A: Ch. 9.2

He took the form of a man; tall and slender, with rather bowed shoulders. His face was perfectly generic, as if the features could not be distinguished among the various humanoid creatures. The chin was sharp and the cheekbones high, like the Watchers, yet the nose was rounded and upturned, similar to the Hafga. His hair was exceptionally long. It cascaded down past his knees and rippled in an absent and ominous breeze. His silhouette was foggy, as if Lazuris was watching him through a screen of fabric. The edges just weren’t as crisp as they should be.

Lazuris’ darling rarely took such a form. His Karst had always been a sprite or an orb. A human form was cumbersome, she had once told him.

“Darling,” Lazuris whispered, inching back. The immense, oppressive wave of dread clouded his mind. It was viciously familiar as it quickly dragged his memory back to when he had first met the great Aru’mat the Baleful, and then his precious. The vision of flame, the sensation of falling, then emptiness. So empty.

“Say nothing,” Karst whispered, her voice twinkling in his ear.

“Why are you trying to kill my new host?” Aru’mat asked. His voice was exceptionally deep and it vibrated through the slick rocks. Even Lazuris’ Friends could feel the pulsing power and he felt them recoil in the castle.

A small smile crept along Aru’mat’s face as he too sensed the retreating flames. It was disgusting how much he reveled in his power.

As Lazuris thought this, the Spirit turned his chiseled face to gaze at him. His eyes flashed a vivid amethyst and Lazuris flinched. Another smile, this time with a chuckle. How could Aru’mat have heard him? Unless…

“We aren’t killing him,” Karst said calmly from Lazuris’ shoulder. Her crackling feathered wings were gone; her form was only that of a softly glowing orb, like a brilliant marble of starlight.

“Then what are you doing?” Aru’mat asked.

“We,” Karst paused. Her voice was wary. Even she feared him. “We are testing him, as we were told.”

“As you were told,” Aru’mat corrected. “How hard is it to get a single Lycaon to transform into his bestial form?”

“We tried with the—“

“Silence.” He did not scream, nor yell, nor even raise his tone. Even still, the word fell heavy upon their ears. Lazuris could not pry open his mouth, even if he wanted to.

“Of all the species upon this miserable planet, this one is the most predictable,” Aru’mat said calmly. “They are dictated by the prowling animal within them. Though each has a different desire that will satiate such a beast, they all succumb to it regardless of how much they try.”

Why the lecture? Lazuris knew this, of course.

“This one, this… Damien. His own safety is not his downfall, neither is his hunger for flesh. Lust, though it stirred his feral soul, could not change him. Granted, I could have tested that further at the sacrifice of the girl. No, it is something else. Had I been more observant, I would have seen it earlier, isn’t that right, brother?”

Brother? Lazuris glanced up. Ah. So he was here as well.

A young girl with spiraling corn-silk curls crouched just inside one of the many hidden crevices of the cliff side. Her eyes were fixed on the burning castle, tears streaming freely down her face.

Beside her was a young boy, likely no older than ten or twelve in human years. He glowed with a soft gold aura as he tried to comfort the girl. She was cringing away from him.

“Lazuris,” the boy said softly. “If you don’t mind, the flames bother her.”

Aru’mat rolled his eyes, looking rather frustrated. “Why did you bring her?”

“Because she is mine,” the boy responded. He was unaffected by the strange power Aru’mat seemed to have over Lazuris and Karst. 

“She’s pathetic,” Aru’mat snorted.

Taerce ignored him. “Lazuris, if you please?”

The silver-haired stranger nodded slowly, as he still could not speak. He closed his eyes and allowed his fingers of webbed consciousness to extend. His Friends were eager to leave. They feared the Spirit of Shadow and made their escape to burn the city and abandon the scorched and melted castle. Only the embers, the runts that Lazuris could not control, were determined to stay.

Lazuris returned to his own mind to find the boy standing next to Aru’mat.

“Is it so important that he change?” the young boy asked.

