Knock Knock
Coming out of the bathroom, Raghav tugged the towel around his waist.
He looked outside the window, but all he saw was darkness.
'Who else wakes up before dawn?'
Shaking his head, he opened the door and saw Aurelia standing there.
In her nightgown, with her hair untied. Raghav could only look at her without forming words.
So she did it for him.
"Good morning, Raghav."
He chuckled and smiled.
"Good morning, Aurelia. What can I do for you at this fine hour?"
She gazed into his eyes, standing straight and tall. "Take me with you on your adventure. I want to be the first member of your party."
Raghav crossed his arms and looked at her face.
A look of confidence and honesty in her eyes.
"Talk with your parents first. If they allow it, then you can come and ask. Until then, I'll get dressed and carry on with my day."
Aurelia frowned and looked down before nodding and backing off from the door. "Absolutely. I will see you at breakfast?"
"No, I will be leaving early, so you would probably not see me till dinner. Honestly, I might not even be back by that time."
She grew a little dejected and pouted so slightly that if it had been anyone else, it would have gone unnoticed. "I see, I mean you have the responsibilities of the Hero, of course, you will be busy and not have time to spend with…"
"Aurelia, would you like to come with me today to conduct the interviews? So that we can spend time together."
Aurelia's eyes lit up as she smiled and nodded. "Of course, I would love to. What should I wear?"
"Just be yourself. I will see you in fifteen minutes."
She nodded and walked back to her room. Raghav leaned out of the doorway and looked at her until she entered her room.
Raghav walked back into the room, grabbed the copper globular water pot, and stepped out into the hallway, headed for the roof.
'I'll make it just in time.'
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Before the mirror stood Aurelia, dressed in a sky blue version of her Knight's outfit with white buttons and linings and cream colour pants worn upon brown boots.
The white gloves laced her gentle hands, blending in with her fair skin. She had tied her hair in a low bun on the back of her head, allowing a few loose strands to fall on the side of her temple.
No makeup was needed for her beauty was unlike anything in nature.
She smiled at the mirror before grabbing her sword and sheathing it in a wooden scabbard.
The Sword she wielded was a twin-blade. These two blades were the only ones of their kind, and the other blade was currently in the possession of Raghav.
'That sword was meant for Kanah; it was supposed to be his ceremonial sword. It does not even have a name yet. But I am certain Raghav will make great use of it.'
She then stepped out of the room and turned to the right, looking at Vonreid's room, adjacent to her own.
The Door was closed, and no sounds were coming from the young prince's room. 'He has made a habit of staying up late. I need to talk with him.'
She then looked forward towards her parents' room and heard the sounds of King Belreid and General Temis talking.
'It was like this when I came to bed. Have they been awake all night?'
Thud
From the left came the sound of a door slamming shut. Yet she did not look; she knew who it was, after all, there was only one other room in this section of the castle, and it was none other than Raghav's.
Loud footsteps approached her as she looked at the man dressed in full black attire.
A plain black shirt with the top two buttons popped open and the sleeves rolled up, just below the elbows. A black watch tied around his left wrist, black pants with concealed zippers on his pockets, his trusted non-leather black military boots, and his sword secured at his waist.
The cherry on top was the black plastic frame rectangular glasses resting atop the serious face.
Raghav looked at her as his eyebrows loosened up, and the expression on his face shifted from a serious one to what is considered normal.
It then shifted into a smile as he admired her, slightly shaking his head with his lips open. "You look beautiful."
Aurelia chuckled. "You look handsome."
The two just looked at one another until another door opened.
"Going somewhere, are we?"
They looked towards the door to the King's chamber and found General Temis and King Belreid standing there.
Raghav nodded. "We are headed for the Adventurer's Guild for the formation of my party. Aurelia wanted to accompany me, and I accepted her request."
He then stepped forward, extending his hand to General Temis. "Good Luck for the duel with the general of Xalath, may The One look over you."
Temis accepted Raghav's hand and shook it, giving him a nod. "Thank you, and may he also protect you on your journey across Paneria. I hope we both return home safe."
The two separated, and General Temis turned towards Belreid and bowed.
"Your Grace!"
