Into the fields of Summer - 110. In the public eye

Chapter 109 – In the public eye.

Etalos, Nomir and I had breakfast with Dad, and Kalron before going to the realm. I must say dad is becoming good with elvish ingredients himself. The food dad prepared is almost as good as an elf’s cooking. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how cool my father is, I mean he has basically taken everything thrown at us in stride. From me being gay to dating an old vampire, to the magic and not to mention me being a prince! I couldn’t wish for a better dad, thinking about how much I love him gets me all misty eyed.

“Hey, Chris, what’s with that look?” Dad asked, slightly concerned as he noticed my emotional state.

I smiled at dad, and just replied, “just thinking about how cool and amazing you are dad, I mean it, thanks for everything, and never forget, I love you.”

The media interview was to be held in my study in the residential palace. For my first TV appearance, I wore pastel blue and white robes that clung to my skin, and had a gold and silver circlet on my head.

“Are you ready, Chris?” Etalos asked.

“If I say no, does that mean this is cancelled?”

Nomir snorted at my reply, I gave him a playful glare but it seems even Nomir has warmed up enough with me to not back down, my bodyguard met my stare and said, “Oh come on Chris, one way or another you’ll have to do this. Better get this over with don’t you think?”

I smirked at Nomir then replied, “you’re right.”

“Remember the notes from Kalsina?” Etalos asked reminding me of the things I should expect from the interview.

“Yeah, I’ve read it thrice geez.” I complained.

“Attitude mister.” Etalos said as he patted both my shoulders, “The whole realm will be watching so you better behave.” He grinned.

*groan*

“I DO NOT HAVE AN ATTITUDE”, I glared at him.

“Uh huh. We all know you’re nice and all but you do get a little bit testy sometimes.” Etalos smiled back at me. He then paused then continued, “but you’re the best boss ever, so since you are just that, the best boss ever, why don’t you make my job easier by doing this interview as planned?”

—

Walking into my study, I noticed the couches have already been rearranged for me and Nithor. Far from what I expected, there were just three other people in the room when we stepped in. Two men and one lady. All three seemed to be in a serious conversation, they didn’t even notice us walk in.

Etalos cleared his throat to catch their attention.

“Your highness!” They faltered in shock then bowed as they saw me.

“Please, none of that. Chris would be fine.” I replied as I reached out to shake their hands.

“Nithor at your service, your highness.” Said the handsome middle aged elf who first shook my hand.

“Nice to finally meet you.” I replied.

“This is my team, Seleya our camerawoman and Yanjir the production assistant,” he said, as he directed his hand towards the late twenties looking woman and younger looking man behind him.

Looking around, I noticed the camera is more compact than expected and the lights for the interview were actually made of magic. It seems, light based spells were used to illuminate the room to match whatever lighting level the camera required.

I approached the other two and shook their hands, “a pleasure to meet you as well.” I said to them.

“So how do we go about this?” I asked Nithor.

“Uhm, basically we’re pegging it as a get to know you type of interview. The realm wants to know the man behind the power and mystery.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’ll do my best to answer your questions.” I warmly smiled at Nithor.

“Oh please your highness, we all know of your strength.”

I gave out a nervous chuckle, much to Etalos and Nomir’s amusement.

“So, shall we begin?” Nithor asked.

“Of course,” I replied as I allowed Nithor to sit on the couch to the left of the camera, I followed a second later sitting on the couch positioned diagonal to him.

“Ready when you are,” I said.

Nithor drew in a deep breath and gave a signal to Seleya to start the camera.

“Dear elven brothers and sisters…” Nithor said looking straight at the camera, “It is my great honor to have with me, the newly ascended prince of the realm, his highness, Prince Christopher Rogers beyn Haldruin.”

I smiled at the camera, looked at Nithor, then said, “The pleasure is mine, Nithor.”

Nithor set his gaze on me, “First, I’d like to congratulate you on a truly magnificent ascension. I am sure my fellow citizens agree, it was unforgettable.”

“Thank you.” I tersely replied with a subtle nod in my head.