“Yes,” Aru’mat said quickly. “I must know what kind of control I can have. I must test his limitations. You know this, Taerce.”

“He is stronger. His weaknesses are fewer than the others,” Taerce told him. The Light Spirit looked out upon the ruined castle, his eyes fixing on the singed and battered pair hiding within the dungeon. “Brother…?”

“Oh,” Aru’mat groaned, obviously bored that he had to notice. He flicked his wrist in the general direction of the Lycaon and the girl. With his excellent vision, Lazuris watched with a sickening anticipation. Would he kill them both on the spot? It would have to be him if he wanted the male as a host.

But nothing happened. If anything, the two simply… stopped.

A crease formed across Taerce’s brow. He seemed concerned about something, yet he remained quiet. But with his abilities, what could he question?

“I want him. Now.” Aru’mat’s voice was firm, yet he crossed his arms across his chest and pouted like a young child.

“Patience, brother,” Taerce tried to say. Aru’mat the Baleful ignored him.

“I want him as a beast. I hate this form. Too constrained, too limited. When I take him, I shall force him to stay that way.”

Taerce frowned. “No, you know the rules.”

“The rules you made.”

Despite the fear that prickled at Lazuris’ neck, he couldn’t help but be fascinated with this pair of brothers. In all his years, he had never seen the two together. Not in the open like this, not before the eyes and ears of others. Granted, he was certain no one else could see the Spirits. They were exceptionally careful about that. Taerce likely had a veil of secrecy around them at this point.

The girl that had appeared along with Taerce was sniffling pathetically. Her mouth was turned in an exaggerated frown and her violet eyes were puffy and red. Lazuris didn’t understand this one. He knew her, of course; she was chosen by Taerce not too long after Lazuris met his own darling. Her maturity had grown stagnant, though. Perhaps that was her curse along with the eternal boredom. Lazuris suddenly felt himself quite lucky. He could at least travel the lands as he pleased.

As the brothers bickered, Lazuris felt his jaw unhinge and his throat open again. Aru’mat apparently had a singularly focused mind and grew lax on his other powers.

“Karst,” Lazuris whispered. “Can we--?”

“YOU!” Aru’mat roared. The Spirit whirled around to face Lazuris.

“Yes?” Lazuris asked. He was pleased to notice it was even and dry. Was this thanks to Taerce’s presence?

Aru’mat swooped from his perch, gliding effortlessly down so he stood on the same landing as the tanned man. As he did so, the Spirit grew taller and wider. He easily stood at three times as big as Lazuris, who was already taller than the humans. It was a tactic, Lazuris knew this. It was also a very effective tactic. He tried not to flinch.

“The Lycaon, can he see you from his position?” Aru’mat asked. His voice was slow and deliberate, yet Lazuris didn’t understand. Why was he asking him? He knew the answer.

“Yes,” Lazuris responded. He glanced across the falls. The duo was still trapped in the time splint that the Shadow Spirit placed upon them. The open wall of the dungeon allowed a decent vantage point of their position. “If he looked hard enough.”

“I want to make him look,” the Spirit responded.

Taerce had followed his brother down. “Brother, you’ve had your fun. We shall test him at some other time.”

“No. The time is now. I know what he wants, or more, what he doesn’t want.”

Lazuris was confused. Had he figured out the Lycaon’s weakness? Lazuris hadn’t figured it out himself. True, he hadn’t given it too much thought. He hated the Lycaons anyway so he saw no need to work so fervently to decipher this one. Unfortunately, he hadn’t anticipated the Spirit of Night to be quizzing him.

“It’s cruel,” Taerce said calmly. The Light Spirit apparently knew. That was silly, of course he knew.

“Hardly. Cruelty will come later. This is simply a… taste.” Aru’mat smiled to reveal several rows of sharpened teeth. The piranha grin against the beautiful face was jarring and unsettling.

“He will not accept you when he learns how you tormented him,” Taerce tried to remind him, but even Lazuris could tell that there was no altering Aru’mat’s determination at this point.

“I haven’t done a thing. Our… friend here will do it.”

