Novel Blood Emperor (Chapter Thirty-Three)

Hello, after a long time debating I have finally decided to take the challenge and write my stories down. My first story will be titled Blood Emperor. It took me a long time to decide which story to begin with as I believe I am currently not proficient enough to do them justice. I had to start somewhere though and that starting point is Blood Emperor. I would appreciate any feedback, be it good or bad, about the story and grammar. Thanks.

You can also read it here: http://royalroadl.com/fiction/12425/blood-emperor

Schedule: My plan for now is to upload a chapter a week, probably on Mondays. If I see it become popular I will increase the release date until I can do 3 chapters a week.


Synopsis:
Blood Emperor Eztli has reigned over the world for the past two thousand years. Unfortunately, he has reached the end of his life. His body has long since withered, qi barely usable and his Life Force a delicate strand. He, however, dedicated his life researching a way to create an immortal body--so he could reign eternally--and succeeded. Defenseless as he transfers his soul into the immortal body, he is betrayed. He awakes only to find himself trapped in the body of a rabbit, his strength gone and staring at a boy eager to bind him.

Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts

Table of Contents

• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten
• Chapter Eleven
• Chapter Twelve
• Chapter Thirteen
• Chapter Fourteen
• Chapter Fifteen
• Chapter Sixteen
• Chapter Seventeen
• Chapter Eighteen
• Chapter Nineteen
• Chapter Twenty
• Chapter Twenty-One
• Chapter Twenty-Two
• Chapter Twenty-Three
  
• Chapter Twenty-Four
• Chapter Twenty-Five
• Chapter Twenty-Six
• Chapter Twenty-Seven
• Chapter Twenty-Eight
• Chapter Twenty-Nine
• Chapter Thirty
  
• Chapter Thirty-One
• Chapter Thirty-Two
• Chapter Thirty-Three

 

Chapter One
​

The massive throne radiated with a holy aura despite its skull shaped body and blood-red patterns. The sunlight—guided by an intricate system of mirrors to always hit it a certain way—made the patterns radiate as if they were flowing with blood.

Eztli rolled his wheelchair up the carpeted ramp with difficulty. His withered hands and arms cramped from use as he inched towards the radiant throne.

He rested a short while waiting for his arm to regain strength. He then clasped the armrests and pushed, trying to stand eyes filled with determination. He wanted to sit back on his throne. Feel like he did in his youth. His body, however, refused to support his weight and he crumbled back into his seat.

I can't even stand up anymore, Eztli thought, laughing at himself. This was what the great Blood Emperor had been reduced to. Blood Emperor, ruler of the world. Commander of legions that obeyed his every command, yet here he was unable to stand.

He sighed placing his hand on the throne—feeling its silky-smooth surface. The only thing he could do without asking for help.

He sunk back into his wheelchair feeling the exhaustion spread over him. Reminding him that he was dying. His four thousand-year-old body—reinforced with years of training and qi—was at its limit.

The average human lifespan was one hundred and twenty years, but if one cultivated to the peak it extended to roughly four thousand. Even then, the body could not be maintained forever, at least that is what everyone believed. Not Eztli.

His reign would continue. He would become the Blood Emperor for eternity; his research proved it was possible.

He had spent countless years of his life and priceless resources to achieve the impossible. He developed a device that would extract the soul into a container where he could then transfer it into another vessel. That vessel—the immortal body, his masterpiece—would soon be completed. Just one last ingredient and I will leave this withered body and achieve immortality. That thought brought him happiness.

"Rhett." Eztli said.

"Yes, master?" Asked a shadow as it appeared in front of Eztli.

"Has there been any message from Wes?"

"The last message that we received from him was two days ago. He informed us that he achieved his mission and is heading back. We should expect his return by tomorrow at the latest." Rhett said bowing respectfully.

"Great!" Eztli said his mouth forming a grin, hands tightening slightly. One more day, he thought, then I'm out of this useless body. His mind drifted to his secondary research.

"What about the bloodline infusion experiment? Was it successful?"

Rhett shook his head. "Unfortunately, the experiment was a total failure. Almost all of the beasts infused with higher bloodlines died by explosion. We assume that the cause was their bodies were not able to withstand the change in bloodline."

Eztli hit the armrest and nodded. Well, it was within my expectations. He had hoped, however, that there would be some type of success as it would benefit his new body greatly. It was unfortunate that no beast surviv-

"Rhett, what did you mean by almost all beasts died?" Eztli asked his eyes lighting up with hope.

"According to the reports there was one beast that survived...although it showed no signs of change and its constitution remained the same."

Eztli smiled. That was all he needed. He could examine it and figure out how it managed to survive. Then he could replicate the process in other beasts furthering his research. He rolled his wheelchair down the ramp. "Take me there now, Rhett."

"Yes, master."

Rhett slowly approached the wheelchair. Eztli stared at the white-haired boy with amazement. His slender figure seemed to phase out of existence with each step. His eyes shining with a violet hue.

"Rhett, you have improved your understanding of the Spatial Flutter again." Eztli said praisingly.

"All thank to your teachings, master."

"I will be teaching you again," he smiled. "Once I change into my new body."

"I would be glad to have master personally teaching me." Finally, taking hold of the wheelchair, he warned. "Master, please close your eyes as to evade the motion sickness."

Eztli did as he was told. He knew that with his current body condition—even if Rhett's control was immense and the Flutter was smooth—he would be greatly affected by the spatial distortion.

The air hummed around Eztli. His ears almost popped by the change in pressure, but he felt warmth surround him. Probably Rhett enveloping him with a spatial shield. The boy took to many precautions. The feeling was gone in an instant.

"You can open your eyes now, master." Rhett said.

The smell of blood hit him hard causing his heart to beat faster, a small amount of blood qi being stimulated. He hadn't smelled so much carnage in a long time, he took a deep calming breath—settling the stimulated blood qi—and finally opened his eyes. He was not disappointed, it was indeed a carnage.

Servants cleaned the endless pools of blood—filled with pieces of organs and bones—that remained amid the shattered cages.

"Sorry master, I thought the servants were done cleaning the mess up." Rhett said with a frown. He raised his hand, probably to punish the servants, but Eztli stopped him.

"Don't worry about it. I can still manage to keep my qi under control." I'm not that useless...he thought. Although he knew Rhett was just caring for him. "Now, where is the surviving beast?"

"Over there, master." He said defeated.

Eztli's gaze landed on the beast he then beckoned a servant to bring it. A tall, broad shoulder servant noticed the gesture and quickly brought the beast to Eztli. He kneeled respectfully holding the tiny rabbit in his massive hands.

"This is a Sepir Rabbit, correct?" he looked at Rhett.

"Yes, this particular one was infused with Dire Wolf blood."

"Interesting," Eztli took the rabbit from the servant, who crawled away quietly, and continued to examined the scared little rabbit. Its fur was still white with faint blue tips no enhancement of nails, teeth or growth.

So, no change in its outward appearance, he thought. What about inside...

Eztli's fingers lit up, small tendrils of blood growing from the tips.

"Master, you shouldn't do-"

"Quiet Rhett!" he said coldly. He knew Rhett was just worried. He was in no condition to be doing something so strenuous as using his Blood Sensing Art, but he could not wait. He needed to know why this rabbit survived and if there was any change in his blood.

The tendrils merged into a sphere and floated down into the rabbit’s mouth. The rabbit squealed as it felt the Blood
Art take effect. Blood Arts required the user's blood to function. They could be used in a multitude of ways, even as far using it to heal another person at a price of some of the user's own life force. Blood Sensing was not a particularly difficult skill and it allowed the user to sense the smallest of changes—down to the cellular level.

Eztli was the last surviving member of the Blood Legacy Sect. When he was out on a mission it was attacked by a rival sect and eradicated. The surviving members fled, but were soon captured and killed. He had only managed to survive as he was locked in a maze cavern for ten years. He barely managed to survive by eating worms, roots and the refinement of his own blood. That was his darkest time, hungry, withered and longing for death, but in the end, he willed through and finally escaped the cursed maze. He obtained a Legacy which enabled him to take revenge for his sect and become the ruler of the realm. That legacy now belonged to Rhett—the Spatial Flutter.

The aura spread surrounding and inspecting the insides of the Sepir Rabbit. Sweat began to form on Eztli's body. His arms shook and his breath turned ragged. Just a bit more, he thought as he willed through the pain.

Finally, sensing the slight change in the rabbit's bloodline, he stopped the Blood Sensing Art. The experiment had succeeded. Although he did not know if the Dire Wolf blood could become the dominant one, until further testing, it was a step in the right direction.

Rhett quickly chanted his Blood Healing Art, easing Eztli's pain and recovering his stamina.

"Thanks Rhett," he said softly.

"I am just performing my duties as your disciple, master. Did you find anything?" Rhett asked.

"There is a slight change in this Sepir Rabbit's bloodline. I need to make more tests, but it shall need to wait until the soul transfer is complete. This body doesn't have the required energy to run those tests."

