Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Mysterious phenomenon
An hour ago...
Rowan hurried down the corridor, trying to catch up with Carlton. As he turned the corner, he found himself alone in an empty stretch of hallway. The usual royal guards were conspicuously absent. clenched his jaw, frustration evident across his features as he scratched the back of his head.
"Where in the world did Duke Carlton disappear to? I hope nothing’s amiss..."
It was then that he realized Kastiel wasn’t trailing behind him as expected. Furrowing his brow in thought, Rowan scanned the area for any sign of Kastiel’s presence.
As he pondered whether to wait for Kastiel or continue searching for the duke alone, a distant figure caught his eye - Kastiel sprinting towards him with urgency etched across his face.
"Rowan!!!" Kastiel called out breathlessly as he drew near. "Where’s Duke Carlton?! Did you lose track of him?!"
As Kastiel paused to catch his breath before Rowan, the latter shook his head in response, a note of frustration laced with grudging admiration in his voice.
"I lost him. You know that even when Duke Carlton was sick, he still moved with agility and speed beyond what’s normal for humans."
Despite the frustration in Rowan’s sigh, there was an undercurrent of pride in his words. As Carlton’s confidant, he always took immense pride in the duke’s strength and battlefield accomplishments.
Kastiel’s brow furrowed thoughtfully for a moment before he posed a question.
"Given we’re still within the crown prince’s wing, it stands to reason that he must be seeking out Prince Alaric... wouldn’t you say?"
Rowan nodded slowly, realization dawning on him. Rowan nodded slowly, realization dawning on him. Indeed, considering Carlton seemed to hail from some distant future and was utterly besotted with their crown prince, the odds seemed overwhelmingly high that Carlton had indeed found his way to Alaric.
Kastiel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, weighing the late hour against Carlton’s importance and friendship with Alaric. He knew disturbing the prince was ill-advised, but given the circumstances...
"Do you think we should go to Prince Alaric’s chamber and ask him about this?" Kastiel posed the question, seeking Rowan’s input.
Rowan let out a heavy sigh, mirroring Kastiel’s dilemma."I hate to trouble His Highness at this late hour, but given Duke Carlton’s peculiar condition and its urgency, it may be prudent to discuss this matter with Prince Alaric."
Kastiel nodded in agreement. As they prepared to make their way towards Alaric’s quarters, a sudden sound of approaching footsteps interrupted their plans.
Turning around, they found two royal guards standing behind them. One of the guards stepped forward and addressed Kastiel directly.
"Sir Kastiel," he began urgently, "there is an unusual occurrence in the palace garden that seems connected to Duke Carlton."
Rowan and Kastiel exchanged stunned glances before quickly composing themselves. Without hesitation, they turned on their heels and strode purposefully towards the garden.
"Lead the way," Kastiel commanded, his tone brooking no argument as they set off to investigate this new development.
As they approached the hedge maze, Kastiel couldn’t shake a sense of unease. The recent events surrounding Carlton’s collapse in this very spot two nights prior weighed heavily on his mind. That incident had marked a drastic shift in Carlton’s demeanor - from his usual stoic and aloof self to an almost unrecognizable flirtatious persona, complete with the bizarre twist of him manifesting as a pregnant man.
Now, as they drawing closer, Kastiel’s eyes widened as he caught sight of an otherworldly spectacle unfolding within the maze. In its very center, electric sparks danced and flickered behind the hedgerow wall - at times darkening to near-blackness before bursting forth with an almost blinding brilliance against the backdrop of night. The eerie display seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy, casting strange shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in time with its erratic flashes..
Kastiel and Rowan exchanged a glance heavy with apprehension and curiosity. Rowan turned to one of the royal guards stationed at the maze entrance, his voice tinged with urgency and concern
"What is that strange occurrence? And what connection does it have to Duke Carlton?"
The guard quickly responded to Rowan’s query."While on patrol earlier, we witnessed Duke Carlton emerging from within the hedge maze at a hurried pace. Shortly thereafter, those peculiar noises and intermittent electrical discharges began emanating from near its center."
One of the guards chimed in, adding to the mystery. "We also couldn’t determine what lay at the heart of the maze. When we attempted to enter and investigate further, an inexplicable force seemed to impede our progress, making it nearly impossible for us to move forward."
