The young boy, Xerxez Herzthroven, was proud to be called a hunter. It was a title his country had once honored with a roar of pride, but now, it was little more than a whisper, a forgotten legend from his grandpa's tales. Xerxez[1], a twelve-year-old prince, was born in Thallerion, in the Betelgeuse District.
Thallerion name derived from the ancient Tell'Rion, the Teller of Orion. The story of his people began when the Orion entity, their celestial guardian, vanished. Centuries ago, the people of Thallerion were a famous bloodline known as the Orion's Race—The Hunter.
In a world where every civilization depended on its own Constellar entity to live beyond mortal limits, humans had embraced magic, power, and abilities. But these celestial entities presence, intended to protect Earth as the last bastion of life, had only pushed humanity to the brink of ruin. It felt like a contradiction, a lie his people had lived with for generations.
Years ago, monstrous beasts and demons were summoned to attack humanity. Many in the Constellar community believed these creatures were the work of a mysterious Death entity, a being that withered life with a single touch. Orion himself had suspected this entity sought to destroy the last planet with the seed of life.
Orion, the king of hunting, had empowered the Thallerion bloodline with advanced fighting skills and the unique ability to manipulate weapons, turning them into great hunters, tacticians, and fighters. But the more power humanity gained, the closer they came to war, their insatiable greed and lust for dominance plunging the world into chaos.
While their ancestors had been confident enough to challenge abyssal creatures from the deepest pits of the Abyss, the current generation of Thallerion had forgotten how to awaken the Orion's ability. They had become complacent, content to hide behind their closed walls, shielded from the world's harsh reality. It was a coward's life, and he was determined not to live it.
But for Xerxez, the dream of being a hunter was more alive than ever. Today, he marched alone, beneath the gnarled branches of ancient oak trees that stood like watchful knights along his path. Even the vivid tales of abyssal beasts from his grandpa couldn't dampen his adventurous spirit. The strictness of his mother, Xurien Wrez Herzthroven—a lover of poetry whose singing was a melody on the wind—was just noise to him. His father, King Cerceux, encouraged his bravery, training him in archery in the palace backyard, where they practiced shooting apples from the head of a statue. He missed those times. He missed his father's proud smile.
A chorus of birds sang a joyful tune. As he walked, Xerxez began to sing a song of his own, his beautiful tone a clear inheritance from his mother.
♪♪♪
"Round and round the Earth will go,
Day by day, the seasons flow.
Birdies build their nests so high,
Eggs like treasures tucked inside.
Branches sway and grasses play,
Leaves go drifting far away.
One, two, three, or maybe four—
Shiny eggs to love and care for."
♪♪♪
His steps were muffled by the mossy earth as he moved deeper into the woods. The constant chirping of robins echoed from the high branches of a thick, verdant oak. His tough leather shoes crunched on the fallen leaves, carrying him past the contorted roots of the giant trees. A simple bamboo bow was slung across his back, and a quiver of arrows at his hip hinted at his purpose, though the reason for his solitary journey was hidden beneath his royal blue jacket and white T-shirt.
He traced each tree branch as if following a map until he spotted a faint blue shimmer—a robin's nest, tucked high in an old oak. His heart swelled with excitement. From the murky water below, eyes watched him, a creature moving closer before retreating into the thick mud whenever he looked its way.
"Hmm," he mumbled to himself, trying to shake a strange feeling of being watched. "Just a tiny creature, toying with me."
With swift movements, he began to climb, his feet gripping the rough bark as brittle twigs broke beneath his weight. Soon, the forest lay beneath him like a green ocean. When he reached the nest, he carefully peered inside, his head rising like a sun.
"Hehe," a wide smile stretched across his face as he saw the three shiny blue eggs. "Got ya!" This felt so much better than any royal lesson.
He carefully collected two of the eggs, leaving the smallest one behind to hatch. He whispered a sound of triumph, a feeling of pure happiness that was better than any royal decree. He stood in the tree, sightseeing the paradise below, taking a deep breath of the fresh forest air.
"Grahh-grahh-grahh!"
"Hehe," he laughed, spotting more black blue feathers nearby. "That's a piece of cake!" Nothing to fear here.
The joyful squawks of Cassowary[2] parents filled the air as Xerxez crept through the thick bushes, waiting for his opportunity.
"I'm sure I can snatch their eggs. I am a child of Thallerion!" he thought to himself, a swell of pride filling his chest. "
With a final, joyful cry, the Cassowary seemed to celebrate something, but Xerxez was already moving. He snatched several of the green eggs from their nests as if they were the most valuable treasure in his young life. The male Cassowary, caught off guard, turned aggressive.
