“The Courts will has been made. It is not his duty on whether to accept, but ours to perform the rites.” Seat of the Court of the Beyond.

  It wasn't long after, while Hugh was still going over the prior events in his mind that another person arrived at his door. It was a man dressed in the same style clothing as all the others so far, who Hugh assumed worked for the company selling him.

  "Follow me."

  Hugh didn't know how things would go, and he didn't have much of an idea either. The others in the cell seemed alright with everything and even the man named Heron asked to be taken with him.

  Hugh got up from the bed where he lay and followed along. He had questions but kept to himself since the man he was following had not said anything beyond following him. Wondering if all the people here were like that, Hugh walked into a small room.

  There was a window on one wall, which showed a view over some buildings outside. He noticed he could even see the inner walls of the city from here.

  The room itself was lit with a single light in the center of the ceiling. Below that was a large table and to each side were a few chairs. They were yellow in color, and the cushions on each appeared fluffy like pillows. On one side was a middle-aged man wearing clothes that made it obvious he was with the auction house. Opposite to them sat a older looking man. Long white hair and a beard covered most of his face as he turned to look at Hugh.

  “Hugh, was it?”

  Hugh didn’t know how he should be answering the man, and given his obvious age, he did what he normally would with elders in his village and said, “Yes elder.”

  The old man chuckled, “You don’t seem too scared of the current situation. Do you know what happened today?”

  Hugh wondered about the way the elder in front of him was questioning him. He assumed it was this man who purchased him, the voice sounded the same. The other man on the chair just sat there, silent, apparently waiting for his answer too.

  Hugh spoke, “I was bought as a slave during the auction, I think by you.”

  The old man nodded, “And how did you end up a slave?”

  The other man frowned and spoke up, “Sir Diosk, may we finalize the transaction? He is free to answer all your questions after.”

  Hugh stayed silent and watched Diosk turn and stare at the other man. Nothing was said but Hugh could feel the slight tension in the room. Diosk wave his arm and to Hugh’s surprise, several coins appeared on the table between the two. As quickly as it appeared, they all disappeared except 5 silver that rested on the table.

  The other man stood up and said, “Thank you for your business. We still have several other transactions to conclude, if you could please use the exit hallway to leave. It leads…”

  Diosk cut the man off, “Rushing through things is never wise. There’s no need to tell me how to leave. Hugh, follow along.”

  Hugh saw the old man get up and head to the door, “Yes elder Diosk.”

  Hugh followed behind Diosk as he walked slowly through the hallways and through a couple of doors before stepping out onto the street. Once they got outside, Hugh couldn’t help but look around.

  Diosk noticed Hugh’s pause and he said, “So Hugh, how did you end up a slave?”

  Hugh looked over to the old man he was following, who had now turned to look at him.

  Hugh wasn’t sure if he should tell the whole story. The elder seemed nice enough, but he did buy him as a slave. He decided to give a short version.

  Hugh said, “I was tricked into following a couple of people here with the promise of a job. When we got to town, they knocked me out and I woke up in a cell with other slaves. I met uncle Heron there and he told me what had happened. Do you think we could get uncle Heron too?”

  Diosk studied Hugh for a moment and said, “He’s not your real uncle, is he?”

  Hugh shook his head, “No.”

  Diosk asked, “Why should we get him too?”

  Hugh said, “He gave me the seed.”

  Diosk spoke, “Interesting. Let’s go find this, Heron fellow.”

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  Hugh followed the old man as they made their way around the town. Eventually, he realized they were approaching the jail where he was kept before. Upon getting there, they were stopped by a guard, “Halt! Please explain your presence here.”

  Hugh stopped and elder Diosk kept walking as he said, “I am here to see if there is a mortal slave name Heron still here.”

  The guard frowned as the old man kept walking and was about to speak again when another voice came from inside the building, “Yes, the fool is still here. He refused to complete his punishment.”

  Diosk said, “Oh? How much is that worth?”

  Hugh watched as elder Diosk paid some silver and they retrieved Heron from the cells. When he stepped out Heron immediately bowed to Diosk, “Thank you senior for clearing my debt.”

  Heron stayed bowed while the guards dispersed. Diosk seemed to study Heron for a moment before saying, “You may rise. I don’t believe you have any talent. From where did you get the inheritance?”

  Heron knew what the old man was getting at, “I had searched for years to find a way to improve my talent or find a way to practice despite my talent. When I met Hugh, after getting to know his story, I decided to take him as my nephew and give him the inheritance I found since it was of no use to me.”

