CHAPTER 16: THE SUMMIT
Year 2000 AGS Underhaven Calendar
BANG! The door sounded in one of the rooms of the luxury palace airship Magnificence.
"Selena! The Templars are here." Miguel, my brother, shouted at me as he hurriedly ran from the hallway towards my room in the airship.
"They are?!" I was very excited and replied. This is the moment I've been waiting for! "Brother! What do they look like?!" I further asked my brother.
"It is as you said. They are very tall, beautiful, and handsome." Miguel huffed as he replied, for he ran to my room immediately as he saw them in the hallways connected to the Great Hall of the airship. "They all look like immensely popular actors and actresses!" Miguel further added as he was breathing heavily and holding his chest.
"Oh, my God!" I replied in great joy.
Templars are regarded as saints in Domcrea. Aside from being supreme beings, they are known for being incredibly beautiful. Almost perfect like appearances.
"Are you all ready to go to the Great Hall?" James, the oldest of us three, told us as he arrived at my room. Wearing his white trench coat paired with a blue suit and black gloves.
"Yes, brother!" I cheerfully replied. I was also wearing a blue dress with white gloves. All three of us wear blue to complement our blue-stained glass lotus flower eye marks.
"You two. Just act natural. And, Selena, don't show too much interest in them. It's too unattractive for children of the elite to show too much interest in someone." James reminded us both.
"Now hurry! Miguel, fix your tie." James went to my brother Miguel and shortly fixed his necktie. Miguel is wearing a pink-and-blue suit with gloves. Miguel likes the color pink. Maybe that's why he chose that color combination. Just a note. He is not gay. But there are many among the major races and none among the Templars. "There. Also--- Don't be showing too much disinterest. It's insulting. Just smile and nod at them when they look at you." James further reminded us that he truly is a responsible older brother.
"C'mon. Let us meet with Father and the rest of them." James again told us.
"Yes, brother!" Miguel and I both replied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*In the Great Hall of Magnificence.
"Templars. They are really suited to be called saints." Armann told Arthur Jr.
"Yeah, they're well built. I haven't seen hate in their eyes all this time. Saints, huh?" Arthur Jr. replied.
A boy Templar was approaching their way. Black hair, red eyes, and white skin. Both of the two corporate nobility stared at him.
"What are you looking at?" He asked the two. "Are you going to kill me with your stares?" He further added.
"No! No. We were just wondering why a boy like you is here. You're the first child Templar we've seen in the room." Armann replied in surprise to the boy Templar's sharp comments.
"We were just surprised. I am Arthur Cobal Jr., and the one beside me is Armann Cobal. We are children of the Republic's Prime Minister Arthur Cobal."
The boy paused, then stared at them, then replied. "What? You want me to bow down to you two?" He remarked.
"No. No. We just wanted your name as well. I assume you are a child of a high-ranked Templar cause you were allowed in this summit." Jr. said in response to avoid offending the child.
"I see. Aurel Abaddel. That's my name." He told the two, then he tried to go their way again. "Move aside. You're blocking my way to the plates. Are you gonna kill me with hunger? I haven't eaten all day!" Aurel irritably told them.
The two looked at each other and moved aside. Confused. "Are you perhaps the son of the Elder Templar, Elder Abaddel?" they asked Aurel.
"Yes." Aurel firmly replied. "Now, shut up, and I'll talk to you both later after I've filled my stomach." He took a plate and started getting food from the buffet, but then suddenly stopped, as if he realized he was being rude. "I'll talk to you both later. That is why I hate traveling to the surface. I hate ascension strain." He looked back at the two vampire boys and remarked. Then proceeded to pick foods from the buffet.
Ascension Strain occurs when ascending from the compressed, high-density environment of Underhavenback to the thinner surface atmosphere
Mantle-shocks, on the other hand, occur when descending from the surface world through vertical shafts, coastal elevators, or intermediate stairways into the highly pressurized, mana-dense atmosphere of Underhaven along the Convergence Rim.
"Ah. We understand. Relax and enjoy the food," Armann noted.
"We are excited to talk with you later," Jr. added.
---*
"Everyone, please welcome Prime Minister Arthur Cobal and his 3 youngest children, James, Miguel, and Selena Cobal." The herald of the summit announced.
MURMUR. MURMUR. The crowd of elites at the party murmured.
"Is that Selena? She is so beautiful!" one of the vampire elites remarked.
"The one with 2 eye marks in each eye?" another of the crowd voiced out.
"Rumors say she is the most beautiful vampire, even at that young age. Pale light-grey skin, pink hair, and blue eyes. Oh my!" the crowd commented.
Because Unlighted has no natural light and relies on artificial moons, lighter shades of dark skin (such as light grey or light brown) stand out under artificial lighting and are considered symbols of high nobility and prestige for the Vampires.
Some vampire noble families typically pass down these lighter skin tones through their bloodlines. However, on rare occasions, a noble child is born "unlucky" with the darker skin shade of the lower working class, causing them to be treated as social outcasts
Some vampires currently in the room have darker skin than Selena. Shades are restricted to darker skin shades (brown, black, dark grey, purple, etc.). Mortals, on the other hand, are restricted to lighter skin shades (pale, white, yellow, tan, etc.).
For both shades and mortals, skin tones are either genetically inherited or born at random. Some bloodlines (for example, vampire nobles) have unique traits that scholars are confused about how they are passed down to their children.
