Max walked over to the source of the disturbance, attempting to figure out what was going on. Did his parents get into a fight because of him? That would be the worst thing possible.
However, what he witnessed surprised him. His father was arguing with a man in his thirties with white hair and blue eyes, a very masculine face, and a beard that worked wonders for him. But who exactly was he?
He was dressed in black trousers and a black leather jacket. Max's gaze suddenly shifted to the figure behind the man. It was Isabelle who was in an unconscious state.
Fear gripped Max as he began to discover his identity. There is no way that it could be.
Then the conversation resumed.
'I implore you, Lord Axel, to spare her this one time and not turn her into your slave like the rest.'
Max's suspicion was confirmed. It was Axel, the dragon king. He had arrived at last to receive a slave from the Roses Household. He had arrived to pick up Isabelle.
Max watched in terror as the king's eyes fixed on his.
"Who's that boy? Is he the offspring of a maid or something?
'No he isn't my lord...he's my son his name is Max. I don't see how he's important tho.'
"Is he powerful? If he is, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse."
'Even if I would want to hear it, my lord Max is not at all powerful. In fact, he has no drive.'
The dragon burst out laughing. The noise was so powerful that it was likely audible from the city. However, he paused and became serious.
"How come he's in The Rose Family, then? If you disown him, might consider letting your hope go."
With a regretful expression on his face, Max's father turned to him and urged him to go, declaring that he was no longer a member of Rose. He was now just a random child and no longer Max Rose.
Max seemed frightened. What just happened? In ten minutes, he went from napping on his "bed" to walking to the disturbance, witnessing the dragon kind, and being disowned.
The dragon began laughing again and said:
"Did you think I'd abandon such a valuable gem because you disowned a rat? I've made my choice, and if you continue to plead at my feet, it won't end well."
'My lord, Im sorry but I just can't let you have her'
"And who is going to stop me? You?"
Knowing what would happen next, Max's father used his drive to place a sphere of water over Max and his other siblings, who were still asleep. He did it right on time as a massive fire explosion emerged. This explosion blew Max away, but he was unharmed since the water had shielded him. Max looked pale from seeing the explosion and Axel leaving with Isabelle.
But he didn't have time to think about it because he was about to hit the ground.
...
It has been four years since that day. Max can still clearly recall the smell of smoke, the darkness surrounding them, and his heartbeat. Everything recalls his difficult but joyful life, which the dragon abruptly took. More significantly, though, he recalls Isabelle being taken away. She was the person he loved the most.
Now more importantly what happened in the last four years?
Max awoke on the hard ground, surrounded by darkness and people who believed he was a beager. He stood up looking puzzled.
'What happened? Where am I?
Then he remembered. Now that he was alone, he gazed down with a ghostly pale face. He had no money and nowhere to obtain it, so how was he going to make it? But eating was more essential. Will he now have to go through the trash cans to find food?
He discovered a paper while strolling through the sea of people. It was for an orphanage. This spot was familiar to him, he was constantly afraid that his mother would send him there. Now, though, he was heading there by himself.
It appeared as though the orphanage had not seen daylight in a very long time. It was covered with moss and vines, and the walls appeared to be able to fall with a sneeze.
Max could only grin. He took an oath that day that he would kill the dragon king and, more importantly, save Isabelle. Could he, though? Could the dragon king be killed by a child with no drive?
For The next four years, Max lived at the orphanage and trained with a stick he found.
Now he was 13 years old. His hair grew darker, and his eyes lost some of their hue, appearing a much more greyish tone of green than previously. He grew a little taller but hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. But one thing hadn't changed he still couldn't satisfy the prerequisites to call himself a normal creature, he still lacked a drive.
He had hoped that in these four years, he would get one but nothing, he had checked his soul every day hoping to get one. At first, he needed one of the sister's help but after some time he was able to do it on his own.
Today, however, was odd. Everyone was acting strangely, the sisters even forgot to get food for them, so he took some money and went to get some himself. He wasn't going to let himself and the others starve.
But even the people on the street were acting strangely, almost like robots. He usually sees someone being robbed or some random right, but that did not happen today. But why? Today was the perfect day for chaos. The adventure guild's leader and lieutenant were on vacation.
Every kingdom had a guild that performed the same function as any other adventure guild, but it was also the military. However, it was not related to the royal family.
Max suddenly stopped, his hands starting to shake.