"Hrrrnkkk, hrrrnnkkk!!!"
The boy was chased by the enraged male birds, almost getting pecked on his butt. He had to admit, he hadn't planned for them to be so fast. He dove into a giant bush, watching as they lost track of him. A satisfied smile stretched across his face. "These green eggs are the best. Mom said it was delicious, though... Stealing Cassowary eggs... are also dangerous." He grinned as he peek at the Cassowaries, prowling nearby. I know..i know...male birds are always guarding the eggs maybe almost fifty days.
"This is what a hunter feels like!"
He placed the eggs into his pouch basket. As he watched the agitated Cassowary, something big and fish-like moved under the water, a movement that quickly disappeared.
"What are those things beneath the swamp?" he wondered, his curiosity deepening. He wasn't scared, just fascinated. He'd never seen anything like this in the palace grounds.
He watched the swamp vigilantly, unaware of the creature's true form. Not far away, in the Cassowary bathing spot, an object created bubbles with a low pitch, as if calling to him.
"SQUAWK!!!! SWAAAAWK!!!!"
"Oh... that sound," his ears perked up at the adorable squawk, different from any earthly bird. Could it be? "If I'm not mistaken...that sound was... The Crane!"
He headed toward the large trees, searching for the source of the sound. "If I could snatch one, it would be the most victorious hunt of my life. I wish I could trace their nest."
He had waited for this for so long, promising his grandpa that one day he would bring him eggs from that mysterious bird. But his grandpa had died a year ago. He sighed.
"Don't worry, Grandpa," he whispered to the air. "Wherever you are, I promise to bring eggs from that mysterious bird to your tomb."
He wondered about the crane's color and size. "Maybe it's big?" This hunting season would be a true challenge. The creature in the mangroves moved again, but Xerxez dismissed it as just a fish.
"Pssst!" a clear, audible whistle. As he waded into the knee-deep water, something glimmered at his feet, encrusted with sand and half-submerged.
"Whoa, what is this?"
At first, he thought it was a stone, but upon closer inspection, he saw jewels embedded in its design. My mother would love this. It looks like a treasure. It was a dagger. He looked around. "Who is the owner of this dagger?"
From the mangroves, the water moved aggressively as if a giant fish was swimming toward him. But before it could act, the dagger trembled in his palm, as if giving a warning.
"Yow, the dagger is shaking?!" How is it doing that?
Suddenly, a manly voice, like a goblin's high pitch, came from the blade. "Yeak! Look out!"
"Whoa... what's that sound?!" His skin prickled with goosebumps. Was I imagining things? No, that was a voice! "You're talking?"
"There's a monster!" the dagger screeched, its voice high and shrill.
"GRAWRR!!!! That treasure is mine!!!" an unknown creature leaped toward his hand where the dagger was. In Xerxez's ears, it sounded like an angry frog: "Crokcrokklock!"
"Whaaaaaaa!!!!!! Monster!!!!?" The boy was shocked to see a swamp lizard, as big as a wild boar, with sharp, sloth-like claws, jumping toward him. He stumbled back, but its tail coiled around his foot.
"Wheeeere ya goin'!!!! Groock!" the lizard growled, its words garbled to Xerxez.
"The monster said—well, 'don't ever try to hand me over to him!'" the dagger translated.
"That's what he said?" Xerxez lifted the dagger higher as the creature tried to reach it. "Hey... Let me go!!!!" he cried, wriggling as a million ants seemed to bite at his bleeding foot. It hurts so much! "Hoo, you bit me again!?"
"Use me! Hit him!" the dagger commanded.
Xerxez tried to escape the reptilian's grip, which felt as heavy as an iron chain. He raised the dagger to stab the creature, and it suddenly flared with a blinding light, accompanied by the shriek of a bird.
"What's happening to you?!" The boy stared in wonder, his hand moving with a precise action that felt beyond his control. I have to trust it. I have to trust this dagger.
"Drrr… wh-what's this…? That blade's sparkin' up—lightnin'? Crok crok!! I gotta tell the master 'bout this… but—gaaah! Nooo! Ughhh! You'll pay for that, ya nasty little brat!" The lizard was electrocuted, its four legs running desperately on the water's surface without sinking, like a wild, breathless salamander.
"Wh-what's happening...did you kill it?" Xerxez looked around, searching for the lizard. When he realized it had fled, he laughed. "Hahahaha! The lizard ran away!" He hadn't seen exactly how the electric energy had hit its rough skin because of the blinding light. "Thank you, talking-dagger!"
