FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 25

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After our first meeting with Ranstoc, we returned to the cave for training every day for the next two weeks, forgoing our usual scheduled training. We trained rigorously in order to master this new power. Khaine had quite an advantage over me, since he was able to use his tamed spirit to absorb nature energy without any real effort on his part. He could effectively use nature energy without needing to stop while in the presence of the crystal. He was even able to use it while outside of the crystals influence, but even then, he far exceeded my capabilities; even when I was in the presence of the crystal. I could only absorb a fraction of the power that he could, and at an extremely slower rate, so I needed to maximise how effectively I used the energy I did absorb.

I did wonder why they insisted I learn how to use nature energy at this point in my training. Khaine made sense, as he could use it at a practically thanks to his spirit. For me though, to use it in battle required hours of preparation and foresight, and only for a short time. Without a tamed spirit of my own, using nature energy was just too impracticable. The potency of nature energy when combined with nen was truly incredible however! From how I was able to move, to the dramatic increase to my bending, with only a small amount of nature energy was astounding. I understood why deities and spirits sought the power that their followers gave them; assuming it affected them in the same way nature energy affected me.

It took me an hour to absorb enough nature energy for just over a minute of full usage, and that was while in the presence of the crystal. Outside of the crystals presence my ability to draw on nature energy was reduced significantly; taking nearly half a day for the same effect. By the end of my training with Ranstoc I could harness enough nature energy to last in an all-out battle for around three minutes, no more. After that the energy begin to over whelm me, making me feel sick and nauseous. If I kept trying to absorb the energy after that it would eventually kill me. Despite the increase in capability to absorb a larger quantity of nature energy, it still took me the same amount of time to absorb it. It would take me more than a full day to absorb the full amount of nature energy outside of the crystals influence.

Ranstoc commented on how talented we both were in regards to using nature energy. I wasn't sure if it was just lip service to encourage us, or if he was being truthful. If my progress using nature energy was surprising then Khaine's was phenomenal! Combined with his nen, our overall physical strength was even greater than my own strength when using my nen to its fullest. Using nature energy, he could draw out the full extent of his spirits power, making his hide so tough not even the sharpest blade could cut him. At this point I could barely keep up with Khaine. His ability to use nature energy had given a clear advantage over me.

It made sense then, why Zaraki Kamir had become renowned for his overwhelming strength and power in battle. His name to this day was uttered in fear by most Zangarians, and was held with great reverence in regards to his combat capability by the wolves. Growing up in the same village as him, I had never seen him demonstrate his power in any way. But I had heard stories. I had always assumed that they were exaggerated. That there was no real way for a fur like him to change his form. But I knew better now.

As a fully trained Shaman, Zaraki Kamir, could change his appearance and take on aspects of the spirit into their physical form. And we were told by Ranstoc that this particular ability required large amounts of nature energy for the Shamans physical form to completely change. Up until now, Khaine had been using the nature energy his spirit captured without thinking. But now, after two short weeks of training he was nearly capable of a complete transformation. The transformation was extremely painful, if the pained screams and sounds of snapping bones coming from Khaine was any indication. This was the next stage of Khaine's training, and I could only imagine just how powerful he would become once he had mastered it. I was determined not to fall behind him! Even if I could not master nature energy, I would find other ways to advance my skills in order to compete with him!

After the two weeks of training, Khaine and I resumed our own personal training regimes. Khaine spent most of his time with Ranstoc to learn how to use his spirits full potential. But until I was able to gain mastery of my own spirit such training was of no use to me.

Khaine and I would still have classes together with the other acolytes. And occasionally we would also have basic training with the Rukan'dokra together. But the vast majority of our time would be spent honing our individual skills. Master Jun'lao had of course departed for his homeland. Master Kami had also departed to resume his duties as a Champion of Pyrrat. I was sad to see them go, but I was kept too busy to dwell on their departures for too long. Callen and Jan'Zar increased the time I spent on my spiritual training dramatically. Likely they were still concerned about the experience I had had on our way to the Capital.

At the end of every day I was exhausted. But even the evenings were not my own to rest and recover, or even socialise with the acolytes. Each and every evening, after I had finished eating, Garr would take me to the great hall and would instruct me on how to play the viol, until it was time to turn in for the night.

"Much better." Garr praised me as I came to the end of the score and lower the viol. "The way you transition between certain notes must improve, otherwise you will struggle at higher tempos." He stared at me for a long moment before speaking again. "Is something wrong? You seem distracted."

"No... not really." I shook my head a little confused.

"You can't lie to me. I can sense the negative emotions through your music."

In all honesty I was feeling a little down, but not because of my training with the viol or my exhaustion. Many of the furs that had become part of my daily life were no gone. I had made a few acquaintances amongst the Rukan'dokra and the acolytes, but I felt alone. Perhaps it was because I was falling so far behind Khaine, that I felt stranded and alone. But even that was not the thing that was bothering me the most.

I had hoped that Callen and I would have rekindled our previous relationship. The idea that I might one day become Callen's Champion, and spending eternity by his side had caused some feelings to stir inside of me, that even with my spiritual training, were becoming difficult to ignore. I yearned for that closeness from him. I didn't just want someone to fuck. If that was all I wanted, I could ask Garr for that. I wanted to feel that closeness I had felt with him so long ago.

