18th Ducivier, 132.

It's been almost a year since i came to this world and things have been as eventful as any baby's would be. I’ve spent my days learning to crawl, learning about the world, spending time with my new family, out of my choice obviously, testing and learning about my eyes and finally, having my suicide attempts thwarted by my family and most especially, Lucia.

From trying to fall from a high counter and being caught before hitting the ground to trying to drink poison and being immediately healed by one of the servants, Lucia, my mother, occasionally my father when he's around or one of the servants are always there to apprehend me.

I once got lucky and I got to drink what I thought to be rat poison but it was just some weird seasoning that gave me unwanted diarrhea. 

It's come to the point that my mother dubbed me an "unfortunate baby" so she now keeps a servant on me at all times. I looked up to see Patricia peeking at me from the small opening of the toilet door, man can't even have some quality baby poop.

Patricia, one of the younger mages at only eighteen years, was the one assigned to watch me at all times. She now has a room besides mine, follows me whenever and wherever only taking a step back when i'm with my mom and the worst part is that she even baths me and wipes me, its bloody degrading.

She's quite devoted to her work, her peachy smile along with brown hair and even darker eyes make her seem more like just a cute girl but she looks down at me with all seriousness like she knows i actually want to kill myself and is calculating my next move.

After an uncomfortable set of wiping following my poop, i was carried outside where my brother and father were about to have a sparring session for his birthday, from what i know, it's normal for Emperors to spar with their children on their tenth birthday which is today for Lucia.

All his previous training has been done by the servants or my mother but today he was actually going to receive a first hand lesson from the old man which in fairness he did near identically resemble, only difference being he inherited my mothers eyes.

I was sitting on my mother's lap by the side of the central practice arena, the largest amongst the three. The vulture empire's estate consisted of a beautiful black and golden mansion with a large statue outside it of my father and mother with other statues of vultures behind it.

It had a lavishly maintained garden around it and sits at the top of a mountain range which makes it stick out quite a bit in this rather modest town. I stretched a bit trying to loosen the uncomfortable shirt and shorts that I was made to wear, at least it was better than the maid and butler outfits the servants wore.

"Damian, are you alright?", my mom inquired.

"Y...yes".

She let out a small grin and patted my head before turning her focus back to the arena, it had been about nine months since i was born so i began talking slightly but only just slightly as i had to avoid any suspicion, my baby game had to be on point.

My father and Lucia stood facing each other at each end of the ring, my father clad in his usual black robes while my brother in a black skin tight training suit. They both held wooden swords in their hands but one was stone cold and the other was visibly, at least to me, nervous.

My eyes could see things and relay information to my brain far greater and faster than anybody. I was now particularly perceptive and could even calculate things like the amount of force needed to do a particular task and the most likely outcome.

It almost feels like a new sense organ, especially for the fact that it isn't tasking my brain and doesn't exactly need me to use magic for it even though I can see the natural mana flowing.

Once my brother saw me and my mother, he waved at me and let out a huge grin. My mother in turn raised my arm and shook it, waving back at him, this seemed to calm his nerves ever so slightly. 

"Lucia Simmons", my father spoke.

There was an airy silence as he spoke, his voice carried an uncanny level of authority. Even seeing my father more than three times a week was a privilege, he either goes for conferences, missions or battles all over. 

He was the type that I didn't need my eyes to tell was powerful.

"First off i want to wish you a happy tenth birthday, you have shown yourself to be very hardworking and diligent and i'm more than happy to give you this spar".

"The rules are simple, i'll give you a swordsman's spar as that was your weapon of choice. You are allowed to use the strongest of your magic but i will not, the match is decided by whoever can put the other in a fatal position first".

Lucia obviously has no chance of winning this, he just needs to make a good show of himself but that will be difficult considering how strong father is. 

From what I've read and heard about him, he's like a warlord, going for battles upon battles, war upon war, fighting the most savage of people in any way possible. He can use the wind element and fourteen rings around his core, he has various weapons to his disposal including some powerful ancient blade.

Not to mention Vulture's empire is a relatively new empire but has risen amongst the ranks at an almost unprecedented rate, from sixty-ninth as of four years ago to forty-second now and it's almost all thanks to this man.

 My father called for one rather old servant, Augustine, to referee the fight.

"Are you ready to begin?", he questioned.

My father nodded while keeping a lackluster stance while Lucia dropped his knees and got into his fighting stance and nodded his head. 

"Begin!".

My father quickly darted to him, probably trying to catch him half relaxed but Lucia was ready, he swiftly conjured up a few ice spikes and sent it flying at him.

Father shattered all of them in no time flat but it gave Lucia a way, he came from his right in an effort to catch him unaware but his slash was easily blocked.

He tried a few more slashed but they were all parried away, then my father countered with a slash at him. 

Lucia managed to narrowly evade it which was the best decision as that swing would have easily shattered his blade. Cladding his body in mana, Lucia's physical prowess heightened sharply, using this he dodged a few more of his swings.

He then created a pillar of ice by his right side, this caught my fathers blade after being struck and allowed him a chance to thrust at his side but a gust of wind hurdled him back while shattering the ice pillar.

Lucia tumbled to the floor but quickly regained his footing but at that point he was already being bombarded with slashes. He did well to block some but eventually his sword was knocked out of his hand and the blade was placed at his neck.

Lucia's wrist was bruised from the altercation but I suppose this much damage is expected, I’m the only one that can see it but he should get a healer on it soon.

"Match done, Sir Nathaniel is the winner!", Augustine announced.

"...The Emperor is so ruthless, even to his son...".

"...That's Sir Nathaniel for you...".

"You did well Lucia, take pride in your strength. You will grow into a fine warrior".

This fight was rather fun to watch and to think i’m meant to do this too one day, well that day will never come as I'm going to end myself today.

My plan is already ready, I’m going to enjoy my day then I’ll be gone by night.

Let’s put an end to this fiasco.

END OF CHAPTER 3