Responsibilities (Part II)

Previously on Episode 2...

The ground began to shake, and they knew that the gigantic mysterious creature was running towards them.

They were ready to run, but it was too late as it exposed itself quickly. It was a twelve feet tall brown wild boar, and it was grunting, looking straight at them in anger. The wild animal's eyes are pitch black while the being's pupils are brown with black atmosphere lingering around the critter. They could feel that something was wrong with the beast.

Inside their minds, they remembered what the masked young man warning and explanation.

"Five years ago, a disaster struck in our land. Aggressive monsters or any wildlife that turned into monsters appeared out of nowhere, causing chaos everywhere." He began his tale.

Is this what he was talking about? If so, they were screw.

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While they were trembling in shock and fear after seeing the monstrous wild boar, they heard a loud shout above the beast.

"Oh no, you don't!!" Someone rapidly fell down on the sky with an ear-splitting sound above the beast while the wild animal cried loudly, hearing the shattering of bones in its spinal cord, and the ground beneath the creature got destroyed with a thundering sound, forming a small crater with clouds of dust lingering in the air.

They were greatly astonished while their jaws dropped down, and they were wondering who saved them. When the clouds of dust finally cleared up, they saw a friendly-looking long black-haired young man with broad-shoulder and hazelnut eyes, waving at them cheerfully with a smile on his face while his feet jumped upon the ground with a soft thud gracefully. He was on top of the deceased beast earlier, and he felt happy that he finally saw them healthy, unharmed, and alive. The young man was wearing a black dress shirt with beige pants and brown leather shoes. His long-sleeve was rolled up until it reached to his elbow, and he's wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves as a weapon. 

"I'm glad that you aren't hurt, and I'm pleased that you are safe and sound." He said genuinely after he had approached them. He placed his hand on the left side of his chest, bowing slightly in greeting.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Hesekiel Tavoularis, the Jack of Spade, but you can call me Hese for short. A pleasure to meet you. You are hereby ordered by my Queen to let me escort you to the castle." Hesekiel smiled brightly at them while he stood up straight. 

Alexander stopped his stupor while he was looking at him with awestruck wonder. 

"Wow, dude… Just wow!! You just fall down on the sky and Wham!! You defeat that monster pig-" 

"It's a giant wild boar-" Corrected Michael in the background, but Alexander ignored him since he was very excited to explain about what happened. 

"With only one punch, and you are so totally awesome that you one-hit K.O it!!" Finished the American while his voice gushed out in excitement.

Julian and Albrecht watched him in amusement while Nikolai was nearby on the lifeless monster, poking it with a stick that he found on the ground earlier.

"Do you ever wonder how the bloody hell is he alive instead of telling that?" The Brit said in annoyance, placing his hand on his hips, and his words had no bite in it. He knew that it was the cause of magic, but he was still asking it for his companion's sake. 

Hesekiel looked at the energetic teenager fondly, reminding him of someone, and then his brown eyes darted on the other one while he gave them an appreciated smile.

"Ah, if you excuse me, what does Jack of Spade usually do? How do you know that we are here?" The Frenchman decided to speak up politely. Hesekiel took a peek at him, acknowledging him. 

All of them paid attention to him in curiosity, which he didn't mind. 

"Well… I will tell you along the way to the castle. It is getting dark, after all." He reminded them.

"How are we--" Julian got interrupted by Hesekiel's loud whistle, and then a few minutes later, there's a blasting sound of wings flapping above and a large shadow enclosed them. 

Everyone stared as they saw an emerald Wyvern descending upon the ground. 

"Sooo cool!!" Alexander squealed in excitement while Michael's green eyes were directed towards the magical creature delightfully. 

"He's brilliant!!" He exclaimed in a compliment. 

"It's a she." Hesekiel corrected him, and he could see there's a longing in Michael's eyes like he wanted to touch her. Meanwhile, with Julian, he finally knew what their transportation was. He was supposed to ask him earlier until his opportunity got interrupted when an unexpected visitor arrived. With Albrecht and Nikolai, they gazed upon the majestic creature in full curiosity and wonder. 

"Climb in. Don't forget to hold on tight." He reminded them while he approached and climbed on top of the mythical creature's head in ease.

Alexander trusted Hesekiel quite easily, except with Nikolai, Julian, Albrecht, and Michael, as they hesitated, but they mounted on her back in the end with no other choice while they struggled to climb up. Michael is impressed by what he has discovered so far, especially with the Wyvern, but he would not easily gain his trust with a stranger until he feels comfortable around him. The black-haired young man waited for them patiently until they were done.

Seeing that they took his advice earlier, he felt satisfied until the bipedal creature ascended and began to fly off. Alexander decided to sit beside Hesekiel and chat enthusiastically with random topics while the young adult happily indulged him as he listened to him, and the American can't see the view anyway since there's only a bit of light left in the horizon. 

With Michael, Nikolai, Julian, and Albrecht, they were at the back of the dragon, sitting nearby each other while they began their discussion. 

"What have you thought so far with him?" Asked Julian curiously, and he was talking about Hesekiel. 

"He seems like a friendly individual to me, and I'm grateful that he saved us, but… My thoughts are a jumbled mess right now, and I'm still processing what we have experienced so far." Albrecht sighed, and he wanted the entire day to be over and get some rest. The Frenchman understood him because he felt the same, and he looked at him in sympathy. 

