Jenna left Hitori and got back to the building as everyone was already gathered for the meeting. Before entering, she stared at Hitori's direction and saw that he didn't make any attempt to take a look at her dress, although it was to be expected.
"Typical." she mumbled.
…
Inside the building, Reynold and the other knights, along with the prince, stood around a table, while the rest of the students stood behind them.
Although Jenna who has just come in was able to make her way beside Reynold. Her expression is down, yet determined. They were about to discuss a crucial matter, as whatever they would talk about would decide their fate.
"Now, let's begin." Reynold proclaimed, as he stared at Jenna beside him, then at each and everyone around the table.
He began:
"As we know the shift would happen in a couple of hours and we don't know when or where it would take us too. For all we know it could shift us to a volcano of mad sharks."
As the words left his mouth, Jenna chuckled which caught the attention of everyone. As she noticed, she gazed at everyone as they all stared at her with a straight face.
'What? Isn't it funny.' she wondered within her heart.
It was exactly the same joke that she made when she spoke to Hitori and it sounded funny to her, but why didn't any of them laugh?
'Was it a bad joke?'
As the moment subsided Reynold continued, his gaze fixed at everyone else.
"It doesn't matter where we would be shifted to, as long as we are together it wouldn't matter. I believe we have all learnt our various abilities."
Everyone nodded.
"Great, so I can say that we would be able to survive it. For the next twenty one days we could either be in a hell of paradise, or a paradise of hell. Personally I would like a third option, but that's not our choice to make."
As Reynold said these, Jenna and the students gave him a side eye. They didn't understand what he meant by that, but his fellow knights clearly did.
"That's right!" The young prince stepped in. "We just have to believe in ourselves. And as Reynold said, it doesn't matter where we would be shifted to, as long as we are with each other."
The young prince turned and gazed at everyone one by one reassuring them that they would surely survive this, however…
"Hmph. Isn't it too much to tell them that they would survive this?" Alex proclaimed, and instantly all eyes were fixed on him.
Among all the knights and others, he was the only one that wasn't standing around the table. Instead, he was seated on a chair, his legs crossed on a mini table.
"Why would you say that?" Sinon spoke out, her voice carrying a sense of irritation and annoyance.
"What?… I mean, isn't that right? Shouldn't you be telling them that what they are about to witness would surely be full of horror and bloodshed? I mean it's not like many of them would survive anyways."
As the words left his mouth, Jenna felt a bit of annoyance steering up inside her and was about to say something when Reynold held her hand.
He shook his head telling her not too. Then gestured with his head for her to look.
At this time, Sinon had already moved from where she was and stood right in front of Alex, her hand placed on her sword about to draw it.
"Repeat that again if you truly don't value your life!" She proclaimed. "And let me warn you, if you do, I will personally give you a mark even before you get one for an Echo."
Sinon was furious. She had always hated the way Alex did and said things. It never seated well with her. For as long as she could recall he had always cared about his looks and nothing much else. She had already overlooked him but now, he had crossed the line.
"Go on…" Sinon uttered, ready to draw her sword.
"And what would you do?" Alex proclaimed, as he stood up to face her. His expression was fierce as though he was ready for a battle.
Upon seeing this, Sinon knew he had just asked for a challenge. It hurt her pride to see a small fry talking big to her, and she knew she definitely needed to teach him a lesson.
In that instant, Sinon held her sheathed sword which was still at her side with both hands in a ready to fight position. Her hand placed on the sheath as though she was ready to make a good strike.
Then it came.
Her body began emitting massive energy—Othir Essence. It poured out in waves making the entire building begin to shake as chunks of wood and dust began to fall from the roof. At this moment, if she wasn't stopped it was sure to crumble.
At the sight of this massive Othir Essence emitting from her body, Jenna's eyes widened, as she wondered:
'What is this?'
Just when things were about to get overhand, the young prince stepped in and placed his hands on Sinon's sheath.
"That's enough!" He proclaimed, and instantly all the Othir Essence waves disappeared as though his voice alone was five stronger than the waves.
"But…" Sinon was about to speak, when the young prince gaze met hers. His silver color eyes glazed with the small ray of light coming from the candle lit in the room.
As Sinon calmed down, the young prince turned to Alex.
At this point, Alex was already up his guard, he talked gibberish but was strong, however when it came with Sinon it was different.
It was true that she had always overlooked his attitude, but he knew that crossing the line was dangerous.
Sinon was a strong warrior back in Luminastra, and because of her strength and excellent skills, she was recognized by the king and then appointed to service as the young prince's personal guard.
And now with her awakened abilities, she was four times as strong than she was back in her glory days.
"You really should stop it before she breaks your head." The young prince said straight at Alex. "You know you are nothing compared to her strength, so you better stop before she turns you into her punching bag."
As the words left his mouth, a slight chuckle played on Sinon's face as her face turned red.
"Such kind words, your highness." Sinon uttered, her voice calm and soft, nothing compared to the strong told she had on when she spoke to Alex.
Seeing that the young prince stepped in, Alex's heart relaxed, as he knew he would have been dead if it wasn't for his prince. However, Alex didn't show how relaxed and thankful he was but still kept his tough expression.
"Hmph."
At this point, Reynold looked at Jenna and gave her an expression that read, 'you see, there was no need for you to retaliate.'
"We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves." the young prince began: "Instead, we should be forcing on our next move, our next plan. For all we know, anything can happen at anyti–"
Before he could finish his statement, they all began to hear it. Something strange, out of the ordinary, unnatural.
"A voice?"
And then it began clearer…
~Whisper~Whisper~Whisper ~
The young prince's eyes widened as he heard the voice. Instantly, he turned to the others and those who knew what it meant were all bewildered.
"No way it shouldn't have happened until the ne–"
In that instant, the world around them seemed as though it had split into two. However, that was not the case, the ground rotated 360 degrees, and before they knew it they were in another place entirely.
"N–No way, the shift." Sinon uttered, her voice trembling.
While they were all confused and wondering what had happened, and why it happened before the assumed time, a voice among them spoke.
"Oh my!" Echidna, one of the knights uttered, her voice not audible but enough to be heard.
"What is it?" Alon asked, and then Erza shouted.
"Over there!"
Everyone turned their gaze to where she was pointing too, their eyes wide and fixed as they saw the magnificent and ominous structure before them.
Then, a voice let out:
"Is that, a Castle?"