Chapter 26: The Choosing, And A New Friend

Sakura

Three days of near constant mana and chie cultivating, practicing with my knives against wooden targets Gamera hid around the familial palace, and trying to not have my silk worms die, I stood in front of a mirror in my room dissatisfied with the choice of clothing the maids had picked out.

“I promise you, it will dazzle the other members of the inner family.” The elderly senior maid said. She was taciturn and efficient as usual as she ransacked my wardrobe looking for something that would fit both the purpose, and my ever changing teenage body.

Apparently, going from Iron to Steel stage didn’t save you from having to go through the awkward gauky girl stage of life. On top of that, Sakura had been a pleasantly filled out girl before the fever. Now, my body looked practically starved compared to what it had apparently been before.

“I trust your judgment about the dress’s appropriateness, dear elder. I do not know, however, if it will fit me.”

“Hmmm.” She put the dress up to my body in the mirror. It was a red and yellow dress, much like the sun dress I had ordered, but this was cut in a professional, formal cut. That made it look reminiscent of a kimono from Japan back on Earth. Not as intricate, but it had several cords and tassels the purpose and meaning of which I didn’t know.

The elderly woman tisked to herself. “You might have a point. Teenage girls, always changing like the phases of the moon. Alright. I can try to have the tailor pull it in at the bust and expand it in the shoulders and arms. But she might not have time.”

I had an idea and went to the small chest at the base of my bed. I pulled out the long, thin strips of silk that I had just begun to harvest thanks to the extremely experienced tailor I had met during my time in the festival. He showed me how to turn my little box into a proper incubator with some simple chie inscriptions. Yu had helped me with the enchantment that reinforced the box, and accelerated the growth of the worms by pulling in ambient mana and chie from the area.

“We harvested them just last night. The man I hired to care for my silkworms suggested that it could be added to any fabric, and that it would take on the general properties of that fabric, including chie inscriptions and enchantments, up to the worm’s cultivation stage. See if it can help our staff-tailor speed along her work.”

“That is a brilliant idea young mis. But are you sure you wish to waste such a precious resource on a simple dress?” The elderly woman lifted the dress again, so I could get a better view of it.

“It’s either that, or I go with the sun dress I ordered for me.” The woman’s expression shifted from one of wise thrift to utter horror at the idea.

“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be even remotely appropriate for such an occasion as this young mis. The sun dress you purchased is a wonderful item, perfect for picnics or study days. But to wear such a thing to a formal occasion would be . . . well, imprudent. It might cause a scandal.”

“And I have learned the value of a public image. So please, take the silk, and have the tailor make use of it. It’s doing no one any good sitting in my storage, simply being valuable.”

“Of course.”

The maid staff left, and I found myself for the first time in days, with some time that wasn’t dedicated to training, studying, cultivating, or sleep.

I went to the small desk opposite the art nook my room sported. Sakura had placed a small tapestry in the nook that depicted the five great spirit beasts. As I saw in the desk chair, I became absorbed in the image. I found myself drawn to it.

The giant tortoise walked along the bottom of the tapestry, and wherever it trode, life bloomed in its wake. The sea dragon on the right-hand side of the tapestry was a riot of white and blue colors as it glided through the water along the coasts. It was breaching the surface of the waves, going airborne. Looking for all the world like it was transitioning from swimming one moment to flying the next.

It reminded me of the blue dragons along the coast of Japan. They had been so beautiful, and yet when I went to pick one of the deadly creatures from the sea, my father had stopped me. They were poisonous, and despite looking like a flower, they were actually a type of small sea slug. Though these were different, they still bore a striking resemblance.

The tiger to the far north roared a challenge to the world, standing atop a snow-capped mountain, with ice raining from the sky around it. While a red Fenghuang, or Chinese Phoenix bird, soared up along the western mountain range. The southern tip of which was where my family’s northern migration range was located.

At the very center of the image was a golden dragon, coiled protectively around a floating jade palace. Its long, sinuous, serpentine body splayed out in different directions. Its tail reached south, its whiskers east and west, while its eyes shone a golden light northwards that followed a winding way to get where it was going.

