Dëmūns Veř : Rise of The Legends

7. Game On

Two years.

It's been two long years since the day Olin stopped responding to me. Apart from his duty towards the pack, he never speaks a word. No private conversation between us anymore. No heart-to-heart. No feelings shared. No advice on my thoughts. No questions related to anything.

And all of this began occurring since that day.

Olin—my beast.

He behaves as though he isn't there.

But I know that's not true, because the actual separation from your beast is a feeling barely survivable by anyone. I feel his presence at the back of my mind. Always there. Always mute. But there. He is not just my shifting-side, rather he's a part of my soul. An extremely important part.

I've been used to his assistance, to his advice all my life. However since two years ago, after my adamant decision—he ceased giving me any.

At first I'd be able to listen to his heartache, feel his shock towards my decision, his unwillingness at my choice—his rage towards my rejection.

But now?

It's like he has all but become numb. Completely separating himself from me as much as he possibly could and leaving me on my own. Letting me make all the choice I chance upon without divulging himself in them. I understand.

He resents me.

Hates me for separating him from the only precious creature he loves the most in all Eneii, even more so than our parents and the pack.

Blames me for separating him from the only person who is solely made for him by the Almighty.

Ignores me for separating him from the only being that has come as a gift to him in this cruel, cruel world.

However, there's something he tends to forget.

He isn't the only one on the loosing end. I'm there too, standing right beside him.

Abruptly, that little figure with the most stunning eyes I've ever got the pleasure to see flash before my eyes. Under that dark hoodie, upon that small face, behind those foggy glasses. Amber. Eyes that instantly filled with utter bewilderment following with the crushing pain as soon as I spoke those forbidden words to him. Eyes that caused my heart to ache bitterly as I told him to run.

Recalling that moment, old wounds instantaneously s***h open right across the pumping organ currently drumming beneath my chest, allowing fresh pain to leak.

I used to believe that there was no such thing as perfection in this universe. However, I've been proven wrong, because I've seen perfection with my very eyes. Had the priviledge to touch that perfection with my underserving hands. Relished the bond between us as soon as I felt him in the school auditorium and then finally marvelled his unavoidable presence onstage.

The purest creature I had ever chanced upon in my entire existence.

What I did that day was something even I can't completely interpret.

Shock. Amazement. Disbelief. Panic. Tingles. Pleasure. Pain. Devastation. Grief.

Recalling that day, I only remember the feelings.

The dilemma I was in.

It just happened.

It had to happen.

Do I regret it?

I never thought I would.

However, now when I feel the numbness of my beast—a part of my soul with whom I was suppose to share an unbreakble bond with since the day I felt him, which is now currently held on with a fragile thread—I might just do.

A hand on my elbow violently snatches me away from my incredibly agonizing thoughts with a sharp jolt, soon following which is the low voice of my father calling out my name.

"Hexton."

Promptly looking up, I meet his familiar green orbs similar to my own presently swirling with hidden emotions. With a whirl of my head I notice that my action of getting lost and reminiscing about my past has resulted in me becoming the centre of everyone's attention.

Instead of getting intimidated and feeling guilty, I look at my father, insisting him to continue ahead without loosing any nerves. He stares at me for a moment before moving his hand from my elbow and placing it on my shoulder, then turning to the front.

"I've immense belief in his leadership and want all your agreements along with your blessings on this matter." He states.

"Sure... " Ruffis sarcastically remarks, pointing at my earlier negligence on this meeting. Nevertheless, my father continues to speak ahead, completely disregarding his presence, pretending as if he didn't heard his comment.

"Though I would like to know the Høè Kzar's opinion on this matter." While looking at the silent Werelion who hadn't said a word from start to end, he asks with a nod.

I as well direct my attention to him only to catch him doing the same, his intense eyes scrutinizing my expressions with a negligible twitch of his eyebrows.

Was he displeased?

Although my immersion in my thoughts from earlier wasn't on purpose, it still doesn't changes the fact that my absent-mindedness was a blatant disrespect to his position.

However, rather than averting my eyes, I meet him head on. I won't back away now. Either he will understand my perplexedness from earlier or will take it as a challenge. Besides, I've already landed myself in the midst of this, if I get scared now, then there will be no meaning in me becoming the Kzar and maybe that's what he wants to see too.

Just as he tilts his head and is about to open his mouth, he stills. Next second, his eyes abruptly flash, glowing flaming red like spessartines and with a sudden rapid movement they glaze over.

Mind-link.

After a while they gradually clear and he turns his attention at my father, looking at him with something indecipherable rippling in his eyes.

'Trouble' I think.

I can feel my father almost bristling in his seat, certainly noticing the same thing I did.

"You want your successor to ascend his throne?" The Werelion's deep baritone fills the spacious room at once, demanding attention and respect.

And without any delay my father delivers with a nod, "Yes."

"Why?"

Silence fills the room.

Blinking, my father looks at him with a frown, certainly not understanding his meaning. The look did not go unnoticed by the Werelion either, who leans back in the high seat while placing his right elbow on the table as his index finger comes to rest against his lips all the while observing my father.

"Since you are well aware with the history of Eneo wa Asle, you know that there's never been a Kzar who's ascended his throne while the previous Kzar watches, why the sudden change?" He raises his eyebrows.

Startled, my father immediately leans forward.

"There's never be—" And gets instantly cut off by the sound of a rowdy laughter coming from my right.

Turning to the sound, I catch Ruffis laughing with his large mouth open wide while throwing his head back. Apparently finding this matter funny. I look at Ortsïĺus and Zï, finding the former frowning hard while the latter completely immersed towards the Høè Kzar without any twitch or a prick on his face. As I pointed out earlier, loyal to the core, yet forgot to add—only to the Høè Kzar.

Then lastly turning my attention at the said Høè Kzar—only to find him already looking at me with something akin to a challenge.

Oh, so we're doing it this way?

Stopping my father with a hand on his shoulder, I gradually stand up, buttoning up my dark blue suit, I present all the elegance and the royal heritage I was born with, easily managing to attract the attention of the four Kzars, two Yules and the Høè Kzar himself without breaking away from our staring match.

I know what he's doing. He understands my predicament from earlier. He's even seen the ferocity of leadership in my eyes during our staring session.

However, his clever mind has unpacked my little theory about challenges that I've exploited on him earlier and now he wants to test me—okay then, game on.