A handsome prince sits on his gold throne, with two other thrones lined with his own, a taller gold one, to his left, his father's, and to his right, a slightly smaller throne than his father’s, his mother's gold throne. His silky long, dark gray hair slumped over his shoulders and messily out, yet it’s so well kept. His sapphire blue eyes glimmer in awe, staring at a boy sweep, in his mind, as if he watches the boy dancing, dancing across the entire throne room floor gracefully. He watches with a gentle smile. He sits with his hands clasped together and sitting up right. He watches the boy from his throne, Akimatsu, sweeping, calmly, the massive floor in front of the three thrones. Ajin gets up and walks on his toes as to not dirty the flooring already swept by Akimatsu, he gets to the main door of the throne room and opens it. He walks further down a hall and reaches a room. He quietly opens the door, and in the room is his father and Riki, the spirit companion of king Ryuji, his father. His father, while reading papers and shuffling pages, looks up at his son. “Dad.” Ajin states as he closes the door behind him and walks to his father. “Yes son?”

“Umm, can I send Akimatsu to get ingredients for a soup tonight?”

“Oh, sure.” His father agrees as he sets down his papers.

“Ok! Thanks dad!” Ajin exclaims as he bows to his father quickly, and runs out of the room, shutting the door hard behind himself. “It’s kind of odd he always asks to send Akimatsu rather than someone else.” King Ryuji wonders within himself, talking to his spirit. “Well, it’s easier to choose ingredients than clean, master.” Riki replied. “What do you mean by that?” King Ryuji asked his spirit, “Think about it master, giving him his own room, extra portions of food, all Akimatsu does when going for food ingredients is to choose which fruit is best, or vegetable, or other ingredients; he does no cooking since it’s done by the cooks, and someone else picks up that food Akimatsu chooses and someone else puts it into the carriage, Ajin orders.” King Ryuji thought for a second, putting his hand on his chin in front of his lips, "Yes, but I guess he just doesn’t want his friend to lift a lot and wants to make sure he has his privacy and a good amount of food. I would do the same for a friend.” King Ryuji stated as he looked at his spirit from within, who’s eyes were closed. “At least five people go with Akimatsu, two outside the carriage making sure the horses move in the right direction, two haul the stuff picked into the carriage, one walks alongside the carriage with a gun so no one harms the carriage, but where is Akimatsu?” Riki mentioned as he opened his eyes and smirked. “Inside the carriage.” King Ryuji replied to his spirit. “And what’s the reason Ajin gave you on why he should be inside the carriage?”

“Because he’s carrying the money.”

“Master, there has never been an attack on our carriages, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I see.” King Ryuji surmised, he stayed quiet for a moment, and Riki broke the silence. “I’m not saying something is going on, trust me, but I feel Ajin might feel something towards him, but I don’t think he knows.” Riki uttered carefully, making sure he got his point across without accusations, “About time, he’s about to be seventeen, I didn’t want to have to give him a random wife.” King Ryuji chuckled as he smiled, closed his eyes, and leaned back on his chair. Riki, surprised, commented, “You are not upset, master?”

“Upset of what? I’ll be upset if he isn’t monogamous, if he likes a man, that’s none of my business; even if I hate it, he will inherit, not me, I choose to be monogamous, my father wasn’t, and he hated it, I hated that he tried to change me, why would I change my perfect son?”

“Of course, master.”

“I’m so stupid, why haven’t I approached himmm? Yet for some reason I feel embarrassed to approach him, ughh, I don’t know what else to do, I’ve been so busy these past seven years with my sword combat skills, my arts, harp playing skills, singing, and literature, I haven’t made time to talk to him, yet I pull strings for him, and now it's like I don’t know him.” Ajin whined to himself, once again watching Akimatsu sweep after he came back from buying ingredients. “He has grown taller than me for sure, he still looks pretty... prettier.” Ajin thought, staring at Akimatsu, his desert sand brown, waist-long hair in a ponytail swinging back and forth as he swept. Akimatsu’s robes swaying, and his face calm and beautiful. Staring at Akimatsu’s mole on his right side, next to his Persian green eyes, he locked eyes with him. They stared at each other, Ajin felt his heart jolt, and his mouth slowly opened to talk to him when he was interrupted, "Hello, master Ajin.” Riki spoke suddenly, appearing next to Ajin, “WA-OH, uh, hello Riki, uh, what's wrong?” Ajin coughed, clearing his throat, thinking of how uncool he looked at the moment after yelling by accident after being startled. “In an hour or two, the seamstresses will be done with your gown for your birthday, master.” Riki said, smirking at the thought he had embarrassed Ajin in front of Akimatsu, he darted his eyes to Akimatsu, who had gone from looking at Ajin to back to sweeping. “I’m going to turn 17 soon, ugh…” Ajin thought to himself, thinking of what comes as soon as he turns 17. “A week left, huh.” Ajin acknowledged, forcing a smile. "Yes, master, one week, I’ll be back in an hour to come get you, maybe two.” Riki said, “Ok, thank you.” He replied back. "Yes, master, good day.”

