Robert looked at the dog-faced Prime and knew this wouldn't be an easy problem to solve. Though he was curious to learn what was its power, the Prime belonged to Freddy. He couldn't even think about keeping it for himself or selling it. Just the thought hurt him as if he was robbing his own child. He stared at the orb and savored the feeling. It was almost painful. Freddy was scared of the Prime. Why? Taulusian hounds were sentient but they were very primitive, innocent, and naive. Robert could only imagine they were never given formal education. He remembered a story about a boy who was raised by wolves or was it gorillas? He didn't remember that part. But it was set in the African jungle.

He had to find Freddy. Talk to him. Try to find what the Taulusian was thinking. The whole situation was fucked up. Damn. Someone manifesting a Prime should be one of the most joyous moments in a household. But Freddy was considered property by the world. Robert had to find him. He went around the apartment and found Freddy cowering underneath a towel in the bathroom. The rack was on the ground, ripped off the wall in a hurry. Robert cried. Nobody would know as there was nobody in the void to witness it. The only thing he could do was to sit next to Freddy and wait until he returned. He set his timepiece alarm to twenty seconds before returning and waited. For days.

His clockwork timepiece's alarm chimed. Colors returned to the world.

" – talent?" Amanda's voice came from the living room. Her request would not be fulfilled right now. The Prime was inside Robert's ring.

Robert placed a firm hand over the towel. "Everything will be fine, eventually, buddy. I promise you."

Freddy shivered and trembled. He tried to stand up but Robert pressed down. In such a frightened state, Freddy could hurt himself. He couldn't let the Taulusian run away.

"It's okay," Robert crooned and sobbed. "Nobody will hurt you." His jaw was clenched so hard his teeth hurt. Freddy stopped trying to get up and just shook. Robert scooped the enormous alien hound, still wrapped in the towel, and cradled him on his lap. He rocked himself, sitting on the bathroom floor. Freddy curled up the most he could as if the towel would hide him from this cruel world.

"Robert?" Amanda called. "Are you in the toilet?" Her voice, still filled with joy and wonder, was coming closer. The door was open. She did a double-take. "Are you… crying?"

Freddy whimpered. Robert placed a hand over his head. He looked up at her. He made no attempt to hide his emotions. Yes, he was crying. Tears still rolled down his cheek. Amanda looked up and down and around, taking in the scene. The sadness seeped into her expression. She bit her lower lip.

"Amanda, Freddy isn't feeling well. He's scared." Robert warned.

She nodded. Robert rubbed Freddy's head. The Taulusian still shook and breathed without a rhythm. Amanda pulled her skirt so she could kneel.

"Oh, poor thing. Freddy, we are all your friends here. May I approach?"

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea, Amanda. Wait a moment. Freddy, buddy. Do you mind if Amanda came in? Shake your head for no, or nod for yes."

"Wait, does a no mean Freddy doesn't mind or that he doesn't want me here?"

Robert had unwittingly used a type of question that was too ambiguous.

"Can Amanda come in? Bop my hand if it's a yes."

Freddy curled his body even more. Amanda flinched.

"Amanda, I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes and nodded. Holding onto her skirt, she slowly stood up. "I'll… wait outside, then," she sounded really hurt. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Amanda ran away and slammed the door. Freddy winced.

Robert said nothing. He just remained quiet, slowly brushing Freddy's fur.

*

*

Twenty minutes of waiting in silence later, Freddy calmed down and stopped shaking. His breathing took on a calm cadence. It seemed he had fallen asleep. Robert didn't let go. He cursed inside. Manifesting a Prime should be a moment for celebration. But he doubted the Taulusian breeders or other owners – a word that was sounding more and more like slaver – would let the hounds keep, sell, or use the Primes. No. They would take it as their property and use it as they saw fit. Robert's stomach lurched.

Even the existence of sentient alien species was kept a secret from the general population. They were different, and that was enough to condemn them. The Mollusks, Taulusians, and many, many other species out there. Just because humans were stronger, these species were demoted to monsters or just irrational animals.

He remembered the books he read on the Taulusian. The alien dogs were still a niche hobby for the rich but they still generated enough interest to fill a couple tomes. Never in recorded history, has a Taulusian attacked a person. Even in situations where a normal Earth dog would bite and fight back. They were considered passive and harmless. Their world was one of the most dangerous realms ever visited by humanity.