When Selena heard the people's murmurs, she grew shy and began to look down as she walked.
"Hold your chin up, Selena. A vampire noble should not be shy when people praise them. Accept their remarks gracefully." Prime Minister Arthur Cobal told his daughter.
Selena began to raise her chin, smiled, and nodded to those who greeted her. Then she saw the Templar guests. Tall, handsome, beautiful, and well-built.
"Their bodies are indeed like those of professional athletes." She told herself as she scanned the room, seeing no Templar out of shape.
Then she saw a Templar boy picking up food on the buffet table. She guessed immediately that he was a Templar, for no vampire has white skin. Almost the same age as her. She was surprised; he was the only boy among the Templars present in the room.
"Who is that boy over there?" Selena asked Miguel. The brother with the closest relationship to Selena. The brother whom she loves most of all her siblings.
"I don't know. Maybe a son of a Templar elite. You know male children under 21 are not allowed to leave Underhaven, right? Most likely someone important." Miguel replied to her sister.
Selena kept staring at the boy. Then suddenly, almost as if the boy knew where the stare was coming from, he looked back at Selena with a stare of his own.
Selena was so surprised. Black hair and white skin. She can't see his eye color because he is too far away. "Who is that?" She again immediately asked herself.
---*
After the entrance with my brothers and me, my father spoke with some of the guests and some of the Templars present at the event.
I went towards Armann and Jr.
"Brother, have you seen that there is a Templar boy here at the summit?" I asked my brothers the question.
"Shhh! Keep quiet, that boy has insane ears. He can almost hear everything." Jr. frowned, almost looking frightened, and shushed me immediately after my question. "That is Elder Abaddel's son." He whispered to answer my question.
"What?!" I suddenly shouted, but I took notice of my mistake and lowered my voice in an instant. "A son of an Elder Templar?" I whispered to Jr.
"Yes. We just knew the fact that even though male Templars under the age of 21 are not allowed to leave Underhaven, those who are disciples of Elder Templars and Supreme Masters, or if they are their children, can do so." Jr. further explained the situation to me.
"And how did you know that?" I asked, really curious about that fact, which I haven't read in any Templar texts before.
"We were talking a lot at the table with him earlier," Jr. replied to me. "I swear, it scared and tired me out." He then sighed.
Suddenly, someone touched me on the shoulder. I was really surprised. So I looked back.
"Kyaah!" I shrieked in surprise. It was the son of Elder Abaddel.
The crowd of people looked towards us.
"Calm down, everybody. We were only having a fun conversation." The boy told the crowd. Then the crowd began to return in each of their conversations.
"This boy really reminds me of someone. Who was that again?" I told myself.
"Kid, are you really going to say nothing after making everyone think I harassed you just now?" The boy told me.
"I know. This boy reminded me of Lopez." I again told myself.
"Excuse me… kid?" I instinctively replied, which I immediately regretted. I did it out of impulse.
"What are you if not a kid. To shriek just because someone touched your shoulder. Pathetic." The boy replied.
"Sorry for that. My name is Selena. I'm sorry for the shriek. I was just surprised. And your name is…" After seeing the sincerity in my eyes, he shrugged. Like saying "whatever".
"I'm surprised your brother hasn't told you yet. I can hear as clear as day that I was the topic of your conversations. Aurel. My name's Aurel." Aurel replied to me.
As I glanced at my brother. He frowned and looked pale. Like he saw a ghost. Maybe because of Aurel's sharp tongue. "Sorry, Aurel. My sister is just… Curious about Templars." Jr. told him directly as if he had no choice but to tell him directly.
"I see. Then here I am. What is it that you want to know about us? Tell me, as I am feeling kind right now. The food was delicious." Aurel told me as he touched his stomach.
"This boy is really blunt," I told myself.
"Excuse me, everyone." The herald interrupted everybody's conversation. "Everyone, please welcome the Great Elders of the Templars and some of their children!" The herald shouted as much as possible so that everybody in the room would hear it and stop their chatter.
"Everybody, please welcome Elder Gabriel from the Templar Clan of Divine Presence and Divine Domination! Elder Sandalphel, from the Templar Clan of True Strength, and his children Kinrel Sandalphel and Malakel Sandalphel. Elder Abaddel, from the Clan of Golden Black Flames!"
When the Elders entered, the air of the room began to feel heavy. Three Elder Templars visited this summit. That just means they are extremely serious about the current events.
But they all look like in their late 20s and 30s. Except for one of Elder Sandalphel's children, who seems to be of the same age as me.
Then suddenly, the Elder with the Black hair and white skin looked at our side. Almost as if lightning is coming out of his eyes. It surprised me, again. This day has many surprises, I might say.
I traced his sight and realized he was not looking at me. I looked to the side and saw Aurel, pale and sweating, as he'd also seen a ghost like my brother earlier. Then DING! I had a big revelation. That is Elder Abaddel, Aurel's father.
After looking at Aurel, Elder Abaddel looked at me. Then he looked back at Aurel, frowned, placed his palm on his forehead, and shook his head. The movements were so casual and fast that people did not realize his glance at us.
"Excuse me, Selena. I would excuse myself for a bit." Aurel told me. This time, he began to speak politely.
DING! Another idea came to me. This boy's father did not know he was here beforehand.
"Haha." I laughed to myself shortly. "Templars are so silly," I told myself again, grinning and laughing inside.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*End of Chapter