Freckles's Point of View (surprise!)
I was having a terrible day.
Actually, scratch that, I was having a terrible life.
Everyone in this kingdom had a skill. Everyone except me.
My older brother Leonard? Yeah that bastard. Oh, he had absolute skill. A command skill and a magic skill.
Probably even lust skill too, because why not, he was perfect.
Meanwhile, I had only freckles. Actual freckles.
I sat down on the bench beside the palace pond, slumped over like a soggy rag.
The scenery was peaceful, the sunlight was dancing on the water, birds chirping, and little fish swimming.
I hated all of it.
"Why does Leonard get everything…?" I muttered, picking up a pebble and throwing it. The fish scattered. Good. They should be afraid.
I leaned back and stared at the sky.
"No skill orb, no strength, no divine beast… I'm the middle child of royalty and still the background character."
It was pathetic. I was pathetic.
"Even a random guy like John gets divine beasts!" I yelled, louder than intended.
A nearby frog blinked at me. I considered kicking it.
I sighed instead.
Then suddenly, a weird part happened.
"Why so gloomy, young prince?"
I froze.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
Was someone behind me?
No.
In front of me?
No.
To the left?
No.
To the right?
Just the pond.
"…Hello?" I tried, feeling stupid.
The pond rippled again, like someone had dipped a finger into it. But no one was there.
"You seem troubled," the voice said again, soft and smooth, like… I don't know, like someone polite trying to lure me into something bad.
My heart jumped into my throat.
"Wh-who's there!?"
"Just someone listening," the voice murmured gently.."Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"
I… didn't know why but I did it.
Maybe because no one ever asked me that before. Maybe because my parents were always busy staring lovingly at Leonard. Maybe because I was exhausted from being ignored by everyone, even divine beasts.
So I just-... I just talked.
"I don't have a skill," I grumbled.
"I'm the only one. My brother has everything. Everyone respects him. Even the guildmaster likes him."
The pond swirled slowly, like it was nodding.
"My parents probably think I'm useless," I added, voice cracking. "They only see Leonard. Always Leonard. I just… I want to be noticed."
The voice hummed thoughtfully.
"I understand," it whispered. "You want power. Recognition. A place in this world."
My chest tightened.
"…yes," I whispered.
The water stilled. And the voice spoke again, soft but sharp.
"Then perhaps… I can help you."
"I can help you." played in my mind.
That was what the voice said. It was soft, smooth and very tempting.
I blinked at the pond, confused, hopeful, maybe slightly stupid.
"…Really?" I asked.
I didn't hesitate even a little.
I know I should've said things like:
"Who are you? What kind of help? Why is a pond talking?"
But desperate people don't ask questions.
And I was the definition of desperate.
"Yes," the voice said warmly. "Help is yours… if you want it."
I wanted it. Oh, I wanted it more than anything.
"I want it!" I said instantly.
"Anything! Just…just make me strong! Give me a skill! Make people NOTICE me!"
The pond rippled like it was laughing, not in a kind way but like:
"Wow this kid is so gullible it hurts."
But I pretended not to notice because… yeah.
The voice hummed in approval.
"As you wish. But you must understand, every gift comes… with a price."
A normal person would have paused.
A smart person would have hesitated.
I am neither.
"I don't care," I said quickly.
"I'll pay whatever it takes. Gold, food, anything you want. I just want my parents to look at me for once."
The pond stirred, darker this time.
"Very well… then step into the circle."
"What circle-?"
Suddenly, a glowing formation appeared right at my feet. Except "glowing" wasn't the right word. It wasn't light.
It was black fire,.flickering silently. A cold, eerie, and somehow pulling me in.
Any sane person would've run.
Guess what I did?
I stepped onto it immediately, without a thought and without a second of suspicion.
Just one loud "okay!" and a big confident step, like an idiot. The moment my foot touched the circle, the water trembled.
Black flames curled around my ankles, rising slowly, wrapping around me like hungry shadows.
The voice whispered, pleased:
"Good… very good.
Let us begin."
"Yes!"
I actually smiled because stupid, desperate me thought:
"Finally… I'm not useless anymore."
The black fire crawled up my legs, to my chest and my arms. I expected pain, like screaming, agony, maybe my eyebrows catching fire.
Instead… It felt warm..Comfortable.
Almost like stepping into a hot bath after being yelled at by your parents for the ninth time in a week.
