paranoianovel Chapter 5: Aroma
Chapter 5: Aroma
Chapter 5: Aroma
The Royal Palace was located in the very center of the Bright Forest Capital City. The Capital City encircles the Palace grounds, the two being separated by both a tall stone wall and a barrier of lush trees.
The Bright Forest Capital City took up a very large area of space, encapsulating over 10,000 square kilometers of land, making it the second largest city contained within the Augustus Empire, just smaller than the famously grand Imperial Capital.
Under the partially cloud covered sky, morning sunlight fell down onto an extremely large black and silver carriage.
Four horses galloped in tandem as they briskly pulled the carriage outside the confines of the large formation of tall trees, the entirety of which was secured by a large regiment of patrolling armored cultivators.
Underneath the carriage was a wide stone-tiled road that led to a thick, similarly-colored stone wall that stretched tens of meters high, the imposing gates already opening in preparation for the carriages incoming passage.
Once the carriage made its way through the large metal gates, Auslen stood up on his brothers lap as he raised his head to look out of the glass windows.
Wow.
Auslens eyes were dazzled at the sight of the bustling city surrounding him. Huge stone and brick buildings with arches and domes dominated his view. Tall towers and lofty steeples extended proudly into the sky with beautiful carvings and ornamentations adorning them.
The tree-lined streets were remarkably clean, despite the dense crowds of citizens and carriages that navigated them. The citizens outside were donning robes and dresses composed of many bright colors and vibrant embroideries.
At the moment though, most of them were standing still with bursting enthusiasm as they stared at the black and silver carriage with eager curiosity, wondering aloud which members of the Royal Family were taking a trip into the city this day. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not see within, due to the shimmering, sight-obstructing Spell Formations that faintly covered the glass windows.
Auslen sat back down on his elder brothers lap in satisfaction of the breath-taking scenery outside.
It was somewhat simpler yet somehow grander than he previously expected, however, he was a little surprised at the density of people that occupied such a small area. He sort of felt like he was driving through Times Square during New Years.
Aiden looked down at Auslens expression with trembling lips, desperately trying to hold back a smile that was threatening to form on his small face. Distracting himself, he turned to one of his servants seated beside him to give directions to his determined destination.
After passing through a large number of crowded streets and intersections, the carriages wheels finally stopped spinning as they arrived in front of the entrance of an extravagantly expensive looking three-story building.
As soon as Auslen was carried out of the carriage in his brothers arms, he immediately smelled some of the most fragrant and delicious aromas he had ever smelled in either of his lives, stimulating his taste buds to the point of forcing him to swallow his saliva buildup.
He now understood that this building was a restaurant! He couldnt even imagine what kind of food could produce such an appetizing aroma.
He curiously glanced at the beautifully designed sign hanging above the entrance doors, however he could not read as of yet. He retracted his gaze reluctantly.
The entourage entered the building.
Although the insides of the building were as beautiful and luxurious as the outside, the first thing Auslen noticed was that, within such a large restaurant, there was not a singular other person in sight.
Auslen looked around at the accompanying servants and guards, but none of them seemed surprised at the circumstances.
bwothew, wew awe we? wew al da peepo? (Brother, where are we? Where is everyone else?)
This is the most highly renowned restaurant within the entire Capital! The reason you don't see anyone else inside is because the owner kindly cleared out the space for us in advance. Usually, this place is flooded with guests.
Auslen raised his brows but was no longer surprised. He lowered his gaze as some green robed men and women from the upper floor. They hurriedly greeted Aiden and company before leading them upstairs to a large table filled with so many dishes, Auslen couldnt imagine how their group of eight could finish them all.
A rich fragrance flooded Auslens senses as he gazed at the various platters.
Some of the delicacies included glistening rings of sausage, glazed pork ribs, golden deep fried chicken, bone broth soup with noodles, and a plethora of other dishes native to this world that Auslen could not yet name.
A servant stepped forward and waved his sleeves towards the table, sending faint lights shining around the food for a few moments.
Then, the servant nodded toward Aiden silently as he stepped back from the table.