"We could let Wes take a look at it..."

"No! I wish to perform this analysis myself," He continued. "Only I would know what to look for. That boy is too focused on attack arts."

"Understood, master."

Eztli grabbed and pet the scared rabbit, calming it down. "Take it and care for it until I can perform a complete scan."

"Yes, master." Rhett placed his hand on the rabbit and it vanished into his spatial ring.

Eztli nodded at the action, knowing that the ring was the safest place to store it.

Eztli felt weak, he could barely speak anymore. Damn it, he cursed inwardly. How I hate this withered body. Even with Rhett's healing, the small Blood Art had caused him to lose so much energy. He turned to Rhett and whispered, tiredly. "Take me to my chambers. I wish to res-"

The door slammed open and a female servant came rushing in frantically. "Lord Eztli, Wes has returned."

 

I think indie writers like yourself try too hard make the most extravagant character names. How do you even pronounce Eztli?

 

fuck Rabbit...................

 

Looking forward to it as long as there is no harem filled with dumb bimbo.

 

Pronounced as Esti. Means blood, hence the reason I picked it.

 

Nope. No harem. Never really liked the whole idea of harems.

 

Hm. You're wobbly with tenses and punctuation, and your grammar and sentence structure could use some work. For example, "made the patterns radiate as if it was" --> "they were," "His withered hands and arms cramping from use" should be "were cramping" or "cramped," and don't forget the "inched to." "I can't even stand up anymore, Eztli thought(comma) laughing at himself." Etc. But it's definitely readable.

You should portray how Eztli's long degeneration has affected his seat of power. Right now, he seems more like the owner of a mansion than an emperor. You'd think that being the ruler of a realm for generation after generation would have shaped how its inhabitants thought of him, and perhaps made them view him as a god more than a man. Not that they don't, but...I do expect something more from someone who's been emperor for millennia.

I'm not a fan of how doll-like Rhett is, but I guess you're showing how he's been molded by Eztli, while also hinting that he's gonna turn on Eztli when he has the chance. Eztli's selfishness is interesting. Well, you're doing a bunch of interesting things, and I'd like to see how you'll play them out later. Um, try to keep the sentence-level issues from marring the story, though.

 

Thanks for your feedback! I will try to fix the mistakes once I have time. Like I have mentioned, I am a complete beginner at writing and this is my first story. I am, however, looking to improve and be able to craft the stories I have imagined.
Chapter 2 and 3 should give some light as to how Eztli has managed to keep his seat of power.
Thanks, once again.

 

Chapter Two​

Nausea attacked Eztli as the spatial crevice close. The throne room spun wildly as he fought the urge to vomit.

"Master, are you okay?" Rhett asked with a tremble in his voice.

"Yes, Rhett. It's not your fault I just forgot to close my eyes during the jump." He lied. He knew the truth was much worse. This particular spatial jump had taken a heavy toll on his weakened body. His internal organs had shifted—damaging them severely. He could feel the blood oozing out of them, but that didn't matter. Wes had returned. He would finally discard this deteriorated shell.

He looked towards the entrance doors, the Clae bark shone with a dark purple luster. Two of his Blood Guards stood at each side, eyes lifeless. Of course, they would be. They were just puppets. The epitome of Blood Arts. Blood Binding. Once you had enough control over your own blood, you could infuse drops of it into another being—altering their minds, making them completely loyal. There was danger, however. The more complex the organism was or lack of control could kill the subject.

The guards opened the heavy doors, their armors clattering. A well-built man entered with a proud stride. His wild, fiery-red hair moved in sync with his black robe.

Eztli made eye contact with the man, determination, power and arrogance filled his eyes. A man who had seen as he rose to the top. One of his proudest achievements, his disciple Wes.

He raised him as a son, passing down his Blood Legacy and teaching him everything he knew on Blood Arts. He wasn't disappointed, Wes was a genius. He had mastered the Blood Arts twenty years faster than he had. Even now, Eztli was not sure what level he had achieved; he might be in an even higher level than him, but that only made him prouder.

Soon...I will be at my prime again, he thought. Then we could travel the realm together.

Wes approached Eztli, kneeled and gave a respectful salute. "I have returned victorious, master." His voice resounded across the large hall.

"Boy," Eztli said with a laugh. "It must have been hard on you."

"Not at all, master. Your orders are my command." He waved his hand making a box appeared in his hands.

Eztli's eyes shined. The box held what he needed. "Rhett, bring it to me." He commanded.

Rhett did as he was ordered. Using his spatial flutter, he vanished appearing in front of Wes taking the box from him, without asking. He then walked back to Eztli, box in his hands.

Wes grumbled at the swift, cold action.

It seems they still don't get along well... Eztli sighed, I have to change that. He made a mental note to take care of his disciples' relationship as soon as he transferred.

His mind returned to the box.

He touched its surface tracing the sealing formation that shined with a slight golden light. I must not open it here, or the properties of the Spire Seed might be destroyed. He thought, removing his hand from the box. Fighting the urge to open it.

Motioning Rhett and Wes to follow he turned his wheelchair and rolled behind the throne. His hand pressed against the throne firmly over a large circular pattern. He willed a bit of his energy.

The pattern lit up in a particular sequence. The password for his secret lab. Only he could open it. The ground shook as the throne rose from its place, revealing a hidden passage.

Wes walked forward, but was stopped by an angry Rhett.

Before they could begin to argue, Eztli ordered. "Stop! Now is not the time." His tone held a remnant of his greatness.

Wes was a bit surprised, but it quickly faded from his face. Rhett just smiled.

Eztli closed his eyes and communicated with the Blood Guards. Ordering them to assemble.

In an instant, twenty-four guards kneeled before him. They were the strongest men he had among his thousand-strong army. That was the only reason he could maintain his throne even in his weakened state. No one would be sane enough to fight against his rule. Not after he decreed that anyone reaching the Transcendent Stage, would have to join his guard or die. It had been one thousand years since.

"Guard this place with your life." He said, heading straight for the secret passage. He motioned at his disciples to follow.

The passage turned dark as the entrance close, but soon stones illuminated the passage with an eerie white tone.

This passage was the only way to his secret lab. The stone used to build it prevented any sort of spatial distortion. Meaning no one could teleport in or out. His blood imprint—sent in a set pattern—was needed to open the passage way. Furthermore, the second door could only be accessed by him, unless he let people in, no one could get inside. Making it the safest place in the whole palace.

Reaching the second door, Eztli once again used a bit of his blood energy to open the door.

"Come, I've given you both permission to enter. You will witness the creation of the perfect body and rebirth of your master." He said with a smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you for this honor, master." They responded in unison.

Eztli nodded, moved into the room and stared at the large blue crystal in the center of the room.

"This is the body master?" Wes asked.

"Yes, the culmination of my work is here. The cold crystal maintains the body, preventing it from rotting before it is completed." He then pointed at the nearby device. The massive structure—filled with wires—took up more than half the room.

"That is the soul extracting machine. It will extract my soul, memories and essence," he took a breath. "It will place it inside a specially made container. Then Rhett will use his Spatial Flutter skill to form a tunnel, guiding my soul into the new body."

"Is there any other way of infusing the soul into the body master?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't," Eztli said, sighing. "I wish it could be automated, but the infusing process is too complicated for a machine to take care of it. There are minute changes that can only be sense if you have enough control in the Spatial Flutter." He looked at Rhett. "And Rhett happens to be capable enough for this."

Rhett blushed at the praise, box on his hands.

"So, everything is up to Rhett then," Wes said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, but Rhett will not fail."

"I will take your word, master." Wes said, his vision lingering on Rhett for a moment.

"Great," he wheeled towards the blue crystal. "now it's time to finish the body." He said, eagerly placing his hand on the surface of the crystal, frost instantly forming on his hand. The cold kept spreading up his arm until he finally burned his blood qi.

The crystal casing, clicked and moved horizontally. Its surface split into four sections—opening like a budding flower—revealing a body.

The body lay still, eyes closed, but you could feel the immense life force it contained. Its red hair moved lightly against its milky white skin.

"Master...it looks just like me." Wes couldn't help but comment.

"Yes, it does. Remember I've always mentioned that you look just how I did in my prime." He said. "We would even be mistaken for brothers."

They laughed at the comment. Eztli then looked at Rhett extending his hand to the box.

"Master, is it safe to open it now?"

"Don't worry about it. This lab has a formation set up. It covers the entirety of the lab so it will not allow any form of treasure to lose its properties. If not, the body would have withered long ago."


Rhett gave an understanding nod and opened the box revealing a fist size lump—the Spire Seed. Spire trees were very rare. They had the unique property of stealing life force from creatures and their own kind—seeds in particular. They would use the stolen Life Force as nourishment for their growth. This made it difficult to find a seed as they would most likely be sucked dry by other trees. It was amazing Wes had found one in only two years of travel.

With it serving as the heart, he thought. It will allow me to continually steal Life Force. I will be immortal.

