Found You!

She feels it before she hears it. A cold sense of dread, as if the air itself crackles from barely restrained rage and violent intent. A primal instinct making her skin prickle. Her guards don’t feel it, continuing their board game, occasionally shouting something at one of the cages whenever the poor beast inside makes a noise. When they finally hear it, they don’t understand its origin or its significance, yelling ‘shut up’ without even turning to look. Secure in their strength and cruelty. Only when the growl that’s been giving Diane goosebumps for the last minutes rises to a storm do they realize their mistake.

Squeezing out of the narrow tunnel, one massive paw after the other, long claws leaving deep marks in the stone as it digs in, ready to leap.

‘...must die… stole… stole her… find her... must find her…’ The words echo through Diane’s stunned mind as she watches the beast that has haunted her nightmares for so long emerge from the shadows. It’s even bigger than she remembers it, or perhaps it’s the enclosed space making it appear so. With horror, she notices a big patch of oily, scaly skin covering its left shoulder. It’s infected. More aggressive than before.

The guards spring to their feet, some reaching for weapons, others shimmering into giant lizards and snakes. Spreading out in a half circle, they hold their stance, secure in their numbers.

Then, as one, they charge. Hisses and snarls fill the room. The light from the many torches flickers and reflects on shiny steel and smooth scales. The reptiles don’t scream when sharp claws rip them open. The men do.

It’s just like that night in the alley, yet not. These foes have a fighting chance, and they’re actually holding the beast at bay, surviving and shrugging off nasty wounds that would have killed an ordinary human. Making the beast work for each drop of blood it spills. A giant paw aims for the side of a dark turquoise lizard, but an attack from the back makes the beast stumble, and the claws rip through the wall of Diane's cage instead. The sturdy metal bars snap like twigs.

She screams, pressing herself to the other side of the cage, away from the chaos. One of the snakes spots the hole in her cage and slithers toward it, long tongue tasting the air in front of it. She stares at it as if hypnotized.

‘You stole her. She’s mine. Mine. MINE! DIE!’ The words explode in her head, accompanied by a rage and desperation unlike anything she’s ever felt. The beast swells and grows even more, as strong jaws close just under the snake’s head and shake it violently. There’s a loud crack as the snake’s spine breaks and its body goes limp.

It’s over quickly after that. One of the snakes got away, slithering into a hole small enough that the beast couldn't follow, and it’s now scratching at the stony entrance, howling in frustration. It keeps at it for a long time, but as soon as Diane works up the courage to try and get away, it turns and walks toward her. Stopping just outside her cage.

‘Found you!’ The beast is just standing there, watching her, the tip of its tail slowly moving from side to side. Almost.. playful. It tilts its head, makes a funny whiny sound, and to her surprise Diane finds that she’s not afraid. She feels… happy. 

A bit awkwardly, she climbs out of the broken cage and approaches the beast. Its eyes are as golden brown as she remembers them, the ears as tufted. The teeth and claws as long and sharp as she recalls. It’s now as tall on all fours as she is standing upright. Fingers slightly trembling, she stretches a hand toward it, and it takes a step forward. They stand like this for what feels like an eternity, in a strange, calm bubble.

A big snout closes in to her face, snorts warm air that makes her hair move, and she laughs. Laughs. The beast doesn’t laugh. She can feel the conflicting emotions in it. The desire to hunt, to kill, trying to take over its mind. Yet, there’s something else. Something she recognizes. The cold nose pokes her neck, and though she flinches, she suddenly knows. She knows, and she throws her arms around the beast’s neck.

“Aster,” she whispers. “You found me. You can come back now.”

‘Found you.’ The words echo between their minds for another eternity. Then the telltale shimmer surrounds him and his beast form melts, shrinks, reshapes until he’s there. Fully human. A nasty cut across his nose and cheek.

“Hey there.” His voice is hoarser than she remembers, and she tightens her grip around him. Holding him closer.

“Hey you.”

“I found you.” His arms slide around her as he sinks to his knees, burying his face in her neck.

“You found me.”

“I’ll never lose you again. I swear.”

“Nor I you.”

They stand like that for the longest time, until Diane takes a step back and looks at him.

“Warm hands,” she whispers, healing the cut, letting her hand rest on his face even after the healing is done. “How did you find me? I hoped you would, but…”

“I could feel you. Your mana. I’ve been able to since that time in your world.”