“Also, congratulations on your victory against the demon general. Based on what we have heard, it was you that delivered the final blow against the demon, Yonthar.”

I tried to calm myself and collect my thoughts on the matter, “again, thank you Nithor. It was certainly a tough battle but with the aid of the brave soldiers from Akros and the Royal Guard, and our partners from the vampire and werewolf communities, we were able to emerge victorious.”

“Speaking of vampires and werewolves, I hear you are ambassador of the realm to earth, am I correct?”

“Yes, His Majesty King ZoHal has kindly entrusted me with the responsibility to manage our relations with those of Earth.”

“Must be a tough job. So early into your life as a royal and already very deep in the thick of things,” Nithor remarked.

“You’re right,” I gave out a nervous chuckle, “I would be lying if I told you it’s an easy job. But have you tried thinking of saying no to King ZoHal?” I joked.

Nithor gave out an amused smile, “Of course not.”

“So, how do you find life here in the realm. From what we know, you’re the first from our kind to grow up in earth in two centuries.”

“It’s different, in a good way, of course, let’s be honest here, a few months ago I never knew of this world, but here I am, and here we are, every day is a process of learning and adjusting, but it’s a process that I wouldn’t exchange for anything in the world.”

I looked beyond the camera and saw Etalos smiling at me and giving me a brief nod.

“So your highness, please tell us more about yourself, who is this powerful prince that has taken the realm’s breath away?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you’re asking about who I really am, well I’m this boy who not long ago thought he only had his dad for a family, and here I am now, surrounded by a larger family, and more friends than one could imagine and if I may be so candid, I think I have also found the love of my life.” I wistfully sighed.

“So the prince is not single?”

“Oh no. Not at all. I am taken,” I gave a brief chuckle.

“Am I correct to assume that it is this handsome vampire you’re dancing with?” Nithor asked as he pulled out a picture from the dance after my ascension.

“You are correct, that’s Victor, and he means the world to me.”

“I guess you just broke the hearts of millions of men and ladies across the realm,” Nithor kidded.

“Well, I hope not,” I giggled a bit, “I mean it though, I may be romantically taken but believe me when I tell you, I aim to be every citizen’s friend and protector. Please, and I’m speaking directly to anyone that’s watching, if you see me, please feel free to approach me, I would be more than happy to talk and get to know you.”

“There you heard it, right from the prince’s mouth, you can go talk to him!”

“Yes, you’re right about that.” I retorted.

“Your highness, with all this power and influence you’ve accumulated in such a short period of time, is there anything else a person of your caliber yearns for?”

I took my time to answer that question, and with a slight misting in my eyes, I replied, “I just wish my mom was here. Nothing else would make me happier, than to see her be proud of me.”

Nithor let the emotion of my reply sink in, and then he added, “Your mother was loved by the people, she is certainly missed by us, who have witnessed her love for her people.”

“Yeah, she was a kind and generous lady. I could only hope to be as good of a servant of the realm as her.”

“That is something that your people will certainly look forward to.”

“That was certainly a great interview Chris, I’m sure people will love it.” Etalos said as the media team left my study.

“Phew, I sure hope so.”

“Don’t worry about it Chris, believe us, we’re citizens of the realm too remember? It was heartfelt and genuine.” Nomir said from behind Etalos.

“This PR blitz is certainly an adventure.” I thought out loud.

Etalos grinned at me, then said, “You still have the public appearance. Has the King given you the go signal to visit Katar?”

“I gather your interview went well.” Patri said as he hugged me.

“I sure hope so. Etalos and Nomir seem to think it did.”

“Well, I’m sure your chief of staff, wouldn’t allow it to have gone otherwise.”

“Yeah, he’s very protective of me.”

“As he should. I am glad you have surrounded yourself with loyal people. I can see it, they’re not just servants, they’re friends to you. Your uncles have said as much regarding how you interact with them.”

“Yes, Patri, they’re really good friends of mine.”

“As it should be. Now, I assume you are here for something else, aside from reporting on how your interview went?” Patri asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh Patri, couldn’t I just visit my grandfather?”

“Of course you can,” he smirked at me, “but I sense there is something else.”

