《The Heralia Legacy》 ONE The Exam ONE The Exam BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP, argh! Argus hits the touchscreen on his phone with a passion as he flops back into bed. RING RING RING RING. Ahhh, the touchscreen again gets assaulted with an intense passion. But this time it was the answer button to a call, not an alarm. ¡°Argus, get your pale butt out of bed, you have an exam today!¡±, jolted as if struck by lightning Argus shot out of bed. ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, for Oram¡¯s Sake!¡±, Argus babbled. He had a late night last night working double shifts at the local coffee shop. He was going to be waddling about like a zombie the whole day, and he had a freaking exam to do in an hour. That zombie thing was a matter of speech because, as a matter of fact, he knew a zombie; Arlo who is always bursting full of energy, he was doing a business degree in the same University as Argus and he was one of Argus¡¯ best friends. ¡°Argus? Argus! Are you asleep again, I swear to Oram¡±, hearing his mom¡¯s voice, gearing up to go full on high priestess mode, woke him out of his own misery. ¡°Ma you can¡¯t swear, you¡¯re an Oram freaking high priestess and yeah, yeah, I¡¯m awake, talk later bye¡±. ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°BYE ma, love your face¡±. With that Argus ended the call. He whipped his boxer briefs off and darted for the shower, grabbing his toothbrush he shoved it in his mouth on the way. Took care of gentlemanly business whilst brushing his teeth and showering, no one could say he wasn¡¯t a multitasker. Stepping out of his shower, in his small dorm room on campus, he turned towards the mirror, looking back at him was a slightly pale, tall but a little skinny guy with high cheekbones and eyes greener than an emerald¡¯s rear end. With dark violet hair, short on the sides and longer on the top. He and his adoptive mother always speculated on his hair color, dark cold colors like navy blue and violet very usually indicators that there was a magic user especially a Fae somewhere in the bloodline. He didn¡¯t really give it much thought though, as he definitely couldn¡¯t do any magic. He had a swimmer¡¯s build with tight and compact muscles with a height of 6¡¯1. Which was funny because usually magic users were on the shorter side. Muscles and height were more of a shifter thing. Even with the hint of dark circles under his eyes because he cut a fine picture he thought to himself because you should love yourself, okay maybe he does that a teeny bit too much but hey people have their flaws, at least he¡¯s not in drugs. Rocketing out of the bathroom, he put some clothes on and grabbed his backpack. Arlo is already up since he is an early riser, I know right, dudes a freaking zombie but that doesn¡¯t stop Arlo from destroying the stereotypes with his neon orange and pink hair. ¡°Hey, beautiful¡±, I said to Arlo as he was in the middle of some sort of pretzel looking butterfly stretch, doing yoga, hopefully, doing yoga, the undead can be weird. ¡°Hey, sexy, ready for your exam today, you weren¡¯t here when I came home from Cindy¡¯s last night¡±. Cindy was Arlo¡¯s girlfriend, she was a shy jinn magic user with light blue skin, but fierce as fuck if anyone said anything she didn¡¯t like to Arlo. Yeah, they were at times let¡¯s say, disgustingly sweet. ¡°Yeah Selena wanted me to do a double shift because she couldn¡¯t find anyone¡±, I said, still fuming a little from my manager at the coffee shop, I made an awesome cuppa joe, but that was ruined by Selena and her always condescending and passive-aggressive behavior. ¡°Ahh, the sucks Ary, you should quit, you already have like two other jobs, I can pay for the dorm fees, you know my family is definitely not hurting for cash¡±, Arlo said sincerely. That was true, Arlo was the son of the vice president of the Spectra council. They were filthy rich, the undead accumulate a lot of money during their long lives. Arlo, Zoe and I had been friends since childhood. Zoe was a fledgling mage. They all meet in playschool when Argus was being bullied for being a ¡®normie¡¯ a derogatory term used for people with no powers or abilities. Arlo and Zoe had stood at the same time to give Tony Harris a verbally thrashing. Arlo made very certain that Tony knew what he thought about his 3-year-old face and Zoe made a snide remark about a certain someone having accidents in the bed at night. After that, the three of them were joined at the hips. Up until now where Zoe moved to the Heralia Estate where they house the apprentices of The Order in their own little building, she is learning combat magic to serve under Heralia Watson in The Order. But that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t meet up every damn weekend. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good, I feel good when I¡¯m the one earning and standing on my own two feet, okay cya after¡±. ¡°Fine man, but offer¡¯s always there if you need it, I know I have to remind you every few months. Anyway, Catchya after Ary¡±. With that I was gliding through the dorms to the exam hall. It was weird but since I was a boy I naturally walked silently, one had to have shifter hearing to even have a clue if Argus was coming or going. Unfortunate for him his adoptive ma had excellent Jaguar hearing. In his hurry, as he was getting to the exam, he bumped into someone. Making all their books fall everywhere and landing on top of them. Argus quickly righted himself, he just has quickly realized that he actually bumped and landed on Clara Avery. Sweet baby Oram. Of all my shittery I had to land my ass on my all-time crush. You don¡¯t understand, Clara is freaking amazing, not to mention boxer-dropping hot, if that¡¯s a thing, whatever boxers and panties to the same things don¡¯t they? Okay getting sidetracked. ARGUS get your gentlemanly shit together. Argus helped Clara grab her books and gave her a hand standing up, which was completely her letting him be chivalrous as Clara was a grizzly bear shifter. Argus didn¡¯t know how a grizzly bear was contained in that beautiful 5¡¯9 compact and petite body, but it was there, a predator ready to destroy whoever dared challenge her.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Hi Clara¡±, Argus said, being real smooth, like freaking jelly. ¡°Hey Argus¡±. Argus wanted so badly to ask Clara out, but even though he could go up to Heralia Watson himself and call him out, or punch an elephant shifter in the face, albeit not with any success or effect. He just could not bring himself to ask her out. His mind always made excuses. He was one very rare people with no powers or under the jurisdiction of no council, he just didn¡¯t belong, he couldn¡¯t use magic, shift into an animal or not-breathe whilst having super strength. That¡¯s the reason he gets so much shit in his everyday life, he is nothing. Argus usually uses his humor, snark, and sarcasm to get through life, but inside it always gets to him. With one-word Clara could figuratively rip his heart out, or more physically could probably rip his balls out and then bench press him until he bleeds out. She was also practically shifter royalty has the next heiress of the family who heads the Were Council. So, no one will bat an eye at her, even if she walks around with my intestines splattered all over her legs. Around them was a crowd gathering up, Argus couldn¡¯t hear much but something along the lines of ¡°look isn¡¯t that the normie¡±, ¡°He can even walk straight¡±, ¡°He¡¯s so useless¡±. ¡°Didn¡¯t his parents leave him¡±. Argus didn¡¯t even react, he was above that desensitized since his childhood. To him they were all squeaking rats, at least he pictured them as naked squeaking rats. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Uh, I¡¯ve got to go...exam¡±, Argus spluttered. ¡°That¡¯s okay¡±, Clara said softly. ¡°Oh, okay then ... I, Uh, I¡¯ve got to go¡­exam¡±, Argus continued, having resumed his smoothness. ¡°Okay, um, well you can take me out to coffee as an apology after¡±. Argus gaped at her, did she, did she just ask him out? His mouth was open in an ¡®o¡¯ shape for so long that a fly could have flown in laid eggs and started a minor civilization in there and he wouldn''t notice or care. ¡°Yeah, hmhhmh. Yeah, I would love to take you out to coffee¡±, Argus finally said, in the now very quiet hallway. ¡°Okay great see you at 7¡±, she said as she turned around and walked, no if Clara was doing it she was obviously elegantly sashaying away. In Argus¡¯ eyes, she farted rainbows.
