Chapter 2: Fjellborg

—15 November 2023— 

He shook his head that felt as heavy as lead. It had been a long and tiring journey after all. 

The road journey from Hammerfest to Oslo was much more mentally draining than one would have thought. 

Although being inside the house-like environment of the luxury RV, the continuous road travel had rendered the travellers with a sense of extreme torpor. 

In the centre of rumbling clouds and the subtle sound of pop music playing in the background, the two teens remained seated, looking outside the window. 

The rain formed a drapery on the windows, making the vision of the outside world blurry and indistinct, as if it were a watercolour painting left out in the rain. 

The blinking lights of traffic lights and cars, the neon sign of McDonald's by the highway, and the glow of street lamps created a colourful mosaic against the backdrop of the approaching day. 

Although the time being 1 pm, it was pitch black, if not for the numerous light sources. 

"Arghhh—" A bored groan cut through the constant pitter-patter of the rain drumming tactfully on the roof of the luxury RV.

"Arrrrthurrrrr! When are we going to reach Fjellborg??"

"In a while."

Much in contrast, the voice that replied came out much more calm, although under the layer of composure was an equal—if not more—frustration, barely restrained as he kept one ear at the music playing in the background and the other towards his friend.

"We should be there in about 10 minutes."

"You've been saying that for the last 5 hours!"

The girl whined, extending her arms to the side and then letting her body freefall. Landing on the bed, her body submerged into the plush surface. 

"Patience, Astrid. Patience." The boy—Arthur—reassured once again. 

Astrid's hand extended to the side and snatched the pillow to Arthur's side.

Snuggling her face into it, she let out a long, contented sigh, the soft fabric enveloping her in a cocoon of warmth, but the expected comfort never came over her. 

"Although I still don't understand why road travel was necessary. We could've flown to Oslo. Much easier to reach Fjellborg that way." Astrid spoke, burying her face deeper into the pillow. 

"Well," Arthur's voice was distracted. "Traditions. Besides, I cannot afford that." 

As she looked up at Arthur, the corner of her lips twitched into a barely perceptible simper. "Weird tradition to have if you ask me." 

Arthur hummed, looking at her from the corner of his eye as he kept his book down.

"Make me some coffee." He spoke as the straight line he was forming on the fog laden window with his finger twisted before forming a rather convoluted diagram, visibly making no coherent sense. "No sugar."

"Grrrr—" She growled into her pillow before pushing the side of the bed. Propelling upwards with a sudden drift, she looked at Arthur before slipping into his slippers. 

The RV consisted of two small rooms with big enough beds to accommodate four people.

Arthur was in the main bedroom, while the other one was adjacent to his own, with the door leading to Astrid's room. A room within the room.

Other than this, there was a makeshift living room with an L-shaped couch and a small TV in front.

Adjacent to the living area, a smart and compact kitchenette awaited, complete with multiple cabinets neatly arranged to store utensils and provisions. It offered a convenient space for preparing meals and snacks while on the road.

Walking over to the kitchenette, Astrid placed her hand on the handle of the cupboard as it opened with a subtle, whirring sound.

Taking out a coffee grinder, she started beating the coffee beans. Once it was reduced to a fine state, she measured the ground coffee and placed it into the portafilter of an espresso machine.

Hot water ran through it as a refreshing aroma wafted throughout the RV. 

Taking out two cups, she filled them. Leaving one as it was, she grabbed the packed milk and poured it into one of the cups.

The strong smell of the coffee was enough to make her grumpy mood go away.

As a smile tugged at her lips, her body started to move in tandem with the song playing in the background.

She swayed slowly, in tandem to the beat.

Her light-platinum blonde hair was tied in a side-ponytail which was long enough to reach her waist.

Her bangs rested neatly on her forehead and a black pin with a butterfly at the end of it cinched around the side-ponytail. 

Throwing four cubes of sugar in her cup, she mixed it hastily before picking the tray up and started to prance back to Arthur's room. 

'What's even the point of this pretend peace…' A thought crossed Arthur's mind as Astrid noticed the disturbing jumble of words carved into the misty window by Arthur's unsuspecting fingers, his mind somewhere else.

Astrid placed the tray down beside his bed and coiled her finger around the handle of one of the cups. Picking it up, she walked to the edge of the bed and plopped on it.

Throwing one foot over the other, she brought the cup up to her lips and blew into it. 

The steam rose, kissing her face and forming a moist layer over the tip of her nose.

