~~~~~~
"Oh my God!"
"It's so pretty!"
"It's even better to look at in real life!"
"Wow~!"
"I can't believe we're going to live here!"
The B and A-Rank students continued to get out of their magical school bus, cheering and jumping around in excitement as they formed a crowd in front of the gates of the Royal Castle.
Teachers, pupils and beginners of all types gathered together and awed at the sight in front of them. They all had been waiting for this day for weeks and it was finally here, they were finally going to spend their two-week vacation at the Royal Castle of King and Queen Marigold.
The only person who wasn't excited was Majestic Academy's very own principal, Emerald Du Marigold, the daughter of the King and Queen of Majestia.
This would be the first time in 12 years that she would visit the Royal Castle and she wasn't pleased. In her mind, she was done with this place forever. She never wished to come back for it held too many nostalgic and tragic memories. Memories of her sister, memories of Henry, memories of her firstborns, and all the struggle she went through because of those people. She was no longer that 18-year-old girl who had gotten pregnant with her first love, she was now an adult in her 30s and she no longer wanted to associate herself with this place.
Yet, now not only did she have to spend two weeks here but she would see her parents occasionally as well, parents who had only caused her headaches and problems the past 12 years. She took in a deep breath, knowing that for her students and school she had to be extremely professional and not let her emotions get the best of her, but that was going to be a difficult task.
They walked through the gigantic metallic gates of the castle, only to be amazed by the large gardens and fields of the place. It extended pretty far and the students gladly walked the way, far too euphoric to care.
The royal castle was huge, 12x the size of any normal house that would be on the streets of Amalthea. It was made of pure crystal which glowed different colours in different angles due to the bright sun shining on it. It was like looking at a fairy tale, a castle or a landscape you could only find in stories and myths. It was bigger than anyone imagined and prettier than all of Majestic Academy combined. Its tall towers reached immeasurable heights and its width so far you could run a marathon around it.
The sky was a pretty clear blue, and the daylight made the crystal sparkle and glimmer under its rays. The greenery was kept well and it was easy to notice the cleanliness and proper care given to it. No rose petal or leaf was left brown and ruined, no tree was absent of its fruits and flowers and it was all placed in such a manner you would think God himself had crafted this beauty rather than Majestians.
The students walked in through the large metal front doors that squeaked as they opened. They all gasped and murmured together as one of the Royal Castles Chamberlain gave them a small quick tour of the place.
First, he guided them through a long hallway that led to huge stairs right in the middle. There were doors to the left and right of those stairs but he explained that those were used by the maids and cleaners as well as chefs of the castle and there was no need to bother them.
The steps then guided them to a long hallway consisting of many double doors with the crests of the many different families in the royal court such as the Oberon Family and the Moon Family of the Elemental Family of Water. Most of these were bedrooms that we're used by visiting guests of other royal courts and chambers for upcoming dukes and duchesses.
They took a left from there and continued on their journey. The Chamberlain made the students greet some of the maids and assistants of the castle who would be aiding them with anything they need during their stay. It was weird, meeting people who would serve you and do anything you ask of them.
Many of them looked to be lower-class people who couldn't afford to make a living. It consisted of many ages and genders, old grandmothers who would struggle with bending down to sweep the floors, young mom's who were struggling to pay for education for their children, teenagers and youths who had to provide for their families, fathers and husbands who were too poor and lower class to be able to sustain any other job.
It made many of the students feel rather guilty and vile. Especially when they were working so hard only to paid so little. This is was one of the first things that broke the student's fantasies of what living in the royal castle would look like. Many students of Majestic Academy that were B Rank had cone through scholarships from lower-class families and it felt rather disgusting for them to take advantage of other people this way. People who were similar to what their own families are like.
It reminded many of them of their families back home and they couldn't help but flinch or stare in shock when the Chamberlain yelled at one of the elderly maids for not cleaning up the floors behind them properly.
It built an air of awkwardness and tension but none of the palace workers and people dared to bat an eye as if it was a normal occurrence.