¡°Mr. Knight, you are late.¡± Argus looked at his professor, still blissed out by his earlier interaction with Clara, he decided to refrain from his usual bullshittery. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry professor, but I¡¯m prepared for this exam, if you give me a chance then I could really turn this around¡±, Argus said, sincerely. Which was so uncharacteristic of that is was borderline absurd, The might Argus apologise? Na uh. Professor Garrow trying to hide his gawking reaction let Argus in, telling him to be better at managing his time next time. Finally doing this Oram forsaken exam. Argus skimming through the leaflet. It was pretty straightforward, they to write essays about clinical and neuropsychology and psychology in legal practices. Now, this he could do. Halfway through his three-hour paper Argus started having a funny feeling. He didn¡¯t know how to describe it. Like an itchy feeling all over his skin. He could hear the throb of his pulse over the scribbling noises of pencils driven by other students. He stood up, finding it hard to breathe, dozens of different colored blotches appeared moving up and down his skin. ¡°Mr. Knight the exam is not over, please sit down¡±, Garrow said, clearly Argus is up to his usual troublemaking antics again, just when he thought Argus getting some maturity. ¡°I can¡¯t bre--¡±, Argus¡¯s whisper faded, as the blotches of color became more pronounced, they illuminated casting colorful lights throughout the entire hall. Some 400 students¡¯ attention was now on Argus having noticed the light show. A slight wind picked up around Argus, which was noticeable because they were indoors. ¡°This is ridiculous¡±, Garrow finally said. ¡°I don¡¯t know which magic user friend of yours you roped in this prank, but interrupting an exam is a severely punishable offense, you can get rusticated from the university Mr. Knight¡±. Just as Garrow finished saying this the lights got brighter in to full-on mist circling around Argus, with him inside the torrent his eyes closed. BANG. Suddenly many figures in black appeared from the door and some breaking through the windows. ¡°GET BACK¡±, a figure that looked like they were in charge shouted. ''The Order?'', Garrow thought. Granted interfering with official examination was a serious offense but surely so many enforcers and such important looking enforcers were not necessary. ¡°Enforcer Sir, it¡¯s really just juvenile prank from a student, nothing worth The Order¡¯s attention, the dean can handle this, with an academic probation or maybe even a rustication¡±, reasoned Garrow. All the students were gathered at the edges of the exam hall, looking at the drama unfold, a lot of them had their smartphones out filming the entire thing, thinking it a stupid prank by a desperate student, some were even live streaming on social media. ¡°We will handle this professor¡±, the enforcer said calmly. Garrow was just starting to insist that the dean could handle the disciplining when Argus¡¯ rainbow glow coming through the mist around him started to intensify even further the mist like a cocoon around Argus. Then he started to lift off the ground. Suspended in mid-air in a rainbow must cocoon Argus started seizing violently. Screams tearing themselves out of his throat, all the while he was semi-conscious. Garrow stared at his pupil, what kind of magic student can do this? This was going too far, is it a prank gone wrong? The authoritative black figures meanwhile, formed themselves in a tight circle around Argus¡¯s seizing body. As the seizing came to an end the glow intensified at its apex and loud thunder cracked just above them, even if there was no raining and the skies were clear. Suddenly there was a booming voice not much unlike the thunder before it. ¡°AWAKEN MY HERALIA¡±. The booming statement of Oram himself echoed throughout all of Geas. It was an awakening. However, many of the youths who were present where in their twenties and didn¡¯t know what this meant. Hell, even a lot of older people didn¡¯t know what this meant. As the thunderous statement stopped echoing the colorful mist solidified and exploded outwards, the fractals of the once mist fading before hitting anything living but leaving some dents on the concrete floor. Argus¡¯ body then plummeted down to the ground. TWO Oh Shit, What? TWO Oh Shit What? From the nod of the enforcer in charge, one of the other figures, an apprentice, as could be derived by the two white lines running the length on her completely black cloak, moved forward towards Argus, the others still kept their distance, but remained in the tight circular formation. The female apprentice bent down and took Argus¡¯ head on her lap, the type of touch that showed a familiarity between her and Argus. She gently shook Argus¡¯ shoulders to bring him back to consciousness. Argus¡¯ clothes were badly shredded, his shirt taking the worst of it, making his chest visible. On the pale lean muscles were three swirls all intersecting in the middle, the Triskelion, glowing in alternating hues and colors, always moving around the symbol. In the middle of the three swirls, in ancient Geasian was a symbol for S, M and W. After another gentle shack of Argus¡¯ shoulders, he suddenly opened his eyes, much to the rapt attention of The Order¡¯s enforcers and the university student and staff, who were now peering in from windows and entrances, the whole school having been alerted to some sort of event happening in the exam hall. With many phones, up and pointing at Argus, with many live streams going to the elders of councils the students belong to. Drawing a deep breath as he bolted up right, his shirt completely disintegrated, putting the mark on full display in all its multi-coloured animate glory. ¡°ORAM¡¯S ASS CHEEKS¡±, Argus blurted. Feeling really drained and like he was used as a battering ram against an elephant shifter. Also, why was it cold? Looking down, where the hell was my shirt and what the hell is that on my chest? Looking up, he could see what was a contingent of Enforcers of The Order, everyone knew of the Heralia¡¯s Enforcers, they made up what is called The Order, the body that polices Geas. But what were they doing here? Did someone attack him? Or was it a prank? Looking past the Enforcers¡¯ menacing looks, Argus could see half the university crowded around the entrances and windows of the hall looking at him. Turning around to whose lap he been on, ¡°Zoe?¡±. Head Enforcer Malec winced at the abrupt and he must say very unusual curse. Oh well, Heralia Watson did say that the next what be young and what was it he said, ¡®quirky¡¯? Thinking about him was still a sore subject for Malec so he turned back to the Heralia at hand. He knelt down on one knee with his arm across his chest, the rest of the Enforcers doing the same. ¡°Heralia Argus¡±, Malec said. He could see some Enforcers and every other freaking person present including himself gawk at the enforcer¡¯s statement. The greeting was also said by all Enforcers present, even Zoe, though she did have a look on her face that said, ¡®shits serious¡¯, which earned a corresponding look from me that said, ¡®Oh Shit What?¡¯.