Secret behind walls

Outside the big city stood enormous buildings and statues of great legends who fought for Jegonee City to make it what it is today. The Jegonee Titans, one of the Titan types, are about twenty to twenty-five feet tall—one of the smallest among the Titans. But what matters is not their height but their instinct. Small Titans can defeat huge ones if their instinct or ralli energy is strong enough.

Titans are made of two parts: ralli energy and instinct. Most breeds tend to use one more than the other. Titans that use mostly ralli energy have very large forms because ralli energy is what they possess in their Titan form, but its effect is weak in human form. Instinct, on the other hand, allows Titans to use their powers when in human form. However, for the Blood Titans, it is the other way around.

Kiich-ten grew up under the care of Princess Vegian. By the time he was seventeen, he was muscular and tall, with spiky red hair that made him easily recognizable from afar. Though he was fit to be a warrior, he hadn't unleashed his Titan form yet because there was no one to teach him how to use his ralli energy. People were glad about that because they had heard that Blood Titans were fifty to fifty-five feet tall and had one of the highest instincts, second only to the Instinct Titans, who had mysteriously gone extinct.

Still, Kiich-ten should have been able to discover his instinct powers. The queen raised Lawrence to hate Kiich-ten, making him believe that Kiich-ten was his enemy. Lawrence grew up with this belief and hated being around Kiich-ten; even seeing him caused Lawrence distress.

The royal family sat in the dining room for dinner. Kiich-ten and Vegian sat opposite Lawrence and Nicora. Nicora, a girl around Kiich-ten's age, was Lawrence's lover, and the king had invited her to join them. Nicora was a Floral Titan, also called the Purple Titans, who lived under the protection of the Jegonee Titans after the Wind Titans invaded them.

"Father, I think I should start training tomorrow. I'm old enough now," said Lawrence.

"You cannot begin training with a weak instinct. You'll have to wait until it's active. Kiich-ten may go because he has discovered early instinct and can build on it," said the king, who sat at the table's end.

Lawrence was angry and gave Kiich-ten a resentful look. He took a spoon and placed it under a bowl of soup, intending to flip it onto Kiich-ten, who sat opposite him. Nicora noticed and signaled Lawrence to stop, but he ignored her. Kiich-ten saw what was happening and waited. Lawrence pretended he was just eating and looked away. Kiich-ten shifted the spoon sideways, placed another at his side, and put a smaller bowl to block it.

Then, Kiich-ten turned away. Lawrence seized the opportunity and suddenly hit the spoon, expecting the bowl to land on Kiich-ten. But when he turned, he saw nothing—not even the bowl.

Suddenly, the bowl of soup landed on his own head. Nicora, Vegian, and Kiich-ten burst into loud laughter, while the king and queen remained focused on their food.

"What happened?" the king asked.

"It looks like Lawrence souped himself," Vegian replied.

"Right. Now, eat up, and remember, Lawrence, this isn't a playground," said the king.

After a while, they all finished eating and left. Lawrence and Nicora walked outside the palace, where a Titan bird was ready to take Nicora back home. Kiich-ten and Vegian stood atop a section of the palace, looking over the city. As Lawrence left Nicora, she glanced up at Kiich-ten, who was already watching her.

Nicora went to the Titan bird, where the rider awaited her. She hopped on, and it flew away.

"I don't like that look. Are you two having an affair behind Lawrence's back? It's better to stay out of trouble, you know," Vegian said.

"Yeah, I know. I'll keep my distance. I need to see Father. Oh, I almost forgot," said Kiich-ten. He left Vegian and went to look for the king. Kiich-ten knew the king's spot where he rested every night before bed. He went to a place outside the palace covered with bright, glowing white trees. Kiich-ten saw the king standing by one of the trees.

"Father, I'm here as you asked," said Kiich-ten.

"These trees grant memories to those with pure hearts, showing them what they should see. Come, my son, touch and see what it tells you," said the king. Kiich-ten touched a tree's leaves, and suddenly he saw a tree and other images, but the picture of the strange tree kept reappearing. Kiich-ten quickly removed his hand, shocked.

"I always knew it. The tree opens your mind to see your future. Only you and Vegian have accessed these trees and been granted visions of your fortunes. What did you see? Was there one image that kept repeating?" asked the king.

"Yes, there was a strange tree. It was huge, and darkness surrounded it," said Kiich-ten.

"Then that is what is about to happen or your closest fortune. Whether good or bad, you must know what it's all about," said the king.

"Is it true that I'm the last of my kind and that Vegian found me in a desert and took me in?" asked Kiich-ten.

"Yes, we took you in to raise you. The last words of your mother were your name. But know that your place isn't here. When the time comes, you'll have no choice but to leave. I'll take you to a place no one has been, where you must not tell anyone. It's a place of wisdom, the only place you'll want to know what you should know," said the king.

"Okay, Father," said Kiich-ten.

"Now go to your chamber and wake up tomorrow to seek your fortune."

Kiich-ten left and returned to the palace. As he walked through the palace's single corridor and headed toward the rooms, he knew which one was his. As he was about to enter another door leading to his chamber, he saw a strange person in the palace. The person moved quickly, inspecting the walls as if searching for something. Kiich-ten tried to get a better look. When he realized the person was a stranger, he wanted to approach him. But suddenly, the queen appeared. Kiich-ten swiftly hid behind a golden pillar so she wouldn't see him.

"Where does the root end?" the queen asked.

"It is all over the palace. We will need the red blood to awaken the tree. But don't worry; the red blood knows its place," the stranger replied.

"When you do, strike the king first, and I'll handle the rest," the queen said.

The queen left, leaving the man there. Kiich-ten noticed the man was dressed like someone who used dark instinct to enhance his strength. He looked powerful. Kiich-ten moved from one pillar to another, trying to reach the door. As he did, he slipped and fell to the floor. The man heard the noise, drew out black instinct from his hands, and approached Kiich-ten, who lay on the ground. The man stood in front of Kiich-ten, but it seemed he couldn't see him. The man left, and Kiich-ten was surprised. He looked at his hand and realized he was invisible. Then he became visible again. He turned to see Lawrence holding his leg.

"Was that you?" Kiich-ten whispered.

"Yes, I just discovered it. What are you doing here? Mother said that's the palace night guard; he could have killed you. Now let's go," said Lawrence.

Kiich-ten and Lawrence sneaked to the chamber door and left.

"Did you hear anything?" asked Lawrence.

"No, I didn't. By the way, thank you for saving me from the palace night guard," Kiich-ten said and went inside his chamber. He knew something wasn't right. The king wasn't safe, and there were secrets hidden behind the walls.

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