Chapter 1 The Worthless Royal

~Planet Koondarr, The Luxar Kingdom~

King Koldovia Jarezon sat on his throne, listening to a small crowd of courtiers. As he saw his son Jiar Jarezon walk in, he looked up.

Prince Jiar was in plain clothes, which meant he had spent the night reading.

"Hello, Father. The Koondarrite Royal Library received a new shipment on the intergalactic economy. I can't wait to finish them."

King Koldovia dismissed his courtiers and attendants. He wanted to speak to his son in privacy.

Jiar hadn't turned out to be the crown prince he had expected. The boy was short, unathletic, and the most embarrassing drawback was that he was magicless. He had yet to awaken his abilities through formal training. The royal mages had already given up on him.

Koldovia's younger son had inherited the good genes. He had already mastered several elements and was currently on an adventure around the star system.

"Son, I am sending you to the Magister Hall in the north. Your bags are already packed. A jet is waiting for you outside.

"What? But why, father? I am yet to finish the heavier subjects of kingdom building."

Koldovia sighed. "You are my heir, Jiar. I have scholars, nobles, and skilled subjects to take care of the kingdom for me. But you must be able to awaken your magical abilities if you ever want to sit on this throne. Otherwise, you will look weak to the world. I hope you understand this much."

"But-"

"My decision is final. I am not speaking as your father but as your king."

"As you say, my King," Jiar said obediently and left.

~A week later~

Jiar leaned back in his seat and sighed. The royal jet was returning home to Luxar Castle from Magister Hall.

The painful words of the Head mage rang in his ears. "Alas, Prince Jiar. We've concluded that you're magicless. You don't have any magical veins, so you shall not bend the elements. Please convey our apologies to His Grace, the King."

A tear rolled down Jiar's cheek. He wished his mother was still alive. She always knew how to console him. Right now, his heart felt as if it would burst. He was a failure in the eyes of his father and the eyes of the kingdom.

Not that he was surprised. He had himself tried to generate magic over and over. He has read advanced books and used every tool available to trigger his awakening. But to no avail.

Around 85% of the Koondarr population had supernatural attributes and formed the LIGHTNING class. Only 2% had absolute features, heightened magical abilities, and created the EXTREMES class. The rest were born magicless.

Sadly, it appeared Jiar belonged to the last category.

~Luxar Castle~

As the royal jet landed outside the throne room building, Jiar saw smoke emanating from the windows.

As the jet door opened, he was greeted with screams and clashing noises.

'Oh no, what's wrong? Is it a fire?" Jiar thought as he ran into the castle.

Jiar hustled through the corridors and found everything was in a state of chaos. Soldiers shuffled towards the throne room tower on the tenth floor. Something was seriously wrong.

'I'll take the royal elevator,' Jiar thought as he ran towards a secret entrance under the tower. It was accessible only to the King and his sons.

Jiar planted his thumb over the fingerprint scanner, and the secret lift whooshed open. As the elevator hurtled upwards, the prince bit his life in anxiety. Please, let father be alright!'

'He will be fine,' the boy reassured himself. After all, uncle Kumoria is always by his side.'

The lift opened into the throne room. The spectacle before Jiar shocked him into silence. His legs shook as he stepped into the hall.

All he could see was blood. At least a dozen guards lay dead, murdered brutally.

A crowd of hooded men surrounded the throne, stabbing someone with their daggers.

The assassins noticed Jiar and turned. As they stepped aside, the prince could see the figure splayed over the throne, a dozen bloody holes in his body.

"Father..." Jiar managed to mumble.

King Koldovia recognized his son. The light was leaving his eyes.

He raised his arm with the remaining strength, pointing to Jiar. He tried to say something. "Dungeons..."

The assassin leader transformed his hand into claws and ripped out Koldovia's heart. The King became motionless.

"No! Father!" Jiar shrieked.

The assassin leader held up the dripping heart towards him and pulled down his hood.

Jiar's throat dried up, and he could barely breathe. The killer was none but his uncle Kumoria.

"Kill him!" Kumoria ordered his followers. "He's the surviving heir!"

The assassins started firing petrification spells at Jiar.

The boy reacted immediately. He grabbed a fortified shield from the wall, and the offensive magic bounced off it.

He ran out of the main entrance, still in shock.

His father's last word was the only thing on his mind.

"Dungeons."

Koldovia always talked to him privately about a royal heirloom kept safe in the castle dungeons.

"Son, a time may come when I am not there to help you," the King had shared. "If you can trust no one, rush to the last chamber in the castle dungeons. The lock will open with only your fingerprint. The royal heirloom will protect you. Never forget this."

Jiar pushed all negative thoughts aside and dashed down the throne tower.

"Follow him!" Komoria hollered at his fellow assassins. "He's heading towards the castle dungeons, where he will be trapped! A bounty of gold for whoever brings me his head!"