The issue was obvious. How did an utterly pacifist species survive long enough to be found by humans? The Taulusians weren't herbivores. They had to hunt. The answer, given all the facts, was that they weren't pacifists. They became pacifists after humans brought them here. It was a choice. Why would Freddy be scared to death of the Prime? He didn't think the Taulusian would answer if he asked. Freddy was scared of communicating with him too. Even though he was already doing so. He was happy to play the role of a slightly smarter pet.

Everything felt bitter in Robert's mouth. But he didn't wish he had never met Freddy. That Amanda hadn't spent a fortune most wouldn't see in their life combined to get Freddy. No. Now that they were together, they could try to make a difference.

He had no delusions he could save or change the fate of the Taulusian. He was just a one-star Arch, nothing more than a fly on the wall. But he could change Freddy's fate. He could do something. Robert stood up, carrying Freddy still wrapped in the towel. He took the hound to the bedroom, placed Freddy on the bed, and tucked him under the duvet. Seeing it wouldn't stop pretending to be asleep, he first checked to make sure Freddy wouldn't run away, then walked outside, closing the door behind him.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The apartment was empty. He had to find Amanda and talk to her. He sent a silent message as he left the apartment. "Are you near the dorm lobby?"

"Over here!" Amanda waved at him from the restroom door. Only now he noticed the male dorm had a female restroom. She had removed her makeup.

The students loitering in the lobby stole glances at the two. Great. He didn't need rumors spreading. Some of them obviously saw in what state Amanda left his apartment.

"We need to talk, in private," he sent via telepathy. "Come back inside."

"Sure." She smiled at him and walked with graceful steps.

Robert led her back to his apartment, under the impressed gazes of the other students in the lobby. One of them moved to block the way.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" The scowling newcomer challenged Robert. His gaze moved from Robert to Amanda.

"None of your business," Robert replied, annoyed at the interruption. " You are in our way."

"Are you okay, Ms. Samson?" He ignored Robert and tried to take Amanda's hand. She pulled her arm away.

"I'm fine, please move aside, Pablo" Amanda requested with a firm tone.

Pablo wouldn't listen. He had his mind set. Robert felt like punching the man's face. He activated foresight with a second of advanced warning, as well as enhanced senses.

"Is this guy here coerci—"

"Dude, if she wanted to get rid of me, all she had to do was to fire me," Robert said in Pablo's face as he moved forward. "Can't you see the pins? Now, if you don't mind, we have urgent matters to attend. Move!"

"Make me," Pablo pressed back, shuffling forward. Their faces were an inch from each other.

Oh, how he wanted to vent all his frustration, his anger at Freddy's situation, and bash Pablo's face into mush. Robert's anger found a target and pinned all of his misery on Pablo. And yet, he couldn't touch the guy. Students who also were military personnel were forbidden from harassing other students. Even if they were being as big of an asshole as Pablo.

"I can't challenge civilians to duels. Otherwise, I would. Amanda, take my hand."

He wanted to skip the issue by jumping into the liminal void. Only after he said his line he realized what others would think of the request.

She did almost instantly. Then she raised the stakes. "Pablo, Robert can't challenge you but I can. And the rules allow me to designate a champion. Do you really want to mop the arena floor with your own face this hard?"

"This freshman—"

"— was vetted by Titania Samson herself to work as my bodyguard," she rudely interrupted Pablo with the name-dropping. "Now, do you really want to find out why? It won't be nice."

Needless to say, the crowd of students only grew as the verbal altercation went on. Some took the stairs to get a bird's eye view. Others came through the doors as if summoned by the aura of drama.

"Dude, just walk away. We won't hold it against you," Robert suggested.

"I challenge you to a ranked duel," Pablo said to Robert.

Some students hooted and talked openly about what was going on. The noise level in the dorm lobby increased.

He couldn't challenge Pablo, but Pablo could be as idiot as Pablo wanted and play the macho. Robert almost said they should throw it down right then and there. But he had better things to do than go Tyler Durden on Pablo. Freddy needed him. They had to sort out the mess.

"Today, seventeen hundred, main arena, whatever dueling ring is available" Robert accepted. "Now, move."

"Ohohohoho! Too bad we can't make a little wager on the outcome," Amanda said with a perfect-pitch princess mocking laughter.

Betting was against Academy regulations. Not that people stopped making them covertly. Robert could hear several students betting thousands of dollars on the outcome of this duel. From the odds they agreed to, Pablo might be someone of renown. He had to check Pablo's ranking sometime during the afternoon.

"Dude, move."

"Make me," Pablo grinned.

"Is this permission to touch you? Use a spell?" Robert asked.

