ã€ŠSoul Boundã€‹


 Prologue

    Howls of joy rang out, singing to the cool, starry night sky. The song of the creatures outside told a tale of freedom paved from blood. Even an outsider could feel their joy.

    A beautiful brunette with sun-streaked hair looked out of her window with a smile, her golden eyes shining brightly into the darkness as the moonlight from outside fell on her. There was a domineering air about her that forbade any sort of defiance and demanded respect.

    Respect from anyone and anything.

    Finally, all those that had wronged them had been destroyed. Never again would anyone have to be subjected to the same agonizing torture they had gone through. She would make sure of it, along with her people. None could stop them.

    She turned towards the bald, wide-eyed minister in her office. The man seemed to be sweating profusely and reeked of high human society. A putrid smell rolled off of him in waves that only she and her people could detect. Fear.

    Frankly, it disgusted her, causing her to crinkle her nose. Still, she kept her tone casual, "I take it the president will take us up on our little offer?" While relaxed, her question held an edge to it like the tip of a blade about to draw blood from one''s neck. A threat. Clearly, there was only one person who held the power here.

    The man, Rick, nodded profusely, "Of course, your majesty. You have our full cooperation!" Inwardly, he cried, ''Little offer?! It wasn''t even an offer so much as it was a command! What else are we meant to do?''

    The Council of Americas, two entire continents now lead by a council, was to secretly become subservient to Asura. No matter what he felt about it, he had no choice in the matter. No one did.

    He had seen all that had happened first hand. This world now had a new leader¡ªeven if other major powers had yet to realize it. That leader could easily slaughter them all with the flick of her wrist, sending her beasts after them. But if she was truly angered, she might take care of the target herself. An easy death was not possible for such people. Perhaps it was fitting that the world, now shifted into what had previously been thought to be mere myth, had such a being at the helm.

    There was always some resistance though. People in power rarely wished for such change.

    Pausing for a moment, the woman looked at him with a thoughtful look. The title sounded nice. On a different note, it brought an idea to mind.

    "Yes," she nodded. "From now on, speak to me as ''Your Majesty'' or ''Cardinal Majesty'' unless given permission to do otherwise."

    Inwardly, the woman was thinking to herself. ''If the other ''major'' powers were to learn that the Asurians have a Matriarch rather than a Patriarch, they may look down on us and lead themselves to their own deaths. I''d like to avoid useless bloodshed,'' She mused. Although she was now known for her ruthlessness, she wasn¡¯t senseless. Using an axe on a stump was hardly efficient. A different method was needed.

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    Some powers had already embraced female leaders of their own, but others were still clinging to their old beliefs of male supremacy. It was pitiful, really.

    Her golden eyes seemed to gleam as she spoke once more, "Let others assume what they wish based off of this title. For once, maybe their simple bias will save them. No pictures or media of any kind are to be released about myself or Asura¡¯s capital. Now, go back to the Council of Americas and tell them this."

    Rick quickly turned to leave, finding himself always fearing for his life when he was in this place. But he knew better than to actually run out of the room¡­ ''Never run from a predator'' they always said. Unlike the majority of the human population, he knew exactly how sharp the fangs of this country were.

    The Cardinal Majesty was never to be disobeyed. The minister didn''t even want to think of the carnage that would take place. Or rather, he didn¡¯t want to remember it.

    He was sure that the prior government would never have proceeded with their inhumane tests if they had known it would be the end of the world as they had known it. If he could personally go back in time and wring the neck of that idiot scientist, he would gladly do so. Perhaps the world wouldn''t have ended up like this.

    With a hand now safely on the doorknob, his heart almost stopped when she called for him again. The bald minister just wanted to leave!

    "Oh, also, tell your superiors to go through with the scholarship program. I have already sent them a list of those we would like to participate first."

    Rick felt a chill go down his spine at the mention of the scholarship program. If the major powers didn''t want to find themselves enemies of Asura, they would need to allow this certain ''fee''. A fee that was unacceptable to the masses of today.

    On paper, they were sharing Human Resources as the Asurians helped them with the monsters in exchange, but in reality¡­ words on paper always sounded nicer than the truth.

    The bald man nervously faced the Cardinal once again and bowed his head, "This humble servant will gladly be your messenger." Then, the minister left the room in hurried steps, quickening his pace even more when the howling from outside got louder.

    The Cardinal sneered, turning back to gaze out the window. She really hated dealing with people like him. They reeked of insecurity and fear more than anyone else. People like him reminded her of rats. Rats that scurried around trying to find the best food to nibble on only to find out that the best food belonged to a being that could kill them in a heartbeat.

    Sighing, she pushed away her negative thoughts. Here she was, brooding, while her people were rejoicing in the night. It was a time of celebration.

    The Cardinal opened the window and stepped on its edge. Her golden eyes briefly flickered and her body began to glow as she jumped into the sky, her form changing as she did so. What should of been painful was just another practiced motion.

    Gold and brown hair turned into raven-black fur. Her muscles tore, her limbs broke, her body grew in size, and a muzzle grew from her nose and mouth. In less than a few seconds, she had grown into a massive black wolf with golden markings.

    Her long, white canines glinted in the darkness as she raised maw to the sky, singing her own wolf song.

    Soon, they would unite the world.

    Soon, they would destroy those who hurt them.

    Soon, they would get to meet them. Those they were soul bound to.

    Their soul mates.

 Leaving Home

    Two years later in what was once America, North Carolina:

    The air felt heavy as the last few boxes and suitcases were taken away by the movers. A backpack zipping closed was all that could be heard, a sorrowful sigh sounding soon after. A blonde woman turned towards her family, sorrow filling her light green eyes as they stood inside the place she had called home since childhood.

    She couldn''t help but run towards them one more time, giving her mother, her two sisters, and her brother a hug as her bottom lip quivered. Today, everything changed.

    "You don''t have to do this. We can make it out of this without you needing to leave for Asura, Caroline!"

    Her heart constricted but she had already made up her mind. Her family was in a lot of debt and she had been blessed with a scholarship opportunity in Asura that would make up for it. A special program, they had called it. But the only thing was, she couldn''t come home until it ended- if it ended¡­ whenever that even was. Before the world fell into chaos, there might have been another way, but now¡­ If she didn''t go, her family would most likely die from the devil raids. She would do anything for them.

    "It''s ok, Mom. I have to do this. You and dad did so much just to keep all of us together during the war, this is the least I can do. I''ll still be able to call you guys once a month! Plus, they have guaranteed that you will all be given heightened protection from the devils if I go."

    Caroline tried to sound cheerful, but the reality was that she was scared and heartbroken. She had never gone more than a weekend without talking to her parents for all 26 years of her life. Now she was not only leaving them, but she would basically be completely on her own.

    Not to mention, no one from this program had returned home. Their families all said that those in the program were happier than ever, but she couldn''t believe them. Who could be happy away from everyone and everything they had ever loved?

    Then again, some families were given special permission to move to Asura later on.

    ''The family member that was selected must have worked hard for them to allow that,'' Caroline thought to herself. Asura was practically impossible to get into without invitation, after all. ''I''ll manage it, somehow.'' She refused to give up and resigned herself to do whatever it took to bring them to her if she couldn¡¯t return to them.

    Her mother was teary eyed and protested again, "That contract was practically you selling yourself away! They¡­" The woman grimaced as her tears spilled over, "They could do anything¡­ And we don''t even know if they''re telling the truth!"

    Caroline''s eyes hit the floor. It was true. She was basically leaving to become an indentured servant, even if it said ''special program'' instead. They knew how to read the fine print. She was not to disobey them and she would be working under the Asuraian people¡­ in any way they wanted her to.

    But¡­ "This is the best way to keep all of you safe. Not only will you have money to support you for life, but also protection against anything that tries to harm you. I couldn''t ask for more. Besides, there isn''t anything to stop them from just taking me if they really wanted. We all know that."

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    They had promised her family would remain well taken care of and protected as if they were Asurians themselves. Her family would be able to live happy and comfortable lives. Asura was the strongest country in the world and practically controlled all the others, so if she could leave her family protected by them she was also protecting them from them.

    Caroline thought back to the night her best friend disappeared and closed her hand into a fist. This way, they''d be safe. Even if it was a fate worse than death she would still have accepted the contract. After all this time, the hold in her heart had never healed from that.

    ¡®Never again,¡¯ she promised herself.

    Her crying mother was probably about to protest again before her dad put his hand on her mom''s shoulder before pulling Caroline into another embrace, "Make sure to stay inside at night¡­" He was simply warning her about them. The devils.

    "I know we can''t change your mind, but be safe for us. We''ll be praying for you." There was a crack in his voice, as if he was about to break, which only served to dig a deeper hole into her heart. If only they could come with her. For a second, she grasped onto his shirt like she would when she was a child and was scared of the dark except now, she was scared of being alone in this messed up and warring world.

    Sniffling, she gave him a simple nod before shakily letting go of him to turn to her siblings. She didn''t know when she would even see her family again. Or if she would ever see them again, at least in person.

    Her green eyes found the brown eyes of her siblings''. Her twin, Tyson, and her were the oldest while her younger sisters Grace and Elizabeth were about 3 years apart. They were a close family, fighting very rarely which in and of itself was a unique thing.

    She forced herself to smile and put on a brave face, "Take care of them, Ty. Lizzie, keep chasing your dream of being an actor. Grace, make sure to finish out college. You''ll have all the money you need now so no excuses!"

    Ty merely rolled his eyes. They looked puffy as if he had been crying all night and simply couldn''t muster the tears now, "Just¡­ come home soon, squirt."

    "Hey! I thought we grew out of you calling me ''squirt'' just because you''re the bigger twin!" Caroline huffed. Tyson was truly massive compared to her small frame and height. They had grown up and gone to the same university.

    He grinned, glad to lighten up the sad mood for a moment, "You''ll always be ''squirt'' to me. Just like these two!" He gestured to Grace and Lizzie who both puffed their faces out at him. Well, at least she wasn''t the only one being picked on. Her siblings were also some of her best friends. This world was so cruel¡­ Her smile broke as she pulled them into a sibling hug. Her parents, not wanting to miss out, also joined in.

    "I love you guys¡­" She sobbed out as they stayed like that for a few minutes more.

 The War

    A knock at the door broke them apart as a man awkwardly looked towards them. Crying families weren¡¯t in his job description. He addressed her with a sense of urgency, "Ms. Woods. Everything has been packed up. The plane will leave soon."

    She didn¡¯t blame him for wanting to hurry. In this day and age, flights only ran through the daytime due to the horrors of the night. Not to mention, a flight to Asura wouldn''t come again until the next program was scheduled. There was no telling when that would be. It was time to leave.

    Caroline nodded and threw her backpack on her back, her eyes were red and puffy as she turned to her family. "I''ll update you guys in a month. Don''t you dare miss my call!"

    The blonde shuffled a few steps before stopping, "Also please¡­ tell Drew when he gets back that¡­ I''m sorry and to forget about me."

    Before she had time to even think about changing her mind anymore, she ran out the door, never to return to her childhood home again. Hopefully, her family''s worries would be unfounded and Drew would find someone else to love.

    Outside, a black SUV waited for her. Everything after became a blur. Scenery of her home flashed by her as she looked out the car''s passenger window and Caroline''s memories of how this all happened began to drown her.

    Four years ago, a war had broken out and the world was brought to its knees thanks to humanity''s unending greed. Caroline didn''t know the full story because, well, no one did. But the result was obvious. They now lived in the New Dark Age where there were three major powers and one mysterious power.

    The New Dark Age, as it was called, was ruled by the Council of Americas, The Western Dynasty, Kumia, and the mysterious Asura. All of the Eastern counties had come under the control of the Council of Americas while the Western Dynasty was made up mostly of what was once Russia and China. The rest of the old world was under the control of Kumia- including places such as Europe, Germany, and Australia for starters. Finally, there was Asura. A mysterious, new world that filled the power vacuum, the other countries soon bending their knees to it.

    Asura was a new continent of its own, popping up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, connecting the once solitary island tropics. It rose from the sea, filled with new life and new wonders¡­ but also new dangers. One of the most popular theories was that Asura was originally the secret lab of the mad scientists before it evolved into what is there now, but it was unconfirmed.

    Due to the appearance of Asura, or rather the meddling and atrocities of the scientist, the world was now filled with mutated animals, new diseases, and creatures that were thought to only be myths. Although Caroline had never seen any of these mythical beasts herself, she had seen the way the mutations affected the local wildlife.

    Humans had begun to dub some of these mutations as ''monsters'' rather than ''mutants'' when they displayed a blood thirsty nature or corrupted the air around them. Whispers said that all of these new creatures were first creations of a few mad scientists that wanted to create bio weapons. It didn''t take long for those beings to spread across the world and settle in different ecosystems. Now, there were new creatures discovered all of the time.

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    Lizards to Dragons, birds to Phoenixes, horses to Unicorns, and even humans to dread demons¡ªThe scientists ruthlessly tested on almost every life form in hopes of creating the ultimate weapon.

    They stole people off the streets, bought slaves, and even tested on children just to accomplish this goal. They had no moral code. What made it worse was that it was the previous American president that had been funding such a thing. It didn''t make Caroline feel great about being an American before the New Dark Age.

    The humans and creatures that lost their minds became devils, corrupted beings that drank blood and snuffed out any life. Thankfully, if you could even be thankful about the situation at all, they were nocturnal and exclusively came out at night.

    The devils were now the bane of all life in this broken world. The most dangerous devils were undoubtedly dread demons due to their superior intellect and sadistic nature. They only came out at night and despite being former humans, they preyed on human settlements.

    Caroline looked out the plane window and caught her reflection. She hadn''t realized she was wearing a sweatshirt from her old university, but she was. Those were the best times of her life.  A somber expression followed. She remembered seeing the missing persons reports for a few of her friends.

    Hell, she had even filed one herself¡­ She had called their families in a panic when she first heard, maybe even hoping that something new about the kidnappings had come up, but they knew nothing and had been told to treat them as dead by the government itself.

    Now, Caroline knew that her friends had probably been stolen away to become lab rats before being tossed aside like medical waste. Drew¡­ her boyfriend, had been with her through that time. Many that went missing had also been his friends.

    Her heart felt heavy as she remembered her first friend to go missing. It was something she could never forget. She wouldn''t be surprised if it haunted her until she died. ''Oh, Ava¡­''

    In truth, Avangeline, her best friend, had always been someone important to her. Every time she thought of her lost friend her heart ached and she knew there was a hole in her heart. So many ¡®what ifs¡¯ always played in her head but one always came out on top.

    ¡®If only I¡¯d have gone after her¡­ No, don''t think about that. There''s no way I could have predicted she would go missing after that¡­''

    With a deep sigh, Caroline, eyes half closed and very tired from crying, stared out at the clouds from her window seat, not knowing what possibly awaited her in Asura. It was a place of endless mystery. Now that she wasn''t in control of her life, maybe she could move on.

 Asura

    A chorus of howls erupted around her as she ran alongside multiple shadowy figures. For some odd reason, she felt no fear in this situation. Surely it would make sense to be scared of the gnashing teeth, growls, and thundering paw steps around her. Instead she was filled with immense joy. It was as if she they were one and the same under the light of the moon. She reveled in their feelings without even knowing who they were. They seemed to be celebrating, but she didn''t know why.

    The lush undergrowth felt soft against her feet and she could faintly smell the earthy scent of the forest. She didn''t recognize this place, but it was so familiar that she knew exactly where to go. It was as though she had done this a thousand times. A smile adorned her face as trees passed by her at a speed she didn''t think was possible, trying to race against the others off instinct alone. To her, it felt as if she were free for the first time.

    Finally, a longing, lonely howl shot through her ears and echoed in her mind, causing her heart to twist and turn in discomfort. Abruptly, she stopped, not even noticing the forest had gone quiet as well. She wanted to answer that howl. She wanted to find its owner. She needed to. She had to¡ª

    "Attention all passengers, we will be landing in Asura shortly, please prepare for a bit of turbulence."

    At some point in time, Caroline had fallen asleep, her long blonde hair draping over her face. She blinked her eyes open and found that her hand was clutching her heart.

    Strange.

    For some reason, that howl in her dream still echoed freshly in her mind. She had never experienced a dream like that before. Everything had felt so real, so pure, so free. But that howl sounded dispirited; sad. And somehow it had cause her own feelings to dampen. It was like she had found something she was looking for just to have it suddenly disappear.

    Caroline tried to brush her thoughts away. It was only a dream. Dreams didn''t follow much logic in her experience.

    As if to help distract her, the sun from her window was blotted out by some sort of darkness, causing her to sit up in confusion. Caroline turned her head to look out the plane window and was shocked at what she saw. She was so shocked that she completely forgot about her incredibly vivid dream mere moments ago.

