Outworld: Awakening

One month later.

Adam and Wallace sat in the cabin of a crowded air ship. Unlike Adam who gazed at the endless expanse of desert below, Wallace lowered his head; his seat rumbled as he snored.

"Mummy, does that man have a problem? Why is his snoring so loud?"

A little girl asked as she tugged at the sides of her mother's robe. Her gaze lingered on Wallace, as if that wasn't enough, she pointed her little fingers at him. Drawing the attention of other passengers.

"Petra, be quiet. Don't point, that's rude." The middle-aged woman chided.

Raising her head, her eyes fell on Adam and Wallace, 'Where did these people come from? Their clothes look so worn. What could they be looking for in Dratol? How did they even afford the fare?' She thought.

As this thought filled her mind, Adam's gaze shifted towards her direction. Staring into his limpid blue eyes, she felt as if he could read her inner thoughts. Flashing a shallow smile, she hurriedly turned her head.

Just like her, most of the other passengers wondered how Adam and Wallace could afford the expensive fare to Dratol. Compared to the luxurious clothes most of the passengers wore, theirs were plain and worn. Unlike the lady, some passengers subtly voiced their discontent; however, neither Adam not Wallace paid them any mind.

"Are you still pretending to be asleep?" Adam whispered.

"These bastards have been making fun of us since we departed. It's only fair I annoy them, too."

Adam chuckled as he heard Wallace's words. Having spent most of his loot on purchasing tickets, only a few coins remained for clothes. Hence, they had to buy used clothes.

"Boss, did you really need me to come with you to Dratol?" Wallace asked. He had awakened from his false sleep.

"Sure. Isn't it better than being in the Wazar Desert? Or, do you have somewhere you'd rather be?" Adam retorted.

'I'll rather be anywhere that is far away from you,' Wallace thought as a shallow smile donned his face.

He shook his head while rubbing the side of his neck, "Boss, what are we going to do in Dratol? Do you have family there? Boss, why did you bring me along?"

Wallace was genuinely curious. Since they started their journey four weeks ago, he wondered why Adam bought a ticket for him. Initially, he thought Adam would free him after he guided him to the flying ship; but contrary to what he expected, the reverse was the case. After the brutal massacre he experienced in the desert, he did not have the guts to challenge Adam's decision.

"Nah. I'm just like you. I don't have a family. I planned on letting you go, but you proved yourself to be useful. I like competent people. It means I won't have to bother myself with mundane tasks when you're around," Adam said.

'Bastard. So you're treating me like your personal assistant? No. An assistant has rights, this is a slave relationship.'

Wallace tried his best to maintain his shallow smile; however, the sides of his lips could not stop twitching.

Adam giggled as he saw Wallace's reaction. Over the last seven years, he had not interacted with anyone apart from Vicar, and he rarely spoke to Adam. The reason he brought Wallace along was because of his quirky personality, and his efficiency in executing his tasks.

"Boss, what are we going to do in—?"

"Our destination is a place called Varidan Academy," Adam interjected, while casually cracking his knuckles.

Wallace stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe what he just heard.

'Varidan Academy? No wonder he could defeat those bandits with minimal difficult. Who would have expected him to be affiliated with such a prestigious institution?' Wallace thought.

A spilled second later, a loud snort bounced off the walls of the cabin.

Unperturbed, Adam didn't bother to turn his head; however, before Wallace could, a voice reached them.

"You might fool some riffraff with those words, but I'd advise you not to go around spreading lies. Do you realize there is a heavy penalty for impersonating a Varidan Academy student?"

Before either of them could react, a young lady towered over them. She wore a white dress with lilac flower patterns which amplified the beauty of her milky white skin.

Wallace raised his head, and his eyes met her deep set, upturned, brown eyes. She had the faint outline of a star beneath her left eye, as if made from glitter.

Whether it was the inky black hair or the streamlined face of this beauty, it enthralled Wallace. He felt as if something had cast a spell on him.

"What a damsel..." Wallace muttered.

Just like him, most of the other male passengers gawked at the beauty. From her facial appearance, she looked like a young lady in her late teens or early twenties.

"Are you really students of Varidan?"

Wallace felt as if he was having an out-of-body experience as he heard her voice.

