Young Writers Society

It was the final day before the great event began. I lay in my bed under the silk sheets. There was so much to think about for once it began, I would never see my family again until it was over. It was a warm night in Castle Kufu and the cooling touch of my ancestral home’s stone-brick walls made me feel comfortable, especially in this change of weather that the realm was experiencing.

The wooden door at the end of the room opened and my mother walked in. She had long black hair that reached to her waist, a pair of hazel eyes that glistened like the night forests, and pale skin like that of marble. She was dressed in a long kimono of green and white with blue patterns of flowers all over, a short light-green jacket over her shoulders, and a black sash around her waist.

“My son, it is late and you are still awake. What’s wrong?” the woman asked with concern in her voice. She sauntered up and sat at my bedside.

I turned and sighed. “Mother. There is so much I am supposed to do. Will I be capable of committing such a feat? Will I be able to rise up against my brothers and sisters in the eyes of my father? Or will I fail and fall as they suspect me to do?”

My mother smiled and caressed a hand against my face. “Do not fret, Mishima. Everything will be all right. Do not believe what they say for you have the potential to rise up above everyone else.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“A mother knows what powers her child possesses and a mother knows that her child will become extraordinary.”

Hearing those words calmed my nerves a little, feeling a bit of weight leaving my chest and mind as I smiled back at my mother.

My mother turned the lantern off and waltzed to the door, saying goodnight before leaving me alone in my dark room. However, as I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t help but remain perturbed throughout the night while closing my eyes and drifting to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes fluttered open and I gazed out of the window and stared lazily at the ethereal sky that hung over the lands. The realm in which the castle stood always had such an atmosphere, which for some reason brought comfort to the people as the sky dance in an array of colors, mesmerizing many of the denizens who gaze at the heavens. Moving the sheets away, I got out of bed and headed to the bathing quarters where my attendant, Marina, accompanied me as she held my change of clothes.

“You know, you don’t need to follow me, Marina. I can bathe by myself.”

“Yes, but it is an honor to cater you, my prince,” she stated with a humble grin.

After I had finished, I donned my attire for the gathering that began at 11:30AM. Looking in the mirror, I admired the soft feel of my tanned buttoned tunic and my dark-green trousers that felt nicely around my persons before combing my raven black hair through my fingers. Once I was ready, I walked down the staircase and out the front door. I didn’t bother with the breakfast that was prepared for my mother, my grandparents, and I for I didn’t have the luxury of time today, nor did I have the time to say goodbye to them’ all.

I headed out of the house, but stopped to turn and look at my home for one last time. I wouldn’t be able to return for a number of days. So, I wanted to take it all in before I leave. I took notice of the terracotta tiles and the wood and stone exterior that surrounded it. I walked through the cobbled-stone walkway and passed under the torii stands that hover my head. At the end, I stopped and stood in front of a deep edge, stretching down presumable 100-meters down from where I was standing. I waited as the airship soared over, listing to its four-way engines roaring fire as it stopped in front of me. The door slid open and I walked inside before taking a seat next to the door. I felt the ship take off as the chair and the floor began to vibrate under me.

I looked through the porthole behind me and watched the ship pierced through the veil of reality, observing the scenery becoming more transparent as it proceeded into the void. From then on, I had to wait two hours until my transport arrived at my destination. So, I stood up and decided to explore my surroundings. Luckily, since the airship was reserved only for me, there weren’t many people on board but the pilot and the engineers, which meant I could freely walk around without disturbing any other possible passenger on board. Walking pass the long corridor, I made a right turn and descended down to the engine room.