    Many scaled beasts with at a wingspan that was at least the size of the plane they were on were flying right outside, as if circling them. Even from here, one could see their jaws filled with sharp teeth. Each dragon seemed to have a different set of horns and spikes. Some even had fins. They were all the colors of the rainbow along with some platinum white, earthy brown, and jet black ones.

    Caroline gripped her seat for dear life as the other passengers began to voice their anxieties in a panic. One guy even wet his pants. He probably wasn''t thinking about the bathroom when such fearsome creatures were so close and Caroline couldn''t really blame him for it.

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    ''Are those¡­ Dragons?!''

    As if to answer her, the pilot spoke on the intercom again, "Please do not panic. The creatures outside are not monsters nor devils, but true dragons that serve as the sky patrol for Asura. They are expecting us and will not engage. In a moment they will clear the path for us and help us to land."

    She looked around at some of the other passengers in astonishment. The majority of people mirrored her own face while a few nodded as if they expected such a crazy development. She would have liked some forewarning! ''R-real dragons?!'' So it was true that mythical creatures now roamed their world! Not only that, these ones had been tamed by Asura! To her knowledge, no other countries had tamed the apocolypse monsters yet.

    The girl sitting in the seat next to her looked to be about 20 years old. She had beautiful tan skin, striking blue eyes, and a purplish blue streak that dyed the front of her curly, dark brown hair. The curly-haired girl let out an audible gasp, "Asura has dragons patrolling their skies? How?" She looked at Caroline as if searching for an answer, but she didn''t have one.

    Instead, she spoke with rounded eyes and a slight smile, "Do you think other crazy creatures are here too? Like, from the stories?" They had grown up before the New Dark Age. Because of that, seeing such creatures made them remember famous stories and movies with fantasy creatures as characters.

    The younger girl seemed to get giddy with excitement at Caroline''s line of thought, "I kind of hope so! Asura seems like it''s going to be filled with surprises! OH! Look, look! We can finally see through the dragons!"

    The wonder and amazement of Asura didn''t stop with just dragons. Now that the dragons'' large bodies were out of the way, the passengers could see Asura in all of its glory. Phoenixes burned through the sky alongside soaring griffins and hippogriffs. Forests upon forests of giant, unidentifiable trees stretched out for miles and even into the mountains in the faraway distance. There was no telling what those forests were hiding in their depths.

    Caroline wasn''t sure she could believe that all of this had been underwater until a few years ago. A unique ecosystem like this couldn''t have grown in such a minuscule amount of time. Not to mention, the creatures she had seen so far needed land to survive. That land also had to have lots and lots of suitable prey as well or else they would die. She hoped she would be able to learn about these mysteries. It would surely bring some excitement to her future life as a servant.

    The intercom activated again as the pilot spoke, "Welcome to Asura, folks. We will be landing outside of the Acelana Forest before a shuttle takes you to your final destination in the capital. Until then, please remain seated. I repeat. Please remain seated."

    And with that, after many hours of flight, Caroline had made it to Asura¡ªher new home and the pillar of power in the New Dark Age.

 The Program

    Stepping off of the plane made the whole situation feel even more unreal. Not only could she still see the mythical creatures dancing in the sky, but she also saw small animals she had never seen before, nor could she identify. Additionally, the giant forest that the pilot called ''Acelana Forest'' was even more massive on the ground.

    Many of the trees were the size of skyscrapers with the width of at least an elephant or two. She even thought she spotted curious eyes staring at them from its shadows. It was magnificent. She felt like she was living in a fairytale but she was also starting to get worried. ''The sun will set soon,'' she thought to herself. They would arrive before nightfall, right?

    Someone brought her belongings to her personally, as they did with every passenger there. It was definitely not what she would call ''normal'' treatment from an airline. But looking around her, she was reminded that nothing about this was normal. The world had truly and completely changed in a short 4 years'' time.

    She felt a small tug on her sleeve and looked to see the girl she had spoken to on the plane looking much more nervous than before. "Do you mind if we stick together? My name is Emily. I know we don''t know each other except from the plane but maybe we could be friends?"

    She was very straight forward and obviously nervous. Caroline wasn''t really sure if she was nervous of her or of what awaited them. Truthfully, it could be both.

    With a small smile and a kind voice, she gave a nod to Emily, "I''d love that! My name is Caroline."

    A condescending laugh interrupted Emily as she was about to speak, "Why on earth are you two acting like grade schoolers over here? Seriously, I bet you both were a part of the rest of those idiots that didn''t know anything about Asura or the scholarship program."

    A girl with fiery red hair and brown eyes and a fancy dress walked up to them. Her tone immediately made Caroline inwardly roll her eyes but her accent told her she was from Kumia. ''Apparently jerks will never die out.''

    In the past four years, there have been countless deaths. Governments crumbled and many power vacuums were left in their wake, leaving humanity to war against themselves and the devils at the same time. Now that the vacuum was filled, humanity focused on the devils. But somehow there were still people that acted like this.

    "And¡­ you are? I don''t think we asked," Caroline gave the girl a glare.

    The girl looked shocked before anger resonated on her face, "You dare! I''m Lady Rosalie Lockridge, daughter of Baron Lockridge of Kumia!"

    "Um, ok¡­" Caroline tried to salvage the situation, "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot¡­" It''s not like she wanted enemies on her first day.

    This Rosalie girl seemed to know more about what was going on than they did, so maybe she could get some information out of her. "You said we don''t know anything about Asura or the scholarship program, does that mean you do?" Maybe she was a royal or something. At least, that''s how she was acting.

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    If she really was part of some sort of royal lineage, she was probably used to receiving undeserved respect. ''But why would someone from one of Kumia''s royal bloodlines come here?''

    The look on Rosalie''s face was one of disgust as she turned her nose up and crossed her arms, "Fools, of course I do. I didn''t come from the devils'' streets like you two clearly did."

    She looked away for a second before looking back, "The Cardinal Majesty is the one that started the program. They say the Cardinal does it to help families in need due to the war but as you can see," she gestured to herself, "I''m here too."

    A look of confusion passed over both Caroline and Emily''s faces before Emily asked, "Wait, the Cardinal Majesty himself? He sponsors us? But wait, wait, wait, why are you here then? If uh, not for money I mean¡­" She blushed as if embarrassed to say that she was here for money after Rosalie stated she had plenty of it.

    Smirking, Rosalie turned around and started walking towards where the others were gathering on a rounded platform, leaving the other two girls to hang on her last words, "I suppose I''m hoping to get a little higher in life than just a Baron''s daughter."

    Blue and green eyes glanced at each other, but seeing that they were both equally confused, Caroline just shrugged and smiled, "I guess we''ll find out. No reason to worry about it, right?"

    "Right!"

    They took their stuff and gathered at the back of where the other passengers had lined up. Caroline was trying to wrap her head around the fact that the Cardinal Majesty personally sponsored this program.

    Rumors about the monstrous leader that no one had ever seen the leader of Asura except for Asurians themselves which included pictures and videos. Apparently his majesty had been at the forefront of the war and managed to make Asura into a Kingdom at the same time.

    Everytime she had turned on the news during the war, it was about the Cardinal along with a few other names. Everyone back home was thankful to him because it was rumored that he was the real reason the warring amongst humans stopped so they could fight the devils. Those were the official news reports, but rumors said otherwise.

    Everyone outside of Asura had a different opinion of him but they could be divided into two sections. Either the Cardinal was an angel that sought world peace or he was a devil in disguise trying to take over the world. Of course, none of the three major powers ever acknowledged it even after all this time but their silence was enough to tell the public what they needed to know. ''What need does the Cardinal have for this program?'' She found herself wondering more and more as to why they were here.

    She and Emily had been sticking close together in the crowd while some people casually whispered to each other. Caroline looked over to see that Rosalie was with a few others that she seemingly knew. The red head was even smiling at them!

    Pushing her head a little closer to Emily''s she whispered, "I guess those people over there must be high society like her or something. She seems to know them."

    Emily nodded and giggled quietly, "They all seem kind of snobbish to me!"

    The two girls proceeded to giggle to each other as they tried to guess what high society people like them could possibly be talking about. They didn''t realize it, but doing so helped them to both calm their nerves.

    Finally, the sound of wheels going at a high speed and screeching were heard as a state-of-the-art shuttle train shot out of the forest. It felt like it was coming right at them until it circled around the platform the group was standing on to turn and face the way it had come from before finally coming to a stop.

    From the driver''s seat, a woman with white hair came out and walked towards them followed closely by a creature that looked like a leopard except that it was dark green with three tails! Plants and flowers were in active bloom on its body, shocking Caroline even after seeing the dragons and phoenixes in the sky. ''Seriously¡­ how much crazier is this going to get?''

 Shuttle Ride

    The woman bowed her head, her long, white hair fallin in front of her face as she did so. The feline next to her sat down and bowed its head as well, making the group begin murmuring amongst each other.

    She wanted to join in too because the green leopard had piqued her curiosity, however, before they could even get a few words out, the lady raised her head and clapped her hands together to gather their attention once again.

    She wore an all black high quality maid outfit with a golden trim to it. Gold and black were Asura''s national colors so it came as no surprise but Caroline found it hard that a maid could have something like that cat next to her as a pet.

    "Welcome to Asura, my name is Nidrie and this here next to me is my beloved familiar, Ralnor. Before any of you ask, he is a species only found in Asura known as the Blooming Leopard."

    She patted the top of Ralnor''s head who seemed to grin, his eyes closing contentedly as more flowers bloomed on his body. "Once we arrive in the capital, you will all come to learn more about this place and the beings that live here. The Cardinal Majesty will assign your houses to you tomorrow so the shuttle will be taking you to the guest housing until then. I advise you all to prepare yourselves for tomorrow."

    With that, she led them to the shuttle. Each passenger had one car to themselves as the car would serve as their storage units until they were assigned positions and official housing the following day.

    Thankfully, Nidrie said that the ride to the guest section, which was much farther inland, would only take about an hour due to the train''s insane speed of 600 km per hour. Their guide mentioned something about magnetic levitation technology having gotten an Asurian upgrade, but Caroline wasn''t sure what that meant.

    The candidates were given the option to stay with their luggage in their own cars or spend their hour in the main cabin, but Caroline wanted something a bit more fun than the plane ride here.

    "You know, it''d be super boring to spend an hour with my luggage after I just slept for so long on the plane. Do you want to hangout in the main cabin?" Caroline asked with a smile. She wanted to know more about Emily.

    Emily was apparently thinking along the same lines as she grinned, "I was hoping we could hangout!"

    After the shuttle train was loaded with everyone''s luggage, those that chose to go to their own cars left and those that chose to go to the main cabin grouped up. Rosalie was one of the final ones to enter her luggage car and once they were gone, Nidrie turned towards the small number of them remaining and gave them a small smile, "Ralnor will watch over you while I drive the train and manage surveillance. Please take care not to approach him without good reason."

    And with that warning, they were ushered into a huge space with plenty of activities such as board games, video games, movies, and even a small library. The cabin was decorated with very unique and lively decor. Yes, lively.

    The plants in the room seemed to react to Ralnor as he himself seemed to greet them by blowing some sort of sparkly dust on them. Whatever it was, they liked it as they swayed their leaves as though dancing to a rhythm no one else could hear.

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    And it wasn''t just the plants. It was quite the wonder puts sight for the candidates as they watched small fae-like creatures flit around their heads. Their appearances differed from one to the next. Some had wings, some had multiple limbs, some had tails, and some had all of those things!

    The main difference she could spot between them was that only some of them looked more humanoid. They reminded her of fairies from the stories. There were much fewer of them compared to the rest of the faes.

    Caroline and Emily giggled to each other with big, white smiles. They were very happy they had decided to ride in the main cabin rather than stay with their luggage.

    Emily spoke up first, "Where do you want to go first? I feel like we should play a game or something. If we get to a good part in a movie and then have to get off the train that would suck!"

    Caroline''s green eyes landed on the mini library in the back and squinted slightly, "Do you think we should look at the books? Maybe there are some on Asura? I hate to admit it, but Rosalie was kind of right. I''m going into this whole thing completely blind!"

    "Sure, let''s check it out! But next lets play a video game, k?" Emily walked behind Caroline as they made their way over and mumbled, "Maybe they''ll have at least some travel brochures?"

    Besides them, there were 17 others that had decided to ride in the main cabin. Meaning only 19 out of the large number of 100 had decided to socialize to some extent. Caroline couldn''t really blame those that went to their luggage cars, though. If she hadn''t slept on the plane, she would probably have done the same thing.

    Ralnor, the Blooming Leopard, sat down at the front of the cabin and watched them with eyes that reminded Caroline of a colorful sunset. It was clear that the large feline was intent on doing his job but his three tails twitched slightly, as if he was interested in what the humans would choose to do. One person followed Caroline and Emily to the mini library while the rest split up to do other things.

    "Oh, hi, my name is Niko¡­" A guy with dark hair, shabby clothes, glasses, and brown eyes bowed as he spoke. A Kumarian. He looked about 18. Caroline watched him fidget, was he shy? And what was with the bow?

    "Caroline," she introduced herself, "and Emily," she pointed to Emily who was giggling, making it hard for her to keep a straight face. She couldn''t help it and giggled, "Really, no need to bow, we aren''t going to attack you or anything!"

    Niko quickly straightened up, "S-sorry! It''s just, a girl came up to me earlier and got mad at me for not bowing¡­ I thought after that it meant I was supposed to bow to girls or something¡­"

    The girls broke into full on laughter, leaving Niko very flustered. Caroline shook her head while she laughed before finally getting out, "I think you must have met Rosalie. That girl really makes her rounds, doesn''t she Emily?"

    Emily nodded as she came to the end of the mini laughing fit, "For sure. I guess she decided to pick on you too, Niko! Don''t worry, she''s just a bully."

    He looked back and forth at the both of them, seemingly concerned before relaxing his shoulders slightly, "So¡­ It''s not normal to bow to girls?"

    Caroline covered her hand with her mouth to suppress another laugh before she answered him. This guy really didn''t know much at all did he? "No it''s not, Rosalie is just demanding. Ignore girls like her." His mannerisms had her curious, but she let it slide, "Would you like to look for Asura related things with us?"

    Niko''s messy dark hair bobbed up and down, "Yes please! That''s kind of what I was hoping to find over here when I saw books!"

    "I''d like to join too, if you don''t mind."

    The three turned their heads to see a dark blonde man standing behind them. He was probably a little older than she was and held an accent hailing from the Western Dynasty.

    Emily spoke before she could, "Sure! What''s your name? You probably heard all of ours while we were talking."

    He nodded, "Yes, my name is Avgust, but I prefer to be called Gus. It''s a pleasure to meet you all."

    "Nice to meet you too!" Caroline said along with Emily.

    Niko stammered after them, "I uh-um, n-nice to meet you!"

 Familiars

    The four of them all sat at a table together and began looking for books related to Asura. Most of the books in the library were short, one-shot novels probably just serving as more entertainment for the ride, however, they were able to find at least two books on Asura.

    It took a bit of time to convince a sleeping fae to let them read the book it was using as a pillow, though. They had woken the cute guy up on accident, not knowing the fae could cloak themselves and seemingly turn invisible. The little owl kitten had almost clawed Niko''s hand when he accidentally brushed it while reaching for the book.

    They were learning lots of new things today.

    One was about the many of the common familiars and a few rare familiars while the other was about how Asurians dressed. Finding the book about familiars was awesome in her opinion, but she kind of wished they could have found something about Asura itself instead of a clothing book.

    "Well, let''s look at this book about familiars first! Should we start by looking for something like Ralnor?" Caroline couldn''t stand her curiosity anymore. What exactly was a familiar? How rare were they? Were they so common that even a maid could have one like the Blooming Leopard? ''Will I get one¡­?'' She secretly wondered to herself. It wasn''t just her though, the other three were also thinking of maybe having a familiar of their own.

    Gus spoke first in his gruff sounding voice, "Yea. Ralnor seems really intelligent too so I wonder just how intelligent familiars can or can''t be."

    The rest of them nodded as Caroline began flipping through the book, getting a bit frustrated until she found a picture, well, rather a drawing, that resembled Ralnor. It was towards the end of the book! As she began reading the first few lines, she smiled as it was all about the Blooming Leopard familiar. "Ok, y''all I found it! I''ll read it so everyone can hear it."

    The Blooming Leopard is a rare familiar that is one with nature. If the leopard is in good health, it will be in constant bloom despite seasonal changes. If the leopard is injured or sick, it begins to wither and die.

