1 The Hidden Prince

The eighteen-year-old boy climbed up to the summit of the mountain he had grown up on.

"Master!" he cried excitedly. "We have guests!"

A handsome man of indeterminate age turned around from the edge of the cliff. He could have been twenty or two hundred; no one knew. His skin was smooth and flawless, his long, dark hair fell past his waist and his sharp grey eyes seemed to penetrate your soul.

The demi-god's face softened at the sight of the eager young man and he smiled fondly. "It seems your father has come to pick you up, Noir," he said softly.

"We will go to the imperial city?" Noir asked eagerly. "Master, will you show me your favourite places there?"

The Master shook his head ruefully. "It is time for you to fly alone, young one," he said gently.

Noir froze. "You…you're sending me away…?" he asked tearfully. Big tears rolled down his pale cheeks and his chocolate-brown eyes filled with grievance.

The Master sighed. "This is your legacy, Noir. You are a prince of the Ray Kingdom. I was only supposed to keep you till your eighteenth birthday." He stroked the young man's brown hair with gentle fingers. "Go into the world and make me proud."

"I don't want to go without you, Master!" Noir wailed. "I'm scared!"

Noir knew his identity well enough. He was a prince of the glorious Ray Kingdom. However, he was never in the running for the throne, for two reasons: first, he bore the stigma of being the result of a one-night stand between the drunken Emperor and a lowly maid, and second, he was the youngest child of the Emperor. The only reason he had been left alive until now and allowed to grow up in peace was because his mother had killed herself in front of the Empress in exchange for his life. Taking pity on the motherless child, the Emperor had made use of one of the divine blessings held by every emperor of the Ray Kingdom, and summoned a demi-god, his Master. The Emperor had handed Noir over to his Master when he was barely a week old, with the consensus that he would be taken back to the imperial city at the age of eighteen to take his place as a prince – but he would never be a contender for the throne.

The Master had kept his promise. He had taught Noir everything from literature to swordplay, from music to culinary arts, from politics to healing. And Noir had been an adept student. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge and blossomed into a beautiful and talented young man.

Noir had looked forward to reuniting with his family with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation. What would his father think of him? Would the Empress and the other Queens find him unpleasant? Would his brothers and sisters get along with him…? His six half-siblings were all children of the Empress and the three other legitimate wives of the Emperor. Noir was intimidated by the very idea of facing them by himself.

He had never imagined that Master would abandon him at this critical stage!

However, Master's word was law. Noir could only obey tearfully. He washed up and dressed himself in elegant clothes like a prince, and welcomed his Emperor father and his entourage. The Emperor and the Master had a brief private conversation…and then, it was time for Noir to leave.

Struggling to maintain his composure, Noir bowed deeply to his Master.

The Master patted his hair and pulled him up. "I have a coming-of-age gift for you before you leave," he told Noir.

Noir blinked rapidly to stop his tears.

The Master took off his sword and its belt from his own waist and fastened them around Noir's waist.

"My sword will keep you company in my stead," he said softly. "Be well, my little Noir."

Noir lost his restraint and threw himself into his Master's arms with a cry. "I'll come back to you, Master," he whispered tearfully. "I promise!"

Then he withdrew and bid him farewell.

The Master watched for a long time until Noir and the Emperor disappeared. "I wish you could, my dearest Noir," he murmured sadly, and his figure dissolved into the air in silvery sparkles.

In Ray Kingdom, most people were quite indifferent to the newly returned Prince Noir at the beginning. His half-siblings were polite but aloof, and Noir often felt very lonely. Very soon, however, Noir's talents were discovered, and Crown Prince Licht requested Noir's help with government affairs. Noir had nothing else to do anyway, and he was glad that at least one of his siblings was willing to give him a chance.

In less than six months, Prince Noir became famous as the most talented prince of Ray Kingdom, and the right-hand-man of Crown Prince Licht.

By the end of the first year, even other kingdoms had heard of this talented prince.

By the end of the second year, marriage proposals for the youngest prince started flooding the Emperor's desk. However, Noir refused them all.

At the end of the third year, on Noir's twenty-first birthday, the Crown Prince threw a grand banquet for his youngest brother. A wandering circus from a distant foreign land was invited to perform, and the royal family took up their seats in the imperial viewing tower, nearly a hundred feet above the ground to watch the performance.

Noir caressed the sword that never left his side as he watched the circus absently. Several times in the past three years he had gone looking for his Master, but the mountain was empty and desolate. He had asked his Emperor father, too, but learnt that demi-gods were a mysterious race who could only be summoned with a blessing, and they disappeared when their work was done.

In short, his Master was gone…

Noir's heart ached…

His stomach plunged…

Noir recovered his senses and found that he was in the air, falling rapidly towards the ground.

He closed his eyes and prepared himself for an imminent death. Perhaps he could see his Master if he died…