Five people were seated round a table in the Palace of Kisune. They were in the meeting room; a place in the palace where very important issues concerning the entire kingdom were to be discussed by the Kisune Oracle. The meeting room was mostly empty, except for a large round table in the center and a few bookshelves on one side of the room. The room was lit by a bright chandelier in the center of the ceiling and the walls were painted yellow while the shiny floor was a magnificent shade of gold. In the center of the round table was a golden magical orb placed on a small purple cushion.

A royal figure was seated on a large throne at the table. He had a golden crown on his head and wore a splendid purple robe. He was King Aleric Spellweaver of the Kisunes. Seated to his right was a feminine figure who had dark brown hair. She too had a crown on her head and wore a magnificent orange gown. She was Queen Rani Spellweaver of the Kisunes. To King Aleric’s left was a black haired man wearing regal attire. He was Budrik Spellweaver the Royal Adviser, who was also King Aleric’s brother and childhood friend. Next to Budrik was Cedric Celestia, a man who carried a magical wooden staff in his right hand and wore a dark hood. He had a short gray beard and gray hair, but he wasn’t old at all and, actually, he was one of the most powerful wizards in the entire kingdom. Finally, next to Cedric was a young lad who had a small crown on top of his blond hair. He also wore a purple robe. He was none other than the young Prince Ethan Spellweaver of the Kisunes.

The five of them made up the Kisune Oracle. The Oracle was in charge of making important decisions for the Kingdom of Kisune. They were all seated round the table waiting for something important before their meeting could commence. The only source of light in the entire room was the large chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Its light filled the entire room and it was so bright the golden colored floor glimmered.

After a few more moments of waiting, someone opened the large decorated door to the meeting room. It was none other than Desmond the butler. He hurriedly made his way to King Aleric, holding what appeared to be an important document in his hand.

“Here it is,” Desmond said to King Aleric upon reaching his seat. Desmond handed over an envelope to the King with a sigh of relief. “I would have come earlier but I had a flat tire. Sorry for the delay, your highness.”

“Thank you,” King Aleric began as a faint smile appeared on his face. “Make sure no one enters this room after you leave.”

“Certainly sire,” Desmond responded with a grin. The butler made his way out of the room which was so quiet his gentle steps sounded loud. Desmond closed the double door behind him as he left the meeting room.

“So,” King Aleric looked at the envelope in his hand. He gently opened the soft envelope and pulled out the letter inside it. His eyes darted from left to right as he analyzed every single word typed on the important letter. There was a calm silence that engulfed the entire room as he read it. “According to our records from our army General, the best person to carry out the operation is none other than Budrik Spellweaver, a former member of the Kisune Army. He has the expertise and experience needed to venture on this mission.”

The reaction to Aleric’s announcement came with mixed emotions. Queen Rani had a tight-lipped smile on her face. Cedric, on the other hand, looked at Budrik with a pleased grin. Budrik himself did look rather concerned, but wore a half-smile to avoid showing his worry in this important moment.

“I am honored to serve the Kisunes,” Budrik said, with a bright grin on his face, after a few moments of hesitation. Budrik looked at his younger brother, King Aleric.

“Is everyone in favor of Budrik embarking on this mission?” King Aleric asked. There was a chorus of affirmation from everyone, including the young prince. They all believed Budrik was the best person to embark on such a mission. He proved himself to be a strong and mighty warrior on several occasions before and only a few could match his mastery of magic and hand-to-hand combat. He was the perfect one, it seemed. “Orb of Enlightenment, what is your advice on the matter?” King Aleric shifted his sharp gaze to the golden glass ball in the center of the table.

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The orb suddenly began to glow a mystic shade of gold and hovered off the table. The Orb of Enlightenment was a powerful magical object that gave the best advice. Under the custody of Cedric, it was a prized and respected possession handed down from generation to generation.

“You’re wrong, Budrik must not go on this mission. I know someone who’s better off,” the Orb said. The orb had a masculine voice of its own, something most people found intriguing. Everyone was perplexed at the statement.

