LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 4: Hero?
In a dark and dimly lit interior of a lavishly furnished bedroom, a modern Victorian design, enveloped in dark, rich tones such as deep forest green and burnished walnut, with walls that spoke of intricate wooden panelling, reminiscent of old world craftsmanship.
On one side, old bookshelves stretched to the ceiling, crammed with worn volumes of forgotten lore, whose spines told tales of years gone by.
The shelves framed an arched alcove, casting a shadowy nook perfect for contemplation or drowning oneself in captivating literary works.
In the centre, nestled against one of the book-lined walls, was a bed draped in thick, sumptuous linens. The bedding was a moody mix of dark, velvety greens and deep greys.
A woollen throw, casually draped across the foot of the bed with a book quietly nested atop its fabrics, as though someone had just stepped away from a cosy night of reading.
Then there, on the balcony of such a luxurious bedroom, stood a silver-haired half-elf dressed in smooth, deep navy silk pyjamas that draped over his lean-muscular form.
The high-quality sheen of the fabrics seemed to shimmer subtly in the twilight of morning, partially covered in a robe comprising the same material, hung loosely on his shoulders, untied.
Leaning over the balcony railing, he marvelled at the beautiful sight of the city at dawn as the first light of Sól crested the horizon and bathed the city in a soft golden hue, illuminating the intricate spires and winding marble streets below.
Sól was a yellow dwarf star with a diameter of 1.3927 million km, which was smaller compared to its distant cousins observed all throughout the vast cosmos but beautiful nevertheless to him.
As dawn broke over the city, the first light spilt across the horizon, bathing the sprawling metropolis in a golden, ethereal glow.
The city sat perched along the edge of a shimmering azure bay, its waters glittering as the sun stretched its rays over the ocean, reflecting the promise of a new day.
White sails dotted the harbour, as ships lazily swayed in the gentle morning breeze, their crews beginning to stir from their slumber.
The city itself was a marvel of architecture, a cascade of pale stone structures that rose like grand sentinels from the sea to the hills beyond.
It sprawled on the land like a scroll rolled across a table, it just fit, a vibrant labyrinth of pale-red rooftops and winding streets that shimmered under the embrace of the rising sun.
Its crown jewel was a towering spire, a structure so immense and intricate that it seemed to pierce the heavens, its tip reaching toward the lavender-hued sky.
The Spire stood as both a beacon of faith and a monument to the boundless creativity of its creator, with its runic carving and glyphs revealing its arcane nature.
Rivers snaked through the heart of the city, their gentle currents dividing neighbourhoods yet also stitching them together as though veins in a living organism. Bridges, each a marvel of design, arched gracefully across the waterways, bustling with merchants, musicians, and weary travellers.
The grand plaza, dominated by a towering obelisk, was a gathering place for the masses—a stage for declarations, celebrations, and protests alike. Its circular design reflecting what was the unity the the city sought to embody, though its stones now carried the whispers of countless forgotten footsteps.
Beyond the bustling core, the city had stretched toward the horizon, its edges softening into rolling hills and distant mountains cloaked in mist.
At dawn, the peaks often glew in shades of rose and gold, a distant promise of serenity that contrasted with the lively chaos of the streets.
The architecture was a mix of styles—old stone towers bearing the weight of history standing alongside newer, elegant structures speaking to a more modern approach, both mingling in an uneasy but beautiful harmony.
The scent of salt from the nearby sea mingled with the fresh fragrance of blossoms from the gardens, carried on the light breeze.
As the sun climbed higher, its rays revealed the distant hills and rolling plains that surrounded the city, their soft, golden-brown hues blending seamlessly into the horizon.
The people of the city were just beginning to wake, small figures moving along the walls and streets, ready to begin their day under the watchful eye of the towering fortresses that encircled the metropolis like protective arms.
Far below, the waves gently lapped at the base of the city's sea-facing walls, and seagulls called out as they soared in the morning air.
The entire city seemed to glow as if touched by the gods themselves, a place where history and beauty had converged to create a civilization of elegance and grace. Breathtaking in its beauty.
A warm smile seemed to spread across the young man's features at the sight of it, welcoming yet another day of possibilities.
But lingering on the beautiful sight no longer, he took a deep breath as he allowed the clean air to blow past him and his smile deepened; stepping away, the young man left the room and quickly took a bath, brushed his teeth, and dawned his usual attire of black with silver accents.
