WINTER had already spent five years in the Solarium but he was still amazed at how beautiful it was.

Aside from the fact that the island was floating, it was just as normal as any prosperous kingdom. According to Aunt Luna, the Solarium was as big as their family's dukedom.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see Oakes when we were still in the Royal Capital.

Anyway…

As soon as he got out of the house, he looked up to look at the blue sky.

Ordinary people wouldn't see it but he was different. He could clearly see a very thin but very powerful barrier around the whole island. He loved his Aunt Luna but the barrier that she could create was nothing compared to the barrier surrounding Solarium.

If the barrier of the island was weak, then it would have crashed down a long time ago.

It's amazing how the air up here is still normal.

And it was definitely because of the barrier.

The houses in the island were like the houses of average islands. Even their house was just a little bigger than the rest. The life there was simple and the poverty rate was very low. It was probably thanks to the low population (compared to the empire below) and the good leadership skills of the Fire Archmage.

Almost everyone here knows each other.

The Solarium was composed of five floating islands.

Of course, the center island was called the Main Capital. That was where they lived.

The Fire Archmage's temple is also here.

The four other islands connecting to the Main Capital were simply called North Island, East Island, West Island, and South Island. Each island was being supervised by the Keepers.

And they are called Lords (and Lady for Kelsi, the only female Keeper).

The surprising thing that he found out about the island was the fact that not only Fire Mages lived up there.

According to the stories that he heard from the adults, when the Fire Mages escaped from the empire to avoid execution, they also brought most of their followers with them. So right now, the citizens of the Solarium could be classified into five "categories."

1. The Rosenbergs– the direct descendants of Winchell, the Red Phoenix.

2. The Keepers– he was yet to know the story behind the Keepers of the Supreme.

3. The Fire Mages– the clan where the Rosenbergs originated.

4. The Sun Priestesses– the women serving the Red Phoenix and the sun.

5. The Followers– ordinary humans who devoted themselves to the Fire Mages.

"Boss Winter!"

Winter smirked when he was greeted by his underlings when he arrived at their little hide-out. He called it hide-out but it was just an abandoned school building. It was yet to be renovated so the street children were using it as a "hide-out."

"Hey, kids," Winter greeted the children older than him. But of course, mentally, he was still older than these brats. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, boss!" the three ten year old boys named Axel, Brent, and Clarence answered simultaneously.

Clarence was a skinny, nerdy kid with round eyeglasses. He looked like a pushover but he was the brain of the trio.

Brent was the pretty-looking rich boy. He was the group's "financier." (AKA the one who would always buy snacks for them).

Axel was the tall, chubby, and very strong "muscle" of the trio. The musclehead used to be a bully but after he knocked him out with one hit last week, he promised to change and "follow" him forever.

They're my underlings now.

But to be honest, he looked really out of place.

After all, he was the only person in Solarium who would wear suits. The climate in the island was always hot even at night. It was probably because of the fire Mana that almost everyone in the island possessed. But the heat was tolerable, especially in the nighttime.

But since his body was naturally cool, he couldn't really feel the heat in the island. That was why he always wore suits and thick clothes.

Kids around him used to bully him for it. After all, the children wore light clothes.

Most of the people in the island also had pretty Sunkissed or bronze skin.

He, his mommy, his Aunt Luna, and some of the Keepers stood out like sore thumb because of their pale skin.

"I already know when Mount Sola will return to the Main Capital," Clarence reported while holding his trusted leather notebook. He even adjusted his eyeglasses before he continued. "According to my research, the floating ship is about to return in a week."

Ah, so he only had to wait for a week. "Good job, Clarence."

Clarence looked so proud of himself. "Thank you, Boss Winter!"

Brent cleared his throat and when he turned to him, the flower boy started his report. "I have already acquired the tools that we need to be able to escape the Main Capital's security without being caught."

"But even if we're caught, I'll protect you, Boss Winter," Axel said proudly while flexing his arm muscles. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Sure," Winter said casually. I'll probably do all the saving anyway.

He really didn't want to escape the Main Capital without permission from his mommy but he couldn't wait any longer.

Uncle Fire Archmage and the overprotective Keepers don't want Mommy and I to leave the island.

