My heart hammered against the inside of my chest, slamming into the ribs in an effort to escape. Though I didn't have the facilities with which to sweat, I still felt the cold and claims sensation that would follow. The thoughts in the back of my mind were a whirlwind of anticipation, anxiety, and distress. I had finally told someone the truth, and I could only watch and wait as they digested the knowledge.

Mibata hadn't said anything throughout my entire recap of my human life, human death, and kobold hatching. He had returned to his unreadable self as he fixed his chestnut eyes on me. That stare made me feel so awful, as though every minute we sat there was an hour of mute torture. I suppose in some way, it was.

"Two questions."

I braced myself for the death blow.

"Who are you?"

I wrote my name on the slate and showed it to him.

"I see.”

I waited with held breath as he leaned closer to me, the wooden stool he was on straining slightly as he inched forward.

“Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

I had no real excuse. Fear wasn’t a reason, it was a shackle I had put upon myself. I let the cryptic ravings of an evil man poison my mind and alter my judgment, but in the end it was me that gave those words power.

“I feared that you would hate me if you knew. I’m not the same as you or the others. I’m an outsider. Aren’t you the least bit worried about that?”

There was that face of anger again. He had displayed it frequently as he spoke earlier, but now it was focused squarely on me.

“Right. I think we need to set aside our preconceptions for a moment.”

Mibata stood abruptly and crossed the distance between us. Both of his hands were on my shoulders, and his face was so close to mine that I could feel his words on my scales.

“No, I could never willingly hate you. We just discussed how I wanted to rid myself of that parasitic leech on my mind so I could love you unconditionally, as a good brother should. Yes, you are the same as the rest of us. The soul in your body is your essence, but the person you choose to be is made through actions. You have been our anchor and our port, and we would be lost without you. You are not an outsider, and you will never be one as long as I live. Lastly, Yes, I am always worried. It is a part of who I am to worry, and is independent from any actions you take. Now, answer this question: How ignorant do you think your family is?”

He didn’t let me answer, not that he had any intention of reading what I wrote for a response.

“I jest, that was rhetorical. I mean this: mother has always known that you were something otherworldly. Her phrase “God Gift '' is just an easy term to use, one that is a vague way to label one that is beyond comprehension or has wisdom greater than their years. Father is no fool either. I have heard him speak of you when he thought he was unobserved. He has seen your strange designs you have made and left unattended, and he is left confounded by their intricacies. Gods knowing, you raced to open books in front of him without ever having seen one before! That alone is enough to hint at knowledge beyond normal possibility. I have no doubt that Humey and Tokols are not far off from coming to the same conclusion, and we both know how capable of deduction they are not. As for myself, I merely came to the conclusion that you would tell us when you were ready, and I am honored that you chose me to be the first to know.``

I guess I was not the most subtle when it came to hiding how much I knew. A week-old kobold probably wouldn’t have a thirst for knowledge or the ability to comprehend written languages to the same degree. Now I just feel dumb for my poorly-attempted secrecy. I prepared another slate-message and handed it to him.

“1: You’re being loud. People are trying to sleep. 2: You’re right. I did a poor job of being normal, and was an idiot. 3: I’m sorry for keeping you guys so far away. That damn Chalk Eater was in my mind with his cruel magic.”

Bata cocked an eyebrow at me. His voice was still stern, but he had dropped a few decibels.

“Don’t call yourself an idiot, it’s a lie that I refuse to allow existence. Also, who is Chalk Eater?”

Oh right, I suppose I’ve never shared my inner monologue of fitting insults surrounding that guy.

“The gray kobold. The one that put us in the cage and robbed me of my voice. That red stone let him read my mind, but not to the same degree as the altar did. He threatened me with being destroyed unless I showed him my death, so he knows I’m reborn. I think he used the name Zhathrael, but I don’t know if that is his name or some master he serves, so I just stuck with “bastard” or “Chalk Eater” as a name.”

A creaking sound came from my brother’s lower jaw as his muscles clenched. Seething rage swirled in his pupils, and his grip on my shoulders became vice-like. As if sensing my rising discomfort, his hands sprang from me to hover in the air, curled into fists. His head turned to the side, and he started growling to himself.

“I will flay that one myself, if given the option. I will have to find some way to track his movements before Humey or Tokols get to him. Should I start with the eyes, or the tongue? Take from him what he has stolen. It’s poetic and ironic, fitting too.”

This serial killer behavior was alarming, though I could relate. I wanted him pushing daisies more than anyone, but the danger he presented warranted extreme caution. I pressed my hand onto my brother’s shoulder to get his eyes back on me as I shook my head with my eyes wide open. His normal voice returned as he released a deep sigh.