He emanated an ethereal, almost otherworldly presence. His long, silver hair cascaded in elegant waves down his back, a river of light that shimmered like moonlit silk.
A few strands hung loosely across his sharp, angular face, framing high, sculpted cheekbones, and their eyes were piercing, reminiscent of glacial ice caps in colour with a calm appeal to them.
And not afraid to accessorize, an intricate earring dangled from one ear—a dark, obsidian spike adorned with delicate carvings that hinted at arcane origins or a noble heritage steeped in magic and tradition.
Their lips were a soft, pale hue with a delicate pink that only enhanced his alluring beauty, coupled with a mischievous subtle curve to them that suggested a mind always turning over some intricate plan, a smirk that never quite reached full expression.
Draped across their shoulders was a long, charcoal-black coat that stretched to their knees.
The coat was made from a luxurious fabric, that swayed slightly with every movement, giving the impression of shadowy wings.
With a small collar and intricate silver thread embroidery along the edges that glinted softly, depicting cryptic symbols or perhaps familial insignias.
Beneath the coat, their form-fitting attire was visible, consisting of sleek, dark garments that clung to his lean, tall frame, emphasizing the lithe grace and poised elegance of someone accustomed to both combat and nobility.
Their long sleeves were adorned with intricate braids and threading, drawing attention to the delicate yet dangerous hands beneath them—hands capable of wielding magic, swords, or anything that might be required of them with deadly precision.
Not bothering to make his way through the castle halls, the young man simply stood over his balcony railings and prepared to jump.
Right then, one of the new maids tasked with cleaning his bedroom knocked and stepped through the door, and upon seeing him, her mind instantly started to race.
Thinking the young noble had finally decided he'd endured about enough of life's tortures and committed himself to ending them and living up to that divine face of his, becoming an angel.
A gasp escaped her as she frantically thought of something to say to stop the young noble from making what she saw as being a mistake on his life, but before a word could escape her lips, without even hesitating or thinking twice he leapt from said height.
The maid slowly sunk to her knees in disbelief and leaned limply against the side of the door, not sure what she had just witnessed as her mind ceased all thought.
An intense few seconds of silence settled in the empty chambers before suddenly his familiar figure lifted up into the sky carried by the winds.
One of the other more experienced maids noticed her distraught form at the entrance of the young noble's chambers and quickly rushed over.
By this point, however, it seemed her fears of losing her job on her first day had finally caught up to the metaphysical shackles of her mind.
"Elizabeth, are you ok?! What happened?!"
The older maid grabbed her shoulder and gently lifted her face up. Listening for a heartbeat, her brows relaxed as hurried but steady rhythmic beats filled her ears.
She let out a sigh then flinched as an elegant husky voice emerged from behind her asking:
"What's happening over here? I came to check in on my brother, but instead, I find two distraught maidens at the foot of his door; whatever might this mean?"
Her tone was playful and a tad sarcastic, masking a devilish curiosity. The maid looked back knowing exactly to whom the voice belonged and shakily uttered:
"Uhh, I'm sorry Young Miss. I was on my way to retrieving your morning breakfast but..."
The figure looked into the room focusing on the outside of the balcony window as the older maid spoke, noticing there in the distance a black blur with silver hair that blew in the wind.
Her thin and delicate full lips curved upward subtly, and dismissively, she waved at the nervous maid.
Awkwardly she scratched the back of her head gently, disturbing her own voluminous, tousled, wavy blonde hair that somewhat covered her eyes, and spoke:
"It's fine... I always tell you not to worry too much about these things Josephine.
Although I appreciate it, you don't have to bring me breakfast every morning.
Also, we've known each other far too long for you to keep referring to me as Young Miss, don't you think?
Why not just, Isolde?"
"Ah yes... Miss Isolde. My apologies again for our loitering, I will quickly go get this one checked out. If you would excuse me please..."
She responded as she lifted the other maid into her arms. Isolde chuckled a little and asked:
"Do you need help?"
"No, no, no, I couldn't ask malady to take on a trivial task such as this. I am fully capable of escorting her to the medical ward myself. There's no need to worry yourself Young- I mean Miss Isolde."
She said, bowing, waiting for her dismissal. Isolde noticed this and let out a barely audible sigh of resignation and spoke gently like the Luling Koos of an owl on a moonlit night.
