roccoschili DT4 - Chapter 46
DT4 - Chapter 46
DT4 - Chapter 46
"Ryn has a particular set of skills that are very useful," Garrett said. "But more importantly, everyone that the Dreamer on the Throne picks is someone who is very useful."
Seeing that the princess was still looking troubled, Ryn walked over and sat next to her, taking her hand. This startled Eloise, but after a moment, she relaxed.
"You really should join us," Ryn said directly. "It's tremendous fun. Plus, if you asked, you could probably get the same kind of position I have. One of the things I didn't mention is that this mask allows me to enter into a magical space that's in that other world. And once there, I can talk to others who have also come. Oh, and did I mention you can get stronger too?"
Garrett watched dumbfounded as Ryn prattled on. With every word, the princess's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He had only ever considered presenting the pros and cons of the situation, but to listen to Ryn talk, it was a secret club full of grand adventure that served as a gateway to a world filled with mystery and power. Realizing that he had misjudged Her Majesty's romantic streak, Garrett could only admit defeat when within a few minutes of sitting down next to the queen, Ryn had completely convinced her.
"And you really think that the Dreamer on the Throne will accept me as one of his chosen?"
"Don't worry," Ryn said, patting the queen's hand. "I have a considerable amount of sway with him. He definitely will listen to me, and I think you would make a great candidate for another chosen."
"Then I'll do it," Eloise said, her eyes shining.
She kept Garrett and Ryn there for a few more minutes, chatting excitedly about the prospect of joining them in the dream world and asking all sorts of questions of Ryn, until a servant came and informed her that she had other appointments to keep. With a sigh, she stood and bid them farewell, but not before making Ryn promise to put her name forward for consideration as a Chosen of the Dreamer. Ryn couldn't stop smirking the entire way back to the inn, but Garrett remained silent until they had actually pulled into the yard.
"Well done," he said. "I didn't realize Her Majesty was such a romantic."
"And I never realized your face would look so funny when you were forced into something you hadn't been planning on doing," Ryn said, laughing.
That night, just as Ryn had promised, Queen Eloise found herself in a dream standing in front of a simple door decorated with a dream flower. As she entered, she found herself in a large stone hall, empty save for a giant figure on a throne at the other end. The feeling gave her an intense sense of familiarity and comfort. She walked forward, coming in front of the great throne where she found a golden mask hovering in the air.
"Welcome," a deep voice intoned.
Try as she might, she couldn't make out the features of the figure on the throne, but the feeling in her heart convinced her that he held no ill will towards her.
"Is this the mask?"
"Yes," the figure said. "However, think long and hard before you take it. If you do, you'll be opening yourself up to a world full of danger."
There was a certainty in the giant's voice that caused Eloise to hesitate, but then, the magical words Ryn had spoken earlier that day of adventure and mystery filled her heart, and she slowly reached for the mask. When she touched it, she felt as if an electric shock had run down her arm, and she almost withdrew her hand.
Sitting on the throne, Garrett was racking his brain for a way to convince her not to take it. He hadn't originally intended for her to be a chosen, and had only spoken of the Dreamer on the Throne because he wanted to give her some assurance that she would be protected from malicious, mysterious entities. Ryn had taken his prompting to mean something else entirely.
Assuming that Garrett wanted a level of control over the Queen, not realizing the effect that Five Blooms already had, he kicked himself for not being clearer. Garrett could only watch as Queen Eloise, ruler of Insomnium, took the mask and placed it on her face. The power of the throne surged as Garrett reluctantly accepted the prompt.
Though he had been hoping to keep the position of Chosen to acquire another fighter, he had to admit this wasn't a bad choice. The Queen's influence went far beyond even his in the waking world, and she would be a powerful addition to their forces, especially since she had the ear of the only manifesting stage warrior in the entire city. This was especially important since, even when Garrett became a manifester himself, he wouldn't be able to plant soul seeds in Duke Arkov. Much like with Gero, he would have to take a roundabout tack. Currently, that was the Queen.
As he watched, he saw the Queen's soul spark continue to solidify. She had only been at the early lighting stage, though the power from the crown she wore had drastically improved the amount and the density of the energy her soul spark possessed. Now, with the addition of the Dreamer's throne, her soul spark advanced into the middle of the lighting stage, giving her a qualitative increase in power.
Queen Eloise marveled at the energy pouring through her as Garrett waved his hand, merging the version of the stone hall he and Eloise were in with the version where everyone else waited. Gero, who had clearly been prepped by Ryn, was the first to step forward and greet the Queen.
"Hello," she said with a nod. "My name is Gero.”
Duke Arkov's voice grew cold as he slowly turned to stare at Garrett.
"Know this. Should you prove false like your father, I will not scheme against you. Instead, I will tear you apart inch by excruciating inch, and I will obliterate everything that you have touched in this world, until even the memory of you no longer exists."
It was hard to know what to say in face of such a threat, but the Duke didn't seem to want a response. After he delivered it, he smiled and looked into the distance once more and Garrett remained silent beside him until the Duke pointed at a dot barely visible on the horizon.
"Do you see that? The other end of the swamp? Do you know what that is?"
"Is that Port Reverie?"
"Yes, it's Port Reverie. Once an ally. Now... well, who knows. The Queen is going to be making a trip there in a few weeks, as tradition demands of a newly crowned ruler of our fair city. I have to stay here to guard against the beasts from the mountains. You'll go with her, advise her, and protect her."
"I don't suppose I can refuse," Garrett asked.
"Absolutely not," replied the Duke, "but as a thank you for your willingness to support the Princess, I've decided to take you under my wing."
In the next moment, Garrett found himself back in his office. The Duke was nowhere to be found, and the only thing that lingered from the strange time he had just spent in midair was the memory and a token with a sword on it that lay in his palm. Gripping the token tightly, Garrett took a deep breath as he heard the Duke's voice echoing in his ears.
"I can tell that you've reached the edge, but stepping over it is a tremendously difficult matter that requires circumstances that may never happen in a person’s lifetime. In exchange for helping the Princess, I'll teach you what I know about the manifesting stage and how to unlock its secrets. From now on, you are the disciple of Arkov, Bloodless Blade."
When Ryn poked her head into the room a moment later, Garrett was still staring at the token, his expression a mixture of amusement and frustration.
“Should I come back later?” she asked.
With an annoyed sigh, Garrett tossed the token onto his desk and shook his head.
“No, come in. I have something to talk to you about.”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“Remember how you’ve been talking about going to Port Reverie? Well, our trip just got moved up. In a couple weeks the princess is heading over there for some sort of diplomatic mission, and we got volunteered to go with her.”
“Wait, you said we. You’re coming?”
“Only because a musclehead idiot with entirely too much free time said I have to,” Garrett said, glowering at the token on his desk.
“This is fantastic,” Ryn said, laughing. “I can’t wait to show you around!”
Slowly, Garrett’s expression eased and a small smile flitted onto his face. Ever since he had come to this world, he had been hiding here in this small inn, tied by necessity to the Dreamer’s Throne and the tremendous power it contained. Finally, however, he felt as if he was starting to break free from his shell. He had proven to himself that he could go toe to toe with other Great Rulers, even when he wasn’t sitting on the throne. He had been tested and come out ahead. The thought of traveling to another city and leaving the safety of the Dreamer’s Throne behind was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating, but Garrett knew that it was time to spread his wings.
To Be Continued...