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Heralia Argus, we are here to escort you to your estate, you have just been through the awakening and must rest, this was part of your predecessor¡¯s instructions in the event of his passing¡±, Malec said gravely. Argus¡¯ mind what spinning. He was the Heralia? Is this some joke? Looking around Zoe was there kneeling and he knew Zoe took her apprenticeship at the order very seriously and wouldn¡¯t abuse her uniform in that way, even apprentice Enforcers held quite a bit of power and sway with the citizens. But Argus¡¯ mind was still exploding with questions, some he could quite hold back, ¡°My estate? Heralia? My predecessor? What are you talking about? I think you got the wrong guy, I mean I am thoroughly fabulous, so I get your mistake, but I don¡¯t even have any powers¡±, trying to make sense of the situation ¡°Heralia Argus, The Order does not make mistakes, we were told by Heralia Watson just before his passing that the next would be young, that and Oram decreed it so just a few moments ago, further proof is that mark on your chest, the triskelion¡±. Malec explained, as if to an impatient child, in a sense he was and got the feeling that this would be his life for the foreseeable future, Malec though this whilst mentally sighing. Everyone gasped at hearing the word triskelion, it only appeared on the chest of the Heralia is was a blessing from Oram. The mark is a mark of possession of his herald, the Heralia. No one had the triskelion as Herald Watson was centuries old and only got involved in serious matters and also never took his shirt off, but that¡¯s beside the point. ¡°The Heralia estate is inherited from one Heralia to another and as for powers, as per our records Heralias can only successfully complete an awakening if they have blood from the three separate branches of bloodlines Mana, Spectra and Were. A Heralia can use all factions of the bloodline. What species¡¯ powers will you inherent depends on your parentage or ancestors, for example if you one of your parents was a wizard, you would be able to use a wizard¡¯s powers, not those of a mage, warlock or jinn, you get to use these three branches of power simultaneously and create divine power, with a Heralia can achieve with the combination of the three¡±. Malec explained, not wanting to continue to have an audience for other discussions, he started to give the orders for the escort to the estate, after the assassination, he will need to be extra vigilant, that means smothering the young Heralia with a contingent of guards even when he goes to the toilet, at least until he fully comes into his powers. ¡°Heralia Argus, just come with us we will explain more on the way to the estate¡±, Zoe said softly behind him. Argus turned, with one violet eyebrow arched, arms crossed he said, ¡°Fine I¡¯ll come with you, but seriously, Heralia Argus? Zee, I have cleaned your puke off the floor and myself when you got drunk after you broke up with your girlfriend, you then proceeded to cry and then puke some more then I had to strip you out of your puke clothes, after which you used me as a pillow-blankey for the rest of the night, stinky breath and all, need I g-¡±, Argus stopped, as his mouth was covered by a gloved hand belonging to a now blushing apprentice Enforcer, surrounded by a very awkward looking contingent of Enforcers, with some snickers that could be herd here and there, ¡°Okay, okay, point made Ary let¡¯s go now¡±, she hissed. Satisfied by that retort, I said ¡°Good, let¡¯s go¡±, Argus yawned, finally out of energy, proceeded to drop to the floor again, into oblivion, still shirtless. THREE The Wrath of the Mama Jaguar THREE The Wrath of the Mama Jaguar Argus¡¯ first feeling was of pain. His body still felt like a bunch of scorpion shifters had a mass orgy on top of him. Opening his eyes, he saw a lavish ceiling with a massive decadent chandelier right above his bed, which by the way was big enough for five people. Argus sat up and put his back against the headboard, at least he could move. He was in a room that was about three times larger than his dorm room. With priceless looking antiques and furnishings from what looked like ancient times, no doubt expensive or collectors¡¯ items however the most prominent feature of the room was the huge ornate window with stained glass and a sit in front looking out to well cared for grounds, you could be many colourful plants and foliage, huge trees and buildings in the distance which seemed to be The Order¡¯s headquarters, he recognised them from visiting Zoe at her housing. He was still shirt less, someone had taken his shoes of and draped a blanket over him. He looked down towards his chest. It was still there. Was this a dream or a mind mage having a prank. He traced the, what was it called? The triskelion? Swirls of colourful lines constantly moved around the three spirals branching out from the centre. What could this mean, he didn¡¯t have any powers, so we did Oram pick him? Wait. Was it for his devilishly handsome looks? Can gods be perverts? Before he got further down that path an abrupt knock on the door broke him out of his dark musings. ¡°Heralia?¡± a deep baritone voice drawled from the other side. It was that head enforcer Argus realised. ¡°Come in,¡± Argus swung his feet over the bed and winced when his bare feet met the cold marble floor. Malec came in looking concerned and apprehensive. ¡°My Heralia, are you well?¡± Malec said in his usual proper manner. ¡°Hi, um, call me Argus and yeah I¡¯m okay, but where am I and what happened,¡± Argus questioned. ¡°Hello Master Argus, I¡¯m Malec the head of The Order and the right hand of the Heralia, your right hand now. Heralia Watson has passed away and Oram has chosen you to pass on the legacy of the Heralia. In time you will come into your powers and there will be no question,¡± Malec explained. Argus soaked this in. He never had any powers, he had begrudgingly come to terms with it. This was everything he ever wanted. But he didn¡¯t dare get his hopes up. So, he remained sceptical of the whole thing, surely this was a mistake. ¡°What do you mean my powers? I don¡¯t have any since birth, I¡¯m a normie.¡± Malec winced at the term. ¡°Master Argus, from old times Heralia have never had any powers before their awakening, it¡¯s in the scripture of the Heralia temple. You have all three bloodlines in you and that¡¯s what makes you special As for your powers, you will have three separate ones which will directly correlate to the beings whose blood lows through your veins. You will be able to shift, to your ancestral creature, you will also be able to use the powers of your undead ancestor and finally you will also gain the magical abilities of your Mana ancestor.¡± Argus sat there contemplating. He didn¡¯t know his parents, so he didn¡¯t know what they were or where they came from. The only time he felt like he belonged was when he was with his best friends Zoe and Arlo, or his ma and the nuns. ¡°YOU ARE NOT GOING TO KEEP ME FROM MY BABY, YOUNG MAN!¡± Suddenly there was a strong abrupt shout that had Argus jumping off the bed, wondering if he accidently summoned his ma, by thinking of her. Malec was also taken aback as they both hurried out of the door to see what the commotion was about. Argus walked out to a hallway which lead to a grand staircase. It had a slight curve to it as it descended to the ground floor. There were enforcers running about, everywhere shouting orders, getting into a serious battle formation. It was then, that Argus saw a group of nuns bulldozing their way through the entrance. They may look like timid old nuns in the temple. But each one of them where very dangerous shifters. There were a bunch of enforcers which were trying to stop their entry and where simultaneously sent flying. There where fire spells being fired and the enforcers who were wizards and mages were trying to cast shields and blockades to stop the onslaught, as one of the nuns shifted in to a grizzly bear the size of a bus, thank god the ceiling was so high, otherwise the whole mansion would have been destroyed.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As much as this warmed Argus¡¯ heart he knew he should prevent his ma from injuring his enforcers¡­wait, his enforcers!? Where did that thought come from? ¡°Ma! I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m here ¡­ I¡¯m here,¡± Argus shouted, to get them to stop their rampage. As soon as the shout was heard the commotion died out as the enforcers all stopped their counterattack and bowed their heads in acknowledgement. Argus saw his ma¡¯s head swivel to his direction, she was looking every bit as a high priestess with her long white gown flowing, her eyes were her jaguar¡¯s so you could tell she was agitated. As soon as she looked at him her eyes immediately shot to the mark on his chest. Argus squirmed under his mas and the nuns¡¯ scrutiny and remembered that he really needed to find a shirt. He came down the stairs with all eyes on him the enforcers on the side¡¯s heads bobbed in greeting as he passed. ¡°Argus, honey, it¡¯s true?