Phantom Of The Ball

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The room showed no signs of settling down. The man at the heart of the chaos, Phantom, stood directly in front of us suitors. His eerie smile pierced my psyche.

I was still having trouble processing what had just happened. Amber just... vanished. Along with her, Queen Veranda, Princess Mavis, Duke Cleishay, and Senator Pierre Kawar based on the headcount taken in the ensuing confusion. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were more, but this abduction appeared to be coordinated. I looked down at the ground.

Amber…

In addition to the white mask, Phantom wore a sharp-looking black tuxedo and a bow-tie. His slicked-back platinum blonde hair, and blue eyes were the main physical characteristics I could point out on the lanky individual.

"What have you done with the Queen, you villain!?" Cedrick yelled, pointing his outstretched finger towards the masked intruder. “Guards, seize that man!”

The guards that were posted around the entryway suddenly charged towards Phantom, at Cedrick's command.

"Ah, ah, ah! Let's not be too haaasty, and ruin the fun." With a simple wave of his wrist, the guards were swallowed up by rifts in the ground.

What the–!?

In their place emerged figures bearing a shocking resemblance to the Queen's guard. Only... They were entirely shrouded in black, their glowing white eyes the only thing adding contrast to their shadowy bodies.

"What, who are you—!?" The dark marionettes rushed Cedrick, holding him hostage with their swords. Cedrick clicked his tongue in response. "What is the meaning of this!? Tell me who you are!"

"I told you, I am The Phantom. I happen to know you quite weeell though. Phantom turned his attention towards Cedrick. "Ah, yes. You're the elf I was told so much about by my informants. Unless you would like me to—let loose—a couple secrets of yours, I would recommend letting me explain before you try something like that again."

Cedrick looked distraught as he clammed up rather uncharacteristically. Does Phantom truly know something about Cedrick? And what's this about secrets? I wondered to myself.

The whole situation made me feel uneasy. Those who hadn't already fled the ballroom were frozen, watching the scene unfold in disbelief. I was among the several folks who had yet to move a muscle.

I heard the sound of knuckles cracking beside me, and I found Henrí clenching his fist with hatred in his eyes. A powerful aura surrounded the Senator. The threads on his shirt were unraveling at the seams as he appeared to be getting larger.

"Bring my father back... RIGHT now!" Henrí growled, baring his teeth.

"I understand your frustration, Senator. Although, I would not recommend activating your beast transformation here.” Phantom wagged his finger. “Lest you make an even bigger mess of things, and then I'll neeever get to explain how you can get them back..."

While I wondered what he meant by ‘beast transformation’, Phantom's last line, in particular, gave us pause. Henrí seemed to calm down at the mention of a possible resolution.

"Get them back!?" I decided to chime in. "How can we go about doing that?"

"How fantastic! Someone asks a question rather than barking a command." He gave a small golf clap and a chuckle. "I will be veeery happy to answer your question, Yamada Sakuta-kun."

A chill ran down my spine. I had yet to have even one person refer to me with an honorific since I had arrived. Which would mean...

Does he know… where I’m from?

"Ahem! Interruptions notwithstanding, I will now explain how the rest of the night will play out." Phantom created a tear in the space in front of him and pulled out a large stack of scrolls. With a snap of his fingers, they appeared in the hands of all the suitors lined up instantly. Including Count Cleishay, Senator Henrí, and I. “How about a rhyme or two?”

“A rhyme? This fool can’t be serious…” Count Cleishay muttered beside me.

"To save the Queen, and all her court. You must humor me with a game of sorts.” Phantom began.

“For every hour you find a clue, a hostage will be returned to you.”

“If in that hour, you come up short? A certain traaagedy may befall the court..."

His giddy excitement escaped through his words. He was really hamming it up, and I could tell he reveled in making such a show of explaining his plans.

"Only suitors for the throne may play this game, but a helper I may grant you. It's all the same." He shrugged with a smirk. "Use the scroll, now. And don't you prattle. If you may succeed, meet me here... for the final battle."

“Wait, what do you mean!?” Henry called out, but it was too late.

“Hehehe–HAHAHA!” In another burst of mist, the Phantom disappeared as fast as he had made his entrance. In his place was a large hourglass, ticking down the time.

