It was the 10th month of the 1005th year of the Richerant Calendar.

6 years ago, on the ninth day of the ninth month of the 999th year of the Richerant Calendar, the Gia family received a special gift - a baby boy.

A boy born on 9/9/999! The number nine had long been associated with dragons, magic, strength. The Gia family took this as a sign – the new heir to the Gia family was to be a dragon amongst men!

Alas, this was but a hope, a dream. After all, the Gia family was but a Noble-ranked family, not part of the Royal family, and Wesley’s parents were only Advanced Magicians, not King-class.

The Gia family owned a fairly expansive estate on the outer edge of the first ring of Blue Wind City, the capital of the Conarite Kingdom of the Magmont Continent. Being a Noble-ranked family, they had many servants who tended to the estate as well as the family’s needs, as well as nearly a hundred skilled guards who protected the estate from thievery and harm.

However, of the noble families situated in Blue Wind City, they were perhaps the least influential and powerful.

Regardless, they were a noble family, which meant that Wesley, as the immediate family heir, enjoyed certain privileges. For example, he had several bodyguards that protected him at all times and multiple servants who cared for his daily needs.

Still though, their son’s birth date was a fun boasting point for Dean and Patricia. After all, even if their son wasn’t truly fated to be a dragon amongst men, it’s not like any of their friends’ sons were either!

As a six-year-old, Wesley’s days were rather carefree. He enjoyed life, messed around with friends and family servants, and ate the finest foods that the city had to offer.

Today was no different. It was several hours after noon, and Wesley sat along the edge of a training field with his friends, watching the older kids. They watched enthusiastically as hundreds of elementary mage students from the Western Conarite Institute of Magic performed what the school called “practical exercises”.

These practical exercises were simple. Hundreds of elementary mages would stand in file as their instructor talked them through the theory behind multiple spells and demonstrated the writing of the spells The students would follow along, practicing their writing meticulously. When the instructor was satisfied with the proficiency of the students’ writing, he would activate the spell and showcase its abilities. This teaching usually lasted the entire morning.

Wesley and his friends couldn’t be bothered to watch as the lectures could be summed up in one word: boring!

In the afternoon, after a short lunch break, the elementary mages would split into groups and compete against each other by writing and casting the spells they had just learned. At this time, Wesley and his friends would gather at the edge of the training field and watch.

“Hey Dylan,” Wesley pointed, “They’re starting up. How ‘bout it; wanna bet again?”

“Yeah, sure! Who do you think will win?” Dylan eagerly responded. The two boys, along with their friends, quickly agreed on their bets and enjoyed the wondrous displays of magic that followed.

…

While Wesley was busy betting candies with his friends, Wesley’s parents, Dean and Patricia, were in a far less festive mood. The two sat in silence at a table situated in the family estate’s garden.

“He’s already six years old, yet his mana channels and mana pool show no sign of development. At this rate… our family may be relegated to yet another generation of mediocrity.”

Dean sighed, slumping forward in his chair with his head between his knees.

Generally speaking, one’s mana channels would begin to develop between the ages of 7-9 and would finish about a year after, at which time one’s mana pool would begin to grow as well. As soon as one possessed a mana pool, no matter how small, one would be able to use magic. In almost all cases, the earlier one’s mana channels developed, the more future potential they had.

Alas, unless Wesley’s mana channels suddenly and miraculously began developing at an incredible rate, it was likely that the Gia family would have to endure another generation of mediocrity.

After a few moments of pained contemplation, Dean finally sighed and leaned back.

“There’s nothing else we can do… we need to do what’s best for our family and our future. If we stay the course, we may lose our status and be thrown into the second ring.”

Each ring of the city symbolized a level of position, money, and law. The first and smallest ring consisted of royalty and nobles. Highly skilled guards guarded every street corner and alley; living here was extremely safe.

Affluent merchants, guilds, and the like occupied the second ring. These organizations needed to pay for their own safety - merchants had long ago banded together to hire mercenaries for protection, and guilds had naturally come up with similar methods. In fact, one of the guilds was a mercenary guild.

