The sun hovered low over the sprawling city of Thalos. The city noise slowly faded as Kaito and his crew walked further toward the outskirts, the once-vibrant and crowded streets giving way to a calmer atmosphere.
Kaito led the way with a faint smile on his face as they approached a battered down building and an old sign that said Orphanage. It sat on a small hill surrounded by rusted fences and patches of overgrown purple and brown plants of all shades. Kaito smiled slightly, gesturing toward it.
"Here it is. Home."
The crew followed him, each taking in the humble surroundings. The door creaked as it opened, and they were greeted by the scent of freshly cooked food and the sound of children laughing and playing in the distance. Inside, the orphanage was modest but filled with life. Old beat up mismatched furniture was in the main room, while colorful drawings hung on the walls.
Sitting by the fireplace was an elderly Thalorian man with deep-set purple eyes and purple skin weathered by father time. His eyes lit up with joy as Kaito walked in.
"Kaito, my boy, you're back. What's this? You've brought friends."
"Hey old man Farro, I wanted to introduce you to my friends and new crew." Kaito replied as he walked over and gave him a hug.
Elara stepped forward first.
"It's an honor to meet you, Farro. Kaito has spoken highly of you."
Farro's eyes widened a bit as he caught sight of her.
"An elf? Here?" He thought to himself before replying.
"Ah, I've done my best to raise him. Though, to be honest, he's always been a handful." He glanced affectionately at Kaito before turning to the rest of the crew.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. The children won't mind the company."
The rest of the crew introduced themselves one by one. As they settled in, they scattered across the room. Kaito had already started lifting children onto Rorik's broad shoulders. Finn ran around with some of the older kids. Elysia sat with a few younger ones, helping them build toys out of whatever scrap materials they could find.
Elara and Talon, however, stayed near Farro, their attention focused on the elderly man. Elara was the first to speak.
"Kaito mentioned that you took him in as a baby. How did you find him?"
Farro's face shifted slightly. His eyes became distant, as if he was seeing something far beyond the walls of the orphanage.
"It's a story I have yet to tell anyone besides Kaito himself... but for his friends, I'll share it."
The room fell silent, and even the children's laughter seemed to fade away as he began the story. The only sound was the faint crackle of the fire behind him.
"It was about eighteen average stellar cycles ago, during one of those quiet nights when the streets of Thalos are empty. I was on my way to the market for some supplies when I saw something in the sky. At first, I thought it was a small asteroid, a piece of space debris falling through the atmosphere."
Talon began to lean forward, intrigued.
"What was it really? A ship?"
"Yes... but not just any ship. I followed it to where it crashed, just outside the city deep in the wastelands. I expected to find wreckage, maybe some old tech I could sell, but what I found... was something different."
His voice softened.
"The ship was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The exterior gleamed, not like any material I've come across in my long life. There were strange symbols and flags I didn't recognize that were etched across its surface. But that wasn't the most unusual thing. There was a presence about the ship, something... otherworldly. Against my better judgment, I approached it."
Elara cut in.
"Did you go inside?"
"I did. I opened the hatch, and inside... I found a baby. Kaito. A tiny baby, wrapped in a blanket, staring up at me with those wide fiery eyes. At first glance, I believed him to be an elf, but when I looked closer, I noticed his ears weren't pointy like every other elf race. And then that's when I heard it."
"Heard what?" Talon asked as her tail waved slowly around behind.
"A voice. A woman's voice, I assume it was his mother or some type of guardian figure. It was a recorded message built into the ship. She stated his name, his human date of birth, and said he was from Earth. She called him... a human. But that's not all. She also said not to trust the Accord under any circumstances."
Elara and Talon exchanged glances, each of them processing what had just been revealed.
"So you knew he was human from the start?" Talon asked.
"Yes. I knew. But how could I abandon a child? I took him in. I hid him. I wanted to go back to the ship to learn more, but by the time I returned, the site had been cordoned off by the authorities."
Farro's expression darkened a little.
"The next day, the Accord made an announcement across the numerous galaxies under their control and under their influence. They claimed that the humans attacked them in an attempt to welcome them to the galactic family. They said they were a threat to the universe's peace. They broadcasted images of humanity's darkest moments… wars, destruction, atrocities, and painted them as villains."
"So they twisted history to make humans look like the enemy." Elara said with a somewhat worried look in her eyes as she looked over to Talon who shared the same look.
"That's what I believe, and from that moment, I figured he was a target. I had no choice but to keep him hidden, raising him in secret. I never spoke of the ship again and kept him hidden as long as I could."
Talon shifted uncomfortably in the raggedy couch.
"So what was he like as a kid? Couldn't have been easy growing up here as a human."
Farro's face softened further as he leaned back in his old chair.
"It was harder than you can imagine. Even though Thaloria is a lawless world outside of the Accord's jurisdiction but still under its influence slightly, the effects of their words were still potent. Because Kaito was a human, I couldn't put him up for adoption. Most of the other kids? They've all got families now… good homes, loving parents. But not Kaito. The prejudice against humans runs deep in this section of the universe, even on some worlds not under the Accord's control… and no one wanted him. He wasn't accepted anywhere… no schools would take him, no programs, not even basic public services. People feared him. They didn't understand what he was, and that fear turned into hatred."
Farro sighed.
"He'd come home beaten and bruised, day after day. Children, adults… it didn't matter. They ganged up on him, called him names, pushed him down… But no matter how many times he was knocked down..."
He smiled faintly.
"He always got back up."
Elara eyes widened slightly.
"No wonder he's so strong. He's been fighting all his life. But still… he's been through all of that since he was born…?" She thought to herself.
