The streets of Ashfen Province were made of logs. Same with most of the houses. There was a reason for that—the land was too wet and the wood was abundant. Some parts had stone pathways but most of it was logs.
Orias was walking on the logs, heading back to the castle with his group. Plenty of residents carried their goods around, their faces sweaty and tired. A few of them greeted the prince and his followers, but most ignored them.
Watching all the demi-humans and monster folk going about their day, he couldn’t help but wonder. What color were they? Their aura color. The Salamander Chief was red.
Glancing at his mana crystal, it was full blue. Maybe the color of the aura matched the color of the magic they had. He needed to test it.
A merfolk lady walked in front of him, her fish tail dragging on the ground. Perfect. Water magic so blue.
He stopped abruptly, making everyone halt.
The woman felt his gaze and gave him a confused look. His mana glowed and he recreated the womb inside him. Bella noticed, her eyes widening and she grabbed his wrist, sharply whispering, “You’re still sick.”
A soft sigh escaped him, the merfolk had a blue aura, as expected.
“I am fine, Bella.” He patted her hand.
Releasing the womb, he continued walking. Mana sickness had nothing on him. He was going to figure out his blessing even if it killed him.
Dizziness hit him, and he fell face first on the logs. Ouch. The wood was rough on his skin.
“Prince Orias! Are you okay?” Sela rushed to his side and helped him up. Bella grabbed his other arm.
The prince swayed and blinked a few times. The world spun around him.
His wrist was burning hot and he groaned.
The last thing he saw was his sister’s concerned face before everything went black. Again.
A crackling sound woke him up. His body felt heavy and his throat was dry. Looking around, he found himself in his room. The candle on the nightstand was lit, casting shadows on the wall.
Sitting up, he saw his sister on the ground, her back against the wall. She was holding something. A crystal?
He squinted and saw it was a mana crystal. Something in his chest pulled tight for making his sister worry about him when he was the one who should be taking care of her—this was not how a good brother acted.
But then again they were in the middle of a succession war.
Pulling the soft sheet off his body, he swung his legs off the bed. The burning sensation in his wrist was gone, his mana crystal faintly blue. Still had some left.
Bella stirred and lifted her head. When she saw him awake, a smile bloomed on her face.
“Brother you’re up.” She got up and rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him.
He hugged her back, resting his chin on her shoulder. She smelled of lavender and sweat.
“Sorry for worrying you,” he murmured.
She kissed his lips, her soft lips moving against his.
“Do it again and I’ll cut off your dick.”
The prince laughed. His dick was precious to him.
“Alright, how long was I out?” He asked, scratching his neck.
“Almost a full day, it’s going to be morning soon. The lake is still occupied by the snakes and Sela is patrolling the streets to make sure nothing else happens,” she answered.
He nodded. His mind was working again. The paper flying out of his hand was a major problem. The lake situation was also a big problem. Money was a huge problem. His womb was another problem.
Everything was a problem.
Rubbing his face, he chuckled. This was actually kind of entertaining—being fucked in the ass from every possible direction.
“Ori, speak your mind,” Bella said, her fingers intertwined with his.
Looking at her, he kissed her forehead.
“Have you drawn the troll again?”
She stood up and grabbed her notepad from the nightstand. Flipping the pages she found the sketch and showed it to him. The image was accurate, but it needed more definition.
“I am almost done porting it from the book of Beasts. I will finish the rest tomorrow.” She closed the notepad.
The book of Beasts was a book he had Bella write since they were little. It had sketches of every monster they encountered and some that Orias tried to remember from his past life.
“Thank you, you’re the best sister ever,” he said, pulling closer and kissing her cute nose.
She giggled and sat back on the bed. His hand found its way to her bare thigh, squeezing the flesh. Her legs were soft and warm.
Not now.
“We need to scout the lake and see exactly what we’re dealing with: how many mages, what kind of poison, weapons, their discipline.”
He laid down on the ground, his head on the plush carpet.
Bella hummed and stretched her feet on his stomach. He started to massage them.
“I want to fly over there and check it out,” he muttered. His hands were working on her soles.
“Nope. You need rest, brother. Let me go instead.” She said, closing her eyes.
His heartbeat raced. There was no way his sister was going out alone.
Opening his mouth to protest, she spoke before him.