They continued with their tour until finally, the students reached the fifth floor of the third building. It was a long tour and many of the females had regretted wearing high inch heels and skirts for the trip.
The entire fifth floor was for the use of the school and consisted of so many rooms and halls that it would be so difficult to get around without a map. The rooms had already been divided up amongst students. Groups were placed together and the rest had been jumbled up to fit the occupations. Teachers and the Principal held separate rooms at the end of the hall.
Immediately everyone ran around to find the room that they were staying in. Fortunately, The Silence had found theirs quickly with each of their names on a fancy paper hung on the door.
It was bigger than most, probably because of the number of members. With their bags and suitcases in their hands, they opened the door to reveal not a room, but a whole ass living space. It consisted of multiple bedrooms and a small living room in the middle with a TV, a bunch of couches, gaming space and even a large window which gave out the scenery to one of the man-made lakes in the Royal Castle.
The living room was a warm neutral colour of mocha brown and tan. It was extremely fancy with many rugs, a fireplace, pictures hung on the wall with expensive frames, couches that felt too rich to even sit on and a large chandelier hanging on top.
Jennie, so visibly excited she almost tripped on her heels, ran to the bedroom which had her name on it. She entered and almost dropped her purse to the ground because of how luxurious and pretty it was. The Highlight of the room was the large King sized bed in the middle with light shades of lavender and baby pink giving the room some colour. Embroidery was not solely on the blankets and curtains but also the rugs and small pieces of furniture here and there for decoration. Jennie walked into the room cautiously and glanced around at all the grandiloquent furnishings.
Lisa and Rosé seemed to be sharing a room just like back at their dorm in Majestic Academy. They entered and Lisa cooly put down her suitcases and bags, acting like the formal and expensive furniture didn't even bother her a bit.
The rest of the girls has their separate rooms that were just as elegant and ornate as the others. They couldn't be more excited to stay here for the upcoming two weeks.
The Living Room Area
Jennie's Room
Lisa and Rosé's Room
Jisoo's Room
Wendy's Doom
Irene's Room
Momo's Room
The first day for their stay at the castle would just be for them to enjoy themselves. Meaning that activities and other outdoor pastimes would be scheduled later.
The doorbell –yes the rooms have chimes which you can ring from the outside– rang as the girls lazily and reluctantly got off from their comfortable beds. Having only situated in their fancy new home space, none of them wished to be interrupted.
"Who is it?" Irene asked, looking through the hole. Three people were standing outside, wearing the maid uniforms the students had seen earlier on during their tour.
"Personal helpers of the Group, The Silence, who came here on vacation." Answered a voice.
Irene opened the door and let the three women in.
"Good morning, Ma'am. My name is Sidra and here are my two companions Vidia and Kira who will be your assistants for these upcoming two weeks." The maiden spoke. The girls looked at each other, not sure what to say since this was a rather surprise they weren't expecting.
Sidra was a tall and lanky lady, probably older than the nineteen-year-olds and bowed respectfully. Her hair was long and a crystal blue colour which captivated a lot of attention. Her eyes were a pretty emerald green, her jaw was square and her shoulders drooping.
The one who stood beside her was Vidia. She looks to be younger by a few years, maybe around seventeen to sixteen? She had dark wine-coloured hair that was held in a high pony. Her eyes were black and ominous yet her form was lazy and careless. She looked intimidating and just lazily dragged her eyes around to look at the seven girls whom she was meant to serve.
The third and last girl was Kira. She looked to be Asian and the same age as Vidia, with her eyes a pretty shade of brown. Her long silky black hair was tied in a bun and a small smile was laced on her lips. Her hands were held behind her back as she impatiently swang from side to side.
"We're here for your assistance and to grant your personal needs for your stay here. I hope we can make your experience fruitful and worthwhile." Sidra exclaimed as the seven girls stared at them awkwardly, not sure how to react.
"You have a button on each of the side tables of your bedrooms and you can buzz it to call us. We'll reach you in only a few minutes." Explained Kira.
