Karla sat at the table in the Council room, still flustered from her spat with the beast. ‘He’s not a beast; he’s a brat!’ She thought sourly. ‘Rotten little devil! And where the hell was Bently?’

Her Father's mind and soul were already being burned away by the crown, so she didn’t really blame them for his demise. Releasing her frustration, she thought of the beast’s actions before they had arrived.

She had heard his sobs in the tunnel.

They had all heard it.

The anguish cut into them as they had suffered losses before, and the sound was unsettling. It wasn't the sound... of a beast... It was the crestfallen wails of a child who had been ripped from his family, watching as they were butchered. She almost regretted ever finding their nest.

The thought of being a murderer weighed heavily on her. They had fought a tough battle to keep the slums in check and had enacted harsh punishments, so she was already known for having a firm hand. But this... This was almost too much for her to bear.

Karla cleared her thoughts as Duncan stood to address the room.

“The Academy has installed a Heart stone.” Duncan stated, pointing at a large crystal in the middle of the room, a faint light sparkling in its center. It could be used to scan individuals and gain information from their Gifts. Most of the guilds and the academy used them to register recruits.

Perception skills that could read another’s Gift were very rare.

“We will get to the bottom of this. We must figure out how the crown was taken,” Duncan declared, pausing to look around the room as the doors opened and the guards entered.

They dragged the prisoner, who was a little more purple than before, and chained him to a chair near the Heart stone. They backed away, showing cuts and scrapes and what looked like teeth marks up and down their arms. The beast had stopped struggling and was glaring around the room, eyes burning with hatred.

“Remove the gag from the boy,” Karla ordered.

All eyes in the room looked her way, noticing the subtle use of the word boy. After hearing his echoed sobs, they weren’t that shocked and turned back to the boy. Questions needed to be answered. The guards removed the gag, letting it fall to the floor as he gasped for fresh air. Tears had dried on his face, and he looked drained and crestfallen.

But his golden eyes were still sharp and searching.

Kaznor reached out touching the Heart stone as a wave of mana rippled through its surface. A beam of light fell on the boy as he sat glowering before slowly fading. The crystal started to hum, shining brightly, as the beast’s runes appeared before them.

Silence struck the room like a drum.

Name: -- Race: Firstling Class: Prince (E) Core: Great (F) Blessings: Firstborn Titles: -- Insights: Integration (Basic) Authority: -- Attributes: Bonded - Mother’s Will - Golden Sight Skills: --

Their hearts beat in their throats.

Mouths hanging open in shock.

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Breaking the silence, General Briant stepped forward, “This is impossible! He doesn’t even have a name; he's a child at best. How can his Class be something so ridiculous?” He shouted with a look of disbelief.

“I agree that something is wrong. This information can’t be right,” Kaznor agreed as he began looking over the Heart stone.

“A Royal lineage?” Karla asked, shocked by the outcome of the Hearts reading. His class was clearly defined as prince, which didn't make sense.

“He has an Inheritance!" Foster spoke loudly. He looked disheveled after his incident and had rambled for hours about his experience in excitement. He had urged Karla to begin to question the beast.

“It could be…,” replied Kaznor, his long fingers rubbing the stubble on his chin. “With the Spell, nothing is impossible.”

Sparks ignited in their eyes as they understood Kaznor’s reasoning. The Spell had affected the entire world, and changes were occurring daily. It wasn’t that unreasonable to presume that the firstling was the born prince of his entire race. A stretch, but not impossible.

According to the Heart.

Entirely true.

Karla thought of her first encounter with the boy and coming face-to-face with those powerful golden eyes. The ones currently staring at her full of hate and spite. He was mysterious, and she wondered yet again whether they had made the right choice in attacking the nest.

What exactly had they killed?

She had initially believed the crown to be why the Spell had lead them there. The irony of the crown being in the nest was too coincidental, but what if they had found something… greater? She considered their options, deciding to question the boy further.

“Your Mother didn’t name you?” Karla asked.

“Mother didn’t need names,” He replied sullenly.

“What should we call you?”

He wasn’t sure what to say as the thought them calling him brother was revolting. Looking through his memories and finding nothing, he picked a name randomly from the words he had learned, not really putting in much effort.

“Aaron…,” he replied, unsure of what else to say.

“I object. This is ludicrous!” General Briant scoffed.

“I agree with General Briant,” Deagon growled, clearly not happy. The boy was just a beast and this charade of treating him like a person didn't sit well with him.

“The boy has a right to pick his own name. No one here has the authority to take that from him,” Foster stated firmly.

“I agree,” Kaznor said, nodding to Foster.

“I will accept it as well,” Duncan spoke, taking his stance.

“I agree,” Karla stated, feeling that he had a right to pick a name. She turned back to the boy, whose eyes were beginning to droop. He was still healing from his wound, and his condition looked to be worsening. The scuffle with the guards didn’t help the situation.

“Hello Aaron. I am Karla Albrich. Lady of Lightcastle.” She declared.

“Karla,” he mumbled, burning the name into his mind.

“Things may not be how they appear.” She spoke, letting her last words sink in as the boy looked on with confusion.

"How old are you?" Karla asked.

"Days... several days," he answered, uncertainly. He was taught how the human's measured time but didn't completely understand.

The room quieted at the boy's response as they processed his reply.

Karla was shocked and thought the same thing as the rest of them. The boy's sense of time had to be skewed, as it was impossible for him to be merely 'days' old. He looked to be at least eighteen years of age. Growth that rapid was impossible! The boy was confused and clearly succumbing to his fatigue.

“Rest for now, and we will discuss your future when you are well but know this before you go. We can help your siblings if you are willing?” She offered, hesitating as she spoke but felt there may be an opportunity here.

He looked at her in shock and with a hint of curiosity, not understanding her intentions.

“Take the prisoner back to his cell and have the healers look him over,” Karla ordered as the guards began carrying the boy out.

General Briant turned to her glaringly. “What do you mean we can help them?” He grunted.

“We have the chance to nurture a new Race and even one with a royal bloodline. If we can get them to clear some of the beast hordes for us in exchange for our help, we could maybe use them to gain more ground.” Karla replied, informing him of her thoughts as she looked around to see the reactions of the others.

“I could try to work with the boy,” Foster said, still showing interest in the firstling after his encounter with the boy.

“Ridiculous,” huffed General Briant, throwing himself back in his chair with a shake of his head.

“Agreed,” said Deagon. “Bringing wild beasts into the city is not a wise decision." He had remained quiet through most of the meeting, but he didn’t like the thought of even more mouths to feed, especially potential enemies.

“It could be worth our time to learn more about the boy,” Kaznor piped in. As head of the Academy, the boy was a trove of information. Their studies could always use new avenues of knowledge.

“I will agree to whatever Karla believes is best for the City,” Duncan said, looking Karla's way with a hint of worry in his eyes.

“Let the boy heal and come to terms. We don’t know yet whether he will agree. We are his Mother’s killers after all,” Karla spoke, her voice full of bitterness. “We will see his decision tomorrow. Foster, are you sure you can work with him?”

“I’m willing to try,” he replied with confidence.

“Ok. Let’s reconvene after his recovery,” she replied, rising to exit with the others. They hadn't discussed the crown, but she knew they had more answers than they could currently handle. As she moved through the stronghold corridors at a brisk pace, she kept looking for Bently. Why wasn’t he present in the interrogation?

As she walked, she thought of the boy again as shivers prickled the nape of her neck.