The other guards nodded in unison, confirming their colleague’s account. This revelation only served to pique Rowan and Kastiel’s curiosity further.
Leaning in close, Rowan whispered his thoughts into Kastiel’s ear. "Do you think this could be proof that His Grace is indeed... traveling through time? Perhaps he isn’t suffering from some mental affliction after all?"
Kastiel whispered back, his voice low and contemplative. "I’m not entirely certain... but I have a strong suspicion that whatever lies concealed within the maze’s center is somehow responsible for Duke Carlton’s transformation. It may hold the key to unraveling this enigma."
The two men exchanged a look of understanding before turning their attention towards the hedge maze entrance. Together they took a step forward, eager to explore this strange phenomenon.
However, just as the guards had described, an overwhelming pressure seemed to bear down upon them, making each step a monumental effort. It felt as though gravity itself was conspiring against their forward momentum, defying the natural order.
Kastiel’s brow furrowed in concentration as he strained against the pressure, his muscles tensing with the effort. Rowan gritted his teeth beside him, planting his feet firmly in an attempt to forge ahead.
Despite the immense pressure bearing down upon them, Kastiel and Rowan managed to take small but determined steps forward. Each stride required a herculean effort, sweat beading on Kastiel’s brow as he strained against the unseen force.
Amidst their struggle, they began to discern snatches of voices carried on the night air.
".....ton.....!"
Bzzzzzzttttttt
"...cal.....cas...!!!"
Bzzzzzzztttttttttt
The words were distorted by an incessant buzzing sounded like electrical interference that seemed to pierce their eardrums. The cacophony made their heads throb.
Kastiel summoned every ounce of his strength, muscles quivering with exertion as he pushed onward. Rowan remained focused and methodical in his approach, steadily closing the distance despite the mounting resistance.
The guards watched in awe as Kastiel and Rowan progressed further than they themselves had managed, covering over two meters in total. However, they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of embarrassment at their own inability to overcome this obstacle beyond a mere thirty centimeters or so.
As Kastiel and Rowan neared the three-meter mark, an abrupt change occurred. The oppressive pressure began to dissipate gradually until it vanished entirely, leaving their bodies feeling weightless once more. They exchanged a puzzled glance, unsure of what had caused this sudden shift.
Just then, one of the guards called out and pointed towards the heart of the maze. "Look! That peculiar electrical sparks has ceased!"
Indeed, the eerie sparks that had previously illuminated the night sky were nowhere to be seen. An unsettling stillness settled over the garden as Kastiel and Rowan stood poised on the threshold of discovery.
Rowan’s eyes widened with sudden realization like a bolt of lightning. He shouted to Kastiel, his voice echoing through the hedge maze as he sprinted towards the center where the mysterious sparks had vanished. "If this pressure has dissipated, it means whatever we sought to investigate will likely disappear as well! We must hasten our pace before it’s too late!"
Kastiel comprehended the gravity of Rowan’s words in an instant. The truth behind their quarry would undoubtedly vanish if they delayed any further. He took off at a dead run, hot on Rowan’s heels as they navigated the labyrinthine paths.
The guards, roused by Rowan’s urgent cry, joined in the desperate pursuit with all haste. Yet despite their best efforts, the distance that should have been manageable stretched out before them interminably until at last they reached what ought to have been their destination.
But there was nothing - no trace of anything unusual or out of place remained within sight. The guards frantically searched every inch of the surrounding hedgerows for any sign of what they sought but found only disappointment.
Rowan and Kastiel, hearts heavy with the same crushing disappointment, assisted in the futile search. As they stood there amidst the now innocuous foliage, Kastiel tried to maintain a positive outlook despite their failure.
"Well... at least we can confirm that some sort of anomalous phenomenon was indeed occurring here," he offered, his voice tinged with a forced optimism. "And it’s clear that whatever transpired must be connected to the drastic changes we’ve observed in Duke Carlton. This revelation alone is worth something."
Rowan nodded solemnly in agreement, though his eyes remained fixed on the empty space before them as if willing some clue or sign to materialize from thin air.