Of course, he would always be thankful for their protection.

But my daddy needs us!

Also, he couldn't sit still knowing that Julian– that traitor– had taken his place and was pretending as the "child of the prophecy." In short, Julian was acting like his father's son!

His mommy didn't want him to find it out but he had his ways of digging up the information that the Keepers had been gathering all these years. He didn't really care about the stuff with the emperor because he knew his mommy could handle him. He witnessed how his mother worked hard to be that powerful today.

But the issue about the fake son of his father, only him could resolve that.

I won't allow you to steal my father from me, Julian.

"Are you seriously going to hi-jack Mount Sola once the ship returns?"

Winter glared at the owner of the mocking, high-pitched voice. "Princess Solenn."

Solenn was the Fire Archmage's only daughter.

She was the same age as his physical body (five years old) but like him, she spoke and acted like an adult.

"Greetings, Princess Solenn!" the trio greeted the princess with sparkling eyes.

He rolled his eyes at that.

Apparently, Solenn was the prettiest girl in the whole island.

The princess had black hair (but not as black as his mother's), deep peach eyes, and fair skin. Despite her status, she liked wearing simple clothes like she wore now: a loose black dress and a pair of boots.

"Are you going to tell the adults?" Winter confronted the princess. "If ever, it wouldn't be the first time."

"I won't snitch on you this time," Solenn said with an evil smile. "But only if you bring me with you, Winter."

"No," he rejected her bluntly. "I don't have time to babysit, "princess.""

The princess pouted– a clear indication that she was still really a child. She was just acting mature because of the expectations that she had to carry on her tiny shoulders as the only heir of the Fire Archmage. "I'm not a child and I don't need you to babysit me," she said firmly. "I want to see the world outside the island, too, Winter."

"The world outside this little bubble of yours is dangerous, princess."

"I'm strong," she insisted, and then she stood up straight with her head held high. "I'm even stronger than you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're the son of the Supreme but you can't use fire properly," she said with a smirk. "Are you really a Fire Mage, "Lord Winter?""

Okay, he was insulted.

To be honest, he could be patient with other kids because he was an adult inside.

But this little brat princess always manages to get on my nerves!

His jaw clenched in annoyance as he snap at the princess. "I'm. A. Fire. Mage."

Axel, Brent, and Clarence knew that he and Solenn would clash again. They didn't need to tell the trio to run away so that they wouldn't get caught up in the fight. The three boys already ran as far away from them as possible.

"If you're really a Fire Mage, then prove it," Solenn challenged him with an arrogant smirk. Then, she posed like a boxer with her little fists already engulfed in red flames. "If you beat me with fire, I won't insist on joining you to your little adventure. But if you lose to my fire, I'm going to snitch on you." She looked at him up and down, obviously sizing him up and mocking him at the same time. When her deep peach eyes landed on his face, she let out an insulting laugh. "Should I give you a handicap, Lord Winter?"

"There's no need for that, Princess Solenn," he said, offended. "You may attack first."

He didn't want to be accused of picking a fight with a girl.

However, if the princess attacked first, then he could say that he fought back as self-defense.

"Alright," the princess said, then she smiled "sweetly" at him. "Uncle Wong is arriving at the Main Capital the same time Mount Sola would return here."

His eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Uncle Wong was the most dangerous Keepers of all.

Unlike the others, Uncle Wong was the only one hostile to his mommy. And that grumpy man was especially strict with him. Whenever he was in the Main Capital, he would always keep an (angry) eye on him as if he was waiting for him to make a mistake.

If Uncle Wong is here, then it will be hard for me to run away!

"Lord Winter, you're distracted."

He gasped when all of a sudden, the princess was already in front of him.

Damn!

He tried to jump backwards to avoid her but it was too late.

Solenn's flaming fist already hit him on the face– sending him flying until his tiny body hit (and destroyed) the wall a few meters away from where the princess stood. "Loser!"

Winter glared at the princess who was already doing a victory dance. The back of his head was bleeding and he also had cuts and bruises from the impact. His whole body hurt, but his pride was even more hurt. "God, I hate that little brat princess."

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