Talent's POV
A name for a number was one thing, but he’d chosen Dominant, and he’d given Three-sixteen their last name. Talent couldn’t help but to question his father’s intentions. The name made a statement, but was that really wise?
Sure, he might have diato, but his body was too weak to handle it. They should have just transferred that power to Talent. It might require some convincing, but the boy said it himself, he just wanted to live in peace and they could guarantee that. It shouldn’t be too difficult to sway the boy.
He couldn’t help but to feel a pang of jealousy. Talent had been raised to rule, but he was tricked out of his birthright.Now, some random number would be his father’s heir. He should be the next high lord, not that boy.
He didn’t want the responsibility, but it wasn’t fair. He did not believe that Three-sixteen deserved the power. Talent couldn’t stand for it.
“Is something the matter?” Mila asked as she entered his room. “Your father told me to clean and prepare the room for you.”
“Nothing, I just can’t help feeling that this is all very strange. My father doesn’t have a generous bone in his body, so what is he thinking?”
“You mean Dominant? Are you worried he’ll take your place?” she asked.
Talent snorted, but didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t worried, not exactly. He just didn’t like the idea of sharing what was his. “I don’t want the throne. I’d much rather spend my days drawing or preforming magic plays, but I can’t stand the idea of a nobody taking my birthright either. What makes that boy more deserving than me? I’m his son!”
Mila said nothing. She moved to a concealed wall panel where she found a broom and proceeded to sweep the floors.When she finished, she sat beside him on the bed and asked, “Do you know why your father named him Dominant?”
“The boy almost resisted him. His aura was so…dominating that not even the magistrates could interfere.”
Mila nodded. “Your father is not a kind man, but he is a fair and just one. He is not the sort to waste an opportunity or pass up on the chance to gain more power. I’m sure he has a plan for the boy. You should talk to him and see for yourself, instead of sitting here pouting.”
She gave Talent a quick smile, then resumed cleaning. He knew she was right, but he didn’t want to speak to his father. He didn’t like being around the man at the best of times. Still, he knew it was the best way to learn more about what was to come.
Talent waited in silence for Mila to be done. Neither of them had anything else to say, but Talent valued their time together and unless she was sent to fetch him for some purpose, this would be the only time he saw her today.
When she was finished, he escorted her to the door and bid her farewell. It was a short walk to his father’s office from there. It took him less than ten minutes.
The doors were large, carved of dark wood and decorated with gold and gems arranged in Glyd’vei’s form. They were beautiful, but Talent found the display lacking by comparison to what he could create with his magic.
Talent knocked, then opened the door and stepped inside.
His father’s desk was carved of the same dark wood and it sat at the center of the room, illuminated by the warm glow of the afternoon sunlight that streamed through the windows behind it.
Lord Kastin stood, leaning over his desk to study a holographic projection that appeared to show a map of the Krellestine region. His eyes were dark and his brow was furrowed as he studied the map.
“Father, I’d like to speak to you about the boy,” Talent said as he approached the desk.
The image shifted, but Talent could not discern the change. He didn’t care. “He is a nu—” the word caught in his throat, refusing to come out despite its truth. Talent knew his father had forbidden the reference, but it was still uncomfortable being unable to speak as he wished.
“His name is Dominant Kastin,” the lord said. “You will refer to him properly.”
“I will, father, but I found him outside the mine. I traveled with him here. He is unique, certainly but it almost seems as if you aim to replace me…with him. I lack diato, but that boy will never compare to me. He will die long before…”
The look in the lord’s eyes caused Talent to trail off. He was annoyed, but his expression held no malice. Instead Talent saw something else, something he could only describe as uncertainty and fear. Talent had never such an expression on his father.
The high lord blinked away his weary anxiety, responding with a firm voice. “You are not to be replaced, but you will be his mentor and ensure he understands the responsibilities of a Kastin. Beyond that little has been decided. I am no fool and his existence will be kept until the appropriate time when he has proven himself and we are sure he will be useful, for now it falls to you to see that he becomes something more than trash to disposed.”
The lord waved a hand and the map faded from view. Then he said, “You are dismissed. I have many things to attend to there is little point in continuing this discussion.”
Talent bowed his head. It was a clear order and he was not inclined to argue.
As Talent was turning to leave, the lord called after him, “When Dominant wakes up, you will train him to use magic.”
It was a statement, but Talent sensed there was some meaning behind the words he did not fully understand. He had no desire to train Three-sixteen, but preferred to accept the responsibility while it was still a request and not an order. “Yes, father. I’ll make sure it’s done.”
