ã€ŠChronicles of Io Creating a Championã€‹


 Prologue

    Prologue

    There was a strange, eerie silence across the Infernal Realm. The many demons inhabiting the realm had long since sequestered themselves away while their king, the great demon lord Azazel, rampaged off and on due to the overwhelming power he had consumed. The fool had been itching for a fight, and had escaped to the Mortal Realm on the words of travelers stating the elemental Titans were becoming corrupted and destructive. Itching to test his limits, he had gone toe to toe with the Titan of Fire, Karn, and barely came back to tell the tale.

    Of course, while he was injured, he had also been victorious. From the adrenaline of battle, he felt the urge to consume the power before him, and drained the Fire Titan of MOST of its essence before the Muse people had arrived to contain the rest of it. He had slunk away injured, and made it back to the Infernal Realm before his power erupted. Azazel was already a powerful demon, but now with the power of one of the most destructive forces in the Mortal Realm, his power was beyond anything any demon would ever come close to again. As a result, he was destroying most of his palace in his rage while trying to fight for control over the very essence that was fighting to survive. After all, what is a Titan but pure power with a sentience that cannot be extinguished, only contained.

    Azazel had long since locked himself away within the palace, in a room designed rather quickly to hide himself away until he either came out successful, or lost himself to the power of the fire. In his demonic form, he lashed out at the stone walls, littered with scorch marks and claws as evidence of the internal struggle being forced outward from the immense strength he now possessed. Occasionally, his body would alight with flames, whether it was his massive head with horns twisting forward, or his massive claws. This seemed to be the peak of the defiance of said titan. When the flames were gone, Azazel was given some reprieve, allowing him to regain his strength.

    But the titans'' fight was waning. He could feel it, the essence starting to give in. Soon, he would be in control, and he could return to his duties before the lords of his council tried to do something underhanded. After all, demons were power hungry, and any form of weakness would be taken advantage of. Azazel assumed that none would be so foolish enough as to challenge him, especially not when he just consumed the Fire Titans¡¯ core. But he had learned long ago to always mistrust the demons around him. As many demons mistrusted each other due to the constant power struggles, he could not afford even the slightest misstep, or his newfound power could be lost to him before he even had the opportunity to solidify himself as their eternal king.

    It was during one of his moments of silence, before the power could resurge, that he heard the sobs. It was quiet at first, he almost wasn¡¯t even sure he had heard it. He knew there was no one down where he was, as quite literally the room had been designed in the deepest depths of the ground, with a single staircase leading to it. Where were the cries coming from?

    He felt the power begin to rise up again, and Azazel braced himself for it, knowing he needed his strength. But the struggle never came. A bright light began to grow around him, overwhelming to a demon who is used to the darkness of the Infernal Realm. Azazel let out a defiant roar, thinking this was some trick the Fire Titan hadn¡¯t used yet. But the light kept coming. He eventually had no choice but to close his eyes.

    As strange as it was, the light slowly gave him a warmth he had never felt before. He wasn¡¯t sure, but it certainly didn¡¯t feel like how intense the flames had been before, but more gentle. Tender, even. Azazel couldn¡¯t help himself, and opened his eyes.

    As bright as it was, he quickly felt like he was becoming used to the brightness. Of course, it also helped that in front of Azazel was a being he had never seen before. He recognized the form, an ancient dragon body that did not exist among modern Draconian. This one still walked on all fours, but right now, the dragon was laying with their head between their claws, softly crying.

    Azazel picked himself up and walked around to the front of the dragon. The white scales seemed to shimmer like starlight, and as he came around to the front, the creature lifted their head to look at him. Deep within the dragons¡¯ eyes, there was nothing. It was simply a glow, signifying the power of the creature. There was nothing actually inside their sockets. Was that why the creature was crying? All he knew was he had never seen such a beauty. Sure he had seen beautiful people, whether they were demonic in nature or mortals visiting under unfortunate circumstances. But something about this creature called to him in a way he had never felt. Was this some trickery of the titan? No, no, that couldn¡¯t be, he quickly pushed that thought out of his head as he didn¡¯t even sense the power flaring like it had before. If anything, Azazel felt great, more in control than he had in days.

    The dragon cocked their head, watching him with curiosity. There was no hostility or aggression that Azazel could sense from the being, so he sat next to them, nuzzling them reassuringly.

    ¡°Why do you cry? Has someone hurt you?¡± He asked, not even sure if the creature would respond.

    The dragon trilled softly, turning to nuzzle back into him, accepting the comfort. A soft feminine voice filled the bright void they existed within. ¡°I am in no physical pain, but¡­ my heart hurts for my children in the Mortal Realm.¡±

    Azazel had to admit he was partially shocked at even receiving a response. He pulled back gently to look at her more closely. If they were in fact not in the Infernal Realm anymore, which he doubted, and she was showing such concern for the Mortal Realm, who could she be? He looked over her form again, taking in details he had noticed before, but been too enthralled with to actually put together any other thoughts.

    ¡°... You are a goddess.¡± Not a question, a simple fact. Azazel had somehow ascended through the Infernal Realms limitations to the Astral Plane. The power of Karn had given in and in that brief reprieve earlier, the power had begun to stabilize, giving him a glimpse of a world he had never seen before.

    She chuckled gently, sitting up to match his height and gaze, even with nothing where her eyes should have been. ¡°A wise and powerful demon. I have not had such a visitor before¡­ I did not think it possible for a connection between the Infernal and Astral planes.¡±

    ¡°Neither did I¡­ The children you are referring to, are they followers of yours?¡± He asked, unsure if she meant ACTUAL children, as it was uncommon, but possible for gods.

    ¡°Yes¡­ but I do also have a few children I gifted to some of the races among the Mortal Realm. Ones that could carry the power of a goddess. But I am no longer able to influence the Mortal Realms. I was¡­ lied to. I was promised all of my children would be safe if I sealed myself off. All I can do now is observe, and watch as these titans destroy the very world my children must live in. I¡­ I wish I could do one more thing for them, but it is too late. I can no longer go to the Mortal Realm, my power has been limited to the Astral Plane¡­ That is why I weep, for I can only watch on as they suffer¡­ Even my existing children do not have the power to destroy the titans.¡± She sighed, looking down again. Azazel felt a pain in his heart, not wishing to see her cry more than she already had.

    A strange idea formed in his head and he moved closer to her, touching their heads together again as he purred for her. ¡°What if¡­ you could gift one more child to the Mortal Realm?¡±

    She quickly raised her head to ¡°look¡± into his eyes again, and he could feel the hope emanating from her. ¡°But there are no other races I can gift one to. The mortals who inhabit the realms are not all able to carry the power of a goddess. I already gave the strongest ones children, I cannot think of any others within the Mortal Realm who could care for an egg.¡±

    ¡°Not someone from the Mortal Realm, my beauty¡­ I have just consumed the power of a titan. Karn, the Titan of Fire.¡± Azazel nuzzled her gently once again, knowing he was already smitten with her. If he could only see her this once due to the strength he had just obtained, then he would take full advantage of it. If only to prevent her from crying again, for it hurt too much to see her in such pain.

    She seemed to contemplate his offer, although for a moment he wondered if he had overstepped a boundary with the goddess. He pulled back briefly, but she stopped him, nuzzling up under his chin.

    ¡°You are a very kind soul. You are quite correct, your strength would create a wonderfully powerful child. I might not be able to access the Mortal Realms again, but I can send an egg to the priests I speak with. The Dragons would take care of the child until they were old enough to come to their full strength.¡± She pulled back to gaze up at him. ¡°What is your name, O great demon?¡±

    ¡°I am known as Azazel. I once was a demon lord, but I overthrew the previous head of the council, and none have been able to dethrone me. Now that I have control over the power of Karn, I doubt very much I will be in the future. I am afraid I do not know your name, my goddess. After all, you are the first I have ever spoken with.¡±

    She unfurled her wings, stretching them wide and high, almost as if she were¡­ seducing him? Was he imagining things? ¡°I am known as Io. My children worship the sun of their world in my name, and my light shines upon them to let them know I am there for them¡­ Or at least¡­ I used to be.¡± Her wings drooped once more as her sadness returned at the thought. ¡°Now however¡­ my light shall strengthen our child¡­ I thank you for this gift for the Mortal Realm. I will nurture the childs¡¯ soul until it is time, and then I shall send their egg to the priests within the Dragon capital.¡±

    Azazel felt a surge within him from her words. How was he so enraptured by her, when none other before had called to him in such a manner. Her words seemed like coming from any other, there was a deception behind them. But from her he only sensed pure joy and gratefulness. She truly was happy that he would be able to give her one more child, one final one with the strength to protect the Mortal Realm in her stead. He gently touched their heads again, a soft purr coming from them both and harmonizing. ¡°My Io¡­ My Light¡­. I will give you what you seek. I may not be able to aid you in any other way, as my attention is focused on the Infernal Realm, but if I can lend you my strength to keep you, and your people, happy, then so be it.¡±

    Io thrummed happily at his words, and allowed her astral presence to intertwine around them. They were lost to the full uninhibited raw power that the Astral Plane held, and within this void they could find comfort in one another.

    <hr>

    The light cleared Azazel''s¡¯ vision, and he blinked, squinting in the demolished room he had locked himself away in. It almost felt too dark after being with Io. He shook his demonic form like a dog releasing tension before reaching for the door to his personal dungeon. He placed his palm on the door, and a scorching smell filled the air as he released the spell binding he had placed to keep the door closed. He was finally in full control of Karns¡¯ power, and it was now time to take his place back on his throne before the lords of his council tried to find a way to betray him. His thoughts mourned the fact he would never see his Io again, but he relished in her memory, and the knowledge that he aided his goddess would keep him going every night going forward in the Infernal Realm.

    Azazel''s reign would be eternal.

    <hr>

    Io lay curled around her nest. As a being of the Astral Plane, her view of the brightness was much different to that of a demon from the Infernal Realm. Nestled in what could only be described as gaseous nebulae, lay two gleaming eggs, shimmering in the starlight enveloping her realm. One, a brilliant ruby red, the second, a dark onyx. Azazel had been able to gift her not one, but two children. Surely a blessing for the Mortal Realm, but Io was unsure.

    She could peer inside the souls of her children, slumbering deep in their eggs. Though she had no vision to tell them apart, she could feel them beginning to awaken. They might not yet be aware of their fates, but she could see their strengths, their weaknesses. The red egg seemed to have taken after her, more gentle and less likely to strike with wrath. The other egg, however, seemed to have taken after Azazel, ready to jump to the fight with vigor and no hesitation.

    Perhaps this was meant to be. Two children. Two realms. Io knew in her heart Azazels¡¯ demonic body would house the titan Karns¡¯ power for so long, but at some point, he would in fact ascend. In order to keep some form of control over the Infernal Realm, perhaps a child, an heir would be a good idea. As a goddess, she could not see into the Infernal Realm, nor influence it. She had no wish to, but if Io could thank Azazel in any way, providing him an heir as he provided her a champion surely would be an acceptable way.

    But would the twins handle each other being separated? No, surely they would be fine. After all, it¡¯s easier to go back and forth between the Mortal and Infernal Realms. She could easily inform the priests during handoff of the one egg that there is a sibling that could either prove useful, or even simply visiting each other. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    That was the final decision she inevitably decided on. She could have sent both twins to the Mortal Realm, but if one twin would thrive better in the Infernal Realm, she would be remiss to set him up for failure. She let out a soft high pitched humming call, glowing softly, until a Seraph, a being that existed within the Astral Plane that served the whims of the gods, appeared before her.

    ¡°Yes, my Lady?¡± He bowed respectfully, watching the nest closely. He had been aware of the meeting with Azazel, but the Seraph and Demon people had never gotten along. He was not pleased that his Lady had decided to have a child with the demon king, let alone two.

    ¡°It is time for my children to leave me. I have decided to send one egg to the Dragons. I will commune with one of the priests and send the egg with them. However, this egg¡­ I fear he will not thrive in the Mortal Realm, and I wish for him to be with his father. I am requesting for you to personally deliver this egg to Azazel and inform him this is to be his future heir. I name him Ahronus.¡± She nuzzled it tenderly, wishing the child inside health and strength as one final goodbye.

    The Seraph bristled, feeling disgusted at the idea of having to go to the Infernal Realm. ¡°My Lady, surely you cannot be seriously asking for me to go straight to the palace with this egg and simply hand it over to Azazel. I will surely be assaulted long before I make it there.¡±

    ¡°You will go unnoticed in the Infernal Realm. While you can come and go freely, your physical presence there must be brought about with very powerful magic. You will be untouchable, and once the egg changes hands, it will be a physical part of the Infernal Realm. Azazel will be able to protect him. Please, do as I ask.¡±

    ¡°... Very well, my Lady.¡± He bowed once more, going over to the nest and reaching down to pick up the onyx egg. He looked it over once, before allowing himself to phase out of the Astral Plane. Io simply watched him go before looking down to the red one left in her nest.

    ¡°I suppose I should call for your new guardian. Grow well and protect all that has been created. You are my champion. My last hope.¡± She touched the egg lovingly, before pulsing with a soft glow once more, calling out to the High Priest whom she communed with regularly for updates on the Mortal Realm. It would take time, but he would soon appear before her once he heard her call.

    Eventually, the High Priest arrived, a very different form of dragon than Io herself. For she was considered an ancient dragon, their people had adapted quite some time ago to stand upright on two legs and their fore claws became more arm-like. They became lithe but tall elegant creatures that could still destroy with deadly magical fire and fly gracefully through the sky. Standing next to Io, the High Priest was dwarfed by how drastically the dragons had changed throughout the years.

    He bowed as he stopped in front of her, pausing as his gaze caught the nest with the ruby egg waiting. ¡°...My Lady, is this another child?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. This is to be my champion, our final answer for the titans going out of control. Something must be done, and this child will have the strength to battle any titan.¡±

    ¡°This is wonderful news, but¡­ who is the father? Is he also a part of the Astral Plane?¡± He placed his claw on the egg gently, sensing the presence inside.

    ¡°No, he is of the Infernal Realm. Tell me, have you heard of Karn¡¯s death? Apparently, Azazel the King of Demons defeated him in battle, and consumed his essence. He was able to ascend with that strength, just temporarily, and join me here in the Astral Plane.¡± She purred softly as she recalled their time together.

    The High Priest looked a bit shocked, not at the fact that Karn was dead, no he had certainly JUST received news of Karn''s death from the Muse, it was the fact that Azazel had ascended that had taken him aback. ¡°My Lady, are you saying this child is half demon?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. The very demon who was powerful enough to consume a titan. I think a rather fitting father, would you not agree?¡± Io knew of the prejudices towards demons. Perhaps these twins would change the Mortal Realms minds on that.

    The High Priest himself was not so sure but he knew better than to argue with his goddess. ¡°My Lady, is it time? Have you called upon me to take this child to the Mortal Realm?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. Astrius, my loyal child¡­You must raise this young one when his egg hatches. Teach him how to control his own power as he grows. I will gift him a weapon once he is a man and ready to face his first titan. In the meantime, continue to work on wards with the Muse people. They should be able to help with titan attacks. Unfortunately there is no way to rush the child growing up in the Mortal Realm, so we must be vigilant while he is training.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my Lady. Thank you for this blessing. Our people will rejoice-¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± She snarled, causing him to jump back and cower slightly in fear, for he had never seen Io angry before.

    Her expression softened and she touched him gently to soothe his fears. ¡°My apologies¡­. I fear for the child and the peoples safety if the titans should find out about him. You MUST keep him hidden away until it is time. Otherwise¡­¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, they may target our city in an effort to kill him before he has a chance to grow¡­ Yes, I understand, thank you my Lady. I had not thought of such, I still have much to learn. But I will do everything for this child.¡± High Priest Astrius bowed, going back to the nest.

    ¡°There is one other thing you must know. The child has a sibling. I sent his twin to the Infernal Realm, to be with his father. However, there may be a connection between them unlike their other siblings, so if this one asks about his brother, please allow him access to the Infernal Realm¡±

    High Priest Astrius stood tall looking up at her in bewilderment. ¡°My Lady, surely¡­ you cannot be serious? I am unsure of how to even reach the Infernal Realm, that¡¯s not even mentioning the dangers-¡±

    ¡°You will find a way. There are people of demonic origin among the Mortal Realm. There may even be Demons among various cultures. I would suggest speaking with the Muse if the need should arise, I believe they will be able to aid you.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, they have their hands full trying to create wards for cities to protect from titan attacks, surely-¡±

    ¡°Surely, one single Muse taking focus away to gain access to the Infernal Realm will not take away from the entirety of their culture dealing with the titans. One titan is already destroyed, and if I am correct, the Muse were already dealing with the situation. They are quite a curious folk, I am confident that one would take an interest in Infernal Magics to allow the little one to see his father and brother.¡± She gazed down at him, and even without her eyes, High Priest Astrius could just feel the intensity behind her gaze, and he dropped his own respectfully.

    ¡°Yes my Lady, if he asks of his sibling, I shall do as you ask¡­ What if he asks of you?¡±

    ¡°You may tell him the truth. But during his growth, it will be too draining for him if he tries to use the alcoves to visit me. He may have access to the Astral Plane by birthright, but until he is at full strength, it could take too much of him to come and see me. Of course he will feel my warmth upon him as he stands in my light. But going back and forth between the Realms requires a lot of focus to be able to transcend the veil. Even you can only handle it for so long, and that is with years of meditation. As a child, his own power will be too unstable and he could accidentally drain himself. I would rather not risk his health until after he has come into himself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Lady. We will teach him of you and his siblings, of the many people who live amongst the Mortal Realm, and of his duty as your champion. You have my word that we will not let him stray from his path.¡±

    She snorted slightly, almost scoffing. ¡°Do not restrict his destiny. He may be my Champion, and he will defeat the Titans, but once the safety of the people is assured, he is first and foremost, my child, and I will not allow him to be kept on a leash. He will be allowed his own life once the people are safe. Should the need arise for aid again, I am confident he would step forward again, but he will have his own hopes, dreams, aspirations. I have a plan for him, but even I cannot see everything as it will be.¡±

    High Priest Astrius bowed once more. ¡°Of course, my Lady.¡± He knelt down to pick up the egg gently, feeling weary from being in the Astral Plane for far too long. He looked down at the ruby egg, feeling the power emanating from it, even though the child inside slumbered. ¡°Does this Champion already have a name?¡±

    Io lowered her head, touching the egg one last time in his hands. ¡°Yes¡­ His name will be Aaron¡­ Protect him well, and be vigilant. Once he is a man, call upon me once more. I will have a gift for him to aid in his fight against the many titans¡­ I will watch on as he grows¡­ I am sorry I cannot do more for this world¡­¡±

    ¡°You have done so much already my Lady¡­ It is not your fault¡­ You just¡­. Trusted the wrong entity.¡± He offered gently, knowing she felt helpless. It was not uncommon for the gods of old to breach into the Mortal Realms, but so few existed now, either having long since corrupted and needed to be quelled, or retiring from a presence in the Mortal Realms. Io was among the few who remained to influence the Mortal Planes, and it was shortly after Mortas, the Titan of Darkness, had tricked her into accepting their sun as her physical manifestation that she realized that meant her level of influence had blocked her from being able to gain access to the Mortal Realm in full. Now, only her energy could be felt in the warmth of the sun.

    Io pulled back gently, accepting it was time. ¡°Go, take him, and be well. Let my Light guide you.¡±

    High Priest Astrius bowed once more, holding the egg carefully as he allowed himself to be dismissed, the light fading for him, leaving Io once again alone. She sighed softly, sad, but no longer feeling the urge to weep for her people.

    Now they had hope.

    <hr>

    High Priest Astrius opened his eyes, once again back in the Mortal Realm, sitting in the pool of water in the alcove. While it had the appearance of water, it was actually a magical substance that allowed temporary transition between the realms, and as such it was not actually wet. He looked down at the egg in his clawed hands, which shined in the dim lighting of the alcove.

    ¡°Well¡­ I suppose we should get you settled somewhere until you are ready to hatch, little one.¡± He stood carefully, carrying the egg out of the alcove back into the actual temple. There were two priests waiting outside the alcove for him, as usual when he communed with Io. The look of surprise upon the two Dragons made him smile, wondering if he had looked just as surprised upon seeing the nest.

    ¡°High Priest, is that¡­ another Child of Io?¡±

    ¡°That is correct¡­. This is her Champion. She gifted us a child that is the answer we have been praying for involving the increasing titan attacks. Once he is grown, he will take up arms against them. But for now, we must keep him here, within the temple. Away from public eyes.¡± He walked past them to carry the egg to the living chambers that only those living in the temple could see. The main part of the temple was free for all to visit, after all worship of Io was welcomed, but they could not go back behind the scenes where the priests took care of their duties. Even fewer saw the inside of the alcoves to speak with her.

