Prologue

“One! Two! Three! Four!”, called out the stern voice of General Bau Fai.

Set in his deep horse stance, Sei Zan struck with each count. First his upper arms, then his lower pair. With each blow, blue sparks edged in all the colors of the rainbow burst from his fist.

The General repeated his four number phrase, and Sei Zan continued. Bau Fai pressed a huge hand against the boy’s lower back. “Don’t hunch over!”

After some time practicing punches, Bau Fai then indicated the boy could rest. As the boy sipped his water from the skin, the General leaned over. He was heavyset, with a pointed full beard and his snow-white hair tied in a neat topknot.

“Your father is watching. Let’s practice the kicks next.”

Sei Zan looked up at the balcony of the training yard. The stern obsidian face of his father peered over the railing, his long black beard and mustache blowing a bit in the wind. The boy quickly focused back on his training.

“Kicking stance!” the General shouted. “Front kick!”

Sei Zan pulled his knee up and shoved it forward. Sparks flew from his hoof, larger than the ones he had made with his hands.

“Other leg!”

Sei Zan obeyed. This continued for several minutes, until the General sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. “Well done, my prince. Rest a moment. My wife will be here with the swords in a minute.”

At the mention of swords, Sei Zan smiled. He looked about and saw Lady Bak Sing walking over, wooden training swords in hand. Excited, he ran to her with his arms outstretched. “Milk mama!”

The bronze skinned woman smiled and accepted his hug with grace. While she usually let locks of her hair flow down, for the training she kept it all up in a neat bun. “My prince, you shouldn’t call me that anymore. And you should rest a moment before sword training.”

The boy pouted a bit, but it turned to a bright smile after Bak Sing took his hand in hers and walked him to the straw targets. For much of an hour, she taught him the various stances and strikes, poking him with a stick to correct his form. Sei Zan tried not to look up, but he knew his father’s eyes were boring into him.

After the training ended, a servant came to them, “His Luminance wishes to speak to you two. And his son.”

Sei Zan followed his two trainers as they walked the throne room, nervous and quivering. The halls were wide, and painted ceramic tiles formed drawings of falling stars upon the stone walls. Before entering, Bak Sing knelt down and brushed the single lock of hair on Sei Zan’s mostly shaved head. “You must look your best for your father,” she said with a smile.

The great doors then opened, revealing a large room with eighteen pillars. It was empty, save for the guards and the lone occupant on the elevated throne. Sei Zan’s father sat upon the horned chair, a tiger’s pelt cushioning his behind as he leaned on one of the sides. Two dragons coming out from his back lazily snaked about the ornate chair.

As they knelt down on the cushions before the throne, a sharp voice echoed to them, “And how far has my son advanced, General Bau Fai? Lady Bak Sing?”

The somewhat portly General smiled. “He is moving along very well, my Luminance. His form is good, and he can consistently create sparks. Most children his age find that very difficult- even my own daughter did when she was small.” The prince beamed at the praise, although his joy evaporated when his father stood up.

Sei Zan’s father paced about on his elevated dais, his once relaxed pose rigid and unyielding. The twin dragons that emerged from his upper shoulder blades perked up, and stared at them. Sei Zan’s own dragons, more reminiscent of cobras, laid flat on the ground. The boy wanted nothing more than to look down at the ground, but Sei Zan recalled his father’s fury the last time he did not meet his eye.

“And yet his older brothers were doing more at his age. Tell me, why can he not use the Wrathburst yet? When his brothers were four, they could use their own enhancements.” The boy’s lip began to quiver and he felt his eyes water.

The General’s smile wavered a little. “My Luminance, he is only four. And controlling the Wrathburst’s radiance is harder than-”

“Do not trouble me with excuses for my son’s slowness, General. Lady Bak Sing, when will my son be ready for sparring with swords?”

The swordswoman’s eyes widened at that. “He is far too young, my Luminance. I do not let any spar until at least nine, and sometimes even later. But the Prince is-”

His father held his hand up and silenced her. “So he cannot weave the radiance as skillfully as his brothers, and he is not a prodigy with weapons. I thought great masters such as you two would be able to shape him up. Though I suppose even a master cannot hammer tin into a proper sword. Very well, you are dismissed.”

Sei Zan held back his tears as best he could until they exited the throne room. Once they were outside, Lady Bak Sing held him in her arms and let him cry into her shoulder. “You were very brave, my Prince.”

Bau Fai patted his back and smiled, “Let’s get some tea. I think today is good for jasmine.”

But their plans were cut short as another servant walked up to them. “The Lady Luminescence sends for her son.”

His two teachers stepped back. “We can have some tea later, my Prince.” They clasped their right hands in their left ones, and leaned their heads back to point their horns away from him. Sei Zan did the same, although his own head lacked horns at the moment.

Walking up the flights of stairs was tiring, but Sei Zan bore the exhaustion, as he had not seen his mother since yesterday. When the guard opened the door, his mother’s face, a very rare cobalt, spread into a wide smile.

“My baby! Oh come here,” she motioned him to the bed. Sei Zan dashed forward and hopped on, giving her a tight hug. “Are you better mama?” the little boy asked as his mother squeezed his cheeks in her hands.

“I’m better every day I can see you, my little one,” she said. And indeed, she did seem better. The cobalt of her skin seemed stronger and her white tresses looked neater as well. She stroked the lock of hair on her son’s head as Sei Zan did what his mother always asked of him- tell her about his day.

As he recounted his father’s harsh criticism, he felt his mother hug him tight and kiss his forehead. “Oh my little one, don’t fret. You’ll be a fine warrior some day.”

The door swung open again, and Sei Zan’s imposing father entered, the doctor next to him. “The doctor says you need your rest, my love. Go study elsewhere, boy,” his father snarled. The greyish bronze hued doctor, round-shouldered and willowy, motioned to the door. But Sei Zan’s mother raised her hand.

“I rest best when I am with my son,” she said firmly, although she coughed a bit after that. Still, she sat strong in her bed, even in the face of her intimidating husband.

His face twisting into a deep scowl, Sei Zan’s father growled, “The boy nearly killed you coming into this world, and you still want to coddle him?”

Now it was Sei Zan’s mother’s turn to frown. “He is not responsible for that! Don’t you dare blame him. He’s visited me more than you have in these past few days anyway,” she scolded.

At that, Sei Zan’s father recoiled as if he was struck, although he recovered quickly. “Not in front of the boy. Leave, son. Go to your studies. I need have words with your mother.”

At that, the boy left, muffled arguing fading away as he trotted down the stairs.