I relaxed immediately.
"Huh," I muttered, "this isn't so ba-"
I paused when I saw something burned into my skin. It was not painful, just… marking me. invisible ink carving letters into my bones.
A notification pulsed through my mind:
"You have obtained a Skill: Slavery"
I blinked.
"…Slavery?"
That couldn't be right.
Maybe it was supposed to say "Savior"?
"Slayer"? "Super Prince of Everyone Loves You"?
But no.
It was clearly spelled out.
S-L-A-V-E-R-Y.
My heart thumped, confused.
"Uh… what does this skill even do?" I asked the pond.
The voice chuckled in a way that made the water ripple… and my stomach twist.
"Do not fear, young prince. It is a gift. A powerful one. With this skill, anyone can be yours."
"Anyone?" I repeated, eyes widening.
"Yes… anyone. Royalty. Beasts..Even those who mocked you."
Something about that should've alarmed me. The tone. The smell of black smoke.
The circle now glowing in dark red veins under me.
But all I could think was…
"I HAVE A SKILL! FINALLY!"
I laughed, loud and triumphant, like I had just discovered buried treasure.
Sure, the flames were swirling around me like sinister serpents. Sure, my veins felt like someone poured liquid shadow inside them.
But who cares?
I HAD A SKILL.
The voice hummed approvingly.
"Use it well… And you can enslave everyone who ever looked down on you."
My breath caught.
"…Everyone?"
"Yes. Force them to kneel..To obey. To worship you."
Cold air rushed through my lungs. My head spun.
Worship me? ME?
The middle prince with no skill. The family disappointment. The forgotten child.
My heart practically sang.
I didn't question anything.
Not the voice. Not the flames..Not the ominous promise.
All I heard was:
"You can finally matter."
So I stood there, in the black fire, letting it seep into me.
Smiling like an idiot.
Okay, so… I had a skill. A real one..A powerful-sounding one.
Sure, it was called Slavery, which sounded… questionable.
Terrifying, even..A bit illegal..Possibly evil.
BUT STILL A SKILL.
I had never been this happy in my life.
Except… There was one tiny problem.
"I, uh… don't know how to use it," I admitted awkwardly.."To be honest, I don't even know where it is."
The pond rippled like it was chuckling at me. Honestly, at this point, I was starting to think the pond found me stupid.
"Touch the water," the voice said gently.."I will show you."
I didn't even hesitate.
I bent down and slapped my hand right onto the pond's surface like a five-year-old testing bathwater.
The temperature hit me instantly.
It was cold but that cold. It felt like touching a winter spirit just waiting to snatch my soul.
A freezing sensation crawled up my fingers, my wrist, my arm…
Then seeped into my chest.
My whole body shivered.
"…Weird," I muttered, rubbing my arm.
"It felt like someone poured ice snakes into my veins."
But I shrugged it off.
I mean, what was a little creeping cold compared to finally having a skill?
The voice now speaking directly inside my head.
Inside. My. Head.
"Good," it whispered. "Now we are connected."
Connected? Like… magically? Spiritually?
Emotionally?
I didn't even know which one, but it sounded cool.
The voice continued, calm and confident:
"If you wish to test your new power, there is a nest of Blue Ogres three hours from Reyseer."
My eyes widened.
"Ogres? The big ones? The ones who throw logs at people?"
"Yes. They are strong, but simple creatures. A perfect test subject."
A PERFECT test subject?
I had never felt so important in my life.
"Three hours, huh?" I murmured, clenching my fist dramatically.
"I can do that. I'll show them! I'll show everyone that I'm strong now!"
The pond water darkened in excitement but I didn't care.
"Yes… go, young prince. Let your skill bloom."
I felt the cold inside my chest swirl again, but I didn't care. All I could think about was:
I finally had power. I finally had a chance.
Me.
PRINCE FRECKLES.
Soon, everyone would know my name.
I stood up, chest puffed with confidence, and said the most delusional line of my life:
"Blue ogres… prepare to be enslaved!"
The pond rippled in approval.
And somewhere deep within those dark waters, it smiled.
I left the pond feeling like a brand-new man. A man with power. A man with purpose. A man who totally forgot to bring snacks or a map because he was too hyped about enslaving monsters.
Three hours into the forest, my confidence finally wavered.