"Yeaks!" the dagger squeaked.
"You coward!!! Such a nuisance! Don't show your face again...or you'll be toasted next time!!!!" Xerxez shouted into the swamp, his voice echoing as frogs jumped into the water. The lizard, he realized, looked like a baby Komodo dragon.
"My grandpa's stories about monsters outside the Thallerion wall were real," he marveled. I have to tell Dad about this when I get back. "Hey, what magic are you?" He held the dagger, scrutinizing it.
"Just call me a super dagger!"
"Ow, fantastic! You'll be my sidekick! Super dagger!"
"Anyway... let's move on. That was just a rare encounter with a wild lizard," he said, his excitement still buzzing.
He put the dagger in his pouch, waiting for the Crane's call again, even as his foot felt numb. He crept closer to the thick bushes. Suddenly, the pouch trembled, giving him another warning. Oh, I get it... every time it shakes...there's a threat coming.
...
Meanwhile, the wounded lizard, panting and weakened, reached its leader. "The nasty boy...has a powerful treasure. He's in the stream... near the swamp."
"Treasure!?" The leader's lips slit into a sharp smile, a hint of greed in its rough cheeks. "Let's go!!! Let's hunt for a treasure!!!" He commanded his frolicking lizards.
"Be careful...the dagger has a lightning ability! It can electrocute!"
The swamp lizard clan gathered, their rhythmic sounds like the screech of iron. The swamp turned filthy with their green substance.
"Whoa...why are there so many?" Xerxez whispered.
"Oh, so this is the little brat, with a royal dress, haha... I wonder why he is alone here?" The master of the lizards, a creature as big as an old Komodo dragon, thought to itself. "Where is the dagger? Is he hiding it under his jacket or in the pouch basket?"
"Young boy... give us the dagger if you don't want pain," the leader spoke.
"Whoa, you can speak?" Xerxez was amazed. It's seem no need translator, now.
"We command you... Give us the dagger or else..."
"Who are you?" The boy gripped his pouch, feeling as if he were surrounded by pirates ready to ambush him. This is real. This isn't a story anymore.
"Young boy… outside Thallerion's wall, you are no longer in a safe zone. This is where ferocious lizards wait for flesh as young as yours. So, if you want to live… give that dagger to me, and I promise you… you will be set free." Lie!
"Haha," the leader laughed. "What a heavenly blessing!" He hissed. "This boy looks like a prince of Thallerion. Imagine the ransom we could fetch!" The leader's fan-shaped jaws quivered as he spoke, a greedy gleam in his many eyes, though, the boy didn't understand it as the lizard used reptilian language, luckily, the talking dagger heard everything what he thoughts. Then, whispered it in synchronization to the boy ears.
"Do not trust them."
The boy's chest tightened. He tried to run, but shadows moved—another group of lizards sliding from the rocks, blocking every escape. His breath caught. "Why are you all interested with my dagger?" he said, as his heart silently hammering.
"You are just an innocent boy," the leader lizard rasped, its teeth catching the dim light. "But if you cling to that dagger… we'll claim more than your weapon. We'll claim your soul vessel."
The beast stepped closer, its claws scraping stone. "Not long ago, my clan descended upon a herd of bison. Our teeth—sharp as blades—ripped through hide and bone until nothing but silence remained. We feasted until the earth itself stank of blood. And now… our bellies may be heavy, but our fangs still hunger. Do you understand, boy? Flesh as young as yours tears easiest."
Xerxez's throat went dry. The dagger's voice rang again, fierce and commanding: Run, boy. Fight if you must—but never let me go.
"After years of searching, we've finally found a treasure worth more than gold," the leader lizard announced, four arms stretching wide. Its strange, man-like voice vibrated in its jaws as it stared at the dagger.
"I'm the one who found it… not you!" Xerxez shot back, gripping the weapon tighter. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to stand tall, defiance burning in his eyes.
They're just treasure hunters, he thought, a sense of confusion bubbling up. I never expected creatures like them to be so obsessed with treasure.
"Sure, kid… you are! But I'm telling you… have mercy on your poor soul vessel!" Its violet tongue tasted the air, sensing the fear radiating from the boy. "Mmmmm, I tasted his fear, as sweet as a rodent's blood." The lizards gnashed their sharp teeth with a rhythmic tremble, a sound like crickets in a swamp. Their leader's gaze fell on the boy's pouch, noticing a faint movement within.
