The Apathetic Mage Loves Cats

Chapter 3: The Archmage

"Young man? It is time to get up." A gentle yet irritated voice called to me from above. I stiffened at the voice, majorly disrupted at the sound. It had been many years since I had been woken up, and I surely was never called "young man". My eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the light around me. Upon opening my eyes, I glanced at the woman to the left of me. She was in a typical maid outfit you would see in movies or anime. Her brown hair was in a tight bun on the back of her head and there was a white frilly headband that decorated her head and kept baby hairs out of the way. She wasn't the only one before me either. There were two other maids behind her in the same attire, all of them with their heads bowed at almost a 90-degree angle. At the sight, I used my left arm to slowly sit up, trying to take in the sight around me but barely able to keep myself from gaping at the absurdly large room.

The door to the room was to my left directly behind the maids. Seemingly standing 8 feet in height were two doors that had gold painted décor spiraling across them. The doors were opened to reveal two people in light leather armor with swords attached to their hips standing on either side of my door. However, the absurdity did not stop there. Continuing around the room, I realized how grand it was. The wall in front of me seemed like yards away, with two floor-to-ceiling windows on the ends of the wall and a couch and a large flower painting in the middle. Above the painting was a clock, but it wasn't a modern one. It glittered and floated above the painting, a bright purple that shimmer that read 05:30:52. I was knocked out for a full day?

To my right was a massive bookcase that spanned the wall and was overfilling with old books. Directly in front of the bookcase was a brown desk littered with papers, books, and scrolls in a messy scatter. Finally, the wall I was on had a massive bed, which seemed to combine two king-sized beds into one. The bed frame and posts were dark oak, which connected to the top to hold some black curtains that would block out the world around you while you slept. However, probably because the maids were trying to get me up, the curtains were pulled back from the bedpost and the windows, bringing in tons of natural light that, if it weren't for my shock at the room, would have definitely woke me up. The bedspread itself was a purple color and made of silky, one that made me want to stay in bed all day. The cat seemed to enjoy it, as it was lazily sleeping down by my feet, curled up in a ball. Its white body contrasting against the dark sheets as it stretched out its paws in a lazy manner.

"Where am I?" I asked, shifting on the bed, feeling extremely strange that I was feeling this well-rested for the first time in many, many years.

"You are in Archmage Romand's room in the Ekalen Palace, young man. He brought you here after you passed out yesterday on the street. He ordered to wake you and to have you dressed and ready by 7 am. Then, we are to take you to his study room. The earlier the better, he asked." I frowned at the statement, turning to look all around me again in disbelief. While I had known for the past seven years that I was in an alternative world; sitting in this luxurious room with maids really reminded me that I wasn't in New York anymore. This room was only a dream for those back on Earth.

"What am I getting ready for?" I questioned furrowing my brows. It seemed too strange to just follow these people's orders for no reason, especially considering the strange man put me to sleep all because of this stupid cat. I may be a child in this body, but I certainly was well beyond 7 years old.

No one moved, obviously implying that I wasn't going to get an answer. "What would happen if I didn't go?" I asked, sliding out from under the covers, moving to stretch my arms above my head. This evoked a response as the head maid shot up quickly, a look of shock on her face before quickly moving to stare back down at the ground as if I would punish her for doing so.

"I -I'm sorry, young sir?" she sputtered. I didn't fail to notice her change in addressing me, but it really didn't matter. I just wanted to get out of this troublesome situation.