Chapter 1 - To Where It Starts

Bam!

Ivan's ears started ringing as their car turned upside down. Sitting down on the ridges of the forest of Bulvkan in the City of Iroland.

Duke Henry IV was struggling as he moved to help his son adjust from the seat. He ignored the pain and unwrapped his son from his wife's arm. He shook his wife but she didn't respond. Blood gushing down his wife's forehead.

"Ivan…" His father called him huskily as he removed his necklace from his neck. "Ivan…" He shook him quickly.

"Papa, you are bleeding," Ivan mumbled.

"Ivan, you have to run. Run as fast as you can and don't let them catch you. Call your grandfather…" He took out the phone from his pants' front pocket and gave it to him.

"What about Mama?" He asked as he reached for his mother's hand.

"Leave her be…" Ivan's father slid the necklace to Ivan's elegant tuxedo that is now ruined by blood. "You have to run."

Ivan's father pushed open the door. It's jammed. So, he took out his handkerchief inside his blood-tainted tuxedo and wrapped it around his fist, and punched the glass window to break it. He paved the pieces of broken glass away. Then, he quickly slid his son outside. Ivan stood outside and stopped for a moment and watched as his father reached for his mother to wake her up. But she's severely injured. Her shining black hair glistened with red blood at the slight ray of the moonlight flowing through her neck.

"Run!" His father roared at him and that made him run into the woods with hesitation and confusion. As he dashed through the forest he heard screeching sounds of tires making him stop from dashing and looked back at their car. As he looked back, he saw their car lose balance and eventually roll down the cliff when one of the cars hit it. The rumbling sound of their car rolling down the cliff was accompanied by other cars hit with their securities in it.

Then he saw a man come outside from one of those cars who hit them, holding a gun in his left hand. His silhouette terrified him. Then Ivan started running again, all his tears streaming down his cheeks unknowingly. He felt his body ached as he tried to move with every muscle in his body contracting with so much fright.

Then he heard an explosion. He stopped. He wanted to run back but he heard a voice.

"Lord Ivan, where are you?" A man's voice called. He started running again through the woods as he heard heavy footsteps coming in his direction

His chest was heaving as he kept on running in the dark. He pushed himself through all the branches and whatever it is on his way. He tripped many times, but he endured all the pain that he felt. Bang! Then he felt a sharp sting on his right arm and he held it, wishing that he dodged every bullet that the man shot. He kept on running all the while with the blood gushing from his right arm. He found a big tree and hid from it. He pulled the phone his father gave him from his pocket and started to dial his Grandfather's number to ask for help.

"Lord Ivan, you don't have to run like that." he heard the man's voice again. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth while sobbing. He froze as he felt someone pulled him up.

"Oh, there you are."

His chilling laugh echoed as he dropped him off the ground. Ivan saw him take out something inside his suit with his right hand. He cannot see what it was but he saw him attached it with his gun in his left hand.

"I know… I know…" he mumbled and pointed the gun to him after. "But I have no choice at all. You can't be the King… I'm sorry."

Ivan closed his eyes, waiting for what will happen next. But he heard a scream, then he saw the man with an arrow stuck on his left wrist and the gun on the ground.

He quickly stood to run but someone pulled him and covered his mouth.

"It's me." The man said softly and then Ivan recognized the voice. It's someone he can trust. "You are safe now."

The man ran as he carried Ivan away, then their family guards ran after the man who threatened to kill him and who probably hurt his parents. The pain in his chest increased as he thought about it.

"We have to quickly leave the country, Lord KI."

"How about Mama and Papa?" He asked as the man, as his vision started becoming dizzy and the voices and sound of the men chasing them started to fade away.

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He woke up in a bed, with belts on his body. An IV was connected to him.

"Papa? Mama?" He called out.

"I'm sorry, my little KI." His grandfather said.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" he asked.

"We have to send you away."

"Why?" He asked. "How about Mama and Papa?"

He took out something. The medallion that his father gave to him.

"Keep this safe and keep it for yourself. You will soon claim the throne."

"Grandpa," tears started streaming down his cheek. "Don't tell me that you are leaving me again."

"I have to. I'm sorry." He kissed his forehead. "You are the rightful heir to the throne of Etrama."

"No…" he started sobbing. Pain that felt like pins and needles poking his head made him stop crying.

"Hush now, son. You have to be strong. Do you understand me? If I didn't seek you, make sure to come home and claim the throne."

"Grandpa, no… please…" He begged.

<><><><>

He couldn't sleep at night thinking about what he witnessed while hunting on the boundary. A little boy almost died because of that man who was after him. Then, at that time, news came up that the Etrama family was in an accident. Then, this time, there's a follow-up from their autopsy. Duke Henry IV and his wife, Duchess Aubrey Arwen Etrama together with their son died in a car accident. Soon, it was said that the case was a murder. Then, the Old Duke that now takes over everything said that he will hunt down the people who are connected to it.

He was so sure that the boy he saved was alive. Or else, the man who took him was also part of it. He turned off the television and went back to the reader as the door opened. The old man, around the fifties, his butler approached him.

"Lord Mave, your mother said that you need to sleep. It's past your sleeping time.

"I will, Butler Paul."

"I won't tell you that you sneaked out two days ago." He mumbled. "But please, don't do it again."

"Don't worry. I won't put you in peril Butler Paul."

The old man was like his second father. The Butler took his book away and turned off the lights, leaving the dim light of lamps.

"Good, night." The Butler bowed at him.

Once the butler left, he turned on his flashlight and pulled the drawer as he took out a notebook that contains the photo of his real mother. Back then, his mother was the loving one. His father loves her too much until that woman came. The woman who claimed to be the real wife of his father. They kicked his mother out and he never heard about her anymore. But she left him something. He said that with it, he can say that he's the rightful heir of the mansion and everything.

Some said that Lady Christine was an elegant beautiful woman. She's from a rich family. But everything is wrong at the moment. His half-siblings were bullying him. Or more like, they wanted him gone. His father ignored him too. There's only Butler Paul, the Butler who was always there and he promised to protect him at all cost.

He quickly closed the book when the door opened. He pointed his flashlight to the man. Butler Paul quickly entered. Oddly, he locked the door.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You need to leave." He said as he pulled him from the bed. He took the notebook and the photo. "Where's the amulet?" He asked. He didn't speak about it. "You have to take that amulet with you." He looked like in a rush.

"Butler Paul…"

"They will kill you." He said grimly.

"I don't understand." He mumbled.

He watched as Butler Paul took one of his clothes and put it to him. Then, the Butler took out something from his tuxedo and put it on his face. It looked like silicon with a different face and hair. The Butler also packed a few things with his backpack. Then, he took out the amulet from the safe in his room.

"Don't say a word." He said softly.. He nodded and followed Butler no matter what.