As the sun rose on a new day through the windows, the royal family of Elfs slowly awoke from their slumber. Servants bustled about, preparing breakfast for the tired nobility as they slowly stirred from their beds. After a long night filled with revelry, the members of the royal family were all quite tired, but they knew they had to rise early, as today was a stressful day.
At 9 in the morning, they were called to breakfast, where they were informed that their tutors would arrive at 10. Prince Damian is curious about what he will learn today in class what they said yesterday sounded important.
A knock comes at the door. It is a guard, who comes to inform Princess Aeryn and Prince Damian that their tutors have arrived. As they prepared to leave, Queen Safira stops Damian...
"Damian, wait. Please let me go speak to your tutor first," she said, her voice filled with emotion. He nodded and she left the room.
When she returned, she knelt beside him and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Damian. Please forgive me and don't hate me," she whispered, before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"I could never hate you, Safira. I love you too, for everything you have done," he replied, his voice filled with affection.
As they spoke, the others in the room could not help but feel their hearts ache. Queen Safira's felt the words hit her the hardest and she could not let go of Damian. Drac, sensing her pain, came over to her.
"Come, Safira. We are here with you. Let's go, he needs to know," he said, helping her to her feet. But she held onto Damian, hiding her sad face from the others.
As they walked towards the main library, Prince Damian couldn't help but wonder why everyone was coming with him today. Safira, Drac, and Fenris had said they would come, but now even Kiron, King Aerin, Queen Estel and Princess Aeryn were coming. Was this related to him becoming a prince? Had he done something wrong last night at the party, or before the party? His mind raced as he tried to remember, but nothing came to mind.
As they all sat in the main library, they felt comfortable and at ease. They knew that whatever was to come, they would face it together.
The tutor bows deeply, his voice filled with hesitation. "Are you all sure about this? I don't think he's ready to know this... I think it's a little early. I haven't explained to him the rankings yet, so it might be difficult for him to understand why."
Despite his concerns, the others nod in agreement, and Queen Safira holds Prince Damian tightly on her lap. She knows that the information they are about to reveal will break everyone, more than they could ever imagine.
"I love you no matter what you hear," she whispers to him, as she kisses his forehead and strokes his hair gently.
The tutor clears his throat, ready to speak. "Alright, Damian. I've told you about the other races and that there are more planets with many different races on them. The thing is, this place that all the planets are in, the Emmortal Milky Lane, is not the only universe, realm, or domain. You see, I'll start from the weakest and work my way up to the strongest, so you can get a better understanding."
Prince Damian's eyes widen in shock as he realizes that there are more races out there and some are stronger and weaker. He grips Queen Safira's body tightly, seeking comfort in her embrace.
The tutor begins to explain in detail: "The Mortal Universe is the weakest, but also the biggest. They have hundreds of milky lanes and there is organic life with a life force of 150 years old maximum. They don't have powers because the spiritual energy is very faint. But, there is still some energy and that's where the next rank comes in..."
"Rank Powered in the Mortal Universe gain abilities, but only a maximum of 1 or 2, with the highest seen being 3. Their life force also extends to a maximum of 1500 years. These powers fall into different categories, which I'll explain later. When they gain powers, they gain an understanding of spiritual energy and often rule in the mortal universe world they inhabit."
Prince Damian nods, trying to absorb all of this new information.
The tutor moves on, "Next is the Emmortal Milky Lane, where the races have a life force of 20,000 years old. Emmortals also have inner ranks, determined by their spiritual understanding. These Emmortals can break through to the next realm, but it's very difficult. They can learn a few powers, some in higher categories, but it's not easy. After they reach a certain spiritual level, they can choose to stay or break through to the next realm to become stronger."
"This brings us to the next one on the list, the Immortal Sky River. This is where true power exists. The ones that were born first live here, and the races in our Milky Lane are descendants of a weaker version of these original ones. Immortals live forever, they can be killed, but they won't die of old age. They also have a ranking system that determines their spiritual power. It's not as complex as ours, but the one rank difference is like someone on the floor vs someone in the sky, it's a massive leap of power."
