There's more to these mysteries".
Novem stood atop a two story building, looking down at the bustling city below. "The Oren kingdom is modern like the early 21st century. But the kingdom next to it, Xanthos, is more like the 18th century. Even though they're all under the same Empire, they're very different in their eras." He lowered his gaze.
"And it happened the day I was crowned Emperor." The era at that time looked like that of the 21st century, I would only know since that was the century the first massive invasion occured as we have been taught in HQ.
However, the moment I was pronounced Emperor, a radiant light dawned upon the world and when it receded, the timeline became disrupted. The once familiar landscape of automobiles and advanced technology gave way to horse-drawn carriages and antiquated customs (of some kingdoms), yet the people themselves remained unchanged, and their memories re-written (excluding all Royals of course).
The job of the Emperors is to rule their empire and advance them towards civilization once more.
The re-written part of their memories is their not being able to guess the fact that the world is being tampered with. I.e, how the timeline disrupts and how their life is rewritten right after the disruption.
I could see on their faces those obvious frowns, my predecessor and the previous Emperors had knowledge of this phenomenon, but they chose to keep silent about it.
"Once again, it was a needed answer? Find them yourself situation"
TL: When they talk about predecessors or previous Emperors, they mean former emperors who have passed down their thrones and titles to the current generation Emperors. Those being Novem and six others.
"I thought it didn't matter so long as I did my job by protecting the people. But it's suffocating". He jumps down the building, "It's really suffocating"
"The mysteries are piling up, and I'm drowning in them". As he walks step by step towards the agent's manor, his mind reels with unanswered questions. "What exactly is behind the timeline disruption?, whose voice keeps echoing in my head?, who is that person named Joyce?, how the Specters are formed?, what drives the Invasion, why do I get hollow mind-fractures after unknowingly defeating an enemy, what is the significance behind that shabby cottage that seem to pop up in my memories every now and then, and most of all, that Royal."
Novem tries to recall the blurry image of a red-haired Royal who had brutally beaten him and the other emperors nearly half to death.
'Who was that again?' He thought to himself
Whisper, whisper
Novem's ears perk up as he listens to the background conversations.
"I think it's Lord Novem" a man whispers
"Yes, I think so too" a woman conceded
Novem looks back at the people and waves. "I've come to Grace you with my presence"
"Lord Novem!!" The women began screaming hysterically
"You've certainly done a job well done!"
"Lord Novem, why don't you step in for a cup of tea?"
"Kyaa~ he's so young! "
"Lord Novem, my husband's not home today~" A woman purred
"Honey, I'm right here" Her husband's face turned ashen
"Lord Novem! I need a medical session with you, I just might not be feeling well"
"Lord Novem!! I probably sprained my ankle, could you come check me out"
A woman in the crowd hurriedly talked to a man with a camera and both of them nodded. She ran up to meet Novem.
"Lord Novem, could you hold my baby for a sec?" She asks
"Oh, sure? "Novem took the baby from her and held the child in his arms
The woman pulled Novem's head down and proceeded to smile lovingly and butt heads with him, while the camera man took several photos of them.
"Lord Novem is the father of my child!!" The woman screamed and pointed to the child in Novem's arms
Gasp!!
The surprise choke on everyone's faces
"Lord Novem, how could you do this to me!?" A woman screamed
"No, i-" Novem tries to explain himself
"Oh save it for the judge" a woman scoffs
"It's a misunderstanding" Novem refutes
"Then let's have a misunderstanding too!". A woman squealed
"The people are crazy!" Novem gives back the woman her baby and rushes out of the scene.
"Heh, he'll come back next time" They cackled
…
At the Agents manor…
Novem, through the window enters into the main lounge where the Agents typically chill during their break.
"May your next battle not be your last", he greeted them
"Same to you" They replied
"Is Damien here?" Novem asks, glancing around
"No, he should be patrolling by now" An agent with blue hair replied, glancing at the clock. "He shouldn't be too far from here"
"Thanks, keep up the good work". Novem was about to leave when he froze mid way
"Novem?". Grace calmly asks as she walks in from the opposite window
He looks back and sees the all too familiar burnt orange shoulder length hair and orange eyes. "Senior"
"Novem". She smiles warmly
"Senior". Novem returns the mild gaze
"Oh boy". The rest of the agents sigh
Grace skipped over to Novem and pats his head.
"Senior, I'm not a child". Novem flushes in embarrassment and removes her hand from his head
"Your hair is just so silky". Grace whined.
"But anyway, what brings you here?". She asks, putting away her weapon
"I came to see Damien"
"Is it about the petition?". She asks
"No, but you just had to remind me of it". He sank into despair
"I'm sorry" Grace laughs softly. "Carry on then, wouldn't want to keep you here" she grins
"There are some dangerous Specters in the city Senior, even 'you' should be careful". Novem told her as he held her hand, "Everyone should be".
"Yeah, I will". She smiles
"Good". He told her.
He let go of her hand and walked towards the window and had only just put his boot on the seal when Grace pulled him back, not knowing why she did so.
"Hm? Senior?" Novem steps down and stares at her. She seems disturbed
"Is something the matter?"
Buh Glane couldn't help it. She covers her face and blushes. Not only did she once like Marl but now she likes Novem. How stupid could she be, she asked herself.
She held onto Novem's hand and pulled him down towards herself. Placing a light peck on his cheek. Novem's eyes widened
She let go and Novem touched his cheek in disbelief.
"Whoo-" An agent whistles, and Novem threw him a bombastic side eye
"You should get going". She smiled cheekily.
Novem cheezed back and nodded, he was about to jump out again when she suddenly asked
"Novem, what if I said I liked you?".
