Chapter 1
The Kingdom of Sekainia was a beautiful place to live, the grass was lush, the animals were unafraid of humans, the people were kind, and the King was good. Truly, it was a place of bliss, like nothing could ever go wrong.
Well, except for the fact that the prince has been missing for over 10 years and there’s still no progress in finding him.
Tsukasa sighed as he entered his home, it was larger, on the richer side of town. His family—the Tenma’s—were a very noble and trusted name to the royal family. That was why he was the King’s most trusted knight. And it was also the reason why he was put in charge of the squad looking for his son.
“Another bust, I’m assuming?” Saki asked from her spot in the kitchen, a glass of water in her hands. Saki was his beloved sister, and he’d go to great lengths to keep her protected. She’s weaker than most, due to the way she was born—born to heal. Their family had been blessed with magic, but not the kind people would ever be afraid of. Saki had been blessed with the power to heal the sick and injured. However, there was a price, and that price was her own well-being. So she often found herself stuck at home, and she’s been left bedridden many times in the past. Tsukasa was always worried about her.
“How could you tell…?” He said with a chuckle, speaking in a joking manner.
Saki crinkled her nose as her mouth curled into an amused smile, “I dunno, just a hunch.”
“Well,” he began, “perhaps you’ve also been blessed in mind-reading.” Saki then let out a fit of laughter, having to set down her water so it wouldn’t spill. Tsukasa smiled fondly; he enjoyed seeing his sister so happy. He slipped his shoes off and entered the kitchen a little more, sighing once again. His face went a bit serious, “you know, I’m getting worried. What if we don’t find him?”
“Don’t speak like that, Tsukasa…” She frowned, “you’re a very good knight. You’re the youngest in Sekainia history to lead a squad!” A reassuring smile played on her face.
“Well, it’s easy when I’m only in charge of three people…” He rubbed the back of his head. What she said was true, yes, but it didn’t feel all that impressive when his squad was so tiny. Not to mention they rarely listened…
“And a detective!” She reminded.
“Nene isn’t in the squad; she just helps us.” He corrected. “Plus, she’d never listen to me.”
“Nene may not listen to you when it’s not serious, but I’m certain she would if the situation was dire enough!” Saki insisted, and Tsukasa supposed he should just let it go. His sister could be rather stubborn, after all.
“Alright, alright. You win,” Tsukasa concedes. “I have to head back out, soon. We’ll have to make lunch quick…”
“Oh? You usually have more time…” Saki furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head with a bit of confusion. Tsukasa was usually given an hour break from his knightly duties so that he could have his lunch in the comfort of his home—same as all knights do. So for him to have to rush lunch today… “did something happen?”
“Well, not exactly.” Tsukasa began, opening up the pantry in search of something quick to eat. “More like, Nene had something she wanted to check out—she claims if she’s right about this, it could help us find Toya. Obviously, finding the prince is of high urgency, so we all agreed to shorten our lunch breaks for today.”
“Oh!” Saki’s confusion morphed into something of excitement, and her face lit up. “I hope it works out, then! This could be your lucky break, and Toya can finally come home.”
“That’s why it’s important that we hurry up and eat, I’d never want to go out on the field on an empty stomach—" His eyes land on some bread, and he’s sure they’ve still got some meat and cheese… possibly some fresh lettuce, as well, “how about sandwiches?”
“Sounds good to me!” Saki shot him a thumbs up as he hurriedly got out the ingredients necessary to make two sandwiches. He quickly put them together, still with gentle care, he takes pride in perfecting the little things, even if that thing is just a sandwich. He finishes off Saki’s by cutting it diagonally—a childish thing that the girl still loved.
“Alright, sandwiches are ready. Let’s eat,” Tsukasa announced, scooting a plate over to Saki. She took a seat at their counter, while Tsukasa remained standing nearby. It was more efficient if he didn’t waste time sitting down. They ate mostly in silence as Tsukasa rushed to finish his sandwich in time.