"I feel I look weird, I’m just watching him clean, why do I come here every day to watch him from my throne, maybe I should go down to help him or talk to him; you know what, yeah, I will!” Ajin thought to himself, after once again staring at Akimatsu, done waiting for them to lock eyes again for him to start a conversation. He got down from his throne and looked at Akimatsu, who stopped sweeping and looked back at him. Ajin felt himself flush, but he decided this time he was going to be brave. With eyes locked on Akimatsu, he walked slowly, getting closer to Akimatsu, who was still looking at him. He then heard a loud and clear scream—a female scream. “Huh- mom?? MOM?!” Ajin yelled back at the scream, he was startled by the sudden scream, which sounded like his mother’s, Mieko. The throne room’s doors swung open, and Ajin turned to face them. It was his uncle Inei, his gray hair, like Ajin’s color, reached his shoulders, and his white robes swayed as he walked towards Ajin, who stood shocked. “Uncle Inei, is my mom ok?! She was the one who screamed, right?" Worried, Ajin begged his uncle for an answer, hoping for a positive answer, “Yes, she was the one who screamed, but I don’t know about ok.” Inei said as he stared back at Ajin with his dark blue dull eyes, “WHY?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?” Ajin yelled, scared and yet still frozen, only his tone and eyes showing worry even though his heart was beating fast. “Oh, someone stabbed her.” Inei said calmly, crossing his arms and showing no worry about his attitude. “WHAT?! WHO?!” Ajin yelled back, even more worried, his eyes glistening with tears, he didn’t move even still, “Oh, just me.” His uncle said as he strode even closer to Ajin, smirking and with a delighted tone. “UNCLE?!” Ajin yelled, he couldn’t believe it, yet he was mad it could be true. “HUH?!” Akimatsu choked, shocked, there was a long silence that stopped after the broom Akimatsu had dropped to the ground, Akimatsu stared at Inei, eyes wide, shaken, and his expression showing him trying to process. “WHY WOULD YOU?!” Ajin mustered to yell, shaking as well and worried for his mother. “You will turn seventeen in a week, nephew, my brother got the throne, he wasn’t meant to, I was supposed to, I'm older by six years, I worked hard, but that didn't matter, my brother was the favorite.” Inei informed Ajin, who was now crying and shaking more, “I want to take back what's mine, but if his wife is alive, then she can take it, if he’s alive, he’s the owner of it, and if you are alive, then you inherit it, so, I can't let any of you live, expect you, nephew, I want to keep you alive, I want my brother to see you suffer from heaven.” Inei finished. He glared daggers at Ajin, who had his mouth opened but didn’t speak.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOM?”

“She's in a better place.”

“You... HOW COULD YOU!”

“I don't know where your father is, but you are here.”

