Coronation
"He's not old enough, regardless of the situation! why not Lance!?" Panic asked Martha as her husband sighed.
"Lance isn't young enough! Ash and Xion aren't ready, frankly they wouldn't be able to take the strain with their circuitry veins already open regardless either! The Ryjin royal family needs a warrior that's been blessed by the demonic dragon, it's tradition to uphold peace with the mystical spirits. You know this my dear" reaching out Drilon hugged his loving wife. "I know you favour our youngest but it needs to be done" pushing away from her husband, Ray's mother saw Ray and Opal approaching.
"Hello my beautiful boy" she said with a look that seemed strained and it for some reason tugged at Ray's emotions.
'She's definitely not herself' Ray noticed as his mother took Ray away before his father had a chance to say anything, as Opal followed close behind.
Sighing, Ray's father cursed at a rose bush before burning it to a crisp with a fire spell and taking his leave.
"My Queen what seems to be troubling you?" Enquired the nanny Opal, as Ray was put in his crib delicately, as she pressed her right palm against Ray's face lovingly.
"The king's words are final" she started off bitterly, as Ray cringed at her tone 'it seemed my father will be sleeping on the couch' he would whistle this thought out but as a baby it came in a weird gurgle instead.
Wincing as well the nanny began to tidy up the room as the Queen suddenly spoke, "Drilon has decided that Ray will be blessed with the demonic stigma of the demonic red dragon" with that said, Opal dropped a vase full of flowers to the floor in shock.
"You're joking, please tell me you are!" Came her panic cry as she almost ran up to Ray's mother's side as Ray simply watched on in confusion of what a stigma was. "He is but a child! To bare responsibility like that- not to mention the test at his age! How do you not know the beast won't take advantage of him and rather eat the young prince's soul!"
'That didn't sound good. No fucking way was some stupid bitch of demonic what not dragon eating my soul.' Ray would have to gear up if this was going to be a problem and by gear up he might have to risk all or nothing.
"I have tried to sway him but he is right… the Ryjin family lacks a warrior" heavy silence that seemed to suck the air out of the room sat upon them as Ray's body wriggled in frustration to his emotions.
"When will he be taken?" Opal finally spoke up as the Queen streamlined tears.
"Tomorrow" before bursting out in sorrow
'Who the fuck makes a lady cry like that!?' As if on queue with his thought, a memory of him sitting on a ledge of a tower with a phone in hand to his ex replayed.
-
"You're never there Ray! Sure you're saving the world, killing stuff and all and I know you got the full gig of the world's number 1. But you're… you aren't there!" Looking down Ray didn't feel much as the wind blew through his hair.
"You're drunk" he simply stated to hear a depressed cry on the other end,
"That's not my point! That's- not- it asshole! You said- us back then! It was meant to be us! But it's only you, you and you!" The drunk slurs to his ex's voice had cracks and coughs as it seemed she was walking home after a dose in liquor.
"Where are ya, I'll pick you up" Ray finally said, no hint of any emotions to his voice as his ex scoffed over the phone, "ooooh so you'll pick me up, tough guy aye? And where do you take me then huh? Home!? Our home!? Or yours?!" Gripping the phone Ray breathed out as he stared out across the city and the lights that light up the skyscrapers around him.
"I don't want to argue with you, just let me take you home" Ray tried again as she laughed on the other end in a combination of cry and piss ass drunkness.
"You - know - what? Fuck you Ray! Go save the city, the mother fucking world - but don't - dare show compassion for others behind closed doors-" was the last thing Ray heard as the beep of the tone had Ray realise she had hung up.
-
'Fuck that memory' Ray thought as his mother and nanny left the room, leaving Ray alone.
'Of all fucking thoughts, that was the one my mind went too?'
= The next day =
"He's ready" spoke Ray's nanny as Ray was passed over to his mother's embrace,
"How's my boy?" 'If you're asking me mother, the memories of the past haunted me no stop till the point I used magi to knock myself out. What about you? Did father sleep on the couch?'
"It'll be alright my munchie, you will be okay" Ray sighed at his mother's words as the carriage they were sat in started to depart from the castle.
The trip was quite lengthy, a stop here and there for pee breaks and food had his mother more on edge each time. It was almost as if she was stalling for time as Ray's father sat cross armed opposite them, it seemed that this excursion had excluded his older siblings too for some reason. At this point all Ray knew was that it had something to do with a stigma and demonic dragon in relation to peace.
The carriage not long after 7 stops and 2 small towns stopped in a random area just on the boarder of Ashura close to the mountains. Stepping out of the carriage, Ray's mother increased grip around Ray's small body almost in defiance for what was going to come next.
"Dear" sternly spoke Ray's father from behind almost making his mother flinch. "It must be done"
'Why did this seem like a horror movie all of a sudden?'
But before Ray could really process the situation, he was slowly lowered to the grass in the middle of nowhere!?
'Hold up' and just like that Ray's parents left Ray on the ground, in an unknown forest, on the edge of Ashura while they rode the carriage a fair distance away from the mountains.
'What the actual fuck!?'