Max or as his full name went — Maximilian Maximus Ivein alferto, at the moment was cursing himself. He was the Son of the duke of the Lithium kingdom, the first born son to be exact and yet all of the training, the guards, the etiquette lessons he took as a child were useless to him at that moment.

  In all his life, he was used to lavish parties and pampering. He was taught to be graceful and elegant, not to sit in a cramped Vehicle and hide from the world.

  It was humiliating for him, a duke’s first born son to be in this kind of state. He was used to servants who did his bidding and people who would kneel when addressing him but in this world he was just another helpless child.

  He knew his father would be furious if he found out he disappeared. His mother would cry, and his sister would most likely lock herself in her room for a week straight. He knew he had to get back but he was currently stuck with a complete stranger who said his kind didn’t even know his kingdom existed.

  The thought of this fact made him feel even more miserable. How did these people not even know his kingdom? It was the oldest, the strongest and the most influential of the nine kingdoms and yet these people had no idea it even existed.

  He fidgeted with the ring on his finger. It was his family’s heirloom, passed down for generations. He remembered the stories of his ancestors wearing it with pride and how his father and mother had gifted it to him on his 5th birthday.

  He knew it was valuable and it was rumoured that it held special powers, but he had never seen it do anything extraordinary. Maybe he wasn’t old enough, or maybe it was just a myth, but either way he held it close to him, it was the only thing connecting him to his home.

  While sitting, he tried to recall the events that had led him to this current predicament.

  That day, he was feeling particularly restless, tired of his guards’ constant supervision and wanted to escape from his luxurious yet restrictive life. He wanted some fresh air for once without having his guards shadowing him at every turn.

  He knew of a hidden hole near the front door that only a select few, including himself and his advisor, were aware of. He hadn’t planned to go far, just around the perimeter of the palace for a little bit. But as soon as he had stepped outside the front door he found himself in a strange alley, very different from the well lit, well paved paths in his kingdom.

  He didn’t recognize anything. Where was he? This wasn’t Lithrum, that’s for sure.

  The alley was dark and dirty, lined with trash cans and other debris. He had looked around, confused and scared, it was nothing like the clean and lavish environment he was used to. He called out for his guards, but they weren’t there, it was as if they had vanished into thin air.

  He had tried to backtrack, to find the hole he had come through, but there wasn’t any hole.

  Max had been exploring, trying to get his bearings, when he heard commotion in the distance. He had seen a crowd gathering in front of a building and, curious, he had joined them. Suddenly, the humans from the building started using strange guns to attack the humans in the crowd. Max had gotten scared and hidden behind a strange vehicle. That’s when Takemichi had found him. And now here he was.

  Not to mention the air quality in this place, the very air he was breathing in was toxic. It was as if someone had cast the spell [Miasma] on the air itself, making it poisonous to inhale.

  He had felt his lungs burn, his throat feeling as if it was on fire everytime he took a deep breath.

  Max had never encountered anything like this before. In the kingdom of Lithrum, the air was clean and pure, filled with the scent of flowers and the perfume of the noble ladies. But here, it was nothing like that.

  He had tried to cover his mouth and nose with one of his sleeves, but it only helped a little. He had no idea how long he’d have left to live if he continued to breathe this tainted air.

  However, he didn’t want to panic, he had heard stories of those vile necromancer’s and demons using [Miasma] and he knew that if he panicked, the effects would become worse. With all of his remaining strength, he had forced himself to steady his breathing, trying to inhale and exhale as silently and as smoothly as possible, that was the way to survive [Miasma] as a normal human. Well, atleast that’s what’s his tutor had told him.

  But this situation was different. This wasn’t just [Miasma]; the entire atmosphere was poisonous. However, to his surprise the air quality inside this vehicle was much better. Breathable, atleast.

  He had wondered why it was different in this vehicle and not outside, but he didn’t have an answer. Maybe it was because the vehicle was completely closed off, protecting the air inside from becoming contaminated, maybe it had some kind of filtering device to make it safe to breathe inside.

  Whatever the reason, he was grateful for it. It eased the pain in his lungs, letting him breathe just a little bit better.

  But he was still terrified. He was in a strange nation after all.

  He looked around, trying to find something, anything familiar. But there was nothing. Everyone he saw was a human, and that’s what bothered him the most. If this was a human nation, then why hadn’t he heard of it before? Lithrum was the strongest amongst the nine human nations, and had emerged victorious in the war against the demons. So why hadn’t he known about this nation?