He looked towards Wes, but did not say anything only thinking to himself. Thank you, Wes. If not for your hard work I would have died and never gotten a chance at rising to again. I hope we can spar and have adventures once the transfer is complete. His gaze shifted. Rhett, you have always taken care of me in these dire times. Even putting my health before yours. I hope I can repay everything you have done for me. These were his deepest thoughts. He felt grateful for having such good disciples.

Eztli took a deep breath clearing his mind and removed the seed from the box. His hands trembled feeling the seed pull at his Life Force. It gave a slight green shine as it hungrily ate at his wavering life. Moving quickly, Eztli set the seed on the body's heart.

The seed reacted, it sprouted roots and slowly they sunk into the body.

"Beautiful." A mutter escaped Eztli as he watched.

A flower bloomed, its red-orange petals grew wide enough to cover the entire body. Once it fully covered it, it quickly withered, leaving no trace of damage. The seed had fully merged with the body. It was a success. The body was complete.

Finally, Immortality is within my grasp. Eztli thought. Exhaustion overtook him. The pent-up stress and tension he held—coupled with his damaged organs and the slight removal of Life Force—finally caused his body to give in.

"Rhett..." he whispered. "Everything...is up to you now..." then Eztli fainted.

 

Hey man this is pretty good! Is it really your first story? Feels professional. I saw the tags, what did you mean 'sexual content'? Kind of confuse

 

Thanks! Yes, this is my first story. The sexual content tag is for the future. There will be parts were it showcases how certain parts of the world are bad. I guess I could remove it for now as it will still take a while before it gets to that point.

 

Chapter Three
​

"Master!" Rhett rushed forward immediately starting his Blood Healing Art.

You can't die yet master. He thought as he looked for any sign of Eztli being alive.

The Blood Healing Art did its job maintaining the delicate thread of his Eztli's Life Force. Rhett sighed in relief. It was weak and fading, but if he hurried he could extract his soul before it perished.

Rhett turned and looked at Wes who was standing leisurely. "Wes! Help me move master to the Soul Extractor. He doesn't have long."

Wes did not move, in fact, he took a step back.

"Wes! I know you don't like me, but this is master's life we are talking about."

A laugh escaped from Wes' lips then he said. "Just let that old cripple die already."

Rhett's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Y-you can't be serious..."

"Of course, I am. He has ruled long enough its time he died. If you won't let him die then I'll end him myself." Wes said as he lunged forward, his hand aiming at Eztli's heart.

No! Rhett thought. His hands immediately forming a seal, activating the lab's defensive formation.

A golden barrier sprung up just in time to stop Wes' blow. It expanded and sent Wes flying back, but sheer force of his punch caused the barrier to vibrate.

N-no way...he was serious. Rhett thought. He looked Wes scrambling to his feet, shocked.

"What! That shouldn't be possible. How were you able to activate the lab's formation? You shouldn't have permission." Wes said, his face contorting in anger and fists tightening.

"Master gave me full access as I needed it to operate the Soul Extractor." Rhett said. He paced towards Eztli, picking him up and carrying him towards the machine.

"Rhett, don't!" Wes shouted, punching the barrier. "No! Stop."

Rhett ignored his angry shouts and proceeded to place Eztli on the machine. He then turned to the machine's control and started it. Master soon you'll be safe. He thought turning his head to Wes, narrowing his eyes. His heart was lit in flames of anger.

"Why are you doing this Wes? Master treated you as his son. How can you betray him?" Rhett said, tears streaming down his face, he couldn't hold them back anymore.

"Son? He never treated me like that. He always sent me places to retrieve materials for his damned machine and body." Wes said calming down, his hands making several motions. "All he wants is to continue ruling for eternity. He would discard us soon after."

"You're wrong Wes. Master loved us both. He would have found a way to make us immortal too."

Wes laughed. "What do you know. How long do you think he spent building that body? You think he would spend his time—once he is immortal—creating bodies for us. You've only been his disciple for five hundred years so you wouldn't know." Wes took a deep breath then continued. "I saw what he is capable of, back in his prime. The death he caused. His merciless attitude. Now he is but an empty shell. Relying on his puppets to rule.

"The last time he was outside he happened to pick you up from that place. After he never went back out."

Rhett remembered that night. He was out with his sister and they were attacked. He tried protecting her with everything he had, but failed. When he was on the edge of death's door, Eztli descended from the sky, like a god. Saving him. Unfortunately, his sister was long gone.

"You idolize him too much Rhett." Wes said, breaking him out of the memory. "Have you ever wondered why he was there that night? How long he watched you struggle?"

What is he insinuating... Rhett thought.

Wes stared at him and continued. "He saw you fight to protect your sister and fail. He only saved you since he saw potential in you. He would groom you into his protector. And it looks like he succeeded."

No that can't be. Rhett thought, looking at Eztli. He couldn't have...

Rhett shook, his mind going in circles. Focusing on the possibility that what Wes said was true.

"Stop the machine Rhett." Wes said, almost whispering." He doesn't deserve to be immortal. If he reaches his goal it's over for us. He will rather watch us rot like he watched your sister die than grant immortality to someone else."

Rhett stared at Eztli as the machine continued to work, extracting his soul. Did he really do that? Would he really throw us away? Watch us die? Rhett asked himself. His hand inched towards the machine. Towards the shutdown mechanism.

"Yes, Rhett." Wes said, eagerly. “End him."

Rhett stopped, memories of how Eztli treated him over the past five hundred years flowed into him. The smile he showed when he improved in Spatial Flutter. The warm, fatherly look in his eyes when he spent time talking with him. He remembered it all. It didn't seem faked. A memory of a night talk—about Eztli's worry of Wes—popped into Rhett's mind and he understood why Wes was doing this. Eztli really did cared for him. For them.

The machine beeped, the soul container had filled halfway. It was nearing completion.

"Rhett, quick." Wes screamed, anxiously. "Stop the process. Help me become the new Blood Emperor I will help you gain immortality. I won't discard you."

"You are lying." Rhett said, standing to face Wes. "Master really cared for us he even told me he worried about your fear."

"What do you mean?"

"You know. Your fear of aging. Of losing the strength you are so proud of. Of ending just like him."

Wes stayed silent.

"He knew. He would have done something about it. He wouldn't allow you to go through what he did. You can still stop this. I promise not to tell him about this."

"Yes, Rhett I will admit I am afraid." Wes sighed. "But I am more afraid of him regaining his strength. Yes, the current him would do something about us but once he is immortal the old him would be back. The one who cared only for himself."

"But he took you as a disciple. He couldn't have cared only about himself."

Wes laughed hysterically. "You think he took me because he cared? He only did it because he needed my power. He needed me to reign over the world. And I was stupid to let him do it, but not anymore. I won't be left to rot."

Wes started making hand seals. Blood pooled on his fingertips, forming two spheres. It was a Blood Art Rhett had not seen before.

"No matter what Art you perform. You alone won't be able to break the barrier in time. The extraction is almost complet-"

"Who said I was alone." Wes said, grinning. The blood spheres flew through the entrance, leaving the lab. "I have all these high-level servants around." An explosion followed and the two dozen Blood Guards guarding the entrance came rushing into the lab.

"N-no way. Master's Blood Guards. How?" Rhett was shocked. The Blood Guards could only be controlled by Eztli.

"Well, I have long surpassed him in Blood Arts. It was quite easy, actually. Breaking his bond and replacing it with mine only took a drop of my blood. If formed seeds of my bond long ago. I just needed to activate it."

So that's what the blood spheres were for. Rhett thought.

The barrier vibrated and shook as the Blood Guards attacked with everything they had. It wouldn't hold long.

Rhett turned to the Soul Extractor, worry on his face. It felt like an eternity he could hear the barrier begin to crack.

Hurry up! He thought.

Several seconds later, the machine finally completed the extraction. A crystal tube, roughly two feet in height, was ejected. Rhett grabbed the crystal. This is master's soul, he thought. I must hurry. The crystal won't hold his soul for long. I just need to reach the bod-

The barrier finally broke. The combined force of the guards was enormous, it was surprising that it managed to hold that long.

"Just give up, Rhett. He has reigned long enough. It's time for a new Blood Emperor." Wes said, as his hand landed on the crystal holding the immortal body.

Rhett was completely surrounded. He looked at the body only a few feet away, Wes at its side. He could reach it, but he wouldn't be able to fight and use the Spatial Flutter to infuse the soul into the new body. Dammit. Rhett thought, looking down on the crystal. No. I need to escape and find a temporary vessel for master before his soul dissipates.

Rhett calmed himself, a wicked idea entering his mind, before he placed the crystal into his spatial ring. He ignited his life force activating his Spatial Flutter Art. He knew the backlash from this would be strong. He would probably lose a hundred years of his life, but it would worth it. He couldn't let Wes succeed. The energy concentrated around him—forming a shield—then expanded, pushing the guards back.

"It's useless you can't teleport out; the void stones won't let you. You are just wasting your life." Wes mocked.

