Kael followed Aisha and Hisha through the grand corridors of the castle. The opulence and majesty of the surroundings again amazed the boy. His life on Earth was incomparable to others; he was at the top of the world with beautiful cars, houses, and items. However, the majesty of the castle impressed even him.
After a few minutes, the group reached a set of ornate double doors, which opened to reveal his new chambers. The room had high ceilings adorned with intricate carvings and walls draped in rich tapestries. A large bed with silk sheets dominated the central area. The scent of exotic flowers filled the air.
"Your Highness, we hope these chambers are to your liking," Aisha said softly, bowing her head.
"They are more than satisfactory," Kael replied, his eyes scanning the room. "Thank you. Give me some time alone."
"Your Highness, we were ordered to..." Hisha began, but Kael interrupted her.
"I order you now to leave me alone in the room," the child sternly said.
"Yes, Your Highness," the girls responded immediately and left.
The next moment, Kael fell on the bed and looked at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted as he pondered over his talents. He felt stars orbiting inside his astral body, all of them shining like a rainbow.
One of them was the Eternal Immortal Root, his incredible potential. The attribute of his root was Genesis. He was unsure if such an element existed for immortal roots.
"The power of creation, the power of God... We'll see what it can do later."
He jumped off the bed and walked to the mirror. He looked at his new face again; it was handsome, devilishly handsome, one might say. A certain memory tried to surface in his mind—a memory about a girl from Earth—but it was quickly suppressed by shadows.
"I can play around with this," he smiled. "Okay, let's see what I got here."
He closed his eyes and raised a hand. A shadow, like a snake, slithered its way from his heart to the tip of his fingers, then flew like an arrow and hit the mirror. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. It didn't end there—the shadow raised the shards into the air, and they exploded, embedding them into the wall.
"Interesting... Just the beginning of my mastery is so impressive."
The talent was called Eternal Darkness, giving high attunement to the dark world, its entities, and manipulation over the element.
"Apart from this, the only one I can test now is one of the unexpected ones..."
Prince Kael sat down in a lotus position. He didn't know if it might help but thought it wouldn't hurt. He calmed down and slowed his breathing.
One star in his astral body started glimmering, and Kael's vision turned around. The room disappeared, and instead, the astral plane blurred in. Countless stars filled his eyes.
"I still control it... it is..." Kael laughed wildly. "What a beautiful talent! I can create as many talents as I want now. I will test if I can merge talents after the person is born."
The child returned to his body and stood up. He approached the door and opened it, seeing Aisha and Hisha standing on both sides.
"Are you okay, Your Highness?" one of them asked.
"Yes, I am good."
"Would you like to have dinner?"
"I am hungry. Let the servants bring in the dishes."
The maids exchanged glances and smiled. "Sure, Your Highness!"
Aisha bolted off into one of the corridors, while Hisha entered the chambers.
Kael lay down on the sofa and stared out the window. He saw trees, huge tall trees, and pouring rain. It was hard to see anything else.
"Your Highness..."
"What?"
"What happened to the mirror?" the maid asked in a trembling voice, approaching the wall filled with shards.
"Oh, I was experimenting a little. Clean it up."
"Sure, please excuse me."
Kael felt a little embarrassed but didn't show it.
"Your Highness, your dinner is here!"
Aisha excitedly ran in, followed by a team of servants with trays filled with food. The food Kael had never seen before—strange fruits, exotic but with an intoxicating and seductive smell.
"We have the best chef in the whole Myriad Demon Empire. They have prepared their masterpieces for our favorite Prince!"
"Wonderful, let me try them then."
The servants served dishes, placing them on a table in front of Kael.
"Hisha, Aisha, why don't you join me?"
"Your Highness! We can't!"
"Consider it an order from your favorite Prince."
"Your Highness... Thank you!"
The girls had tears in their eyes but smiles blooming on their faces. They took their seats and joined the Prince. However, the maids didn't forget to take care of the boy. They poured him drinks and sometimes even fed him, which felt strange to Kael, to say the least.
The dinner ended, and two more maids came in.
"The bathhouse is ready for you, Prince Kael."
"Let's go, I've been waiting for it."
The bathhouse was grandiose, nothing less expected from the center of the demonic empire such as Myriad Demon. There was a big water pool with the dragon head fountains. On each side, there were black trees with bright purple leaves, some of them floating on top of the water.
"Please, Your Highness."
The boy dropped his robe on the ground and slowly entered the pool. Steam was rising up into the air and obscuring the vision. A little bit later, he saw a figure, the figure he knew.
"Welcome, son," the woman smiled and swam closer.
Behind her, there were two more maids.
"You can go now, I will wash him myself."
They silently bowed and retreated.
"Kael, you can't imagine how hard it was to restrain myself in the throne room!" she suddenly exclaimed and jumped on the boy, tightly hugging him.
"My dear son, I remember as if it was yesterday when I found the eggs and started nurturing them. Who knew it would take almost a thousand years before you are born. What a blessing!"
"I am happy you are happy, mother..." Kael didn't know what to say and how to act.
The Empress here was a drastic contrast to the one in the throne room, here she was full of affection. Joy and love as if seeping out of her, bursting.
"Mom, I cannot breathe," the child struggled to say.
"Oh, sorry. I was carried away a little. Now, sit down on my lap, I will wash your head."
She jumped out of the pool and sat down. Kael saw her naked body, he felt strange, on one hand, he didn't have any attachments to her. His memories mostly from Earth, his personality is dominated by the one of Charles. So it was hard not to feel anything in front of a beautiful naked woman.
"Are you coming?"
"Sure..." Kael's voice trembled.
Kael approached his mother and carefully sat down on her lap, feeling her strong yet gentle hands begin to wash his hair. The warmth of the water, combined with the soothing touch of his mother's fingers, relaxed him. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to momentarily forget the complexities of his situation.
The Empress hummed softly, a melody that seemed to carry both joy and sorrow.
"This is how human mothers care for their children, I've learned everything I could," she thought to herself.
After thoroughly washing his hair, the Empress began to scrub his back, her touch firm yet caring. "I want to tell you about the members of our court, Kael. They are the pillars that support our empire, and you will need to know them well."
Kael listened attentively as his mother began to recount the important figures in the Myriad Demon Empire. "First, there is Myria, the twin-headed kylia, she is my advisor. Two personalities, two points of view, she is very helpful."
Knowledge of twin-headed kylia species surfaced in Kael's mind. They are the kind of demons well suited for war and combat. Robust build, strong muscular and skeleton structure.
However, their greatest talent is their learning speed. Each head can study separately, a great advantage which is rarely utilized by kylia.
"Then there is Selene, the commander of the palace guards. She is fiercely loyal and an exceptional warrior. She will be one of your protectors and mentors."
"Where is she now?"
"She was patrolling the palace. Your celestial phenomena caused quite a stir in the city, so Selena was making sure everything was in order and that there were no intruders in the palace."
"Interesting..."
"Apart from those two, there are also 18 other members of the court. It is a very complicated structure. The Empire has various demon species and factions that the one sitting on the throne must keep in check," she continued. "The members are separated into three parts: 6 Demon Generals, 6 Demon Lords, and 6 Demon Kings. Each group plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance and stability of our empire."