Book 1: The Crown Prince (The Kid Emperor of Occultoria)

Chapter 7 - A Warning

 As dusk settled on the Imperial Capital, Max examined his room in the Imperial Palace. It had actually been his parents' room and it was the most luxurious room in the entire palace. Even the door was luxurious. It was made of pure gold, but that wasn't even the part the best part. The best part was there was a big sign on the door that read "Max's Room."
His room here was like a mansion compared to his tiny room in the attic in his foster home. Max had never felt more accepted, as though he belonged.
An enormous king-size bed with fine down, lace pillows and silk blankets sat in the middle. A fancy wardrobe stood beside it on its left.
On the right of the bed was a magnificent bay window that allowed the viewer to have a panoramic view of the Imperial Capital.
Max stood by the window and stared out into the city. Mostly brown, it looked like a medieval European city to him. He could hear the cries of tradespeople plying their trade.
The setting sun dusted the city in its soft light. From Max's vantage point, the settlement looked like a dreamy romantic idyllic little town.
And he was going to be the Emperor of this city as well as other vast lands which he hadn't seen yet.
He was filled with awe and wonder but also such a huge sense of responsibility, the kind that weighed on him. He wanted to avenge his parents' wrongful deaths and succeed to the throne as the rightful leader of the Empire. And yet, he was scared. He knew he had to be brave and he was going to try, but there was so much he didn't know. He had no idea which abilities he had inherited from his parents and how to control them. He didn't know much about Purgatorio, the first province he had to invade, let alone how to persuade its queen to return to the Empire.
And yet, he had accepted his new task without question. This was his birthright. He knew he was meant to do this.
He turned around and gazed at the portraits of his parents on the wall above his bed. He had ordered some guards to take the portraits out of the dusty storage room and hang them there. That way, he could look at his parents every morning and be inspired in his long and arduous journey.
There was no mistaking it. Those were definitely his parents. He saw himself in them. He had similar eyes and face. Most importantly, he knew his gigantic ears had been inherited from his parents' own.
As he stared at his parents' faces, he was filled with hope and determination. They had obviously loved him very much, or else they wouldn't have sent him to the Natural World. It wasn't their fault that Ariel had failed to do her job and inform Max of the Supernatural World and his supernatural heritage.
He didn't want to disappoint them.
"I will reunite the whole Empire," he said aloud.
But he knew it was easier said than done.
There were ten whole provinces to subjugate, to bring back into the Empire. It felt like such a monstrous task in front of him. The archbishop had advised him to look at it in a piecemeal way. Max was told to focus on one province at a time and then, before he knew it, the entire Empire would be whole again.
He tried to clear his mind and focus on Purgatorio. The next day, training would begin. He would meet with his mentor the archbishop, his Imperial Council and others that have remained loyal to the Empire.
It's going to be fine, he told himself. I'm going to succeed.
At that point, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Max asked.
"Your servants, Your Imperial Highness. We're here to serve you refreshments and maybe do some light cleaning."
"Servants?" he said aloud.
He wasn't expecting any servants. He was already slightly uncomfortable with all the bowing and formal respect that everyone seemed to give to him. And everyone was calling him Your Imperial Highness. He liked it, but sometimes he thought it was all a little much for him.
"Come in," said Max.
The door opened and three long and thin penguins waddled into the room.
The one in the middle was twice as big as the other two. Like a typical penguin, it had a white chest and black face and flippers. But all three of them were huge, like stretched-out emperor penguins with their long legs and big flippers.
The one in the middle bowed and the other two followed his example.
"I am Steward, Your Imperial Highness," said the one in the middle, who was clearly in charge. "I'm your Chief Butler. If you need anything related to food and beverage and housekeeping, please let me know. It will be my honor to serve you."
Max gazed at the birds. They were the tallest penguins he had ever seen.
