(RJ's POV)
The day I was born, my mother had bruises on her face, and she was crying.
I still vividly remember how she looked.
I even remember hearing her sing to me before I was born.
I'm not sure if she was crying that day because of the joy from having me or the pain from her injuries.
She was only allowed to hold me for two minutes before my father had me taken away by the midwife, standing nearby.
"You b*tch! How dare you put your hands on her!" I heard him scream.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," my mother apologized profusely, and I glanced at her from the maid's arms.
I was strong enough to walk, but this new world was so disorienting that I was still processing my surroundings.
"She's worth a million of you... and now that my child is born. I don't need you anymore."
"Vetro, please!" she screamed, but then glass spears rose from the floor under her bed, piercing her body in several places.
Blood splattered all over, drenching everyone in the room, including my father and me.
He grinned gleefully and looked at me for the first time.
"Wash the child," was his last remark before leaving the room.
I hadn't formed an emotional connection to her yet, but for years, I wondered what woman he killed my mother over.
His harem had over two hundred women at the time, and he seemed to go through each member liberally, not showing favoritism or particular interest in any of them.
After I turned three, my power was discovered, and the markings of fire appeared on my arm.
When this was reported to my father, he grinned and said,
"I guess Natasha wasn't useless after all." That's when I learned my mother's name.
Six months later, Rytem joined me in the Chosen Wing, along with Netalai.
It was only a week later that Valin joined.
Rytem was chatty and always in high spirits, while Netalai was extremely introverted and only spoke to Rytem, who was his biological cousin.
Valin kept to himself, and whenever someone spoke to him, he was visibly stressed out. He was two years younger than us, so his body was tiny and his cheeks plump; he also had long curly hair.
He looked like a doll, and it felt like he didn't belong here.
A few years later, the rest of our brothers arrived, one after the other.
Zai had to watch his family murdered and violated by my father... so I instantly felt a kinship between us.
I wanted to talk to him, but fear held me back... my father is the one he hates... could I ever try to be friends with him?
One day, while I was studying with Tana alone in my room, she shook her head and said,
"I'm sorry... I'll be right back."
She stood in the hallway, catching her breath for only a minute before my father, whom I hadn't seen in weeks, showed up and held her against him by the shoulders.
"The servants said you appeared in trouble. What's going on?" he asked her gently. I had no idea he could use a voice like that.
"It's just... sometimes he looks like her and... I'm trying to push through it. I'm fine," she mumbled.
Since my room had no door, I saw it.
Despite her facial deformity, wild appearance, and the fact that she was his sister, he kissed her passionately.
"You don't need to push through anything. If you're struggling, come to me... I'll get you an assistant, or two. As many as you need." She smiled and said,
"Thank you, V..." Then she kissed him in the same way, with her hand cupping his cheeks, even parting her lips, and slipping her tongue in.
I had to look away.
All the confusion from my past cleared up instantly...
My mother attacked Tana... and she's the only person the King has any empathy for.
That's why he killed my mom...
A moment later, they said their goodbyes, and she returned to the chair next to mine at my desk.
"I'm sorry about that... Where were we?" she asked.
I tried to speak, but instead of words, vomit escaped my mouth.
I managed to avoid hitting her with it, but I couldn't stop until my stomach was empty.
She stroked my back to comfort me, but that only made the pain worse.
I had to fight the urge to set her ablaze right then and there.
A week later, it was time to decide on our Vows. I managed to sit beside Zai today. He was brooding.
I could feel the weight of his negativity, but I was just happy I finally had an excuse to chat with him.
Cera whispered from Zai's other side about a new game he invented.
He claimed we could try it in our dorms and even personally invited Zai to participate. Without an invitation, Zai would usually keep to himself.
I felt a bit excited; we'd been living together for a while now but hadn't socialized often.
I knew Netalai wouldn't join us, but the idea of spending time with the rest of my brothers was nice.
"Training works, but that kind of progress is so slow and dull. To gain power more quickly, you must make sacrifices... today we will sacrifice your rights. You can choose your right to see, your right to hear, your right to love, whatever you want.
But as soon as you make this commitment, there is no turning back; it is irreversible, and you will die in more agony than you can imagine."
After Tana's explanation, I began thinking about what I should give up. I decided to do away with a Right that I have always hated having... lying.
I hope that helps keep me from becoming a person like my father, even a small bit.
Netalai and Hyzi didn't manage to choose vows in time, so they were left behind and missed the most life-changing game of my life, the game that broke the door to our confinement and allowed me to see the sky for the first time.
