Keng stood with the backpack full of stuff in tow. He let out a sigh as he watched the portal swirl. The guards that stood at attention had watched him and the Merman follow the long road to this point. Keng looked back at Calis, who came to a stop next to him. He took in the portal, letting out a small crack of a smile.
"It's been awhile since I've seen one of these." Calis commented. His eyes glistened with excitement. "I haven't been to Earth in a long time." The portal moved as three people stepped out of it.
"Just in time!" Valen stretched his arms out. He hid his tails and ears, looking quite human. He wore a winter coat and beanie with blue jeans and boots. Off to his left was Chrono, who wore a similar winter outfit with an added sweater underneath and a beanie and gloves. To Valen's right stood Fennec. He was a bit bigger than the other two Foxes, but wore a similar outfit as the rest.
"It's winter and you're going like that?" Chrono eyed Keng. "You should really have prepared yourself for this moment." She moved over and gave Keng a smile and a hug. Fennec and Valen followed behind, eying Calis.
"Who's your friend? We didn't get a heads-up about him." Valen asked, pointing.
"Shut up, Val, we were told beforehand." Fennec elbowed Valen. Valen groaned, faking his pain as a smile grew on his face.
"I know! I'm just joking!" Valen turned and the three shifted their attention to the Merman.
"It's a pleasure to have a Jurdiya on Earth with us." Valen stuck his hand out.
"Jurdiya?" Keng looked at Calis. Calis moved forward and shook their hands, giving a small polite head bow.
"Thank you for allowing me to come with. I'm really sorry it had to be like this." Calis apologized.
'He didn't apologize to me.' Keng puckered his lips.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"You keep doing that, you'll just have a frown for the rest of your life." Valen poked his index fingers onto Keng's face and turned his frown into a forced smile. "Smile a bit more. Everything will be fine!"
"Says you. You have a free attitude." Fennec retorted.
"I'm like the wind, always going where I need to go." Valen turned, releasing his fingers on Keng. "I'm wind. I'm everywhere."
"Sure, sure." Fennec nodded.
"Enough, you two." Chrono shushed them. She turned her focus onto Keng and Calis. "I'm sure you aren't prepared for winter, so we got you some clothes based off of what information we got." Void Storage opened up and Fennec and Chrono pulled out a bag and tossed it to Keng and Calis.
"That's a week's worth of stuff. Compliments from the Commander. Prepare yourself for the cold. It's It's almost April and it's still not warming up." Chrono warned them.
The two excused themselves and changed. Keng threw his other bag into the Void Storage, his tattoos lighting up as he did it. He grabbed the backpack and strung it onto him, turning to exit small building when Calis caught his eye. He was struggling to put on pants.
"I thought you understood human culture and their clothes." Keng spoke, walking over to Calis. The pants were a bit too big for him. The protruding belt in the mess of clothes told Keng all he needed to know. He moved over, setting his bag down as he grabbed the belt. "Hold on, I'll help you."
"They got me large pants. It doesn't stay put to button." Calis quietly told him. Keng held the pants up with his power and fed the belt in. After he was done, he waved his hand and watched the pants zip and button up.
"You know how to do the belt?" Keng asked. Calis's hands grabbed them and easily put the belt on. "Good." Keng nodded, grabbing his bag. He took a good look at the dark tanned blonde Merman. He would probably stick out, but there would always be an excuse.
'Tanning.' Keng thought as he stepped onto the main road. Chrono, Fennec and Valen were all chit-chatting when Keng and Calis came back. They were talking about something. Coming to a stop, they looked at the two winter-ready Darosians and nodded.
"Good, look the part now." Valen broke through the group. "Come on, let's go. There's a lot fill you in on."
"About what?" Keng asked, following Valen. Chrono and Fennec turned and followed Valen side by side. "Did something happen while I was away?"
"A lot has happened while you were away." Chrono answered. "The slow life of Daros is a godsend compared to Earth. Especially when it comes to Lee Seng."
"Lee Seng?" Keng's interest peaked. "What about him?"
"We'll tell you at command center."
—
Limbo Realm
Lee Seng's unconscious body was hung by chains. His arms raised up as his head slumped forward. Blood trickling down his body as sweat and dirt caked on his fine body. The only clothes he had on was jeans. Ankles chained to the wall as they held him from falling.
Cain flickered into existence, standing in front of the unconscious Lee Seng. He sighed as a watch beeped. He glanced at it and sighed louder. It was time. He shut off the reminder and lowered his arm to his side.
"Awaken." Cain ordered. Lee Seng gasped as his body jerked. His head flew up, looking directly at Lord Cain. Cain looked at him, displeased. Cain let out a sigh as Lee Seng looked around. His body ached and he felt nasty.
"I assume I'm speaking to the correct one now, right?" Cain asked. Lee Seng looked up at the Cain.
"What're you… Talking about?" Lee Seng asked with a hoarse throat. Cain sighed and moved his hand towards Lee Seng. He lifted his head up with a single finger. Lee seng's entire body began to burn. He screeched in pain as the chains rattled. How could mere chains hold him like the ones on Earth?
It felt like forever, but Cain eventually released his finger. The blood, dirt and sweat on Lee Seng was gone. He was back to his pristine condition and his platinum blonde hair was fading. His hair fluffed into his face as Lee Seng felt the lingering effects of the burn.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"What happened?" Lee Seng asked. "Why am I here?"
"You don't remember anything, do you?" Cain asked.
'What's that supposed to mean?' Lee Seng thought to himself. Cain shifted on his leg and folded his arms.
"It means you don't remember what he did." Cain answered both his verbal and thought questions. Lee Seng studied Cain. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk to him.
"The other one came through? How? Why?" Lee Seng asked. Cain took a moment and then turned to look at Lee Seng. He looked very displeased at the currently mortal Fox-boy. He let out a sigh and snapped his fingers. His binds disappeared into nothingness. The room switched and Lee Seng dropped into a seat as Cain sat across from him.
"Hungry?" Cain asked. He waved his hand and food and water appeared. Keng's stomach growled loudly as he instinctively grabbed the first thing and stuffed his mouth. "Sucha barbarian. Why do I get to deal with this shit?"
"Listen well, Lee Seng Chang." Cain called out to him. Lee Seng looked up as his plate magically filled with food. "Your fake demon came out and wrecked havoc. Major havoc. To think I'd have to step in and contain you and him. The contract obviously was broken, so I tortured both of you."
"Tortured?" Lee Seng looked down at his pristine body. It would explain why he felt like utter shit. "What did he do?"
"Killed your teammates." Cain chuckled as he grabbed the wine glass and took a sip of wine from it.
"W-what?" Lee Seng stuttered in disbelief. "I thought it was —"
"It is." Cain set his cup down. His eyes burned with anger as he kept himself focused on the task at hand. "I should kill you for actually managing to kill those two, but I don't even have a trace of where they are!"
Cain's voice boomed throughout the room. Lee Seng gulped his food down, almost choking on it as it stared at the cup of water.
"So," Cain spoke after a long moment of silence. "If you know where they are. If he tells you where they are, tell me." A large stone hit him and fell onto his filled plate. Lee Seng winced as he grabbed the rock. "Break that. And only break it if you find them! If you break it for any other reason, I will kill you and torture you forever! Do you understand!?!"
Cain's fist slammed against the table. Lee Seng's body jumped at this. The torturing he endured must've been deep. He couldn't even look Cain in the eyes anymore. He gulped and nodded.
"Yes, my lord." Lee Seng answered, loudly.
"Tch." Cain pushed his cheek out. He stood up, chair dragging as he tossed a napkin on the empty plate. "Eat your food. You're leaving after this."