Noticing Max's unwavering stare, Steward explained, "We are Kairuku Grebneffi, sire. The tallest and heaviest penguins species that ever lived. We are extinct in the Natural World, but alive and well in this one."
Steward had a high light voice, almost comical, like a cartoon penguin's voice.
"We are cousins of the emperor penguins, sire," he continued." It makes sense, right? Emperor penguins serving an Emperor like yourself."
Still in awe, Max was unsure of what to say.
At that point, the penguin on Steward's left waddled up to Max and offered a drink on a gold-plated tray.
Max was feeling a little thirsty, so he took the glass of cold reddish-orange liquid. Beads of water dripped down the side of the glass.
"What is it?" he asked, eying it apprehensively.
"Fruit juice," said Steward. "It's made from the fruits in your orchard, sire. They are very rare so only members of the Imperial Family are allowed to drink its sweet nectar."
Max cautiously lifted the glass to his lips. As the heir to the throne, he knew that he must have enemies. Maybe these invisible enemies would try to poison him.
But he was incredibly thirsty and the cold frothy liquid looked delicious to him.
Steward urged, "Go ahead, Your Imperial Highness. It's safe."
When Max still hesitated, the butler said, "We can have my assistant here taste it for you."
Max handed the glass to the penguin on the butler's right.
The penguin took a sip.
Max waited.
The penguin was fine. It even flapped its flippers together, clapping comically like an idiot.
Satisfied that it was safe, Max lifted the glass to his lips and then drank. It was easily the best beverage he had ever had. Cold and quenching and frothy, the smooth liquid went down his throat and produced a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach.
He slurped the rest greedily and then laid the glass back on the tray.
"Thank you," he said, smacking his lips. The juice, whatever it was, had really hit the spot.
Steward replied, "No need to thank us, sire. It is our privilege to serve the next Emperor of Occultoria, especially when your father was such a great emperor."
Then, the butler instructed his penguin assistants to dust the floor and fluff the pillows on the bed.
Max protested, "No, I'm fine. It's really OK."
Steward asked, "Everything is to your satisfaction, sire?"
 "Yes, it is."
Max stared at the penguins, whose black and white fur colors looked very much like uniformed servants in an imperial household.
Satisfied that the servants had done their jobs, Steward clapped his flippers together once. "Alright, then. Remember, if Your Imperial Highness needs anything, all you have to do is to ring that giant bell, day or night."
He pointed to the gigantic gold bell on the bedside table.
Max stared into Steward's dark eyes. They were lively and gave every indication of happiness. It was as though these servants were most happy when they were useful and doing their jobs by serving him.
Max thanked and then dismissed his attendants.
One by one, the penguins waddled out of his room, clapping their flippers together noisily the whole time.
Finally, they closed the door.
Max was left alone with his thoughts. He was still getting used to be waited on hand and foot. Everyone was at his beck and call and he wasn't used to it at all. He considered dismissing all his servants, but then he realized that it gave them such joy to serve him that he didn't dare eliminate their livelihood, their passion, their reason for living.
He was starting to learn more and more about this new society, his ancestral homeland. Everything was so hierarchical and formal. The archbishop had casually mentioned the strict and rigid class system to him before showing him to his room.
According to the cleric, there were four social classes in the Empire: royalty, nobility, the clergy and the commoners. Each category had its own hierarchy.
The archbishop had even given him a chart, complete with the titles and formal styles. Max took it out and read it.

Royalty
His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor or the Regent/Lord Protector (The Sovereign or the Acting Sovereign)
Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress (The Sovereign's Consort)
Their Imperial Excellencies, the Viceroys (The Sovereign's representatives)
Their Imperial Highnesses, the Members of the Imperial Family (The children of the imperial couple: The Crown Princes and the Crown Princesses and members of the extended family)


Nobility
1. The Honorable Members of the Imperial Council (The executive branch of government, also Advisors to the Emperor: The Lord Chancellor, The Court Chaplain, The Spymaster, The Treasurer, and more to be appointed if necessary)
2. Their Graces, the Lords and Ladies of the Realm (Could be Queens, Kings, Dukes or Duchesses) - Ten Landed Heads of Provinces (All are members of the House of Lords and Ladies, the legislative branch of government).
