Chapter Twenty Two

I immediately sat up, sleep eluding me, and rushed to the door. I half expected the person at the door to be the mysterious sender.



But when I opened the door, it was Kevin and Kayla I found them on the porch with my brother beside them.



"Kevin!?" I exclaimed. "Kayla, John. You guys are home already?"



Kevin immediately beamed when he saw me standing there. "Hey, Chels."



"Come in." I moved from the door for them to enter.



Kayla gave me a nod in greeting as they entered and John immediately threw his arms around me making me smile.



"Chelsea, I'm home," he chortled, shoving his head into my clothes and I reached out to pat his head.



"Come. Let's go inside."



As I walked in holding my brother's hand, I found the twins seated on the sofa waiting for us. But their attention was not on me but on the parcel that was still on the sofa.



My gaze narrowed imperceptibly and I don't know why I felt the need to stop them from seeing it but I quickly reached out and packed it up. I took it to my room before returning to them.



Kevin looked at me when I returned and his gaze was a little unnatural as though he was trying to see through me. But, he did not say anything and instead flashed me a goofy smile.



"Jasper said you were taking a break," he said. "So, Kayla and I decided to stop over and say hi."



I immediately whipped my gaze to Kayla who was quietly listening to us. I was surprised that she cared enough to stop by.



She also seemed to sense my gaze and nodded as she said, "Yeah."



I smiled. "I'm getting better. Thanks, guys."



Kevin pursed his lips and looked at me, concern evident in his gaze. "Are you okay now?"



" Yeah, I am now, " I replied.



He seemed relieved as he heaved a sigh of relief. "We were worried about you when Torin suddenly rushed you out in his arms."



"What happened exactly?"



I paused for a moment unsure if they would believe me. But, I said it anyway. "I don't know what happened per se. It's all blurry in my head."



Kayla didn't say a word in reply but Kevin seemed to not totally believe me but he didn't press on.



I settled on the sofa and crossed my legs with John beside me. He was eating the popcorn I left on the table.



Just then, I remembered that Jasper didn't come with them. "What about Jasper? He didn't come with you?"



"Ah...yes," Kevin scratched his head as though he was just recalling. "The seniors are on a project so he told me to bring John home."



"Oh okay."



I looked around the room unsure of what I was looking for before asking Kevin. "Right, I forgot. What will you care for?"



The twins however shook their heads rejecting my offer.



Kevin stood up, grabbed his bag, and looked at his wristwatch before looking at me. "We've got to go. Mom sent Kayla and me on some errands."



"Oh, okay." I stood up and saw them out.



After they were gone, I returned to the settee and settled down beside my brother, watching the best of the comedy show and munching popcorn.



***

The bright lights of the villa were on and every corner of the large house was lit up. The living room was Oriental-styled.

There was a set of matching sofas surrounding a ceramic center table. The windows were ceiling-to-floor and lavender-colored curtains were draped around the room.

The floors were coated with ceramics and they looked extremely natural and ancient. But despite so, one couldn't deny that the place reeked of wealth and opulence.

In the living room, about twenty people sat comfortably on the sofas as they waited for someone to arrive. Soon enough, a tall figure appeared from one of the inner rooms.



It was the man Chelsea had seen in the tower. Behind him, there were several heavily built men guarding him.



The moment he stepped in, all the people in the room stood up on their feet in a frenzy. Gasps filled the entire room and the shock portrayed on their faces was very evident.



The man however looked them all over in one motion before proceeding to settle down on the only sofa left. None of them moved regardless as they looked at the figure. He had a mighty presence attracting attention regardless of where he was.



When he settled down comfortably, he clasped his palms and looked at them before saying calmly, "Which era is this?"



No one was able to answer at first and murmurs arose amongst them as they all pondered on who was to answer him.



Eventually, an elderly man stepped forward clasping his palms, and bowed respectfully, "My King, this is the common era."



The man immediately turned his attention to him. He seemed relaxed yet everyone around him could feel the oppression that radiated off him.



He held his chin for a moment before asking, "How long have I been asleep?"



The elder immediately spoke up. "My lord, it has been five hundred years."



The man was quiet for some time, eventually, he looked at the elderly man again and ordered, "In two days, I want every recorded history book since five hundred years ago at my table."



"Yes, my lord."



The man didn't stop at that. Instead, he moved his gaze to the rest of the crowd.



"I shall not address anyone for now, " he began. "But in the meantime, I order everyone to resume their duties as before and make sure everything returns to how it was in the past."



" Also, I want this tower cleaned up and refurbished before the week runs out. Is that clear?"



"Yes, my lord, " Everyone chorused.





The man had nothing more to say. He stood up from the chair and left the room again. The room was instantly thrown into an uproar after his exit.



"I can't believe this," Someone exclaimed. "The king has woken up."





Another chimed in. " After five hundred years, who knew he would wake up?"



"But, we all need to be more attentive from now on. Now that the news that our king is awake has spread, those filthy bats will begin to show their nasty sides to confirm if the news is true, " said the elderly man that replied earlier. "We have to be careful. All of us in this room are elders of the council. I hope we can keep this matter a secret until the king gives the orders to announce his return."



The rest of the people consented to his words. "Your words are true, Elder. We shall do as you say."