    The two priests followed behind him, knowing the priest was taking him to the original nest that was created for Ra, their brother that was gifted to them by Io as her Child of the Dragons. ¡°High Priest, who is the father? Did Io bless us with a child between her and another god?¡±

    ¡°... No¡­¡± He hesitated while they walked along the hall towards the nesting site. ¡°His father¡­ is Azazel, the King of Demons.¡±

    He could practically feel their tension behind him, as he suspected. The people would be hesitant to trust such a child, let alone a sibling that was sent to the Infernal Realm.

    ¡°I know what you are thinking. We must trust Io in her decisions. She stated he was the one who struck down Karn, the Titan of Fire. I had heard as such, but she mentioned he was able to consume much of the titans essence, the very core of its power. He was able to ascend to see her. Something above that of a standard demon, and as close to a god as he could have been. His strength will aid their child. However, this child will remain hidden away until it is time for him to face the titans, so his lineage will not be recognized right away. I hope that his deeds will show that he is not tainted by demonic blood.¡± He flinched, realizing he was letting his own personal prejudices get in his way.

    ¡°My apologies. I spoke out of turn. It was Io¡¯s decision to have this child with Azazel, we must respect her wishes and treat this child with the same due respect as we would show our Lady.¡± High Priest Astrius paused at the doorway leading to the nesting chamber. It wasn¡¯t locked, it had simply just not been used since Ra¡¯s egg. He gently opened the door gazing into the room, dimly lit by the light leaking in from outside via a grate on the roof.

    The other two dragons went around to the various braziers littering the edge of the circular room, using their fire to light each one, showing a circle of stones in the middle of the room. The High Priest stepped forward, gently placing the egg into the nest, cradled around a variety of stones to keep it in place.

    The others joined him and stood by his side, all three gazing upon the egg. This was their best chance at destroying the titans that were now rampaging freely, even if it would take time. Io had given them this gift, and it was up to them to protect this child until he was of age.

    With one deep breath, High Priest Astrius unleashed his fire upon the nest. The stones, imbued with magic to hold the fire, blazed to life as the fire enveloped the nest and egg. This was now a waiting game for the egg to hatch.

    ¡°One of you please, stay here. We will begin a shift schedule to watch the nest, as the priests before us did with our Ladies¡¯ son Ra. I will create the scheduling before I come to relieve you. It should not take more than a few hours, no priest will stand watch more than 6 hours.¡±

    ¡°I will stay, High Priest¡±, said the first, all three of them bowing to each other before looking back at the nest.

    The future of the Mortal Realms was at stake, and they would struggle with the other cultures to keep damage and casualties to a minimum, but the final line of defense had finally been found. It was unfortunate that they could not tell the people, it could certainly raise morale for the people, but in order to protect the future, they had to hide such a precious gift from Io from the rest of the world.

    For now.

    <hr>

    The darkness that enveloped the Infernal Realm felt disgusting to the Seraph as he flew overhead towards the palace. He carried the egg begrudgingly, looking down at all of the demonic beings beneath him. Initial glimpses looked normal, markets, homes, just standard civilization. But the Seraph knew Demons, they were vile and dark, unlike his Lady of Light.

    Blinded by his own rage at giving such a gift to creatures he deemed unworthy, he turned away from the Palace. He flew a slight ways away, to the edge of the main city, where the decrepit forests and mountain range littered the landscape. He would not kill the child, no he would never manage to destroy a child of his goddess. But he refused to hand over the child to the King of Demons, even if it meant he had to hide it from Io. She after all could not read minds, she could not ¡°see¡± anything within the Infernal Realm. She would never have to know that this child never made it to the palace, and if he should meet his demise, his soul would most likely be trapped here in the Infernal Realm anyways with no access to the Astral Plane without outside influence. Even if somehow the childs¡¯ soul survived, even if it makes it back to the Astral Plane, for all Io would know a demon could pass through palace defenses to have killed such a small frail child. It would be easy, but he would not dirty his own hands. He would leave that to some demon or creature in this realm.

    He gently placed the egg down, hiding it just ever so slightly from view by using a few bushes. ¡°You may be a child of the goddess, but I feel your violence. Your father influenced you too much. You will never be a true Child of Io¡­ A mothers love is blind, but I see you for what you are¡­ Vile Demon.¡± He glared down at the egg, confident he would never see this despicable smear ever again.

    The Seraph turned away and flew off, allowing his connection to the Astral Plane phase him back out of the Infernal Realm, leaving the egg alone in the silence that filled the woodlands.

    The egg sat there quietly for some time, before it shook slightly. A crack formed, and a dragons¡¯ claw broke through, almost desperately. The claw took a moment, the hatchling inside resting for a moment now that it had broken through. The chicks claw removed itself from the hole in the egg, and the hatchling shifted, its eye showing through, red covering its entire eye except for the iris ring of black, differentiated from its pupil by a tiny sliver of red. A small growl escaped and shadows began swirling out from the hole in the egg. This hatchling was already awake, aware¡­

    ¡­ and a will to fight.

 Chapter One

    Chapter One

    The sun beat down on Ophicys, the capital of the Draconian Empire, and the dragons basked in Io¡¯s glory. Many of them were standing in the streets once the sun rose, wings outstretched to take in her warmth. They did not know why she had been shining brighter lately, but the dragons could feel the difference in the summer air. Considering how much the weather had been varying due to the Titan¡¯s recent clash and subsequent wrecking of the outer villages, they were enjoying it while it was peaceful.

    The reasoning behind the current warmth coming from their goddess was hidden away, deep within the temple. Inside the main room, the worshipers came and went to offer their prayers, but none knew of what went on behind the scenes. None knew that in the nest where Ra had hatched lay yet another egg, one that had been there throughout the spring planting. A single dragon priestess sat by the nest, simply meditating beside it while flames roared around the egg. She had just taken over her shift for watching the fire, tending to it to be sure it would not escape the nest. After the initial review, she had deemed the fire was fine for some time and had decided to use the time for inner reflection.

    A strange crackle from the fire brought her out of her introspection, and she opened her eyes, watching the fire intensely for a few minutes. Everything seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary about the fire that would imply it was growing out of control. Nevertheless, she got up and went to a small pulley system that would allow her to adjust the flames to lessen or grow as necessary. She pulled the one on the right down, causing the fire system coming from within the nest to slowly die down, barely enveloping the egg. She went back to the nest to watch the egg for any signs of possible movement. Her heart was pounding in her chest, excited at the idea that the child could possibly be beginning to hatch under her watch.

    Sure enough, after a few moments the egg wobbled just ever so slightly, and a tiny scratch was heard coming from inside. Her eyes widened and she ran to the pulley again, pulling the same right one twice to get it to extinguish the flames entirely, before running from the room calling out for aid.

    ¡°Someone call for the High Priest, the child is coming!¡± She barked at one of the priests in the hallway as she ran past him, on her way to gather necessary supplies for cleaning the hatchling off when it came out of its egg. The other priest took a second to process what he had just been told, before turning and darting off down the hall towards where he had just seen High Priest Astrius moments before.

    The High Priest was still talking in the hall with two others when she sprinted up, already a bit out of breath. "Supplies are being gathered, the child-"

    Astrius immediately pushed past, knowing that she could only be so excited from imminent hatching. He began leading the group back down the hallway towards the nesting chamber. It would still take some time, most normal dragon children hatched within a matter of a few hours, not taking longer than half a day on average. But when Ra hatched, it had been a rather explosive event, seemingly having escalated within a matter of a single hour according to the records. With powerful demonic blood running through their veins, it was possible this child also would hatch quickly and the possibility of damage was high enough they had to prepare if there was a surge of energy. The building itself should have been sturdy enough, as the nesting chamber was actually deep within the rocky island the temple district had been built on, so the real risk was more so from the child hurting itself by accident.

    It would not take long but soon almost the entire priesthood was in the chambers, waiting and watching with prepared items for when the hatchling made its appearance. There were consistent scratching sounds coming from inside the egg, the hatchling working on creating a weakness in the eggs shell to finally join the world. Astrius watched ahead of the others, already holding a towel. Even though they were expecting a bit more of an eruptive event of power from the hatching, they still had to have the necessary standby materials as if this were a normal hatching as they could never know what to expect when it came to the offspring of their goddess.

    A rather distinct, much sharper crack was heard as the harder gem-like outer shell split near the top, not a very large one, but one nonetheless. A small hooked claw poked through the weakest middle point, beginning to slowly chip pieces away. A small sigh of relief washed over the priesthood members that were there, but Astrius kept his eyes on the egg. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Do not get complacent. It is still early, we must be prepared if the hatchling begins to show signs of stress or overexertion.¡±

    It would still take time, but now that there was an opening there was less of a concern as the hatchling continued to chip and crack away at the edges, slowly making its exit out of the egg wider. Finally, after what felt like hours, the hatchling was able to slide out and was breathing gently as it rested right outside of its egg.

    Astrius rushed over once the hatchling cleared the shelling, scooping it up in the towel while another priest gently washed excess amniotic fluids off. Once they had done a quick look over the hatchling to be sure all was well and clean, they wrapped it in a final clean towel and were able to finally coo over the new child.

    The hatchling resembled his mothers body in the sense that he was an ancient dragon, one that still walked on all fours. A bright, vibrant red scale-set, if Astrius did not know any better, he would have thought this was just a child of old. However, with the hatchlings father being who he was, he suspected this was only how the child was joining the world. Something told him the child would not stay this way for long, but that was for a later time.

    For now the child rested in his arms, eyes closed as it slumbered from the exhaustion of arriving into the world. Astrius smiled sadly, knowing that unfortunately the child would not remain innocent for long, and would have to face the harshness of the world as his mothers champion. He pushed those thoughts from his mind, knowing that for now they should focus on the child''s growth and development so that he could handle the evils of the world.

    ¡°High Priest, shall I move the egg shell fragments?¡± One of the priests came to stand beside him. They had preserved what little shell had been left behind from Ra¡¯s birth, however this one''s egg seemed much more intact from a less explosive hatching. It would eventually be a holy relic once the child was publicly known, but for now they could preserve the pieces using magic and keep them safely hidden away.

    ¡°His room has been prepared, so for the time being I will watch over him while he rests. Any duties that are not immediately required of me are to be put off, since I wish to let the child bond with me as if I were his own father. Although he cannot meet either of his true parents yet, it is important for him to have an adequate parental figure. And as the High Priest of this temple, it would be appropriate for me to do so.¡±

    The others bowed their heads respectfully in agreement, knowing that they would all have a hand in his care, but High Priest Astrius had the final say on what happened in the temple. For now, it was time to let the child rest.

    One priest followed Astrius as he carried the hatchling down the hall to the room that had been prepared long before. ¡°He seems to resemble his mother, an Ancient Dragon. But in regards to his father... Do you think the child will stay like this?¡±

    "No. I expect that he will find a form more suitable, lest he grow to be too big. He should be able to transform within a matter of months, so no more than a year in his current form at most. However... that particular piece of information was noted from the birth of an old Ancient Dragon hatchling, and thus may not be accurate to him. Considering his parentage, it would not be unusual for him to quickly gain a secondary form. All dragons eventually age and die, but this child will be an eternal guardian."

    Once the two arrived to the room, the other priest opened the door for Astrius to carry the child into its new room. There was a smaller, more compact nest made of stones and gems alike. A typical nest for dragon culture, but he knew they would need a bed once the child transformed. But that was for the future, it was time to let the little one rest. Astrius placed the small hatchling into the nest and he immediately curled up tighter into a ball, enjoying the warmth coming from under it. A simple method of warming stones, it would mimic the comfort and warmth of the egg until the hatchling was used to being outside.

    Astrius pulled back and went to sit in a chair beside the nest. ¡°Gal, if you could please bring me a few of the things from my office, I might as well do some reading while the little one sleeps.¡±

    ¡°Of course, High Priest.¡± The priest called Gal bowed and left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Astrius looked at the little one sleeping with his wings wrapped tightly around him.

    ¡°Sleep peacefully now¡­ you are safe and protected here. Aaron, know that I will be here when you wake. Your mother loves you, and you will be beloved by many others. But it pains me to think of the trials you will face. Such is the truth of the world¡­but I will be here to help you as much as I can. I promise.¡±

    He knew the hatchling most likely hadn¡¯t heard him. But saying it aloud was reassuring to himself as well. Astrius knew the calamity that the Titans could inflict upon the world. Entire civilizations wiped from existence, others enslaved. He had to have faith in Io, and in Aaron as well. But he also knew that Aaron would have to gain the strength needed in order to survive, most of all surviving in the fight against a Titan. The journey had begun, but it would not be an easy one.

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two

    When it comes to daily life in Dragon culture, things are pretty simplistic. While the main portion of the city was floating isles, there were of course mountains surrounding the city, along with a lake filling the area where the city had originally been on the ground. Many dragons were miners, going after ores and precious gems for their world renowned jewelry, while others spent the days below fishing. There were some small farms nearby, but with the Titans raging across the land, there was always a risk of something being destroyed below the protection of the city.

    For those that worked within the city, there were a few of the obvious; jewelcrafters, tailors, even doctors who had small gardens for medicinal plants. The royal palace where the reigning Emperor and extended royal family stayed was always bustling with activity, as the main market was just inside their gates. However, outside of the palace ¨C a central piece of the city ¨C  floated one of the two Eyes of Io, the Dragon¡¯s most precious gift. The eye swirled above their city like their own mini star, the glow during the day was less obvious, but at night it let up the city with an ethereal glow that was reassuring to the Dragon people. The next building closest to the palace and the Eye was the grand temple, where the statue of Io and her current known children existed, allowing travelers of all races to offer tribute to their preferred deity. The temple was just as busy as the main market at the palace, many Dragons felt their connection to Io by going for prayer during the morning. People would still come by during the evenings, but as their sun was how Io shared her power, the daytime was when most Dragons felt closest to their goddess.

    Even though all was being carried on as normal, there was one individual within the temple that no dragon had set eyes upon, with exception to the various priests and acolytes. He was still very young, barely seeming to be 10 years, based on humanoid standards, however this young boy had been a hatchling just barely a year before. He was growing quickly, his blond hair already down to his shoulders.

    He watched the various dragonfolk coming and going into the temple from a hidden area in the shadows. He wasn¡¯t supposed to interact with anyone other than the various temple tenants, but his curiosity was not quite as leashed as the priests had hoped. He was often scolded for trying to sneak out, but they never truly punished him for it as they knew he was simply lonely. But for the safety of the people, and his own, he had to remain hidden away from anyone who could let slip to the Titans that their end was imminent.

    The young boy¡¯s blue eyes caught movement that looked more rushed than a normal temple-goer and his attention turned to a few priests in robes wandering around looking through the crowds. Time was up, they had realized he was gone. Disappearing behind the statues, he used the shadows they created to get back to the restricted area of the temple where everyone else lived.

    No sooner than he had made his way through the back door, a clawed hand appeared on his shoulder, making him jump out of surprise and twist to see who had caught him.

    ¡°Aaron, how many times do we have to catch you sneaking around like this? We¡¯ve told you it is too risky for you to be seen out there.¡± High Priest Astrius looked down at him with a gentle look on his face, not angry but obviously disappointed.

    Aaron scowled, pushing the hand off his shoulder and glaring up at him. ¡°You keep saying that but you won¡¯t tell me why. Everyone out there seems so nice.¡±

    The high priest sighed, knowing this was becoming frustrating to the youngster. ¡°I understand little one, but it¡¯s not those people we are concerned about. It¡¯s who they could end up talking to that

    concerns us.¡±

    ¡°But why? Why do I have to hide away? I¡¯m tired of it, I keep seeing kids playing in the streets-¡±

    ¡°You should stop peeking over the garden walls, hatchling.¡±

    ¡°-But there¡¯s no one here my age! It¡¯s not fair, I have to stay stuck in here with no one to talk to or play with but I can¡¯t leave! No one tells me anything, they just tell me not to do things because they say so.¡± His wings drooped slightly, and Astrius knew he was going to break. The boy had been voicing his loneliness now for a while, and granted, Astrius wanted the young one to have less concerns during his youth, they were already preparing him for the day he would eventually have to do battle. They might as well have the conversation now.

    ¡°... Alright little one. But we¡¯ll talk about this tonight, after everyone has left the temple for the evening. I promise, I will explain everything.¡±

    Aaron perked up slightly, his pointed ears lifting just ever so slightly and Astrius could just feel the excitement coming from the child.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is a serious matter. I know you¡¯re happy for answers, but I¡¯m afraid that what I tell you tonight will forever change how you look to the future.¡± Astrius felt conflicted telling the child so early, but it must be done in order to begin preparing for the inevitable war against the Titans. ¡°Go and meditate to find focus. I will come for you after dinner.¡± He placed his hand on Aaron''s head, tousling the hair slightly. Aaron seemed satiated for now and ran off to his own private meditation room. He never understood why he had different quarters than everyone, including the new acolytes that were just joining who were older than he was. But tonight, maybe he¡¯d finally have his answers.

    High Priest Astrius watched the youngling run off as a priestess appeared at his side having heard the conversation. ¡°High Priest, do you think it¡¯s wise to tell the boy so young?¡± It was a concern they all had, hence why it had taken all this time for them to even say anything.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s wise, but you know how little ones are. They never accept the answer they¡¯re given, not at this age when curiosity is at its peak. He would just continue acting out in an attempt for companionship. Hopefully, once he has his answers, he¡¯ll be able to settle down and focus on his training more. While I want for him to have a normal childhood, Goddess knows we do not have the time. The Titans continue to grow stronger and are causing more and more havoc as time goes on. I do not know how long we can afford to keep him away from battle, but he is nowhere near ready. Perhaps once we are done giving him the answers he seeks, we¡¯ll have made some progress.¡±

    The priestess bowed gently, backing away to return to her own duties, leaving Astrius to his own thoughts. He sighed gently, deciding it would be a good idea to spend the next few hours trying to find the right words to explain to Aaron as to why things were how they were.

    <hr>

    The red moon was high in the sky that night, as Astrius walked through the torch lit hallways. He had instructed Aaron to wait in his quarters after the evening meal until he knew for a fact a majority of the city had gone to sleep. He had already instructed the guards to keep any latecomers out of the Temple, under the guise of late night cleansing. Not necessarily a lie, as the acolytes and some lesser priests were doing just that.

    When he arrived at Aaron¡¯s room, he knocked twice gently, but the door opened before his knuckles had the chance to strike again. Aaron was already in his cloak (lovingly referred to by the priests as his ¡°Sneaking Around¡± cloak), his wings folded and hidden beneath the fabric. It was still rather large for him, but he at least wouldn¡¯t trip over it. They still had to keep his appearance hidden, as many within the city would recognize his unique features and become suspicious as to why he was living in the temple. Astrius smiled softly at Aaron¡¯s excitement, but his heart was still heavy at the idea that he had to put so much on this little one¡¯s shoulders. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re excited, but I ask you to wait just a little bit more. Walk with me to the main room.¡± He stepped back, allowing Aaron to slip out of his room, and began leading him to the primary room of the temple. The child was practically vibrating with excitement, but Astrius hoped the child wouldn¡¯t be disappointed by what they had to discuss.

    He led Aaron through the doors that separated the main part of the temple for worship and where the priests lived. A few of the other inhabitants were in the main room, either cleaning floors or statues, but everyone''s attention turned to the two when they entered. The whispers had been going around that tonight was the night Aaron found out who he truly was. With the child growing quickly, this was inevitable, but they still had to allow him a bit more time to grow before he would even be close to combat ready. Since the death of Karn, the Titan he had been clashing with, a wind Titan by the name of Blithe, had since begun expanding his own destructive path. This meant while the major capital for the Dragons was safe, unfortunately other smaller towns and villages with varying races were now in the warpath. This might give them time to raise the champion, but they still had a tentative time limit. The longer they waited, the more likely the Titans would gather enough forces to destroy civilization before the child could even grow up.

    Astrius led Aaron out to the front altar, where looming over was a massive marble statue of Io, her wings outstretched as if open for an embrace. Opalescent horns curled back up and over her head, along with the same material within her eye sockets, symbolizing what her eyes were now that she had removed them for her people. Aaron looked up at her, understanding what she meant, but he had only caught a glimpse of this particular statue a handful of times due to how busy the temple usually was.

    ¡°High Priest, why are we here?¡± Aaron glanced up at Astrius not sure he understood why they had to have the conversation within the heart of the temple.

    Astrius glanced down at him briefly before turning to look out over the various other statues that surrounded the room. Each with an altar for that specific child of Io. Not all of her children were here, as some came from civilizations that did not have space for a hoard, such as her Dragoon daughter, and her Wolf-Walker son. But the rest of the children that had statues had those altars for receiving gifts and offerings from travelers, and at the end of the day, a spell would transport the items into each child''s respective hoard. This allowed them to use any of their own funding for various projects that would better their civilization. Even Ra had his hoard in one of the back rooms, for the Dragons to use as needed.

    ¡°Look around Aaron. What do you see?¡±

    Aaron did a quick turn glancing around for anything unusual. Confused, he asked, ¡°The statues?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you know what these statues represent, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Io was one of the Gods that helped shape our world. The rest are her children she blessed the mortal races with. Like Lord Ra!¡± He said a bit more excitedly, after all he had been studying.

