Chapter 56 - Chapter 58 (1/2)

Gildarts and Narberal were walking through the long and empty corridors of the castle. His steps started out confident, but all along Narberal noticed how Gildarts steps became slower and more insecure.

An evasive and uncomfortable attitude was growing inside the boy. Every few steps he would stop and ask random questions about where this door led to or what was behind that other door. Dark thoughts of abandonment and disappointment crept and took root inside his head.

Why wasn't his dad by his side when he woke up in that bed?

Why didn't he save him from the tiger?

Why didn't he stand on the beach when he arrived?

So many unanswered questions grew from a single thought, all the way to fear that his father would reject him when they met. How could he live up to a man with such strength? A man that tamed an entire island, including multiple dragons.

How could he ever stand face to face in front of such a man and proudly call himself his son.

Did he really deserve that?

Had he earned the right to be born into that mans son?

Dark thoughts are most dangerous when they succeed in creating doubt. The more you doubt, the faster they return to drag you down into darkness. Ones the thought successfully plants it's seed in your mind. It takes a great positive force to combat it.

They finally arrived on top the long and wide staircase that led to the front door. Narberal looked at Gildarts and he was trapped in what felt like a never-ending spiral. Everything in his view was spinning and he had to take three long and deep breaths to get everything to stop spinning.

”Are you okay, Young master?” Narberal looked at him with concern and genuine awe and love in her eyes. She was tasked with being Gildarts personal maid. He was her single most important thing in existence.

”I am okay, Nabe.” Gildarts didn't like to say her whole name because it was too weird so he just nicknamed her Nabe.

She nodded and they proceeded to walk down the stairs. The big double doors that was also the main door into the castle was now right in front of him. The door towered over him and he felt like they were glaring at him, judging him for who he was.

”Let's go,” Gildarts said with a hurried tone because he couldn't take the intimidating feeling everything in this castle gave him.

Narberal pushed the big double doors open and the outside revealed itself to them. The warm light from the sun blinded Gildarts and everything in his vision transformed into a bright light that forced him to cover his eyes.

It took only a few seconds for him to get used to the direct sunlight and he soon had his full vision back. The entirety of the castle garden was revealed to him.

Freshly cut grass with dirt road leading around the garden and passing by incredibly beautiful and well kept flower fields. Outside the front door stood a statue of a dragon that was in the middle of a powerful roar.

The dragon statue was made with Alora as inspiration so the statue looked like her. Gildarts took in the sights and it finally hit him. The fact that his father was an emperor. Who else would have something like this in his home?

”Where is my father, Nabe?” Gildarts looked around but saw no one around. Only himself and Narberal were here.

”He is just beyond this little garden. He usually stands at the edge of this mountain and observe the island in it's entirety. Let's go see him.

Gildarts nodded and followed Narberal closely. He walked just behind her, almost like he was using her as a shield from the gaze of people. They walked on the dirt roads in the garden and quickly made their way passed it and came upon an open grass field that led all the way to the edge of the mountain.

This grass field surrounded that castle and it's garden. It also covered everything at the top of this mountain that had not been turned into a part of the garden.