Encounters in the Life of Ginger

Chapter 4: Nicolas and The Assembly

The night started to fall when we walk our way to the assembly area. As we took our way I realized the landscape was quite familiar. It looked like a village inside an old forest. Although not exactly the pictures I saw on some books, the view looked similar.

Most of the houses style were decorated with intricate wood carvings. Every kind of house have different door designs like its their identity, not like I've usually saw in the house subdivisions or condominiums where almost everything are similar.

Besides, this is not my world anymore. My world was just simple, no magic and other sorts of weird stuffs. Not like this.

I felt really weird and cold while walking in this strange place.

Please don't say to me that this is only a dream (although I really wished it was). Honestly speaking, I had washed my face with cold, freezing water, stomp my foot into something hard a dozen times, and already slapped my face a hundred of times. But unfortunately, it didn't work. I had to wear the ghostly white dress and attend the assembly that I don't have a clue at all.

Finally, the long walk to their augury walls (they called their session hall like that) ended. I thought it was grand and full of lights but they never fail to surprise me.

There were no bright lights on the dark wall perimeter. Just a low campfire at the center. I only hear low voices despite the crowd around were quite huge in number. People around were quietly taking their seats around the stone staircase-like seats.

We took our seat at the back. We were quite elevated in our place and I could feel the cold wall stone in my back.

I wanted to talk loudly after the whole quiet walk but surely I will catch the attention of everybody. I'm not used to be always silent and to be stuck in a meeting where I don't know what it was going to talk about. But another thing is: I. Have. No. Choice. But. To. Keep. Silent. Right. Now.

...

...

...

...*kroo* *kroo* *kroo*...

...

... *kroo* *kroo----

I can't take it anymore.

"Does it really take so long to start? What if the assembly won't be really happening?" I whispered to Ophelia at my left after long minutes of waiting. "Can I now go back on the way?"

"You can't certainly do that, Gertrude." I tried to settle my breath but the way Ophelia looked at me while saying my name in a serious tone wasn't helping. "Every magician in this constituent should be here and that... includes you." She added.

Before I could reply back the entire crowd went dead silent. The next thing I heard were clicks of footsteps on the stone on the other dark entrance. It wasn't like a proud and fast footsteps. Just low and cold.

The darkness of the night masked the owner of the footsteps as he entered the assembly hall. Seconds later the low campfire illuminated the owner.

His attire completely opposed the people present in this hall. It was complete black. Black pants, black leather jacket, and a black cloth he wore as a slash instead of white like what we are now wearing. He had dark messy yet silky hair that compliments his pale skin. He looked like he hasn't slept for weeks and was bombarded by a sudden news, deported to a mission without warning then unfortunately ended up in a different place.

I am pretty sure in the next microsecond that I knew the person immediately by looks.

He's the Nicolas they've been talking all about.