Rhett's stayed silent. He had gained a few more moments, but Wes was right. There was no way to escape. Not unless he discovered a fault in the stone.

Taking a deep breath, Rhett closed his eyes, fully concentrating—looking for a crack—on the void stones. That was all he needed, a tiny crack to escape. Come on, there has to be one...There! Finally, he felt a minute imperfection within a void stone. He teleported out.

His view changed, he was in his room. I don't have much time. He thought. The disruption was too big and I couldn't teleport far. They will find me soon. I need to look for a vessel. Cracks appeared on his skin, his muscles weakened and he collapsed. He aged rapidly, the spatial jump had taken a bigger toll on his body than he imagined.

Rhett inspected his spatial ring, taking out the crystal. He watched as the light faded slowly. "Master, I am sorry. I could not save you..."he whispered. "There is not enough time to find you a vesse-" That's right! He remembered. The rabbit. He took out the sleeping Sepir Rabbit.

Rhett looked at Eztli's soul. "I'm sorry master, but this is the only way to save you." He placed the rabbit near the crystal and started his Spatial Art.

The space around the crystal distorted. A small tunnel of energy formed—linking it with the rabbit. The soul, sensing a new vessel, rushed towards it. The rabbit contorted, its eyes opened and blood dripped from them. The vicious screams lasted a couple of seconds before the rabbit fainted.

Before the spatial tunnel collapsed Rhett sent a strand of soul force leaving a message of Wes' betrayal.

"Success..." Rhett said his voice weak. “Now, I need to teleport it out of here." He stimulated his life once more. This could kill me...but at least if that happened Wes won't become immortal.

The door broke open as Wes walked in. His gaze landed on the empty crystal then the rabbit.

"I can't believe it. This is great." His laughter filled the room. "The great Blood Emperor now a low rabbit. It will be so fun to kill him now. No, better yet, I'll keep him as a pet. Caged, unable to do anything."

"You won't get the chance to do so..." Rhett said, smiling.

"What do you-"

The rabbit glowed. Spatial energy surrounded and swallowed the rabbit—creating a rift in space. Then it vanished.

"He's gone...You will never...find him." Rhett said, growing weaker, his life fading.

"Well it's too bad that I won't get to kill him, but what can he do as a rabbit." Wes said, using his Blood Healing Art on Rhett. "On the other hand, I can't have you die, I still need you to transfer my soul to the immortal body."

"I will never help you." Rhett shouted, feeling his wounds healing. His eyes filled with anger.

"I like those eyes," Wes said, praising him. "But no one said you were going to help willingly." His mouth turned into a wicked grin as blood extended out from his fingertips. He approached Rhett's body and place the bloody hand on his face. The blood tentacles entered Rhett's body through his ears, eyes, nose and mouth into his brain. “Become my puppet"

Intense pain and fear bombarded Rhett, realizing what his words meant. The fear—enhanced by the evil laughter—filled his mind as darkness embraced him.

 

Good luck. Will come back after 5 chaptera to read.

 

Thanks!

 

Chapter Four​

Kael had spent most of his morning in a small secluded corner of the Sect library. A faint lamp—faintly lit—illuminated the area around him. It was quiet. Today was a busy day for the disciples so no one was in the library except for him. He flipped the page of the worn book. Stopping only to inspect the text and vigorously jotted down notes in his notebook.

The notebook—bound red with his father's name embroidered on the leather—was down to its last few pages. Kael had filled the last half with descriptions of beasts: their habitats, their diets and their contract circles. Something that fascinated him after he had seen a strange, but beautiful beast on his eighth birthday. After that day, he immersed himself in books.

The first half, however, was filled with strange symbols. Not of his own writing but of his father’s. His research. The symbols were scratched so close together it was impossible to read half of them. The ones Kael could read made no sense. By this point, he had figured that the cryptic writings were in code an impossible to decipher. At least for now.

Kael glanced once more at the notebook tracing his father's name with his index finger. He then riffled through the first few pages wondering what secret the wild dark black symbols. What his father had discovered. He sighed. I wish could read it, he thought. I really do. He stopped on the final two pages his father wrote. One held three large symbols etched in a broken way as if the brush had run out of ink mid stroke. To Kael it felt intentional. The other was much different than the rest. It only held a large and rough sketch of a spiked feather—etched in red ink. Kael looked at the feather every day, wondering why he had painted it red and not black like the rest.

Is it related to the phoenix story? Kael thought.

It was said that the founder of the sect had tamed the legendary phoenix—an immortal creature of immense power. One legend states that the founder stumbled upon a bird with a broken wing and upon nursing a back to health it surrounded itself in flames and spoke to him. Another stated that he tamed it just by petting the creature. Of course, not many believed the legends. They deemed them a hoax or heavily exaggerated, claiming that if they were true the sect would still have a living phoenix.

His father believed it. He used to tell me he would one day awaken the slumbering phoenix and tame it. The last few stories he told always brought up the phoenix. He could still remember the way his father smiled and acted when he told him the stories. Kael smiled then shook his head trying to forget. He's not here anymore, Kael told himself. You won't hear any new stories...

A tear found its way to his lips, the saltiness only making him hurt more. His father had passed away a year ago when he left on an expedition, leaving him alone. Well not really alone.

Kael shifted his vision looking for Leggy. Finally, he spotted the small white spider resting peacefully on a shelf. She was an odd one. He had searched many books for what kind of spider she was, but never found anything close. Her white tipped legs merging to a dark black and her deep violet eyes hadn't been recorded in the encyclopedias he had searched.

He still didn't worry about it to much as she was his tamed beast. He, however, had not bonded it. His father had. The last thing he did before he died. He smiled at that, more tears falling.

His father was a genius. His understanding over binding beasts was beyond that of all the elders. To this day they still wondered how he had managed to bind a beast to someone else—without harming them. It was one of the reasons why Kael spent days in the library researching. He had to live up to his father's legacy. He had to make him proud. He had to awaken the phoenix.

No more crying, he thought. You have to study, master binding and decipher his notes.

He wiped the tears clear of his eyes then returned his focus to the worn book. He turned the pages and stopped on an illustration spreading across the page. A contract circle—designed to tame bird-like creatures. One of the hallmarks of the Reigned Phoenix sect. It was not the first one Kael had seen, but every time he stumbled upon a new contract circle he was fascinated. He engraved it in his memory. The drew it in his notebook.

The outer layer of a contract circle always changed as it had to be tailored to the specific species undergoing the binding. The core, however, remained the same across every circle. Kael had read it was because the core holds the contract that forms the link between beast and man. He often wondered how people figured out what symbols to draw for the different species. Did they go through trial and error? Or did they theorize and then test?

Having memorized the symbol, he sat back into his chair and stretched. "Hopefully, they have left without me." He said wishfully.

Kael was not in the library just studying. He was hiding. Today, every twelve-year-old in the sect would go and capture a beast. It was a rule that every disciple would have to raise a beast and test their aptitude for taming. The aptitude measured how closely you bonded with the beast among other things. The sect would then allocate resources depending on how well you did.

Kael thought it was a stupid test. He already had a beast. Their bond was strong and he would not replace her. His vision landed on Leggy still in her little corner strangely curling into a ball.

She has been doing that more often, he thought. I wonder why...

A sudden noise broke his train of thought. He jolted and tuned his ears to the noise.

"Are you sure he will be here?" a voice asked.

"Yes, he always spends his time here." a second voice responded.

Drat! He cursed to himself. They found me. I should have chosen another place to hide. Unfortunately, it was too late now.

He stood and rushed to one of the bookcases. Placing his back against it, he closed his eyes—focusing on his spiritual link with Leggy.

Wake up! He commanded telepathically. One of the benefits of taming a beast. If you were even more talented, you could feel the emotions and understand your beast. Almost as if they could talk back.

Leggy jumped, shocked at being suddenly awakened. She looked confused for a moment, taking glances to each side then finally spotting him. He could swear she glared at him and sent her displeasure. Crawling on the side of the bookcase she reached the top and spun her web—covering the gap between her legs. She jumped off and soared through the air, gliding towards him.

She landed gently on his shoulder, giving a soft dark glow that caused the web to melt off her. Lifting one of her legs, she poked his neck multiple times; mad at being woken up so suddenly.

Not now Leggy, he sent. They are here. Look for a way to escape.

Leggy gave a nod, climbed the bookcase, ran across the top and disappeared.

A while later, she returned and pointed to the left isle. Kael nodded and ran in the direction Leggy pointed. Rushing into the isle he tripped over the mess of books he had made earlier.

Damn it, he thought. I should have picked them up earlier. He instantly regretted that he hadn't.

The voices grew near.

"Did you hear that?" the first voice said.

"He's over here!" a boy screamed.

Kael scrambled to his feet, commanding Leggy. Look for a way out. Quick!

Leggy rushed, jumping and soaring as she looked for a way out of this mess. Kael struggled to keep up with her, but pushed on. He didn't want be forced to go on the mission. Nearing the exit of the library, his mouth turning into a grin.