“Uncle, we can talk about this, you can just have it, just please stop and calm down..” Ajin said, slowly backing up, maybe if he stopped his uncle, his mother could be saved, maybe she wasn’t dead yet, maybe he was bluffing. “No! I’ll make your grave real before I die, and after, you will suffer for years.” Inei said as he lifted his hand. His hand glowed white, and a gold sword formed from that light as it slowly disappeared. Inei then pointed the sword to Ajin, who was only a yard away. “I’ll make your life hell, to live eternally, I will torture you till you wish you were dead.” Inei said, lowering the sword and glaring at it. “W-What-“ Ajin stuttered, more tears forming from fear. “The eternal blade.” Inei hissed in a posta breve position with his sword. "Uncle, please no, I don’t want to fight you, please.” Ajin begged, even more scared, he had been taught to wield a sword by his father, he knew how to fight as well as his father, but he had no sword with him. “YOU FIGHT ME? RIDICULOUS, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!” Inei laughed, that’s when the throne room doors swung open again. “What’s going on here?” King Ryuji queried as he faced his brother, Inei, who looked angry, his son, Ajin, whose eyes cried worry, scared and frozen; and Akimatsu, who looked scared and yet as angry as Inei. “DAD!” Ajin yelled with relief yet with worry. “Hello brother, just in time to see your heir gain eternal suffering.” Inei grinned, he leaped forward with his sword directed to Ajin’s chest, he had a clear view and enough force to pierce him. “HELP NO!” Ajin cried, frozen in fear, he closed his eyes. Then Inei felt his sword pass through the body and out through the back, “AKIMATSU, NO!” Ajin cried harder, more in fear, he was ok, Akimatsu was the one right in front of him, he could see the tip of the sword with Akimatsu’s blood already dripping and staining his beige robes. Akimatsu's head slowly turned and tears fell down from his eyes, then his eyes shut. “This lowly rat!” Inei angerly yelled, “STOP THIS NOW.” King Ryuji yelled, leaping forward to them, “YOU MONSTER, YOU!" Ajin yelled, his voice cracking, feeling betrayed, Akimatsu being stabbed felt like a harder stab, anger fueled him, he looked up from Akimatsu, who was still pierced by the sword, “SHUT UP.” Inei yelled even more angrily, he lunged forward fast and pushed his sword harder. “Ah..” Ajin muttered, he felt his chest and collarbone get heavy. “INEI NO!” King Ryuji yelled, scared, he refused to touch the sword, knowing his sons would lose more blood taking out the sword. He didn’t know if to grab Inei or kill him there. “Riki, go.” King Ryuji wept, crying harder and harder, he snapped off his spirit charm and set Riki free from being connected to him. “Kurai, fight him.” Inei threatened with the use of his own spirit, also breaking off his spirit charm, his necklace. 

King Ryuji and Inei lay on the floor, both bleeding and not moving. Both with bleeding scars, Inei with a torn off leg, and Ryuji with a torn off arm. Ajin and Akimatsu lay to their left sides, both pierced by the eternal sword and bleeding out, none of them breathing. Riki took in the sight of his master, his young master, his young master's friend, and his master’s elder brother. Blood plated the floors, and knowing, before entering the throne room, there were many more dead—the workers and the queen, Mieko, dead, her light pink robes coated in red, her golden hair, ripped from her head, and her beautiful hazel eyes wide open, dead. “LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED, OUR MASTERS ARE DEAD, THE HEIR AND HIS FRIEND ARE DEAD, THE LADY OF HONOR IS DEAD, AND EVERYONE IN THIS CASTLE IS DEAD, WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM!” Riki yelled, angry tears falling from his black eyes, falling down his scaly coat. “DON'T YOU THINK I TRIED, I'M SORRY I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH HELP!" Kurai, Inei’s former spirit, yelled back, also crying, full of regret and sorrow. Kurai is the same color as Riki, black; they are twin dragons with completely different sets of powers. “DON'T TELL ME YOUR SORRY, APOLOGIZE TO AJIN, HE DID NOTHING, APOLOGIZE TO HIS FRIEND WHO DIED FOR NOTHING, APOLOGIZE TO THEM, SAY YOU'RE SORRY.” Riki taunted, “I-“ Kurai muttered, “SAY YOU'RE SORRY.”

“I’m sorry-“

“LOUDER.”

“I'M SORRY.”

“THEY CANT FUCKING HEAR YOU.”

“I'M SORRY.”

"Well, what happened?” Riki mocked angrily, “DID THE SORRY DO SHIT? NO, THEY'RE FUCKING DEAD.” Riki cried. Kurai looked again at all their lifeless bodies. Riki sighed, knowing no matter what he’d say, nothing would change. “It was the eternal sword, they’ll live, in 48 hours they’ll wake up, they’ll be ok, it’ll leave them with a scar, but basically fine.” Kurai sighed, crying more with every word, “Again, I’m sorry, I’ll take my leave.”

“Ok.”