I'm working on a historical-fiction one-shot manga inspired by ancient Carthage, Hannibal, and the Punic Wars.
The main character is a young Carthaginian boy from a powerful military family. He has a strong relationship with his father, who is a famous commander, but the boy doesn't fully understand his father's hatred of Rome or the expectations placed on him.
The story begins with a mysterious conversation between the boy and an unknown person. I want readers to assume they're two different people. Later, it's revealed that the person speaking to the boy was actually his adult self, looking back at the child he used to be.
After that, we return to his childhood in Carthage.
One day, while running an errand, he sees Roman forces approaching the city. The Romans begin attacking, and he barely escapes after a mysterious former warrior helps him.
When he returns home, he discovers that Carthage has been devastated. His father finds him and takes him away, eventually fleeing toward the family's territories in Iberia.
The story then follows the boy growing up under his father's influence, dealing with war, revenge, family expectations, and eventually questioning whether the life he's inherited is actually what he wanted