“Yuu! Are you alright?” Tetsu was kneeling at the noble’s side and Darien turned to find that Yuu’s entire back had been practically torn open by the vicious slash of the scimitar. He had thrown himself in front of Tetsu to save the boy’s life. Tetsu was trembling, unable to believe that his friend was dying. He touched Yuu’s pulse, feeling that it was weak, but existent. “Hey man, I’m sorry for everything. For making fun of you, for wrestling you, and for this,” he whispered, lifting Yuu’s unconscious body into his arms. “Darien! We need to get Yuu help. Let’s get out of here….”

But Darien was stagnant, his body completely paralyzed. His eyes had wandered to his parents and suddenly his mouth dropped open in shock. The king and queen had both been slain, their royal robes drenched with their own blood. Their eyes were still wide open, for their assassination occurred in a swift moment. “F-Father! Mother!” Darien screamed, rushing forward towards his parents. He halted at the foot of the thrones, an electrifying sensation stopping his body from getting any closer to his dying parents. Tears began to stream freely down his cheeks as he collapsed to his knees, his head bowing to the ground. How was this possible? Tetsu and I didn’t get remotely close to the throne! Someone else must’ve done this! But who? None of the soldiers were even near my parents!

“Mage….” Darien’s head shot up when his father wheezed out a few words, sputtering blood all over his cloak. “Betrayed … Darien … live … on….” His head went limp, his eyes fixated on the floor with a final word dying upon his rosy-red lips. Run.

Cambyses and several other soldiers burst into the room from behind Darien and Tetsu. The uncle stared at his brother’s corpse, clamping his hand over his mouth with disbelief. “D-Darien, what have you done?”

Darien spun around to face his uncle. “It wasn’t me! I swear that it wasn’t….” He couldn’t have murdered his parents. I didn’t do this…!

“You two are the only ones alive in this room and you’re both covered in blood,” Cambyses said, clenching his teeth. “Magus!” he bellowed.

A mysterious man in a black cloak sauntered past Cambyses into the throne room, his eyes coruscating a flashing violet color. His cloak was unbuttoned, revealing a fine white cloth shirt underneath. In his hand he gripped a golden scepter that radiated a brilliant light from a shining ruby at the scepter’s tip. “Yes, yes. I’m on it,” the Magus said casually as he raised his scepter to Tetsu and Darien. “Forgive me, little prince. But you must be punished for your sins.”

A red shockwave of magical energy pulsed outwards from the Magus’s scepter, filling the room with a wave of mystical power that knocked Darien and Tetsu clean off of their feet. Yuu’s body flew from Tetsu’s arms and slammed heavily against the marble floor, rolling uncontrollably. Darien and Tetsu were launched backwards into the back wall of the throne room. The breath left Darien’s lungs as his vision became unfocused. He collapsed forward, landing harshly on his cheek. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing. He weakly reached up, pressing his palm against the cold, hard floor. The muscles in his right arm cried out in agony, obviously too weak to support his body. Nevertheless, he tried to push himself up. Stop this! It wasn’t me!

“Huh? We’ve got a fighter over here!” The Magus cackled as he sauntered across the room and pointed the tip of his scepter at Darien’s struggling body. “Your uncle told me that you didn’t believe in magic and gods. Little boy, you have to open your eyes to the world around you. After all, the existence of magic and gods has been right under your nose the entire time. Take your nose out of those books of yours and start being more curious, child. Cambyses, I must advise that you banish these two pampered boys.”

Cambyses looked at Darien pitifully. “I agree.”

“Then it’s settled!” The Magus grinned widely, a wicked smile that stretched from ear to ear. “To the Lost Sands you go.” There was a flash of red light and Darien felt himself falling backwards into an endless, dark abyss.