A succulent slab of meat sizzled loudly on the black stone pan. Oils bubbled around the crispy brown beef, which gleamed with perfection. The king’s personal chef, wearing a tall white hat embellished with a red crown insignia, tossed the sizzling pan forward and back. He hummed a small tune as he cooked the king’s personal lunch. There were many chefs wearing aprons in the room that were preparing a feast for a casual meal for the royal family of Tulgor. Though, every single meal was a feast for them.

The head chef adjusted his hat as he took the pan off of the fire, which blazed upon a group of closely clustered stones. He gently scraped the slab of delicately cooked meat onto a glistening golden plate. The chef carefully picked up a silver creamer filled with gleaming hazel-brown sauce. The wonderful aroma of the peppered gravy drifted freely through the packed kitchen and the other cooks smiled at its exquisite scent. The head chef stroked his curly grey mustache as he was about to gently pour the sauce onto the delectable meat. It had to be perfectly done, otherwise the chef would have to toss the food and redo it from scratch.

Suddenly someone bumped into the chef, causing the creamer to fall forward and spill the thick sauce all over the plate and on the table, splattering it haphazardly on the meat. The head chef stared at his creation in absolute horror, his hands trembling with profound rage and frustration. He spun around to see who had bumped into him and frowned, seeing that there was no one there. The cook then heard a dissonance of screams and shrill screeches echoing from his fellow chefs. The head chef spotted two young boys sprinting through the kitchen, playing a friendly game of tag as they chased each other playfully, creating a trail of chaos to everything in their path. “Stop!” the head chef bellowed, his face turning bright red as he continued to yell at the two children, who didn’t seem at all intent on stopping.

The boys burst through the door that exited the kitchen, out onto a stone pathway with a crimson-red carpet running along it. One boy tackled the other and they playfully rolled together on the ground, laughing hysterically.

One of the boys propped himself up into a sitting position, tossing his curly blonde hair, revealing cerulean blue eyes that reflected the same color as the open skies on a sunny day. He had full lips, and grinned a bright smile, filled with glistening white teeth. The boy wore expensive blue robes that were draped over his delicately woven white linens. His name was Darien, and he was prince and current heir to the throne of Tulgor, the most powerful empire in the continent of Dastia.

His friend, named Tetsu Hayashi, was a foreigner to the continent. He had black, spiky hair with sharp bangs that sliced down his forehead, and darkened eyes that gleamed with glee as he beamed at his friend. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt with long, baggy pants.

Normally, Darien wasn’t allowed to interact with people like Tetsu. Anyone of a lesser status than nobles was usually not even able to come into contact with someone as important as the prince, unless they were serving him. However, Tetsu was an exception. The boys were only fifteen years old, and Tetsu was already widely renowned throughout the Tulgorian Empire for his expertise with the sword.

Tetsu was born a member of the renowned Hayashi clan, a clan that many considered to be demons in disguise. Most didn’t even consider them to be human because their superhuman reflexes and combat skills exceeded those of any other human. Tetsu’s small village had been raided and obliterated by another empire when he was younger. His family was slain and he was taken as a slave. He won his freedom within several months by fighting in the arena against other gladiators. The boy was a prodigy with the sword, and had slain hundreds by the time he was in his teens. He then fled the empire as a free boy and came to Tulgor, offering his services as the king’s protector. While it was a long process before Tetsu finally became a member of the Tulgorian king’s royal guard, he eventually was assigned to protect Darien. The two, coincidently being the same age, quickly became the best of friends.

“What are you two doing?” a high-pitched, wavering, voice hollered in the hallway.

Darien and Tetsu glanced in the direction of the shaky voice, expecting to get scolded and punished after sprinting straight through the royal kitchen. But they turned to find their other friend, Yuu, standing there. The boy was wearing fancy white linens with golden buttons running down his shirt’s center. His black pants drooped down to his snake-hide leather sandals. His abnormally snow-white hair was flat on his head, and he had long bangs that flowed like a stream just above his eyes. His irises were turquoise blue, and tiny tears gleamed in the corners of his eyes.

“Having some fun, Yuu. You should try it sometime,” Tetsu sneered.

“Shut up, Tetsu! You know that one step out of line will bring dishonor to my family. I cannot have an atrocity such as that happen! As for you, Darien! D-Don’t you think that your father will be angry with you for interrupting the chefs’ preparation of the meals? I-I mean, you know Hussan is just doing all of it for your family.”

Hussan was the head chef, appointed by Darien’s father himself. Darien shrugged. “I guess. But Tetsu dared me to do it.”

“Did not!” Tetsu protested.

Suddenly Hussan burst through the door into the hallway, a vein bulging from his forehead as he confronted the three boys. The chef wasn’t afraid to get furious around Darien; after all, Hussan had been around since the prince was born. The fact he hadn’t been executed throughout his many years of service was a feat in itself. Those who didn’t meet the king’s expectations were immediately disposed of; that was how things worked in Tulgor. This meant that Hussan had yet to fail the royal family, and he definitely didn’t intend to let them down anytime soon. The chef reached out and grabbed Tetsu and Yuu by their ears, ignoring their squirming. “Listen, you two, I was just about to have the damned meal finished for the king! But you troublemakers screwed it up, so now I have to start all over again!” he boomed at the two boys.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Tetsu yelped, wincing.

“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!” Yuu screeched.

Hussan glared at Darien and sighed. “Milord, what were you thinking?”

Darien shrugged. “Clearly I wasn’t.”

Hussan released Yuu’s ear and used his other hand to smack Tetsu upside the head. “You kids better not come into my kitchen again or cause any more mischief! All I’ve been hearing is how Tetsu and Prince Darien have been messing around all about the castle. You two have been up to no good recently.”

“We haven’t been doing any harm to anyone!” Tetsu complained innocently, but Hussan raised an index finger, exhaling his rage from his nose.

“I ought to take a ladle and plug your damned mouth shut so you’ll stop talking. You aren’t a noble so no one will be able to protect you from my wrath,” Hussan growled, clearly showing his distaste toward Tetsu.

“Try it, old man!” Tetsu challenged the cook.