"Oh, umm, thank you," Irene spoke, clearing her throat. "But I don't think we'll need you that much."
"Unless we have to navigate around the palace!" Exclaimed Jisoo, worried that she might get lost without guidance.
The room then fell into an air of awkward silence. No one knew what to say and they all stood there, staring at any random object they could find.
"So, anyone of you guys the ones who participated in the battles?" Vidia inquired.
"Vidia!" Sidra slapped her arm. "You're being rude." She scolded the wine, haired girl.
"Oh no it's okay we don't mind." Irene quickly spoke up. "Two of us participated." She answered.
"Really!?" Kira asked, a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at the woman in front of her.
"Kira!" Sidra scolded again. This time Irene could only glare at the girl for continuously chastising them. "We're being too inappropriate. I'm sorry." She apologised again, bowing.
Vidia rolled her eyes at the elder before her eyes landed on Jennie and stayed on her figure for a while.
"Oh. Aren't you the Kim Family daughter?" She asked, recognising her after their eyes met.
Jennie awkwardly sucked in her breath before nodding her head, scared to talk more about her relations. "Your parents came back a few weeks ago from their mission–" Vidia was cut off when a weird and gooey substance wrapped around her lips and shut her up.
"I'm so sorry for their manners. I'll make sure to punish them for it later." Sidra apologized, bowing for the third time.
"What is that?" Wendy asked, looking at the bright pink goo that Vidia was struggling with getting off from her mouth.
"It's Morphix. My powers create a substance not known to the human and magic world. It's a gooey and sticky material that only my body can make." Sidra explained as the seven girls came closer to take a look. Jennie stood in the back, not sure how to approach the maidens.
"That's so cool...." Lisa muttered, but before she could touch the sticky pink substance, Sidra drew it away and it disappeared in the palm of her hands.
Vidia dramatically let out a breath of air and glared at the older menacingly. "I was just telling her–"
"No. More. Taking." Sidra scolded as she stared ahead frighteningly.
"Are my parents still here?"
The tension between the two was cut off and replaced by Jennie's question. She bit her lip, nervous. It had been a while since she'd even been able to talk to her parents so she wondered if they were okay.
"Sorry, they left two days ago for another mission," Kira replied as the nervous glint in Jennie's eyes was replaced with a more painful one. "Oh, okay."
Compared to how excited and happy she had been minutes ago it was weird seeing her so quiet all of a sudden.
Jennie's parents were very devoted people. Kind, warm-hearted and extremely loyal. After the War of the Two, Majestia tried to increase its security by sending disguised spies into the human world to make sure no human could ever discover this place again. The consequences of the first war were far too severe to let history repeat itself all over again.
Jennie's parents were picked as international spies for the military army and royal court along with many others due to their abilities. Her father is a tracing eraser, meaning that if he, or anyone else, left any trace marks such as footsteps or their DNA anywhere on the scene, he can easily erase it with his mind. He can even erase traces in technology such as on cameras. Her mother, on the other hand, can mimic any person voice after only having heard it once. Putting these two together would make a great team of spies that can easily help others and themselves escape sticky situations.
But due to their jobs out of Majestia, they barely spend time at home, leaving their only daughter by herself. Jennie didn't mind this as much, she was just happy to have such loving parents when she knew many members of The Silence could not afford such a privilege. Not only that, but she was proud of her parents for serving such an important role to protect their land.
The rest of the girls knew of Jennie and her parent's relationship and knew not to talk about it often as she preferred to not talk about them in case she started missing them again.
"Will everyone visiting from our school have people who'll serve them?" Asked Wendy. The long trail of silence was cut off as now everyone paid attention to their servers.
"Yes, everyone here will have their servants." The word servant made them cringe as this was a term they weren't familiar with.
Living in such an independent school as Majestic Academy they were often taught about responsibilities and such at a young age. You were roommates with people and expected to keep the place clean, cook at home instead of ordering out and keep a good eye on your academic achievements. The only thing similar to this at their school would probably be their cleaners but they weren't as formal with them. Many students referred to them with casual greetings and without any small talk. The cleaners knew everyone, and everyone knew them. They weren't treated as low-class people or disrespectful, such as in the Royal Castle. The feeling was quite different and the girls wished to do mundane tasks all on their own, as that's how they were used to it.
