Dark By Default

-Laura Hillenbrand

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"Ahahhahaha... by the way, darling... Shall we all go to the venue then?" Celes invited in such a peculiar way that would make the situation even more complicated, especially for the Cla.s.s rep himself.

"You"re gonna race some suspicions you know... But you"re right, we should probably go."

"D...D...D-d-d-d-darling!!!??" Reacted the cla.s.s rep.

"Ahahahaah... No. It"s just teasing in a nutsh.e.l.l."

"I-I see... Ehehehehe... But, you two really are close huh." Nakamura replied, but with still some suspicions on his head...

"Everyone, please follow us..." Celes p.r.o.nounced through the gathered men.

"Uh... Uhmmm." A professional and a plain-looking lady from the crowd stepped out as if having something that she wants to say... She looks like a legit Secretary of a Monetary Conglomerate or something...

"What is it?"

"Thank you for s-saving us!" She said shyly, and d.a.m.n that was cute... But better be careful or else, Azazel will record this in her algorithms and use it to personalize her brazen mode of operations...

"Ahahahaha... No. I did nothing in particular. No need to thank me."

"Shall we go then? It seems that our appearance is compulsory. And you all must be tired, let"s just get this over with."

Everyone shook their head in approval, but with questions still raising on their head, which is already expected. I mean, they got through a lot just in that "not-so-extensive-timeframe" and I"m adding all of these piles of queries... I know how that feels, being ullaged with the confusion that you yourself can"t end. So I feel compelled to answer their questions, but maybe... in some other time. Plausibly when these anti-social symptoms come to cease.

(...)

Together with the armored tour guide, I, along with the others then found ourselves mingling in a very big gathering right in the city circle...

In front, were the Senior Warlock, the elite armies, an announcer and the caged King, which is now... awake, giving this look that no one wants to behold... A look of an autocrat who is about to pay for all that he has done, under the underestimated jurisdiction of his very own people."

As h.o.m.o-sapiens, being somewhat blatantly different from these tarragons in both belief and in appearance, not to mention the hatred that some of us still bare seeing those that tormented them just moments ago, we found separating ourselves as we inserted into the vast crowd while these piercing glares also bombard us to no end... but still, remembering such socialization, it"s making me a hundred times more nauseous...

In the crowd, the division by social cla.s.s was also apparent... On the leftmost were all of us humans, next was the n.o.ble-cla.s.s, middle-cla.s.s, common-cla.s.s and then followed by the most unfortunate, the slums themselves, who took the initiative to be the furthest away as possible from the maggots of the n.o.ble-cla.s.s.

The entire populace was somewhat ecstatic of this peculiar event, but the n.o.bilities, however, in their best apparel does not look so happy. They know for sure, where this is going... a development that they will not like. They even got far as to cover their nose with thick towels, acting like narcissists who can"t imagine breathing the same air and attending this congregation together with the lower cla.s.ses...

Hmmmm... They"re the king"s chosen privileged ones after all... but the mind of a narcissist really does work on mysterious ways, one that I honestly can"t completely comprehend.

"Sir Jaiden! Please come by in front."A voice from the composed senior warlock echoed through the venue... He better not portray me as some savior or else...

I then stepped out from the crowd unwillingly, while everyone continued to give me this even more pressured glimpses, especially the n.o.bles and the cla.s.s rep himself... Well, it is weird. A sociopath stepping out from the crowd that is... And the anti-social Delima also stands unmoved, determined of making me throw up, which is a conundrum that I must somewhat withhold, especially with my "fellow" humans in plain sight.

As I slowly reconcile with the warlock in front, I just knew how great the energy it needs to step out like this... It"s even worse than the reminisced cla.s.s introductions... But, yet again, I must muster it for favorable outcomes...

"This here is Sir Jaiden. He is from the second realm that has been sent here along with the others for a divine errand for their race... an errand that we know too well." An announcer with virile and large voice begins to exclaim in the midst of the enthusiastically listening crowd.

Oh, so they really know of our purpose of being here. The deities did a good job informing them beforehand though...

"But, a day after their arrival, they have been allegedly hara.s.sed by the King"s intents! Amadea, our Anima of music, also just lost all of her entire clan yesterday under the commands of Aurelius the Fourth in an endeavor to bait these humans here for fun and to serve as hostages to reclaim Kurenai. Of which the Synthesized Angel herself also suffered from the same hands..."

Yeah right, that one is for me, the most unscrupulous crime committed here... Look at Shiro! She"s supposed to be here calling me "oni-chama" to refresh my mentality, and here she is, hibernating, paying the due consequence of using her Paradigm Shift, together with her subconscious which is the one that the King is after for unknown but can be speculated reasons.

"And I am also sorry to announce that Count Joberwock Rosewald has also lost his life on the battlefield, betrayed also by the King himself, while Priest Dainsleif"s whereabouts remain unknown..." The announcer continues, explaining in detail the recent happenings, which by far, caused the most potent commotion all throughout the gathered handful of the crowd.

"Sir Jaiden... Do you have something to say on behalf of the humans?"

"No." I answered directly. I mean, come on... Standing here is painstakingly enough...

"Oh, ok... Now then, Sir Jaiden here offered us an opportunity to switch our Kindom"s path to the alternative... Perhaps, it would be a better path for us to take. "

Several cla.s.ses and even the said h.o.m.o-sapiens themselves find the statement to be fishy all because of that misunderstood phrase "Offered an opportunity;". Well, it is...

It"s once again giving me this stigma of big-shots, which I"m not and have no intention of becoming one.

Moreover, even in the atypical phase, everyone from the lower cla.s.ses, with poverty-stricken faces found themselves clapping to the recently-made bargain all due to their visceral reaction seeing hope for the first time that they might just be able to turn their lives around... Except for that one cla.s.s, that all of us know too well...

"Haaa? I"m sorry, but we don"t get to decide that..." An overgrown female bearded Tarragon exclaims, silencing the announcer and everyone else from their emotional threshold. She was starked with muscles, holding out this cute pink umbrella and wearing this expensive-looking hat which could approximately feed a few less fortunate in-lined with the n.o.ble reacted. I may not be a connoisseur in the field but it is a bad combination of fashion indeed.

"What do you mean?"The Senior Warlock asked...

"The Patriarch... Don"t tell us that you"ve forgotten about the old man? You all have to go through him if you want some changes with the Kindom"s feudal laws, remember?" Added a n.o.ble aged Tarragon...

Patriarch? What the h.e.l.l is this position even supposed to be? And why does it have a role in a Kingdom"s authoritarian decisions?

Whoever and whatever that might be, it can"t be belittled. The t.i.tle"s utterance alone is serving as the n.o.bles" last line of defense... their last resort to maintain their high valued and seemingly-overpriced lives.

But still, just thinking about these cultural differences... It"s very painful to bear. Well, I"ll just not stand in their way as of now, after all... this is their Kindom"s personal predicament from the get-go.