After the indication that the food was safe to consume, Aiden sat Auslen down into a baby stool before finding a seat beside him, excitement prevalent in his gaze. But before he grabbed a dish for himself to eat, he reached to pick up a pleasant smelling bowl of vegetable rice porridge and began to feed the now frowning Auslen.
Auslen was exasperated! Even though the porridge was surely top-notch, he couldn't register the flavor in his desperation. Once again reminded of his infantile state, he lamented the fact that all of this delicious looking food in front of him was not fated for him to consume.
After feeding Auslen a few bites, Aiden then began to dig in like a starving lunatic.
A servant thoughtfully covered the brothers with a wide black umbrella before they began walking towards the opened doors of the Temple of Mercy.
Just as they were crossing the threshold of the temple, Auslen felt a jarring sensation in the back of his head.
This feeling faintly reminded him of some of his solo hikes in the mountains. It felt as if a carnivorous wild animal was hiding terrifyingly close to him as it stalked noiselessly with malicious intentions.
Auslen shivered before turning around in Aidens arms, quickly glancing over his shoulder at the rain-covered surroundings.
Aiden followed his gaze, Whats wrong, Auslen?
Auslen looked around a bit more before turning back quietly in thought. He glanced observingly towards the guards around him. After seeing that they didnt seem to feel anything strange, he replied, it nutin. (Its nothing.)
However, his thoughts told a completely different story.
Im confident in my intuition. Im almost certain that someone or something is at least watching us, but I cant really say anything if this big group of cultivators fail to notice. No one would take me seriously.
I hope that it truly is nothing serious.
Aiden continued inside, holding the increasingly suspicious Auslen in his arms.
As the sound of rain began deafening, Auslen took the opportunity to cautiously take in the surroundings of the temple.
Their footsteps echoed through the large, but surprisingly empty chamber.
Rows of thick, plain stone columns supported the extremely tall ceiling. Crystals that intermittently lined the walls emitted dim lighting that only served to further intensify Auslens growing anxiety.
Turning his eyes forward, Auslens adjusting eyesight could just make out a large and convoluted shadow at the head of the room.
Once the group advanced close enough close enough for Auslen to make out the details, his anxious attention was captivated entirely
Atop of a large throne, a giant statue of a woman, sculpted from what seemed to be pure gold, was seated casually. She was dressed in flowing robes and an intricately detailed crown. Attached to her sides and back were an enormous number of extra arms, and stacked on top of her crown were multiple smaller heads of various sizes.
The exquisiteness of the statue was greatly incongruous to the modesty that the rest of the temple exuded.
The group bowed to the statue in veneration while Auslens eyes widened uncontrollably.
Auslen was truly shocked, positive that he had seen this figure before in one of his travels.
Isnt that? What was her name again?
Looking back towards Aiden, Auslen asked, hoo shee? (Who is she?)
Aiden quietly answered Auslen in reverence, She's the Immortal Mother of Compassion and Mercy. She's the absolute pinnacle of kindness and love. Father actually brought me here a few days before my sixth birthday. It was then that he taught me that all cultivators should carry Her traits within themselves, and that I should strive to carry them as well.
Auslen listened to Aidens introduction carefully, even finding her title disturbingly familiar.
Wait! I remember! Thats Gua
But before he could finish his thoughts, that invasive feeling was suddenly back several times stronger than before, causing Auslen to nearly gasp.
Gaining control of himself before he displayed his sharp unease, Auslen turned around, slowly this time, within his brothers arms, looking back carefully at the entrance of the temple.
This time, he did see something.
Within the dim lighting next to the opened door, he could barely make out a tall shadow-like figure standing there in complete silence.
The figure was not there before.
Auslen was chilled all the way to his bones, but he continued moving his gaze past the figure as if he hadnt seen anything of significance.
Realizing that no one else in the room seemed to notice the figures presence, he was filled with a potent surge of dread.
However, he acted just as natural and calm as earlier, slowly turning around with a cute smile on his face as he sweetly gazed up at Aiden.
bwothew i tiwed. les goe home. (Brother, Im tired. Lets go home.)