where… Dragons come from." He looked slightly uncomfortable speaking about this. "In Greenseal, dragons are seen as the vilest creatures in existence. And… There are seven sins. And… The vilest of dragons, are chosen to portray a sin themself. There is a Dragon of Lust, Dragon of Sloth… And much worse."
Grey stayed quiet, thinking. After a bit, he asked, "… Are they… Strong?"
"… Incredibly so. A single dragon can easily kill hundreds of people. And a dragon attributed to a sin is much worse. And knowing why they were attributed to a sin makes you realize that nothing moral in their mind would stop them. They're fast. Strong. And… Intelligent. All seven of the sins can use magic."
"And… Why is Thravos safe? Or anywhere at all?"
Arthur pursed his lips. "We… Don't know what they're planning. The most recent known attack was from a dragon around two years back… One trying to become the new Dragon of Lust."
Grey looked at him. "And… What did this one do?"
Arthur stopped walking, looking down at the ground. "The dragon… Destroyed an entire village entirely. In Dornis. Didn't let a single person that we know of to escape. To prove a lust for violence."
Grey froze as he listened. He then realized that tragedies suddenly didn't feel native to Earth anymore.
-
Grey and Arthur had stopped in a small village. The final stop before Thravos. The town seemed to be in celebration. The small village was decorated, the flag of Thravos, and the symbol of the royal family, an eagle, plastered everywhere. The small village certainly wasn't quiet, with people walking around, laughing, smiling, and just overall in a good mood.
Grey looked around. "We walking in on someone's birthday celebration, or something?" He asked jokingly to Arthur. The atmosphere was lively, and welcoming.
Arthur looked around. "No. Enkel Redmond is being crowned king of Thravos. I forgot to tell you about that… Seems Thravos is going to be even more packed than usual when we arrive, then."
"The old king dead?"
"No. He's still alive. His sons take over when they're of age. His firstborn son, prince Alastair, he was killed a few years back. Saving some family from bandits, or something. His younger brother took his place, but it's been a while since he became of age. Seems it was just problems in the royal court."
Grey looked around. Then sighed. "So, when we get to Thravos…?"
"It'll be incredibly crowded, louder than it usually is, and it's the highest chances of getting robbed." Arthur said with a sigh and a smile.
"I think you're the only one who can smile when talking about something like that." Grey chuckled softly.
"Maybe so." Arthur's eyes shone strangely. Grey stopped, looking closer. His golden eyes, it was like they were liquid. Specks of yellow flowing in his eyes, almost resembling glitter, but even smaller. It could have been related to mana, but Grey hadn't seen anyone with eyes the same way in this world yet. "What are you staring at me so intently for?" Arthur finally said.
Grey stopped for a moment, wondering how to explain it. "It's like… your eyes are different.
Arthur visibly froze. His shoulders became tense. "Ah, really? I don't know what you're talking about. You seem to be the first to have noticed."
'He's lying,' Was Grey's first immediate thought. He's aware of this difference between his eyes and the eyes of others. But, it obviously seemed like he didn't want to talk about it, so Grey decided to leave things at that. He just shrugged. Arthur sighed, evidently in relief.
-
Later that night, the celebrations outside were still loud, still easy to hear even from the room that they were residing at. A small tavern, luckily one room was left, all other inns in town booked out. Grey looked at himself in the mirror. Short, messy black hair that reached just below his ears, light skin, and a slim physique. But he was staring into the eyes in the mirror. Green irises, the color almost uniquely vibrant. Though, he didn't seem to have any specks of light in his eyes as Arthur had.
"What a narcissist, enjoying your own reflection for so long." Arthur said from his bed with a yawn.
"Shut it." He sighed, stretched his arms, and laid down in his own bed. They'd be in Thravos soon. And that meant the chances of him getting back to earth sooner weren't getting slimmer just yet.