“Difficult?” Ardyn repeated, stunned. What was he talking about now? “Wait, is it a bad thing for me to be here?”
Evan sighed. “It’s… a long story. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone, okay?”
“O—Okay, I won’t,” Ardyn said, surprised. What did he know about this world, anyway? The person who knew best was Evan, not him. So it was best to follow what Evan told him for now.
A look of relief crossed Evan’s features the next moment. “That’s good. I’ll explain later, but for now, you just need to know that it’s dangerous to reveal something like this to other people. It’s sensitive information, to be honest.”
“It is?” Arydn frowned. “Then how come it’s okay for you to know? How come you seem to be okay with it?”
Evan looked surprised for a moment. “Me? Well…” He rubbed the back of his head, seeming uncertain. “Because…”
His voice trailed off as he tilted his head sideways to survey the waters.
The colors of the bright blue sky transitioned into red and orange shades, indicating that the sun was already dipping into the horizon. Nighttime was approaching.
At the sight of it, a flare of panic appeared in Evan’s eyes.
“Hey, I’m sorry for cutting our talk like this, but I need to go,” he apologized. “As it is sunset, I must go back home or else I will get in trouble.”
All thoughts flew out of Ardyn’s head at that moment. “Wait. Where are you going? Wh—What about me? Where can I stay in the meantime?”
It was unfair towards Evan since technically he had no reason to take responsibility for Ardyn, but the thought of the only person he knew in this strange, unfamiliar world leaving him behind was making the panic rise in his chest.
He didn’t know what else he could do here. He didn’t even have money! Was he just gonna have to sleep on the streets or something?
But what about food? In a city as big and prosperous as this one, surely their prices were flying off the roof!
And how was he going to stay in contact with Evan? Did they even have phones in this era?
As though sensing his sudden fear and discomfort, Evan grabbed Ardyn’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I apologize. I did not mean to word it that way to make you misunderstand,” he clarified quickly, looking embarrassed at his mistake. “Silly. Of course you are coming with me!”
‏‏‎ ‎
***
‏‏‎ ‎
The street lamps were lit with a mesmerizing glow as Evan and Ardyn made their way through the crowds, trying their best not to stand out.
The city was busier than before, and it seemed as if people were busy preparing for the festivities. The sky was still blazing with orange palettes, accentuating the clouds like a painting, with a spray of visible stars dotting the vast expanse. The sight calmed the restlessness in Ardyn’s heart, as if the vivid beauty of this world was trying to soothe him.
“Is something going on?” Ardyn decided to ask out of curiosity, spotting a few people hanging up multi-colored lanterns in the streets. “Everyone seems pretty busy.”
“There’s a celebration tonight at the castle,” Evan replied, humming cheerfully under his breath. “A banquet for the Prince’s upcoming wedding, to be exact.”
“The Prince? I wonder what he looks like.”
“Everyone in the city is invited, so you can attend the banquet if you like.”
“That… We’ll see what happens later.”
Children, adults, and teenagers came and went from Ardyn’s sight, all busy with their own tasks. It was clear that they were very excited about the event. For the celebration, they all seemed to be wearing traditional clothes that covered their bodies layer by layer in different assortments of colors and patterns.
But what caught his eye the most was the fountain in the center of town that they were about to pass. This fountain was the same one he had seen earlier in broad daylight, but for some reason, it looked completely different at dusk.
Pausing in his tracks for a moment, Ardyn squinted at the fountain, gazing at it closely. Up close, with the sky rapidly turning dark, it actually looked a little bit… familiar…
“Ardyn?” Evan’s voice instantly brought him back to reality.
Ardyn blinked, then shook his head, feeling dazed. What on earth am I thinking right now? So weird… Don’t all fountains look the same?
“Sorry. I got distracted for a moment.” Ardyn managed a smile as he came to a stop beside Evan. “Let’s go.”
Evan smiled back at him. “The city is beautiful, is it not? The air spheres are much more so once you see them being released into the sky.”
“Air spheres?” Ardyn inquired curiously.
“They are spheres with a little magic inside to make them glow brightly,” Evan explained. “If you let them float upwards into the sky, they will look like stars that sparkle brightly before eventually fading from our sight.”
Ardyn’s lips parted open in surprise mixed with awe. “So it’s like a sky lantern festival? That’s pretty cool! I guess since it’s an air sphere, it’s eco-friendly?”
Evan nodded. “We have not released lanterns into the sky for centuries. The air spheres are much safer, and they can also be in different colors as one wishes.”
“That’s reasonable.” Ardyn sent Evan a sideways glance the next second. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
Evan looked back at him with curiosity in his eyes. “Of course. Be my guest,” he allowed. “You are free to ask anything you wish.”
Ardyn shook his head. “Fine. Just… stop talking to me formally, will you?” he said, nudging Evan by the arm. “You can relax around me and be casual. I can tell that you’ve been a bit tense ever since we first met earlier.”
Evan turned his head towards Ardyn with an embarrassed smile. “Ah, was I too formal? I apologize. It is out of habit.”
“Yeah. I guess it’s partly my fault. I didn’t exactly greet you very warmly back there,” Ardyn said in embarrassment as he thought back to his reactions on the beach. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually that irritable. I guess I was too stressed.”
Evan smiled at him and nodded. “Don’t worry. I can tell that you’re a good person on the inside.”
“Hey, that’s pretty nice of you to say.”
“Oh! We’re here now,” Evan suddenly interrupted, stopping in his tracks.
Ardyn almost tripped over his feet in surprise at the sudden exclamation. “What—”
When he followed Evan’s line of vision, the rest of the words became stuck in his throat.
Right there, before his eyes, was the castle itself.