"Well, umm, I hope you can be comfortable with us," Rosé started, "We aren't royalty so you can just relax."
Vidia raised her eyebrows questioningly at that as Sidra looked like she had grown two heads. "Really?" Vidia asked, amused.
"Of course! We aren't that far apart in age I assume. I'm sure we can hang out without all the formalities." Rosé cheered.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but we can't do that. It's ordered from the Queen herself to serve you. We must not speak so casually since we are low class and you noble." Sidra spoke.
It made The Silence feel a little awkward, they weren't expecting such formal treatment. They didn't want any personal maids, they just wished to be together so they can enjoy their time. The formalities would ruin all their leisure and liberty.
"She doesn't have to know..." Lisa whispered but caught herself when Kira's face turned into one of absolute horror. "No! The Queen knows everything and we must not disobey her." She firmly stated.
This only made Lisa scrunch her nose in annoyance. So what if they were lower class, that didn't mean that they would be treated like this. Lower class people have rights and dreams, why are they always treated like this by the noble?
"Whatever," she muttered in irritation, going back inside her room and shutting the door firmly.
"Come on, girls. We must leave our masters to be alone." Sidra spoke, guiding the other two out of the room and leaving the girls to stand there in silence.
"What was that?" Momo mumbled, feeling the weird tension building up. "I don't know, but it was just super bizarre," Irene answered before motioning for all the girls to disperse and do their own thing.
At this, Jisoo finally found her moment to grab Wendy and talk to her in private where no one else could listen in on their conversation.
"Hey, Wendy. Can I talk to you for a while?" She asked as the Auburn haired girl nodded her head.
She dragged her to her window where no one was visible and faced her.
"Why did you ignore Mark at the party?"
Jisoo wasted no time and dived straight into the topic. The abrupt and bold question made Wendy stutter in confusion. "W–what do you mean?" She asked, an innocent look reflecting in her eyes.
"I mean, you completely ditched him at the party. What's going on with you? I thought you liked him?" Jisoo interrogated.
"What do you mean? I do like him!" She defensively retorted. "It didn't seem like it. You were hanging out with Yoongi the entire time. Mark ended up sitting with me for the night before leaving early. And you didn't even notice!"
At this, Wendy stayed silent. She hadn't realized that she had ignored him so much. She has been so worried about making sure the double holders felt okay that she had neglected his feelings.
Yoongi was frustrated about his parents, he wanted to know about them, but he wasn't telling anyone. Being a psychic, Wendy could tell immediately that he was troubled and wanted to make sure he was okay. That's why she had been hanging out with him that night, but she had no idea that it might come off wrong to Mark.
"Look Jisoo, Yoongi was just feeling troubled. As an empath, I couldn't help but make sure he was okay. I didn't know Mark thought of it like that, I didn't mean to ignore him." I explained to her, hoping she would understand.
"Well, you've got to explain that to him. He thinks he's completely lost you," Jisoo exclaimed, "I know you like him a lot, Wendy. Please tell me you won't miss this shot just because of a small misunderstanding." Wendy nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Thank you so much for telling me." Jisoo only smiled in appreciation before patting her on the shoulder and going off to watch some videos in her separate bedroom.
That day, was one to remember for each of them. The excitement of living in the Royal Castle still hadn't worn off, the thought of that happening felt so surreal to them.
All seven of the girls preferred to stay inside their large living space rather than interrupting their other friends next door. They wished to enjoy their first day by themselves because they knew that there was plenty of time for altogether activities later on.
The sun quickly set without any warning and its rays of sunlight gone without any trace left behind. The crescent moon was so huge and visible to the naked eye at the height of the building they were staying in.
