The dimmers on my windows slowly subsided, and the beautiful lights of the cosmos illuminated my room. Mixtures of blue, red, and white danced across the endless space making for a beautiful sight. 

0500 Empire Standard Time. It was hard to explain, but time seemed to move similarly across the entire Empire. As opposed to dozens of time zones moving slower or faster, this galaxy didn’t seem to have the same issue. I assume it has something to do with the mana but I couldn’t be sure. Either way, it made travel much more convenient. 

My eyes fell on the white and amber uniform that had been fitted perfectly to my size the night before. It was unusually straightforward. The jacket was solid white with amber buttons descending downwards on both sides of the front. The only other decoration was the two amber epaulets on the shoulders. Simple amber stripes went down the white pants which led to my freshly shined white shoes.

One and possibly the only benefit of having a set uniform was it allowed for light packing. Asides from a few changes of underwear and sleep clothing I only had brought a toothbrush and paste with me. Nothing else. I didn’t really need anything else. 

I went about my morning routine and by 0545 EST I was dressed and headed downstairs.

I was shocked by the plethora of smells and vibrancy on the main floor. Servants were already wide awake and carrying out their duties. Fortunately, we had plenty of servants so none of them were overworked and had a lot of free time. 

My attention turned to my sisters, Eliana and Iris, and my mother, who were still in their sleep gowns. None of them were used to early mornings, but they seemed to wake up to bid us farewell. 

“HELLO BROTHER,” Eliana shouted out eagerly upon seeing me. 

Eliana was already nine and a half. She still had that same innocent and caring smile she held when I first saw her. Her mannerisms and attitude remind me of my mother.

“Hi Cronus,” my drowsy sister Iris added.

Iris was nearing the age of 12 and had begun training to be a “proper lady.”  Not my words… hers. She had no interest in fighting or going on adventures like our eldest sister.

Iker was nowhere to be found. Probably grumpy that he hadn’t been chosen to go with my father. Speaking of Iker, he has been well past overdue for his attribute and has remained grumpy for a while. It was beginning to look like he wouldn’t develop anything. With an F-Class core, he was fairly unlucky not to develop one. 

“Good Morning sweetheart,” my mother started, “Have you made sure to pack everything?”

Although it was a question, she didn’t give me much time to answer. She was already by my side and nagging me about going upstairs and packing more clothes. 

“WHAT IF THERE IS A SNOWSTORM? YOU NEED A COAT!”

“DID YOU PACK TOILET PAPER, YOU K~”

“Leave the boy alone,” my father interrupted. He was dressed almost exactly like me except for our family crest embroidered onto his jacket. “He is fully capable of handling himself despite his age.”

“Oh, I know,” my mother sighed, “He’s just growing up so fast, soon he’s going to be chasing dragons and I won’t be able to keep up with him.” She had a sarcastic face on her but a hint of sadness lingered behind her eyes. “Here at least take this.” 

She handed me a little locket of our crest with a picture of our family inside it.

“That way if you get homesick,” she whimpered, “You’ll at least be able to have something to look at.”

I rolled my eyes but took the locket and put it in my pocket. “Did you get this upset when Evani left for Vesta the first time?”

“I would have, if she had told us she was going,” my mother snickered.

“Well we better get going,” my father said, already walking down the stairs. He turned towards me, “Are you ready?” 

“Let’s do it.”

I hugged my family once last time and joined my father outside. 

Our vehicle was already waiting for us with the doors open. My father decided to ride upfront and I rode in the backseat on the passenger's side. I looked outside the window as we drove by the civilization that my family had governed for centuries. A total population of around two billion. 

The drive was short, no longer than 30 minutes. We arrived at the shuttle station and surpassed the massive line that had already acclimated. A privilege of royalty, I suppose.

By 0700 EST we took off to the main world of the Empire.

Vesta. Here I come.