“Who?” King Aleric asked, staring at it with a look of curiosity on his face.

“Your son, of course!” The Orb exclaimed, almost jokingly, but everyone knew it was dead serious. Everyone was caught a bit off guard, especially Ethan the Prince himself, who looked squinted at the orb with a wide open mouth.

“Quit with the jokes!” Cedric looked sharply at the orb. “This is a serious matter! This is our best opportunity to finally get back our Emerald from the Okamis. If we fail, we might never have a chance to regain our lost treasure.”

“It’s not a joke,” the Orb explained and glowed brighter. “I’ve made the best decisions and predicted the future for you more times than you can count. Trust me when I tell you that Ethan should embark on this mission.”

Everyone stayed quiet for a moment. The Orb was right and they couldn’t argue with it in any way. They had to trust it. But this was a teenager they were sending to enemy territory. He wasn’t old enough to go on such dangerous missions, or was he?

“Ethan is too young,” Queen Rani sighed. “He’s just a teenager. We can’t seriously send him off to the territory of our own enemies.”

“It is true that Prince Ethan is young,” the Orb added and hovered higher above the table. “But, you must remember to never judge a book by it’s cover. I see so much potential in the lad.”

“So,” Budrik got up from his seat. “Let me get this straight. You suggest us to send a child to the territory of our most dangerous enemy and he must attempt to steal their most prized possession and you expect him to succeed, not to mention live?”

“I know this is hard to believe, but yes,” the Orb paused. “If you really want to succeed in this mission, follow my advice.”

Budrik sighed, glancing at King Aleric. “Alright,” King Aleric concluded after a moment of hesitation. “We’ll take your advice.”

“You will not regret it!” The Orb exclaimed joyously. With that, the golden colored orb hovered down to the purple cushion and rested on it once more.

All this time, Ethan just sat still, listening to everything.

I’ve always wanted to visit the Kingdom of Okami. I want to know more about the Okamis even though they’re my enemy. I heard rumors they were monsters, and I want to learn if it’s true. To make things more interesting, the entire mission is about retrieving the Dragon Emerald – one of the most powerful magical objects ever!

King Aleric gazed at his son for a moment. “Are you willing to go on this mission?” Aleric asked Ethan.

“For the glory of Kisune, yes!” Ethan said with a smile. “I’m not scared of the Okamis. I’ll show them just who they’re dealing with.”

Aleric smiled at his son’s courage. “I like your courage, but this isn’t as easy as you think,” he continued, “you’ll have to venture into enemy territory and steal the Dragon Emerald from our powerful enemy kingdom. Luckily, you won’t be alone. There’s already a spy in the kingdom that will help you all the way.”

Ethan grinned at Aleric.

***

The meeting was over. Everyone began to leave the meeting room. King Aleric, Queen Rani, Budrik, and Cedric were off to another room in the palace to discuss important issues relating to the Orb’s rather queer decision.

Ethan was on his way to his bedroom. He happily made his way through the long hall in the palace. The hall was painted orange and had a white tiled floor throughout. There were portraits of previous rulers of the kingdom to the left. To the right, there was a series of large windows each accompanied with beautifully decorated curtains. Ethan took his time and walked slowly, observing the beautiful portraits of rulers from long ago.

Eventually, he reached his room. He quietly opened the decorated door and entered it. He closed the door behind him the moment he got in and, without a second thought, raced to his regal bed. He threw himself on it and yawned. It was almost midnight. The meeting really kept him up late.

He shifted his attention to a particular owl that perched right on his bedside. Ethan grinned at the owl that looked at him quite surprised. “Tough day?” Snowy flapped his wings.

Ethan half-smiled and told the white owl about the meeting. He explained each and every detail.

“Wouldn’t you like to go?” Snowy glanced at Ethan with his big owl eyes at the end of his explanation.

Ethan smiled, “Of course I would!”

The two of them continued with their conversation a while longer. Soon, they were overcome by their tiredness and went to bed.