I realized that the thin golden lines that the different parts of the imperial dragon became as they got further away from its body resembled the Imperial Road Network that connected the many parts of the Jade Empire. There were small pins in the tapestry, red and yellow, that marked various places. Then, memories of Sakura standing in front of the tapestry, crying, wondering where she should . . . where she should run away too, entered my mind.

“Huh. It’s a map.”

“What is?” A voice came from beside me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Rayce was standing there beside me, staring at the tapestry as if trying to figure out what was so fascinating about it.

“What are you doing in my room?”

“Well, I knocked. But you didn’t answer. The maids said you were in here, and I got concerned. When I peeked through the door, I saw you just sitting here, staring at that thing.”

I wasn’t going to tell him Sakura, the me before the fever, had been planning on running away. “The tapestry. I just realized it’s not just a pretty picture of the Empire, but a map. A stylized map of the Emperors roads.”

“Really?” He squinted and moved a little closer to it. “Huh. I guess you’re right. Why do you have these pins in it?”

“I was just marking major cities on it earlier. To see if it made a good map or not. And, surprisingly, it does. Not perfect, but it does that job.”

“Okay, well, pretty pictures aside, it’s time to go. Your maids have your dress ready.”

How long was I staring at that thing, I wondered and shook myself. My stomach gurgled as I checked the sand clock on my desk. It was just past noon. I had been staring at it for hours without eating. What the hell?

I stood and went to the door. Just outside, the maids were waiting, with my newly tailored dress. Rayce didn’t just knock at my door. They had asked him to come and check on me when I didn’t respond to their knocking. What the hell is with that tapestry?

“Please come in. Rayce, get out.”

***

I expected to be led to the throne room, or perhaps outside the cavern and up to the mountain range above us. However, Gamera led us down into the vault. Instead of taking us where we had gone before, we took a different basement walkway, one that wound around a central pillar deeper into Gamera’s shell.

The air grew hotter and muggier as we went, and I started sweating. “How much further are we going down? Shouldn’t we be getting close to—” I hesitated to say “other organs”, but the words hung there, my meaning plain.

Gamera chuckled. “Yes, we are getting further into my body. Your kin are the only ones allowed anywhere near this far. We are getting close to my primary heart.”

“How many hearts do you have, exactly?” Rayce asked.

“Several. Only your father and I know exactly. And that is not a secret I will be sharing with two younglings before their first choosing. Maybe when you’re older.”

I gritted my teeth at the saying. It had practically become a mantra among adults, teasing us with just enough information to confuse us about later stages of cultivation, but never giving us a real explanation other than of what was directly in front of us.

There is too much to digest all at once. That much is plain. But surely there is some kind of standardized methodology for teaching this information. Isn’t there?

Standardization had been a way of life, treated as a mantra of purist truth back in China. The Jade Empire was organized, sure. But chaotic, meritocratic, and unstable would be how I had begun to think of it. With individuals’ sheer power being one of the few things holding it together.

Mother and Fathers duchy, from what I’ve gathered about the rest of this place, is about the most stable one can hope for. And Sakura, and I, have been pushing for greater standardization and efficiency since before my Genji side appeared. My thoughts about introducing standardization, mass production, and bureaucratic predictability and stability might be exactly what this place needs more of. But before I can do that, I’ll need to get stronger. Stronger than either of my previous selves have ever even dreamt of being. Otherwise no one will listen to me, and I’ll just be putting myself in danger for just speaking up.

I had begun thinking of myself as an entirely new person. An amalgamation of two spirits, two experiences, thoughts, and ways of life. Apart, they were individuals. But together, well, I became me.

“I understand, honored uncle.” Rayce said, his voice solemn as he gave me the side eye. I realized I had been grinding my teeth and hadn’t responded to his statement.

Oh. “Yes. Understood. And thank you for trusting us.”

Gamera harrumphed, “Yes, well. Your family and mine have been together since I was very young. We grew together, and together have become mighty. Today, perhaps, we will become mightier still.”

We were quiet for the next while, as we descended even further down winding stone stairs carved from Gamera’s body, shell, and bones. Eventually, we came to a flat area with a high ceiling that led to a large closed door. Gamera led us up to the door, which was inlaid with carvings of empty Kame shells on both of the double doors, and the two doors opened on their own.

A wave of cool wet air washed over us. I sighed in relief as the heat we had been experiencing was getting nearly unbearable. I followed Gamera into the chamber beyond, and was astonished at what I found.

