by Brandon Chen
“As long as they work, I’m sure that Teolan will be able to take your people in for the time being, until we can figure out future accommodations. We’ll just have to see what the king says when you arrive at Reidan,” the elder said, glancing over his shoulder and spotting Violet. “Is that your daughter, Lord Emon?”
The king of Horux smiled and nodded. “Indeed, she is.”
“How youthful,” the elder said, meeting Violet’s gaze. “Horux’s queen and princess have the eyes of angels. I’ve never seen irises of that color before. Are there any other members of your family with eyes like that?”
“My brother,” Violet said. “He used to have violet eyes as well, but he passed away a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the elder said, dipping his head.
As the royal family was escorted deeper into the streets of Teolan, Violet found herself fascinated with the wooden structures around her. The buildings were much larger than the ones in Horux, with colorful, tiled rooftops that gleamed in the sunny afternoon. There were hundreds of civilians in the streets, wearing cloth garments of a variety of colors. All of them stood by and watched as Violet’s party strolled through the streets.
Violet couldn’t push Yuri’s demise from her mind. She bit her lower lip, remembering how the boy had promised that he would return to the castle. Yuri had seemed genuinely worried about the wellbeing of Horux’s civilians. Violet didn’t believe that he was the one that released the werewolf.
The princess tapped Senna on the shoulder and the knight immediately turned to her. “Can you do me a favor before we leave for Reidan?”
“Anything, milady.”
“Release that young man that was just arrested, Terias,” Violet said. “He was just worried about his friend. He doesn’t deserve to be condemned to the brig.”
Senna nodded and struck his fist to his chest, saluting his princess. “I’ll retrieve him now.”
***
The salty smell of brine filled the dark cell where Terias was confined. The brig was completely empty. Any prisoners that had filled these cells during the invasion of Horux had been thrown overboard to make room for civilian refugees. The young man sat in silence, his head lowered, as he recalled his last encounter with Yuri in the alleyway, where he’d ambushed Yuri countless times in the past.
Guilt seized him, and Terias bit his quivering lip. The boy stared blankly at a tiny spot of light that gleamed on the wooden floor of the brig, shining from an open window in his cell. Terias exhaled through his nose, and glanced up suddenly when he heard a heavy bang echo through the brig.
Clanking towards him from the shadows was Senna in his metallic armor. The knight halted in front of Terias’s cell, dangling a pair of bronze keys before the man. He tossed the keys through the metal bars. They landed right in front of Terias. “You can go,” Senna said, expecting the young man to quickly free himself. But he didn’t. Instead, he simply sat on the floor, staring at the knight. “What are you waiting for?”
“What did you see in his eyes just before you shot him?” Terias asked. “Was he thankful that you killed him before he transformed?”
There was silence as Senna watched Terias. He averted his gaze and turned around, about to exit the brig. “Tell me the truth,” Terias demanded, his words freezing the knight.
“It was sorrow.” Senna exhaled heavily, his back to the young man. “He was distraught that he’d been left behind. There was a hint of disbelief; he was in shock that he’d been infected and that he was losing sight of himself. Of course he wasn’t thankful that I murdered him. Everyone fears death, but I thought that putting an end to him was certainly better than letting him become an uncontrollable abomination. In my eyes, Yuri died the moment that virus entered his bloodstream.” The warrior glanced at Terias over his shoulder. “What would you have done? Let him live on as … a mindless creature? I’m sure that’s not what your free-spirited friend would’ve wanted.”
Terias gritted his teeth and reached up, rubbing his palms against his moist eyes. “The rest of my family is gone. All of my friends in the Lower District have perished. Out of all the people in Horux … I expected that Yuri would’ve been the most likely to survive an invasion like this,” he said quietly, tears trickling down his cheeks. “He’s strong … stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. Every time I’ve ever seen him get knocked down, he always recovered and grew stronger than before.”
Senna said nothing.
“I just wish that I had the chance to apologize to him for all the wrong that I’ve done to him in the past … and to thank him for the good that he’s done for me recently,” Terias said, dropping his arms to his side. “Damn it! I’m tired of depending on others to fight my battles for me. Why am I so weak?”
