The Sun Prince - Re:Zero OC

It was meant to be a usual night, one just like any other.

I was heading back from another gruelling day at school, mentally worn out. A product of stuffing my schedule with classes to fast-track my way through my degree.

But that was beside the point.

On the way back, I had found my eyes too heavy to keep open, and before I knew it… I had passed out, right in the middle of the street.

Or at least… I think that's what happened.

Memories were tough to organize when you ended up reborn as a baby.

At first, I had thought it was all a dream.

I mean, who wouldn't?

It wasn't part of the usual human experience to go from a healthy young adult body right to a newborn infant's.

Yes… to put it simply, it was confusing, but eventually, the days passed, and I realized that I hadn't woken up from this dream yet.

Or, in other words… I had realized that this was no dream at all.

And then, soon enough, I realized something else.

I had been sent to another world… or more specifically, I had been reborn in one.

Something I had only heard about in fantasy media.

A world filled with magic, monsters, and completely alien races.

And for some reason, this world was set in medieval times, with knights, royalty, and everything else that came with it.

It was quite the thing to get used to, but I was always known to be adaptable, though I never thought my skill would be used in such a fashion.

As I slowly grew up, I eventually came to the conclusion that I had somehow died in the past.

From what? I had no idea. But that was the only explanation I could find for my current situation… if it even qualified as an 'explanation' at all.

But then again, what happened after death was always a mystery, so perhaps this was what usually happened?

Well, it didn't really matter.

And so, that was how I accepted that I had been born as Altair Lugunica, the fifth prince of the Kingdom of Lugunica, one of the four kingdoms that spanned this world.

Thankfully, alongside magic, this world was filled with odd curses, powers, and so-called 'Divine Protections', so my advanced mental capabilities that were soon found out after my birth were not completely unexplainable.

I would have hated to either need to constantly act like a baby, or be worried about being labelled as possessed for not doing so.

And so, for the past five years, I had been living comfortably as royalty, enjoying all the benefits that came with it as I slowly learned more about the new world around me, and the skills that such a fantasy world allowed one to develop.

But, as good things often did, such times came to an end.

As for why it did?

Well… that would be due to my current predicament.

"Brother…"

Looking down at the little girl in my arms, I noticed that her red eyes were swimming with confusion and fear. A product of my rough movements as I hopped from roof to roof.

Giving her my best smile, I lightly tussled her blonde hair as I held her tight, trying to give her a sense of comfort amidst this tumultuous situation.

"It's going to be alright… I'm right here with you," I said.

This was Aurelia Lugunica, the one-year-old princess of the same kingdom that I was part of, the younger cousin that I had taken as a little sister the instant she was born, and the very princess that I had kidnapped from the royal palace.

Now, as for why I kidnapped her, it was not out of hate or some twisted prank.

No, there was a reason for this… even if it made me sound crazy.

Alongside being the fifth prince, I was also the keeper of the Dragon Stone, the device that saved the nation from numerous disasters by giving the exact advice that was needed to navigate any situation, and it had chosen me as the next keeper through one of its rare orders as soon as it was born.

It was quite unprecedented, but there was no other reason for the most important thing in the kingdom to be in the hands of a baby, as no one dared to question the device's instructions.

And I wasn't any different.

Being the keeper, I knew what it was capable of, with some sort of future-seeing ability that knew how to navigate any possible tragedy, such as when it saved that city from monsters by ordering the knights to protect it nearly a week before the possible disaster struck.

So when it ordered me to take Aurelia away from the palace right after her first birthday… I did as it said, while also keeping its other orders in mind.

We were to remain in the capital, but also ensure our identities weren't found out, and after eleven years, I was to leave the young Aurelia behind.

An insane prophetic order, with seemingly no reason to follow it at all… but I knew better than to go against it.

The Dragon Stone gave orders to lead the kingdom away from disaster, and with Aurelia and I being royalty, our fates were heavily intertwined with that of the kingdom, so this was only for our benefit… even if it didn't seem like it at the moment.

It was tough, both mentally in taking my dearest sister out of her place of comfort, and physically with the actual act of escaping the royal palace, the most secure place in the nation.

Luckily, once I sneaked past Old Man Astrea, who was Aurelia's guard, it was relatively easy, with me using my impressive and somewhat inhuman strength to leap across the cityscape, as well as my Yang magic to mask our presences, a new application of my element that I had only recently discovered.

But anyway, it was quite odd, those orders. 

To have us remain undiscovered despite not leaving the capital… there was only one place where we could stay out of the knights' sights for long enough, as they were sure to scour the city and nation as a whole once our escapes were discovered.

And so, here we were, at the edge of the large slums of the capital.

Looking down at Aurelia, who had seemingly fallen asleep while I thought to myself, I quickly realized that we would need to truly cast away our past in order to live in this place without sticking out.

And that started with our names.

"Hmm… what should your name be, huh?" I mumbled to myself as I brushed my hand through her hair.

I couldn't just spring something like this on her, as while she was young, she was old enough to know her name.

It would have to be something she already knew and would like…

Releasing a sigh, I thought back to the various stories I had read to her when I was putting her to bed, those being from both this world, and my old one.

But… there was one in particular that she had taken a liking to.

The story of the ancient queen of this nation, before the Great Calamity. The woman known as the 'Lion Queen', Felicia Lugunica.

Felicia… no, that might be too 'proper'.

And besides, she wasn't able to pronounce that name anyway.

So how about…

"Felt. Just… just Felt," I said, smiling to myself.

Yes, that sounded good.

