For a while after that, Arthur kept thinking about this letter and what he should do. Although it was clear to him that accepting this invitation was better than ignoring it, there were still some uncertainties that he had to consider.
As abrupt as this invitation was, it seemed he only had a few hours to consider it before he had to go to the airport. He felt like he was being cornered to make a decision quickly and that was exactly what he was trying to do.
He had no one to tell him what to do or give him and advice. What could’ve been something his parents helped him with, is now something he has to deal with alone. This wasn’t new to him as it had been the case for years now.
But, he still could only wonder what it would feel like to have someone that can give him guidance when he is lost. A person that he can go back to whenever he feels like the world is too much. It felt terrifying, and certainly something that Arthur should’ve not gone through at such a young age.
But, here he was, already learning to bear that fear and pressure and moving forward. He does hesitate and overthink more times than he would like to admit. Still, he had to take that decision.
“Tsk, why am even hesitating at this point? This seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it turns out to be a bad idea, I won’t regret it at all. If they want me, fine, they will get me.” He muttered as he put the letter down and stood up, his expression was now dead serious.
‘I wanted to change my life, didn’t I? Well, what’s better to start with than to travel to a whole different place?’ Arthur asked himself as he walked into his room to start gathering his clothes.
“Wait, where was my passport again?!”
***
*A few hours later*
The night had cast its shadow on the city. The world felt far more quiet than usual, perhaps because many people were within the confines of their homes playing Divinity Online, or perhaps it was just a feeling.
Looking around him, Arthur dragged a suitcase through the dark streets of the neighborhood. “Where can I find a taxi now? It’s goddamn late.” Sighing, he stopped at the main street and waited for a taxi to pass by.
Looking at his phone, he had a few hours before his supposed flight. Although the boy was still apprehensive about all of this turning out to be a dumb joke or a trick, the chances of that being the case were too low for him to consider them.
‘Well, I have never been to the airport before so this is going to be a good experience if it doesn’t work out.’ He shrugged. A few minutes passed before he saw a taxi coming toward him from a distance.
Stopping it, he got inside and asked the driver to head straight to the airport.
“Where is a young man like you traveling all alone?” The man asked Arthur.
“… I’m traveling to a place that doesn’t exist on the map.” The boy replied as he looked outside through the window.
“Huh?”
“Shh, you don’t need to understand.” The boy replied. “I don’t even understand it myself.”
‘… Is this boy insane?’ The man felt weirded out by the boy’s quirky behavior. He felt rather intimidated and so he went completely silent for the rest of the ride. When they reached the destination, Arthur paid the man with whatever money he had left and left the cab. Standing in front of the massive doors of the airport, Arthur looked around him with a curious look.
Unlike the rest of the city, the airport was as active as ever with people getting in and out at all times even this late at night. ‘First time here, feels very… weird. I never thought I would travel outside the country in my life. But, here I am.’
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and walked inside. Immediately, he was met with a chaotic sight. A massive hall that stretched as far as the eye could see with people walking everywhere in a hurry.
A feminine voice was speaking in the distance through a loud microphone, announcing the planes that were about to take off. The entire place was so weird and it caught Arthur immediately.
‘It feels like everything here is going at 2x speed… What the hell?’ The boy felt a little panicked inside as he looked around him left and right. He didn’t know what to do at first, but then he decided to ask one of the guards moving around him.
That led him to the security area. There, he stood in line behind many people who were going through the same process as he was.
‘Gulp, I don’t even know if this passport is still eligible to use. My grandma made me make it in case I need it. Who knew she would be right? May god bless you, grandma.’ Praying in his head, Arthur took the ticket and passport out. He didn’t know if there were other things required like an ID, but since he wasn’t of age yet, he didn’t have that.
Normally, he would be refused by the TSA agent but, Arthur had a hunch that wouldn’t be the case. ‘Well, we shall see very soon.’
After 30 minutes of waiting, Arthur’s turn finally arrived as he stepped in front of the TSA agent. It was an older lady with a stern look on her face.
“Your suitcase and any other belongings, sir.” She said. Arthur immediately handed her everything before she put them in a bin. Then, she looked at him. “Passport and ticket, please.”
Putting them on the counter, the woman stared at Arthur before her eyes shifted to the people standing behind him. “Is one of them your parent?”
“… No? I came here alone.” Arthur frowned. ‘Oh boy, I do need some kind of document, don’t I?’
The woman stared at Arthur silently before she sighed and said. “Sir, I do not think you should be here alone. Where are your parents?”
“… I don’t have any,” Arthur replied. “Can you please check the ticket, I think there is some kind of misunderstanding.”
“The ticket?” The woman raised an eyebrow before she picked it up and read it. Almost immediately, the woman’s eyes widened as she froze for a second. Then, she slowly lifted her eyes up to look at Arthur.
“Uh, ma’am? Are you ok?” Arthur asked her, feeling confused. ‘Did she read something weird in the ticket? Uh, what the hell is this situation?!’
“Huh? Oh, ehem, my deepest apologies, sir! I didn’t understand at first! Please excuse my rude behavior!” Then, with a scared tone before she quickly checked the ticket, the passport, and the items as fast as she could. Then, she made Arthur pass the X-ray device.
When he was done, she said. “Sir, can you please pick up your belongings and follow me?”
Arthur raised an eyebrow before he nodded and walked after her. ‘Am I being led to an interrogation room?’ Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, the woman led him to the waiting area of the airport where people wait for their trips.
However, the woman continued walking in a hurry, passing across the entire area until she stopped in front of a random door. Putting a particular key in, she unlocked the door without opening it. “Please, head inside.” She said.
“… What’s in there?”
“Please head in and you shall discover yourself.” She said before she excused herself and walked away. Arthur tried to call for her, but she was already long gone.
“What’s up with everyone giving me something and then storming off? Is this the new trend?! Goddamit, I need answers!” Grumbling to himself, he opened the door and walked inside. At this point, he had lost the energy to get surprised anymore.
However, that thought vanished quickly when he saw the interior of the room.
A//N: Sorry if the entire security process seems inaccurate. Had to change some stuff to make it fit 🙂