Ortis listened to Mrs. Gable's explanation about Elias's parents. "Alright," he said, his voice flat, showing no hint of disappointment or understanding. Elias watched him, already annoyed by the man's brusque manner. He thought the usual pleasantries would follow, perhaps an introduction to the maid girl, but the man had other plans.
Before Elias could even finish his polite smile, the man moved with surprising speed. He lunged forward, grabbing Elias by the arm. Elias gasped, completely stunned. One moment he was standing, the next he was being hoisted off his feet. The man didn't say a word, just tucked Elias under one arm, much like a sack of potatoes, and began striding purposefully through the opulent halls of the mansion.
Elias was too shocked to react, his small limbs dangling awkwardly. He expected to feel a sense of terror, but his mind, the Ethan part of him, was too busy analyzing the situation.
He couldn't believe this man's audacity!
" Who grabs a child, a noble child no less, like this?"
More surprisingly, the man moved through the mansion's complex layout with uncanny ease. He didn't hesitate, didn't once take a wrong turn, navigating the maze of corridors and grand rooms as if he'd lived there his whole life. Elias, despite his annoyance, wondered about the man's apparent familiarity.
"Just who is this guy?" he wondered, a new layer of curiosity beginning to form.
The man, however,continued his determined trek, bypassing several grand reception rooms and studies, until they burst out into the sunlit back courtyard. The open space, usually a serene backdrop for the manor's daily life, suddenly felt charged with an unspoken tension. Without a word, he simply put Elias down, rather unceremoniously, in the middle of the grass covered ground. He then turned and walked a few paces away, his back to Elias, as if waiting for something.
Elias wobbled, regaining his balance, a bewildered frown on his face. He rubbed his arm, still stinging from the man's tight grip.
"What in the—" he began, but his words caught in his throat.
Suddenly, a wave of raw, unseen energy slammed into him. It wasn't a physical blow, but a powerful, crushing force that felt like being struck by lightning . He was caught completely off guard, his vision instantly blurring, then fading to a blinding, all-encompassing white. The world around him dissolved.
" Oh," he thought, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
"Did I die again? Just like that? It seemed a bit too sudden, too anticlimactic, but…"