It had been more than five weeks now since my Hakar. Five weeks since Callen and I had been close enough to actually speak to one another. And while we did speak on a fairly regular basis, I got the feeling that he was avoiding me. Even with all of the spiritual and emotional training I'd received, my past feelings for Callen still remained. And over the past weeks they had become harder to ignore. I wanted, needed, to see if that spark still remained between us. If it didn't then I could move on. But until then my feelings were just too difficult to ignore.

"Have you spoken to Lord Callen?" He asked.

"How did you..." I sighed and shook my head. "Am I just that easy to read?"

"Your music is."

"My music?"

"Hmm." He nodded. "Music translates the emotions of the soul. Your music is the sound of a heart crying out if ever I heard it."

"So, what do I do about it?" I asked, a little more pathetically than I'd like to admit.

"What do you want to do about it?" He rebutted.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to forget this feeling and move on? Or are you willing to suffer rejection in order to 'satisfy' it?"

The way he said satisfy had obvious sexual under-tones. But this was more than that. Something deeper and more meaningful than just sex. It was a craving, one which I hadn't had for a long time. Honestly, I didn't like feeling this way. I had tried relying on the techniques Jan'Zar had taught me to suppress and control this tide of roiling emotions. But eventually the feeling would return and I believe they always would so long as I was around Callen.

"Either would be fine with me. I just don't want to feel this way anymore." I admitted. "I've tried to ignore these feelings, but they keep coming back stronger and stronger! But is it right for me to? He's a Deity! Everyone here worships him!"

"That didn't seem to bother you before." Garr commented. "What's changed?"

"Back in the forest... it was just us. The fact that he was a Deity didn't... I'm not sure I truly understood the implications at the time. To me he was just another fur." I explained. "But now... is it right for me to desire a relationship like that with someone like him?"

"It is perfectly fine for you to have desires. Do you think that you are the only mortal to think about sleeping with a deity?" He asked.

"Well... no. But..."

"You desire more than just sex." He finished the statement which I had not been able to say. I nodded in response. "I can tell you, from experience, that living a long life is as much a curse as it is a blessing. We watch those we love and care about grow old and die, and there is nothing we can do about that."

"I... can't imagine what that would be like." I said sympathetically.

"But, a life without love is a lonely one." He smiled. "It is difficult for us, especially the likes of Lord Callen, to find someone who truly loves us for who we are, and not what we are. You said that it didn't matter that he was a deity back in the forest."

"It didn't." I nodded.

"I'm sure Lord Callen was most appreciative of that." He smiled.

"Do you really think so?" I asked eagerly.

"I do. But you must understand, he might be distancing himself to avoid the pain of losing you in the future. After all, when you complete your training, you will be allowed to return to the Mortal Realm. He might be holding back, so that when that time comes, it will be easier on both of you."

"Then what should I do?!" I all but whimpered, bringing me back to my original question.

"You need to choose one path or the other." He stated bluntly. "Sitting around here, waiting for Lord Callen to make the first move is obviously not working. For someone in your predicament, where your emotions can be used against you, you need to resolve it yourself; one way or another!"

He was right. I couldn't just sit around and wait for Callen to decide for me. I needed to decide what I was going to do, and do something about it! If I couldn't suppress or get rid of these emotions, then I needed to satisfy them, or change them all together! I essentially had two options. Speak to Callen or find another way to sate my urges. If I just wanted sex, then I'm sure Garr would help me. We had slept together before after all. But this was something deeper than just sex. I needed to know if Callen felt the same way as I did. If he rejected me, it would hurt, but I would be able to move on.

"Thank you for the lesson Garr." I said politely as I stood up and headed towards the door. I paused at the door, my paw on the handle and without looking back at him spoke again. "And thank you for the advice."

I heard Garr chuckle as I opened the door and made my way towards Callens room. Callen's room was on the same floor as the high priests of the temple. The corridors were more or less vacant at this time, only a couple of initiates going about their duties, or heading to their own chambers for the night. I had to silence the paranoia running through my mind, assuming everyone I passed knew exactly what I was going to do. I'm sure there were plenty of furs in the temple that would have some strong opinions about me approaching Callen as I was.

As I made my way up the stairs, my nervousness grew with each and every step. All the possible outcomes of our conversations ran through my head at once. I tried to ignore them and focused instead on what I wanted to say to him; what I needed to say, no matter how embarrassing it was. By the time I'd reached the floor his room was on I had already gone through over a dozen conversations in my mind; but none of them seemed right. How could I express what I felt in words? Nothing I could think of seemed good enough.

I slowed my pace as Callen's door came into view. There was nothing that distinguished it from any of the other doors on this floor. I just knew it was his. I could smell his scent radiating through the heavy wood. I could feel his presence inside. I paused, took a deep breath and knocked.

A few seconds passed, but each one dragged out forever. Long enough for the thought that he was not in fact in his chamber. Was he with Jan'Zar in her room? Was he down in the temple? Several other thoughts ran through my mind in the time before I heard a noise from inside and a moment later the door slowly opened.

"Malakye?"

