A boy opened his eyes in tiredness and nausea. Soreness crept throughout his tiny and feeble body.
Sunlight fell upon his eyes as he brought a shivering hand to his face to cover its harsh radiance.
Hunger crippled his movement. His body shivered from the cold even in the broad daylight. His clothes felt heavy from dampness. Water flowed across him.
He could feel the water's cold embrace chill him. He slowly got up to a sitting position and saw that he was lying in a small stream, half-red with blood.
Long shoulder-length green hair covered his eyes. He pushed them gently with his red and bruised arm.
His eyes wandered to the scene in front of him. A mighty castle stood aflame. A huge boulder was atop one of its towers deforming it hideously.
Armoured men and horses lay dead near the castle. Blood was spread upon the earth like a painting.
A man was riding a horse. Elegance was the only word that could be described by looking at his attire.
He was clad in black armour with red stripes. A handsome halberd adorned in gold lay in his hand. He rode to every corpse and stabbed the corpse making sure it was dead.
His face was hideous and riddled with scars under the helmet. His beautiful horse neighed while gracefully trotting around at its master's command. It was covered in chainmail and a pouch lay on its side.
Tied to the pouch was a rifle and a long thin sword. The man noticed the child's presence. He rode his horse to the child.
The child's face contorted with fear. Tears ran down his cheeks realizing his fate. He tried to get up and run but his feet were unresponsive under the pressure.
"Wait. I am not to harm children under the orders of my liege lord. Stop running and tell me your name." The man's heavy but gentle voice boomed through the boy's ear.
The boy stopped moving and did not speak. The man came to him and scooped him up onto the horse.
"By the grace of the imperial court! A divine child. Your green hair and golden eyes symbolize your immense potential."
The man had rough but gentle hands. Smell of blood and sweat reeked from him. The boy clung to the man's armour as he sped up.
The horse dashed away from the castle. Sweat glistened on its shiny coat. The boy was distracted by the beauty of the horse.
After some time, they reached a grander castle than the one the boy was lying near. The man gently scooped him up again and let him down the horse.
The horse licked his face as the man got down his horse. He removed the armour of the horse and caressed his hand across its shiny coat.
He whispered to the horse with immense love, "Good job, Benimaru. I will tend to you later today."
He held the boy's hand and moved into the castle. A soldier caught sight of them. He was clad in black armour as well. The armour covered only his chest. A red kimono was underneath the armour.
The man smiled at the man and bowed politely. "Yori-sama. Your father has been expecting you. He is with Lady Akiko in the conference hall. I received orders to inform you to meet him immediately upon arrival."
The man called Yori nodded curtly and continued walking along with the boy. The man stared at the boy in wonder as they walked by him.
The man reached in front of a large hall. He removed his weapons with his helmet and gave it to a maid near the hall's entrance also clad in a red kimono. She bowed low after receiving the weapons.
Another woman opened the door and bowed down in front of Yori. The boy was held back outside and Yori entered the room.
"Yori-san. You are earlier than I expected. It is good though." A great man sitting at the end of the hall spoke in a loud voice. His face was solemn and haggardly.
The man resembled Yori a lot. Both of them had jet-black hair with a serious and broad face. A bit on the ugly side. A woman sat near the man. She smiled upon looking at Yori.
Yori bowed down and spoke softly,
"I have returned with great news, father. A divine child has been found. We may yet turn the tables on this war."
The older man's face lit up hearing his son's words. The entire hall was filled with gazes of shock and surprise.
"Bring the child in." The man ordered his son. Yori rushed and brought the boy inside the hall. All the people in the hall gazed at the boy incredulously.
"What is your name?" He asked sternly. The boy did not speak and looked nervously.
"He is just a child. He won't be able to answer you with your harsh tone. Let me ask him." The woman next to Yori's father said. "Go ahead, Akiko."
"What is your name, child?"
"I do not remember." The boy tried hard but could not remember any details about his life.
The people looked at each other. They were excited for something. The boy felt their excitement press onto him.
"This boy does not remember anything. He is even more precious now. Tetsuya, you are my greatest ally and vassal. I wish for you to formally adopt this child as your heir who shall inherit your position in the future."
Tetsuya Akechi bowed low while a smile escaped his mouth. He never had any sons.
His wife had died with his unborn child years ago. None of his consorts had borne him boys.
His lord's kind gesture filled him with happiness. The fact that his son was also a divine child made his heart flutter.
"I, Akechi Tetsuya, a vassal of the mighty Akagi Kaito noh Gorou, ruler of the entire southern border and the peacock victor announce that this divine child shall become my sole heir and shall henceforth become my son. Lord, please grant my child a name."
"I shall grant this child the name, Haruto. He shall soar just like the sun, with might and pride."
And just like that, the boy had been taken in. The boy did not understand what was fully happening to him.
He felt reassured seeing all the happy faces in the room and hoped everything would turn out right.