Aaron hissed through clenched teeth as his vision turned red and smoldering fury built in his chest.

It was him!

Those eyes, the green aura.

He lunged, trying to grab his throat through the bars of his cell. The man didn’t even flinch as his nails scraped the air in front of him, unable to gain purchase. As he started to tire, his growls turned into sobs.

“Why would you do that to Mot—?" Aaron started to shout, but the man wailed even louder than him, leaving him puzzled.

“I’m sorry!” The man gasped.

He fell to his knees, whimpering softly, “We didn’t know what we found! We thought your Mother… was a monster. We thought her dreadful and your kind evil! We didn’t know, and we were wrong, I know this now." He trailed off, choking back more sobs as his shoulders heaved.

Aaron couldn’t believe what he was hearing or seeing! The fool thought a simple apology would make all his wrongs go away. Mother was still gone! He was shocked at the state of the man, however, and didn’t understand what his deal was.

Looking closer, he could see there was a faint disturbance in the space around him. He concentrated, noticing small seams interlaced through his body and slight tremors in his soul. He couldn’t see the soul of another, but he could almost glimpse the man's troubled state and the disturbing seams. They were more like…

Cracks?

The man’s soul was cracking. They held a hint of something, and sensing deeper, he could feel...

‘The man bore a Curse!’ He thought with shock and great joy. Somehow the mans actions had left a mark on his soul, and he was suffering from its burden. ‘Serves him right!’ He chuckled, 'Hopefully, it devours him whole'. He couldn’t help but curse the man, whether his sorrow was real or not. He should pay for what he has done.

“Accept Karla’s deal,” the man choked. “I will help fight for you with the Council. We can rescue your siblings and—”.

“I will not work with you, Murderer,” Aaron growled, but kept his rage in check. He could already feel fatigue setting in from his wound.

“There is something else you can demand,” he stated, rising from the floor.

“What are you saying, fool?” Aaron asked with annoyance. What were his intentions in trying to convince him to accept Karla's terms? But his next words cut him deeply, and horror gripped his heart.

“She has your Mother’s core,” he replied, looking at him sternly, as if to jam the importance of that statement into his very soul.

“What… you took Mother’s core?” Aaron shouted in shock and outrage. These people had no right to take such a thing!

“All supplies are used to help the City, and nothing is wasted.” The man paused as if unsure how to proceed and whispered, “Make the deal, and I will personally bring your siblings to safety. Where you go from there is up to you.”

Aaron didn’t know what to take of the man's seriousness, but he was of the same thought. If he could get his siblings to the surface, they could carve out a home anywhere. His words made him sick, but he was itching to get back to them.

Mother’s core was her last gift to the world, and they would do anything for it. He couldn’t let the humans have it. Looking at the big man, he could see that he wasn’t long for this world. The curse would slowly consume him until only a husk was left.

Mother's killer would die regardless of anyone's actions.

“I will agree!” Aaron spat with a growl of frustration.

“I will report to Karla at once. I’ll send a healer shortly to attend to your wounds.” The man stated, wiping tears from his eyes and straightening himself with determination. “We will bring your siblings to safety, no matter the cost. I will make sure of it.” He declared as he left the prison, leaving Aaron utterly confused.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He laid back against the walls of his cell, groaning from discomfort, and contemplated what he had just been through. His body was still trembling from the confrontation. ‘What the hell was up with that guy?’ He had picked up on the human’s curse words and chuckled at how much better it felt to vent his frustration.

To see the human suffering was all well, but to also hear the conviction when he talked about saving his siblings. It was a little unnerving.

He rested off and on, still troubled by the thought of working with their assailants. He tried to work his body and keep his joints from stiffening in the cramped cell. He thought of his rock a lot lately. He missed its mossy surface, and he was rather sore that he couldn’t carry it with him.

Aaron summoned his Runes in an attempt to interpret more of their meaning. He had learned that it didn’t take any gestures to go away. He could summon and dismiss them at will, and he felt a little foolish for his barbaric tactics.

He first looked over his Attributes, noticing nothing in the Skill slot.

[Bonded]

“Allows your soul to be connected with your siblings.”

“The Bond has been strengthened through Integration (Basic).”

[Mother’s Will]

“Mother has blessed you as Firstborn and your voice carries Mother’s Will.”

“Your words carry Mother’s Authority when dealing with all Firstlings.”

[Golden Sight]

“You have been born with the Sight.”

“You have a decerning eye for the unseen.”

He could tell that all the Attributes were bloodline-related, except Mother’s Will, which he got from Mother’s Blessing of Firstborn. He was unsure of some of the others, though.

[Greater Core (F)]

“Mother has Nurtured your Core.”

[Beast Shards]

0/1000

He didn't fully understand what the whole Beast Shard was, but he was sure he could figure it out. He could feel that the Runes described the node in his center, which he now knew to be his core.

It could produce massive amounts of energy when he needed it, but it could be drained rather quickly. He continued to inspect the last thing, and it was the one that had him the most baffled.

[Prince (E)]

“You are the Herald of Your Race.”

Vassals 0/3

He couldn't understand any of the Runes. He could read them and understand them; he just didn’t know what they meant. ‘Herald?’ ‘Vassals?’. He didn’t understand what these things meant to him. He sighed and dismissed them, not sure how to proceed.

First, he would gather his siblings and lead them to the surface, where they would carve out a place in the world. They would make their own destiny, and the humans be damned. He would work with them if they would give him Mother’s core. He wasn’t too worried about the humans betraying them.

He had seen and felt his siblings around him as they ran through the tunnels, barely a whisper in the breeze. If they could get to the surface and into the wild, humans wouldn’t be a threat.

He felt certain of that.

As he went over all the knowledge he had received and organized his thoughts, he fell into a fitful sleep. He woke with a start when the door to the prison opened and Karla appeared before him.

“We have made our decision.” She stated.

He rose to look her in the eye, not sure of the outcome.

“We will give you your Mother’s core and those of your siblings.” She confirmed. He felt she held her head a bit too high when she spoke, but he kept the contempt from his face.

“What now?” Aaron asked, leaning against the wall.

“Bently fought heavily for you with the Council.” Karla replied, pausing with worry in her eyes as she continued, “I saw him return to your cell. What happened?”

Bently

The name of Mother’s killer.

He didn’t know what to tell the woman and couldn’t understand why the man was so determined to help him and his siblings. Not having an answer, he just smirked back and remained silent.

“Fine,” she rasped. “Have your secrets. He demanded to be the one to escort you into the tunnels of the Labyrinth. You will leave at first light,” she hesitated as if contemplating something.

“We didn’t know what we would find when we came to your home,” she explained with a sad, wistful look. “We are desperate, and monsters are everywhere. It was too easy to assume the same from your kind.”

Karla stared at Aaron solemnly before a coldness came to her eyes, “We will help you and your siblings, as promised, but if you attempt to betray us, there will be no leniency. Are we clear?”

He had found his resolve, as the rewards and their survival were far more important than his conscience. His heart raced in excitement at the threat, and he shot back his reply, trying to catch her off guard.

“Loud and clear, Princess,” Aaron agreed, smiling venomously.