There he was standing before me. The mere sight of him had rendered me unable to speak for a moment. I opened my maw to speak but my nervousness returned with a vengeance. I had obviously woken him. The bed behind him was obviously slept in and he was completely naked. I had to force myself not to stare at his sheath and look him in the eye.

"Is something wrong?" He asked with a concerned tone.

All the things I had thought about saying left me. I did the only thing I could do. I stepped forwards and kissed him; more than a simple peck on the side of his muzzle, but it was restrained, lasting no more than a moment. The chaste kiss had been too quick for him to respond to. Fearing a negative response, I didn't want to step away and look him in the eye, afraid of what I'd see there. I stayed close to him, my arms wrapped around his waist, enjoying the heat that radiated off of his body against my scales. Enveloping myself in the comfort of his scent. After what seemed like an eternity his arms wrapped around me.

I raised my head, looked him in the eyes and basked in the warmth radiating from them. Our muzzles met, a very reserved kiss, but one that expressed our mutual feelings. As we kissed, he guided me into the room and closed the door behind us. His paws settled on my hips and made swift work of my loincloth, as the next thing I knew I felt it brush against my scales as it fell to the floor. As we kissed, we stumbled our way over to his bed and fell upon it; his body pressing mine into the mattress.

We remained in that position, kissing and allowing our paws to roam freely. It was nice. There was no expectation, no insistence, just the mutual enjoyment of the closeness to one another; rediscovering the taste, smells and touch of the others body. We eventually stopped kissing in order to catch our breath.

"I wasn't sure you would ever come back to me." He whispered.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to." I whispered back.

"We were both waiting for the other to make the first move." He chuckled. The deep bass of his laugh reverberated through his body and into my own.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me anymore." I admitted, exposing my deepest fear to him in a moment vulnerability. "I thought that maybe you had moved on after our long time apart."

"How could I not want you?" He asked with an amused expression, his deep brown eyes staring down into my own. "You are smart, strong and extremely attractive. But more than that you are not afraid to open your heart to others. That is the most endearing quality that you have. I cannot remember a single time when someone had opened their heart to me as you did." He smiled warmly. "I couldn't help but fall for you. And it was that very reason we needed to be separated. For your own safety."

I felt a wave of warmth emanate from inside of me at his words. I believed that he meant every word. I became putty, I would allow him anything at this given moment. He just had to ask, no... not even ask. If I so much as thought that he wanted it, I would offer it before he had to ask. Not trusting myself to say the right thing in response I leant up and kissed him once more, a kiss he quickly returned. Our passion from that moment only grew and it was late into the night before we were both satisfied.

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I awoke the next morning, surrounded by Callen's scent. I smiled and rolled over, a twinge of pain from my abused tail-hole as I moved, noting a familiar slickness between my cheeks when I moved. The room was empty. No sign of Callen. A moment later the door opened and there he was. He beamed at me and my muzzle curled into a smile in return.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Very well." I grinned. "Wait! What time is it?!" I looked out the window, the sun was higher in the sky than it should have been. "I'm late!"

As I attempted to scramble out of bed Callen stopped me with a firm paw on my shoulder.

"Relax." He assured me. "I have taken care of that."

"What do you mean?"

I was meant to be meeting with Jan'Zar this morning for spiritual training. She didn't take tardiness kindly.

"I have spoken with my sister. I told her I was going to take over your training for the day."

"Ahh.... she knows, doesn't she?" He didn't answer, he didn't have to. The mild amusement behind his smile told me everything I needed to know. She knew that we had spent the night together. That we had slept together. "How did she take it?"

I expected her to be angry over the fact that I was here with him. After all we had spent all that time in the Masrur village trying to protect me from this relationship. Would she be accepting of the fact I was back with her brother?

"It's fine. I assure you." He smiled.

"She wasn't mad?"

"Why would she be mad?"

"I don't know... the fact I was ducking out of training with her... us..."

"Jan was just Jan." He chuckled. "She has a temper, true, but it is not something you need worry about. After all your well-being is just as important as anything else."

"My well-being?"

"Of course." He smiled. "Everyone says that a warrior must be strong in body, mind and spirit. But something that many over-looks is the heart. If the heart yearns, it will eat away at the individual like a disease. We care about you Malakye. We don't want anything to happen to you."

"We?" I smiled.

"Yes we." Callen smirked. He leaned down and kissed me on the brow. "But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't care a little more."

"I thought as much." I chuckled. Inhaling his comforting scent. I felt warm and fuzzy from his words. Everything just felt right. I didn't want this moment to end. "Why don't you show me just how much you care?"

"With pleasure." He rumbled throatily as he pushed me down into the bed.

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Later as I sat down to eat across the table from Khaine. He eyed me suspiciously. I didn't say anything. I took a spoon of the thick oatmeal I had been given. It was filled with fruit pieces and was quite tasty. But given how good I felt right now I think anything would have tasted good!

"Where were you all day?" Khaine asked.

"Training." Was my prepared response.

I had expected that question, and while I would have no problem telling Khaine exactly what I had been doing all day, I didn't think he would approve given my familiarity of how wolves considered sexual relations between males to be taboo. But I also didn't want the acolytes sitting at the table around us to have any idea that I was sleeping with one of the Deities that they worshipped.

"All day?"

