Special

"Alby, where did this question come from?" Roy asked, looking at the man in front of him who was staring back at him nonchalantly.

"Roy, calm down." Lily stood on her feet, placing her hand in the space between the two. "And Alby, did you see something?"

Falling silent, Alby began poking at the meat in front of him as the two silently watched before he shove a slice into his mouth.

"Remember the woman you killed?" Alby asked, looking at Lily. "I found out that she has two children. They both don't look older than ten."

"That's impossible," Roy said, frowning deeply. "We cannot reproduce. It is impossible for us to."

"Then why did I see those children?" Alby asked, keeping eye contact with his uncle. "And … how did I come to existence? I was a child once. So were you."

"Alby," Roy sighed, rubbing his forehead before looking at him sadly. "Ok. Let me be honest with you then. We used to be able to reproduce. But we can't anymore."

"Why is that?" Alby didn't back down, casually chewing on the meat. "Did something happen?"

"We don't know," Lily said, sitting on the table with her head down as she fiddled with her hair. "I wish we did. But … we don't."

"Lily?"

"I wanted one as well, you know?" Lily said, holding her empty hands out, just like she would do every day as a statue. "But I guess the higher being does not deem us worthy of the ability to have children."

Alby's expression turned soft as he walked to Lily, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm sorry, Lily. I really am sorry."

"You are not that much younger than me, Osbert," Lily said, patting the back of his head. "But I did help raise you in some ways and … I do see you as the child I never could have. Sorry, I got a little emotional."

"No, I'm sorry for bringing it up," Alby said, pulling from the hug and offered her a soft smile. "It's almost time, you should rest up."

"Ok." Lily nodded making her way to the living room, but not before hugging the two mean. "You two are my only family. I hate to see you two fighting. No matter what happens, remember, we are always there for each other."

"Ok." Alby and Roy said at the same time, giving the woman a peck on either side of her cheeks as she broke into a giggle.

"Good. I will see you all in a bit."

They watched as she turned to a statue before Roy turned to Alby. "Alb-"

"The children are dead," Alby said, not looking at him. "When I saw them, they died and turned to ashes in a run-down house that felt too cold to be able to survive in."

"I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"I was just confused," Alby said, looking at Roy apologetically. "Sorry. I overreacted and caused you and Lily grief."

"I would be curious too," Roy reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are turning twenty in a couple of days and I know you feel like you don't know much of the world.

"It is Taio that I kept a few things from you. But I would never do anything to put you in harm's way. You know that, right, Alby?"

Alby pursed his lips slightly, looking up at the man, "Yes. I know."

"Good. Aren't you in pain? It's almost time to change." Roy asked, clearing up the table. "The sun is coming over the horizon."

Alby stared at his hands, confused.

I would normally be in pain at this point. He thought, tilting his head to the side. Why am I not feeling anything?

Putting his hands in his pocket, Osbert pulled out the glowing gem, eyes widening immediately.

"Excuse me." He said, running into the changing room as quickly as he could.

"I've seen you changed a hundred times already, Alby!" Roy laughed, shaking his head at the man. "Sometimes he is so shy and sometimes he shamelessly walks around naked. I don't get him."

___________________

Staring at the gem in his hands, Osbert felt more and more confused as not a hint of pain came over his body like it usually would when he was changing.

Cautiously putting the gem in the drawer, away from him, the pain immediately seized his entire body and, before he knew it, he was a Siberian husky once again.

Huh???? What's this?? What did Jel give me??

__________________

"Achoo!" Jel sneezed, scattering the papers he held in his hands everywhere. His long, white hair falling in front of his deep red eyes. "What on earth?"

Who is thinking about me? He thought looking around at the room filled with shelves and shelves of books with a single table in front of a window.

"Your highness, are you coming down with a cold?" A man with long, flowing rainbow colored hair ran to him holding a box of tissues. "It's because you dress like that that you are in danger of getting sick."

Jel stared at the tight sheer shirt he wore under his leather cloak, leather pants and long boots with a bit of a heel at the end before glaring at the man in front of him.

"A vampire can't get sick!" He shouted, covering himself with the cloak. "Someone must be thinking about me."

"Isn't that a common occurrence?"

"You aren't wrong." Jel laughed, the large wings on his back almost hitting the man beside him. "People do like talking about me, for some reason."

The man sighed, shaking his head at the man. "If the people knew this is how the glorious king of their legends is a perverted old man. I wonder how great their disappointment will be."

"That's their fault," Jel said sitting on the chair and resting his leg up on the table. "I told them that they should establish a democracy. But they refuse to do so."

"Your highness, you need to understand that there is no point." The man said, sighing. "Because you are the one holding this place together, it is obvious that you will be the one in power.

"Besides everything you have done has been in favour of the people. They worship you."

"They are annoying." Jel scoffed, kicking a pile of paper from the table down onto the ground.

"You have a duty to your people, your highness." The man begged, picking up the papers scattered all over the ground. "Please, you don't have to do much, just stay alive."

"That is the one thing I don't intend on doing," Jel said, turning the chair and looking out the window at the darkness around the houses/

"Your majesty!"

"What is going on here?" The doors burst open and another man with hair of gold walked into the room.

His eyes glowed as he looked around the room from Jel to the man on the ground, picking up papers.

He wore half of a gold armour on his lower half while his upper half was only covered with a white cloth that he wrapped around his arm.

"Your highness." The man said, walking to Jel. "Please stop acting like a spoilt brat and causing problems for your advisor."

"You don't get it, do you, Taio?" Jel asked, climbing on the table and grabbing the white cloth, pulling the man until they were inches from each other. "How many times do I have to tell you all that I have no intention of staying as the king?"

"Your highness is in one of his moods," Taio said, sighing. "Should I call for some of your potential consorts to keep you company tonight?"

"Taio," Jel said, looking at the man, a tired look on his face. "Whoever sleeps with me, dies. You remember that, right?"

"I do."

Jel threw a book at the man who caught it immediately.

"Then don't just say that even as a joke." Jel turned from the two, sitting back on the chair and staring outside. "You are here to give your report right? Tell me."

Taio looked at the man still picking up the papers and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You may leave. I'll talk to the king."

"Ok." The man said, bowing at the two before walking out of the room, head down.

"You really need to be nicer to him," Taio said, looking at the man as the doors closed. "No one will put up with you like he does. Not even me."

"You're annoying," Jel said, not looking at him. "The only reason I am here is to get the report from you and check on this city again.

"Don't waste my time. Do you have what I asked you for?"

Sighing, Taio handed him a file with papers in them.

"Everything you asked for is here. I don't have many pictures because he hardly took any." He paused for a second, looking intently at Jel. "Did you find a new toy to play with?"

Jel looked up from the paper, grinning at the man in front of him as he shook his head. "No, toys, they break. This is something special."

"I see," Taio said. He didn't see or did he understand what the man in front of him is planning but he had enough of his shit that he could care less anymore.