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Arthur POV

I woke up on my bed staring at the ceeling, I turned around the room, my eyes widened as I was surprised to see Caera sleeping on a chair next to my bed. I shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"hu.. h" She groaned as drool came out her mouth

I laughed so hard at her. She was confused until I pointed at her cheeks and the edge of my bed where her drool took over.

"If I woke up any later your drool would've drenched the bed" I said while laughing

She widened her eyes when she saw that, continued with her face turning crimson red.

"I.. am sorry" She said as she bowed

"Welp looks like I could make fun of her" I thought

"You sure took a liking to her quick less than a week ago you wanted to kill her" Regis said

"Where have you been?" I asked ignoring his previous comment

"Meditating, you do still remember I am still in my pup form because of a certain somebody right?" He replied

"Whatever you do you buddy" I replied as I focused back at Caera who was wiping the bed with a cloth

"So what happened after I passed out last night?" I asked

"O uhh I carried you back to your bed, and called the shadow claws the males ones to help me change your clothes because yesterday your clothes were all drenched in sweat" She replied

I nodded, and stood up my body felt good, but my mana was still unstable as usual.

"So you slept that well huh?" I teased

Her face went back red as she jabbed me in the side.

"Don't you dare speak of this to anyone" She glared at me

"Yeah who am I gonna tell anyway the shadow claws?" I replied

She pouted as she hit me in the arm which I avoided with god step making her fall on my bed while I went to three step's cabin. I knocked on the door, and soon after three steps came out. I held my hand out waiting for her to connect, she motioned me to come in first. I came in and we sat across each other. I held my hand out and she placed her paw on my hand, and soon I slowly drifted in a dark space, and began my conversation with three steps.

I asked her which one of the rest I should do the wild things or the spear beaks, which she replied I should go to the wild things first, I nodded at her after breaking the mental link and left her hut. I got ready and called Caera who was still angry at me.

"Come on we need to go now" I said

"Where?" She asked

"The wild things place we still need one more piece after that" I replied

She got ready equipping her armors and taking out her weapon. I was led by three other shadow claws until they pointed at a direction. I nodded and went towards the place they pointed as we arrived. I could make out aetheric shapes moving in the snow-cloud, and I realized what this must be .

"The wild things," I muttered .

A ghostly creature made of snow and ice suspended in a tornado of aether broke free from the blizzard and rushed toward us . It reminded me of the malevolent phantom that had possessed Ada in the mirror room, except this thing had token possession of the land itself, coming to life as a sort of snow golem, a shapeless whirlwind of conscious aether .

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of identical aether beasts made up the storm that had surrounded us .

Sheathing myself in another layer of aether, I lunged forward to meet the construct . My fist burst through the snow and aether, but it only rippled like water and swirled back together as I passed through it .

A thin arm ending in three icy claws slashed at me . Just as my fist had passed through its body, its claws moved through me, unabated by my aetheric barrier . Though they left no physical wound, a line of cold fire burned in my side . Aether flooded from my core to heal the perceived wound .

"Don't let them touch you!" I barked, just as Caera burst forward, her blade flashing down through the golem's body .

We fought them off for what it seemed like hours. I leapt back to where Caera was and helped her out. I managed to kill most of them with my aether cannon, but I felt as my aether reserves were slowly depleting at an alarming rate.

"Keep the golems off of me while I absorb the ones without bodies!" I yelled .

Caera sprung into action, sticking close by me and turning into a whirlwind of destruction .

The two of us continued this for what seemed like hours, Caera sparingly utilizing her soulfire to disintegrate the golems' bodies while I absorbed enough energy to let out an aetheric blast before repeating the process over again .

The problem was that, while I could continue to replenish my aether reserves, my partner couldn't . I could see her movement slowing, and the soulfire sheathing her red sword flickered weakly .

Caera's overhead swing came up short, leaving her open for a golem behind her to attack .

Thanks to Three Steps' unique teaching, I was able to God Step in time to bring myself between the golem and Caera .