    It is a photovore, only requiring water and sunlight to survive, giving it a docile and sometimes even playful nature. Even so, if they were given a monster rank, they would be rank 6 out of 10. They can emit poisons to kill living things in mass or lace their sharp claws in poison instead to strike directly. A master of this familiar must be sure to give precise commands in order to ensure public safety.

    "Dang," Caroline murmured, "I guess Nidrie warned us because even though Ralnor is a docile familiar, he can still be dangerous. Hold on, I want to see more general information about familiars here in Asura, that ok?"

    After receiving the go ahead from the others, she flipped back to the front of the book where it talked about the basics. "I''ll read this out too."

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    Familiars choose their own masters and are then bonded to them for life. They can come from either a breeder, the Asura pet market, or the wilderness of Asura but they do not pick a master easily and oftentimes will go their entire lives without one.

    A master may reject the familiar before the contract is officially made. To make a successful contract, one must willingly give a drop of their blood to the familiar that chose them. If a familiar''s master dies, then so does the familiar. The highest number of familiars recorded that one specific person can have is three. Currently there is no known way for someone to choose their own familiar.

    There was a special bit of print that caught Caroline''s eye as she read it.

    All familiars are born loyal to the Cardinal Majesty of Asura and are unable to harm the Cardinal even if given a direct order by their master as they will follow the orders of the Cardinal Majesty. Those that know this all refer to the Cardinal with the title ''Master of All Monsters.

    "Does that mean that even though Ralnor is Nidrie''s familiar, he can''t disobey his majesty?" Emily asked with wide eyes. None of them had ever heard of his majesty having this title. They were more familiar with his war titles and accomplishments.

    "I guess so, but I wonder how he is able to control them when he never made a contract with them." Caroline muttered. Her curiosity of Asura and the Cardinal simply kept growing the more she learned. Learning new answers just made her have more questions. But she was still wary and a bit fearful of the Asurian''s leader.

    The leader of Asura was said to be a monster unlike any other. Even if the Cardinal had brought the chaotic world under control¡­so much blood had been spilled. The rumors revolving around him were vast and sometimes a bit crazy, but they all shared one thing. He was the most powerful person on earth.

    "After seeing Ralnor, and even reading his page, I was hoping I could get a familiar like him¡­ but no familiar would ever choose me¡­" Niko spoke solemnly. He really had no confidence in himself.

    "Hey hey Niko! Don''t be like that! You won''t know until you try! Maybe they''ll let us see if any of the creatures want to bond to us as a part of the program?" Emily spoke excitedly before making eye contact with Gus. He didn''t seem to think it was likely for them to get familiars either. "It could happen! Come on, Caroline back me up!"

    Caroline smiled and nodded, "We don''t really know what is going to happen tomorrow."

    "Seeeee," Emily continued, "We should really just go play some games and enjoy ourselves today before the program starts tomorrow. Since we have no idea what''s going to happen, we also don''t know if we will be super busy! Let''s go play some games!"

    "I, um, I kind of want to stay here¡­ but you guys can go¡­" Niko fidgeted, still holding the book about Asurian clothing in his hands.

    Emily was about to protest before Caroline interjected, smiling, "You must really like books Niko! If we go play some games, could you tell us if you learn anything interesting from the books over here?"

    Niko seemed relieved and he nodded, "I don''t mind. I just really feel like reading."

    Gus grunted, as if he didn''t care about what he did next. He probably only wanted to know more about Ralnor too.

    Emily clapped her hands together, "Ok, let''s go play some Zario Kart X then! It''s been awhile, but I bet I can crush everyone in this cabin easily!"

    She tied back her curly locks of blonde hair in a ponytail and smirked, "You''re on! You coming, Gus?"

    "Sure," He shrugged. The three of them proceeded over to one of the consoles hooked up to a massive TV, leaving Niko to his books.

    He watched them leave and heaved a sigh. He wasn''t very good at talking to people. Then, his eyes flashed bright green and twisted and dark smile found it''s way to his lips, "See you soon, puppy."

 The Cardinal Majesty

    The sun was setting in the west as a mass of people and creatures of all kinds gathered in the capital. Plants seemed to hum, the fae danced, and the dragons landed on the sturdy rooftops meant to hold their weight.

    Excitement was palpable in their murumurs and chatter as they spoke to each other about tomorrow ceremony. Even the most elusive creatures in Asura, the Dream Bunyips, had come out to socialize.

    This was the third time that the Cardinal Majesty had brought in people from abroad for the program. Each time, Asura had grown more powerful and even more prosperous. It was a stark contrast to where the had started. None of them ever wanted to go back to that nightmare.

    The Cardinal had gathered them for one reason- to announce who would get to be in charge over teaching the attendees. It was not only an honor, but a grand opportunity. The Cardinal Majesty walked out from Asura Palace''s announcement balcony which was immediately followed by heartfelt cheers from the crowd.

    "Glory to Empress Valtaeru Asura, the Cardinal Majesty!"

    It was a chant she didn''t hear very often. Her people were clearly in high spirits and excited to meet their new visitors. For that matter¡­ so was she. Her blood was much more potent than others, making her sensitive to things that even other Asurians weren''t. The beast inside of her was riled up, sensing the importance of tomorrow''s meeting. It was taking quite a lot of willpower to stay collected. ''This can only mean one thing¡­''

    She smiled calmly in order to hide her own excitement, raising her hand to quiet the masses, "Every six months since the war ended, I have brought in people from other countries that may or may not be tied to our pasts. In doing so, many of you have found your soulmate and started families with them. This time, I suspect the one my soul is bound to will appear, making her Queen Consort."

    Gasps could be heard from all around and Val picked on the slightest changes in her people''s emotions due to the mind-link that connected them to one another. Their leader had gone for so long without fulfilling her soul bond. If it was true, then the Asurians would have their first royal couple.

    Those vying for positions in leading the program were now much more nervous. They would be responsible for the Cardinal''s mate! One mistake could end with them getting their necks snapped¡­ Those thinking like this had the sharp tang of fear attached to them. However, some of them realized this was a chance to get to know their Queen personally before she even knew who she was. For these Asurians, it would be the highest honor to watch her blossom into her role as Queen Consort.

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    Valtaeru gave them a moment to take in her words before she continued, "I had a suspicion about one of my past friends and decided to invite her when I realized her family was one of the families in mass amounts of debt and danger. While I will be assigning her directly to me, she will still go through the program and learn the ways of Asura. Along with the other candidates, it will be the jobs of those I place in charge to train her. I will be watching through the mind-link."

    She took out a piece of paper in which she had written down the names of those she would place in charge, "Even if you are not one of the ones I chose this time, feel free to interact with our visitors and make them feel at home. Please remember that even if one of them is your mate, you are not to reveal yourselves to them until I allow it. I will still go out of my way to make sure you have ample time with them. I will be struggling alongside you. Your Queen, my mate, is not to know about us Lycans until I permit it. Until then, treat her like you would the other candidates."

    Everyone smiled bitterly at each other. There was no way they could treat the future Queen Consort like a regular candidate, was there? If something went wrong, they were sure to pay hell for it. Even the less expressive people were showing nervousness.

    The Cardinal''s heart felt a bit heavy at the thought of keeping such a large secret, but it was the guideline she had set for herself and her people. They couldn''t afford information about their society leaking to the public. Many would just think they were the same as monsters. Or even worse, think they were some type of Dread Demons.

    "Without further ado, Beta Rowan Gregor will take the lead as always. Joining him will be Carter Nolan, Katrina Blackway, Lyndra Rovell, and finally Gaius Eddlestone.

    Minerva Hartwell of the Shadow Troops will be in charge of announcing tomorrow and showing the candidates to their new living quarters.

    Carter, you are in charge of basic knowledge and, if needed, familiar training.

    Katrina, you''re in charge of etiquette, servant training, and extracurriculars.

    Lastly, Lyndra and Gaius, you will both be over fight training. Make sure to separate those that start becoming Lycans due to their mate''s influence when you deem necessary."

    This was something they had discovered a bit late during the first program. It had caused a bit of panic in the attendees until they came up with a fake reason to explain. No one wanted to go through that large amount of unnecessary drama again.

    "Remember, confiscate all of their electronics upon arrival. They are permitted their monthly call but must be watched and monitored closely." She raised her fist into the air with a charismatic grin, "Let''s see what our future Asurian brothers and sisters will be like!"

    Cheers and shouts of praise and congratulations to the leaders of the program rang out as Valtaeru made her way back inside of the palace. There was sure to be another pack run in the forest tonight.

    As she walked through the large Palace doors, she was greeted by Rowan, her Beta, her kitsune familiar, Hikari, and Minerva, one of her closest friends as well as her personal shadow guard.

 Dr. Requiem

    The Cardinal let out a sigh, "I''m already beginning to feel the effects of the bond even though she is not in the immediate proximity¡­ Minerva, she will be living in my personal wing of the palace so make sure to bring her straight here. I may lose my mind if I wait too long."

    Minerva quickly nodded her head in understanding. Valtaeru''s lycan blood was the strongest in the world, placing a difficult burden on her shoulders when it came to giving her mate time to adjust as every cell in her body would be screaming at her to mark the person her soul was bound to.

    And to make things worse, if she was too far from her mate, she would begin to lose her mind. It happened to normal Lycans so Minerva didn''t want to even comprehend what could happen if the Cardinal Majesty were to lose her mind. "It shall be done," she then vanished from her spot and into the darkness, as if she had never been there.

    Hikari began to shrink, her nine tails folding into one, until she was as small as a baby fox. Then the ball of fluff jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling her face as if trying to provide comfort. The little creature didn''t look like much, but she could easily kill a dragon with one swipe of her claws if she wanted to. Nothing in this New Dark Age should ever been assumed.

    She patted Hikari''s head before addressing her Beta, "Rowan, your mind sounds like mine. Can you feel the bindings in your soul trying to bring you together?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.

    "Yes, Val, I don''t know how you can stay so composed. It''s pulling me in the direction of our guests."

    Only those closest to her were permitted to call her by her name, let alone her nickname. But she and Rowan were like siblings, especially after the torture they experienced together. After her, Rowan was the closest there was to a ''pureblooded'' Lycan after the experiments. He was second only to her. Not that the two were even slightly comparable in strength. There was nothing they didn''t know about each other.

    Plus, her being composed right now was nothing but a ruse. Unlike the other wolves, including Rowan, she had already seen her mate through the mindlink. She was close to going insane, barely able to keep animal instincts in check.

    "I know, I feel the same. All the more reason to make sure the program is successful and¡­" she lowered her voice to a dangerous growl and her mouth pulled back, her fangs growing longer, "figure out where Dr. Requiem is. He is a danger to our people and this world as long as he remains alive." She gritted her teeth together and suppressed herself from shifting. That was the last thing she needed to do right now. If she did, she wouldn''t be able to control herself nearly as well and would scare their new residents.

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    Dr. Requiem. The head scientist of Project Atlas and their torturer. While she had since destroyed his lab, the truth was that this continent used to be his playground. Well, at least the surface was.

    The continent of Asura actually held a secret. The fabled City of Atlantis was directly beneath their own capital city.

    Dr. Requiem desperately wanted to break into the structure, but the city didn''t accept him, branding him as an abomination. Still, he never stopped trying, even building his secret lab beneath the sea. Unluckily for him, his experimentation led to his downfall.

    Even after spending years as his favorite experiment, Val knew virtually nothing about him or how he went from ordinary person to sickening monster. All she knew were his sadistic desires. The doctor wanted to rewrite the world''s laws, but he soon he learned that they never needed to be rewritten.

    He discovered many creatures that were thought to be mere fantasy actually used to exist. So he decided to bring them back, and by bringing them back, he brought magic back.

    He ruthless awakened dormant bloodlines causing countless to die while only a few successfully lived on. Those that only awakened half-way lost their minds and became devils. The doctor''s true goal was only known to a select few. Herself, Rowan, and Minerva.

    The World Core. A magic source that never went out and was protected in the deepest part of Atlantis. The city could actually manifest it''s own will and it was this will that abhorred the doctor and eventually resonated with her, creating something similar but different from a familiar bond.

    Rowan couldn''t agree more, "The last place to look is Kumia. Not only that, but we picked up his trail along their borders."

    "Good, tell them to proceed¡­ and kill anyone that gets in our way." She let out a fierce growl before clawing into the wall beside her. If he remained free, she had no doubt that he would continue his ''work.'' Plus, ''As long as he lives, we are in danger¡­ Especially her¡­'' Her eyes glowed gold nodding at Rowan before seemingly disappearing into thin air along with Hikari.

    Rowan sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair, his red eyes seeming tired. ''Things are going to be busy. But¡­'' He grinned happily, ''I finally get to meet my life-long partner.'' Without a second thought, he ran through the hallways, into his room in the palace, and jumped over his personal balcony.

    He glowed lightly for a second before black and silver fur sprouted from his arms and he dropped to all fours. A dire wolf. His massive form would have easily knocked down the pillars in the foyer with one move from his tail. Black patterns and gruesome scars covered what otherwise would have been a pure silver coat.

    The pack would run together tonight, as it would be awhile before they could do so without¡­bothering their new guest. A melody of howls filled his ears and he howled in return, taking off in a sprint towards his fellow Lycans.

 The Guest Sector

    The soft, morning light trickling in from behind the curtains stirred her awake. Her curly blonde hair covered her face as she tried to figure out where she was for a moment. Caroline''s dream from last night was the same one she had on her flight to Asura, but more vivid.

    However, she didn''t remember anything at all! Still¡­ her heart clung to a feeling of warmth she could not explain. Maybe she was just stressed and was unconsciously looking for comfort. She sighed and looked around, trying to get her bearings.

    Currently, she and the others from the program are in the guest sector of Asura. It wasn''t actually within the capital itself, but rather a small village that hosted outsiders. She had been surprised to find that the capital itself had no inns or hotels. But then she thought about it again. Getting into the country was hard enough by itself and any visitors would just wait here until Asura''s higher ups were ready to see them.

    Still, the fact that even another country''s leader wasn''t allowed to stay in the capital made Caroline realize just how private the Asurians really were. Not to mention all the crazy wildlife! Part of her was starting to believe that Asura was actually some piece of a larger world not like their own that fell off and attached itself to earth.

    A knock came from her door followed by the voice of one of the staff members, "Miss, we will be leaving for the capital in an hour. Please meet up in the lobby by then. Also, make sure to leave all belongings here. They must be inspected before they are transferred to where the leaders decide you will be staying. Please wear the guest uniform in the wardrobe that has been provided to you."

    "Wait, what about my phone?" She didn''t know how would she contact her parents in a month without it. Even now she would love to talk to them, but she knew she couldn''t. "I thought we could communicate with our families every month?"

    The staff member dismissed it quickly as if she had already answered the same question a million times before, "You will be given a replica Asurian phone upon arrival. It cannot connect with the outside, but you will keep your games, pictures, videos, and other such things. Your own phone will be given to you every month spanning your sponsorship for friends and family contact only."

    She was about to ask how they were going to simply replicate all her phone''s information but she heard footsteps retreat from her door, likely to pass the same message to the other attendees. Caroline had never thought that they would take a simple entrance to the capital so seriously, even going so far to take their phones and have them wear uniforms as they checked their belongings. ''They already did that before the plane ride, what are they looking for?''

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    Before long she simply sighed and began to undress, letting her large t-shirt slide off her slender shoulders, preparing to dress while she continued to mull over her thoughts, ''I guess¡­ maybe¡­ they''re wary of something¡­ A country? Or a specific person¡­? If the rumors about the scientists are true¡­''

    Her thoughts were broken as she realized that even underwear had been prepared for them. "Oh come on!" She proclaimed. Wasn''t this a bit over the top? She didn''t realize that they had even taken their exact measurements at some point. "This day is starting off really weird," she mumbled to herself, picking up the lacy undergarments that had been given to her. They even looked to be hand made and had a silky feel to them that felt breathable when she wore them. Whatever. She couldn''t complain when they gave her nicer clothes than she owned.

    She quickly dressed into the rest of her temporary attire and looked into the mirror over her hotel room''s sink. Caroline was surprised at how pretty the outfit actually was. It wasn''t baggy but also not skin tight. It flowed nicely, even having what seemed to be a light scarf that wrapped itself into an embroidered cape behind her.

    The country''s colors of black and gold were present as well as its emblem on the front. The emblem caught her eye as she realized something, ''Why choose wolves to put on the emblem instead of dragons or even phoenixes? Surely those mythical creatures would make a bigger impact.''

    Caroline shrugged and didn''t ponder about it for long. Asura had already proved to be different from anywhere else and little matters like an emblem weren''t nearly as interesting as possibly getting a familiar or the mythical creatures in the skies and forests.

    Leaving her things behind as she was told, she made her way to the lobby and smiled as she spotted Emily talking happily with Gus who was wearing more or less the same thing but in suit form. She walked up and waved, "You guys look great, it looks like they really did go and make outfits for all of us."