3. Their Honors, the Most Noble Justices of the Occult Supreme Court, the judicial branch of government (One Lord/Lady Chief Justice and two Lord/Lady Associate Justices)
4. His/Her Worship, the Lord Mayor of the Imperial Capital of Occultoria City
5. Lord Counts/Lady Countesses - Heads of Counties (The counts are responsible for the day-to-day governing of the provinces)

Clergy
Her Holiness, The Matriarch (Head of the Holy Universal Faith)
Their Eminences, the seven Cardinals of the College of Cardinals (The Matriarch's advisors and responsible for electing the Matriarch. Only women are eligible as candidates to the Matriachate, but both genders may vote)
His/Her Grace, the Archbishop of the Imperial Capital (Head of the College of Bishops)
Their Excellencies, the ten Bishops of the ten provinces
The Reverend Priests and Priestesses
Deacons

Commoners
Soldiers/Police Officers/Bureaucrats
Farmers
Artisans/Craftspeople
Tradespeople/Merchants
Untouchables such as prostitutes, thieves, criminals, outlaws

Max was getting a headache just trying to keep track of each rank. He wondered if any of it even mattered. Everything and everyone was so formal and everything had its place and purpose. Maybe it was needed to make society run smoothly.
He was at the center of it all. It was exciting to think about, but also very taxing. He had a lot of responsibility. One wrong move, one tiny careless mistake he made could spell disaster for everyone in his empire.
He put down the chart on the bedside table, beside the giant golden bell.
A little while later, when the events of the day were finally wearing on him, he got into bed and closed his eyes but couldn't sleep.
The weather outside was abnormally loud.
The wind howled and slammed into the glass window. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Dark clouds gathered in the sky.
It looked like a storm was coming.
Max tried to ignore the noisy weather but when it got so loud he couldn't ignore it anymore, he got up and headed to the bay window.
He gazed outside.
The wind was pushing the trees in the courtyard back and forth, threatening to uproot them.
Loud rumbling thunder in the sky caught Max's attention.
Lightning struck again and that was when Max noticed something very strange.
Burned right into the dark sky by the lightning was a message that stayed in place long enough for Max to read it.
It read: Give Up the Throne Or Else....
***

The next day, Max was training in the courtyard. The bright sunlight shone down on him. It should have made him smile but he was worried about the message he had seen the night before.
Give up the Throne Or Else....
Who could have sent that? Who wished him ill? Did he have an enemy he didn't know about?
The archbishop saw him lost in thought. "Your Imperial Highness, you must pay attention."
Max decided to tell the archbishop about the message in the sky.
The archbishop said, "That sounds bad. I will look out for any more signs and investigate. The best way to remain safe is to develop your abilities so that you could defend yourself. Now, you must focus on the task at hand. Please understand that Purgatorio is a very dangerous place. It's a dog-eat-dog province. A single careless mistake could cost you your life."
Max looked at his new guardian. "Can't you come with me and help?"
"I'm afraid not, sire. I am the Regent and Lord Protector of Occultoria until you come of age. I have to stay behind to look after things here. Besides, you and you alone need to prove to the Nobles and the people that you're worthy to be the Emperor."
"But you can do magic. I can't go magic. Magic could come in handy."
"Your Imperial Highness has a lot of powers too. I can't teach you magic, because here in the Supernatural World, we're born with the abilities we have. We inherit them. We can't choose them. I was simply born a magician, but I had to work hard to hone my spell-casting skills. Just as Your Imperial Highness will have to work hard to hone your fire ability and other abilities you may have."
He then instructed Max to continue shooting fire out of his palm and onto the scarecrow on a cross.