  He had been told stories of the other nations, their traditions, their customs, and their cultures. He had heard of their strengths and their weaknesses. But this nation, it was as if it had sprung up out of nowhere.

  And to make matter worse, the humans here were different. They looked strange to him, their clothes were different, their hair was dyed in strange colors, even their eyes looked different, some of them had red or green or blue eyes which was a trait usually seen in magical beings. They didn’t look like normal humans and their way of speaking was quite different..there was no honorifics, no polite dialect.

  It was jarring to see humans who didn’t talk with the same respectful etiquette he had been brought up with. He knew the importance of honorifics in speech, they were a sign of respect and a basic form of communication. But here, there weren’t any. Everyone spoke so rudely, so casually, it reminded him of the demons.

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  And yet the strangest thing was this car. He had never seen a vehicle like this in his life, so smooth, so silent. It reminded him of the carriages used in his kingdom, but this was so much different. Where was the horses? Where was the noise? How was the car even running? Were they using magic crystals?

  He had heard of magic crystals, he had no idea how they worked but he knew that there was some type of crystals that could make vehicles go but this car didn’t look like it was powered by magic crystals. Was it some other form of technology? The thought intrigued him.

  That wasn’t the only thing worrying him. He had heard gunshots as soon as he arrived in this world, and the sound had become more and more frequent. He was terrified, he had heard of Magic Guns, powerful magical weapons that could strike an opponent from a distance. Not only he was aware of what guns were, everyone was. In his kingdom and in the other 8 human kingdoms guns were rare, few had them as they were difficult and expensive to maintain. They were used mostly by royalty and soldiers.

  But hearing so many shots and so close, it was overwhelming.

  He knew he wasn’t strong, he could not cast any spells. He was just an average human, but he did have one item hidden in his pocket which his father had given him. He had been told to use it only if he was in grave danger.

  He patted his pocket, feeling the small item hidden there. It was a small stone, unremarkable in appearance and yet he knew it contained great power. It was called a [dragon’s tear], a teardrop shaped stone, said to have the power to unleash a great amount of energy in a single blow. His father had warned him to use it only in dire circumstances, legend’s said you could even summon a lesser-dragon using it.

  He had no idea how to use it though, and he hoped he would never have to, not to mention his father also said it was a one time use only so if he used it where he shouldn’t have, he would be doomed.

  As a child, he knew his most effective defense was his age. Many had mistaken him for a girl when he was younger, but thankfully that didn’t happen much anymore.

  Despite being only 7 years old, he was quite intelligent and resourceful. He knew people often underestimated him because of his youth, and as such he rarely faced any opposition from the nobles in his kingdom. Acts of rebellion were almost unheard of.

  If he was lost in a strange country, he would be safe as long as he played the part of a lost, scared little boy.

  And so he had decided to do just that. And it had worked. He was just a little boy after all, and little boys weren’t threats.

  Sitting in the cramped vehicle, he couldn’t help but compare it to the carriages from his home. The carriages in Lithrum were enchanted, so they were much more spacious and comfortable on the inside than they appeared from the outside. This vehicle, on the other hand, was just as small and cramped on the inside as it looked on the outside.

  Although he was small himself, being confined in such a small space was starting to make him feel sick.

  He looked at the strange contraptions on the inside of the vehicle. He had no idea what they were for, the only similar device he had seen were the heaters used in the palace. But this was much more advanced. He ran his hand on the surface of the strange rectangular box on the side of the vehicle, hot air came out of it.

  He had never seen a heater this advanced before, the heaters in the palace had to be ignited manually and it was a hassle to do so. But this one had hot air flowing from it with no signs of fire or smoke. He wondered how it was possible, maybe fire magic? Steam possibly?

  He was too curious and so he began playing with the strange box. He pressed a button and it began making a strange noise, something he had never heard before. He quickly removed his fingers from the button, afraid of what magic might happen next.

  He was used to seeing magic used around him, magic that could light candles, boil water, but this was different. There were no spell words inscribed on the heaters, not even any fire. Just a simple switch was there and it produced hot air.

  Magic and science was definitely different. He would have to find a way to observe them more closely.

  He let out a weary sigh. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, just for a moment.

  Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

  ————————————————————

  Takemichi arrived at his apartment situated in district B. The area was a gated community, but due to the lockdown it was closed off to the general public. However, as a police inspector, Takemichi had the authority to move around and enforce the lockdown procedures, so he was able to enter the community with no problems by showing his ID.

