Throughout this city, where it stood strong in the middle of the scorching heat from the desert itself, a tower so grand, so ornate, and so awe-inspiring that it could only belong to a kingdom as vast and powerful as the greatest of empires, a testament to its glorious reign,.
The tower itself is massive and made from polished sandstone, making either question why they never saw it in the first place after arriving at this great port city. Regardless, the building itself is where government officials and other important politicians reside to make decisions.
And by the looks of it, Janus and the rest can guess getting inside would be problematic if it wasn't Schrodinger leading them to this place, as the documents continued to follow the cat's side as if they were dogs themselves.
There were connected fences made of black steel that are twelve feet in height, surrounding the enite field near the tower itself, as standing in front of them between the entrance was a golem made from sand, guarding what seems to be the entrance of this grand tower that would most certainly put great lords' mansions and castles to shame. The thing didn't seem to mind, which made the trio sigh with relief.
The sand golem was massive, its humanoid body a conglomeration of loose grains of sand and bits of rock that seemed to hold the various particles together. It towered over the group, reaching fourteen feet in height along with its muscular frame and huge fists that looked capable of smashing the entire house.
Its face was featureless, save for two empty holes, which one could presume were its eyes. A single line for a mouth formed beneath them, and it spoke in a deep, rumbling voice that reverberated throughout the entire area around it: "Are you here for the trials?" Asked the towering guard, his voice was low and booming like thunder.
People of all sizes walked behind the trio without care of the world, moving through the streets while ignoring the fact that massive creatures are towering over them and are currently guarding the entrance to where those important government folks work.
She and Janus glanced around in confusion, not sure who this golem was referring to, until Schrodinger took a step forward and looked up at the enormous golem in stern expression. "That would be us," replied the cat. "I am here to speak on behalf of my allies," he said without blinking.
Lowering itself a little, the golem then asked, "Permission must be granted from the higher ups of this city to gain entry into the building," explained the giant creature before standing up straight as it looked around to the crowd. "Allowing yourselves to enter is prohibited without permission," its voice echoed loudly.
"That won't be a problem."
Documents signed by one of the council members floated towards the giant's face, forcing the monster of guard to stare at them with its eyes as he froze in his spot without moving an inch. After what felt to be an hour of the creature's stillness, he nodded.
"Permission granted," announcing in confirmation, the guard took a step to the side to allow them access. "Remember to follow the rules while you are all in there; safety is our priority." With that, the group entered the area and then inside the tower itself with no stringers attached.
If the outside was impressive, then the inside was even more so. Aside from having no doors when they got in, the walls and floor themselves were made of white marble with gold accents and a ceiling that seemed to be painted with images of Egyptian gods and other mysterious, mythological creatures.
On each side of the wall, there was a large statue that looked to be made of silver. They depicted people dressed in extravagant clothing. The statues appeared to be staring directly at the center of the room, making it feel like they were constantly being watched by them.
Despite the sheer amount of light illuminating this grand place, there were others residing inside the main hall of this building too. Dressed in fine clothing, wealthy or important figures of society walk through the corridor with what appear to be maids serving their needs as they have a chat or a simple conversation about mundane stuff.
This place, from its magnificent architecture to the intricate designs of the decor, all had an air of grandeur and sophistication about them. Everything looks pristine and perfect. Nothing seems out of place or dirty. Even the floors were polished to perfection.
However, while this place is undoubtedly beautiful and grandiose, there was something else about it that made it feel oddly oppressive. It felt as though everyone here was corrupt in some way or another, as half of the people here are obese.
But they suppose that it is the consequences of being so rich that worrying about their own weight doesn't matter as long as the person gets what they want, regardless of who they hurt in the process. Trying not to bother the group, the three of them merely questioned where to go next.
"This place is big," Saomi excitedly said with a smile plastered on her face, "and fancy!" The young woman looks around while admiring the interior of this grandiose building in awe as Janus responds with a nod of acknowledgement, "It's almost like I am home again!"
Janus chuckled at Saomi's enthusiasm. He could not help but feel amused at how much joy and wonder filled her eyes, despite being brought into a realm that she was unfamiliar with, "it certainty is," admitting how even the Romans couldn't go against such magnificence.
Schrodinger rolled his eyes at this childish display. "What are you? A kid?" Rhetorically questioned, muttering under his breath from this sight alone, "It's a hallway..." The cat grumbled irritably, not understanding the reason behind it.
She almost wanted to laugh at his face for his ignorance of the true wonders of seeing new things. "First of all, I just turned twenty-four years old last month, so I am not a kid nor teen," crossing her arms together with narrowed eyebrows, "and secondly, it's not just a hallway! It's the whole tower that is amazing, even this place itself," she argued back with a serious expression written all over her face. "Seriously, Schrodinger, sometimes you get to appreciate the beauty in things before criticizing them too much."
"Not the point; it's a stupid remark coming from someone who hasn't even seen a real mansion from top to bottom anyway." Uncaring at the subject of it, he then turned to his side where the floating documents are and said, "I don't think we need these for the time being." Grumbling with a tone of boredom in his voice, he magically made them vanish once more.
