Illusions of a Kingdom 1

Shibuya Psychic Research (Gene's POV)

"Goodness what is taking Mai and Naru so long?" Gene mumbled to himself, fidgeting around in his seat. It had been a couple of hours since the latter had left and he had grown increasingly worried about the two. Not only are they taking too long in their little 'date' but it was growing increasingly late. The more time to wait, the more time they would most likely get scolded by Lin. The assistant himself seemed just as worried as him.

"I think we should find them before anything bad happens to him." Lin suggested towards the twin. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Man...no choice I suppose. They are starting to get on my nerves. Like seriously." Glancing over towards the door once again. he rose from the seat on the sofa. But suddenly, he heard a cry with his link with his brother. It was faint...but Gene could hear it.

Gene...help...

"Noll?" Without thinking, he spoke his thoughts out, catching Lin's attention.

"Did something happen?" Lin questioned. Gene glanced over towards the curious and worried assistant before looking back to stare at the wall in distant, trying to reach his calling twin brother. Yet, it was too far. Something was blocking him from reaching him and that was bothering him a lot. Just what type of trouble did they get themselves into now? Eventually, Gene let out a sigh.

"Noll...he just called for my help now. It's faint but it's there. It's almost like someone is trying to conceal his presence from me." Gene answered.

"Can you pinpoint their location despite that?" Lin pursued. Gene shook his head.

"It's very difficult. I have a feeling whoever this being is, they did a fine job in hiding him. Assuming Mai is with him, they might have taken both of them hostage." The psychic medium suddenly felt a strong felt of a signal, as if it was calling him there. Widening his eyes, he felt his feet move forward in a hurry towards the door, dashing down towards the street.

The signal is suddenly so strong! I must follow it no matter what! Was his mind's thought. The faint sound of pounding feet behind him, indicating Lin was following closely behind.

"Gene! Did you get something?!" He called out.

"The signal suddenly grew stronger! I don't want to lose it if we were to find Mai and Noll!" Gene called back. His feet's pace still quicken as he continued. His feet stopped in front of a strange shop, that looked strangely ominous. Gene took a moment to catch his breath before going to look at the store once more. His eyes narrowed to slits.

"The signal is here. I'm certain of it." He affirmed.

"The shop is dangerous. I suggest you don't go alone." Lin warned.

"But..." Gene looked back at him.

"Look, I made a promise to Martin and Luella to protect both you and Noll till the end. This is my duty and job. I abide to it no matter what." Lin sounded serious about the matter in which Gene sighed and flew his hands up.

"Alright alright your coming along then." He exasperatedly replied before turning back towards the shop. What sort of secrets did this shop hold? In all honesty, this was his first time seeing this type of shop in Shibuya District. The possibility of it being some kind of paranormal activity may be very high. Whatever the case, Gene had to rescue his twin brother and Mai at all costs. He did not want to lose the both of them.

Be safe...Noll, Mai... He mentally prayed before climbing the stairs and approaching the door. He slowly reached his hand out towards the door handle and grabbed onto, swinging it open. A icy cold wind first blew from the door followed by a foul smell, causing the male to flinch slightly. Ominous indeed. Gene was slowly not liking this place more and more. Peering inside, was a void of darkness, brimming with dark energy. Whatever this energy was, he did not like it. He took a careful step forward, before taking another, soon successfully getting inside. Lin was behind him, following after him.

Once inside however, the door suddenly swung loudly shut, almost making him jump in surprise and glanced towards the door. Did...the door suddenly closed? Narrowing his eyes, he soon looked around him, finding nothing but darkness inside. The presence of his twin was still here and very strongly as well. Was he still here? Or was there another place that they are in now? From the looks of it, it would appear that he and Lin won't be escaping anytime soon. His body tensed at the thought.

Welcome. This must been your first time being here. I admire you for coming this far, for the sole purpose of rescuing your dear brother and friend. Fufufu...

A dark, sinister slithered throughout the darkness, enough that made Gene's entire body to feel like snakes crawling all over his body. He shivered.

"What have you done with them? Where are they?" Gene questioned, trying to find the source of the dark presence. Sadly, it was well concealed, enough that Gene cannot even detect where it is.

Don't be so questionable. They are here naturally. However...if you want to really want them back, why not we play a little game? If you win this little 'game', they will come back to you unharmed. Lose, and there will be consequences.

"And if I refuse..?" Gene prompted. He didn't like where this is going and he didn't want to have this spirit entity to play games with them. Yet, it seemed there was little choice of the matter.

You won't get them back naturally. In addition, you two will become mine as well. I have been waiting for this.

"Fine. We will play with your little 'game'. But you better keep your promise!" Gene warned. The moment he accepted, a path was carved out in front of them from what it looked like it was made of tiles. Was it supposed to lead them towards somewhere? Lin looked skeptical about it.