A waterfall of pure, clean water fell out of one wall onto a wide, shallow rocky pool, where tens of dog sized tortoises bathed and played. Moss grew along the edges in thickets, where others burrowed, ate, and rested. Closer to us was a clean sand pit, where nearly a hundred people, ranging in all ages from younger them Rayce, to old and withered, walking only with the help of a cane, stood and waited for the event to start.

Above us was an observation deck, packed with people all in our families’ colors, or with splashes of color from the various sects or minor branch families that made up the bulk of the Outer Family. Sakura had learned some of them, and I had been studying to learn the rest before bed every night, pushed on by Genji’s, by my need to know what possible threats existed in this new social environment I found myself in.

Gamera walked into the crowd of people gathered at the sandpit, and they parted for him. Giving him room to conduct the ceremony.

“Rayce, Sakura. Thank you for keeping an old man company as he took the long road down here. Please join the others so we can begin.”

Wait, long road? There’s an elevator or something, isn’t there? I let it go and joined Rayce as we merged with the front row of the crowd that now circled the pit and Gamera.

“Thank you all for coming. My children, grandchildren, and other progeny have grown up in this cavern for the last several weeks. One of the reasons we stopped here was indeed so I could cultivate an interesting vein of metals. But so too was it so these little ones could hatch safety, and I could properly tend them. Kame, as most of you know, are . . . choosey types. Especially when we are young, even the slightest thing that no one has any control over can turn our heads away or catch our attention. I say this not to malign my family.”

Gamera chuckled, and the crowd stayed quiet. “But instead, to prepare you. Do not feel slighted if you are not chosen. Or if it seems one might choose to bond with you, and then quickly get distracted. Many a worthy cultivator has stood on these sands before and been rejected. And more than a few unworthy ones were selected by those whose judgment was still developing.”

His expression and tone turned dark for a moment, as if remembering something that had happened long ago.

“There is always the next cycle. Always the next Choosing. Now. In the time-honored tradition of the Choosing, age goes before youth.” Several people laughed politely in the crowd, and I could hear the sound also coming from the observation deck. “Several of my children, nieces, and nephews have tragically lost their companion protectors due to battle, illness, or other tragedy. It is these thick shells who will begin this process. And then the soft shells will have their opportunity to begin their path.”

A man dressed in drab brown robes from the outer family stepped forward, dragging a large crystal type device.

“I am not the first Kame to learn to create an avatar, though I would say the fact that mine is permanent is a worthy accomplishment. Still. Many of you kin, even those much younger than I am, learned to do it first.” I could tell Gamera was suppressing his frustration at the fact. He gestured towards two other figures who wore similar bodies to Gamera’s. Though their forms looked substantially younger than his did.

One was a slender, as slender as a tortious person could be, creature that was taller by a head and a half then Gamera, with long and powerful limbs and feminine facial features. She practically radiated chie as she smiled at everyone there.

“We shall start with them. Terra’da, my dear niece. Would you be so kind?” The female tortoise person stepped forward and looked at the assembled cultivators. She lifted a claw, and I felt a wave of pure clean chie pulse over all of us. Several much weaker, equally pure auras pulsed back instinctively. Her claw came to rest on three people, one after the other, and they stepped forward.

“You three would make worthy companions. But only one of you would make a worthy defender at this stage of your lives.” She bowed her head towards the two teenagers who looked only a little older than me, and they backed away, bowing their heads in respect.

Leaving Count Mor’an standing alone. “Count. You have changed much over the years. Wisdom has begun to grow in you. I remember when you were young, impetuous, and overly ambitious. Plagued with daring feats of foolish bravado. Like when you jumped off my shell during travel, just to prove you could survive the landing after attaining Silver.”

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The count chuckled. “I remember that. My elbow still hitches from where it broke. Though the healers say it is fully restored.”

“Yes, well. We all carry the scars of our youth that earned us our wisdom. Myself included. Come, let us discuss the future of your house, and mine.” They left, talking softly to one another about their future.

“Kor’dar. My grandchild. You’re the only other avatar here. Please, make your selection.” Gamera’s voice filled the air, easily heard by all though it didn’t feel like he was shouting. I was sure it was some kind of spell, or mana trick I had to learn some day.