"Yeak! Yeak! Chick! Chick!"
Wait a minute, are those eggs hatching? Is it because of the intense fear from the gnashing sounds of the swamp lizards? he wondered, his mind momentarily disconnecting from the danger. He stopped moving, sensing the strange moment. Or is it the talking dagger… yeak, like a chick?
TREMBLE!!!!
It's actually moving! The pouch moved insistently. Did the dagger just incubate the eggs itself? Or is it warning me again?
"Yeak!!!" the dagger responded with a fierce tremor.
The swamp lizards, startled by the boy's strange movements, their green-yellowish eyes as big as fists of a child glaring, and stood like froze statues, a shared fear rippling through them. They had heard the reporter's tales of the dagger's power to electrocute.
He immediately leaned against a moss-covered tree, widening the pouch's mouth, and peered inside. He took the dagger, his fingers closing around the cold hilt. "Yeaks, why are you making noise! They'll notice you now!!"
The pouch was filled with eggs, but thankfully, no chicks had hatched. Instead, the dagger itself glowed with an intense light. He stared intently at the blade, a slight tremble in his hand.
"Hooo… careful, young kid… that dagger is not good in your hand. Give it to us, and you can leave freely!" They moved cautiously, a hint of doubt in their slitted eyes, worried they might be electrocuted. I can't imagine how powerful that dagger is, the lizard leader mused. Hmm, he's just a little boy compared to our numbers. Wait, is he talking to a dagger?
"Tongue him!!!" The leader commanded his retinue to use their long, prehensile tongues to snatch the dagger from the boy. "Attack now! Don't give him a chance to wield that dagger against us!"
"Please… Yeak, save my life—Aghs!!" The boy desperately pleaded with the dagger, as if it were a hero who could save him. But it only sparked painfully, like a bolt of lightning from the sky. The searing energy coursed through all his veins. "I said, help me, ack!" he murmured, his vision blurring. Without warning, the dagger bit his palm, and he lost consciousness, waking up in another place. "Yeak! Yeak!"
Time paused~~
His eyes blinked, then blinked again.
"Where am I? Why are there so many clouds here?" He rubbed his eyes, a wave of confusion washing over him. "Am I dead?"
THUD!
He heard a man's voice calling out to him. "Xerxez!" The voice was deep and gallant, yet held a cold, unwavering tone.
"Yeak! Is that you?" he whispered, then a new thought struck him. "Wait… who are you?" He looked around the empty, unfamiliar space. Why can't I see the man?
"Where is my talking dagger?" The boy stood in the calm, empty void with a moderate light. He asked another question, his curiosity overriding his fear. "How do you know my name?"
"Do you remember the dagger?" The question vibrated around Xerxez's ears. The voice seemed impressed. He is a child of Thallerion? it thought.
"Uh, you mean the talking dagger? I just found it in the stream," the boy said, then his mind plunged into worry. "Well, I don't know where Yeak is now; it just disappeared when I came here. Wait a minute… I was surrounded by that lizard group! I have to go back or my talking dagger will be taken away!!" His eyes dropped with genuine concern.
"Yes, that noisy dagger." The boy's brow furrowed, his expression puzzled by the man's casual confirmation. Oh no, don't tell me he will ask me where it is! his mind screamed.
"So, what do you want from it??" The boy's tone became sharper, his guard rising. Is he the owner?
"But, currently… there's a group of swamp lizards who are trying to get the dagger. I'm afraid… they'll snatch it from me!" the boy said, a hint of misfortune in his voice. He saved me!
"Don't worry about that… but now, listen to me… You've made a bond with me," the voice in the wall said. "The time inside the dagger was paused… so, your body was teleported in milliseconds, like the blink of an eye."
"What??? Wait! Wait…. what is that bond? When did it just happen?" His mind reeled, a torrent of questions pouring out. "What bond are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about a portal," the voice said with a moderate tone. "A portal, between you and me." His relieved tone settled the boy's thoughts.
"How does it work?!"
"After the dagger electrocuted you… it means you are the new chosen one," he answered. "Look at your palm." There was a ritualistic mark etched into his skin.
"Chosen one?" The boy gasped, his gaze fixed on the mark. "What is this mark?"
"You are the new owner of the dagger," the man said. "It is now a part of your body… you can summon it anytime, at your will."
"How? Without any blood compact, sacrifices, or things like that, which the old people in the Bellatrix guild always talked about?" The boy was skeptical, trying to make sense of the man's words.
"If the dagger didn't choose you… there would be no bond," he explained simply.
