Amethyst 2. Embark ✓ [Editing Now]

2.Outsider

Ophelia had never looked more beautiful.

I gazed at the glitz and glam of the city through the window of the car as we drove through the narrow alleys and the wide roads. It was morning, and the streets were bustling with children skipping around, some on their way to school while others were just loitering around. Men, women, and people of all genders selling their wares, calling loudly to attract customers.
I could smell the faint scent of the baker's fresh bread wafting through the air and the delectable smell of the fritters being sold in neat paper packets.

I sat up a little straighter and gazed in wonder at a man performing a handstand on a rope that he had attached to two streetlamps on the pavement. People were laughing and clapping, throwing confetti, and showering him with money.

I had only ever been to Aris' mansion in Lyros and decided to go there first. Making a mental note to save their numbers for ease of communication.

Having spent a lot of time roaming around in the streets of my childhood town alone, I had developed a good sense of direction and remembering places. I was able to lead the driver towards the Greenwood mansion, which, frankly, wasn't too tricky since his dad was famous in the city.

Soon, the colossal Greenwood mansion floated into our perspective.

''Is that the one, Sir?''

I answered in affirmative as we pulled up in front of the mansion.

A guard in crisp white uniform walked towards the car, leaning down to look at the driver. He flashed his official badge, and the guard nodded, his eyes widening slightly as they flitted to me and then back at the driver. I felt slightly conscious and fixed my gaze on the dashboard.

We pulled into the venue, and he stopped the car in front of the staircase. I thanked him and got out of the car. I stared up at the stairs for a while, my last visit flashing in my mind. I hoped his father wouldn't be home since he already did not approve of me.

I walked over and rang the doorbell as a loud noise sounded somewhere far inside the mansion. A few minutes later, the same butler, Jon, opened the door. Before I could say anything, he nodded in recognition and respectfully stepped backwards.

''Welcome, Sir. Master Aureus is in his room. First floor towards the right.''

I nodded and stepped into the vast hallway. The mansion was quiet, not a single sound of life.

I walked up the staircase, coming across another series of photo frames on the walls. A younger Aris beamed at me, surrounded by several other family members. I knocked on the heavy wooden door and got no response.

I waited a while before knocking again. And again. Finally, deciding that he was asleep, I gently opened the door inch by inch.

Aris' room was almost as big as mine in the palace. A huge floor-length window on the opposite side was flung open, bathing the room in bright sunlight. To my left, a massive four-poster bed stood neatly made, a wardrobe beside it. A large television was mounted right opposite the bed, attached to several pieces of equipment and wires neatly arranged in the tv cabinet below it. The most astonishing sight, however, was Aris himself.

He lay on his back on the floor near the window, one of his hand outstretched upwards and bent towards his face. A tiny bluebird sat on his arm, twittering happily as he gently tickled her feathers. He was lying on a bed of grass, which seemed to have grown on the carpeted floor, just a few feet around where he lay. Plants, tendrils, and trees were sprouting from the ground. It looked like he was lying in the middle of a forest.

A few more birds sat perched on the topmost branches of the trees. The golden sunlight penetrated in between the leaves, lighting him up in a subtle glow. He seemed to be whispering to the little bird, the emerald of the leaves reflecting into his irises, making them even more striking than usual. He had a soft smile on his face. He looked at ease. At home.