We left the training space and stepped toward the exit of the basement. The air felt cool as we started walking up the flights of stone stairs. Each step took us higher away from the ground where we had been brawling just a short while ago. We moved steadily, lifting our feet one after the other, feeling the exhaustion in our muscles from the match. The stairs wound upward, turning gently until we reached the top landing of the flight. I reached out my hand and pushed open the heavy wooden door that separated the lower level from the building.
We stepped through the open frame and entered the wide, bright hallway above. The floor here was smooth, reflecting the light that came from the large glass windows along the side of the long wall. We walked down this wide corridor for a short distance, allowing our heavy breathing to become regular and slow. As we turned a corner near the main hall, we saw Celdrich standing near the center of the space. He was positioned right in the middle of our path, looking toward us as we approached him. We stopped our feet and stood a few paces away.
Celdrich looked at both of us for a brief moment, taking in our appearance after the long session in the basement. The area around us was very quiet as we waited to see if he had something to tell us. Celdrich suddenly said that he'll leave for 1 week and he'll go back here. He spoke his words clearly and directly so that we could understand his plan perfectly. He said, "I will leave for one week, and I will come back here." His voice was calm as he delivered this news to us, making sure we knew his plan.
We nodded our heads up and down to show him that we understood his message completely. Both Euphyne and I made this quiet movement at the same time, letting him know that his instructions were clear and that we would wait for his return. After we nodded, Celdrich prepared to depart from the hallway. Celdrich teleported to wherever he's going. In an instant, a sudden burst of bright energy swirled around his physical form. His figure began to fade away right before our eyes, becoming completely clear until he vanished from the spot entirely. He left the empty hallway now.
We stood in the empty hallway for a couple of seconds, looking at the exact patch of floor where he had been standing just a moment ago. Once Celdrich was gone, we knew it was time to rest our bodies and clean up after the match. Euphyne went back to his room. He walked down the left side of the long hallway, his boots making a soft clicking sound against the hard floor as he moved farther away from me. I watched him walk until he reached his door, pushed it open, and stepped inside to rest his tired limbs.
After he left, I went back to our room. I turned to the right and started walking down the opposite corridor. I moved past several closed doors and large decorations, taking my time because my limbs still felt heavy from the intense brawling. I reached the familiar wooden entrance of our shared living space. I extended my hand toward the metal handle, turned it slowly, and pushed the door open to step inside the warm room to find the others. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I looked across the space of the bedroom with my own two eyes.
I saw salphy and Elphyete sitting on the bed. They were positioned right in the center of the soft mattress, resting quietly and waiting for my return. The room was peaceful, with light coming through the small window on the side. They heard the sound of the door opening and they saw me. Their faces lit up with immediate happiness the very second our eyes met across the floor. They looked incredibly glad to see me back from the basement after such a long time away. Suddenly they ran up to me and hugged me with all their might now.
They scrambled off the edge of the bed instantly, their small feet moving rapidly across the rug. They threw their arms around my body, holding onto me tightly with a massive amount of love and joy. I felt a deep wave of happiness as they held onto my clothes. I reached down with both of my hands, wrapped my arms securely around her small frame, and I carried salphy. I lifted her weight off the ground easily, holding her close to my chest so she would not fall down onto the floor of the bedroom at all this day now.
I carried her up high and swu-ng her around while Elphyete is laughing. I moved my feet in a wide circle and swu-ng her around the open space of the room. Salphy smiled brightly as she flew through the air, enjoying the fast movement inside the safe bedroom. While I was doing this action, Elphyete is laughing very happily. She stood right next to us on the floor, watching the fun display with wide eyes and letting out a loud, clear sound of pure joy from her mouth. Her laughter filled the entire bedroom, making the whole atmosphere feel wonderful.
After the happy greeting was finished, I placed salphy gently back down onto her feet. We spent the next few hours sitting together in the room, resting our tired bodies and talking quietly about simple things. The time passed by slowly and peacefully as the sun began to set outside the window. After a few hours, we ate food. We realized that we were all becoming very hungry from the long afternoon. We left the bedroom together and walked down to the dining area to get some nourishment for our bodies because we needed energy to feel completely better now.
We sat down at the table, ate food until our stomachs were completely full, and enjoyed the quiet meal together. Once we finished, we went back to our room. We stood up from our seats, walked back up the familiar hallway, entered our space, and closed the wooden door behind us. A few minutes later, while we were just resting in the quiet space, there's a knock on the door. The sound was sharp and clear, breaking the silence of our bedroom and catching our attention immediately. I stood up from my position, walked across the floor toward the entrance.
I walked over and I opened it. I turned the handle and pulled the heavy wood inward to reveal the hallway. I looked out into the corridor and Celes is waiting. She was standing completely still outside the frame, looking directly into my eyes with a serious expression on her face. She looked like she had walked a long distance to deliver an important message to us. She looked past my shoulder into the room to make sure we were both listening to her words. She looked at us and said, "The kings want to see you two." She spoke.
Her fixed voice was very formal and steady as she spoke the direct command to us. She wanted to make sure we understood that the rulers were waiting for our presence right away. I nodded my head to show her that I heard the words perfectly. I turned around to look at the room, letting the others know that we had to leave immediately for this important meeting. We stepped out into the hallway, closing the bedroom door tightly behind us so the room would remain secure. Celes turned her body around and began to walk down the grand corridor.
We followed Celes. We walked closely behind her as she led the way for us through the building. We moved through the long, twisting pathways of the large structure. We walked past many tall stone pillars, high arches, and quiet rooms, keeping our pace matched with her steady steps. Neither of us said a word as we moved deeper into the main sections of the building, focusing entirely on the task ahead. We walked down a final long hallway that was wider than all the others we had seen before. After walking for a short while longer, we arrived at
a big door that probably leads to them. The wooden structure was massive, rising high toward the ceiling with large metal handles attached to the center. We stopped our feet right in front of the giant entrance, looking up at its impressive size and knowing that the kings were waiting on the other side of the wood. We stood with Celes outside the room, waiting for the next step to happen. Our journey from the basement was finished and we were now at the exact location where the rulers wanted to speak with us two together on this night now.