The second Tortious man, much younger, and built with heavy muscles that reminded me of the few times I had seen bodybuilders on TV or in passing on the streets back on Earth, walked to the center of the sandpit.

Another pulsing of chie and mana filled the space. This one felt like drums in my ears, the beating of war drums far off, promising violence and destruction. Or protection and service, depending on who you were.

Several chie auras instinctively pushed back. But two nearly overwhelmed everyone else there. I fell to my knees, as did Rayce, and half the others there. Even Gamera had to shift his stance slightly, as the weight of both auras pushed down on everyone there. After less than a heartbeat, Gamera pushed his aura out, protecting everyone there, and lifting most of the weight.

Raif and another warrior from the outer family stood among the kneeling cultivators. Eyes wide, Raif and the other man stepped forward and suppressed their auras, relieving the strain on my knees. I stood as the Kame avatar spoke.

“You two are strong, brave, and good in a scrap. I’ve seen both of you fight first hand. Hell, I’ve spared with both of you before today. I’d be proud to fight along with either of you to defend our families. But as I carry the Fortress of Shattered Hearts on my shell along the far southern border, I fear our duties are mutually exclusive Raif. You guard the southwest from the predators of the forest. I guard the southern gap from the snakes that nip at the Empire’s heel.”

Raif’s eyes burned with emotion, but he nodded and stepped back.

“Thank you, brother. Know I will always consider you such. Come, Sedrik, we must discuss your new duties.” The other man, a warrior by profession, put off an aura of rigid military bearing as fierce as Raif’s passion. The two also left, talking about their plans, and new duties to the family, duchy, and the empire at large.

“Well, that was dramatic. Anyone injured?” Gamera asked, regaining control of the situation. Several people complained about scraped knees or bruised egos. “No? Good. Let’s continue. The crystal, please.” The man in brown robes moved the crystal device closer to Gamera, who held out a clawed hand and touched the top of the device, activating it.

Several dozen spirits, reminiscent of the other Avatars but glowing either red, blue, or green, and who were clearly insubstantial being partially transparent, appeared around Gamera. “Go young ones. Choose your companions.”

The astral projected avatars of the middle stage Kame walked around the arena. Talking, or pulsing their chie in far less dramatic fashion than had been done before. Some were adults, others looked like they were teenagers.

One of the younger projections came up to me and wrapped me and Rayce in a hug. He didn’t say anything, but seemed to exclude the feeling of joy at seeing us. “Uh. Who is this?” Rayce asked.

“Wait. You’re not Crash, are you?” the projection smirked, and nodded. “I thought you were connected to dad? To Ren?” He shook his glowing see through head, and I felt the image of a caretaker, a temporary guardian or teacher fill my mind. “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Well, good luck.”

He smiled and ran off, barreling through the crowd without a care for who he ran into. Which, if I’m being honest, fit his name exactly.

It didn’t take long for the two dozen astral projections to find matches. Most connected with older cultivators. I looked for Crash among them, and didn’t find him. “Where do you think Crash is?”

“I don’t know. Wait. There.” Rayce pointed in the opposite direction of where the others had started walking after making their match. Crash was standing defiantly in front of an ancient, very withered looking man who was only standing with the help of two other much younger teenagers who watched over him with obvious concern in their eyes.

“Wait. It can’t be.” Rayce sounded incredulous, and eventually the entire crowd, including Gamera, turned to watch the last remaining projection interact with the man he was stubbornly attempting to bond with.

“No kid. I’m just here to mediate disputes. Raif can’t, as he‘s taking part this year. Gamera is officiating. I’m just here as a mediator in case one of you can’t decide. You can’t choose me.” The old man’s voice was raspy and filled with confused awe.

A pulse of emotion ran across the group. Defiance, stubbornness, and definitive selection. Crash pointed at the old man, then to himself. As if to say ‘you’re mine, old man. You’re not getting out of this, so stop fighting it.’ He even stomped his foot, and I had to cover my smile.

Gamera walked through the crowd and towards the pair. When he got there, he kneeled down and listened to whatever passed for speech that Crash was using to communicate. When he was done, Gamera looked up at Ka’jin and smiled.

“He chose you, old man.”

