The Realm Of Phantasm

ACT III - The Rendezvous

Luella's

I was so confused. I don’t know where the guards are taking me. They didn't tell me anything. Every time I tried to ask, they would just keep their mouths shut and ignore me.

I bit my lower lip. I don't know what's going on. First, I woke up in this unfamiliar, weird-looking world called Realm of Phantasm. Second, the Palace guards and swordsmen kneeled before me and called me 'The Gladiator' and now, this?

"We're here, Gladiator." The Palace Guard beside me spoke. He bowed his head before opening the huge door in front of us. "The King is waiting for your arrival."

"K-King?"

"Yes. He's been waiting for you." The Guard widened the opening of the door. I didn’t have a choice but to enter that place. Two of the guards followed me.

When I made my entrance inside the huge door, I was welcomed by a blinding light. My eyes closed by itself because the light was too bright for my eyes to handle.

"She's here."

I slowly opened my eyes and my mouth slowly parted when I saw a room full of beautiful flowers. There are flying creatures and small floating lights swarming on the beautiful flowers.

My jaw almost dropped on the floor. That room is so prepossessing.

"Woah..."

"Is the view that astonishing Gladiator?"

I immediately looked behind me.

A tall, beautiful woman with galaxy-colored eyes and long pointy ears was already standing in front of me.

My eyebrows furrowed while looking at the woman.

"You're breathing fine." The woman said to me. I nodded my head.

"Why?" I asked her. I thought she was going to answer me when suddenly, she bowed her head and kneeled before me.

"Welcome to the Realm of Phantasm, Gladiator." She said and slowly stood up.

"W-what?"

"We're in the Garden of Land of the Elves. The air is in this dimension is not safe for mortals, the air that we-the Elves, release in the air is poisonous."

"Huh?" My eyebrows furrowed even more. I seriously don't know what's happening. We're in the Garden of what?

"You're breathing just fine which means that you're not a mortal being."

She smiled at me and snapped her fingers. I gasped when a fog suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

As soon as the fog disappeared, we're already in a different place.

"W-What just happened?" I asked the woman beside me. She smiled at me and faced in the other direction. She kneeled again.

"The Gladiator is here, my King."

I followed her eyes and looked in front of us. I felt my heart leaped when I saw a man sitting on a throne-like chair in front of us. Beside him is a man with an expressionless face. The man stood from his chair and approached them.

Why does he look so familiar? Why does she feel like she knows this man?

"Are you certain that she's really the Gladiator, Elder Guardian?" He asked the woman beside me.

"Yes, my King. I brought her to the Garden before bringing her here. She wasn't poisoned when she inhaled the air from our dimension." The woman called the Elder Guardian said to the man standing before us-the King.

He then faced me and smiled.

"Welcome to the Realm of Phantasm, Gladiator." He said to me.

The man with long hair beside him kneeled in front of me. "Welcome to the Realm of Phantasm, Gladiator." He said and stood up. The man also has an expressionless face and he looks unamused.

"Uh..."

I'm lost for words. I don't have any idea of what's happening right now. I don’t have any idea as to why they’re calling me the Gladiator. I don't even have any memories of me in the past! I just know my name!

"Um-" My words were immediately cut off when a little girl and two giant men suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The little girl is wearing a black robe and is carrying a scepter. She's just staring at me with her lilac-colored eyes.

"Gladiator, this is Firei. She's the Necromancer of the West, she specializes in teaching magic arts and behind her are the Guardians of the Sacred Boarder. They are here to welcome you." The Elder Guardian said to me.

"Greetings, I'm Firei. Actually, I'm not here to welcome you but to inform you that I am the one who's been in charged by the King of the Realm of Phantasm to train you and teach you-"

"Wait, wait, wait! Just wait!" I shouted. They all stopped and looked at me with confusion visible on their faces, including the King.

I cleared my throat before talking again.

"I seriously don't know what you guys are talking about. I don't know what's happening! Really! I don't know why you're calling me the Gladiator! I don't even know why I'm here!" I said to them. Their eyebrows furrowed and they looked at each other.

I bit my lower lip. I think I spoke too loud.

They all looked at each other. I stepped back when the King suddenly approached me.

"What are you talking about? You're the Gladiator. You're the Savior of this Realm. It's in the Prophecy."

"I-I really don't know."

The King looked at the Elder Guardian.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked the Elder Guardian. The Elder Guardian approached me and held my hand. Suddenly, her eyes started glowing.

"Your eyes are glowing-"

"Your eyes are also glowing which means you're the Gladiator." The woman said before letting go of my hands.

"I don't know what's happening, my King but she really is the Gladiator."

"Check the Profitéia. Now!" utos nito sa Elder Guardian. The Elder Guardian did some hand movements and suddenly, a large book appeared.

The woman opened the book and my eyebrows furrowed when I saw the letters moving as if it’s alive.

"Oh... the words are changing." I said. They all looked at me with confusion and shock on their faces.

"W-What?"

"You can read the Profitéia? You can see the words?" the Elder Guardian asked me. I slowly nodded my head.

"Yes... why? Is it a bad thing?" I asked them.

"No... it's just that, I'm the only creature in this whole Realm who's able to read the book of Profitéia.... My King... she's really the Gladiator."

"Elder Guardian, Necromancer and Haji, let's go to the Nympth’s Realm. Guardians, watch the Gladiator, don't let her out of your sight. We'll be back." Just after the King said those words, they dispersed into thin air leaving her and the Guardians in that place.

---

King Louis Ramesses'

"You're here."

I looked at the Nymph of Desire and Seduction with my eyebrows raised. She smiled at me.

"Are you aware that the Gladiator doesn't know anything?" I asked her. She scoffed.

"You didn't know?" My eyebrows furrowed.

"Darling, Louis, we’re just mere Nymphs, we can’t do anything. We just know that the Gladiator is the only person who can save us from the future g******e of our people.”

I let out a sigh.

"How do we activate her powers?" I asked her but she just shrugged at me.

"We don't have any idea. Try training her, maybe her powers will activate."

“What?”

"Why don't you just help us? Why are you making us suffer?"

"Oh my King… you know that we can't." she said while smiling at me.

"The Ordeals are Ancient creatures and they're way more powerful than us. We’re just Nymphs and we can’t help you we’re stuck here because of the curse. The only one who can defeat the Ordeals is the Gladiator—no one else. You know that, it's in the Profitéia. As much as we would want to help, we just can't. Sorry, my King."

I clicked my tongue and exited the Realm. Haji, Firei and the Elder Guardian welcomed me outside of the foggy exit of the Nymph Realm.

"My King-"

"Haji, start training the Gladiator. Teach her how to combat. Elder, teach her about the spells and Necromancer, you know what to do."

They all nodded their heads.

"We must activate her powers no matter what."

---

NOCTURNALBEAST