"All day." I smiled back at him taking another spoonful of oatmeal.

"Fair enough." He seemed to let the issue go. Taking a spoonful of his own oatmeal. "And there I was thinking you and Callen were busy fucking like rabbits all day long."

I almost choked on my oatmeal. The sudden silence from everyone around us who had been in earshot of Khaine was deafening, and I could feel the weight of their stares upon me. I felt my muzzle flush with embarrassment, but I didn't look around at those staring. I looked Khaine dead in the eye instead.

"And what if we were?" I asked bluntly. "You want all the gory details?" I smiled.

He suddenly seemed quite uncomfortable. He had wanted to embarrass me. He had succeeded, but I hadn't shown my embarrassment yet. I wasn't ashamed of anything I had done with Callen! Nor should I be! But if Khaine thinks I should be, then I'd own this!

"You want to know how big his cock is? Or how he tastes? Maybe you want to know what it feels like to have him inside of you? Or how his maw feels around your cock?"

Khaine couldn't look me in the eyes anymore. He just stared down at his oatmeal. Burning a hole through the table. If he got up to leave then he would be admitting that I had won our little exchange. He wouldn't say anything in response either. He knew as well as I did that same sex relationships were not frowned upon here in Aaru. If he tried to play off my relationship with Callen in that way then he would be shunned by almost everyone here; and he knew that to be the case.

"Well you don't have to worry; I don't have anything like that to tell you." I smiled. "As I said. I was training."

I returned to eating and everyone else did the same shortly thereafter. Whether some of them thought Khaine's comment that I slept with Callen was a joke or was the truth didn't matter. There would be seeds of doubt over the whole thing. And the only way they would get answers was by asking Callen or myself. Most of them wouldn't be brave enough to ask me. Not because they were scared of me, or feared my rebuttal. But because most of them respected the privacy of others. And no one would dare ask Calen, a Deity of the temple they were serving, if he was fucking someone! The thought of someone actually walking up to Callen and asking that very question made me laugh. But I had no doubt that the rumours that I was sleeping with Callen would quickly make their way around the temple.

Khaine eventually resumed eating and the others began talking amongst themselves again after a while. But Khaine and I didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the meal. Once he had finished his food he promptly left. I did the same once I'd finished my own meal. I had a belly full of food and the day was almost over already. It was nearly time for my music lesson with Garr.

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As the weeks passed by, I got into a comfortable rhythm balancing my various training regimes and the time I spent with Callen. No one brought up my relationship with Callen, although I know there had been many rumours and speculation about it among the Acolytes, Initiates and the Rukan'dokra after Khaine's comment a while back, no one approached me to ask. Perhaps they feared repercussions from asking questions. Or perhaps no one cared after all.

As I was in the midst of a lesson with the Priest Dunbar, a lesson focused on the history of the Demon War, our lesson was interrupted when the door to the room we were in opened with a creak that echoed around the room. I looked up from my studies to see Callen enter the room. Callen's presence drew the attention of everyone in the room. Priest Gomu who had been leading todays lesson approached Callen and after bowing respectfully to him asked him how he could be of service to him.

"I apologise for interrupting your lesson."

"Think nothing of it, Lord Callen. We are honoured to be in your presence. How may we be of service to you today?" The bobcat asked.

"I am here to retrieve Khaine and Malakye." Callen replied. "I know it is inconvenient. If you require them to take an extra class to make up for the interruption, please let the High Priest know and we shall do our best to accommodate."

Khaine and I looked at each other before standing and going to the front of the room to join Callen. We thanked Priest Dunbar for his lesson, as was customary, and followed Callen out of the room. He didn't say anything as he led us through the corridors of the temple to the centre of the temple. We had never been in this room before, and the doors to it were guarded day and night by warriors of the Temple Guard. All we knew was that it was commonly referred to as the Chamber of Mirrors. It was off limits to anyone other than the Priests, Guardian Deities and their Champions.

There were many rumours as to what was inside this room. Each one more spectacular than the last. But the most consistent rumour was that inside were doorways which allowed instantaneous travel to locations across the entirety of Aaru!

As we approached the large double doors that led into the chamber the two guards that stood at the door opened them for us, and we passed right through. The chamber itself was something to behold! There were more than a dozen large mirrors, each one at least twenty feet tall and six feet wide, placed on raised platforms around the room; each with a set of stairs. Every mirror was framed in precious metals and jewels. The mirrors themselves radiated a faint light from their surface.

The chamber itself was no less magnificent than the mirrors themselves! The high ceilings, which towered over head, at least twice, if not thrice, the height of the mirrors themselves! The stone work and architecture of the walls and ceilings was exquisite! The stone columns that ran around the edge of the room were made of beautiful stone with bands of gold at their base and top.

In comparison to the rest of the temple, where the décor was generally humble and simple, lacking any embellishment beyond an occasional tapestry, or fancy architecture, this chamber was a fantastical display of wealth! This without a doubt, was the heart that the rest of temple was built around.

Three priests stood waiting by one of the mirrors. Two of them seemed to be deep in prayer, kneeling either side of the mirror. I could sense a weak power emanating from them. It was not nen, but something else. Whatever it was seemed to be flowing into the mirror itself, which unlike the other mirrors around the room; shimmered unnaturally. The remaining Priest who was not in prayer bowed to Callen as we approached.

