CHAPTER 36: PYRAMIDS

(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

---------------------------------

"Alice, my name’s Alice," Alice said all of a sudden.

"Nice to meet you, Alice," Harry said with a smile. Turning towards Michael.

Michael looked to Orion, who looked at him with a goofy grin.

"I’m.. Michael," He said, hesitating a bit.

"Nice to meet you, too, Michael," Harry said with that same amicable smile.

"John here seems to be having difficulty explaining your situation. Do you mind sharing?" He asked.

’Fucking pedo, is he that desperate?’ Orion thought, exasperated

"Umm.." Alice hesitated.

She was still mildly annoyed at Orion for ignoring her; she had intentionally said her real name as a way to spite him, thinking he was overly paranoid, but Harry’s question now made her wary, for some reason, he seemed too desperate to know about their circumstance.

She started second-guessing her actions.

Fortunately, the Nexcraft soon slowed down before coming to a complete halt.

Orion quickly jumped at the chance, "I think we’ve arrived, Harry," He said.

"Yes, we have, what impeccable timing," Harry said, trying to hide his annoyed expression.

He soon stepped into the cockpit to land the Nexcraft, coming out a few minutes later, when it had safely touched ground.

"Alright, kids, welcome to my abode," Harry said while opening the hatch of the craft.

All three of them opened their eyes, staring at the structure before them.

The first thought that came to Orion’s mind was ’Egypt?’ The structure was quite similar to the great pyramids of Egypt, albeit on a far smaller scale, and surrounding it wasn’t sand but solid rock.

It was built solely out of hard rock, most likely what was under their feet; the layering design was a stark similarity to its Earthly counterpart.

Orion looked around. He could only find one of the pyramids, meaning this wasn’t a base of some sort, and he was the only one likely living here.

’That’s both good and bad news, good news because we don’t have to worry about any interference; it would have been a pain if he were part of a group. Bad news because he most likely created this shit himself, and that’s a serious problem.’ Orion thought with a frown.

’Control like that couldn’t be from an amateur; he has to be very skilled at using his powers, ’ Orion thought, looking at the pyramid with a critical eye.

"Beautiful, right?" Harry asked with a proud smile.

"Yes!!, I’ve never seen anything like this in any book; it looks so fragile yet so stable. Whoever came up with it must be a genius." Michael practically geeked out as they approached it.

’Big deal, he’s a pedo engineer,’ Orion thought with a roll of his eyes, as he watched Harry practically glow in the praise.

"The layering and structure are unique; it looks so out of this world," Michael continued.

’It is out of this world, ’ Orion thought, intrigued and somewhat impressed.

"Come on, let’s check out the inside," Michael encouraged.

"Hahaha.. the boy’s got a good eye for quality," Harry chuckled.

They soon got to the entrance, where the stone door slid open, and they entered.

It was bright, too bright for an enclosed structure, and they soon saw the reason: green glowing tones littered the walls, illuminating every corner of the interior.

"It looks so magical," Alice muttered.

They toured around, Michael literally beaming with curiosity, Alice awed, and Orion deep in thought, thinking of a means to escape. Alice noticed Orion’s silence and moved closer.

"I’m still annoyed, just so you know," She said.

"Hence the silence treatment," Orion replied.

"I guess," She said.

"Oh, where is my cute and shy Alice?" Orion said with a mild dramatic flair.

"She’s now the lady of the abyss," Alice smirked.

"Ooh, so you acknowledge the name," Orion said with a raised eyebrow.

"Sounds pretty bold, now that I think of it. I like it," She said.

"I’m glad," Orion replied.

"Care to share your thoughts? You seemed disturbed, I can tell you don’t trust Mr excavator, but I don’t think he’s done much to warrant brooding," Alice asked.

Orion turned to face her. "You are kind of weird, one moment you seem so childish, the next you act so mature, are there two ladies of the abyss in there?" He chuckled.

"Don’t change the topic, Orion," She replied with a straight face.

"I’ll explain later to you and Mr geek over there," Orion said with a sigh.

"Are you lot hungry? I still have some food from this morning," They heard Harry asking from afar.

Michael snapped out of his awe, turning to Orion with a complicated gaze.

"Really!!, You have food. I’m starving," Orion said in an enthusiastic tone.

"Hahaha.. give me a second, I’ll bring you all something," Harry said before stepping away.