“Unbelievable…” I shook my head.

The shadow puppets dematerialized, releasing Cedrick from his bindings. A collective sigh of relief filled the room, but the peace was only temporary as the man's sinister words finally set in. Panic returned, just as it had been before.

"What the hell was that, Cedrick!?" Poppy yelled with her finger pointed at the man. He looked utterly defeated, kneeling on the ground. "That bastard said he knew you. What are you hiding, elf!?"

"Miss Poppy, please calm down." Jewel was trying to act as the voice of reason, but I could see a similarly distressed expression on her face too.

She had watched Amber suddenly disappear, just as I had. I could only imagine what she must be feeling. Actually... I didn't have to imagine. I clutched the front of my shirt. I suddenly remembered the piece of parchment rolled up in my other hand and decided to unravel it.

According to what that man said, this is our ticket to saving the others. There's only one issue...

"I can't read a damn word of this..." I muttered to myself. Many of the suitors had wandered off with their scroll in hand to discuss with their entourage. Phantom did say that we could employ helpers. We were all in this together, but nobody seemed to be coordinating with one another. Together...

"Now you know. For the sake of my father, and your family. We will make it there. Together."

Amber's words replayed in my head. I knew it was up to those of us still standing to save her, but I couldn't even do something as simple as reading the instructions. My illiteracy had reared its ugly head. Thankfully, I had a few trustworthy allies.

"Poppy, Jewel!" I came running up to the two maids as they were grilling Cedrick, saving him inadvertently in the process. "You too, Cedrick... I need all the help I can get."

My faith in the man was greatly shaken after his previous exchange with Phantom, but I couldn't afford to waste any time. If what Phantom said about the hour was true, then we didn't have much time to waste. I was betting something would happen once the hourglass finished counting down.

"Sakuta!?" Poppy looked surprised. "Uhhh, sure. What can we help with?"

"As much as it embarrasses the hell out of me, I can't read or write in this world's language yet." I looked down, my face reddening. "I need your help to decipher this scroll, and figure out what our next steps are. I'm completely incapable by myself... But Amber wouldn't shrink away from a challenge. How about it?"

"You don't even need to ask." Poppy smiled. “We'll do what we can to assist. Jewel?”

"Ah, you're completely hopeless, aren't you?" Jewel turned her head to hide her expression, but held out her hand for the scroll. “Here, give it to me.”

"Thanks, you guys." I happily obliged, placing the scroll in Jewel’s outstretched hand.

"You've sure changed a lot, Sakuta." Poppy noted. "It must be Amber's influence. I've been noticing a change in the Princess too, lately. It's like... her spark is back."

I guess that's true in my case...

To think that someone like me could change so much so fast. It would have been unthinkable a short time ago.

"This is just a bunch of stupid riddles." Jewel discovered. "The first one says: ‘I can run but cannot walk. I have sound but cannot talk. I have a bed but cannot sleep. Here you will find the one that you seek.’ Any ideas?"

A bed, but can't sleep...

"I've heard this riddle before, I think. It describes a river. As in, riverbed.” I guessed. “But we're in the middle of the city... Do you guys have anything else like that around here?"

"There's the canal outside the castle before you reach the lower levels of the city?" Poppy said. “That might be the best place to check."

I happened to catch Count Cleishay run out of the ballroom with his entourage in tow. His team must have figured out the first clue as well. It wasn't like it was a race, so I paid little attention to it. Abruptly, someone else walked up to our group of four.

"Excuse me..." It was Senator Henrí. "I couldn't help, but overhear your discussion. My men and I were having trouble figuring out the riddles ourselves... But we'd like to offer you our assistance if we can."

He prostrated himself in front of us, leaving us speechless. His soldiers—fellow beast people—also followed suit.

"My father is important to me, and so is Amber. We can offer fighting strength in case of trouble. In exchange for your help in solving the riddles." Henrí offered his heartfelt plea. “Will you lend me your aid?”

I hesitated for just a moment, because of my jealous episode earlier. It was completely my fault at the end of the day though. Letting go of any selfish thoughts, I held out my hand.

"We'll be counting on your help... Henrí." I helped the man to his feet as the bright nice-guy smile returned to his face.

