Long ago, planet Gaia experienced a wonderful golden age. Prosperity and equality reigned in abundance. People of all nations were united under the banner of Mocouen. Her inhabitants had reached a state of conscious balance which awakened the latent potential of their Souls and Bloodlines. This heralded the paradigm of Solar Blood Masters.
Solar Blood Masters of this prehistoric era were said to have dominance of all forces of nature. They comprehended the law of the quantum field and of self. Their technologies were advanced beyond modern description, and their conscious awareness was so expansive that they earned the respect and recognition of all beings in Cosmic Sector 7 of the sub-universe.
Gaia's Solar Blood Masters maintained their distinguished title for eons, up until misfortune struck. More accurately, karma had taken effect.
During the Solar Blood Master's sovereignty, they had become quite arrogant and dismissive of lesser or unevolved lifeforms. Their greed led them to seek resources from neighboring star systems. These resources would drastically help boost their cultivation and planetary influence, however, these resources were finite, which led to the gradual deterioration of several planets.
Bearing witness to this drastic violation of cosmic law, and of the decline of their home planet, these beings petition the Cosmic Council for help. And their request was granted. As a result, Gaia's Solar Blood Masters were banished back to their home world and were plunged into 50 million years of darkness – never to receive sunlight until the allotted punishment had elapsed.
Due to this lack of nutrients from the celestial star, Gaia gradually decayed. Her body was frozen over – her vast oceans turned to ice, bearing the most arduous temperatures; to the degree where many of its inhabitants couldn't cope. Hence, during that unfortunately cold time period, many lives were lost.
Forced to sustain Gaia's core, the most evolved of the Solar Blood Masters sacrificed their accumulated power to ensure the extended survival of their civilization. Over time, their once-renowned galactic influence gradually dwindled into a fallen state.
…
Bloodthorne Empire – Tajmani Estate
"Slave, are you a snail reincarnated? Hurry up with those bags, my patience is thinner than a mosquito's wing!" A young lady with a mean demeanor snapped her lips at her assistant.
'This little runt…' The young man, aptly named Slave, gritted his teeth behind a forced smile. His back screamed in protest under the mountain of luggage strapped to it – trunks overflowing with silks, jewelry, and enough beauty products to stock a small shop. 'Snail reincarnated? I wish I were,' he thought bitterly. 'At least then I could leave a glowing trail of defiance in my wake instead of just sweat and aching muscles.'
The petite purple-haired girl who was barely in her teens, strutted ahead with the effortless grace of someone born into privilege. Her two giggling companions, Lin and Mei, flanked her like loyal handmaidens.
"Did you hear they found a Crimson Fang Hound near the outer edges of the Blood Forest last week?" Lin shared.
Mei gasped dramatically while clutching at her chest. "No! Truly? I heard those beasts can drain a man's blood in a single bite! Even Solar Blood Masters have to be careful"
TaJmani flicked a stray hair from her shoulder with a perfectly manicured nail and scoffed. "Please, you two are so melodramatic. It was probably just a pup. Father would never allow us to go anywhere truly dangerous."
"But imagine if we did encounter one!" Lin persisted, undeterred. "We could be the first young cultivators to slay a Crimson Fang Hound in decades! Think of the glory!"
Mei's initial fear was momentarily forgotten in the allure of potential fame. "And the pelts! Imagine how luxurious a Crimson Fang Hound rug would be in my meditation chamber!"
Tajmani giggled with a hint of condescension. "You two are obsessed with material possessions. True cultivators seek enlightenment, not trinkets."
"But a little luxury never hurt anyone," Lin argued playfully, nudging Tajmani with her elbow. "Besides, wouldn't you love to adorn your hair with a Crimson Fang Hound's tooth? It would make all the other girls at the academy green with envy."
Tajmani considered this for a moment. "Perhaps you have a point," she conceded with a smirk. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need to find this mythical beast of yours."
"Sure, sure…"
Reaching the towering gates of the Estate, TaJmani halted abruptly. A frown creased her perfectly powdered forehead. She whirled around, fixing the young man with a withering glare. "You imbecile! I forgot my extra undergarments! Run back and pack a separate bag. And don't even think of folding them improperly, you hear?"
"What?"
Slave's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to protest, to remind her that he was a human being, not a mindless pack mule, but the icy glint in Tajmani's eyes silenced him. He bowed his head, muttering a resigned "Yes, Princess," before scurrying back towards the mansion. The weight of his burden was now both physical and emotional.
Tajmani watched him go with a smirk. "Hmph! Honestly, that dog is useless," she confided in her friends and tossed her head with a delicate sniff.
"Why do you even keep him around, TaJmani?" Lin inquired with genuine curiosity.
Mei nodded in agreement. "He seems to be more trouble than he's worth."
"Hahaha!"
Like the tinkling of jade wind chimes, Tajmani's laughter held a sharp, brittle edge. "He's my dog, girls. And every princess needs a dog to fetch and carry, don't they?"
"I supposed you're right. Fuhuhu…"
The girls' giggles echoed through the courtyard and entered the resentful heart of the boy struggling under their burdens. They cared not about him who was, in their eyes, nothing more than a loyal, if somewhat incompetent, pet. He might be their "dog," but even dogs could dream of a day when they would finally bite back.
…
Thud!
The young man stumbled up the final step at the entrance of the vast Tajmani mansion. His legs trembled, his lungs burned, and his spirit felt as battered as his bruised shoulders. With a groan that escaped his lips like a dying animal's cry, he dropped the mountain of luggage onto the polished marble floor with a resounding thud.