Lazuris forced himself to remember his ancient teachings. He focused on the sensation in his fingertips and the gentle swell of each breath. Panic was a dangerous yet valuable tool.

“You know I can’t have him kill the Lycaon if you intend to take him as a host,” Karst said, finally breaking her silence.

Aru’mat rolled his eyes and sneered at them. “Idiots. I don’t want you to kill him.”

Lazuris looked at Taerce for an answer, but the boy was staring determinedly at his own host. The girl was sobbing now, her porcelain face streaked with glistening tears.

Why would she cry so hard? Logic was easy for his kind, Lazuris knew. This was a simple problem. Taerce had told Lazuris that the fires scared her. The reason for that was obvious given the girl’s history. But she should have stopped when Lazuris banished his fires from the castle.

Lazuris gazed out the city of the so-called Capital. His Friends were happily destroying houses and taverns. They knew not to touch the stables or any of the crops. Just homes and people. The girl had no attachment to these people, so that could not be her concern. It was simply the… Ah.

The entirety Aru’mat’s plan fell into place. But there was a problem.

“I cannot bring my Friends back. They will not come with you here,” Lazuris stated.

Aru’mat was not pleased with this answer. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. “Karst,” he said after a pregnant pause, “you know what must be done.”

Lazuris instinctively looked at his shoulder, hoping to see his darling, but she had gone.

“Choose one, Lazuris,” Karst’s voice said calmly. He couldn’t see her, but Lazuris knew she was behind him. He glanced down at the sheet of rock before him. Five slender phials were displayed in a neat little row. He recognized none of them. He could only assume they were supplied by Aru’mat the Lethal. That name seemed to ring true at that moment.

Lazuris’ slender fingers reached out and gently stroked each of the flasks. He was procrastinating. He knew what was within each of those. But he had drunk that wine just an hour before! Why wasn’t it enough? He knew, of course.

He had to die.

Temporarily… He hoped.

Lazuris fingered the phial the furthest to his right. He pulled it from the perfect row and tugged the cork plug from it. A sickeningly sweet vapor swirled out of it. It stung his nostrils and made his eyes water in protest. Without delay, he swallowed the whole bottle.

Pain. He had anticipated the pain; death was intricately entwined with it. His throat burned and his muscles seized as the poison quickly took its toll. The itching though, that was new. His skin tingled with the feeling of thousands of squirming bugs burrowing deep inside him. He tried to ignore it, but it was infinitely worse than the pain alone.

Aru’mat was creative with his poisons, wasn’t he?

It would come soon. He knew it would. His mind latched onto that thought as he tried desperately to let go of everything else. If he gave in, it would be easier. Fear prickled in the back of his mind and Lazuris was certain that was due to the Shadow Spirit’s presence.

He had to trust her. Karst had not failed him. Ten thousand years and not even once had she lost her grasp on him.

His fingers went numb. His mouth went dry. Counting his heartbeats became increasingly difficult. He fought every instinct to grasp reality; it would only complicate the matter. He just had to wait.

A warm, dripping sensation slowly ran across his body, starting from the tip of his head down his spine and arms. It felt like warm honey, sticky yet comforting as it eased the pain and itching away. He felt light and free. He could no longer tell where one part of him ended and another began. His whole consciousness dissipated into a fluid, vaporous glob.

It was as if he were flying again. What bliss.

Lazuris was ripped from his trance with a vicious slash. He was burning. His whole body was searing in agonizing, blistering pain. He almost wanted the itching back. Almost.

He cringed.

“I’m sorry.” Lazuris heard Karst whisper it to him, but it did not help. It was the price he had to pay.

As quickly as it came, the pain vanished. Lazuris was standing upon the precipice, flames licking at the tips of his fingers, playing at the points of his ears and curling through his locks of hair.

He was strong. He was invincible. She was him, and he was now her.

“Excellent,” Aru’mat squealed. The Spirit clapped his hands together in glee. “Now, destroy the castle.”