The high lord grunted, then activated the holographic map again. Talent waited a moment to see if there would be anything else, but the lord was focused on his map. Talent took it as his cue to leave and slipped out of the room.
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Three-sixteen POV
After a brief rest, Three-sixteen began exploring the manor. The hallways were wide, tall, and bright, with large windows that looked down on the gardens or the city. The walls were lined with paintings of strange creatures, and there were sculptures of mythical beasts that seemed to stare down at him as he walked by.
He was surprised that no one stopped him, or questioned his presence, but he was also glad for the freedom to explore.For the first time in his life he actually felt like a person, someone with value and importance. It was an amazing feeling. He only wished there was someone who could share it with him. He wondered what happened to five-ninety-one.
The thought of her caused his heart to ache. He had to consider the possibility that she never actually made it out of the mine. He also couldn’t help but to think of what Luck told him. It still made his stomach turn when he thought of what might have happened between them. It sank like a rock when he considered that she might have died and how he failed to protect her. In the end he failed all of charges. Even if they were still alive, they were stuck in the mine, slaving under some magistrate and always a breath from death.
But he was a different person than then. He was stronger and faster. His body and mind had changed. He could speak and people would obey. If he wanted to save them and bring them here, he knew he could. All he needed to do was figure out how to use this new ability. Then, nothing could stop him from freeing the others. Well, nothing except the high lord. Three-sixteen didn’t imagine lord Kastin would willingly give up his numbers.
Three-sixteen was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the figure that stepped out from one of the rooms until he crashed into her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, please excuse me.” He said as he stepped back, trying not to appear embarrassed.
The woman was about his height, with dark hair that fell to her waist, and smiling emerald eyes. She wore a dark robe that was open at the chest, revealing a plunging neckline and ample cleavage. She must have just come from a bath, or perhaps she was going to one. In either case, Three-sixteen recognized a mole on her left breast, even if his memory of her face was a little blurry.
He jolted with the realization and added, “Magistrate Mikala, I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
She looked him up and down, a smile playing on her lips. Then she said, “Oh? But you don’t sound so happy about our reunion, are you still playing coy?”
Three-sixteen didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t happy to see her, in fact he felt a little disgusted and the memory of what happened in the collector’s house flashed through his mind. His throat burned as if filled with acid, but nothing came up. He shook his head, then said, “I’m just…I’m not interested in what you did before. I won’t be your toy.”
Mikala smirked and there was a glint in her eyes that said she was not at all deterred. “That’s good…” she placed a hand on his arm, “…I prefer being the toy anyway.”
Three-sixteen’s stomach flipped. He pushed her hand off his arm and took a step back. He was suddenly very aware of his arousal and he could feel his face flush.
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Mikala seemed to sense the effect she had on him, her eyes narrowed and her smirk widened. Fortunately, she only turned and walked away. Her hips swayed with an exaggerated motion as she went. She looked over her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, the offer will always be open. You can call on me whenever you want to.”
“I…I won’t.” Three-sixteen was mostly sure of his decision, but he wasn’t so sure that Mikala had heard him or that she would accept his choice. She had already disappeared around the bend, but he was still a bit worried.
“Why wouldn’t you?” a voice asked from behind him.
Three-sixteen spun to find Talent staring at him.
Talent smiled, then shrugged. “Nevermind, of course an ant could never handle a woman like that.”
Three-sixteen’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together. He didn’t have to listen to the other boy. He wasn’t a number anymore. Talent was still just an ignorant child and a spoiled brat. He might have been a judge, but he wasn’t even capable of defending himself or giving a ruling.
“Quit looking at me like that or I’ll make sure you suffer until you die,” Talent sneered.
Three-sixteen hadn’t noticed his slightly raised lip or the way his brows knitted together until then. He hadn’t realized he was so visibly angry. He should have done a better job keeping his emotions to himself.
Straightening his face with a blink, Three-sixteen said, “I was actually looking for you. I was told that you could probably explain my situation to me. Why am I here and what does the lord intend?”
Talent snorted, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “Fuck if I know. He wants you trained in magic and that’s about all I can tell you.”
Three-sixteen wasn’t satisfied with that, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to push the issue either. There were too many things he didn’t understand and while he felt very frustrated, he wasn’t sure how much influence Talent had with his father, or how much sway his words might have on his future. He decided it was best not to risk angering the young judge any more than necessary.
Talent sighed, rubbing his temples. “If you’re up and walking around then we may as well get started.” He continued down the hall in the same direction Mikala had gone, adding after a few feet, “Come on, the sooner we get this out of the way, the better.”