“Yeah, you are right,” I paused. I looked away, then peeked at Patri, the just above a whisper asked, “Katar?”

“What of Katar?” Patri asked amused.

“First public appearance, remember?”

Patri gave out a light grunt, “I remember, and yes, I agree, Katar is acceptable. However, you have to be careful around Havar. I do not trust him.”

“I do not trust him either, I will be careful Patri.”

“Chris,” my grandfather said in almost a warning tone, “Katar, is Havar’s turf, stay vigilant. I’d rather you be overly cautious than otherwise.”

—-

Thinking of my impending visit to Katar, I stared at Etalos, then asked, “So, when will this visit to Katar be?”

“I have already reached out to Prince Havar’s office, and to say his team is ecstatic to have you is an understatement. Given how much he wants your attention and company, I believe they will do their best to make this happen as fast as possible.”

“Don’t they need to make arrangements for the entire public event and stuff?”

“Yes, but do not underestimate a desperate royal. I am sure it will be fairly soon and we have to prepare for it. Kalron and I will prepare notes for you regarding the city and its people. Talking points and stuff.”

“Hmm… You and Kalron huh?” I shot my cute friend a teasing smile.

Etalos immediately blushed, “Uh yes, why… anything wrong with that? It’s just work,” He stammered.

Victor and Henry joined us at the house for dinner.

“So, Konrad’s operation in Phoenix is tonight right?” I asked.

“Yes, it should start in a few hours.” Victor replied.

“The red pyramid huh?” Dad thought out loud.

“Yes, quite a nasty group back in the 80’s,” Henry replied.

“I helped with the planning, Chris, there’s nothing to worry about. They are as prepared as they can be,” Kalron said.

“I wish I was there to help out.”

“Oh Chris, if you were there then what would the rest of the team do? Watch you trample on the enemy?” Henry huffed and laughed, he was joined by everyone else at the table.

Victor gripped my shoulder, smiled, then said, “let them do their jobs, trust them, this is Konrad we’re talking about. Head of Stratos remember?”

To my delight, Victor decided to sleep in my place.

“So, how was your day?” Victor asked me as he spooned me from behind.

“Hectic, but I’m fine.”

“Uh huh..” Victor replied as he kissed the nape of my neck and breathed in my scent. Oh boy Victor was horny. I could sense it and so was I! I reached out for Victor’s hardon pressing against my butt, I reached it with pinpoint accuracy and slowly groped his 7 and a half inch cock. “That’s it.” Victor added is a husky voice.

I pulled down my pajamas and pulled down Victor’s as well without looking at him. I spat on my hand and lubed his throbbing cock. As soon as it was slick, I spat some more and smeared it across my puckered hole and without much ceremony, I impaled myself on Victor’s cock in one swift action. Victor let out a moan as he bottomed out in me and I could only sigh in equal pleasure.

“Fuck… baby” Victor whispered.

I moved my hips as Victor gripped them, he took over and slowly built up a fast tempo as he fucked me.

“Bite me.” I whispered, and being the obedient boyfriend that Victor is, he did. I moaned and moaned in ecstasy as Victor’s bite sent shivers and tingles throughout my body. The tingles didn’t stop as his cock massaged my prostate, I could only writhe in pure pleasure with Victor’s simultaneous bite and fucking. Victor slurped on my neck as he continued to pummel me from behind.

“Harder…” I commanded. He obliged.

—

It was barely sunrise when Victor and I went to my study to join Kalron and Etalos for a briefing on Konrad’s mission.

“So how did it go?” I asked.

“It was a success. Konrad’s team was able to get hold of the captured demons, and Red Pyramid’s operations in Phoenix has been extinguished.”

Victor gave me a look, and said, “Told you Konrad could handle it.”

I ignored Victor’s remark, then further asked, “So any injuries or losses on our side? Where are the demons now?”

“Several were injured, no deaths, the demons are already being held in our joint facility in New York. Konrad confirmed that the demons are indeed in a weakened state. His team were also able to capture several vampires and even werewolves and humans from the syndicate. They are already gathering intel from them as we speak.”

