Part 1
Aidan awoke to the sun shining outside his bedroom. He curled himself up in his blanket to hide from the sun’s rays. The young prince wanted to sleep more. His bed was large and comfortable, the was room was quiet and peaceful. He tried to sleep for five more hours.
BOOM!
“Aidan!” A voice roared, bursting through the large twin bedroom doors. A man with long purple hair and yellow eyes entered the room. He wore exquisite attire and a jeweled headdress with a rhinestone in the center.
The prince groaned as he covered his face with a pillow.
“I know you’re awake, and I suggest you get up, or I’ll ground you in the tower again!” The man threatened.
“Ugh!” Aidan groaned, annoyed. “Dad, go away! I want to sleep more!”
The king raised a brow. He then advanced over to his son’s bed and removed the blanket from the prince’s body.
“You’ve been asleep for seven days now,” he barked. “I don’t care what you do. Heck, go on your everyday adventures. Just get out of your room,” he rubbed his temple.
“Wow,” Aidan sat up. “My father, who wants his son to be more responsible, is, now, telling me to be irresponsible. Ha! That’s some irony,” he chuckled.
“Just get out,” the king gestured.
Aidan shrugged, and with a stretch, stood up from the bed. “I’m going to the human world,” he yawned.
“Fine, just take a bath before you go,” the king ordered as he left the room. “You stink.”
Aidan raised his arms and smelled himself. His father was right. He did stink, and now he needed to be de-stinked. The prince quickly went into the bathroom and drew himself a bath. He had servants, but he preferred to do things himself most of the time.
Once the tub was filled, the prince poured in some lily oils to help get rid of the odors. He used a soft cloth to scrub every inch of his body. After he was done, he laid back in the tub to enjoy the warm bath.
While his body relaxed, his mind was everywhere. The prince looked up and down, noticing how everything was fit for a king. The large mirror, the circle-shaped tub, refreshing oils, and ample closet were all his, but he didn’t want to be there. He hated being restricted and liked to see all the many different wonders the humans had to offer. Of course, he cared for his kingdom, but he thought it was better to see things from another side.
“I have to take over soon,” he sighed. “After all, Kenta is...”
The prince slowly submerged himself in the tub’s water. Little by little, the young prince started reminiscing about his younger brother. He did things, things too horrible to mention, and for that, he was stripped of his title and his powers. He was later exiled by their father. Perhaps, that’s why Aidan feels the need to travel. He wants to see the brighter, more beautiful side things before seeing the ugly side again.
“Ugh!” He groaned. “Whatever! I need some air!” Aidan exiting the tub.
He dried himself off, got dressed, and went to the human world. He didn’t really have a destination; any random place would do. He used his portals to travel to and from the human world, but he only used them when he was too lazy to travel.
Soon enough, he found himself in a jungle. It was nighttime there. He looked up at the stars to see them twinkling.
“Stars have a purpose, but why can’t I find mine?” He thought. “Is succeeding father all I’m good for?” He clenched his fists.
In his rage, the prince kicked a rock with such force that it broke the nearby tree. He then heard scenting snap. In a flash, he was caught in a net. It wasn’t an ordinary net either. It was lined with restraining runes, which made Aidan’s abilities a little weak. However, it was still annoying.
“As if my day can’t get any worse!” He shrieked.
Just then, he was blinded by a group of lights. He saw about five people holding torches and swords.
“Scratch that; it just got worse,” he mumbled.
“Uh, hello?” Aidan waved nervously.
Most of the people looked at him skeptically. They thought he was an enemy and decided to take him to their village. They released him from the net and tied his hands. The people kept a close eye on him as they walked through the jungle.
Aidan could easily escape, but he was curious to see what would happen. Besides, he didn’t think he was in any real danger.
About an hour passed, and the group arrived at the village. It was a pretty big village, more like a town. Everyone had their eyes on Aidan, from women to men, old to young; they all were very cautious. It was only fair for them since a total stranger set off a trap obviously meant for enemies.
He heard the people whisper of a yokai. They murmured how the person being dragged to the guardian was a yokai.
A yokai? Did they actually think Aidan was a yokai? The poor prince felt insulted. Perhaps these people have forgotten the treaty. The Treaty of Life was an agreement between the human world and Osuku. The threat of yokai, evil spirits that were degraded and turned into monsters. Aidan understood their confusion on the subject since the freaks could turn into humans. However, it seemed these humans are unable to sense the aura. All yokai gave off a malice aura that is really easy to detect.
“Perhaps their guardian will show them that I am from Osuku,” Aidan thought. “After all, the humans of this time are well versed in reading auras.”
The people led Aidan to a small building in the center of the town. He started to wonder what the word ‘small’ meant to these people. Nothing here was small! The building was practically a mansion!