Max held out his hand and willed fire to come out.
It did come out, but it spewed all over the place. It was wild and uncontrollable.
Max aimed for the scarecrow's head, but his aim was off and so the fire grazed a branch of a tree chaotically.
The archbishop held out a golden glove for Max. "Here, try this."
Gleaming in the sunlight, the glove had a symbol of a hammer on it.
Max took it. It was the coolest-looking glove he had ever seen.
The archbishop explained, "This is the Glove of Vulcan. It once belonged to your father., who got it from his father. It's a family heirloom I was instructed to present to you."
Max stared at it in awe. And to think his father had once wore it. He put it to his cheek. He felt closer to his father already. He wondered what his father was like as a child, growing up in the Imperial Palace. Was he a mischievous and unruly child? Was he popular? Or was he a misfit outcast like Max had been?
Max put it on. The glove fit his hand perfectly.
The archbishop raised his crozier. "Your Imperial Highness must point the glove at the scarecrow and then say, 'I summon the power of fire within me. Flamma!'"
Max clenched his gloved hand aimed it at the scarecrow. "I summon the power of fire within me. Flamma!"
He began to glow a healthy glow.
He actually felt the fire coursing through his body. He loved the feeling of power as it rose with him. It felt so familiar, as though it had been there all along and was just waiting for it to be properly summoned.
The glove grew golden and then fire blasted out of his fist, incinerating the scarecrow, and then causing fumes to rise. The smell of something burning filled the air.
Excitement rushed through Max. He was beginning to have a little taste of success and he like it.
The archbishop beamed. "Your father was a fire god, after all. Your Imperial Highness has simply inherited the power of fire."
Max began to play around with the glove. He realized that if he concentrated hard enough, he could control the size of the fire. He made it so that it became a gigantic ball as it sailed right into the prenglas tree. The whole tree caught on fire.
The archbishop furrowed his bushy eyebrows. "Careful, Your Imperial Highness. The Glove is not a toy. You should only use it sparingly. It needs time to recharge after every use, so overuse will cause it to fry."
Max thought it was so cool that his father was a fire god, but he wondered what his mother was.
"And what about my mother?" he asked.
"Your mother was a wind spirit," answered the archbishop. "Soon enough, you will figure out what powers you've inherited, if any. Sometimes, inheritance skips a generation and sometimes, they are in the genes but are not expressed."
From outside the palace walls, cries of protest and arguments could be heard. Soon, sounds of swords clashing shook the air.
The archbishop adjusted the miter on his head. "Now, we have some more important matters to discuss. Normally, you would be able to raise enormous troops to help you squash a province in revolt, but unfortunately, since most provinces of the Empire have rebelled, you have very few troops to help you storm Purgatorio. As you can plainly hear, we have troubles here in the Imperial Capital. There is great unrest because the people are starving. When the Empress left, she took most of the troops, gold and food with her. That's why we need as many troops as possible here, to put down the unrest. This includes most of your Elite Imperial Guard. The only available guard left is Eddie Draco."
Max thought about the dragon spirit that had saved his life. Eddie was nice enough, but he was clumsy and unable to control his fire-breathing skills and transformation. Eddie didn't particularly inspire a lot of confidence.
The archbishop continued, "Of course, Ariel will accompany you and act as your guide. As I said, I must stay to look after the affairs of government here. You see, when the Empress murdered your parents, most of the noble families pledged their support to the new Empress. And when she disappeared, most of them went with her. But, there was a small number of us that remained loyal to you and your father, and we're the ones who stayed behind here in the capital."
Max was curious about this mysterious Empress. As his older father's baby sister, she was technically his aunt, one that murdered his father, supposedly.
He asked, "Why did the Empress disappear?"
The archbishop shrugged. "I don't know. When and if the Empress returns, we will deal with her then. Who knows? She might not even come back. She might have just gone on vacation to the Exumas in the Caribbean Islands and enjoyed it so much she decided to stay."