But she wasn't the only one in need of a new identity, and with me being pretty well-known as the talented youngest prince, the keeper of the Dragon Stone, and also a member of the main royal line, I needed it even more than Aurelia- or… Felt, here.

I needed to get used to that.

But me, huh?

Well… Selian sounds good, I guess.

There was no special meaning, but I think it sounded nice.

"Mmgh…" Felt groaned, squirming in my arms to seemingly gain a more comfortable position.

Yeah… Selian was good, but to her… I would always remain as her older brother.

"Sorry for making things difficult… I bet you miss your bed, huh?" I said, lowering my head to plant a small kiss on her forehead.

Normally, a child taken from home would miss their parents as well, but that wasn't the case for her… or for me, for that matter.

They were royalty, and thus, they were not only busy, but also… cold.

It was for that reason that I had become so attached to my little sister, as I didn't want to have her navigate through her first years of life without anyone to give her the love and affection she needed and deserved.

And it was for that reason, even if things would be tough thanks to that odd prophecy, I would ensure that my beloved sister… Felt… lived happily.

And to do that… I would first need a place to stay… alongside food and water.

Hmm… I really didn't want to stay on the streets, as I'm sure we would end up harassed, or arguably worse, notified to the knights.

Maybe I could find somewhere-

"Oi."

Hearing a gruff voice, I turned to see a giant man looming over me, his face scarred and body bursting with muscles.

And I didn't think he was a giant just because he was taller than me, as most adults were… no, he was much taller than the average man, and much bigger too.

"Hmm… you two look awfully pretty for these parts. Ya lost or somethin'?" he asked.

Right… my clothes.

Although I had left in my most travel-ready apparel, which were the clothes I used for training, they were still of very high quality for these parts.

I was a prince, after all.

In short, I was very over-dressed for this place, not to mention the small pyjamas Felt was currently in that were much too fancy for a slum dweller, or even a commoner.

And it seemed that we had already been noticed.

Darn.

"W… We aren't, really… I am Selian, and this… this is my little sister, Felt," I said, slowly activating my Yang magic.

Drawing out the feeling of power, the intense connection to the mana in my core, I let it coat the edge of my hands and feet as I prepared to fight this guy, if it was needed, and if it wasn't… at least I could run away.

"Calm down there, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya," he said. "Now, I don't know who ya think yer foolin', but I can tell you two ain't normal folks."

Shoot… yeah, this should be expected.

Should I really run away?

"Hmph. Whatever. I don't need an explanation to what's goin' on with you guys, but now I just wanna know… do ya need a place to stay?" he asked.

…What?

"Eh? Did you not hear me, kid?" he asked.

"N-No, I heard you just fine, it's just… why? Wouldn't we be a burden?" I asked.

He frowned.

"Hmph. I may be an ass, but I ain't so heartless as to leave two kids to fend fer themselves," he said, frowning as he looked at the girl in my arms. "Besides, if yer worried about bein' a burden, then why don't you help me out? You got yer hands to glow, right? That's Yang magic, isn't it?"

I nodded my head.

"Thought so. Anyway, are ya any good with it?" he asked.

"Y-Yes… I am," I answered.

As soon as I cast my first spell at the young age of two, I had been labelled a genius at Yang magic.

And it wasn't just due to my advanced mental capabilities.

Apparently, I had quite the high affinity with mana, and my gate was both incredibly strong and large, allowing me to continuously cast magic with ease.

Although, unfortunately, I did have zero compatibility with spirits… but that wasn't important right now.

"Hmm… well, I've heard there was a spell to pretty things up, right?" he asked. "Some sort of restoration type spell?"

"Yeah… Varanis… it's one of the first spells you can learn," I said, confused.

What was this guy getting at?

Why was he interested in that item restoration spell?

"Oho? One of the first ones, you say? Then you definitely know it, right?" he asked, grinning as I nodded my head. "Then that's perfect. I'll give you two a place to sleep and some basic grub, and in return, you'll be helpin' me by cleaning up some of the items I sell, deal?"

What?

That… it almost seemed too perfect, to suddenly meet someone willing to take us in, even if I had to do some work for it.

But still… could this guy be trusted?

He didn't seem bad, and his words seemed genuine, but I was quite confused as to why he would want to take us in so easily.

Maybe he really was just a nice old man?

"So? Whaddya say? I'm not gonna stand out here in the dark forever, kid," he said.

Hmm… I did need a place to stay for the night, or more accurately, Felt did.

And in the future, if we were going to stay here together for at least eleven years, we needed somewhere to call home.

But was it right to trust someone right away?

Well… even if he ended up offering this with malicious intentions, I could always beat him up or run away.

I would just need to keep my eye out, and not let down my guard until I was completely sure of his intentions, and my little sister's safety.

"Deal," I said.

"Heh. Alright then, I'll show you the way to my place," he said, turning around as he began walking down the road. "Also, I know ya look young, but just how old are ya, kid?"

Walking forward to keep up with him, I ensured that Felt was secure in my arms, and that my knife was still strapped to my side before answering.

"Five," I said.

The old man tripped, nearly tumbling over.

"F-Five? Jeez, yer even younger than I thought," he said, looking back at me with inquisitive eyes. "What a scary kid."

"That's quite rude," I said, frowning.

"Haha! Yeah, I guess it is," he said, chuckling to himself. "Anyway, I think we'll get along then, kid. Ah, and by the way, the name's Rom."

And so, that was the start of my days in the slums, as well as the night that Altair Lugunica, the genius fifth prince of the kingdom and the keeper of the Dragon Stone, disappeared, alongside the daughter of the king's younger brother, Aurelia Lugunica.