The third ring, however, was moneyless and lawless. A few people here and there would be found dead in the second ring every day, but tens to hundreds of people died in the third ring every day, be it from murder or hunger. Only a few guards were found along the wall between the 2nd and 3rd rings. For the most part, gangs ran the slums in the third ring.

Being relegated to the second ring wouldn’t mean the end of the world… but for the Gia family, who had prospered in the first ring for centuries, it was not a situation that they could accept.

As such, Dean and Patricia made the decision, along with the other family elders, to bolster the Gia family’s influence by backing the Crown Prince in his pursuit of the throne. In their opinion, this was a safe, but important bet.

The Crown Prince’s main competition for the throne was the Third Prince, who was but a year younger. Although the King’s three sons acted cordially with each other, their internal and personal conflicts were well known amongst the nobility. And as the King of the Conarite Kingdom’s health was quickly declining, tensions between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince and their respective factions only continued to rise, while the Second Prince had made it known that he was uninterested in pursuing his father’s position.

Today, it was announced to the various royal, ancestral, and noble families that the King would likely die within the next three years.

In the Richerant Calendar, each year was made up of 15 months, each with 24 days. As such, the Crown Prince and the 3rd Prince’s factions had just over 900 days to solidify their standing and overcome any opposition.

While the Crown Prince had the natural claim to the throne, the Third Prince had spent the last decade building up a faction that was, in many ways, capable of challenging the Crown Prince’s. In addition, many speculated that the Third Prince could have more support lurking in the shadows and may soon surpass the Crown Prince in the race for the throne.

Either way, the next ruler of the Conarite Kingdom would be decided within the next three years.

Wesley, living a carefree and sheltered childhood, was completely unaware of the political storm that was brewing.

…

Later that day, Wesley had returned home from playing with his friends to have dinner with his parents.

The three sat around a table laden with sumptuous dishes, the jewel dish being sweet plums and golden duck. Golden duck was extremely expensive, worth a month of the Gia family’s income;it was sought after not only for its taste, but also for its coveted magical properties.

If fed to children whose mana channels and pool were still developing, the meat of the golden duck would quicken their growth. If fed to adults, it would nourish the body and stall the consequences of age.

Patricia continuously pushed the delicious duck over to Wesley’s plate, urging him, “You have to eat more, Wesley, or you’ll never be as strong as your cousins! You want to be cool and strong like them right?”

“No! I’m too full! I’ll just eat more tomorrow.” Wesley’s stomach poked through his shirt as he squirmed away from the dining table. “I’m going to go play tag with my friends!”

With some difficulty, he waddled away as he patting his stomach and shouted for one of his servants. “Joe! I’m free! Let’s play tag!”

Dean and Patricia frowned as they helplessly watched their son leave the dining table. “Have we coddled him too much? At this rate…even if his mana channels and mana pool develop early, he might not have the right mindset to grow stronger.”

…

However, a few weeks later, at just over six years old, Wesley’s mana channels had finally begun to develop!

Wesley’s caretaker, Joe, had been the first to notice. He’d been playing hide and seek with Wesley, when he’d gotten tired of dealing with the little devil and cast a detection spell to “cheat”. The cast spell was a simplified form of the “Energy Detection” spell,a very common scouting spell that allowed the caster to sense nearby lifeforms by sensing their life energy.

Joe had sensed a larger energy presence from Wesley when he finally found the little boy. Without a moment of hesitation, Joe brought him to Dean and Patricia, who examined him further.

To their delight, Wesley’s mana channels had indeed begun to develop significantly, suggesting that his mana pool would also begin developing sooner than expected.

They promptly invited the rest of the family, as well as some of their friends from other noble families and a few merchant group heads, to celebrate. A child whose mana channels began developing at just 7 years of age was already considered a potential genius. For Wesley’s to begin just a few months after his 6th birthday, it was nothing short of the miracle that the Gia family was waiting for. If Wesley worked hard, perhaps he would become a King-class mage in the future and re-establish the Gia family as a powerful presence in the Conarite Kingdom.

Finally, Dean and Patricia could see some hope for their family’s future.