I woke back up while in the carriage, I assume going back to the Castle. I felt a slight weight wrapped around my neck, I had been too mesmerized by his eyes to really look at my new familiar before.

“Well that was a lot more exciting than I was expecting.” Essie spoke up as she saw me wake up.

“Dude, I thought I was a magnet for trouble.” Mason adding his own two cents.

“Clin as clearly drawn to me, I sure as hell was drawn to him. It might be something to do with the only Beastmaster that also had the Void affinity or maybe something else.” I answered.

“Clin?” Essie asked.

“Well he’s basically clear and clinging to my neck right now...I know it’s stupid, I was never good at naming pets.” I answered, blushing.

I felt mana rush out of Essies and both a film of Air and Light covered all the windows.

“Cain, there may be another reason that particular creature would be fascinated with you. They are very rare and with his speed, venom and ability to almost disappear Clin is already near Commander strength but is only a juvenile. It was most probably attracted to your Void aura, most Void users don’t develop an aura until they reach a much higher strength but we believe that since you were essentially trapped in the Void for almost two hundred years, you may find that you learn that magic much faster. Potentially having trouble with your Fire affinity because of it.” Essie explained.

I was shocked they had put that much thought into my magic without telling me. It would explain why I felt a kinship to Clin as soon as I saw him, even now I could sense his emotions and general contentment being wrapped around my body.

I looked into my mana circulation, wondering what my bond with Clin had changed. The loop around my chakras was still in place, with only the Fire mana still in the same configuration. Both the Beast and Void mana had weaved together and made their way through both the Root chakra that the familiar bond started in as well as my Third Eye chakra. Now that I thought about it, it had been much easier to access my inner self to study this, also my vision had sharpened, I could almost see particles in the air that people disturbed as they passed through.

I asked Essie about these particles I could half see, something that I have to truly pay attention to to even see. The look on her face was more worrying than anything else, she was suddenly panicked.

“Tell nobody of this! That is beyond dangerous!” She ordered.

Even Mason was surprised at the emotion in her voice.

“What’s wrong Auntie?” he asked.

“Cain can see what none since the originals could, people who were like him and hit by the first wave of mana. Something that has been lost for over one hundred years, the kind of ability people would kill to possess. I fear he will attract very dangerous people if it becomes common knowledge.” she half-explained.

“Explain,” I pleaded.

“You may have heard that Void is only good for shielding and teleporting outside of an atmosphere?” Eseeis started.

She continued after I nodded.

“That wasn’t so for the first Void users. They had more abilities that were considered very dangerous. You are seeing between the dimensions, the Void dimension isn’t truly blank, it can be seen as a mirror image of our world, almost like a dream world. Void users can move as they like through that realm, the shielding is literally creating a layer of space around you that is in a separate dimension than your body.”

Essie took a deep breath before continuing.

“The largest danger is the creature that make that place their home, they won’t attack the body of a Void user, mostly, there are some exceptions, but in the past people used that ability to bring dangerous creatures here and unleashing them on entire cities. You may learn more about that at the academy, there were aso reports of those that could that could manipulate those Void particles to compress and explode, killing thousands by simply erasing them from existence.”

“So I guess that mean all Void users need to be registered or something?” remembering some of the things from way back when.

“No, this knowledge is known to very few, it is in our oldest records and not shared. Could you imagine if someone found out they could get a Void familiar and turn their powerful magic destructive? The only magic that can shield Void is Void, it's something that needs to be kept secret. You will need to have your familiar and Fire magic as your only offensive ability as far as everyone else is concerned. I just implore you to not try experimenting with this knowledge.” Essie finished.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

I saw we were back at the Castle and Essie left Mason and I to our own devices.

“Wanna have some fun?” Mason asked with a smile that many would worry about.

Wanting to relieve some tension from all the heavy stuff being thrown my way recently I just smiled back and said,

“I’m in,”

*

Still not knowing where anything was in the city, I just followed Mason around. Hours later, maybe a little drunk from some drinks Mason managed to “procure”, he left some payment, I think.

We were sitting in a park near the Thames, surrounded by a carnival. The joy of children and adults alike was nice to see. People watching has always been a pastime for me.

Seeing people go about their lives, people who have their own problems, worries, loves, lives but at this very moment they forget it all in favour of the gloriousness of being alive, celebrating a change in their lives that they never knew the difference. Only I alone, in a galaxy full of human expansion, understood just how different they were because of what they were celebrating.

The combination of the alcohol and seeing the joy in these people made me melancholy and reminded me of a poem a friend of mine once wrote.

You think you know me

Wallowing in my shadow

You only know what I show you

Be it of my own will or not

The face that I wear in the open

Is but a construct

Shielding me from the world

I wish you could know

What truly dwells in my heart

That heart that yearns for your warmth

That warmth that could fix what I broke

That broken little heart

It broke for trying to love another

Another that could not find

A way to share that which was offered

My broken little heart

It was a very lonely poem, one that tore at my heartstrings for the emotion that it was written. He wrote it for a lost love but it still translates to the loss I feel, of my family, friends, even my world.

