I stepped through the portal frame and back into the Floating Castle, a place I left a month ago, and as I did, I was met with a hug from my mother. "Veer, my baby boy." She held me in her arms, Helen walked up to my dad. "Are you alright, I can't believe you left without saying goodbye, it's too dangerous out there for you."
"Mom, everything is fine." I told her, I felt a tear drop land on my head. "There is no need to worry."
"I'll always worry about you." She let go of me, and Ellie was behind her, I could see her eyes were red, like she was crying earlier. Boo stood behind her, he grew about a foot, same height as Ellie I would say.
"Hey, Ellie." She ran up and hugged me. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm not." She said with her head on my shoulder.
"Elder Virion told us you were coming back after an Alacryan attack, we were all worried about you." My dad said, as he walked away from Helen and hugged me after Ellie let go. "Helen told me you took down an AA mutated mana beast by yourself, plus countless other mana beast."
"You did what!" My mother said, looking at my father and then back to me.
"Yeah." I said wearily, still tired from the battle, I activated my mana ring and pulled out the Taragree's Beast Core, it was a brown sparkling ball. "I also retrieved the core." I tossed it to my dad. "This should help make your core stronger."
"Son, I can't..." My father held the core stunned.
I waved for him to keep it. "Arthur gave you one, I want to do the same." I smiled, my mask was in my mana ring, along with my blood soaked cloak. "And I don't really need it, I have ten other beast cores in my ring." They all gave me a shocked face, I also had the Taragree's two black horns, which I knew had mana inside, at least a little.
"Well, thanks." He shot me a smile as well, and we all started to make our way to the council room. "Elder Virion is in there waiting for Helen and you, he only wants to speak to the two of you, so come see us afterwards."
"Okay." I replied.
"Veer, what was the mutated beast like." Ellie asked as she walked beside Boo. "How strong was it? Are you hurt?"
"It was pretty big, but it wasn't that strong, didn't hit me once." I told her honestly. "With my blood magic, I was able to control it, which made it easy to kill."
"Awesome." Ellie responded as we turned the corner down the hall where the council room was.
"We are just glad you are back safe, Veer, even though I don't think you should be out there. It makes me happy to see you protecting people." My mother placed her arm around me. "Just remember to keep yourself safe too, I don't want you getting seriously injured."
"I know, mom." I leaned my sweaty head into her side.
"He was fine out there, Alice." Helen spoke as we stopped in front of the council doors. "He prevented the deaths of maybe all of us, he was a real savior." She shot me a glare and then the two guards in front of the door started to open it. "Just wait out here until we are done, shouldn't take too long."
Helen and I walked into the council room and sitting in it was Elder Virion, King Glayder, Queen Eralith, and Lance Varay. We bowed, and Elder Virion started to speak to us. "Virion, we had a deal." He looked at me angrily. "You weren't allowed to fight against Alacryans."
"I'm sorry, gramps, but if I didn't help out, we could have lost a lot more people." I paused for a second and then continued. "I didn't just kill the mutated mana beast by myself, but I killed the remaining Alacryans attacking us. I know you are mad because I broke one of your rules, but I had too."
"I tried to stop him, Commander Virion, but that's hard to do." Helen told him. "He is right though, if he didn't step in, there was a chance more people died."
The images of me killing those Alacryans played in my mind, what did I do? I was becoming a murderer and enjoying it. I knew the Serpent was responsible, but how can it influence my feelings?
"How are you feeling after doing what you did?" Elder Virion asked me.
"You mean killing other humans?" He nodded his head awkwardly. "I killed people at Xyrus, during the attack, you know that right. Why would killing people trying to kill me, mean something to me?" I really didn't have to kill them, I could have brought them in.
"Well, yeah." Everyone seemed to look at me wearily, even Lance Varay. "Virion, you are only nine, this isn't something you should have to do." Elder Virion is going to try to remove me from the field, isn't he? "However, hearing what you did, and how many beasts you killed, I don't see how I discipline you."
"Huh." I said surprised, I thought he was going to be upset.
"I don't see how I discipline you; a war is no place for a child, but you proved everyone wrong by saving countless lives. I don't think being upset with you is the right choice of action." I agreed with him there. "But are you sure you are alright? Killing isn't something someone does easily."
