THE PRINCE'S SERVANT

Ren carefully opened the book, as though afraid the ancient pages might be damaged by his touch. The sage's admiration for the book was evident; he held it as if it were a precious gem. The man read to the young ones with pride in his voice:

"About a thousand years ago, the entire world was populated by humans. The Earth had approximately nine billion inhabitants. Natural resources were becoming increasingly scarce, and the levels of what they called the sea were rising. This was because they polluted the air, causing the planet to warm, and as a result, frozen water regions began to melt. Wars started all the time and everywhere across the world. Initially, the wars were isolated among different nations, but everything changed after a war began across the entire globe. They referred to wars of global scale as world wars. But do you know what triggered humanity's last war? Does any of you know the reason?"

Ren asked, and Kota quickly replied:

"They disagreed about religion, which led the majority to persecute and kill religious minorities."

Ren nodded slowly, confirming Kota's answer, and then continued explaining to the young men:

"When the largest religious group of that time was about to win the war against our ancestors, our people knelt down. Believing these to be their final moments, they prayed to the heavens. Their enemies laughed, but at that moment, the history of our world changed forever. A giant masculine silhouette appeared in the sky, and a deep male voice commanded the entire world to worship Niray, declaring that he was the true God. Our ancestors worshipped the great God Niray, who revealed himself when they needed him most. But the others denied his existence, claiming that what they saw and heard was a trick. They continued the war and the slaughter of our people. Yet the god intervened, granting his new followers his six children. Do you know in what order they came to our world?"

Kota scratched his head, embarrassed, and answered Ren:

"I'm not good at history; I honestly don't remember."

Ren looked at Haru, who was also deep in thought. The young servant hesitantly replied:

"Was it the twins?"

Ren smiled, surprised by the correct answer, and continued explaining the story as he read some passages from the book:

"The twins, Luna and Strano, were known as the Moon and Night, Joy and Sorrow, Life and Death, Spirit and Body, Yin and Yang. They represented the duality of God Niray, with Luna being a woman made of light and Strano a man made of shadows. They came into the world to offer those who did not bow to Niray a second chance—a chance for redemption. They even brought gifts to humanity. Luna gave the world the ability to communicate with their deceased relatives, while Strano offered infinite wisdom to all mankind. But the enemies of our ancestors refused to end the war."

Curious, Haru asked:

"How could they refuse such gifts?"

The servant sounded slightly irritated, for he would never have refused the opportunity to speak with his deceased mother. Kota noticed Haru's frustration and understood his feelings.

Ren responded politely, reading a passage from the book:

"They truly did not believe Niray was real. They thought it was merely a trick, thereby condemning most of the planet's population to a war against the gods themselves—gods who swore to protect the people who recognized Niray as the supreme deity."

Haru tried to set aside his sadness over not being able to speak to his mother and asked:

"What was the third god?"

Ren flipped through a few pages of the book and answered:

"The third god to descend from the heavens did not bring peace to Niray's enemies. Magnus, the God of Metal, caused all the swords and blades of the enemies to fall to the ground. Their firearms, designed to kill as many people as possible, were no match for a god. Earthquakes spread across the world as the male deity walked to the frontlines of the battle. With brown hair, tanned skin, and a tall, muscular body, the god spoke no words to those who rejected the gifts of his siblings. His mission was to prove to all humanity that they should not defy the gods."

Ren turned a few more pages of the large historical book, reading further for the young men:

"The fourth god to descend from the heavens was Triton, the God of Waters. While the unarmed men futilely fought against Magnus, the God of Waters diverted a nearby river, sending a violent wave that swept away many of Niray's enemies. With eyes and hair as blue as water and pale skin, Triton was both masculine and feminine, bearing features of both genders and wearing scales to cover their intimate parts."

Kota felt his cheeks flush and discreetly scratched his head. The young man found himself oddly attracted to men with a more feminine demeanor and felt embarrassed imagining the appearance of the God of Waters as described by Ren. As a prince, Kota wished Haru would wear feminine clothing, but he was too kind and polite to impose such a demand on his servant. The prince masked his thoughts while the sage continued reading:

"Those who survived the god's attack, already weakened, begged for mercy. At that moment, they heard the voice of the fifth god, which, like a thunderclap, denied their pleas for mercy as he descended from the heavens. Thunder, the God of Storms, mercilessly annihilated nearly all life on the planet. With a powerful storm, he punished all who did not bow to his father. The male deity, with a deep voice, white hair, and brown skin, wore white garments and seemed to command respect even from his siblings."

Ren hesitates to continue reading, but after flipping a few pages, he resumes, this time carefully choosing his words to avoid being misunderstood. His discomfort was clear, and Haru noticed it, politely asking the sage:

"Are you alright, Ren?"