Arthur peeled his eyes away from the window and picked his own cup of coffee.

The still surface of the coffee rippled as the RV took a sharp turn, distorting the image of Arthur's extremely pale grey eyes. His eyes flicked to the side.

"We are almost there."

"Mmm~"

Disregarding the statement, she took another sip.

The RV took a sudden turn which made her tilt to the side, and the light grip on the handle weakened for only a small, fleeting moment. A few drops of coffee spilled, staining the white sheets underneath her.

"Yikes!" She exclaimed, haphazardly looking around for something to clean or wipe it.

"Told you we are almost there." Arthur spoke, blowing the smoke away before taking a single sip and standing up from his place.

Looking at Astrid who was currently violently sweeping her handkerchief with both her hands, her side-ponytail swaying back and forth as she tried to wipe the sheet that was tainted by the cream coloured blotch, Arthur opened his mouth again.

"Don't worry about it too much."

"UGHH!" Astrid groaned, baring her teeth. "You could've been a bit clear about it! How was I supposed to remember there was such a sharp turn…?!"

Arthur raised his shoulders, shrugging them meekly. "Sucks to suck, I guess." He remarked, making Astrid's face grow red in annoyance. 

"Ok, now you're just being mean." She huffed, placing the cup down on the table present to the side.

"Mean?" Arthur inquired in a confused way. "Did it feel that way?"

"Sure did."

"I see." As he said that, his hands travelled to his chest, his buttons quickly being undone.

In the blink of an eye, his casual shirt came off, falling on the floor silently. 

Astrid sighed, before rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Don't just suddenly undress in front of me." She reprimanded him, before kneeling and grabbing the departed garment. "You might fill this bashful young maiden's head full of misunderstandings."

She inexpressibly commented, her dull tone betraying her words.

Arthur tilted his head. "I am the one being undressed here. It shouldn't matter." He said, "Besides, it's just a shirt. You are overreacting."

His facial expression did not seem to change, although, under the layer of serious demeanour, a rather light-hearted emotion bubbled in his chest. 

Effectively throwing the previous shirt in a nearby laundry basket, Astrid turned her head away from Arthur, retrieving some fresh apparel from the local closet. "Yes, yes, it's all my fault, for not adhering to your non-existent social norms." She playfully retorted. 

Slewing the clean new buttoned shirt over his shoulder Arthur secretly huffed out an amused breath.

"Your lack of tact is applaudable at this point." She stepped back and paused briefly looking into his amused eyes, before walking off. "You can change yourself."

Her voice was sharp as she talked, reprimanding.

From the corner of his eye, Arthur looked back, taking in the sight of Astrid hastening outside, carrying the laundry basket.

Satisfied, his focus returned to his unequipped clothes, oblivious to the fact that if he had kept watching, his efforts would have been rewarded with the sight of her face a subtle fleeting shade redder. 

A mischievous expression appeared on Arthur's face as he heard her enter her own room.

Despite the fact she was obviously mad at him, he found the banter between him and her oddly endearing. 

But the brief look of respite vanished from his face as he crouched down and looked outside the window.

At the end of the long, ascending road, at the verge of a grand cliff, the sight of Fjellborg Castle finally came into view.

overcast clouds seemed to form a swirling vortex right above the longest spire.

In the middle of the cloud, yellow sparks seemed to play hide-and-seek.

Blankly staring at it, only one phrase came to his mind. The one he had been hearing for all this time.

And it was fitting for the current moment. Ironically so.

"In the Bleak Midwinter...."

Coming to a standstill, the RV had stopped quite some distance away from the Fjellborg Castle. 

Inside the RV, Arthur was sitting on the stool that was placed in front of a mirror attached to the wall.

His reflection looked back at him.

With a pair of sharp grey eyes and an equally sharp nose, his entire face seemed to be sculpted by hand out of a stone. 

He was donning a formal white shirt with the topmost button being undone.

Over his shirt, he was wearing a tight-fitting vest.

To top it off, a charcoal-coloured overcoat completed his ensemble. 

His brown-golden blonde hair fell in rough bangs over his forehead and stopped just above his eyes. Casting one last look at his own appearance, he let out a sigh.

'My hair looks messy.' He thought. 'Well, whatever.'

"I am ready~" Astrid hopped in from her room.

Arthur's eyes flicked towards her for a moment, before returning back as he looked down.

She was wearing a black A-line dress. It was quite simple. Extending down to below her knees, her feet were hidden underneath thick black leggings.

