"Here we are, the most splendid and gracious palace in the world!"
Ludo exclaimed in excitement as his home came into view, an elegant, luxurious palace that had been around for more than a century.
It was indeed the Karagiannis Palace; no one would mistake it for anything else, regardless of whether they didn't know the Karagiannis family.
Aafeen stared intently at the palace, studying its architecture and multiple floors.
It truly lives up to its name, though I can't say whether the residents here are entirely friendly in the novel because it barely mentions them…
Ludo noticed that Aafeen was scanning over the palace and nudged him, smiling pridefully like always.
Waves of shock went through Aafeen's body as he regained his focus, following Ludo into his home.
They were greeted by the gracious smell of cuisine, mostly soft, manageable food that was easy to eat. The aroma made Aafeen's mouth water.
The food here smells delicious! When I first read this part of the story, it made me so hungry that I ended up eating the rest of my leftover food from two days ago…
Aside from food, the palace did not disappoint with its multiple floors, mostly consisting of occupational opportunities and economic discussions. There were guest rooms scattered out, made from materials that no longer existed in this world. Aside from the current rooms, the family members of the Karagiannis family slept on the last floor, viewing the sky above.
"Mister Aafeen, come with me. I will lead you to my family for the outcome of this devastating journey!"
Aafeen was surprised by this sudden comment. Even though he knew that Ludo would lead him to his family, he didn't expect to be called "mister". After all, in his previous life, no one really interacted with him unless they asked for something from him.
Aafeen didn't push further on this comment and followed Ludo once more, watching the everyday life of the guards and servants as they walked by in fascination.
Ludo had no problem going up multiple floors, as he had gotten used to feeling pain in his legs, but Aafeen certainly didn't have experience like Ludo. His body wasn't used to climbing up large stairs or running; he spent most of his days sleeping soundly and reading any new books from series that he was interested in, so this was obviously a chore for him.
After multiple excruciating minutes of walking up the stairs of the final floor, Aafeen and Ludo reached the meeting hall strictly for members of the Karagiannis family. As Aafeen scanned the room, four other people looked his way, conflicted with another visitor caught in this strange predicament.
"Who is it now? This child barely looks seventeen! Brother, can you please stop doing this? It's already getting out of hand with you bringing people here every day!"
A man's voice interrupted Aafeen's examination of the room, and he promptly looked over to see who the man was. He was tall in appearance, around 5'5", and weighed 120 pounds. His sapphire blue hair and dark violet eyes gave an impression of a dangerous ally in battle. He wore a tiny red crown covered in a flower accessory, a bandage covering the right side of his face, black gloves, a white scarf, and a tattered brown knight outfit with grey trousers and black boots.
Aafeen knew who he was, and he immediately stared at him intently, locking eyes with the man. The man was Ludo's twin brother, Elliott Karagiannis! Despite being slightly taller than Ludo, he looked somewhat identical to Ludo in appearance but lacked personality.
Ludo's eccentric and prideful personality didn't compare to Elliott's calm, easily angered attitude. He would get infuriated at the smallest of reasons, and this was a time that Elliott would get exceptionally angry.
"I can't believe you did this again! Harming innocent people just for what?! Glory? Attention? What is it?!"
Ludo hesitated, fearing that he would face his brother's wrath once more. He finally spoke in a quiet voice.
"I…didn't mean to anger you again…I just—"
"You what? Say it! I don't care what it is, just say what you were going to say!"
Aafeen stayed quiet during this troubling interaction between the two brothers; he didn't want to interrupt them.
But then, a woman's voice started to answer in prayer, making Aafeen focus on this sudden change of topic.
"O Mother Honesty, yet another guest has arrived at me once more.
"I pray, Mother Honesty, that this boy doesn't meet an end so terrifying that it shakes the earth.
"O Mother Honesty, shed me your knowledge once more, to let me see the end of this unfortunate circumstance.
"And to let this poor boy home safely once more!"
Mother Honesty? …The God of Honesty?! This woman is Ludo's and Elliott's mother, so that means…Honesty is their Grandmother?! This God definitely had a long time to live, so it wouldn't be impossible to birth a child decades ago…
Aafeen was stunned that he was in the presence of a God's child, and he quickly calmed himself down to drown suspicion.
"Tell me, boy, what is your name?" The mother asked, concerned for Aafeen's well-being.
"It's Aafeen," Aafeen replied. "Aafeen Pharos."
"Aafeen Pharos, it's nice to meet you. How about you follow me, and I can get you settled on where you will be sleeping tonight, alright?"
Aafeen nodded, following her, thinking to himself.
According to the story, Aafeen will stay here for three days, meaning I might have enough time to get knowledge out of Ludo during that time, but for now, I must act accordingly so as not to provoke anyone.
As Aafeen followed the siblings' mother, he realized how grueling these days were coming, and he needed to act fast to prepare himself for the upcoming events of the story.
But, how troubling will it be to impersonate someone whom you only know from a book? Augustine had no clue that later, he would encounter a tragedy that would forever change him…marking the start of an endless spiral of insanity and the change of history itself…