The Zodiac Empire

Chapter 4 - The Girl in Black

Naito threw off his oversized king outfit the second he returned to his room. It felt good to change back into his regular pair of black sweatpants and white shirt with holes from being chewed on at the collar. Alsen changed back into a pair of blue jeans shorts with a short sleeved, yellow shirt. While they waited for Cosena to come out of the bathroom, Naito scanned the room. Although most of his memories here were ones he'd rather forget, he still needed something to remind him of home. He grabbed his skateboard and slung it over his shoulder. It was perfect. After all, it was the first birthday present he ever received. Once Cosena came out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, the siblings left their room.

They walked down what felt like thirty floors before going down the spiral staircase to the Entrance Hall. Being down on the first floor made Naito wonder just how tall this castle really was. He looked up, but the ceiling was so high he couldn't make it out even when he squinted his eyes. Alile and Casele stood at the bottom of the staircase, both with duffel bags draped over their shoulders. They both bowed.

"Are we all ready to go?" Alile asked.

"I suppose Zento isn't back yet, then?" Cosena asked. Casele blotted at her damp cheeks at the mention of Zento.

"Zento is fine. I assure you he will be back tomorrow." Alile said confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Naito asked. He couldn't imagine anyone being 'fine' after being carried away by Pumpkin.

"I'm psychic." Alile replied simply. According to the book "The History of Magic and our World", Aeromancers had excellent intuition to the point of some of them even having psychic abilities. It was a trait that only one out of every one hundred Aeromancers were blessed with, yet Alile said it like it was an everyday thing.

"Psychic?" Alsen gushed, "You mean, like, you can see the future? That's amazing! Can you tell me my future?"

"My apologies, lady Alsen, but I prefer not to use my power, nor talk about it, if possible." Alile said grimly, averting her gaze to the side, showing the slightest sign of emotion for the first time.

"Oh, s-sorry..."

"Shall we go now, then?" Alile was quick to change the topic away from her power. Naito nodded, so the five of them walked over to the magnificent door in front of them, where two magicians stood guard. Dressed in brown robes with the Gaiamancer insignia on the chest, the male of the two sentinels had his arms crossed and his eyes shut, snoring softly. Unlike her fellow guard, the female sentinel was wide awake, dressed in red robes with the Pyromancer insignia on the chest. She gasped at the sight of the group approaching them and elbowed her partner in the ribs. He awoke with a groan, rubbing his ribs where she struck him.

"Sleeping on the job again, Stan?" Alile asked, the lack of any emotion to her question surprisingly making it feel like a threat towards the sentinel.

Stan grunted groggily, rubbing his baggy eyes. "I was just resting my eyes..."

The female sentinel elbowed him in the rib again, then bowed before Naito. "I apologize for this man's lack of devotion, my lord!"

"M-my lord...? Oh shit..." Stan whispered under his breath, blinking at Naito, apparently just now noticing his presence. He followed his partner's lead, bowing as well. Naito could see a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. Did he think Naito was going to punish him?

"If you're tired you can go take a nap. Tell someone else that your king told them to cover for you."

Stan stood back up to his full height quickly, but the Pyromancer magician was quick to interject. "B-But my lord, his shift doesn't end until three more hours!"