"Go forth and do your duty, General."
General Temis closed his head and bowed his head lower.
He then began walking away. That's when Belreid smiled.
"And if things start to get tough, send a raven and I will be there and we can deal with it like we did back in 1221."
Temis laughed and began walking away. "Oh, Bel, we could do it like we did in 1221, but you are missing an arm, and we are seventeen years too old for that. Leave those kinds of things for the youngsters."
Just like that, the man was gone.
Raghav turned towards King Belreid.
"Your Grace, if I have your permission, I will be making a detour towards Martel's mansion first. I have to hand him the designs of the items I need him to create."
"Very well, do tell him that this is sanctioned by the crown."
"Thank you, your grace."
He then walked away as Aurelia turned to her father and hugged him. "Take care, Father. We might come back late."
Belreid patted Aurelia on the head. "Take care, my princess."
They then separated as Aurelia, walked after Raghav.
Catching up to him, she walked on his left, noticing an envelope tucked in the back of his pants.
"Are those the designs you want to give to Mr. Martel?"
Raghav nodded, pulling the envelope and handing it to Aurelia.
"Indeed, there are designs for one sword and a wagon among other things."
Aurelia frowned as she looked at him, holding up the envelope. "A sword, I understand, but a wagon? You could have asked anyone for it. The wagons we have are strong."
"I know, not only the living beings, but the non-living things are stronger in Paneria. I do not lie when I say, a wooden carriage in my world cannot survive travelling 300km/h."
He gestured towards a helper in the distance, who was lifting a couch with one hand while he used the other hand to clean beneath it.
"Even those without Mana sensitivity are stronger, faster, more durable and have a much greater perception that allows them to travel at such high speeds without everything becoming a blur."
She stopped in front of Raghav and turned around, pointing at him. "If that is the case. How were you able to go toe to toe with Asfan before activating your powers?"
"My powers raised my physical and mental capabilities, such that I would be at the same level in this world as I was in mine. Meaning, since I was a genius in my world, I will be a genius in Paneria. Similarly, my physical attributes were amped as well. However, I must make clear, my powers would not lower my attributes if Paneria were weaker than Earth."
"When have you had your powers for? I know we first saw it during your fight with Asfan, but did you have it before?"
Raghav nodded as the two reached the stables. "I have had this power since the beginning."
Aurelia's horse was brought to her by a horse keeper, and she thanked him while climbing on her horse, without looking away from Raghav.
"Oh. You must have received them when you were summoned, right?"
Just then, Gati came running out of the stable, stopping beside Raghav.
He patted her side and mounted her. "That is how most people receive their Primordial Forces, people who either intentionally or accidentally jump universes, timelines or dimensions have the highest chance of being blessed with one. Another way to get one is to be an agent of the force. But mine is different, it is received not through the primordial entities but through a connection with The One."
Pausing, he looked at Aurelia. "Be it devotion or the knowledge of the truth."
Aurelia tried to speak but could not put her thoughts into words. Raghav looked at her patiently until she was ready.
She stopped trying and closed her eyes, and sighed, taking deep breaths before opening her eyes. "I have so many questions, and I know they will only delay us. So I will wait for someone wise, like you had asked me to."
Raghav smiled at her as she smiled back.
They then departed from the castle towards Welsh Street.
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Martel was sitting in a chair, under an umbrella in the rear garden of his mansion, drinking tea as he enjoyed the morning atmosphere.
An Old butler approached him and bent down beside him. "Mr. Martel, The Hero and Princess Aurelia have arrived and are requesting your presence."
Nodding Martel placed his cup of tea down on the table beside him and stood up. "Tell them, I will be with them in a minute." "Understood."
The butler bowed slightly before heading towards the mansion with swiftness, followed by Martel, who walked at a slower pace.
Inside the mansion Raghav and Aurelia stood at the front entrance to the mansion, in silence.
Raghav had closed his eyes and stood straight with his hands behind his back. Aurelia, on the other hand, was standing there to his left, looking at the walls of the entrance.
"Mr. Raghav and Princess Aurelia. Mr. Martel will be with you momentarily. Please come inside."
