NOVERCRON

  PROLOGUE – DESTINED TO DOOM.

  From the moment I was born, I was destined to Doom. I was exactly 0 years old, and I already knew this fact. It was a foregone conclusion. After all, no matter how much you try and hide it, disappointment and disgust were always visible on a person’s face. I should know, my father looked at me in the same design, right from birth.

  Unlike most people, I was aware of my surroundings from the moment I was conceived. I could tell between my parents and strangers, like I could tell my right hand from my left. They say people should strive for equality. Yet from the moment you are born, you are already inferior to someone else somewhere else in the world.

  Maybe it was because I was aware of my surroundings from birth, but I was already an anomaly among the normal infants. No, I did not cry when the healer priest pinched my rear, and I did not laugh when the maids showed me their silliest faces. But Everyone could tell I was not a normal child.

  Dyuno Von Artenretia is the name I was dubbed by my mother, who seemed to be the only one pleased by my existence. She was my Shining sun amidst the terrible rainclouds of terror, and I was immediately drawn to her.

  “Oh my, what a beautiful young lady,” one of the maids said, trying to help lighten the mood of the situation.

  “On the contrary, this child… is a male.” The healer priest said, pointing to something in between my legs.

  Gasps and wonder flew around the room. I did not understand what they were looking at. I peeked between my legs and saw nothing special. The person I deemed to be my father had zero similarities with me.

  He was a tall and gaunt man. He had golden hair and a striking face. Icey blue cold eyes that looked at me with disgust, and a bushy but well-trimmed beard to cope.

  I was more akin to my mother. Almost a perfect match. We both had jet black hair, beautiful, innocent features, and orange eyes. But then again, this is only from what I remember at that time.

  I can recall everything I have experienced, and I do not forget anything. It was a gift and a curse.

  “Well, is he suitable to be the heir of the Artenretia clan or not, Priest Alexander?” My father asked the healer priest.

  The priest hailed from his golden staff a blinding light that engulfed the whole room. Then, with a sad face and tired eyes, he reported to my father.

  “I apologize, my lord, but this child has no affinity whatsoever to succeed any part of this household. I have never seen a human so lacking in Eternia in my line of work. It is as if there is a void in the place where his core should be located.

  With those few remarks, I had become a useless existence. To my father, the king, to the maids who spread the rumors everywhere in the castle, and even to myself.

  It was a foregone conclusion. My fate had been determined from birth. I was destined to doom.

  The world in which I live is a peaceful and unjust place where power is everything. Since power is everything, those who lack power are nothing.

  So what am is supposed to do when I have been sentenced to doom and misfortune from birth? I knew the gods were watching down on us mortals and having the time of their lives, toying with our fates, torturing us, killing us.

  My life has been A downhill journey from the get-go, but somehow I have always endured and struggled to live, eager to uphold the will of my now deceased mother, who died soon after I was born. Robbing me of any connection that I had left. Breaking my soul, crushing my will.

  Ironically, I was born in the Artenretia household of Dark Knights. Fated to protect and rule the Artenretian empire. A household where Power was even more important than life itself, is where an average nobody like me just had to be born.

  I look outside the glass window in my room. It was going to rain again. A maid comes in to inform me it was time to head to school, but what was the point? Study, practice, and learn… What kind of nonsense was she talking about?

  “Hey Arima…” I beckoned her to look at me.

  “Yes, my lord?” Arima, my attendant, answered me. Her prim and proper dark dress, covered in a cotton white designer apron as usual.

  “Was I supposed to be born?” I asked her, not looking for an answer or even the hope that she would deny my claim. I just felt so miserable that I had to tell someone… anyone.

  “Maybe my fate… was to not exist after all. Isn’t that tragic?” I chuckled. It was almost comical, how much my life sucked. Not a single thing has ever gone right, nobody was on my side. I was now fifteen years of age, but I had already matured more than most old men.

  Similar to old men, I was tired. So very tired of my life. Everything hurt, waking up and going to bed, wishing I could just shut my eyes and float to a better world. Born to suffer. My siblings were all better than me.

  Each of them had true power, talents, hobbies, dreams, and goals. The maids flocked to them like sheep. They knew siding with the right heir to the throne would ensure their employment and future. All of them except for my attendant, Arima Draconia.