Max wondered whether it was the Empress who had sent her the threatening message in the sky.
The archbishop said, "Being Emperor is going to be a lot of work. It's not going to be a walk in the park. There will be meetings of the Imperial Council to attend, masses in the cathedral to celebrate, meetings with your people. But it will also be very rewarding. Come now, young prince. Let me know you a room in the palace. Hopefully, it will inspire you and motivate you during tough times in the battlefield."
Max had been feeling quite overwhelmed in the past few days. He had found out he was the Crown Prince and had been introduced to a strange and wondrous supernatural world. And now, not only did he have to set out and reconquer ten whole provinces, he also had duties at home in the Imperial Capital.
But he looked forward to those duties. As the future Emperor, he viewed the duties as a privilege. It was still better than living in foster homes in the Natural World. Max knew that he would have to stay in the Supernatural World for a while, so he was glad he didn't have deep connections in the Natural World, only Jessica. He was dismayed that he didn't have time to say goodbye to her. She was probably wondering where he had gone. He decided he would send her a note or something. Maybe she could join him in the Supernatural World. Maybe she could even be his Imperial Consort or something.
The archbishop started to walk back toward the palace, but then stopped. He stooped down and picked up a reddish-orange fruit. It resembled an apple.
He wiped it clean on the sleeve of his white robe and handed it over to Max. "I don't think Your Imperial Highness has ever seen or tasted a prenglas before, have you?"
 Recognizing the reddish-orange color, Max nodded. "I have. The servants and Steward brought me a glass of juice last night."
He remembered his history lessons from school. "Prenglasses are extinct in the Natural World."
The archbishop grinned. "But Your Imperial Highness hasn't tasted the flesh of the fruit. It's delicious."
Max was beginning to see a pattern to things in the Supernatural World. Like the askeptosauruses living in the moat, prenglasses were extinct in the Natural World too, but here, they were alive and well.
Max smelled it first.
It had a rather fragrant scent, much like an apple.
He took a bite. Juice leaked out of his mouth, reminding him of how good the juice tasted.
The crunchy fruit was delicious.
The prenglasses tasted sweet, like nectar. He liked it so much that he ate the entire thing.
The archbishop nodded in approval. "We have five prenglas trees here in the courtyard. One of your ancestors found some seeds and took great care of the fledging little trees. Now, as you can see, the trees are huge and produce prenglasses. These are the fruits of royalty such as yourself. Only members of the Imperial Family may eat them."
Max considered himself privileged, but he was also troubled. There he was, living all alone in a luxurious bedroom in the enormous Imperial Palace that was made of fancy materials but his people were poor. He remembered the dirty and tattered clothing of the supernatural beings, his subjects that had formed a circled around him when he first landed.
It bothered him to see such poverty and he wished he could do something about it.
A sneeze caught their attention.
They scanned the horizon and there, crouching behind the palisade fence that separated the courtyard from the city was a little monster girl with green skin and horns on her head.
Max could hear her growling stomach from where he was standing. The noise sounded like the precursor of an earthquake.
Ignoring the cries of protest from his regent, Max walked over to the prenglas tree, grabbed a fruit off the branch and then chucked it across the fence to the girl.
The girl's eyes lit up as she greedily devoured the fruit.
"Thank you," she said, smiling.
Then, she went away.
The archbishop finally caught up to the young prince. "That fruit is only consumed by members of the Imperial Family," he reprimanded sharply.
"That poor little girl was clearly starving," Max said calmly. "What kind of emperor would I be if I let my people starve?"
The archbishop saw the wisdom in what the young prince had said. "You have the making of a great emperor in you."
Max nodded. He could only hope he could be half as great as his father was reported to have been.

***

Later that day, the archbishop led Max to a room that was heavily guarded. Instead of the usual two soldiers in red standing outside holding spears, there were four.