    Astrius smiled softly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. However, there are some children of hers that are not shown here.¡±

    Aaron¡¯s confusion came back as he looked around at the statues once more trying to figure out who was missing. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, some of the races that were gifted a child are more nomadic in nature. They have no need for gold or other currencies. There are still some ways to worship and make offerings to them, but it¡¯s not quite the same as the temples within the cities. As an example, her son of the Wolf-Walkers, has small shrines along the mountain ranges where visitors can leave gifts that aid in the survival of other travelers. It is said that he moves items around to wherever a traveler is that has a need for that particular item. It is his gift to ensure safe passage through the mountains.¡±

    He looked back down at Aaron knowing this was the difficult part. ¡°The reason I tell you of the ones that are not here, is there is one child in particular whom no one on the outside knows of¡­ You.¡±

    Aaron blinked, going through a whiplash of thoughts all at once. ¡°... Me? I¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You are the most recent child of Io to walk the Mortal Realms. You hatched last year after she gave me your egg.¡±

    ¡°... But¡­ the teachings of Io say that she shows no favoritism. If she already gave the Dragons a child, why am I here?¡±

    ¡°You are correct. No race has received more than one child. However your father was not a dragon, like Ra¡¯s father was. Your father is¡­ Your father is a demon. One that was able to destroy a very powerful enemy.¡±

    ¡°... A titan?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like someone has been eavesdropping again.¡± Astrius chided, but he couldn¡¯t be mad. The child was bored after all and had been getting into mischief. He sighed, continuing, ¡°Yes, you are correct. He killed a titan by the name of Karn, and as a result he became so volatile he temporarily ascended into the Astral Realm where the gods dwell. There, he found our Lady Io, grieving for the Mortal Realms.¡±

    Aaron looked back at the statue of Io for a moment, thinking, before he turned back to Astrius. ¡°Because she wasn¡¯t able to protect the people anymore?¡±

    ¡°In a sense. She was tricked by another titan, Mortas. He convinced her to lock her power away as it would be damaging to the Mortal Realm. She truly believed the power of the gods was detrimental, as most of the other gods of this world had also taken a less proactive approach in monitoring our world.¡±

    ¡°So, Lady Io is my mother?¡± He asked, just trying to confirm his understanding, even as preposterous as it sounded to him. Astrius simply nodded, watching as Aaron got lost in his own thoughts again. He knew when Aaron knew what question he had, he would ask it.

    It didn¡¯t take long for it to come to him. ¡°But why am I hidden away? If I¡¯m a child of Io, why can¡¯t I go out to interact like the others do?¡±

    Astrius placed his hand on Aaron¡¯s shoulder gently, guiding him over to one of the benches for visitors, sitting down beside him ¡°That is the difficult part of this conversation¡­ You are aware of the titans, are you aware of how serious the circumstances are currently?¡± Aaron shook his head, and Astrius continued, ¡°There are many elemental titans that are currently rampaging across the lands. They used to live in relative peace, but it would seem something has¡­ corrupted them, to put it simply. Many of the titans have turned on those that worshiped them, converting them into monstrous elemental beings that are now enslaved to that particular titan. They have been using their own personal armies to enslave smaller villages alongside their converted soldiers. We have been lucky that they have not assaulted larger towns and cities yet, but it is only a matter of time¡­¡±

    ¡°... I tell you all this, because you, Aaron, are growing up to be the Champion of Io. It will soon be your duty to take arms against them, and smite them down to preserve life as we know it. The amount of people that are going to depend on you is beyond comprehension.¡±

    ¡°I have to fight them?¡± The innocence in Aaron¡¯s voice tugged at Astrius heartstrings, but he had to keep his own emotions under control, to keep Aaron calm.

    ¡°Eventually. You are still far too young. But we do have limited time, so it is for the best that we begin your training. As the child of a goddess, you will need to learn to control your power before you learn to harness it, and the sooner we begin that, the better.¡±

    Aaron fell silent, looking down at his hands, scratching the top of one as he felt a wave of nervousness wash over him. He looked back up at the statue of Io before them, taking time to glance around at the other statues of his siblings.

    They all had their part in this world. He had heard of many of their deeds and duties. Ra, his dragon brother, guided those who passed on in the world to their afterlife. Gilda, his Vishani sister, was seen as a sign of fertility, and also a guide for lost children who pass on with no one else. Herneas, the centaur brother, traveled the world¡¯s forest to protect and heal the land from natural disasters. Just like they had their duties, this was his. It didn¡¯t change how anxious it made him, but he had to come to terms with his place in the world.

    Aaron swallowed, a bit shaken up, but he nodded. ¡°I understand¡­ What do I have to do first?¡±

    Astrius smiled gently, proud of how mature the youngling was handling this. ¡°It will be a few days before anything changes. Continue doing your duties in the Temple, but please, you must remain out of sight. Now that you know how serious this is, I hope I don¡¯t find you sneaking out to try and linger amongst the crowds.¡±

    Aaron nodded, standing up and bowing gently. Astrius bowed his head back and bade Aaron good night, knowing the little one needed his sleep after their talk. ¡°I hope you dream sweetly tonight, young champion. There are horrors in this world to face, but there is also good in life. Fret not, tomorrow I shall send a message out to an old acquaintance of mine who will train you properly. For now, get some rest.¡± He watched Aaron walk back to the innards of the temple to return to his room, but as soon as Aaron was out of sight he looked up to the statue of Io looming over him.

    ¡°My Lady, I hope we do not burden him too harshly, but we both know what is at stake. I truly hope he is able to grow safely and learn his power in enough time to handle the Titans before things are too late¡­¡±

    With that, he stood from the bench and himself headed off to bed. The temple was soon still and quiet, but it was not a comforting silence.

    The storm was coming.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter 3

    Only a few weeks had passed since the conversation between Astrius and Aaron, and the boy had settled down a bit, in a way. He wasn¡¯t trying to escape the temple anymore, however he obviously was struggling internally with the idea of having to learn combat. None of the priests and acolytes had any experience, so the day after their evening conversation, Astrius had used a communication orb to locate an old friend of theirs.

    This dragon was not one to stay put but instead was traveling to continue expanding his knowledge. The only time he had ever returned was when Ra was hatched, so he could teach that child of Io their powers, just as he had done for every other sibling. Now it was Aaron¡¯s turn.

    The dragon in question had been given a gift from Io for his many years of service. He had requested not to be given immortality, but instead to simply be given a longer life. He was still youthful in looks, even if he was already well past the prime of a normal dragon. His bronze scales still glimmered in the light and he walked upright whereas most dragons his age may have already had a staff to help with mobility.

    Many dragons bowed respectfully as he passed them, not knowing why he had returned to Ophicys,simply recognizing his years of service to the children of Io. Making his way through the city, it would not take him long to make his way through the crowds to the temple. He continued making his way through to the back rooms where the priests were allowed, knowing the guards would not bother to stop him as he headed towards the High Priest''s office.

    Astrius happened to be there at that time, reading over reports from the Emperor about the incoming refugees and current locations of Blythe, the closest Titan of concern. With his door open, he heard their guest come in and immediately lifted his head from the scrolls. Smiling weakly, clearly exhausted, he stood to greet this old friend.

    ¡°Tairhn, it¡¯s so wonderful to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances.¡±

    Tairhn raised his clawed hand gently. ¡°A child of Io is always a wondrous circumstance, regardless of what else ails the world.¡± He moved closer, hugging Astrius tightly before going to sit across from him.

    Astrius stepped out his door briefly to have a guard go and fetch Aaron, but joined Tairhn shortly after, sighing as he sat down again. ¡°This child has so much energy and the will to adventure. It¡¯s clear he is unhappy being so secluded, but we cannot risk losing him.¡±

    ¡°This is true, but there are ways we can allow him to feel as though he is getting to explore. Has he spread his wings yet?¡±

    ¡°No, I have not taken him out of the city yet to learn to fly, it¡¯s felt too risky,¡± Astrius said with a shake of his head, ¡°I know we must, but I wished he could be a bit older and more able to defend himself, should one of Blythe¡¯s minions find him.¡±

    ¡°Well, while the Titans are a looming threat, it is still necessary to find a way to allow everyday life to continue, including teaching the next generation. I am happy to be here to support Aaron while he is growing, but I do believe it is important for him to experience things naturally as any child would.¡±

    ¡°I wish it was that easy¡­¡± Astrius trailed off as they heard footsteps coming from the hallway, Tairhn turning his head to also glance at the door, seeing the guard returning with Aaron. The young boy shuffled nervously, as he did not often get to meet new people. Astrius smiled gently at him, motioning for him to come inside. ¡°Come on in, please, shut the door behind you. We have much to discuss.¡±

    Aaron stepped inside, shutting the door behind him, still standing a bit awkwardly. Tairhn smiled softly, motioning to the seat next to him. ¡°Come along, little one, no need to be shy. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together.¡±

    ¡°Aaron, do you remember when I mentioned reaching out to an acquaintance of mine for your training?¡± Astrius asked as Aaron took his seat. When Aaron nodded, he continued, ¡°This is Tairhn. He has helped with raising and training most of your siblings, so he is here as well to do the same for you. With his expertise, he will be leading your studies so you can become the champion we know you can be.¡±

    ¡°Oh come now Astrius, there¡¯s no need for the formalities. We will get to know each other a little bit before we begin focusing on such serious matters. After all, how can he trust me if I¡¯m still a stranger to him?¡± Tairhn smiled gently down at Aaron, who smiled back, feeling a bit more confident knowing Astrius trusted this dragon.

    Astrius knew Tairhn has his own way of doing things, and that he was fully qualified to teach Aaron, but he worried with the severity of the situation that Tairhn was taking things too casually. But Lady Io trusted him, and he had to place his own trust in both of them that they knew the best for Aaron.

    ¡°Aaron, Tairhn is going to be staying in the temple for the foreseeable future to continue your studies. I expect you to listen to him better than you listen to me. That means no mischief. You¡¯ve been much better since we discussed your future, but we still must keep you safe.¡±

    ¡°Astrius, don¡¯t chastise the boy. If he sees me as some stern, overbearing figure, we won¡¯t have a relationship where he can trust me.¡± Tairhn sat back casually looking back to Aaron. ¡°Why don¡¯t we spend the next few days getting to know each other before we start discussing learning plans, combat practice, and all that? How does that sound, little one?¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Aaron nodded gently, still silent. He hadn¡¯t exactly met anyone new, so even with his adventurous attitude he was exceptionally shy.

    Astrius scowled mildly at being implied as a stern, overbearing figure, but he understood what Tairhn had meant. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll leave you two at it and continue to focus on the temple duties. You will be solely responsible for him, but I do hope we can begin making progress soon.¡± He stood, along with Tairhn, bowing gently. Aaron hopped up as well to bow goodbye to the priest, and Tairhn put his clawed hand on the young child¡¯s back, leading him back out into the hallway.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the gardens? It¡¯s quite peaceful and we can discuss things together, begin to learn more about each other.¡± Tairhn glanced down at Aaron softly, not happy with how timid Aaron seemed. The temple had sheltered him, understandably so, but he shouldn¡¯t be this hesitant to speak to those he was introduced to. Of course, with the threat of the Titans looming, it made sense that everyone was afraid of losing him, but it sounded like the priests had taken it overboard with the fear-inducing commentary.

    Making their way through to the back of the temple where the gardens were hidden away, Tairhn led Aaron to a semi-secluded corner, under a willow tree. The willow was littered with blossoms from the season, but they were not in bloom during the day, instead simply closed and blowing gently in the light breeze flowing through.

    Tairhn sat in the grass beneath the tree, crossing his legs and letting his tail curl slightly around him. Aaron mimicked him, looking up expectantly.

    ¡°So little one, do you have any questions for me?¡± Tairhn asked gently, needing to gauge where to start with Aaron.

    ¡°High Priest Astrius said you raised my siblings too. Were any of them like me?¡±

    Tairhn chuckled gently, shaking his head, ¡°No, they may have had the same mother as you, however each child is unique in their own way. There could be none like you in this world. Astrius mentioned your father was a great powerful demon, and they live on the Infernal Plane of existence. Your siblings have immortality from your mother, as she is a goddess, but your demonic heritage makes you quite special.¡± He gently lifted Aaron''s chin looking into his blue eyes, the black sclera surrounding them proof of his demonic blood. ¡°From what I heard, your father defeated a Titan himself, which just goes to show what power you will be capable of. But that is for a later time. For now, I think it is important we see each other as friends. Not as teacher and disciple. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me about anything, and I know it must be hard being the only child in this temple.¡±

    Aaron looked partially shocked to hear those words, and Tairhn could easily see tears welling up. He knew the child had to have felt lonely.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, little one. You won¡¯t be lonely for long. I know it must be hard for you.¡±

    ¡°I hear the children playing in the streets outside of the walls¡­ But I understand now why Father Astrius has been strict about me leaving the temple¡­ I just wish that I could go outside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, child. You will be allowed outside of these walls. I will be sure of it. We may not be allowed to let you interact with others yet, not until this Titan business has been resolved. But first things first, we need to teach you your own body and how to use it to your advantage.¡±

    Aaron blinked, quite confused, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Well, for example, I would like to teach you to fly. We also need to teach you your inner flame and how to summon it. Then we can begin working on combat techniques that use a variety of those tools and any weaponry you may show interest in.¡±

    ¡°I get to learn how to fly?? Father Astrius told me I had to wait-¡±

    Tairhn interrupted him gently with a smile, ¡°Of course you get to learn how, you should already be learning, but Astrius has been¡­ struggling, I suppose is the best way to put it, with finding the way to do so without drawing attention to yourself. But that¡¯s for another day, we will make plans to leave the city and teach you away from prying eyes and closer to the ground. Most hatchlings go below to the lakes to learn to fly. The water hurts less than the ground when crash landing, but it¡¯s dangerous to go alone. If you are not careful with your wings, the water can weigh you down, so it is important you only go out for lessons with me so I can help you if you run into trouble. Can you promise me that?¡± Making a promise with the child to let them outside the walls would definitely help the trust gain, and learning to fly while seeing the outside world was quite the prize.

    Aaron nodded vigorously, much more excited than he had seemed earlier. ¡°I promise, I won¡¯t leave the temple without you.¡±

    Tairhn could already feel the tension leaving Aaron, touching his shoulder gently. ¡°I appreciate that very much. It is best we do not keep things from each other, if you have any concerns, I ask you to come to me directly. I will never lie to you, Aaron, and I hope that you will do the same. There might be some things we don¡¯t have to tell Astrius, but we should always be open with one another.¡±

    Aaron giggled softly at the idea of them keeping secrets from Astrius, feeling much more relaxed than he had been in the office. Tairhn looked up to the sky above, watching the clouds rolling by.

    ¡°Aaron, it¡¯s a dragon''s right to be one with the sky. Once I teach you to fly, however, we will have to keep your flight lessons private, so if you ever feel the need to stretch your wings, simply come to me so we can schedule some time. We cannot risk someone seeing you fly, so it¡¯s best that we work together to keep you safe, but also give you freedom. You are not a captive after all, and you should be allowed to have some semblance of a childhood.¡± Tairhn placed a hand on one of his knees as he forced himself back up, standing straight and spreading his wings. ¡°Can you spread your wings for me?¡±

    Aaron scrambled to his feet, spreading his wings as wide as he could, clearly straining to try and make them look as big as Tairhn¡¯s. Tairhn chuckled, looking at the wingspan.

    ¡°Yes, your wings are quite developed enough, flight should be relatively easy for you to grasp. There are some techniques you will need to wait until your wings are fully grown, but for basic flight, you are definitely ready. I will speak to Astrius to begin preparations to take you out for your first flying lesson, hopefully within a few days. For now, why don¡¯t we get some tea? I could use a sweet cake. Have you had a rock cake before?¡±

    Aaron shook his head, having only eaten what the priests provided and they did not often have sweets.

    ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t you go to your quarters, and I¡¯ll head out to the market. I¡¯ll bring back some delicious rock cakes and join you for tea in your room.¡±

    Aaron bowed respectfully, and bounced off excitedly. Teatime was something he was used to, but he was always stuck with small sandwiches, so having a sweet for the first time was an exciting moment. Tairhn chuckled to himself, looking up to the sky once more.

    ¡°I will do my utmost to protect this child, my Lady. Not only from the evils in this world, but from those that would clip his wings. You have my word.¡± He folded his wings back and began to make his way back out through the temple to do as he promised for the child.

    Even though it was a calm day, Tairhn knew that the child would grow quickly and would need to be ready sooner rather than later, but for now, he would not allow this child to be a prisoner within these walls. He knew from previous experiences with other children of Io that the priests of that race often tried to hide the child away, but Lady Io would not want her children restricted so. He made a vow to serve his Lady, and he would be damned if he allowed this child to be kept from having a life of his own.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four

    Tairhn knew it was important to keep the young child¡¯s image hidden, but he definitely stuck out like a sore thumb being cloaked with a hood up on such a warm day. Most dragon fashion entailed wrapping elegant fabrics around their bodies, leaving their backs open for their wings. Many who traveled would wear cloaks to cover their wings and protect them from the harsh elements, but in the middle of summer it was an unusual look.

    Aaron didn¡¯t seem to mind. His eyes were wide in awe as he looked at the sights of the city while they made their way to the bridge that connected the floating isles to the mainland. The guards were used to people coming and going, only really stopping those coming in with various beasts bearing travel packs. With so many refugees coming in from various settlements, it wasn¡¯t just dragons within the city of Ophicys. Even if Aaron seemed out of place, many would mistake him for a refugee child that might have come through the gates, and this allowed them to pass through uninterrupted.

    This was their first trip outside of the city, even if Astrius wasn¡¯t happy about it. While the priest understood that it was important for Aaron to learn flight, especially as it would be useful in combat with how massive Titans were in comparison to most beings. Although with Blythe being the Titan of Wind, he wasn¡¯t quite sure flight would be super useful, but at the very least he would get the practice in now. Other Titans did not have control over wind currents, so Blythe might be difficult to battle in the air, but the others would be easier to manage with full access to the skies.

    It took about an hour to make their way down the mountainside path that connected the floating islands, the lake drawing closer with each minute that passed. Aaron had never caught a glimpse of it before, and it sparkled in his mothers sunlight.

    ¡°Tairhn, why do the mountains float?¡± Aaron was confused as to why the dragons lived on the islands that had separated from the mountains, rather than just living along the mountain ridge itself.

    Tairhn smiled, glad the youngster was inquisitive about his surroundings. ¡°A long time ago, when Io had been able to influence the Mortal Realm, she raised the land out of the ground, allowing it to fill from various mountain rivers making their way through the valleys. She had done so to gift the dragons a home even closer to her within the sky. Now, the fact that we are high up in the sky rather than stuck to the ground, simply means better protections. Even with how large the Titans are, it is high enough that they cannot truly launch an attack without proper preparation. It keeps us safe, with the only way into the city being the land bridge which is conveniently small enough to prevent anything large and threatening from making its way into the city.¡±

    Tairhn stopped them once they were by a ledge that was about 100 feet from the lakes surface. Aaron looked down a bit tentatively, not sure about the height as he¡¯d never been on such a ledge before.

    ¡°I thought we were going down to the lake?¡± He looked back to Tairhn, who smiled reassuringly.

    ¡°It may seem high but we want you to have time to adjust your wings, and for me to catch you should you not get it on your first try.¡±

    At this height the wind was flowing freely, no forestry to block the breezes. Tairhn took position next to Aaron looking out over the edge. Aaron shivered as he felt the wind tickle the underside of his wings, feeling a strange urge. He spread his wings out a bit, stretching, but paused when he heard Tairhn chuckle next to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, the first time takes some getting used to. Take your time to feel the air as it flows past your wings. Make small adjustments to your wing positioning to feel how differently the air flows.¡±

    ¡°Do I need to jump off right this minute?¡± Aaron whimpered, hearing his own heart beating loudly like a drum, easily muffling the sounds of the world around him.

    ¡°No, no, we will stay up here for a bit. I want you to understand your wings before we take our first jump. It¡¯s important to understand the tiniest adjustments in order to get your flight to go as you expect it, rather than spiraling out of control and making massive adjustments while panicking.¡±

    Tairhn spread his own wings, showing Aaron his full wingspan. ¡°Look at my wings, I am going to fly for you. I will do slow fly bys, but I want you to spot the adjustments I make when I am going from position to position.¡±

    ¡°How will I be able to see you if you¡¯re flying? Won¡¯t that be too far?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, your vision will adjust, it¡¯s simply a matter of practice. For now, let me show you how you will dive off the cliff. You will not want to jump, per se, but instead dive downwards. For most, it goes against every bit of instinct to dive off like that, but for dragons, you must trust your wings to catch the wind.¡±

    Tairhn stepped to the edge looking back at Aaron. ¡°Focus on my form as I go into the dive. I am going to fold my wings tightly behind me so I go down the cliff smoothly, and when I want to tilt up and gain horizontal flight, I will then flare my wings out and adjust slightly so the drag created by wind around my wings keeps me even in flight.¡±

    Aaron nodded in understanding as Tairhn turned, bent his knees and dove headfirst off the edge. Aaron darted a bit closer to look over the edge after Tairhn, eyes wide amazement as he watched the nose dive.