¡± High Priestess Alora said as she put her hands-on Argus¡¯ cheeks. It was a familiar gesture accompanied by her familiar scent that grounded Argus. He didn¡¯t realise he was so tense this whole time, as he relaxed in the Priestesses embrace. ¡°Oram¡¯s Blessings, High Priestess would you like to join Master Argus and I to the parlour for tea.¡± Malec¡¯s address had attracted the High Priestesses attention, as she had an inscrutable expression on her face on at the mention of ¡°Master¡± Argus. ¡°Yes, Head Enforcer, it seems that we have much to discuss,¡± and just like that the regal High Priestess was back. *** They were all sitting in a cozy parlour, which consisted of four antique looking sofas with filigree patterns on them, they were arranged in a close square with a wooden mahogany centrepiece coffee table in the middle, where a maid was pouring some see in what looked like a fine china teapot set. This place really needed to be let into the current century Argus thought, as the awkward silence continued. The Hight Priestess was sitting in her ever-regal posture, she was beautiful, she looked like she was in her late twenties because of the large shifter lifespan, when she was really quite possibly in her hundreds. She was surrounded by her nuns. There where ten of them and they were the powerheads and leaders of the shifter temple. The shifter temple like all the temples were a separate entity from the councils. They believed in their religions and also protected that were born with the power to protect themselves, as the councils couldn¡¯t care less about people that weren¡¯t from their counsel, like other paranormals, let alone the non-paranormal. The point is, the shifter temple is well respected by all the councils for their peaceful and righteous conduct. Of course, their firepower is also appreciated, no one dares to anger them, even the counsels have to be careful, all except the Heralia. The shifters believe in their god Fenrir, which is where all the shifter temple¡¯s beliefs originate. Like this, other species¡¯ temples believe in their gods and goddesses like the ghouls and vampires from Spectra believe in Mata Kali and the druids, a magical species under the Mana counsel have a temple dedicated to a group of gods like the Morrigan and Angus Og. However, no matter how many different beliefs exist in Geas, there is a supreme God that everyone worships, Oram. ¡°So, Head Enforcer, what happened to Heralia Watson? I wasn¡¯t aware that it was the end of his time, and the next one was to awaken,¡± Alora said tacitly. Argus, now wearing a shirt, looked at Malec to his left, he also didn¡¯t know what exactly happened. ¡°Please call me Malec, and to answer your question it wasn¡¯t his time, he was assassinated,¡± Malec said, with an expression mixed with grief and helplessness. This sentence gave the room an even more sober atmosphere. Malec sighed and explained; ¡°He knew of his death, he saw it coming. You see, Heralia Watson was a clairvoyant on his Mana side. He said his death would take them by surprise and it will also mark the beginning of a dark period for Geas, a time with danger lurking on the outside and in. Heralia Watson said that this was inevitable. But he also saw salvation, a ray of light, it would battle the danger. That light was his successor, the tenth Heralia of Geas and Geas¡¯ hope.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t even know Argus¡¯ ancestry, how can you put such a heavy burden on a boy,¡± Alora growled, having lost some of her composure. Putting the teacup back on the table with a thud. ¡°High Priestess, are you doubting Oram¡¯s decision? He has chosen Master Argus and he has already become the tenth, all we can do is make sure he is ready for whatever danger he faces,¡± Malec argued, also agitated. Malec was also a very power wizard in his own right, he was the Heralia¡¯s right hand and the head of The Order, those titles could attest to his strength. While Malec and Alora were arguing, Malec¡¯s words sank in, unsurprisingly Argus was scared, but he was also determined. HE WAS AWESOME, and he realised he wasn¡¯t being it throughout this whole thing and it was time to put a stop timid Argus, timid Argus was a tool, making up his mind he spoke up. ¡°MA! Mal is right, Oram chose me and Heralia Watson also saw something in me, if he believes that I¡¯m Geas¡¯s hope, then I will try my very best to be it. I will do anything to protect Geas and protect all of you.¡± Argus surprised even himself with his unyielding tone. Alora choked a sob but nodded and Malec was also moved, he didn¡¯t expect such resolve from a college boy who was barely twenty, now more than ever he believed in the ninth¡¯s visions. But wait, hold a minute¡­Mal? FOUR Shifter Training FOUR Shifter Training After assuring Alora many times that Argus was fine and was going to stay at the Heralia estate, the High Priestess finally reluctantly left. Argus knew how busy she was at the temple, and its operations must be suffering without the nuns and its High Priestess. As they left Argus turned to Malec. ¡°So, what about my psychology exam?¡± At Argus¡¯ question, Malec was taken aback. ¡°Well, Master Argus, you missed your examination, we would need to schedule another if you would like to take it, however, I must insist that you focus on your powers from now on until you can at least awaken enough to defend yourself.¡± ¡°But Professor Garrow doesn¡¯t allow retakes. Damn, I was just about to ace it when Oram decided to play cheeky. Hey, Ory! You listening to me? Not cool man¡­NOT. COOL.¡± The last part was shouted by Argus whilst looking skyward and pointing a finger as if admonishing a child. Malec looked positively scandalised by this. As he quickly grabbed Argus¡¯ finger. Shooting a quick apologetic look at the sky and already feeling his hair turn grey he looked at Argus. ¡°Master Argus, that¡¯s surely unnecessary, I¡¯m sure as your new status as Heralia will help convince the professor. We will send some of the enforcers to schedule an examination, meanwhile, I think you should get some rest. Your shifter training will commence tomorrow morning.¡± With that, he turned and left. Argus just stood there for a second then realised that he was dismissed. He asked one of the enforcers to take him to his room as he realised that he forgot where it was exactly, now that is was dark out. Later on, that night as he lay in the huge bed, he thought about how his life would be from now on and he realised, that he was excited. ** Argus woke up with knocking on his door, it took a while to place himself in the foreign room, he was expecting his dorm. As the previous day¡¯s memories came rushing, he told them to come in. As he got up, he saw Zoe, and a maid come in, the maid had a tray full of breakfast. She blushed as Argus got up and revealed that he sleeps in nothing expect his boxer-briefs. ¡°Good morning,¡± Argus said politely to the maid as she mumbled a greeting, bowed and practically ran out of the room as if it was on fire. ¡°What just happened,¡± Argus said confused, as Zoe lost her shit. Still laughing a little she choked; ¡°Ary, she just saw Geas¡¯ most powerful man half naked and you don¡¯t need me to tell you that you¡¯ re a looker,¡± she gestured at Argus, in his naked glory, he looked down to discover that his briefs actually were quite¡­ tight. ¡°Anyway, My Heralia, you have to eat and get ready for your training. Elder Xander doesn¡¯t like tardy students. Trust me, you don¡¯t want an angry ancient wyvern after you.¡± Feeling oddly proud, Argus got to work. *** Fifteen minutes later, Argus was showered and ready, at the courtyard behind the mansion. Green fields surrounded the courtyard and you could see apprentices of The Order going through drills. Right in front of him stood an old looking man, his face had many wrinkles and his bones looked frail. Seeing that he was a shifter meant that the guy is basically ancient. Argus assumed he is Elder Xander. The Elder was scrutinising him from head-to-toe, by the end he felt thoroughly violated. ¡°Hmg,¡± the Elder grunted then suddenly he sat down cross-legged and motioned for Argus to follow. ¡°We have got to make a man out of you before your coronation, I see we have a lot of work to do,¡± the Elder croaked. ¡°Wait a minute, what coronation? Also, I am very much a man already sir!