The Kingdom of Ottoma – The Royal Gardens
The sky over the Royal Palace was getting dark. Twelve-year-old Prince Carl sat in front of a bush, watching a ladybug. He hadn't spoken a word since his mother died. Everyone in the palace thought he was mentally disabled.
A loud rumble of thunder came from the distant Astro Mountains. The air felt heavy and still.
"Carl! Come inside! A storm is coming!" a maid shouted.
But Carl didn't move. He was focused only on the ladybug.
A bright flash of lightning cut across the sky. It didn't hit the highest tower or the lightning rod. Instead, as if guided by some will, it struck directly down into the garden.
It struck Carl.
BOOM!
Carl's body shook violently and fell to the ground. It felt like he was on fire. Then, everything went black.
Tokyo, Japan – On a Rooftop
Police Officer Inei Saku was chasing a drug dealer. Running on the rain-slicked roof was dangerous.
"Stop! Police!" he yelled.
The dealer turned around and fired his gun. A blue energy bolt whizzed past Inei's ear. Inei immediately returned fire. His bullet hit the dealer, and the man fell to the ground.
But the dealer's wild shot had hit a gas pipe. A small spark...
Then, a huge explosion.
Inei felt himself flying through the air. Everything hurt. Then, everything went black.
The Royal Gardens – Ottoma
The first thing Inei felt was the cool grass on his cheeks and the smell of wet earth. The dirty air of Tokyo was gone.
Then, he felt the pain in his body. Everything ached, and there was a strange tingling under his skin.
Then, he heard a cold, hard voice.
"Is he breathing? Check. Quickly."
He forced his eyes open. His vision was blurry. He saw polished black boots near his head. He tried to speak, but only a weak groan came out.
Two men were looking down at him. One was tall, wearing fancy clothes with a sun symbol. Crown Prince Edward, his older brother. The other was Captain Vorik, from the Royal Guard.
Edward nudged Carl with his foot.
"He's alive," he said in a cold tone. "Struck by lightning, and this idiot lives."
Vorik knelt and checked Carl's pulse.
"His pulse... it's beating very strong. I've never felt anything like it. It's like the mana inside him is waking up. It feels very powerful... even sacred."
The cold look on Edward's face changed for a second. He looked scared and jealous. He quickly got control of himself.
"Sacred?" he whispered. "Him? That's not fair. This changes nothing."
He looked around. The storm had scared everyone inside. They were alone.
"Take him," Edward ordered, his voice low and threatening. "To the blacksmith, Aoki. He returns to Dwargo in the morning. Tell him the boy is an imbecile, an embarrassment. Tell him to take him to the mountains and make sure he's never seen again. Pay him double his debt to keep him quiet. We'll tell everyone Prince Carl got lost in the storm and died because of his own stupidity."
Vorik didn't question it. "Understood, Your Majesty," he said.
Then, strong arms lifted Inei up. Vorik threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Inei, trapped in Carl's weak body, could do nothing. He saw his brother's cold face one last time. He heard his final words:
"Goodbye, little brother. May the mountains swallow you and your... gift."
As the doors closed, Inei let the darkness take him again. He was a police officer in Tokyo. Now, he was an unwanted prince, heading into the unknown.