  She was A hybrid of a human and a dragon. Extremely diligent and proper. The only one to stick by my side ever since I lost my mother to the clutches of fate and destiny.

  Maybe this was why I was telling her how I truly felt. I had never let my guard down around even my siblings. I wouldn’t want to give them a new topic to bully or use against me I order to succeed the throne.

  I didn’t even care about being king. Money, fame, honor… none of that was important to me. I just wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life. Was it too much to ask?

  The gods thought so, my family thought so. I guess it was why I was restricted to never leaving the castle walls. It would be an embarrassment if the public discovered that a child of the fabled ‘Most powerful household in Artenretia’ had a defective heir.

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  Something broke inside of me that day. Just like how the rain broke from the clouds. I stood on top of my older brother, my fists dripping with his blood. My chest heaved from the conflict we had. He lay there beaten to a bloody pulp, but on his face, a wicked smile grew.

  Normally, I could be able to tell. I failed I many areas, but I was not Stupid. I knew it was a setup. I knew it was a scheme cleverly plotted against me by my family in order to get rid of me. But on that day, I didn’t care.

  Everything that I felt, I put into my fist and slammed it into my older brother's face. His name was Hugo von Artenretia; The twelfth heir of our household. He had succeeded in the mission he had been given. He had outsmarted me.

  “On the 3rd day of the month of Cerius, the god of Justice. In the year 756. Dyuno von Artenretia; Thirteenth heir to the Artenretian throne and the only child of Our lord Matthias Artenretia the Fourth… Has been banished.

  In the account of breaking the law under Act 15 of the royal decree, violence against any heir to the throne shall lead to execution. But since He has no Eternia, He was unable to seriously wound lord Hugo, so we have come to the unanimous decision of banishment from this household and expulsion outside the Artenretian empire. This is to occur immediately after this trial. Do any of the victims of this case have anything to report on this judgment?” The royal court mage asked.

  “I feel that you are going far too lightly on this matter! That Young savage tried to murder my son! All so he could move up to the next seat of the throne! He should be executed on the spot for his insolence!

  It's to nobody’s surprise that he is a savage, just like his mother…” My uncle clammed up, stopping himself mid-sentence, knowing he had crossed the line. His name was Richard von Artenretia, brother to my father, the king, and father of Hugo von Artenretia.

  “Insulting the late Mistress to the king is a punishable offense, Lord Richard. I advise you to watch your tongue in this court!” The royal court mage warned.

  “Play it out however you want. This child deserves to be executed, your honor!” Richard gave me a mean scowl across the room.

  “Does the offender have anything to testify against this plea?” The royal court mage looked at me.

  I had no words to speak. Anything I said would not change the outcome, I had fallen for their scheme hook, line, and sinker. I merely looked down and could barely register any thoughts. My life had always been A downhill ride, but this time, I plunged myself into the bottom at full speed. How foolish, I had never made such an illogical decision since birth.

  Sensing my reluctance, the royal court mage made his decision. He looked at me not with pity, but with sadness in his old wrinkled face and deep brown eyes.

  “I have solidified my decision, Dyuno von Artenretia shall be banished and exiled post-haste!” He banged the gavel to my Doom, and I was arrested by the royal guards and taken away.

  Arima tried to stop them, but knew she could not. My uncle and Hugo looked pissed. I was not executed but banished. Either way, I was out of the picture.

  Once I was out of sight, the royal guards took the liberty of robbing me of any valuable items on my body. They also beat me up and shoved me in a broken-down wagon. The driver was paid to take me as far away from the Empire as he could and dump me there.

  My life was flashing before my eyes. Where did I go wrong? Was it when I beat up Hugo? No. Even before that… It was when I was born. A miserable existence.

  It started to rain. I could hear the patter on the roof of the wagon. The sloppy mud beneath the wheels. My body ached from the bruises and bled from my injuries.

  It was a foregone conclusion. Destined to doom. Maybe it was finally time to give up and stop struggling for my life. My body was cold. It was hard to breathe. I hurt everywhere. I lost everything in a day. But maybe this was okay… It was getting easier to breathe… I should just let go…. I tried, I worked every day… I had done enough. I just needed to shut my eyes and rest now.