"Well, then, be on your way. I'd hate to disturb you while you're doing your duties after all."
The maid relieved, lifted her head and gently nodded at Isolde before quickly and urgently rushing down the stairs to the south wing of the castle.
Isolde watched in silence and lingered outside her brother's chambers a few seconds more before closing the door to the room and departing to her own.
The young elf, not knowing the commotion he'd caused in the castle, continued on his way, unburdened.
During his flight over the marvellous city, he noticed ominous clouds gathering in the distance with crawling lightning that thundered their tempestuous wraths.
"Hmm, A thunderstorm is nearing; it's likely going to rain tonight. It's odd looking but... Sumi's probably going to love it. I don't know many people that I can say like rain quite as much as her."
A few minutes passed as he remained airborne; occasionally, along his flight, he propelled himself up using short bursts of fire that allowed for rapid changes in direction midair for greater control and immediate rapid changes in position and speed for explosive mobility.
The cloak itself was fitted with an enchantment that made it more durable than metal armour and allowed the wearer the ability to fly magically by siphoning Ether into it.
Looking down at the city, he saw the citizens getting ready for their day-to-day lives as small businesses started to set up shop in their permitted spaces, and many industry workers crowded the roads in their automobiles and other such methods of transportation.
At the sight of it, he couldn't help but smile subtly as sonder emotions welled the confines of his mind, ruined only by a cold morning breeze that felt inappropriate against his warm face, like a sneeze that died out in one's lungs.
"Hmm, I can't with mornings.
I wish I could've stayed in bed more. Because by this point I swear I am dangerously close to declaring war on Mother Nature itself if I have to endure a second more of this breeze.
Last night, it was raining cats and dogs with how bad that lightning storm was, and now I have to deal with this dreadful morning cold?
That storm did make for some cosy weather, though, nearly made me spend all night reading, a good way to help lose track of time, rainy weather."
A deep and tired sigh escaped the elven gentleman's lips as his gaze then shifted to a towering Spire in the middle of the city that outstretched to the sky, taller than any building seemingly stretching onto infinity.
On its surface were weird symbols, runes, glyphs and sigils that were seemingly carved into the Spire's very structure and were likely crucial to the processes that occurred inside such work of brilliance.
His expression seemed to dim a bit at the sight of the towering structure, but before he could ponder on it more, there was a sudden boom that came from the direction of the banking district section of the city as an automobile of intricate design emerged from the smoke and barrelled onto the streets.
The vehicle seemed to, in many ways, break the laws of physics.
It was made of a golden alloy and in place of wheels, had orbs of a warm, reddish-brown light like burnt sienna in colour.
"A robbery...?
So early in the morning, what kind of idiots would...?
You know what let's not bother thinking about it and just take care of the problem."
Having lost the will to question the criminals' life choices, the elven male started trailing the vehicle from his high vantage point, flying above in chase of the wonderous magical creation as it tried desperately to avoid capture, springing past scores of people and nearly hitting dozens of pedestrians on its escape route, if one could even call it that.
Seemingly appalled by the reckless behaviour exhibited by the driver of such a fine automobile, the Elven male could not help but feel a tinge of frustration fill his mind and, deciding he'd had enough, hurriedly flew down, landing a distance away in front of the automobile.
He looked coldly at the magical vehicle, sighed and slightly shifted his right foot; then, like a disease, a trail of ice and frost suddenly sprung forth from underneath his leg and raced to meet the vehicle.
Upon contact, it froze its two front orbs of light, or I suppose it's more accurate to say the icy sorcery encased the orbs of light, causing them to flicker off and on, seemingly losing energy rapidly, and for a moment, it looked as if the car would either stop entirely or flip over in the air before collapsing.
However, to his surprise, a luminescent glow of blue arcane energy surged through the car; then, without a word or warning, the ice quickly shattered, and the vehicles' speed increased two-fold and barrelled toward the young elf at near imperceptible velocities, attempting to run him over.
In a heartbeat, he leapt mere inches from the automobile, twisting in midair, as his flames propelled him upward just as the vehicle tore past.
With his flames, he rocketed himself forward with explosive speed, quickly catching up to the vehicle as the chase continued throughout the city.
