Stars, Thrones, and Robots

By then, seven things had happened to him.

He learned that he was the empire’s first and only heir to the throne.

He killed with his own hands the priest who had been like family and friend to him for twelve years.

For the first time, he understood what revenge felt like.

For the first time, he made a friend. For the first time, he held his blade for a friend, for someone other than himself. He learned what it meant to feel pain and anger on someone else’s behalf.

He discovered the power within him, a strange force capable of twisting the laws of physics, though he still only half-understood how to control it.

He discovered that he had no heart.

So he set out to find it.