The loud bang echoed through the cavernous entryway and startled an old man who was tending to a bonsai tree in a nearby alcove. The mansion's front door creaked open ajar, revealing a wizened face framed by a neatly trimmed silver beard.
"Raphael?" The old man's voice was gentle.
Slave, or rather Raphael as he was truly known, snapped his head up. "Butler Long!" He exclaimed in exhaustion. He swayed on his feet, and Butler Long, with surprising speed for his age, rushed forward and caught him before he could collapse.
"My boy, what is wrong? Why are you back already? Did you forget something?" Butler Long inquired.
Flushed with shame and exertion, Raphael mumbled, "The princess… she forgot her… undergarments."
"Huh?"
Butler Long's expression momentarily froze, then softened with a sigh of resignation. He was well aware of Tajmani's spoiled nature and her penchant for bullying those she deemed beneath her. Raphael who was taken in by the estate and given the unfortunate moniker of 'Slave,' was a frequent target of her cruel whims. To her, he was a dog among dogs, only good for wallowing in the metaphorical mud of servitude.
"Come, come, Raphael. Let us not keep the princess waiting." Butler Long began guiding the exhausted boy inside. "Rest here for a moment. I shall retrieve the garments myself." He gestured towards a plush armchair in the opulent foyer.
Raphael gratefully collapsed onto the chair. He watched as Butler Long practically flew up the grand staircase towards Tajmani's room.
"I will be but a moment." Butler Long told him from the top of the stairs.
Raphael was grateful that he didn't have to sort through Tajmani's underwear. As he sat there, catching his breath, his thoughts drifted back to the countless times Butler Long had shown him kindness in this cold, uncaring mansion. He was the only one who treated him like a human being, the only one who called him by his true name.
Butler Long was a beacon of warmth in a sea of icy indifference, a reminder that even in the darkest of places, a flicker of compassion could still exist. And for Raphael, that flicker was often the only thing that kept him from succumbing to despair.
"Butler Long…" Raphael mumbled the name as his mind drifted to a past event that Butler Long had informed him of.
Sixteen years ago…
A secluded chamber, hidden deep within the sprawling Bloodthorne Estate was bathed in the soft glow of oil lamps. A beautiful woman with green hair and tear-streaked cheeks lay on a bed. She was wracked with the throes of childbirth. Beside her, Butler Long offered words of encouragement and support.
With a final, agonizing push, a tiny cry pierced the silence. A baby boy who dazzled with an unusual intensity had entered the world.
With gentle hands, Butler Long cleaned the newborn and wrapped him in a soft blanket. He then slowly handed the child to the exhausted but joyful mother.
"Haleema," Butler Long said softly, "Your son… he is beautiful."
Haleema's pale face lit up with a radiant smile as she cradled her newborn close. "Raphael… His name is Raphael," she whispered.
But beneath the joy, a current of sorrow flowed through her. Her love for the child's father, Razel Louche Bloodthorne, the King himself, was a dangerous secret, one that could cost them both their lives.
Suddenly, a thunderous crash shattered the peaceful scene. The chamber door burst open into pieces as a squad of armored soldiers stormed in. They parted, revealing a tall, imposing woman with long raven hair and eyes that blazed with fury.
It was Ewa Nier Bloodthorne, the Queen.
"You ungrateful wretch!" Ewa Nier shrieked. "You dare to seduce my husband and bear his bastard child in secret?!"
Haleema's eyes widened in terror, but she clutched Raphael protectively to her chest. "My Queen. I never meant to… I love him."
"Silence, you lying slut!" Ewa Nier spat. "You plotted this, didn't you? Razel and I have yet to have a son. So you thought you could steal my place, bear the true heir, and become Queen?!"
"No, I swear!" Haleema cried. "I only wanted…"
"Silence!" Ewa Nier yelled. "You will not live to see another day, nor will this bastard spawn of yours!" She gestured towards her soldiers. "Kill them both!"
Haleema's heart pounded in her chest. "Please," she begged, "spare my child! He is innocent! Take my life, but let him live!"
Ewa Nier's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Mercy is not a word in my vocabulary, traitor. You will both die!"
It was then that Butler Long stepped forward. "My Queen…" His voice was steady and calm despite the chaos swirling around them. "The King… he knew of Haleema's pregnancy. He instructed me to ensure the child's safe delivery."
Ewa Nier's face contorted with rage. "You dare defy me, old man?!"
"I only speak the truth, My Queen." As he replied, his hand tightened around Raphael.
"KKYAAAH!"
Consumed by fury, Ewa Nier snatched a sword from one of her soldiers. With a guttural cry, she plunged the blade deep into Haleema's chest.
Haleema gasped. She looked down at her blood-soaked chest, then up at her son as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Raphael…" she could barely speak.
And then, she was gone.
"Hmph! Serves you right."
Smiling with cold satisfaction, Ewa Nier turned towards the baby. But Butler Long stood firm, refusing to hand over the child.
"You will not touch him."
"Oh really…? We'll see about that."
Ewa Nier's soldiers moved to intervene, but a wave of potent dark energy erupted from Butler Long which sent them sprawling backwards. His cultivation was far beyond theirs, and even Ewa Nier hesitated upon recognizing the power he possessed.
"Tsk! Damn you!"
With a snarl of frustration, Ewa Nier spat on Haleema's lifeless body. "You think you can protect this bastard, old fool? You will regret this! Both of you will!"
She stormed out of the chamber with her soldiers scrambling to follow. Her departure left a heavy silence in its wake.
Butler Long looked down at the infant in his arms. He had saved Raphael's life, but at a terrible cost. He knew that Ewa Nier would not forget this betrayal and that both he and Raphael would be living under a constant shadow of danger from now on.