¡± Argus questioned and grumbled the last part.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hmg,¡± the Elder grunted again. ¡°In a month from now will be the Ninth¡¯s wake, following that will be your coronation as the Tenth,¡± the Elder clipped. Argus started to think that this Elder was a man of few words, or of a few grunts. Before Argus could reply, the Elder started again; ¡°Now, the first part of your training will be with me, this will be getting connected to your Were powers, your creature. Now usually we know the ancestry of the apprentice and thus can-do specific things to make that dormant creature come out. But you are a special case with no known family history. So, we will have to try different methods of the awakening. First will be to spirit walk. Many wizards and mages can do this as their primary power, but shifters can do this to get in touch with their other halves. To Spiritwalk is to look inside oneself or another. To see what exists within.¡± Argus was following the lecture very carefully, he always wanted to study about powers of shifters, but alas if you weren¡¯t one you didn¡¯t get any taught any shifter secrets. ¡°Your other half has been dormant your whole life since you were a non-para. Shifter children have their creatures awakened at a young age. It can happen in two ways, either their other half is very powerful, and they wake up and make the connection on their own, or at the age of ten an elder help draw the creature out. Now that Oram has awakened your bloodlines, your creature will come out soon, if it is powerful then sooner.¡± Wow the Elder was a chatty Cathy during his lectures Argus thought. But he understood. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying my creature will come out soon, on its own?¡± The Elder pursed his lips and said; ¡°Boy, what I said was if your creature is powerful then it will make the connection soon. But today I will try to coax it out, to make it show us a glimpse of its nature. We can¡¯t leave it be, if its weak, then it¡¯s possible that it may never come out. A Heralia that cannot protect himself cannot protect others.¡± Argus bristled at the insinuation that his creature might be weak, if he was Argus¡¯ other half, he could be nothing but incredible, even if it was a mouse, he would love it. ¡°Slow your breathing and close your eyes,¡± Elder said in a no-nonsense tone. ¡°Now, I will enter your spiritspace through mine, all shifters have a connection to each other, the connection¡¯s strength depends the creatures¡¯ spirit and its will, some creatures are powerful enough to command others to obey through this connection, this is why I do this, my Wyvern is quite dominant and that makes it easier to wake up dormant creatures.¡± the Elder continued in a softer voice. Argus sat there, trying to be less nervous about this. This was the first time they were concentrating on his powers. Wait didn¡¯t Zoe say that the Elder was a Wyvern. What if he scares my creature? No one whose asleep for such a long time wants to be waken up and ordered about by a behemoth such as a wyvern. Trying to calm himself, he fell into a trance like state, and he felt something foreign inside his mind, like a nudge by an outside force, which didn¡¯t have a physical impact. After a couple of nudges, he felt nothing else, nothing awakening. He could tell the nudges by the Elder¡¯s Wyvern were getting a bit more forceful. But there was nothing in response. Then suddenly, Argus heard a loud shout, it sounded like the person was in intense pain, as his eyes shout open frantically, he saw the Elder flying in the opposite direction. There was a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth and his eyes. Argus rushed over as several enforcers that were guarding the courtyard came in to see if we were under attack. ¡°Call a healer!¡± Argus shouted, although he was confused as to what happened, but he felt like it was related to him. The Elder was still unconscious when a healer in a silver robe rushed in. She was an old mage who focused on healing magic. ¡°What happened, My Heralia?¡± She said in a professional and authoritative tone, as she was checking the Elder¡¯s vitals. ¡°I don¡¯t know, we were focusing on bringing my creature out through a spiritwalk and then this happened,¡± Argus said. Checking under his eye lids, she turned and ordered this enforcer to get a gurney to take him to the Healer¡¯s building. Argus noticed that now even the apprentices that were training in the distance, stopping and were looking in his direction. ¡°I want to know what happened to him,¡± Argus said. The healer looked like she was going to rebuke Argus for interfering with her time but seemed to remember who he was and motioned him to follow. ¡°His condition and the circumstances before the accident indicate that this is most likely a spirit backlash,¡± she relayed quickly as they followed the Elder¡¯s gurney taken my enforcers to the Healers. Spirit backlash? ¡°Why did that happen?¡± Argus interrogated. Answering in the same clipped voice, the healer replied; ¡°It can happen when a weaker creature tries to forcefully command a stronger one, or if one suffers a spirit attack.¡± With that statement, she turned and looked deeply into Argus¡¯ eyes, as if in accusation. Noticing the tension, one of the enforcers took a step towards the healer, in order to protect Argus. ¡°Why would that happen though, I haven¡¯t awakened my powers, we don¡¯t even know if my Mana or Spectra ancestors had the ability to use spirit attacks.¡± Argus said, feeling wrongly accused of something, and frankly a bit terrified. ¡°Why indeed, I apologise for my behaviour Heralia Argus, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m Elder Xander¡¯s wife and I haven¡¯t yet met any of his students that can cause this reaction. His Wyvern is not only strong, but also very wise with age, clearly, he had reasons to believe that he was safe, before attempting a Spiritwalk. Now I have to run some tests to make sure there are no other effects of the accident.¡± With that, she turned to leave. ¡°Let me know how he is afterwards, I will pray to Oram that he will recover.¡± Argus said. The healer turned back with a small smile and nodded as they went in the building. ¡°Oram help me, can I leave you for a minute before you¡¯re off making trouble Master Argus.¡± Argus turned and spotted Malec striving towards his direction. ¡°Well, Mal, it¡¯s not like it was my fault, blame Oram.¡± Argus said indignantly and as expected he found a tick in Malec¡¯s jaw when he called him Mal. ¡°Malec or Head Enforcer will be fine Master Argus,¡± Malec said in an aggrieved voice. ¡°Nup, I like Mal.¡± Malec sighed and the enforcers that were there looked like they were a heard of deer caught in headlights. No one back talked Malec, he had a violent reputation. He commanded The Order with an iron fist. This side of his was previously unseen by them. They still remembered the beatings they suffered under the Head Enforcer when they were apprentices. Argus was feeling proud of himself for winning this morning¡¯s verbal match, however, after a beat, his face changed to a serious expression. The mirth quickly drained from his eyes. ¡°Mal! I¡¯m late, I¡¯m already late!¡± Argus barked out of nowhere. ¡°What, what is it?¡± Malec question also turning serious, his eagle eyes roaming around him, looking for threats in the vicinity. ¡°I have a date, I¡¯m late for my date!