    Emily nodded happily and spun around, "It''s so nice and silky! But ya know, it doesn''t seem like actual silk. I wonder how they made them!" She then leaned over and whispered to Caroline, "Not to mention how they made the lacy underwear feel so nice¡­"

    She coughed as she shook her head before smiling awkwardly at Gus, "So um, how do you like your outfit?"

    "It''s nice. Nicer than my own clothes," He answered briefly.

    Caroline had gotten used to his way of talking when they hung out yesterday. He was just a more quiet type of person that looked and sounded kind of scary but was really kind-hearted. Too bad Niko hadn''t joined them to play games and just kept reading the whole time. Wait.

    "Where''s Niko?" She asked, just noticing that he wasn''t here yet and began looking around the crowd for his dark and shaggy hair.

 Rosalie Lockridge

    At that moment, there seemed to be some sort of commotion coming from one of the hallways leading into the lobby. The three of them looked at each other before quickly scurrying over to find the source. Caroline''s face turned into a scowl when she recognized Rosalie''s voice before she could even see anything. Whatever was happening, someone made the little Princess angry.

    "You lowly rat! Who told you that commoners could walk beside nobility?!" The sound of a loud smack and crash resounded through the room and was followed by a loud thump hitting the floor.

    Emily, Gus, and Caroline pushed past the large crowd that had gathered to see Rosalie and her ''friends'' towering over Niko who was now groaning in pain. Something told her this wasn''t his fault¡­ That noise from before must have been him hitting the wall.

    Caroline was about to move to help Niko up when a loud growl was heard from the lobby entrance, making her freeze. A familiar leopard jumped over the crowd, his tails lashing, teeth bared, and fur spiked as he landed. His attention was entirely on the fiery red head. ''Ralnor¡­'' she thought, her mouth gaping open.

    Rosalie made a squeaking noise and backed up along with her group, fearful of the mighty feline. The sound of high heels slowly clacking against the lobby floor was a complete contrast to the silence that now hang in the air. Nidrie was making her way through the crowd as everyone was clambering to get away from her. She had the same fierce expression Ralnor possessed on his face. She was pissed.

    She looked down at Niko, who now had a bit of blood dripping from a cut on his lip- probably from biting it when he fell to the floor. Purple eyes, both hers and Ralnor''s were fixedly looking at Rosalie with quiet anger. Rosalie''s prideful attitude even seemed to waver for a moment.

    "Nobility of other nations holds no sway here in Asura. Not only have you tried to use authority you do not have, but you also injured a fellow candidate of the scholarship program which is prohibited without a proper dual and good reason. I will report this to the Cardinal Majesty. Until we arrive in the capital, Ralnor will supervise you. Those behind her that call her friend, I give you a choice. Stay with her and be included in the report or join the others. Your choice."

    Just like that, Nidrie had destroyed any image Rosalie had left. Everyone in the crowd began whispering to each other as they watched each person from behind Rosalie slip by with their heads bowed. A few looked red with anger but most looked like they just wanted to get away from the situation without tarnishing their own names. Rosalie, however, looked mortified as she watched her ''friends'' leave her side.

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    Ralnor used his tails as somewhat of a cage around Rosalie as Nidrie helped Niko up, "I am sorry for the harm your fellow candidate has caused you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive her. Here, use this to clean up the blood," she handed him her own handkerchief, "and this for the wound itself." Nidrie handed Niko a small flask filled with a sort of green liquid.

    He cleaned up his blood easily enough, but he seemed to hesitate a bit before using the flask. Niko gave Nidrie a worried look, "I-uh. What is this?" Even Caroline was pretty sure she wouldn''t want to drink some random flash of dubious green liquid that a stranger gave her.

    "Just drink it. It''s Asurian medicine." She sounded impatient. Their schedule had already been delayed and she didn''t want anymore set backs.

    Nervous about drinking it but too scared of a certain leopard not drink it, Niko open it up and downed the flask in a few gulps. To everyone''s amazement, especially his, the cut on his lip was gone, as if it had never existed.

    "There. Now. Everyone, we will be getting back on the shuttle but this time you will be in the main cabin since we will be leaving the other cabins here for inspection," Nidrie gave everyone a sharp look, "Violence will not be tolerated. I hope that I''ve made myself clear. Others are less forgiving that I am." As if to back her up, Ralnor gave a toothy growl as he pulled along a mortified Rosalie behind him.

    As soon as the crowd dispersed and began to move towards the cabin, Caroline, Emily, and Gus made their way over to Niko, who seemed like he was about to jump out of his skin due to nerves. He didn''t seem the type to be used to attention.

    "You ok?" Emily asked, her blue eyes looking over him for any sign of discomfort.

    "I-I''m fine¡­" Niko replied. He wasn''t very convincing.

    Caroline turned to look at Rosalie''s back which was disappearing from sight, "Honestly, she deserved that. She keeps acting high and mighty for whatever reason. How''d you cross her path?"

    Perhaps thinking he would be attacked for saying, Niko muttered quietly while glancing around, "¡­I was assigned the room next door to hers and we just happened to walk outside at the same time¡­ Before I knew it, she was yelling at me for just walking to the lobby like we were told to do."

    Caroline gritted her teeth. She couldn''t stand bullies of any kind, but Rosalie had already been dealt with by Nidrie and Ralnor. Her noble snobiness was so noble anymore.

    ''I wonder if we will learn what that green stuff was while we are here,'' she wondered to herself.

    "We''ve got to go," Gus grunted, gesturing to the shuttle. The man of few words had spoken- and he was right. They needed to join the others. With that, the four of them climbed onto the shuttle, not knowing what was waiting for them in the capital of Asura.

 Valkanari

    There was no media of any kind that covered Valkanari, Asura''s capital. No news, no tourist, and definitely no cameras to take pictures or videos. Many people made wild guesses as to why the country never published pictures of its own capital, but looking at it now, no one would believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes. They would simply think it was photos shopped or CGI.

    It was hidden in plain sight by towering, striking emerald treetops and pure, crystalline waterfalls with mist and spray creating vivid rainbows. Unknown birds of many colors along with other creatures made their nests and dens among the rocky outcrops of the mountain. Nature and architecture seemed to compliment each other here as if they were a part of each other.

    Colossal, mossy tree roots made intricate designs around the city''s foundations, even acting as bases for stairs or ramps to higher levels. Beautiful flora lined the roads and walkways everywhere in such a way that when the butterflies and other insects landed on them, they seemed to form morphing images. It was peculiar, but if one looked closely, they would be able to see how the forest seemed to bend its branches in some areas, letting vital light in from above to feed the plants below. It was like nothing she had ever seen or heard of.

    Creatures she assumed to be familiars walked alongside people as they chatted and went about their business in the city. They all seemed to be headed towards the palace, like them. The faes, like the ones the saw in the shuttle, were doing any number of things from relaxing in the trees to running in the streets. There was even a curious one with the head of a hippo, wings made of leaves, and body of a bear that came up to the newcomers just to poke them and impishly run away.

    The palace was on the highest level of the city and could be seen from almost anywhere you stood in Valkanari. The royal structure itself made it feel as if she were looking at a picture from an elvish fantasy film with its tall, yet slim towers and intricately designed archways. Dragons and phoenixes had seemingly made nests in two of the towers on each side of the pristine silver structure, acting as royal watch dogs.

    The palace itself looked to be part of the mountain. The largest tree on the mountain was positioned behind it, wrapping its roots around the royal grounds almost as if to protect it from harm. It was called Heaven''s Sequoia. Waterfalls from high up outcrops could be seen all around it, creating a river that traveled through town and back into the forest. A root bridge was the only visibleway to enter the palace.

    There was no telling how small or big it really was from the outside, but from the outside, it felt as though it was at least half the size of the capital itself if one included the royal grounds where the country''s main army trained and lived. Honestly, the palace was a castle, a fortress, and a royal living space all-in-one.

    Caroline and her newfound friends looked around in wonder and amazement as they drank in the sights around them like animals need to quench their thirst. This city went and shattered fiction and made it real. She couldn''t tell if the forest was here first or the buildings! Not to mention all of the unknown flowers and creatures. She thought she''d be ready for it after seeing Ralnor, but she stood corrected. How were scientists behind something so unscientific?!

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    "T-this¡­" Even Emily seemed to be at a loss for words for once.

    Nidrie seemed to be expecting everyone''s reactions and gave them a few minutes to step out into the open and take it all in. All in all, she looked quite smug and pleased by their bewildered faces.

    Caroline breathed in the fresh, sweet air and sighed happily. She never would have thought that a place like this existed or even could exist in their current world. She couldn''t help but walk away from the main group for a second as something caught her eye. Her blonde hair fell beside her face as she bent down to look closer at a nearby blue, yellow, and orange flower. It had four large petals and glowing anthers. It was beautiful.

    "That''s Lapis Oleander, a flower that gives off a faint glow. It''s used in Asura as a form of light at night," someone remarked.

    Caroline jumped a bit and looked around, unable to find the source of the voice. The only people she could see were the ones from her group- who still looked dazed, and those headed towards the castle. Her puzzled face looked back at the flower.

    An intoxicating yet familiar laugh resonated around her, "Cute¡­ I know that coming here is a bit of a culture shock, but flowers don''t talk, love. Not even in Asura."

    "I-I didn''t say that they did!" She blurted out a rapid denial.

    "Your face said it all. Some things never change¡­"

    "Where- or, who are you?" Caroline''s heart started to quicken, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was out of fear or not.

    "Well, I''ve been beside you, behind you, and even in front of you¡­" Caroline shivered as she felt a warm breath fall on her ear and breathed in the smell of cedar and cinnamon, "As for who I am¡­" The scent wisped away along with a soft breeze, taking the slightly more huskier voice with it, "You''ll find out soon, Caroline¡­"

    Her eyes widened at the mention of her name but she could tell the presence had left. She didn''t know why, but her heart was beating rapidly as she replayed the encounter over in her mind, biting her lip in the process when she got to the part of heat against her ear. ''There''s no way I know anyone in Asura¡­ so how?''

    "Hey! Caroline! Nidrie said it''s time to go!" Emilly ran up behind her with a bright smile, "Isn''t this place so awesome?! I thought my mind was blown when we first landed, but this is crazy! Um, you ok? Your face is kinda rosy."

    Caroline quickly touched her cheeks and noticed they were warm, only becoming more warm upon her realization. "Pfft, oh I''m fine! Just excited!" she chirped out, trying to act like nothing happened. "Nidrie said it''s time to go? Let''s catch up before we get left behind then!" She quickly grabbed Emily''s hand, rushing them over to Niko, Gus, and the rest of the candidates. Emily raised one eyebrow out of curiosity, but easily forgot about Caroline''s weirdness when they got back to everyone.

    Nidrie was in the center of the group, accompanied by Ralnor who was still holding Rosalie with his tails. It seemed like she wasn''t getting off the hook just yet.

    "In a few moments, dragons along with their riders will arrive with gondolas. They will be taking us to our destination- the castle''s court. This is where the Cardinal Majesty does public showings and also where the Cardinal will be announcing your arrival and other such things related to the program," Nidrie explained. "So please do not be alarmed when they land."

    As if on cue, a roar was heard right before shadows from above blocked out the sun''s warmth. Three mighty dragons gently placed their gondolas on the ground, their wingbeats stirring up the dust on the ground while hovering in the sky, clearly waiting for the candidates to board.

    On the backs of two of them, there were saddles and riders to accompany them. Caroline felt Emily grip onto her arm- either out of fear or excitement. She couldn''t really tell. She soon realized her reaction was very different from those of her peers. Instead of fear or excitement, she wanted to reach out and touch their fur and scales. It was like something was beckoning her forward.

 Dragon Link

    While all the dragons were massive, one towered over the rest.

    Her green eyes landed on the sky-blue dragon with a long, luscious white mane that went from its head to the base of its lengthy neck and shining scales. Golden horns stood tall on its head, curling slightly at the ends.

    For its size, it seemed slender, but even the slightest of movements were enough to show the rippling muscles the scales covered up. With a wingspan of 16 meters, it could blot out the sun without even trying.

    She made eye contact with its unique, slitted eyes that were somehow hazel and yellow at the same time. They seemed warm to her. And odd feeling stirred inside of her and she couldn''t help but approach it, ignoring the gasps behind her and Emily trying to tug her back.

    Caroline snapped free and slowly approached the majestic creature, not even noticing that Emily was still attached to her. Both dragon and girl seemed to be enveloped in their own world, not noticing what was happening around them.

    Her hands stretched upwards, as if it were instinct while a blue muzzle descended from above and gently nudged her hands. The surface felt cool and comforting to the touch. Each scale must have been as hard as a diamond, but they were incredibly smooth. Caroline closed her eyes with a content smile, happy to let whatever this calming feeling was envelope her. She wasn''t aware, but the sky-blue dragon did the same.

    In just a few moments, Caroline felt as though she had become someone else. She saw a lab full of infant dragons, but none looked well. There were those that were missing body parts with fresh, bloody wounds. But many more were dead.

    The room was dyed in scaler hues. Familiar heads littered the floor as she watched another of her kin fall to the ground, blood splurting from its belly and its inards now strewn onto the floor. They had been butchered after being injected with a strange liquid that made them go berserk. This day had changed her.

    ¡®My sisters! My brothers!¡¯ She wanted to cry, but no tears came. Only a feeble roar could be heard.

    Then, she saw a gorey battle field. This time, it wasn¡¯t just dragons who were dying. Humans in lab coats were fighting against them, trying to ensure their own survival. But it was time to reap what they had sown. Rage enveloped her. She ripped through the scientist¡¯s fragile skin and used her long, sharp fangs to pierce through their bodies.

    She battled alongside many other types of beasts, all of them fighting for their freedom. But there was one in particular that stood out from the rest. Unfortunately for her, Caroline was unable to focus on the blurry figure. It was as if something was keeping her from seeing the image.

    Lastly, the scene changed once more. She saw a kind hand reach towards her, finally giving her a sense of peace and ending her suffering. Her heart vowed that she and her future generations would follow them.

    "Ah, so you have chosen her to be your rider, Rain? You will need to get the Cardinal''s permission for that, you know," Nidrie observed. Then she spoke directly into Rain''s mind, "That was a bit reckless. But I''m glad to see the Dragon link worked well."

    Turning to face the stunned crowd, Nidrie smiled, "Meet two of the most renowned dragon riders and their dragons. The white dragon is known as Nimbus and his rider is Knight Luka," she gestured to the first dragon and a man in armor that sat on its back. His hair was dark brown with a few purple streaks here and there and he wore silver armor.

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    "Next is Knight Cassandra who is riding the red and orange dragon, Sol. Other than the Cardinal Majesty, Cassandra and Sol are the fastest rider duo in Asura." Cassandra seemed somewhat embarrassed as she looked away and played with her long, black hair. Sol, on the other hand, looked to be very proud as he puffed out his chest.

    "Finally, the blue dragon without a rider is known as Rain. Here in Asura, dragons choose their riders. Of course, a person can refuse, but that hasn''t happened to this date. Rain is the only royal adult dragon without a rider. I guess she felt that your peer would make the best rider for her." Nidrie finished off her introductions and waved her hand, "I''m not your teacher so I''m going to stop there for now. It''s time to board. We don''t want to keep the Cardinal waiting."

    While everyone started getting on the gondolas, Nidrie approached Caroline, who was still petting and staring into Rain''s eyes. Emily had backed away, but her jaw was practically hitting the ground. A dragon rider? That was a thing?

    Nidrie gently put her hand on Caroline''s shoulder, giving her a smile while she did so, "Rain chose wisely. I assume she peaked at your soul and you saw some of hers in the process. After the ceremony, the Cardinal Majesty will let you know if you may become Rain''s rider."

    Caroline finally tore her gaze away from Rain, who made a series of noises that were the dragon equivalent to a dog pitifully whining. "Um, what exactly would I do as Rain''s rider?"

    "Sorry, but I have to refrain from telling you any details until your fate in the program is decided. Also," she paused to look amusedly over at Emily, "I think your friend might need your attention."

    "Oh!" Caroline rushed over to Emily, leaving Rain who''s head drooped sadly.

    "Rain, dear, I''m sure you''ve come to the same realization that I have. Meaning you should know that while the Cardinal Majesty may grant you your wish, you can''t keep her of all people to yourself."

    Rain''s whiskey colored eyes looked solemnly at Caroline before responding to Nidrie using the mind link, "Yes¡­ But I wouldn''t want anyone else as my rider."

    "Heh, you sound like your brother," Nidrie responded with a giggle.

    A snort was the only response Rain gave her.

