Wayne woke up, one leg still dangling over the side of his new bed. He gently lifted his body fully to the comfortable mattress.

* * * * *

Seconds later, a knock came at Wayne’s door, the crisp noise of knuckles on wood disturbing him for his resumed slumber. Grousing as he wearily tried to clamber out of bed, Wayne hissed as yesterday’s brutality made itself remembered.

As expected, his left side was still a mess from where the most aggressive member of his batch of trainees had hit him. Thankfully, he had miraculously managed to sleep on the other side of his body, but trying to talk caused a flash of pain to run through him.

“I-Urfg… I’m on my way… Give me one moment please.”

Wayne painfully made his way to his feet and tried to straighten out his dirty clothes as best he could, but it didn’t seem like a salvageable situation. The sweat and grime from yesterday had settled in and any attempt to look clean would be futile.

Realizing he was probably keeping Jaemeson waiting, Wayne waddled over to the door and opened it.

Shocking pink hair and a beautiful woman’s face greeted him instead of the rough older Legionnaire. Wayne sputtered.

“Whaaa-”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m not sure if you remember considering the state you ended up in yesterday, but I’m Amelia. Now, Praetor Jaemeson told me to take you to the bathhouse because you ‘may need them’. Which, he was correct about, in case you are curious.”

“Huuhhh?”

“You heard me properly. This way.”

Wayne was slack jawed as Amelia strode down the hallway with quick footsteps and away from him. Belatedly, he shook his head and began following after the slightly shorter woman. Thankfully, the route they cut across Legion holdings was easy enough to remember that Wayne could make it back to his quarters.

It wasn’t long before they had reached a section of the fortress built from a white marble that looked cleaner than the dark slate used elsewhere. A doorway ahead was lined with pillars of the same marble, and the gentle sound of running water could be heard beyond it.

“Through there and on the right are the men’s baths. I’m leaving now.”

With that, she turned on a heel and began walking away from him once more.

“It was nice to meet you, Amelia. I’m Wayne, by the way.” He said as before she could get too far.

Amelia didn’t turn around or otherwise acknowledge that. Wayne let out a sigh, and walked through the majestic pillars of marble. There were rows of lockers on each side of the room inside, and as she had said there were doors leading further into the compound on both the right and left.

Taking the correct door, he pushed it open and steam escaped. Walking through the vapors he walked into a smaller room with benches and towels. The far wall was made of glass, and through it Wayne saw the source of the steam, a series of open water pools that radiated heat and warmth.

Wayne stripped out of his clothes in an instant, tossing them onto the bench as he suddenly found the energy to move with some speed. He was across the room before he knew it, slipping past the glass door to dip his toes in a pool.

The temperature was perfect, and Wayne almost quivered in excitement. Gently, he lowered himself into the warm water. A contented sigh escaped his lips as he relaxed enough for his head to loll back.

Wayne could get used to this.

For a long time, he just relaxed in the comfort of the steamy bath. His sore muscles weren’t protesting, so Wayne took the opportunity to enjoy the relief.

Wayne spent long minutes submerged below his neck, not particularly thinking of anything. It was peaceful. So peaceful, that soon Wayne was fighting to keep his tired eyes open for fear he would fall into sleep if he let them shut.

Pushing himself to his feet, Wayne let out a large yawn.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Startled, Wayne half turned to find the boy who had left his side a mess of welts standing over him. The other boy sported an ugly look, his malice clear. Wayne once again noted the familiarity of his facial features, the other boy looking more like Wayne than his own father. Except for the red hair and an extra couple of inches, Wayne thought the similarity was disturbing.

“Uh…well, Jaemeson sent Amelia to show me here. Sorry if I disturbed your bathing.”

“That’s Praetor Jaemeson to you. And I obviously meant that you don’t belong among the applicants for the Legion. You are weak. Far too weak. You have not earned your place.”

With that, the boy simply walked off.

Well, there’s a lot of friendly people here. Wayne shook his head. How am I going to succeed here?

His mood thoroughly soured, Wayne quickly cleaned himself with soaps he found nearby. The subtle mint scent they left with him made Wayne feel slightly better but the real kicker was waiting for him when he made his way out of the water.

“I’m… healed. Huh, that’s amazing.”

His side that had been so bruised and tender just minutes ago was almost completely healed. Wayne still felt a phantom ache, but it was so faint as to be negligible. It was just another of the litany of miracles Wayne had seen in the last week. He was beginning to become numb to it all.

He barely even panicked when he realized his clothes had been replaced. Where Wayne had left his old worn clothes, the crisp white of a Legionnaire’s casual clothes waited. A small note had been left on top of them, with his name on it.