The young boy was incredibly curious about this man. He could only hear a voice, with no physical body in sight, just a flickering virtual wall in front of him whenever the voice spoke. I need to know who he is first, his mind insisted.
"…and you would not have been teleported here," the voice continued. "So many hands have owned the dagger, but none of them were chosen by it."
"Really? How is that so simple?" He scratched his head, unable to grasp the simplicity of it all. He then pouted in amazement. "WOW!" The realization hit him. "That's great... imagine, I am the new owner of the talking dagger?" His hand clenched and unclenched, as if trying to feel the dagger's presence.
He had always believed that in the books of Thallerion, powerful beings or items required complicated ceremonies. But for him… he made it so much simpler? He shook his head. Wait a minute… where exactly am I?
"I can't believe the dagger chose me and summoned me here, but… where exactly is this? This ugly place, like… like a tormented heaven?"
"This void is inside the dagger."
"What!!!!!?" The boy's mind was in a tempestuous storm of confusion. "How is that possible? You told me the dagger was now in my body…. How can I be here, inside the dagger??" His brows furrowed with furious curiosity. Does that mean I became so tiny? Is it possible to be transmigrated inside a dagger?
"It is not magic… It is your fate!" The man's voice was filled with a strange, joyful pride as he spoke.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your fate to be a chosen one, by the Constellar-king."
"Who is that Constellar King?" The boy's curiosity deepened, making the man inhale slowly.
"The real creator of the dagger."
"Are you the creator of the dagger?" The boy asked intently, but the voice went silent, leaving the question hanging in the air.
The boy felt a surge of fear inside the dagger's void. He pictured himself as a tiny, ant-sized being. "I became so tiny… maybe, I am like an ant… so small, inside of this dagger." He hugged himself, a shiver running through him. "Oh, well… outside is worse than here… the swamp lizard is still there, ehh."
"You're wrong in your thinking… this void is not as small as you think… And don't be afraid. Believe me… you are safe here," the man assured him.
Who is this guy, actually… I feel like he can read my mind, too… but I can't even see his face… Is he a man or a monster? The thoughts swirled in his head, before he finally spoke. "Just tell me, who are you?"
The voice paused for a few milliseconds. "You will know me in due time, but my name is Martheuw Cereun. I have so many names; call me only that name."
"Now that you are the new owner of the dagger, I am glad that you are a child."
"Oh… I am now the owner of the dagger… but—" he was glad to be the new owner, but his thoughts immediately returned to the danger outside. He looked up at the flickering wall. "Please help me fight those monsters in the swamp, Mr. Martheuw Cereun."
"Hmm, why are you scared of the monsters out there?" The boy's eyes darted nervously to every empty corner of the void.
"Huh???"
"I am not scared of the lizards out there!" He firmed his tone, determined to hide any fear. "Grandpa told me everything outside of the palace. And he said I will be the bravest boy in Thallerion." He heard the man's voice, which seemed to chuckle silently, filled with amusement. "I just need a backup!!!"
"Hmm… aren't you afraid… if I might be a monster, too?" The man's voice rumbled with a playful darkness.
"A monster? Aha, You really think, I'm scared of monsters?" His tone sharply echoed in the vast void. "I'm not afraid of monsters." The boy was firm. He believed that his ancestors had killed thousands of thousand monsters, beasts, and those things that came from the deep sea. So why would I fear a monster, Ehh?
"Are you teasing me?" Well, if he is a monster, why is he hiding? Hmm, where is he actually hiding? Is he a ghost? I can't see him. The boy walked near the wall and touched it, creating a light wave upon his touch. "Whoa...this wall is amazing!" Poking the wall by his index finger three times, before he realized it was virtual solid.
"I don't believe you're a monster." He looked up at the colossal wall, where there was a black sky with shining stars. "Wait ...those stars was familiar, I always saw them every time my father was stargazing." He wondered silently.
The echo of the boy's mind was grasped by the wall, and so the man in the wall already knew what the boy was thinking.
"Your voice is too kind. You don't roar like monsters either?" The boy replied. "Wait a minute, are you imprisoned here on the wall?"
"Imprisoned?" The voice mused. "Perhaps, you're right...but," His voice lace with deeper mystery. "Actually, I am not hiding from you...I am just here in my realm, looking at you on this dagger's void." Imprisoned? Am I? He sighed. Maybe.
"This void is our temporary meeting place. Don't worry, you will not be a prisoner here, just think you are belong here, just like me." The man explained, then his tone chuckled subtle. "Well, I already help you escape from them."
