A King's Legacy Ch. 15

Stahl stopped for a moment to trail off, allowing the painful emotions he had kept buried to surface once more beneath the moon. Aster kept his head low, but listened to his mate carefully. Stahl solemnly picked back up a moment later.

"It took me a long time, but I finally realized something, my love. We don't know our reasons for being here. We may think we have an idea, and we may have goals and aspirations, but we never know why we get to stay, and others have to leave, even when we would trade places with them if we could... As a cub, I always imagined Silbern would grow up and be the head of our house. I thought that was his destiny, not to be slain by a demon's arrow... But you know, if all of that bad stuff wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't have ever joined The Selection to stay close to my father. I wouldn't be here to hold you like this..." The wolf shifted uncomfortably, hoping he was making the point he wanted to.

"Aster, you may not see it, but I am so grateful the gods spared you, because that has brought you here to me. I do not know why your family was taken from you, but know this... You are always a part of my family. Whether it's as Aster Venatus, Solis Aureus, or whatever other name you may discover, you will always have a place with me as an Aschefell. I will always be your wolf, my king. You will always find your family with me... And the thing is, families may grow smaller through loss, but they may grow larger through love. I only pray that I get to see what kind of family our love may create someday."

Stahl gave his human a gentle squeeze, and a light kiss on the head, making the bristles of the shaved skin tickle at his snout. Aster snuggled just a bit closer to his knight. Stahl always knew how to make him feel better, even when the beast was dealing with his own problems. Aster hated having to rely on his wolf's strength so much, especially on a full moon, but was happy he had such a shoulder to vent on. The two got to enjoy their time alone for another ten minutes or so, until a knock at the door drew their attention from each other. A moment later, and Mollis opened the door with a troubled expression. He stared at the two for a moment before dropping his gaze and speaking quietly.

"Aster... I'm sorry about this, but we need to talk. I need to ask you some things, and I need to know some answers. I can't afford to put it off any longer after what I read back there."

The human just turned to the beast, with an inquisitive, puzzled expression. The hare didn't elaborate any further. It was Stahl who spoke next.

"If you're trying to make a move, it's probably not the best timing you know."

He had meant it as a usual tease for the rabbit, but Mollis didn't even react. This was serious. Stahl read the hare's expression a bit better, and decided he should hear what he had to say. The way Mollis finally looked at Stahl gave him chills.

"I need you to understand... I'm committing treason by withholding this information from our prince right now. This is something as few as possible should know about, for their own safety. Aster should know, but I think you should give us the room, Aschefell."

The wolf and human were both stunned, Aster sat up quickly then, and simply stared at the rabbit. Mollis wouldn't lie about something like this. His friend was actually scared, Aster could tell. The boy looked to his wolf, and nodded.

"I think I need to hear him out, Stahl. Can I just fill you in later? Promise?"

Stahl didn't really like the idea. Aster had dealt with enough already. The boy needed a break, not another weight shackled to him, but this was his mate's choice. He would respect it. He would trust his human. The wolf stood, and turned to give his boy a reassuring, quick lick on his cheek before he stepped outside and closed the door, leaving the pair to their business.

Mollis waited a few seconds, mentally mapping out what questions to ask... Where did he even begin? What could he ask to gauge the boy's knowledge of it? He certainly didn't expect Aster to lay it out for him.

"There's something wrong with me, isn't there? The fire from the guidance stone... That letter from my birth father... That darkness is something bad, right? Those flames were something bad, Mollis... And I need you to tell me what exactly that is... Please."

The hare took a deep breath in relief. Aster hadn't known. The boy wasn't lying, the rabbit would've heard his heart falter if he had. Aster never lied, it was one of the things Mollis liked about him. The boy was a bit gullible because of it, but the hare thought it was kind of adorable, just like the rest of this boy. Well... Perhaps not all of him. The mage answered the boy truthfully as well.

"Honestly, I have no idea what it actually is... But I do know it's origin is based in blood magic. This is a human spell... But not one I have any knowledge of. Blood magic has been forbidden since the fall of man, so there are almost no true practitioners left in this age... Tell me Aster, do you know the laws of our three types of magic? Beast magic, that is?"

The hare paused, making sure the boy had a thorough understanding. He needed to know why blood magic was bad, even if he could use it as a man. Aster nodded, repeating what his brother had taught him, having no idea what blood magic was supposed to be.

"Anima magic is often know as the god's magic. This is something you must be born with an understanding of. Talent comes after luck when it comes to an anima mage's ability. All beasts have select words they can and cannot conprehend in the ancient tongue from birth. The more words your soul can recognize, the more powerful of spells you can learn to speak, often even stringing together new phrases and magic to create a new result all together. On the other hand, if you can only comprehend a few words, your magic ability is nearly nonexistent."

"Of course, how much energy the user's body can supply their magic factors in as well, further separating what makes the top mages the top mages... Cortist is revered as a prodigal anima mage for both boasting a vast magical presence, and an impressive understanding of the language of the gods... As for me... I can't understand a damn word any of you say when you speak that tongue... It sounds like there are three of you whispering at once, but I can't make out any of them... It's kind of unnerving, if I'm being entirely honest."