But there was a brightness in this world too, Mason, Essie were currently my anchors, keeping me as a part of this world. I don’t know what would have happened to me if she hadn’t taken me in.

At my internal struggle, I felt Clin moved from around my neck, a little tongue licked my cheek causing me to chuckle at the sensation snapped me out of it.

“Thank you my little friend,” I said with a sad smile.

Clin rubbed himself against my cheek as he wrapped himself back around my neck. Funnily enough, I still hadn’t seen him completely, it had been almost impossible to remove him from my neck since he had been asleep, even now I could feel his tiredness and quickly pet him hoping he would go back to sleep.

Mason sitting up looking serious snapped me out of my self contemplation.

“We need to go!” he told me.

He didn’t wait for me to respond, just grabbed me and pulled me off the ground. I didn’t understand why he was freaking out and started to pull away, instead I stopped completely as I heard what he clearly heard first, screams.

“Mason, we need to check on it!” I urged, wanting to make sure everything was ok.

“No, there are people for that. My first priority right now is to make sure you’re safe. You are my friend but I have an obligation to my aunt who requested I protect you.” Mason’s tone brook no argument.

With that I let Mason drag me along, Clin woke up from my agitation but stayed around my neck. I could sense we were still north of the Thames, turns out either my Beast or Void mana gave me a sense of direction, so we wouldn’t need to cross the River, we had been wandering quite a bit. Through a break in the trees I thought I could see some towers that looked familiar, which meant we would have to go North West to get back to the palace.

Mason wasn’t dragging me anymore, I was running full tilt right next to him, I could feel a small amount of Beast Mana be drawn from my core and spread through my limbs, not enough to give me the ‘combat form’ but enough to increase my strength.

Suddenly Mason came to a dead stop and grabbed my shoulder. I could hear the sounds of trees on fire and screaming from behind us but nothing else that alarmed me, clearly Mason had keener sense than me.

“Well well, just the kinda trouble I was looking for Brother Keys.” a voice said from behind me.

“I don’t know, the black haired one looks kinda rude Brother Flame.” a different voice said to the side.

“Enough games, we have a job to do.” a third voice rang out from above us.

We were just barely still in the trees, I could see the road less than ten metres away from us. I wanted to run but I was worried that Mason would be in danger. I looked around to see the three figures, they were all wearing black cloaks that completely covered them.

“You’re no fun Brother Moss.” Brother Flame answered as he advanced towards us.

Mason pushed me away as he leapt towards the advancing man, a blade appearing from a shadow he reached into and thrust towards Brother Flame. I didn’t see what happened next because Mason yelled as he leapt,

“Cain run! Get help from the Palace.”

I paused for less than a second before knowing I was useless and turning to run.

“Cain? Is he the one?” I heard from Brother Moss as I moved.

Shit, Essie was right. It turned out there were people after me and Mason leapt into danger to protect me.

I was useless.

Useless.

I didn’t stop running but clearly one of them was faster than me since I made it less than three steps before a hand grabbed my shoulder.

I heard the sounds of clashing blades behind me and knew Mason wouldn’t be able to help.

Fortunately for my currently useless ass Clin was prepared to protect me, slithering off my neck to wrap around my shoulder to bite the hand holding me.

A scream of pain was all I heard as I kept running.

I made it across the road and into an alley that I thought was the right way.

A figure popped into place just in front of me and reached for me, I dropped and slid under his outstretched arm, really glad they made me take baseball classes at school. Clearly this enemy had Space affinity. No idea what else he had.

I turned at the next alley opening, trying to escape now, not just make it back to the Palace, especially since I was already lost.

Take a left, he’s still behind me.

Run further, take a right. He appeared next to me.

Again, further.

After more twists and turns with my follower still appearing next to me, above me, behind me, always leading me somewhere that I can only assume is the exact opposite way to where I wanted to go did I find myself coming to a dead end.

“Aww poor little lost boy. I see you have been awakened since last we heard though.” Brother Moss said from behind me as I desperately looked for a way out.

My last hope is that Clin can get him. You know what? Screw this, I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I let my Beast mana fully materialise my ‘Combat Form’, it had changed a bit since I contracted Clin. Where before it was slightly longer and sharper incisors, now they were even longer, almost fangs. My nails had gotten smaller but sharper and there was a faint scale pattern on my skin.

I charged him, got in close and tried to slash with my claws.

He effortlessly twisted out of the way.

I tried to move faster, slashing again. This time I was closer.

He was still too fast for me. I had an idea though.

I slumped and started sobbing.

“Why? Why can’t I touch you….why did you chase me?” I stuttered out.

I could hear him approaching and I slightly tensed.

“You are so young aren't you. Honestly I’m impressed you can even control this form, most can’t initiate it so easily.” he gloated as he loomed over me.

I suddenly thrust forwards with my claws aiming at his stomach.

My arm was caught with almost zero effort. I felt an impact on the back of my next and slumped forwards, losing consciousness. The last thing I heard was Moss gloating,

“Lord Mist will reward me well for finding you….”

I felt Clin leave my neck just as my head hit the ground.