Descendants of Gibbous
Chapter 55: Paparazzi

Chapter 55: Paparazzi

Damien flinched, snapping his eyes open and turning to face Eden.

"Leave him be," she commanded the guard, tugging at Damien’s coat and pulling him to her.

The boy staggered backward a little before standing next to the princess, wondering why she didn’t want his memory wiped. Everyone including Kingston and Ahara had theirs wiped, so why him?

"What’s going on?" Ahara questioned, rooting herself behind the teens. "Is something wrong, Eden?"

"No, not really," Eden replied, her eyes still on the guard who refused to back off.

"It is protocol that I do this princess," he reminded her.

"And it’s also protocol that you follow my orders when my parents leave me in your care. Or did I miss something when my father told you to protect me at all costs?"

Damien’s mouth curved downwards as he hissed and looked away from the guard. The man was now glaring suspiciously at him as though he was the one who told him off.

’Let me be, man,’ Damien yelled in his head, glancing to the side.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I won’t proceed with the ritual if it’ll offend you."

"Thanks," Eden smiled at him, turning to face Ahara and Kingston. "I think we’re ready to go now."

"Are you sure you’re okay?" Ahara questioned, scanning the princess’s face. Despite her beaming, her eyes weren’t twinkling with the same excitement that was highlighted in her voice and smile a while ago. Instead, they looked dull, sad even.

’Is it because her parents left her with us? No, that can’t be the reason. She’s the one who asked them to do that. But then, what is it?’ Ahara questioned herself.

To her surprise, the princess giggled at her and pointed between Damien and Ahara. "You and him are very similar you know that?"

"Really?" Ahara instantly shrugged off the depressing thoughts in her mind. Maybe she was just imagining everything.

"Hmm. He asked me if I was okay too when my parents left."

"That was because you were sniffling," Damien interjected, restraining himself from saying anything else after seeing Ahara’s confused expression. Of course she wasn’t aware of the reason why Eden was crying—her memory just got wiped.

"Isn’t that what everyone does when they have a running nose?" Eden retorted, folding her arms and tipping her chin at the boy.

"Nobody does it with their head facing down!"

"I do," Eden hissed back, taking a step closer to Damien as if to challenge him. Little did she know she was making him realize how correct he was. Her eye corners were glistening with tears.

But before Damien could point it out, Ahara placed her hand between him and Eden, separating the two apart before they fought.

"That’s it you two. We don’t have all day for chitchat so let’s make use of the time we have wisely okay?" Ahara notified them, grateful that the royal guards hadn’t intervened and done something to her brother.

Eden flared her nose victoriously at Damien, letting go of his coat and clutching Ahara’s hand instead as the two took off down the stairs.

"Girls," the boy rolled his eyes and followed behind them, much to Kingston’s surprise. He laughed at Damien’s dramatic step, following after the boy and the girls to the portal points outside the city.

*****

It took less than fifteen minutes of traveling through portals before Damien and the others were back in Fangpeak, Vespera. The sun’s strong golden hue immediately melted the bits of snow clinging to their coats the moment they stepped into the city, with the passing crowds gawking at them after Ahara used Dragon ash to make them appear in the heart of the city—the shopping center.

"It’s Princess Eden!"

"Isn’t that the Numen’s children?!"

"Kingston Kapoor?! Oh my goodness it’s him!"

A crowd of people suddenly gathered around them—something Damien had become quite accustomed to after the enrollment ceremony went viral around Fangpeak.

Thanks to the weird technology in oblongs that allowed Gibbits to access the news and entrainment by channeling their aura to a specific channel of choice, the footage of Damien tagging other students out and of Vice Principal Mei-ling’s speech when his rank couldn’t be determined had acquired quite the audience around Gibbous.

Now even those who didn’t know of his return in Gibbous did, and since the news had broadcast his face, walking around town now felt more like he was on some sort of red carpet show where he was the main center of attention. It used to be nice at first, he loved the celebrity feel to it.

But then came the journalists and their birds.

Damien had to learn the hard way how Gibbous residents take pictures by using the eyes of these flying creatures after one of them shit on his pajamas early morning a few days after the enrollment ceremony went viral—when the paparazzi visited their house.

Yes, they had the paparazzi in Gibbous too!

It was always worse when he was in public like this—especially when moving around Gibbous required the flick of a wand or portals to reach one’s destination in a matter of seconds. And since it wasn’t just him but four of them drawing attention, Damien knew it wouldn’t take long before they were surrounded by reporters, birds, and Gibbits alike

"Quick, let’s disappear from here before—"

CLICK!

The sound of an oblong being tapped on mixed with the flapping wings of an eagle above them was enough to make Kingston stop his speech and groan.

"Fuck, they’re already here," he clicked his tongue, covering Ahara and the teens as if he was protecting them from some greater evil.

"Oh move over, you’re not the only one who wants high-quality pictures you know!" Ahara barked at him, pushing him aside.

"They’re boys. They don’t know how good these guys are at photography," Eden interjected, the two of them striking poses and waving at the crowd full of children, men, women, and reporters like celebrities.

Kingston sighed in defeat and moved out of their way, standing next to Damien who couldn’t believe his eyes either. The last time this had happened at home, Ahara had told him not to waste his time on the paparazzi because:

"They’ll post fake articles of you the very next day."

Now though, she didn’t seem to be heeding her advice—even though it seemed to be the perfect time to do so.

The birds above them were increasing in number, and so were the paparazzi and the crowd. Damien could count at least thirty of the flying creatures in their different sizes, colors, and looks, but he knew they were probably more than that. They had to judging from the number of men and women feverishly tapping on their oblongs now.

"Ahara, we have to leave now before they start asking useless questions," Kingston warned, and this time, Ahara listened.

She turned around and grabbed the princess, but when she tried to leave the circle formed around the four of them, there was no opening.

"Shit, we’re trapped."

"Thanks to you," Damien reminded her, earning himself a glare from Ahara and Eden, but he didn’t yield.

"What? I’m only stating the obvious," he mumbled at them.

"Well your obvious isn’t helping us is it?" Eden hissed back.

"It would’ve if you’d listened to me before the crowd grew," Kingston backed Damien.

"Not our problem you don’t understand the importance of pictures," Ahara interjected, glaring at Kingston.

Damien didn’t know how it happened, but somewhere during their trip, these arguments had turned into a boys versus girls kind. It had grown so much that now, instead of looking for a way out of the mess they were in, the four of them glared at each other—each with their age mate.

It was only when a sudden wind erupted between them, sending dust in the direction of the crowd encircling them that they finally broke eye contact.

"Down here yer bloody tossers!" Came a rough voice from below and all four Gibbits looked down at the dwarf who had suddenly appeared between them. "Grab on to me if yer want to escape from here."

Everyone immediately held on to the dwarf, everyone except for Damien who couldn’t believe how they could all just trust a stranger like that.

"Oy, wanker! Stop wasting my time."

"We set an appointment at their shop Damien, " Ahara explained once she noticed Damien’s hesitation.

"You should have just said so," the boy mumbled touching the dwarf before all five of them vanished in thin

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