On arrival, they were met by someone who seemed strange.
By appearance, he was huge, wearing an odd outfit that seemed strange to Ash; he had a large frame ,wearing a brown jumpsuit with a black tight shirt underneath.
The outfit seemed highly tactical, similar to those used by Navy SEALs.
But it was much more practical than the one used on Earth, since, of course, there was magic, which made everything better.
The man acted as their guide, taking them to the office of the main commander of the Bastion through high elevators and long corridors, which he wasn't surprised about.
The man had just come back from a battle, and they had to wait a little in what looked like a lounge.
Right from where Ash could see, the 'rift or Gates ' looked like a solid giant tear going from the ground up to the sky.
Not to even talk about its sheer size, and this wasn't something that was meant to be measured ordinarily with a mind as fragile as his.
The wait didn't last long, and Ash was surprised since he didn't look like what he had imagined: a tall, burly-looking man with a lot of muscles.
But he looked almost the opposite, standing at nothing more than six feet four, with not much muscle to offer in body size.
But if there was anything he learned, it was that it was dangerous to judge a book by its cover,
As he had seen in this world, the definition of normal was not the same as it was on Earth, and even the feeling he got from the man made him increasingly uneasy.
"Greetings, your majesty, " the man whose name was Sir Nicholas said with a polite bow.
and it was to his aunt, not to the soon-to-be prisoner.
But it was normal for him, even before this; it was a normal occurrence for him to be treated as if he were invisible, so he didn't mind it.
They talked alone for a while in hushed tones while Ash stayed not too far away from them.
He couldn't make out what they were talking about; they could be negotiating his fate, and he wouldn't know.
He did not really care about it, since his life was now in the hands of someone who looked stressed.
" I'm leaving now, so is there anything you need to tell me, or a message to pass across to anyone ?" his aunt asked, looking at Ash, who really did not seem bothered, but then something occurred to him.
"Oh yes, can you help me tell Karl that he should be careful with that thing he calls a fiancé. "
A rare but amused smile appeared on his face as he jested.
" He shouldn't be surprised when he wakes up with a blade to the neck."
His answer made her frown since the number of people who knew that Karl was seeing someone was really low, and this gave her a subtle feeling that something wasn't right.
But like the other members of the house who always underestimate him, she quickly brushed it off, and knowing her, he knew she was going to take anything he said with a grain of salt.
*****************
"Listen, kid, I have to say this now because we would hardly ever be meeting again in the future, " Sir Nicholas said in a calm tone as they made their way through a dimly lit hallway heading deeper into the bastion.
"Your aunt bought you five wishes, and it has to be within my power and mind you, I'm no king or genie, but I'll try my best to help and be quick with it."
His eyes remained where he was going as they made their way deeper, heading towards a bulky vehicle that looked more armored and tailored for battle instead of being used for transport.
A loud engine roared as the vehicle made its way through a dark tunnel, with the only source of light being the vehicle's headlights.
'Five wishes? not good.
Ash frowned at the thought of it. The family he knew hardly ever did anything for charity, and every action taken had a reason.
'They want a debt. '
The thought of it made him feel extremely uncomfortable, and owing one wasn't something he could afford in his state.
Ash was extremely hesitant, and the thought of it left a bad taste in his mouth, but he couldn't afford to be a picky beggar in this scenario since it would greatly be of benefit to him.
After a little thought, he came up with a few things.
"First, I would like to ask for a good room."
"Second would be access to the bastion library."
"Third would be a place that could act as a workshop; it would be preferable for it to be close to the area of residence. "
"The fourth would be for me to be put in a squad that's tough and always busy,"
"What about the fifth ? " Nicholas asked with a growing intrigue towards the child he had just met.
"..... I want to save it for another time, or rather, I want to earn it. "
Ash listed those things calmly with a distant expression, and when he turned to look, he noticed Sir Nicholas had a somewhat bewildered expression; at least it was obvious he didn't expect such words from a kid.
Ash was not like other kids, and hell wasn't in the situation other kids wanted to find themselves; he had to use the little he had to get as much as he could.
"I can help you with the other ones except for the last two ….. I'm going to need a good reason? " he said, now intrigued with the kid who was in front of him; this time, he had his full attention.
"The first being obvious, I have to be able to become stronger than my current state."
" ..... the second being that I want to have a goal that I can hold onto temporarily until I find a proper stand, and there is nothing more satisfying than what you earn yourself."
Ash gave a reply that satisfied Nicholas and impressed him mainly with the way his mind worked.
Even though he was scared, he still didn't show it on the outside, acting like it wasn't getting to him.
When Nicholas was told that he was going to be convicted as a child, he was expecting one who would be brought in kicking, scratching, and crying for help.
But he was in every way what he didn't expect: a child way too smart for his age.
And then he began to wonder with a mind of this nature.
Was there a chance he hadn't done what he was being convicted for?