4th April, Space Era Years 101.
The study of Lord Aelyzabeth Thors within the Thors-Century Manor was so still that even the slow ticking of the clock's hands could be heard stretching every passing second into eternity. Lieutenant General Vito Vilozyver stood before his wife's desk, his expression resolute, though his eyes betrayed the weight of hesitation.
"Aelyzabeth… it is time for Aerys to face the world,"his voice was calm, yet firm."He has spent his entire life within these walls, surrounded only by servants who bow their heads to him. He does not know the meaning of friendship, nor does he understand the true nature of the world."
Aelyzabeth lifted her gaze slowly. The deep sapphire of her eyes gleamed with a glacial sharpness.
"Do you truly believe the outside world can teach him better than I can, Vito?"
"That is not what I mean," he replied, measured and steady."But a child destined to lead must learn both governance and coexistence. The world beyond these gates will teach him that—lessons no textbook or mother's words ever could."
Silence lingered for a long moment before Aelyzabeth exhaled softly.
"And where," she asked, her tone subdued, "do you intend to send him? To Earth?"
"No," Vito shook his head. "Earth is far too perilous for the heir of Century."He paused briefly before continuing,"I believe Evening would be most suitable—the sovereign world of the Evening Federal Republic. It is peaceful, well-educated, and untouched by interstellar politics."
Aelyzabeth sat in still contemplation. Her heartbeat was slow, heavy, deliberate—until she finally murmured,
"Very well. But I shall determine everything myself—the school, the attire, every detail. He will remain my son… not a son of that world."
1st May, Space Era 101.
The central spaceport of Century was alive with motion—SSA officers and government dignitaries gathered to bid farewell to the nation's young heir as he boarded the Levia Sanctum.The nine-year-old boy stood composed beside his mother, clad in the Leunser Thorsian Uniform, a design by Luminous Rommel. The pristine white shirt and navy tie were crossed by a sash from right shoulder to left hip, adorned with an arm-band bearing the sacred Swastika emblem—its deep hue contrasting against his silver hair that shimmered like moonlight.
Aelyzabeth leaned down, her voice both gentle and glacial.
"Aerys… I shall send you funds each month. You will have everything you require. But there is one command I forbid you ever to break—do not bring shame upon me, or upon our name. Do you understand?"
The boy raised his eyes to her, nodded once—wordless, calm—and turned toward the horizon, where the engines of the shuttle blazed with celestial light.He did not cry.He did not look back.
Three Days Later — Planet Evening
The Wenter Public Academy stood at the heart of Arclight, the radiant capital city that never slept. The seven-storey structure gleamed beneath an eternal daylight, its metallic white façade reflecting the heavens like a mirror.
When Aerys stepped into the classroom, the chatter fell to silence.Every eye turned to him—some wide with curiosity, others with awe.They all recognized him: the eldest son of Lord Aelyzabeth Thors, Supreme Leader of Century—the reformer, the visionary, the iron politician.
Yet what drew their gaze was not only his name, but the insignia upon his arm—midnight and navy intertwined in a sigil none had ever seen before, a silent declaration that he was not one of them.
He walked to the back of the room without a word, ignoring the murmurs.Then his eyes found a familiar face — a boy with golden hair and a smirk of disdain:
Ben Karlstanley, son of Margaret, the woman Aelyzabeth Thors despised above all others.
Aerys said nothing. He sat down, opened his notebook, and began writing with deliberate calm.He was aware of the four men in civilian attire seated discreetly at the corners of the room—SSA agents assigned to guard him.
He no longer paid them heed.His cold, silvery eyes wandered toward the vast cerulean sky of Evening, stretching endlessly beyond the windowpane.
The school bell rang, resonant and clear.All students rose to greet the instructor—save for Aerys, who remained seated, unmoved.
In the profound stillness, he reached up to touch the insignia upon his arm—the emblem of his nation.
And in that moment, his mother's voice echoed within his mind:
"Do not make me weep, Aerys… Please."
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, gleaming with a resolve forged of ice and steel.
That was the first day of the Heir of Centory — the day the boy who had never known the meaning of enemywould begin to learn it for himself.
Thus ends Chapter A-VII.