"Their prehensile tongues glued at me before the dagger teleported me here." he said, then he concluded."So, you mean I was not caught?" The boy said with a hint of positive tone. Then, he also thought, "Aaah, Mr. Martheuw Cereun means that he came from somewhere else? Oohh, that's why I can't see him."
"They are not actually lizards, they are actually the inheritors of the Lacerta entity, who hunt real treasure...unlike you...you only hunt eggs."
"Hey!!! What's wrong with my hunting, ahh?" The boy clamored. He believed that hunting treasure didn't give him a satisfaction. Besides, he had seen what the treasures of Thallerion had owned.
"You only prove to me that you are a good boy...wealth is the beginning of evil desire." The wall flickering joyfully.
"Uhm, what do you mean by Lacerta entity?" The boy eyes narrowed on the wall as he trying to understand it.
"The lizard, the cosmic lizard in the universe that has the ability to control reptilians.... be careful with that creature." He advised. Those are from the Lacerta clan."
"Lacerta clan?" The boy pondered. "I heard it already to my grandpa's stories."
"Remember this...Use the dagger to defeat the bad entity. I know, you know how to fight, but you better escape from them.—Don't comeback in the stream anymore!" He reprimanded.
"I know how to fight. My friend Matheros trained me how to use a sword. He is 3 years older than me. He is a good friend of mine."
"Oh, I see, you're lucky, you have a good friend." His voice was laced with happiness. "But, what I mean is, today, if you tried to face the Lacerta clan, you will only understand what is between life and death."
"Life and death?" The boy pondered. "Is that the same as my grandpa? He was born and then he died?"
"You're still a child. You don't understand it. Someday, when you grow up, you will not just understand it, but it will crush you. So you better avoid conflicts." The wall flickered brightly.
"Crash me? Like...like those eggs I collected?"
"Yes, just like that." He answered the boy, directly.
"Can I ask a question?" The boy said. "Hehe, maybe he belongs to a powerful entity like Orion, who fought together with my ancestors back then to fight against beasts." He can read my mind too, so, no doubts, he is a super entity." The boy was excited to hear the answer as he was thoughtfully thinking.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you the Orion entity, the Thallerion protector? Or other entities?" The voice of the man breathed heavily and inhaled with concern.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to answer your question...wait, until you become a great warrior."
"Why does he need to hide his identity? I don't understand him. Me? Become a warrior? Hah...that's good to hear, hehe." He secretly mused.
"Huh? You told me I can ask a question, how can you not answering my question?"
"Did I say that?"
"Not really... but..."
"If you're really a smart kid ... Can you answer my question?" The man said. "If you answer correctly...maybe, I can answer your curiosity."
"Yeah," the boy was joyfully listening. "Hah, that a promise!"
"If there is a single entity with Four-legged or a ferociously biting... destroying your land, do you still trust Constellar's entity?"
The young boy closed his mouth, as he pondered what the man is trying to say about Four-legged entity. "The four legged, ...is that a beast? What kind of Constellar entity is that, uhmmm?" Then, he spoke.
"Are you telling a warning about the Lacerta clan? If then, I can tell you, my country was a forgotten land...but I can still trust them because, my grandpa's said... Without Orion, there will be no Thallerion."
"Well, it seems you still a child, who doesn't know exactly, how the cruel world ruin lives because of the traps, schemes, and plans by the Constellar-entities... Remember, you must still be a warrior...with your own strength."
"But...my grandpa told me... entities, human, must learn to forgive!"
"Can you still forgive them, if you will see the truth?"
"Huh?"
FLASH!
A blinding light suddenly struck Xerxez vision, then, on his surroundings, he was teleported into the different dimension, but this time, the surrounding become louder. The visual swept him from a blinding light space into a terrifying scene.
"Woah, what was that light!!?"
He saw the light violently crashing down from the sky. He saw a wide, glowing shield affixed to the heavens like an ultimate, unbreakable barrier, and a creature trying to destroy it with a powerful mechanism. The boy was too young to understand, ignorantly watching the face of future.
GRAWRR!!!!!
"Ah, is that a monster?" The boy was surrounded by a billion creature growling, and violently prowling around him, the earth was infested by those creatures, created, summoned by the Constellar-entities.
"If this is still real, then, I saw real monsters, and a long-tailed creature breathing fire...His is fighting...and fighting... against magic and powerful weapons? and then he become a— boy? Who is that boy? Oh, it disappeared!"