    Meanwhile, Caroline was in the middle of getting told off by Emily, "You realize we know nothing about dragons right? What if that had been like, a rude thing to do and you were killed or something! They''re freaking dragons!"

    "I- uh¡­ It just sort of happened. I guess I didn''t even realize what was even happening." How could she even begin to tell Emily what she had experienced in those brief moments when she couldn''t wrap her own head around it? "I''m sorry for scaring you though, I can''t believe you followed me- wait. Shouldn''t you also be lecturing yourself then?"

    Emily crossed her arms, "Hey! Friends don''t just let each other walk up to unknown dangers like a dragon by themselves! I was so scared but I wasn''t going to let you go alone!"

    Caroline smiled and pulled Emily into a tight hug, "Thanks."

    Emily''s last remaining composure crumbled and she hugged her tightly, "D-don''t do stupid stuff like that again¡­"

    Guilt flooded over her as she realized how badly she had scared Emily, "Ok." Despite the fact that the two girls had just met yesterday, the were already coming to rely on one another in the strange but fascinating new world.

    Suddenly, the loud roars from the three dragons filled the area, jump-scaring them apart. Nidrie''s voice was heard in the deathly silence that followed, "The Cardinal Majesty is ready for your arrival! Those who have yet to board, please make your way to one of the gondolas!"

    Without even thinking much about it, she made her way back over to Rain, smiled, and boarded her gondola, Emily scurrying behind her.

    "It looks like the guys boarded a different gondola. Hopefully we will see them later!" Emily chirped out forcefully. Clearly, she was still struggling with many ''what ifs''.

    "They''ll be fine. We can try to find them when we land!"

    A few moments later, the dragons, Nimbus, Sol, and Rain began to beat their wings faster, beginning their take off. Excitement buzzed in the air as they rose into the sky. Soon, they would be assigned housing and jobs.

    Asura''s scholarship program had officially started!

 The Ceremony

    From their position in the sky, they could see just how big the capital really was, but even at their altitude, they did not surpass the forest canopy. That is, until they arrived on the royal grounds, the highest level of the city. Smaller trees, yet colorful trees decorated the area along with several different types of flora and fauna.

    Heaven''s Sequoia was now the only tree that still towered over them while they were in the air, its thick branches covering the city. The palace beneath it was probably the place with the most sun in all of Asura from what she had seen. The canopy practically curved itself to let the sun through¡­

    It was a short, but memorable flight that none of them would ever forget. The dragons began their descent, and soon they could hear cheers and clapping noises from below. She looked down and was shocked at the amount of people- had the whole capital come just to see this ceremony?!

    Rain and the other dragons placed the gondola down before landing beside them. All eyes were on them. Even people''s familiars were looking at them with keen interest. Caroline felt sweat slide down her back from her nervousness. How was it she found it easier to pet a dragon than to face a crowd of this size?

    A woman approached them alongside Nidrie and Ralnor- who seemed to have finally let Rosalie go. She had striking similarities to Nidrie as they both had white hair and purple eyes, but the main differences were the scars on her cheeks and shoulder as well as her shorter hair. Like most people here today, she wore black and gold.

    "Welcome to Asura, friends from afar. My name is Minerva Hartwell. Nidrie has told me much about you¡­ Thank you for coming and being a part of our program. Please follow me so we can commence with the ceremony." She held her head tall as she began moving towards the crowd which soon began to part to make way for them. They murmured and whispered to each other as they walked behind Minerva, coming up with all sorts of theories of how the Cardinal would look or act. Afterall, he was supposedly assigning them to their housing and duties. Any other leader would leave that to their servents.

    After a few moments, they arrived in a fenced off area that faced the palace gate with a podium in front of it. On top of the gate, there was also a balcony. ''That''s probably where he makes public addresses¡­'' Caroline thought to herself. The area was just large enough for them all to have some space around them. She felt like she could finally breathe for a moment.

    "There are so many people here! Is this program really that important to the Asurians?" Emily asked next to her.

    "I guess so¡­ it''s kind of nerve wracking." Caroline answered while playing with her blonde hair. She was reminded of the contract they all signed to be here¡­ and how they were basically slaves. Would this be some sort of auction? Her lips tightened.

    "So now you''re nervous but you weren''t nervous when petting a dragon. It was a freaking dragon!"

    "She. She was a freaking dragon and she''s really sweet. And this is totally different! I guess I just don''t like large crowds of people I don''t know. It also doesn''t help that no one really told us what was going to happen!"

    "Ok, ok. I''ll stop teasing you. If you think about it, Asura doesn''t get newcomers very often so I bet it''s like a holiday to them or something!"

    She tried to make light of her darker thoughts, "Kinda like a party?" She giggled, "Are they here to party about us getting the low-class jobs? Maybe they''re short staffed or something."

    Emily laughed, "I''d sure have been happy if someone helped me with work back home!"

    The two girls laughed and joked with each other until trumpets started sounding, silencing all talking. A few people came out of the palace gates, followed by a handsome man with dirty blonde hair wearing a black suit and silky golden tie.

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    "That''s got to be him right" Caroline whispered over to Emily. When she didn''t get a response, she looked over to see that her friend was in some sort of trance. She giggled and prodded her side, "Okayyy, someone is clearly starstruck, hmm?"

    "W¨Cwhat?" Her face reddened and she looked down shyly while twiddling with her thumbs, "I don''t know what you mean, he''s like, um, average hot! Yea! Average hot!"

    Caroline snickered before whispering back, "I never mentioned anything about him being hot¡­"

    Realizing her mistake, Emily''s face reddened and she gave her a pitiful punch in response.

    The trumpets stopped, but only for a brief moment to let the handsome man talk, "Glory to the Cardinal Majesty!" He turned towards the balcony and bowed deeply, along with every Asurian there. Caroline and her peers stood out like a sore thumb until they finally got the memo to bow too.

    The trumpets began playing again and out walked a masked person with a crown on their hooded head. The black wolf mask had intricate golden patterns on it and fully covered the face, making it impossible to see what was underneath. Power and authority seemed to radiate from them, making Caroline realize that this person was the Cardinal. Well, he sure liked to keep the mystery factor in check. His suit was also black and gold, but had a more ethereal look to it than a normal suit would. It had a double sided embroidered cape of golden wolves that seemed to move if you stared at them long enough.

    The Cardinal Majesty gave a short nod to the handsome man at the podium before climbing a few stairs and sitting on the throne she hadn''t even noticed was there.

    The man at the podium nodded back before standing up straight and turning around towards the crowd, "Raise your heads, the ceremony will now begin!"

    Cheers sounded from all around them, "Glory to the Cardinal Majesty!"

    "Welcome, newcomers, I am Rowan Gregor. It''s probably best for you to call me Lord or Sir Rowan. I am second in command here in Asura. I live in the palace alongside the Cardinal and I will be overseeing the program itself as well as being the main the instructor for the honors class. Your housing, classes, and duties were all predetermined by the Cardinal, please make sure to keep that in mind going forward." With that, Rowan left the podium and sat in a seat next to it. It was clear that his position in Asura was of a high rank just from his mannerisms.

    Up next was a tall, gruff looking man with black hair and a neatly shaved beard. He spoke deeply as he greeted the crowd, "Hi little newbies, my name is Carter Nolan. I will be teaching you basic Asurian knowledge. I believe you have already met my wife, Nidrie, and her familiar, Ralnor. With their assistance, you will also have the chance to learn about these creatures." He gave a hearty laugh, "Maybe even some of you will decide to have your own familiar!"

    He waved at the crowd before walking back to his position. Only now did Caroline notice that Nidrie and Ralnor were beside him.

    A proper looking woman in what seemed to be fancy maid attire came up to the podium next, "Greetings to you all. I am known as Katrina Blackway but you will all refer to me as Miss Blackway. I will be in charge of giving you your daily jobs, training you in Asurian etiquette, servant training, and extracurriculars. Each person here will serve one of the royal houses while also taking their assigned classes. I strongly advise you to adhere to my rules. Laziness will not be tolerated." Katrina then left the stand.

    Caroline couldn''t help but feel like Miss Blackway was a signature stick-in-the-mud. Boring, plain, and stiff. Still, she definitely didn''t want to get on that woman''s bad side. She had read the stories where the head maid was like a drill sergeant and she didn''t want to risk those stories being true.

    Two people came up to the podium this time, a man and a woman. The man was like a giant caveman. He had long brown hair and a strong body. The woman had a blonde pixie cut and was a bit classier than the guy. She was noticeably shorter, maybe just slightly taller than Caroline, and carried a short sword on her waist. The woman spoke first, "Hi everyone, I''m Lyndra Rovell and this is Gaius Eddlestone! We will be teaching the combat portion of the program."

    Lyndra made way for Gaius to come to the podium and his deep voice rang out, "Well yea. We are also two of the top Commanders under Sir Rowan who spoke earlier. We''ll be sure to whip you into shape. If any of you can beat me in hand to hand combat by the time we''ve taught you everything, I may just give you a reward."

    Gus teaching partner, Lyndra, chimed in after him, "Oh, oh! Me too! If you can beat me in swordplay then I''ll give you an opportunity no warrior would wanna miss!" They smiled and waved before leaving and stepping back into position.

 Living Assignments

    Minerva came up to the podium next, her piercing purple eyes examine the canidates.

    "That''s it for the program''s leadership introduction. Now I will be assigning you to your houses according to the Cardinal Majesty''s wishes. As Katrina, ahem, Miss Blackway stated before, you will all be working under a royal house while attending classes- meaning you will be living and working for them as a royal servant. However, you are not obliged to listen to orders from those other than your patrons, Miss Blackway, and other proper authorities."

    Caroline was surprised to find that they weren''t being forced to treat all Asurians as above them. Instead, it seemed your status would be directly assigned to who you end up with.

    ''I wonder if that''s what Rosalie meant when she said she didn''t want to just be a barons daughter¡­''

    After she explained a bit more about how the living and working situation would work with classes, Minerva began to assign people to a house. To their surprise, the royals they would be working under were their instructors! This was sounding more and more like an actual scholarship program than she''d previously thought. Maybe¡­ maybe they were more than just extra labor.

    "Did she leave that out on purpose just to surprise us or what?" Whispered Emily.

    Caroline smiled and whispered back, "Maybe. She seems like the type that likes to catch people by surprise. Also¡­ don''t think I haven''t noticed you side eyeing Sir Rowan over there¡­"

    Emily lightly pushed her, a soft pink covering her face. That answered that!

    While she was giggling to herself, she watched as both Niko and Gus were assigned to be under house Nolan. That meant their patrons were Carter and Nidrie! They lucked out not getting Miss Blackway or either of the battle maniacs. The two of them now stood behind Carter and Nidrie along with the others that had been chosen for house Nolan.

    "Rosalie Lockridige of Kumia, please step forward," Minerva announced, her gaze remaining cold and indifferent. No one could tell what she was thinking.

    Caroline and Emily both stopped whispering to each other to pay attention to this. They really didn''t want to have to live in the same house as that snob.

    The red head walked out from the crowd and Caroline noticed that she actually looked somewhat nervous. Maybe it was the fact she was scolded in front of everyone earlier or the giant crowd, but she seemed like a normal girl for once.

    "Rosalie, you will be joining house Eddlestone." Minerva carefully handed her a keycard and gestured to the people now lined up behind Gaius. No one noticed how the woman was stomping her foot as she did so. Roslie''s face dropped as she dragged her feet over to the battle crazy caveman. If anything, Caroline hoped that the noble could learn some humility while she lived there.

    "Caroline Woods from the Council of Americas, please step forward."

    Caroline was so wrapped up in watching the depressed Kumarian noble that she almost didn''t hear her name. Thankfully, Emily did and she quickly elbowed her friend. With a jolt, she realized what was happening. A bout of anxiety kicked in as she quickly made her way through the crowd to meet Minerva.

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    Minerva''s expression changed slightly- although barely noticeable. She seemed to have a faint smile on her lip, "Caroline, you have been directly assigned to the Cardinal Majesty. For now, please stand beside Sir Rowan Gregor until the ceremony is over."

    Her heart almost stopped as people gasped, their eyes searing her image into their minds. She was going to be working directly under the Cardinal? In the Palace? What would she be doing there? Her inner voice seemingly mocked her, "You know exactly what you''re being called to do. Why else he choose to make someone personally attend to him?"

    She couldn''t help shoot her gaze up to where he was sitting, her thoughts racing just as fast as her heart, only to find that he was looking right back at her. Caroline heard her breathe and the world seemed to freeze. Even if she couldn''t see his face through the mask, she felt as if she were being fondly gazed upon by someone dear to her. Embarrassed because she was caught, she blushed, took her card from Minerva, and shuffled her way over to Rowan. There were so many eyes on her that she wanted to just disappear. However, the surprises didn''t stop there.

    "Emily Constantine from the Council of Americas, please step forward."

    Poor Emily still wasn''t over the shock of her friend getting assigned directly to the Cardinal so she somewhat stumbled a bit when she got to the front. An awkward smile appeared on her face as she made eye contact with Minerva.

    "Emily, you will be joining house Gregor directly under Rowan Gregor. Please make your way to stand beside him and Caroline."

    If Caroline looked closely, she thought she could maybe see steam coming from the top of Emily''s head. Oh right¡­ she remembered how her friend had reacted to first seeing Rowan. How would she react if she had to work for him all the time? Even more so now that she seemed to have come to the same conclusion Caroline did.

    Emily''s hands were shaking slightly as she took her card from Minerva and shyly looked down as she approached Rowan, nodding at him while fiddling with her card, "P-pleased to work with you," she whispered.

    He smiled warmly at her, his hazel eyes having a light twinkle to them, "Likewise, Emily."

    Caroline practically watched her friend melt as Rowan said her name, leaving her to scoop her back up and bring her to her senses so the two of them could watch the rest of the ceremony. ''Well, at least Emily seems to be fine with this arrangement. I''m not sure what to feel,'' she thought to herself while anxiously nibbling her lip.

    It hadn''t even been 48 hours since she left her home for good, leaving everything she had ever known. That included Drew, her boyfriend of convenience, as well. While she herself only started dating him because she wanted to try to fall in love, Drew had been deeply in love with her for years. He was a jealous man who hated the very idea of seeing her standing next to another guy, let alone small friendly acts such as a handshake or hugging. What would he think now?

    Finally, the last person was assigned to their house and Minerva nodded while looking around to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be, "Make sure to treat your patrons with respect. Should you be caught slacking off or misbehaving, there will be proper punishment to fit the circumstance. Of course, that was stated in the contracts you signed but I shall repeat it. Patrons, please take care of our new additions and help them settle in as requested by the Cardinal Majesty! Make sure they know our rules. Those that were not named will get to meet them at a later time. That concludes the sorting part of this ceremony. Asurians, as today is a special occasion, The Cardinal has arranged for all food and beverages to be half off as a way of saying thank you."

    The crowd was clearly moved as they all rang out happy cries, "Glory to the Cardinal Majesty! Thank you for your generosity!" Unbeknownst to the new arrivals, this day was truly one to celebrate thanks to Caroline''s arrival. They couldn''t help but feel their hearts swell.

    Minerva also bowed her head in thanks towards the Cardinal''s position on the balcony before continuing, "Candidates, please follow your leaders. They will show you to your new home and make sure you are settled in. You will have the rest of the day to learn the rules of your particular living space." She glanced at the Cardinal, who seemed to rise at the same time, "Everyone, rise with the Cardinal, you are dismissed."

 Moving to the Palace

    Caroline''s eyes couldn''t help but trail after the disappearing figure of the Cardinal Majesty. The blonde haired girl began fiddling with her fingers once more, realizing that for some reason, the Cardinal had asked specifically for her. What did he want with her? He could have had anyone personally attend to him but he chose her. Such a mysterious figure, how was she supposed to react? ''I guess my sole comfort is that Emily will also be present in the palace. Maybe we will be roommates?'' Of course, she was simply trying to be hopeful. Caroline realized they should be thankful to live in the palace. Their status was already above that of the other candidates for that simple reason alone, but she had never cared for status.

    While everyone else was in a large group, it was just her and Emily that stood awkwardly behind Rowan as Minerva stepped away from the podium and walked towards them. "Sir Rowan," she nodded as he nodded back. They seemed to have some sort of agreement or something. Suddenly she felt Emily''s hand grasp her arm making Caroline look to the side to see her wearing some sort of melancholic face. Inwardly she sighed. ''I guess she''s jealous. It probably doesn''t help when she doesn''t know what they''re nodding about. But do we even have the right to be jealous in this situation?'' Of course, on an emotional level, they were always entitled to their own feelings, but after signing that contract, they couldn''t really complain.