As they looked across the room, they saw Kaito truly smiling. He was lifting a small thalorian child onto his shoulders, and the kids around him laughed as he spun them in circles. There was a lightness in him here among the people who had raised him.
"You're taking him with you, aren't you?" Farro asked
Elara met his gaze.
"Yes. I'm taking him with me. He'll join our crew, and we'll be competing in the Grand Sirius Tournament tomorrow."
Farro's eyes widened with excitement.
"The Grand Sirius Tournament? You're serious? That's... that's more than I could have ever hoped for him. He's been talking about that tournament since he was belly high!"
Elara smiled slightly and nodded.
Farro sat back in his chair, looking at Kaito with a fond smile. His eyes gleamed with the memories of Kaito's childhood—of the young boy who had dreamed so big in a universe that often felt so small.
"You know, all he ever talked about was traveling the stars. Every day, he'd stare up at the sky and say he was going to become the King of the Stars."
Elara raised an eyebrow, while Talon chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"King of the Stars? Like the fairy tail? Give me a break. Does he really believe in that stuff?"
Farro chuckled along, but there was a seriousness to his tone as he continued.
"Yeah, it does sound like that doesn't it? A fairy tale we all grow out of eventually. But in this universe, legends have a funny way of being more than just stories. The King of the Stars is a title that's been whispered across all galaxies, not just here in this lawless world of Thaloria. It's a symbol, a legend about someone who could unite the star travelers, the pirates, the wanderers, the rangers, and everyone that calls space home, becoming the ultimate symbol of peace and freedom. Someone who could navigate the chaos of space and find order within it. Kaito... he always believed he could be that."
Elara's expression shifted.
"I've heard whispers about that title before… but it's been dismissed as just an old myth."
"It might be a myth. Or maybe it isn't. Legends come from somewhere, don't they?"
Talon, who had been listening intently despite her earlier mockery, crossed her arms, considering Farro's words a bit more now. There was something compelling about the way the old man spoke of the legend, as if he genuinely believed in it. No… it was as if he believed in Kaito's potential to fulfill it.
Farro's smile widened as he looked back at Kaito, who was still playfully spinning one of the smaller children around.
"That boy's always had fire in him. Even when the universe told him to stay down, he kept dreaming, kept fighting."
Flashback
A young Kaito, maybe ten years old, stood in the middle of a group of thalorian children in the orphanage courtyard.
"One day, I'm going to be the King of the Stars! I'll travel to every corner of the universe and find a place where humans and everyone can live together. Just watch!"
The other kids burst into laughter, pointing and jeering at him.
"The King of the Stars? You? A human? You're dreaming, Kaito!"
"Yeah, right! You'll never leave this rock, let alone become some kind of king you dweeb!"
Without thinking, Kaito launched himself at one of the kids. The others quickly ganged up on him, but he didn't stop fighting. He took every punch, every kick, and still got back up.
"I'll prove you all wrong! You'll see!"
Farro, standing at a distance, watched the scene unfold. While the other kids laughed and mocked, Farro felt something strange… a sense of belief. There was something about the fire in Kaito's eyes that made him wonder. Maybe, just maybe, the boy could achieve the impossible.
Back to the present
Farro's voice lowered, tinged with a quiet sadness.
"He never stopped dreaming, even when the universe seemed dead set on breaking him. I did my best to protect him, but... in the end, all I could do was keep him hidden. Keep him safe."
Talon and Elara exchanged glances, both moved by the depth of Kaito's childhood story. It wasn't about the glory or the fame for him. It was about something bigger, something that had driven him since he was a child. Elara faintly smiled as her eyes drifted towards Kaito. She began to see it now—the drive that Farro had spoken of, the untapped potential. Maybe Kaito's dream of becoming the King of the Stars isn't so far-fetched after all.
"Please... before you leave after the tournament, come visit again. The children would love to see you all before you head off into the stars." Farro said as he leaned back in his chair.
"We will. I promise." Elara said.
Later that evening, Kaito stood before Farro, the crew waiting just a few steps behind him. The children crowded around, their wide eyes filled with curiosity and sadness, knowing Kaito was about to leave them.
"Are you really leaving?"
"Can you bring back souvenirs?"
"Are those three your girlfriends?"
Kaito knelt down to the little girl who asked the last question and took a deep breath.
"You damn right they are kiddo."
"Pervert."
"Eh…?"
Farro cleared his throat trying to grasp the attention of Kaito and the kids.
"You're really doing it, huh? Leaving to see the stars."
Kaito nodded, his throat tight as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.
"Yeah... thanks to you, old man."
Farro's eyes softened, his voice filled with pride.
"No need to thank me, Kaito. This was always your path. I just made sure you stayed on it."
The children gathered around Kaito, their small voices chiming in with farewells and good lucks. One of the younger kids tugged at Kaito's sleeve.
"Are you really gonna become the King of the Stars, Kaito?"
Kaito knelt down, ruffling the girl's hair with a soft smile.
"Yeah kid. One day I will."
The children smiled as they waved goodbye. Farro stood back, his arms crossed over his chest, watching with a bittersweet expression.
As Kaito finally turned to leave, he looked back at Farro one last time.
"Goodbye old man. I'll make you proud. I promise."
"You already have Kaito."
Kaito nodded, swallowing hard as he joined the crew.
As they walked back toward their ship, Kaito glanced up at the stars, the vast expanse of the cosmos stretching out before him. His heart swelled with excitement. His mind raced with thoughts of the future. He wasn't just leaving his past behind—he was running toward his dreams.
"This is it. My chance to become the King of the Stars."
Elara glanced over at Kaito, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"You ready for this?"
Kaito grinned.
"Yeah, more than ever."