During the day, the castle looked like a fairytale. Sparkling like clear water, glittering under the sun, crystals that changed colour at every angle, towers that reached immeasurable heights, gardens that looked like they were meant for the heavens and so much more. It was a bright and active place. So much was happening everywhere. Maids would always be bustling in the corridors, cleaners always sweeping and dusting off the dirt, Chamberlains and Courtiers observing the jobs of others and supervising everything. And now, even the loud noises of students messing around and giggling at the expensive furniture could be heard too.
It was like living in your favourite fairytale. But of course, fairy tales aren't real, and there's always the true Grimm Brothers stories that provide you with the harsh realities instead of unrealistic expectations.
Here in the castle, there was a huge difference between the noble workers and the lower class workers. There was a lot of mismanagement and unnecessary hate towards the lower class that often ruined the mood of the Majestic Academy students. They were raised by their headmistress and teachers to treat every form of living thing equally, and it was violating to see some of the dumb and obnoxious higher-paid workers abusing the lower class people, especially since they were already struggling so much.
The Royal King and Queens personal Chamberlain who had given them a tour at the start of their visit had to be the worst of the worst. He would constantly mock the maids and cleaners, sometimes he would even be caught abusing them by kicking them or slapping them in the face. It was such a dreadful sight, and what shocked them more was how openly he did those dire acts. Not to mention his occasional excuses when one of the students would try to stop him.
"They're lower class, don't worry. We need to treat them this way so they work better and know their place." He would say, a smile on his face, showing his crooked teeth.
And so the day would be filled with all sorts of activities and bustling of shoes and hurried steps. But the night was a favourite of The Silence girls.
The crescent moon shone so big and brightly, reflecting in the large lake that flowed by their windows. The stars glowed ever so beautifully and the soft noise of crickets and night creatures could be heard.
No longer was the palace active and bustling. Now it was quiet and peaceful. It was mysteriously dark and intriguing, tempting its visitors to take a look around secretly. The hallways and corridors were dim and its bright colours reduced to more dull shades. There were night lights hung by every other door and provided a moderate amount of glow. Everyone was asleep, tired of the early morning movements and motions. Now was the time for relaxation and benign beauty.
Wendy slept in her warm and cosy bed, her feet reaching only the midsection and body only taking up a quarter of the bed. She slept as she had never before, her neck had never felt so supported and her back never so satisfied.
She moaned her sleep, feeling something tickling her ears. She shifted from one side to the other, but the soft tickling continued.
She brushed off whatever was at her ears and yearned to continue her slumber. For a while, it stopped. She sighed in comfort and satisfaction, digging a deeper hole in her bed and feeling its warmth oozing off the comforters and large blankets.
Suddenly, the tickling began again. Infuriated by being interrupted in her affluent slumber, she sat up angrily from her bed and looked around to find the intruder.
Much to her surprise, she was no longer in her bedroom. Gone were the white and gold sheets and the fancy furniture which was then replaced by dirt and dried leaves. The black walls and curtains were no longer existent and she wondered how she made it out of bed.
She was outside in the vast and luxurious gardens of the palace. She had only noticed the place during the daytime and observed its murky and eerie appearance during the night. A light air of fog covered the floor and chilled the area, making her shiver. The plants and trees that looked so lively during the day were now tall and gloomy. The lights had been turned off which made it have a similar impression to the Forest of Doom back in Majestic Academy
Abruptly, like a flick of a switch, as if a page of a book had been turned, the dark and gloomy fields of the gardens were now burning bright orange and red. Smoke filled the area instead of fog and screams manifested through the long eerie silence.
Wendy noticed that this wasn't light, but a fire. Flames were surrounding the castle, burning the rose bushes and turning them to ashes. She heard the distant screams and cries of help but they sounded muffled, she couldn't make out who it was. The fire burned her eyes as tears slipped down, the smoke made her cough excessively as she tried to find her way out of the massive garden. The scene looked familiar, perhaps she had witnessed something similar but she couldn't remember it clearly.
Then again, the scene in front of her changed.