“Hey, Tsukasa…” Saki pouted, having just finished one-half of her sandwich. She noticed he was almost completely done and was taking bigger bites than necessary, “don’t eat so fast! You’ll choke!”
Still, Tsukasa finished up rather quickly and patted his chest a few times, “sorry, Saki,” he smiled sheepishly. “I was just making sure I ate it all in time.”
“Sure but, if you eat too fast… you’ll choke. or throw up. And that’ll be even worse than being late!” She scolds lightly.
“Ah, my dear sister!!” Tsukasa cries dramatically, embracing Saki in a big, tight hug. “How ever did I get so lucky to have a sister who cares so much?!” Tsukasa was a very emotional guy when it came to family, as he wiped away a tear from his eye.
“Tsukasa...!” Saki protests playfully, but she doesn’t try to push him away.
“Ack—I’m gonna be late!” He places a gentle kiss on the top of her head before letting go and running back to the door, slipping his shoes back on. “See you in a bit, Saki! Take care! I love you!” He called, not waiting for a response before running out the door. He had to make his way to the castle quickly so that his squad could have their meeting.
Saki sighed fondly, shaking her head with a bit of laughter. “Oh, Tsukasa… he’s so hardworking.”
“You’re late, Tenma,” Akito grumbled in annoyance. Everyone was on time, except, of course, their squad leader. Akito was basically Tsukasa’s right-hand man, even if he often found the boy to be annoying. Despite how long they’ve known each other—since they were kids—they still referred to each other by their family names. Which couldn’t be said for anyone else.
“Ah, don’t speak so rudely to your superior, Shinonome. I’ll have you know; I have a sister at home that I must spoil!” Tsukasa explains his lateness.
“Not an excuse, we agreed on 12:30.” The red-haired boy scoffed with an eye roll.
“No need to be so upset, Akito! Tsukasa is here now, isn’t he?” Mizuki teases with a smirk, poking Akito’s cheek—they know Akito hates it. Mizuki is the “rookie knight” of the group, having just recently passed their knight exam. However, despite their lesser experience, they were handpicked by the king himself to join the squad because they have immense potential. They’re much more laid back than most knights but still work just as hard—if not, more.
“Play nice, you two.” Tsukasa reminds them, as he knows their bickering can get out of hand if left unattended.
“Ugh, he thinks he can just tell us what to do because he’s one year older!” Akito mutters, crossing his arms.
“I know, right?” Mizuki agrees with a nod.
“Ack, never mind! Go back to disagreeing!” Tsukasa takes back his words as he now sees they’re against him.
“Or maybe he tells us what to do because he’s our squad leader and that’s quite literally his job..?” Shiho pipes up, shooting the two an unamused look. Shiho is Saki’s best friend and her personal knight—she joined the squad per Tsukasa’s recommendation, and because she wishes to make Saki happy. She knows if Toya comes back, that will make her happy. She has a bit of a soft spot for the girl.
Mizuki frowns dramatically, while Akito settles for an annoyed sigh. “Oh, Shiho..!” Tsukasa speaks in a loud, dramatic tone of voice, “The only one to stick up for me, thank you!!”
“Ehehe! You guys are very lively today!” Emu remarks as she stands next to her dearest friend, Nene. The two are a package deal, after all. Emu comes from a noble family—similarly to Tsukasa—and met Nene a couple years back and became determined to be her friend. Nene is a more reserved person than Emu, and she’s the royal kingdom’s most prestigious detective. While not a knight herself, she works with the squad a lot, as her expertise is required to help them track down Toya. Emu is with her, because, well, Emu is always with her. She’s technically not allowed, but that doesn’t stop her; everyone has given up on telling her not to come along.
“Ah—Emu, Nene!” Tsukasa greets the two girls. The group greeted the two with wavering enthusiasm before Tsukasa spoke up once more. “Well, everyone is dying to know, Nene, what did you find?”
They all look expectantly at her, “I… well, I don’t know if it directly relates to the case, but I figure it’s worth checking out,” Nene began.
