Chapter Two

The two massive panthers silently padded across the leaf strewn ground, fur rippling with subtle darkness magic, breaking up what little silhouette may have been visible in the deep shadows of the forest floor. The larger of the two snuffled silently at a splotch of dark blue blood before chuffing in the direction he knew his smaller sibling to be lurking.

Their prey was another candidate, a powerful reptile called Basilisk by the humans. They had been hunting it relentlessly, hounding its every waking moment, wearing it down, harrying it to death. It was not their preferred hunting method, but the petrification abilities of the creature, of the prey, were troublesome to handle in a head on confrontation. The spot of blood was one of many littering the path forward, proof of numerous extensive wounds slowly inflicted over a long period of time. The prey would die soon, they would eat, and be stronger for it. It was the way of the forest.

A break in the underbrush caused the pair to pause their steps. They split, circling to either side of the clearing, their target lay panting from exertion and blood loss at the center of the area, eyes scanning frantically for its tormentors. It wouldn’t be long now. Patience was imperative, their human had taught them that.

The two lay in wait for long minutes as the overly large lizard’s breaths became shorter, shallower, rattling gasps. The pool of blood had visibly soaked the ground and the monster’s eyes had closed, its last few gasps bubbling in its throat. It was this moment his sister flowed into the clearing, with himself following just a step behind. It was over in a split second, the blink of an eye was all it took for the two big cats to have the lizard by its throat, maws crunching through scales, bones, and tissue, ending its life as quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid potential death throws.

The two began systematically dismembering the corpse, chewing their way through its mana rich flesh. When only a few cracked bones remained, marrow sucked from the interior, did their visitor make an appearance, broadcasting his presence by applauding.

“Well executed, Jay picked his feral siblings well. Or perhaps you picked your civilized brother? Either way I can see both sides benefited from the relationship,” the man, no, man-beast, mused aloud as he strolled into the dark clearing, his eyes acting as miniature lamps, casting the entirety in dim light, nine tails flicking behind his back. His mere presence cowed the two, immediately causing both to submit, heads low, bodies pressed to the ground.

“Good senses too, the last few beasts I greeted in this forest attacked me immediately. Good, you pass my initial test. I’ll be imparting a bit of knowledge to the both of you. Continue to grow in power, otherwise you’ll be useless to my son.”

With a flick of his wrist, two beams of light streaked out of his hand, landing on the heads of the Drenz before him.

“That should explain the situation. Grow quickly kittens, your brother will make fast strides once he awakens.”

The man-beast waved as he turned and took a step before simply vanishing into thin air.

~ ~ ~

Talli was closing up shop for the evening. The door securely locked as the sun began to dip low in the sky casting it with bright reds and pinks. A small sigh escaped her as she stretched, her arms reaching for the ceiling as she arched her back. She opened her eyes to find a visitor bent over, inspecting one particularly potent plant specimen, a small blue orb bouncing around his head.

“Ah, before you go attempting to kill me, I’m immune to every poison you’re aware of. You have quite the grasp on the Life Laws for a mortal, though I suppose that it isn’t too surprising as a universe avatar.” The stranger never stood from inspecting the flowering pot before him, gently stroking a few of the petals.

“It’s nice to meet you, Talli the Avatar, Soulbond to my son Jay. You have no idea how fortunate you are to have left such an impression on him.” The man stated as he finally stood, turning his golden irises to inspect her. “Your fate thread is already frayed beyond repair, it will snap within days. A fateless universe… the implications are fascinating!” The man murmured, just loud enough for Talli’s elven ears to hear. She remained silent, just the residual magical aura she was perceiving from utilizing her Life magic was enough to frighten her to both silence and stillness. The little blue orb bopped the man on his ear.

“Ah, I apologize. I slightly lose my grasp on my aura when I’m distracted.” What she could see, instantly vanished as the man refocused. “I’m here to deliver a gift to assist you in staying by my son’s side, both as your mortal avatar, and your universal body.” The man flicked his wrist, light beaming to her forehead and enlightening her.

“Make good use of this, Celestinia, my son will not be held back.”

Instantly the man vanished, words murmured on the wind barely reached her ear.

“One last stop…”

~ ~ ~

Princess Elise Wintz sat broodingly among the books of Magician’s Academy library. She glared, her brow furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line as small tendrils of shadow flexed and undulated around her, holding books, chairs, stacks of papers, and her own body up in the air. She squinted as she formed yet another tendril, using it to scratch barely legible notes into a piece of parchment with a nearby quill. She slowly exhaled, all the tentacles of shadow slowly lowering their objects onto the surfaces beneath them while keeping herself afloat. When all the items sat in their respective positions, she closed her eyes, letting out a light breath.

“Excellent control work for a mortal.” Interrupted her, her surprise breaking her concentration, the shadow holding her up collapsing in on itself as she tumbled to the ground. Her eyes flinched and hands flew up to protect her, though she never hit the ground. A brief gust of wind cushioned her last two inches, before dropping her unceremoniously to the floor. Embarrassed and irritated, Elise flew to her feet.

“Who?!” was all she got out before the penetrating glowing eyes pinned her in place.

“You can refer to me as Vix. You’ll be acquiring a new baby brother soon, and you will train him in the laws of darkness, or darkness magic, as you mortals call it.” The glowing eyes clicked their tongue. “So inaccurate.” The last comment was muttered but the silence of the library allowed the entity’s voice to carry.

“Naturally, you’ll be compensated for performing this service for me. Of course, all of the details of what I am about to reveal to you will be bound to you by soul oath.” The swirling golden orbs continued to hypnotically spin. “Do you agree?” Elise numbly nodded, not entirely mentally present.

“Oh good, that was easier than I thought it would be.” A bright golden beam shot out from between the orbs, landing between her eyes. “There we are, payment in full for future services rendered. Spectacular. Now to the king and queen to make a few suggestions.”

The light suddenly vanished from the area, departing as suddenly as it came. Elise shook her head gently, eyes regaining clarity as if waking up after too much wine. Suddenly she gasped, eyes going wide as the information she received was imprinted into her memories. A brilliant smile graced her face.

~ Twelve Months Later ~

“He’s adorable, dear! This orphan adoption plan you’ve introduced is fantastic! The citizens love it, and having a younger brother for Nathaniel to grow and play with will be an amazing experience!” Queen Caroline Wintz gushed repeatedly as she rocked the sleeping babe in her arms. He truly was an adorable child, hair darker than night, with almost a purple sheen. His face still slightly puffy as baby cheeks tend, though with the beginnings of a prominent and sharp facial structure. It was inevitable that he would grow up into a focus for women’s adoration.

His newly adopted older brother similarly slept in a crib just before the king and queen, where she proceeded to tuck the sleeping babes snuggly into their blankets side by side, the older of the two’s bright blonde hair a stark contrast against the curtain of black.

“Have you thought of a name for him yet?” The queen asked as she looked up to her husband’s gently smiling face.

“I was thinking… James. James Veritius Wintz.”

“Yes, dear, I believe that name suits him perfectly.”

The king pulled his queen into a sidelong embrace as they watched their new sons snuggle into each other. From the corner of the room, a shadow rippled as Elise went back to studying the information given to her through James’ and her own benefactor. She would need to become the equivalent of an arch magus of darkness before his coming of age to successfully live up to the initial expectations placed upon her.