My hands trailed against the metallic walls as I ventured further. At the end was a bright light and right when I passed through, I found myself surrounded by a variety of machines and pipes spewing steam all interconnected to a large tube standing in the center of the room.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing…oh forgive me, your grace. I didn’t recognize from behind.” I turned around and saw a man wearing a metal mask with a rebreather and dressed in a ragged jumpsuit standing behind me. It was a good thing he did recognize my face before he struck me with that monkey wrench in his hand. He bowed his head in apology, but I gestured my hand for him to lean back up.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault for coming down here without warning. I was curious and wanted to see what was down here.” I moseyed over to the container, gazing at the black smoke floating inside while arching a brow. “So, what’s inside of this thing?”

However, when I tapped the glass, I lurched backwards when I saw a pair of red fists thumped against the inside of the tube. Sneering its’ glowing yellow eyes, the creature bared its’ fangs and snarled. It shouted, “Release me, humans, and I’ll be sure to make your deaths slow and painful!”

My heart wouldn’t stop beating, breathing heavily while feeling beads of sweat fall from my brow. I took a deep breath and finally calmed down.

“Don’t mind that Dyre Demon. He may seem dangerous, but inside that container, he’s all talk and no bite,” the engineer chuckled. He stood beside me with his arms crossed.

I was familiar with the Dyre Demons and their usefulness among airships and other transport vehicles. Apparently, it’s these creatures and the dark aura they produce that powers the ship, not coal or wood.

“Tell me, how long did it take the hunters to capture this demon?” I asked.

“About 5 days and it took 50 men to restrain it and bring it home,” the engineer stated with his expression turning mournful. I guess some of those men were people he knew.

Raising my brows, I patted the man on the shoulder and flashed him a sympathetic expression. Then I walked away and headed back up.

Before I could proceed, I turned and said, “Well, thank you for letting me see all this, good sir. It was all very diverting.”

He simply nodded and returned to his post, checking the gauges and making sure the pressure was balanced. I went back to my seat and waited for the remaining hour and a half until we arrived.

Suddenly, I perked up as I heard a voice coming from the speakerphone. It said, “Attention, passenger. We have finally arrived at our destination. Please, return to your seat as we prepare to dock and before we do, all I would like to say is welcome to Earth.”

I looked out and saw the marble capital below with the bronze tiled roofs reflecting the sun’s light. The site of it was breathtaking with the structure standing on top of a beautiful, fertile plain. If I remembered my history correctly, the area was once known as the Himalayas before the ice and snow melted, and was replaced by a kaleidoscope of flowers and trees.

The airship carefully docked beside a tall tower that stood about 20 meters in the center of the palace. I walked out and strolled across the stone walkway towards the entrance. It was a windy day, the breeze caressing my hair.

Walking into the tower, I made my way to the elevator and headed down to the 12th floor. Sauntering out, I gradually walked across the red carpet and through the decorated hall. Around me were portraits of the previous Emperors that ruled in the past and more distinguished they looked, the more I admired each and every one of them. Just then, I tripped and fell on my face. I turned around and seethed as I rubbed my forehead.

Sticking out from behind the curtains was a leather boot with a steel spat. Then the boot moved, and walking out was a tall man with long blond hair and blues eyes, who flashed a smug grin directly at me. He was dressed in a blue tunic and pants with a belt over his shoulder, a pair of leather shoes with spats, and a red cape around his neck.

Crouching down, the man never averted eye contact, which made me angry. He said mockingly, “Well, I see you haven’t gotten over your clumsiness, brother. Such flaws are unfit for a member of royalty.

I gritted my teeth at him, but he merely laughed while standing back up. Standing up and brushing the dust off my tunic, I replied sardonically as I hissed, “I know you were there, Ivan. I just wanted to show you how childish you really are, brother.”

That hit the nail on the head for my brother. I watched him growl while I felt his hand grabbing me by the collar before cocking his hand back. He roared irately, “You miserable bastard child! You dare insult the true son of this estate?! I’ll make sure you relearn all the lessons I’ve given you years ago!”

“What in God’s name are you doing, Ivan?!” standing behind us was my older sister Victoria who glared daggers at our older brother.