    As Tairhn dove, his speed increased, tucking his wings in closer. The wind whistling past him was exhilarating, and he knew that Aaron would soon gain confidence with practice to enjoy this too, but for now he couldn¡¯t relish the flying himself, he had a pupil to teach.

    Tairhn watched the surface of the lake as it closed in, trying to gauge when he should end his dive. Normally he might go as far as he could, an old game from his own childhood, a dragon version of chicken if you will, but Tairhn knew it was important for Aaron to see the details of the flight and if he went as far down as he wanted, Aaron might miss out on something.

    When he reached what he felt was an adequate height for Aaron to still see things, he flared his wings out. By tilting them upward slightly for the wind to catch, he pulled out of his dive into a horizontal flight path. With a single flap of his wings, Tairhn propelled himself forward, keeping his speed up as he soared over the lake. He was flying well above the waters¡¯ surface but still at a lower altitude than Aaron. Enthralled, Aaron had moved closer, peering over the cliff edge with eyes as wide as dinner plates, in awe at seeing flight for the first time. Most didn¡¯t exactly fly through the city as it could cause traffic issues moving that fast, but for those that traveled outside the city, flight was the most freeing thing a dragon could do.

    While dragons did not commonly have hair, those that did would have a small amount going down their elongated necks, and Tairhn just so happened to have a small strip of wispy white against his bronzed skin. There were a few small braids, adorned with simple beads that Aaron had never seen before Tairhn showed up, ones that were not known within dragon society. With how fast he was going, what he did have was blowing drastically from the flight, and Aaron wondered if his own would end up in a mess. Considering his was just past his shoulder blades already, he hadn¡¯t quite thought about how his hair would react during flight until this moment.

    Tairhn made a quick turn, sensing a change in the air pressure and upon finding a current, suddenly went soaring up back to a higher elevation. Turning back towards the cliff¡¯s edge, he flapped once more to give himself that speed now that he was happy with his new height and made his way back towards Aaron.

    Aaron backed away from the cliff edge, but Tairhn had already picked his landing spot, making sure to avoid the child. With a few flaps as he came back to the ledge, he uprighted himself again, landing gracefully on his feet and folding his wings back once more.

    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Aaron was practically bouncing up and down, going between desire to take to the air, and fear of falling into the water below.

    Tairhn smiled softly, remembering his own first flight fondly. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    Aaron froze almost immediately, realizing that this was now his moment. ¡°Already? Shouldn¡¯t I do some sort of practice?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the same as combat practice, flying is something you learn to do quickly and fine tune as you grow. You will not be perfect, you might even feel a bit unsteady, but the important parts are the basics you just saw me do. Nothing fancy, we¡¯ll expand your flight knowledge as you grow, but for now, your body is still small and you are unsure of your abilities. Don¡¯t try to push yourself, just focus on the simple actions of basic flight.¡±

    Aaron looked back over the edge hesitantly, but Tairhn put his clawed hand on the child''s shoulder reassuringly.

    ¡°Do not worry, I am right here to help you if something goes wrong. Most hatchlings get the basic flight in the first go, but crash landings can be quite common at first. There is no pressure to be perfect right away.¡± He smiled gently, knowing the strange combination of feelings from both anxiety and excitement. An all too familiar feeling from his own childhood, and seeing it within Aaron filled him with a joy of leading the next generation. He unclasped the child¡¯s cloak they had used to sneak him out, tossing it aside for the time being.

    Tairhn gently guided Aaron to the cliff''s edge, putting him into a good diving position. ¡°Remember, headfirst, wings tucked. Once you are in your dive, pick a height to open your wings out, and flare them just slightly upwards to pull you out of your dive. I will be watching in case you get too low. Stretch your wings out for me, as far as you can and hold them there for a moment, just to help you loosen up. You¡¯ve never used your wings before, so it¡¯s best to let the sunlight warm them, and you, up before your dive. The skies can be cold, especially during a dive or under cloud cover, but with the sunshine gifted by your mother today, it shouldn¡¯t be too uncomfortable for you.¡±

    Aaron did as requested, stretching his wings out as far as his wingspan could reach, feeling the warmth slowly spreading even with the gentle wind tickling at the membranes. He tensed them a few times, relaxing after a few moments, having been taught these stretches about a week prior to build up his wing awareness.

    ¡°Whenever you are ready, Aaron.¡± Tairhn reminded him gently, not wanting to push him too quickly, but the longer the hatchling postponed, the less sure they would be. A leap of faith was all it would take and the natural instinct would start to take over. Aaron just had to believe in himself.

    Aaron was quite unsure, but with Tairhn behind him, he felt a wash of confidence flow through him, and he stepped to the cliff edge properly lining his feet up. With a single deep breath, he knelt, and propelled himself forward over the ledge headfirst.

    If Aaron had been a human, every ounce of instinct would be screaming for him to not go headfirst over a cliff. But, after all, Aaron had the blood of a dragon and the moment he entered his dive, and the wind began whistling in his ears, his heart burst alive with ecstasy. The pounding in his ears overwhelmed the wind as he folded his wings back, hair flying behind him getting more tangled by the second. All he could focus on was the lake below him, coming ever closer.

    Closing his eyes briefly, taking one more breath in, he unfurled his wings, tilting them ever so slightly as he had seen Tairhn do.

    Almost immediately he got pulled upward in a jerky manner as he wasn¡¯t expecting his wings to catch so suddenly. He was nearly knocked off balance, but he managed to even his body out, although his limbs were a bit shaky. Once he seemed to have evened out, he took his first real attentive glance to the scenery below him.

    He was pretty low, Aaron had misjudged his height coming out of the dive, and while he had been gaining his balance again, he¡¯d dropped a bit in altitude. He could see the lake glittering below him as he sped along above its surface, and Aaron got lost in the view for a moment.

    When he came out of his brief stupor, he realized he had lost some of his altitude, and he flapped his wings a few times to try and regain what he had lost. While it worked, it did take tremendous effort and he wasn¡¯t experienced enough to find currents to ride higher to conserve his energy. Aaron felt his heart rate go from excitement to panic as the water drew ever closer.

    There was a sudden gust that slammed into Aaron, who had not recognized the changes of the air currents to be able to react appropriately, and he lost all control, falling like a rock towards the lake. He flailed his wings slightly trying to right himself and catch the wind again, his panic rising with each passing second.

    Sooner than he expected, he crashed into the lake, submerging briefly only to be brought back up by the wave displacement. Aaron gasped for air quickly only for him to go back under again, but same as before it was only for a few seconds before he was back up. His wings were outstretched as it was hard for him to move them in the water, but that seemed to be helping keep him afloat as he started looking around, his hair drenched and partially covering his eyes. Compared to the warmth of the sun on his wings as he had been flying, the bitter cold of the water was like a shock to his system. He twisted slightly trying to find where the nearest shore was but he didn¡¯t exactly know how to swim so his movements didn¡¯t quite allow him to go anywhere.

    A sudden shadow appeared overhead, and Aaron looked up, only to see Tairhn hovering over him by flapping his wings steadily.

    ¡°I have you, grab my hand and I¡¯ll pull you up.¡± Tairhn called out, lowering down and extending his arm to Aaron who grabbed it immediately with both hands. Tairhn pulled him up and once Aarons wings were free of the water, he tucked them in behind him as Tairhn took Aaron bridal style in his arms. With a few powerful beats of his wings, Tairhn gave them a bit more altitude, away from the surface of the lake.

    He turned them back towards the cliffs where they had taken off from, and Aaron could see just how far the ledge was they had flown off of. It would take quite a bit of practice for him to understand how fast he was diving in flight, as he had clearly allowed himself to get too low. Aaron curled into Tairhn as a sudden current gave Tairhn some lift, only to hear the rumble of the older dragon chuckling in his chest.

    ¡°You¡¯re alright, little one. I have you. I would never allow anything bad to happen to you, you were quite safe, if not a bit soaked. We¡¯ll dry off in the sun for a bit and then head back.¡± Tairhn flew them back to the cliff, slightly slower than his earlier flight due to the extra weight of Aaron in his arms. But after a few moments, they were back safely at the cliff ledge, and Tairhn landed gently before setting Aaron down on the ground by where his cloak had been tossed.

    Aaron immediately flopped onto his back, stretching his wings out and taking deep breaths as he came down from the shock of the cold water. Tairhn was catching his own breath as even at his size, the child was still heavy enough to mean he had extra effort involved to pull him up out of the water and fly them back safely.

    Carefully, Tairhn sat down beside the boy, placing his arms on his knees as he gathered his own energy back. ¡°Well now, that was an exciting first flight. We¡¯ll just keep practicing but I think our next lesson is going to be air currents. You will one day be able to sense them almost instinctively and adjust much more quickly.¡± He looked down at Aaron, still rather wet from the little detour he took into the lake. Luckily it didn¡¯t appear the boy had been hurt, perhaps his pride, but nothing physically wrong.

    Aaron shivered slightly, but he could already feel the warmth filling his wings again, so it was simply a matter of time. His clothes on the other hand would probably be dried by the time they got back to the city above. But for now, the two could rest and gather their strength before making the trip back.

    ¡°I¡¯m very proud of your first flight Aaron. Do not think of this as a failure, for failure is simply a learning experience.¡± Tairhn said gently, knowing the child was probably expecting perfection, simply due to how the priesthood had spoken around him. Such high expectations can be a weight around the shoulders of one so small.

    ¡°For now, just rest, we¡¯ll start heading back in a little bit. I do not want to be too late getting back, as I¡¯d like for us to stop at the market before we go back to the temple.¡±

    Aaron sat up carefully, a bit surprised to hear that. ¡°You¡¯re taking me to the market? I thought I couldn¡¯t go?¡±

    ¡°You will have your cloak on, little one. With the hood and your face mask, no one will be able to make out your features. Your wings will be hidden, and many will think you are simply a refugee child I am with. Your identity will be safe, but I would like to pick up some rock cakes for our tea when we get back. Some sweets and warm tea will soothe any aches from today''s lesson.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Aaron immediately perked up at the idea of getting his new favorite treat. The priests hadn¡¯t ever truly let him have sweets, simply because most of their meals involved simpler, more nutritious foods. It wasn¡¯t that their food was boring, just that the priests had other duties so it was much simpler meals to make for keeping their cooking duties lighter. They also used a lot of their own produce and would only send a priest out for ingredients that they couldn¡¯t gather themselves, oftentimes breads and meats to finish filling out the pantry.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Tairhn asked, noticing the boy wasn¡¯t breathing as heavily anymore.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m better. I¡¯m still cold.¡±

    ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t we hurry back to get you some dry clothes, a place by the fire, and a lovely tea to finish off the day? We¡¯ll keep it quick at the market.¡±  Tairhn stood, helping Aaron to stand up as well, with the boy''s legs still a tad shaky. Aaron picked his cloak up after stabilizing himself to put it back on, keeping his wings out just for the extra sunshine warming them while they walked back. He would have time to pull the cloak around him to hide things as they got closer.

    Simply due to exhaustion, it took about a half hour longer than it had to get down to the lake returning to the city. Aaron kept pushing, even when Tairhn offered breaks, simply because those sweet rock cakes were going to be waiting for him.

    Rock cakes were a simple sweet roll, about the size of a child dragon''s claw. The bun itself would be very light and fluffy, and while it was common for a type of custard or jam to be in there as fillings, but the standard recipe was no filling. Instead all rock cakes, regardless of filling or not, had a honey glaze atop it, followed by a special recipe unique to the dragons: a powdered sugar that was colored to reflect various gemstones.

    Aaron had only eaten rock cakes a handful of times, but his curiosity had peaked from the various sugar colors he¡¯d seen on the ones Tairhn had brought in. ¡°Master Tairhn, why do some of the rock cakes taste different? It seems like even if they have the same color sugars on top, they can have different flavors between them.

    ¡°Well, you see, powdered sugar is something only dragons can create. Our fire can be at various temperatures depending on a few factors, and bakers will use their fire in their own ovens to create the sugars. The temperature will change the color composition of the sugar, while some even add other flavors to the sugar while it¡¯s melting down. Once it¡¯s a flat sticky sheet, they pull it out of the oven to cool and proceed to shatter and grind it up once more to powder it on top of the cakes. Each baker may have their own preference for flavor combinations with specific colors, so they can vary from bakery to bakery.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tairhn continued, ¡°the rock cake itself is always going to be that light gray color, soft and fluffy inside. That is a standard across the recipe, but the colored sugars and flavorings, along with any fillings that they may include, will vary from personal preference.¡±

    Aaron had enjoyed the basic rock cake with no filling, but he had found about two days later there was a special vanilla icing filled one that was unique to a specific bakery. Tairhn had gone there in his youth and the family bakery had been so popular it was still being run today. Now, Tairhn had shared his childhood happiness with Aaron, and delighted, the child had fallen in love with Tairhn¡¯s old favorite.

    Before they fully approached the city gate, Tairhn paused to help Aaron adjust his travel clothes to hide his identity. Once again, Aaron pulled the face mask up to cover up the lower half of his face, and pulled the hood to his cloak to hide his blond hair. Tairhn went to clasp the front closed to keep his wings hidden underneath. Even though this cloak was not a heavier material that one might see for full travel, it was enough to keep his wings hidden from view so no one knew of his heritage. Aaron understood now why it was so important to keep his appearance under wraps, but it was still nice to be able to actually see the city outside of the temple walls.

    Tairhn led him through the gates quietly, bowing gently in respect to the guards, who returned the gesture. It wasn¡¯t particularly busy this late in the day, as many were already heading home to prepare dinner for their families. Since the crowds had thinned out, it was quite easy to navigate the streets to their favorite bakery.

    Opening the door, he let Aaron go in ahead of him before acknowledging the baker who was turned away from the door working on a dough. ¡°Good afternoon, Seli. I hope you are well?¡±

    Seli, a vibrant orange dragon with yellowing in her neck scales, dusted her claws off from the dough she had just been kneading and smiled at him. ¡°Tairhn, it¡¯s quite late in the afternoon, we¡¯re here for a late treat today it would seem.¡± Seli spoke with deeper tones, but still had such a friendly demeanor that instilled trust. She had a very small strip of yellow hair, much less than Tairhn himself had, but she had a proud set of brown ram horns that were looking a bit off color due to the flour that managed to get everywhere in the air when she was in her flurry of baking.

    ¡°Ah yes, I was outside the city most of the day, just now returning. Do you have about a dozen of the frosting-filled cakes?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, I just finished making my last batch, I was preparing dough for tomorrow.¡± Seli grabbed a delivery basket, seeing that Tairhn had empty hands. ¡°Would you like any of your jelly-filled ones? I do have a lovely mixed berry today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that does sound lovely, thank you. I will be sure to return your basket tomorrow, I shall stop by before you open so it does not impact your business.¡±

    Seli let out a bright, yet deep laugh, filling up the basket with his order, ¡°I have plenty of spares, one single basket going to an old family friend will not be missed. Return it when you are able, no need to put yourself out.¡± She turned once the basket was filled, it seemed today''s batch seemed to have red sugar crystals glimmering like rubies. Returning to the counter, Seli piped back up, ¡°I take it that some of these are for that little one hiding behind you?¡± She peered down at Aaron, who had been partially hiding behind Tairhn¡¯s body.

    Aaron ducked back a bit more, only for Tairhn to step aside and bring him forward. ¡°It¡¯s alright little one, no need to be shy. You know the temple is helping many children who are orphaned by the events happening outside the city, this is simply one of them that I am looking out for.¡± Not entirely a lie, the temple was in fact helping with some children refugees, but they had no access to the main portion of the temple where Aaron and the others of the priesthood stayed.

    ¡°Yes, I worry about it every day, it¡¯s such a big world out there, ¡°Seli sighed softly, knowing how devastating the Titan¡¯s reach had become. She lingered for but a moment, continuing, ¡°But seeing those that are fleeing¡­ One has to wonder how much longer Ophicys will be safe¡­ I hope that we can continue living safely. Io willing, the Titans can be saved from this madness that has overtaken them.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Only time will tell.¡± Tairhn pulled out a coin purse and grabbed a few gold coins, offering them to her.

    Seli traded over the basket, taking the coins and bowing respectfully. ¡°Io¡¯s light be with you.¡±

    ¡°And also with you.¡± Tairhn replied, bowing gently. Aaron bowed as well, remaining respectful even if he wasn¡¯t speaking to the baker.

    The two left the bakery and did not speak on the trip back. This bakery happened to at least be close to the temple, and with it being later afternoon the temple was not as busy. Tairhn was able to guide Aaron to the living area behind the temple without any interference.

    Once Aaron was well outside of public gaze, he practically tore the cloak off and shook himself slightly to loosen up. Underneath that heavy cloak his wings had felt trapped, and it bothered him more than he had expected.

    ¡°Alright, you go clean up and change out of those travel clothes. I¡¯ll get our tea prepared and join you in your quarters in a few minutes.¡± Tairhn nodded his head down the hallway towards Aaron''s room, watching as the child darted off. He turned and went the other way towards the kitchen, needing to prepare a few things for their tea.

    Dragons typically would drink a specific type of tea, a tea that was based around leaves from the flower known as Io¡¯s Tear. It was a flower that while vibrant and open during the day, closed and wilted at night, looking limp but still glowing eerily in a form of bio-luminescence. Not only did it grow all over the mountain ranges the dragons called home, but it was a common form of contraception. As such, almost every dragon participated in a daily tea time.

    The flower may have been the base of the tea, however the flavors came from all sorts of other plants and herbs that grew within the mountains. Most would choose between a more floral/herbal variation of the tea, but Tairhn had found that he enjoyed a more fruity blend, and since Aaron had not complained about any of his tea choices, he continued to use his favorite which happened to include notes of citrus that used the peel of a local citrus fruit called a tallenge.

    After preparing their teapot, a basic ceramic one that had a glaze that mimicked the marbling of a geode, he placed it on a serving tray with the teacups they would be using. He did leave a section for the rock cakes, and carefully placed them in a small stack that wouldn¡¯t risk tumbling over. He was still a graceful dragon and confident with his movements so even at his age Tairhn had a steady hand when it came to carrying a tea tray.

    Tairhn made his way back down the hallway to Aaron¡¯s quarters, gently knocking on the door with his foot to get Aaron¡¯s attention. It only took a few seconds for Aaron to open the door, letting his mentor in. Aaron had changed into his casual attire, those same silken cloth wraps the priests wore in a toga like fashion. He had also brushed vigorously through his hair as it was now neat again from his lake incident.

    ¡°Thank you, why don¡¯t you go sit. I¡¯ll start preparing to serve.¡± Tairhn motioned over to the small table Aaron had in his room. All things considered, Aaron¡¯s room was the nicest, simply because it had been Ra¡¯s before that. When Ra had initially hatched, he was much smaller and lived in the room for a brief period of time. None of his previous belongings were there, but the bed he had slept in was still the same one Aaron slept in now, a firmer mattress as dragons had a tendency to prefer harder surfaces. The fabrics of the room were rather extravagant compared to the plainness of the priest¡¯s rooms, but for the children of their goddess, the priests were adamant about providing splendors they themselves would forgo. Aaron was the most sheltered out of the two, Ra had of course been given plenty of freedom to roam amongst his people, but if this were a normal circumstance, Aaron would have had the same introduction to the people of Ophicys that Ra had when he was born.

    Ra had outgrown his room rather quickly since he was a pure dragon and had taken after his mother by growing to the size of an ancient dragon. Aaron would most likely not grow to be like his mother, since he had shape shifted out of his hatchling form into a young child. He most likely would be taller than a human due to his demonic blood, but that also meant that Tairhn had to teach Aaron how to find his dragon form once again.

    But that was for another day. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind, knowing that Aaron needed to relax after such a physically exhausting lesson. That would be another lesson well after he learned how to fly. Tairhn set the tray down on the table, setting one of the saucers and teacups in front of Aaron.

    After setting down a saucer and cup in front of his own seat, he carefully poured into Aaron¡¯s cup first, as it was considered polite to serve others before yourself. Aaron thanked him quietly, bowing his head with respect. He waited for Tairhn to pour his own cup and sit down before he reached for a rock cake.

    ¡°How are you feeling after your first flight?¡± Tairhn asked, knowing the child had been a bit disheartened at the dip in the waters.

    Aaron thought for a moment, not sure how to find the words for what he was feeling. ¡°I think I¡¯m both¡­ disappointed, but also excited? I want to fly again, even though I failed.¡±

    Tairhn smiled, glad to know the child still felt the connection to the sky. ¡°That¡¯s completely normal. Disappointment happens, but as long as you are able to pick yourself back up and try again, you will succeed. You will feel the same when we begin practicing combat. Remember, you will not be perfect. Skills take years to learn, decades to master. You are growing at an accelerated rate due to your lineage, and will most likely pick up on things rather quickly. However, it¡¯s important to remember that perfection is not the goal.¡±

    ¡°What is the goal? I know I have to fight multiple Titans at some point. But¡­ what if I don¡¯t win?¡±

    Tairhn felt his heart drop, knowing this was bound to be a conversation they had at some point. Might as well have it now.