“You’re right. That fetid caster is a foe that exceeds the capabilities and resources available to us. Mother was powerless against his barrier, so what chance does a gaggle of immature trainees stand against his true strength? I do like your nickname for him: Chalk Eater. It is more fitting than “Blood Eyes” or “Homebreaker”.”

Mibata rubbed at his eyes tiredly. We had been in the secret closet for a while now, and if I had to guess he probably was awake all night waiting for Yabtin to get home so dad could seal the door. When I was certain he had finished massaging his eyes I jerked my head towards the exit behind him.

“I suppose it would be best to get some rest. All of this talk has drained me of strength. We should end this conversation properly.”

He held his hands out for me to take, and as I did he lifted me to my feet before holding me close. The budding horns on the sides of our heads grazed one another painfully, but I refused to shy away from him.

“I will keep my promise, Kayrux. Your secret is safe with me, until such a time as you want to share it with the others comes. We have many things that we must discuss further, and at greater length, but I just want you to know that you will always have my confidence. And… thank you for hearing me. It felt good to open up about all of my woes.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Two phrases that my brother seldom uses are “I’m sorry” and “thank you”, and I had heard both of them tonight. A wall that had been between us for our whole lives was now crumbling from within. It might be years before he fully heals from his self-inflicted torment, but now that he wants to heal and knows the way to do so, I am certain that he will persevere.

With his assistance in place of my crutch, we make our way back into the dorm to find Humey sprawled out in the main sleeping pit with a peculiar lump of color-shifting scales atop him. Mibata and I just smile and shake our heads at the two, but my feet steer me closer to them rather than my own bed, and by extension leads Mibata with me. The coziness of the thickly padded divot, the radiating warmth of the inner fire coming from the chunky goliath, and the smell of the contentment wafting in the air is like a siren’s song.

Wrapping myself in a thin layer of fabric, I cozy up to the broad side of the crimson giant, careful to make sure that neither my tail or horns cause him any discomfort. My forest fungus colored brother does similar, though he chooses to lie with his back to our brother’s belly. It doesn’t take long for his eyes to seal shut and add his own quiet snores to the chorus. Wait for me, Bata, I’ll be there in just a sec-

…

My eyes dart open, and I immediately feel something is wrong. The room is empty and devoid of color. Where is everything? Where is everyone?

I leave the dorm, and the living room is the same. It looks abandoned. I call out, but nobody answers.

The tunnels are empty, and all of the houses are bare.

The main shaft holds no life. I look to the sky and see only darkness, and below I see only the void.

I step onto the lift, only to find myself at the bottom of the city. The altar there, unchanged, but the statue is gone.

I climb the steps, and find no resistance.

The mirror is cracked, and shows no reflection.

There is no sound beside my own breathing.

I look up again, but the empty sky is no longer there.

One rippling silver eye looks down at me from above.

A single voice as clear and crisp as the cracking of ice rushes through my mind.

“Wake.”

…

My sleep is brought to a jarring end as my face is unkindly greeted by the floor.

“Whazzat? Oh no, Kay!”

I’m rolled onto my back, and see a large red shape in my vision.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there. Is your snout okay?”

I untangle my right hand from the blanket so I can give him a thumbs up. It smarts, sure, but I’ve been punched in the face by the jade horror that is Juaki in training mode. I know what a broken nose feels like, and this is a bruise at most.

I wrestle my way out of my comfort burrito, and the sight of Tokols flopped on top of an irritated looking Mibata is the first thing I can clearly see.

“Get off.”

Tok replies through a yawn and a sarcastically languid stretch.

“Nah, I’m good here.”

A mistake was made in that moment: Tokols left his tail hanging in his pinned brother’s reach. With a cringe-inducing crunch, a row of sharp teeth jam their way into his tender flesh. The smaller kobold flung himself into the air like an alarmed feline.

“OW! What the fuck, you tail-biting prick?”

“I told you to get off. Consider that your penalty.”

“Penalty my foot, you could have just pushed me off to the side!”

“But then you wouldn’t have learned anything, would you?”

Tokols merely scoffed and skulked off to his shelf full of belongings, massaging the sore spot with his hands. While he rummaged through one of his boxes, I could distinctly hear a slew of curses and angry mutterings. Eventually he found his cleaning kit and jar of healing syrup. He sat on the edge of his bed as he tended to his injury.

