6 - The Name

  After my small mistake, my life turned completely upside down. The calm, idle baby afternoons quickly became crowded with activity. The caretakers filled the floor with educational toys, and several hours of the day were now reserved for lessons.

  I went from boredom straight into constant busyness — even as a baby.

  It made me furious. Pretending to be a child is much harder than it seems.

  The maids weren’t thrilled either. They constantly complained about the toys and materials they had to bring me. Almost nothing truly technological made it into that damn mansion.

  Just hearing the toys from outside made my heart race. I desperately wanted to see the technology everyone talked about.

  — The young master would love that new line of animals, the ones that move and act almost alive. Sadly, he can only play with the static replicas.

  — It’s a shame. It would be nice to let him see fish swimming through the air. But, unfortunately, we can’t bring them in.

  They were right about one thing: I really did prefer those animal miniatures to the mountain of toys filled with letters and numbers. Still, some left me confused — bears with extra arms, green deer with teeth, fish with too many eyes.

  One in particular caught my attention: a bird identical to the one that had slammed into the window days before.

  Too bad it only looked the part.

  On the inside, it was just another toy with a squeaky noise like a dog chew.

  I quickly lost interest. But I found a new use for it — tormenting Ryskai. I clutched it like it was my favorite. Every time I went to see him, I’d yell to the caretakers:

  — Blue!

  That was the name I’d given the bird. I loved to squeeze it repeatedly while in “daddy devil’s” lap, especially when something important was going on.

  Sadly, after a while, most of my noisy toys “mysteriously” vanished.

  I was a little upset.

  All I wanted was to be annoying enough that he’d throw me away and I’d return to my world.

  But soon, something else caught my attention: a dragon made of something like plush — though not quite plush. Its scales, though soft, had a unique texture.

  It was cool to the touch and smelled oddly pleasant. For some reason, I got completely attached to that thing.

  After months, it remained the only truly good thing I’d found in this world. The only one that stayed with me. That’s why it was the one thing I refused to let go of.

  Over time, I grew and learned how to pretend better. Speaking came easily, but I usually wasn’t interested — after all, one slip-up had already cost me my pampered freedom.

  Math was especially annoying — pretending not to understand made my tongue itch. Why did pretending to be a baby have to be so hard?

  Walking, on the other hand, was a real challenge. My muscles took a long time to get strong enough for those first steps.

  I was barely about to turn one — I couldn’t rush what was out of my control.

  Then, one day, the mansion filled with noise.

  I couldn’t sleep, and that put me in a bad mood.

  My caretakers looked flustered.

  That day was “special,” they said as they rushed to get me dressed.

  I didn’t see anything special about my first birthday in this old-fashioned prison.

  If I had the choice, I wouldn’t even go.

  They dressed me every way possible — short of dumping glitter on me. I have to admit, though: the baby scent they applied smelled quite nice.

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  Sadly, my small happiness didn’t last.

  The dreaded footsteps echoed.

  Heavy as ever.

  Sometimes I wondered if that idiot even knew how to walk normally, instead of putting on this whole performance with every step.

  The guards opened the doors in unison, and in came the proud lion.

  The red mantle, something that surely went out of fashion in the monarchic era, was overloaded with ornate details. The only similar thing I’d seen was in shows from my original world.

  I think even real monarchs would’ve called it excessive.

  But I’ll admit it — he looked good.

  What bothered me was looking down and seeing I was in matching clothes.

  I felt ridiculous.

  I wanted to cry.

  I wanted to fuss.

  But the problem was, babies don’t complain about fashion — they complain if they’re uncomfortable. And, well... as over-the-top as the clothes were, they felt as soft as clouds.

  He walked calmly toward me. My fingers itched to use the dust and trip him.

  But I hesitated.

  That was also a problem.

  The maids didn’t see the dust... but maybe he did.

  I was handed to him gently.

  Ryskai lifted me with the same fake tenderness as always.

  — My little heir is so well dressed, he almost looks like a grown man.

  I placed the dragon in front of my face to block the sticky kisses I knew were coming. He just laughed with that raspy chuckle.

  — Should I kiss Red first?

  I shook the dragon as if answering — mostly just to buy time. Its scent still calmed me strangely. Everything about this man unsettled my mind, but my body... it reacted the opposite.

