THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTION THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SOME READERS.
"You failed," Solaren said.
Damon frowned. "What do you mean I failed? I did what you asked."
"You did," Solaren nodded. "But you couldn't turn it off it at will."
Damon's jaw tightened, it almost seemed like a grunt. "So what now?"
Solaren stepped closer. "Tell me. When it's on your fists, how does it feel?"
Damon looked down. "Like a pulsing warmth. Like it's alive in and on my skin."
"And when you dim it?"
"Feels like the warmth is going back into my body. I just imagine the feeling reversed."
Solaren smiled faintly. "Good. The reason you feel that certain warmth is because, the light vibrates." He said almost seeming like he wasn't sure. "Its like its vibrating with the air and has some friction. I'm sure you understand."
"Wait, do yo—"
Solaren cut him off dismissively "Now... light up your body, but don't blind the soldiers this time."
Damon seemed frustrated shortly. But he exhaled, eyes open. The glow surged, but softer and controlled.
"Now," Solaren said, "start from your arms. Imagine that reversed feeling, but ALLL over."
Damon focused. The light dimmed, but didn't leave.
"You're dimming it. No no no." Solaren said shaking his index finger. "You see I want you to let it leave completely. You should be able to turn it on and off as you please. Like when you turn off the lights."
Damon clenched his fists. Come on. Focus. Just let it go. He opened his hands and the light faded, disappearing completely.
"I definitely passed," he muttered.
Soldiers stared. Damon frowned. "What now?"
Solaren stepped forward. "Prince Damon… you've learned a skill that takes our average soldiers a week or more. You did it in under an hour."
Damon's brow furrowed. "Then why did you say I failed, even when I was performing better?"
Solaren gave an eerie smile. "To push you to do it better."
Damon facepalmed. "What's next?"
Solaren's grin widened, slightly terrifying.
Back on Earth...
Daiki stared at the shard. "Damon's a chosen one. That nerd got picked by The One?"
Natsuki corrected him. "The Eternal One. Oh you should know, your girlfriends with Damon now. On his... place. I forgot what he called it."
Daiki's head bent to the left dramatically "My girlfriend?"
"C'mon... Rika, your favourite bully. We both know you had a soft spot for her in primary school." Natsuki teased, her eyes trying to meet his, though his swayed away on purpose.
"She was— wasn't— Whatever!" Daiki stammered. Natsuki laughed at her success. "What else did he tell you?" he said.
"Why should I tell you?"
Daiki grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "Come on! This is fantasy IRL!"
"Calm down," Natsuki said. "I told you everything. Jeez."
"So you'll speak to him in a week?"
"Through the shard, yes."
Daiki dropped into her chair, picked up a palette, faced the canvas. "I wish I was there to fight that thing with him."
Natsuki gave him a mocking look. "Daiki, we both know you'd be the first to run away."
"Give me more credit," he said. "I stayed when the gang was gonna attack us, before Damon took over."
"Gangs and demons are quite different." Natsuki corrected as she faced her laptop and sat down.
Silence.
"I wonder how his dad's doing," Daiki said.
Natsuki turned, pausing as she stared at Daiki for a moment. Then she pulled him up. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Daiki asked in confusion. They hurried downstairs.
Vanessa caught them. "Where are you going?"
"I have to talk to Damon's dad to go visit Damon, at the hospital. I think he was injured while looking for his sister."
She is such a liar... we've been friends for soo long and it still surprises me. How does Damon see through her though? Daiki thought to himself, pondering.
"But he was at the—" Vanessa countered.
"Please, Mom. I have to see if Damon's okay."
Renji cracked open a can of Coke. "How do you expect her to let you go? It's only been about a week since that beast attacked."
Natsuki turned on the news. A female reporter on the screen "The military lockdown remains in effect as investigators scour every road connected to the attack. Eyewitnesses are telling us the same shocking thing: a young man stood toe‑to‑toe and—"
A man interrupted "That was no ordinary beast! It had horns, red and black every part of it felt alive! EVEN ITS BREATHING WAS SINISTER!" A policeman came and took him away.
The reporter continued "Apologies for the interruption. Authorities are still conducting assessments, and with samples from the creature now under analysis, officials say the surrounding roads have been declared safe for public use."
Vanessa sighed. "Fine. But call if anything happens."
Haruto ignored them scribbling something at the table and they left in a hurry.
At Damon's house, Richard opened the door. He didn't look worried at all. In fact, a smile tugged at his face.
"Mr. Vale, are you okay?" Natsuki asked.
"I'm fine. And I told you, you can call me Richard."
Daiki squinted. "There's no way you're this calm."
Richard smiled. "I know I'm supposed to be worried. But I feel… ease. Like everything will be fine."
Natsuki sat, exhaled. "I hope so."
A sense of calm seemed to blossom in the atmosphere, as if Richards calm rubbed off on them.
Daiki asked, "Did he tell you a day on Woewyn is a week on Earth?"
"Oh no." Richard said. "He must've forgotten."
Back on Woewyn, Tolrex gestured to the chair. "Sit Daichi."
Daichi leapt up, paws landing on the binding seat.