"Oh, Ye—"

Before Wallace could finish his statement, Adam smacked him at the back of his head. As if waking from a hypnotic dream, Wallace lowered his head, not daring to gaze at the beauty once more.

Meanwhile, Adam who stared at the vast Wazar Desert through the window, did not bother to answer the young lady.

"My name is Elliana—"

"I'm sorry, I don't really care. Did you hear either of us say we're students of Varidan Academy? It was the eavesdropper behind us that said that nonsense. Please forward your enquiry to him," Adam said.

Still, he did not bother to gaze at Elliana.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I will take my leave here," Elliana said as she donned a slight smile.

Just like that, the fair-skinned beauty walked away. Adam and Wallace still did not look at her. However, most of the men and women had their gazes focused on them. Especially, Adam.

'Not only did he look poor, apparently, he also lacks proper manners.' They thought.

"You with the white hair, do you know who I am? How did a peasant like you get aboard this ship? How dare you call me an eavesdropper?"

The passengers turned their attention towards a lanky youth who sat behind Adam and Wallace. Standing, his nose flared while his beady eyes gazed at Adam and Wallace's head. With curly black hair covering his head, his index finger covered by a stylish purple glove pointed at Adam.

'Who the hell is this guy? I'm tired of all these rich bastards looking down on me.' Wallace could barely hold back his anger as he stared at the young man with a goatee hanging on his chin.

"Look at me when I'm talking, before I make—"

Adam's laughter interrupted his declaration. Rising to his feet while pulling his hair back, Adam's gaze met that of the young man, "There is a limit to how much nonsense one can endure. I'd like you to finish what you were about to say."

Wallace also rose to his feet, although he was not as intimidating as Adam; he, too, wore a scowl as he faced the young man.

Just like Adam and Wallace, the companions of the young man rose to their feet—all seven of them. A tensed atmosphere enveloped the cabin, and neither party had any intention of backing down. With each passing second, the anxious passengers murmured, hoping someone would interfere.

"I will allow no one to fight on this ship. If you must fight, wait until we reach our next stop. With that said, will you fine gentleman take your seats? I can't have you disturbing the other passengers. If you insist on causing trouble, I don't mind playing with you."

Adam, Wallace, and the other passengers stared at the end of the cabin; and, their gaze landed on a neatly dressed, middle-aged man. He wore a black suit with matching shoes, and a top hat donned his head. None of the passengers could see his face, because he wore a crimson mask which had white lines crisscross around its surface. Even through the eye slits, they couldn't see his eyes.

"Conductor, I'm sorry. I am Dominic Rowe, from the Armstrong family. Please, there would be any need for that."

The young man bowed slightly at the conductor, before motioning for his companions to take their seats. Before he took his, he gave Adam one last knowing glance.

"Young man, what about you?"

The conductor turned his attention towards Adam and Wallace.

Wallace's expression softened as he stared at the conductor, "We don't want any trouble, too. We'll take our seat now."

"Boss, please take your seat. I heard these guys have a nasty reputation when people challenge their authority," Wallace whispered as he tugged Adam's sleeve.

With a nod, Adam dropped to his seat. Wallace sighed, while holding his c.h.e.s.t. He believed Adam would challenge the authority of the conductor.

"Have a safe trip everyone. If anyone needs anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

While the conductor's words echoed, he disappeared under the stunned sights of the passengers. Some clapped, while others cheered, and a few did both.

'That guy was really dangerous. Unlike those bastards from the desert, he was at least as strong as Vicar's clones. But, why do I feel he was far stronger?' Deep in thought, Adam slowly closed his eyes as he let his thoughts wander.

"Boss, thank you for earlier. I didn't know what came over me," Wallace whispered.

"Be careful. That lady has some really strong, charming skills. Don't carelessly approach her. If possible, try to avoid contact with her," Adam warned.

Wallace nodded, before mimicking Adam's actions of closing his eyes.

At the extreme end of the cabin, the beautiful Elliana sat across two identical men who were just as handsome.

"Elliana, why did you approach him? Did you sense—?"

"It's not important. I thought he smelled familiar. I'm sorry for alarming you, Malte. I won't cause any trouble until we get to Dratol," Elliana interjected, donning a dazzling smile.

With peace returning to the cabin, the flying air continued its long journey to Dratol.