Part of him was thrilled at it. It represented the chance he had been given. It also represented the lack of choice Wayne had. His old clothes were nowhere to be found.

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In the end, he held the perfectly stitched clothing up to the lights built into the walls and took one final moment to hold on to who he was now. The orphan Wayne existed for a final few, sombre seconds as he remembered what had brought him here.

Caretaker Yemen, the others. The trees he had climbed, the corner in the yard he had hid during their games. The stories around the fire before night. Everything that Wayne was up until this point.

Then as he put the pure white on, who he was previously was left in the past. Wayne couldn’t afford to be that orphan anymore. From now on, he was a Legionnaire. He had to be, there was no other option.

Unfortunately, just as he felt the new burst of inspiration to prove himself, Wayne also heard the undeniable call of nature, spoiling the meaningful moment. He quickly laced the browned boots that had been placed alongside the uniform, the only dash of color he wore now and desperately tried to find the nearest restroom. Taking a left, he started walking quickly through the hallways to find his goal.

If Wayne never saw that there was a restroom just to the right of the showers, well, it was just a quirk of fate. One, small oversight, a mistake that would normally lead to nothing other than brief discomfort. However, it just so happened that this twist of possibilities would echo through threads of fate for many, many years to come.

* * * * *

At times, Wayne took turns without thought, moving through the Legion facilities unabated. Eventually, the hallways had less and less branches, the lights appearing farther and fewer between. His stomach still grumbled at him, as it seemed Jaemeson was right about the indigestion of the ration.

Then, the corridor Wayne was following reached its end. A single door sat at its conclusion. It was forged metal, with a small barred window sitting at eye level and thick bolts securing it to the frame. It probably did not contain a toilet. But…

Wayne knew at some level that it wasn’t a smart idea, still he began walking down the hallway to the door at its end. The doors and branch paths that had dotted the sides of the other corridors were absent here, as if this chamber needed to be isolated from the rest of the fortress.

As Wayne drew closer, he noticed that the cold metal of the door was interspersed with carved wood that was almost as dark as the iron except for faintly glowing Runic formations of white light. The final steps closed between him and the barred window, and Wayne dared to look inside.

A toothy smile was waiting for him. The only occupant of the cell was a black-scaled man, bound with a large steel collar that was loosely chained to the wall behind him. The man leaned against the wall where he was chained, sitting with one knee up and a flame absently dancing between the fingers of his clawed hand.

And, behind his reptilian snout, were two intelligent black eyes, staring back at Wayne.

“Uh, hi there. I’m Wayne, nice to meet you. Do you happen to know where the bathroom is?”

Strangely, Wayne found it easier to introduce himself to the draconian the Legion was keeping prisoner than a girl his age and species. Perhaps even more strangely, the Draconian man responded in a soft voice belying his enormous size and savage appearance.

“Well met Wayne. I have not used my true name in many years, but I now go by Klaw.”

“Ah. Understandable, that is a quality name. Well, I seem to have gotten lost, I didn’t mean to come here and disturb you. Let me leave you to your pea-”

“You may not have meant to come here, but it is fortuitous for you, Wayne. Quite fortuitous indeed, for before you is the mentor of heroes.”

Wayne wanted to just turn around and continue his search for relief, but something about the chained man made him continue talking to the Draconian.

“What do you mean? No offense, but it seems more like you’re a prisoner than any sort of trainer for the Legionnaires here.” Wayne felt comfortable enough talking to the large Draconian through the barred window.

The Draconian tilted his head slightly, and squinted his eyes. The flame stilled, and a strange noise was coming from his throat, coarse and heavy. It took Wayne awkward seconds to realize the man was laughing.

“Who said I cannot be both, little one. I have been serving as the Legion’s final graduation requirement to Princep. A test by Tooth and Klaw, as they like to say. And I say you are lucky, because as of right now you will surely fail that requirement.”

Wayne started to sputter, but before he could refute the Draconian, Klaw continued on.

“I do not mean to demean your determination or experience. But, Humans who were hopeful, determined, even talented have all tried their best to overcome this challenge. It didn’t matter though, as their determination, their desperate efforts were not enough to surpass me. Your attempt will go no different than theirs. You need knowledge to gain power in this world. That is how Shaping works.”

Then, the large man went back to moving the small dancing flame about his knuckles. The fire had never gone out the entire time Klaw had spoken.

Wayne wanted to open his mouth and tell the scaled man off, scream that he didn’t know him, that no one here really knew him. That they could all sit back and watch as Wayne proved them wrong. But the words wouldn’t come, because the Draconian wasn’t wrong. Wayne would need an edge if he was going to succeed as a Legionnaire.