Three-sixteen followed. It was clear that Talent had little to no interest in training him, but Three-sixteen was more than ready to learn magic. He hadn’t been expecting to be taught anything, so this was a welcome surprise and he didn’t care if the other boy hated him as long as it meant he’d finally get to learn about the strange powers he’d seen others use. It would be even better if he learned how to control his new abilities.
It took a while, but they eventually arrived at a courtyard hedged in by tall walls of stone and covered in thick grass. The ground was dotted with stepping stones and the sun was high in the sky, warming his skin and filling his body with energy. They crossed over a bridge to enter a large rectangular area framed by a shallow stream.
Talent stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned to him, his expression bored and irritated. “You don’t know what magic is, do you?”
Three-sixteen had never studied magic and no one had ever explained it to him. How could he be expected to know? He didn’t know if it was right, but he guessed, “It’s the power that judges and magistrates use to force their will on—”
Talent exploded with laughter. He doubled over, holding his knees as the sound echoed through the courtyard. Three-sixteen wasn’t sure if he should feel embarrassed or annoyed.
Talent wiped a tear from his cheek and straightened, saying, “Well, yes, I suppose you aren’t completely wrong, but also not right. What you’re speaking of is actually two different things and neither is really magic. fortunately I haven’t been tasked with teaching you all that, so we’ll skip right to the lesson.”
Talent held out his hand, summoning a blazing orb of fire, then said, “This is magic. Do you know why it is magic?”
Three-sixteen was amazed. It was a small ball of fire, but he was still impressed by the sight of it floating just above the other boy’s hand. It was warm, but it didn’t burn his hand. He shook his head. He didn’t know why it was magic. In fact he didn’t even understand what Talent was asking.
The young lord rolled his eyes, his brow wrinkling. “Because I used mana to create it. I drew from the environment, guiding mana into the form I desired and created this ball of fire. That is the most basic form of magic. Magic is a very versatile power once you understand it, but it is nothing compared to diato or privilege.”
Three-sixteen nodded. He didn’t fully understand the difference, but he assumed he would learn that over time. He had magistrates use all sorts of abilities, but he couldn’t say which category they fit into. To him, all of it seemed like a form of magic. Three-sixteen had many questions, but he only asked on. “What is mana?”
Talent moaned with frustration as he let the fireball fade and brought his palm to his face. “This is going to be a very longlesson, I can already tell.”
Three-sixteen frowned, feeling insulted by the boy’s reaction, but not wanting to argue he said, “Sorry, I don’t know much of anything about any of this. Maybe you should consider having classes for miners.”
“For what? Those waste couldn’t use magic if they were standing in a pool of mana. Even teaching you is pointless. You’re too weak to handle the power. And even if you weren’t, you’re just an ant.”
Three-sixteen was angry again, his jaw clenching as he considered knocking the arrogant prick to the ground. He was plenty strong, definitely stronger than some spoiled brat who’d never worked a single day in his life.
But before he could do anything, Talent added, “If you can even perceive mana, I’ll call you Dominant, and I’ll even let you have something of mine, but that would impossible for someone like you.” The boy bellowed with laughter, seemingly pleased with himself as flaming spells flickered to life around him and his entire body seemed to glow with an amber light.
Three-sixteen ignored the boy’s words, instead focusing on the mana that he claimed was everywhere. His mind and body were focused on a singular purpose and his senses heightened as his mind sharpened.
He focused first on Talent, trying to discern some clue from the spells Talent was casting. Three-sixteen saw the fire and felt its warmth, but there was no obvious difference between this fire and any other flames he’d seen—except that these seemed to follow Talent’s movements.
Three-sixteen gave more attention to the movements of both the flames and the boy. He didn’t see anything at first, but when Talent suddenly stopped moving, the Flames kept on dancing. One stream of fire circled around him in a downward diagonal while another spiraled up then burst into sparks above his head. The movement wasn’t necessarily connected to its caster, so maybe it had more to do with mana? Three-sixteen wasn’t sure yet so he kept observing.
Talent, smirking smugly, raised his hands and the remaining flames rose into pillars then froze in place as blue ice encased them. Talent spun on his heels, thrusting his hips as water sprayed from the ice pillars.
Three-sixteen realized this was some sort of performance, or Talent was just showing off what he could do to drive home how superior he was. In either case, Three-sixteen didn’t care, it was a good demonstration and it was helping. He had noticed the way the air seemed to flow from the boy and into the flames, now turned to ice. There were other flows too, but they weren’t as clear, he couldn’t see them, but he could sort of feel them. It was like the air was being pushed toward the ice and pulled away at the same time. It was strange, he couldn’t quite place it, but that had to be mana.