¡± Argus babbled as he turned quickly towards the mansion, which a contingent of enforcers trailing after him, and Malec who at this point had his head in his hands, groaning. FIVE The Date FIVE The Date ¡°Tomorrow morning at the Campus Caf¨¦¡± Argus remembered Clara¡¯s words as he quickly showered and dressed after that disaster training session. Lucky it was so early in the morning that he still had about twenty minutes to get there. ¡°Master Argus, I highly recommend that you don¡¯t attend this meeting. You are in danger, the Ninth has just died, you may be next big target,¡± Malec explained, trying to talk sense into him. ¡°No, Mal. Look, I know it might be dangerous, but not many people know that it was me exactly, all they may know from what you told me is that they know it¡¯s a student that attends the academy. Come on Mal, it¡¯s not a meeting its a date, I¡¯ve had a crush on Clara since I was a child. I¡¯m going to go!¡± Argus explained, gesticulation with his hands to indicate the seriousness of the situation. Malec sighed again. Clearly, they were getting nowhere in this argument. ¡°Fine, then you must take your personal contingent of enforcers,¡± Malec said in a way that brokered no argument. Argus stared at him, ¡°You mean the Blue Wolves!? Aren¡¯t they the famous contingent that protected Heralia Watson throughout dangerous missions?¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± Malec answered. ¡°But Malec, I¡¯m going for coffee, not war! Besides, it will draw too much attention. I don¡¯t even know if Clara knows about me being the Heralia.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Master Argus, but the Clara you refer to is not Clara Dragonclaw, is it?¡± Malec asked, completely disregarding what Argus said. ¡°Yes, she is Mal, what about the guards!?¡± Argus reminded, getting agitated. ¡°Master Argus, I apologise but the Blue Wolves are non-negotiable, there is a threat to the Heralia¡¯s life, and you cannot protect yourself yet. Also, being seen with the heiress to the Were Council can be a political disaster. The other councils may believe that you are choosing sides. There will be a parliament meeting with the heads of the councils and temples coming up soon. It is held for your formal introduction and this will be something they can use against you. Remember they do not fear you like they did the Ninth,¡± Malec explained. ¡°Mal, I don¡¯t want the councils to dictate my life. Besides my best friend Arlo is the son of Spectra¡¯s Vice Head Minister. I¡¯ve known Uncle Vladimir since I was a child, surely, he will put in a good word to the Head of Spectra. Also, wouldn¡¯t meeting with Clara make good connections between the Were council and the Heralia¡¯s Estate,¡± Argus argued his defence to Malec. ¡°As long as you know about the consequences of this, I suppose you can go. However, with the Blue Wolves,¡± Malec negotiated. ¡°Can they be incognito?¡± With a tick in his jaw, Malec stiffly nodded and walked away. Incognito? The brat wants some of Geas¡¯ strongest men and women to go incognito!? Sigh. *** The limo was bumping along, there was a tense silence in the cabin. It was a long road out of the Heralia Estate. The road would take us straight to Dawn City. Dawn City was the capital of Geas. He had grown up in the city. The Shifter Temple, Were Council and the Academy were all there. He never needed to leave. He¡¯d visited other cities on school trips though, like Golgotha, the city where the Spectra Council was, and Arcadia, home of the Mana Council. But none of them felt like home, like Dawn. He thought of the memories he had here at the temple, of the school, the jobs he had worked at throughout town. He was well loved where ever he wen, if you don¡¯t count the casual racist remarks he would get sometimes for being an orphan normie. Thinking of his jobs, what happened there? Would he have to quit? He wouldn¡¯t mind quitting the coffee shop, he abhorred his manager Selena. But he liked working at the Dawn Library. His other job was being a librarian and it was one his favourite parts of the week when tended the quite library surrounded by the scent of old books. It gave him time to think. It was his happy place. A grunt from the driver¡¯s seat broke him out of his reverie. ¡°My Heralia, we¡¯ve arrived,¡± Argus looked out of the window, they were just outside of the academy as per his wishes. The plan was to get out before and walk in. The limo was way too recognisable but necessary as there were ten men and women in there with him. They were built people who looked like they had seen many fights in their lives. The Blue Wolves didn¡¯t have names, they had codes; One, Two, Three and so on. One was their leader, he sat next to him, brooding the entire drive. Out of all of them he liked Four the most, she was the newest member, also the most inviting and had a mischievous glint in her eyes that called to Argus¡¯ prankster side. The Wolves got out of the limo first to ¡®check the perimeter¡¯ at a hidden parking lot near the cafe. ¡°Guys we¡¯re fine! I¡¯m also getting late for my date so I would like to get a move on please,¡± Argus scoffed and glared at One. Two guffawed and Four straight up giggled. Something that made Argus proud was that One was also developing a tic on his jaw, but it was on the other side to Malec¡¯s. ¡°Heralia Argus, it is our job to keep you safe. Geas can¡¯t lose you,¡± One said in a voice that could cut paper. ¡°Aww, you care,¡± Argus swooned, batting his eyelashes and smacking a kiss in One¡¯s direction, this earned him choked laughs from all of them. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. By Argus'' urging, everyone left for the cafe. As he got further, Argus was getting nervous as he fidgeted with his hands. What if she didn''t show? What if she found out and got spooked about him being the Heralia? "It''s going to be okay, you''re a catch, " whispered Four, who was walking near him in a business suit and faux glasses, noticing his apprehension. Yeah, it was all good, he was awesome. Saying that over and over in his head, giving a grateful nod to Four he opened the door to the Caf¨¦. *** Going inside, he looked around. Campus Caf¨¦ was usually bustling with students and faculty, but since the exams finished yesterday the cafe was considerably quiet. The lights of the caf¨¦ were dim, and the walls were a dark brown, that mainly catered to Spectra students that attended the academy as some preferred the dark. The walls were lined with EBA, extrasensory blocking agent, that blocks the abilities of paras¡¯ like Vampires and Psychics to invade another customers¡¯ privacy. This was a common agent applied to most public areas by the Parliament of the Councils. ¡°Hey, Argus!¡± Argus heard a shout from somewhere in the caf¨¦. He swivelled his head at the voice¡¯s direction and there she was, Clara Dragonclaw. She was sitting next to a stained window at the far-left corner. Argus was taken aback by her shy smile. Going up he noticed her emerald eyes sparkling and her dark red hair that was made up in a messy bun. In his mind, her hair perfectly complemented his violet-blue curls. He had to pinch himself to let it sink in that his childhood crush was talking to him. ¡°Hi, um, hey Clara!¡± Argus winced at his squeaky tone, dammit he was the Heralia, he should start to act like it. Clara giggled, she found Argus adorable. Something about him just called to her Dragon. It always has, but she was too anxious that she would scare him away to make a move. Her dad was the great Rufus Dragonclaw, he was ancient and fought ruthlessly to get his position as head of the Were council together with his Erosgape, Adriana Dragonclaw, her mother, he held one of the highest positions for paras and were unstoppable. Because her parents had found each other, their Erosgape, or soul mate, she was born as a pure blooded mythical shifter, making her stronger than her parents. Most shifters were normal animals from ancient Earth, like the jaguar, or a bear, these shifters had a size twice as big as their ancestors and gain enhanced strength and senses. Mythical shifters were different. They could use the unique magics of their other half and also shapeshift. Their abilities solely depended on their creature¡¯s. She was one of those rare mythical Weres, a Dragon. This made her apprehensive and detached in her everyday life. Sooner or later her baggage would run any love interest away, she wondered if she would be lucky enough to find her Erosgape like her parents, they were sickeningly in love and it all started from the Imprinting. She knew so many people never imprinted on their Erosgape. They married instead. Clara always held out hope though, she just hoped that if she did ever Imprinted, he would accept her. Argus sheepishly sat down and saw a coffee in front of him, this was from the menu that non-paras usually ordered from. He saw Clara herself had gotten a Jagra, which was basically a shifter¡¯s version of a coffee, it was a viscous red liquid that smelled like ash. His heart warmed at the thoughtfulness of his date, most para-girls didn¡¯t date non-paras as a rule. He wondered if when his powers awakened if he would like the taste of coffee anymore? Realising he was in his head he turned his attention back to his childhood crush. ¡°Thanks for the coffee.