Then, a vertical line rise in the sky. There is a black. An open field in the sky. Suddenly, there are giant tentacles appear too! It resembling claws, and trying to widen the hole in the sky. There was embers as big as boulders fallen from the sky, and the fire was unleash into the ground, it cracked, and there there was a fault, spewing lava.
"Whoah, there is a monster face, made of thorny evil energy, a halo of dark purple monster, peeked out from it. Its eyes, like... like the galaxies with malicious intent? Ehh, he stared at me!"
One tentacle, it coil at him, like an octopus!
"No, I have nothing to do with this, the man just brought me here." The boy felt like peeing himself in fear at the sight of the lashing monster as he was gripped. "Let me go!!! Please, no, don't eat me!!!"
It lunged, not just grabbing, but enveloping the boy in its crushing grip, the air squeezed from his lungs, his bones groaning in protest. He felt himself being pulled towards its mouth, not just swallowed like an egg, but pulverized, created, absorbed into its very essence, his consciousness dissolving into a painful, eternal scream as he became one with the terrifying creature. Then, the virtual projection scene fragmenting, and return to the calm, empty void.
"If this is what you say, life and death? Then, this is not funny!"
"Go back now.... And don't forget about what you saw.
"I don't want to go back yet, please...I was now scared with the lizards too... Their grip was like a monster who gripped me tightly...I was traumatized!"
The boy was soaked in sweat, his heart hammering against his ribs like a desperate drummer. He gasps. "It ate me! Like... like a perfectly poached egg!"
"Ok .... I'm sorry, well...That was a semi realistic virtual projection."
"Why did you do that...I am almost traumatized with the scene!" He scrambled up, still half-convinced, he was being swallowed. The monster's face still echoed in his mind. The wall was like a mirror before him, and then he carefully examined his reflection. He mumbled. "Wait a minute," tickling his stomach. "I don't feel like, I was eaten by a cosmic horror. I actually feel... a little hungry. You know, for a monster horror-sized breakfast."
"You're hungry? I can serve you food here?" The man said as he sympathized, he understood that the boy was indeed hungry. "Oh, it's my mistake...I should not let that scene replay, on his innocent and naive live, about the cruel reality in the future." He sighed.
"Really? Well, I'm hungry...Maybe I like some eggs, but definitely not poached. Scrambled. Yeah, scrambled would be good. Less chance of triggering my terrifying experience memories."
The wall instantly lightup with a square size box, then it moved outwardly towards the boy. "What is this?" He asked. It floated in the mid air. Upon the box reached the boy location, the box open, there, inside of the box there was a white porcelain plate, spoon and fork, and the food he asked. Then, on his feet there was two vertical rectangular shapes, arose, forming like a table and chair.
He paused as he sat, then whispering to his reflection, "Though, I have to admit, that monster had good taste. Hehehe, It feels like I'm a delicious kid."
"While you're eating...just watch the Lacerta clan." The man said.
"Mmmmm.... it's delicious...did you cook it?" The taste was unique, unique from earthly cuisine, it was a divine taste as the young boy tasted it.
"That's a crane egg ... The Crane's eggs you wishes to get."
"Are you serious!?" The boy mouth was muffled with great impression. "I can't believe you can get their eggs!" His eyes were sweating with joy. "I like your food, Mr Martheuw...this food was now my favorite!"
At that very instant, the wall shifted into like a cinema. There, the lizard group pause for a while. But the young boy saw himself still confronting with the group.
"Hey...why am I, still there?"
"I created a virtual copy of you...so that they cannot kill you. And here the real dagger." The wall open again, moved towards him.
"Yeak!" It trembled. The boy was happy as he saw the dagger again.
IN THE SCENE:
"Hey ... Are you ignoring us?" The Lacerta flock leader turned himself into human, but he is not an old man as the boy expected, he was young adult.
"Whoa ... He is a human?" The boy said while watching the scene.
"Give us the dagger. We hunt treasure...and all treasures in the stream is mine." But the boy in the scene become defensive, he pointed the dagger at them.
"Hah, I never expected this, he is kinda cute in the form of Lacerta form, but on his young adult form, his face like...an angry crane!" The boy said while eating as his eyes fixed of the wall.
"I'm sorry, I will not agree!" The boy in the scene said.
"Hah ....you really want to die? Attack him!!!"
The wall shutdown...blitzzzz!
"Hey... The scene was not done yet." The boy was done eating and his face was flustered with unsatisfying cut scene.
"That scene was already done....you don't have to worry ... You can now go back to the stream safely." The man, returned all the protruding rectangular shapes to its hives.
