The feeling felt odd to Kura. It was odd since they first came to Bleidin. The sensation was similar to having a sense of clarity towards something. Like after washing one's face in a cool stream. The feeling of freshness and awakeness was what Kura was feeling.
More specifically, she felt a connection to the earth. Occasionally, she would notice that a random tree, acres away from her was losing some of its leaves. Then she would take note of a shoot first lifting its bud out of the soil.
Kura had thought of speaking her thoughts to someone, maybe Cold, but the situation was never really right. Therefore, she tried to fathom the cause of her newfound power. Though, the only trigger she could think of was stepping foot on Bleidin.
When they arrived at Antrinita, however, everything became more intense for her. Kura felt something in the earth that seemed unnatural. She was not sure how to describe it, but something was off. What was it?
"So where to from here?" Cold asked. They had just returned from their little detour to Solla's blacksmith friend at the corners of Antrinita. Afterward, they walked for miles but did not find anyone who could give them any information. And the ones who did charge a costly fee. The only thing keeping their spirits up at this point was Cold's undying spirit.
"There should be something around here," Solla examined the map her friend had given her, "A palace."
"Could that be it?" Rayn pointed to something far away. It was a giant building, but unlike the one at Wintershold, this one had white walls and looked more majestic and beautiful.
"Yep," Solla replied, "Do we want to try it out or not?"
"Why you ask?" Kristen inquired.
"Because it's a palace," Solla explained, "People of high standards live there. Royalty, nobles. And it's widely known that Antrinitans aren't exactly the friendliest of people."
"Fair point, but maybe there's someone there who can help us. It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Cold suggested as Kura glanced at the ground. She could have sworn that something was not supposed to be where it is.
Crouching down, Kura tapped at the earth. Quickly, she learned that the material she had tapped was noisier than dirt. With a flick of her wrist, Kura willed the dirt to move and reveal what was under.
"What is it, Kura?" Cold asked, examining what she was doing.
"I have reason to believe that there is something here," she replied as she brushed away the little bits of dirt left on the object.
"What is that?" Cold asked again.
Kura moved her wrist upwards in hopes to have the object move accordingly, but it did not even budge. She then proceeded to find the corners of the object before lifting it manually.
"A trapdoor?" Solla said in surprise, "I've never seen one so large before!"
"What's a trapdoor?" Rayn asked as Kura scanned the interior. She couldn't see much, but Kura finally found the answer to her question.
"Are these tunnels?" Kura asked.
"Tunnels?" Cold peered down to take a look, "Where do they lead?"
Kura closed her eyes and asked a silent question, "Where do these tunnels lead?"
Immediately, an image formed in Kura's mind. She saw the area around her, the top layer of the ground turning transparent and showing Kura where the tunnels lead.
"Many places," Kura breathed, "but also the palace."
"I'll go check if there's anything we should worry about," Mel suggested as she flicked her wrist and a feather flew towards the building.
"Is there a way to navigate these tunnels?" Rayn asked.
"I'm guessing that someone or some people must've used them to move about. Therefore, they should've invented some mechanism or spell that can help them know where they're going," Solla said, "I'm betting it's something inside the tunnels, though."
"Kristen, Rayn, and I will go down first. Everyone else stays up here," Cold instructed as Kura's three friends climbed down.
Kura tried to help as best as she could. She closed her eyes and asked the ground to alert her if anything is going on in those tunnels.
Somewhere to her right, Kura noticed that some people were walking through the tunnels. They were similar to the people at Wintershold, just with different clothes. Back in Wintershold, they bore dark blue and silver hues. While in Antrinita, their clothing consists primarily of dark green or dark purple.
The people also brought different weapons. Though the sword remained, the spears were replaced with halberds.
Just then, Kura's three friends climbed out of the tunnels. Unfortunately, they could not seem to figure out what it is they were searching for.
"Some people are walking our way," Kura reported, "They look like the people at Wintershold, but with dark purple and green clothes."
"Must be from the palace, I saw a lot of those over there," Mel commented, "Speaking of the palace, I didn't see any door inside."
"Knowing Antrinitans, even if the nobles decide to always stay indoors, at least the guards have to leave the palace every now and then," Solla voiced her thoughts.
"Should we try asking those people Kura mentioned earlier?" Rayn asked.
"I think it's a better idea to leave this place," Kristen replied, "We do not need to knock on death's door again."
"Halt!" ordered a voice.
"What?" Kura thought, "Those are the people I saw earlier! How did they discover us so quickly?"
"State your business!" the group of dark green and purple climbed up the tunnels, following their leader in staring down the six of them.
"We're adventurers! We were just passing by when we saw the-"
"Such implausible excuses!" the leader exclaimed, cutting Solla off.
"Good sir," Kura said calmly, "We mean no harm."
The leader eyed her carefully. His green eyes trying to figure out if Kura could be trusted or not.
"Your Grace!" the leader exclaimed, "My deepest apologies for not recognizing you immediately!"
The leader bowed his head at Kura and his subordinates followed his action. Kura was dumbfounded by his reaction, not wanting to put the pieces together.
"King Leon has requested to send you to him at once!" the leader continued, "Please allow me to escort you to the palace."
Kura and her friends were surrounded by the leader's subordinates, so they hardly had another option.
The men led them down and through the tunnels, somehow navigating the maze-like passageways. Kura tried to figure out how they knew where to go, but she could not think of anything.
When they reached the end of the tunnels, stairs led upwards and towards a set of doors guarded by two other people carrying halberds. As they saw the group approach, the two people opened the double doors, letting them through.
And when they were in, Kura felt a pang of nostalgia hit her. She recognized the place too well; the white columns, the large rooms, the regal carpeting. It was all coming back to her.
Although, something else came back to Kura. It was certainly not some sense of longing or 'home', as one would call it. But it felt as if Kura wanted to raise her arms and tear this building apart. She felt some kind of hatred when she saw the portraits of various people in lavish clothing. She felt angered when she saw the double doors full of intricate designs. Like the lightning carving on the doors, Kura felt like turning this place into a wasteland.
When the doors were pushed open by yet another pair of stationed guards, Kura's resentment rose even higher.
At the end of the carpeting was a humongous violet seat, occupied by a blond man with dark blue eyes. His clothes were fancy like the people in the portraits. His eyes shone with the same arrogance and power as them.
The man's eyes scanned the room, taking in all of their faces and attires. Kura was guessing that he was judging all of them, finding their strengths and weaknesses. And finally, his eyes landed on Kura, reminding her of what happened.
"Your Majesty," the leader said, "I bring you-"
"Kura Nolan," the man on the throne spoke as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "lovely seeing you again."