“Come with me, then,” Senna said. “I’ll soon be departing for Reidan, the capital of Iradia, to accompany the royal family in their negotiations with the Iradian king. If you don’t want to depend on others, then start depending on yourself. I’ll help you obtain the strength that you desire by training you to become one of my knights. You have potential. Will you use it?” He turned to fully face Terias, who was looking up at the warrior in surprise. “You have a choice. You can either stay here in Teolan and work to survive or you can join me on my journey to Reidan, where I will train you to become a true soldier. What is your decision?”
Terias glanced at the keys on the floor and reached down, feeling the cold metal in his hands. He swallowed hard, remembering the countless times where others had fought his battles. His parents had always taken the burden of feeding the family, while he was off screwing around in streets of the Lower District. His friends would assault whoever he ordered them to and, like a tyrant, he would simply sit there and watch others suffer. And then, finally, Yuri had been there for him when he needed help the most. Continuing as he was would bring no rewards, he knew that. Perhaps training under Senna was the best path for him.
“Why are you offering me such an opportunity?” Terias asked, squeezing the keys tightly in his hand.
“Most of my knights were killed during the massacre. Many soldiers lost their lives several nights ago. Right now, our forces are low in numbers. In order to survive in Escalon, we’ll need a lot more manpower than what we currently have,” Senna said, folding his arms over his chest. He hesitated for a moment. “To tell the truth, I also see a little bit of my past self in you. Weak and spineless, with nothing to cling to except a fading hope that things will get better. I was given the rare opportunity to rise from the slums of Horux and become a powerful knight. Now I will pass that chance on to you. So, what will you do?”
Terias pressed his hand to his knee, slowly rising to his feet. Hope … that was something that he had lost sight of when his parents had passed. Now it had returned, in the form of a knight in gleaming armor. There the symbol of Terias’s newfound hope stood, on the other side of the cell’s iron bars. This was his door out of poverty, out of desperation, out of powerlessness. He met Senna’s gaze with a look of resolution. “I’ll come with you.”
The Accord
“Moriaki!” Faelen roared, storming into Beo’s cell with rage coursing through him. He lashed out and rocketed his fist into the wall behind the noble, striking the stone several inches from the man’s face. The wall cracked under Faelen’s tremendous force, but Beo hardly even flinched. “That bastard druid will pay for meddling in my affairs. Archerus and Yuri should be in pieces, damn it! I should’ve killed them when I had the chance.”
Beo stifled a chuckle, his lips curving into a smile.
Faelen glared at him with murderous eyes. “Is something amusing?”
“You need not worry, Faelen. You’ll see Yuri again. There is no doubt in my mind that he will return for your head.” The noble spoke with a bold smirk.
Faelen raised his eyebrows. “My head? You think that he’ll return to try and kill me? Are you a moron? I could tear that youngling limb from limb if I wanted. If that in
solent fool has the audacity to return to my city, then I’ll rip off his head and eviscerate his damned corpse! DO YOU HEAR ME?” he boomed, his snout inches away from Beo’s ear.
The noble closed his eyes, trying to hide his fear behind his dauntless façade. But Faelen could see that the man was trembling. “I have returned to ask you the same question that I’ve asked at the beginning of each day. Now, you will either give me a proper answer or you will feel my wrath. I have no more patience,” Faelen snarled, grabbing Beo’s thigh and stabbing his claws deep into the noble’s flesh. He listened to the man’s agonizing cries that echoed through the cell. “Where is the portal to Oblivion?”
“Piss … off!” Beo snarled through clenched teeth, tears of pain gleaming in his eyes.
Faelen’s eyes flashed with fury, and he jammed his nails into Beo’s chest, sinking his claws into the man’s heart. Shock registered on the noble’s pale face as he stared at the werewolf. Blood dribbled down his chin. Beo slumped forward when Faelen pulled his claw from the corpse. “You kept me imprisoned for decades, and you think that you can afford to defy me? Pitiful,” he growled, storming away from Beo’s unmoving body. He grabbed the iron bars of the cell and pried them apart, not even bothering to use the door.
