JOURNEY TO THE HEAVEN TO HELL

Chapter 5

Finally, I'm out of the palace, Ren thought to himself. I never thought I'd leave its confines. I used to believe I should only step outside when I'm older and stronger, but I was wrong. This place is so incredibly beautiful, like heaven itself.

Oh, you're probably wondering why I'm talking like this. Well, I'm currently on my way to the Sun Kingdom to meet my dad's best friend, who's hosting a party. And apparently, I'm supposed to meet someone like me there – a genius. I always thought that in this world, people only started using magic when they were eight or nine years old, but no, it seems there's someone else like me, capable of magic at a very young age. I really want to meet them; perhaps I can learn even more.

In my previous life, I was a coward and a weakling. I hated leaving my house because that world was just... pathetic. It was a rotting world. I despised going outside, and I hated people. Everywhere I looked, there was crime and corruption. I absolutely loathed it all. I'd spend my entire day in my room, either playing video games, watching TV, or doing my work.

But not anymore. In this world, I'll become strong. I'll travel the entire world and see what it's truly like.

Just then, the main character asked Arisa, "Tell me, why were you sent with me, and why are you riding in my carriage?"

"Because I am your bodyguard, Prince," Arisa replied. "It's my duty to protect you."

She was about to say more when the carriage suddenly jolted to a halt.

The main character wondered, What happened? Why did the carriage stop so abruptly?

He was about to step out of the carriage to see what was going on when...

"Wait, Prince!" Arisa cautioned. "There's trouble outside. Don't go out!"

Just then, soldiers dismounted from their horses outside the carriage and saw that they were surrounded.

They were encircled on all sides by figures in white robes, and a magic circle glowed beneath them.

The King then stepped out of his carriage to assess the situation. Suddenly, a leader emerged from among the white-robed figures.

The leader spoke, "Greetings, Your Majesty. How are you all doing?"

The King demanded, "Who are you, and what is the meaning of this? Why have you stopped us?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, there's no need to fear," the leader replied. "We are not bad people."

"If you are not bad people, then what is the purpose of this magic circle?" the King questioned, "And why have so many of you surrounded us?"

"Your Majesty," the leader said, "it was just a small task we needed to accomplish. We are not bad people, nor do we intend to harm you. We simply needed to meet the Third Prince. Nothing more."

At this, all the soldiers readied themselves for a fight.

The King also prepared for battle. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by this 'task'?" he challenged.

"Oh, Your Majesty, we didn't come here to fight," the leader said smoothly. "Besides, you can't use your magic, because the magic circle you're standing on is an anti-magic circle. You can't cast spells as long as you're within this circle. So, let's talk peacefully, shall we?"

"We don't need much; we just need to see the Third Prince. Nothing more."

"And what if we refuse to show him?" the King countered.

"Oh, Your Majesty, why provoke an unnecessary fight?" the leader scoffed. "We just want to see the Prince. We'll see him and then leave. Nothing more. If you fight, we'll fight, and soldiers will die needlessly, right? So, just show us the Prince."

Meanwhile, the main character was sitting inside his carriage, observing what was happening. Who are these people who've stopped us? he wondered.

He began to step out of the carriage.

"No, you can't go out, Prince!" Arisa insisted. "There's danger outside. Stay inside!"

"Don't worry," Ren said. "I won't be in any danger. Besides, you're here to protect me, and there are so many soldiers, and my dad is the King. Nothing will happen to me."

He then stepped out of his carriage.

The leader immediately spotted the Third Prince emerging from his carriage.

The leader was astonished, as he could sense an immense magical power emanating from the Third Prince.

"Ren, listen!" the King commanded. "Get back inside the carriage! Don't come out! These are dangerous, bad people!"

"There's no need to be afraid," the leader interjected. "We are not bad people. And besides, we only came to see the Prince. And speaking of the Prince..."

"Wait, who are you?" Ren demanded. "And what do you want from me?"

"So, it's you, Prince," the leader said. "You look strong. You look very strong."

With just those words, all the white-robed figures vanished, and their leader also disappeared from the scene.

The King and the soldiers were both stunned. What just happened? They just left quietly?

Ren was lost in thought, What just happened? And who were those people who stopped us? What did they want?

Elsewhere, the leader fled.

One of his soldiers asked, "Leader, why did we leave? Why didn't we capture the Prince?"

"No," the leader replied, "we couldn't capture him because he was too strong, and the King was also very powerful. We might have ended up in a bad situation. Not now. We'll wait for the right time."

The scene shifted back to the King. The King told everyone, "Alright, get back into the carriages, and let's go."

The Queen asked, "Who were those people, and what just happened?"

"I don't know who they were," the King said, "or why they wanted to meet the Prince. We'll find out later. There's no danger for now."

"Oh, don't worry," Luna declared, "if anyone messes with my little brother, I won't let them go! I'll never forget!"

Why were those people a threat to me? Ren thought. They didn't seem to have any business with me. Who knows what happened. Let's continue our journey.

They slowly resumed their journey.

Finally, they arrived at the Sun Kingdom.

Before entering the palace...

The King of the Sun Kingdom himself, along with his wife and two children, came out to greet them. "Welcome! Welcome to our palace!" they said.

The two Kings embraced.

The King of Sun Kingdom said, "Oh, King Daiken of Moon Kingdom, my friend, you've changed quite a bit!"

Then our King replied, "You've become the King of Sun Kingdom, and it's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it, Hikatsu?"

King Hikatsu said, "This is my Queen, Kurohana."

Queen Kurohana said, "Welcome!"

And King Hikatsu continued, "And this is my daughter, Shioren."

Princess Shioren said sweetly, "Welcome!"

King Hikatsu added, "And this is my younger son, Jin."

Prince Jin said, "Welcome!"

Then our King asked, "But where is she?"

King Hikatsu replied, "I don't know where she is. Perhaps she's off practicing her magic somewhere."

Our King said, "Alright, no problem. We'll meet her later."

King Hikatsu instructed a soldier, "Show them to their rooms."

They all went inside their respective rooms.

The main character entered his room and remarked, "Wow, this kingdom seems even bigger than ours!"

Then he began to roam outside his room, thinking, Let's explore around and see what this place is like.

As the main character wandered, he came across a training ground. Just as he was walking by, a powerful magic attack came hurtling towards him.

He barely managed to dodge the magic attack.

Then, a voice from a distance screamed, "Hey, servant! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Oh, sorry," Ren replied. "I didn't realize where I was. Please forgive me." He opened his eyes and saw who it was: a girl his age with red hair and red eyes. Who is she? he thought. And she's so beautiful! Did that attack not hit its mark?

The girl said coldly, "Are you deaf, servant? Get out of here! I'm practicing magic!"

"Oh, please forgive me," Ren said. "I came here by mistake."

The girl's cold voice continued, "Weaklings! Where do these weaklings come from?!"

Ren froze upon hearing this.

He thought to himself:

Those words. Those words! I absolutely hate them when someone calls me weak. In my previous life, I heard that word so many times: weak, weak, weak. Everyone said it. The last time I tried to help someone, I was killed, and they said I was weak. But not now. In this life, I am not weak!

Ren flew into a rage and shouted at the girl, "What do you mean, I'm a weakling?! And who are you to call me weak?!"

"I told you to quietly leave here," the girl retorted. "Anyone who can't dodge a small attack like that is just a weakling. Now, little boy, get out of here!"

Ren's anger flared upon hearing this.