She was a tall beautiful woman that stood three inches over me and was the same height as Ivan, having light-brown skin, long curly black hair, and hazel eyes. She was dressed in a short white dress with golden lines horizontally trailing around her skirt, a pair of thigh-high boots with armor plating and a pair of long armored gloves, and a silver cape around her neck.

Letting me go, Ivan backed away with a timid grin. He answered, “Nothing, sister. I was just merely helping our little brother up off the floor, that’s all.” He turned around and walked away from the two of us. He continued, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to head straight to the throne room that goes for you two also. We don’t want to keep father waiting, do we?” his timid tone faded and changed to a sly one as he flashed a grin at us over his shoulder.

Victoria released a sigh while retaining her scowl before turning her attention towards me. I stormed past her but immediately halted when I felt my sister’s hand on my shoulder. She twirled my around and brought me to her face.

“You know, one of these days you are going to have to deal with Ivan and your snarky remarks aren’t going to protect you? When that happens I won’t be around to save you, brother.”

I replied somberly, “I’m aware of that, Victoria. Unfortunately, if I do manage to fight him, then I surely will fail because he’s stronger than me.”

Slap! A seething pain struck me against my face. My sister’s hand was raised as she glared. The one thing Victoria hated more than my brother was my low self-esteem.

“Does anything else come out of your mouth besides excuses?! Ivan is a coward who only picks on you for being the son of a concubine. However, you are no different for you are all talk,” she stated, pointing her finger at me with a chastising demeanor. “I have watch you be subjected to our sibling’s abuse and every time your show one sign of resistance, they immediately attack and you revert to being a punching bag to the lot.”

She was right. That’s how I act around them. One moment when I try to fight back, I recoil and get beaten by them because I don’t want to cause trouble among my family. I’m just a son of a concubine from a small noble house and I have no right to fight back. I watched her gesture a hand for me to move.

She commanded with a placid expression, “Come on. Let’s get moving. We don’t want to keep father waiting any longer.”

We both proceeded down the hall and stopped when we reached two large oak doors gilded in gold and silver. we waltzed through the doors and stood twelve feet away from the throne. I looked around as I took in all that was around me, admiring the French Rococo style that decorated the entire chamber. Hanging over my head and the heads of everyone in the room were banners of different colors with the only commonness being the golden tree printed on the fabric.

However, my train of thought derailed as I overheard everyone around me. Although I pretended to not listen, I took in every comment they had of me:

“I can’t believe he’s here. Why did father invite that excuse for a sibling?”

“Well, his mother was his favorite in the harem. So, I guess he just felt sorry for rarely bringing him to our gatherings.”

“It’s still disgusting to look at him. That bastard child reeks of weak nobility and common folk. He’s nothing but a poison to our bloodline.”

“Oh please, it’s fun having him around. Besides, who else are we going to mess around with that still has a little bit of spirit left?”

I clenched my fists as I felt my rage building up, but after taking a deep breath, I let go and tuned them out. However, my attention shifted after hearing the trumpets being sounded.

“Ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to announce that his imperialness Emperor Valentine Sol Aurelius has arrived,” said the courtier with his hand behind his back.

Walking through the door on the right side of the throne was my father and accompanying him were his four wives all of whom were dressed in extravagant, and colorful, fashion. I could feel his gaze as he observed the room, bringing shivers down my spine as he furrowed his brows.

Brushing his gray mustache and beard with his fingers, he gestured his hands outwardly and smiled. Then he spoke in hospitality, “Thank you all for coming, my children! I’m glad you’ all could make to such an important event. Now, you’re wondering why I have called you here to the capital!”

That was a question that had been on my mind, and possibly the minds of my siblings also, since I had arrived. Many of us had assumed that father had finally decided to choose an heir to the throne, but that was merely out of speculation, which puzzled me on why father would invite me as well.

Then he continued, “The reason why I have invited you is to inform you that Yggdrasil—the world tree that connects Earth to all realms in the multiverse—is dying!”