Clutching the Alacryan noble close to me, I grit my teeth as a score of icy pain raked down my back .

Caera's eyes widened in surprise . "G-Grey?"

"It's fine . I'll heal while you won't," I mustered as I let go of her . "How much longer can you hold up?"

"Not much longer," Caera admitted .

With my internal reserves topped off, I focused on building up another aether blast . It burst from my hand to engulf dozens of the golems that made up the blizzard surrounding us, giving me a brief glimpse of the zone beyond .

Then something changed . The blizzard blowing in a circle around us shivered, and several dozen forms within it compressed in on each other until it looked like a single purple blob within the white wall .

What stepped out of the driving snow wasn't a meager whirlwind of snow and ice; it wasn't even a tornado .

The figure was at least twelve feet high to the back . It had a broad, bearish form, but walked on six muscular limbs, each tipped with gleaming claws of aether . A long, lance-like beak of pure ice protruded from its otherwise round, shapeless head .

"We're not surrounded anymore . Get as far away as possible while I hold it off," I demanded, igniting the rune of Destruction and praying that I'd still keep my sanity after .

"I can still—"

"Please!" I urged

"I don't want to hurt you. "

Caera clicked her tongue, but she began to leave as the violet flames flickered into existence, dancing in the air around me . But what I didn't expect was red mana also leaking of me as I felt destruction mana coming out combining with the destruction rune and that was when I slowly started to lose control my vision changing.

Just as the dark, shadowy presence of Destruction began to encroach on my mind, another pulse emanated from my core, this time with a force that brought me to my knees .

Blood rushed to my head, pounding against my ears . I could barely make out Caera calling my name behind me . An unmistakably familiar presence emerged from my core, taking the dark presence of Destruction along with him .

Then my shadow beneath me expanded, taking on a bestial form as a giant claw the size of my torso emerged from the shaded ground .

A pair of sharp amethyst eyes opened and gazed at me before a rumbling growl sounded over the tumult of wind and snow .

"Miss me, princess?"

"You sure took your sweet time" I managed to say in a rough voice as I try and hold down the destruction mana from taking control

I watched in awe as Regis dragged himself out from the depths of my shadow, rather than my body . Aside from the fact that I only came up to his chest when he stood on all fours, his front limbs now longer and more muscular than his hind legs, the shadow wolf's appearance had drastically changed .

Regis's fur jutted out in hard spikes, gleaming like obsidian beneath the sharp-edged blades of purple flames that danced over him . His horns were sweeping spears that grew out from his temple and thrust forward like a bull's, while rows of serrated daggers protruded out to form his fangs .

A powerful roar ripped out from the throat of my shadowy companion, carrying a palpable pressure akin to the aetheric version of King's Force that I had learned from Kordri . Sensing the danger, the three giant golems' attention turned to Regis .

"Change of plans Caera cover Regis" I shouted as I try and charge up another aether cannon

Caera, despite her fatigued state, gave me a firm nod and channeled soulfire into her scarlet blade as Regis rushed forward, kicking up a cloud of snow behind him .

My companion's movements blurred as he ripped a chunk out of one of the golems with his claws before spinning and lashing out at another with his spiked tail . Where his claws moved, a streak of violet trailed behind, carrying with it the aspect of Destruction .

While not nearly as potent as the violet flames I was able to produce utilizing the godrune, his attacks were able to inhibit the golems' ability to regenerate, unlike Caera's soulfire .

Consuming the information being fed to me through the aether trails, I God Stepped near the giant golem still trying to regenerate part of its torso and leaped on top of its shoulder before plunging my hands into its body .

As I began absorbing the aetheric nebula that made up its actual form, the third golem retaliated by conjuring an icicle spear in its clawed hand and throwing it at me .

Before I even decided to react, a sphere of soulfire crashed into the giant icicle, consuming the golem's attack before billowing out .

My expression must've given away my surprise at the sight of her new spell because Caera shot me a smirk and said, "You're not the only one that's been training, Grey!"

With my reserves nearly full, I began to coalesce aether into my palm in preparation for another aether blast when the golem I was standing on lurched, throwing me off .