The captain nodded at the archbishop. "Your Grace." Then, he bowed before Max. "Your Imperial Highness."
The archbishop waved him aside.
The guards opened the diamond-crusted door and stepped aside.
The two of them went inside.
Max had been breathless with anticipation. What was inside the room? The archbishop had said it would contain something that would motivate him.
A large golden throne sat on an elevated platform. It was decorated ornately, with diamonds and rubies and sapphires.
The symbol of the Ergon and the symbol of a griffin was embedded right on the seat. A golden scepter, a silver ring, and a purple double crown, both with the symbol of the griffin, lay on the seat. Covering the back seat was a royal purple robe with a black griffin emblazoned on it.
The archbishop pointed to the throne. "This is the throne room. It contains the most precious jewels in the Empire. This is also where you receive your vassals, your advisors, foreign dignitaries and the common people. Your father sat in that very chair."
In awe, Max stared at the throne, the double crown and the scepter. He couldn't believe that his father had sat on that throne. He could even still feel his father's presence somehow.
The archbishop was right. Max felt more motivated. Maybe it was because he was finally looking at the symbols of his power and duties as the future Emperor. They were not to be taken lightly.
The archbishop explained, "The symbol of the Ergon originally represented anything supernatural, but in our world, it is both a symbol of royalty and of our religion. All members of the Imperial Family are entitled to use it. It's actually your family's official coat of arms and crest. Also, you will see that our priests have this symbol emblazoned on their clerical robes."
Then, he pointed to the throne. "The Occult Throne represents your seat of power as the Ruler and Sovereign of the Empire of Occultoria."
He pointed to the scepter next. "The scepter is a symbol of your right to govern, as well as a staff to lead the people to prosperity."
Then he pointed to the ring. "The ring represents your marriage to the state and the Empire."
And finally, he pointed to the Double Crown. "The Double Crown has two meanings. The bottom layer, the one with the sword on it, represents your status as the protector and defender of our religion, our most Holy Universal Faith. The top layer, the one with the Ergon on it, represents your status as the Emperor of the Supernatural World. You will get to wear all this when you are crowned."
Max digested the information in silence. A sense of hushed awe fell on him.
Seeing the symbols of the greatest office in the Empire both humbled and excited him. They were something to be earned. They were not a right.
The archbishop pointed to something else on the wall, beside the map. Right inside an empty trophy case was something that looked like a puzzle, but with all its pieces missing, except for one.
"That is the Imperial Puzzle," explained the archbishop. "Every leader of your regions has a piece. Right now, the Puzzle is empty, except for one piece, because the Empire is not whole. When you persuade the leaders to rejoin the Empire, they will show their submission by giving their piece to you."
Max stared at the single piece of puzzle. It was had a picture of a mosquito on it.
With tears in his eyes, the archbishop turned around. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going over to the chapel to say a quick prayer. I haven't seen the Puzzle and the imperial regalia for a long time. It's making me a bit overwhelmed."
He went over to the small chapel in the corner and knelt down before the altar. After tracing the symbol of the right eye in the air, the archbishop muttered, "In the Holy Names of the Eternal Mother and Father. Amen."
Max watched in fascination as the Regent bowed down in prayer. There was much about his homeland that he didn't know about. There was so much to learn. He was still discovering things for the first time, like this duotheistic religion that seemed to worship both a mother god and a father god.
When the archbishop finished saying his prayers, he turned to Max and explained a bit more about the religion. "We believe in one Mother Goddess and one Father God and together, they make up the Godhead. We believe that they are different sides of the same coin, like yin and yang. They are in both in all of us. As you know, we all have masculine and feminine traits. Our Holy Universal Faith is headed by the Holy Mother, called the Matriarch. The College of Cardinals advises her."
At that point, a knock on the door interrupted them.
Max turned around. A tall man in a flowing black cape had entered the room. He had dark gray eyes, a sharp nose, and red lips. He also had pale skin, as though he had never seen the sun before.
