The guard knocked at the door, slowly at first, and then, when he wanted to knock more harshly, they immediately saw the door open itself.
Axel's eyes met a small room, looking as small and futuristic as it could be. It had bulbs built into the ceiling, radiating a soft light that illuminated exquisitely. He was instantly besotted with the place; it seemed like paradise.
The guard urged Axel inside, and now in, the steel door closed.
Axel, now looking forward and not around the place as he was earlier, saw Royal Cloak standing by the corner of the wall, his face grim. A table and a chair were in front of him, both made of steel, the surface smooth, silky, and superbly stunning.
And then, with the corner of his eye, without even realizing it for a split second, without even knowing that someone was there, he saw a lady.
She stood tall in shiny silver knight armor, its sharp, angular design radiating strength and confidence. The light caught the smooth metal, showing off the layers of protective plates that still allowed her to move freely. Her gauntlets, marked with delicate engravings, held the hilt of a sword, ready for anything. A deep violet cape flowed behind her, contrasting with the cool metal of her armor. The sleek helmet she wore left only her eyes exposed, burning with determination and calm confidence—she looked like a warrior and, more so, like one ready for battle.
Axel was temporarily in awe of her appearance; her presence alone carried an air of power. Seemingly, by the looks of it, Axel thought she could make her enemies suffer, crush them, and make them plead for mercy on the verge of death.
Her appearance was a mix of science fiction and fantasy. Fantasy in the sense that she was clothed in a knight's armor, looking like something from a typical high-fantasy setting, and science fiction in the sense that the knight's armor didn't look ordinary—it looked like something from the future, a reality of it.
Axel slightly bowed in greeting, and she did the same, their eyes locking for a second. She was beautiful, really beautiful. Axel debated whether she was prettier than Rhea.
Her hair was covered by the helmet, but Axel could see her eyes—blue, light blue, looking like someone from a cosmic reality. Her presence alone told Axel that she was extraordinary.
Royal Cloak nodded and signaled for the guard to go now. The guard, getting the message, bowed and took his leave, his footfalls almost trampling on the ground. They trampled, though, but think of it as a more muddled derivation.
Soft, and instead of the regular—
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
It was instead—
PAT!
PAT!
PAT!
PAT!
Like the sound a cat's paw makes when walking away.
Royal Cloak watched the guard go through the door, and Axel, with his superpower, could still hear his footsteps.
Royal Cloak clapped his hands now, and the door automatically bolted. Axel was not surprised for a single bit. Since coming to Superpolis, he had seen way worse, and this was simply nothing to him.
Royal Cloak cleared his throat and, pressing a tiny button on the table, a seat slid out from the table and onto the floor behind Axel.
Royal Cloak forced a smile and said, a subtle note in his voice, "Have a seat."
Axel looked at the chair, and for a split second, he was surprised.
"Oh, thank you, sir."
Royal Cloak waved his hand in the air, and waving toward the lady in knight's armor, he said, "Meet Chrysa, also known by her superhero name as Space Knight. She's a teenage superpower like you but more of a warrior."
Axel exchanged quick glances with the lady before finally saying, "Nice to meet you."
The lady—Space Knight—only nodded, which seemed harsh to Axel and even rude. He quickly dismissed it, though.
Royal Cloak stared intently into Axel's eyes for nine awkward seconds before finally saying, "I need your help."
Axel, being speechless, didn't know what to say, but Royal Cloak had him covered.
"You don't need to say anything," Royal Cloak said. "I've got you covered."
Axel sighed.
'Okay, go on,' he thought in his mind.
Royal Cloak, holding a remote, pointed it at the wall behind him—now in front of him, actually, because he was facing it.
The wall turned out to be a screen, which, to Axel, seemed like an illusion because he was like—
'WTF!'
A monster appeared on the screen. It was a video of it, but Royal Cloak, with the remote, paused it now at a scene where it stood upright.
The monster was tall, covered in thick, battered armor that looked old and worn, like something that had fought countless battles for decades. Its face was deformed, with rough, uneven skin stretched over a sharp, bony structure. Three eyes sat on its grotesque face, glowing faintly as they moved independently, scanning its surroundings. Its mouth was twisted, with jagged teeth jutting out at odd angles, and scars ran across its face.
Royal Cloak played the video now.
The monster was walking, and its armor creaked with each step—heavy and reinforced, built for both protection and intimidation. Its large hands, wrapped in plated gauntlets, looked strong enough to crush stone. Everything about it was built for war, from its massive shoulders to the way it moved—slow, deliberate, and filled with menace.
It looked like destruction itself.
Royal Cloak turned to look at Axel now, and with a grim expression on his face, he said, "This is one—just one—of what will be many monsters that will rage out in Monseryan, a sub-realm in Khaos Realm."
Axel tried to remain calm and indifferent and let Royal Cloak do the talking.
Royal Cloak hit his hand on the table now, a pale expression on his face.
"They're trying to open a large portal that will bring them all to Khaos Realm and tear it apart. And the first place they're going to start from is here."
Axel, even though it felt stupid, had to ask, "Where?"
Royal Cloak was enraged.
"Here!" he shouted in Axel's face.