She couldn't see the fire anymore, now she was inside the palace, but it didn't seem like the grand and flamboyant place it had once been. Now she was in a room, it was dirty and ashes covered the floor and furniture. A gigantic hole was made in one wall where Wendy noticed a window once was. It was like someone had blasted it, leaving a huge crater in the middle.
Her eyes noticed a bloodied Yoongi on the ground. He was limping and tried to run away from something. She couldn't see what it was, it wouldn't let her see what it was.
"Stop. Stop, you don't want to do this." He desperately spoke to the unknown figure. "Oh, but you don't understand how much I would love to do this right now." The voice replied, unfamiliar and unrealistically deep.
"Move, Yoongi. Move!" She wanted to scream but nothing came out of her voice.
A sudden burst of dark energy started to build up from where the unknown figure was standing. Wendy looked at Yoongi in desperation as he watched what she couldn't see in absolute horror.
Her heart started pounding in her chest. She was panicking and her breathing started to go uneven. She looked back and forth between the unknown figure and Yoongi. She so desperately wanted to scream, to yell, to pull him away to safety. But she couldn't even speak a few whispered words.
"Nayeon, Stop!!" Yoongi growled, as the dark spell glowed so bright it blinded Wendy's sight of vision. She coughed as she took in the smokey air and her eyes shed tears as the dust entered them. The ground beneath her was torn apart, large and irregular blocks of cement thrown around the room probably due to the blast on the wall.
Wendy fell to the floor, putting her hands to her chest as she breathed more and more irregularly. She felt small rocks and sand beneath her body as her vision was blocked by the purple light that surrounded the whole room.
"Infinite Chaos!"
Wendy lost sight of Yoongi, the light blinded her vision and she could finally hear herself scream out his name in agony and pain.
She could hear the grief and heartache in her voice as she continued to yell out loud. She felt so much pain in her heart, it was unbearable. She started hitting her fists on the ground, not caring if it hurt her hands. All she could think about was that he was dead.
The blast would have easily killed him. The energy, the power, the strength, it was far more powerful than anything she had ever witnessed before.
She continued to scream, to mourn for him, to hope that maybe the pain would stop, wishing that what she witnessed wasn't real.
He's dead.
"Wendy? Wendy, wake up!"
He's dead. Min Yoongi is dead.
"Hey! Calm down, everything is okay!"
He's dead. He's gone forever.
"Son Seung-wan!"
He's dead. He's never coming back.
"Goddamit Seung-wan, wake up!"
"MIN YOONGI!"
Wendy screamed, coming back to reality. She jumped up from her bed, her eyes wide open and her lungs so out of breath she could barely keep her head up.
"Where is he!? Y-yoongi! He's–he's dead! She killed him!" The frightened girl continued to scream
"Hey, hey, Wendy, it's fine. He's okay, nothing happened to him." Rosé comforted, hugging the Auburn haired from the side and rubbing her arm in comfort.
The other five girls sat on her bed and gave her worried looks as she continued to have hiccups and sniffles. The room stayed silent like that for a while, no one moved and they all worriedly stared here and there.
"Wendy," Irene called out with the most gentle tone she could muster. "What happened?"
Wendy looked up at their leader and a sudden wave of courage took over her. She tried to breathe normally again, exhaling and inhaling as she struggled to find her voice.
"I–I saw him–" She started speaking but now the scene was fuzzy in her head. All she could remember was that bright purple light and the amount of strength and power it held. It could have killed so many people.
"I saw him get killed by Nayeon." She bravely spoke up, remembering hearing the girls name coming out of Yoongi's mouth.
Lisa came to her side and rubbed her back in comfort. "Hey, it's okay now. It was just a dream, my brother wouldn't die so easily." She consoled, a proud smile making its way up her lips.
"No, Lisa, you don't understand. Wha–what I saw wasn't just some dream," Wendy started, the horror of her words already frightening everyone.
"I saw his future."
Yikes.
Soooooooo,
Not only will we see a bloodied Jungkook from her previous precognition but we might also see Yoongi dying because of this one...
Haha... Pls don't kill me :)
Word Count: 5277
~Hazel