“I am just as capable as you. Don’t treat me like a damsel in distress. I can transform into whatever creature I want and fly away from danger.”
He didn’t like this. If she died, what would be the point?
Sighing, he squeezed her feet.
“Can’t you be the beta and stay in the castle while I go and be the cool alpha wolf?” He pouted.
A foot kicked his chest and he grunted.
“I am already the alpha twin. You were born after me remember?” She teased, her eyes opening.
“That’s because I couldn’t pass around your fat ass,” he joked.
Her eyes narrowed and she kicked him again.
He grabbed her ankle and pulled her down onto him. She squeaked and fell onto his chest, her hands above his head.
The two stared at each other, their warm breaths mingling.
Their heartbeats synchronized. Maybe it was good that she went out—there was something he needed to do and he didn’t want her to witness it.
Feeling the heat from the sun coming through the window, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.
“Okay you win. But do not land, do not get close. From afar only. Got it?” He said, his voice stern.
Bella nodded and stood up, grabbing her notepad before leaving the room. Orias watched her go, the door closing behind her.
Please stay safe.
Getting up, he left his room, walking towards the direction of Bella’s room, which was on the other side of the castle next to his mother’s room. The door opened and he slipped inside.
Her room was similar to his, but there was one very important object he needed. Walking to her desk, he opened the drawer and took out the book of Beasts. The leather cover was worn from constant use.
With the book under his arm, he left the room and made his way to the dungeon.
He didn't notice the shadow that moved away from the door as he descended the stairs.
The metal door to the dungeon creaked as he entered. Grabbing a match from the wall, he lit the candles. The blood from the dead woman was cleaned up and the chair was gone.
Another metal table was in the middle of the room, covered with various iron tools used for interrogation. One of them was a sharp knife. Perfect.
The book was placed on the table and opened to the page of the grey swamp troll. Picking up the knife, bringing it to one of the candles, he held the blade over the flame, heating it until it glowed red and orange.
Okay. No going back now.
Pushing away the tools, he sat on the table and rolled up his sleeve. His skin was pale and his veins were visible. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the drawing of the troll and pressed the knife to his left forearm.
A sizzling sound and a pungent smell of burning flesh filled the dungeon.
“Fuck!”
The pain was excruciating and he dropped the knife after the initial cut. It clattered on the stone floor.
He swallowed hard and picked up the knife again. This was important. Moving the blade again he aligned it with the cut but just as he was about to continue the slice, the metal door opened.
His mother stepped inside, her expression unreadable.
Their eyes met. The wound on his arm was still fresh, the blood trickling down his elbow and dripping onto the floor.
Teresa looked at the book and then at her son. Her red eyes scanned him up and down before she walked to the table and grabbed the knife from his hand.
Was she going to yell at him? Tell him he was crazy and that this was not the way?
“Scream because it’s going to hurt more if you don’t,” she said, her voice soft.
The blade touched his arm and he bit his lip before screaming his lungs out. Every line of the knife was pure agony. He squeezed his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists.
Finally it was over. The knife was dropped on the table with a clang and his mother held him in her arms.
“I’m sorry, Ori. I want to take your place but I can’t,” she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. “It’s my fault for trusting that man.”
The prince buried his face in her neck, breathing heavily. His arm was on fire, the skin was burned and the pain was immense. But he felt nothing but love and gratitude for his mother.
“It’s okay Mom, I... I’ll survive and make it out of this. I promise,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse.
Teresa pulled away and wiped his tears with her sleeve, smiling at him.
“That’s not something I want to hear from my son.”
She kissed his forehead and looked at his arm. The wound was shaped like the sketch of the swamp troll.
“Try it out then.”
He nodded.
The mana moved through him and the world dropped—everything got smaller as he grew, his skin pulling tight and grey, his hands lengthening into something that wasn't hands anymore.
He was taller than his mother now, looking down at her black hair.
His arm was healed.
Her hand touched his grey skin and she smiled.
“You are truly amazing, Ori,” she said.
Letting go of the transformation, he returned to his human form, his body sore but at least the wound was gone. Shapeshifting had some benefits.
Teresa held his face in her hands and looked at him fondly. Staring at his mom, his thoughts drifted to the divine.
“Mom what do you know about Inara?” He asked.