On a quiet afternoon, Josh Aratat, a frail 16-year-old prince with blond hair and a lean frame, trudged aimlessly toward the outskirts of Region 32. His shoulders slumped, weighed down not just by his physical weakness but by the echo of his father's scornful words:
"And you… if you die out there, at least I'll be relieved of another waste." The Emperor barked at Josh Aratat, after issuing the challenge to all the princes to conquer regions in the empire and gain as many supporters as possible and the one with the most supporters and conquests would have the biggest chance of winning the position of the crowned imperial prince.
Region 32 was the smallest and most desolate territory in the Nazare Blade Empire—a wasteland unworthy of conquest in the eyes of his brothers. Yet, this was the region Emperor Groa Aratat had assigned to Josh. Conquering this land and earning supporters seemed like an impossible task, especially to win the approval of his father, a man who valued strength above all else.
As he walked, Josh's thoughts wandered to the past. His mother's face, blurry in his memories, surfaced like a fleeting shadow. The night she died was etched in his soul, a wound that never healed. She had given her life to protect him—her newborn son condemned by the priests as weak and cowardly.
When Josh was born, it was tradition for a prince to be blessed with a unique ability—bestowed by the gods to rule and defend the empire. But Josh's arrival was met with ominous proclamations. The gate reading priestess was called as usual to read the fate of Josh as he was nestled warmly in his mother's arms.
However, things turned unfortunate that day. Instead of the celebratory trend that had followed the naming ceremony of his elder brothers, things went bad. The priestess declared him- Baby Josh cursed: his bones would remain fragile, his heart devoid of courage. Enraged, Emperor Groa sought to kill the infant prince, deeming him unworthy of the royal bloodline.
Josh's mother, Empress Mephibot, shielded him with her life.
At a moment of fury, as the thought of fathering to an impotent son overwhelmed him, the Emperor couldn't hold back his wrath.
The Emperor, unleashed an ethereal force field meant to obliterate Josh, but instead of that happening, he had to watch as Mephibot stepped in its path. Her sacrifice bound the Emperor to the ancient rule of sacrifice—once a life is offered in place of another, no further harm can come to the spared soul. Bound by divine law, Groa left Josh alive but cast him aside, refusing to acknowledge him as an imperial prince. He allowed Josh only the name of Aratat, a hollow title without the love or respect it carried.
Josh's memories darkened his heart as he walked, the only light in his life coming from the kind palace maid, Lola. She alone cared for him in a world that saw him as a burden. But even Lola's gentle words could not silence the echoes of his torment.
A commotion ahead drew Josh from his thoughts. The sounds of shouting and anger broke the silence of the barren region.
"Kill him! He's a thief!"
"No one steals in Region 32 and lives to tell the tale!"
"If we let him go, others will think this land is weak!"
Josh approached cautiously, the voices growing louder as he neared the source. A mob had gathered around a man tied to two wooden poles. His face was battered, his lips split, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes, though swollen, burned with rage and defiance. The man's clenched fists trembled as though he refused to let go of the anger that fueled him.
Josh pushed his way through the crowd, his slight frame tossed about like a leaf in the wind. He stumbled but kept moving until he reached the front. The executioner, a burly man with a sneer, noticed Josh's sudden presence.
"Who are you?" the executioner barked, confused by the stranger's boldness.
Josh stood straight and sighed in his mind, he could tell at a glance that the accused was innocent, he didn't even know why or how he knows or what makes him so sure, but he somehow knew. Without wasting anymore time, and meeting the executioner's gaze, he spoke softly— "I will take his place."
The crowd gasped, stunned into silence.
"Are you insane?" someone muttered.
"Why would you do that?" another asked.
"Do you know him? Or are you just desperate to die?"
The murmurs grew louder as the crowd assessed Josh. His pristine white apparel, adorned with bangles and an ornate necklace, stood out sharply against the squalor of Region 32. While his appearance hinted at royalty, no one could believe an imperial prince would be in such a desolate place.
"Those clothes… they must be stolen!" the executioner declared, his greedy eyes scanning the intricate fabric and glittering jewelry. "Strip him of everything! That outfit alone is worth more than this region!"
Josh sighed, unmoved by the accusations. He had endured a lifetime of pain, rejection, and humiliation. This moment was no different. Raising his voice, he shouted with all his strength:
"I invoke the Rule of Sacrifice!"
The crowd froze, stunned into silence. Josh's voice, weak as it was, seemed to echo across the entire region, carrying with it an unearthly weight.
The executioner sneered, unwilling to relent. "You think invoking the gods will save you? You'll die all the same. But at least your death will serve a purpose."
The crowd erupted in chaos as they stripped Josh of his garments and jewelry, leaving him bare and vulnerable. He was bound to the wooden poles, taking the place of the accused man.
The condemned thief, watching the scene unfold, was utterly bewildered. He had accepted his fate, ready to die without tears or protest. He was accused falsely of stealing bread, no one even took time to investigate, they just slammed the allegations like an handcuff, and, yet here was this stranger—a boy who seemed as fragile as a reed—willing to sacrifice himself without hesitation.
"If you survive this," the man whispered under his breath, his voice trembling with emotion, "I will dedicate my life to serving you."
As Josh stood in silence, awaiting his fate, the gods themselves seemed to stir. Something ancient and powerful was about to awaken—a force that would reshape not only Region 32 but the entire Nazare Blade Empire.