"Your magic is lackluster, but there's potential."
The guard was lost in thought while Mike played with a fireball, his eyes glowing.
He can maintain what he creates perfectly but the problem is how he uses it. He's not using it like magic, he's using it like a physical object… That'll hold him back.
"YOUR MAJESTY! FOCUS!" The guard commanded and Mike froze up, the fireball vanishing.
"I'll focus! Keep teaching me!" The boy's optimism was contagious.
"Alright, I'm sure your majesty understands that he doesn't have to do this."
"Pause," Mike interrupted. "Stop that!"
The guard was taken aback. "Stop what?"
"The dumb Majesty stuff. CALL. ME-" Mike- "Kioshi!!!"
There was a moment of silence. Kioshi? Who the hell is that? I wanted to yell Mike…
"Kioshi" Mike.
"I understand.. Kioshi for tonight." The guard was defeated. "Perfect."
"Now dodge." "Dodge-? AH!!" Mike barely dodged an axe throw. Almost splitting him in half. "You're rather agile for a sheltered boy, I assumed I would've hit you." The guard's eyes narrow in suspicion.
Smart!
"I trained in my room." "Despite being sick?"
Sick?
"Was i?" Mike asked curiously, "I can't remember anymore," this time I'll lie too. "I can't remember alot..." With a quivering voice the eyes of the guard softened.
"Is that true?" He approached Prince Kioshi.
"I remember my little brothers, but not the eldest. I remember my name, but not my parent's. And worst of all.." Prince Kioshi stepped closer, his head lowered.
"I don't remember what's happening, WHAT'S THIS DUMB AWAKENING THING!! Why do I have to marry a man I don't love?!"
And where are they? Ah… they!... my head always hurts…
Mike was about to stumble on his ass but the knight swiftly caught him.
"Please allow me to explain everything once you have taken a rest."
A few minutes passed and they were both seated next on a bench further away from their training area.
"I'm ready." Mike nodded.
"Let's start with the most important thing, your sickness." The knight folded his hands together. "You have always been a frail child my prince, your mother always praised you for a destiny unlike any other, however you fell sick, no one knew how. You went from this great child, to a little boy who couldn't leave his room anymore. Your mother was disappointed, your father said you'd die."
Mike grit his teeth together while listening to the explanation. "Before that, you had two more brothers, but you guys were separated since you were a baby, 'too good' for them so to speak."
That must've been that unicorn and pegasus…
"Yes, your unicorn and pegasus brothers." The knight responded as if reading his mind. "Your mother married a centaur believing his magic will create great offsprings, he was right. He created a new breed of hybrids. After you turned into a disappointment he had two more, but that doesn't matter." His voice turned serious.
"You lived longer than they anticipated, so they had one last hope for you. Power. They believed you survived because of the immense power accumulated in you. So he wanted to prepare for the awakening ceremony."
Mike's attention finally was grabbed, enough with the family!
"A ceremony that is meant to only awaken the most powerful, it's when a lot of magic is accumulated into a singular body, they can be awakened into an ultimate form." His finger suddenly points at Mike. "For example, you are suspected to be an alicorn, so you would get the ultimate form of an alicorn. Your brothers would be a unicorn and a pegasus."
"So what is the difference?"
"The power, size, and capabilities." The knight interrupts. "If you were to have an ultimate form you could transform into something unstoppable."
Strength.
Strength!!!
Mike's eyes began glowing into a never seen before expression.
"I want to awaken!" "Kioshi-" Mike covered his mouth, tackling him off the bench with a grin. "Teach me. I don't care about the consequences, MAKE ME STRONG." Mike's breath was ragged and the gold in his eyes seemed to glow.
—
Slumped in his room, there was now a pile of books in his already messy room.
Doesn't hurt to add anything else here…
His room was still chaotic, so he decided to use the most well known strategy for a quick room cleaning.
Mike began kicking everything around until he created for himself two paths from his door; one to his broken bed and the other to his closet.
He approached his closet now that he had the room to actually move there without injuries. He slid it open with a bit of a struggle, but there were no clothes… I guess he threw them all out here… But that gives me space to work with this closet.
