Dawn

The rising sun has no effect on Jimat, the capital city of the nation of Alduwitz. The mixture of low-hanging dark clouds and beaming neon billboards negates any natural lighting from entering the eyes of any citizen. Narrow alleys and tall crooked buildings span as far as the eye can see, centralizing around one specific skyscraper; the Home of the Emperor. There are no signs of agriculture in the area, as all means of farming have been pushed underground because of the dark clouds and smog emitted by industrial factories. 

As the citizens of Jimat leave their apartments for another day of work, Spark Alduwitz, The prince of the nation wakes in his room, on one of the highest floors of the emperor's skyscraper, unaware of the struggles of the average person. Getting out of bed, Spark peers out of his bedroom window, seeing little natural sunlight underlined by a purple glow residing in the dark clouds as the clouds can't quite cover his window. Hearing a knock at his door, he dresses in his casual wear consisting of gold-hemmed slippers and a black house cloak, with the nation's crest presiding on the back. Once ready, Spark stands at the door of his room as it seemingly opens on its own, without any interference. A guard is standing on either side of the door and tails Spark as walks toward the dining hall; each guard is equipped in the nation's military attire, hoisting rifles that glow along the edges as a result of being infused with rare metals. Not a word is spoken between Spark and the guards, they're doing their job while Spark is annoyed as he feels he doesn't need to be babysat.

The dining hall is fairly well-lit by white overhead lights. Marble columns line the walls as a crystal chandelier dangles above the table; the almost aristocratic vibe the room gives off highly contrasts the world around them. As Spark takes a seat at the near end of the table, guards positioned by his sides, He is greeted by his father, the emperor, Austin Alduwitz who is accompanied by his right-hand man, Edok. Austin speaks with a low and heavy voice.

 "Good morning, Sparky my boy." Austin's attempt at a conversation with his son is met with silence; he pauses before making another attempt at talking, his tone, a little irritated. 

 "Regardless of how you may be feeling this morning, you are the future of this empire and you need to act more like it. Keep up your marksmanship, and for the life of your nation, pick up a book!"  Without much visual confirmation, Spark acknowledges his father's words. He knows his father cares about him, Austin is simply unable to show his affection to his son. Not wanting to be a disappointment to his father, he decides to pick up on the conversation.

 "Any news on rebel movements?" Alduwitz is by no means a utopia, but it is still the home of many, safeguarded by the House of the Emperor; yet for some reason, a group of rebels dubbed 'the New Light' has its gaze fixed on toppling the empire.

Spark's meal eventually arrives and he begins to eat. Waiting for the servant to leave the room, Austin pauses before speaking, finally opening his mouth once the door to the dining hall has shut. 

 "Border city, few thousand civilian casualties, same as all military forces on site. Nothing new was displayed in terms of tactics and weaponry, although it looks like they're trying to punch a hole straight toward the capital." Austin's speech doesn't falter while talking about the many deaths of his subjects.

 "Nothing to worry about though. Once they stretch their forces, we cut off their lines, encircle them, and eliminate the rebels." Spark appears not to be fazed by the emperor's words, while he doesn't care too much that many of his citizens have perished, he is a little sad that all those people have died in such proximity to him.

As he continues to eat, his father stands to leave the room, embarking on his duties for the day, tailed by Edok. Passing by Spark, a sly remark transpires across Edok's face accompanied by a subtle snuff, swaying one arm as he walked while the other was on a pistol, holstered to his hip. Edok was never a huge fan of Spark. He was always more of a politician, positioned at Austin's side as an advisor to the emperor. He isn't too skilled with a firearm, but everyone employed in the House of the Emperor is required to have basic weapons training for security reasons; for such reasons, the hand on his pistol was more of a blank threat than anything, as the guards behind Spark gripped their respective riffles and tracked Edok out of the room through peripheral vision. 

 "cheeky bastard..." Spark said under his breath. In turn, Spark also wasn't the biggest fan of Edok.  Finishing his meal, he stood to leave the dining hall, returning to his room followed by his guards to change into more formal attire to proceed with the day.

Spark found that his days were more and more repetitive as of late. He would meet his father in the dining hall for breakfast when he woke up, followed by lessons on etiquette and how to lead an empire. After the lessons, Spark would walk through the neon-lit streets of Jimat, observing the lives of the citizens and keeping an eye on the economy as he visited different local restaurants for lunch. None of the citizens knew that he was the prince of the nation, as the custom of the Alduwitz family who the prince was at his coronation to becoming the emperor. After lunch, he'd return to the House of the Emperor where he'd join in on military training as per the orders of his father. The training was simple but tiring; it would consist of rigid strength and endurance training. After that, they shift to combat training. Firearm control, and every other day, combat simulations would be performed using blanks to not kill their own forces.

Finishing this cycle for yet another day, Spark would be accompanied to the dining hall once more for dinner, with the same two guards as usual. Tonight Spark ate alone, his father still had business to tend to today. Spark is an only child and his mother died a long time ago before he had any memory of her. He wouldn't find himself to be lonely but more so that he was bored. Given his familial circumstances, he wasn't allowed to go and fight the rebels with the military, and his life, which was turning into a cycle, was starting to mess with his head. 

Exhausted from another repetitive day, he finished his meal and was escorted to his room as usual. As the doors closed behind him, a small clinking sound emitted from the hallway. Spark turned around to check the source of the unusual sound, but when he saw the doors that looked closed, he decided to pay no mind to what it was as he didn't feel like dealing with anything else for the day. Following his nightly routine, he got undressed, took a shower, brushed his teeth, and headed off to bed. Before closing his eyes, he looked out the window of his bedroom. The dark purple clashed beautifully with the sliver of orange sky he could see, due to the setting sun. Spark closing his eyes, felt melancholic. The patriotic side of him fighting the boredom he felt in his core. 

 "If only I could escape... just for a little bit." He thought as he fell asleep, ending his day; the same as many previous days, and the same as many more to come.