He watched the way the ice began to melt, droplets dripping down to join the stream below. The stream was flowing, but some water was moving in the opposite direction. That had to be mana too.
He tried to focus on the feel, and on that flow of energy, but there were so many other things that were happening that it was hard to keep track. In an instant half the water became stone fish that swam through the stream and leapt up into the air. As if weightless, they soared higher in a stunning display that nearly distracted Three-sixteen from his task. He caught a glimpse of the power that was moving between the water and the stone, but at that moment, the fish turned to dust and blew away. The energy was lost.
He shook his head, then looked back to Talent who was now holding a small tornado of wind in his hand, his face was a bit pale, but his eyes were full of energy as he stared back at Three-sixteen. “You see this, this is a spell that I created using mana. I can make anything I want, but you…you are hopeless and blind.”
The words stung, but Three-sixteen was still amazed. He couldn’t help but to be awed by what the boy was doing. He was even a bit jealous of the power he was displaying. If Three-sixteen could control the elements like that, he would never need to fear an enemy. He thought that, but considering Talent was easily captured, he supposed that probably wasn’t true. It would take more than power to ensure his safety in this world.
Talent smiled big as some idea filled him with amusement. The smile turned into a barely suppressed laugh and then a wry grin as the cyclone in his palm grew. “Experience is the best teacher, right? Tell me what you learn from this!” he shouted as the twister jumped out of his hand and raced toward Three-sixteen all the while pulling him in.
There was nothing the boy could do to escape or stop the wind. His body was pulled into the cyclone and spun around. It hurt as the air slammed into him from every direction at once. His clothes were torn, his hair was whipped about and the world spun around him. He felt like his limbs might break, but under the harsh assault, he felt it. Mana moved through him, working its way to his wounds and mending them all on its own. He’d experienced this before, but he had never understood what it was. He only thought of it as an itch, a healing and somewhat soothing itch, but now he knew it was much more than that.
He wasn’t able to see it, but he felt the power that moved around him and the mana that healed his body. He could feel the flow and the movement, the energy that coursed through him. He didn’t have the first clue about controlling it, but once he recognized the flow of healing mana, other types became clearer one by one revealing themselves to him. The healing mana, the cutting wind mana that was tearing at his flesh, earthy mana packed tightly into every solid surface, something like lightning mana that was pulsing through the air, and there were many more, too many to count, and he only understood a few of there purposes, but there were so many, and they were so much clearer now.
Then the cyclone dissipated and he was dropped to the ground. He landed in a heap, his body sore, his mind aching, but he felt good. He had a smile as he looked up at the other boy. He was weak, and tired, but he managed to croak out, “I learned…”
The young lord’s eyes widened in shock, his lip curving with curiosity, “You learned what?”
Three-sixteen’s smile widened, he was about to explain, but then Talent laughed. He laughed so hard that he was clutching his stomach, and the sound carried through the courtyard. “I can’t believe it, I was just playing with you. You didn’t really learn anything, did you? I thought maybe the look in your eyes was because you realized how stupid you are.”
The young lord laughed some more. Three-sixteen frowned but didn’t argue.
Talent finished laughing and snapped, “Get up before someone sees you lying there and assumes I’ve done something to hurt you.”
Three-sixteen was confused. He didn’t understand why the young lord would care if someone saw him. He may have had a name now, but he still felt like a number, not a person. No one would care if he was hurt, and even if they did, Talent was the son of the high lord. It didn’t matter what the boy did to him, he wouldn’t be punished. There was no need for Talent to be concerned.
Talent sighed extending a hand, “Fucking crystals, don’t tell me I really did hurt you?”
Three-sixteen grabbed the hand and let himself be pulled up. He was fine now, but to say it didn’t hurt would be a lie and he sort of liked the way Talent seemed to stress over it. As soon as he was on his feet, he fell back down on his butt. “I’m not sure…my leg feels like it’s out of place and I can’t see out of my left eye.”
The young lord’s eyes bulged. “You really are a fucking ant. I’ll get someone to help. Just stay here, okay?” The boy was in such a hurry that he nearly slipped on a stepping stone.
Three-sixteen couldn’t help but to smile. It was amusing, and it was nice to see that the boy was so worried about his condition. Talent only took a few minutes to return with Mila, whose face was scrunched with concern until she completed a cursory examination and realized Three-sixteen was faking.
Concern turned to annoyance as Mila lightly punched his shoulder and grumbled, “Dominant, you jerk.”