"You won't catch me!" he yelled, celebrating.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure." A calm controlled voice came from the door.

Kael slowed to a halt and stared at the figure blocking his way. His best friend Nar.

"Why are you with them?" Kael asked

Nar strut forward elegantly. "To catch you, of course."

"So, you betrayed me, what a friend you are."

"I did not betray you. I'm just following the elder’s orders. If you have any complaints take them to him."

Kael fumed, tightening his hands into fists. He hated this part of Nar. The way he carried himself when on an errand by the elders. His calmness just set him off, especially when he placed orders before friendship. Kael sometimes asked himself why he was friends with him.

Kael looked around hoping to find a gap in the encirclement, but the other three boys had done a great job cutting off any escape routes.

Guess there is only one way out of this, he thought as he took a battle stance.

"Be careful" Nar told the other boys. "He has a tamed beast."

The boys cringed back slightly, fear could be seen appearing in their eyes.

"Yea, that's right," Kael grinned. "Leggy come here."

She responded immediately, gliding in the air and landing on his head. The boys finally gave to fear and retreated.

"Kael, just give up!" Nar said, growing mad at the sight of the boys giving in to fear so easily.

"Never," he smirked. "Leggy! Bind him with your web."

Nar took a fighting pose, but nothing happened.

"Leggy?"

Nar's laughter filled the room. Kael reached over his head and understood why Nar was laughing.

Leggy had curled into a ball, sleeping.

"Looks like even she agrees that you should give up.”

Why at this time? Kael thought.

"I can still take you on." He said.

"You could," Nar nodded, "but you can take on all four of us. Can you?”

Kael turn noticed the boys inching forward, anger on their faces.

"C-can we talk about this?" Kael said, his voice quivering.

The boys shook their heads and closed in on him.

 

Chapter Five
​

The sun was long past its highest point, tinting the sky an eerie yellow-orange, surprising Kael. He hadn't realized how long he had spent inside the library. The books always drew him in.

They had past several courtyards weaving their way through the sect grounds. Kael had stayed quiet, thinking of ways to escape, but Nar had ordered the boys to drag him.

His feet didn't even touch the ground. Kael noticed several Elders relaxing and making their rounds. They smiled and whispered to each other as Kael dragged by. Some of the more shameless ones even laughed especially Elder Sal. His laughter carried on for miles and was higher pitched than a Shorn squeal.

Those creatures would appear during the winter nights and wail nonstop. It was a terrifying sound. People said that the Shorn could also take on the form of loved ones—no one knew how they achieved that—and even take their voices.

Kael had been awakened in fear by those screams. His father's screams, but distorted. He had cursed at them for taking his father's voice, but Dean would drag him inside before he ever caught a glimpse of them. Before he saw if they had taken his form too. Kael often wondered what he had done to be tormented by a Shorn using his father's form. That wonder, however, also extended to seeing the true form of a Shorn and be the first to record it.

The laugh got louder shaking his thoughts. Even the boys reacted to it and jolted, almost dropping him—a chance he could have used to escape—but one of them held on hard and picked up the pace.

Soon they were past the cobble section and onto a dirt trail. In the distance Kael could make out a bright red robe surrounded by shades of green. Elder Dean. It was unmistakable. Only he would wear a robe so bright. Kael even wondered if the man had a mental problem. Ever since he came to live under his roof, after his father's death, he had yet to see him wear something dull.

Kael gave up trying to run away and sighed. Of all the elders, it had to be Dean leading this particular mission. He should have expected that when Dean told him to meet him after lunch. Of course, he chose to study instead.

"Nar can you at least let me walk there?" Kael asked, giving a defeated sigh.

Nar studied him for a moment staying silent.

"Look, it's embarrassing. The other's will see me being dragged there." Kael said.

"Put him down." He said, nodding.

Two of the boys complied, but the largest of them still clutched to his arm. Kael tried to break free, but the boy's grip was astonishingly strong.

"Let me go." Kael said. "Didn't you hear him?"

The boy held his grip. No, he gripped harder a smile filling his face.

"It might be a trick..." the boy said.

"Levy, just let him go." Nar snapped.

"Fine, but if he runs its on you Nar." He said, finally letting go and whispering into Kael’s ear. “You are lucky...this time."

Levy. That name sounded familiar to Kael but he couldn't recall how he knew him. Kael never spent time with the other kids his age. Not because he felt superior to them but because he buried himself in books. Rarely going out of his room and the library. Or so he liked to believe. The truth was that whenever he tried to strike a conversation with any of them it ended the same; they gave him glances then they simply walked away. They disliked him, not for his personality, but because of his special status.

Kael looked at the golden badge—shaped as a phoenix soaring upwards—on his chest. His father's symbol and his mark as an inner disciple.

Others are struggling to rise in status. He thought. Yet I'm already an inner disciple.

He shook his head before trotting forward to Nar and matching his pace.

"Hey, when did this Levy kid become your underling?" he asked Nar.

"He didn't. He volunteered when Elder Dean ordered us to find you."

He glanced back at Levy still grinning, staring at him. Something felt off to Kael. Why would he volunteer to help? He wondered.

Reaching the crowd, Kael noticed the kids—wearing green long sleeved robes—sweating. Some sat on the ground while others stood with large bags on their backs. Prepared for the mission.

They give him glances mixed with frowns and unsatisfied whispers. Damn, Kael thought. They really don't like me. And why would they? He had them wait under the scorching sun for heaven knows how long.

Kael lowered his head hiding his shame. Leggy somehow still stayed on his head, sleeping. Unconsciously his right hand grasped the badge, covering it.

"Well," Dean said, facing the crowd. "Now that all of us are here, I will explain the exact details of the mission.

"All of you have been studying in the sect for four years now. And many of you come from commoner backgrounds; part of the sect's program to uncover outstanding talents that otherwise would have not gotten a chance to shine.” he paused for effect then continued, “The sect gave you the chance, but you have all worked hard and pushed through—treading on this hard path. Today, you take another step on that hard road. Some may still think that because others have a special status..." He stopped to look at Kael. "You will never succeed.

"I want you to stop thinking that. Status might let you get a head start, but that, however, doesn't mean you aren't able to achieve greatness. If you work hard enough, you can climb to the top. I know because I myself was once part of the same program you are in."

Gasps spread through the crowd.

He's manipulating them again, Kael scoffed, looking at the crowd of kids tightening their fists an eager expression in their eyes.

"This is your chance." Dean continued. "You will enter the blue section of the forest and capture a beast. Your first beast. Commen-"

"Dean," Kael interrupted, "I already have a beast." This was his chance to get out of this mission.

The crowd of kids gasped and Dean turned giving him a glare. "Show respect boy. It's Elder Dean."

Crap! Kael thought. This is going to end bad.

Even if Dean dressed in ridiculously bright robes and didn't mind being called Dean in private. Dean placed his image above everything else. And he had just disrespected him. In front of a bunch of kids nonetheless.

"Elder Dean," he corrected. "Can I be exempt from this mission?"

"No, everyone must take part in this mission."

"But I already have a beast!"

"Doesn't matter if you do. You will be part of this mission. It's the rules, Kael." He said, staring down at him. "And even you are not above them."

He's bringing my status up again. Kael thought.

Dean always tried to make him get along with them. To stop thinking that he was special.

I'm not special, he told himself. But I need to make dad proud.

"I don't think I'm above anyone else. I just don't have time to waste with stupid missions."

"Oh. I didn't know the tradition that even your father followed was stupid."

"T-that..."

"Elder Dean, he is probably just making excuses because he is scared to enter the forest." A boy said. Kael turned. It was Brin. He stood there—blond hair and golden robes shifting in the breeze—with a smug look on his face.

"He probably is. Should have seen how we struggled to drag him here." Levy said, joining in.

"That's not it!" Kael said, raising his voice. “All I meant was that it's stupid for me to take this test since I already have Leggy."

Dean approached him, removing Leggy from his head and placing her inside his robes. "There, you have no beast now. Problem solved. Now go stand among the others."

Kael wanted to protest, but he was pulled back by Nar.

"Let it go Kael." He said. “It’s only three hours."

Nar was right. If he continued, it would only make things worse. It would make seem he was really afraid. He turned and glared at Brin. Levy stood next to him.

No wonder he volunteered. Kael thought. He's with him.

Brin was the only disciple with the same status as him. He always acted with superiority and arrogance. He tried to show his genius but every kid thought of him as an annoyance.

Kael had to admit that although Brin threw his status left and right, he knew what he was doing. He always managed to hold conversations and the kids interest. Even if they only talked to him in hopes of benefits.

Dean probably worried that he would end up like Brin.

Like if I would ever stoop that low. He laughed inside.

Ignoring Brin he looked towards the forest and tuned out the rest of Dean's explanation.

Shortly it was over.

"Alright now go and capture your chance at success." Dean said, finishing his speech.