    Movement pulled her away from her thoughts, as Rowan began moving towards the palace gates, "Minerva and I will be escorting you both. Don''t worry about your belongings for now. They will arrive after dinner tonight."

    He continued to talk as they strolled through what could only be the palace garden on the other side of the gate, "You are both welcome to come to this garden in your free time. As you can see, there are many different types of plants I''m sure you''ve never seen before."

    The garden was filled with vibrant colors other than just green. Flowers of all different shapes and hues had been carefully cultivated here. Some had petals as big as she was. It felt¡­ otherworldly.

    Caroline smiled and spoke without thinking while pointing to the flowers that lined the edges of the garden, "The Lapis Oleander looks even more beautiful up here than it did in the city."

    Rowan and Minerva''s eyes both widened in surprise as Rowan spoke, "Did Nidrie already tell you both about our nation''s flower?" He didn''t even think about it before he smiled, "Of course she did, one might have even sprouted on her leopard for all we know. It''s a special flower to us as it helps to brighten up the city, even at night."

    Rowan continued going on about flowers and even some specific ones that only grew in this garden while walking ahead with Minerva beside him.

    Emily shot her a questioning look before Caroline gave her an awkward smile and a shrug. How was she supposed to tell Emily that someone other that Nidrie had told her about them when Emily had been with her the whole time?

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    They walked over the root bridge she had seen before, taking them out of the garden and towards the structure ahead. Minerva spoke up as they reached the large palace doors, "As you can see, the doors are so large that even an elephant could walk through them, but we don''t usually open them. We use the smaller doors that are attached to them. You will both need to use the access cards you were given to get inside." The woman took out her own card and lightly pressed it against the door, unlocking it and leading them through to the other side.

    Caroline and Emily''s mouths both gaped open as they took in the high ceilings and pristine decorations that lined the corridor. Her mind immediately thought back to her parents and siblings as she looked at all this wealth and once again felt like she had made the right choice for the sake of her family.

    Asura''s colors shown through the palace with gold being the main color with black being used as an accent. Of course, there were other colors too, such as red and white, but blue, black, and gold were the main ones. It was strange, but across all of this was a large, deep claw mark. Did a dragon make its way in here?

    The servants bowed in their direction while the fae flitted around the heads of the newcomers. Indeed, they were quite curious to see the new palace residents. It seems Asura''s mystical friends were even abundant it the most high end places.

    Minerva waited in front, seemingly knowing this was going to happen and letting the girls adjust to it. If someone close wee to look at her, they may perceive her to be a bit smug, but to others she simply looked stoic.

    Meanwhile, Rowan didn''t hide his pride at all and smiled, "Welcome! Don''t be too shocked now cause we still have to go on the grand tour! Also, excuse the mark on the wall. It''ll be cleaned up in the future." He didn''t go into any further detail about it either, much to Caroline''s disappointment.

    Rowan and Minerva took turns patiently showing them around the palace grounds highlighting the places of importance, such as the kitchen, the dining rooms, public library, staff rooms, staff lodging, the restrooms, and even the relaxation rooms. Of course, there were also places they were forbidden to go for now unless told otherwise like the council rooms and the royal library. And this was just the ground floor!

    Emily managed to squeak in a question that she had also been wondering. "Where will we be staying? I-I''m only asking because we went by all of staff rooms¡­"

    Rowan smirked and his tone sounded mischievous as he sauntered towards the center of the palace, a giant stairway rising from the middle of the large room, "Well, to be more precise, those were the lower staff rooms. Butlers, maids, and chefs all stay there. Our guards live on the floor above, as to better protect the Cardinal in a case of an emergency. A few other dignified nobles that have no houses of their own also live here. To be more specific, all of them live in the Southern wing. However," He stopped as they reached the top of the stairs, "You both will be staying in neither the staff rooms nor the Southern wing."

    As if sensing their confusion, Minerva stepped in, rolling her eyes, "Sir Rowan means to say that you will be living in the area of who in which you directly serve. Emily, you will be staying in the West wing with Sir Rowan. Caroline, you will be staying in the East wing with the Cardinal Majesty. Please note that the Northern wing is off limits." She nodded at Rowan, "Emily, please go with your patron. He will go more into depth about the West wing''s rules and other palace rules. Caroline, please follow me. The Cardinal has been anxiously waiting for your arrival."

 Meeting the Cardinal

    As she watched Emily and Sir Rowan leave, her heartbeat quickened and she felt a rush of anxiety go through her. This was happening. Why had the Cardinal requested her and was he actually waiting for her arrival? Maybe he took an interest in her because she became friends with Rain the dragon, which probably wasn''t something normal¡­ But that didn''t sound quite right either.

    Minerva began moving towards the East wing, gesturing for Caroline to follow her. She seemed to be aware of the younger girl''s anxieties and began to explain the rules of the East wing, as if that would somehow help. "Few are allowed in the East wing. There''s me, Sir Rowan, and a few carefully selected maids that are granted access. Now, there''s you, too. As such, I''m afraid your friend Emily cannot come here, at least for now," the woman tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear, leaving Caroline in suspense as she continued, "But you are more than welcome to go to the west wing: if the Cardinal permits it." Her purple eyes flickered over to meet Caroline''s, "The Cardinal is now your direct patron instead of an extended one like the rest of your peers. You are actually the first person from the scholarship program the Cardinal has ever taken an interest in."

    An interest? Maybe it was because of the dragon after all. But she couldn''t help but feel that it still would have been a last minute change if that were the case. "W-why is that?" She couldn''t keep the quiver out of her voice as she asked. If it wasn''t because of Rain, why would the leader of Asura want her to work directly for him?

    Minerva simply smirked and shook her head, "That''s not for me to answer. You know who to ask."

    That¡­ wasn''t the answer she was hoping to hear¡­

    Before she knew it, they were in the East wing. Surprisingly, it wasn''t any more dazzling than the rest of the palace. It even seemed to have some personal touches to it like a few art pieces here and there. One caught her eye. It was of a wolf pack hunting down what she assumed to be a devil, but that was just a surface level observation. It seemed almost lifelike as the wolves were bathed in the full moon''s glow and she felt like she could even hear jaws snapping and voices howling as they gave chase to the devil. The wolf at the front looked more majestic and even more ruthless than the others, but she felt more drawn to it than scared. She even found herself wanting to pet its black pelt and trace the gold markings along its back.

    Minerva had noticed Caroline pulling away from her to look at the artwork, and she smiled faintly, "The paintings here were all done by the Cardinal in order to preserve a bit of history. In time, you might find out what is happening in each one."

    History? "Is it symbolic?" She couldn''t help but ask. We''re the wolves meant to represent the Asurians chasing down the devils or did the Asurians actually have wolves to do so?

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    "Another thing you will have to learn about in class," the woman answered, her short white hair following her shaking head before she stopped in front of two double doors with wolves carved into them. "We''re here. Make sure to remember your contract and your standing at all times," Minerva warned her.

    Caroline''s green eyes flicked from the doors to Minerva, waiting for her to open them or something, only for her to see that the woman was walking away with her hand waving goodbye, "Don''t keep the Cardinal waiting."

    Now she was alone. About to meet the leader of Asura, the person she would be serving. She wished at least someone else was here. Anything to keep her from meeting the most powerful person in the world by herself.

    Shakily, she raised her hand to the doors and knocked, only for the doors to open wide all by themselves afterwards. She couldn''t help but gulp.

    "Come," echoed a voice. In her fright, she couldn''t place it, but she quickly listened and walked quickly past the doors and into a corridor that was lined with many paintings, but she couldn''t enjoy those at the moment. How was she supposed to remain calm right now? Minerva didn''t tell her what to do! ''I''ll just bow on one knee. Yea. That''s super respectful, right?'' She had no idea how to address royalty.

    A baby fox met her at the end of the hall. It had soft looking white fur that turned into a blue, indigo color at its feet and tail. Despite looking like a cub, its deep blue eyes looked very intelligent. It was sitting neatly, like it was waiting for her. It ran up to her and began pulling on her uniform with its sharp teeth.

    "H-hey!" She didn''t have another one of these! What would she do if this little thing ripped it up and the Cardinal was displeased? That wouldn''t do! But before she could stop it, the little fox ran through what she thought to look like a living room and towards a hallway on the other side. It looked back at her before disappearing. ''Does it want me to follow it?'' Every creature she''d met in Asura so far had extreme intelligence, so she didn''t put it past this baby fox to have that same intelligence. Plus, it was in the Cardinal''s residence so it must be connected to him somehow.

    Quickly, she followed it, her nervousness being her fuel. She was in the Cardinal''s suite. And it was massive. There were so many rooms and doors that she didn''t know what to make of it. She could get lost here. Caroline''s eyes trailed after the little fox who was head of her. While she didn''t know where she was going, she was sure that this creature belonged to the Cardinal Majesty, otherwise it wouldn''t be here. ''A familiar of his, maybe?''

    The area widened up as the two of them stepped out of the hallway. Her green eyes widened and her heartbeat started thumping hard in her chest. The Cardinal was right in front of her. The room itself was large and dimly lit, a giant bed was placed near the oriel window in the back. Off to the side, there was an open door leading to what she assumed to be where the bathroom and closet was. This was clearly his bed chamber.

    His figure rose from behind what seemed to be his study desk, filled with folders and documents. There was a large bookcase behind it filled with books as well as other small items. "Thank you, Hikari. Close the door on your way out." Caroline could have sworn the fox nodded before leaping away from them, the door somehow closing after it while the most powerful person in the world approached her.

 Avangeline

    The Cardinal was still wearing his black wolf mask adorned with golden accents and hood from the earlier ceremony. While that hadn''t changed, the rest of his attire had. He was now wearing black, leather shoulder armor that draped across his chest while being clipped together by two small golden buckles around the collar bone area. Underneath was a tight fitting gray renaissance button down with a belt cinched around her torso and black pockets partially dangling off to the side of his waste. His dark blue trousers, black gloves, and black boots helped to pull the whole image of him together.

    But she couldn''t shake the feminine feeling she was getting as she glanced up to meet the golden-amber eyes of the masked person above her. Those shining eyes seemed to suck her in to another dimension with no intention of ever letting her go. They were possesive.

    She had been too far away to see them before but now that she could she shivered, feeling his gaze linger on her. Something from the depths of her very being was responding to that gaze and she didn''t know what to do nor how to take it. Surely there was no reason for him to be possesive.

    Her body felt like it was on fire and she bit her lip to stop any unbecoming noises from leaving her mouth. What the hell was going on with her body? She needed it to calm down!

    She bowed on one knee while looking at the floor, not sure what else she should do. This was the respectful things to do in front of a monarch, right? This is what she read about, at least. But usually, those scenes happened in grand halls with a throne at the back, not a giant bedroom!

    Caroline was wishing she could go back in time and ask Minerva what she was supposed to do. She was truly a country bumpkin, but here she was trying to at least make a good impression in front of the Cardinal. Her heart raced, from what she didn''t know. It could be from anxiety, but this nervousness seemed to stem from something else. She really hoped she was doing this right.

    "Rise, Caroline Woods. Welcome to Asura, your new home." Why did he have such a beautiful voice for a man? Most of them seemed to have more deep or gruff voices, but not him.

    He offered her his gloved hand and she put her slender hand in his, but he didn''t let it go. "You certainly made quite the impression for your first day. Even befriending one of our dragons." She couldn''t think straight. Why was this voice so familiar? It seemed like the more he spoke the more feminine he sounded. His pitch was definitely changing.

    Before she could register what was happening, he pulled her towards him, her green eyes widening in shock now that she was pressed tightly to his chest with his other arms around her, embracing her. Caroline''s head was spinning trying to figure out what was happening, ''W-what¡­ is this¡­'' she asked herself before her face heated up even more.

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    She hadn''t even gotten used to his gaze yet, let alone touch, ''I-I''m not prepared yet!'' It was so abrupt. While she had walked in, expecting something like this to happen, she hadn''t expected her body''s reaction to even the simplest of things.

    Then, the smell of cinnamon and cedar entered her nose, making her recall the mystery person from before the ceremony. ''It couldn''t be¡­'' Caroline''s heartbeat quickened and the Cardinal gave her a squeeze before finally letting go, causing her to feel a sense of relief but also a tinge of disappointment. Wait, disappointment?! Caroline was seriously starting to wonder if she was losing her sanity.

    Before her thoughts could even begin to spiral, the Cardinal added, "I was happy to hear that you didn''t forget me telling you about the Lapis Oleander in all of today''s excitement."

    Her already blushing face was practically blazing and her ears became hot.

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    It really was the person from before! In Caroline''s mind, she was trying to figure out why the mystery person''s, otherwise known as the Cardinal Majesty of Asura, voice would sound familiar to her. Was the voice becoming more feminine or was it just her?

    "T-the person from before?"

    "That depends, which before are you referring to?" The question came off teasingly and Caroline suspected that there was a smirking face beneath the mask. Even the teasing was familiar. An ache began to spread in her chest. That voice was more feminine than before.

    And somehow, she realized that no one here had used any type of pronoun for the Cardinal. Her mind raced as she poured over her most recent memories. This was driving her crazy. So crazy that she forgot that this person in front of her was supposedly a dangerous and powerful ''monster.''

    Shakily, after a few silent moments in which she was trapped in her own mind, she asked her question before she could forget, "T-then¡­ I have met you before?"

    Instead of answering her, The Cardinal''s hand moved towards the hood covering their face. The action had little to no urgency to it. Caroline couldn''t calm her racing heartbeat as it got faster and faster.

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    BADUMP

    The hood came down, revealing dark, copper locks slipping down what seemed to be a slim neck. Slowly, so agonizingly slow that it felt as if time had slowed for this one moment as the black and gold wolf mask came off the Cardinal''s face and she felt her knees weaken when she saw the peerless beauty underneath.

    It shouldn''t be possible. She should have been dead or turned into some sort of monster. Even the authorities at home had declared her dead, along with countless others.

    Tears threatened to come to Caroline''s eyes and a trembling whisper appeared on her lips, "A¡­va?"

 The Past: Calm Before the Storm

    6 years ago, Caroline''s 20th Birthday:

    "Happy Birthday!"

    Caroline was greeted with smiles from her closest college friends and even Tyson, her twin, was there! It was times like these that she was glad to have a close but small friend group. Though, one person came to her mind first after wondering who could have pulled this off without her realizing it.

    She looked over at her friend, Avangeline, with wide eyes. The younger girl was the only option, after all. It was a holiday so all the students were on break. They actually only had an extra day off with the weekend but it was basically the same thing to a college student.

    A family friend had asked Caroline to house sit and watch the dogs while they were gone and she happily agreed. When she told Ava about how she would be spending her break as well as her birthday, house sitting, Ava had said she would have to stay at the school for her break since she couldn''t afford to fly home for such a small break. So, Caroline naturally invited her along. For some reason, it bothered her to think of the brunette spending her break alone in the dorms.

    When the time finally came for the break, the two girls were packed and ready to head out. They made jokes and chatted as they always did on the ride there, but Caroline hadn''t expected that Ava had already arranged for a surprise birthday party! While Caroline had left to go get groceries for the weekend, Ava was left to tend to the dogs. But apparently Ava had also taken the chance to sneak their friends in and set up a whole surprise in the brief hour she was gone! Well, she had probably planned it all out beforehand, but still!

    Ava, Tyson, Drew, Cayna, Mari, and Taylor were all hiding when she walked in all to surprise her with shouts making her drop her groceries.

    "Hey sis! Happy birthday to us! I''m glad I get to be the one to tease you about this later! You should see your FACE!" Tyson was cackling while pointing finger guns to the girl behind her, "Nice job, Ava!"

    The others joined in, hugging, laughing, and wishing her birthday wishes. It was a day she would never forget. They had brought her presents, gotten cake and pizza, and even set up a good ol'' camp fire in the back for marshmallows. The dogs seemed to enjoy the extra attention they were getting too.

    Thankfully, before they left, everyone had helped to clean up. Something about it not being right to make the birthday girl clean up her own surprise party. Sure enough, cleaning a whole house would have been her least favorite ''present''.

    But now, midnight had come and her friends had left. Except, Ava of course. Caroline didn¡¯t know why, but she suddenly felt her heart speed up. Her mind couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how they were alone. It seemed¡­ scandalous. No, friends had sleep overs all the time!

    Ava clearly wasn¡¯t struggling with this as much as she was. The brunette came up and gave her a tight hug, smelling of cinnamon, before pushing away with a big smile, "Happy Birthday, one last time! You''re officially older than me by two years again, ya know!"

    "Are you calling me old?!"

    "Well-"

    "Don''t finish that! But thanks¡­ You dressed up, it''s nice." It was a lot more than ''nice''. Her friend was gorgeous. Caroline''s ears heated up slightly as she took note of how pretty Ava looked in her outfit. It was made up of a black leather jacket, a white dress shirt, and form fitting jeans. Her long, luscious brown hair cascaded down her back, curling only slightly at the tips.