A white metallic throne veined with silver light. Runes flared as a crystal core pulsed at the top of it. Restraints hummed with energy.
Tolrex muttered, "I know you can understand me, but I won't understand anything you... bark." He grunted. "I should've told Damon about this. It'll hurt a bit, but only this time."
Daichi barked low. "Okay, no one told me transforming would hurt. Let me think about this."
Tolrex glanced at the scientists. One said, "I think he agrees."
Daichi barked in disagreement. They didn't understand so they continued anyway.
In the training hall: "The next thing for you will be, Resonant Stride. I doubt you will be able to succeed at this as fast as you did with Radiant Veil but, we'll see." Solaren said turning to the wall.
Daichi's voice screamed in Damon's mind. "Damon, you need to get here and speak to Tolrex!"
"What's wrong?"
"He said it's gonna hurt. You have to come. I don't wanna do this anymore. I'm content with my dog form. Oh no—he's starting!"
Damon dashed out, pushing past a soldier. "Sorry!"
Solaren turned. "Hm? Where's that boy gone?"
"Where are you?" Damon asked.
"Two lefts and two very long rights."
Then a sharp, guttural bark-like cry.
"Tell Tolrex not to start!"
"He doesn't understand me! Besides, he hasn't started yet."
"Then why are you squealing?"
"Stop asking questions and get me out of this chair!"
Damon reached the door but it was too late. Transparent wires with electricity soiled around them surgically strapped Daichi, transparent wires seemed to have energy beams flowing through them.
Damon hit the door. "Let me in!"
Tolrex yelled, "I can't open it! If we stop now, it'll kill him!"
As flashes of blue and white covered the room, Daichi's bark slowly became a growl. His silhouette stretched, limbs elongated, claws sharpened. His voice deepened. Brown eyes burned away into argent light, silver irises glowing like twin moons.
One scientist panicked. "We need to stabilize it!"
The other whispered, " How do we do that? He's bodies absorbing it on it's own."
BOOM...It blew.
A couple minutes later—
A big, pack-leader silhouette. White fur streaked in silver. Eyes glowing argent with primal intelligence. Lean, powerful, balanced. Claws like tempered steel. Aura flickering with spectral wolves. More than an animal... it was mythic.
Damon smiled when he looked through the glass in the door. Daichi walked to Tolrex, each step echoed dominance.
Tolrex stepped back. "Uh oh? Calm down doggy, or wolfy." His voice trembled slightly.
Daichi's eyes pierced him. Damon burst in but to his surprise Daichi was licking Tolrex.
"I thought you'd eat him," Damon said.
"So did I," Tolrex muttered, wiping saliva.
Daichi looked at his paws. "I like this form." He saw his reflection in the glass. "My eyes are… silver."
He placed two paws on Damon's chest, two on the floor. "What do you think she'll say?"
"Who?"
"Natsuki, of course."
"You just became a wolf and you're wondering what a human would think?"
"Natsuki isn't like any human I've ever met. I wonder if she'll look at me the same way."
Damon pet his head, larger now, with thicker fur. "Natsuki will always think good of you," he said, smiling.
Damon helped the scientists up, adjusted the dark bangles on his sleeveless arms. "Sorry for the mess. Tolrex, I owe you, more than one now."
Tolrex nodded. "It's an honour that the prince thinks owes me. I do this for the love of the game. Do take note of this though, he will get larger, scary larger. Right now he is only slightly larger than a pack leader."
"What else can Daichi do?" Damon asked. "Or is he just a normal wolf?"
Tolrex shrugged. "I don't know how strong a normal wolf is on Earth. But why don't we test him specifically?"
They returned to the training hall. Solaren approached, slightly annoyed. "Prince Damon, do you abruptly leave class on Earth?"
"I'm sorry," Damon said. "I thought Daichi was in trouble."
"Who is Daichi?"
Daichi stepped forward. Solaren looked down. "Your bond is bigger than average. He looks like a pack leader."
Tolrex greeted Solaren. "Can we borrow your OMD?"
"Use that one," Solaren said, pointing.
"What's an OMD?" Damon asked.
"Ohh its an abbreviation for Output Measuring Device. Measures how much force you can deliver obviously but it works for both physical attacks and Eterna. By the way, I wouldn't recommend you using them to measure your output in the future, you might destroy it later on fro what we've seen in you charts." Tolrex explained.
Woah... destroy it. Well he said might so, who knows? Damon thought.
Tolrex turned to Daichi. "Hit it with all your force."
Daichi ran struck with is paw. The numbers skyrocketed.
Soldiers stared. Tolrex's jaw dropped.
Solaren asked, "... Damon, do you have elephants on Earth?"
"Yes," Damon said. "Why?"
"Because that one strike could kill one."
Damon looked at Daichi, playfully afraid. Daichi growled low. "Ohhh, I can finally hunt those crows down now."
Damon laughed. "Dude, you can hunt more than crows."
A large howl echoed, loud enough to reach the other side of the hall.
Daichi grinned. "I can finally howl too!"
Damon stood in front of him, one arm crossed over his chest, the other hand resting under his chin, head tilted forward "What else can you do?"