Her long boots covered up to the middle of her calves.

Despite the simplicity, it seemed to suit her perfectly. Her hair was done up in a bun, completely getting rid of the single side ponytail. 

"You changed your hairstyle." Arthur commented, not looking at her. 

Astrid glanced in his direction. "Well, I can't act freely in front of everyone, you know." She spoke, the playfulness in her voice dissipating with every passing moment.

"I am your attendant, I'm not a part of this whole thing. It's above me." A smile formed on her lips. "Not that I care about it, hehe!"

Arthur shrugged. "If you say so. We should go now."

As Arthur looked outside the window, he saw three helicopters parked beside the castle. "Including us, four of the 「The Seven Syndicates」 are already here."

"Huh! Are we going to go?" Astrid looked flabbergasted.

"Isn't that the whole point of travelling all this way?"

"No— I mean, God, Arthur! Look at your hair!"

She pointed her slim finger at him, looking at him with disbelief. "You can't go out in the world looking like that. Geez." 

"It doesn't really matte—"

"You bet it does. Sit down." Walking over to him, she pressed his shoulders, making him sit down on the stool.

Picking the brush on the table, she started to comb it out. The messy hair tangled into it, however, she kept brushing it evenly, disregarding any prospect of pulling his hair out. 

Creating a centre parting by combing his hair straight back from the forehead, she then used a fine-tooth comb to create a clean parting down the middle.

Using her fingers she pushed the hair on each side of the parting slightly forward and outward, creating the "curtain" effect, framing Arthur's face while maintaining a relaxed, natural look.

Her finger formed a hook around his chin, as she tried to make him look up.

However, his head was locked in place. Placing his hand over her wrist, he pulled it away, gently.

"That's… enough." He spoke, making Astrid take a step back. 

"As you wish." She gave him a curt nod before moving out of the room and towards the door that led outside of the RV. 

As he felt her steps get meeker by the second, he stood up as well. "Here goes nothing."

Once he stood up, he looked at himself in the mirror. Without a response from himself, he finally walked out of his room. 

—------------------------

"Good afternoon, Sir Arthur." The man stationed at the exit door greeted Arthur, taking a subtle bow.

As he stepped outside, the violent wind brushed against his face, making his hair fly back and his overcoat to flap on either side. "I apologise but the weather here in Oslo—"

"I am aware." Arthur dismissed, stepping outside.

Astrid—who was standing beside Henry—the butler greeting Arthur—started to follow Arthur closely behind, her footsteps falling in a perfect rhythm with him. 

"Err— Arthur?" Keeping a composed face, Astrid called out to him from behind.

Arthur suddenly stopped. "Speak now. We won't have a chance to hold a conversation inside. At least not freely." 

"Well, I—uhh." She stammered over her own words, tipping her head down as she nervously twiddled her thumbs together. Giving up, she sighed in frustration. "It's nothing important. Sorry."

Arthur took a moment to study her expression, long enough for her to raise an eyebrow and shift uncomfortably under his watchful eye, anxious about his extended silence.

"Hmm. If you say so." Arthur replied, his shoulders lifting in a casual shrug.

Then he reached out for Astrid's hand, hesitatingly.

A chill went down his spine as he felt her skin against his and almost recoiled from it, however, he maintained a practised layer of composure. "Feel free to speak your mind."

A relieved smile formed on her lips, the two moles on the left side of her mouth curving upwards. "Thanks, I will, later."

Nodding his head, the two of them finally started to make their way towards the castle.

The castle was located at the edge of a cliff. The moderate sized waves of the North Sea below struck the rocks, and clouds rumbled overhead. 

As Arthur walked, Astrid took a bigger leap and walked side-by-side with him.

The sight of towering walls made of weathered black stone greeted their eyes, rising from amidst the canopy of trees that formed a makeshift forest around it.

Since the Fjellborg Castle sat atop a jagged cliff, its silhouette loomed with a bone-chilling cadence against the backdrop of the ever-darkening sky. 

"It's darker than usual…" Astrid commented, a looming premonition making a chill run down her spine.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she took an inch closer to Arthur, a subtle form of dread overcoming her. "...I've never been this scared while coming here."

"This is your second time." Arthur replied, looking straight ahead. Although the blank stare focused at nothing in particular. "Maybe you're just under the weather."

"No, no—" She shook her head and hugged her own arms. "—it somehow feels creepier."

"Hmm." Arthur only hummed, stealing a glance at her as Astrid eyes darted anxiously in every conceivable direction. 

RRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM

Like the roots of a century old tree, the bolt of lightning diverged in every direction, brightening with every passing second before slowly flickering out of life, like a candle suddenly being whiffed out in a storm.

The resonating thunder was like the growl of a centuries old creature, making a tangible tremor rack everyone's insides. 

Beyond the entrance gate, a cobblestone courtyard stretched before them, illuminated only by the pale glow of warm yellow bulbs attached to plastic covered wires that lined the branches of the trees that lined the boundary of the path. 

The courtyard was flanked by towering turrets, their peaks disappearing into the night sky.

Each turret was capped with a menacing gargoyle, their stone faces contorted in a state of eternal, never-ending agony.

The air felt heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay, and the sound of rustling leaves and distant howling winds only added to the chilling atmosphere.

Before long both Arthur and Astrid had arrived in front of the castle's body. 

The main entrance to the castle was a massive wooden door, reinforced with iron bands and adorned with ancient symbols of protection. 

Astrid took a slow step, making her fall behind him.

The guard stationed at the entrance pushed the door open.

His frowned for a moment at Astrid, however, as soon as he saw Arthur staring at him with the knowing look of annoyance, he immediately stood in front of Arthur, giving out a strong salute.

"We greet the Heir to Olvasen!"

Astrid peeked at Arthur as he gave the same shallow nod at them.

'He must be fighting his urge to roll his eyes, hehe.' Giggling internally, she thought.

As the heavy door was pushed, they were greeted by a blast of cold air and the musty smell of age-old secrets that the castle seemed to have been harbouring for centuries.

As they walked in, an array of flickering torches illuminated the wide hall that was the first thing to greet the newcomers.

Two spiralling stairs extended upwards from each corner of the main hall. The walls were lined with suits of armour and tapestries depicting scenes of battles and conquests. 

Conquests that had never occurred in recorded human history. Conquests that had something… oddly an inhuman feeling about it. 

The main hall's vaulted ceiling soared high above them. A long wooden table dominated the centre of the room, flanked by high-backed chairs adorned with beautiful carvings.

At the far end of the hall, a massive stone fireplace crackled and roared, casting eerie shadows across the room.

As Arthur took a step towards the side, the door that led to the basement, suddenly a hand extended and blocked Astrid's path.

Arthur looked back over his shoulder, his pale grey eyes flickering between its natural shade to an eerie, bone chilling shade of ghastly grey.

"What's the meaning of this, Albert?"

The person in question was a tall man, around 7 inches taller than Arthur.

His short black hair was combed neatly to the side.

With a pair of slit eyes, he had a charming smile on his face as he blocked Astrid's way.

Despite the sudden chill in the air, he maintained his sly smile.

"Apologies, little Arthur—"

"Formalities are unneeded." Arthur cut him off as Albert removed his arm from in front of Astrid. 

"It has been my designated duty since time immemorial to be of service and be totally subservient to what remains of Adam's children." 

Albert spoke with pride; however, the empty greys of Arthur made him shift uncomfortably. 

Coughing, Albert's lizard-like slit, amethyst eyes looked down at Arthur.

"It was a recent development so I think this matter has not been brought to your attention—" he paused, letting Arthur turn around.

"This time for the 「The Seven Syndicates」 Annual Meeting, anyone other than Family Heads and Heirs are to have their 「Arcanum」 sealed."

Albert looked at Astrid from the corner of his eye, flashing his fang like canines.

"For reasons that are to be disclosed in the meeting." He explained, raising his wrist. A metallic band was strapped to it, pulsing as it restrained his arcanum. 

"Hmm." Arthur hummed. "Fine."

"If you would please accompany me." Albert turned his head to her. 

Astrid looked at Arthur, who merely nodded. Gaining permission, she went away with Albert. 

"Oh, if it isn't Arthur-san!" A voice, soft as the light at dawn spoke. 

Arthur looked back. It was a petite girl around his age—15-years-old—with twin black ponytails and a pair of gradient red eyes.

She was wearing a long dress with a white high-neck sweater that was two sizes bigger than her actual one. The sleeves covered half of her palms, giving her a rather cherubic, yet cute look. 

'Yuki Watanabe from Japan representing Asia.' Arthur noted and then he looked to the side. There was another girl with rather brown-ish skin with dark blonde hair and almond shaped grey eyes. 'And Maria...' 

"Ehhh, when did ya get here, eh?" 