"Go home now." The surroundings was immediately shifted into the stream. And the boy stood holding his dagger. While the egg pouch was on the ground.
He saw the leader of the lizards. But, the ground was shaking...like there was an earthquake. The Lacerta clan feel something incoming from afar. "Let's go comrades!!!" The leader immediately transforming into a Swamp-lizard and swim swiftly like a fish. But the leader said before they leave. " Don't forget my face ... We will come back and take that dagger."
The boy smiled proudly as they ran disparately like sensing a powerful entity. "why are they running, are they afraid of earthquake?"
---
He sat on the grass, watching birds dart across the sky like tiny comets. In his hand glimmered the dagger he had found—ornate, covered in strange carvings, its hilt studded with amethyst, topaz, emerald, and a pearl at the center. To anyone else, priceless. To Xerxez? Just a shiny letter-opener.
"Well, Yeak, you are a treasure," he muttered, tilting the blade, "but more importantly… you're a powerful dagger that lets me talk to Mr. Martheuw Cereun. And—wait—hey! Where'd you go?"
A sleepy whisper tickled his mind. "I was exhausted, boy. So, if you don't mind… nap time. Yeak."
"What? Nap time? You can't just disappear when you want!"
"Actually, yes I can. Self-willed dagger, remember? Read the fine print." his hand project a tiny virtual screen. "What is this? A magic?"
"It is not a magic..it is a technology, I mean a futuristic technology."
"Whoa!" Xerxez scowled. "But, Mr. Cereun forgot to mention I was babysitting a blade with an attitude."
"Relax. You can summon me anytime—if it's important. Emergency important. Not 'I'm bored, talk to me' important."
He threw up his hands. "So what about me? You're just leaving me here—alone, daggerless, and without a talking buddy?"
"Grrr… overused… too tired… zero patience for whining… bye."
"Wait! Don't you dare—"
The dagger winked out of existence. The mark on his palm shimmered, then faded. He stared at his hand as if it had personally betrayed him.
"Oh, come on! Don't ghost me now!" He found himself arguing with his own palm, waving it around like it owed him an explanation.
"Croak!"
A frog on a nearby rock stared at him with judgmental eyes, then leapt into the swamp.
"Great," Xerxez sighed. "Even frogs think I'm crazy."
***
I should go home and tell Dad—and my friend too. Oh, he's gonna be so surprised!"
He peeked into his pouch, grinning at the bright eggs: blue, maroon, and speckled. They shimmered like little jewels. Every time he brought a bagful home, his parents lit up—even when they were mad that he slipped past the guards. Maybe if I get enough, they'll forget all about scolding me. But what he really wanted… was that one golden egg.
"But here I am, still sneaking around… hehe." He tilted his head at the sun and gasped. "Nine already? Oops." Leaning against a tree near Thallerion's border, he heard it:
SQUAWK! SWAAAAWK!
His heart leapt. "The mythical bird! I hear it again! This time I'll find the nest for sure." His stomach growled as he licked his lips. "Mmm… Mr. Martheuw's recipe… sooo good."
He pushed through the grass, crouching low. Then—there it was. A bird unlike any other, feathers shimmering pearl and blue like the Borealis, eyes glowing amethyst.
"Aha! You showed up at last. That cry… it's like you're calling me to your nest!" He tightened his grip on the bow, whispering, "Please, no one interrupt me this time. Just me, you, and those eggs." He ducked behind rocks and branches, giggling whenever the bird's cry echoed through the forest like music. Its wings shimmered as it hopped from tree to tree.
"Almost there…" His pulse quickened. "Grandpa said mysterious Cranes are scarier than Cassowaries. Scarier?! I mean—what if it pecks me to death? Nah, I'll be fine. I only need two eggs… or four… okay, maybe five. Then I'm out."
And then—
HOOOOOONK!
A trumpet blast, deep and heavy, shook the land. The Cranes shrieked and scattered like sparks from a fire.
"Nooo! Why now?!" He stomped the ground, nearly dropping his arrow. "I was this close! Just a step more!"
"Argh! Always interrupted! Is it an earthquake? Or… or maybe monsters at the gate?" His mind raced as he clutched his pouch of eggs and dashed toward the palace as he heard a growl.
Then another blast tore through the air.
HOOOOOOONK!
He froze mid-step. "Two honks? That… that can't be good."
[1] For fun fact: —his name means "Ruler of Heroes" or "King of Kings."
[2] These large, powerful birds have incredibly strong legs and sharp, dagger-like claws on their feet that can inflict serious injury.