He moved back towards the pile of books he acquired from the knight and decided the first thing he should do is read. He only then realised there were candles lit in his room as a light source, they burned a bright blue flame. But if they were lit before he came in, it means someone lit them up…
There was no window; it was basically a wooden box with a few pieces of furniture. If you can call these broken things even that.
"I wasn't paying attention to who lit up my room the first time I was there, or maybe it's magic candles?"
Mike was engrossed in his reading when he suddenly heard his door slide open. He raised his head, just to find a tiny horned head poke through, with red puffy eyes.
"Soku?" Mike called out softly, startling the little boy.
"You're awake… You weren't in the grass with us…" "Us?" Suddenly Horu poked his head through his eyes just as puffy.
They both quietly entered the room and gasped at the state of his room. They had blankets dragging after them. Mike got up, putting the book aside, then carrying the two children both past the messy path and stationing them into his bed, as well as their blankets.
"Shoes in bed?" Soku questioned Mike after seeing him sit with them.
"Are you not comfortable with that?" Mike quickly kicked off his boots as the boys started getting snug on the broken bed.
"Brother…" The boys called out in union. "Yeah?" Mike opened his books back up, his focus still on the rustling pair of boys.
"Will you leave again once you get stronger?" Mike froze.
That question…. He doesn't know them in the slightest but he could still feel his heart drop nonetheless.
Am I.. Responsible for them!? I'm usually being taken care of! What do I say!?!? Their doe eyes were glistening with tears ready to gush out again.
"Yes." Mike answered honestly. Waterfalls were about to ensue but Mike interrupted, "And come back."
"Where your brother's going, he can't just take kids when he can barely protect himself. But once I'm back! I'll grab you! And you! And the other two!" Mike began rambling about each servant and each knight and each maid he would take.
The kids were paying attention, like moths to a flame. They were just kids, they would believe anything their big brother said.
It's not like he was fully lying. He would take them with him if they asked him to!
The kids practically huddled for cuddles, even if they weren't fully reciprocated. They attempted to keep asking questions, but Mike began whacking their heads gently with the book to silence them to sleep, going back to his reading with his brothers snoring on his side.
When he finally shut his book hours later, his face was flushed red in embarrassment. It's a good thing these little brats are asleep!!
I think I finally understand why there are no women… THE MEN GET PREGNANT!?
There are fertile men and non fertile men. They also have heat… some monthly, some seasonally.
Although embarrassed Mike was curious and kept reading for a good while.
Apparently, everyone has pheromones. With this many species it is hard to keep track of but everyone smells just slightly different, depending on their diet and lifestyle.
But how come I never smelled anything! Mike leaned down to sniff the boys, but really, they smelled like nothing special.
Maybe it's because I just got here…
Mike scratched his chin in thought. So people use their pheromones to attract mates and also to differentiate themselves from others.
Depending on their species and fertility, they have different behaviours when in heat… Monthly reminds me of periods, just without any blood, apparently some get really emotional. It must be tough…
Mike hummed to himself until he gasped.
I CAN GET A CHILD!?!?
His eyes lit up at the possibility.
He always wanted to have a child but it wasn't possible on his own. He didn't wanna get any woman pregnant and a single man adopting a singular child would have been far too suspicious… BUT I CAN GET PREGNANT HERE!
How to do that…
Mike quickly opened the book again to flip through it. But if you were sick, would that not affect your fertility? Mike's heart sank soon after hope reached him.
He doesn't know where this thought came from, but it wasn't a good one. Who's crushing my dreams while I'm barely living them!?
There were a few signs, but… None of these things were anything he could test! What about my smell!?!? How would I know!!
But I shouldn't give up now. If I can finally have a child, I want one…
Mike changed his mind. Awakening, okay, but not for getting stronger. But to turn fertile! Surely an overpowered Alicorn could birth out at least ONE child!
Magic varies so much in this place… verbal magic, designated magic, and even species type magic.
I hope I have an easy magic… since my 'mom' is magical but married to a centaur… So do I have species type magic? Or general magic. But maybe it's both, hybrid magic, right?
His head began to ring, finally deciding to take a rest he dropped his books, closed his eyes and called it a night, cuddling to sleep with the boys.