A Relevation and a Dark Offer

Acacius stared into a black pit, a seemingly never-ending abyss. Fear gripped his heart like ice. His feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. A cold wind that felt like slicing blades began to blow. Acacius shivered but stared into the void when two crimson eyes appeared. A voice sounding like a dagger scraping against stone filled the air.

“ Acacius. Do not fear your other half.” The wind blew more fiercely, causing Acacius to fight to keep his footing.

“ Awaken your true nature,” the voice said, sounding fainter. The wind blew harsher, causing Acacius to shield his eyes.

Acacius’s eyes flew open, and he sat up, looking around in confusion. He was lying in a bed of wolf furs. A blazing fire was in a hearth, a copper pot with the smell of beef stew wafting into the air. I appear to be in a wooden hut of some sort, Acacius thought as he continued to take in his surroundings. On the walls were animal mounts and furs. A wooden table with a single chair was near the doorway. On the floor was the largest wolf pelt Acacius had ever seen. It was gray and white and could easily cover half a dozen adults.

“ So you are finally awake,” came a voice. With a start, Acacius looked towards the hearth fire where an elderly man sat cross-legged in the middle of the fire, his orange eyes studying him. His voice had a deep vibrant tone to it. His leather-like brown skin was wrinkly. He only had gray hair at the back of his head, which was out into a ponytail; the front of the top of his head was bald. He wore bright white animal furs and brown leather moccasins. He wore a necklace with various types of claws.

“ You are Acacius, yes?” The man asked.

“ How do you know my name?” Acacius asked, raising an eyebrow. The old man chuckled and got to his feet. As he did, Acacius noticed his back was arched. He stepped out of the fire and took a few steps towards him.

“ I have spoken to your friends, child. They are currently recovering from their injuries in separate dwellings. I was surprised to see Thora of all people in your company. I thought she would have left Ocrad by now, But that girl has never been all that wise,” the elder said, his eyes never leaving Acacius.

“ How are they doing?” Acacius asked.

“ They will live, incredible as it is. Most do not survive a battle with an Untri, much less manage to slay it,” the man said, walking up to Acacius’ bedside. “ I have an odd request for you. May I place my hand on your forehead?” Acacius was confused but nodded, not seeing the harm. The old man smiled slightly and placed his right hand on his forehead. Despite his age, his grip was like iron. The elder then closed his eyes and began to chant in a language Acacius did not recognize; Acacius’s vision grew fuzzy, and the man’s voice sounded far away. Fog began to fill the hut, and Acacius felt he might fall asleep. What in blazes is this old badger doing?!

“ I see. How curious indeed,” the man said a few moments later. Acacius blinked rapidly and looked around. His vision restored, and the fog had vanished.

“ What did you just do?!” he demanded. The elder gave him a small smile and chuckled.

“ Ah yes, I should have told you. Age really does affect one’s memory. I am called Elder Alpha Reidar; I am one of the Shamans of the Azvar Giant Tribe, in which you and your friends are currently in. One of our patrols stumbled across you and brought you here. As for what I just did.” Reidar crouched down, so he was at eye level with Acacius.

“ I possess many abilities; one is a form of scrying, I suppose you could call it. Except I don’t need a mirror, I just need to look into one’s eyes. And in your future, Acacius, I see a path engulfed in darkness and fire. I suppose it is due to the status of your birth.”

“ And what is that supposed to mean?” Acacius demanded. Reidar’s gaze refused to let Acacius go.

“ You have a heritage most would consider to be cursed. Haven’t you ever felt another presence while engaged in battle? As if someone or something else shares your body?” Acacius furrowed his brow as he thought hard.

“ I suppose, maybe,” he answered slowly. “ I remember once, when I thought my brother had died right in front of me, my mind went blank, and I heard a voice encouraging me to surrender control, let it take over. Then I woke up in a tent.”

“ I see… that explains it,” Reidar muttered to himself, looking at the ground. He then fixed Acacius with a withering stare. “ I suppose no one will tell you the truth, so I guess it falls to me. That other presence is your dragon half, or rather it’s your dragon half with a mind of its own.”

“ I don’t get it; what do you mean?” Acacius asked.

“ You and your brother, being Half-Breeds, were born with some sort of deficiency. All Half-Breeds have one. Whether it’s their Mana never gains coloration, they cannot fight for too long before their bodies overheat, or they are prone to long bouts of sickness. Humans and Abnormals were never meant to mix blood, you see. The biological differences are just too great. But you have the rarest of the deficiencies. Your dragon half has formed a psyche of its own. It has its own thoughts, emotions, personality, and desires, namely to take over you entirely.” Acacius was too stunned to speak; his mind started to race.

As much as Acacius didn’t want to believe it, he knew it was true. He could feel, sense the hatred and hostility it felt towards him, refusing to let him have what it saw as its birthright.

“ Is there anything I can do to get rid of it? At the very least, subdue it?” Acacius asked. Reidar shook his head sympathetically.

“ I’m afraid not, child. All you can hope to do is train your skills to their utmost. I have heard tale of a Half-Breed with this same deficiency becoming one with its other half, but I’m sure that is merely a story. I wouldn’t even know how one would go about doing that. But I will tell you this. If you were to let your other half take over, you would never be able to return.”

Thora sat in her prison cell, staring at the cold stone ground. All she had for company were the stone walls surrounding her and a pile of straw for a bed. Her only view was the empty cell across from her. Shackles bound her to where she was, but even if she could move, she wouldn’t. Her cell didn’t leave a lot of room for walking. A waste of space for those condemned to die.

Plus, Thora didn’t want to reopen any of her bandaged wounds, not that it mattered now. Thora had woken up three hours ago in this same cell to find herself face to face with one of her brothers. At first, she had attempted to lunge at him despite her chains but soon realized the futility. The feeling doubled when she had been told she was to be executed at first light.

