Since I missed my therapy on Tuesday due to my coma, my parents rescheduled it for a video session today. After Lily and Jared left, my phone rang and I saw that it was Ms. Welsh, my therapist.
"Hey, Ms. Welsh. How are you doing today?" I asked once the video session started.
"I should be the one asking you that, but I'm doing good." She answered before turning serious. "Seriously, though, how are you doing?"
"Sigh I've been better. Now that I'm no longer hiding my true identity, a lot of problems will arise."
"What do you mean?" Ms. Welsh asked, gently trying to get me to open up.
"Well, there's the upcoming war with the Hunter's Association. Then there's the fact that the Dragons and Ayakashi know of my existence. And since I just went through the Inheritance process, I can now reclaim both thrones. Which both races expect me to do despite my age. Like I said, there are a lot of problems." I said, sighing. While I was talking, Donny came in and administered another tube feeding.
"If possible, could you explain what the Inheritance process is? Is that why you have a feeding tube in?" Ms. Welsh's curiosity grew with each question she asked.
"It's no problem to tell you about it. Each Shifter is born with access to a quarter of their powers. At the age of 18, they'll go through a process that unlocks the remaining seventy-five percent. It's usually dangerous even for an adult, but because I have two Beasts, I went through it early. That's why I ended up in a coma for four days, hence the feeding tube. My doctor has been weaning me off of it now that I've been handling solid food today." Now that my Dual Shifter identity isn't a secret anymore, it's easier to talk about things that I couldn't before.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how dangerous is this process?" She asked, eyes wide.
"10. Even for adults, they can still die from it. Honestly, I don't know how I managed to survive, but I'm glad I did." I said truthfully.
"Has this affected your nightmares?" Ms. Welsh asked, concern showing on her face.
"Considering my coma and the sleeping meds I'm on right now, I haven't had any nightmares recently." I told her honestly.
"So, you mentioned some issues that came because you revealed your Dual identity. Starting with reclaiming the thrones. How long do you plan to wait before doing it?"
"The current Throne Holders, the one on the thrones right now, want me to do it as soon as possible. They're willing to step down without an issue, but there will be Clan Heads that won't approve. Those are the ones that'll have to be made to submit, and that's done by beating them in a fight." I explained the first problem calmly.
"Now on to the upcoming war. How does that affect you?" Ms. Welsh was confused about this, so I explained it to her.
"If my Uncle wants to win this war, then he'll need help from the Dragons and Ayakashi. The only way they'll help though, is if I reclaim the thrones. Then they'll also expect me to fight as well."
"I see. Please don't take this personally, but I'm glad I was born a Human. I mean, expecting a teenager to rule as well as fight in a war? That's insane!" Ms. Welsh exclaimed. Most Humans would react this way, but for Shifters this was normal.
"Since Shifters live longer than Humans, we're considered adults at 13. And by 16, we're considered mature enough to find our mate." I said, trying to explain the reasoning.
"Now when it comes to you, will you have one or two mates?" Ms. Welsh asked, curiosity back on her face.
"From what my Beasts have told me, I'll have two. Their logic is that there's no one who could handle both of them." I replied with a slight chuckle. Magnis and Nightmare rarely agreed on anything, so for them to agree on this said a lot.
"Look at you, having your own harem." She said with a slight grin on her face.
"It's not like that!" I tried to protest, but the blush tinting my cheeks was unconvincing.
"I know, I know. It's just fun to joke sometimes. Anyway, our time is almost up. Is there anything else you want to discuss?" Ms. Welsh said. When I said that there wasn't anything else, we scheduled my next session for two weeks out on a Tuesday.
After the video session, I went back to doing my schoolwork. Everything was pretty easy and by dinner, I only had the essay to do. As I was putting my homework away, Donny came in with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Putting it down on my bedside table, he did his usual quick check-up.
The questions were typical: about how I handled the soup from lunch, any issues going to the bathroom, and how my pain was doing. After I answered his questions: no issues with lunch or going to the bathroom, and that the pain was decreasing, he said that he could remove the NG tube tomorrow. That made me really happy to hear. Before he left, I called out to him.
"Hey, Donny? I have a question for you."
"Yeah? What's up?" He asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
"Do you think I should reclaim the thrones soon? I mean, if we want to win this war, then we'll need help from both the Dragons and Ayakashi. To do that, I would need to be on both thrones. Then they'll expect me to fight." I said, voicing my concerns.
"I can't tell you when to take back the thrones. Only you can decide that. However, I can tell you that we will always have your back. This is a big decision, but I have faith that you'll make the right choice." Donny said, and I could hear the pride in his voice. Just knowing that he was proud of me helped, and I thanked him for answering my question.
"Of course. I'm here whenever you need to talk. Now eat your soup before it gets cold and then get some sleep." Donny said before getting up and leaving my room.
As I ate the soup, I got lost in my thoughts. Donny was right that this was a big decision, but his faith in me helped a lot. It's time that I stopped trying to run from this power. This coming summer vacation, I would reclaim my thrones. That means I have until summer to prepare for the event that will change everything.