When Ardyn finished bathing, he still felt glum. He had taken his time, which caused his mind to wander. He thought back to the many memories he had of his original world, memories of his family and friends, and memories of himself working hard to achieve his dreams.
All of which now seemed to have been wasted.
It was depressing. The more time he spent in this world, the more he realized that this wasn’t a dream at all. Like a clueless fool, he touched the furniture, the walls, smelled the bath scents, and even tried the tap water in the sink to see if it was real.
Even the tap water tasted unbelievably delicious. He had never tasted water that delicious before.
Ardyn sighed as he started dressing himself in one of the outfits that he got from the wardrobe earlier.
Even their clothes are lavish, he thought as he wondered how he could even try them on. Are these really for the guests?
Have they been in the wardrobe for a long time? It’s a wonder that there are no molds…
Then again, it’s a fantasy world.
When he finally finished dressing, he stood in front of the mirror by the sink and stared at his reflection.
Damn, he looked terrible. His black hair was still wet and dripping, bangs matted against his forehead. There were tired lines on his face that made him look weary, and his eyebrows were knitted together in anxiety.
At least the clothes are good, he thought.
He was wearing a tailored gray button-up shirt and a midnight blue coat with intricate silver embroidery along the lapels. The pants were a deep navy blue, slim and fitted. He didn’t change his shoes, feeling that it wasn’t necessary.
His old clothes were cleanly washed and hung over the shower railing. He hoped that by tomorrow, they would be dry. Even though those were the clothes that he had died in, they still held sentimental value for him.
After all, those were the clothes that his parents had bought for him, just for his graduation.
Sheesh, I never really took myself to be the homesick type… Ardyn thought to himself wryly as he made his way back to the room.
For now, let’s figure things out calmly. Panicking and being depressed doesn’t help anybody.
He took a deep breath.
Again, let’s not pa—
“Hey, Ardyn!!”
The door suddenly opened without warning and Ardyn squeaked in surprise, raising his arms instinctively to hug himself for protection.
“…Wh—What the hell, dude?!” he cried out.
Evan and Mathias were at the doorway, staring at him.
Evan’s eyes were sparkling. “You look great in those clothes, Ardyn!” he exclaimed.
Ardyn dropped his arms, grumbling, “Ever heard of knocking? Geez.”
Mathias closed the door while Evan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized with a small smile. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Ardyn waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. I just get startled easily.”
Evan nodded happily. “Okay. So how have you been faring so far? Do you like the room?”
Ardyn looked around, feeling his stomach drop at the thought of this being his new home. For now, that is.
“It’s nice,” he said. “I’ve never been in a room so elegant like this one.”
“I’m glad you feel that way!”
Meanwhile, Mathias came over and hesitantly sat down on the bed. Ardyn noticed the man’s unusually quiet demeanor, but quickly put it out of his mind when Evan suddenly handed him a gray backpack, one that was usually carried by travelers.
“What’s this for?” Ardyn asked.
“It’s my gift for you,” Evan said. “Take a look inside.”
Ardyn obeyed and opened the backpack, slowly taking out each item to inspect it.
He widened his eyes when he saw that the first item was a pouch, clearly containing coins inside. He looked up at Evan, who only smiled at him in response.
“Why are you giving me this?” Ardyn asked, feeling a little ashamed and grateful at the same time. After all, who would be this kind to a stranger that one just met today?
“The moment I left your room, I talked a bit with my father about the banquet preparations. Then, I immediately went to prepare the necessities for you. We can’t afford to waste time,” Evan explained. “The money isn’t that big, but it’ll aid you throughout your journey. You’ll need it to survive.”
“Wait,” Ardyn said, the revelation slowly dawning in his head. “You mean that I won’t be staying here for long?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Evan said, and suddenly his voice turned somber. “Starting from now, we must heed caution. It’s related to what I told you before, back at the lighthouse.”
When Ardyn only stared at him blankly, processing his words, Evan added in clarification, “About you being an Otherworlder.”
Ardyn’s body instantly went rigid, his eyes slowly turning to Mathias. “Uh…”
Evan noticed his panic and followed his gaze. “Ah… Don’t worry!” he assured quickly. “About Mathias… Well, I told him. He knows now.”
“Oh.”
Ardyn felt uneasy when Mathias finally looked up and stared at him. He couldn’t read the man’s expression at all. It was as if a cement wall had suddenly been placed between them, creating a clear sense of distance.
Which was a shame, because Ardyn really did feel like Mathias was a good, friendly person.
“Um, so…” Ardyn began, the discomfort growing in his gut. “What does that mean, by the way? You never did explain it to me.”
“Well…” Evan looked a little nervous as he glanced at his friend. “That’s the thing. We’re planning on telling you about it right now.”
Ardyn suddenly felt that something was wrong. “Why is the atmosphere like this?” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “Is it bad news, then? The fact that I’m here?”
Evan fidgeted. Mathias still didn’t say a word, but he lowered his head instead. It seemed that he still had a lot on his mind.
“All right, first… I want you to understand that it’s not your fault,” Evan began, sighing softly. “You had no control over how things went through. I understand that. We understand that. Right, Matty?”
Mathias still didn’t respond, only staring at his hands on his lap. That didn’t seem to be a good sign no matter how cheerful Evan was trying to seem.
Ardyn nodded slowly, though his eyes had taken on a suspicious glimmer. “Okay…”
Where were they going with this?
Why were they being careful with him?
Just what was going on?
I got a feeling that I won’t like what I’m gonna hear, Ardyn automatically thought.
Awkwardly, he took the spare chair next to the wardrobe and sat across from the two, looking at them with a tense expression on his face. He set the backpack on his lap, figuring that he could go through the rest of the items later.
“So…” he spoke, eyes darting between Evan and Mathias. “What’s this really about? Tell me everything.”