Opening his eyes, Raghav looked at the butler and lowered his head slightly. "Thank you, sir Renold, for the invitation, but we must decline, we are in a hurry to be at an appointment."
The butler nodded and walked off.
Soon, Martel arrived before them and extended his hand towards Raghav as he drew close. "Good morning, Raghav." "Good morning, Mr. Martel. I hope I did not intrude on your morning routine."
Martel waved his hands. "Not at all. I was wondering when I would be called upon, after hearing that you would be forming your party today, but I must say, I was not expecting a personal visit. Judging from the fact that you are standing at the doorway, I assume you are in a hurry."
He then clapped his hands. "So, let's get down to business."
Raghav nodded and held his hand out to Aurelia, who handed him the envelope. He then held that envelope out towards Martel.
"In this envelope, you will find the design and description of a sword, a wagon, several tools and components that I will require to fix my bike. When do you think you can finish these?"
Martel opened the envelope and looked at the designs drawn by Raghav. "Today is the 3rd of July, the sword will take a day, the tools and components you are asking for will take three days, and the wagon itself will take four. I will start today and work on them simultaneously."
Placing a hand below his chin, he looked at Raghav. "So you can expect the delivery to be on the evening of the 6th of July. That would be a Sunday."
"Understood, I do not like saying it, but King Belreid asked me to tell you that this commission has been sanctioned by the crown."
This caused Martel to let out a snicker. "I see, it will be done."
"Thank you, have a good day, Mr. Martel."
"You too, Hero."
Raghav nodded and left with Aurelia following him. He looked at her. "Aurelia, why do you stay so quiet?"
Aurelia chuckled as she grinned at Raghav. "Do you like the sound of my voice that much?"
He nodded as a smile grew on his face as he looked away. "I do."
The grin on her face grew as she leaned forward, stealing a look at his face and pointed a finger at the left side of his stomach. "As do I. I like to listen to you talk, so I just stand back and observe you."
Turning back towards Aurelia, Raghav nodded. "I guess we are alike in that regard."
The wrist watch began beeping as he looked down at it, his eyebrows tightened, and his expression returned to his default serious one. "The adventurers must have started arriving. We have thirty minutes to reach the guild, so I say we pick up the pace."
The two then left the mansion premises and got on their horses, headed for the Adventurer's Guild.
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On Thursday, 3rd of July, 1238 TNW
At 7:56 A.M
Outside the Adventures Guild, a long line of Adventurers had gathered, extending for about half a kilometre.
Raghav and Aurelia arrived at the guild and dismounted their horses as Raghav patted Gati, and she grabbed the reins of Aurelia's horse and walked towards the Guild's stable.
Aurelia watched Gati take her horse away and smiled. "Gati's very smart."
"I know."
He then turned towards the queue as the gathered adventurers had taken notice of them and were whispering among themselves. He narrowed his eyes. "Come."
They walked inside the guild, and Raghav lowered his eyes as Sarah approached them. "Good morning, Mr. Raghav and…"
She froze upon seeing Aurelia standing beside Raghav and immediately bowed. "My apologies, Your Highness. I was unaware of your arrival."
Aurelia waved her hand and lifted Sarah. "It is of no concern, I am simply here to aid Raghav, please treat me as you would treat him."
Sarah nodded. "I will try, Your Highness."
She then turned towards Raghav and handed him a list. "This is the list of all 467 adventurers that have gathered here. I have also placed their adventurer files in the office, on the right side of the stairs."
Raghav nodded and kept his eyes on the file. "Thank you, Sarah, for documenting it so well and good morning to you too. Could you extend a canopy over the entire queue of adventurers? Today will be a hot day, and I do not want them to stand in direct sunlight. And please, make some arrangements for lunch and snacks for them."
Sarah smiled as she clasped her hands and gestured towards the office. "It will be done. The office is this way."
He then walked towards the office and opened the door.
There were four chairs, two on either side of an office table, with two separate tables on the sides, stacked with the files Sarah had mentioned.
Raghav turned around and read the first name on the list before walking to and opening the door to the adventure guild, coming face to face with the gathered adventurers.
"The Initiation has begun. Leeroy Jenkins, you're up first."