    She must have dressed up and put makeup on for the party. ''Or me specifically since it''s my party?'' She only noticed because Ava really hated dressing up and wearing makeup always saying it made her feel stuffy and awkward.

    For some reason, Ava''s gold-amber eyes flickered to the side. Caroline could have sworn she caught a glimpse of red of her cheeks but when she blinked, the flushed face she thought she had seen had disappeared.

    "I''m glad you like it,¡± muttered Ava. Then a frustratingly familiar face crossed the girl¡¯s face as she got entirely too close, teasingly took Caroline''s hand, and lightly traced two fingers up the blonde''s arm all the way to her shoulder, causing her to involuntarily shiver.

    She was ticklish, ok?!

    Well, maybe not ¡®ticklish¡¯ exactly. Whatever it was always made her squirm.

    "Hehe!" Ava couldn''t hold in her cheeky grin as she reveled in Caroline''s response.

    She was always playing games like this! The first time she did something like this was after Caroline said something about Drew liking her. She didn''t know if she liked Drew the same way he obviously liked her. Even a child could tell he was interested in her. Looking back on it, Ava had seemed upset for the briefest of moments before she pulled that stunt of hers.

    "Just imagine I''m Drew for a second," Ava had proceeded to lightly trace her fingers over Caroline''s hand with a devilish glint in her eye. The sensual, ticklish feeling caused her to rip her hand away with a gasp as her heart rate spiked.

    Ava had laughed for ages after that, "Even your hands are ticklish, Caroline?" In her confusion, Caroline believed what Ava said about her being a tad extra ticklish. It was an easy idea to accept.

    What Caroline didn''t know was that Ava was relishing in how cute her reaction had been. Ever since, she had been hooked on it. Because of that, it became a habit for Ava to ''tickle'' Caroline when she was least expecting it¡­ or times when they were alone. Like now.

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    She gently pushed Ava away, glaring at the brunette. But it was just a ruse.

    Ava stuck her tongue out playfully, "Not my fault you''re ticklish, Care."

    Caroline crossed her arms, and huffed, tossing her head to the side. She was trying to mask how flustered she actually felt. For some reason, the word to describe what she felt when her friend did that finally came to her. It wasn¡¯t a tickle; it was pleasure. This baffled her. Why? Because no one else could do that to her!

    For some reason, Ava''s touch was different. Guys had held her hand before and even kissed her but all it did was make her feel embarrassed and a bit gross.

    "Whatever¡­" Caroline let out a sigh and pushed her thoughts away for now, "Let''s put the dogs up so we can go to bed." The fur balls were getting crate trained at the moment so they had to keep up their routine. Caroline whistled for them, Ava got their water, and into the crates they went.

    When they had both taken their showers and gotten ready for bed, Caroline tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. ¡°We¡¯ll have to share the bed. It¡¯s, um, a king so it¡¯s plenty big enough, not like that¡¯s a problem I guess,¡± she rambled.

    Thank goodness it was dark so at the very least Ava wouldn''t see her blushing. She couldn''t help it! They''d already shared a bed before, that too being a much smaller bed in the dorm, but this time they were alone. In a house. Just them. Completely and utterly and absolutely alone. Could she emphasize that anymore? To her, it felt a bit¡­ dangerous. Dangerous for her heart.

    These feelings that had been invading her were foreign. She didn¡¯t know what to do with them nor what they really were. They both went to the same university which happened to be a very religious school. Both had been raised as such as well with her being presbyterian and Ava coming from a baptist family. Nothing could happen between them. At least, it never crossed her mind that something could. Even now she didn¡¯t understand herself.

    Before she could say anything else, Ava simply climbed into the bed while putting some of her own thoughts into words, "At least this one is bigger than the twins they give us in the dorms. But ya know, it''s freezing! Is the heat not working up here?"

    "Oh, damn it, sorry! I forgot they told me to use a heater for about an hour before the room would warm up enough." She tried to laugh it off but she was also rather cold. Well, she was always cold.

    "At least there are a bunch of covers, right? And you¡¯re, like, a natural heater. You¡¯ll be fine at least."

    ¡±Aw, Care, calling me hot and all before bed, are we! But seriously, not the best pick up line.¡±

    Heat rushed through her body making her forget about the cold momentarily, ¡°Ava, you know what I meant.¡± Weird, her voice came out a bit squeaky.

    ¡°Am I not hot then?¡±

    Caroline walked over to the heater and turned it on, disregarding the girl¡¯s teasing in order to preserve her sanity, "There, it should warm up soon."

    Her friend seemed to be grumbling about being ignored as the blonde carefully crawled into bed next to her. But Ava being Ava didn¡¯t plan on letting Caroline go without some sort of reaction.

    Caroline gasped in surprise as Ava''s arms wrapped around her. Her warm hands traveled lightly under her night shirt and over her icy skin until they reached her rib cage. It was easy for her to pull Caroline flush against her own body.

    "You''re freeeeezing, Care! I guess it¡¯s a good think I¡¯m a ¡®heater¡¯ and not just ¡®hot, hm?"

    Badump

    Badump

    "Wh-what? Ava?" This girl was still in the mood to be mischievous? She was going to have a heart attack! This seemed to go beyond her normal teasing!

    But Ava just pulled Caroline closer and whispered huskily in a way that made the blonde¡¯s brain stop functioning, "Just lie still. I¡¯ll be the big spoon, okay?"

    Caroline froze when she felt Ava''s hot breath against her ear, sending tingles down her spine. She wanted to just push her away¡ªto stop whatever was happening. But she had to admit, this felt much better¡­It felt good.

    Ugh, she still wanted to preserve some of her integrity! After snapping out of the initial shock, she moved her body to face the brunette, "I''ll be the big spoon you dummy. Since, I am older ya know¡­¡± Her blush went up to her ears, ¡°Geez you''re impossible¡­"

    Was that a look of shock on Ava''s face? She didn''t know because it left as quickly as it came and was now a small, impish grin. "Do you even know how to be the big spoon? I always took you for a little spoon."

    "Of course I do!" Caroline hastily replied, "J-just turn away from me and I''ll show you." She had cuddled with her sisters before so this was the same thing, right? Yea, this was just the same thing as with her sisters. Nothing else at all.

    Ava turned over so that her back was now to her and Caroline scooted a little closer, drooping her arm over her friend''s smaller body, "See?"

    But instead of answering, Ava pushed herself so that her back was flush against Caroline''s front. Taking advantage of her friend¡¯s shock, Ava also took Caroline''s arm so that it was placed above her own, their fingers brushing against each other. Her heart pitter-pattered out of control in the momentary silence before Ava spoke lowly in a tone that was hard to identify, "There, much warmer right?"

    Well, she wasn''t entirely correct but it was true that an unknown warmth had taken hold of her¡­ Actually, it even seemed kind of hot now. Caroline didn''t even realize she was biting her lip. Why was it that whenever their skin touched it felt so¡­ satisfying? It was a simple thing, yet it left her wanting for more.

    Soon, she was forced to leave those thoughts behind as Ava yawned while spreading her fingers up so they delicately played with her own, "Goodnight, Care. Let''s have fun tomorrow."

    Such a simple action caused her mouth to go dry.

    If only Caroline knew that tomorrow, her best friend was going to disappear. Maybe, she would have held her tighter and threatened never to let her go¡­

 The Past: Drew

    The next day, the two girls watched movies, played games, and had a good time just talking to each other. Caroline found it felt nice just to be in Ava''s presence. For a while, the two sat in simple silence. Instead of being awkward, it actually brought her comfort. She found that when Ava did certain things such as leaning against her or even just smiling her heart started racing for no reason. This wasn¡¯t even counting the many times Ava teased her throughout the day.

    It was clearly flirting, not that the Caroline from then would understand that. Something Ava was fully aware of. But, Ava was much more ¡®behaved¡¯ today than she was last night. Caroline was able to pass things off as ¡®sisterly¡¯ even if they weren¡¯t.

    Around dinner, they were interrupted by the sound of the door bell ringing. They both looked at each other in confusion before cautiously going to see who was at the door. They weren''t dumb. Two girls alone with neither even having so much as a weapon meant they had to approach carefully. The dog''s wouldn''t be much help either. They were lovers, not fighters.

    But after seeing who was at the door Caroline sighed in relief and opened it. Ava''s expression, on the other hand, quickly soured, not that Caroline noticed.

    "Hey! I picked up some wings and thought we could share, that ok?" It was Drew. Their college friend, one of the nicest guys she knew who happened to have an obvious crush on her. He didn''t live that far away from here so she thought it was kind he thought to bring them food. But while she was oblivious to certain feelings, Drew''s were as clear as day to her. However, that didn''t mean she knew what to do about them.

    She laughed and gestured for him to come inside, "Sure! We were just thinking about dinner."

    Ava forcibly chimed in, "Not to mention we aren''t going to say no to free food!"

    Maybe the three of them might have seemed happy, but there was this sort of air about the place that made Caroline uncomfortable¡­ however, she couldn''t place it. Everything seemed normal enough. She hadn''t felt like this before dinner, so what was it? The blonde started to play with her fingers numbly, ignoring the rising sense of dread.

    Soon, dinner was over and Drew was walking out the door before he stopped, taking a deep breath, "Hey Caroline, can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

    She blinked and looked back at Ava who just looked away, not meeting her gaze. Her heart squeezed slightly. ''Oh,'' she thought.

    The two girls had spoken about this a few times before¡ªabout Drew possibly confessing to Caroline¡ªbut Ava was always against a relationship. Every time it was brought up, her argument was sound. She argued that Caroline didn''t have any feelings towards him and that a relationship built on pity wasn''t a relationship at all.

    They''d had more than a few spats about it since Caroline didn''t want to hurt his feelings by turning him down. He worked for her parents and they adored him. They always raved about how he was an upstanding guy they wouldn''t mind her marrying. For some reason, Ava always seemed upset when she mentioned that part. But those talks made her uneasy, so she avoided them. Sure, she had thought about marriage, but it was always in the context of making her family happy.

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    "Alright," she answered Drew with a strained smile, walking out the door with him into the cold night. Caroline heard the door shut behind her and assumed it was Ava likely not wanting to hear any of it.

    She still didn''t know what to say as they walked over to his car¡­ reject him? Go out with him? Maybe she didn''t like him like that now but maybe she would later? Everyone always said he was such a catch¡­ Maybe she should just be happy that he liked her out of all people. Surely her family would be happy about this¡­ Caroline''s mind unintentionally drifted back to her best friend who had already made her stance perfectly clear.

    For awhile they just sat in silence, looking at the stars, before he finally started speaking, "So uh¡­" His blue eyes looked away as they reached the side of the road. He was sitting on the bumper of his small red car while she leaned against the back of her family''s old, white chevy. It was quite the contrasting sight.

    He took a breath and looked her in the eye, "I like you, a lot. It''s hard for me to ever get you off my mind. We''re almost always together since we have the same friend group but¡­ I want more¡­ I want to be more than just friends." He dipped his head so that he could awkwardly scratch his neck. Obviously it had taken a lot of courage for him to say any of that at all, "Please, be my girlfriend, Caroline."

    Just those few words, and she knew their friendship wouldn''t ever be the same. His gaze was so earnest and she had no doubt that he was in love with her, but Ava was right. She didn''t like him like that¡­ "I, well, I¡­" It was hard for her to collect herself as she stuttered over her words, "I''d be lying if I said it didn''t make me happy that you feel this way¡­ but¡­ I''m not really sure."

    Before she could say anything else he seemed to desperately speak up, "If that''s the case, t-then maybe could I just ask that you let me pursue you? Romantically, I mean¡­ You don''t have to feel anything for me right now, but I don''t think my feelings will ever change."

    Caroline was a bit startled at the declaration. Romantic pursuit meant he did''t want to give up. That he wanted to make her fall for him, even if there was no promise of that ever happening. How was she supposed to say no to that? Actually, could she even say no to that since he would still like her either way? She couldn''t tell someone who and who not to like.

    She hesitated for a moment before offering a meek response, "I guess that''s ok¡­ But¡­" Her eyes drifted down and then evasively to the side, "Just know that''s your choice. I won''t hold it against you if you fall in love with someone else." In fact, she hoped that would happen.

    That was honestly the best way she could think to answer him, but it seemed to make him happy anyways, "Then, is it ok for me to ask you on a date?"

    A date¡­ Well you could go on dates without actually dating a person so, "Maybe after finals?" She referred to school so that it could give her more time but also so she could just put off the whole thing in general.

    "After finals it is!" He stood up and shockingly kissed the side of her mouth, "I''ll see you back in class after the weekend!" Then like a little boy who just got away with something devious, he jumped into his car without another word and drove off, leaving her in shock at his stunt.

 The Past: Ava

    "Didn''t realize he was so brazen," Caroline jumped at the voice, clutching her pounding heart in relief when she saw her friend. Ava, who was walking over to her, seemed off. Her brows were slightly lowered and knit together as she stopped in front of her.

    Their amber and green eyes met and Caroline was the one to look away first. For some reason, it was hard to look her in the eye, "So you heard all of that? Didn''t know you liked to eavesdrop."

    An angry snort sounded in response, "You guys were out here for, like, 45 minutes and I came out to make sure everything was ok until I realized you guys still weren''t done talking. Or rather, he still wasn''t done talking." Ava said ''he'' in a disdainful snarl. Did she have sudden animosity towards Drew now? No¡­ it had always been like this.

    "Well, we kind of sat in silence for a while," she muttered, "I guess he was trying to figure out all his words or, um, something?"

    "Or something¡­ Are you actually going on a date with him?" Her voice seemed distant and when she looked back up at her face, she saw Ava looking like she was struggling with something. Whatever it was made guilt well up in her chest for reasons she didn¡¯t understand.

    "I guess," she responded softly, "He just seemed so¡­ desperate for it. I felt like I couldn''t say no."

    "You''ll just lead him on like that. Prolonging eventual pain¡­" Ava''s voice fell off as she gazed at the ground.

    Caroline''s brows drew together at the change, her arm slightly reaching out, "What do you mean?"

    Ava''s eyes stared into her own and she gulped at their intensity. She couldn''t tell what the brunette was thinking. She couldn''t place the emotions flickering in those beautiful amber eyes.

    The brunette took a step closer, "I''m saying that if you have no intention of dating him, just say no. Why let him think he has a chance? He''s fallen so hard for you, do you really think he''ll even look at another girl if he thinks he has a chance to be with you?"

    "I just¡­ don''t want to hurt him. It probably takes a lot out of someone to confess their feelings so¡­"

    "Yea?" Ava''s hand reached out and started playing with the blonde, frizzy hair next to her face, her fingers brushing against her ear. It gave Caroline a tingling sensation, easily weakening her knees and making her face heat up. She hadn''t noticed how close they had gotten.

    "Confessing to someone is like ripping yourself bare of all of your defenses and presenting it in front of someone¡­ willingly letting them know what''s in your heart. Letting them know they already have a piece of it. Inwardly begging to the stars above that they might share a piece of their heart in return. Hoping that what''s honest is also what you want to hear. An act of desperation because of how much it hurts to keep those feelings locked inside without letting them out to breathe. Confessing in and of itself is a painful process. It''s a brave yet brainless moment that can feel like an eternity. I think that''s why they say that whoever falls in love first always loses..." The brunette whispered solemnly.

    Caroline could feel her heart squeezing, unknowingly leaning more into her friend''s touch. The brunette had her full attention. The way Ava spoke was different from usual. She said confessing was like giving someone the option to completely destroy you. A tragic but unavoidable occurrence. For some reason, Caroline wanted to tell her otherwise. That it didn''t have to be that way.

    But Ava just continued, her voice noticeably quivered, "It''s horrible to even think about¡­ And afterwards, nothing ever goes back to being the same¡­" Caroline''s eyes drifted down to her friend''s soft, plump lips, absorbed in the words as they took shape and flew away. A different energy began to replace the melancholic one. Avangeline'' s voice was drawing her in like a moth to a flame.

    The world began to fade around them.

    "But that brainless moment brings another infinite yet finite moment of freedom that soon becomes a far off dream. So brief and vital, like a breath of fresh air," she whispers.

    Did Ava always look so¡­ sad?

    Ava''s hand slipped past Caroline''s ear as her fingers traveled through her hair and to the back of her neck, no longer just idly playing with her stray locks. With their heads almost brushing against each other, Caroline felt her eyelids beginning to drop.