After what felt like hours, although only close to 30 minutes of relentless chasing, the drivers of the automobile finally decided they were fed up with this little game of cat and mouse. Robber One spoke:
"For Spire's sake, he just won't let up. I was hoping things wouldn't come to this, but at this point, we're not left with much of a choice."
Sighing he then loudly declared:
"Dragon Of Apricity! Let's test your metal then, why don't we!? Are you a hero or a fraud!?"
Without looking back, they tossed what appeared to be a small amulet, which gleamed with a pale orange light that nearly blinded him from its sheer intensity.
Taking form, the light materialized into a giant gaping maw filled with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth that took up most of his vision, snapping furiously in the young elf's direction, threatening to devour him whole.
Using his flames, he successfully propelled himself to the side in one burst of motion as the creature fell to the wayside.
The creature was large, about as tall as a house; it squirmed on the ground, then screamed a deafening roar that bellowed with misplaced anger and resentment, striking fear into the hearts of man, woman and child as its manic eyes burned with seething fury.
Its thick, tough purple-hued carapace plates, each ridged and textured, offered a natural armour that gleamed with a dull sheen and shimmered under the light of Sól.
The creature had foxing horns protruding along its sides, especially concentrated near its head and tail.
Its back was a mess of bone-like spines that spammed from head to tail and Its eyes were abominable.
All in all, the creature appeared to be quite a menace to look at, but for all its horror, the young elf knew it was nothing but a distraction to keep him occupied as the thieves made their getaway; his heart wavered.
The worm loomed behind him, its roar sending ripples of terror through the streets, while the vehicle tore through the city like a bullet.
The question now was: Could he abandon his pursuit of the criminals for the sake of these middle-class citizens and small business owners, or did their lives hold less value than the burdens of duty?
Knowing about the creature as he had read about it once in a book during his younger years he understood the risk it posed to the city and its citizens.
He sighed, deeply analysing the situation and took a closer look at the worm, noting its much smaller size relative to the ones depicted in the books leading him to deduce that the worm was likely a juvenile and thus less of a threat than the crazed criminals, who may have had even more of the foul creatures on hand.
Dejectedly, the young elf gritted his teeth and forced his gaze away from the creature and the panicked citizens, of whom some were running away while others stood still, frozen in fear hoping for a miracle to save them.
The streets were a mess of motion as panic quickly overtook the masses. Despite this, however, the young elf readied to give chase to the criminals as he grimaced, disgusted by the severity of his decision.
Launching himself into the air, he couldn't help but look back one last time, trying to weigh the grim nature of his choice, a decision that to many of the city officials would be for the greater good of Atharys as a whole, though at the expense of possible thousands of innocent lives.
Lives that trusted Astrals to serve and protect them as they would any civilian regardless of class or power but rather simply because they were a citizen of great Leydrithia.
Reflecting on that thought for a moment, his face contorted into an ugly grimace that seemed all too alien to the otherwise model-esque features of his face.
But he could not help it, he knew the dirty truth of it all, the inner workings of his organisation.
The lies, the cover-ups, the propaganda, all of it. As such, he knew claims of Astrals being selfless heroes were unfounded or, at least in his mind, they were nothing but fantasy, for one does not fight monsters and remain wholly human.
So he knew that even if he left, he would be fine. His reputation might receive a slight decline, but he'd live, praised for catching the robbers as the bodies of innocents loitered the streets, forgotten.
The thought haunted him, causing his brows to knit, then the jets from his hands ceased, and he landed on his feet as they slid on the ground a few meters, displacing dust around him on the polished stone road before finally stopping, hunched over.
He turned his back and set his sights on the worn as the vehicle made its getaway behind him.
However, in the wake of their hopes of escape, a wall suddenly erected along their path with a speed and fervour that left them little wiggle room. Their hopes dimmed.
Survived only by the fact that this was no normal vehicle, it was a wonder of the Arcane and Science, made to thrive in a multitude of terrains and situations.
The driver of the vehicle looked back at the young noble for a moment as their eyelids slightly curved upward, reflective pearls of jade visible from the round eye holes of the porcelain, gold-threaded mask of a flowing intricate patterned design.
Their face beneath the mask was telling as they seemed to delight in his desperation to manage both capturing them and saving all the people from the Crownfissure worm, but to them what was even more delightful was knowing what his choice had been.
He would protect the people at the expense of their escape if unavoidable.