“ Forgive me, Thora,” her brother had said, not looking her in the eye. “ I tried to talk mother out of it, but she’s dead set on seeing you killed. I’ll make sure it’s painless.” Yeah, I’m sure you will, Mr. Noble. Thora thought crossly. She should have never come here; she would have been better off taking her chances in the unforgiving wilderness of her homeland. Better have Calypso hunt her down so she could fight to the death than give her stepmother the satisfaction of killing her. I swear I’d make sure she’d pay for what she did. Even if it killed me, I’d make sure she’d take her final breath due to my actions.

The sound of a rusty iron door opening caused Thora to look up. A figure wearing a brown robe and hood stood in the door, gazing down at Thora. She tried to give him a steely look, figuring this was the executioner, come to fetch her, or perhaps a priest’s assistant. But try as she might, she couldn’t control her trembling. What’s wrong with me? I’ve never trembled before! But then again, I’ve never been in the presence of such power before! So strong, yet so cold and bloodthirsty Mana! Who is this guy?

“ You must be the Thora I’ve heard so much about. Do not worry; I have not come to harm you. The opposite, in fact. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mankera,” the man said in a honey-filled voice. Thora could only stare when she heard his name. Mankera, as in the same one who nearly did in those two Scale-Backs? The one who scared even Calypso?!

“ I can tell by the look on your face that you recognize my name. Good. That should make the negotiations easier.”

“ What do you mean?” Thora asked, fighting to keep her voice steady. “ What negotiations?”

“ Why do you think I stopped by the most secure prison in your tribe? Did you think I was out for a friendly stroll? No. I have been watching you and your companions for some time now. Ever since I encountered those two dragon mongrels in Calypso’s labyrinth.”

“ You mean Kronos and Acacius?” Thora asked.

“ Yes. At first, I was interested in one of them, although I’m not sure which one it is. That’s the problem with twins, I’m afraid. It's hard to tell which one is who. But then you caught my eye. So I sent my pet to test you.”

“ Your pet? Wait a minute….” Thora trailed off. “ You mean the Untri?! That was your creature?!”

“ Yes. He’s one of my most successful experiments. Or at least he was,” Menkera said, scowling. “ I don’t know how that Sintar mongrel pup managed to destroy it, but I promise you, he’ll pay the price with his own blood! I spent many years developing the perfect genetically modified Untri, and now all my hard work is ruined!”

“ What are you talking about?” Thora asked.

“ Oh, that’s right. You weren’t awake for this. But your dragon friend, the one who didn’t fall through the floor, slew the Untri.”

“ Acacius?!” Thora asked, her eyes growing wide. “ How?!”

“ Honestly, I have no idea. I was kind of hoping you could tell me. If that boy has some sort of secret power, I hoped you would be willing to divulge that information. But judging by your reaction, I suppose you don’t know either,” Menkera said with a shake of his head, disappointment evident on his face. “ Still. I'm sure you could still be of some use to me.”

“ What are you talking about?” Thora demanded.

“ As of now, you are to be executed in a few short hours. And it would be such a shame for such potential to die in such a shameful way. What a waste that would be.”

“ Just what are you getting at?!” Thora growled.

“ My, you seem to have a temper. It would do you good to control yourself,” Menkera said with a chuckle. “ From what I’ve seen, you’re quite strong, even if you are a Half-Breed with a lot of potential to grow. I come to you with a proposal. I seek the power of The Paragon; rather, I seek to find a way to bend it to my will. And for that, I need a Half-Brees willing to mantle into The Paragon.”

“ And what makes you think I’d be interested in that? If you want someone to be your servant and play your game, you’ve approached the wrong woman,” Thora told Menkera curtly. If Menkera was bothered by her outburst, he didn’t show. In fact he seemed amused.

“ Because if you help me, I’ll help you. I’ve already eradicated this entire prison of guards and prisoners. You and I are the only living things here. Unless you count the rats.”

“ What?!” Thora demanded, her eyes bulging out. She wasn’t sure what to think, what to feel. On one hand, she felt furious at this fiend who had dared to spill the blood of her people. On the other, she had to respect and even admire the skill that would have taken.

“ Don’t feel bad; I doubt they would have shed a tear if I had killed you instead of them,” Menkera said before reaching down and grabbing one of Thora’s heavy steel shackles, nonchalantly breaking it in two. Thora could only watch on in astonishment as he broke the rest of her shackles and helped her to her feet.

“ Now, where was I? Oh yes, my proposal,” Menkera said.

“ What do you want with me?” Thora asked.

“ Simple. You become my apprentice and train to become The Paragon. In return, I will aid you in getting your revenge against your stepmother and brothers. I’ll even free your mate for you. And all you’d have to do is kill those dragon mutts and that Kitsune woman.” Thora was floored, she opened her mouth, but she couldn’t speak. Could he be telling the truth?! Can he genuinely help me with that?! Menkera smirked, seeing her face.

“ I don’t require an answer right now, my dear. I will give you as much time as you require to consider my offer. You are free to leave the prison whenever you wish. Just remember, I’m the one who freed you when anyone else would have left you for the headsman.” Menkera took her left hand in his, grinning slightly. When he let go, Thora’s left palm was jet black.

“ What did you do?” Thora asked.

“ I just gave you a symbol of our friendship. Don't worry; it'll cause you no harm. Should you decide to accept my offer, just sprinkle the blood of those dragon mongrels and the Kitsune on your palm. As for what happens next, I'm afraid will only be revealed if you decide to accept my offer. And with that, I bid you farewell, for now. Until we meet again, Thora” Menkera turned around and exited her cell, leaving Thora staring at her palm, deep in thought.