"Then, Sakuta... To the canal, we go!" He clapped once, and his men made their way to the door. Poppy and Jewel followed them.

"You coming, Sakuta?" Poppy asked, glancing back at me. I stood next to Cedrick, who was still slumped on the ground.

"Give me just a second, please." I looked down at Cedrick. "We're trying to save Queen Veranda and the others. I understand how you must be feeling, but…"

I paused for a moment.

“There’s something that only you can do, right?” I asked.

“I’ll go… gather the guards.” Cedrick stood up, dusting himself off. “And.. I appreciate your concern, Sakuta.”

“Don’t mention it, C.” I smiled despite the apprehensions I had.

With that matter settled, I set off with my allies in the direction of the canal outside the castle.

Just wait, Amber... We're coming to save you.

7.2

Life in the city below carried on like normal, as if there weren't something dire going on in the castle above them. For everyone's sake, it was a good idea to keep our mission discreet if anyone happened to ask. Even I knew that much.

Although... Many people had already escaped the ballroom. A panic might very well be on its way if we didn't find the royal family soon. Our newly formed team descended the steps leading down from the castle. We went in the direction of the aforementioned canal, not having any other leads to follow.

"What is it exactly that we're looking for when we get there?" I asked Jewel who still held the scroll. We scanned the edges of the canal for clues.

"I don't know any more than you do. It was all pretty vague. Here you will find one that you seek." Jewel repeated. "It could be another clue, or maybe..."

"Hey hold up, I think I see someone fighting over there!" Poppy exclaimed, pointing down the walkway towards a man battling shadow puppets on his own. It was dark, but I was able to make out what he was wearing. The fancy white tailcoat and blonde hair told me instantly that it was Count Cleishay.

As we got closer, we could see a small rift in space a short walk away from the Count. Tucked inside of the rift was a lone girl. It was Princess Mavis, the first of the hostages. Our hunch was correct in coming here.

"Charles!?" Henrí exclaimed. "We need to go help him!"

Something feels off... Why is he alone?

He had left the castle with a group of people, including some guards. It was strange to see him fighting by himself. Unless...

"Wait!" I called out as everyone started to push ahead.

Before he could take off running, I put out my arm to stop Henrí. His men pressed forward without any reservations, or mind for their own safety. It was a costly mistake.

"No, you morons!" Count Cleishay yelled, glancing back at us. “It's a trap!”

It certainly was. Shadowy hands burst from the ground, grabbing Henrí's men by the handful. The group of beast people were dragged beneath the surface of the cobblestone as if it were water. Their shouts of terror echoed into the night.

"No!" Henrí shouted, exasperated.

Much like the Queen's guard, they re-emerged from the ground as shadow puppets. Turning our own allies against us was admittedly pretty horrifying, but a genius strategy all the same. We played right into Phantom's hands.

Seeing that I was practically defenseless, I wondered if it was wise for me to come out here in the first place. Poppy walked over and stood in front of Jewel and me.

"Poppy what are you—?" I began.

"I'll fight these monsters here with Henrí. Amber would never forgive me if something happened to either of you." Poppy said. "Sakuta, try and see if you can sneak around and pick up Princess Mavis from that weird rift."

"Will you be alright?" I wondered. Other than pulling a knife on me during our first meeting, I never expected I would see Poppy duking it out in a fight.

"Don't worry about me. My beast blood might not be pure enough to transform like the Senator's, but I can still knock some heads in when I need to." She punched her palm with her other fist. "Unless you can produce some of that fancy magic Amber told me about..."

I really wish I could under these circumstances, but...

My attempts at recreating what I produced on Aurelia's Tear were met with repeated failures. I still had no understanding of how ‘materializing’ worked, let alone how to apply it in combat. Poppy nodded silently as if she understood without me having to answer.

"Then go. Jewel, stay behind me." Poppy said. Jewel nodded silently in agreement.

"Shadows, or not... I trained these men myself. They're not gonna lie down easily." Henrí spoke to Poppy. "But you look ready."

"My job description extends beyond household chores. The Queen and her daughters are like my family. And besides…" Poppy cast a determined look on the rift housing Mavis. “Us beast folk are pretty prideful. I was born ready!”