    Unconsciously, she had started gripping Ava''s jacket, slowly drawing them even closer together. It felt as if there was a muffled electric current between them just waiting to be set free, similar to when they touched, but in the air instead. Neither of them could move, seemingly lost in the moment. She couldn''t tear her gaze away from Ava''s lips despite them no longer moving, licking her own as her heart beat began rising. Why was it suddenly hard to breathe?

    One step away¡­She wanted to reach out. She wanted the brunette even closer. She wanted¡ª

    Caroline''s grip suddenly tightened on her friend''s jacket, but her sudden movement seemed to shock Ava out of whatever trance the two were in and she quickly pulled away. Her hand had seemingly moved on its own accord, a response to a feeling she hadn''t had the chance to act on. An empty feeling replaced the warmth she didn''t even know she was feeling just a moment ago, letting the cold, night air take its place once again. She suddenly felt like she was worlds apart from her best friend even though they were standing a few feet from one another. Part of her wanted to grab Ava''s jacket again so she could pull her closer and reclaim that lost warmth, but the other part was rooted to the spot in some sort of daze, trying to figure out what had just happened.

    "Sorry, Care," Ava mumbled, keeping her eyes to the ground, "You can head inside before me. I need to take a walk to cool my head."

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    Without even waiting for Caroline''s reply, Ava walked away, making this the second time tonight she was left to watch someone fade from her view. But this time¡­ it felt like a wound was placed on her heart and she knew she immediately regretted letting Ava leave without¡­without? Her face went completely red as she caught herself.

    Caroline''s legs felt like jelly as she stumbled back inside the house. She pressed her back against the door as she closed it, sinking to the floor directly afterwards. Her hand lightly pressed on her chest before squeezing her shirt. Why was she just realizing it now?

    Heat went from her face down to her neck as she realized she had been staring at Ava''s lips. ''I¡­ wanted her to kiss me, and I wanted to kiss her,'' came the painful realization.

    But this couldn''t be happening! It was against everything she had believed in. Against everything that she was taught growing up. She was straight! She had to be straight! Society would shame her, shame them. The community they lived in would make sure of that.

    In all of America, they lived in one of the worst places possible to develop those types of feelings. Ava''s words resonated deeply with her. These forbidden feelings could ruin what they already had; their friendship. As long as the words were left unspoken, nothing had to change.

    There was a chance that she was the only one that was struggling like this. Maybe Ava needed to cool her head because of Drew and she would have to write herself off as a delusional pervert or something.

    ''But I can''t help it¡­'' she started crying to herself, feeling hurt at the mere thought of her parents finding out. To them, she was the perfect Christian girl but she knew better¡­ That ticklish feeling from whenever Ava had teased her was not quite so innocent. She had ignored it. She continued to let it happen. She wanted to let it happen. She wanted her.

    They''d call her a degenerate! Sinner! Reprobate!

    What was she meant to do?

    Her thoughts kept spiraling for hours until she fell into a disheveled heap on the floor. The exhaustion had caught up to her and she''d fallen asleep at the front door in tears. Her sleep went undisturbed until late morning the next day. She was very confused at first until she felt the sting of her eyes and touched them to find them puffy. Caroline shot up from the ground, realizing she had fallen asleep at the front door. Her brows creased, anxiety surrounding her heart.

    She let out a pitiful and unsteady voice, "Ava?" No response. She walked around and looked at the dogs she had forgotten to feed and crate train last night.

    A rush of shame washed over her, ''I''m so selfish¡­ the whole reason I''m here is to take care of these guys¡­'' Quickly, she fed them and let them outside into the backyard before looking around for Ava once again.

    ''Maybe she left.''

    The thought gutted her like a fish, but soon the thought was dispelled as she realized that all of her things were still here except her phone. Her eyes widened. Ava couldn''t have come back without waking her up at the door, which meant she never came back.

    Worried, she tried calling her but to no avail. Dread was slowly building up as she raced out the front door, phone in hand. She had to find her. Whatever happened yesterday could wait but she had to find her!

    The blonde rushed in the direction that Ava had taken last night and started calling out for her. Maybe she had just fallen asleep like she had?

    ''Not likely,'' her inner voice spoke out. Ava was always more careful than she was when it came to safety.

    She asked the neighbors if anyone had seen an 18 year old girl with brown hair last night or today but nobody had. Finally, she reached the end of the road with misty eyes as she looked around.

    Ava was nowhere in sight.

    She had searched the whole area. She had said she was only going on a small walk but¡­

    Caroline sat on the ground, biting her lip so hard she could taste iron. She was doing all she could to try and keep herself from crying like a small child, when her hand hit a shard of glass. Blood began seeping out as she winced. Why was there glass here? Caroline turned and looked to try and find the source of the glass when she froze, her blood turning ice cold.

    ''No,'' she took her phone out to find Ava''s contact again. She shook her head as it began calling the line, whispering out loud this time, "No¡­" But the broken phone rang out and a familiar ring tone from their favorite anime began to play. ''This can''t be happening.''

    She began shouting Ava''s name again, holding on to some desperate attempt of hope that her friend was nearby and ok. She rummaged around nearby bushes looking for anything else that might be Ava''s or better yet, Ava in the flesh. But instead, she found evidence of a struggle.

    The ground was roughed up a little bit away as if there had been a chase and blood on the pavement not far away. One of Ava''s shoes was beneath a bush and her jacket, the jacket she had been latched onto just last night, had been torn at the seams and was missing an entire sleeve.

    Taking it off the ground with shaky hands, Caroline didn''t need to see any more. Frantically, she dialed the police as tears threatened to overcome her again. She called the authorities, she called her parents, she called Ava''s mom, she called her and Ava''s friends, and she called anyone else that came to mind and soon the scene was flooded with people. The police asked her what happened last night as she told them that Ava had left to go on a walk not too long after Drew had left their house.

    Drew was then asked questions about any suspicious behavior while he was driving home. Confused but cooperative he went back over his drive home, telling the cops in great detail about confessing to Caroline¡ªnot that they asked or cared. In the end, he couldn''t recall anything. The questioning went on and on and the police began fanning out to ask others questions, check the house, and check the scene itself.

    At the end of it all, they concluded that it was a kidnapping and that this was only one of many current cases they had right now. Caroline felt lifeless as she heard the news. Her lips quivered as Drew came up to her with a solemn look on his face. He seemed to somewhat blame himself, thinking that if he had stayed even a bit longer maybe she''d be fine, but Caroline knew better. She knew this was her fault. And more than anything, she wanted to take Ava''s place.

    Years went by and she finally gave into Drew''s pursuits, hoping to numb herself and block out the pain. To try and be a loving couple for everyone else''s sake. To be who others wanted her to be. Even still, she would always stop him when he tried to do anything more than kiss her, though she would prefer to do without all the kissing as well. It felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.

    Her parents were thrilled when Drew asked for official permission to court her and told her that they knew Ava would love to see her with him, but she knew better. Maybe Ava wouldn''t mind it if she was happy, but she wasn''t happy. She was just existing and she felt the guilt of that night play over in her head every single day.

    Over the years, a few more of their friends went missing as well as many others all across the world. The authorities were getting criticized everyday and everything was reaching its breaking point. Then the world itself seemed to groan in despair when the sky went red and dark creatures were released into their everyday lives. The world went to war, resulting in World War III and the scientists that had caused all the mayhem were brought to light. But it was simply too late. The New Dark Age had begun.

 Present Day

    That dark copper hair, those amber-gold eyes, that teasing smile¡­ They were all slightly different but also impossibly the same. She had no doubt as to who this was, even if it had been six years since then. Why? Because she had never been the same since her best friend went missing.

    "Ya know, I hope those are happy crocodile tears," said the brunette as she played with the wolf mask in her hands, a gentle smile coming to her face, "I''ve missed you, Care."

    It was like a dam broke inside of her when she heard the old nickname. She stumbled forward and buried her head in the crook of the woman''s neck, hanging onto her old friend''s clothes as though she would disappear at any moment. Hot tears streamed from her eyes as a torrent of emotions flooded her systems.

    Meanwhile, the Cardinal turned into something akin to a stone sculpture. She didn''t move and didn''t draw a single breath. It was as if she were a block of ice. Caroline''s mind had temporarily gone back in time. In front of her was that sad college student that had just left her sight a few moments ago, leaving her with what would become the biggest regret of her life.

    Caroline''s hands grip tightened, her hot tears falling onto the woman''s neck. There was so much she wanted to say, but sobbing was all she was capable of doing.

    Meanwhile, her old friend was gritting her teeth, her brows furrowed. Instead of looking like she had been caught off guard, she looked to be in some sort of pain. Despite that, her arms brought Caroline closer in a way that made one think she was holding a fragile piece of glass.

    A few minutes later, a strained smile appeared on the brunette''s lips as she spoke, "I honestly thought that you would have forgotten about me by now. 6 years is a long time¡­"

    Still in the midst of many strong emotions, Caroline couldn''t help but raise her voice, "Forget you? How could I?" Tears continued to run from her eyes, "I thought you were dead! I-I''ve regretted ever letting you leave that night¡­ I regretted not going after you and¡ª"

    ''¡ªkissing you,'' she finished in her head. These torturous thoughts had invaded her mind again. No, no, she had to push them down. She wasn''t like that.

    She gulped as she barely managed to stop herself in time. Mind in overdrive, she continued, "And, and when I¡­ When I heard what those scientists did to their victims¡­" The petite blonde shook her head without breaking eye contact, her voice shaking, "I felt like I had been the one to kill you¡­" The guilt had gnawed at her for years on end. How many times had she dreamt of the ''would have'' and ''could have''?

    Something akin to a feral growl came from the woman in front of her as the taller woman gripped her shoulders, forcing her watery green eyes to look into her amber-gold depths. Her friend''s irises were glowing as she let out an animalistic snap in response, "Those bastards are the ones to blame, not you. They turned so many lives into their personal guinea pigs, including my own."

    Caroline lacked the words to speak as she stared back at her friend¡ªno, the Cardinal, with widened eyes. For a moment, she felt a flash of fear as those glowing orbs threatened to engulf her but it passed as soon as it came. She felt tears threatening to rise once again.

    ''Right¡­ What kind of horrors did she face to become a literal monarch? To be called the monstrous Cardinal? Six years¡­ how much of that did she spend almost dying?'' Her heart cried out at the thought.

    She was so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten that they were no longer simple students in college. That night of ''what could have been'' was far behind her. That little shock had brought her back to her senses with her feet now firmly planted in the present.

    Everyone had heard the news anchors talk about the crazed scientists and the war that the Cardinal led against them. But¡­ Ava was the Cardinal. The monster of retribution. The world''s absolute ruler.

    Her heart quickened. It was hard for her to wrap her head around. She would never have thought the girl she once knew was capable of¡­ bloodshed. But what did she know? Time changes people, not to mention torture. Caroline couldn''t imagine the savagery Ava had seen. Nor the horrors she had faced and had yet to face.

    A chill went through her at the thought. Ava was certainly different. She was taller with upturned eyes, longer hair, and somehow more beautiful too. There was even a mature, sexy aura around her that Caroline couldn''t explain. Seriously, how do you come out of a bunch of heinous science experiments looking better than you did before? And if she really had been subject to all sorts of crazy experiments, was she truly the Ava she once knew? Or someone else entirely?

    ''That depends. Which before are you referring to?''

    ''I''ve missed you, Care.''

    ''I honestly thought you would have forgotten about me by now.''

    No, this was still Ava. The teasing, the nickname, and the tantalizing way her skin slightly tingled where they touched. As if electricity was passing through their clothes and into the skin.

    The realization seemed to ease some sort of anxiety in her when Caroline remembered those were all distinct characteristics of her friend. But still, she had to ask. She had to know for sure. So, nervously, she stepped back a little to break physical contact. If this had been the Cardinal she''d been expecting, a stranger, her clingy behavior would have been seen as incredibly inappropriate. She needed to put distance between the¡ªboth physical and emotional.

    Darting her eyes to the floor, she shifted on her feet before asking nervously, "Your Majesty, are you really Ava?"

    Not a single breath escaped from her as she bowed her head, fidgeting anxiously with her hands. While she had been up in her own head, the woman in question had removed her gloves both them and her wolf mask on the bed behind her.

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    "Yes," Caroline''s heart thudded in her chest, "and no I suppose," the Cardinal replied while putting a finger on her chin thoughtfully.

    Confusion and worry nipped at her, "What do you mean?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

    The brunette was now pointing at a large clock on the wall, "Time changes everyone. That''s why I said yes and no. You can''t truly say you know me like you did then. And I guess¡­ the same goes for me."

    "I''m sorry for asking. I guess I don''t know you like I did back¡­then. I, uh, Av¡ª um, your Majesty wh¡ª"

    ¡ª''why choose me as you servant?'' She was going to ask. Beforehand, she thought she understood the thoughts of the mysterious monarch. Either she was chosen because of the dragon or for less pure reasons, but now she wasn''t sure simply due to the fact that she now knew who the Cardinal was.

    But for now, her question would go unanswered as she was interupted.

    The woman sighed with a sort of pout forming on her beautiful face, "I don''t like you using the stuffy formality, but I guess you kind of have to call me by my title¡­ at least, around others."

    Suddenly, she closed the distance, delicately placing a finger under Caroline''s chin, pulling her gaze up to meet hers. She was grinning devilishly as she watched the heat rush over the blonde''s face, her voice trailing her actions, "But when it''s just us, call me Val."

    Caroline swore her face was burning and her brain was seconds away from overheating. This woman was even more daring than ever! ''Monstrous'' must have meant monstrous flirt!

    She had forgotten her question!

    But then her brows creased and another question popped into her mind to replace the former, "Val? Not, Ava? Avangeline?" She was confused since the brunette had just admitted to being her lost friend.

    The Cardinal''s face fell slightly as backed away and leaned against her bed, " ''Valtaeru Asura'', with only a chosen few calling me Val. Though, everyone from the outside just calls me ''the Cardinal Majesty'' now.

    After that last night with you¡ª when,''" she sighed, "when I was kidnapped. I became a mere number in their grand schemes. Only beings with names have rights. Numbers have none."

    Caroline felt her eyes stinging as imagined it. She couldn''t fathom it all, but that could have easily been her and she knew it.

    As if sensing Caroline''s rising emotions, Valtaeru shook her head, "I''ll skip that for now. The sole few of us that survived took on new identities. We gave ourselves code names. We used those names throughout the war and now they''ve become as real as any other name."

    ''War¡­ This is the Cardinal Majesty standing right in front of me¡­ Valtaeru Asura is right in front of me. Why do I keep forgetting that?'' Caroline''s hands gripped the soft fabric of her uniform in distress.

    Did she truly abandon her past as ''Ava''?

    "But what about now?" What about your family?" Caroline didn''t know why, but her tears had resurfaced. There was this aching feeling she had in her chest when she thought she might have never crossed the woman''s mind. But she didn''t¡ªno, she couldn''t voice those thoughts.

    The monarch responded harshly, almost snarling, "What about them? Do you think they could live normal lives if others found out they were related to me? They''d end up dead! I am the Cardinal Majesty, the Empress of Asura! I have no kin!"

    She looked at Caroline ferociously, "Do you understand?"

    Those eyes, warm one moment and suffocating the next. She was telling her to keep quiet about her identity. An order. Caroline nodded, trembling slightly at the sudden change in tone. An order from the Cardinal was never to be disobeyed.

    Gritting her teeth, she growled sorrowfully, "It''s better this way. My mom got remarried and my sister is engaged. And even if I did tell them, well, you know how biblical my mom is. She''d probably think I was the same as the devils." It seemed like she wanted the best for her family but all Caroline could hear was how lonely Val sounded while talking about it. She even seemed to grieve over them.

    Guilt poured over her like a bucket of ice water when she saw the pain in her old friend''s eyes, but at least she had her answer. She still cared about her past. While she wasn''t Ava, Ava was still her. Or at least, a piece of her. Maybe that piece is what reached out to bring Caroline to Asura in the first place.

    It wasn''t like she was the same person she used to be either¡­ People change every year, every day, every hour. There''s always change.

    Her body, heart and mind were in conflict with each other as she went over all the different rumors in her head. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, but she was getting nervous. She was meant to be a servant here. The direct servant of the Cardinal, whom she now knew to be her old friend. Servants didn''t ask questions. They did what they were told weren''t so overly familiar with their master.

    Even if Valtaeru had told her to drop the title when they were alone, Caroline hesitated.

    Unconsciously, she was putting a barrier around the depths of her heart. Minerva''s voice was echoing in her mind, ''Make sure to remember your contract and your standing at all times.''

    The new found knowledge she had stumbled upon didn''t change her position. She was the personal servant of the Cardinal Majesty. A servant. And a servant, especially a straight servant, would never have designs on their master.

    But if the Cardinal wished for her, she as a personal servant had certain obligations to fulfill, right?