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable for you to feel anxious about losing. There is so much weight on your shoulders, and you do not have long to process it. I truly wish you had come into this world under better circumstances. For that, I am sorry, little one.¡± He sighed, sitting back to find the words.

    ¡°I cannot say for certain that it is not possible for you to lose. There is always that possibility, for even though you have your mother¡¯s god blood, your father is a demon. In that, demons can die, but you would not die the same way they do. If you were to pass from combat with a Titan, your body may be destroyed, but your soul will simply return to the Astral Plane where your mother and the other gods dwell.¡±

    ¡°But then the Titans would win. Everyone would suffer. Don¡¯t I have to be the victor to prevent that from happening?¡± Aaron looked up with heavy eyes, clearly having been struggling mentally with this.

    Tairhn sighed gently, setting his teacup down to focus on Aaron completely. The way he answered this could define how the child continued to progress. ¡°Aaron, even the gods themselves are not perfect. You know the story of how your mother was tricked by Mortas?¡±

    Aaron¡¯s vision flick back down to his lap, fidgeting with his thumbs. ¡°Yes, he promised her that should she lock her power away, he would keep the world in order so nothing horrible would happen to her people. She locked her power away within our sun, thus no longer able to join the Mortal Planes as she once did. Mortas then betrayed her, and the Titan¡¯s began their rampage with him at their lead¡­¡± Aaron trailed off quietly, having heard this story a hundred times since he hatched.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Your mother trusted someone, someone who turned against her, which seems like an imperfection on her part, correct? Would you say her judgement was wrong in that case?¡± Tairhn pushed Aaron gently, wanting him to come to the conclusion on his own terms. No matter what the priests would say, even the gods were not infallible.

    Aaron thought for a moment, raising his head again with a nod.

    ¡°So,¡± Tairhn continued, ¡°If she is not perfect, why do you expect yourself to be?¡±

    The child kept quiet for a moment, taking that statement in. ¡°... I just don¡¯t want people to end up hurt because I couldn¡¯t save them¡­ But, even my mother¡¯s choices caused people to be hurt in the end, no matter how well her intentions were.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Tairhn agreed, smiling weakly. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to accept, but no matter what Father Astrius, or anyone else says, no one can be perfect. It is an impossibility. Your heart shows that you have the fight to do whatever it takes to prevent the evils in the world from taking control. No one would doubt you tried your hardest, no matter what circumstances should happen during your future. The one thing I can ask of you is to try your best, each and every day. I will do my best to teach you everything you could need for combat, and those lessons, along with your abilities, I am confident you will be victorious.¡±

    Tairhn leaned forward once more, continuing, ¡°Whether you succeed or fail, the thing to remember is, these things would have happened if you had never been born in the first place. The fact you are even here to give this world a fighting chance is a blessing. Even if you were to fall in battle, the people would remember you for your actions and sacrifice. You cannot allow the weight of guilt to hold you down from what you can accomplish. Doubt is how we hold ourselves back.¡±

    Aaron looked back down at the bun in front of him thinking deeply. ¡°So¡­ If I focus too much on what could happen, I won¡¯t hold onto the information that can help me prevent those bad outcomes and can end up causing it anyways.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a self fulfilling prophecy so to speak. It¡¯s best to devote yourself to your studies and focus on the battles as they come. I will teach you many tactics on how to use your abilities to your advantage. Battle is not simply about brute strength after all, you will need to make decisions on the fly. Being able to adapt is vital to surviving a battle that seems hopeless.¡± Tairhn smiled reassuringly, reaching for a rock cake himself. ¡°I know that it is hard to not let those feelings get to us, but we have to remember your mothers teachings. Her light is yours, and you will be her Champion. She will give you strength where you need it.¡± He smiled gently down at Aaron, but inside he was feeling his own guilt at the fact that Aaron was not allowed to have a normal childhood.

    Aaron smiled back weakly, going back to his rock cake. He felt a bit better, although it was not that easy to completely push away those doubts, and Tairhn knew this on a deeper level. This would not be the only time they had this conversation, and every time he would be right there to remind him they were valid, but it¡¯s not healthy to dwell on when life is full of much more beautiful things to think about. He wondered when the boy got older if he would ever show an interest in romance, or if the priest''s upbringing might prevent him from making those types of relationships.

    Tairhn¡¯s hope was that once the last Titan had been dealt with, that Aaron would be free to follow his own path, as Io intended for all of her children. Many of them stayed with their respective homes, but a few did follow their own destiny, away from the prying eyes of others while still influencing the world with their duties.

    In a perfect world, Tairhn thought to himself. But since he knew the world was imperfect, he had to prepare himself for the possibility that this child might truly have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. Ultimately, it would be Aaron¡¯s choice, as he could flee to save his own life in the hopes of coming back to fight another day. That was what Tairhn¡¯s true lesson was for him, and he hoped the child would grow into a man that would remember to sometimes put himself first, even if it meant running away to safety.

    For now, he would allow the child as many of these peaceful memories as he could, with Aaron enjoying a sticky rock cake, safe and warm surrounded by love. Tairhn could only pray that those moments helped Aaron to find the joys in life, even if he was locked away from the world. It was only right for Aaron to know peace from the harshness of the world, even if for a brief time.

    <hr>

    High Priest Astrius had been called upon by Io deep into the night. He wondered silently to himself as to what more she could possibly have for him, but he had to quiet his thoughts once he reached the alcove where the astral water rested in the form of a small pool. These pools littered the landscape as a thinning of the veil in between the Mortal Planes and the Astral Planes. Many of them were now encased within temples, but there were many expected to be undiscovered, and others still that were simply left to the wilds.

    Kneeling, Astrius took place in the water, clearing his mind as he focused on the entrance into the Astral Plane.

    It did not take long for Io to call him into the Astral Plane. Astrius squinted slightly when he arrived, his eyes still needing to adjust. Once he had collected himself and was able to actually see Io forming out of the brightness. Io came to a rest in front of him, laying down with her front claws crossed. Regardless of the fact that Io could not see him, he still bowed to her respectfully as he always did.

    ¡°My Lady, how can I serve?¡±

    Io crooned softly, her scales shimmering brightly within the light. ¡°I have called upon you to give you something for Aaron. He is going to grow very quickly over the next few years, and I believe it necessary to provide this gift now to aid his growth.¡±

    With that, she turned to her side, and using her fangs, she gently preened out a single scale off of her body. Facing back to Astrius, Io gently laid the scale in front of her.

    Astrius knelt down, lifting the scale up with some difficulty from its size in comparison to him. He held it in both of his claws, giving it a look over. This was something off of a goddess, astral material was somewhat unknown to the Mortal Realms. It had an iridescent white sheen to it, even though it had been removed from her body. It almost seemed to pulsate with an energy that made it feel alive.

    ¡°What will he use this for, if I may ask?¡± He looked back up at her, holding onto the scale carefully.

    ¡°This is to be his weapon. As it will be made of my body, it can only be destroyed by another ancient being, such as myself. Have him place his hand upon it, and the scale will reflect his inner soul. It shall take the form of the weapon that will suit him best.¡±

    Astrius bowed gently again, ¡°I shall give this to him first thing in the morning then. I thank you for entrusting this with me. I shall keep his weapon safe while he is preparing for the fight against the Titans.¡±

    Io reached out to touch the scale gently one last time, knowing this was the best she could do for her son. ¡°I may not be able to go into the Mortal Realms, but once an item leaves my body, it is no longer mine. I hope this gives Aaron some knowledge that his mother loves him, even if I am not with him.¡± She pulled back, knowing Astrius would need to return soon.

    ¡°Of course, my Lady,¡± Astrius knew her connection to her children was a large part of her love, and not being able to communicate with them regularly was difficult for her. Even more so since she had not been able to even speak with Aaron yet.

    ¡°I hope he is not angry with me for not being there for him. It is a shame we cannot speak with each other currently, but I know how volatile a youth can be with ancient blood. I miss my children equally but the ones I cannot speak with often are always the hardest on my heart.¡±

    ¡°I will be sure he knows of your love. Once he is matured, I am sure he will be able to handle the alcoves and the transition between realms.¡±

    Io nodded gently, knowing it was for the best even if it hurt. ¡°Take care of yourself, Astrius.¡±

    Astrius bowed and soon felt himself being pulled back into the Mortal Realms. After his eyes adjusted back to the dimmer lighting of the alcove, he found the scale sitting in his lap, the water gently lapping around it from simple displacement.

    The High Priest stood, pulling the scale up with him, needing to lock it away in his office. Even though he had just been in water, everything was bone dry, simply because astral water was not physical water that one would drink. Instead it was more a meta-physical water that allowed the transcendence between the realms wherever a pool had formed, a weakness in the veil so to speak. It was an unusual feeling to get used to for the new priests that had the privilege to use the alcoves, but those were few and far between.

    Astrius brought the scale to his office, setting it on his desk gently. There was a wardrobe in there simply housing some basic clothes in the drawers below, whereas the closeted space above it had been left rather empty. After unlocking it, he looked at the edges, comparing it to the scale on his desk. It seemed like a good size for the scale, so Astrius returned to his desk to grab the scale. Once more, his arms already getting tired from carrying it, he lifted it up to place it gently in the closet, letting it rest against the back. It still seemed to glow, even though it was no longer within the Astral Plane. Astrius watched it, mesmerized briefly by the beauty of the ancient scale shimmering before him. He swore it almost had a hum to it.

    He came back out of his thoughts, shutting the doors gently to the wardrobe, and locking it once more. Tomorrow morning, he would call Aaron and Tairhn to his office and they would allow the scale to do what it was meant to. But then it would get locked away again until Aaron was ready for battle. Astrius didn¡¯t want Aaron to get too excited and try to use whatever weapon before he was ready. It was too great a risk of hurting himself, which was the last thing they needed to risk. He would already be risking life and limb fighting the Titans, but doing so before even facing them would be too much of a disadvantage.

    After all, the time for battle would come all too soon, Astrius reminded himself. For now, at least the night was quiet as the city slept beneath the glow of Io¡¯s eye. Both moons were half full in the night sky hanging over the land, an ever present reminder that Io¡¯s light would touch those even in moments of darkness. The wind slowly blowing in gently from the north, a cautious reminder of things to come. All was quiet and peaceful tonight, but that could change in an instant.

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five

    There was a strange energy in the air when Aaron awoke, and he could not figure out what was so different. He was trying to focus on his early morning meditation, but was struggling to clear his mind. There seemed to be an almost constant hum that he could not shake and it was very distracting.

    Aaron sat upon his meditation pillow - the plush purple surface was easy on his knees and aided his focus - in a secluded part of his bedroom, the various fabrics hanging around arranged like a thin screen. Meditation was a private affair, and as such there were usually curtains hung up to give the dragon meditating a secluded little area to focus on clearing their thoughts. While some dragons would set up incense, he did not have access to his fire yet so he could not light it without flint. As a child, he was not quite trusted with doing so, especially with the fabrics being a bit of a fire hazard in his particular situation. Many had specific meditation rooms that they had more customization they could do, but since he was using a meditation corner rather than a room, it was too risky to have candles or incense burning near the pillow.

    Sighing with a furrowed brow, Aaron gave up on finding any form of inner reflection for the morning and got off of the meditation pillow to get ready for the day. It was about that time anyways; Tairhn was already most likely on his way to fetch him. He stopped in front of the mirror to fix his toga fabrics from how it had adjusted during his meditation. He would end up changing back into his travel clothes from yesterday, the simple pair of brown linen pants and an altered shirt that allowed for his wings to slip through easily, but for now he could stay in his temple clothing.

    As expected, a light knock at the door brought him from his thoughts.

    ¡°You may enter,¡± Aaron called out, grabbing his brush to run through his hair, needing to get it pulled back into a ponytail for training to be easier. After yesterday''s dunk in the lake, he had decided it was best to keep his hair out of his way until he was more practiced.

    Tairhn entered, holding the door. ¡°Aaron, Astrius has called us to his office. Are you ready to go or do you need a few moments?¡±

    ¡°Just as soon as I finish putting my hair up; after yesterday¡¯s fiasco, I¡¯d rather keep it semi-contained.¡± Aaron walked past him into the hallway, Tairhn closing the door behind them. ¡°What does he want? He¡¯s usually busy with morning duties this early, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°He did not say, but it must be important for him to prioritize this meeting.¡± Tairhn had been wondering himself, but Astrius had not given him a chance to pry earlier.

    Aaron shrugged, more focused on what the strange energy in the air was. Tairhn seemed unbothered, and Aaron had to wonder if it was just him. ¡°Can you not hear that?¡± he asked, wanting to claw into his own skull just to get the humming to stop.

    Tairhn paused in their walk down the hallway, ¡°Hear what?¡± He hadn¡¯t heard anything out of the ordinary, but with Aaron¡¯s lineage, who knows what the boy was picking up.

    Aaron stopped beside him, pausing to take in the sound briefly, his ears twitching as he focused on it. ¡°There¡¯s a sound like a hum but¡­ warmer? More insistent, maybe?¡± Aaron frowned, trying to find the words to describe it properly. ¡°Almost like a desperate calling, but that sounds ridiculous right?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it is ridiculous. However, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t hear anything like that. How long have you been hearing this?¡± Tairhn knelt down to the child¡¯s height, looking him over briefly just to make sure nothing seemed off.

    ¡°Just since I woke up this morning¡­¡± Aaron trailed off, frowning. ¡°Actually, now that I think about it, that might be what woke me up. I couldn¡¯t even meditate, I kept trying to clear my mind and that sound just kept calling to me.¡±

    Tairhn thought quietly for a moment, wondering if this had anything to do with why Astrius was so insistent on such an early meeting. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we ask Father Astrius about the sound you are hearing? Perhaps he has an explanation?¡± He offered gently, hoping a healer wasn¡¯t required. They had to be cautious with who treated the boy, and Astrius had yet to find a steady doctor the priests could trust with his knowledge.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Aaron sighed softly, annoyed they couldn¡¯t fix this right away but if Tairhn was correct and Astrius had answers, there was no need to delay.

    Tairhn smiled, gently guiding the boy along.

    ¡°Are we going to go flying again today?¡± Aaron looked up at Tairhn, wondering what the schedule was going to be like after speaking with Astrius.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re going to begin trying to focus your magic. I want you to be a bit more practiced before I then take you outside the city to learn to transform back into your dragon self. You were hatched in that form, but once you reached a certain age, your body changed into this. Now we have to teach you the ability to go back and forth between forms, as one may have an advantage in combat over the other, depending on the situation of course.¡±

    ¡°Magic? I¡¯ve seen the priests do some basic magic, but nothing that seemed useful in combat.¡±

    ¡°Ah, and that¡¯s where you¡¯re just inexperienced, little one,¡± Tairhn chuckled, ¡°You see, there¡¯s many ways to use magic, and while some may use them for basic things around the home, there are ways to adjust them for combat. That¡¯s my goal is to teach you to think on your feet. Your magic is less restricted than us mortals. We have to spend years learning how to manipulate magic into doing what we want, and even then it can be exhausting. You can learn to use your magic in ways that we could never even imagine, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s up to you to find out how to do that. It¡¯s a matter of experimentation, but that¡¯s for later. Come now, here we are.¡±

    They had just arrived outside the High Priest¡¯s office, and Aaron cringed as he noticed the noise had seemingly gotten louder as they had walked down the hall. Tairhn knocked gently, only opening the door once he heard Astrius call from inside.

    Aaron hesitated to go inside, the humming practically vibrating inside his skull. With some gentle guidance from Tairhn, he stepped inside while Tairhn shut the door for privacy. Astrius was sitting at his desk, and stood when they both entered, the three bowing respectfully to each other. Astrius sighed, rubbing his temple.

    ¡°I am sorry to bother the two of you this early but last night I was called upon by Lady Io.¡±

    Aaron¡¯s ears perked slightly, and he looked up at Astrius. ¡°My mother? Why?¡±

    ¡°She had a gift that she wanted me to deliver to you. It is not something you will be able to use right away, but it is something that will help us guide you through the next steps, so I thought it important to handle matters immediately.¡± Astrius pulled a key off of his belt, going to the wardrobe in the corner. As Astrius came closer, the energy pulsating from the closet grew more insistent.

    Astrius unlocked the closet, opening it only for a bright light to fill the room, everyone flinching slightly having been caught off guard. The light slowly died down, Tairhn and Aaron finally able to see Astrius coming back to his desk with a pulsating object that Tairhn recognized immediately as a scale.

    ¡°Astrius, is that what I think it is?¡± Tairhn turned his attention back to Astrius, who nodded.

    ¡°Io has gifted Aaron one of her scales. She says it is to transform into a weapon he can use to fight the titans.¡± Astrius placed it gently on his desk, and the three gathered closer to look over it.

    The hum that originally had been almost painful before had now cut back to almost sounding reassuring. ¡°Master Tairhn, this is the humming I heard.¡±

    ¡°Hum?¡± Astrius looked down at Aaron, confused. ¡°What hum?¡±

    ¡°It seems poor Aaron was woken by an ongoing sound, one that was rather intrusive. He said he couldn¡¯t even meditate this morning.¡± Tairhn said, still looking over the scale.

    Astrius smiled, glad it wasn¡¯t anything serious. ¡°Yes, well that would make sense. I did not think about whether this would affect him in any way, but I¡¯m glad there¡¯s no need for concern.¡±

    ¡°I agree, that appears to explain everything. Since this scale came from your mother,¡± Tairhn turned to Aaron before continuing, ¡°it must have some form of sentience and was calling out for you. Astral energy in the Mortal Planes doesn''t quite react how we would expect it to.¡± Tairhn scratched his chin thoughtfully, watching the gentle pulsating cause the scales color to shimmer iridescently.

    Astrius nodded, ¡°Yes, I would suspect it is very much alive, not in a sense that we would understand. Aaron, this scale will take the form of a weapon that suits you most. All you must do is place your hand upon it, and it will connect with you.¡±

    Aaron hesitated, watching the scale. He wasn¡¯t afraid, but his heart was pounding. In a way, this was his first interaction with his mother, even if this wasn¡¯t entirely her. Aaron reached for the scale.The scale¡¯s glow began to intensify again, and caught off guard, Aaron flinched back. Was the scale responding to his presence?

    Aaron pushed the hesitance from his thoughts, grounding himself from the upset. He reached forward once more, gently touching the scale. It felt so massive in comparison to his child sized hands.

    The light began to fill the room again. Everyone flinched as both adults were able to feel the same hum that Aaron had described earlier to Tairhn. The scale began to float over the desk, the light consuming it and removing any semblance of shape. The light itself was bending, expanding, and constricting, trying to choose a form. It was mesmerizing, like the molten metal a blacksmith would use.

    The light finally began to dim down as it lowered back to the desk. As everyone¡¯s vision started to return, they watched as the mass seemed to take its final shape. It had turned into a sword, still glowing enough that no one could make out the details of the sword, but the shape was obvious. The glow slowly dissipated and revealed the finer details of the sword. It was a single solid piece of metal, which was highly unusual for a blade. Since this sword had come from the Astral Planes, the laws of mortal weapons did not apply to it.

    The blade was simple, no runes or markings. However, it retained the iridescence of the scale. The hilt shared the same shimmer. A dragon''s head married it to the blade, and the blue energy that matched Io¡¯s eyes danced in and around the dragon¡¯s own carven sockets. The weapon felt alive, pulsing with energy.

    The three were speechless for a moment. Tairhn was the first to speak, clearing his throat, ¡°Ah, a blade fit for a champion. This is good, we can begin training specifically for sword based combat.¡±

    Aaron was still stunned. He reached out to touch the new weapon, still far too large for his hands.

    The sword glowed faintly from the contact. Flashes of stars and galaxies invaded his mind causing him to flinch back. It had not hurt, but it had been rather alarming.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Aaron?¡± Astrius didn¡¯t think anything bad would come from the sword, not with the scale coming directly from his mother, but he didn¡¯t know what to expect as nothing like this had occurred with his brother Ra.

    ¡°It¡­ It showed me something.¡± Aaron looked at it, brow furrowed out of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I saw. It was like the night sky but¡­. I was surrounded by it rather than just gazing up at it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that would be the Astral Plane, young one.¡± Tairhn placed a hand on Aaron¡¯s shoulder reassuringly. ¡°For us mortals, all we see is a great bright light. But those with Astral blood, such as yourself, you will see it as your mother would.¡±

    ¡°How do you know what the Astral Plane looks like?¡± Aaron looked back up to Tairhn, who simply chuckled.

    ¡°I asked your mother to describe it to me once. I have studied Astral beings quite extensively to be able to help raise your siblings properly so I felt it necessary to learn whatever information I could.¡± Tairhn looked back at the newly formed sword, gleaming as it rested on Astrius¡¯s desk. ¡°It is quite a beautiful weapon. Only a fraction of your mother¡¯s energy, but clearly more powerful than anything in this realm.¡±

    Aaron reached out once more, placing his hand on the hilt again. As it had before, various images filled his mind and he felt a warm energy flow from the weapon up through his arm. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was imagining it, but it felt almost reassuring, caring even.