The tutor's voice takes on a hint of caution, "If they reach the next enlightenment, which most don't, they have to fight a lot. So, they choose to rule as the Immortals in the Sky River. The next level also lives there because they aren't allowed access to the next plain at all. These ones above the Immortal classes are very cruel and dangerous, they fight with each other all the time."
"Prince Damian, do you understand?"
Prince Damian looks at the tutor, his eyes filled with curiosity, "What are those things that are so cruel?"
The tutor hesitates, "Let's leave that for another day. It's complicated. Alright?" Prince Damian nods his head in agreement.
He then moves on:" Beyond the mortal realm lies the Light Dominion, also known as Heaven, and the Demon Dominion, or Hell," began Prince Damian's tutor, his voice heavy with reverence. "It is where the Divine and Dark ones reside, born from the first war between light and dark. Their strength is unrivaled and accessing these realms is not for the faint of heart.
But know this, Prince Damian, these beings are incredibly powerful, ranging from low Immortal level to stronger than most higher existence."
The prince's eyes widened in awe as his tutor continued, "But even beyond these realms lies the ultimate of all beings - the Original Gods, Ancient Gods, and Demi-Gods - who reside in the Light Kingdom, Dark Kingdom, God Sector Empires, and God Beast Domain. These places are where the gods reside, each with their powerful clans. They are worshipped and respected by all, but their power levels vary depending on their standing."
"Prince Damian do you understand all these places, I know it's a lot but you will learn this properly in school"
"But why am I being told this now if I will learn it better in school?" Prince Damian asked, confused.
"You must understand, Prince Damian," his tutor replied gravely. "There is a rule created after a war. A long time ago, there were only the Light kingdoms, Dark kingdoms, God Beast Domain, and Mortal Universe. But a war for supremacy broke out and the strength of these beings was so immense that they shattered everything, creating the Immortal Sky River below and a new race showing up. And after years of fighting, the Original Gods forced a God to make a rule that ones of higher Immortal rank, if they were to travel down, would have their power restricted. This is because they are too strong and can level planets with a flick of their finger in some places. If they stay too long, they will lose some power and not be able to return, but they get sucked back to their realms by a law of Rule that's applied to them."
He now knew that understanding these realms and the rules was crucial to his future but still way now...
"Prince Damian, are you still with me?" his tutor asked, concern etched on his face.
"I understand," Prince Damian replied, his mind racing with the implications of the protection rules put in place. "But why does this matter?"
"Queen Safira, if you please," the tutor gestured to the queen, who took a deep breath and pulled Prince Damian close.
"Damian, you see how every race here respects me with absolute resolve," Queen Safira began, her voice heavy with emotion. "The reason they all stare at me and show deep fear is that I am from the God Beast Domain, the Queen of Dragons. So are your uncle Drac, Fenris, and my troops. This is not our realm, we just come here for a little bit to train, darling."
Prince Damian's body stiffened at her words, and the room fell silent as he processed the reality of her words. After a few minutes, he heard his uncle Drac's voice calling out to him.
"Damian...Damian...Damian."
The prince blinked, realization dawning on him. "Wait...what? That means you have to leave because of that rule," he exclaimed, quickly grabbing onto Queen Safira, not letting her go.
Queen Safira began to cry as she nodded, "Yes, my child, I have to leave in a few weeks. We can't stay here for much longer."
The room was silent as Prince Damian processed the weight of her words. He looked at her and thought why couldn't he cry, his eyes were void of feelings and life. His mind raced with scenarios and flashbacks of how everybody treated Queen Safira and he finally came to an answer that he needed to know now.
"Wait...please...please tell me you are taking me with you when you go home..." Prince Damian implored his voice barely a whisper.