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

by Jason W. Chan

  ***

  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 Hi
ghness 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?

  ***