“That’s good.” I then shot Victor a smile, “I guess you’re right, I’m indeed a worrier.”

“Yes, you are.”

“So, what’s next?” I asked.

“We deal with the other two syndicates, but I’m assuming Reza and Konrad will want to finish the intel gathering before moving on, I’m sure Konrad will report the events of the night to the VHC within the day.”

“Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.” Etalos mused.

“You’re right,” I retorted, then thought of something, “What do we do with the demons?”

—

After breakfast, I spent most part of the morning honing my earth magic skills. I read several earth magic scrolls and books, then asked Nomir to train with me. My gold level bodyguard was surprised that I asked him to spar with me, I guess he was nervous to fight with me, but after giving him a cute pout, he relented.

“Chris, are you sure you just learned Earth Magic?” That was incredible, Nomir commented after our half hour long bout.

“Yeah, but I had some help learning, so I should be thankful for that.”

“But this level of progress is just amazing, you are certainly special.”

“Oh please Nomir, stop it.”

“I think you’re the one that should be teaching me stuff,” Nomir suggested.

“Like what?”

“I dunno, some spells that would be useful in battle. A spell or two that would help me protect you would be nice.”

—

Etalos wore a serious expression as he walked into my study.

“What is it Etalos? You look stressed.”

“Well, you can say that again and I think you will be too the moment you hear what I’m about to tell you.”

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” I asked, concerned about what news my assistant will fling upon me.

“It’s about Katar.” Etalos tersely replied.

“What about it?

“Remember how I told you Prince Havar will most likely rush things the moment you show interest in a public appearance in his city?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think we underestimated how invested he is with meeting you.”

“What do you mean? Just say it Etalos…”

“It’s tomorrow. You have to be in Katar tomorrow.”

“What?! That soon?!” I gasped in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Is there any other way for us to delay this? I mean, it was my idea but this is too soon!”

“The Prince has basically outmaneuvered us. He has already announced your visit. Changing the schedule will be a blow to your image.”

“Fuuuck” I groaned as I slapped both my heads on my face, “damn it.”

“We will make this work Chris. It might be sooner than expected but at least we can get this out of the way.” Etalos said, trying to soothe my exasperated demeanor.

“Fine. You take care of the logistics.”

“Of course, Chris. I will spend the rest of the day in the realm coordinating with Prince Havar’s team.”

That night, I decided to rest and not visit the Tower. I needed to be in my A-game for my first public appearance after all. It’s also good that I didn’t wake up feeling that I’ve forgotten a very important dream.

“Ready for your big day?” Etalos asked over breakfast. He looked tired but still cute.

“Yeah, but you look like you could use some sleep.” I said.

“I can sleep on the train on the way to Katar,” Etalos yawned.

“It’s 400 kilometers from the capital, right?”

“Yeah, should take us less than two hours to get there from the capital via the high speed train.”

“What time are we leaving for the realm?” Just before sunset, by then it would be early morning there and we would be in Katar just before noon.

—

Etalos, Nomir, and I along with the carriage attendant and 4 other royal guards were the only ones present in the first carriage. I calmed myself down with some tea as I looked at the wide expanse of the flat lands of the Western Province. The vegetation seemed sparser, and the climate appeared to be drier, however what I saw was of equal beauty to the scenes I’ve witnessed in the Northern Province. Grass and trees had earthier colors, yellow, brown, light green, and gray.

Etalos slept for most of the trip, while Nomir did his best to make friends with the guards Patri sent to join us.

The train whizzed through the landscape and I couldn’t take my eyes away from the beautiful scenery in front of me. Looking into the distance, I saw something that’s almost too majestic to believe. My jaws dropped and I was speechless. When the brief said, ‘Walls of Wood’ I did not expect the city to be surrounded by a two hundred foot wall of trees! I mean I read that part but I honestly thought it was a figure of speech! As the train drew closer to the walls, my eyes could make out the details of the gargantuan wall. What appeared from afar as a solid block of wood for a wall is actually made out of thousands if not tens of thousands of large trees, branches, wrapped and woven with each other in such an intricate manner that the its texture appeared to be that of one perfectly woven basket. The wall stood tall, and the canopy of the trees don’t even begin maybe until above 150 feet. If the wall of trees was breathtaking, the canopy was even more so, rainbow colored leaves decorated the wall, as if a kaleidoscope of colors burst on top of it. A rainbow foliage served as the crown of the alluring Walls of Katar.