"What?". Novem turns around and grins. "If that was back in HQ, I probably would have said yes". He looks down, "But now…".
He remembers the long flowing purple hair of a beautiful bubbly stupid cute girl. "I might just reconsider it forever". Novem chuckles as he jumps out the window.
The Grace who kept looking out the window laughed softly. "He said forever, that's a literal no". She said, leaving for information on her next mission
Novem spent over an hour looking for that blasted Damien. Just when he was whining about why he hadn't marked the brat, he began to notice something odd.
"Haven't I passed this place before?" He exits a cut-through, and glances at the alley beside the next building
The alley was unnaturally dark despite the daylight so he immediately thought something was wrong. He sights across the street to see a woman sobbing,
"I swear, he suddenly just disappeared!" She wailed,
"I understand, I should go call the agents" Another man comforted her closely
"What's going on here?" Novem asked, crossing the street. "Who disappeared?"
"Lord Novem!" The woman threw herself at him. "My husband is missing!" She cried out
"Your husband, then who is he?" Novem points to the man who was acting a little too close to be a friend
"He's my husband's friend" She blows her snot on the handkerchief Novem handed to her
"You seem a little too close to your friend's wife, why don't you learn to keep your distance". He asks
"Lord Novem. I apologize if there's a misunderstanding, but I was only trying to comfort her" He laughed nervously
"How did he disappear?" Novem asks her
"It was just a while ago. I watched through the window as he left, he was supposed to go to the farm in our yard. But he came back running, saying that the alley was looking off-" she pointed out the alley. "I had things I was doing then so I told him not to go there. I don't know if he went to check it out but I haven't seen him since" she collapsed into hysterics
Novem scanned the foreboding walkway with calculating eyes. "It seems I would have to go check it out". Glancing around, he asks, "But first, are there any nuisance living on this street?"
"Nuisance?" The woman was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"Someone who causes trouble for everyone. A thief, perhaps?" Novem clarifies
The woman grew silent. "There's this man who always steals crops from our little farm" it didn't look like she wanted to report the person
"Do you know that person?" Novem asks the friend
"No, I don't" The man replied
"Describe him," he tells the woman, "And you, go fetch him" Novem commanded both of them.
A while later, Novem and the woman were talking when the friend arrived.
"I'm here!" He gasped for breath as he dragged a struggling man with him
"Let me go you buffoon!" The nuisance pried the man's hand off his clothes
"Good" Novem walks to the both of them, "No time to waste"
He took the nuisance by the wrist and dragged him to the alleyway. "Duck or goose," Novem asks the man.
"Duck?"
"Goose" Novem swings him inside
The man stands up after falling down. "Lord Novem!" The man realizes... Was he in trouble?, "W-what's the meaning of this?" He panicked
The moment he took a step forward, he disappeared into thin air in an instant.
"So that's how it works" Novem took notice
"Isn't that… Novem!" A female agent with silver hair waves at him from afar. After seeing the two citizens just behind him, "How do you do, Lord Novem" she said formally
"Mary! Good timing. Find me two more agents and barricade this alleyway so no one passes through, and make sure Damien is one of them!" Novem said, walking towards it.
"Wait, please explain". Mary cocks her head
"There's no time, Mary. If I'm correct, it's another one of those realms. Ask her for information" Novem gestures to the woman. "What is your husband's name?"
"Morim." She said in between sobs
"Morim. I'll see to it that your husband gets back if only I find him."
"Dead or alive, I'll bring back a piece of him", he mutters.
Novem nods, "Don't forget to barricade this place, and if possible all the other cut-throughs"
Novem didn't walk, but jumped into the alley. Perfectly fine, he exhales deeply, "Down we go" he takes a step forward
At that moment he thought, "What if this realm is different from the one of last time?" With that thought in mind, he immediately opened a portal and pulled his sword only halfway out before he vanished into the wind.
"Novem… ber?" Mary's eyes flew open, Nuts! "I'll stay here, you two go find a few agents and have them call Sir Damien! Now!" She ordered the sobbing woman and the friend
"Alright!!" The woman cried out and dashed away sobbing loudly.
"Yes ma'am" The friend runs after her
"Just be okay, Novem" Mary exhales loudly
…
"Oof!"
The said Novem had just landed flat on his face.
"Well, that was uncalled for" He steadily propped himself up.
The surrounding was very dark and the only thing that stood out to him was the door right in front of him. "It's obvious this door is mine"
Novem opens the door and steps inside. All that laid ahead was an endless hallway.
"Given" He smirks,
The door Novem had just passed through held a large sign board which said in bold letters;
{Hall Of Silence}
Every step he took was silent. Upon entering the first section of the corridor, a portico, which was demarcated from the next section by an aisle, there layed another sign upon which sat a curved writing with junks (darts, knives, square plates) adorning the sign board saying…,
{Welcome to Hall Of Traps}
"The whole thing looks like a trap." He looks back to find that the door he had just walked through was already gone.
In the hallway were many doors left and right. While the walkway seemed endless as all that his vision could grasp was darkness beyond a certain point.
His thoughts suddenly came back to him again. "Right, my sword" he opened his portal and dipped his hand inside only for it to be violently shoved back outside before closing. "What?"
He attempted opening his portal again but it had only just spread out a few centimeters before closing immediately. "Really?" The previous instance wasn't like this. Is it because we wouldn't need to fight anything here? I doubt that..
Novem spread his palms and released his fire ability. His fingers only made a little spark, before extinguishing itself instantly
Same thing with his ice, wind, and other abilities. None of them were working out,
This instance sure knows how to restrict abilities..
"Wow, this won't be fun" Novem laughs