The hare only nodded, coaxing the boy to continue. Aster took a deep breath, feeling a bit annoyed at the quizzing when there were more pressing concerns on the table. Still, he humored the rabbit, and picked back up.

"Then there's rune magic, known also as the patience magic. By learning the ancient symbols needed, and adorning them into magic circles, you create what is called a rune. Runes have to be charged with various amounts of energy, depending on their desired functions, but with enough patience, anyone can slowly charge up nearly any spell." He continued, repeating what he had learned in his studies.

"The main issue with rune magic is it can be turned against the caster. If someone breaks the rune, it will explode, releasing whatever it had stored up, so a shabbily strewn together one can be deadly. Furthermore, an age old tactic is just letting your enemy charge it up, and simply activating it yourself, using it against them, as any mage with enough magical ability and understanding of how the rune works can access the trigger. As such, this magic is rarely seen used in combat these days, but is still quite useful for smaller tasks."

Mollis patiently waited for the boy to finish. Aster continued on, finally approaching the end of his lecture.

"And the final type, the most rare type to manifest in a beastman, is Prayer magic. Many prefer to call it gift magic, as it's the only one that seems to work on focus and willpower alone. It is a gift that suddenly reveals itself when a user comes of age, much like bloodskills do, only bearing no concept of inheritance. While anima magical ability can influence the ability of one's offspring, just as bloodskills do, prayer magic follows no such pedigree. The users are seemingly chosen at random."

"There's no requirement to chant anything, but the effects are only ever beneficial. There has never been a negative or malicious use, or effect from this magic recorded, aside of course, from its scarcity. You mainly see this used to heal wounds and sickness, but it can also do things like purify water and toxins, stave off fiends, and even things like enriching soil and promoting life in desolate land. The most skilled users of this magic can even bring a calm to the most bloodthirsty opponent with enough focus."

Aster trailed off, reaching the end of his knowledge on the subject. Mollis remained silent for a bit longer. The boy was correct on everything so far, but there was a fourth type. The hare finally elaborated for the boy.

"Blood magic is the final kind known to our world. This magic was discovered and developed mainly by humans, but beastmen can learn to wield it as well with enough skill... Although, nobody ever should. There's a reason you didn't find this in your brother's textbooks, Aster. Humans cannot use any of the three beast magic types, but they can barter with life and death themselves. This is what eventually led to King Alocer's crusade against your people. This is what killed his queen."

The rabbit paused, he needed to know that Aster understood what terrible things blood magic had caused. The human only listened intently. Mollis continued.

"Blood magic requires sacrifice. It steals life from the user, and sometimes even those around it. It can be used for curses, rituals, and even talking to the dead. HOWEVER, the price is always unknown. The simplest request can cost the lives of fifty, and the greatest miracle can cost the life of a single insect nearby. The potential is unlimited, but so is the destruction. This is chaos magic, it should never be attempted to wield... And yet, somebody used it on you."

Mollis couldn't look Aster in the eye while he revealed this, but he still told him nonetheless. There was too much at stake.

"Those flames came from something sealed inside of you, Aster. I don't know what it is, but only blood magic could've put it there... I suspect I'm one of two people to ever realize it was there, and that was only because of what I saw with my own eyes... Your brother's reputation proceeds him. How long has he known? When did you use the guidance stone with him? That "Smokey reaction," you told me he discovered isn't a thing that normally happens... Is your brother, Cortist Venatus, the one that put this curse on you, Aster? Are you two planning to do something bad? Don't you dare think to lie to me to protect him. I need the truth! As a mage of Alora, and one tasked to protect my prince, I need to know if your brother is a threat to our country. I need to know if you are a threat to our country... I cannot afford to let my own feelings stand before my duty to the crown any longer. I cannot pretend I am ignorant..."

Aster could only take a step back in shock. Sure, he understood the rabbit's fear, especially after that explanation on what blood magic was, but Mollis was finally looking at him then, yet in an entirely different way. He was looking at him like an enemy. Aster felt a part of his heart sink at the realization, and the darkness that had stirred when he read his father's letter earlier crawled beneath his skin once more. Aster had chills. Aster was getting angry. He felt betrayed by the hare's accusation... He felt like an outsider, like he was just a plotting human to these beasts after all...

Stahl slammed the door open, panting heavily. The wolf had to gather the warriors as quickly as possible. His father had finally contacted him. His father was alive. His father brought news of their home. Surprisingly enough to the wolf, neither the human nor the hare seemed to be very thrilled by the good news for some reason.

Hope you enjoyed the spin, and a big part of the reveal. You'll get a bit more soon, but there are other matters to attend to for now. The next chapter tells us the state of the capitol, and the casualties suffered after the teleportation. It feels odd finally pulling the sheet back further and further on this mystery without giving too much away, but I have some tricks left up my sleeve. As always, I appreciate, and eagerly anticipate hearing your feedback! Thank you for following my story.

-Pup Bayou