Children of potential

Lacquer is a man feared for his unique intelligence and malevolence but the truth is he is neither a tyrant nor was he capable of thinking it.

Twenty years prior, the country of Cebunilla was just a province part of the Heidcheyser Empire and things were bleak for the locals having been abused by the Cheysers, the soldiers of the feared empire.

Two young men saw this state and decided to make the change everyone feared to make and these two men happen to be the magical prodigy Lacquer Tidelode and his best friend the Rexcarius Valhalien the foreigner.

"Rex, we can't keep letting these scum soldiers keep on pushing our people around! My parents are being pushed to poverty and my sister has been kidnapped! "

The silent and ever calculating Rexcarius only looked around the anarchy happening in their small little town with an indifferent look as if he cared not if anyone died.

" Just runaway, the soldiers would rejoice in your leave "

" I can't… I am the hope of Cebunilla! Many have died just to teach me magic, I can't just let their death be in vain"

The moment Lacquer was born, a surge of vast amounts of magic wrapped the little town of Sense, and suddenly all magical beasts ran away from the fields and the elders all agreed on the great potential Lacquer held.

This was a time before the conquering of the Heidcheyser empire but close enough that everyone was at unease of the empire's growing power.

The adept of magic from neighbouring towns came to the baby upon hearing the news of an infant scaring away even the fearsome man-eaters and sliver wolves and they decided to teach this child into becoming the protector of Cebunilla.

To be given the burden of a whole province relying upon you moments of your birth was something that young Lacquer failed to understand and although he held great potential he was far from being the genius everyone thought he would be.

Lacquer was cheerful, passionate, and dense which made training him although rewarding, unprogressive. Then the dreaded war came and Lacquer became the sole magician in their province upon having all the magic wielders killed by the fearsome army. Lacquer alone lived because he was at the point of memorizing every spell known but not enough to activate it and to the soldiers, they simply was a child and even the harshest of soldiers wouldn't kill a child for no viable reason.

Everyone lost hope and things became worse as the Tyranny created unfair laws favouring the army and unbearably high taxes that pushed the minority of villagers to extreme poverty.

Lacquer remained sheltered by everyone still holding on to the hope that he can single-handedly take down the empire in due time, but that never happened and Lacquer became further despaired to the point of running away.

How could he just a simple boy reach the towering expectations that everyone has put on him? He did try his best, instead of playing or making friends he stayed stuck in his small and dirty room memorising everything he was taught to day and night, no breaks other than for sleeping and eating and that was Lacquer's whole life and no matter how hard he tried nothing ever went right, so he ran away hoping someone else can do the job he tried so hard to do but still failed.

Upon Lacquers escape he was chased by soldiers and that was when he met Rexcarius, a fellow refugee and Rexcarius was like the boy that everyone wanted Lacquer to be, cunning, magical, and unhesitant as in just a blink of Lacquer's eye the soldiers chasing him were gone, like dust in the wind.

Rexcarius happens to be the emperor's bastard child and like Lacquer he had been drilled for greatness since he was born. Rexcarius' mother was just a simple maid that the emperor one day attacked in her chambers and so Rexcarius was conceived and in her free time his mother would steal books or bribe mentors for her child who she hoped would inherit the kingdom the Heidcheysers were creating and that one-day Rexcarius would take the name of his father and be accepted.

Rexcarius luckily was a genius of his time and every book given to him and every lesson, he understood unlike his counterpart from the enemy territory.

Rexcarius, however, lacked the emotional and social prowess everyone else took naturally and while he understood the inner structure of magic spells he still could not spell not speak his own or anyone else's name. They say that genius is the uneven distribution of intelligence well Rexcarius was even more so tilted for neither was he interested in taking the throne or caring for his mother, he simply saw books that hadn't been read and things that hadn't been accomplished.

One day the queen's guards entered Rexcarius' chambers which the king created in exchange for the maiden's silence.

The guards had one mission, kill the bastard child but when they entered they saw simply the mother sleeping which they killed on the spot.

Young Rexcarius only watched the bloodthirsty brutes massacre his mother from afar and he felt no remorse for the men nor sadness for his mother but curiosity, why do they look so happy? Will I be happy if I killed them too? He wondered.

Rexcarius walked towards the men and in an instant ripped off their arms.

"Why?"