"Watch it!" I growled at Regis, who had rammed his head against the golem I was on top of, skewering it with his horns .

The other two golems quickly took advantage of Regis's limited mobility and began pummeling him with a barrage of fists, claws, and icicles . Despite the onslaught that he faced, however, his thick coat of spiked fur and jagged flames mitigated most of the damage he took, giving me and Caera another opening .

Channeling more aether into my right hand, I condensed it as much as possible before flashing toward the cluster of giant golems and releasing my attack point blank .

While the close range attack greatly reduced the amount of aether it leaked while traveling mid-air, the rebound from the impact made by the spell was strong enough to blow me backwards, hurling me several yards into the air .

I God Stepped to the ground, absorbing the momentum of the recoil, then ignited the godrune once more to avoid a giant icicle the size of a carriage that had been hurled at me, despite my aetheric blast burning away two of my attacker's arms .

Caera let loose another cluster of smaller soul fire bombs that expanded upon impact, destroying chunks of the giant golems' limbs and bodies, now thoroughly misshapen, and freeing Regis .

Letting out another roar that sounded more like a dragon than a wolf, Regis became a whirlwind of jagged flames, fangs, and claws, mincing the trio of golems like they were in a thresher .

"I don't even think we're needed at this point," Caera said with a weary chuckle, the black flames dancing around her fingers dimming .

As if the golems took her words as a challenge, the physical constructs of snow and ice that made up their bodies suddenly collapsed to the ground .

The purple mist that made up their true forms began to coalesce, becoming thicker and clearer while also condensing into a smaller form .

A dome of kinetic force erupted from where the aetheric being gathered, sending Regis soaring over the snow . Caera was barely able to anchor herself by stabbing her blade into the ground, while I opted to clad myself in a thicker layer of aether and dig my heels into the ground .

From the epicenter of the explosion appeared an ethereal humanoid being with four translucent purple arms and a pair of wings that spanned twice its seven-foot height . Covering its limbs were plates of armor made of ice . But the most surprising feature was the white portal shard covering half of its faceless head like a decorative mask .

Caera took a step forward . "Is that..."

A smile formed on the edge of my lips . "The portal piece . "

My body was tinged with a violet hue as aether clung tightly around me . As I prepared to confront the four-armed humanoid, however, a sharp burst of malicious thoughts broke my concentration .

'This thing is mine!' Regis snarled in a voice that didn't sound quite like his own .

My shadowy companion rushed forward in a blur, his Destruction-infused jaws snapping rabidly . However, the snow beneath Regis caved in and hardened so that his limbs were frozen to the ground .

Letting out a frustrated growl, the shadow wolf began jerking his body, trying to free himself, but even with the aspect of Destruction coating his body, the ice held firm .

With a beat of its translucent purple wings, the being shot up high above the ground and began raining down a shower of icicles tinged in aether .

Caera flashed ahead of me, putting herself between Regis and the flurry of aether-clad icicles without hesitation, and conjured a wall of soulfire .

Meanwhile, I ignited God Step, teleporting in the air above our opponent to stop its attack . Shrouding myself in a nimbus of violet energy, I oriented myself as I fell straight on top of the humanoid's shoulders .

Seeing that Caera had managed to block most of the attack with her black flames and free Regis, I changed my tactics .

Rather than trying to tear off the portal piece, I gripped the humanoid being's head with both hands . As I tried to absorb the aether that made up its purple flesh, however, I was overwhelmed by a torrent of energy .

It was like trying to drink water from the bottom of a lake . At the risk of drowning, I released my grip around its head and focused on the humanoid's wings instead .

The being began to writhe in pain, trying to pull me off its back with its arms, or batter me with its wings, but I clung on firmly even as my foe's icy chill emanated through my protective shroud, causing my flesh to ache and burn as crystalline patterns of frost bloomed from every point where we contacted one another .

Amassing a condensed sphere of aether around my right hand, which threatened to explode at the tiniest break in my concentration, I began molding it, much like I had practiced using the dried-fruit toy that Three Steps had given me .