The train continued to approach the wall, and I can see that there is a hole in the middle of the wall to make way for the train and expressway viaduct into the city.

Etalos groaned behind me as he started to wake up.

“Etalos, this is amazing! Pictures don’t do it justice.” I rasped.

Etalos looked out the window, he was as speechless as I was a few seconds ago, “wow” he muttered, the moment he recovered, “I’ve only seen it on tv, it’s way better in real life, wow, just wow.”

A sudden darkness engulfed the carriage for a brief moment as we entered the tunnel as light returned the view opened into a birds-eye view of the city. The city is lush and filled with vegetation. Most buildings and houses, not more than two stories tall. Structures mainly built out of yellow or brown stone, with facades decorated by colorful vines or moss.

“This is so different from the capital.” I remarked.

“Yeah, so different from any other city in the realm,” Etalos retorted.

It ended too soon for my liking, and before I knew it, the train came into a stop in the large wooden train station of Katar. Its architecture gothic yet everything was made out of wood. On the platform, what awaited us was a throng of civil guards in brown and gray uniforms. They were all lined to trace my path out of the carriage, and at the end of the line was an old man in red and gold robe, Prince Havar. Even with the distance, I can see the shit eating grin he had.

Two of the Royal guards exited first, followed by Nomir, then me, Etalos followed suit, then the remaining two guards. Horns and string instruments were played as we made our way towards the awaiting Prince.

It did not take long for me to fall into the embrace of my Patri’s cousin, “I am so glad, you are here young one.” He whispered to me, “come come, your people await.” He smiled as we exited the platform area.

The moment the doors of the train station were opened onto the streets of Katar, what welcomed me was the thunderous roar of thousands, no, tens of thousands of people. All waving gold and black flags, that apparently have become my symbol in the realm. I smiled and waved and the cheers went on and on as Prince Havar and I made our way to the car waiting for us.

“Phew” I sighed as I sat in the car, still waiving at the energetic people that have gathered to welcome me.

“Amazing, isn’t it.” Prince Havar noted as he sat beside me.

“Yeah, wow. Can’t believe they gathered just for me.”

“Hmm, as they should. You are the most powerful elf in more than a millennia, you deserve all of this Prince Christopher.” Prince Havar said as he lightly squeezed my left shoulder, he paused, then continued, “more will come for your public address later.”

As the car made its way through the crowd filled streets of Katar, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed, the spectacle of it all reminded me of my Ascension.

It did not take long for us to reach the Palace of Katar, it had an expansive courtyard, and garden, and its structure was akin to a cake, circular and layered. Its façade was of smooth gray stone, with the occasional pop of color from the carefully curated moss and vines that wrapped around it.

“I see, you’re really into nature,” I grinned at Prince Havar.

“As all elves should be,” he tersely replied.

Lunch was spent with Prince Havar’s family, Princess Yasa, his wife, and Prince Dozko, his son. I have met them before at the banquet after my ascension, it’s nice to be re-acquainted with them. Princess Yasa was cheerful while Prince Dozko more reserved.

After lunch, Prince Havar and I went to his study for a quick chat.

“I really am glad you decided to have your first appearance in Katar,” he beamed at me, his eyes twinkled with pride.

“Well, your team did reach out to my office, and I thought why not,” I replied.

“You don’t know how much this means to my people, your people, the Katari will never forget this gesture from the Platinum Prince.” Prince Havar took a moment to smile, then carried on, “Though I assume there is more to this?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Platinum Prince does not merely grant you audience,” he teased.

“I don’t think our previous meetings were any more difficult to arrange,” I retorted.

Prince Havar let out a small chuckle, “Of course, you have been most accommodating, but I feel there is more to this. A question that I may answer perhaps?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow. How the hell does this guy know things, can he read minds? I don’t think so, I’m very well shielded.