"Well… I'll be happy if he becomes my friend, and he seems nice to me." Nikolai chipped in, smiling innocently at them.

"Well, I do agree that he's a friendly and a nice guy, but I'm feeling skeptical about him. Even though he indeed saved us, we only feel grateful because of that, and he's the only guy we could lean on after we get out of that blasting woods." Michael huffed while crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I do agree with Michael. For now, let's just watch closely or observe. We also should learn first about this unfamiliar world. That's the best course of action that we have. Do you guys agree?" The culinary student eyed them one by one, and he saw them nodding their heads as their answer. 

"I guess I better inform the idiot about this." The Brit smirked, and he was aiming at Alexander since he was still chatting with the Jack of Spade. 

"Oui, you should." Julian pipped in, and then he glanced at Albrecht and Nikolai in interest. 

"I was wondering…Before you were summoned, what were you doing earlier?" He interrogated them. 

"Well… I was in the student council office to do my paperwork, getting up to make my coffee. While I was making my coffee, I noticed a soft glow underneath me until I looked down and saw a strange rune. That's what I clearly remembered until I was in the meadow in a matter of 5 minutes." The German explained his description as vividly as he can, and it was Belarusian next. 

"I was in the garden to look after the flowers alone in my extracurricular activity until I got summoned and met Albrecht nearby." The white-haired male answered simply, but the three of them felt content with his answer. 

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Alexander asked them curiously, approaching them while Hesekiel was beside the teen. The European college students peeked at them, and they saw them sitting closely with them. 

"We are just talking random stuff." The Frenchman was shrugging his shoulders sheepishly, doing a little white lie so that they won't get caught what they were discussing earlier. Alexander and Hesekiel took his answer easily with no further question. 

"Ah, are you sure it is safe not to look after the Wyvern?" He asked in concern. After all, he didn't want them to get lost, and he was getting tired with their eventful day. 

"You don't have to worry. Sheila knows the routes very well, and she's a responsible girl." Assured Hesekiel, and he slipped the name of the Wyvern. 

"Ah, if you won't mind, would you tell us about what your Queen wants with us and how did the Queen figure out that we arrived in this world?" Albrecht inquired. Even though his mind was exhausted, he still wanted to know, and he knew his fellow students were the same as him. 

"Before I answer that, let me fill up the first one who asked me earlier." His chocolate eyes glanced towards Julian, and the Frenchman noticed him as he nodded in acknowledgement. 

"My job is to report the situations of the castle towards the monarchs such as economies and economics, checking up the paperwork of the citizens and nobles' affairs and waiting for the King's approval, and arranging the council meetings. I also handle the counselling of the Queen and the King, entertaining the guests if there's an official social gathering, and being an ambassador of the Kingdom." He explained, and Hesekiel didn't say what his full responsibility was, but what he mentioned was what he has done so far, so he didn't technically lie. Julian felt satisfied with his answer as he nodded in understanding, and he already knew that there's more to that, but he won't mention it as he decided to keep it by himself. 

"The Queen wants all of you to attend the Welcome Public Announcement towards the citizens in exactly two weeks on Wednesday. In around 3 days, the three queens will help you out for the speech, and they will be accompanying us in that special event. I know it is sudden, but we must do it because we needed to assure the citizens that the Kings are healthy, and the entire world will be watching us." He continued. There's a heavy silence hanging around the five college students. They realized that it was really a heavy responsibility for them. 

Hesekiel looked at them in sympathy. 

"We will try our best to help you guys out. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me." He smiled brightly, trying to cheer them up, but he failed. 

Julian was on the left side of Albrecht, so the German decided to rest his head on the Frenchman's shoulder wearily, sighing deeply. The Culinary student patted his head gently in comfort. 

Meanwhile, with Nikolai, he was only silent and Alexander felt like he wanted to cry because of how massive the expectation is, which Michael knew immediately what he was feeling for knowing him in years, so he rubbed his hand in circular motion behind his childhood friend's back. 

"How about the Queen knowing us where we were earlier?" Albrecht reminded him about his question earlier, and Michael's ears listened attentively about that. 

"The Royal Highness is sensitive to magic, so the Queen knows if there's something disrupting in this world easily." The black-haired male explained simply, and Michael was disappointed with no further information, but his answer was enough for them.

"Ah, how about you guys have a restful sleep? We will be arriving in exactly 2 hours. I know you have an eventful day today." Suggested Hesekiel, looking at them in sympathy because he noticed how tired they were when he took a closer look. 

All of them nodded in agreement without protest, so the five college students laid down on the back of Sheila's, and they immediately fell asleep while they huddled themselves together because of how cold it was. 

The night had fallen, and the wind was blowing mildly with a soft beat of the wings. The stars and the moon illuminated around them to lighten up their path. 

Hesekiel felt at peace, and he decided to watch over them while they waited for their destination. 

Episode 3 Ends...

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Firmament: See you next week again. I know my update is slow. It's because I'm busy editing the other author's work and thinking of ideas in this novel. My motivation of continuing this work is all thanks to one of my friends in Facebook. Commenting is one of my motivation and also as a source of fuels within me to continue writing. I hope you enjoy reading this and have a good day.

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