Suddenly, an idea struck Wayne. Perhaps it wasn’t a good one, but Wayne wasn’t going to sit back and let his life pass him by. Wayne had waited for someone else to lift him up for too long.

“Klaw, what could I do to have you teach me what you know? I can’t afford to fail now.”

At his question, the small fire the man was playing with vanished, and for the first time the Draconian’s undivided attention was on Wayne. A second passed, and then Klaw once again started laughing again, the sound unmistakable this time.

“You would look to deal with a ‘beast’ like me, young Human?”

Wayne did his best not to stutter. “I don’t have much to offer, but… yes, I need your experience.”

“I see. You are much the same as him.”

Klaw moved to stand, and for the first time Wayne properly saw the Draconian’s size. Easily standing seven strides tall the scaled man seemed to also be equally as wide, dwarfing Wayne. The hand he extended out was equally as absurdly large, with deadly real talons extending from his three fingers and thumb, reaching almost a foot from the inside of the door.

“I don’t require much from you, Human, as it will not cost me much to explain the basics to you.” Klaw said with a savage smile.

“Instead, how about you prove your commitment with a leap of faith. Take my hand, and show your determination to improve.”

Wayne tentatively looked through the barred window of the cell, trying to examine the reptilian facial features of the Draconian for danger. After several long seconds with his heart beating in his ears, Wayne quickly reached out and took the clawed hand with his own.

The sensation of the cold scales was almost enough to make him shiver. Then, Klaw’s grip tightened.

“Someone is coming. Meet me again at the tenth bell today, and pay close attention to what is about to happen.” The large draconian hissed through the bars.

Then, Klaw gently pushed Wayne’s arm back through the window. However gentle the man had been, Wayne still had no chance to resist against the strength Klaw possessed and quickly found himself sprawled back across the floor. The wrought metal door loomed over him menacingly when a sudden aura overpowered the hallway.

It rolled over him like a huge blanket that draped over the entire space, except it weighed as much as a mountain. Wayne found that he couldn’t even breath with the pressure being exerted on him, but from the reptilian smile on Klaw’s face he didn’t think that the draconian was so impaired. However, he stopped at the voice’s instruction.

“Get away from the door, creature.” Jaemeson’s voice accompanied the magical force, his tone darker than Wayne had previously heard.

Klaw let out a threatening hiss, but backed up a few steps from the barred window. Then, in a long, extended motion, the man’s left eyelid closed. Horizontally. From his place on the ground, it took Wayne several moments to realize it was a wink.

* * * * *

“That was very dangerous Wayne. How did you even find the Draconian?”

As the two of them walked away from the scaled man’s cell, Wayne made sure to pay attention to the route they were taking. He didn’t trust Klaw, but… he needed the edge. Starting with such low Stats as a Mortal and being thrust into training halfway through the year, Wayne didn’t have the runway to become strong enough to graduate as a Princep, much less reach the levels of someone like Jaemeson…

At the thought, Wayne gave a quick glance at the Praetor. Jaemeson now appeared weary and worn out, the earlier supernatural presence he had exuded gone, but not forgotten. Wayne let out a small shiver just remembering it.

Still, he deflected away from his last conversation, deciding to take a risk with Klaw and deceive the powerful man.

“I was just wandering around after I got out of the baths, looking for the restrooms. Thanks, by the way, for having Amelia take me there, it was amazing.”

“Alright… and yes, they are quite something, aren’t they? Why didn’t Amelia show you around a bit after? That’s what I had been intending, at least…”

Thankfully, it seemed like the diversion worked. Wayne did his best not to let out a sigh of relief, and responded to the Praetor.

“No sir. Though she did leave me this set of casuals. I think, at least.” Wayne said, while gesturing to Legion clothes.

“Oh, I see. The lass is one of the nicer applicants this year, although now that I’m thinking about it she may not have appreciated waking up early to show a boy younger than her to the showers… Well anyways, the reason I was looking for you Wayne was that I thought you may need a little extra help to keep up with the others, and I wanted to help bring you to pace before physical training this afternoon.”

Wayne thought back to the conversation he had just had with Klaw, and nodded once.

“Good, well then how about I teach you a bit about Forms today before the whole group gathers for training. Forms are some of the most fundamental Shapings you can use, so I’m sure you have some knowledge about them, but if you can really master a few they can become your strongest weapon.”

Wayne looked Jaemeson in the eye, and saw the opportunity head on. He gave another nod.

“Can we start now?”