Under a night illuminated by a full moon, the stars twinkled, creating an atmosphere both mystical and soothing.
Among them, one star seemed to stand out, streaking across the sky, catching the attention of the guard patrolling the castle courtyard, his spear in hand.
"It's always so beautiful to watch."
However, this shooting star didn't fade as usual. On the contrary, it seemed to grow more intense, its light becoming brighter and brighter.
"That's strange..."
Before he could comprehend what was happening, the star crashed violently into the middle of the courtyard, causing an explosion of dust and debris.
Thanks to his sharp survival instincts, the guard barely managed to dodge the impact.
"What just happened?!"
Shouts echoed throughout the castle: "We are under attack!"
The impact had shaken not only the castle but the entire capital. Within moments, elite knights surrounded the crash site, accompanied by mages ready to intervene in case of danger.
"Stand back!" commanded an authoritative voice.
Without even looking, everyone stepped aside, clearing a path. An old man, holding a long staff slightly curved at the tip, floated gently above the ground, approaching the epicenter.
His eyes fixed on what appeared to be an entity, he murmured: "This power..."
With a simple wave of his hand, the old man dispersed the dust with a gust of wind, revealing the silhouette of a young child lying on the ground, deep in sleep.
The surrounding darkness couldn't dull the faint light emanating from the child, enveloping him in a protective halo.
The knights and mages, who up until then had exuded a palpable murderous intent, felt calmed by the sight of the child. Even the old man nearly let his guard down.
"Could this be the child spoken of in the legends?"
According to an ancient legend passed down through generations, a child from the stars was destined to fall from the sky to eradicate evil and bring peace to the world.
The old man, who had always regarded these tales as mere fairy stories, couldn't help but doubt in the presence of this child.
"Examine this boy carefully. If he shows no signs of injury or anomaly, place him in the guest chamber."
Immediately, a new unit approached to assess the mysterious child, leaving a silence filled with uncertainty and hope hanging in the air.
…
…
The next morning, Kim woke up in a cozy bed, surrounded by a comfort he had never known.
The spacious and luxurious room was carefully decorated, every detail reflecting the opulence of the castle.
Richly colored drapes adorned the walls, and the soft morning light filtered through silk curtains, creating an almost unreal atmosphere.
"Where am I?"
He placed his feet on the plush carpet, feeling strange, as if he were walking on a field of cotton.
The child, used to the harshness of village life, was both fascinated and disoriented by the luxury around him. Still, he forced himself to stay calm.
"Calm down, Kim, let's analyze the place first," he said, reverting to the habits he had developed at the sanctuary. His mind struggled to remain vigilant despite the unusual situation.
*Knock, knock*
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Before he could react, the door opened softly, allowing an old man dressed in a butler's uniform to enter.
His face was marked by time, but his eyes reflected a calm benevolence.
"I see that the child blessed by the stars has awakened," he said in a gentle voice.
"Blessed by the stars?" Kim thought, troubled. What was this man talking about?
However, he remained silent, stepping back cautiously. The wariness he had learned over time at the sanctuary resurfaced.
Sensing the child's discomfort, the butler bowed slightly as a sign of respect.
"Please forgive my forwardness. My name is Jean, head butler of the castle. King Ben wishes to meet you."
At the mention of that name, Kim's heart raced. His lips trembled as he struggled not to scream.
"This can't be true..."
This King Ben, adored by the people for his so-called benevolence, was actually responsible for the destruction of his village.
He remembered the horrors inflicted on his family and neighbors simply because their village hadn't been blessed by the stars.
Unlike most other humans, who could manipulate magic, the inhabitants of Kim's village were devoid of this gift. Considered useless, they had been forced into labor by the Empire.
When the villagers dared to send a letter requesting independence, King Ben interpreted it as treason. He then ordered the extermination of all of them, to set an example.
And now, this same king wanted to see him.
"Do they know who I am?" he wondered, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.
But he had little choice. Reluctantly, he accepted the butler's invitation.
Jean, ever courteous, guided him through the castle's labyrinthine corridors.
Each passage revealed new marvels, from frescoes depicting glorious battles to sparkling crystal chandeliers.
Kim's mind swirled, torn between admiration for this magnificent place and fear of what awaited him.
Finally, they arrived in front of two immense, intricately carved wooden doors leading to the throne room.
The massive wooden doors swung open, revealing the majestic throne room.