  He drove past the gate and entered into the community. The roads were empty, with no cars or people in sight. He drove his car into the underground parking lot and parked it in the right-most corner, his usual spot.

  Takemichi turned off the engine and looked at the boy in the backseat, who had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but think that the boy looked adorable, sleeping in the backseat of his car just like how his daughter Rini usually slept during their car rides.

  He considered waking him up, but the kid looked so peaceful that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he sighed.

  Takemichi got out of the car and walked around to the back side door. He opened it and gently lifted the boy into his arms, careful not to wake him up.

  He gently closed the door with his foot, being careful not to wake the sleeping child in his arms. He then locked the car and headed towards the elevator that would take him up to his apartment.

  Takemichi was acutely aware of the grave he was digging for himself. He didn’t know what he was going to do next, and with every step he took away from his car, he was digging a deeper hole for himself. He had no idea if there would be a chance to return the boy to his parents or to a safer place, and if he got caught, he could face severe consequences, such as imprisonment or even execution.

  Takemichi knew that the fate that would await the boy if he was discovered would be far worse than his own, so he couldn’t bring himself to just leave him behind.

  He entered the small elevator..he pressed the button for the 20th floor and waited for the elevator to start moving.

  The elevator moved upwards. The seconds ticking into minutes until the ding of the elevator signalled that they had reached the 20th floor. He walked out of the elevator and down the corridor lined with doors which lead to the various apartments.

  He stopped in front of the door to his apartment, number 2010..he shifted the boy in his arms in order to free a hand and scan it. That didn’t work, lockdown mode was currently activated but thankfully he had something. He pulled out a card from his pocket, all police officers had in, scanning it would open the door to any apartment. This was a good tool to have.

  The card was scanned...a beep sounding before green light lit up and the door to his apartment slid open. Takemichi quickly entered his apartment and quietly shut the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath.

  Just as he had closed the door, his daughter Rini came running out of the bedroom, holding a Taser in her hand. Takemichi had given it to her for protection and she was clearly surprised as she hadn’t been expecting him to come home so soon. Rini was a girl about to turn 8 later on December 31st. She had long, black hair that went down to her waist. Her eyes were a soft brown, a slight resemblance to Takemichi, and her face was covered in freckles. She was currently dressed in a oversized t-shirt and pink shorts.

  Rini was about to say something but before she could, Takemichi put a finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet. He then motioned to point to the boy in his arms, who was still sleeping.

  Rini looked at the boy and raised an eyebrow as if asking, “who is he ?”

  Takemichi shook his head, indicating that he would explain later.

  He walked inside and carefully placed the boy on a sofa and covered him with a blanket, making sure that he was comfortable. Then he turned to Rini, who was still holding the taser, and motioned for her to put it away.

  Rini reluctantly put the taser down and looked at him expectedly, waiting for an explanation. He let out a sigh, knowing that he had a lot of explaining to do. He sat down on the couch next to the boy, gesturing for Rini to come sit next to him. She cautiously sat down next to him.

  “Who’s the new guy?”

  Takemichi didn’t know where to start. He took a deep breath and began, “Well.. he’s..lost..and it’s unsafe..out there..so I took him with me..”

  “Why is it unsafe? Isn’t the lockdown in effect?”

  Takemichi hesitated, not sure how to answer Rinis question. He knew that if he told her the truth, she would probably freak out. He had to find a way to soften the blow without outright lying to her.

  “Well.. he was just..wandering around.. alone..in the streets....so I took him with me as he...was ..lost..”

  Rini looked at him, seeming to have picked up on the fact that there was more to the story than what he was telling her. She was perceptive for her age but she decided to ultimately not say anything and just nod.

  Takemichi was relieved that Rini didn’t ask any further questions. He knew that she was smart enough to pick up on the fact that there was more

  “What is his name, daddy?” Rini asked him.

  “Max..Maximilian Maximus Ivein alferto.”

  Rini mouthed the name, “Maximilian Maximus Ivein alferto”.. She was struggling to pronounce it and found the name quite long and complicated.

  Takemichi chuckled softly. “It’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it? How about we just call him Max for short?”

  “Max..Max sounds cool.”

  “Yeah, it does sound pretty cool.”

  Just then, the boy on the couch stirred and let out a soft moan, as if waking up from his slumber.

  His eyes fluttering open, he looked around, taking in his new surroundings. It took him a moment to process where he was, but he soon realized that he was not in the same place as before.

  “Where..am I..”

  His voice was soft and sleepy, but even so it sounded strangely elegant.

  Hello everything, T.U here.

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  T.U