Lazuris moved without effort. His fingers pointed toward the smoldering ruins and they instantly erupted in a ravenous emerald flame. It grew and roared into an ancient beast, prowling the floors, hungry for anything that remained.

The lonely survivors had recovered from their time-lapse. They were furiously looking for an escape route. Lazuris watched them as he had nothing else to do; he happily allowed Karst to take control of his movements, to direct the massive monster.

The pair was scared. He saw it in the frantic movements of the Princess’eyes, in the jerky, haphazard steps in the Lycaon.

“Now, the tower.” Aru’mat’s orders were clear. Lazuris had anticipated them already.

Karst obeyed. Her beastly pet slashed at the singular remaining tower. The base shattered and the cylinder tipped almost casually down. It rolled, screeching and crunching as it fell, crashing into the cliff side only feet from where Lazuris was standing. Nothing touched him, of course.

Curiously, it formed a bridge to cross from the castle directly to them. The cracked roof tiles looked much like a cobbled pathway from the dungeons.

“Burn the falls.”

Karst was already ahead of him. Blazing scales from the monster separated from the fire, sprouted wings and darted to the falls. As they slammed into the thunderous water, there was an explosion of steam and mist, constantly evaporating the falls. A perfect little archway was created in the water, exposing the landing and the crevice which Taerce’s host was still cowering in.

The Lycaon saw it. He saw it for what it was: an offering.

“Come, my pet,” Aru’mat cooed.

The Lycaon could not hear him of course, could not even see him. No, he would only see the bridge and the lone figure of Lazuris himself standing at its end. The stones around the pair began to crumble and melt. The girl was screaming at the Lycaon, but the man’s glowing moss eyes were fixed on this makeshift bridge.

Lazuris could see the desire, the obsession in his eyes. Would he take the bait? It was an escape, but it was also everything he had been dreaming of.

The man took a step forward.

“Now,” Aru’mat ordered.

It was almost painful for Lazuris to do this, but he had no choice. He watched with a stoic face as claws of glistening flame grasped the bridge and smashed it effortlessly as if it an annoying gnat. The path disintegrated, collapsing into a million pieces before falling into the falls.

Aru’mat had been right. The Lycaon truly hated it when something he desired was taken from him. The fury was immediate and the hatred was palpable even from Lazuris’ distance. The man screamed which ripped into an agonizing roar. His back arched into a curved hump and joints squelched and snapped into painful, unnatural angles. His hands grew and dark hair sprouted from his growing arms as his clothes tore away.

The transformation was quick, likely quicker than normal. His wrath truly had been exploited by the Spirit. He was a magnificent creature. A sloping spine with a rippling musculature. Fangs protruded from black lips and a lion-like mane wrapped around his neck. Not a wolf, yet not a bear, kerrin nor any other beast. It was unique on its own. They were created with a singular purpose and the sleek, elegant physique displayed it beautifully: the Lycaon was terrifying.

The creature roared, rearing back to snarl. What would he do, Lazuris thought. It wasn’t really a question, more a pondering thought. He didn’t care anymore. His body felt light and fuzzy. He would lose consciousness soon, as he always did after he melded with his darling. He wagered he had one minute, maybe two, left.

Movement pulled Lazuris’ gaze. Ah yes, the girl. Judging from her shaky movements and agape mouth, he assumed that this one had yet to see the Lycaon’s true form. What a lovely reveal. She couldn’t ask for a more memorable scene.

The beast finally turned to stare at her, debris falling around the two of them. They had to make their escape soon. Would he have the courage to jump?

It was hardly a question. With this form, he would easily survive the fall. But with the girl…?

Lazuris watched with sleepy eyes as the Lycaon snatched up the girl and leaped with all his might from the crumbling dungeon. He soared through the air and for a moment Lazuris wondered if he would actually make it across and catch hold of the rocky cliff. Alas, not even as beautiful of as specimen as this could leap such a distance. Shame. The pair fell into the mist, disappearing from view.

The whole event, from the moment the bridge crashed down to their descent took less than forty heartbeats. Fascinating.

