"Orion!" A sharp voice echoed throughout the classroom, waking Orion from his nap.
"Ah, sorry..."
His physics teacher, Mrs Potts, sighed. "Are you alright? Lately, you've been sleeping in Mr Brian's and Mr Richard's classes."
"Huh? No. I'm fine." Orion glanced around the room. His classmates were already used to his habits, so for them, it was a normal occurrence for Orion to sleep. But what surprised them was the fact that he got 4th rank in the class without even paying attention in class. After that, Mrs Potts continued the class as usual. The class went on for a dozen minutes before the school bell rang. Orion stood up and slowly made his way to another class to meet up with his buddy, but he suddenly stopped. Normally, he would have gone to meet his friend before leaving school, but instead, he left immediately. He walked home, his gaze lost as his mind went blank. After some time, he arrived home.
'Still as empty as ever,' he thought as he glanced around the small apartment. He went silently to his bedroom and threw himself into bed. Still lying, he reached out and picked up a letter from his nightstand. It was a letter he received yesterday. The letter featured a golden stamp and stylish silver drawings. He opened it and read its contents for the 15th time. It read:
"Your highness Orion, the king is dead. The Kalix family took the throne. We suspect it was your stepmother, Elisa, who caused his death. She took some artefacts and relics before disappearing. The Kalixes took the reins temporarily. Well, from their perspective, it's not temporary. Still, please return your highness.
-Your blade and shield, and friend, Julien Cormac."
The letter was direct and ruthless. 'He didn't have time to write the letter properly'
Sighing, Orion let go of the letter as it slowly fell onto the bed. He grabbed his phone and looked at the date —27th of July 2102. Tomorrow was his 18th birthday.
"Return...return..." sigh. 'Normalcy was good while it lasted.' He stood and opened a drawer. Taking out a small ring. He slowly touched the ring, and suddenly, a small box appeared in his hands. The box seemed to be vibrating and bending the space around its edges. He opened the small box and took out a small stone. 'So this is the core?' A distant memory from years ago flashed into his mind...
***
-Inside a grand bedroom, a father and son pair were sitting and having coffee. The room was luxurious and resembled one of those rooms that royalty from the Victorian era would have had.
"Dad. I want to go to the Outer World."
After a brief moment of silence, Orion's father finally spoke.
"What? Why? What is there in the Outer World that there isn't here?" His father replied, clearly looking panicked.
Little Orion stayed silent for a moment before answering.
"Normalcy. The question you should've asked was 'What is wrong with the Inner World?', Dad. I wake up in a cage every day. You don't allow me to leave, though I get a lot of things, like video games, clothes, and anything I want. Am I just going to live like a caged prince all my life? I know you want to protect me from those 'vile nobles' as you call them, but I just want a normal life, Dad. I watched some anime and TV shows where kids wake up, go to school, meet friends, and have fun after school. Dad... I—"
"Fine."
"Huh?"
"I said fine. I'll prepare a new identity and you can go have a normal life..."
"Just like that?"
"Sigh, Orion, you think I like caging my son in a palace? Ever since your mother died, I became... terrified of losing you too, but I've been selfish, too selfish," his father replied with a hint of guilt laced in his voice before flashing his son a soft smile.
Inside his mind, the king couldn't help but wonder: Had Orion finally grown a pair of balls or wings?
' sigh Only time will tell.'
3 dayslater.
In a big hallway.
The king extended his arm, and on it was a small ring.
"A ring?" The ring was black like onyx with silver designs all over it.
"It's a space ring. Yet it's not like any other space ring. Though its capacity is limited, I put some runes on it. They'll hide your premature mana core until you awaken, and there are two gifts in it. Aside from your citizenship, ID, and some souvenirs, there is a special box and a small rune stone. The rune stone stored some of my lectures. Since I'm a king, I won't be meeting you very often, so I left some fragments of information in it. You can still learn from my magnificent teachings even in the Outer World!" said his father whilst having a wild grin plastered on his face.
"Wait. Dad, did you just say rune? Are you..."
"Hehehe, are you underestimating the greatest king of the Inner World? Yes, I ascended. I'm a Sorcerer."
'A Sorcerer? Dad? This goofy father with the mask of a valiant King reached the 5th Realm? Sigh, his grin is reaching his ears... he isn't lying.'
To Orion, his father was just that, a father. He never really viewed him as a king. But at this particular moment, he couldn't help but be filled with a sense of pride. Pride he always hid, and never had the obligation and necessity to show anyway.
Similarly, the king never wore his crown, nor his jewelled attire or fancy suit in front of his son. For him, Orion was his son, his precious son.
"Well enough of that, now onto that box... well, you'll learn more during my awesome lessons, so it's better to keep it a surprise. Just know that it'll make you as powerful as if you had remained in the Inner World."
"Just how many lessons have you made in 3 days?" Orion shivered. He knew almost too well how enthusiastic his father was about the history and powers of the world.
"Well... let's say the mind of a sorcerer is top notch."
Orion groaned, but on the inside, he was quite content. He knew he would miss his father.
After some seconds of silence, his father spoke softly, his voice laced with worry.
"Orion... you'll be okay, right? I mean, you'll have to remain alone without your Raven Blade to avoid suspicions and—"
"I'll be fine, Dad. Uncle Graves taught me how to survive alone on an island... I'll be fine. Plus, no one even knows I exist. Even the nobles think I died during my birth."
Watching his father sigh, Orion couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
'Why was he worried so much? It's not like I have a target on my back anyway. And I bet he'll send some warriors and mages to protect me from the shadows.'
"Still, be safe and... have FUN! Make sure to bring your girlfriend when you come back, hehe."
"Dad! I'm 14! And stop grinning like that, imagine if the maids saw their king like that."
"Maids?! where?" His father flicked his head left and right.
'Gosh... is he a sorcerer? Someone who can bend the world with his will?'
Orion sighed, then put the ring on his right ring finger. With some effort, he imbued some mana into it and took out his ID, and looked at his new identity.
"Orion Blake. Seriously? You just changed Blade to Blake?"
"Well, Blake is a common name, you know?"
Orion sighed as he walked into a grand hall. He wasn't surprised it was empty, as his father probably made everyone leave before his arrival. Only the maids and a small number of Chosen know that Orion exists. Of course, the maids have signed non-disclosure mana contracts to prevent any information from leaking.
Orion walked towards a silver circle that was glowing brightly on the ground. A teleportation array. He stepped into the circle and turned to look at his father. His father's grin was gone, replaced by a soft expression. It was a mixture of sadness, guilt, and longing. He slowly opened his mouth.
"Son... Take care... I... love you. I'll always try to be the best father in the world, and I'm sorry..."
"Arghh, it's fine, gosh. Just make sure to take care of Julien and... I love you, too."
His father's expression brightened at Orion's words. He smiled softly before suddenly, Orion's vision turned white.
***
Orion stared at the small white gemlike stone. He took a deep breath before applying some of his mana to it. The stone pulsed, Orion's eyes widened in awe. In the next second, the stone shattered into a ray of light. The ray filled the entire room with white light before suddenly converging and penetrating Orion's body. His muscles flexed and twitched uncontrollably, his breath turned heavier as his body screamed in pain, and he soon fell to his knees. However, contrary to what could've been expected, his mind was clear. Clear as glass, as only a single name was engraved in it. The name of his father, the King of Xios—Toren Blade. This name was his motivation, his light, his guide. Orion clenched his jaw, trying to endure; however, he soon fell on the ground unconscious.