"Lord Callen. Lady Jan'Zar has already gone on ahead." One of the Priests said.

Callen walked up the stairs and stood before the massive mirror. He turned to us as we stared up at him from the bottom of the stairs.

"Do not be afraid. There will be no pain."

Without another word he stepped into the mirror and disappeared from sight. The mirrors surface rippled as he stepped through, but a moment later it fell still. Khaine and I approached the mirror, glanced at one another. We nodded, a silent agreement between ourselves to do this together, and then stepped towards the mirror. I closed my eyes and held my breath as I forced my body to ignore the fact I was about to walk into a pane of glass. I felt a cool sensation wash over me for a moment, but as I took my next step it vanished.

I opened my eyes to find that I was in a completely different location. Callen stood before me with an amused smile. As I looked around at the new environment, I found it strangely familiar. The only light came from the end of the corridor. A pale white light that seemed to float in the air.

We followed Callen down the corridor and when we rounded the corner, I recognised where we were. It was the healing pool where I had first awoken in Aaru! The water in the pool radiated the pale white light that filled the chamber. Standing on the other side of the pool was Jan'Zar.

"You are probably wondering why we have brought you here." Callen asked, breaking the silence.

"A little." I replied.

"Khaine, unlike Malakye you have never stepped foot in here. Welcome to the Moonlight Healing Pool." Callen smiled. "The water in this pool is infused with the powers of both my sisters; Luna and Shal'Naresh. If you bathe in its waters your body will heal, even mortal wounds can be recovered from with these waters."

"Is this the same water as in those vials you gave me?" Khaine asked.

"It is."

The slight grimace Khaine wore told me had had experienced the same agony after drinking those vials. Unlike bathing in the pool, the vials caused an incredible amount of pain, even after the wounds had healed.

"Here!" Jan'Zar threw something at us. After catching the object, I realised that it was a vial of pool water. "Drink!"

"Wh..." I stammered and stared at the vial. Khaine was just as hesitant as I was. The pain we'd experience was no joke.

"I understand your hesitation..."

"Drink the damn things already!" Jan'Zar interrupted her brother. "This is the next step in your training!"

I stared down at the vial, the water inside didn't radiate light like the pool did, but there was a faint shimmer from inside the vial. I sensed something I hadn't before from the vial in my paw and the pool itself. Nature energy. Now that I was aware of that I opened my senses and I could feel the dense amount of nature energy in the pool water. Not as immense as the nature energy from the crystal where we trained with Ranstoc, but far more focused than what was naturally possible. The light from the pool was not caused by the nature energy, instead it was trapping the energy within the water. But there was something else, it was subtle, too subtle for me to tell it apart from the nature energy itself. Did the energy create healing properties of the water?

"Is something the matter Malakye?" Callen asked. "I can understand your hesitance, but if Jan allows me to explain what we are doing here I'm sure I can put both of you at ease. There is no reason to look so suspicious."

"That's not it." I replied. "The water is filled with nature energy. The light keeps the power trapped in the water, but there is another power as well."

"Ranstoc said you were quite talented at sensing different energies." Callen smiled. "But I didn't expect you to be able to sense our sisters' powers as well. But you are quite correct. Luna's power traps nature energy within the pools water, while Shal'Naresh's power uses the nature energy to restore the bodies of any who touch the water."

"This is interesting and all, but can we hurry this along?" Jan'Zar grumbled impatiently.

"We want you to drink the vials and attempt to use your new ability to control the nature energy and prevent the painful side-effects that you have experienced before." Callen explained calmly, ignoring his sisters impatient outburst.

The pain we experienced before was caused by the nature energy? That made sense. Nature energy was poisonous to us in large doses; unlike deities who fed on it. But our bodies would eventually process the energy given enough time.

"Khaine, you have already received training on how to expel excess spiritual energy. Malakye you have not. Normally this shaman training is reserved for those who have already seized control over the spirit within them. But we believe that you will benefit from this training now; given the strength of the spirit within you. And we shall do this by using nature energy as a substitute."

"Why as a substitute?" I asked.

"Because allowing the spirit to flood you with its power now would likely kill your dumbass!" Jan'Zar spat angrily. "Now drink the damn water already!"

Her tone was enough for me to pull the stopper out of the vial and down its contents with little hesitation. The lukewarm liquid washed over my tongue and I quickly swallowed. This time I could feel the nature energy hit my stomach and then slowly begin to spread through my body. The first niggles of pain from my stomach hit me mere moments after swallowing and would only progressively get worse from there.

The energy did not spread even through my body, which was why it hurt so much! Unlike bathing in the pools waters which allowed your body to absorb the energy at its own rate. In a couple of minutes my body would be wracked with pain. Deciding to try out my training I drew on my nen and used the flow of nen through my body to help distribute the nature energy evenly through my body. The pain I'd felt before vanished, but my body was over burdened with nature energy now. Not enough to be harmful, but more than I'd be able to absorb from the environment myself, even when in the presence of the crystal. If didn't expel the energy then it would start to have side effects.