“Fascinating, indeed,” Aru’mat echoed.

The castle burned, the ravenous creature of flame and light consumed it until nothing remained but ash. 

Don't worry, they didn't die. Don't believe me?
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A: Ch. 9.1

Chapter IX

“I need to see it.”

“Be patient.”

“How am I to do that? Even a fat slab of meat ready to be barbequed wasn’t enough to change him!”

“Aru—“

“No. I’m going this time.”

It was beautiful. Entrancing. Thrilling. He never tired of it. The organic nature of the chaos, yet the controlled and predictable course the flames took. Thousands of years he had watched it now, yet it never lost its magic. Magic, indeed.

Lazuris perched himself behind one of the smaller falls and gazed at the distorted dancing lights through the water. Curious how through the lens of flowing liquid, the destruction of an entire city seemed rather… droll.

The man curled his neck back ‘round the falls, his face falling slightly. It was a beautiful castle, and quite a shame to see it go. No one used wood so beautifully anymore. It was all marble, plaster, and steel. At least this glorious example of human architecture met a fitting end. Fire was the most honorable of deaths.

A sparkling ember danced away from the conflagration and zipped toward him.

“Did he find her?” Lazuris asked. He leapt lightly from his viewing spot to a set of slippery rocks below. The water burned away long before his feet touched down on it.

“He was distracted for a moment. He found the two,” answered a surprisingly deep female voice. It crackled and grumbled, like the burning embers of a fire. Or was that just an echo from the castle? Yet this voice did not resonate off the walls, nor was it drowned out by the falls. It was as distinct and pure as if spoken in an empty chapel.

“What did he do?” Lazuris asked. He watched the castle intently, his eyes fixed on the north tower. Smoke was pouring out from cracked windows and the faint glow of amber light penetrated the darkness.

“He wanted them. Nearly changed. The knight has infuriated him before, apparently. The fires have made him unstable.” The glittering moth landed on the tall man’s shoulder. A soft veil of steam clouded it as the moth’s wings singed the sputtering water from the waterfall away.

“And this is who he wants?” Lazuris asked. He was doubtful. He never got along with Lycaons. They were hot-headed and extremely rigid. Intelligent? To a point. It didn’t help that they had the libido of rabbit. Lazuris silently smirked at that comment. All they needed was a little cotton tail.

“Taerce is adamant about this,” the moth insisted.

“I suppose,” Lazuris said languidly. The Spirit had to be serious if he was turning to his… subordinates. And Lazuris had been so close the Southern Isles. It had been nearly four hundred years since he had visited. But his darling forced him to come back.

“Lazuris. Look.”

The man tilted his chin up, his eyes darting back to the castle. A small form had appeared at the cracked window. Lazuris leaned forward; it was a habit from staying on the lower lands for so long. His eyes were perfect at night.

It was the woman. He could sense from his Fire Friends that her door was blocked—which was quite intentional—so she was attempting her escape through the window. Her right hand appeared injured and the bandage she had wrapped around it was frayed and charred.

Lazuris could have predicted it as easily as the position of the stars each night. He groaned as the girl snagged her linen bandage on the shattered glass of the window. Desperate to escape, she tugged and tried to rip away. In a distressed state, she failed to realize how the backward force would adversely affect the already questionable stability of her feet.

Unsurprisingly, as the girl finally freed herself, her backward momentum knocked her away from the lip of stone she had been standing on. Her arms flailed and she grappled at empty air.

“Shall I—?”

“Wait,” the moth insisted, though even she appeared concerned.

 The guised princess began to tumble back, her arms flapping wildly as her hair streamed around her. Shame the girl concealed her true form with such unwavering attention to detail. If her hair had remained its ginger hue, the image would be perfect. A girl of flame falling into the falls.

Lazuris paused, his eyes narrowing as the Princess fell. “Is this Aru’mat’s plan?” he asked, lowering himself, ready to pounce. He thought it was the Lycaon? Why would he take that one?

“Wait!” hissed the voice from his shoulder.