The servant believed the sage might not be in good health, but Ren replied:

"I'm fine. Allow me to continue reading."

The man tried to mask his unease as he continued the lesson:

"Our ancestors were ultimately both terrified and awestruck as Solaria, the Goddess of the Sun, became the sixth deity to descend from the heavens. The female goddess had white wings and wore golden armor. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were the last things Niray's enemies saw, for she carried the sun itself, which scorched the planet's surface, turning it into an arid and lifeless desert. Our ancestors survived thanks to Niray's mercy. He commanded Luna to raise the Lunar Barrier—a magical shield that protects us from the hellish heat of the desert the world has become. Today, it's impossible to cross the magical barrier or remove it, as nothing and no one has power comparable to that of the gods. Remember, the barrier exists for our own safety. Without it, we would be swallowed by the desert sands, our water would evaporate, and our crops would perish in no time."

Haru, though familiar with the story, had never heard it in such detail. He was both enchanted and terrified. Innocently, he asked Ren:

"I understand the destruction of the enemies—they would have killed us. But weren't some of them children? And what about the animals?"

Kota was impressed by his servant's observation and found himself agreeing. Ren concluded:

"The gods knew what they were doing. We owe them our lives. But yes, I do believe not everything in the world deserved to be punished. As for the animals, many were saved by Luna and can be found in the territory of the Great Frontier. However, records indicate that an almost uncountable number of species went extinct."

Ren's expression grew somber, but he understood that without the sacrifices of the past, he and the young men wouldn't be alive. The teacher continued his explanations, hiding his sadness:

"The primordial god Niray has never been seen again, and his six children—the Great Gods—began living in the nation, which was divided into five kingdoms. The twins were supposed to share one territory, but many years ago, the descendants of the God of Night rebelled and invaded the Metallic Kingdom, seizing part of its territory to form the Shadow Kingdom far from the Lunar Kingdom. What do you say we delve deeper into the issues this caused for the Shadow Kingdom?"

Haru hadn't imagined the complexity behind each of Niray's kingdoms and was eager to learn more. The young servant immediately replied:

"Please, tell us more. Why did Strano's descendants separate from those of his twin sister, Luna?"

Ren hadn't had students this curious in some time. He felt honored to see Haru's genuine desire to learn. Kota, on the other hand, seemed drowsy, which was understandable since the lesson had started early and the prince already knew much of the story. The teacher clapped to grab the prince's attention, startling him.

"My apologies, I was almost dozing off,"

said the Solarion heir with a warm smile.

Ren resumed his explanation, skipping some details while elaborating on others:

"When the Nation of Niray was still being built, the gods lived among us. They all helped construct their respective kingdoms—except Strano. The God of Night didn't assist in creating a home for his heirs. We don't know why; it's only rumors."

"What rumors?"

Haru asked curiously.

Ren closed the book, marking the page where he left off. He then shared the tale with his students:

"They say the Goddess of the Moon could see the future, Solaria could summon the sun itself, Triton could create water from the air, Magnus could raise mountains, Thunder could steal the breath from his enemies, and Strano could see through shadows. The rumor is that one night, Strano saw or heard something that made him never speak another word. Now imagine something capable of silencing a god forever—it's clearly just a myth."

Ren chuckled and continued explaining Niray's construction:

"Since Strano stopped speaking, he never passed down any teachings to his descendants—not even how the shared kingdom with his sister should function. His descendants interpreted this as a sign to live as they pleased, fostering a culture of immorality in that kingdom, where acts like prostitution and theft went unpunished. This belief that they could do anything led them to invade another kingdom instead of coexisting with Luna's. The war between the Metallic and Shadow Kingdoms was devastating and nearly resulted in the extinction of Strano's descendants. Lacking organization, they lost the war, but with the intervention of Solaria's kingdom, the existence of both realms was secured, and we began overseeing the rulers of the Shadow Kingdom to ensure they wouldn't invade other lands. The Metallic Kingdom maintains more independence but is also under Solaria's supervision."

Ren spoke of Solaria's achievements with pride:

"Thanks to Solaria, the Metallic Kingdom didn't exterminate the Shadows. However, they still face economic dependence on Solaria to this day. We are the heroes of Niray's nation."

Haru jotted down some notes before the lesson ended. Ren bid the young men farewell, leaving with many books in his heavy bag. The prince, eager to finally train, commented to his servant:

"That guy your father brought must be really strong. I'm sure training with him will make me much stronger."

The young healer remembered that he too would be receiving special training and grew excited. Haru wanted to become a great healer to help Kota after his rigorous training sessions. He enthusiastically responded:

"I'll work hard in my healer lessons so I can help you. I want to be useful to you, Kota."

The prince couldn't help but find Haru's enthusiasm adorable. Kota headed to the Solarion Battle Academy while his servant waited for his instructor in the library.