“But he can’t. I can’t. Can I? No. It would be a conflict of interest. I couldn’t do my job. And i’m only Steel. I couldn’t, possibly. Unless—”

“You humans made up all these terms, and conditions, and rituals around this thing we do every ten years. Not us. Most of them work out alright, so we leave them be. But we never agreed to anything like that. He’s chosen you, and that’s enough for me. If you’re willing.”

“But, But I’m OLD. And, and dying. I never got past Steel, you see. This will probably be my last year. Decade if I’m lucky. You’d just be disappointed, I’m afraid. Raif, or Sa’fa would be far better choices. I’m just going to die on you, little one. Just as you start moving along the path.”

Crash shook his head and smirked, then pointed back at Ka’jin, and then himself.

“He deserves an answer, Ka’jin. Do you accept his bonding? Or not?”

The crowd went deathly quiet, and I could feel the tension in the air. Most of it I didn’t quite understand. There were a lot of social and political aspects to this decision, that I am sure were weighing on Ka’jin’s mind, judging by the dozens of expressions his face went through in just a few short seconds.

“I, I, I accept!”

Ka’jin looked like he was going to keel over and die right there. His face went pure pale from the shock of the selection. But Crash pulled my older brother, who I still hadn’t formally met yet, into a crushing hug. Then, as if his body was made of vapors and light, he disappeared in a flash of sparks.

The two young men, Ka’jin’s sons I was pretty sure, had to support him as the crowd above and around him erupted in triumphant applause and almost maddening levels of cheer. I distinctly heard Ren and Yu shouting in support from their places along the observation deck, but I could have been mistaken. Knowing them, however, I was sure I wasn’t.

There were a few who grumbled. Mainly about his age, and how someone who had made so little cultivation progress for so long wasn’t worthy. But the air, even the most bitter, was still joyful. Ka’jin was, much like Raif, beloved by the members of the outer family. And most, it seemed, trusted him to be their voice among the inner family if the surrounding whispers could be believed.

Almost more than Raif.

Raif openly wept, as he gently pulled Ka’jin into a hug and wished him well. I couldn’t hear what they said to one another, but both men walked away with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

As for me? I smiled, cheered, and clapped with the rest. But, inside? I hadn’t really ever met the man. I felt, happy? I suppose? I knew this was momentus, and it would probably propel Ka’jin into new heights, and hopefully increase his lifespan for centuries to come. Still, it was an abstract, infectious kind of joy.

Rayce, it seemed, from his expression and the way he cheered and clapped, felt much the same as I did. Detached, yet happy. As if a stranger, for stranger he was, had just had his life saved by fortuitous chance. You would have had to have a heart of stone not to be happy for him at least a little.

I felt much happier for Crash. Ka’jin, despite being old and somewhat feeble, sounded like a wise and measured soul. He would compliment Crash’s brash personality perfectly. Perhaps he’ll teach some common sense to that Kame. He ran over far too many trees on our way here for me to think him prudent.

Eventually Ka’jin and Crash made their way out of the crowd, following the others who had matched. Leaving Raif, Rayce, me, and nearly a hundred other participants waiting for the young Kame.

“Now that the young have had their say. Let’s see about robbing the cradle. Shall we?” Gamera smirked, and a few people looked uneasy at the saying. But most still held the jovial attitude from before.

Gamera lifted his long neck into the sky, and let out a loud call that made my ears ache to hear. A heartbeat after the call ended, the ground shook as hundreds of tiny, tortious feet pounded against the ground in their mad dash for the sand.

“I suggest you all back off the sand pit. Unless you want your toes and shoes devoured.” Everyone backed up onto solid ground around the pit, as hundreds of dog sized tortoise babies charged what had been their feeding ground. “Behind you, you will find feed moss. Take a piece, channel some chie into it, and attempt to feed any of them that stop near you to say hello.”

It was a simple matter to find some moss. It grew on the ground like grass. I scooped up what I thought might be a pretty fresh patch and channeled some chie into it. The moss glowed slightly, then went back to looking like, well, common moss.

Once the mass of tortoises realized that special food had not been provided, they began to wander around looking for something else to eat. Most wandered back to the water, or the edges of the room where large patches of fresh moss grew like bushes. About a third of them, nearly a hundred of the soft shelled things, began investigating the rim of the pit. Sniffing the humans there, and wondering if they might, just maybe, have something they could eat? Please?