    He moved his hand to position it properly to try and pick the sword up, but Astrius grabbed his wrist. ¡°Not yet, little one. This sword is much too large for one of your size to even think about lifting.¡± Astrius picked the sword up himself and the glow seemed to instantly disappear, and he grunted as he had to put the sword back down from how heavy it had become in his grasp.

    ¡°How unusual. It seems the sword can recognize its proper master,¡± Tairhn mused, scratching at the underside of his chin. Astrius scowled, but heaved the sword up once more, using both hands this time, and carried it back to the closet.

    After locking the weapon back up, he turned to the two still standing by his desk. ¡°For now, this will stay here locked away for safekeeping. Once you have gathered your strength, and can handle holding it, then you will be able to use it properly.¡± Astrius went to sit down again with a sigh.

    ¡°Unfortunately I have some business to attend to, so we had to keep this short, but I can assure you that the sword will be safe where it is. Only you two and I know of its existence, let alone the location. I will try to find a way to have a scabbard made to house the sword properly, but for now, you should focus on your studies.¡±

    Tairhn bowed gently, ¡°Of course, thank you for your time, High Priest. We shall begin properly training with sword techniques once I am able to obtain a practice weapon for him. I will spend today looking for one that will work for Aaron. In the meantime Aaron, I will teach you some basic magic exercises to practice while I am gone. Come, let¡¯s leave Astrius to his duties.¡±

    Aaron bowed to Astrius as well before Tairhn guided him out gently by his back. ¡°What magic will I be learning?¡± He looked up to his mentor, having never actually seen any magic. The priests didn¡¯t actually use any full magic, the closest they got to using magic was their fire breath. Even the enchantments on the statues in the temple were set by others, not the priests themselves.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an interesting question. You see, there is no particular type of magic. Magic is all energy, and learning to use it is simply learning to manipulate what already exists into doing your will. For example, say I were to focus on water magic. Perhaps I could take the moisture from the air, and manipulate it to form together. I could even freeze it to create ice. For today, I simply am going to teach you how to find the energy. We will start with something simple, perhaps creating a ball of light,¡± Tairhn trailed off contemplating what might come most naturally to Aaron. He didn¡¯t expect him to struggle with magic, not with his lineage, but he still needed to start somewhere.

    Tairhn led him out to the gardens, specifically to the same willow tree they had rested under and gotten to know each other better when they first met. Aaron seemed to feel comfortable there, especially with the willow hiding them away from any prying eyes. Even though Tairhn was his mentor, a lot of priests still spied on the young boy, simply from Astrius wanting multiple eyes on him at all times for safety.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Tairhn groaned as he moved to sit, he wasn¡¯t exactly old, but he was at that age that his knees sure weren¡¯t happy any time he needed to get on the ground. Aaron, however, plopped down immediately, filled with childlike energy.

    Even with how young Aaron was, Tairhn knew that the bloodlines of gods grew at a much faster rate than mortals. Aaron may have only been a few years old, and looked to be about the human age of 8, perhaps as old as 10, but Aaron was close to going through a massive growth spurt. He had seen it before in all of his siblings, and with the blood of a demon, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Aaron grew even faster than they had.

    Aaron wasn¡¯t quite aware of just how different his lineage made him. He had some small idea, obviously having a goddess as a mother meant he would be different, but he hadn¡¯t quite picked up on just how different yet. Tairhn knew based on previous timelines that he was probably going to start puberty soon, meaning Aaron was going to sprout up so fast. He contemplated on finding a tailor that he could work with, as Aaron was going to need bigger travel clothes as time went on. The toga fabrics were long enough that he could get away with wearing them but tighter fitting clothes such as the pants and shirt he had been wearing the day before would need to be updated regularly until he was fully grown.

    Aaron sat there cross legged, feeling a bit confused. Tairhn had been so lost in thought he hadn¡¯t realized they had been sitting in silence for some time. He coughed, clearing his throat, and held out his hand.

    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, it¡¯s about manipulation of what is around you. There are a few exemptions, as an example, light coming out of nothing is quite difficult, but possible. Even in darkness, there is always something you can use to create light. Most mages take years learning how to do so, but because of your bloodline, you have the ability to call upon the light much easier than most. I want you to hold out your hand, and try to focus on bringing light together in one location.¡±

    ¡°But how do I do that?¡± Aaron looked at his palm, not sure how light was supposed to just appear.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the energy your body can produce. When you find your focus, you¡¯ll feel the magical vibrations and you¡¯ll understand what to feel. Magic will be slow to start but as you get used to how it works, you¡¯ll notice you become more confident and faster to produce the same results.¡± Tairhn fell quiet for a few seconds to focus, allowing a small orb of light to form above the palm of his hand. Aaron stared in awe as he hadn¡¯t seen actual magic yet.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to be spending today looking for a few things to get us prepared for the next few years,¡± Tairhn continued. ¡°We will need a basic starting sword, most likely a wooden training sword, just for you to begin. As you grow, we may need to get bigger ones, but for now I¡¯ll find a child¡¯s starter sword. For the time being, I want you to stay here and continue working on your focus. Even if you find you produce a light orb, I would suggest letting it extinguish, and continuing to summon them, as the more consistent you become, the faster your skills in magic will be in combat.¡±

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t make one?¡± Aaron asked, a bit nervous about learning these new skills.

    Tairhn laughed, much louder than he usually was so he caught Aaron by surprise. ¡°Oh child, I¡¯m not worried about that in the slightest. You have astral blood in your veins, and demon blood alongside that. Magic should come to you quite naturally. If you were a Vishani, or perhaps even a normal dragon, yes, you may not succeed right away, but I suspect you will have some success even if you struggle a little when starting.¡±

    ¡°Once you are able to create the light orbs continuously, we¡¯ll then work on stamina and extend how long you hold onto the magic energy. As time goes on, you¡¯ll then learn to use that knowledge for other styles of magic.¡± Tairhn said, knowing this was going to be a long process regardless of how naturally things came for the child. Training was not something to take lightly, especially when it came to such powerful beings as Titans. He had never been up close and personal with one before, but most people who had didn¡¯t come back to tell the tale, so it was vital that Aaron be as prepared as possible for such a fight.

    Tairhn placed his claw on his knee, standing once more with some effort. ¡°I¡¯m going to the market to gather the things I expect will be useful to us. Don¡¯t feel down if you don¡¯t succeed right away, just keep focusing until you find that connection with your energies.¡± He smiled down at the child reassuringly, who nodded back to him. It was clear Aaron was eager to learn, even if he wasn¡¯t quite confident in his abilities yet.

    Aaron looked back down at his hand as Tairhn stepped away. He didn¡¯t quite understand what Tairhn had meant, he assumed these lessons would be more hands-on but he didn¡¯t realize he had to find his energy himself. Now that Aaron thought more on it, it didn¡¯t seem like this was something that Tairhn could teach him anything useful until he found that flow. Aaron looked back up to watch Tairhn disappear back into the temple for a moment before returning his focus to his hand.

    Aaron¡¯s brow furrowed and he tried to find what Tairhn had mentioned. He had mentioned some form of vibration but Aaron couldn¡¯t feel anything like that. He took a deep breath in, letting it out a few seconds later before focusing back on the palm of his hand. He tried to find something that worked, imagining a ball of light in his hand like Tairhn had, he tried to feel something in his palm, even the slightest tingle. But nothing seemed to be coming to him.

    He groaned, frustrated. It had only been a few minutes but that small amount of focus to a child felt like hours. Aaron tried to remember what his mentor had said, the first try wasn¡¯t going to necessarily be successful after all. He took another few deep breaths to calm his annoyance, closing his eyes to let the wind flowing through the leaves calm him.

    Aaron¡¯s ears twitched slightly while his eyes were closed, picking up a faint hum. Was it his sword calling to him again? No, the sound wasn¡¯t quite right. It was a different sound, not something that was calling to him with urgency but something that seemed constant. Aaron wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if he hadn¡¯t closed his eyes as his vision was taking up some of his awareness. The visual clutter being gone seemed to allow him to open up his mind more, similar to how it was when he meditated.

    Now that his sword had quieted down, maybe Aaron could find meditation peace. He changed his seating position to one on his knees, sitting back over his legs as he usually would on his meditation pillow. The ground was much harder under the willow, but with the trees in the gardens blocking out most of the city noise, it was still a peaceful location. He kept his eyes closed, letting one hand rest on his thigh while the other stayed outstretched as Tairhn had shown him. Slowly, he began to focus on his breathing rather than on his hand and let thought slip from his mind.

    Almost too quickly, that hum filled his mind, barely registering the faint sounds of the world around him. The winds through the tree branches seemed to fall silent, even what little city going sounds from the market outside had gone. Only the hum remained. One final breath, in and out, and there was a brightness that started peeking through his eyelids.

    Aaron opened his eyes, focusing back on his outstretched palm where a small orb of light was hovering. He gasped, losing his focus for a brief second and his hand flinching out of surprise, causing the orb to disappear as quickly as it had appeared.

    His heart pounded, the excitement rising. He had done it! It was so brief, but he felt the magic. Aaron understood now what Tairhn had been saying. Instead of visually focusing on his palm, he tried just breathing gently while gazing forward, deadpan expression as he worked to get his heart rate down back into that meditative rate.

    Aaron could feel that same vibration beginning to flow down his arm, swirling around his hand. Nothing was visually there, but he could sense it. In his peripheral vision, he could see a brightness begin to build again, slowly swirling around his hand and building up in his palm.

    His heart skipped a beat again and the magic seemed to start fizzling out almost immediately. Aaron took a few slow, steady breaths to get back into his previous state of mind, and the magic that had been gathering seemed to stabilize once again. He allowed the magic to continue flowing down his arm and the light began to expand to beyond just the orb in his hand. Soon the very magic he was feeling physically began manifesting, the glow swirling down his arm into the orb as it began to grow.

    The willow Aaron had been sitting under began to have a soft glow emanate from its leaves, reacting to his magic. He felt himself lose focus briefly due to how beautiful the tree seemed to be with the aura flowing through it. This time, the orb did not disappear. His magic had stopped building, so the orb was now stagnant, but it still remained hovering over his palm. Aaron turned his attention from the tree to the orb he had summoned, peering into it, trying to take in any detail there might be, but it was just that, a simple ball of light.

    ¡°Aaron?!¡±

    The concerning shock of the voice brought Aaron out of his fixation, and he jumped slightly, looking up to see Astrius holding back the limp branches of the willow. He looked back to his hand, where the orb had spontaneously disappeared once Astrius had taken his full focus. Aaron¡¯s wings drooped slightly but turned back to Astrius.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Father, I was just doing as Master Tairhn instructed-¡±

    ¡°Where is he though? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be watching you doing this? The shine from the tree began to brighten the area outside, people in the city could have seen that!¡± Astrius looked exceptionally frightened, and Aaron wondered if he had done something wrong. He thought he had been supposed to be doing magic, so shouldn¡¯t Astrius be proud he had already started picking up on it?

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry sir, he had to step away to purchase a few things from the market. He told me to keep practicing, I didn¡¯t expect anything to happen so quickly-¡±

    Astrius interrupted him once more, stepping back to motion for him to follow outside of the willow¡¯s branches. ¡°I understand if that¡¯s what he wanted you to do, but it should still be under supervision. You almost drew attention to yourself, and it¡¯s far too early for anyone beyond our priesthood to know about you.¡±

    Aaron pushed himself up off the ground, his ears lowering just mildly. There wasn¡¯t much movement to his ears but since they were longer the slightest muscle change made it seem like such a big difference to his demeanor. Astrius realized the child was feeling chastised and he put on a calmer face after a few breaths.

    ¡°I apologize Aaron, of course it¡¯s a wonderful thing to see your magic come so naturally to you. My concern is simply for your safety, but I suppose that was an overreaction on my part.¡± Astrius placed his hand on the child¡¯s shoulder, kneeling down to his height. ¡°I hope you understand that I can both be proud of you and worried for you at the same time. You are very precious to this world, to all of us, and to lose you soon would be devastating.¡±

    ¡°I know¡­¡± Aaron said softly, trailing off as he looked at his feet.

    Astrius sighed softly, hoping that going forward Tairhn would be able to keep his magic under control, but for now, he guided Aaron back into the temple. ¡°Why don¡¯t you practice a little bit in your room while you wait for Tairhn? Since your mother is a goddess of our world, your magic can influence the world around you when you aren¡¯t in full control.¡±

    Aaron nodded quietly, separating from Astrius to go back to his bedroom. Astrius watched him leave, knowing he could have had a better reaction, but it was different than when the priests were raising Ra. They could not risk losing Aaron, after all, the world needed him too much.

    Astrius stopped a passing priest, asking him to deliver a message to the guards standing outside the temple. Astrius wanted to have a conversation with Tairhn before he returned to his pupil. Leaving Aaron alone even for a few moments was a slippery slope when it came to training. If Aaron learned too much freedom, he might take matters into his own hands and make a poor decision. Especially with him coming up to those years that would begin puberty. Aaron might be growing faster than a mortal child would, but within a year he was going to be a full fledged teenager, and they were not known to make good choices when given options.

    In the meantime, Astrius had temple duties to attend to. There were no planned services today, but he had guidance to offer to any who came seeking his wisdom. There was a separate side room off the main area of the temple where he could have private secluded conversations with various visitors about any problems that ailed them. He usually would spend a few hours each day there, more on days when he did not have any morning or afternoon services planned. Which was more often than not, as most temple visitors weren¡¯t there for services they offered, but they were there to offer silent reflection to their deity of choice.

    Astrius spent a few hours that afternoon there, but shortly after he finished with his last visitor, a priest notified him that Tairhn had returned and was waiting in Aaron¡¯s room.

    He sighed, wishing to speak to him privately but with Aaron having taken to Tairhn, he might feel excluded. Astrius made his way to the child¡¯s room hoping that he could convince Tairhn to take a walk with him.

    Tairhn had been listening to Aaron about how his magic training had gone, glad to hear that the boy had been successful, but concerned that Astrius had reacted in such a way. He praised the boy gently, who smiled a little bit more. Tairhn made note that he would have to talk to Astrius about how much he was sheltering the boy.

    Almost immediately after he had that thought, a knock came at the door. Aaron hopped up and ran to the door, but after opening it to see Astrius, his demeanor lowered again slightly and his gaze dropped.

    ¡°Hello again, you two. I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but Tairhn if I could borrow you for a few minutes to discuss some things? Perhaps a walk in the garden?¡± Astrius asked gently, hoping this wouldn¡¯t take long as it seemed like Tairhn and Aaron had been busy.

    ¡°Of course. Aaron, please continue your magic lessons, but this time try adding a motion to it. Try to move the orb from your hand to your other. I¡¯ll be back shortly so we can continue together, but I have faith you¡¯ll find this one as naturally as you did earlier.¡± Tairhn smiled reassuringly down at the boy, who nodded to him and went to sit on his meditation pillow once more. Tairhn grabbed the door, shutting it behind him and following Astrius down the hall.

    ¡°So, I gather you heard about his magic attempts earlier?¡± Astrius started, leading Tairhn out to the gardens as the sun was beginning to set. There was a warm light over the gardens as the sky began to change color for the transition from evening into night. Soon stars would begin to peak out as the sun went over the mountains to the west.

    ¡°I did,¡± Tairhn said softly, keeping his tone even. ¡°I also heard that you interrupted his first attempt in a rather scolding manner.¡±

    ¡°I was concerned about someone seeing his magic. Imagine if a passerby had seen the glow coming from the gardens, they would begin asking questions. We cannot risk-¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Tairhn interrupted, waving a clawed hand dismissively, ¡°You keep saying we cannot risk this and that, but this child will be more afraid of fighting a Titan if you keep treating his achievements as a bad thing. We need a confident champion, not one who will shy away out of some fear.¡±

    Astrius huffed, annoyed. ¡°I can understand your concern but my priority is to keep this child alive until he can fight a Titan. This means protecting him from what can happen, whether it does or not is another.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and my duty is to teach this child, which I am beginning to think I will struggle to do if you keep intervening. When I arrived back, it was obvious the child had taken a blow to his self esteem. Aaron was laying in his bed, holding his hand over him, just letting the magic swirl around his hand. He hardly even acknowledged me when I arrived, I had to pry his success out of him.¡±

    ¡°Well if you hadn¡¯t left him alone, this wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of control!¡± Astrius said a bit harshly, his voice raising enough to gather the attention of two nearby acolytes. They hurried off back into the temple as Tairhn sighed gently.

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right¡­ Then it¡¯s settled. I shall not leave the child again. I will instead take him with me, even to go shopping.¡±

    ¡°You cannot take him into public so often-¡±

    Tairhn held up his hand, stopping Astrius. ¡°It will not be that often but he needs to get out of the temple. I will be sure his disguise stays in place, but I will not allow this child to be hidden away and not get to experience life. He will be a champion, but I want him to grow up healthy and of sound mind. I will not allow you to intervene in his training methods, or should we discuss moving him to a secluded area away from the city?¡± He suggested, knowing Astrius would not even think about agreeing to the child permanently leaving Ophicys.

    As he expected, Astrius balked at the idea, opening his mouth to say something only to close it once more to think quietly to himself for a moment. Finally, he nodded.

    ¡°Fine. I shall be watching but I will have no hand in how you train the child. If it seems that he is being put at risk however, I will step in.¡± Astrius said pointedly. Tairhn simply nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Very well, then if you will excuse me, I have a pupil to teach.¡± He bowed, excusing himself from Astrius, leaving the High Priest in the gardens alone. Astrius looked up at the sky as the orange of sundown began to slowly turn to that nightly blue-black. He sighed to himself, heading back inside as well, wondering if he was truly being too paranoid.

    Tairhn made his way back down the halls to Aaron¡¯s room once more, knocking gently to notify Aaron he was coming in before opening the door. Sitting on his meditation pillow, Aaron had both his hands out, clearly still trying to focus on moving the orb he had summoned, but so far he had had no such luck.

    ¡°Still working hard, I see.¡± Tairhn mused as he stepped inside, shutting the door once again.

    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to get it to move¡­ it¡¯s a lot harder to make it do anything than it is to summon it.¡± Aaron sighed, extinguishing the orb in his hand so he could place his hands in his lap, looking rather dejected.

    ¡°Even with your lineage, you¡¯re bound to not get it right the first time. You have been working rather hard today so it could also just be exhaustion preventing you from finding that sweet spot with magic manipulation.¡± Tairhn went to sit beside him on the floor, holding out his own hand to summon an orb as he had earlier.

    ¡°The key to moving magic at your will isn¡¯t to force it but to allow it to find a natural flow. Instead of forcing the orb to move to my hand, I am focusing on adjusting the flow.¡± Tairhn explained, as his orb slowly lifted out of his hand in an arch moving to his other. There was a small trail of energy that seemed to flow behind the orb, but once it was fully over his other palm the orb returned to its spherical shape.

    Aaron watched on in awe at the movement, before summoning his own ball of light again. Taking a deep breath to ground himself, he focused on the energy that he felt flowing down his arm into the orb of light, and tried to focus on moving the energy flow from one hand into the other.

    Slowly, the orb deformed as the flow stopped going into a focal point and began to flow up in a bit of a wiggly arch. Aaron felt his heart skip a beat again like earlier, and the magic that was flowing started to dissipate. He calmed his breathing even with his excitement growing, returning to focusing on the flow of energy. The energy started gathering properly again and as the magic began arriving at his other palm, it slowly swirled and reformed the spherical shape it had been earlier.

    Aaron let out a childish squeal of excitement, and almost instantly the orb vanished. Tairhn chuckled, smiling at the sweet innocence of a child¡¯s first lesson in magic. He remembered the days of his first lessons fondly, but returned his attention to Aaron. ¡°You did so well, little one. Eventually you will be able to keep the orb formed, if you wish. Magic can take many shapes all just depending on how you can imagine its usage.¡±

    Rather suddenly, the child flung his arms around Tairhn¡¯s neck, hugging him tightly. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡±

    Tairhn was caught off guard, but he relaxed, smiling tenderly as he wrapped his own arms around Aaron. Instinctively his wings came with, wrapping the child close for a reassuring hug. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you, such progress after only one lesson. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you can accomplish.¡±

    He pulled back, opening his wings again to let Aaron out of his grasp. ¡°For now, the sun seems to have finally set, and I think it¡¯s beginning to get late for you. Get some rest, magic can be quite draining until you have practiced enough to build up stamina. Of course, your energy will eventually allow you to practice magic for much, much longer periods of time, but as little as you are, your energy stores are quite low right now. Go get ready for bed, and tomorrow we¡¯ll begin some sword practice. I¡¯ll show you the practice sword I purchased for you earlier, and we can go over basic form.¡±

    Aaron pushed himself up and went to his dresser to grab his nightgown. As he was still quite small, he didn¡¯t sleep in pants yet, but as dragons got bigger some would ditch the gowns and switch to either sleeping nude or wearing a pair of sleep trousers. Tairhn groaned as he stood again, feeling it in his knees. He grumbled to himself about being too old for this, and considering he had already raised six children of a goddess. It was anyone¡¯s surprise that he was still able to move with such energy, even if the goddess had gifted him a longer life.