“Where are you going?” Junko asked, emerging from the shadows behind Beo. He glanced at Beo’s cell, spotting the noble’s corpse, hanging from the ceiling. Raising his eyebrow, he turned his attention back to the irate werewolf. “I’m not sure how you plan to find the portal to Oblivion since you’ve murdered the one man in Escalon who knew of its location.”
“I’ll find it. It’s miracle that I didn’t tear his head off his shoulders days ago, after what he’s done to me,” Faelen grumbled, turning to look at Junko. His gaze then went to the shadows, where he saw another mysterious figure. “Who is your companion?”
“This is Tanya,” Junko said. Emerging from the shadows was a young woman with straight, dark, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a black cloak that was similar to Junko’s, except it was sleeveless, revealing her toned muscles. The woman certainly did not seem native to Escalon. Her skin was far too tan for her to be from this continent, where people commonly had paler skin tones. The Bount met Faelen’s gaze with her dark eyes and smiled slightly, as if she found something humorous. “She is from the continent of Dastia. I’m sure that you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes,” Faelen muttered. “I’ve heard of the oceans of sand that stretch across its desolate land. I’ve never seen a desert for myself, but it certainly sounds impressive. Why have you brought her?”
“As the leader of your pack of werewolves, you will have to stick with the beasts in order to maintain their allegiance. If you are not with them, they will have no one to follow, and will wander about like the mindless creatures that they are. That means that it will be difficult for you to search for the portal to Oblivion, since it is somewhere in Lichholme, in northern Escalon. With a pack of werewolves this large, you can focus on dominating the continent,” Junko said, nodding to Tanya. “Tanya can take a small group of werewolves to northern Escalon. They will be able to search for your portal. It may take longer, since you impatiently murdered the one man who knew its exact location, but she will certainly find it.”
“I don’t need help,” Faelen insisted.
“I don’t care that you think you don’t need help,” Junko snapped, causing Faelen to raise his eyebrows with surprise. The Bount took a step towards the werewolf, bringing his face so close to the beast’s that Faelen could’ve easily bitten the man’s head clean off. Junko’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Understand that my decisions are final. Without me, you’d still be trapped underground behind silver bars.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a Phoenix Heart, which blazed in his hand. “Your next order is to infect Tanya.”
“What?” Faelen blurted out.
“You heard me. Bite her and turn her into a werewolf,” Junko said, walking back to Tanya. He handed her the flower and smiled. “Once the virus has entered Tanya’s bloodstream, eating the Phoenix Heart will allow her to tame the beast that she’ll become.” He reached up and stroked the woman’s cheek gently, gazing into her dark eyes. “She will allow you to focus on your task at hand — the total eradication of Escalon’s humans.”
“You expect me to entrust the quest of finding the Oblivion portal to her?” Faelen snarled, edging towards the Bounts. “The journey alone is treacherous. Surviving in Lichholme is difficult for anyone who lacks experience, even if she becomes a werewolf.”
“The Bount organization is known for recruiting some of the strongest beings in the world,” Junko said, his hands dropping to his side. He darted a glare at Faelen over his shoulder, freezing the werewolf in his tracks. A sly smile crept over his lips, and he let out a gentle chuckle as he stepped to the side, beginning to walk back into the shadows. “Your quest for omnipotence can wait, Faelen. For now, you must focus on fulfilling your end of our bargain. Be grateful that I’ve found someone to search for the Oblivion portal in your stead. Would you rather not have Tanya here? If that’s the case, your hunt for the Oblivion portal will have to wait until Escalon is conquered.”
Faelen gnarred through his clenched fangs. “Fine, I’ll take her.”
Junko smirked as he faded into the darkness. “I’m glad that you can be accommodating. Best of luck to you two.”
Faelen watched as the cloaked man vanished, using his magic to teleport away. Silence swept over the two Bounts as they gawked awkwardly at each other, unsure of what to do next. The werewolf stomped over to Tanya, towering over the young woman. “Are you not afraid?”
