CHAPTER 1: RECKLESS RAYGAARD

CHAPTER 1: RECKLESS RAYGAARD

Endregen was a great kingdom. Its capital was Helios, a great city with millions of people. Helios was filled with gigantic stone buildings and very few small houses. Nature was preserved to some extent but industrialization was beginning to take over the kingdom. The reason for this industrialization was the ambition of Gilgamesh to harness the power of the Amooma as an energy source. There was a forceful peace because all the people were forced into total submission. There was just one rule in Endregen,

"Disobey Gilgamesh and die"

Everyone feared Gilgamesh, not only because he was the son of the Great Galagan Abaddon but because he possessed the most powerful Amooma, the Jingin-reaper. It was an Amooma that could kill just by staring you in the eyes. The only hopes the people harboured were that Raygaard would not grow to be like his father. So far their hopes were becoming a reality as the young prince grew up to be kind hearted though he was a tad bit reckless.

Raygaard sat on his bed thinking of the nightmare he had been living for the past ten years. He was thirteen years old. Every day, his father Gilgamesh had dumped him right in the middle of his Galagan army and asked him to defeat them all.

"How does he expect me to pull a stunt like that?! They are a freaking legion for crying out loud!" Raygaard said in anger as he punched the wall. "Damn! Damn! Damn! DAMN!" He roared as he did so till his fists bled.

He had a lot of bruises on his body. He knew the only reason he survived the beating was because he was Gilgamesh's son. He hated and feared the Galagan with a passion. He recalled the look in his father's eyes and his words,

"You are a disappointment to me Raygaard. You are useless. You don't deserve to be my son and you don't even deserve to live!"

"How can you say that?! I try my best to please you! You haven't even given me the chance to wield a Sekan!" He recalled his outburst.

"Are you trying to say that your weakness is my fault? That just makes you pathetic. A son of mine should be strong even without a Sekan!" Gilgamesh said and walked out of Raygaard's room.

"Damn! Just watch and see father! I'll become even stronger than you!" Raygard swore as tears flowed down his face.

Raygaard quickly wiped his tears.

"I can't cry! I won't cry anymore! A crybaby can never surpass someone as strong as father" Raygaard said as he wiped his tears. "I think I'll check the city out, interesting things always happen there!" he suddenly seemed excited.

"Remember Raygaard! Always stay in the castle. I have a lot of enemies that would try to harm you! Not that I care what happens to a weakling like you" He recalled his father's words.

"LIKE I CARE WHAT YOU SAY!" he roared.

His body hurt so much that he could hardly feel anything else. Raygaard was a really handsome boy with long silver hair though the sides of his hair curved upwards at the back like wings. He had fairly dark skin and light brown eyes. He had no friends though since everyone feared Gilgamesh. The one who acted as a mother figure in his life was the beautiful nurse Ryanne who made it her purpose to bring laughter into the young prince's life. She taught him how to be kind and reckless at the same time. She was also quite strong and wielded a Sekan Fauna, which allowed her to communicate with animals. Her Amooma was Flora, a beautiful flower-like maiden that possessed the power to heal. Ryanne gave Raygaard secret martial art lessons. She always defeated him and though Raygaard hated being defeated by a girl, the way she always did it made him happy unlike that wretch who called himself Gilgamesh. The only good thing Gilgamesh had ever done for Raygaard was to allow Ryanne to stay in the castle and take care of him.

Raygaard quickly clothed himself in a cloak, pulled on a hood and smiled.

"Now I'll ninja myself out of here like I always do. Even that wretch of a father can't beat me at hide and seek" Raygaard said as he brought out his tools.

An ultra-long rope he had made by tying seventy six bedsheets from the castle together. He made sure to lock his door just to be safe though he knew it wouldn't stop his father if he was hell-bent on catching Raygaard. He wasn't worried though because his father didn't even care for him and he knew it. He tied one end of the bedsheets to his bed and dipped the rest of it into a bucket of water to strengthen it.

"Now I'll be reckless like Ryanne says I should be!" he roared as he held the other end of the bedsheets, ran to the window and dived out of it.

"WHOOOO!!!" he screamed as he fell out of the window, clutching tightly to the bedsheets.

Soon, he was hanging outside the window. His weight pulled the bed till it hit the wall. Raygaard swung over the castle wall and landed outside. He would have fallen on his head had he not somersaulted at the last moment. He landed smoothly on his feet.

"Now that is what I call reckless! The closer the call, the cooler the man!" he said enthusiastically as he ran towards the city.

The Castle Of Abaddon was situated at the outskirts of town on a very huge mountain. Galagan guards were stationed every kilometre down the path that led to the city. Raygaard smiled to himself.

"Hmmph! I'll just take the shortcut!" he said as he leapt off the mountain.

Normal Endreginians looked exactly like humans. There were ascended Endreginians who possessed tails. Then, there were also ultra-ascended Endreginians who could summon their tails. Raygaard belonged to that class of Endreginians. The key to summoning a tail was a feeling of excitement. Raygaard had mastered that thanks to Ryanne. Below the mountain was a dense forest. Raygaard's plan was to break his fall by clinging to a branch. Fortunately, the ultra-ascended Endreginians could control their tails so efficiently that, it was almost as though their tails possessed a consciousness of their own. As Raygaard drew closer to the trees, he summoned his tail and caused it to grow so long that, he not only caught hold of a branch but used it as a swing. Luckily for Raygaard, he was blessed with godlike agility. He coursed through the trees, swinging from branch to branch with his tail, hands and feet.

Soon he arrived at the entrance to the city. There were two guards at the gate. They were Endreginians.

"Who are you and what business do you have in our city?" they asked.

Raygaard smiled and withdrew his hood.

"I am Prince Raygaard, Son Of Gilgamesh" he declared.

The guards seemed terrified.

"Please forgive us. You're welcome to our great city" they motioned for him to enter.

"Don't worry, I won't tell my father" Raygaard assured them and entered the city.

"Wow! This place is amazing! I can never get used to seeing it!" he said as he walked around town.