Kim, his heart pounding, stepped into the solemn chamber. On either side of the central aisle, knights stood in disciplined rows, watching every movement attentively.
At the end of the aisle, five imposing thrones were arranged, increasing in size as they neared the center.
On the outermost thrones sat two children, a boy and a girl, likely the same age as Kim.
Beside them, two women stood out with the bright colors of their hair—one with a fiery red mane, the other with deep blue locks.
But it was the man in the center who captured all of Kim's attention. In his forties, he exuded an imposing presence.
His eyes seemed calm, but upon closer inspection, Kim detected a difficult-to-conceal spark of excitement.
Kim had never met a member of the royal family, let alone the king himself.
Yet he knew, deep inside, that this man was indeed King Ben, the one who had ordered the extermination of his village.
He managed to suppress the tumultuous emotions boiling within him, despite the hatred consuming his heart.
"Come closer, don't be afraid," Jean whispered softly and reassuringly.
There was no escape, so Kim slowly advanced, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor. As he walked, he overheard barely concealed whispers.
"Is it really him?"
"Are you talking about the child of the legend?"
Upon reaching the throne, Jean bowed deeply. "I greet my lord," he said with respect.
Kim, however, remained still, his eyes fixed on the king with a hostile glare.
One of the guards, offended by Kim's apparent lack of respect, was about to intervene.
"How dare you behave like this in front of the king?!"
"That's enough!" Ben interrupted in a calm but authoritative voice, stopping the guard in his tracks.
"Please forgive his behavior," he said, turning to Kim with calculated gentleness.
"I am King Ben, of the royal Albert family. These are my wives and my children."
"Nice to meet you, I am..."
He was about to let his wives introduce themselves, but he cut them off to focus once more on Kim.
"And you, child of the stars, what is your name?"
Kim, perplexed by this title that seemed incomprehensible to him, suddenly recalled the last moments before he lost consciousness.
He remembered traveling through space at a dizzying speed after the sanctuary had promised to send him back to his original world.
"I... my name is Kim."
"So your name is Kim. Where do you come from?" Ben asked, his excitement slipping through despite himself.
"I…"
Before Kim could respond, a voice echoed throughout the hall, interrupting the conversation.
"Please forgive my intrusion, my lord."
The voice seemed to come from nowhere, and Kim looked around without seeing anything. Then, a circle of light with intricate patterns appeared at the foot of the steps leading to the throne, projecting a bright glow.
In an instant, an old man in white robes adorned with golden patterns materialized.
It was Evan, the king's advisor and one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom.
"What do you want, Evan?" Ben asked, visibly frustrated.
"It is necessary to conduct a full examination to confirm if he is truly the child we have been waiting for."
The king, though clearly annoyed, reluctantly agreed. "Very well, do it, but make it quick."
Evan nodded and turned toward Kim, scrutinizing him suspiciously.
"Touch this crystal," he said, producing a glowing sphere that he had kept hidden under his robe.
"It will reveal the blessing of your star, if you have received one."
Kim hesitated. He knew better than anyone here that he had never received a star's blessing.
If he were discovered, he risked being accused of treason and executed. Yet, despite his fear, he slowly stepped forward and delicately touched the crystal with his trembling hands.
The entire hall held its breath, eyes fixed on the young boy. At first, nothing happened.
"As I thought…"
Evan began murmuring accusations, ready to declare Kim an impostor.
But suddenly, the crystal began to tremble, emitting an intense vibration.
"What's happening?" Evan exclaimed, taken aback.
Before he could analyze the situation, the crystal exploded into a thousand fragments, releasing a golden light that illuminated the entire hall.
A small golden star then appeared in front of Kim, floating gently in the air.
"That color..." murmured Evan, his eyes wide.
Gold represented the constellation of Eros, a rare blessing whose primary attribute was light.
Evan approached, examining the star more closely.
"It seems this star possesses a power of purification, similar to those found in priests," he declared skeptically.
But before he could complete his analysis, Ben interrupted, shouting in surprise: "There! Two more stars just appeared!"
Everyone, including Evan, was astonished. Not only had Kim been blessed by a star, but now three stars were shimmering around him, a phenomenon of unprecedented rarity.
The murmurs in the hall intensified, exclamations of surprise echoing everywhere.
But it wasn't over. An explosion of light flooded the room as more stars materialized, dancing in a celestial formation around Kim.