The kids shouted in agreement and ran into the forest. Kael sighed and followed.

"Hey Kael, wait up." Brin said, catching up to him.

"What do you want?"

"No need to be hostile. I just wanted to make this more interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"A competition. Let’s see who captures the best beast."

"Brin, like he will ever beat you." Levy said, laughing. "Look he is not even prepared."

Kael narrowed his eyes at Levy.

"Well, that is true..." Brin trailed off. "I guess I was placing my hopes up for nothing."

"I accept." Kael yelled. "I don't need to be prepared to catch a beast better than what you will ever catch."

"You are on, Kael. No backing off now." He said, smiling and walking away.

 

Chapter Six​

What have I gotten myself into. Kael kept repeating in his mind as he entered the forest.

He had agreed to Brin's stupid competition in the spur of the moment, but thinking about it—and hating to admit it—Levy was right. How was he supposed to catch a beast without any tools?

He sighed and continued deeper into the forest. The trees rose higher and the vegetation grew thicker. Wild. Untamed. The setting sun was soon shrouded and he stood in the shadow.

Just him and the forest. Its sounds resounded in his ears. He focused on the insects and birds chirping.

"This isn't so bad." Kael said.

A cloud of insects crawled and buzzed around him. Biting, stinging and pricking his skin. Swatting madly only made things worse and aggravated them. Kael stopped killing them and ran; trying to get away from the infernal stinging.

"Damn it." He cursed out loud. Suddenly he tripped over a fallen log and dived head first onto a patch of cool mud. He turned on his back drenching himself in mud.

At least the bugs stopped biting me. He thought, covering his face in frustration.

"How I'm I to do this alone." He yelled. He missed Leggy. With her he could at least capture something, anything, to get out of the forest and return to his books. Even if it meant losing the competition.

"With help." A voice said.

Kael froze at the sound of the calm voice.

Did I imagine it? He thought, quickly trying to clean the mud from his eye. No someone is there.

"Nar?" he asked. "Is that you." His eyes could only distinguish shades—still affected partly by the mud.

"Wow Kael. We just entered the forest and you already look like you've been here a week." Nar said, laughing.

"Shut up. Whose fault is it that I'm here in the first place."

"You are still mad about that? I told you I was following orders."

“You could have let me go...” he trailed off, his vision getting better. Nar sat on a stump, his long-sleeved robe tightly around his arms and a large bag at his back.

Where did he get that? Kael wondered. He didn’t have it before.

“I couldn’t do that. Here,” Nar suddenly reached into his bag and threw a bottle at him. "Clean your face and let's go."

Barely catching the bottle, he poured the contents on his hands then rubbed his face clean of mud.

"Go where?"

"Catch some beasts of course."

"I don't need your help." Kael insisted, walking away. He was mad at him for throwing him in this situation.

"Oh really? Then I’m sure you know where you are going and that you won't need this bug repelling pellet, right?" Nar said mockingly, holding up a small sphere.

He stopped. He was right. Kael didn’t know where to go he had been walking randomly. He felt the bugs stinging again and shivered.

"Just give it here." Kael said, rushing forward and swallowing the pill.

"I'll take that's a yes then." Nar said, pacing past him and into the forest.


##


Nar had led the way for the past thirty minutes. The trees started getting sparse and some clearings could be seen every few minutes.

"How far in are we going?"

"Not much farther. We are almost to their nest."

"What kind of beast nests this far in. I can see the yellow wall already."

The forest was divided into three sections—blue, yellow and maroon. Each section was more dangerous than the last.

The blue section, which they were currently in, held only beast cubs. There wasn't any type danger. Kael didn't quite understand how, but he had read that a formation maintained it that way. Whenever a beast went beyond the threshold, it would be sent to the next section through the yellow wall.

"The Roc Fox makes its nest near the energy that is given off by the wall."

Roc foxes? Kael thought. Are you crazy. His eyes widened at Nar.

Roc foxes were known for their beauty. Their colors of their fur—usually an orange or red—remained steady but the feathers on the back of their legs varied. Some scholars believed that the species was a dormant offshoot evolution. Many experimented on them. Cross breeding in hopes of mutation and the awakening of its potential. All had failed, however, causing the foxes to lose their feathers or die quickly after.

"But that species is intelligent and incredibly fast even as cubs. How the hell are we catching one?"

Nar rummaged through his bag and took out a strange herb and a net. Kael didn't recognize the herb but it had three stalks each narrow and the size of a pen. The net, however, was something he had seen and read about.

"How did you get a Versilk net? The price is outrageous."

Nar smiled. "Elder Norman lent it to me."

"Norman? That stingy guy?" Kael asked, dumbfounded. Norman was known throughout the sect for his strict standards and prices. He never dropped his prices. Not even for elders. He had even heard Dean complain several times about his prices to Roan—the master of the Material Palace—but even he didn't manage to change Norman's mind. It was a miracle Nar had managed to borrow something.

"Yes, he is surprisingly interested in my talent for herbs." Nar said, smiling. "He says it's the best he's seen. He even hinted at taking me as his apprentice."

"What? No way. That old guy is actually planning on taking someone in?"

"Kael, you should really respect the elders...lest things like what happened earlier with Elder Dean will repeat themselves."

He winced. It was true. He was too used to just calling elders by their name. "I-I know, but it's you and me righ-"

Nar covered his mouth and quickly removed a small bottle from his belt. He removed two yellow pills, ate one and stuffed the other into Kael's mouth.

"The antidote." Nar whispered.

Antidote for what? Kael wanted to ask but Nar crouched and proceeded slowly into some bushes.

Waiting a moment, Nar lit the herd aflame with a flint and threw it between two small mounds of dirt.

Soon three red foxes came out of a hole and ran into the clearing, rolling on the floor. One fainted shortly after, but the other two still managed to stand.

Kael stared in wonder as the scene played out. How had Nar known the foxes were there? He gave Nar a suspicious look.

The smoke continued to spread forming a huge cloud that burned his eyes. The feeling of fainted spread through his body and Kael staggered.

"Nar are you sure you gave me the right antidote?" he whispered, slurring his words.

No response. He tried to open his teary eyes and look around, but that made them burn more. His throat was soon in flames as well. Suddenly, a soothing chill spread from his stomach through his body. He managed to stand noticing that Nar had been in the same situation.

"What the hell Nar. It felt like I was on fire." Kael said, his voice raspy. "I thought you gave me the antidote."

"I forgot that it took a minute or two for it to take effect. And noticing the Roc Foxes near I grew eager. Sorry."

"How did you know they were there? There's trees everywhere and there are even mounds of dirt covering the place."

Nar stayed silent for a moment. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Uh sure."

"I felt an itch on my back." He said, blushing.

"An itch? That's how you knew?"

"I know it sounds weird, but I'm telling the truth. It started about three months ago." He continued. "Whenever something approached the center of my back would itch. At first, I dismissed it as my imagination but as the days passed it persisted and grew stronger. Finally, I began testing by closing my eyes and focusing on it. To my surprise I could faintly see outlines of people or beasts and know what they were doing."

"That sounds awesome." Kael said.

"Like hell, it freaked me out. Thought I was going insane or seeing ghost. Then I realize what it actually was and I started thinking of it as a benefit."

Kael wanted to ask more but a whimper resounded. The second fox had fallen.

"Let's go catch them." Nar said, heading into the dispersing smoke.

Kael approached the foxes and stood next to Nar who had a fascinated look on his face. Following his sight, he noticed one fox still standing. Its legs wavered and the feathers on his front legs were fully extended showing a hostile posture. Pure black feathers.

"Amazing. It is still displaying so much willpower." Nar said. "That Lorh Herb should have caused even a mature Roc Fox to faint. Kael, let me have that one."

"Nar its feathers are weird. I’ve never read anything that suggested something like this. The feathers are never a single color.”

“That’s why I want it. It will be a good beast I’m sure.”

“Alright…

I'll just take one of the others. It should be enough to shut Brin up. Kael thought. Even if he ends up getting a better beast.

Nar threw the Versilk Net over the standing fox. The weight of the net caused the fox to finally give in to the herbs effect and fell into a slumber. Just as they neared Nar tackled him hard.

Before he could yell out a loud boom resounded throughout the forest. A streak of purple lightning crossed the place Kael was standing and continued breaking the air-towards the yellow wall. A strong force burst and sent both of them tumbling in the air.

 

Chapter Seven​

Kael hit the ground hard. His head ached and ears rang constantly. Disoriented he stood and looked around for Nar.

Nar laid a few feet away covered in dust. He didn’t look hurt. Kael made his way to him and offered a hand to help him stand.

“Thanks for saving me Nar.” Kael said sincerely.

If he didn’t tackle me I would have been pierced through. He thought looking at the path of destruction the lighting had caused.

The mounds of dirt had been flattened. Several trees shattered by the force but the most destruction was in the center—were the beam had passed. It was like nothing Kael had ever seen. The trees had a huge perfectly round hole as if something took a bite of them. Squinting his eyes Kael noticed sawdust floating.