“Well? Don’t leave us hanging!” Mizuki piped up.
“I found a palace—it’s a long walk from here, and it’s a winding, hidden path, but it appears to be lived in. And old. I was thinking perhaps Toya could be there, it certainly isn’t a place we’ve checked yet.” She explained.
“A palace, eh? Well, it’s possible,” Akito muttered, appearing to be thinking deeply.
“How come we’ve never even heard of another palace in the area...? I know you said it’s a windy, hidden path, but surely we wouldn’t have overlooked a whole palace, right?” Shiho questioned, she also looked deep in thought.
“I’m not too sure, I’d have to do a bit of history research for that. Perhaps a war between kingdoms many years ago that ended with this palace being abandoned?” Nene gave her theory, but of course, none of that could be proved or disproved without proper evidence. Lucky for Nene, finding evidence was her strong suit.
“Well, either way, there’s only one way to know if our prince is there, and that’s by heading to the palace!” Tsukasa declared, his eyes closed and giving out a hefty, proud laugh.
“Hurry up Tsukasa!” Mizuki called from a bit of a distance. A confused Tsukasa reopened his eyes to see his squad was way up ahead, “we’re already going!”
Tsukasa quickly ran to catch up, “agh, wait for me! I’m the squad leader here...!”
They’d been walking for who knows how long, Nene leading the way and—after he caught up and forced his way to the front of the group because he’s ‘the leader’—Tsukasa right behind her. Half the squad was exhausted from all the walking. Sure, they patrolled the area a lot, but this palace was really far.
“We… ugh,” Mizuki groaned, “we should’ve brought the horses…” They were at the back of the group, falling behind the most. Akito had to grab their arm and drag them along, or they probably would’ve just given up and stopped walking.
Akito himself seemed to be a little tired, but that was probably more so because he had to pull Mizuki’s weight along with his own. Shiho was keeping quiet and pacing herself, obviously just focusing on making sure she didn’t over-exert herself too much. She was arguably the smartest in their knight squad. Nene was definitely struggling the most, but since she was forced to lead the way—as she was the only one who knew the palace’s location—she had to put up with it. This wasn’t her first time making this walk, after all. Though that didn’t make it any better.
“Eh? Didn’t you train harder at the academy?” Emu asked curiously, she was up at the front with Nene and Tsukasa, so she had to look back to speak to them. Emu didn’t seem tired in the slightest, which wasn’t surprising. That girl had mounds of energy, and no one knew where she got it all from. Similarly, Tsukasa wasn’t all that tired, either. While he wasn’t as unaffected by this walk as Emu was, he certainly wasn’t panting heavily and dragging his feet along like Mizuki or Nene. And he still had more energy than Akito and Shiho, despite them not doing too badly, either.
“Well, yes! But! That was sword fighting… I’ve never gone on a patrol like this…” Mizuki continued to complain, their feet hurting as they walked.
“Oi, shut it!” Akito scoffed, “none of us have been on a patrol like this, but you don’t see us complaining, you rookie.” He ruffled their hair, but not in a playful manner. No, he knows Mizuki cares about their appearance, so he’s purposefully messing up their hair.
“Hey!!” Mizuki protested.
Tsukasa sighed heavily, and glared back at them, “behave, you two!! Stop fighting!”
“Yelling as loud as possible doesn’t help…” Shiho muttered, covering her ears.
Tsukasa really had no control over them. In fact, he was certain not one of them respected him. “There, there, Tsukasa!” Emu patted his back.
“You really need to get a better hold over your squad, Tsukasa. I’ve never seen knights be so… disrespectful to the one in charge.” Nene commented. She could be very straightforward—and a little mean—at times, but her eyes did hold some sympathy for the guy.
“They don’t respect me because I’m only a year older than them…” Tsukasa sighed. While being the youngest knight to lead a squad was cool in theory, he wasn’t really respected because people always saw him as “too young” and “inexperienced”. But if he was truly those things, he wouldn’t even have a squad in the first place! Sometimes he thinks these people are just jealous that he’s young and better.
