Cermin sighed while looking at the balcony at his palace.
“I wish I could see Ronin. It’s so boring in here.”
It was his coronation night, and all he ever did was to talk and talk with people here. And he used to love to talk…
But not anymore. He only love talking around certain people.
Like his friend, Ronin. Even when Ronin barely talks back and usually just nods and agrees.
He went inside to get more wine to drink, but got blocked by another noble lady again.
“Your Highness, I am—“
“Nice to meet you.” Cermin bowed and took his leave, still looking lazy eyed.
The only women who does seem to care about flirting with him or seeling their daughters to him was these three girls that stayed huddled in the corner.
One he was familiar with. Countess Rea from the Elementi Realm, who he recalled used to work as a nanny to the House Zafeiri.
It really was strange, seeing a noble work under another noble, but the Elementi realm was much more impoverished than the Celestus realm. Their nobles were the equivalent of queen ants against giant humans that can step on them.
The other two were vaguely familiar, and he came to recognize their faces as workers for the House Zafeiri as well. But only during the funeral of Duchess Akasa, and not anymore for Belladonna’s 5th birthday.
One kept on bickering with Countess Rea while pushing up her spectacles smartly, and the other being an airhead and looking at everything she sees with much admiration, mumbling to herself.
“Welcome back to Celestus, oh great Countess Rrrrea!” The one with spectacles rolled her tongue dramatically and also bowed just as dramatically. “How does it feel to be back to the land where you became an attendant?”
“Surprised to see you still an attendant, Queen’s Chambermaid Axi.” Rea said. “On your nephew’s coronation, no less. “
“Half-nephew and he doesn’t even know me.” Axi rolled her eyes. “Nor did his mother know I was the daughter of her father-in-law. Other than that, it has been disintegrating to be back in the palace besides spending time in the Royal Library.”
Their other companion kept on mumbling with eyes wide. “The utensils here are phenomenal however the nobles must be finding it difficult to pick between several spoons and forks and knives for different food, maybe if I can invents a Super Utensil that can be utilized as all of it all at once—“
Countess Rea tugged at her sleeve. “Calm down on the inventing ideas, Esa. This is why you have no suitors to this day.”
“And you are still unmarried too, I hear.” Axi sneered again. “I don’t see a ring either. That really is a great irony for a maiden to say.”
Countess Rea scoffed. “I don’t intend to marry nor do I need to. There’s no pressure for nobles to marry in the Elementi realm unlike in Celestus.”
She took Axi’s hand. “I don’t see any ring on your hand either, so don’t be so arrogant.”
Axi took away her hand. “I don’t intend to marry either. I am well satisfied with my life and can perfectly function without a man.”
Cermin envied their friendship just as much as he envied his four harem member’s camaraderie. It really sucks that all these girls can enjoy life with their friends, while here he was as the main character with nothing left but Ronin.
He went back to the balcony still sighing, and found himself getting a bit drunk and closing his eyes. And as he closed his eyes, still thinking about his best friend…..
He suddenly saw him.
Sitting crossed leg, floating in outer space.
All around them were stars and galaxies and constellations for miles and miles.
Ronin took a while to just examine his surroundings, before going for a swim in space.
“Where is it?” He mumbled to himself. “Where’s the Core—“
“Ronin!” Cermin swam much faster than him, and already reached his side. “Hi! You’re here! What are you doing in my dream land?”
Ronin blinked upon seeing this prince unexpectedly during his meditation, and took a while to register whether he was real or not.
But from the way he speaks and his reaction alone, he can tell that he was real. How the fuck did he get in his meditation headspace?
“Your dream land?” He said, baffled. ‘Cermin meditates?’
“Yeah! Whenever I close my eyes and just forget my surroundings for a moment, I always go here! In space! It’s very cool, right?” Cermin grabbed on to his shoulders.
He poked Ronin on the cheek. “Are you real or are you a dream? Either way, I’m so happy to see you! It’s my coronation night and it’s just so lonely in there! I missed you a lot, man!”
“I see. Your coronation night, huh.” Ronin nodded. “Congratulations, Crowned Prince Cermin.”
‘Now could you please leave me the fuck alone while I look for the Core?’ Ronin wanted to say, but instead said:
“Wouldn’t the people be looking for you? You shouldn’t stay in this ‘dreamland’ for too long.”
Cermin blew a raspberry. “Pfft, they are always looking for me but I just avoid them. I’d rather talk to you. How was school? Anything interesting that happened while I’m not around?”
‘Nothing that I will tell you about, that’s for sure.’ Ronin said.
“Yes… Some things.” He just said vaguely. “Anyway, I have to go do something so I can’t talk much with you. See you later, Your Highness.”
He tried to swim away past a supernova, bur Cermin swam after him.
“Let me join you! What are you planning to do here anyway?”
Ronin sighed from annoyance, but then again…..
If Cermin goes here in the Other Side often and always accidentally meditates…..
Would he know where the Core is?
“I’m looking for something in here. Something that’s…. special.” Even Ronin doesn’t know what the Core looks like, and none of the meditation books and anything related to it ever did describe it.
They all just throw a bunch of fancy, nonsensical explanation like the Core being ‘the Essence of all Essence’. Or the ‘Bind of the both the Immaterial and Material’. But none of them described whether it was like a glowing ball of light, or a flame, or anything helpful, really.
If Cermin did see it, would his dumb brain even recognize it?
“Hmmm….. Special?” The newly Crowned Prince of Scirocco rubbed his chin. “I did see this weird….. Thing. This thing that I have never seen like anything in my life before.”
Ronin raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“It’s so….. Glowing. And also kind of dark at some parts. And looks very hot, but cold as well. Oh! Oh! And very big, but also very small! “
Ronin: … … …. ….
“That doesn’t help at all, Your Highness.”
Cermin scratched his head. “Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense. But it was moving, like a pulse, and there are four stars circling and dancing around it.”
Now, that’s a better description. Something pulsating and surrounded by four stars.
Though it might take a while to find it with the endless stars around here.
“Can you take me there?” Ronin asked.
“I don’t know the way anymore. I just saw it once and never again.” Cermin said. “But I can try and help you—-“
“Cermin, dear! Why aren’t you at the ball?”
They both then heard a woman’s voice, and Cermin started to flicker.
“Oh shit, that’s my mom! She’s pulling me out of the dreamland!” He exclaimed. “I’ll talk to you later, Ronin! Please keep swimming in my dreams again next time!”
Ronin thought about it, and then pulled on his sleeves.
“You’re always busy but I really need your help on finding this special thing, so how about this, Your Highness? I will send you something that’s diamond shape and purple. It will help us communicate faster than paper and we can talk to each other in real time.”
Cermin blink. “Like a phone?”
Ronin did not agree with that because he wasn’t supposed to know what a phone was, and instead said:
“Once you and I are both free, we can communicate with each other with this thing and share this dreamland again. How does that sound?”
Cermin nodded excitedly. “That sounds awesome! Alright, I’ll be waiting for this diamond phone and talk to you again once I’m free!”
“Cermin… Cermin, dear…..”
He flickered back and forth like he was glitching, and went to give Ronin a quick hug before he goes. “It’s really nice to see you again. I’m happy that we can at least be together this way.”
Ronin did not respond, but something about the way he said that made his heart move faster and remember something…
Something that happened to Ou a long time ago.
“Isn’t Shimeifen cool? We get to meet even just in this VR world! You can always talk to me even when we go to different schools, Ou!”
Then that feeling was gone as Cermin burst into a bunch of pixels and vanished from the Other Side.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m