Descending from Ordinary

Chapter 3

"Just chill out, goddamn!" the voice growled deeply. It was definitely a dude.

Jacob furrowed his eyebrows and stood up as he rubbed his arm nervously. The man let go of his hoodie and spun Jacob around to grab him by the shoulders. Giving Jacob a second to actually look at the person, he studied the gentle yet fierce features of his face. He had a small, round face with dark eyes that matched his pitch-black hair that brushed over his forehead. It contrasted greatly from his glossy pale skin, accompanied by soft and pouty lips. Looking at him, Jacob couldn't help but feel confused. Should he be afraid of this guy or not? He seemed intimidating but soft.

"W-what do you want?" Jacob attempted to ask confidently, but failed as he stuttered quietly. He hated himself for always sounding so small and pathetic when he was nervous.

The man took a quick look around before landing his eyes back on Jacob. "You're from another world, right?"

Although it might have been pretty obvious, since he wasn't wearing the usual 'villager clothes' or 'leather armour' that he'd seen everyone else wearing, the question still caught him off guard. Why would he care about that? And was he eavesdropping on him and Jace...? "What?"

"Are you deaf? Are you or aren't you from another world?"

Well, this guy clearly had the patience of an infant. Jacob stared at him, confused. "W-well, yeah, but I mean why?"

"I heard your conversation earlier, passing by. You're going to the castle, aren't you?"

"Uh...maybe...?" Jacob was unsure. He didn't know anything about this place or the castle and Jace had literally just disappeared. He wasn't sure where the castle was, how to get in, or even what to say to the King exactly...

"Great," he said contently, removing his hands from Jacob's shoulders. "I'll take you there tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" Jacob blinked, puzzled. Words couldn't explain the amount of confusion he was feeling right now. "Why-"

"Jakey!!!" Jacob heard a familiar voice shout over the music from behind. The two turned to find Jace making his way towards them with a small bag filled with something. A feeling of relief crashed over Jacob and he let out a sigh. If he would want to stick with anyone, it would certainly be Jason. He was definitely someone he felt he could trust, although he wasn't sure why.

"Jace!" Jacob waved. "Where did you go??"

Jace held up the bag. "To get some food...!" He turned to the dark-haired guy with a wave. "Hi there."

"Yeah, so, do you want me to explain or not?" the stranger asked, not bothering to acknowledge Jason. "Come outside."

Jacob and Jace shared an uncertain glance before they both followed the man, slipping out of the wooden doors of the pub and into the village that was glowing a deeper orange than before. The warm, soothing colour of sunsets were, without doubt, the reason why this was Jacob's favourite part of the day. And how hard to believe so many people would be drunk before dark...

Making his way to an empty barrel sitting against the side of the stone building, the dark-haired stranger took a seat and pulled out a small blade that he began to sharpen. Jacob and Jace stood in front of him, sharing glances as they waited for him for him to speak. "So...what's all this about?" Jace questioned, confused, looking between Jacob and the other guy. Jacob gave him an I-don't-fucking-know look, making Jace raise an eyebrow.

"The name's Ace Fallentine," the stranger lifted his head. "As I said before, I'll take you to the castle tomorrow if you want."

Jace turned to Jacob in a flash, scrunching his face with a how-the-hell-did-he-know look. Jacob wasn't sure if they should accept the invitation or not, considering Jace was completely and utterly lost in the moment.