"Damn it, you almost broke through my skin with those fangs! I'm not a hard-scale like the rest of you, remember? I'm like a skin-showing surface creature with how damn weak my scales are. Ouch, that's gonna bruise…"

While that happened, Humey had gone out unto the main den, only to return with an armful of mushrooms, Battercaps if I remember right, and was offering me one as he gobbled down a few of his own. It was good to see his appetite was coming back. The funny fungus looked and tasted similar to a waffle, which I could only guess was the reason behind its name.

Mibata and Tokols ceased their squabbling once they had a spongy treat of their own. Most of us were busy gnawing our breakfast when we heard the crack of stone being blown away, followed by the sound of our dad and uncle scrabbling to their feet as a voice roared in annoyance.

"Bahruk! Yabtin! Open this door or I finish breaking it down!"

Oh, look, mom's home. We all poked our heads around the corner to look into the main room, only to see an emerald fist breaching the space where the door should be. Small chunks of the rock were scattered across the floor, on which both father and uncle slipped as they raced to answer the call. Even from his prone form, Bahruk was able to make his erratic hand signs that willed the stone around the break to stretch and mold until a doorway was made.

On the other side of the newly remade entrance were two green kobolds. The smaller of the two, mother Juaki, stepped inside with an aura of intense irritation. The larger one, grandmother Tuleni, watched with an unimpressed look as her daughter began her rant.

"Why didn't you open door sooner? I was there knocking for too long, and you made my mother wait out there with me. I told you I would be returned after sun rise, was it so challenge to open door sooner? Why is door over there by little den? What about you mate-brother, why do you not answer?"

Neither of the stumbling brothers could respond to her before she switched targets. Her eyes locked onto the gaggle of observers, and in that instant I knew that we were screwed. Her tail slapped the ground in agitation as she barked at us.

"Pups, gather here now."

The collective "yes mother" from the others saw all four of us standing in the fragment-laden den. She raised a finger as if to begin scolding us, but a much larger hand pushed hers down before she could speak. A deep rumble of sound came from Tuleni, followed by a deep and throaty voice.

"Relax, have time. Sons, close door please. Little ones, calm, sit there."

We moved over to the family divot, though it was not big enough for everyone. Once the door was barred and sealed, both Yabtin and Bahruk worked together to expand the sitting area to nearly three times its size. A good idea, since the titanic bulk of Tuleni's size took nearly a third of the space. Now that she was here and sitting still, I could now make out some more details about her. She wasn't just big in the sense of being large, she also wore a cloak of the same color as her scales that dragged across the ground like a curtain, hiding her enormous tail. Her crocodile-dinosaur face was tattered and scarred, and one of her jutting fangs was made of a silvery metal. Those dagger sized claws of hers were knitted together as she sat in a grandmother's pose. Although her face held the shape of a scowl, I could see through her eyes and the slight curve of her lips that she was content.

Everyone was soon seated within the expanded bowl dug into the floor, and the awkwardness had set in. None of us siblings wanted to be the first to speak, so we were holding our tongues. Yabtin and Bahruk were doing their best impressions of statues. Juaki looked as though she were deferring to Tuleni in a way that seemed almost reverent.

The one to finally break the ice was the green beast herself.

"So quiet here. Little ones, why fear? Tuleni healer, not harmer. Speak, speak."

To my surprise, the first to answer was Humey.

"It's good to see you again, mother of our mother. Thank you for using your healing powers on me, it helped out a lot."

She bowed her head slightly, the motion of which was accompanied by a sound of warm chuckling.

"My work best, no compare. Scales grow fast, make red boy handsome. You. Head bone mend good, yes?"

She was pointing at Tokols, who refused to look at her directly.

"Y-yes. It's healing alright, thanks gran."

Her eyes moved to settle on Mibata, who was staring at her with an air of distrust.

"Third boy, arm is good? Strong lad, heal best and fast."

His response was the same flat tone he had used last night, which meant that something was bothering him.

"My thanks for your medical aid. It isn't often that one of your skills gives aid for free."

A probing response, yes, but not enough to even phase the gargantuan grandmother. I was the last in line for her questions.

"Blue one. Can speak?"

I could only shake my head. For the first time in this conversation I saw her expression change to one of calculating thoughtfulness, if for only a moment. Her perfect serene look returned before she switched to a new focus.

"Unfortunate. Daughter, tell them. It is time."

The previously muted presence of our mother vanished. Rising from her seat, she went over to a blank spot on the wall. A single claw dug into the wall, which surprisingly gave way to a false panel made to look just like the wall down to the sediment lines. From within the wall she brought forth a book the likes of which I had never seen, bound in burnt black leather with singed corners and pits on the face. She sat down across from us, which I now noticed had put the adults together on the opposite side of the bowl from us. With a heavy sigh she made her announcement.

"It is time that you learn the truth."