Emerald blinked his eyes open to a cup of coffee. He wiped the drool and confirmed the visible heat waves rising from the mug. Genna wasn't in the room. Emerald got up and checked the temperature of the coffee—too hot. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. While doing so, he noticed his body had changed, looking more like a fit young man. Unaware of the true significance of this physical shift, he merely struck a pose, then left the thought to rust in his brain. He took a sip of the still-hot coffee, then returned to the bathroom for a shower. This time, he drank the coffee dry.
Emerald opened the wardrobe, finding quite a collection. A surprise arrived when Zinan buzzed in his head again. "What's now? Can't you give me a little peace?" Emerald questioned.
"What's so worried? Missing her so much?" Zinan joked about his rude start.
"Nah, it ain't that."
"Well, just head to the Library now. I will follow up." Zinan got straight to the point.
"Why do I need to do that?" Emerald questioned.
"Don't you know? Today is the day of the Uprising Event." Zinan revealed, shocking Emerald. Grabbing clothes from the wardrobe, Emerald headed for the library, trying to sneak through the bustling palace . He entered the library, which was mercifully empty.
"What's now, big guy?" Emerald muttered to himself.
Suddenly, his head began to ache, and blood flowed from his nose and ears. The painful state slowly subsided.
"Now, now, find a book with the name 'Red Crimson Flowers Do Have a Will'," Zinan echoed in his head.
"How the hell am I supposed to find that in these billions of collections?" Emerald asked, overwhelmed.
"It will be the most unwanted book here. Frankly speaking, nobody has ever touched it," Zinan stated.
"Bro, are you even helping me? How the hell am I supposed to look for a book like that in this entire collection?" His natural laziness was fighting back.
"You have to. That's why I brought you here," Zinan pushed.
Emerald began walking through the dense forest of books. He climbed and descended the shelves multiple times until he found it—a book as rusted as iron and covered in dust. He dragged it down. "Flip it over," Zinan instructed.
"What page?" Emerald replied.
"Stop when you see any flowers in it."
After some time, Emerald found the page. "What's now, Emperor?"
"Look for it. You may find a flower pattern like that here somewhere." Scrambling through the architecture and books, Emerald wandered. "Guess this is it." Emerald stopped in front of a group of pillars, seeing the pattern on the wall.
"It is," the Emperor assured him.
"What's next?"
"Move the bookshelf. Just try it. You're stronger than you were once." Emerald pushed the bookshelf over the wall, and a secret pathway opened up.
"Must be from your time, I guess," Emerald commented.
"From here on, you're relying on yourself. Just wear the black Armour, it's gonna help you." Emerald asked for clarification. "Black Armour?"
"Just get in. You'll get it once you see." Zinan's voice faded out.
Emerald began walking through the dungeon. The entrance sealed behind him, and lamps lit up, paving a path. He walked into a large hall supported by massive pillars, the ceiling lost in darkness. He saw knights standing by, but they were just armor and clothing on the side. He started cleaning off the dust, noticing colors: red, white, and black. He took out the black cloak and armor. After checking that no one was watching, he put on the black cloak, followed by his black pants and coat, ignoring the rigid armor pieces for the sake of mobility.
"Now we should head for the Coliseum," Zinan whispered in his head.
"Ain't you the guy who said from here on I'm on my own?" Emerald questioned.
"See, that's because you're wearing the cloak of mine. There's been a barrier meddling with my work with you. The cloak just let me free from it." Zinan was desperate to move forward. Without further discussion, Emerald left the dungeon and headed to the Coliseum, looking around to ensure no one noticed him wandering.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Genna was preparing for the event. "Miss Genna, Emerald isn't in your room. He's not even in the castle," her companions notified her. Genna looked at Eva, who was lying on the bed. "What... oh come on, girl. He's at the Coliseum. The last time I checked, Patrick is also there. There's nothing to be worried about," Eva whispered lazily.
At the Coliseum, a man in royal armor and his companions confronted Emerald. "What might this guy be?" Emerald was intimidated but focused on their costumes.
"Where's your tongue, young man? We asked you a question," a woman beside the main man said. "That's something really fancy you got down there, can I see it, big boy?"
"I'm Emerald, a friend of Genna, just here on a vacation." There were four of them.
A silent-looking guy among them asked, "So you're the human."
Emerald's eyes glowed blue again. With a malevolent smile, Emerald said, "Indeed I'm, Lappy's boy." The silent guy's aura turned serious, realizing the tense nature of the name he used. Before he could push to the front, Emerald was gone—they hadn't even noticed his disappearance. The group's leader simply returned to his business.
A group of five approached the King's chamber, opened the gigantic wooden door, and entered. They greeted the King. "It's been a long time, Zedic." The casualness of the conversation was intriguing.
Zedic looked at him with a smile. "So you're confident that you're going to settle it this time?" Zedic displayed his arrogance.
"Indeed I am. If I fear about anything that's going to stop me in that arena, then it is only you, Zedic."
"What's so assuring over that matter?"
"Mine and yours existence hasn't been wronged all this time, that's the assurance."
"Listen, kid, mankind are truly amazing. You never know what it is that they gonna bring forth."
"A warning, huh? Has the King fallen too steep to fear the lesser race?" one of the men questioned with furrowed brows.
"It is indeed a warning, but the King doesn't need to fear it as long as he is on the rightful path," Zedic said with a smirk.
The group offered their regards and slowly left, the chamber door closing with a bang. Zedic slowly got up to leave for the Coliseum, his steps forward filled with high expectations and a warm smile.
(To be continued)