Because there it was-
Blue Ogres. They were huge, towering like a house. Muscles on muscles on muscles with two tusks and a club made from a tree trunk. Probably ate people for breakfast.
And it was staring at me.
"…uh-oh," I whispered.
The ogre roared.
"GRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWWRRRR!!"
I screamed back.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH- WAIT WAIT WAIT!! STOP!! I HAVE POWERS NOW!!"
I scrambled backward until my back hit a tree. This was a mistake. This was SUCH a mistake.
Why did I come here alone!? Why did I listen to a pond!?
Why am I so stupid!?
The ogre raised its club, ready to turn me into royal paste.
My heart jumped into my throat, and the voice in my head whispered:
"Say it."
"S-s-s-say what!?" I squeaked.
"Your skill's command. Speak it..Slave Catch."
The ogre swung.
"SLAVE CATCH!!!"
A black swirl of energy exploded from me.
It felt like cold lightning shooting from my chest, spiraling outward in chains of shadow.
The ogre froze mid-swing.
The black tattoos shaped like thick, interlocking chains wrapped around its wrists, neck, and forehead.
The club fell from its hand with a THUD.
The ogre trembled…and then knelt before me.
"MASTER…" it rumbled.
I stared.
The ogre stared.
I stared harder.
Then I whispered.
"…holy crap it worked."
I threw my hands up in victory.
"I DID IT!! I HAVE A POWER!! I'M NOT USELESS!!"
The ogre bowed its giant head so low, the ground shook.
Master… Master… Master…
I felt dizzy. I was excited, terrified and hungry but mostly amazed.
The voice in my head hummed warmly.
"Well done. Now… try more."
More?
As in more ogres? More monsters?More CHAOS?
My eyes sparkled like a villain-in-training.
"Let's go enslave EVERYTHING!" I declared proudly.
The forest shook.
And from the brush, two more Blue Ogres appeared…
…and knelt instantly as the tattoos seared into their bodies.
Master… Master… MASTER…
I couldn't stop laughing.
I didn't even realize my shadow looked darker. Or that something was watching me.
All I knew was one thing:
I, Prince Freckles, finally mattered.
"Now, it's pay back time."
I was now standing in the middle of a forest, surrounded by THREE giant Blue Ogres who were all kneeling like I was some kind of legendary warlord.
Which, honestly, felt amazing.
"Master…" they rumbled again.
I almost cried. Happy tears. Finally, someone listened to me.
The voice in my head chuckled softly, a kind of chuckle that pleased.
"You have done well, young prince."
I puffed out my chest.
"I know! I'm incredible!"
"Indeed… but now, a new test awaits you."
"A new test?" I echoed.
The ogres perked up like dogs hearing the word "meat." I perked up like a child hearing the word "praise."
"What kind of test?" I asked.
There was a pause, thoughtful, deliberate.
Then the voice said:
"Send them… to the border of Reyseer."
I blinked.
"…The border? Why?"
"To test your control, of course.".The voice purred inside my skull. "You must learn if they obey you from afar… if your skill truly binds them."
That… actually made sense.
I mean, if they were my enslaved ogres, they should follow orders even if I wasn't standing right next to them, right?
The voice continued, smooth as silk:
"You need not join them. Just watch.
From a safe distance."
I felt a shiver not from fear but excitement.
"To… the border?" I repeated.
"Yes. Let them march there. Let them test your power. You only need to observe."
I grinned.
This was perfect and brilliant. This was everything I wanted.
If the ogres marched on command…
If they followed my will…then everyone would know I had power,.especially my parents, the knights, the guildmaster.
EVEN that guy John with his divine beasts.
I pointed dramatically toward the south.
"You three! March to the Reyseer border!"
The ogres slammed their fists onto the ground.
"YES, MASTER!"
The trees shook. The birds flew..I even saw a squirrel fainted.
The voice hummed in satisfaction.
"Very good… Very good. Now go, Prince.
Watch from afar. See the strength of your new… army."
Army. I had an army. Me..The forgotten prince. I almost laughed again. Almost.
Because suddenly the cold inside my chest pulsed like something ancient was tapping at my heart. I pressed my hand to my sternum, frowning.
"…Weird feeling."
"Power often feels unusual at first,"
the voice soothed. "Do not worry and just enjoy what you have gained."
And like the fool I was…
I believed it.
I followed the ogres from behind, imagining my glorious future, my rise and my revenge..My name was finally heard loud and clear.