  ***

  “Son, do you know about the principle of reality?” My mother asked me. I was 5 at that time, reading a book about the history of our empire. I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “No, mother, I have never heard of it. Strange, I know I’ve read more books than you at this point, yet I have never come across such a principle.” I said as I looked at her.

  She grabbed me in a bear hug and playfully scuffled my hair.

  “Of course you haven’t, you little bookworm! This is a principle that comes with age!” She told me, flaunting her wisdom.

  “So it’s a principle for Old people,” I remarked coolly at her flaunting in disappointment.

  “Hey, young man… I am not old! I just age gracefully! Maybe I won’t tell you after all since you know everything!” She pouted, making me consider who the child was in our relationship. But I gave in to her coyness, I had loved her Childish and optimistic behavior. It was refreshing to me.

  “Fine, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, Mom!” I said as I pulled her sleeve, using my cuteness against her.

  Her cheeks flushed red, and she tried to resist but caved anyway. She lifted me to the mirror and smiled at me.

  “Fine, you win! The principle of reality states that: Reality bends to those who refuse to kneel!” She said to me softly.

  “What does that mean, Mom? Did you make that up? It makes no sense, logically speaking.” I said to her, obviously puzzled.

  “Well, you didn’t let me finish, smarty pants!” She remarked on me. “Dyuno, you know you are more like me than your father. That means you are not naturally gifted, have no glaring talents, and are fairly normal.” She teased me, obviously stating facts but pissing me off.

  “Do you have a point, or are you just stating the obvious! It’s not like you're very talented or naturally gifted!” I teased back at her.

  “Exactly! You hit the nail on the head! We are nothing but average humans. That said, it should never stop you from achieving great feats.

  Think about it like this: People who are naturally gifted or talented use a shortcut to get to the top. Meanwhile, normal people like us have to use the long way up. It may seem impossible or that there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but we move forward constantly.

  Never stop moving forward Dyuno, do not let reality crush your dreams and aspirations. Isn’t that why you read so much? Aren’t you trying to fill in the power you lack using knowledge?” She asked me.

  I nodded at her claim, realizing how true her words were. The words burned into my brain, and I never forgot them. I looked at my mom.

  “That’s a very admirable trait to possess in life, Dyuno. I’m proud of you, my son! Even when everyone and everything are against you. Keep moving forward. After all…”

  ***

  “Reality bends to those who refuse to kneel!” I said as I put my hand upward. How could I forget those words! Any situation has a silver lining. Right now, I need to focus on surviving. Thank you, mother, it seems I had forgotten myself for a moment there. But now there was no doubt in my mind… I was going to live my life however I wanted!

  Who cares about fate or destiny? Nobody was going to dictate my future but me! Yes, at this moment, I need to change myself and adapt quickly!

  Let’s think quickly. This carriage is carrying me in the middle of nowhere. If I were my uncle… What would I do?

  The cogs in my brain turned, and I figured out A way to survive. Being alive is a threat to my uncle, so I’ll likely find mercenaries to finish me off at the end of this trip. Even the driver might be a mercenary. That’s dangerous, my life is in mortal danger.

  To survive. I got up groggily and opened the wagon's back door. The road was muddy and we were moving quickly. All around us was Thick forest, and it was raining. Perfect. I jumped out of the wagon and rolled to decrease my speed. The impact was silenced by the mud, and the driver never noticed a thing.

  I came to a halt, and my body screamed in agony, but I was in even more danger outside the wagon. I got up and began to stagger into the woods. Using the trees as leverage, I walked slowly, but I kept on moving forward. The mud would cover my tracks from the potential mercenaries, and the rain would cover my traces completely.

  They call This Forest The wildlands. A place riddled with magical beasts and predators that even seasoned knights were scared of. My chance of survival was low, but I would not roll over and die. Never again!

  My mother was looking after me even in the after Life. After today I am no longer an Artenretia. I will take my mother’s family name: Twilight.

  From today onwards, my name is Dyuno von Twilight, and no matter what challenges I come across… I will push on and live! This is like a second chance at life! Nobody was going to take it away from me. I will persevere!