Flares of purple energy leaked out as I tried to change the aether's form, but I persisted until I was able to make something akin to a misshapen disk .

I sipped from the humanoid form's aether, carefully not to let it submerge me as I continued to try and make the disk thinner, but a sharp crack resounded across the snowy plain and a mind numbing pain radiated from my left leg .

Almost losing concentration enough to explode the aetheric disk I held in the palm of my hand, I chose to fire the spell immediately instead, aiming at the base of the creature's right wing .

The translucent purple disk shot out from my hand, dissipating into the air in mere moments, but not before it managed to sever cleanly through one aetheric wing .

A grating sound akin to a hum and a screech issued from the being as we both began plummeting down to the snowy ground .

"Regis!" I roared, both aloud and in my head to grab my shadowy companion's attention .

Seeing the large, dark blur approaching us on the ground, I released my grip around the humanoid before igniting God Step once more .

With a crackle of violet lightning, I arrived on the ground some distance away, but immediately fell forward as my left leg gave out from under me .

"Grey!"

Caera rushed to my side, her scarlet eyes staring in horror at my shattered leg . However, my own focus went to the bloody wound on her shoulder blade .

"How'd you get that injury?" I asked, wincing at the pain of my leg grinding and shifting as it healed .

The Alacryan noble shook her head . "It was Regis, but I don't think he realized he'd hit me . He's not exactly in the right state of mind right now . "

Annoyance rose at seeing Caera injured because of us, but I was also thankful that Regis's newly-acquired Destruction ability wasn't nearly as potent as mine . If it manifested as all-consuming flames, like mine did...

Turning my gaze to the battle ensuing in the distance, I could see Regis and the aetheric being locked in a heated melee . Each attack carried enough force behind it to release shockwaves of energy that could be felt from even where Caera and I watched .

"I should go help," I said, standing up .

Caera looked down at my healed leg, her expression hidden behind her obsidian horn, then looked back up at me . "Regis doesn't seem to want help . ""I know . " I frowned . "But I can feel this new form of his eating away at Regis . "

With a nod, she stepped forward, standing by my side . "I've drained too much mana to be able to keep up with the two of you . I'll support from behind . "

My gaze fell to the curved gash that reached up her shoulder . While it had stopped bleeding, I could make out a tinge of purple over it . "I'm sorry about that . "

Caera pushed me forward with a faint grin . "If it scars, you'll have to answer to my mentor . Now go . "

"Go away now stay as far as you can" I said as I started to want to use destruction mana

"Bu.."

"Now" I said my voice cold cutting her off

As I saw her run back behind a boulder far enough I pointed both my palms toward Regis and the golem as I slowly did the same thing I did in the convergence zone, red scales slowly appeared from my hand my vision slowly turning and the orb in front of me releasing a destructive feeling I saw as my fingers slowly turned into black sharp claws as I felt my body slowly tearing itself apart as soon as I finished charging I shouted.

"Regis get the hell out of there if you don't want to be fucking disintegrated" I shouted

Regis saw this and leapt back as he was far enough I fired the orb in front of me towards the three giant golems when it hit a big explosion came out as I struggle to keep myself awake I could see a crater formed from my explosion.

"Fuck I might've had over done it" I said as I walked towards the only thing that was shinning white

"Got the portal piece" I thought as I placed it in my dimension rune, but I could still see my arms and fingers still not returning to normal.

"Look what you did!" Regis spat, advancing toward me with deadly intent . "If you weren't so fixated on that stupid stone piece, I would've been able to absorb all of its aether!"

"Then what?" I matched my companion's menacing glare, not a shred of sympathy evident in my voice . "You were going to kill me and Caera and romp free in this wasteland?"

Regis bared his obsidian fangs . "Maybe I would—"

My scaled fist dug into the side of his face, pummeling his head into the ground .