"Come on then!" Henrí called at the shades of his men. The shadow puppets rushed the two demi-humans, wielding the same halberds they used in their non-shadow forms.

Henrí had a halberd of his own, but it remained on his back as he used his claws instead to tear through the shadows. He fought with a ferocity unmatched by anyone I had witnessed besides maybe Amber. When a shade would be defeated, it would simply evaporate leaving nothing behind which I thought was a little strange.

Where are the corpses?

Seeing my opportunity in Henrí’s rampage, I made a mental note of where the hands emerged from the ground before and snuck my way around. Things went pretty well at first.

I'm almost there... Wait what's—!?

Unfortunately, I failed to account for one hand that hadn't bothered to spring up the first time.

"WOAAAAH!!" The shadowy limb exploded from the ground, grabbing my ankle in the process.

Just when I thought I was a goner...

"Watch yourself!" I saw a flash of white, and the shadowy arm was slashed in two with a golden rapier. I landed on my backside, painfully, but mostly intact. Upon looking up at my savior, I was annoyed to find that I had been saved by Count Cleishay of all people. "Do you commoners have no self-preservation instinct at all?"

"Thanks, you saved me..." I exhaled, ignoring his insult. I had thanked the Count more in one day than I ever thought I would in a lifetime. "What happened to all the other suitors that joined the search, and your men?"

"They met the same fate as the Senator's best soldiers. I tried to warn them too." Count Cleishay flipped his hair. “Nobody ever listens to a pretty face, I suppose.”

Or maybe it's that you're as greasy as a burger chain restaurant, and nobody trusts your word. But that's beside the point...

"We should pick up Mavis, and get out of here before more shadows ambush us." I suggested. Cleishay didn't say anything, but he followed me to the rift with his usual smirk.

I peered into the void where Mavis was lying down, safe but unconscious. It appeared to see some sort of pocket dimension, but the room looked a lot like the castle's interior. It had a small bed, but no other recognizable features inside.

Do I just... reach in?

There was only one way to find out. I took the initiative and reached into the rift, picking up Mavis in my arms.

"HEE–YAAAH!" I happened to see Poppy deck the last of the shadows with her fist, sending it flying. She came running up to us, almost out of breath. "You guys found her! Thank goodness. Is she...?"

"Sleeping, it looks like. She doesn't appear to be hurt." Count Cleishay said. Jewel and Henrí came walking up, rejoining our group as well.

"We can count ourselves lucky, then." Henrí smiled. "You certainly haven't lost your edge, Charles. I always thought you would make a better front-line fighter than a nobleman."

"Then your eyesight must be as poor as Yamada Sakuta's here." Count Cleishay replied. “All this fighting is terrible for my skin. I can't wait to be done with this, and find my father so we can go home... Maybe I'll take a bath."

Well, that eyesight comment was unnecessary! Though a bath does sound nice right about now…

"Speaking of home, I'll bring Mavis to those waiting back to the castle. Can I trust you guys to look for the others until I return? Poppy asked the three of us. “Sakuta, Henrí? You too Charles..."

Like me, she didn't appear to be thrilled that she had to rely on Count Cleishay, but we were already down on fighting power with the shadows claiming many of our initial group members.

"You got it. We'll find the others, and meet you back at the ballroom." I agreed.

Poppy took Princess Mavis in her arms. A voice called out abruptly, interrupting our reunion.

"Veeery good! By working together, you have passed the first trial. Four hostages remain, but this could take awhile..." Phantom's voice played in my head. Based on the expressions of the others, it wasn't just me who heard it.

"I made a slight rule change, I sure hope you don't mind. I'm giving you but one mooore hour. And all four hostages, you must find." Phantom snickered.

All four hostages within the hour... How would we even manage something like that!?

"And one more thing that I forgot to mention. I'll split up your paaarty to divide your attention.” Phantom said. “SEPARATE!"

At Phantom's command, several rifts opened up beneath our feet, splitting up our group. Count Cleishay and Senator Henrí fell into rifts of their own.

"Sakuta!" I began falling, but Jewel tried to pull me back up. It was no use... I was much heavier than the petite Jewel, and she was pulled into the rift right alongside me.

The last thing I saw was Poppy's look of horror before the world suddenly went dark.