"I have a bad feeling about this little 'game' this entity is pulling." Lin mumbled.

"I do as well but in order to get Noll and Mai back, we have to follow for the time being." Gene told him. Lin just nodded, being as both knew they don't have too much of a choice. With that, he began to walk down the tiled pathway, moving forward. Soon, they came across a door of some fashion in which brought curiosity towards Gene. Was it supposed to be something? Staring at it for a little, eventually Gene reached his hand out to grab the handle, slowly swinging it open.

Once through the door, the first thing both Gene and Lin saw was a forest of some sort with animals and birds. The scene looked almost peaceful and quiet. Yet, there was a presence of ominousness in the air. A cocked brow rose from the twin.

"Is this reality or just an imagination?" Gene looked mildly amused but Lin seemed to not quite believe what he was seeing.

"I don't believe this is real." Lin stated.

"Well whatever it is, we got to solve the 'puzzle' in this world right? Man, haven't played these things in so long!" Gene faked excitement before sighing."Though there may been a possibility Noll and Mai may be here too. We will have to be on lookout." Lin once again nodded.

"Let's get going." Lin suggested. Gene nodded and began to walk down the murky path. The forest was foggy and the air covered in mist. The smell of the wet air was strong and Gene wasn't sure whether or not this place had anyone living at the moment. He hoped there will be or else he and Lin would be wandering aimlessly without accomplishing anything. After a few minutes of walking, they came to some clearing. On the clearing, was a small crowd of tents and horses. It seemed like some sort of camp. Then, a person walked out amongst the camp. It seemed like a male in what seemed like European armour. Must been a soldier. However, he seemed to have spotted both Gene and Lin and immediately dashed into the camp.

"Not good..." Lin murmured. Gene nodded and waited. Another male with a more decorated helmet stepped out, soon approaching them.

"Who are you strange people? Have you come to invade us?" The man spoke, his voice authoritative. Gene rose his hands up in some version of a plead.

"No no no. Nothing like that. We just happened to see your camp that is all." Gene tried to sound friendly and not threatening. The male though, seemed to look suspiciously at the two of them.

"Scan for any signs of weaponry." He commanded the soldier who spotted them.

"Sir!' Saluting, Gene was first patted down."No weapons sir." Then he patted down Lin next."No weapons whatsoever. They seem to not be very suspicious." The soldier confirmed.

"I see. What is your purpose here then? You don't seem like around here. Name's Kurmel and I'm a Colonel to the army." The man questioned, folding his arms.

"Well you see Colonel..." Gene scratched his head before continuing,"We have been searching for my twin brother and friend who has brown hair and eyes. I haven't seen them for a long time and we wanted to know where they are. Do you happen to know where they may be?" He doubt Kurmel would know anything of their location. Yet, he had to say something of the matter.

"Wait...don't tell me your are..." The Colonel looked surprised and shocked."I-It is better if you stick with us for the time being. The two people you are searching for are kidnapped by an evil king who took over our kingdom. We are the remaining forces to the previous king which happened to be your twin brother's father." Kurmel explained. This shocked Gene and Lin. Then he laughed.

"Okay okay gotcha. But I want to rescue them from this evil king. They are very precious to me." Gene smiled.

"You must not, my Prince! It is rather dangerous for you to do so as the evil king is extremely powerful with a powerful army!" The Colonel pleaded.

"My Prince?" Gene blinked.

"Y-Yes. You are the previous king's son after all. It is only natural you are addressed in such a fashionable manner." Kurmel gave a bow on his head. Shocked by this royal treatment, it took him awhile before he somewhat recovered. Something obviously wasn't right in this world and from the looks of it, he was thought of to have some sort of royal blood. Gene glanced at Lin in which the assistant just shook his head. He sighed.

"As I recall, I don't think I am of royal blood." Gene pointed out.

"Most certainly you are! You look exactly the same as the younger prince!" Kurmel protested. Gene sighed.

"Alright alright. But still, we gotta rescue my twin and friend as soon as possible. I am worried for them after all." Gene told them. He may as well play along for the time being being as it was difficult to change their minds.

"I-If this is your wish." Kurmel bowed his head. Gene sighed once again and began to head towards the camp, Lin following. He had expected a 'game' but he never expected this to involve a rescue mission. He would have to figure out this as soon as possible.

Evil King's Castle, Prison Room (Naru's POV)

A groan escaped his lips before he slowly flickered his eyes eventually opening them. He realized he was inside a room filled with dirt everywhere. Where was he? Trying to get up, he suddenly felt his hands behind his back and the sound of chains clanging. He couldn't move his arms at all. Naru struggled for a couple of seconds before sighing, giving up. He was cuffed by metal cuffs and no way of getting out of them. Trying to shift himself in a better position of vision, he soon noticed an unconscious Mai in the room, still unable to wake.