Lazuris’ gaze fell down, following the trajectory that the girl was sure to take. She was falling between a pair of turrets. Jagged rocks and spires awaited her but—Ah. So that was his plan.

General Noden was at the bottom of one of the towers, balanced on a balcony, watching with fierce concentration at the alarming descent of the Princess. The Lycaon eased back, waited, and then leaped with rapid acceleration straight across the divide between the two towers.

The General snatched the girl out of the air before crashing through a window on the other side. It was perfect timing, especially given the hundreds of variables. The girl could easily have twisted away from her original path, causing her to be just out of reach at that moment, or the flames within the castle could have changed the pressure resulting in a massive explosion from breaking that window.

But Lazuris wouldn’t have allowed the latter, at least. That area was still free of his precious little Friends. For now.

“Velrin?” Lazuris inquired.

“Surprisingly, no.”

Curious. Perhaps this one would be suitable for fastidious Aru’mat.

“You told me that you took him to her. Why did you leave him before he got to the tower?” Lazuris asked, turning to glare softly at the little puff of flame on his shoulder.

“I said no such thing. Besides, we aren’t supposed to intervene unless we’re instructed to.”

“Think she survived that… rescue mission?”

“Did the Lycaon have any other option?”

“True,” Lazuris whispered. The force of his tackle would at minimum blow the wind out of her, at worst snap her neck, and most likely knocked her unconscious. Shame. He still had his big finale to perform.

A tickling sensation prickled along Lazuris’ arms. He knew it well; it was familiar and comforting. He closed his eyes and allowed the strings of his consciousness to be twisted and pulled. With vivid yet haphazard snippets, his precious flames gave him glimpses of the castle, the areas they had taken and where they were going.

“He’s going down,” Lazuris said curiously. He didn’t have to speak. His darling already knew. “She’s unconscious, as expected.”

Oh, how Lazuris reveled in that moment. The lightness of fire, how free and weightless it felt as it leapt from space to space. No constraints, not even from the laws of physics he had studied so long. Seeing as the flames saw, feeling as their fingers felt… it was the only time he felt like a Watcher. The twang of guilt and the latching grasp of remorse tugged at Lazuris’ heart.

“How long has it been, Karst?” he asked longingly.

“It’s not worth asking anymore. I am you, and you are me.”

The hairs on Lazuris’ arm began to burn away and he quickly returned his attention back to the tugging wires from his many Friends. It was almost like a spider’s web with hundreds of threads. Each of his flames held a thread and could tug at the strings to get his attention.

Some were more impatient than others, as demonstrated by his hair-free arms.

He followed the trails back through his mind. His Friends were chattering; the crackles of embers were now a harmonious symphony to Lazuris’ trained ear. The whispers, though complex, could easily be picked apart.

“Both the male and the female are in the prisoner’s cells,” Lazuris noted.

“Lazuris,” the moth called.

“These humans always take the strangest of routes. His only option is to leap into the falls. Well, he’s not human, is he? He acts like one.”

“Lazuris,” she repeated, urgently, this time.

“She’s waking, now. Just in time to see my friends devour the last of her castle. Look at this, Karst, all they can do is scream at each other! The floor is quite literally about to melt beneath their feet and they’re yelling like a pair of toddlers. I can’t even distinguish it. Is she angry that he saved her life?”

“LAZURIS!”

But that time, Lazuris didn’t need Karst calling him. A sharp, dagger-like pain streamed from his temples down to his chest. A piercing screech scratched at his ears and clawed deep into his mind. His breath caught in his throat and his toes went numb before his vision blurred in and out of focus with each painful throb of his heart.

Lazuris couldn’t stand it. He fell to one knee. His balance wavered and for a moment he wondered if even he would fall prey to the hungry beasts within the falls. However, his precious, his darling friend, saved him. She wouldn’t let him go.

The tall silver-haired man looked up at the landing several dozen feet above him. Fear, something very foreign to Lazuris, crippled him.

Aru’mat the Baleful had come to visit. 

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