The entire hall was now filled with stars, all belonging to the constellation of Eros, each shining brilliantly.
"This is impossible!" Evan cried, his eyes wide open.
Each star seemed to belong to legends of the past. Some were the stars of the greatest magicians in history, while others remained unknown, but all created a breathtaking spectacle.
Kim, stunned, couldn't take his eyes off the divine sight before him. "Are these... all my stars?" he murmured, unable to believe that a child born without a blessing could be surrounded by so much mysterious power.
As the stars dimmed one by one, leaving the room lit only by flickering candlelight and the sun's rays filtering through the tall windows, a heavy silence fell.
Then, King Ben burst into laughter, a deep and hearty laugh that echoed throughout the room, even surprising the knights standing motionless along the walls.
"Hahaha! You see, Evan? There's no doubt that he's the child of the legend!" he declared, grinning widely.
Evan, still marked by the shock of the recent events, slowly nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, my lord. I was wrong to doubt him."
The king turned his gaze back to Kim, looking satisfied and confident.
"Tell me, Kim, you must be here to eradicate the demons plaguing our world, aren't you?" Ben asked, his eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and hope.
"I…"
"Yes, of course," he continued before Kim could respond. "There's no other reason for your arrival in our kingdom."
The entire room waited for Kim's reply, convinced that the child of the stars was their savior, the one who would deliver them from the darkness of the demons. But to everyone's surprise, Kim's voice rose, trembling but firm.
"No."
One simple word, but it reverberated like a shockwave through the assembly. Every face turned to him in disbelief. The king, taken aback, narrowed his eyes slightly. He straightened in his throne, surprise evident on his face.
"C-could I know the reason?"
Kim, trembling with anger and sorrow, could no longer contain his emotions. He fell to his knees, tears streaming freely down his cheeks.
"It's because of you that I'm here!" he cried, his voice breaking with sobs.
A heavy silence filled the room. The king, bewildered, remained calm.
Kim continued, his voice oscillating between pain and rage.
"My parents abandoned me... They left me in an unknown place, and it's all because of you!"
Kim's words resonated, carrying all the pain he had borne for so long.
He was referring to the day when his parents had sent him to the sanctuary, in a desperate attempt to save him from the empire's soldiers, sent by King Ben's own decree.
"They told me to survive!"
Kim's voice broke again, his hands gripping the cold floor. He remembered his father's gaze, his last words before he was torn from his family.
"And now, I'm alone in this unfamiliar place, and you ask me to help you fight demons? Just because you ask me?"
Kim's last words faded into a whisper, but every syllable carried the weight of a broken heart.
The shock was palpable. The silence was heavy, and no one dared move. Kim kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding the king's gaze.
He suddenly realized he had just shouted at Ben, the most powerful man in the kingdom. His blood ran cold at the thought.
"…"
"…"
For the first time, the king was at a loss for words. None of the knights, not even Evan, moved.
Everyone was stunned by Kim's painful revelation. No one truly understood what the young boy had endured, but everyone in the room suddenly felt a deep sorrow for him.
The whispers had ceased, replaced by an atmosphere thick with compassion and regret.
Misinterpreting the true meaning behind Kim's words, everyone believed he had been forcibly sent from the stars by his own parents, sacrificed to fulfill the desperate plea of mankind. The thought that he had been rejected by his own for the selfish needs of humans crossed everyone's mind.
King Ben, his eyes darkened by sadness, leaned forward slightly.
"I'm sorry… Because of us, you were torn from your family. But know this, Kim. I will take you under my wing. I will consider you as my own son."
Kim's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!"
"Yes, because of us, you were sent to this world, far from your own. Against your will. But now, I offer you a new family here."
Kim, troubled, was lost in his thoughts.
"They still think I'm a child of the stars…" he realized. However, he didn't dare dispel the misunderstanding that lingered.
"Earlier, I was angry at them. But if I tell them the truth… that I'm not from the stars but from this world, I can't imagine what awaits me."
The king, benevolent, leaned in further.
"If you need anything, tell me. I'll make sure you lack for nothing."
Kim was about to refuse the offer, his heart still heavy with distrust and pain. But suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
He remembered that he, Kim, was not the only one who had survived the sanctuary's ordeal. Two other children from his village had been sent here, somewhere in this world.
Kim slowly lifted his eyes toward the king, his thoughts swirling. He knew what he had to ask for first.