Leaving himself with only his thoughts, Janus silently watched his companions talk amongst themselves about the tower itself, making him want to walk away if it weren't for them, especially the young woman whom he has grown captivated by.
His eyes were glued to the girl's face as she expressed varied emotions, from happiness to disbelief, and other positive or negative feelings he understood in seeing this woman's face. Just the sight of her reminded him once again of his own humanity.
Lowering his head low, he raised his left hand slightly with an open palm and took a deep breath, quietly exhaling while letting out a sigh. Wondering himself if he is capable of actually showing any form of real connection towards anyone else, let alone humans.
"Psst," the sudden voice of Culsans whispered, "someone is in love." He joked much to their host's dismay, "hey! Come on now, smile a bit, will you!?"
Janus couldn't believe his inner voices had finally made them appear; he almost guessed that they had vanished or something. "Where have you guys been since the last few days?" The Roman god of time inquired with a tone of disappointment in his words.
The auditable sigh of a woman echoed through his mind: "We were busy with other stuff." Vesta regretfully confessed, not wanting to discuss the matter any further, "I apologize if we did not answer your call. But now we are here!"
Culsans smirked as he let out a playful chuckle. "Fine by me, especially when I managed to witness two love birds hanging out under the beautiful night sky!" This caught the rest of the voices, prompting Quirinus to retort in the most obvious response.
"You can't be serious, him!? Seriously, of all the people in this realm, it has to be him!?"
In many circumstances, Janus rarely becomes this provoked, but it's currently one of the most horrendous ideas ever placed in his head: "No, no, and no. It is not what it looks like," his jaw tightened from his own thoughts, yet his words weren't heard.
Instead, Culsans decided to tease him further: "Janus and Saomi kissing in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g~" he singed in a very annoying tone of voice, "then first comes marriage and then the baby in a carriage!" The moment he said those words, they unfortunately witnessed their host having a vein pop in his forehead.
"Quiet."
Mentally gritting his imaginary teeth, Janus released an agitated groan loud enough to unknowingly attract everyone else's attention. "I said quiet, fool," he told him sternly inside his own head, much to his allies confusion and concern.
"There he goes again," Schrodinger sighed. "What happened this time?" Replaced with a concerned look, he gestured towards him and the girl, "If there is anything I could do to help, Please tell me," the cat offered with slight sympathy for seeing Janus having internal conflict with himself.
Saomi approached him without saying a word before she placed her hands on his cheeks and said, "Are you sick?" She kindly asked him with a worried expression of her own, causing him to not know how to react in this embarrassing situation they are in.
Just the warm touch of another person in his vulnerable place had him widen his eyes in shock. "I'm..." He couldn't finish his words when the feeling of having some at his side brought a comfort he had never felt in centuries since his imprisonment.
His heart throbbed while his thoughts became completely blank and filled with static noises from hearing his own voices being amused by the scene before them, "...fine," where his only answer came out of his nonexistent mouth.
Sighing in relief, she took a step back and let go of her hands as her sheathed katana dangled at her left hip. The young woman gave him a sincere smile, causing his heart to flutter once more while he felt an unknown warmth inside his chest.
"I'm relieved to know you're feeling well!"
Before Janus could utter another word, they were interrupted by a finely dressed woman who greeted them. "You three are out of place to be here," she announced, making the trio turn and face her together. "I presume you are looking for the captain of the ship?"
This perked the cat's ears. "Yes, we are," he answered without hesitation. "Can you take us there?" Schrodinger politely requested, maintaining his manners and deeply praying that there wouldn't be any compensation for requesting help from a stranger.
Appearing in her early thirties, she had a stern and professional air about her that set her apart from the common folk. Her silken robes clung to her voluptuous figure, and her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose curls. She had the appearance of a regal queen, yet she carried herself with the grace and poise of a dancer.
Her hazel eyes darted from one person to another, sizing them up and assessing their intentions. As she approached, they could smell the sweet aroma of lavender perfume wafting from her clothing. "Why not?" She mused with a smile, "It's been a long while since I saw some interesting new faces here." Her gaze then switched on Janus with curiosity and intrigue.
"And who might you be?"
She moved towards him before pulling out a paper fan from his dress, walking around him with interest while covering half of her face with the item in her hand. "You don't look to be a citizen of our lovely city," the lady chuckled lightly as she took another glance at his foreign clothes.
Seeing another woman being close to him had caused Saomi to fume with jealousy, "What are you doing?!" Pointing her finger at the person, she says, "You're too close for comfort!" Her entire body shook with anger and envy at what she had to witness before her eyes.
Janus empty stare towards this person was all the helpful stranger was getting from him: "You're not interested in me?" Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "I can give you a good time, you know," the woman purred seductively in his ear with an inviting wink.
"Not interested," he said bluntly. "Mind getting off me and stopping wasting our time?" The answer he gave had caused this person to scoff in disappointment and annoyance, releasing him in the process while fixing her own clothes back to their proper place.
"Didn't expect a man to reject me," she muttered under her breath before turning on her heel and heading back in the direction she came from. "Anyways, I'll lead you three to the dock." As she said that, the woman left, prompting a jealous Saomi, dumbfounded Schrodinger, and annoyed Janus to occupy the strange lady.
