A beautiful carriage stopped in front of a luxurious palace.
"We've arrived," the servant said.
I got out of the carriage. I was here for a tea party given by Princess Lucia. A lot of strange things had happened recently: a secret research center had been attacked and destroyed, everyone inside had been killed, and then Princess Alice had escaped from prison. It all seemed completely illogical.
I'd heard rumors about Alice stealing her sister's power, but I didn't believe them. Two years ago, when I was seven, I awakened my gift: reading people's emotions and imaginations. It's a remarkable ability.
I can see the hidden emotions people hide behind their fake smiles, and I can even know what they're going to say by reading their imaginations. And in combat, this is even more useful. I can manipulate my enemy's emotions and even see their attacks before they launch them.
I entered the palace. It was beautiful and luxurious. I'd heard that its inhabitants were spendthrift and not wealthy, but after Princess Alice awakened her powers, their circumstances changed.
The story of Princess Alice stealing Princess Lucia's power is suspicious. If Princess Lucia was truly Awakened, and the original possessor of the Holy Power, why hadn't anyone announced or declared that she was Awakened? There's no way to know who is Awakened except through their power or for them to announce it themselves. But no one paid attention to these details. All that mattered to people was the drama.
I arrived at the conservatory and saw the princess with other ladies.
"Greetings to the princess," I said ،Princess Lucia with brown hair and green eyes
"Welcome, Miss Clara," Princess Lucia replied.
I sat down at the table and looked at everyone. As usual, I sensed envy, jealousy, gossip, and malice beneath their fake smiles.
"Well, Miss Clara, it's been a long time since you've participated in any social gatherings. I'm sure you'd like to talk about the latest events and news," Princess Lucia said.
"Yes, that's true," I answered.
Princess Lucia. She was full of spite, cunning, and arrogance. She believed that no one in this world could challenge her. I didn't want to make an enemy of her; I didn't want any trouble.
I heard about a secret research facility that was attacked. All the scientists were killed, and all the participants in the experiment—except for one. They call him "Subject X."
"Subject X?" I asked.
"He's someone who woke up at the age of three," she replied.
"At the age of three?" everyone said in unison.
That's crazy. For someone to wake up at the age of three? That's crazy.
"The prime suspect in this massacre is Subject X, but no one has been able to find him."
"How interesting," Lucia replied.
"Your Highness, I'd like to know about Princess Alice's escape from prison," I said. Suddenly, the air became tense.
"We don't know how she escaped. She just disappeared, as if she had never existed," Lucia replied.
"It's strange. The early risers are disappearing one by one. Do you think this is a coordinated effort?" one of the women asked.
"..." No one replied, and everyone was watching her intently.
One of my father's friends is a traveling merchant. His son woke up at the age of nine, and he was able to blow things up. This happened a week after Princess Alice escaped, and her escape was a week after the facility was found. This hypothesis is definitely false—the idea that an organization is kidnapping the early risers," the girl said, laughing lightly.
Everyone took it as a joke and immediately forgot about it.
I thought about it for a while, but then dismissed the hypothesis.
The tea party continued, with conversations about dresses and various other things.
"Ah, I'm tired," I sighed in the carriage. I reached the house and got out.
I looked at the garden, but something was strange. None of the servants were moving or cleaning, not even the gardeners.
I hurried my steps until I reached the palace door. I opened it, wishing I hadn't.
The bodies of servants. Blood... and the bodies of my parents. I fell to my knees, unable to utter a word. Suddenly, a figure dressed in black appeared beside me.
I received a blow to the neck. I couldn't read their emotions or their imaginations to anticipate the attack. I fell to the ground. Before I lost consciousness, I realized that the reason my ability was ineffective was their clothing, and that this person wasn't awake. Then everything went dark.
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KK: Hello, guys, how are you? This is my first novel, but I feel good about what I'm doing. I hope you'll leave a comment if you like it.
Note: The characters' Manifestations will be listed once the plot begins after they are all kidnapped and they recognize each child's appearance from the eyes of another child.
The events and plot will begin after the end of the first volume, which tells the story of each of the thirty children, i.e., thirty chapters. Immediately after that, the events will begin, moving thoughtfully between characters, drama, action, and unexpected events.
Note: When each story begins, there is a word from an unknown perspective. This word refers to the child. We see the story from his perspective, but the reader does not know his name, so…
Note: My favorite character will be the tenth child. Stay tuned for him. He'll have a wonderful character and a tragic childhood. You'll gain some information when you read his story before his kidnapping.