They were disintegrated and grind to dust…he stared in awe. What could have caused this? His curiosity urged him to go see what it was. No, he needed to know.

"Did you see what it was?" Kael asked.

"I don't know," Nar said. "All I saw in my mind was purple. The itch became so strong it hurt and my body acted on its own and tackled you."

Kael unconsciously started walking down the path of destruction.

“Kael, where are you going? It’s dangerous.”

“I need to know what it was. You can follow or stay behind.”

“Damn it, Kael.” Nar said. “Just wait up.”

Kael turned and glanced at Nar who was searching for something. Quickly, he found the Versilk net—fox still inside—and tied it to his bag.

“Aren’t you getting a fox?”

“Oh right,” Kael responded, looking for one of the foxes and placing it inside Nar’s net. “There, now let’s go.” He then led the way.


##


Kael faced a giant yellow wall. It glowed brightly and seem to reach the heavens. Or at least Kael couldn’t see the end of it. A faint constant humming could be heard. Strange symbols—too advanced for either of them to understand—swirled, expanding and contracting within the wall. They brimmed with energy.

Kael had heard older disciples talk about the grandeur of the different walls—blue, yellow and maroon—that divided the forest, but they had not done it justice. He stood there fascinated. He rushed and place his hands on the wall, feeling the energy. It coursed through his body causing a slight tickle.

Before he could feel anything else, the symbols gathered around his hands and pushed them away.

Fascinating. He thought. How do they do that? How much force do they enact. Is it relative to how much force is used?

He tried pushing harder with his hands and the wall responded equally—confirming one of his many questions.

He needed write them down. Study them. His dad would have surely done that and more. He would have understood the symbols.

Kael rummaged through his robe, took out his notebook—still in pristine condition. His father had set a small formation on the journal that protected it from outside harm. It even prevented the book from burning. The only reason Kael always kept it with him without worrying.

Opening it to the last pages, he drew. In seconds, he managed to draw all the symbols within his vision. Nar pulled on Kael's robe bringing him out of his trance.

"What?" he asked, dissatisfied. His eyes still lingering on the symbols.

"There's a purple spot on the wall." Nar said, pointing.

A few meters down the wall, strange purple mist leaked out. Kael ran towards it. Nobody mentioned this, he thought. Could it be related to the strange lightning.

He slowed down to a walk as he approached the mist. Then he stopped. There on the wall there was a hole. A purple rim, about a hand wide, surrounded the hole followed by a horde of symbols rapidly enclosed it—discarding the energy causing it to mist.

This was impossible. The wall couldn’t be breached. That’s what everyone said. He looked at the hole again. It was big enough to squeeze through. Kael got on his knees and crawled towards it. He wanted to know what caused the wall to break.

"Kael, we shouldn't go through." Nar said, a tremble in his voice. "That's the yellow side. The beasts there are dangerous."

His face crossed the wall and the mist faded slightly allowing him a view of the other side; a portal—at least that is what it seemed like—rapidly shrinking and a rabbit popping out of it.

How is that possible? He wondered. That beast must be special. I need to have it and study it.

"Nar, there's a beast on the other side that I want." He said.

"Are you crazy? We already have the foxes. Plus, the beasts on that side could kill you."

Nar was right, but the rabbit wasn't that far and he couldn't see any beasts around. If he hurried he could get to it and be back on this side without danger.

"I'm going to go get it." Kael said. Without waiting for Nar's protest, he crossed the wall.

Cautiously, he looked around making sure there was no beasts and approached the rabbit. Slowly at first then gaining speed as he reached it. It was beautiful. The rabbit was white, but the tips of its fur were blue. The most interesting part, however, was the strange purple scar on its forehead—a perfect circle with a spiral on its center.

"Kael!" Nar shouted. "Come back now. There's a wolf."

Caught off-guard by the sudden scream, Kael searched.

Then he saw it.

A massive gray wolf, off in the distance, walking towards him. Kael’s fascination for the rabbit turned to fear instantly. It ran across his body like blood—paralyzing every muscle. His breath turned shallow until neared a complete stop. He could only focus on the dark yellow eyes glaring at him; the drool dropping from its snarling mouth; the teeth, sharp like a row of daggers, glinting in the sun.

"Kael!"

As if on cue the wolf came to a sprint.

Coming to his senses, Kael grabbed the rabbit, put it inside his robe and rushed back to the hole in the wall. His vision narrowed—the previous lack of oxygen's fault. Weakness infected him making his legs unstable and he tripped. He scraped his head as he tumbled, but at the same time it allowed a view of the wolf. It was much closer now. Far too close.

I can't die here. He told himself. I need to become strong. Just like dad.

He willed himself to stand—blood dripping from the fresh wound on his head—in spite of the fear he felt. Adrenaline surged through his body, giving him an extra push. He didn't dare look back now. He had wasted too much time. The wolf was reaching him. Faster, he urged himself. Just a bit more.

Kael was only ten feet from the hole, yet at that very moment, it seemed miles away. Every step he took felt an eternity. Five feet. Two feet. He jumped into the hole.

Halfway through, pain shook his leg. The wolf had scratched him. It headed for a bite, but Nar pulled him to safety. The wolf growled, its front claw trying to grasp at him. Fortunately, the wolf was unable to get through the hole.

Kael gasped for air, hands and legs sprawled wide. Nar noticed the gash on his leg. Hurriedly he searched his bag for anything to tourniquet the wound. Not finding anything useful, he took a knife to his robe. After, he cut strands of his Versilk net.

"You are crazy, Kael." Nar said, wrapping the torn cloth and tying it.

Kael calmed down. The adrenaline was gone, pain and soreness riddled his body, but he survived.

"Kael, we need to head back. The elder needs to see your wound."

"No. It's alright." Kael muttered.

"It’s not alright!” Nar yelled. “It could get infected."

"I have herbs back at my house. I can take care of it" He said, sitting up. Kael didn't want Dean to know. Heaven save him if he found out that he crossed to the yellow section and the danger he went through.

He turned to Nar with a serious face. "Promise me, you won't speak of what happened."

Nar hesitated. His face showed signs of worry, but in the end, he gave a small nod.

Kael smiled. He could trust Nar to keep his word. He felt inside his robe and pulled out the rabbit. His gaze lingered on him. I almost died for you. He thought. I hope it was worth it.

"You risked your life for that?" Nar asked, finally taking a look at the strange rabbit.

"Hey, I can feel this beast is special." It has to be. He whispered to himself. It came from that portal.

"Is it even alive? It's not moving."

The thought of it being dead had not crossed Kael's mind. Worriedly, he lifted and inspected it, searching for signs of life. Its limbs hung like those of a doll.

No, it can’t be dead. He thought. Kael placed a finger on its nose and sighed in relief.

"I can feel its breath." He said. "It's weak, but its alive."

Kael stood placing the rabbit back into his robe. He placed weight on his wounded leg—testing it. Pain rushed up to his hip and he staggered. Hopefully, Nar was there and caught him.

“You sure you can walk?”

“Yea, the pain just caught me by surprise.”

The pain was bearable if he anticipated it, but hiding the wound would be a bit hard. That worried him. He needed to figure out a way to hide the wound before he reached the exit.

He limped forward and motioned Nar to follow.

"Come on, let's get out of this forest."

 

Chapter Eight
​

Sweat trickled down Kael’s brow causing his wound to sting. He rubbed his brow, but that only made things worse. The thin layer of dried blood that formed was ripped clean, exposing the wound, making it bleed again. He grimaced at the slight burning sensation on his forehead, but that was soon overshadowed by his right leg.

It was numb yet it pained. It was weird. He barely had control over it, but whenever the leg touched the ground again the sensation would be amplified. The pain would shoot and spread like a fire.

He tried to shift his attention to the scenery and keep his mind occupied with something other than pain but it was for naught.

Kael lost his balance and fell. His arms shivered uncontrollably. His breathing was ragged and vision blurry.

So cold. He repeated in his mind.


##


Damn it. Nar thought as Kael fell.

He rushed forward to check his condition. It was bad. He was delirious and burning up.

Why didn’t he say anything? He complained to himself, but he knew Kael. He was stubborn and would not admit weakness.

During the long walk, he had wondered if he should have told Kael to wait and rush ahead for help. Kael wouldn’t have let him do it though. He would bring up the promise he made.

You should have still done it. He told himself. His life is on the line.

Nar regretted his decision, but it was too late for that. Kael was in dire need of help. He needed to find a place with herbs and try to help him.

He rummaged through his bag taking out his map. Quickly he found where they were. Hopefully, they were near the center spring.

He looked at his things and beast then at Kael. He tossed Kael on his back and made his way to the spring.

It was not a long walk, in just ten minutes he found himself atop a small incline.

The spring was located at the bottom of the crater. According to what Elder Dean said, it was made by the sect founder after he tamed the phoenix and even had a formation set by him.

Nar had also read that the place calming and brought peace. It even helped a few elders make breakthroughs. Nar could see why.