Just behind them were three boys with rather wild auras around them. 

'Finn Anderson representing Australia, Michael White from the USA and Dotun Olaniyan Ife of Nigeria, Africa.' 

As Arthur took in their features, he let out a deep breath. 

'There were only three helicopters outside. From the looks of it there are already groups forming between the families. That would make sense given the approaching situations.'

He thought, the locks of hair that framed his face forming a shadow over his features.

'If that is so, it would put only us—Olvasens at a disadvantage.' 

Arthur turned around, a barely perceptible, yet an unsettling—uncanny even—smile forming on his face.

The smile, although seemingly perfect and attractive, felt odd from a perceptive human's perspective.

Almost as if it was practised beforehand and not something that he actually meant. 

"I'm not sure if we had the pleasure of meeting before." He turned around to the first girl who called out to him, his dialogue and thoughts at conflict with each other. 

The girl in front of him gave him a deep bow, her ponytails moving in tandem.

As she straightened her back, the corner of her eyes creased as she smiled back at him.

"Oh, forgive me." She spoke, her voice unusually soft on the ears. "I am Watanabe Yuki. You can just call me Yuki!" She introduced herself in a rather excited way.

"Since you were not present in the Annual Meeting of the 「The Seven Syndicates」 last time, you are bound to not recognise me." 

Arthur tilted his head. "The younger daughter, yes? You replaced your older sister, Yui Watanabe."

"Ah, yes!" She exclaimed. "Her." Biting back a dark, humourless chuckle, she spoke. "She did talk about you back then. A lot."

"So, she lost the succession battle?" 

It was a rhetoric, posed in a way that made Yuki narrow her eyes at him. She tried to look him straight in the eye, probing for something. Anything at all.

In the deepest corners of her mind, she wanted to know what was the effect of this information on him, however, despite the welcoming smile, all she saw was a harrowing emptiness. 

Nothing that could allow her to read him.

Without waiting for an answer, Arthur spoke again.

 "Congratulations on being the Heir despite being the youngest. I suppose you are already aware of the decorum of the 「Annual Meetings」, yes?"

"I am, thanks for asking." She bowed her head once again. However, her gradient red eyes remained glued to Arthur, following every micro-movement. "I hope you don't mind."

"Pardon?" 

"I mean, from the looks of it, you seemed close to Yui." 

Arthur shrugged, feeling a pair of eyes snap at him.

"We knew each other, yes, but it doesn't really bother me. If she lost, she lost. It would mean that is all what she amounted to. No hard feelings." 

Yuki chuckled. "You sound just like how I imagined you to be!" 

"Uhh, right. Good to know." 

The conversation died out. Although Yuki kept gawking at Arthur like a lost artefact in a museum. 

Arthur looked beside Yuki, at Maria. She was wearing a stylish yet comfortable long tunic consisting of a vibrant array of deep greens, rich blues and musty earthy tones.

She had covered herself entirely, from top to bottom, however, the fabric was not something you'd wear in a country as cold as Norway in winter season.

"Hi."

"Mhmm."

An awkward silence ensued as Arthur stared down at Maria. 

"Oye, oye. Don't ignore us!" A rather gruff, cruel voice spoke.

It was as if a demon had crept up from the pits of hell, his voice carrying a screeching, discordant quality.

It was Michael White. His long white hair was tied back in a small ponytail as two long locks framed the side of his face. His jaw was as sharp as the edge of a blade as he pulled his chin up and looked down at Arthur with a condescending expression.

"It's been a while, Arthur." He spoke, a vicious grin forming on his face. "I missed ya so much last year. I hope ya weren't too scared to come."

Just as Arthur's lips parted to talk, a swirling black light materialised in the middle of the grand hall.

As the grey wisps scattered everywhere, the figure flicked its long coat to the side. 

It was Albert. However, this time he was dressed rather neatly.

His slit-eyed amethyst gaze bored down on everyone and no one at the same time.

Lightning cracked the sky into two, permeating through the glass windows as it further illuminated the eerie hall, putting a deep emphasis on Albert's pale skin. His cherry-red lips fluttered open, revealing the same fang like canines.

"The Lords have summoned the Heirs in the 「Hollow Sanctum」. It's time for the prayer and then the meeting."

Arthur's eyes flicked towards Albert. "Where's Astrid?"

Albert looked down. "She will not be attending. Guardians are not allowed. Not this time."

An intangible tension pulsed through the air, like twigs crackling in a bonfire

"Very well."