"Very good, looks like your time with Ranstoc has been well spent." Callen patted my shoulder. "Now pay attention to Khaine as he expels the excess energy from his body. Doing this with nature energy is a little different from spiritual energy or nen, however with practice you can expel all of them in the same way."

I paid attention to what Khaine was doing, not just my eyes but with my senses. I focused on the flow of energy within him. I could vaguely sense the flow of his nen within him, and faintly the nature energy. He seemed to be gathering most of it in his chest. His eyes were closed and his body relaxed. I felt a surge of nen from within him, it too was focused in his chest, it mixed with the nature energy and changed. I couldn't tell how it had changed, but I sensed the change happen. A few moments later Khaine inhaled deeply, threw his head back and exhaled.

The air that escaped his lungs was filled with colour! Faint green dust flew out of Khaine's maw and into the air! The dust vanished after a couple of seconds. I could sense it; those green lights were nature energy! Khaine seemed fairly drained after doing this. He was not only breathless, but was bracing himself in order to remain standing.

"What did you see?" Callen asked. He was trying to judge how much I had picked up just watching Khaine.

"Umm... He gathered the energy in his chest, did something to it, and then breathed it out?"

"Correct." Callen nodded. "What Khaine did was manipulate his own nen, divided it into both spiritual and physical energy, and then used his own physical energy to change the nature energy in his lungs, which allowed him to expel it from his body."

I had to use my own nen in order to expel the excess energy? What's more I would need to learn how to convert my own nen into physical energy. I had learned a lot from my studies here about k'tan and how our gifts worked. But even the Zangarians knew that nen was a combination of spiritual energy and physical energy. That was why using nen left you exhausted if you didn't have the stamina for it.

The technique itself would mean I could expel the spirits energy if it began to over whelm me. If I allowed myself to become exhausted during a fight, and then have to expel the spirits energy, I could end up in a precarious situation. The few times I remember drawing on the spirits power had been far greater than the nature energy from one of these vials. Yet I had managed to stop it from overwhelming me. Just how much of the spirits power would I have in my system if I had the need to expel it?

But the most prominent problem facing me at the moment was working out how I could breathe it out like Khaine had. I had never attempted anything like this before, and even after watching Khaine I had no idea how I was going to accomplish that. Khaine had learned how to do that over the past weeks. Now I was going to have to learn, and quickly. I wasn't going to let Khaine outdo me here!

"Are you okay Malakye?" Callen asked.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about how to do this..."

"There is no one way to do it." Callen sighed slightly. "You will need to find your own way to do this. The most important point however, is that you must use physical energy in order to bind the energy you want to expel. Khaine seems to be able to break his nen down with the aid of his spirit. You do not have that option. So, you must find another way to this."

I began to pace up and down the pool side as I racked my brains for an answer. Trying to remember the lessons I had been taught since arriving here in Aaru. There was so much I had been told since arriving here, even though I didn't understand much of at the time I had been told it. Maybe there was clue somewhere in that knowledge I hadn't realised at the time that could help me.

Nature energy was produced by nature; plants, rocks and even the light from the sun all radiated it in tiny amounts. Spirits fed off of that energy as their main source of sustenance, but regular furs and animals also absorbed this energy passively from our environments. K'tan were capable of absorbing more of this energy than normal furs. Our bodies slowly convert nature energy into both spiritual and physical energy, while spirits could only create spiritual energy. Deities could produce both physical and spiritual energy, this granted them far greater power than another spirit, but even deities could not match we mortals in the amount of physical energy we produced, neither could we match the deities or spirits in their capacity for producing spiritual energy.

By combining physical energy and spiritual energy k'tan could use nen. My body combined the two without me needing to think about it. My challenge was to reverse the process. I don't know how long I paced back and forth thinking about it. No one interrupted my thoughts to hurry me up. All three of them just left me alone to take this at my own pace, and work around the problem in my own way. The problem was I couldn't. I had too little information to go on. So I adopted the warriors approach; learn by doing.

I began channelling the majority of the nature energy into my chest. It took a few moments, but before I'd managed to gather more than half of the nature energy in my body there, I was struck by the stabbing pain in my chest. It was uncomfortable more than painful, but the pain got progressively worse with each passing moment. Before long the pain was akin to a bad toothache; too painful to ignore.

The pain became too much for me to bear before I had gathered all of the nature energy. Knowing I'd be unable to continue for much longer I decided to attempt to expel what energy I had gathered already. I focused a large amount of nen into my chest, along with the nature energy, hoping that something would happen. But nothing seemed to. My nen and the nature energy mixed, enhancing the strength of my nen, but not solidifying as it had with Khaine.

The pain was becoming unbearable now. In a desperate attempt to expel the nature energy I decided to expel my nen along with it, hoping that would be enough. I haled sharply and the breathed out until I had nothing left to give. My eyes felt like they would pop out of my head with the effort I was putting into exhaling. Until I gasped for air. It hadn't worked. The nature energy had remained in my body, only a tiny portion of it had been expelled along with my nen.

I collapsed to my knees and focused on spreading the energy evenly throughout my body while catching my breath. The stabbing pains quickly subsided now that the energy wasn't as concentrated, but a dull pain remained behind, an echo of the pain that came before it.

"Well that was disappointing!" Jan'Zar huffed. "Callen I shall leave this to you. Khaine you will return with me."