¡± Argus gushed like an idiot. ¡°Your welcome,¡± Clara replied with a smile. Thinking of any conversation starters, Argus ventured; ¡°So your exams went okay?¡± That brought a sparkle to Clara¡¯s eyes as she animatedly told him about her exams and her subjects. It was so easy to fall into rhythm with her. ¡°So how was your psychology exam yesterday?¡± Clara asked, directing the conversation towards Argus, before giving time for Argus to reply, she continued; ¡°I heard from daddy, that a student was blessed as Oram¡¯s Tenth Heralia around about when it was on, did you see who it was?¡± Clara rushed, feeling comfortable to just talk with Argus. Argus side eyed the Wolves which were all sitting on nearby tables like civilians. Well, that answers the question of whether the news of his identity was leaked. He had no doubt that the councils were trying to uncover his life history as they speak. Whatever the situation was, one thing was for certain he didn¡¯t want to stop the easy banter that had developed between them by outing himself. All he was thinking was for her to get to know him better before he dumped this Heralia stuff in her. ¡°Yeah, the psychology exam went awesome, I¡¯ve always liked psychology. Also, as for the awakening ¡­BANG¡± Argus was stopped by a violent explosion that made his ears ring. His head was throbbing and glass was everywhere, he looked away from the window, head still ringing to see the Blue Wolves all gathering in a war formation and barking orders for backup and they ran towards Argus to shield him from another magical attack. ¡°¡­fire bullet from a sniper fire mage¡±, he heard One bark as a female, he thinks was Four shifted into a cat, no, fox-like human form with lighting coming out of her fingers protecting him with her body. Argus didn¡¯t know where to look as he felt blood trickle down from his head from the glass debris. Clara, his mind suddenly screamed as he shoved Eight, who was in front of him to the side. Then he saw it, her. The fire-bullet had hit her. There was a large hole in her left shoulder, and he could see the flesh that was around the wound charring and smoking. Something clicked then. He felt a tick in head mind, similar to when Elder Xander was nudging his beast, but different, this originated by itself. The tick in the few following seconds felt like someone was banging his head with a rock. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a guttural scream that reverberated throughout his bones. He could vaguely hear One shouting at him, but he couldn¡¯t make out the words, he felt Four¡¯s electricity zapping anything that moved close by. Then it stopped. Silence. Little did he know it was the calm before the storm when a golden mist oozed out of his pores. He could hear the cracking sounds of his insides trying to burst out of his skin. ¡°¡­Take him outside, his creature is coming!¡± he could hear someone in the distance say. They could be shouting from Arcadia for all he knew. He felt hands on him pick him up as his violent seizures continued. ** One was terrified. This was his first day with the Tenth and it wasn¡¯t going well. He had seen some shifter kids awakening on their own, but that was always before the age of 10. At that age, the awakening went smoothly as their muscles and bones were adaptable. Never had he seen a twenty-year-old awaken their creature. That¡¯s why he figured it out so late. He let the team know what was happening and proceeded to take him outside. Argus¡¯ creature could be anything, from the notes he got from the Head Enforcer. He just knew that the creature would be mature as Argus, twenty. If his creature was large in size, he could very well collapse the entire building. One had sent the other wolves after the sniper and ordered Four, Eight and Ten to help him tend to Argus. As they took Argus out, a crowd had formed outside, drawn to the noise. This wasn¡¯t the best place to have a unique awakening, especially the Heralia¡¯s, One grimaced. The golden fog got more and more pronounced as it covered the entire academy grounds. One turned and saw back up arriving as trucks from the Estate roared into the academy¡¯s grounds, which were luckily right in front of the caf¨¦. He saw the Head Enforcer jump out, stomping his way, with a look that earned him a wide berth from surrounding civilians and enforcers alike. ¡°What¡¯s the situation!¡± Malec barked as he side-eyed some paramedics that were tending to Clara goddamn Dragonclaw. Dammit. Grumbling about early retirement and grey hairs under his breath, he stopped next to One looking at the same direction he was. The massive freaking deep golden fog encasing the entirety of the sky above the academy¡¯s athletics and magic-training grounds. ¡°Sir, there was an assassination attempt on Heralia Argus. I presume it was the sudden danger to his life that sparked his creature¡¯s awakening,¡± One proficiently relayed his analysis. Malec was about to reply as there was a deafening screech, echoing out of the fog. Malec shielded his ears with his combat magic then looked around to see lesser avian shifters on the ground, partially shifted against their will. Malec was contemplating this as everyone¡¯s heads jerked upwards. When Malec followed he saw a massive shadow blocking out the sun. The grounds of Dawn Academy went dark as the massive shadow in the sky screeched again. The cry felt like it was commanding the air itself. ¡°What the hell is he?!¡± Malec wondered slack-jawed. He was obviously looking at a mythical shifter. Something that he hadn¡¯t ever seen before. The golden fog suddenly parted as a gigantic bird swooped out as if laying claim to the skies. Its head and body were larger than a dragon, and it looked like a phoenix, which was weird because there was no fire. It had golden-silvery scales on its belly that was as big as a bus. But what caught everyone¡¯s attention was the sharp-looking violet metallic feathers with turned blue when the sun shone on them. The creature was majestic. ¡°Kunpeng!¡± a female whisper-shouted in disbelief somewhere behind him. Looking behind him, he saw one of the Blue Wolves, Four, the Kitsune. SIX Erosgape SIX Erosgape Kunpeng? Weren¡¯t they extinct? The name rang a bell as Malec shuffled through his memories, the only thing that came up was that they were the Patriarchs of the Sky. They soared from the oceans of ancient Earth to the skies through sheer will. He made a note about asking Four later as he also remembered that Argus¡¯ creature originated from the same area of where Fours less dominant heritage lied. She was part ancient world Japanese and part Chinese, but her Japanese blood was dominant thus being a Kitsune. Malec¡¯s brain was running a mile a minute when he realised that the huge creature was heading straight for them. His expression was clearly promising death and destruction. Malec called for orders to tranquilise him with a potion especially made for out of control shifters. But they hadn¡¯t taken into account his unique metallic feathers as the massive bird who sparkled like the sun shifted to the side and swatted the projectile away with his outer wing. By the time they got another one ready, they were too late as the angry Kunpeng suddenly swooped down with a speed that was unfathomable. Surely something so big didn¡¯t have the right to that speed. Everyone watched with bated breath as bird descended right above Clara¡¯s gurney. The bird¡¯s wingspan was so big that it felt like the civilians close to Clara were enveloped in a big tent. The massive head of the Kunpeng dipped down