>Chapter 25<
"Did you just say another world?" The boys all shouted at the same time.
They never thought that he would openly admit his knowledge of them being from another world, but his next words baffled them even further.
"Hmm, Why are you acting so surprised? Aren't you guys from another world?"
"N-no we are... it's just..." David stuttered because of this unexpected development.
"You didn't expect me to be so nonchalant about this knowledge?" Caedis tilted his head. "You wouldn't believe me, but when I found out about it, I was pretty shocked. If I hadn't seen your memories directly, I might not have believed if someone just told me about it."
"But how can you accept that we are from another world so easily?" Jacob asked.
"Why? Should I feel stressed? Should I panic? Should I be happy?" Caedis smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a serious expression. "I just accepted it. You see, there are some things that you just have to accept whether you want to or not… but you already know that, don't you?"
The boys just lowered their heads. They knew what he had just said was the truth.
"And, most importantly, what does it have to do with me that there exists another world?" Caedis didn't stop speaking. "It doesn't concern me in the slightest. I do not have anything to do with that world of yours, and I don't care about it."
There was brief moment of silence where the words said by Caedis just settled into the minds of the boys. But Caedis didn't give them the chance to digest everything and continued.
"So, you wanted to know how I knew that you were from another world. Correct? Well, I already answered that one. Next question, please."
Things were going way too fast for the boys. They didn't even get the chance to let all those words sink in.
"What about our earlier one? How can you speak in our language?" Patrick repeated the boys' question from earlier.
"It concerns a technique of mine and it has something to do with the soul. But, worry not, I will teach you this one because it will definitely come in handy in the future." Caedis replied.
"Do you have any other questions?"
The group hesitated for a moment before asking the question that has been at the back of their minds this whole time.
"Why are you so nice to us?"
This question made Caedis's smile freeze. The boys thought that they had made a mistake asking that question for a minute and started regretting it. And the laugh that slipped out of Caedis's mouth really didn't help them calm down at all.
"Kukuku…"
"Uhm…" They wanted to interrupt him and tell him to ignore this question because it did sound impolite and made them sound ungrateful.
"No worries, no worries." But the man replied before they could even say anything and looked at them. "I understand that you're being distrustful, after all, I would feel so as well if I was thrown into a situation like this, so I do not blame you at all. In fact, I'm glad that you're not entirely naïve to believe everything that is said and given to you."
The boys smiled a little at this praise. Though, it may sound like they were being childish with their reactions, it was a nice change of pace from the stressful life in the forest.
"Though, it seems it is still not enough. It's like you didn't learn anything from your encounter with the werewolf." But their happy mood was destroyed when he continued with his words. "You still accepted my proposition the moment I asked you if had made a decision, you were under pressure and answered right away without thinking it through. Not only that, but you even come to the dining hall, expecting a peaceful dinner in a completely unknown place. What if the food was poisoned? What if the clothes had some curse on it? You even went into a shower in this unknown place without paying attention to your surroundings. And last but not least, you were way too carefree when Albert made the illusion. It was as if you knew we were going to bring you out of it. What if we just left you inside of it for eternity? What would you do then?"
"I apologize if I'm being too honest, but you're still way too naïve."
Those words rang out like thunderbolt inside the boys' minds. They didn't find any words that could refute this statement. They wanted to, but they knew it would just be childish to get angry over it. It was the truth, after all. Something about this statement made it sound like an insult, sadly, it was the harsh reality and not someone's made up fiction.
Seeing the change in the gazes of the boys, Caedis's lips formed satisfied smile. He didn't want to waste such good talent just for them to die because of their own naivety later on. He knew what kind of world the boys came from and wanted to steel the boys' minds and make them adapt to this new environment.
The world wasn't going to wait for them to make a decision and it certainly wasn't going to help them with whatever mess they get into. Even for the other races, they were just sacrifices to start a conflict that would require even more sacrifices to cease existing. And even with all that, the world still wouldn't care.
The world is basically built upon the strongest of beings that exist. And they don't care about a soldier that just got decapitated with a sword. They won't even bat an eye after seeing the soldiers grieving family. All the beings under them are just pawns for them to use, their strength and power.
There is no person that didn't feel drunk on their own power. The boys weren't drunk on power exactly, but on the relative peacefulness of their world. They never experienced the struggles of the people who live in zones where war and conflict are daily occurrences.
Only the harsh reality can wake those up. And this is what the boys need right now, to wake up and face their struggles head on and not avoid them. Only after that can one overcome those difficulties so they can look at themselves from the future and laugh at their own past, stupid self.
Only then would they be able to stand at the top. Whether it's being a king, an emperor or even god is up to the person and themselves. Only their imagination can limit their climb to the top.