There was a wave of silence, the only sound being Mizuki’s occasional groaning. They walked for a little longer, then finally—
“Oh, Nene! Is that the—"
“Shh!” Nene quickly slapped a hand over Emu’s mouth as she yelled much too loudly. “We don’t know who’s here, what if someone dangerous is around? We could be caught, and worse, killed!” She whisper yelled.
In front of them, stood a large, old palace. Vines curled up the two towers on either side, and the main area seemed a bit worn for weather. Despite that, it looked homey. It looked… lived in. Could prince Toya really be… or what if it was someone else?
They’d find out soon enough—well, sort of, but they wouldn’t know the full story till much, much later. The group of knights, along with the two civilians, hid behind a bush and watched. Waited. Though they weren’t sure exactly what they were waiting for. Eventually, they saw the door creek open, and they leaned a little forward. Could it be Toya?!
No. No, it was not. A tall boy with purple hair and two cyan streaks running through it emerged. He had a fancy cloak and glasses, and part of his hair was tied back into a bun—the rest staying down. He looked rather peaceful at the moment. Nene’s eyes widened as she saw him; ‘could that be—?’
Her thoughts were interrupted by the bush in front of them catching fire. Tsukasa was shocked, but the group hopped back quickly so as to not get burnt. The boy in front of them no longer wore a peaceful smile, instead, his hand lit up with a bright red, fire-looking magic, and he was glaring. “Who are you people?!” He yelled.
Tsukasa stood, approaching with caution, “why did you attack us?”
The boy didn’t answer, instead, his eyes were drawn to the rose symbol on the clasp holding Tsukasa’s cape to him. His eyes widened, and soon his face morphed into one of anger and hatred. “Sekainia knights…” He muttered.
“Ah?” Tsukasa followed his eyes to the rose, then he looked back up at the boy. He looked young, probably around Tsukasa’s age. “Why, yes! We are knights! And we’re here on a very important mission—to find prince Toya!” He explained, still keeping his guard up around this strange guy who just attacked them.
“Yeah—" Akito stepped up next to Tsukasa, his display a little more aggressive than on guard. “Tell us what you know.” He reached out his hand to place it on the boy’s shoulder, but he slapped the hand away.
“Don’t touch me. Leave here. Now.” The strange boy demanded.
“Shinonome..!” Tsukasa nudged Akito’s arm. “Don’t just go grabbing people, now he doesn’t trust us!”
“Oh, please. He probably never trusted us in the first place—he attacked us, remember?” Akito raised an eyebrow.
“I’m sure that’s not true, he was probably just—"
“He’s right.” The boy spoke up, cutting off Tsukasa’s attempt to defend him. “I don’t trust Sekainia scum.” His eyes had a scary glow to them, and he stared down at Tsukasa like he saw him as lesser.
“Hey, we’re not scum!” Now it was Mizuki’s turn to step up. “You know, Tsukasa here is very close to the king, we will not take this disrespect!” They seemed very fired up.
“Oh? Is that so?” The boy laughed, and it sent shivers down Tsukasa’s spine. They held eye contact, and the boy’s yellow eyes felt ice cold. “Well, that king of yours is the worst of you all, you shouldn’t follow him so blindly.”
“Ugh, that’s it!” Akito yelled, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the rude, cold boy before them. “Take back what you said of our king! Do it, or else.”
“Hey, hey, maybe we shouldn’t be fighting—" Emu piped up but Akito only glared back at her, so she slumped away. She didn’t really know how to fight, so she would stay out of this. Nene seemed too nervous to speak, so she stayed back with Emu.
“You two should get out of here,” Shiho suggested, and the two girls nodded and ran off—meanwhile Shiho stepped forward, to the right of Mizuki.
“Ah, you think a sharp weapon will scare me...?” The purple-haired boy laughs a little harder. “How funny,” his voice, however, held no humor. Only a cold hatred.