"Whatever," Pablo shrugged.

Some students jeered and shouted, inciting them to fight.

Robert leaned to whisper in Pablo's ear. He touched his cheek against his. Pablo flinched a little. "Mind Blackout," he whispered and immediately blocked the sensory feedback. It was the only ethical way he found to use the spell granted by Cerebelon. The instructions were delivered mentally. "Forget everything from the moment you said 'whatever' to when you wake up, at most one minute before five in the afternoon. Go wait somewhere out of the way and take a nap. Act naturally."

Pablo walked around them and sat on a couch, then collapsed like a ragdoll. He instantly dozed off.

The dorm lobby went silent.

"What the fuck just happened?" Someone shouted. "See if Pablo is still alive!"

Still with hands held, the two walked into Robert's apartment under the watchful gazes of dozens of students.

*

*

Freddy had spun around and curled under the duvet, forming something between a cloth beehive to a cloth termite mound.

Confirming that Freddy was fine and still pretending to be asleep, Robert cleared his accumulated liminal void time, returned, waited half a minute, and then offered a hand to Amanda. "Let's talk."

"Sure," she took it and shifted dimensions with him.

"Did you know the Taulusian were intelligent?" Robert asked, his tone a bit more accusatory than he wanted.

"Not really," she winced. "Truth be told, I never gave it much though."

Robert tried to keep a neutral expression. "What about now?"

"Unmistakable, undisputed evidence."

"We are enslaving them."

"Yes," she sighed, then focused. "Truth be told, there are some creatures out there enslaving us too."

"Do they keep us as pets too?"

"Worse. Food. Livestock."

"And does that justify what we are doing to the Taulusians?"

"No, I–"

"Don't guess."

Amanda lowered her eyes, some guilt stamped on her face. Robert decided it was time to disclose his findings.

"Yesterday, with your father's blessing, I went into the Mollusk Realm to try and tame a squid. I wanted to finish learning beast bond. You can guess what happened, right?"

She pursed her lips, then nodded. "It failed. The Mollusks ate sentient."

And the reverse recognition squid was not a deviant. It was their version of Archs."

"Most likely. This is the main reason we only let one star delve there. If we let someone too powerful hunt there, it will upset the balance, and stronger adult Mollusks will come go the hunting zone."

"What will we do with Freddy?" He asked.

"We can't return him."

"That's out of the question. He doesn't want to communicate with me. When I tried to use telepathy on him, he got frightened."

"Do you think he recognized what you wanted to do?"

"Most likely."

"We could keep things as they were for a while and see if he opens up."

"Agreed," Robert said. "I read about the expedition that found them. The Taulusians basically volunteered to come with the explorers. Their home realm was very violent."

"Are they refugees or something like that?"

"Most likely."

Robert took his timepiece out of his ring to check on the time left. Two minutes.

"Hey, what is this?" Amanda asked, amazed at the artifice widget.

"Something I commissioned from Ethericheart Artificers, on District Twenty-third."

"I know them! Was it an original creation?"

"Yes. They sold pretty well. I wanted this to help me with my talent. It keeps track of how long I have left on each visit. And we are almost out of time."

He explained how the contraption worked.

*

*

Back to the real world, Amanda went to the living room while Robert went to the bedroom. He sat next to the refugee wrapped in the duvet.

"Freddy, we are going out to grab food at the cafeteria. Do you want to come with us?"

The duvet shook.

"Is that a no?"

The duvet shook.

"Look, everything is fine. I can't tell what you are thinking if you don't tell me. But we won't let anything bad happen to you. I got the Prime–"

The duvet shook.

Robert sighed. "Stay still for yes, okay?"

The duvet didn't shake.

"Good. Do you want the Prime–"

The duvet shook.

"Do you think it's scary?"

No motion.

"Do you know what Prime Vestiges are for?"

No motion.

"Do you want to use it?"

The duvet shook. Furiously.

"It's fine. You don't need to do anything you don't want to."

No motion.

"Are you hungry?"

No motion.

"Want to get out, get some sin, see the sights…"

The duvet shook.

"We are leaving then. There's plenty of food for you. Take care, buddy."

No motion.

Robert stood up and left with Amanda. He noticed Pablo wasn't in the dorm lobby anymore. Most likely, what happened to his telepathy was the norm for his sustained spells cast on other people. They all stopped when he entered the liminal void. But why hadn't he noticed it before? Because the spells he used were all personal or Time spells. He had to test it later.

Along the way to the cafeteria, he explained what he "talked" with Freddy to her.