Images of the ten dead Alacryans played again in my mind. "Yes, I'm fine, gramps."
"Alright." Elder Virion smiled at me. "You did good." He reassured me, probably trying to be nice. Did I look like I was upset? I'm just tired. "Is there anything else to report Helen, it looks like we can pull our troops out of the Iron Tombs."
"Actually." I spoke up for Helen. "Where is the Sand Grotto?"
This seemed too confused everyone. "It's near the middle of the Beast Glades, it's quite dangerous, we have troops there at the moment." Elder Virion told me. "Why do you ask?"
"That's where I would like to be sent with my team and the Twin Horns, if that's okay of course." I wanted to see if the information that Alacryan gave me was accurate, if it's in the middle of the Beast Glades, then there's a high chance Alacryans are there.
"I see." He said hesitantly. "Helen, are you okay with this? I have to talk to your team leader as well, Virion."
"The Twin Horns will go anywhere you want us, Commander." Helen placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Then I'll move your teams to the Sand Grotto if Victoria agrees to it." Elder Virion finished and then stood up. "Virion, you may leave, I have some things to discuss with Helen alone." I tilted my head, but then started to back up.
"Okay." I bowed toward Elder Virion, and then left.
Virion Eralith
The door shut and I sat back down. "Helen, I'm sure it concerns you too, but the look on Virion's face was no different from when he left. He seems completely fine, which he should not be, killing isn't something easily done."
"It concerns me as well." My daughter in law spoke. "That isn't something a nine year old should be able to do." Those were my thoughts exactly.
"I think he's hiding it." Helen, the leader of the Twin Horns spoke up. "Commander Virion, you weren't there in the dungeon, but if you were, you would have been afraid of his presence." She paused and it looked like she recalled the memory. "His aura was dark, scared all of our mages, even me, and he simply walked down the tunnel and took down the enemy without taking a hit." That's what amazed me, but could he be hiding something?
"I think you may be right, make sure to keep an eye on him." I told Helen. "He is going to need someone eventually, he seemed to be getting close with the man named Callias, maybe talk to him too."
"I will." Helen nodded. "The truth is, that kid is possibly the most dangerous person in Dicathen that isn't a Lance." I might have to agree with that. "He was causing mana beast to explode left and right without breaking a sweat, I mean like nothing could get close to him, even the Taragree couldn't land a hit."
"If we let him continue down this path it could be bad." Merial spoke, she's always had a soft spot for Virion. "He should be removed from the field."
"No." King Glayder said from the seat next to me. "He proved to us that he can do what it takes, we can't take that away from him." He turned towards me. "If Arthur Leywin is supposedly going to be our savior, what role does Virion have in this war." He had a point, but could Virion even fight in the war.
"What do you mean the war? You can't think of using him outside the dungeons when the time comes." Merial shot back at him. "He is nine years old."
"Yes, but after what he has done, I don't see how we don't." King Glayder waved his arms. "He came out of a battle a hero were over ten people died, and was unharmed, he isn't going to want to stand by on the sidelines now."
"King Glayder has a point." I didn't like the idea though.
"You need to be careful." Lance Varay stepped up, something she didn't do often. "If you take too long to decide, he will do it for you, and then won't listen to anyone. He may be a kid now, but in a couple of months he won't be one anymore." The room fell silent. "I heard from Lance Aya, that Virion was a fast learner, she called him a genius student, he thought in ways she didn't sometimes comprehend."
"The Leywin boys usually do." Helen chimed in. "I'll watch over him, I'll talk to Callias, I'm sure he'll help, but there is an additional fact you all are missing."
"What is that?" I asked the leader of the Twin Horns.
"Arthur." I wasn't even thinking about that. "Arthur is going to be our savior right, how do you think Virion feels hearing people talk like that, with the powers he has. That was no boy I saw fighting in the dungeons, it was someone trying to prove a point."
"No matter what we do, if we decide to put him in the field when the time comes or try to take him out." King Glayder paused and looked around the room. "I promise you this, that boy will be feared by all Alacryans, there won't be a single person who doesn't know the kid who can control people's blood."
That is what scares me.