swatting away the paramedics who at this point were paralysed with fear. One huge eye peered down at a small body by comparison. Then gently the bird nipped at the unconscious girl¡¯s neck. Everyone gasped as they thought they were about to witness a horrific mauling. But instead, a thin stream of blood ran down Clara¡¯s neck. The Kunpeng protectively stood over her as this was happening. It then that it violently jerked it¡¯s own wing towards his huge neck as a sharp feather flew off and cut its neck. Then gently the Kunpeng shrank. The transformation back to human form was much quicker. In front of the crowd, Argus became human again, naked as the day he was born. The mark on his chest had changed, as one of the spirals was vigorously animated and glowed more than the others. He landed on Clara, with his neck touching hers. Out of everyone¡¯s expectations, a blinding light appeared as the blood combined together as if it was part of the same entity reunited after a long separation. Two marks sparked to life on the young couple¡¯s necks where the incisions were made. A white dragon appeared on Argus and a golden-violet Kunpeng clutching a triskelion appeared on Clara. They had imprinted. *** Argus groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu from earlier. Dammit, why did everything have to knock him out?! One more public fainting and his already bruised ego would shatter into a million pieces. The first thing he saw was white lights right above him, he was in some sort of hospital. When he went to get up, he felt something tugging at his hand. He slowly turned his head to his left ¨C as fast as his body would allow. It was Clara. They were holding hands in a death grip. He looked at her shoulder which seemed to look quite a bit better. He guessed it was because of her resilient dragon side. Suddenly feeling a bit shy he wanted to let go ¨C but something inside of him baulked at the idea. OURS What the hell was that! It was like a guttural voice that was inside his head and it wasn¡¯t him. He frantically looked about the room like a ninja to see if someone was there. I am you, you are me. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Who are you!¡± Argus shouted and winced as Clara jerked. Seeing that she was settling down he asked again. ¡°Who are you? Why are you in my head?¡± Argus whispered. I am your ancestral creature. Kunpeng. You do not have to speak aloud Argus, you just have to think to communicate with me, it is better if you do not disturb our Erosgape. Our Erosgape? What is a Kunpeng? Do you know where we come from? Argus thought. One thought at a time ¨C but to answer, yes, our Erosgape, look deep inside, you will feel the Erosgape bond - our connection to her. A Kunpeng is the patriarch of the skies, it commands the air and controls the seas - you will soon learn more yourself. For your last question, I do not know, I am as old as you, while mythical creatures do have some familial knowledge ingrained since birth, I do not as I was never supposed to awaken. It is per Oram¡¯s blessing I am here as is the case with your other bloodlines. Now I wish to sleep - the initial awakening takes a toll. Wait I have more questions! What do I even call you, surely, I can¡¯t call you The Kunpeng all the time! Hello. Hello? Urgh, fine I¡¯ll just call you Kun from now on. Argus already felt Kun fall asleep. He looked over at Clara. She was our Erosgape. He double checked the bond Kun was talking about and sure enough it was there ¨C bright and vigorous. He had an Erosgape and it was Clara! Argus didn¡¯t know what to do. He was just gobsmacked. He never thought he would even have one. He was a non-para for all of his life. He knew there was no one out there just for him ¨C but here she was. Argus vowed that he would strive to be the best Erosgape in Geas. To be the best he would need to protect her ¨C he would need to be stronger. ¡°Where is my daughter!¡± An abrupt shout echoed from a distance. A minute later several people came into their hospital room. A rough man with an intimidating scar over his left eye, wearing a council heads uniform was first to enter. With him, there was a beautiful lady that had features which closely resembled Clara¡¯s. Behind them was Head Enforcer Malec, a couple of guards of the Were Council and Enforcers from The Order. Mal looked worse for wear as he entered which made Argus¡¯ stomach drop. ¡°Imprinting without consent is a crime punishable by death,¡± the rough looking man Argus assumed was Clara¡¯s father ¨C Rufus Dragonclaw fumed as he shouted at Argus. ¡°You almost had my daughter killed and then had the gall to imprint her! You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t kill you where you stand.¡± Argus knew he had to be tactful after all this was his father-in-law. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m aware of the law, however, that was my first shift and the Erosgape call was too strong for my creature to resist.¡± Rufus seemed taken aback by the Erosgape comment as he turned to his partner. Adriana Dragonclaw hurried to Clara¡¯s side and restlessly turned her head to expose her neck. Argus flinched, it took all his self-control to not push her away from his Erosgape. The whole room went quiet as they looked at the Erosgape mark, the Kunpeng holding a triskelion. Most were confused at what they were seeing. The Kunpeng wasn¡¯t known to most and the Triskelion was a symbol almost never seen in Erosgape marks. Rufus looked at Argus¡¯ neck which sure enough was his daughter¡¯s dragon. For some reason, this just added oil to the fire. ¡°You¡¯ve taken my daughter¡¯s life away. You have just met and she has already had to escape near death. I do not approve of this forced union. I am going to call for a tribunal at the Parliament of Councils and I¡¯m going to strongly advocate the capital punishment,¡± Rufus¡¯s poisonous words felt like knives cutting at Argus. Was he right? He did bond himself for life with Clara without her consent. Feeling miserable he bowed his head; did he already screw up as an Erosgape? ¡°I give consent,¡± a feeble voice spoke with conviction. Everyone turned their heads to see Clara, who had gained consciousness in the middle of Rufus¡¯s tirade. Argus¡¯s heart felt like it was going to explode. He felt reassurance through their bond which made him realise she must have felt his misery. Rufus was infuriated. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, guards pick her up, let¡¯s go.¡± As the Were guards were moving forward. Argus felt himself snap. This lesser being will not take away our Erosgape. Argus felt Kun arousing from his sleep at thought of separation from Clara. They were united again. He stood up, as the pain from his shift temporarily faded away. Instinctively his body knew what to do. Argus took a menacing step forward. Changes happened to his body that he was unaware of ¨C his hair turned metallic violet and his skin took a golden sheen. His eyes belayed an angry ancient being whose purpose was to rule. You will comply dragon. A righteous guttural voice entered the minds of everyone present. It made the non-were shudder and the Weres to tilt their heads to expose their necks in submission to a greater predator. Rufus who took the brunt of the command and dropped to his knees panting. The one person in the room, Argus noticed was not affected was Clara. She was standing behind her bed with her mother who had her neck exposed. After Argus was satisfied that his point was made and terrified of Kun¡¯s powers, he let go of the command, he knew it was only a matter of time till Kun fell asleep again and he didn¡¯t know how to command their powers without Kun¡¯s help yet. As soon as the command was lifted, Rufus stood up and looked at his guards, who weren¡¯t taking a step towards Clara¡¯s direction. His nostrils flared as he turned and stomped out of the silent room. A beat later Adriana who shot a sympathetic look towards Clara and Argus turned and left for her Erosgape, with the guards following. Clara turned and looked at him. I have to go, Argus, he¡¯s my father and I love him. Let me talk to him. With a heavy heart, he nodded. Be careful. With a small smile, she also turned and left.