Tanya simply looked up at him and gave the monster a broad smile, like a child on her birthday. “In order to gain power, one must make sacrifices. To become stronger, I’ll gladly cast away my humanity,” she said, tilting her head to the side, exposing the smooth skin on her neck. She averted her gaze from the werewolf and bit her lower lip. “Just be gentle. I’m not a fan of pain.”
Faelen snorted with amusement and leaned down, baring his sharp fangs. He hovered his mouth over Tanya’s neck to see if she would flinch, but to his surprise, she stayed intrepid before him. To think people exist in this world that would gladly become a monster. The beast sank his teeth into the flesh of Tanya’s neck, feeling her warm blood trickle onto his tongue. He could feel his natural instinct tickling the back of his mind, ordering him to bite deeper and devour her flesh. But he knew better, and his control was unmatched.
Faelen pulled his head back, licking his lips slightly, watching as Tanya collapsed to her knees. He stuck out his large index finger and pointed to the Phoenix Heart in her hand. “Eat it.”
Tanya had one hand clutching the bleeding wound in the side of her neck. She was leaning forward, panting as if she were out of breath. Heat coursed through her veins, making it feel as if there were a burning sun within her chest. Energy surged through her, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. Her widened eyes turned bright red, and she began to giggle to herself. “I’ve … never felt power like this before.” She leaned down and consumed the flaming flower, munching it. Swallowing hard, the humanity returned to her eyes and her lips quivered slightly.
Faelen raised an eyebrow at her and then turned away, beginning to walk down the corridor to leave the dungeon. “Perhaps right now you feel powerful, as if you can control the newfound power that comes with becoming a werewolf. That’s because you just ate the Phoenix Heart. But trust me, within a couple of days your enhanced senses will torment you to no end, unless you learn to adapt. I will teach you.” He glanced over his shoulder at the Bount. “Are you coming?”
Tanya blinked and then scrambled to her feet, jogging after the werewolf. “Y-Yes sir!”
***
“How is it possible that you haven’t found your trigger? You already transformed once before!” Archerus snapped impatiently while they were sitting on the bank of a river. “The way that you felt when you morphed into a w
erewolf should be engraved into your mind by now. I’m tired of lugging you around!”
Yuri groaned and fell back, sprawling out on the moist dirt. “I just don’t really remember transforming that well! It’s like I became someone else for a second. I wasn’t myself,” he murmured. “I don’t even remember shifting back into my human form. That must’ve happened while I was asleep. So even if I managed to turn into a werewolf, it would be a new matter entirely to change back.”
Archerus was in his werewolf form, wading into the shallow waters. He shrugged, feeling the cool water rushing against his hairy legs. The beast’s eyes scanned the clear river, his legs spreading out as he prepared to catch them some dinner. It had been a long day of travel. The two adventurers were extremely hungry and were in need of rest. “Yuri, you can always be productive. If you’re tired of trying to transform, then work on controlling your senses. As werewolves, it is essential that we learn how to tune out the world around us and focus all our senses on one task,” he said, stabbing his claw through the water and snatching a fish. He tossed the catch to Yuri, where it landed in his hands and flopped about. “Go on, give it a try.”
Yuri raised an eyebrow as he stood up, the convulsing fish rolling off his lap and onto the dirt. He sauntered towards the river and reached down, rolling up his torn pants. Moving into the water, he winced at the chilling sensation that nipped at his skin. But within moments, he had adjusted to the river’s cold temperature and waded out until the water reached his waist. He glanced over his shoulder, watching as Archerus walked back onto shore with one massive fish in each hand. The werewolf went off to go fetch firewood.
Yuri narrowed his eyes, irritated. By the time he gets back I’ll have a whole pile of fish caught, he’ll see! I could catch fish with my hands easily when I was human. Now that I’m a werewolf I can … huh? As he glanced down, he noticed that his vision was all over the place. He could see every fish that rushed through the river. His eyes caught any movement within his line of sight, from the gentle sway of pondweed and the drifting of crabs across the sandy bottom of the river to even the tiniest of ripples on the water’s surface.