A few boots got bit, and more than one shout of pain emerged from my extended family members as they attempted to feed the creatures, only to get their fingers bit along with the moss. Thankfully, they couldn’t bite hard enough to sever fingers.

Yet.

I tried to feed one that came close. It had a pink spot on top of its shell, and it sniffed the rim of my robes. I tried to hand it the moss, but when it sniffed it, the Kame began to sneeze uncontrollably. It wandered away like that, sneezing and bumping into its kin with every aggravated half-seen step.

Sorry little one. Guess I don’t smell nice or something? I didn’t remember putting on any perfume. But the maids might have put some kind of scent on my robes that was too subtle for me to pick out. I’d have to ask them about it later.

It didn’t take long for people to begin bonding. Roughly half those along the rim had bonded with one of the little Kame’s, the other half looked around, hoping one would come back and take notice of them again. But most had wandered away back to their pool, or moss the bushes looking for food.

Those who had bonded were led away, coaxing their new companions with more moss and promises of treats. Leaving the rest of us behind.

“Alright. Well, I suppose that’s it for this year. We still have over half the young ones who haven’t bonded yet. So we’ll have a bonding ceremony next year, when they’re older, and a bit less hungry.”

I had no idea how a Choosing differed from a bonding ceremony, but when I asked about it, the adult standing next to me and Rayce just shrugged. “They’re not that different. The older kame don’t choose someone, so I think it’s more about that. Most of the astral projected young ones who bonded today had never bonded before. They were part of the crop from the last Choosing.”

“Thank you, cousin.”

“You are most welcome.” She smiled down at me as we began following Gamera out of the incubator chamber.

Then, someone swore. Loudly. I turned and found Raif standing in the middle of the pit. A tortoise who had practically buried himself in the pit's sand, had clamped its hardened jaws onto his boot. Drawing a trickle of blood from his foot. The small Kame hissed as it tried to rip the boot off of Raif’s food.

“He likes you.” Gamera laughed. “Looks like you have a new little friend, Raif. Congratulations.”

***

“Little asshole, bit clean through one of my toes! Look!” the tortious hissed from where it stood protectively next to Raif, who had his foot propped up on a chair in the main hall. The feast was in full swing, but Ren, Raif, Rayce, Yu, and I were all brought together for a quiet celebration with the, temporarily maimed guardian of the south-western border.

“I’m sorry you are injured, uncle. But none of us were selected but you. I am sure that will be a soothing salve for you as you heal.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

“Sakura with the tongue lashing. Ouch. That hurt almost as bad as my toe. Being bit off.” Raif gestured to his food, where the surgeon was sowing the toe back on and glared at me. I returned the gesture, fighting to keep a smile off my face.

“You’re being a baby.” Ren said as he stretched out on the bench in front of the main table. The table was full of freshly cooked pork. “Congratulations brother.”

“Thanks. Little shit head nearly took my foot off, but at least I’m now a part of the inner family.” He said the last two words with a dismissive lilt to his voice.

“Sakura, be kind to your maimed uncle.” Yu’s voice was serious, but still held an edge of playfulness to it.

“Yes, mother.” I bowed, then stuck my tongue out at Raif, who laughed and shook his head.

“Ren, your brother has been injured. Surely you can muster a bit of sympathy.” Yu suggested.

“Oh, I sympathize. But that toe is now the least of your worries. A baby Kame. Even I didn’t have to go through the early stages with Gamera. Thank the Gods. And your little Bitter there seems to have even a worse temperament than he had at that age. Good luck with that, brother.”

Raif groaned, and I chuckled along with everyone else.

“Speaking of spirit beasts. Congratulations to you too Rayce. Celestial hounds. Great find. How did you find them?” Raif’s words led to the room falling quiet. “Wait. What did I say?”

“Yes. How did you find them, Rayce?” Yu’s gaze fell on the young man, who had been suspiciously quiet now that they were all in a room together.

“Uh.”

Rayce was clearly a terrible liar. He’d fit right in with the celestial hounds. His expression made it seem far worse than it was. A child with his hand caught in the cookie jar he had just discovered was now a bear trap. I saved him from making it, so, so much worse.