Khaine nodded and began following her.

"Don't feel frustrated Malakye. This is an advanced technique for any shaman. You also do not have the same tools at your disposal that Khaine did." Callen tried to console me.

I didn't need consoling, although I was mildly frustrated. Khaine had made it look so easy, but as Callen said he had an advantage I didn't; his spirit. But that didn't mean I was ready to declare defeat. I was already starting to feel better now that I had spread of the nature energy throughout my body. It was not that much, at least in comparison to the energy I was dealing with when training with Ranstoc and the crystal. I could easily burn off this amount of energy in less than a minute using my bending.

"I'm ready to try again!" I declared.

"Very well. Then let us begin your training!"

The rest of my day was basically a repeat of my first attempt. No matter how I tried I just couldn't understand how to break apart my nen. After many failures Callen got me to expel the nature energy with my bending, deciding to instead focus on teaching me to manipulate the nature of my nen.

As it turned out, because I had an unnaturally high amount of nen this task was made more difficult than for someone with significantly lower level of nen. It was the difference between trying to boil a small pot of water and a big pot of water. Using the same size of fire, the small pot would boil long before the larger pot. That was the metaphor Callen used to explain it to me. With that in mind, I decided I had two options. Increase the heat of the fire, or learn to boil smaller pots.

By the time we headed back I hadn't made much progress. I was determined to succeed, but I was exhausted. When we returned through the portal, we were greeted by a pair of waiting Priests. Callen told me to go to his room. I needed to rest and that he would bring me something to eat. I didn't have the strength to argue and began heading for his room. When I got there, I lay down on the bed and quickly found myself dozing off. I was roused when I heard the door close. I opened my eyes and saw Calen standing with a bowl of food in either paw, smiling at me.

"You're adorable when your sleeping. I could watch you for hours."

"Sure. And what would you be thinking about when you stared at me?" I teased.

"Lots of things." He smiled as he offered one of the bowls.

I took the bowl; it was filled with rice and had some meat and vegetables mixed through it. A fairly simple meal, but filling. I began eating and Callen sat down next to me and ate his. As we ate our legs brushed against one another. I enjoyed the feeling of warmth that radiated from him. His scent surrounding me made it feel like I was home. I believed that I could spend the rest of my life with him. But the rest of my life could be forever. The prophecy had said I would become a champion. That meant I would become immortal.

Of course, Callen knew this before we had met for the first time. Did he intend for me to fall for him for that reason? I'd learned just how valuable a Champion was to a Deity since coming to the Capital. The prophecy apparently never said who I'd be a Champion of, so did Callen make me fall for him as aa way to secure himself a new Champion? I'd had these thoughts for the last couple of weeks since we'd resumed our relationship but I'd always pushed them aside. But I knew I'd need to confront him on this sooner or later.

"I have a question." I said. He turned his head, still chewing his food, and gave me a quizzical look. I looked away from his gaze, feeling guilty about asking this question and not trusting him, but also nervous about a potentially world-shattering answer. "I... need to know..."

"What's wrong?" He asked, now concerned. He put his bowl down and grabbed my paw.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling foolish for even starting this conversation. But I couldn't back out now. He wouldn't let me back out of it easily. I put my own bowl down and turned so I sat facing him. I stared into his eyes, his big brown eyes; filled with love and concern in this moment.

"This has been bothering me for a while now." I admitted. "And I need to know the truth."

"What is it? I would never lie to you. I hope you know that."

"I know." I took a deep breath as I readied myself to ask.

"You can ask me anything. I will not be offended."

He wasn't making this any easier. But I couldn't back out now.

"Did you try and make me fall in love with you? Knowing that the prophecy said I would become a Champion one day?"

"Of course not! I don't know what I can say that could convince you. But I love you for who you are now. Not what you might become."

"I hoped that was the case. But I couldn't stop thinking about it." I admitted.

"My sweet, darling drake." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace. "If you did become a Champion, I would be honoured if you were mine. But I would love you, even if you were the Champion of some other Deity."

I hugged him back and we just sat there a while, holding one another.

"Out of curiosity... what happens when someone becomes a Champion?" I asked when we finally stopped hugging each other.

"A fair question." He smiled. "No doubt your curious. And it is not something that is often spoken about. There is no real secret. But for a mortal like yourself to become a Champion, there are several things that must happen."

"Like what?"

"First and foremost, there must be a significant bond between the Deity and the Champion. That bond is what connects us. It can be anything. Love, friendship, respect, admiration or even hate; or any combination of feelings. It does not matter. But the feelings of that bond must be mutual, and substantial enough to create the bond." He explained.

"A bond of hate?" I asked curiously.

"It's not unheard of. It would be very unusual for a bond to be made of hatred for each other. It is not a relationship to nurture. But a common hatred for another, that has been done before. Back during the demon wars there were several Champions created out of the common hatred for the demons."

"That makes sense."

"But of course, hatred is not an emotion that can nurture a relationship forever, especially when the war came to an end. The nature of their relationship can change. But if the bond is broken then that's it. It cannot be remade."

"You need to be close with your Champions?"

"Of course we do. It is one of the reasons that we don't pick just anyone to become a Champion. We need to be sure, for both our sakes and our prospective Champions as well, that the relationship is one that will last."

