Shango noticed that Ave and Rolla both became visibly panicked. The happy expressions that the two had worn vanished entirely and within seconds, the two went from people who could have been considered childhood friends to just a princess with a resting bitch face and her emotionless maid. The transition the two had made was so quick that it shocked Shango, but before he could speak, a man walked in.

He wore a red robe with silver trimmings, a silver mantle that reached the floor and dragged behind him, yet remained clean, and his hair was blonde except for a few silver streaks. He was a rather handsome older man whose presence could be felt the moment he entered a room. Looking around, he ignored both Ave and Rolla and set his eyes on Shango. On the outside, his blue eyes seemed to be warm and welcoming, but there was something malicious behind them. The more the man looked at him, the more uncomfortable Shango felt. Even though he couldn’t put his finger on it at the moment, the way he looked at him reminded Shango of something, and it pissed him off. So he defiantly stared right back at the man. Just when Shango was about to say, something Ave spoke.

“Greetings father, I was just explaining the situation to the hero.” she said in a stoic tone.

Looking back and forth between the two, Shango could see a slight resemblance between the two, but from the way Ave spoke to her father, he could tell that their relationship was hostile. Finally removing his eyes from Shango, the man looked at Ave.

“Good Avelina, I just have a few words for this summoned man before I take my leave,” he said as he put his hands behind his back, returning his eyes to me.

Ave frowned. She did not expect that her father would want to talk to Shango so soon. Even though it wasn’t what she expected, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Sure, Father. Shango the Hero is a good listener,” she said as she took a step back.

The man took a few steps towards Shango before coming to a stop in front of him.

“I’m King Mortimer. You have been summoned here to fight for the cause of this great kingdom. It is your honor to fight for my kingdom.”

Shango knew that he was not going to get along well with King Mortimer. The way he talked to Shango like it was a privilege for him to be taken from his beautiful cozy home to fight in a war that had no meaning to him,but before Shango could say anything, King Mortimer continued to talk.

“You’re to give your all for my kingdom. Obey my laws and your life here will be well, but if you choose to not obey my commands…”

He gave Shango a meaningful look, making it obvious where he was going with his words. The more King Mortimer spoke, the more Shango wanted to punch him in the face. How proud is this guy? Shango thought to himself. Even though he expected the king to say something along those lines, he could have done it in a better way, similar to how Ave had tried to earlier. Shango said nothing at first, he just let King Mortimer say what he had to say, then he would respond accordingly.

Just when Shango was about to speak, Ave said, “Father, before you entered I was just about to show Shango our world’s magic. He wants proof that he is in another world. Would you show him magic in my stead?” Ave said in a mild tone before giving Shango a pleading look.

Hearing the way her father spoke to Shango and knowing his nature, she could see Shango was not pleased by the look in his eyes. She knew he had a short temper from the short exchange they had just had and realized that nothing good would happen if she let Shango speak his mind, so before Shango could say anything, she intervened.

Getting the message to stay quiet, Shango he could only shrug his shoulders. Even though he was a bit of a hothead, he was not irrational. If this was another world and he pissed off this guy, how screwed would he be?

“Like she said, I’m not convinced about the whole other world and magic thing. I need to see some proof.” he said as he looked at King Mortimer.

“Very well, something so insignificant is within reason.” he said as he rubbed his beard.

He then walked towards the window and opened it. Within the next moment, Shango could feel an intense pressure in the room, all of it flowing around King Mortimer. A sense of fear washed over him.

King Mortimer pointed one finger out the window and uttered a simple sentence, “Return to ashes, Eden’s lost souls.”

Something shot into the air and what happened next would forever be etched into Shango memory. An enormous booming sound was heard and the many clouds that freely roamed the sky were scattered. The shockwave from the spell sent tremors throughout the entire city for many miles.

“You wanted proof; there it is.” Without waiting for a response, he left.

Shango looked out the window in disbelief. He then looked at Ave and Rolla, who both relaxed as soon as the King left the room. Seeing Shango’s shocked expression, Ave could only smile bitterly.

“Do you believe us now?” she asked. Shango could only look at her and nod his head repeatedly.