“He tried to run away and found them on the mountain top. It’s getting late. I’ll let him tell the story. I found it quite interesting when he told Gamera and I a few days ago. Good night.” I got up and headed for the door. Not wanting to stay for whatever my parents were going to be handing out as punishments, and getting caught in the proverbial splash zone.

“Wait!” Raif shouted, and nearly fell out of his chair, to the tisking of the surgeon who was still working on reattaching the severed limb, as he reached for his bag. “I have something for you. Something special. A prize for surviving that fever. And because, well, it’s my last one and I need to trust it to someone.”

He produced a box, carefully marked with the ‘warning’ and ‘handle gently’ symbols on it. “Take it, but don’t open it here. We’ll talk about it later. Good night!”

Raif practically shoved me towards the door and turned his wicked attention on Rayce. “Now, my dear nephew. What was this about you running away?”

The door shut firmly behind me as I practically ran out of the room.

***

Back in my own bedroom, I pried open the lid, and found the box was filled with chie inscribed, and mana infused hay. The box had been enchanted to prevent any kind of rotting or illness from getting through, and the hay was designed to keep what was inside warm, and safe from damage due to jostling or sudden movements.

I pulled out the egg and held it in my hands. It was nearly three feet tall, and a foot and a half wide. It was warm to the touch, and the moment I removed it from the box, something inside began rhythmically pounding against the shell.

In a near panic, I laid the hay on the ground and placed the egg in the middle. It didn’t take long for the shell to start to crack, and only a few minutes after that, for a soft-shelled turtle to come tumbling out of its much larger egg.

He was roughly the size of both of my palms put together. Tiny compared to his egg at only a foot long. He cried out as I used a piece of my robe to wipe him clean, and then place him back on the floor facing the remnants of his shell.

He’s supposed to eat it right? I read that somewhere; I think.

The little Gamera let out a defiant war cry and charged at the egg. The spiked horn on his nose shattered the side of the egg, and liquid and thick viscous goo ran everywhere. Which he promptly began devouring with abandon.

“Good thing I put the hay down first. I . . . I don’t know what to do with you. Let me go get help.”

A few minutes later, the maids had summoned someone from the stables to help me. He was an older gentleman with a handlebar mustache and a gruff but kind demeanor.

“Well. I’ll be. I haven’t seen one of his kind since I helped your uncle pull old Ripple Back out of his shell.”

“Uh. Is that a good thing?” I asked, confused.

“Well, yes and no. What you have here, young mis, is the runt from a King Gamera’s laying. Or queen such as it is. They almost always breed true, and in the wild, King Gamera babies usually fight for dominance until only one of each sex is left alive. The remaining one is usually strong enough at that point to protect himself. It’s why King Gamera are usually not bred in captivity. They can be notorious to raise. A lot of hard work.”

“You said he’s the runt. What does that mean?”

“Well, he’s the smallest of the bunch. Biggest egg, smallest baby, last to hatch. Usually how it goes. But they’re also usually the ones with the greatest potential. If a runt survives, they grow much, much faster than the rest of the eggs in the hatching. They’re still usually smaller than their brothers and sisters throughout life. But they’re meaner and have a temper like you’ve never seen if angered. And they bond for life. Usually with a mate, but in captivity, they bond with their cultivator and that’s it. Another reason they’re not usually bred captive. Difficult to get them interested at all. Lord Raif is the only one I know who knows the trick, I think, and he hasn’t shared it with me.”

“Thank you. Can you show me how to care for him?”

“Of course, young mis. But there isn’t much more you need to do until morning. Keep him here, let him finish eating his eggshell, and he’ll fall asleep when he’s full. He can eat practically anything, so if he starts chewing on furniture, best come get some proper feed. Until then, though, you don’t need to do much else.”

When they left, it was just me and the little brave King Gamera. I sat next to him, watching him eat the contents of the egg, but neglecting the shell. Every time I would sit it up for him to more easily eat it, he would let out a little war-cry and charge, knocking it over again.

It became a game, until he grew too tired, and too full, and curled into his shell to sleep among the hay.

I pulled a pillow off my bed and slept next to him. “Good night Little King.” I whispered to him, as I blew out the oil lamp.