  Hugh thought the wording was a bit odd but it was close enough to what happened that he didn’t really care. Diosk eventually said, “Very well. You can follow along. Know that since you have no talent, the best I can do for you is to assign you as Hugh’s caretaker.”

  Hugh looked at Diosk and then Heron as Heron said, “Yes Master.”

  Diosk snorted, “Don’t call me master. Your only duty is toward your proclaimed nephew. Let’s go.”

  Hugh and Heron followed along. As they were walking Heron asked in a whisper, “You’re not a slave anymore?”

  They both heard Diosk speak from afront, “He is still a slave until he can prove himself worth more. Should he fail to prove his value, yours will change from little to none. I am not paying you, but you may eat for now. Know that I only consider Hugh a follower at the moment while I see if he has as much potential as it seems. Although you are now his caretaker, you are free to leave whenever as it is currently unnecessary. We’ll see how it goes. Your only restrictions are to not burden me, Hugh, or any others. Any malice will be met with death.”

  Heron heard the warning and understood it as a chill went down his spine at the way it was ended.

  They all walked in silence after that, each immersed in their own thoughts as the steady pace took them through the streets. Diosk led them to a building near the central palace of the town that did not lose aesthetically to the palace itself. Hugh's eyes were wandering everywhere the whole way, and even at the guard as they entered.

  Diosk said, “Stand on that platform there.”

  As Hugh stood on the platform with a trembling Heron, he asked, “What is this place?”

  Heron gulped and said, “It’s a transportation port.”

  Hugh was confused, “What is that?”

  Heron said, “It moves you somewhere else in the blink of an eye, but it’s very expensive and there are only five in our kingdom. There’s only one in this town because some noble put it here long ago.”

  Diosk joined them on the platform after talking to some other people for a moment and what looked like a transaction. He then placed his hands on the shoulder of the two and Hugh felt an immense energy flood his body and immediately wrap itself around him.

  An instant later, his world spun, his eyes blanked, a dull thunderous sound reverberated in his mind, and he was tingling all over.

  As the world returned to view, he found himself on a similar platform but completely different surroundings. He realized he was shaking all over and licked his lips as his mouth felt dry like he was breathing heavily through his mouth after a long run.

  Hugh almost collapsed onto the platform right there and then when he felt the energy from Diosk dissipate. He saw Heron to his side. Unfortunately, he was unable to remain standing after Diosk removed his energy as he lay on the ground, dry heaving.

  Hugh frowned, about to ask if Heron would be alright when Diosk spoke up, “Carry him. You should be strong enough to do that since you’ve begun your path. Mortals don’t do well with matrix transportation since they don’t have any energy.”

  Hugh caught his breath and managed a weak, agreement before leaning over to help Heron up, each muscle in his body feeling a strain.

  Heron was cursing in his mind having stared down death just a moment ago. He knew full well that mortals couldn’t use them and would usually result in a meat paste coming out the other end. He was initially relieved when he felt the mysterious Diosks energy wash over him, but he was still angry that they had to use that method of travel, knowing he was a mortal and Hugh had just stepped out of being one.

  It took about 30 seconds for Hugh to get Heron up and moving, once again following Diosk. This time, he noticed that several people bowed to greet him like he was some sort of lord or king as they went.

  Hugh had no idea who Diosk was, but Diosk was obviously more important than his first assumptions. He just had no idea yet who the man who purchased him really was.

  They soon entered a gate with wide open land inside. There were a few smaller-looking buildings or homes and one larger one that stood above the rest in the grandeur that even the palace of the last town was no comparison. The walls of which, seemed to have this subtle radiance, despite the color not being bright. Hugh could even feel a slight sense that it was not actually just a large building despite his eyes showing otherwise.

  Heron and Hugh had no avarice toward it, but just admired the structure from afar as they soon reached a modest house quite a distance from the main structure. It was about the size of what Hugh’s home was in his village, although this one looked a lot nicer.

  Hugh couldn’t explain it though. Just like he had a sense that the larger structure in the distance was more than just a building, he had a sense that the comparably tiny and modest structure in front of him had a sturdiness and integrity that he had never felt from back home.

  For just a moment, Hugh thought that the man, no Diosk, lived here as he calmly opened the door and walked in.

  After walking in, Diosk spoke again, “This will be your living quarters. While I stay in the palace in the distance, you are not allowed to approach it. There is food in the pantry that your follower can cook and there is a training room in the back. I will be back to check on your progress and see if you are truly talented, or just lucky.”

  With that, Diosk didn’t just walk out at a speed that they followed him there. Instead, he seemed to vanish as both Hugh and Heron were left standing in silence.