"How many Champions do you have?" I asked curiously.

"I don't have many, certainly not compared to some of my brethren. I have eight."

"Eight? I don't think I've heard of any of them! I certainly haven't known you to see any of them."

"We do not need to see each other that often. Sometimes years go by between our meetings. In some cases, decades. But when you live for as long as we have, a couple of decades is not really all that long."

"I've barely even been alive for two decades." I chuckled.

"Your perspective of time changes as you get older." He smiled back.

"What do you do when you do meet up?"

"There are lots of things. We talk. Drink. Eat. Even sleep together."

"You sleep with all of them?"

"If we feel like it." He smiled. "It's not a requirement. But sex certainly helps you feel close to another." He cupped the side of my muzzle. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes. I see your point." I nodded, a little surprised at how honestly he'd answered the question.

"Are you jealous?" He chuckled.

"No..."

"Just so you know, just because we are together does not mean you can't sleep with others. I'm not that selfish that I'd try and keep you all for myself."

"Does that mean you'll sleep with other furs as well?" I asked. He seemed to realise my feelings the way his expression softened.

"If it makes you feel better, so long as we are together like this, I don't imagine I'd need the company of another." He smiled. "But if you'd like, I can make sure to ask before sleeping with another fur."

I felt a warm fuzziness in my chest from his words. It was nice to know that I was able to satisfy him completely. However, I didn't want to compromise the relationships between himself and his Champions. I didn't want to be selfish. I could not expect him to be mine alone. He was a Deity. What right did I have to deny him when he was so willing to allow me the freedom to do the same?

"I won't hold it against you for sleeping with others." I said. "Especially not your Champions."

"I appreciate that. But trust me when I say, there no one I'd rather have in my bed than you."

I flushed at his words. There was no one else's bed I'd rather be in either, but I couldn't bring myself to say those words to him. They were just too embarrassing to say.

"Going back to your original question. The other things that are required to forge the bond with a Champion. Besides the bond I mentioned earlier, there must also be a physical connection made between the Deity and the Champion. This can be as simple as placing a paw on their head or shoulder." He placed his paw on my shoulder as an example. "It doesn't matter what it is, it could even be an object that has been imbued with the deity's power. Some deities have their Champions eat or drink something that they have infused with their power. In these cases, the object, be it food, drink or even a blade, must enter the Champions body for this connection to be made."

"They stab themselves?"

"Yes. Some use it as a symbol of the trust, loyalty and devotion. Others as a means to an end. There are a few instances where a deity made a mortal their Champion as they were dying on the battlefield. And the only tool available would be a weapon."

"That sounds... scary." I admitted, imagining the resolve it would take to stab yourself in order to become a Champion.

"I'm sure it is. But there is one final stage."

"What's that?"

"Once the connection is made, the future Champion must then open themselves, body and soul, to the deity. This is where most bonds fail, especially with weaker deities'. The deity floods their body with the power of their rune, forging the bond that connects them. If the mortal resists the bonding, they can end up dying. More powerful deities can overcome that resistance, but it is risky."

"Becoming a Champion is dangerous then."

"Yes, very much so." He nodded.

"But once this bond is forged the two are connected. A bond which is not easily broken. Their strength is shared with one another. A mutually beneficial relationship. In many instances with deities too weak to create a vessel for themselves, use their Champions as vessels. In some rare instances the deity and the Champions spirits become fused together. These are called Hum'may Jansto; or more commonly Hujan."

"How does that happen?"

"There are a number of reasons. Often it is just temporary until the deity gains its strength back. But even though they become bonded in that way, the Champion is in total control of their body. Unless of course they willingly give up control. Even if they wanted to, a deity could not seize control over their Champions body."

"Why not?"

"It's not really known why. It is simply a fact."

"Why don't you know?" I asked. "It seems like the kind of thing that you would."

"Do you know everything about yourself?" He countered. "Do you know why you need to sleep? Why you grow old?"

"No."

"Those things are simply truth. You may not know why that is the case, but you know them to be true. Just as I know that I could not enter the body of one of my Champions and seize control against their will."

"And once all of these things are done, and you become a Champion, you live forever?"

"Immortality is one of the many benefits for you mortals. Yes." He chuckled. "So long as the bond between the Champion and the deity remains, the Champion will not age. This is one of the many reasons why young cubs do not make for good Champions. It is an unwritten rule amongst Deities only to take Champions that have come of age."

I had always wondered why the teachings of the Guardian Deities made a point of celebrating a young cubs coming of age. Once of age, the cubs would be allowed to marry and move out of their parents home. But the real reason for the celebration was to mark the point that they could become Champions for the Deities themselves.

"I'm not sure how I feel about becoming immortal." I said, imagining what it would be like to become a Champion.

"Just remember that immortality may mean that you will live forever, it does not mean you cannot die. You are not invincible. Even Garr could be killed on the battlefield, just as easily as you could."

"Thank you for answering my questions. I feel a lot better now." I smiled.

"Anytime my sweet." He kissed my brow. "But I think I know another way to make you feel better."

I didn't miss that mischievous glint in his eye. I knew that it would be yet another late night for the both of us. Not that I was complaining.