Holding out a hand to stop Caera from approaching, I kept my gaze on Regis . "Looks like I've been a bit too easy on you . "

With a rage-fueled snarl, the shadowy wolf retaliated with a swipe of his huge paw, then snapped at me with Destruction laced jaws . However, his movements were wild at best and infantile at worst, making it easy to dodge .

"Your speed is pathetic" I said

"Your movements are flimsy and you can't even control your strength" I said

I returned each of his attacks with my fists as the scales were already strong enough, except mine actually connected . After all my practicing to take in information from the aetheric paths to use God Step, I could feel the improvements in both my reaction time and mental acuity in battle .

"Did you forget that you have no idea what would happen to you if I were to die?" I growled, throwing a hook into his side that sent him skidding through the snow for several yards .

He barked out a cold, unkind laugh . "Don't pretend that you care about me . You've only seen me as a weapon, a tool for you to use! Now that you've seen my potential, you're scared of me, aren't you?"

"I'd be a lot more emotional if I had ever actually seen you as a weapon," I chortled . "You've been more of a leech than anything else when you first came out up until now only useful for information and little fights nothing more and nothing less, and me scared of you I think you're ignoring the fact that I can pummel you with just pure strength while I'm in this form right now. "

With a furious howl, Regis charged toward me, the aspect of Destruction burning even more fiercely .

Spinning on my heels, I dodged and caught my companion's deadly claws with my own hands, making him waste more of his reserves .

"You've been sucking my aether core dry these past few days, and you think suddenly you're powerful pathetic?" I said with a scoff . "I think the asuras made a mistake when they told me you'd be a weapon . "

"Shut up!" Regis roared, his voice slowly becoming more distorted as the aspect of Destruction took over his body .

"You know how pathetic you look right now huh Regis you might as well become a decorative weapon to be held up on the wall for all I know" I replied

Finally, when I sensed that my companion had all but used the last of his aether reserves, I lunged forward to grab him around the neck, then tossed him over my shoulder and pinned him to the ground so that I was glaring down into one wide, glowing eye .

"You don't think if I can push you out of my body, I can't take you back in?"

The bear-sized wolf twitched as he began to fade, turning to smoke and aether as his form receded back into the shadow beneath my feet .

Regis burned like a star within me . I ignited my godrune in an effort to seize control of the aspect of Destruction rampaging inside me .

It took every fiber of my being to properly utilize the pure force of aether to control the plague-like entity of Destruction, but after what seemed like an eternity, I found my eyes slowly opening .

Above me the sky gleamed glacier-blue and moved with the aurora . Caera's scarlet eyes peered down at me, laced with surprise and concern .

"You're awake," she said with a relieved smile .

I let out a hoarse laugh as I struggled to sit up . "I can literally regrow missing limbs and you still worry?"

"Yes, I do," she said seriously, helping me up .

Taken aback by her straightforwardness, I turned my attention inward to where Regis's presence glowed faintly .

With a gentle push, my companion emerged from my shadow in the form of a diminutive wolf pup . We locked eyes for a moment before he turned his gaze to Caera . "Grey, Caera...I—"

"Don't," I said, cutting him off . "You tried to kill me, I said some pretty mean things, we'll call it even . "

Touseling his shadowy head, I shot him a grin . "Besides, you were pretty badass . "

"Agreed," Caera said, giving me a mischievous grin . "Perhaps a battle scar will help me get out of some of the potential suitors my blood has so kindly lined up for me . "

The three of us started laughing in the silence of the snowy field.

"What will you do with" Regis pointed at my hands

I was also confused but then a spark of pain came from it as I saw the scales slowly returned and my hands slowly became normal again.

"Alright we got what we came here for let's head back" I said

"Agreed" Caera said as she helped me up letting me use her as support

Half way on our way back I could already walk normally without support anymore as Regis trailed beside us still sulking and down.

"Regis it's fine you can behave like how you use to behave" I said

But Regis just nodded and went inside me.

"I'm gonna rest for now" He said

"Rest or gather more aether for another rebellion?" I asked

"Rest" He said

When we returned I went straight to Three steps to exchange knowledge while Caera continued on her training.