I rushed outside without thinking, smiling at the sky, and enjoying the heat of the sun. In the distance, I saw a lake, so out of curiosity, I rushed over to see it up close.
I wasn't expecting to see a woman. She was awe-inspiringly beautiful, with thick black curls, umber skin, and silver eyes.
She was wading in the waters, and then she looked at me with a smile on her lovely face.
"Hello, little one, are you lost?" I stared at her, at a loss for words.
I'd seen hundreds of women before, but none of them had ever been so beautiful to me. Even her voice sent my heart into overdrive.
I had been staring so long that by the time I realized what I was doing, I blushed and looked at the ground. That is when I heard the water shifting as she headed my way.
Once ashore, she squatted down next to me and patted my head, so I looked at her once again. Her plump lips, thick lashes, and long neck.
She was in a silver bikini, so I immediately grew flustered as I noticed her body. Especially her breasts, which were barely contained inside her top, so I forced myself to avert my eyes.
"I can help you find your family." She suggested.
"No!" I yelled, which threw her off, so she stood on her feet and put her hand on her hip.
"So... am I to assume you're here... on purpose?" she mumbled.
She then muttered something about Afarion's neglecting their children.
"You... What's your name?" I asked, pulling her attention back to me.
She giggled and said,
"My name is Aluma, what's yours?" I thought for a second before saying,
"I don't think I should tell you." To which she responded by laughing and saying,
"Very well, I'll just keep calling you little one, then." I'm not that short, am I? I'm around 5'4 (164 cm), and yeah, she's a little taller than me but...
It's still annoying to have her talking to me like I'm a child. I need her to look at me differently.
She felt so warm, comfortable, and kind.
At that moment, my heart pulsated with a fiery emotion.
It was the first time I felt this way, but I recognized the feeling instantly; I desired to own her.
I want her to not be able to breathe without thinking about me, desiring me. I want to be the source of all her happiness, sadness, distress, and lust. I want to make her scream my name the same way the girls in my father's harem scream his.
The Afarion blood in me was screaming.
"Since you're here... maybe you can join me for a walk. I was getting awfully bored on my own."
Her offer interrupted my thoughts, and I smiled innocently to mask them while grabbing her hand,
"I'd love to keep you company." She started talking about random things, like how beautiful it was today, though everything else paled in comparison to her, through my eyes.
She also asked me about my interests and family, but I only gave vague responses.
Once the sun began setting, she said,
"Oh no, I have to go... It was nice meeting you, Little One. You should head home now."
I nodded, and then I watched her walk away.
I was finally able to drop my facade and observe her figure with no reservations.
Once she was far from view, I searched for somewhere to hide nearby.
Once I found a good place, I tried to recall the theories and runes I read regarding body manipulation and accelerated aging.
I etched multiple runes on my body and made plenty of mistakes. I had to wait for the runes to heal before I could even reverse the process and start over, but after five hours, I somehow got it right and managed to change my body into my full-grown form, making myself a whole foot (30.5 cm) taller.
I had to steal clothes from the nearby shopping district, and thankfully, by the time I returned to the lake, Aluma was there.
She grew visibly flustered upon seeing me, and I could see her eyeing me the same way I had done to her the day before.
It was my first time seeing myself reflected in the water; I do look very different.
Even my jawline was sharper.
"Hello... is your name Aluma by chance?"
She was standing in the water and dunked her head under the moment I spoke to her, then she slowly peeked out and replied to me,
"Me?... um... I'm sorry, what was the question?"
Aluma was blushing so much, I wish I could read her thoughts. I removed my shirt and entered the water to get close to her.
"You match the description perfectly, so you must be her... Aluma? I believe you met someone yesterday who looks a little like me..."
She tried to hold my gaze, but grew flustered every time our eyes met.
"O-oh... I do... see a resemblance. I did meet a little one yesterday. That must have been your brother," she muttered as she took a step backward.
I kept my distance.
"I just wanted to meet you and thank you for looking out for him. I hope it wasn't any trouble."
Yes! I managed to create an alias without lying.
"No... he was very sweet," she assured, while idly wringing water from her hair. "Um... What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Raijian..." I replied.
She then looked up at me, holding eye contact for two seconds before making a slight movement in my direction.
"What about the boy I met last night?" she inquired,
"... You can call him Jey."
After my reply, she smiled and said,
"It's nice to meet you, Raijian." That evening, we spent the day together.
Everything I said either made her smile or brought color to her cheeks.
She giggled at all my jokes and told me about her childhood.
She asked about my favorite foods and hobbies...
I knew I was one step closer to making her mine.