He asked as the two guards remain in panic and confused about what just happened.

"Why do you look so happy?"

Again he asked but the only response was screams. Rexcarius sighed in disappointment and finished them off.

"Huh, that wasn't fun at all"

Rexcarius looked down in boredom and again to his dead mother.

"Shouldn't I feel sad now?"

He pondered to himself.

"I know how I can make you feel"

From behind a woman came, she was dressed in very grandiloquent clothing and her hair was the darkest shade of crimson complementing her red lipstick, this is the Queen of the Heidcheyser Empire, Manaleaya Heidcheyser.

The woman kept her distance, cautious of Rexcarius.

"How?"

Rexcarius looked with curiosity.

"Leave this place, emotion can be found outside and as long as you never return here you shall forever be happy"

Manaleaya said before she left. This was her desperate plan of removing her child's greatest rival to the throne and Manaleaya was never religious but for the very first time, she prayed for Rexcarius to believe her because if he finds out she lied then she might as well be dead seeing Rexcarius power firsthand.

Naivety was triumphant because Rexcarius heeded her words and left.

"Sorry child but I must ensure your death, for my son's sake and the kingdom's" Manaleaya whispered upon Rexcarius' departure.

Unbeknownst to Rexcarius is that the whole royal army was in pursuit of him and even if he is a genius, he was still only just a child and he had no chance of beating them.

As Rex walked he happened to come upon a child his age. He was amazed because for the first time he too was able to grasp what emotion is as he felt the panic that Lacquer had.

Rexcarius decided he would follow this child as he may be the key to getting the heart that he longed to gave so he protected this child.

Lacquer was frightened of Rexcarius but something about the misery in his eyes made him feel as if the boy standing in front of him carries a similar burden that he tried to escape from.

"Don't hurt me"

"…I won't…"

Rexcarius' words had weight and was straight to the point and although his lack of facial expressions seemed odd, Lacquer felt as if he could trust his words.

"Did you run away too?"

Rexcarius ignored him and spoke.

"I am Rexcarius Valhalien"

Lacquer chuckled to Rexcarius' random remark and seeing this Rexcarius tried to copy him as well but only made an awkward smile that was similar to an unphotogenic introvert's yearbook photo.

"You're odd, I like it! I'm Lacquer Tidelode, nice to meet you Rex" Lacquer said as he extended his hand.

Rexcarius had no idea what to do so he flicked the hand which is what his mother did to him when she makes him extend his hand.

Lacquer again giggled to Rexcarius' action and also flicked his left hand.

"Teach me how you did that thing earlier would you?"

"Ermm ok"

Then a strong bond was sealed between the two, one of brothers.

Lacquer was able to teach Rexcarius everything about socialising and reading facial features to copy it while Rexcarius taught Lacquer how to control his magic.

While Lacquer was thought one method, Rexcarius understood 100 possible methods of understanding magic and although only one became applicable to Lacquer it was still the gateway to Lacquer reaching a fragment of his magical potential and finally he was able to face his family with a confident face because he was now able to make magic.

Their brotherhood would soon become the power dynamic that defeated empires but before that they had still many hurdles to overcome and one of the biggest ones happen to be the mercenaries sent to kill Rexcarius and all who stood in their way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Present Day*

Lacquer looked at the kingdom that he helped create and felt anguish, he finally did everything expected of him but it cost him everything.

He lost his family, his lover, his son while Rexcarius had everything, he had everything and yet he continues to throw everything away.

He neglected his youngest daughter who had the greatest potential, he pinned his other two against each other and worst of all he planned his own daughter's capture just to test a random boy's capabilities.

Zyderine almost died that day and he knew that she was the one most vulnerable of them all, it didn't matter that she had magic, after all he made her experience, she was bound to crack under similar environments.

Lacquer does not despise Rexcarius, even after all he has done but he couldn't let him rule any longer, he couldn't let an emotionless tyrant continue to control the land he fought so hard to create for just his own entertainment.

Lacquer believes he is the only one capable of doing this, Rexcarius is both a genius of magic and warfare but when it came to real combat there was only Lacquer who had the most experience because if Rexcarius is the brain well he was the sword and like every sword, it can impale a user who can't use it properly.

"This is farewell brother" he whispered in the wind as he braced himself to kill the only family he had left.