“Don’t worry, I don’t read minds,” he smirked at my surprised expression, “I however, read situations, and body language, and you my boy are itching to ask a question.”

“The Tower…”

“Ah… The Tower, So I assume you have been informed of our shared experience with it?”

“Yes…”

“What do you want to know?”

“Did you discover the Astra Spell there?”

“Yes, what of it? Have you finally decided to use it as intended?”

“No!” I quickly replied in surprise, “Sorry, but no, I can’t do that.”

He smirked at me, “Only time will tell, but what I can say to you is, we are running out of precious time, the earth is dying. It won’t be long before those filthy humans destroy it beyond recognition, if not them then the demons will.”

“Not if I stop them.”

“The demons, I’m sure you can, you have the strength to do it, hell, you are more powerful than Ethnar. But 7 billion humans? How will you convince them to change their ways?” He cocked his head at that remark, “The Astra Spell is the most humane way to end it all.”

“I can never…”

“Maybe you’ll see how I see things the moment things worsen on Earth.”

“I can’t believe the Tower would hold knowledge to such a powerful and destructive spell.”

“Oh child, you have already bore witness to the miracles of the Tower more times than any other elf out there, you have been blessed, and I assure you, there is more to learn and discover in the Tower. Tens of thousands of books and scrolls for our race to use. Think of the possibilities! And think about it, only elves have been granted audience to it, we are the chosen race! The chosen people! We are the stewards of the world we left behind, it is such a shame that we as guardians have relinquished that mantle to those humans,” Prince Havar said, with so much vitriol in his voice.

“Let’s not talk about this any further, please. I hate talking about earth and humans in such a way.”

—

Midafternoon, Prince Havar and I made our way to the central plaza of the city. It’s a large square approximately the size of four football fields, and tens of thousands of people gathered to see us. Prince Havar’s family joined us in the elevated platform as well.

“Dear Citizens of Katar, I share with you the excitement and joy of hosting the realm’s newly ascended prince. It is my pleasure to introduce, his highness, Prince Christopher Haldruin,” Prince Havar roared as the people screamed cheers and well wishes.

I waved towards the crowd, and couldn’t help but be overwhelmed, gosh, the sights, smells, and sounds of the crowd served as a sensory overload, I did my best to get a hold of myself.

As the cheers died down, I cleared my throat for my speech.

“My fellow citizens of the realm, I am humbled by your warm welcome. It is truly a pleasure to share this moment with you. I honestly believe I do not deserve your praise, but I promise, that I will do my very best to earn all the love and support you have shown me this day,” I paused to the loud cheer of the crowd.

“This may be my first visit to the wonderful city of Katar, but it surely won’t be the last,” another thunderous cheer.

“To the people of Katar, and to every citizen of the realm, I tell you this, we are all stronger together, the things that bind us, are stronger than the things that separate us. We as a people have entered a new era, we have started to open ourselves back to Earth, and I as ambassador to our true homeland, will do my very best to foster a great relationship with its people,” another thunderous applause.

“In this new era, begins a new chapter for all of us as a people, and new challenges as well, I know you’ve all heard of the demon threat across the veil,” the crowd booed against the demons and I couldn’t help but chuckle, “but I assure you, the crown, is working very hard and doing its very best to protect this beloved realm of ours.”

“With the strength bestowed upon us by the powers above, we will prevail!” I said, as I raised my right fist into the air.

“Let me be clear, the threat is real, and strong, that I will not deny, and with this in mind, I implore for your unwavering support for the crown and our troops, we have already lost some of our very best in the first encounter with the demon scourge, let us not let allow their sacrifices be for naught, this realm needs you, not just your cheers, or applause, but your belief and trust, belief that we will overcome this, and trust that we will be more united, after our eventual triumph.”

—

“Amazing as always grandson,” I hear Patri’s voice from my phone while we were on our way back to the capital.

“I hope I didn’t overdo it,” I nervously chuckled.

“No, not at all, just what your people need,”

“I’m glad you approve Patri.”

“Now your people know who you are, and this is just the beginning.”

“I know Patri, I know.”

