Preface

Surrounded at all sides by a seemingly endless horizon filled with an ocean of mountains, pushed to the center of the plains at the edge of the Western Sea. The world that Daiki Takamori remembered, wasn't this one.

These buildings were made of stone and wood with blue coral tile roofs that exhibited flared ends with delicate draconic sculptures at their tips. The structures themselves were suspended by wooden or stone pillars to keep mold from taking root in the facilities. Social status could be seen by simply taking note of what they consisted of. The poor had thatch roofing and dirt floors. Commoners, the middle class, had their homes elevated on wooden blocks, but were relatively small and manageable. The wealthy had large lush mansions or massive stone castles.

This continent was known as Fúshān, home to millions of humans, of what people from Earth would call, of Asian descent. Though spirits and monsters known as Yokai roam the wilds of the land, there were settlements all over the landmass which was assumed to make up the whole world.

He had been here since he was four years old, yet he thought he had once been older. He one day woke up washed ashore, weak and dehydrated.

Mother nature had been kind to him, as the local Lord of Kúsú Province came and collected him after hearing his futile somber cries. Unclothed, wet and covered in sand. Blood stained his skin as many scrapes from rogue shells made their marks prior.

The one who were to become Daiki Takamori was cleaned up, brought to the Lord's home, Kúsú Castle. The boy was brought before the Lord's main wife and was thereby named.

His name written as Taiju and spoken as Daiki, meant The Great Tree with the characters it was written with. A story about his origins developed into a mythical tale of survival, how he battled a storm in order to live one more day to reach the shores.

What made the boy stand out however was his gentle downturned eyes and amber colored irises. His hair was a rich chocolate brown, his skin had a rosy complexion and a warm ivory tone. This contrasted with the average warm beige and pale peach tones of the natives. Even the shape of his rectangular head was more exotic and different from the rest, with a small pronounced nose and light colored brows. Most of the population had rounder and flat facial features, while his were sharper.

The main thing was, he stood out. His appearance either repulsed or attracted the people.

Shy, awkward and oddly preoccupied, the boy appeared to his parents as unsociable. During his initial debut, he kept his distance from people. When other boys talked to him, he was reluctant or hesitant in his speech. Yet when it came to girls, he could hardly respond to their curiosities.

After his sixth debut on his eighth birthday, he was moved to a new estate by his mother. Her husband was infertile and couldn't sire a son of his own. So she had to find a way to make her one and only son more comfortable around female variety... Thus employing only female servants at his estate!