“In the alley.” For the first time, Diane smiles at the memory. “I guess we were both right. It was you, but your form was different.” She frowns, “I take it that’s not common.”

“More like impossible. No one has ever shifted into more than one form.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Somehow, you weren’t the only thing I brought back from that barren world. I came back with a new ability, this form. Which is impossible. As you’ve discovered, creating new abilities requires huge amounts of mana, and that world had none.”

He takes out his book, opens it and points to a page that’s blank to her. “I call it the dark page, since it looks so different from the others.”

“That’s interesting. I wonder…” Her eyes widen as her Soulbook suddenly flies slowly through the air, only to land on top of his. Pages rustling and both books pulsing with light. “What…?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never heard of soulbooks acting like this.” He frowns in thought. “There are some sappy old fairytales, but I’m really not the right person to talk about those. Besides, we should leave before they return in force.”

“Right.” She picks up her book and smiles as Aster hands her the belt she’d dropped. “Thank you, I thought it might be lost forever.”

“It was good thinking.” He says as she tightens it around her waist. “Now let’s go.”

“What do we do about them?” She looks out over the rest of the cages, a sinking feeling in her chest. Those poor, poor creatures.

“Nothing. I’m sorry, but releasing them, having them follow us would be too dangerous.” He lays a hand on her shoulder and looks her in the eyes. “Killing them all might be the merciful thing to do. They’re all cursed.”

“No! I’m sure some can be saved.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m not so sure.”

Huh? Suddenly he’s looking all strange, eyes distant, hand scratching at his shoulder. Is he hurt? In pain?

Diane tugs at his shirt, and he raises an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards as well.

“You’re hurt. Let me see.”

“That’s not necessary. I’m fine.”

She snorts. “Sure, I’ve heard that one before. Now take it off.”

His eyebrow rises higher, and her cheeks grow warmer. “So I can heal you. Not for any other reasons.”

“Mm hm.”

“I’ll have you know I’ve seen many men in unclad states.” Her ears catch up to the words coming from her mouth, and her cheeks go from warm to flaming red. “For work. Healing… nothing… weird.”

He clearly struggles not to laugh, but then he turns serious.

“Were you ever told the prophecy? The part about us, I mean.”

“No. Just the interpretation.”

“You probably should.” He closes his eyes and recites:

“From wildest heart a Champion shall rise

With blood of beast and burden black

With duty bound in bone and blackened skin

An otherworldly soul he shall hunt and find

The Chosen’s heart shall bear the balm

A hand of hope, of wounds undone

A field of blood, a duel of fangs

Souls united, soothe the flames

Beast and crown, shall join as one

With chiming bells, seal the bond.”

“Huh, that’s not very clear, is it?” Diane says, frowning. “Or I guess the blackened flame refers to the disease, and the bit about me being otherworldly and undoing wounds fits. But yours… I get the beast thing, but what black burden? On your skin?”

He gets that funny look again, and she finally realizes why. She just saw it.

“I guess you deserve to know.” He opens his vest and then takes off his shirt, revealing a pale but well-muscled torso. He looks great. Fit. As she had imagined. Not that she’d actually thought about it. But his abs are not why she can’t take her eyes off him.

A black, oily spot covers his shoulder, reaching down his chest and back. Shapes swirl in it, as if it has a life of its own. Diane swallows, her mouth suddenly dry as parchment, and she blinks frantically as tears start to rise in her eyes.

“You’re infected.”

“I’ve been cursed, yes. I was one of the first, targeted specifically. It’s not spreading fast, but it is growing. Its level is rising slowly, but steadily. I guess they wanted to make sure that in the foretold duel, my fangs won’t be the victorious ones.”

“So, how do we stop it?”

He places a hand on her shoulder, warm, strong, comforting.

“Not ‘we’. You. That’s why you’re here. To counter the curse.”

“And if I don’t… If I take too long…”

“It’ll keep growing, and it’ll affect my beast shape too. I’ll become stronger, bigger, faster. More powerful, more aggressive, until it takes over and swallows my humanity. You saw those wolves. I’ll truly become a monster and rip apart everything I’m sworn to protect. Everyone and everything. Also those I love.”

“A powerful puppet for the enemy high mages.”

“Now you know the stakes.” His hand cups her cheek. “No more secrets. This was the last one, I promise.”

“I saw one of them, you know. A human who got infected, controlled. I will not let that happen to you!” Her hands tighten into fists, nails digging into her palms. “I won’t! I will find a cure.”