  No caretaker, no sweet treat gave this kind of comfort. Ryskai mock-kissed the toy’s head with an exaggerated expression and a fake smile that only deepened my discomfort.

  — There. Now may I greet my heir? — he asked with that playful tone that gave me chills.

  I turned my face away like a proper baby would and hugged the dragon tightly.

  Didn’t matter how much I understood — on the outside, I was still just a baby.

  A cute, manipulable, moldable baby.

  He gave me those hated cheek kisses. Thankfully, they didn’t last long. As soon as he finished, he left the room in a hurry.

  The grand corridor was now lined with guards and servants. Some saluted, others bowed. One thing they all shared: the scent of fear. If I paid close attention, I could even see some maids’ legs trembling.

  And so we went, down the corridor, until we reached a curtain. The servants opened it carefully, revealing a stained glass door.

  The right panel showed a massive dragon with closed eyes, its scales etched in thin golden reliefs that glimmered in the light.

  On the left panel, a crowd of humans kneeled in reverence, faces obscured by red dust that spiraled like delicate clouds around the scene.

  For the first time, I saw Ryskai open a door himself — until now, only guards did that. I found it strange.

  The door groaned as if it hadn’t been moved in years. When it finally opened, sunlight poured over us.

  It had been so long since I’d seen daylight that the brightness and heat hit me like a wave, blinding me for a moment.

  Ryskai walked forward without pause, crossing into the blinding light.

  When I could finally see again, I realized we were on a balcony. At its center stood something like a microphone, though more square-shaped.

  As “Daddy” approached it, I spotted floating platforms in the distance, each with cameras — not operated by reporters this time, but by guards.

  The microphone let out a sharp whine. I wanted to cover my sensitive baby ears, but then the speech began.

  — Today, on the day of XXXXX, before my people, beneath the eyes of our ancestors and under the gaze of the universe itself, I begin a sacred ritual...

  The next sentence came with such exaggerated, fake sadness, I could hardly believe my ears.

  — I am filled with immense joy to share this moment with all of you. Three years ago, a wound opened in our empire, one that only festered over time. For so long, it became a scar — one etched not only in the heart of our people... but also in the heart of a father.

  My little baby jaw dropped. Thankfully, no one noticed.

  I quickly bit down on Red, pretending to be an ordinary, clueless infant.

  — But today — he went on, feigning pride this time — we have something that might ease that pain. And as a father, I will do my duty, just as I have done for my people. Just as our ancestors once did for the survivors of the first cycle, I will give my son a name tied to them, as mine was given — so that he may carry not just a part of me, but a piece of our entire legacy.

  Ryskai lifted me gently before the crowd. His eyes, however, remained as cold as ever toward me. I felt none of the emotion he pretended — only an impenetrable conviction.

  That small lift was enough for me to see the street below. A sea of people, packed so tightly they looked like ants.

  I clutched Red tightly.

  What if this lunatic decided to toss me over the edge?

  — Like his mother, I name him so that her love may reach him... My son, your name shall be Laziel.

  He kissed my forehead.

  That’s when the crowd erupted — applause, cheers, a whirlwind of sound that made me dizzy.

  I wasn’t used to being the center of attention. Every gaze felt like a blade against my skin.

  Instinctively, I squeezed Red even tighter — afraid I might rip him apart.

  His presence was the only anchor keeping me from fainting from the discomfort.

  Fortunately, the speech didn’t last much longer. My discomfort eased once we passed through the stained glass door and returned to the mansion’s interior.

  Noticing something was off, “Daddy” adjusted me in his arms, resting my head on his shoulder and patting my back gently. It worked... for a moment.

  But then I looked again at that door.

  The sunlight passing through lit the floor with beautiful colors.

  That’s when I noticed something strange.

  A chill ran down my spine.

  Why were the dragon’s eyes open, staring straight at me?

  It was solid glass, and as far as I knew, no advanced tech entered this mansion...

  So how was that possible?

  Then I saw it — a smile on the dragon’s face.

  Just as the curtains closed.

  This time, the gentle patting on my back did nothing to soothe me.

  As if driven by instinct, I couldn’t stop my body.

  The fear — one I couldn’t explain — made me cry uncontrollably.