“Shinonome put the sword down,” Tsukasa demanded.
“Don’t tell me what to do.” He barked back, “Tell us where Toya is!”
“Shinonome! I said put down the damn sword!” Tsukasa raised his voice, grabbing the wrist of the hand that held his blade.
“And I said—" Akito pushed him away, taking a swing at the boy—he hopped back before it could hit him, “don’t tell me what to do!”
“I am your goddamn commander, so listen to me!” Tsukasa lashed out, which startled Shiho and Mizuki. They had never heard Tsukasa yell like that, or get so angry.
Akito, on the other hand, just scoffed, “I have no respect for a guy who’s only a year older than me. I’ll make my own decisions.” He took another swing at the purple-haired man. Only this time, he retaliated.
A swoop of that same red fire heated up the area as the boy slashed his hand through the air, sending a blast of magic at Akito. He managed to protect himself enough with his sword, but the shoulder of his clothes got a bit singed. And with that, Mizuki drew their sword as well. Because knight code was: once someone in your squad is attacked, you all must defend and support them. So, Shiho drew her sword, and—regrettably—Tsukasa did as well.
The strange boy with magic seemed to smile maniacally at seeing all these knights with swords drawn and surrounding him. “See? This is proof: you’re all the same. You’re all awful.” He snickers, and as they step closer, he swings his hands. Another swoosh of magic comes flying from him in all directions, causing the four knights the jump backwards so they wouldn’t get burnt.
“Gah—this guy is strong…” Mizuki comments.
“Just focus and you’ll be fine,” Shiho, with a calm expression. She doesn’t seem scared in the slightest.
Akito isn’t scared, but he’s definitely not calm, “stop doing that, you coward!” He yells at the boy. “Come and fight me for real!”
“Oh, but I am! I just don’t think you’re well equipped for fighting against a mage… how sad.” Another swoosh of fire hits Akito, and he falls to the ground, clutching his stomach.
“Akito...!” Mizuki runs over—though they won’t admit it, they see him as a brother figure. They would never want him to get hurt.
“Mizuki, what did I say—ugh!” Shiho was trying to get Mizuki to come back to the battle, but she had to focus her attention on dodging the boy’s rapid-fire magic shots.
Tsukasa saw his opening—the magical boy was distracted by attacking Shiho. And he’d probably ruled Tsukasa out as some coward since he couldn’t get control of his team. That gave Tsukasa a fighting chance. He silently waited for his chance, clutching his sword firmly. Once he saw his opening, he charged. The boy noticed him too late and stared wide-eyed as he realized he wouldn’t be able to protect himself.
‘Yes, Tsukasa! Get him! And prove to your team that you’re worthy of—' A blast of fire. Not magical fire, no. Real fire. And it hit Tsukasa’s hands directly, just before he could reach the boy. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground, his hands all kinds of burnt, and his sword also plummeting to the ground next to him as he was forced to let go.
Tsukasa looked up to see where that fire came from as his hands shook in pain. His eyes widened, a—a dragon?! Yes, a dragon was flying and shooting down fire in the area, putting the knights in their place. ‘How could a dragon be here, and the boy,’—he glanced back over—‘how is he so calm?!’ For a moment, Tsukasa thought that maybe the boy was controlling it with some kind of magic, but as the dragon began to fly off, it landed on the roof of the palace. And that is when Tsukasa noticed it—
A cloaked figure, whose features could not be recognized, was standing on the roof, petting the face of the dragon that just attacked them. Someone who seemed to have a bond with this dragon, and seemed to live in that palace alongside the mage.
‘These are definitely the kind of people,’ Tsukasa thought, ‘who would kidnap a prince.’
Tsukasa walked carefully down the large hall, his hands bandaged up for the time being, although Saki promised to heal them when he got back. His cape lightly blew behind him, and he was a bit nervous. Although, not because he was scared—it was just the usual nervousness he got during a situation like this. The hallway was long, and at the end of it was the king’s throne.
