Chapter 2: Waking up

Amidst the clash of opposing spirits in the starry sky, a ring of armored soldiers formed around the prone figure of the young prince.

Their voices, urgent and determined, broke the silence of the night with their passionate pleas:

"Protect the prince!"

"An attempt on the young prince's life!"

Their shouts echoed through the air, rallying in defense against the unseen enemies.

With the young prince on their shoulders, the armored soldiers hurried through the corridors of the royal palace, their hurried footsteps echoing. Meanwhile, the chaos outside continued unabated. The piercing ringing of the bells sent shivers down the servants' spines and made them freeze in fear.

Despite the paralysis that gripped the servants, the guards pressed on, driven by a single purpose and forcibly made their way into the medical chamber. They believed that the prince's life was worth more than the value of a thousand servants.

So Prince Carl was gently laid on the pristine bed in the medical chamber, where the royal physicians began their examination, leaving not an inch of his body unexplored. Despite their expertise and the many strange instruments at their disposal, they were unable to find the cause of his ailment.

The physicians' every gesture was characterized by tension and fear, for they knew of the terrible consequences that threatened them. If they failed to save the prince, it meant certain doom for them all, regardless of their prestigious titles as royal physicians.

Despite their best efforts, the royal physicians were ultimately unable to diagnose the prince's ailment. They could only prescribe him a sleeping pill to alleviate his pain. As they left the medical chamber, they were met by an impressive group of heavily armed guards. Among them was a man of regal bearing, unmistakably the king and Carl's father. Beside him stood a woman of delicate demeanor, dressed in a lavender robe that gave her a quiet elegance.

But despite her graceful appearance, a veil of worry enveloped her features and tears threatened to flow from her eyes. It was obvious that she was Carl's mother, and her motherly concern was palpable as she stood beside her husband, the king, in the midst of the tense gathering.

When the king saw the royal physicians coming out of the room, he spoke in a voice devoid of emotion. "What has happened? Has he been saved?"

The physicians were terrified. None of them dared to come forward and tell the king of their failure. Their clothes were soaked with sweat, their faces pale and their eyes unfocused.

One of the guards stepped forward and spoke in a harsh voice, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Did you not hear the king? Answer his question."

After a long hesitation, an elderly doctor stepped forward. His face was wrinkled and his head was bald. He wore a black robe embroidered with red decorations, indicating his rank as a royal physician. He spoke with shame: "I am ashamed to say this, but we do not know what's wrong with the young prince."

The king's eyes flashed with anger and he looked as if he wanted to kill someone. Then the physician mustered the rest of his courage and said: "We have examined his body inside and out and tested him for poisons. We have found nothing that could explain what is wrong with His Highness"

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He took a deep breath, as if resigned to his fate, and then continued: "So we had no choice but to give him a sleeping pill to alleviate his suffering."

The physician's shoulders slumped and he let out a final sigh. The weight on his chest had lifted when he saw that the king was no longer thinking of killing anyone.

The queen stepped forward. "What good are you," she said in a contemptuous voice, "if you can't solve problems when we need you?"

The guards tensed, ready to seize the doctors. But the king raised a hand. "Enough," he said. "Let us go to see Carl."

They opened the large wooden door and the smell of disinfectant, common in modern hospitals, hit them. They walked step by step between the beds in the hospital room until they reached a large bed. On the bed lay a young man with furrowed brows and a face contorted in pain.

His pale face and trembling lips made it seem impossible not to sympathize with him, but the king remained expressionless. The queen, on the other hand, burst into tears and grasped Carl's hand as if to comfort herself. She murmured in a barely audible voice: "Carl! Please don't leave me. It will break my heart and I will never be happy again if you leave like this!"

The king said only one thing: "Carl!" This time there was a hint of sadness and worry in his voice.

Is life really so unfair? He was blessed with a son after decades of earnestly and desperately trying to have children, and he was unable to have another son, no matter how hard he tried. He is desperate! Although the kingdom will not be destroyed as there are many members of the royal family, he does not want the reign to pass to another person's lineage! He felt desperate, as if he was destroying what his ancestors had worked for.

All he could do was sit down weakly on a nearby chair. Ominous thoughts invaded his mind and hope faded away.

He did not stay seated for long. It only took a few moments for him to regain his composure, as befitted a great king and a seven-star warrior! He left the room with a grumpy face, as if he wanted to punch someone.

At the same time, Carl heard a familiar voice and regained control over his greed.

He stepped away from the orb as if it were the devil's stuff, and fear filled his heart. He almost lost himself as he followed his lust, but a voice had saved him at the last moment.

After calming down for a while, he tried to regain consciousness. But he did not know how to do it. This unique situation left him at a loss. The only solution he could think of was to try to close his eyes and regain control of his body.

But his attempts failed. He tried various methods, such as communicating with the stars or shouting out loud, but no matter what he tried and no matter what method he used, he could not return to his body.

During this time, he did not pay attention to his surroundings and did not notice that the celestial body had begun to glow in a strange way. As soon as he closed his eyes to make another attempt to return to his body, the orb shot out and hit him on the forehead. However, the stars hanging in the sky did not react in any way.

One week after this incident.

The queen walked light-footedly, her eyes darting left and right as if she were sneaking into the room. In her hand she held a silver book with an eye and a star in the center, its edges embossed with gold. The book was not large, but these suspicious movements did not escape the guards' notice. However, they paid no attention to them. They were used to it.

Over the past week, the queen had been sneaking in and out with all sorts of strange objects in her hand. This time, at least she had a book with her. Two days ago, when she brought a bloody eye with fresh blood dripping from it, she had almost frightened people. So no one was shocked and no one paid any attention to her.

The queen thought that her actions were secret and that she had escaped the eyes of the people, but the king had all the information about her visits, which gave him a big headache. Her protective instinct for her son and her desire to save him made her do some crazy things.

The queen continued her light steps and approached the sleeping Carl, whose frown still dominated his face. The pain was clear to see, and his face had become even paler, as if it no longer contained any blood.

The queen took the young prince's hand and brought it to her forehead. She whispered his name, "Carl", but he did not answer. Despair spread through her heart and the fear of losing her son took up most of her thoughts.

But she gathered what little sanity she had left or so it seemed, and sat down on a nearby chair. She opened the book and began to recite some strange words from it. It did not seem to be a familiar language, but rather a random mix of letters. She continued until her throat went dry and her strength left her. Then she could not help but fall asleep.

Carl opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room on a strange bed. All he could remember was that he had fallen asleep in the garden under the shade of the tall tree, enjoying the gentle breeze. What had brought him here? He remembered that it was midday, so how could night fall so quickly?

Many existential questions ran through his mind. He took a deep breath and began to examine his surroundings. He realized that he was in the medical room, but he did not know how he had gotten there.

He tried to open his mouth, but no sound came out. He felt a burning sensation in his throat. He quickly searched for water to quench his thirst.

What he saw was a glass of water on the bedside table. There was also a chair where the weakened queen slept fitfully, though he paid her no mind.

All he wanted was water. He struggled to move his stiff, heavy body. The queen awoke with a start to his clumsy movements, hot tears streaming down her face at the sight of his poor state. Though wishing to cry out, she held her breath, lest she disturb him further.

Then she noticed his stare was fixed not on her but on the glass of water. She understood at once what he needed. Taking the glass in her trembling hands, she brought it to his cracked lips. Only a few drops at a time did she allow, lest he choke on his thirst.