With his tuffs of white hair around his temples and his flowing black cape, he looked like Count Dracula.
The man smiled, revealing sharp teeth.
He then got down on his knees and bowed before Max. "Your Imperial Highness, I have traveled thousands of kilometers to swear fealty to you. It is my duty and honor to offer my allegiance before you." He spoke English with a sophisticated and cultured Central European accent.
The curious-looking man held out his hand.
Unsure of what to do, Max took it tentatively.
Noticing the newcomer, the archbishop hurried over.
"This is His Grace, Duke Oscuro, the Duke of Demonia, the Land of Demons," introduced the archbishop. "He is the head of the only province that hasn't rebelled. Of the ten provinces, his province is the only one that has remained loyal to the Empire."
Max was getting used to random strangers bowing before him. He was also quickly learning the formal protocol, mannerisms and speech of his native land.
He nodded at the duke. "My Lord, please rise."
 The man rose. "Your Imperial Highness is entitled to tour my land and raise any troops he needs to quell the rebellions in the other provinces. I do not condemn this sudden rebellion and I loathe to see disorder and anarchy of any kind. It sends the wrong kind of message to the people. We don't want them to think that it is their right to rise up in rebellion against their sovereign lord."
The archbishop stroked his beard. "Your Imperial Highness, it might be a good idea to accept the duke's kind invitation. You will need as many troops as possible to squash the rebellion in Purgatorio."
Max said, "I accept Your Grace's kind invitation."
The duke smiled. "Perhaps you would like to go with me now."
The archbishop said, "Yes, there's no time to waste. The Crown Prince could take his imperial griffin Damien."
Duke Oscuro said, "I'll be waiting outside for Your Imperial Highness."
He backed away while facing the prince and then left.
The archbishop leaned closer to Max. "I won't lie to Your Imperial Highness. You have inherited a mess. This process of reuniting the entire Empire won't easy, but your people need you. They will suffer without a strong ruler. We can't allow the Empire to descend into anarchy."
Max nodded.
The archbishop went on, "That is why it is urgent that you leave right away, even though you haven't had much training. You can learn on the job. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to defeat the Queen of Purgatorio. She is most likely amassing more and more troops as we speak."
Max nodded again, grateful that he had such a kind and gentle advisor. "Thank you, Your Grace."
He had heard people address the archbishop as Your Grace and so he thought he would copy them. Everyone seemed to be very formal at court and he didn't want to stand out by being different, especially as he was their leader.
The archbishop said, "Your Imperial Highness is most welcome. Now, since there is no time to waste, you must head directly to Purgatorio after Demonia. I will send Eddie to meet you there. Ariel will meet you on the tarmac and go with you. This might be the last time I see you until your triumphant return."
He put a gentle hand on the young prince's shoulder. "You must remember one thing, sire. You are destined for greatness. You were not meant to live an ordinary live. You are destined to be a great emperor, one that will lead the Occultorian Empire into its golden age. We suffered terribly under your aunt. The unrest and poverty you've seen in your short days here are remnants of that reign. She bankrupted the treasury to build her statue. Now, all hope rests on you, sire. Don't forget that you must embrace yourself. Have faith. Have confidence. And everything will be alright."
Max was struck by a feeling of deja-vu. Someone else had said that to him already. Ms. Hansen, his teacher back in the Natural World, had also told him to embrace himself. Only then could he grow and be happy.
The archbishop made the sign of the Ergon by tracing his fingers in the air in an eye shape. "May the Eternal Mother God and the Father God be in your heart."
Max watched in rapt attention.
He had such a strong feeling of duty and honor in his heart.
It was a lot of pressure, but he silently vowed not to let his people down.
But still, as he thought about the enormous challenge in front of him, a hint of doubt seeped into his mind.
Could he really do this? Was he really meant to be a great emperor?
 Or was he just some average kid who would never amount to anything?