Kai

"Isn't that Kai Whitlock?" A person whispered, fanning their face in dismay while the child walked by.

"Where are his parents?" Another asked.

"I heard they were on an adventure in the dungeons again." 

"Leaving the child alone right before his birthday?" 

"This is the first time they left him, did they lose hope in him already?"

"I heard his swordsmanship was a bit lacking.." 

"A servant from the household said that his personality wasn't anything like what a Whitlock heir should be." 

There was a long pause after the last two statements. It was obvious that the ladies in the gossip circle had the same thoughts about the boy.

Their eyes met each other and it shined with fascination.

"Then he's the blacksheep then! What a shame, he even has white hair that resembles the first Lord of Whitlock." A lady started, her eyes curving into a shape resembling a crescent moon as she let out a giggle.

The other ladies followed suit and laughed at the young boy that hadn't even reached the age of 6. 

The young boy walked through the ballroom, right up to the front where he bowed his head, he knelt and sneaked a glance at the crown prince that didn't pay him any mind.

Has the prince forgotten about him already? It had only been 5 months since they last met. Their last meeting had ended abruptly with Kai getting dragged away by Victoria, his mother.

However, once the crown prince's cold eyes met Kai's, he finally got the hint. He bowed one last time with a smile and stood up, walking to the door where he had just entered from. 

The Crown Prince was once Kai's playtime partner as they are around the same age, the Prince being only 4 years older. 

They were rumored to be the new generation of rulers of the kingdom a few years ago but once they saw Kai's tragic state, they knew their assumption was proven false.

He was no longer deemed as useful as he had a significantly low chance of being the true heir to the Whitlock Family. 

The Whitlock Family had an extraordinary power to bond with strong underworld spirits and merge them into their swords. This allowed their swordsmanship and magic to reach a new height. When this ability was revealed, they were declared as the sword and shield of the kingdom.

This ability was passed down and every heir has the unspoken responsibility to produce another, no matter the consequences. It was a must. They would possess the ability at the age of 6. It was unchangeable and absolute, if they didn't have it by then, they are deemed as a cripple in the Whitlock household.

Normal magic that consists of the basic elements and its deviants could not compare with the overwhelmingly strong ability of the Whitlocks.

This was why ensuring that each generation of the Whitlock family had a child that possessed the ability to communicate with the underworld spirits, they were the only ones who mattered to maintain Whitlocks reputation.

There were some traits that would hint that the child was the blessed one. The child would exert a menacing pressure even at a young age. They were naturally gifted at swordsmanship, being able to easily replicate every technique and moves that were performed with a sword. They were also much stronger and faster than normal human beings. 

They were simply superior, no one dared to deny that fact. Therefore, they were feared and greatly respected by almost everyone.

Kai Whitlock however did not have that sort of respect and superiority amongst others anymore. He was incompetent. Too kind and weak hearted to be a Whitlock. This sparked suspicion in his parents. They soon deemed him a failure and left without a word.

They hadn't come back in a week. It was almost his 6th birthday..where he was supposedly going to awaken the spirits' bonding ability. 

"I'm going to awaken for sure!" Kai said optimistically, pumping himself up while he held up a fist. He looked around in the royal garden and plucked a three leaf clover for luck. It took him an hour but he needed all the luck he could get!

He quickly put the clover in his pocket and headed for the exit where his carriage was probably located. If it wasn't he'd walked home like usual.

Suddenly, a group of boys emerged from out of nowhere. They were playing catch in the Royal garden. Kai bumped into them and fell backwards from the force.

The boys made a disgusted sound in unison. It sounded like a choir for a second.

"My mum said he's an outcast and I shouldn't get close to him or touch him or else I'll get the stupid people disease!" A kid said, stepping away and wiping his shoulder with a napkin.

"He? Isn't that a girl? Look at his eyes and those long eyelashes. Isn't he too feminine for a guy to be?" One stated, he wore round glasses as he placed them closer to his eyes and squinted at the boy on the ground.

Kai had short straight hair that shone magnificently in the light. His eyes were of a beautiful yellow that resembled the color of gold. His eyes were almost like cats. His skin was snowy white with his cheeks rosy pink.

"I'm.. so sorry!" Kai apologised, standing up and dusting his pants with his hands. "Sorry for the inconvenience! I have to really go!" He apologised again, bowing and leaving as quick as a fleeting wind.

Kai didn't look back and marched forward. He wasn't really in a rush but rather, he didn't want to pick a fight with them and let it escalate. It's better to apologise first even if one was not in the wrong. 

However, he heard footsteps behind him getting louder, Kai turnt around and felt his collar being grabbed roughly. He could feel his shirt tightening around his neck.

"Don't touch him! What if you get the disease, Ivan?" A worried friend yelled as he rushed in front.

"Don't worry, I won't! My father is the best paladin in this continent! So that means I also have great divine powers, I'm definitely immune to the disease!" The kid boasted, with his head held up high.

The others peeked their tiny heads from behind Ivan as they sang their praises.

Ivan felt like he was on the top of the world right now, he had defeated one of the Whitlock Family members, it was such a rare and great feat! He was definitely the strongest out of all his inept friends. He wanted the satisfaction of being praised once again! He wanted an even better ego boost.

Ivan pulled back his right leg and quickly landed a kick right to the helpless Kai's stomach. Hearing the sounds of amazement behind him getting louder, he did it again! And again! This was so much fun! Seeing Kai whimpering for help beneath his feet just like the pest he was.

"What are you doing to my son?!" A concerned male voice exclaimed, running to where his son was whimpering on the ground.

Huxley pulled out a blade from his sheath and pointed at the attacker with a strong killing intent. Light finally entered his vision and he realised he was in front of a scared group of children. He returned his blade back into the sheath and glared at the children.

"You'll regret this. I'm informing all your parents about this incident." Huxley said with gritted teeth, he was about to give them a stricter warning before he saw a wave of platinum blonde fly by his face. He slowly reached out to grab her back but he realised he couldn't.

Victoria Whitlock. The current head of the Whitlock family. Wife of Huxley Whitlock. Mother of Kai. A cruel and sadistic woman who dominated people with her overwhelming strength and unreal beauty. Right now, she was the angriest she had been in a while. 

She glanced down at her son who was now held gently in Huxley's arms. Her purple eyes glowing with frustration. She bent down beside the paralysed children who were shaking furiously in their boots. 

Her blood red lips formed into a sinister smile while her shiny blond hair blew in the wind. "My son..does he seem like a fool to you? Weak..incompetent and unsuitable to be a Whitlock?"

The children couldn't even breathe properly in the presence of Victoria, who was proclaimed to be the most heartless and brutal person in the whole kingdom. They wanted to turn their backs and run as far as their feet could take them. But their whole body went numb.

A kid that was so shaken by the aura started nodding his head with great intensity, he could barely even hear the question, much less than his brain processing it. All he heard was his heartbeat thumping like the drums being played at a lightning speed.

Victoria looked at the kid and her smile dropped, Her face was now cold as ice. The temperature dropped in an instant.

The kid now grasped reality and realised what he had just agreed to, he knelt immediately and banged his forehead on the floor, about to refute his earlier agreement.

"You're right.' Victoria stated, pushing the kid's head back and standing up. "I've never seen someone so pathetic. Maybe I should just sell him off." she considered.

Huxley covered Kai's eyes and ears, knowing very well it was useless. "Victoria..he's our child." 

"The only being I'll acknowledge as my child is the heir of Whitlock. The one in your hands is just a rotten flower. He can't even defend his pride. How could such an unruly and atrocious thing be mine?"