    Aaron darted behind a privacy screen, a simple wooden one with intricate carvings lining each panel. Considering the toga he had been wearing, it did not take long for him to change, only getting stuck briefly getting his wings through their respective holes out of the sheer excitement he had just experienced.

    Tairhn pulled his blankets back to prepare the bed, and Aaron, having finished changing, jumped into the bed and pulled his covers back up. Dragon beds were firmer than most, but they still had plush pillows and blankets as they felt nice against their scales. Aaron¡¯s bed was no different, although it had been built into the wall to create a bit of a cave like effect for Ra previously. Dragons often liked the confined space when sleeping, and it was quite common for beds that weren¡¯t built into walls like this to have bed posts for various curtains to hang. Aaron¡¯s bed had some fabrics that would hang loose during the day as well, just attached to the wall instead of any bed posts.

    Tairhn undid one of the ties to his bed curtains while Aaron adjusted onto his stomach. Dragons often slept on their stomachs simply from their wings not feeling comfortable in certain bed mattresses. There were a few made that allowed their wings to rest in a different position allowing for back sleep, but most dragons just enjoyed stomach sleeping.

    Aaron hugged his pillow tight as Tairhn tucked the blankets in around him, and he stroked Aaron¡¯s hair gently, thinking back to what he had told Astrius earlier.

    ¡°Earlier when I was speaking to Father Astrius,¡± Tairhn sat beside Aaron on his bed, continuing, ¡°I promised him that I would not leave you alone again. I meant that. You will be at my side, except for when we sleep and even then I will be across the hall. I want you to know I¡¯m always here for you, and I should have taken you to market with me instead of leaving you to practice on your own.¡±

    Aaron smiled gently, already feeling the exhaustion from the day¡¯s training getting to him as his eyes began to droop. ¡°It¡¯s okay Master, I know you want the best for me.¡± He nuzzled deeper into his pillow, beginning to drift off.

    Tairhn smiled gently, getting up once more to undo the last curtain tie to let the fabric fall shut. ¡°Good night, little one.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Master.¡±

    As Tairhn left, shutting the door behind him quietly, he thought about how much progress Aaron had made already. Every dawn would bring new opportunities, and based on what he had seen, Aaron was going to go to bed every night having tried his best, and that was all he could ask for.

    Io willing, Aaron would be ready for the Titans when the time came.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six

    The sun was barely peeking over the mountain range that surrounded the lake below Ophicys, the night chill still in the air and frost beginning to litter the grass. Summer was waning, and as autumn began to fill in, the dragons were starting to prepare for the upcoming winter that usually struck the mountains. Even though dragons preferred warm, dry weather, because they were housed in the mountains to be closer to their goddess and her skies, this meant they had to deal with unpredictable weather.

    Many dragons would begin to stop going out until later in the day when the sun had warmed the landscape, and their attire would change from toga style wraps to robes that they paired with cloaks to trap their body heat. The dragon''s homes would soon be filled with hearth fires from their own magical breath, but traveling outside of the city would become more rare. Within the city, however, the walking paths were made from a stone that the builders had imbued with energy that would react to the environment around it, warming during the cold seasons and cooling off during the hot seasons. Yet, outside the city gates, dragons would quickly find the weather overwhelming to their body''s needs. Their wings being made of thin membrane with blood vessels meant that they could lose their body heat very quickly and had to prepare well in advance before traveling. Many would specifically plan to go out after the winter had long left the land, very few choosing to go out into possibly treacherous conditions.

    This meant that Tairhn could allow Aaron to relax a bit more than usual, and the pre-teen was now zipping around him in the air, doing small laps out of excitement. Aaron had grown within the last year, but he was still rather lanky, having not grown into an adult body yet. Baby fat was starting to disappear from his body and face, but he was still too lean and had not built up any muscle mass quite yet.

    He still had a lot more growing to do, but now he was finally ready to learn to take his dragon form. Tairhn had been waiting until Aaron had grown a bit more, as he knew shape shifting took a tremendous amount of energy. It was best to not overwhelm the boy, or he could be put out from over-exertion.

    Along that same line of thought, Tairhn wished he could allow Aaron to speak with Io. Astrius told him that Io had warned of the energy required to visit her, so he had agreed and simply kept the child away from the alcove within the temple. He wasn¡¯t even sure Aaron understood how the alcove worked, but what concerned him was the fact Astrius would not allow Tairhn himself to attune to the Astral plane and speak with her. He understood Astrius was keeping his temple in control, but he thought he had long since earned that right to speak with the goddess as he had not been stopped at any other temple before. Every child he had helped raise had given him access to the alcoves within any temple, but Astrius was adamant that he stay away from speaking to the goddess for some reason.

    To keep the peace, he didn¡¯t argue with Astrius, focusing instead on his pupil. Once the Titans were dealt with, and Aaron was grown, there was no excuse as to why the boy, or himself for that manner, couldn¡¯t speak with Io. He was suspicious that Astrius was hiding something from him, but he knew there was no arguing with the man. His priority right now was Aaron¡¯s growth.

    ¡°Too far!¡± He called out to Aaron who had flown a bit ahead who was doing various loop de loops and spins as he flew. Aaron had grown excited as of late with his lessons and his confidence was building up every day. Aaron turned back and flapped his wings a few times to stabilize before landing in a bit of a kneeling position. He stumbled lightly when his feet made contact with the dirt beneath him, but he caught himself before falling over completely. Standing up straight, Aaron beamed at Tairhn, clearly too happy to care about his struggles with landing.

    ¡°Sorry, Master, I am just so excited! I could barely sleep last night, I finally get to learn transformation! My dreams the last few weeks have been so vivid, I can feel myself soaring through the skies, faster than ever! A loud roar shaking through the earth, the wind tickling at my wings-¡± Aaron cut off, letting out a joyous laugh. Tairhn himself chuckled at the child¡¯s enthusiasm.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that means you¡¯re becoming more in tune with yourself. Many shape-shifters take years of meditation to find the form they are looking to take. But then again, not many can become shape-shifters.¡± Tairhn mused, thinking of the few examples he had seen in his life.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Aaron asked, the curious nature still there from his younger childhood years.

    ¡°Well, it takes a tremendous amount of energy for one. Those who do not have natural energy build up, like yourself, have to meditate and build a connection to some form of magic. Wolf-Walkers are notorious for this. They are in some ways human, but as a rite of passage into adulthood, they find their Wolf. But they have to be in tune with nature before they can find that form, so children begin to follow their parents'' knowledge path early so by the time they mature, they have that connection.¡±

    Tairhn continued, ¡°When it comes time for them to take their Wolf form, they are taken to a sacred site. They will spend however long it takes within that hidden grotto, meditating and closing the connection between them and the energy source they have chosen. Magic flows through this land Aaron, and even in times when you feel weakest, you will always find a source. You must always remember this, especially in battle when things can seem at their darkest.¡±

    ¡°I can sometimes see it. When I¡¯m really focusing hard, I can see the flowing of magic through various objects,¡± Aaron kicked a rock as they walked along the path. They were going to a different area today than the cliffside above the lake they went to for flying lessons. Aaron hadn¡¯t seen this place before, and he knew it was mostly chosen just due to being secluded from common views, but he was still excited to see a different area of the world.

    ¡°Well of course you can. The very blood flowing through your veins is one that once shaped the world. That¡¯s why I feel confident we will find success with transformation today. You are coming into your abilities naturally, but you are also a very focused student. Unfortunately this lesson I cannot show you what to do per se, as I am unable to shape-shift myself.¡±

    ¡°How will you teach me then?¡± Aaron raised an eyebrow, but he trusted Tairhn had a plan.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just the thing. I cannot teach you necessarily. Boavi, your Wolf-Walker brother, is the only other sibling of yours who can shape-shift. I was able to teach him the tools to find his Wolf, but I did not teach him to do the transformation itself. We will use your existing lessons to build a base for you to find your other form.¡± Tairhn looked up at the sky turning more blue by the minute. ¡°That¡¯s why we left so early, so we can spend all day out here if necessary. These types of lessons are extensive and need more time, so the earlier we can be up, the better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Master, I¡¯m used to getting up before dark.¡± Aaron jumped up on a fallen tree, arms and wings outstretched as he walked the length of it, his tail adjusting for balance. He had proven to be quite nimble on his feet, especially during their sword practice. Ah, to be young again.

    Tairhn pulled himself out of his reminiscence, pausing at a specific spot by the side of the regular trail, only slightly worn compared to the more obvious path travelers often took. Aaron jumped down off the log and went to stand beside Tairhn, curious.

    ¡°Why did we stop here?¡± He looked up at Tairhn, not seeing what the old man¡¯s experience did.

    ¡°Here,¡± Tairhn knelt down, using his clawed hand to point out how sections of the grass were more worn down. ¡°See how the grass is beginning to look flatter than the areas around it? And here, the bush branches are also a bit damaged, indicating that people passed through here, at least recently enough that the bush is still regrowing this section.¡± He pointed to the bushes they were going to pass through, along the outer edges they were nice and full, but closer to the beaten path they were looking at there was less growth, things were shorter as if having been stunted by any passersby brushing into it.

    ¡°There¡¯s a smaller area past here that is a bit empty, with an overhang of those cliffs up above,¡± Tairhn pointed once more, this time above them, going up another mountain side there were a few areas of cliff that seemed to hang out a little more. The overhang wasn¡¯t exactly much, but it was enough that some travelers would stop and set up camp by the cliff face to have some form of shelter from various elements.

    ¡°Come along, this way.¡± Tairhn pushed forward through the bushes, holding one back with a wing to make it easier for Aaron. Once Aaron pressed through the mass of leaves from the other bush, the path was a little more obvious, but still littered with various tiny pebbles and plant saplings. Nature was trying to take this path back, since it wasn¡¯t commonly traveled, but it was still easier than trying to push through fully grown flora. Aaron followed Tairhn down the path until they finally came to a small open area with the wall that was the mountain towering above them. The cliffside was a bit diagonal, which allowed for some shelter from rain and wind under the right circumstances, but it was also enough that it wasn¡¯t visible from the city. Aaron could transform here and the chances of anyone seeing him were as slim as they could be.

    ¡°Here, this is where we will spend today. We will want to head back when the sun gets closer to setting, but we will have quite the day here. I made sure to bring provisions this time, so we can have lunch later if you need to take a break.¡± Tairhn set his small pack down that he had started bringing with them on their outings, full of a few small snacks and some sandwiches he had made before waking Aaron that morning. Following up with a groan, he sat down on a nearby flat rock to rest for a moment.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find a spot you¡¯ll feel comfortable? You¡¯ll be sitting and meditating for a while, so you¡¯ll want to be sure you aren¡¯t distracted by any discomfort. Take your time and find a good spot before you begin.¡± Tairhn sat forward, looking around for any options Aaron might like, but it was mostly flat ground. There were a few various slabs of rock face laying around that had fallen off the mountain at one point, including the large piece that Tairhn was resting on.

    Aaron walked around the cleared area, testing the dirt in certain areas, planning on finding a good spot. He had learned over the last year that patience was required until skills were more mastered, and he was not wanting to rush his transformation. No matter how excited he was, Aaron intended to do this properly.

    He paused at a certain patch of grassy area that was growing next to a bit of a flatter slab of rock compared to the boulders littering the campsite. Aaron used his foot to test the area''s softness relative to the harder ground most of the boulders were on. This seemed like a pretty good spot, but if he couldn¡¯t find comfort, he could always move. Aaron knelt down, going into his usual meditative position sitting back on his knees. With the chill in the air, he decided to keep his cloak on, even if the sun was still keeping them warm enough it was nice to have some shelter from any chill wind that would blow through.

    Aaron glanced over at Tairhn, who simply motioned with his hand to continue. With a deep breath, Aaron closed his eyes, beginning to clear his mind and find that meditative state.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly difficult out in the wilds, the sounds of nature were by far less jarring than that of the hustle and bustle of a city. The wind rustling through the trees, the birds singing out to each other, combined with the smell of flora and dirt on the wind all created a calming atmosphere. Even still, Aaron focused on his breathing for a few minutes, knowing he would need to find calm before even trying to imagine his dragon form.

    The environment certainly was helpful to find a calming state of mind, but once his mind was cleared and he started trying to think of his dragon self, everything suddenly became jumbled. Aaron¡¯s brow furrowed, shaking it off to focus on his breathing once again. He was trying to not get frustrated, after all, Tairhn had said it could take some time.

    Even though he was older, the impatience was still there. Aaron might have understood that he had to remain calm and wait for things to come naturally rather than force it, but that didn¡¯t mean that his mind let him accept it. As time ticked on and the sun climbed higher in the sky, it was becoming clear to Tairhn the adolescent was starting to get frustrated. Tiny annoyed huffs every once in a while and the twitching in Aaron¡¯s face were rather obvious to the elder dragon, but he didn¡¯t intervene yet.

    After a few hours, Aaron sighed, slumping over in defeat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, I¡¯m just so tired¡­ I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m just sitting here, but I feel so exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re holding yourself in the same position for quite some period of time. It¡¯s bound to tire you out. Why don¡¯t you come take a break. We can have some lunch, and you can rest before trying again in a little while.¡± Tairhn pulled the pack closer, pulling out some of the cloth wrapped sandwiches as Aaron got up on wobbly legs to walk over. He had been sitting for quite some time in the same position after all.

    Aaron plopped down onto the ground next to Tairhn¡¯s rocky seat, taking a sandwich as the elder handed it over. ¡°Thanks, I guess I never thought meditation could become tiring like that.¡±

    ¡°Meditation is intended to be natural, it cannot be forced as you well know. But even then, sitting in the same position for more than a few hours can take a great deal of stamina.¡± Tairhn took a bite of his own sandwich, trying to think of some way to help Aaron find his form.

    ¡°You know how I mentioned your brother, Boavi? I had spent quite some time with the Wolf-Walker tribe while he was growing, so I was given the great privilege of watching their rituals for each adolescent that came of age. It allowed me to understand Boavi¡¯s needs, and in turn, gave me knowledge to help guide him to that ritual. Perhaps some of the Wolf-Walker techniques will help you?¡± Tairhn offered, truly believing Aaron had the ability to find this dragon form within a day.

    ¡°What does their ritual look like?¡± Aaron was watching Tairhn, listening intently but munching away on his sandwich, already halfway through it.

    Tairhn thought back to those days, smiling fondly at the memories. ¡°Well, it is going to vary based on the individual. First, it¡¯s a coming of age ritual as I mentioned earlier, but that means different things for different people. In the Wolf-Walker tribes, there are individual families that focus on specialties; some are hunters, some might be gatherers, that sort of thing. Some may not follow in their parent¡¯s footsteps, which is why they may find apprenticeships amongst the tribe early on depending on their passions. Parents pay close attention to their children¡¯s preferences and work to grow their natural talent. So some have natural born talents and can have their ritual early on in life, I believe the earliest I saw was a 13 year old. Others might be late bloomers and need additional guidance, and can go through their ritual at 17 or even as late as 20 in some instances.¡±

    Tairhn finished off the sandwich he had been working on, pausing only for a moment before continuing, ¡°As such, there are different milestones that lead to their ritual. But the ritual is typically going to be the same for each individual once they are ready. There are various sacred areas for each Wolf-Walker tribe. Most are nomadic and move around as time goes on and the lands need to replenish. They always stay near that sacred site however, and typically are only a few days travel distance at any point and time. Each sacred site is different, but the one I went to for your brother¡¯s tribe was a grassy patch within a cave, the top completely withered away by a waterfall that flowed into a central lake. Stones, of various shapes and sizes with ancient glyphs surrounded the lake, and a small stepping stone path led out to the center of the lake. A relatively small island would be where the ritual would take place.¡±

    ¡°When the time comes, the tribe will take the young Wolf-Walker to the site, usually giving themself about a day before a full moon. Even though that happens twice a month, it does depend on which moon that particular Wolf-Walker tribe is attached to. Boavi¡¯s tribe happened to follow the black moon, so the experiences I speak of come from them, but I have met Wolf-Walkers that were brought into adulthood under the red moon.¡± Tairhn paused to grab a canteen, grabbing a swig of water, before handing it over to Aaron and continuing. ¡°The entire tribe typically goes with, even if the elders are the ones performing the ritual. The rest of the tribe waits at the shore line while the adolescent and the elders go to the island in the middle.¡±

    ¡°The black moon rose into the sky and the cave illuminated with a strange energy. Everything seemed to have a strangely luminescent shadow look about it, almost as if alive. The runes would glow a vibrant red, and the water coming in from the falls would brighten into a glowing white, similar to your mother¡¯s scales. The Wolf-Walker that was coming of age sat in the middle of the circle of elders, and as the elders transformed into their wolf forms, the adolescent would close their eyes and focus on the form they had spent their lives seeking. Many often find their forms early in a dream, or perhaps while meditating. The adolescent then begins to see through the eyes of that form, not trying to transform necessarily but instead focusing on seeing themselves within that form.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes it happens quickly, other times it might take an hour or so, but at some point, the adolescent will begin to gather energy from the lake, the magic swirling out of the water and onto the shores to envelope their body. Once this happens, the tribe elders will throw their heads back, howling as the energy begins to flow. Even some of the Wolf-Walker¡¯s on shore would transform to include their song. The glow will take over their body; rather quickly the shape goes from their human self into a large canid, and as the glow dissipates, they are left standing on their own four paws.¡±

    Tairhn chuckled softly, remembering Boavi¡¯s transformation. ¡°It¡¯s quite a celebration after the ritual is complete. Mostly family and close friends will take the newly transformed Wolf-Walker out for their first run in their new form, and the echoes of the howls ring through night air until dawn.¡±

    Aaron was staring up at him wide eyed. ¡°So¡­ if they transform so quickly, why can¡¯t I find it? I¡¯ve been at it for hours now¡­¡± He trailed off, his ears drooping slightly.

    ¡°Oh no, your transformation is rather unique, they have the influx of energy that aids them. You have to pull from your own energy. Boavi¡¯s ritual was a bit explosive compared to that of a normal Wolf-Walker, so I expect yours might also be less of a gentle transition and more of a rather sudden transformation. You will get it, I know it in my soul.¡± He smiled down at the child, gently patting Aaron¡¯s golden locks reassuringly. Aaron smiled back, feeling a little bit of confidence returning.

    Aaron looked at the spot he had been sitting previously, thinking about what Tairhn had told him. Rather than trying to see the dragon itself, perhaps if he tried to see it as he had in his dreams, through the dragon¡¯s eyes.

    He stood up, dusting himself off briefly before making his way back to his little patch, getting back into the knee sitting position he had been in earlier. Taking another deep breath and closing his eyes, Aaron let the breath out slow, returning to his dreams to see through the dragon¡¯s eyes.

    After he closed his eyes, instead of quieting his mind again, Aaron focused back to his nights of soaring through the stars, trying to feel that powerful roar in his chest once more.

    As the minutes went on, he began to feel energy building, drawing up through his limbs to meet at his pounding heart in his chest. Time seemed to just drag on, and Aaron swore he could hear his heartbeat slowing as the energy that was gathering seemed to be building to a tremendous, uncontainable amount. With a soft gasp, letting out the breath Aaron hadn¡¯t realized he was holding, the energy released itself.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    A bright golden light exploded forth from his chest, his form overtaken by its shine. Tairhn shot up from the rock, stumbling a bit as he¡¯d been caught quite off guard. He stared as Aaron grew exceptionally larger, the glow contorting his body into a new state. Arms now on the ground as a newly versatile limb to allow for quadruped movement on hands now turned destructive claws. Wings expanded in size as his head went from humanoid to a massive dragon head, not unlike his mother¡¯s; only with one set of horns in comparison.

    As the light faded and the details of his body were more visible, Aaron let out a rather confused but powerful roar from deep within his chest. Stomping at the ground as he whipped his head around to look down his back for the first time in his life. His tail and wings were much larger than they had been before, and he now was covered in scales rather than the humanoid flesh he once had. Aaron looked over at Tairhn as the excitement boiled in his chest. Tairhn watched him, impressed, only to realise a glow was building up Aaron¡¯s throat at an incredible rate.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t-!¡±

    He was cut off as Aaron suddenly unleashed a breath of fire, just barely missing his head by inches. Tairhn ducked instinctively, albeit a bit delayed, and as quickly as it had come, the fire was gone, leaving two very confused dragons.

    Tairhn raised back up once it was clear things were safe again, and straightened his robes, regaining composure. ¡°I see your fire was in you all along. We¡¯ll¡­ learn to control that at a later date.¡±  He looked Aaron up and down once more, making sure nothing was out of sorts in his new form.

    Aaron looked as horrified as his draconic face could allow. He folded his wings back ducking his head a little, doing the same as Tairhn. Dragons might be more resilient towards their own fire, but an ancient dragon like Aaron was harder to defend against.