Orion’s expression immediately changed, and he quickly called Michael over.

"Storage ring?" He whispered.

"In my pocket," Michael said, bringing it out.

"Good, immediately he comes out with the food, I’ll find a way to drag him away. You have to put the food he brings into the storage ring. If you are hungry, stuff your faces with your stored food." Orion explained.

"Alright, I can tell you have your reasons for your distrust, but how are you going to explain you not eating or-" Michael said.

"Don’t tell me you plan on eating it, Orion?" Alice asked, concerned.

"Of course not, you both will act like you’ve eaten even my portion, I’ll be understanding and tell you guys I’ve eaten inside like I’m deceiving you," Orion explained.

"

You just have to pretend to be guilty for eating everything," Orion said.

"Okay," Michael said.

Soon enough, Harry appeared with three steaming bowls of stew, a smile on his face.

Orion saw his expression and was convinced ’Something’s definitely in it,’ Michael thought, certain.

"Aren’t you eating, Harry?" Orion asked with mock concern.

"Oh, don’t worry, this is what’s left, and I’m not that hungry, I’ll make something up tomorrow, I’ll eat then. This should be enough for your dinner," He said with a smile.

’Perfect,’ Orion thought.

"Alright. Umm.. Harry, there’s something I have to tell you," Orion said with a hesitating expression.

"What’s that?" Harry asked with mock concern.

Orion’s gaze deliberately went to his companions as if reluctant to mention it in front of them.

Harry noticed, " Come with me," He said.

Both of them soon left he room with Harry leading.

"Umm.. I wanted to tell you about our circumstances," Orion said.

Harry’s eyes quickly brightened up.

"I’m sure you know our family is from nobility. Well, the thing is, we’re close friends and I’m sure our parents are presently looking for us." Orion said.

Harry’s brightened eyes immediately darkened.

"But our parents are kind of enemies, and I’m scared that if any of them arrives before the others-" Orion said, his face the epitome of vulnerability.

"They’ll kill the others," Harry finished, his mind already working.

"I can tell you are pretty strong. I know I’m asking a lot, but can you protect us?" Orion pleaded.

Orion could practically read what was going through the bastard’s mind. The impending arrival of parents put a serious hedge in his plans, but the revealed enemity added a spark of complication he might seek to exploit.

How he would exploit it, Orion himself hadn’t thought that far, but a desperate man must have desperate measures. His only goal was to stall for time. There might be a good chance he was planning on making his move tonight. This lie would give them time to plan their escape.

"Of course, John, although what you are asking is a lot and our time together has been short, I’ve grown fond of you three," Harry said with a smile.

Of course, Orion could tell the Idiot wasn’t stupid; he most likely knew he couldn’t take on whoever was coming, but he assumed Orion couldn’t tell the difference between power ranks.

No matter how smart a child might seem, he has moments of dullness or misinformation courtesy of a lack of experience.

"Thank you, Harry," Orion said with a relieved smile.

They soon made their way back to the room where they saw three empty plates and two children who held the expressions of someone who had sinned.

"I’m sorry, it was just so good, and before we knew it, everything was gone," Michael muttered with a guilty face. While Alice held an expression of shame on her face.

"Oh, don’t worry, fortunately, Harry had left some leftovers, though it’s a little, it should be enough for me tonight," Orion explained with a chuckle.

"Right, Harry?" Orion asked.

The two turned towards him as though seeking confirmation.

Harry was momentarily caught off guard, wondering how much Orion cared about his friends, a tiny hint of guilt clouding his mind for what he was planning to do to them.

But he turned to Alice, and the guilt washed away immediately.

"Yes, though I have to say, you both have quite the appetite," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Now that you’ve all eaten, I think it’s time you have some rest. I have to sort through what I got today, tomorrow we’ll talk about what to do from here," He said with a clap of his hands.

"Alright," The three of them said at once.

"Good," He said before walking away.

Immediately he left, Alice and Michael turned their gaze to Orion, who proceeded to tell them everything.

They were both speechless. Before Michael turned to Orion.

"Although I have a lot of questions, we don’t have time. If what you say is true, then we have to leave urgently," Michael said, disturbed by what he’d just heard.

"What’s the plan?" Alice asked with a sour expression.

"That rust bucket is ours," Orion said with a grin.