His squad had barely gotten out of there, what with their two best knights having been incapacitated. Mizuki ended up having to lug Akito back, while Shiho was left to lug Tsukasa. And now here he was—merely an hour later—on his way to report to the king. Those people: they really might have been the ones to have taken the prince.
His footsteps slowed to a stop as he arrived upon the throne, tall and regal like the king himself. The man sat upon his throne, Tsukasa had always found him intimidating, no matter how long he’d known him. He would’ve normally fiddled with his fingers, however, that wasn’t an option since they were burned, bandaged, and pretty numb at the moment.
“Tsukasa.” The man’s statement was meant as a greeting. Tsukasa, in turn, went down on one knee and lowered his head to bow, “what brings you here?”
“Your highness,” Tsukasa began, speaking as respectfully as possible. “We went on a recent mission, and we found a palace. There are people there, we had to fight them. I think… they may have something to do with prince Toya’s disappearance.”
The king was not someone to have facial reactions, so as Tsukasa peeked up at him, he was surprised to see his shocked expression. Although it only lasted for a short moment, before his face went back to a neutral, blank look. “And what of your hands?” He nodded his head to gesture at Tsukasa’s bandaged hands.
“They were burned, your highness. There was a powerful mage, and he was the one we fought the most, but he was not the one who burned my hands. No, there was another—a hooded figure,” Tsukasa explained, “this person seems to have a bond with a dragon.”
“Dragon...? My, that is intriguing. I didn’t think it possible for a dragon and a human to bond.” The king tapped his chin, “Is your sister able to heal your hands?”
“Of course, sir! This shall not affect my ability to fight.” Tsukasa said without hesitation. Although he knew that even if his hands couldn’t be fully healed—just as a hypothetical—Tsukasa would still fight all the same.
“Good, that’s good.” The regal man clicked his tongue and seemed to be thinking. “Right, then. That boy you fought—the mage—you are to capture him and bring him to the dungeon.”
Tsukasa looked up fully in surprise. “Capture? Why him and not the one with the dragon?”
“Something tells me the one with the dragon would be harder to catch.”
“Yes, your highness.” Tsukasa stood from his kneel and saluted. He had no other questions, so of course he’d just go and do what he was asked of.
“Good. Now return home and have your sister heal those hands of yours immediately. I can’t be losing my most trustworthy knight, after all.” The king dismissed him.
Tsukasa’s heart swelled at the praise, he was so glad to be the king’s most trustworthy knight. It was truly an honor to have. He bowed quickly, “yes sir,” and walked off, back down the hallway.
It did not take too long to return home, where Saki was waiting for him—once again in the kitchen. Only she wasn’t accompanied by a glass of water, this time.
“Tsukasa! You’re back…” Saki smiled, a glint of worry in her eyes.
“Yes, I am. Are you rested up enough to heal my hands?” He asked.
“Of course I am, come sit.” She patted a nearby stool, and he complied obediently. Once he was sat, she began to gently unwrap his hands—which were covered in nasty burn marks. “Ouch, Tsukasa. This looks bad…” She commented, setting the bandages on the counter.
“Nothing you can’t heal, though, right?” Tsukasa knew she could, but he asked just to be safe.
“Of course not.” She flashed a reassuring smile and pressed her hands against his damaged skin, her hands glowing a gentle white as the burns began to vanish. “I will say, though, that I’m worried.”
“How so?” He questioned, tilting his head slightly. The feeling in his hands was coming back, which was a good sign.
“It’s just… before this, all it was was swords. And you weren’t in any real danger. But now…” She pulled her hands away, revealing Tsukasa’s hands to be in pristine condition once more. “Dragons and mages, that’s so dangerous. I don’t want you to get so hurt that I can’t save you.” Saki frowned with worry, her eyes glazing over a bit.
“Don’t worry, my dear Saki.” Tsukasa’s voice was soft as he spoke, opening and closing his hands a couple times to make sure everything feels right. He looks up at her and smiles,
“I’ll be ok, I promise.”