    Luckily Tairhn was perfectly fine, perhaps a bit singed at the tips of his horns, but otherwise unharmed. Aaron visibly relaxed, moving closer on his new legs, a bit unsure.

    ¡°Take your time, don¡¯t try to rush things.¡± Tairhn said, moving a bit closer to meet him halfway. Granted with Aaron¡¯s new size, distance covered had increased drastically. Aaron was about as tall as Tairhn at his shoulder blade, but now with the elongated serpentine neck, his head had quite a bit on the nearly 8 foot dragon elder. Tairhn wondered if he would get as big as his brother Ra when he was fully grown, whom Tairhn would barely come up to the elbow on.

    Aaron opened his mouth to speak but instead a much lighter roar came out with some grumbles deep within his throat. He pulled his head back, clearly even more confused.

    ¡®I cannot speak?!¡¯ echoed off the mountain wall sounding louder than intended, and Aaron, having not expected it, jumped enough that all four claws left the ground. He whipped his head around, trying to make sense of it. ¡®Wait, I cannot speak, but my thoughts come out? Master, do you hear me?¡¯

    Tairhn chuckled heartily, ¡°Oh, I am so sorry Aaron. I should have warned you. Ancient dragons do not speak through their mouths like you and I normally converse. It is a thought. You wanted me to hear you, so you willed your thoughts to be heard. You will also learn to control that so you do not accidentally let people hear what you wanted to keep private.¡±

    Aaron cocked his head slightly, ¡®Oh, right, I suppose I would want to keep track of what I want to let out.¡¯ He turned and twisted, now that the shock had worn off to truly get a better look at his body and start to understand how to move things in this new form. Aaron went around in a small circle, almost as if chasing his tail but slower, before raising his head once more to look around at his new height ¡®Wow, the trees look so different now!¡¯

    Tairhn smiled, sitting back down on his rock now that he knew Aaron was used to his new legs. ¡°Wait until you are fully grown. I am sure that you¡¯ll be able to tower over some trees by then. Your brother was almost as tall as the central dome over the temple reaches into the sky.¡±

    ¡®Wow, that must have been hard for him to live in the city after a while.¡¯ Aaron laid down, crossing his foreclaws.

    ¡°Yes, it was. Once it seemed he was going to start growing beyond what the city could manage, a new home was prepared for him. It was a large cave carved out by some of the best miners of that time, along with any necessities for him. As an ancient dragon like your mother, he was able to fend for himself after a certain point, hunting proficiently to where it wasn¡¯t necessary to feed him. Luckily, since your primary self is your more humanoid form, this means you can stay safe within the temple walls until you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡®Father Astrius seems to doubt I¡¯ll be ready, no matter how much progress we¡¯re making. Maybe this will show him I¡¯m on the right path!¡¯ Aaron had been getting frustrated coming into his pre-teen adolescent years, not quite as rebellious as he could be, but he was beginning to push back against the High Priest more and more. Sneaking peeks over the garden walls from high up in the trees where he knew no one within the temple could get to him had been one of his favorite pastimes lately. Tairhn allowed it, because it was not only funny to see the priests flounder unable to get to Aaron, but also because Aaron was well hidden by the branches. No one would be intentionally looking up into the tree branches enough to see anything through the thick leaves, except perhaps in the dead of winter; however Tairhn had already gotten Aaron to agree to lessen his time at the garden walls during the winter months.

    ¡®Master?¡¯

    Tairhn blinked, coming out of his thoughts with a quizzical hum. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just thinking about how fast you¡¯re maturing. I knew because of your lineage there was some natural talent bound to be there, but it¡¯s impressive to see the fruits of your efforts as I know you are also working your hardest.¡±

    Aaron crooned, still getting used to his new vocalizations. He laid his head down, suddenly feeling quite tired.

    ¡°Go ahead, take a nap. I¡¯ll wake you up in a little bit, long before the sun starts to set. We will need you to transform back so we can go home, but for now, you can rest.¡± Tairhn moved down to the ground himself to use the rock he had been sitting on as a back rest, thinking he could just enjoy the last bit of warm weather they might have before the winter started setting in.

    Aaron allowed his eyes to close slowly, his breathing becoming steady and deep as he fell into a quick slumber. Tairhn wouldn¡¯t allow sleep to take him fully, no; for he had to stay aware in case any threats showed their ugly heads. With such a vast wilderness the chances of coming across a wild animal such as a Tarrasque wasn¡¯t high, but there was always a chance.

    Tairhn instead watched the skies as the clouds floated by on the powerful wind currents above. As most dragons loved the sky, Tairhn was no exception, but the things that captured his attention about the open air wasn¡¯t the flying itself; he enjoyed sky gazing.

    He had spent a lot of his youth just laying on his back staring up at the skies, whether it was to watch passing clouds, or to witness the night sky in its full glory. He was even a peculiar dragon in the sense that instead of flying during the day, he preferred flying at night to witness the stars. Especially ever since Tairhn had learned that the night sky was so much more vibrant and amplified in the Astral Plane, his obsession with the stars had only increased as time carried on.

    Tairhn watched the shadows creep across the ground for some time, leaving Aaron to his sleep. He did not wait too long as they still had quite a distance back to the city and Aaron was bound to still be tired. When he felt that the time was right, Tairhn stood going to wake the sleeping dragon.

    ¡°Aaron? It¡¯s about time to start heading back.¡± He gently shook Aaron¡¯s horn a bit to gather his attention.

    A single snort escaped Aaron, and he slowly opened his eyes, letting out a low grumble. His mouth opened in a massive-and rather sharp-yawn, getting up as he stretched his foreclaws.

    ¡®Already? Well, I suppose I have to transform back first. I would assume I should do the same thing as earlier, just in reverse?¡¯

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and try that first. Don¡¯t rush it, just recall how the world looked through your other eyes.¡± Tairhn sat back down on the rock he¡¯d previously claimed, pretty sure the second transformation would be quicker. It might still take some time-hence waking him up early-but once Aaron had finally succeeded, he accomplished his goal faster each subsequent attempt.

    Aaron did a few more brief stretches, doing each back leg individually before finally shaking his entire body, and going into a sitting position. He still closed his eyes, trying to recall the world as he had seen it in his humanoid form. Aaron thought back to those hours earlier when he had been sitting there, struggling to find his other self.

    Just like that, the golden glow enveloped him again, and this time the form shifted ever smaller, until Aaron was left sitting there as his old self again. Aaron blinked, holding out an arm to look at his hand now that it was back to humanoid. ¡°It¡¯s weird how different each form feels. Is that normal?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your other form has even more heightened senses that you cannot use in this form. You may have more sensitive hearing, or your eyesight can be sharper. Wolf-Walkers gain the ability to smell stronger, and it translates slightly over to their human selves, but it will never be as strong as their wolf form.¡± Tairhn grabbed their pack, looking back over at Aaron. ¡°Do you think you need some help getting up?¡±

    ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Aaron did use his hands to get back up, but his legs only seemed shaky for a second before he was standing properly again. He did a once over glance over his limbs to make sure things looked right, running over to Tairhn who was waiting for Aaron at the overgrown entrance to the little campsite. ¡°Ready!¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get on then, it¡¯s a long trip back and the sun will start setting in an hour or so.¡± Tairhn once again led the way to keep the heaviest of the brush out of Aaron¡¯s way. He hoped that Aaron wasn¡¯t too tired to make it back. When he was younger, certainly, but now that Aaron was coming into his puberty years, he was full of tremendous amounts of energy. However, with that energy came a tendency to push himself too far sometimes.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Tairhn asked as they pushed through to the main road once more.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I feel a bit sore, but otherwise fine.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s good. If you start to feel too tired, let me know. You¡¯re still small enough I can carry you back if we need.¡±

    Aaron sputtered, protesting as his skin turned a brighter shade out of embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be carried to bed anymore, I¡¯m not a little kid.¡±

    Tairhn let out a rather loud laugh, ¡°Ah, yes, I suppose I¡¯m imagining those nights I find you out in the gardens, passed out under the willow from your magic training.¡±

    Aaron huffed at the teasing, muttering about not being tired. Tairhn¡¯s chuckles trailed off as they worked their way along the road, knowing the child wasn¡¯t taking it too personally. Aaron had shown an amazing sense of fun and mischief when he was able to open up. Unfortunately, Astrius was still as strict as before, limiting their time outside the city for practice. Tairhn had argued that doing so was counterproductive to his training, but his objections had been ignored.

    Tairhn brought himself back to the present, knowing he still needed to stay alert for their trip home. The sun was starting to dip already and shadows growing larger every passing minute. Tairhn realized that it would be close to dark by the time they got home.

    ¡°When we get back, I¡¯ll go to the kitchens and make up a small platter, fruits, cheeses, that sort of thing. It¡¯ll be far too late for a full meal, but with how much energy you used up today, don¡¯t be surprised when you wake up tomorrow ravenous. I will be sure to have the morning kitchen crew prepare a larger breakfast than normal.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t I need to do training later? Father Astrius always-¡±

    Tairhn cut him off, no longer able to kneel down so he just turned Aaron¡¯s chin up to meet his gaze. ¡°Do not worry about what Father Astrius says. You are my responsibility, and if I feel you need a rest day and a larger breakfast, then so be it. I want you to take tomorrow off from any practice or training. We do not know how tired you will be tomorrow from this transformation, and I¡¯d rather not risk injuring yourself somehow.¡±

    Aaron nodded rather quickly in agreement, and Tairhn released him again, continuing on. Tairhn wished Astrius had stuck to their agreement, but sometimes he caught the High Priest watching from a corner, or a doorway. It was so hard to get a read on that man, but Tairhn knew he meant well. Aaron could not stay hidden away forever though, and holding him back out of fear only meant the Titans could gain an advantage with how long his training would take.

    Of course, the dragon understood it was important to take their time with this. Tairhn¡¯s thoughts lay with the fact that there had been rumors of inner fighting between some of the Titans to the north, within the Centaurian Plains. There was Blythe, the Wind Titan; Corai, the Water Titan; and Kalo, the Lightning Titan. All three of them had been lingering in the plains for so long their borders of influence had eventually clashed, and now there was a bit of a power struggle between the three.

    Tairhn was hopeful that the fighting would delay the Titans, and give them a little bit more time to get Aaron to adulthood. He wasn¡¯t going to assume it would, making sure to watch Aaron¡¯s progress closely so while he didn¡¯t overdo himself, he was still progressing at a steady rate. Tairhn though that he could be ready within another year or so, as his body finished going through its early puberty. Even if Aaron was not quite yet a fully grown man, he could at least be a well trained adolescent that would manage in a fight.

    The pathway leading up to the gates of Ophicys was slowly coming into view as the sun was just beginning to set below one of the mountain ridges. Tairhn could tell Aaron was running out of steam, but the pre-teen was too stubborn to admit it. ¡°It is probably one of the last evenings we can be outside, why not stargaze as we eat? When we get back you can go out to the gardens, and I¡¯ll meet you once I have our dinner platter.¡±

    Aaron nodded sleepily, but he seemed to pick up the pace a little. He enjoyed stargazing with Tairhn, they didn¡¯t get to do so often, but when they did, he enjoyed hearing the stories from his tutor. He had heard about most of the constellations by this point, but Tairhn had started telling him stories of his siblings, or of Tairhn¡¯s adventures through the world. Aaron didn¡¯t know many people to begin with, but Tairhn was the most well travelled. It was wonderful to hear about all the different cultures in the world, and Aaron had a few places mentally checkmarked for future travel. To someone so sheltered, getting anywhere else was ideal. Tairhn had to wonder if Aaron would end up walking off into the sunset after the last of the Titans fell. At that point, he figured, Aaron would have earned his peace.

    Tairhn reminded Aaron gently to put his facemask up, and the pre-teen obliged quickly, also making sure his hood was pulled and wrapping the cloak over his shoulders to hide his wings under them. They entered the gates just as the sky was changing from the orange of sunset into that deep inky hue of night. The first few stars had started peaking out, but it would be a little bit before the night sky was littered with them. Tairhn adjusted Aaron slightly as they walked; the boy was starting to wobble on his feet from exhaustion.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, little one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not little anymore,¡± Aaron mumbled, making Tairhn smile and chuckle to himself.

    ¡°No of course not, how silly of me. But you still have quite a lot of growing left to do.¡±

    They entered the gates together as darkness was overtaking the city, the various lanterns imbued with the dragon¡¯s magical fire beginning to come to life. The street ways were mostly empty now, with the temperature change it had gotten colder before the sun had even set. Tairhn made a mental note to grab some hot chocolate when he was preparing their food, Aaron was still small enough to possibly get sick from the cold air. Dragon¡¯s often kept their children indoors throughout most of the winter, only allowing them out for short spurts at a time to prevent any frostbitten wings.

    They hustled into the temple quickly, and once back in the private portions of the temple Aaron felt comfortable to pull his face mask down again. Tairhn guided him to the garden entrance gently, ¡°Go on, find a comfortable space where we can watch the night sky take over. I¡¯ll prepare something light and bring it out in a few minutes.¡±

    Aaron nodded quietly, shuffling off into the gardens, following one of the stone pathways that was still lit dimly for safety. The rest of the garden was relatively dark, except for a few select areas that were common for after hours relaxation. Aaron followed the path that led to a small patch of grassy hill that led to the willow he preferred. Tonight they would stay out on this patchy grass to watch the sky, rather than sit beneath the willows branches.

    Aaron flopped down onto the ground, groaning as he laid back completely. It wasn¡¯t often he laid on his back, but he had learned how to adjust the wings to where they weren¡¯t completely crushed. Aaron sighed now that he was finally able to rest and not have to move for a while, gazing up to the sky as the stars seemed to be multiplying by the minute.

    His gaze focused on one star in particular, a part of a constellation Tairhn had told him about previously. This constellation was meant to represent Boavi, his brother the Wolf-Walker. Perhaps it was apt that his brother was the first constellation he spotted that night. Aaron smiled to himself, going to cover his mouth with the back of his hand as a deep yawn overtook him. He could easily fall asleep now, but he also wanted food.

    ¡°Comfortable?¡±

    Aaron jumped, sitting up swiftly to see Tairhn standing above him with a tray. ¡°How did I not hear you walk up on me? You scared the hell out of me!¡±

    Tairhn let out a deep chuckle, carefully going to his knees to set the tray beside them. ¡°You are tired, your senses are lessened. Let this be a lesson to you, rest is important. It creates a sharp mind, if you are too exhausted you are likely to have a delayed reaction time. Critical thinking becomes impaired, and even the smallest mistake can give your opponent the advantage. This was your first time transforming, your stamina will get stronger with time and you will not feel as drained going back and forth like that.¡±

    Aaron let out a shaky breath, not used to being snuck up on. He looked down at the tray beside them, seeing a few cheese and meat pieces. There were also some small fruits, probably some of the last they would see before the warm seasons began again.

    Grabbing a piece of meat and cheese to bite into together, he gazed back up at the sky, realizing a lot more stars had come out in the meantime. The night was littered with the brilliance of the various stars surrounding the two moons. Aaron watched the moons for a moment, before speaking again.

    ¡°Master, can you tell me how close a Titan is to the city?¡±

    Tairhn snapped his gaze over to Aaron, having been enraptured in the night sky until that moment. ¡°Why would you ask such a question right now? Is there something on your mind?¡±

    Aaron sighed, running a hand through his hair. ¡°I hear whispers. Priests that think I cannot hear them, Father Astrius hiding conversations about the Titans behind closed doors. He thinks I can¡¯t hear him but there¡¯s a place in the gardens outside his window, hidden by some shrubbery. I sit out there and listen, and he keeps talking about one Titan, one named Blythe. Is he close?¡±

    Tairhn scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the words to explain the current situation with the Titans. ¡°Not close by, but there is concern he may move southward. Perhaps not right now, as we are getting into the winter and most of the Titans will slow down during that season. The activity will flare back up in the spring, but right now there are three Titans clashing in the Centaur Plains to the north. Far across the desert and past even the mountain range that the Muse and the Worg inhabit.¡±

    ¡°So, this Titan Blythe is one of the ones clashing right now?¡± Aaron was still eating slowly as he listened, wondering why Father Astrius would hide this information from him.

    ¡°Yes, he is clashing with Kalo, the Titan of Lightning, and Corai, the Titan of Water. They are creating some hazardous situations for the centaurs that live among the plains, so many have begun working their way into the mountains surrounding the plains to reside with the Muse for sanctuary. These three Titans are currently struggling to gain power and maintain their land, and Blythe seems to be losing the battle. They used to work in harmony, but since this corruption took over they have begun to bicker. They have been creating devastating storms with their fighting, and it seems as though Corai and Kalo might be working together.¡± Tairhn gazed up at the sky wishing the three of them could continue their power struggle there for a little while longer. If one of the Titans crossed the Raadshyian Desert before Aaron was ready to fight-well, Tairhn didn¡¯t like to think about it.

    Aaron looked back up at the sky with Tairhn, focusing in on the red moon, currently in a half full state. ¡°So, if Corai and Kalo work together to push Blythe out, he will most likely come across the desert and into our mountain range, which is why Father Astrius is so concerned?¡± He asked, turning back to Tairhn.

    ¡°That is the current assumption. One cannot know for sure, but the Earth Titan is rampaging in the Worg mountain ranges, and the Muse have special protections setup surrounding their capital. It¡¯s the only option that comes to mind.¡± Tairhn pat Aaron on the shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze to the pre-teen. ¡°But you-you should not be worrying about such things right now. I know it feels impossible to not focus on the bad, especially since we cannot see the full extent of their destruction. For now, your training is all that matters. If we can prepare you as much as possible, then Blythe will stand less of a chance when that time comes.¡±

    ¡°When, not if?¡± Aaron asked, messing with a piece of fruit before popping it in his mouth.

    ¡°Ah, yes, well as I said, we¡¯re fairly confident Blythe will come southwards. The hope will be to stop him before he comes into range of any civilization.¡± Tairhn groaned, sitting back to relax a bit, letting Aaron eat most of the tray as he was the one who expended the most energy today. ¡°It is such a shame that you have to grow up so quickly. I would have much preferred you having a childhood much like your siblings.¡±

    ¡°Did they have friends?¡±

    Tairhn flinched, knowing that was a huge regret that he had for the child. ¡°Yes, of course¡­ I truly am sorry you are not able to have someone your age as a friend, Aaron. Your blood is causing you to age so quickly that even if you had a friend, you might leave them behind simply from growing. What I do know is that once you are grown, and all this business is behind us, you will get a normal life. Friends, maybe even a lover; a family perhaps?¡±

    Aaron¡¯s skin changed a bit even in the darkness, brightening up as he blushed at the idea of a lover. He was at that age after all.

    ¡°You really think I could have all that?¡± Aaron looked back over to Tairhn, hugging his knees slightly.

    Tairhn smiled, nodding, ¡°Yes, I believe it fully. Anyone would be lucky to know you, and once your deeds are done, everyone will want to know the hero who saved them.¡±

    Aaron smiled, a genuine glimmer of hope crossing his face as he unfolded his knees to continue eating. Glad the child was at least partially relieved, Tairhn turned his head upward and watched as the ashen moon came into view from behind a passing batch of clouds. This was the moon he had come most attached to simply due to his magic lessons as a youngster. He had watched it fondly as a child and grown up learning about the amplification that a full ashen moon gave to those with magical abilities.

    What he had not noticed before was a mass of swirling storms upon the moon. Black and purple, perhaps even a shade of navy blue swirling across the moon''s surface. Tairhn frowned, wondering if this was something completely out of the ordinary, or if this was something recurring he had not noticed throughout his life. He hadn¡¯t necessarily studied the moon all that closely, perhaps this was a storm that only popped up on occasion; but even that answer did not feel right.

    Tairhn brought himself out of his concerns, and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, I do believe that it is getting rather late now, why don¡¯t you go on and get into bed while I clean things up?¡± He would focus on Aaron for the time being, but perhaps he could reach out to some of his contacts that studied the stars. There had to be an answer for this strange phenomena.

    Aaron pulled himself up, bowing to Tairhn respectfully before heading back down the garden path. Tairhn watched him go, making sure he entered the temple safely, before grabbing the tray they had just been eating off of. He made note to stop by the High Priest¡¯s office in the morning and explain Aaron was going to have an off day. He did not need Aaron to pass out or injure himself from overexertion.

    One last glance upward to the ashen moon, watching the angry looking storms with a furrowed brow, before Tairh finally let out a sigh and headed inwards. Tonight was not a night to be concerned with astrological differences. Not while Aaron was still so hyper focused on the Titan issue, he needed this child to learn how to relax even in times of stress but with Father Astrius causing the boy to doubt he¡¯d ever be ready, Tairhn wasn¡¯t quite sure how to help him do that.

    For now, he would let the boy sleep, and hope that as he grew, Tairhn could only hope that the doubt Father Astrius had instilled in the child would cease to exist as Aaron became a young man. Tairhn could already see the man Aaron could be, but helping Aaron to see it, that was going to be the real challenge.

    A challenge that he refused to fail.