Mai! I better check if she's alright. Naru thought as he used his legs to get himself closer towards her. However, after moving about close to 2 meters away from her, he felt there was something stopping him from moving any closer. A chain. Naru gritted his teeth before looking at Mai.

"Mai? Wake up Mai!" He tried to verbally call her out. Perhaps it may work, perhaps it may not. Either way, he had to call her awake in some manner. After a few minutes, her eyes slowly fluttered open and noticed her brunette eyes shifted over towards him. She blinked.

"Naru? What happened?" Then surprised by her unable to move as well, she frowned."Are we in a prison room?"

"Most likely. It'll appear the entity had brought us into some version of its world." Naru frowned, shifting a little uncomfortably against the cuffs.

"What do we do Naru? Isn't there a way to get out of this?" A look of worry and fear flashed in her eyes, almost making Naru's heart wretch a little. He looked away from her, as if trying to find an answer to her question.

"I'm...not sure." Was all he could say.

"I just hope someone can rescue us...I feel a very bad vibe of this place." Mai half whimpered, half mumbled. Naru wouldn't ignore the bad vibe either. It was contagious and threatening. He did hope that they would get out somehow. He blinked though when he felt something faint in him and Gene's link. Was...Gene here too? Mai seemed to notice his expression.

"Did you sense something Naru?" She questioned.

"I...seem to sense Gene's signal. It is faint but it's there. Could he be here as well?" Naru glanced towards the door, pondering whether or not it is a wise idea to try and break out of the cuffs.

"If he's here...we may have a chance to get out." Mai sounded hopeful.

"That idiot better or else we will never get back out of this place." Naru retorted. Mai seemed to giggle a little.

"Yeah. This place is far too creepy." Mai's eyes went towards the door. It seemed as though she probably felt something or was wondering how to get out. Naru wanted out as well, but it won't happen if those cuffs is what tying him down. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. But he tensed when he felt a presence enter into the room.

"Heh, creepy you say 'My Prince?' And I was only getting started." A sinister voice echoed the room. Naru tried to catch the sense of the presence.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Naru demanded. A dark laugh echoed the room before a man with black hair, red eyes and a completely dark outfit appeared.

"This man...he's has a dark aura on him..." Mai murmured softly. Naru glared towards him.

"Welcome to my castle, My Prince, Lady Mai. It is an honour for your presence to be graced upon my castle. How do you like our hospitality?" The man greeted, in almost mocking manner. What caught him off guard is when he was addressed as 'Prince'.

"Why address me as 'Prince' and Mai as 'Lady?' Me and Mai hold no royal blood." Naru questioned. A cackle only made Naru grow gradually annoyed.

"Why, you are the esteemed King Martin's son, and Lady Mai is your cousin. I thought you knew that already, my Prince." The man smirked. Naru's eyes went wide as he quickly realized he was in a world where he was treated as royal blood. Naru's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want from us? Why have us captured?" Mai demanded as well, her glare also going back to the man.

"Why we plan to give you as an offering to the gods. It is this time of the year where a person of royal blood must be sacrificed. Please understand, that it is the traditions we follow and abide by." The man bowed.

"You have yet to answer the question of who you are." Naru hissed.

"Pardon me. I am King Herad, ruler to the Jurai Kingdom." The man introduced himself.

"Do you think holding us like this would mean we won't get out?" Naru scowled. A laugh escpaed Herad's lips.

"And how may I ask, will you be able to escape out of here? The castle is heavily guarded with my esteemed soldiers and plus you are in chains. I find it rather difficult for you to get out. After all, in 4 days, we will be making our offering to the gods. There is no escaping your fate." Herad sneered."Do enjoy your last days of your life while you can!" With that, the man was gone.

"Naru...do you...do you think Gene will rescue us in time of that sacrifice?" Mai sounded quiet. Naru glanced over towards the brunette before back towards the door again.

"Knowing that idiot, yes I'm certain he would get us out. He is smart when it comes to blending in." Naru replied back.

Get us out soon...Gene... Naru thought.

In a weird world created by the entity, Gene, Lin, Naru and Mai are trapped inside. Will they ever escape? To be continued...

Dear Readers,

Finally another update for this story! I do apologize for delayed postings, since I was super busy with schoolwork, and real life stuff. I am able to finally get an update towards the chapter. This story is about to get really interesting! Tell me your thoughts what you think so far, as feedback is always a bonus. I am not sure when my next update will be, but be sure this story will continue! Enjoy!

Update soon,

Icestar123