𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚂𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚣𝚎, 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙻𝚘𝚜𝚎 (𝙱𝙽𝙷𝙰 𝚇 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚁)

Chapter 9

Your eyes snapped open but squeezed them shut once again when you were blinded by the light that was filling the room. You grimaced in discomfort as your head pounded and your ears rang. But as you observed where you were, it felt the complete opposite of what you were feeling.

The space you were in was a grand hall, full of chandeliers and portraits of obviously very important people. Sunlight was shining through the stained glass window, illuminating the hall with a red and blue tint.

On wooden stands that were lined up against the walls, flowers of beautiful designs filled the hall with a floral fragrance. The walls had murals of past events, mainly full of war and mythical creatures.

In front of you, there was something that sparked familiarity within you. Ahead of you, on a black platform, was a white throne. It looked like the one you saw while you were at Midoriya's.

Actually... it was the same one. How did you know? It had those same things at the top, the only difference being the throne looked somewhat worn out. You felt compelled to touch the throne so you started walking towards it.

"I see you're here now." The sound of doors opening and footsteps cause you to freeze in your place. You didn't even realize that there were doors behind you.

You turned around and saw an old man, maybe late fifties to early sixties, hobble into the room. He wore coke-bottle glasses and his attire was very... interesting. It consisted of a black cloak with a hood in the back and had a peculiar-looking key around his neck. Overall, he looked like a wizard.

"It's nice to finally meet you, your highness." The man bowed lowly. You raised an eyebrow, still confused about the whole 'your highness' circumstance.

"I welcome you to the Grand Corridor of Zariya. My name is Erkin, Flame Keeper of Zariya. I am thrilled to make your acquaintance." He croaked, wonder and excitement twinkling within his clever eyes.

"I'd like to introduce someone else as well if you don't mind." You nodded slowly, still wondering where the hell you were. Erkin smiled and turned his head around.

"You may come in now."

The doors opened once again and a boy, around your age, walked in. He was wearing a black uniform, the same one you saw during your...episode. But it was adorned with medals and badges, the sunlight reflecting off of them. There were at least 20 in total.

You could see a sword attached to his hip and sheathed, away from sight. He had a neutral expression resting on his face so you weren't able to decipher what he was thinking.

But besides that, he was actually a very handsome boy. His gray hair fluttered from a breeze that had made it into the hall and his piercing gold eyes shone, resembling firey embers. He was quite built and fairly tall, roughly 6'0 feet or 6'1. Taller than any of the guys you knew, to say the least.

He stopped in front of you and eyed you up and down, assessing you. You felt a bit uncomfortable since you thought he was judging you. He cleared his throat and bowed, his hands dropping to his side.

"My name is Pheonix Winters, Second in Command for the Royal Guard. It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. I hope to be of service to you." Erkin hobbled over and tapped the boy's shoulder, allowing him to stand up straight again.

"One thing Mr.Winters forgot to discuss was he is also your personal guard, meaning he will follow you wherever you go while in Zariya, or if you have to visit any of the neighboring kingdoms." Pheonix's eyes lit up in realization but quickly reverted back to his nonchalant expression.

You were starting to feel overwhelmed by the information, mainly because you had no idea what going on. Didn't Midoriya say Zariya fell years ago?