It was beautiful.

Rocks and herbs—of varying sizes and colors—surrounded the area, bringing it to life. The water itself seemed to glow. In a strange way, everything seemed so perfect as if it was created by nature itself. Nar forgot himself for a moment and took in the scene. Energy flowed inside him. Slowly traveling through his body until it reached the place where the itch happened.

At that moment, he saw a vision. A lone tall man—his skin white as snow, eyes like fire—and a bird on his shoulder. The bird itself was majestic, unlike anything Nar had seen. Its feathers glowed with color.

T-this…Nar thought, shocked. It was the first time in his visions that he saw color.

The bird grew brighter and the mans eyes lit up with red and looked at him. He smiled and walked to him and placed his hand on his head. The man spoke words Nar couldn’t understand then a large influx of energy flowed into him. The man’s image along with the bird then vanished.

What was that. Nar thought. That man and the bird…what did they do?

Kael moved, breaking his thought and reminding him what he was here to do. Placing Kael down he began his search for herbs distracting his mind of what had just occurred.

His itch helped him greatly, guiding him to the location of the exact herb he needed. It felt different, enhanced even. He couldn’t help, but think of the vision and what the man did. For now, he assumed that the man somehow made the strange power stronger. He thanked the heavens for it. If it didn’t happen, he would have spent longer trying to find the herbs. Having gathered the herbs, he realized that he had left all his tools with his bag. He left the herbs next to Kael and ran back to his things.


##


The smell of crushed herbs woke Kael. Opening his eyes he saw Nar working.

“N-nar…” he said, struggling.

“you are awake. This is good means the wound isn’t as bad as I thought. We can use the her-“

“W-water…” Kael said. He tried swallowing—his tongue rubbed the roof of his mouth—but failed.

In a second, Nar had a bottle to his chapped lips. Gulping the water, he felt in heaven. The sweet flavor was the best he’d ever had. The coolness spread down his throat, easing his pain.

“You better?” Nar asked, concerned.

“Thanks. Where are we?” Kael asked, finally noticing the change in scenery.

“At the center spring. I carried you while you were unconscious.”

“w-wait how long was I out?”

“About thirty minutes or so.” Nar said, going back to his rhythmic crushing.

Damn. He thought. That means we only have less than an hour before the mission is over.

Noticing the water, Kael was astonished. It was glowing and was so clear—even more than the sect’s drinking water—that it seemed transparent. He moved forward, his leg not bothering him much. Squinting his eyes, he noticed a large shining symbol in the center of the spring.

"This place has a formation?" he asked Nar.

"Yeah," Nar said. "Didn't you pay attention to Elder Dean? He told us before we entered that if we lost our water we could come here as a formation purifies the pond."

Dean said that? He thought. Maybe I should have listened to him.

Kael took a seat near the edge. Slowly he undid the bandage on his leg revealing the monstrous wound. Blood no longer spilled out but the wound was gruesome. Sure to leave a scar. He scooped water with his right hand and sprayed it over the wound. Kael watched the trail of red flow in the water. It spiraled towards the center, disappearing into the shining symbol. Surprised he dipped the blood-soaked cloth staring intently as the seeping blood traveled once again towards the symbol—disappearing. His mind worked trying to figure out how it made that happen.

Nar approached him carrying a bowl with a disgusting green mush.

“You shouldn’t have moved around.” He said. “Well, at least you cleaned the wound for me.”

He then applied the herb onto his wound. It stung at first then the pain was gone.

When did he learn about herbs? He wondered.

Grabbing the cloth, Nar then proceeded to tie it around him.

“Are those Versilk threads? Just how di-“

His vision trailed to the net. It was torn at some places, but still managed to hold the beast.

“Norman is going to kill you…”

“don’t worry about. At worse I will just have to become his apprentice.”

“Thanks.” He said.

He still felt bad, however, that he placed Nar in this situation all for his stupid actions. All for the rabbit. He felt around his robe, but did not find his journal or rabbit.

“Nar, my journal. It’s gone.” Kael said, standing in a frenzy.

“Calm down I placed it in my bag along with the rabbit.”

He walked towards the bag and opened it taking his journal and placing it against his chest. It calmed him. He always kept it with him. It made him feel his father was still next to him; telling him stories; smiling at him; holding him.

After a while he placed opened it to a blank page and drew the symbol in the center of the spring. Finishing his drawing he placed it within his robe—over his heart—where it belonged.

Kael took the rabbit, its tiny figure still slept peacefully, and put it inside his robe.

A sudden movement scared him. The foxes where waking up.

Nar approached and pet the waking foxes.

“Are you sure you want to keep that rabbit instead of the fox?” Nar asked.

“Yeah.” He said without hesitation. “let my fox loose.”

Sighing Nar did as he was told and set him on the ground—keeping the black feathered fox inside.

It slowly got up and shied away as soon as it noticed them. The other fox squirmed alive. Nar tried calming it but it snarled, bit him and tried to escape the net. He let out a sigh as he tied the net to a tree and sat next to Kael.

“Doesn’t seem to like you much. Huh?”

“He’s just scared at the moment.” Nar said confidently. “He will come around once I tame him. How’s your leg feeling?”

“Much better, thanks.” Kael said, smiling.

But then it hit him.

How would they explain his wrapped leg? He looked around noticing the mud at the edge of the spring. He was already covered in mud from when he fell after entering the forest, so he could probably disguise it. He grabbed a handful of mud and spread it over his legs making it impossible to distinguish the Versilk wrapped cloth. Now all that was left was getting rid of his limp.

Kael stood, practicing his gait. Pacing back and forth adjusting the limp making it less noticeable. To the side Nar watched bellowing out commands fixing mistakes that eluded Kael. With his help, he finally managed to fake a normal walk. The pain, however, still struck when placing weight on the damaged leg, but it was manageable.

Kael thanked Nar for his help. Joyful that he had followed behind when they entered.

Without him I would have been able to get the rabbit. He would have probably ended up not capturing anything. Worse yet, end up stung to death by bugs. Kael shuddered, but laughed at the thought.

"We should get going." Nar said, worried. "The three-hour limit is almost up."

Nar turned and stared with a blank look. Lost in thought.

“Kael, did you heard someone talk right now?” Nar asked, still with a strange look on his face.

“Yeah, I was the one who talked. Let’s get going. Time is almost up.” Kael said once again.

“So only I can hear him…” Nar mumbled.

“Come on, Nar.” Kael said, pulling him away from the spring.


Fortunately, they still made it out in time. Most of the kids were laughing and boasting about the beasts they had captured. Kael spotted Brin and Levy approaching.

"Well, it was about time you got out." He said, mockery in his voice. "I was beginning to worry that you ran away."

"From the looks of it, he was wasting his time bathing in mud." Levy added.

Kael felt his cheeks turn red. It really did seem that way. He fought the urge to blur out that he had stepped into the yellow section.

Stop. He told himself. Don't listen to them. You'll get in bigger trouble if you say that. Dean would hear.

He eyed Dean. He was staring at the kids and nodding with a satisfied expression as he noted the beasts they capture. He still hadn’t noticed the wound on his leg. A good start. He had to keep it that way until it healed.

"Check out my beast. Kael." Brin said, removing the cover of the huge box Levy carried. A cage. Within was a wolf cub.

Shock filled Kael's eyes. It was the same as the gray wolf that almost killed him.

Just how did he get it? He thought.

The pup was violent. It clawed and bit at the cage doing its species justice. Gray wolves were known for their dominating and violent behavior since birth. Cubs would often fight to the death until one remained. It was part of their ritual. The strong survived and the weak perished. Surprisingly, their numbers didn’t suffer.

In fact, more and more of them littered the continent. So much in fact, that sects would often send disciples on missions to reduce their population for the safety of the people.

The fact that Brin had actually found and captured one was astonishing. The scar filled cub was probably the only one in the entire forest.

"Where is your beast?" Brin asked.

Hesitating Kael took out the rabbit from his robes. Brin burst out laughing.

"That little rabbit is your beast. It makes sense. Someone scared to enter the forest wouldn't try to tame a good beast."

"Just wait and see until my rabbit beats your wolf." Kael said, confidently.

"Like that will ever happen." Levy said. “A rabbit beating a wolf. That would be a miracle.”

"We will see about that." Kael insisted.

“Sometimes I wonder if you are really the son of genius.” Brin said, sighing.

Kael tightened his fist preparing a punch, but before he could throw it, Dean spoke.

“The mission is over. We will now head to the Material Palace.”

The kids cheered and followed.

Did Dean notice I was going to punch him? Kael asked himself, noticing Dean glare at him. Of course he did.

Dean always seemed to know when he did something bad. He glanced at his right leg. He hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

Brin’s bragging voice snaked into his ear. Kael turned focusing on him as he continued to show off his beast to the crowd. Anger still sparking inside him for what he said.

One day, Kael vowed, tightening his fists, I’m going to give him a good punch to the face.