“I hope Havar did not give you a hard time,” Patri laughed.

“He did try, but I think I handled it well.”

“Glad to hear that. Now get back here, we want to hear all about it!”

—

It was already mid-morning the following day when we returned to Greensburg, as I spent several hours having dinner with Patri, Matra, and my uncles.

“Hey there champ. How was your big event yesterday?” Dad asked as he joined me in the living room.

“Was good, I guess.”

“Oh, why that look, tell me more.”

For the next hour or so, I narrated to dad the events of the previous day. I described to him the beauty of Katar and some of what I’ve learned from Prince Havar. I told him of my speech and even recounted the events after the public rally, where I was inundated by reporters from all over the realm. I was in the middle of discussing a funny interaction with a reporter, when I suddenly felt ill.

“Chris, are you okay?” Dad asked, the concern showing on his face.

I couldn’t even reply, I felt a stabbing pain on my chest and my head felt like it was about to burst. I couldn’t describe what was happening to me. Dad called for Etalos and the rest to help me but the pain continued, the worried voices from friends faded into the background. Then I realized what it was, I was being consumed by wave upon wave of anguish, pain, resentment, and misery. It was as if the souls of thousands of people were calling out to me, seeking for release, seeking for liberation from their torment. My tattoos tingled and shined brilliantly for a moment as I gradually recovered.

“What the hell was that?” I thought out loud as I relaxed into the warm embrace of my father.

Still reeling from the reverberation of my earlier episode, I barely had any appetite during lunch.

“Chris, please eat,” dad encouraged me from across the table.

“I don’t feel like eating,” I replied in a sulky mood.

“Please try.”

After lunch, Kalron whisked me, Etalos, and Nomir into my study, alarm and fear showing all over him.

“What’s the matter Kalron? Did you find something out, does this have anything to do with what happened to me earlier?”

“I’m not sure Chris, but this is not good.”

“What?”

“Our scanners, well they found something. It appears like there is this distortion in the magical field.”

“What do you mean?” Nomir curiously asked.

“Look at this,” Kalron said as he pulled out his tablet and showed a map of the United States, “See this, this is how the magical fields are usually like, see mostly green and blue?”

“Yes,” we replied, understanding what Kalron has pointed out.

“Then look at this, our scan from half an hour ago showed this,” Kalron replied as he flipped across the screen and showed a still mostly green and blue map but a small red dot has appeared in the western edges of Arkansas.

“Where is that? And what the hell does this mean?” I asked.

“The scan results are still preliminary but it seems the distortion field is demon in nature,” Kalron grimly replied. He took a deep breath then continued, “Satellite images show nothing out of the ordinary, but look at this.” Kalron said.

“What are we looking at?” Etalos asked for Nomir and myself.

“It’s one of the cctv cameras my team was able to hack in the area. This is one of the closest cameras available near the city. We tried hacking into the surveillance systems of the city and even commercial and private cameras but none were working.” The camera was directed towards the street, and we saw cars whiz by, however at the far right edge of the screen, we see cars disappearing in plain sight.

“What the hell!” Nomir gasped.

“It appears this camera sits at the border of the distortion, whatever goes in is consumed by it. We got this feed from a roadside grocery store,” Kalron replied.

“But it still looks so normal, the buildings on the other side are still there, even the trash bin, and benches, if it weren’t for the passing car, you wouldn’t realize that something was lying beyond,” Nomir remarked.

“There’s more,” Kalron continued as he showed us more of the video stream and for the next 5 minutes we watched in horror and fascination as more than a dozen cars disappear into something. It was as if there was this curtain of illusion, hiding whatever was behind it.

“Kalron, alert the VHC and WCC,” I commanded. I was almost panting in worry and confusion at that point.

“We already have, and they are already coordinating with their agents in the area.”

“Chris, did you notice?” Etalos asked.

“What?”

“Cars were disappearing into that thing but none came out, even people disappeared into it but nothing, no one got out,” Etalos further explained, his face mirroring whatever grim and anxious expression I had at that moment.

“Fuck, what now?” I thought out loud as I swept my hair with both my hands in exasperation, “We have to do something about this.”